Computerized driverless vehicles and traffic control system

• US 8,090,489 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bruno Delean
• Original Assignee: Bruno Delean
• Inventors: Delean, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US11/983,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 701/24, 701/23, 701/25, 701/22, 701/19, 701/28, 701/300, 701/301, 701/41, 701/213, 340/988, 340/468, 340/436, 318/587, 318/573, 180/401
• US Class Current: 701/24
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

A transportation system, including a network of roads for traveling to and from various destinations, a plurality of vehicles for transporting passengers, each vehicle situated within the network of roads, and each vehicle including a power supply, a positioning system, for identifying the position of the vehicle, a transmitter, coupled with the positioning system, for transmitting position and velocity information of the vehicle to other vehicles in its vicinity, a receiver for receiving position and velocity information from other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle, and an automatic steering system, coupled with the receiver, for steering the vehicle through the network of roads without collision, in order (i) to travel to a destination designated by the at least one passenger, when the vehicle is transporting the at least one passenger, (ii) to travel to a source for picking up the at least one passenger, when the vehicle is empty and the power supply is not low, and (iii) to travel to an available docking station, when the vehicle is empty and the power supply is low, and a plurality of docking stations, each docking station situated at a roadside of the network of roads, and each docking station including a charger for charging the power supply of a vehicle that is docked at the docking station.

Claims

1. A transportation system, comprising:

a network of roads for traveling to and from various destinations;

a plurality of vehicles for transporting passengers, each vehicle situated within said network of roads, and each vehicle comprising;

a power supply;

a positioning system, for identifying the position of said vehicle;

a transmitter, coupled with said positioning system, for displaying position and velocity information of said vehicle on a display surface attached to the vehicle;

a receiver for scanning the displayed position and velocity information from other vehicles in the vicinity of said vehicle; and

an automatic steering system, coupled with said receiver, for steering said vehicle through the network of roads without collision, in order (i) to travel to a destination designated by the at least one passenger, when said vehicle is transporting the at least one passenger, (ii) to travel to a source for picking up the at least one passenger, when said vehicle is empty, and (iii) to travel to an available docking station, when said power supply is low; and

a plurality of docking stations, each docking station situated at a roadside of said network of roads, and each docking station comprising a charger for charging said power supply of a vehicle that is docked at the docking station;

wherein said displayed position and velocity information is encoded as a plurality of color stripes, and wherein said receiver comprises;

a scanner for scanning the plurality of color stripes; and

a decoder for decoding the plurality of color stripes into position and velocity information.

2. The transportation system of claim 1 wherein said positioning system is a global positioning system.

3. The transportation system of claim 1 wherein said positioning system comprises a scanner for scanning visual patterns overlaid on said network of roads underneath the vehicle.

4. The transportation system of claim 1 wherein said automatic steering system comprises a route finder, for determining an optimal route within said network of roads to travel to the destination designated by the at least one passenger.

5. The transportation system of claim 1 wherein said automatic steering system derives steering directions and acceleration/deceleration magnitudes.

6. A transportation system, comprising:

a network of roads for traveling to and from various destinations;

a plurality of vehicles for transporting passengers, each vehicle situated within said network of roads, and each vehicle comprising;

a steering system for moving the vehicle along said network of roads in accordance with steering instructions;

a power supply;

a positioning system, for identifying the position of said vehicle;

a transmitter, coupled with said positioning system, for displaying position and velocity information of said vehicle; and

a receiver, coupled with said steering system, for receiving steering instructions from the central traffic controller for said steering system;

a plurality of docking stations, each docking station situated at a roadside of said network of roads, and each docking station comprising a charger for charging said power supply of a vehicle that is docked at the docking station; and

a central traffic controller, comprising;

a receiver for scanning said displayed position and velocity information from said plurality of vehicles;

a transmitter for transmitting steering instructions to said vehicle steering systems; and

an automatic navigational system, coupled with said receiver, for instructing said steering systems of each of said plurality of vehicles how to navigate through said network of roads without collision, in order (i) to travel to a destination designated by the at least one passenger, when such vehicle is transporting the at least one passenger, (ii) to travel to a source for picking up the at least one passenger, when such vehicle is empty and its power supply is not low, and (iii) to travel to an available docking station, when such vehicle is empty and its power supply is low;

wherein said displayed position and velocity information of the vehicle is encoded into a plurality of color stripes, and wherein said central traffic controller receiver comprises;

a scanner for scanning the plurality of color stripes; and

a decoder for decoding the plurality of color stripes into position and velocity information.

7. The transportation system of claim 6 wherein said positioning system is a global positioning system.

8. The transportation system of claim 6 wherein said positioning system comprises a scanner for scanning visual patterns overlaid on said network of roads underneath the vehicle.

9. The transportation system of claim 6 wherein said automatic navigational system comprises a route finder, for determining an optimal route within said network of roads for a vehicle to travel to the destination designated by the at least one passenger.

10. The transportation system of claim 6 wherein said vehicle further comprises a route finder, for determining an optimal route within said network of roads to travel to the destination designated by the at least one passenger.

11. The transportation system of claim 6 wherein the movement instructions include steering directions and acceleration/deceleration magnitudes.