Weather information dissemination system for mobile vehicles

• US 6,995,686 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2003
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Edwards, Michael, Sleiman, Youssef, Bath, Kenneth G., Gosdin, Malcom E., Simmons, Stacey Travis, Zeitfuss, Michael Paul, Doner, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/633,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20050024236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/995.1, 340/995.17, 340/286.02, 340/286.14, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.26, 340/539.28, 340/601, 702/3, 702/4, 455/150.1, 455/179.1
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/71 using meteorological information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for disseminating weather products, based on raw weather data provided by various weather condition sensors, to a mobile vehicle. The weather products are formed as web pages and transmitted to the mobile vehicle during the vertical blanking interval of a broadcast television signal. The weather products are received and displayed within the vehicle under control of a web browser.

Claims

1. A method for disseminating weather information to a mobile vehicle, comprising:

collecting weather data;

forming weather products based on the weather data;

providing the weather products to a plurality of broadcast stations; and

transmitting the weather products from the plurality of broadcast stations coincident with the broadcast of a radio frequency signal for receiving at the mobile vehicle, wherein the mobile vehicle receives updated weather products from different ones of the plurality of broadcast stations as the mobile vehicle traverses a path.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the weather products further comprises modulating a television broadcast signal with the weather products during a vertical blanking interval of the television broadcast signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the weather products further comprises modulating a sub-carrier authorization signal of an FM radio broadcast signal with the weather products.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the weather products to a satellite for transmission to the plurality of broadcast stations.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the weather products are selected from text-based information, image-based information and weather alerts.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the radio frequency signal is transmitted from a broadcast station, and wherein the weather products comprise weather information for the geographical area proximate the broadcast station.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the weather products are displayed within the mobile vehicle in conjunction with a map of the geographic area to which the weather products pertain.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the vehicle includes a data storage device, and wherein the map has been stored within the data storage device for display in conjunction with real time receipt of the weather products.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the weather products are represented by a data bit stream, and wherein the step of transmitting the weather products comprises modulating the commercial radio frequency signal with the data bit stream.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of transmitting further comprising compressing the data bit stream.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of compressing the data bit stream comprises adaptively compressing the data bit stream.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the weather products are generated at a generation rate and each weather product comprises data bits, and wherein the adaptive compression of the data bit stream is responsive to the generation rate and the number of data bits in the weather products.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein each weather product is assigned to a service pack, and wherein the step of broadcasting the weather products comprises broadcasting the weather products in the form of service packs, and further comprising at the mobile vehicle receiving one or more predetermined service packs of weather products.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein an operator of the mobile vehicle subscribes to receive one or more service packs, and wherein the predetermined service packs of weather products received at the mobile vehicle are responsive to the one or more subscribed service packs.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the weather products with a web browser.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving, reconstructing and displaying the weather products on a portable communications receiving device in the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the weather products comprises transmitting the weather products from the plurality of broadcast stations coincident with the broadcast of a radio frequency signal for receiving at the mobile vehicle, wherein the mobile vehicle receives updated weather products from different ones of the plurality of broadcast stations as the mobile vehicle traverses a path, and wherein each one of the updated weather products describes weather conditions proximate each one of the plurality of broadcast stations such that the mobile vehicle receives weather products related to a region of its path proximate each one of the plurality of broadcast stations.

18. A method for disseminating weather information to a mobile vehicle, comprising:

collecting weather data;

forming weather products based on the weather data; and

transmitting the weather products as one or more of text and graphics from base stations of a cellular telephone communications system, wherein the mobile vehicle receives updated weather products as the mobile vehicle traverses a path.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the cellular telephone communications system comprises an available bandwidth for transmitting the weather products, the method further comprising adaptively preprocessing the data bit stream to accommodate the available bandwidth.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of adaptively preprocessing further comprises compressing the data bit stream to accommodate the available bandwidth.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the weather products are selected from text-based information, image-based information and weather alerts.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of transmitting is executed in response to a cellular telephone call by a user of the mobile vehicle.

23. An apparatus within a mobile vehicle for receiving signals representing weather products broadcast by a plurality of broadcast stations, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving the signals from different ones of the plurality of broadcast stations as the mobile vehicle traverses a path, wherein the signals comprise updated weather products;

a reconstruction device for forming the weather products from the signals; and

a display responsive to the reconstruction device for displaying the weather products.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the receiver is automatically tuned to the frequency of the commercial broadcast station in the area where the apparatus is located.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising a navigation device for determining the current position of the apparatus, wherein the reconstruction device is responsive to the navigation device for reconstructing weather products depicting weather at the current position of the apparatus.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the weather products are in the form of web pages, and wherein the display device further comprises a web page browser for displaying the weather products.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the web page browser is controllable to display successively more detailed weather products.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising a web page server for storing the web pages for retrieval by the web page browser.

29. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the display displays a geographical map in conjunction with the displayed weather products.

30. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising weather data sources, wherein the weather products are generated at a weather products generator in response to the weather data sources.

31. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the reconstruction device further comprises a controllable input device for directing the reconstruction device to form a specified weather product from the signals.

32. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the reconstruction device and the display comprise one of a portable computer, a personal digital assistant and a portable communications device.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the portable communications device further comprises a data processor, a display, and a human interface for input and output control.

34. An apparatus for receiving signals representing weather products transmitted by a cellular network to a mobile vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a cellular telephone for requesting transmission of the signals;

a receiver adapted for operation within the mobile vehicle, the receiver for receiving the signals transmitted from different cellular base stations of the cellular network as the mobile vehicle traverses a path, such that mobile vehicle receives updated weather products during traversal of the path;

a reconstruction device for forming the weather products from the signals; and

a display responsive to the reconstruction device for displaying the weather products.