Satellite radio real time traffic updates

• US 7,155,335 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2003
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Rennels, Ernest B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US10/635,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-215, 701/217, 701/220, 701/301, 701/117, 340/961, 340/988, 340/990, 342 36- 37, 342/456, 342/457, 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/357.13, 252/301.34, 252/301.35
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A system and method for providing real-time traffic updates to a mobile vehicle communication device is disclosed. Producing traffic incident region coordinate data, communicating the traffic incident region coordinate data to a mobile vehicle communication device, and determining when a traffic incident region coordinate is within a predetermined radius around the mobile vehicle communication device is described. A computer readable medium is also provided including computer readable code for producing traffic incident region coordinate data, code for communicating the traffic incident region coordinate data to a mobile vehicle communication device; and code for determining when a traffic incident region coordinate is within a predetermined radius around the mobile vehicle communication device.

Claims

1. A method for providing real-time traffic updates to a mobile vehicle communication device operatively disposed in a mobile vehicle, the method comprising:

grouping traffic incident data into one or more traffic data regions, each of the one or more traffic data regions defined by a respective region GPS coordinate;

receiving, at the mobile vehicle communication device from a satellite radio broadcast system, the respective region GPS coordinates;

determining that at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates is within a predetermined area in which the mobile vehicle is located; and

then requesting that a service provider, in operative communication with the mobile vehicle communication device, transmit localized traffic incident data to the mobile vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising substantially continuously monitoring the received respective region GPS coordinates.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein, upon determining that the at least one of the respective received GPS coordinates is within the predetermined area, the method further comprises initiating, via the mobile vehicle communication device, a communication with the service provider.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the respective region GPS coordinate is indicative of a geometric center of one of the one or more traffic data regions containing at least one traffic incident.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined area is a circle having the mobile vehicle centrally located therein, and wherein the at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates is located within a forward sector of the circle.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a size of the predetermined area is controlled, and is based upon at least one of user preferences, road density, traffic density, population density, or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more traffic data regions has a selectable geometry.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the at least one of the respective received GPS coordinates is within the predetermined area includes:

determining a location coordinate of the mobile vehicle communication device;

defining the predetermined area based on the location coordinate of the mobile vehicle communication device;

comparing the at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates with the predetermined area; and

identifying that the at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates is within the predetermined area.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein grouping is accomplished via the service provider or the satellite radio broadcast system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the localized traffic incident data for the determined at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates from the service provider; and

providing the localized traffic incident data to a user.

11. A computer readable medium storing a computer program, comprising:

computer readable code for grouping traffic incident data into one or more traffic data regions, each of the one or more traffic data regions defined by a respective region GPS coordinate;

computer readable code for receiving, at the mobile vehicle communication device from a satellite radio broadcast system, the respective region GPS coordinates;

computer readable code for determining that at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates is within a predetermined area in which the mobile vehicle is located; and

computer readable code for requesting that a service provider, in operative communication with the mobile vehicle communication device, transmit localized traffic incident data to the mobile vehicle.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising computer readable code for substantially continuously monitoring the received respective region GPS coordinates.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computer readable code for grouping the traffic incident data comprises code for determining a geometric center of one of the one or more traffic data regions containing at least one traffic incident.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computer readable code for determining that at least one of the respective received GPS coordinates is within the predetemiined area includes:

computer readable code for determining a location coordinate of the mobile vehicle communication device;

computer readable code for defining the predetermined area based on the location coordinate of the mobile vehicle communication device;

computer readable code for comparing the at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates with the predetermined area; and

computer readable code for identifying that the at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates is within the predetermined area.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

computer readable code for initiating a communication with the service provider;

computer readable code for receiving the localized traffic incident data from the service provider; and

computer readable code for providing the localized traffic incident data to a user.

16. A system for providing real-time traffic updates to a mobile vehicle communication device operatively disposed in a mobile vehicle, the method comprising:

means for grouping traffic incident data into one or more traffic data regions, each of the one or more traffic data regions defined by a respective region GPS coordinate;

means for receiving, at the mobile vehicle communication device from a satellite radio broadcast system, the respective region GPS coordinates;

means for determining that at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates is within a predetermined area in which the mobile vehicle is located; and

means for requesting that a service provider, in operative communication with the mobile vehicle communication device, transmit localized traffic incident data to the mobile vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for substantially continuously monitoring the received respective region GPS coordinates.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for initiating, via the mobile vehicle communication device, a communication with the service provider.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the means for determining that the at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates is within the predetermined area comprises:

means for determining a location GPS coordinate describing a location of the mobile vehicle communication device;

means for defining the predetermined area based on the location of the mobile vehicle communication device;

means for comparing the at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates with the predetermined area; and

means for identifying that the at least one of the respective received region GPS coordinates is within the predetermined area based on the comparison.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the grouping means is located at the service provider or the satellite radio broadcast system.

21. A method of receiving traffic incident data at a mobile vehicle communication device in a mobile vehicle, the method comprising:

grouping traffic incident data into a plurality of data regions, each of the plurality defined by a respective region GPS coordinate;

receiving the respective region GPS coordinates via a satellite radio broadcast system at the mobile vehicle communication device;

monitoring the received respective GPS coordinates for a coordinate that is within a predetermined area defined by a forward sector of a circle having the vehicle located substantially centrally therein;

initiating a communication with a call center from the mobile vehicle communication device upon determining that the coordinate is within the predetermined area;

requesting localized traffic incident data from the call center; and

receiving the localized traffic incident data from the call center.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining that the mobile vehicle supports a visual display; and

visually displaying the localized traffic incident data on the visual display.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the at least one received region GPS coordinate describes a center of a traffic incident region containing at least one traffic incident.