Apparatus and method for providing users with road traffic information using ad-hoc network

• US 7,430,218 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Won, Eun-Tae, Jung, Suk-In, Lee, Kyung-Hee, Lee, Chang-Kyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOAKYE, ALEXANDER O
• Application Number:
  US10/808,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20050002347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/313, 370/349, 370/464, 370/465, 370/471, 370/473, 370/487, 370/490, 370/493, 370/494, 370/495, 370/496, 370/498, 370/503, 701/117, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 340/993
• US Class Current: 370/464
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A traffic information service apparatus using an ad-hoc network and a method for controlling the same. The apparatus provides an ad-hoc network between vehicles and roadside devices, and collects/provides traffic information using the ad-hoc network. The method for providing a user with traffic information, comprising the steps of a) allowing vehicles to broadcast their registration messages to create an ad-hoc network, and creating the ad-hoc network between the vehicles on the basis of the registration messages, b) allowing a Road Side Equipment (RSE) to receive the registration messages broadcast from the vehicles, and collecting traffic information from the registration messages, and c) allowing the RSE to transmit the traffic information to a traffic information service center.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user with traffic information, comprising the steps of:

a) each of a plurality of vehicles broadcasting a registration message requesting its registration;

b) each of the plurality of vehicles receiving registration messages broadcast by other vehicles and registering the other vehicles which broadcast the received registration messages to a node management table to create an ad-hoc network between vehicles;

c) at least one Road Side Equipment (RSE) receiving the registration messages broadcast by the plurality of vehicles, and collecting traffic information included in the received registration messages; and

d) the RSE transmitting the collected traffic information to a traffic information service center.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the registration messages include vehicle motion information.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing the RSE broadcasting IDentifier (ID) and position information of the RSE to the vehicles;

each of the plurality of vehicles receiving registration messages broadcast by the RSE and registering the RSE to the node management table; and

the RSE participating in the ad-hoc network between the vehicles.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, further including the steps of:

b1) the vehicles broadcasting warning messages over the ad-hoc network; and

b2) the RSE receiving the broadcast warning messages and collecting traffic information included in the received warning messages.

5. The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

e) a the traffic information service center transferring the traffic information received from the RSE to another RSE; and

f) the another RSE transferring the traffic information to nearby vehicles over the ad-hoc network in which the another RSE participates.

6. A method for at least one Road Side Equipment (RSE) to create an ad-hoc network between the RSE and a plurality of vehicles for collecting traffic information, comprising the steps of:

a) from each of the plurality of vehicles receiving a registration message requesting its registration;

b) registering the received registration message to a first node management table of the RSE and creating the ad-hoc network between the RSE and the vehicles; and

c) collecting traffic information from the registration messages and transferring the collected traffic information to a traffic information service center.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the registration messages include vehicle motion information.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the step (b) includes the steps of:

b1) broadcasting the registration message having IDentifier (ID) and position information to the vehicles; and

b2) each of the vehicles registering the registration message broadcast from the RSE to a second node management table of each vehicle.

9. The method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

d) receiving warning messages broadcast from the vehicles over the ad-hoc network;

e) transferring the received warning message to the traffic information service center.

10. A method for providing a user with traffic information, comprising the steps of:

a) each of a plurality of vehicles broadcasting a registration message requesting its registration to form an ad-hoc network;

b) a Road Side Equipment (RSE) receiving broadcast registration messages and registering the vehicles which broadcast the registration messages to a first node management table of the RSE to form the ad-hoc network associated with the vehicles; and

c) the RSE receiving traffic information from a traffic information service center and transferring the traffic information to the registered vehicles through the ad-hoc network.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein each of the registration messages includes vehicle motion information.

12. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the step (b) includes the steps of:

b1) the RSE broadcasting a registration message requesting its registration to the vehicles; and

b2) each of the vehicles receiving the registration message broadcast from the RSE and registering the RSE to a second node management table of each vehicle.

13. An apparatus for providing a user with traffic information, comprising:

each of a plurality of vehicles broadcasting a registration message requesting its registration and receiving registration messages broadcast by other vehicles to create an ad-hoc network;

at least one Road Side Equipment (RSE) for receiving the registration message broadcast from each of the vehicles, registering the vehicles which broadcast registration messages to a node management table of the RSE, and collecting traffic information from the received registration messages; and

a traffic information service center for receiving the traffic information from the RSEs.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein the RSE broadcasts a registration message having position information of the RSE to the vehicles and participates in the ad-hoc network.

15. A Road Side Equipment (RSE) apparatus for collecting traffic information from a plurality of vehicles, and transferring the collected traffic information to a traffic information service center said RSE apparatus comprising:

a Radio Frequency (RF) unit for receiving registration messages broadcast from the vehicles and broadcasting a registration message from the RSE to the plurality of the vehicles;

a controller for registering the plurality of the vehicles to a node management table of the RSE by using the received registration messages to create an ad-hoc network associated with the vehicles and generating traffic information by using the registration messages; and

a communication interface for transferring the generated traffic information to the traffic information service center.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the RF unit receives warning messages broadcast from the vehicles over the ad-hoc network, and the controller creates the traffic information by using the received warning messages.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the communication interface receives traffic information from the traffic information service center, and the controller transfers the received traffic information to the vehicles through in the ad-hoc network.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, further comprising:

a position information receiver for detecting position and time information of the RSE apparatus.