Apparatus and methods for speed management and control

• US 7,660,658 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheynblat, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/361,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 701/93, 701/117, 701/201, 701/211, 701/213, 701/301, 340/936, 340/905, 340/901, 340/438, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0058 responsive to externally generated signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

Apparatus, methods and computer readable media for speed management and control, including logic executable to determine a present geographic position of a wireless device, logic executable to determine a speed limit corresponding to the present geographic position, and logic executable to selectively generate an alert based upon the speed limit.

Claims

1. A method of speed management and control, comprising:

receiving a present geographic position of a wireless device;

determining a speed limit corresponding to the present geographic position;

generating a speed control signal based on the speed limit;

transmitting the speed control signal to a speed control system of a vehicle associated with the wireless device, wherein the speed control system is configured to control the actual speed of the vehicle based on the speed control signal; and

receiving a verification from the speed control system of the vehicle relating to a change in the actual speed of the vehicle, wherein the change in the actual speed is in response to the speed control signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed control signal is further based on a desired speed of a vehicle associated with the wireless device, wherein the desired speed is based upon the speed limit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed control signal comprises the speed limit, and the method further comprising causing an actual speed associated with the wireless device to have a predetermined relationship relative to the speed limit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the present geographic position of the wireless device further comprises:

exchanging wireless communications with a geographic information system; and

determining the present geographic position based on the exchanged wireless communications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the present geographic position of the wireless device further comprises receiving the present geographic position from a remote location module located across a wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the present geographic position of the wireless device further comprises calculating the present geographic position by the resident location module.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the speed limit corresponding to the present geographic position further comprises:

referencing a database having a plurality of geographic location data associated with a plurality of speed limit data;

matching the present geographic position with one of the plurality of geographic location data; and

retrieving a corresponding one of the plurality of speed limit data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the speed limit corresponding to the present geographic position further comprises receiving the speed limit from a remote speed management module located across a wireless network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively generating an alert based upon the speed limit, wherein the alert further comprises at least one of an indication of the speed limit, a warning that the speed limit has increased or decreased based on a comparison of the speed limit and a prior speed limit, an indication of an actual speed associated with the wireless device, an indication of a desired speed associated with the wireless device, a representation of a geographical area corresponding to the present geographical location, a representation of a transit route map corresponding to the present geographical location, a representation of a special road condition, a warning of special zoning, and a speed condition warning selected from the group consisting of the actual speed being above the speed limit, the actual speed being below the speed limit, the actual speed being about equal to the speed limit, the actual speed being within a predetermined range of the speed limit, and the actual speed being outside of the predetermined range of the speed limit.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein selectively generating the alert based upon the speed limit further comprises outputting the alert on an output mechanism of the wireless device in a manner selected from the group consisting of a continuous manner, a time-interval-based manner, and a predetermined event manner.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined event comprises at least one of a change in the speed limit, a condition wherein an existing desired speed is outside of a predetermined range of the speed limit, a condition wherein an actual speed is outside of a predetermined range of the speed limit, and a detection of an input from an external entity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the external entity comprises an operator of a vehicle or a user of the wireless device.

13. A method of speed management and control, comprising:

determining a present geographic position of a wireless device;

referencing a database on the wireless device having a plurality of geographic location data associated with a plurality of speed limit data;

matching the present geographic position with one of the plurality of geographic location data;

identifying a speed limit as the one of the plurality of speed limit data corresponding to the matched one of the plurality of geographic location data;

generating a speed control signal based on the speed limit;

transmitting the speed control signal to a speed control system of a vehicle associated with the wireless device, wherein the speed control system is configured to control the actual speed of the vehicle based on the speed control signal; and

receiving a verification from the speed control system of the vehicle relating to a change in the actual speed of the vehicle, wherein the change in the actual speed is in response to the speed control signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining an actual speed of the wireless device, wherein the speed control signal is further based on the actual speed.

15. The method of claim 14, where determining the actual speed comprises one of determining the actual speed on the wireless device or receiving an input representing the actual speed from another device.

