Vehicle speed control based on GPS/MAP matching of posted speeds
First Claim
1. An apparatus for controlling the maximum speed of a vehicle based on the speed limits posted on the street on which the vehicle is travelling, said apparatus comprising:
- a position-, bearing- and speed-determining navigation receiver-computer with an earth navigation format data output;
a vehicle engine computer connected to said navigation receiver; and
a location-speed relational map database, wherein said location-speed relational map database is stored in said navigation receiver-computer;
wherein said navigation receiver-computer determines the location and the speed of the vehicle, inputs the maximum speed from said location-speed map database, and forwards the speed limit to said engine computer, and wherein said engine computer uses the speed limit information contained in said location-speed map database to limit the maximum ground speed of the vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The GPS-map speed matching system for controlling the speed of the vehicle is described. The system includes a GPS navigation receiver, a database processing facility, a GPS computer, an engine computer, a video display, a speed sensor and a heading sensor. The database processing facility can be local or remote. The GPS computer obtains the latitude, longitude, heading and speed of the vehicle. The database processing facility processes the GPS data and obtains the location and the maximum posted speed of the vehicle. The GPS computer or an engine computer perform the comparison between the vehicle speed and the maximum posted speed and signal the odometer to decrease the vehicle speed if the vehicle speed exceeds the maximum posted speed plus some predetermined value.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An apparatus for controlling the maximum speed of a vehicle based on the speed limits posted on the street on which the vehicle is travelling, said apparatus comprising:
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a position-, bearing- and speed-determining navigation receiver-computer with an earth navigation format data output; a vehicle engine computer connected to said navigation receiver; and a location-speed relational map database, wherein said location-speed relational map database is stored in said navigation receiver-computer; wherein said navigation receiver-computer determines the location and the speed of the vehicle, inputs the maximum speed from said location-speed map database, and forwards the speed limit to said engine computer, and wherein said engine computer uses the speed limit information contained in said location-speed map database to limit the maximum ground speed of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus for controlling the maximum speed of a vehicle based on the speed limits posted on the street on which the vehicle is travelling and for reporting the specification conditions to the pertinent customer service organization, said apparatus comprising:
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a GPS navigation computer;
wherein said GPS navigation computer includes;a GPS associated memory unit, and a port for downloading data into said memory unit for original installation and for updating and changes; a GPS receiver; a location-speed relational map database, wherein said map database is stored in said GPS memory unit; a database processing facility, wherein said database processing facility is connected to said GPS microprocessor and is connected to said port for downloading said location-speed relational map database;
said database processing facility comprising;a plurality of specialized databases that include relational data expressed in earth navigation format and data for relational access that is in a latitude and longitude format; and an indexer connected to said specialized databases for selecting access to a particular one of said databases according to the position descriptor related in said database to the vehicle location; a vehicle engine computer connected to said navigation receiver; a speed sensor and a heading sensor, said sensors being connected to the vehicle odometer for reading speed and heading of the vehicle, said sensors being connected to said GPS computer and to said vehicle engine computer for transmission of the reading of speed and heading of the vehicle; a vehicle display of an electronic map, wherein said display is connected with said GPS computer for electronically displaying the map with the posted speed limit, the current location of the vehicle on the map and the current speed of the vehicle; wherein said database processing facility includes a remote processing facility further comprising a wireless transmitting means and a wireless receiving means; and wherein said GPS computer further includes a GPS transmitting and receiving means; and wherein said GPS transmitting means is used for a wireless transmission of the position, speed and bearing data of the vehicle to said remote database processing facility; and wherein said remote database processing facility employs said receiving means for a wireless reception of the vehicle position, speed and bearing data; and wherein said remote database processing facility employs said transmitting means for a wireless transmission of the map data corresponding to the position and bearing data of the vehicle; and wherein said GPS computer is adapted to use said GPS receiving means for a wireless reception of the map data including the maximum speed for the vehicle location from said remote database processing facility and for downloading the map data to said download port for determining what street the vehicle is on and what is the maximum speed limit for that street; and wherein said GPS computer forwards the maximum speed limit to said engine computer; and wherein said engine computer uses the speed limit information contained in said map database to limit the maximum ground speed of the vehicle; and wherein said engine computer or said GPS computer uses said wireless communication link to report the location and speed of the vehicle and the maximum speed limit for the vehicle location to the customer organization.
