On-road reference point positional data delivery device

• US 6,728,629 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Institute For Land and Infrastructure Management Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transportation
• Original Assignee: National Institute For Land and Infrastructure Management Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transportation
• Inventors: Oka, Kenichiro, Suzuki, Hiroyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US09/991,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/200, 701/207, 701/217, 701/223, 340/907, 340/909, 340/910, 340/463, 342/46, 342/50
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to the present invention has a reference point positional data delivery device, and this reference point positional data delivery device has a beacon identification device for indicating a reference point position for service information delivered from a beacon provided on a road to a vehicle and also selecting the beacon delivering the service information from among a plurality of beacons.

Claims

1. An on-road reference point positional data delivery device provided on a road for sending information to an in-vehicle detector loaded in a vehicle running on a road comprising:

a reference point positional data delivery means, wherein said reference point positional data delivery means indicates a reference point position for service information delivered from a beacon provided on the road to the vehicle by means of road-to-vehicle communication and also has a beacon identification means for selecting a beacon sending said service information from among a plurality of beacons.

2. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 1, wherein said reference point positional data delivery means is a lane marker provided on a road and the lane marker is completely buried in the road surface or a surface thereof is exposed on the road surface.

3. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 2, wherein said lane marker transmits or reflects electrical waves to deliver information to a vehicle.

4. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 2, wherein said lane marker comprises a plurality of magnets arranged on a road with the S poles or N poles of the magnets set to positions closer to a surface of the road, and information is delivered to a vehicle according to the sequence of S poles or of N poles.

5. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the reference point positional data delivery means is a dedicated short range communication having a communication zone for road-to-vehicle communication restricted to a prespecified small area in a direction in which the road extends.

6. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the reference point positional data delivery means comprises a collection of a plurality of zonal bodies on a surface of a road, and information is presented by the width of each zonal body or a sequence thereof.

7. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 1 further comprising a beacon identification means, wherein said beacon identification means is a frequency identification means which identifies a frequency of a beacon currently delivering service information from among a plurality of frequencies.

8. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 7 further comprising a frequency identification means, wherein a plurality of beacons for delivering service information are successively provided, and when frequencies of the beacons are different from each other, said frequency identification means identifies a frequency of a beacon from which the service information for the vehicle to receive is delivered.

9. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of beacons for delivering service information are successively provided, and when frequencies of the beacons are different from each other, a sequential number of a frequency for the vehicle to receive is assigned as sequence information to the service information.

10. An on-road reference point positional data delivery device provided on a road as well as in a vehicle comprising:

a radio beacon for road-to-vehicle communication provided on a road and having a narrow communication area in a direction in which the road extends for delivering information concerning a reference point distance from a reference point up to a point indicated by information concerning situations in a forward direction along the road or an absolute position on the road;

a reference point marker provided on a surface of the road within the communication area of said radio beacon for road-to-vehicle communication for indicating a reference position for said reference point distance or for an absolute position on the road surface;

a receiving means loaded in a vehicle for receiving signals from said radio beacon for road-to-vehicle communication;

a detection means loaded in the vehicle for detecting said reference point marker; and

a reference position detection means also loaded in the vehicle for determining that the vehicle has entered the communication area by said radio beacon for road-to-vehicle communication and then passed over the reference point marker and also for recognizing a position of said reference point marker as the reference position.

11. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 10, wherein said radio beacon for road-to-vehicle communication is a lane marker based on the radio system provided on a surface of a road and having a communication area within a specified range on the road surface.

12. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 10, wherein said reference point marker is a magnetic marker solely provided within a communication range for said radio beacon for road-to-vehicle communication.

13. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 10, wherein said reference point marker is a magnetic marker provided within a communication range for said radio beacon for road-to-vehicle communication and having a different polarity from that of another magnetic marker also provided in the communication range.

14. The on-road reference point positional data delivery device according to claim 10, wherein said reference point marker is a magnetic zonal marker which extends in the lateral direction of a lane.