16. An apparatus for speed management and control, comprising:

a determination means for determining a present geographic position of a wireless device;

a referencing means for referencing a database on the wireless device having a plurality of geographic location data associated with a plurality of speed limit data;

a matching means for matching the present geographic location with one of the plurality of geographic location data;

an identification means for identifying a speed limit as the one of the plurality of speed limit data corresponding to the matched one of the plurality of geographic location data;

a generating means for generating a speed control signal based on the speed limit;

a transmitting means for transmitting the speed control signal to a speed control system of a vehicle associated with the wireless device, wherein the speed control system is configured to control the actual speed of the vehicle based on the speed control signal; and

a receiving means for receiving a verification from the speed control system of the vehicle relating to a change in the actual speed of the vehicle, wherein the change in the actual speed is in response to the speed control signal.

17. A wireless device, comprising:

a computer platform; and

a speed management module executable by the computer platform, the speed management module operable to;

receive a geographic position associated with the wireless device,

determine a speed limit corresponding to the geographic position,

generate a speed control signal based on the speed limit;

transmit the speed control signal to a speed control system of a vehicle associated with the wireless device, wherein the speed control system is configured to control the actual speed of the vehicle based on the speed control signal; and

receive a verification from the speed control system of the vehicle relating to a change in the actual speed of the vehicle, wherein the change in the actual speed is in response to the speed control signal.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the speed control signal is further based on a desired speed of a vehicle associated with the wireless device, wherein the desired speed is based upon the speed limit.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the speed control signal comprises the speed limit, and wherein the speed management application is further operable to cause an actual speed associated with the wireless device to have a predetermined relationship relative to the speed limit.

20. The device of claim 17, further comprising a location module operable to transmit the geographic position to the speed management module.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the location module is further operable to exchange communications across a wireless network with a location determination system or a remote location module to determine the geographic position.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the location module is further operable to calculate the geographic position.

23. The device of claim 17, further comprising a database having a plurality of geographic location data associated with a plurality of speed limit data, and wherein the speed management module is further operable to reference the database, match the geographic position with one of the plurality of geographic location data, and retrieve a corresponding one of the plurality of speed limit data.

24. The device of claim 17, wherein determining the speed limit corresponding to the present geographic position further comprises receiving the speed limit from a remote speed management module located across a wireless network.

25. The device of claim 17, wherein the speed management module further operable to generate an alert based upon the speed limit, and wherein the alert further comprises at least one of an indication of the speed limit, a warning that the speed limit has increased or decreased based on a comparison of the speed limit and a prior speed limit, an indication of an actual speed associated with the wireless device, an indication of a desired speed associated with the wireless device, a representation of a geographical area corresponding to the present geographical location, a representation of a transit route map corresponding to the present geographical location, a representation of a special road condition, a warning of special zoning, and a speed condition warning selected from the group consisting of the actual speed being above the speed limit, the actual speed being below the speed limit, the actual speed being about equal to the speed limit, the actual speed being within a predetermined range of the speed limit, and the actual speed being outside of the predetermined range of the speed limit.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising an output mechanism, and wherein the speed management module is further operable to output the alert on the output mechanism in a manner selected from the group consisting of a continuous manner, a time-interval-based manner, and a predetermined event manner.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the predetermined event comprises at least one of a change in the speed limit, a condition where an existing desired speed is outside of a predetermined range of the speed limit, a condition where an actual speed is outside of a predetermined range of the speed limit, and a detection of an input from an external entity.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the external entity comprises an operator of a vehicle or a user of the wireless device.

29. A computer-readable medium for speed management and control, comprising:

at least one sequence of instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor causes the processor to perform the actions of;

determining a present geographic position of a wireless device;

referencing a database on the wireless device having a plurality of geographic location data associated with a plurality of speed limit data;

matching the present geographic position with one of the plurality of geographic location data;

identifying a speed limit as the one of the plurality of speed limit data corresponding to the matched one of the plurality of geographic location data; and

generating a speed control signal based on the speed limit;

transmitting the speed control signal to a speed control system of a vehicle associated with the wireless device, wherein the speed control system is configured to control the actual speed of the vehicle based on the speed control signal; and

receiving a verification from the speed control system of the vehicle relating to a change in the actual speed of the vehicle, wherein the change in the actual speed is in response to the speed control signal.