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22. An apparatus for controlling the maximum speed of a vehicle based on the speed limits posted on the street on which the vehicle is travelling and for reporting the specification conditions to the pertinent customer service organization, said apparatus comprising:
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a GPS navigation computer including; a GPS associated memory unit, and port for downloading data into said memory unit for original installation and for updating and changes; and a GPS transmitting means; a GPS receiver; a location-speed relational map database, wherein said location-speed relational map database is stored in said GPS memory unit; a database processing facility, wherein said database processing facility is connected to said GPS microprocessor and is connected to said port for downloading map data;
said database processing facility comprising;a plurality of specialized databases that include relational data expressed in earth navigation format and data for relational access that is in a latitude and longitude format; an indexer connected to said specialized databases for selecting access to a particular one of said databases according to the position descriptor related in said database to the vehicle location; a vehicle engine computer connected to said GPS navigation computer; a speed sensor and a heading sensor, said sensors being connected to the vehicle odometer for reading speed and heading of the vehicle, said sensors being connected to said GPS computer and to said vehicle engine computer for transmitting the reading of speed and heading of the vehicle; a vehicle display of an electronic map, wherein said display is connected with said GPS computer for electronically displaying the map with the posted speed limit, the current location of the vehicle on the map and the current speed of the vehicle; wherein said database processing facility includes a local processing facility; and wherein said GPS computer determines location, speed and bearing of the vehicle and transmits said data to said local database processing facility; and wherein said local data processing facility matches location and bearing of the vehicle with the maximum posted speed for said map location; and wherein said GPS computer is adapted for downloading the vehicle and map data from said local data processing facility to said download port for storing said data in said memory unit; and wherein said GPS computer forwards the maximum speed limit to said engine computer; and wherein said engine computer uses the speed limit information contained in said map database to limit the maximum ground speed of the vehicle; and wherein said engine computer or said GPS computer is adapted to use said GPS transmitting means as a wireless communication link to report the location and speed of the vehicle and the maximum speed limit for the vehicle location to the customer organization.
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23. A method for controlling the maximum speed of a vehicle based on the speed limits posted on the street on which the vehicle is travelling;
- said method employing an apparatus comprising;
a GPS receiver;
a GPS navigation computer including a GPS associated memory unit, a port for downloading data into said memory unit, and a GPS receiving and transmitting means;
a location-speed relational map database being stored in said GPS memory unit;
a remote database processing facility comprising a plurality of specialized databases, an indexer connected to said specialized databases for selecting access to a particular one of said databases according to the position descriptor related in said database to the vehicle location, and a receiving and transmitting means;
a vehicle engine computer;
a speed sensor and a heading sensor; and
a vehicle display of an electronic map;
said method comprising the steps of;determining longitude, latitude, speed and bearing data of the vehicle by said GPS computer; transmitting the position, speed and bearing data of the vehicle to said remote database processing facility by using said GPS transmitting means; receiving the vehicle position, speed and bearing data by said remote database processing facility employing said receiving means; processing the position, speed and bearing data by said remote database processing facility to obtain the map location of the vehicle; determining said location-speed relational map database including the maximum speed corresponding to the location of the vehicle by said processing facility; transmitting the map and vehicle data corresponding to the position, speed and bearing data of the vehicle by said transmitting means of said database processing facility; receiving the map and vehicle data including the maximum speed for the vehicle location from said remote database processing facility by said GPS receiving means; downloading said location-speed relational map database to said download port; determining what street the vehicle is on and what is the maximum speed limit for that street; forwarding the maximum speed limit to said engine computer by said GPS computer; and using the speed limit information contained in said location-speed relational map database by said engine computer to limit the maximum ground speed of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (24)
- said method employing an apparatus comprising;
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25. A method for controlling the maximum speed of a vehicle based on the speed limits posted on the street on which the vehicle is travelling;
- said method employing an apparatus comprising;
a GPS receiver;
a GPS navigation computer including a GPS associated memory unit, and a port for downloading data into said memory unit, and a GPS transmitting and receiving means;
a location-speed relational map database stored in said GPS memory unit;
a local database processing facility comprising a plurality of specialized databases, and an indexer connected to said specialized databases for selecting access to a particular one of said databases according to the position descriptor related in said database to the vehicle location;
a vehicle engine computer;
a speed sensor and a heading sensor; and
a vehicle display of an electronic map;
said method comprising the steps of;determining the position, speed and bearing data of the vehicle by using said GPS computer; transmitting the position, speed and bearing data of the vehicle to said local database processing facility; processing the position, speed and bearing data by said local database processing facility to obtain the map location of the vehicle; determining said location-speed relational map database including the maximum speed corresponding to the location of the vehicle by said processing facility; downloading the map and vehicle data to said download port; storing the map and vehicle data in said memory unit, including speed of the vehicle, what street the vehicle is on and what is the maximum speed limit for that street; forwarding the maximum speed limit to said engine computer by said GPS computer; and using the map data by said engine computer to limit the maximum ground speed of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (26)
- said method employing an apparatus comprising;
Specification