Autonomous estimator of vehicle arrival time

• US 6,184,802 B1
• Filed: 10/13/1999
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Goodman Lamb
• Original Assignee: Robert Goodman Lamb
• Inventors: Lamb, Robert Goodman
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US09/417,385
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 340/994, 340/995, 340/988, 340/989, 340/992
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

An autonomous apparatus for generating real-time estimates of the time of arrival of vehicles at user selected sites. The apparatus is comprised of two separate components, a vehicle unit which is carried by each vehicle and a user unit which is carried by each user. The vehicle unit determines time and geographical position at predetermined locations and broadcast these data to the user units through a wireless communications medium. The user unit receives the time and position information and adds it to computer memory records of similar data received over a prior period of time. The combined set of recorded data is used to estimate the time that the broadcasting vehicle will arrive at a specific location, that location having been specified by the user on a previous occasion by pressing a button on the user unit when the vehicle was stopped at the selected location. The estimated arrival time is presented on a display. The system operates without any assistance or information input from humans and its user require no special knowledge or skills. It is ideally suited for application to school bus transportation services.

Claims

1. A system for estimating the time of arrival at user selected sites of a vehicle that repeatedly traverses a specific route, comprising:

(a) a vehicle unit which is carried by the vehicle, and

(b) a user unit which is available to each user,

said vehicle unit comprising

means for determining the space-time coordinates of the vehicle at each point where it comes to a stop and at predetermined intervals between stops;

means for broadcasting said space-time coordinates;

said user unit comprising

means for receiving said space-time coordinates broadcast by said vehicle unit;

means for generating a database of space-time coordinates, said database containing all space-time coordinates received from said vehicle unit during a plurality of the most recent traversals of the vehicle'"'"'s route;

button means that the user can press on any one occasion when the vehicle is stopped at a selected site;

means for determining the time T_b that said button means is pressed;

means for finding within said database of space-time coordinates the space-time

coordinate S,T whose time component T is equivalent to T_b;

means for designating the space component S of said space-time coordinate S,T as the spatial coordinates of said selected site;

means for estimating from the space-time coordinates in said database of space-time coordinates and the space-time coordinates most recently received from said vehicle unit the time of arrival of the vehicle at said selected site;

means for displaying said time of arrival.

2. The system of claim 1 in which said user unit further comprises means for receiving warnings issued by the emergency broadcast system for a specified geographical area;

means for determining whether the spatial coordinates of said selected site are within said specified geographical area;

means for generating an alarm if the spatial coordinates of said selected site are determined to lie within said specified geographical area.

3. A method for estimating the time of arrival at user selected sites of a vehicle that repeatedly traverses a specific route, comprising:

(a) providing a vehicle unit which is carried by the vehicle, and

(b) providing a user unit which is available to each user,

said vehicle unit

automatically determining the space-time coordinates of the vehicle at each point where it comes to automatically a stop and at predetermined intervals between stops;

broadcasting said space-time coordinates;

said user unit

receiving said space-time coordinates broadcast by said vehicle unit;

generating a database of space-time coordinates, said database containing all space-time coordinates received from said vehicle unit during a plurality of the most recent traversals of the vehicle'"'"'s route;

noting the time T_b on any one occasion when the vehicle is stopped at a selected site;

finding within said database of space-time coordinates the space-time coordinate S,T whose time component T is equivalent to T_b;

designating the space component S of said space-time coordinate S,T as the spatial coordinates of said selected site;

estimating from the space-time coordinates in said database of space-time coordinates and the space-time coordinates most recently received from said vehicle unit the time of arrival of the vehicle at said selected site;

displaying said time of arrival.