Speed limit display in a vehicle

• US 6,515,596 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2001
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Awada, Faisal M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/801,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20020126023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/988, 340/901, 340/902, 381/86, 701/117, 701/119, 701/202
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reporting a posted speed limit to the driver of a vehicle is disclosed. The position of the vehicle is determined using a GPS receiver or triangulation of cellular telephone signals. The position is used to retrieve speed limit or other information from a database. The information is then reported to the driver. A technique is also disclosed for comparing the actual speed of the vehicle with the posted speed limit and issuing a warning to the driver when the posted speed limit is exceeded.

Claims

1. A method for conveying traffic notices to an operator of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

determining a position of the vehicle;

using the position to retrieve, from a database, information about a traffic notice;

detecting whether the vehicle is being operated in a way that is in violation of the traffic notice; and

in response to the vehicle being operated in a way that is in violation of the traffic notice, playing a warning sound in an earpiece of a mobile telephone associated with the operator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step includes a step of retrieving the position of the vehicle from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

detecting a speed of the vehicle;

comparing the speed with the traffic notice, wherein the traffic notice is a speed limit; and

if the speed exceeds the speed limit, playing the warning sound in the earpiece of the mobile telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the warning sound is a warning chime.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step includes a step of calculating the position of the vehicle by triangulating mobile telephone signals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting step includes a step of displaying the information.

7. A computer program product, in a computer-readable medium, for conveying traffic notices to an operator of a vehicle, comprising instructions for:

determining a position of the vehicle;

using the position to retrieve, from a database, information about a traffic notice;

detecting whether the vehicle is being operated in a way that is a violation of the traffic notice; and

in response to the vehicle being operated in a way that is in violation of the traffic notice, playing a warning sound in an earpiece of a mobile telephone associated with the operator.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions for determining include instructions for retrieving the position of the vehicle from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, comprising instructions for:

detecting a speed of the vehicle;

comparing the speed with the traffic notice, wherein the traffic notice is a speed limit; and

if the speed exceeds the speed limit, playing the warning sound in the earpiece of the mobile telephone.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the warning sound is a warning chime.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions for determining include instructions for calculating the position of the vehicle by triangulating mobile telephone signals.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions for presenting include instructions for displaying the information.

13. A system for reporting speed limit inflation to an operator of a vehicle, comprising:

a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver;

a database;

an output unit; and

a data processing system in communication with the GPS receiver, database, and display unit, wherein the GPS receiver determines the location of the vehicle, the data processing system receives the location from the GPS receiver, the data processing system uses the location to retrieve speed limit information from the database, the data processing system determines a speed of the vehicle, and in response to the speed exceeding a speed limit denoted by the speed limit information the data processing system directs a mobile telephone to play a warning sound.

14. A system for warning an operator of a telephone mobile of an exceeded speed limit, comprising:

a plurality of receiving stations tuned to receive a signal from the mobile telephone;

a database; and

a data processing system in communication with the plurality of receiving stations, the database, and the mobile telephone, wherein the data processing system compares arrival times of the signal from the plurality of receiving stations, the data processing system analyzes the receiving times to determine a location and speed of the cellular telephone, the data processing system uses the location to look up speed limit information in the database, and if the speed exceeds the speed limit, the data processing system generates a warning sound and plays the warning sound in an earpiece of the mobile telephone.

15. A system for reporting speed limit information to an operator of a vehicle having a mobile telephone, comprising:

a radio receiver;

a database; and

a data processing system in communication with the first radio transceiver and database, wherein the radio receiver determines the location of the vehicle by triangulating signals from a plurality of known transmission stations, the data processing system receives the location from the radio receiver, the data processing system uses the location to retrieve speed limit information from the database, the data processing system compares a speed of the vehicle with the speed limit information, and if the vehicle is exceeding a posted speed limit, the data processing system notifies the operator by playing a warning sound in an earpiece of the mobile telephone.