Systems and methods for generating and using moving violation alerts

• US 8,727,056 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teletrac Navman US Ltd. (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Navman Wireless North America Limited (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagda, Paresh L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLDMAN, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US13/078,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20120253670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 180/171
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Systems and methods for generating and using moving violation alerts are disclosed. A navigation device located in a vehicle determines the vehicle'"'"'s present location and present speed, and generates a moving violation alert. The moving violation alert comprises at least one of time information, location information, road segment information, and sensor information. A tracking device coupled to the navigation device provides the moving violation alert on a network. The network connection is configured to transmit the moving violation alert from the navigation device to a recipient outside the vehicle. Moving violation alerts may be stored and analyzed by the recipient.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a moving violation alert comprising:

a navigation device configured to be located in a vehicle, the navigation device including a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system configured to determine a vehicle'"'"'s present location and a vehicle'"'"'s present speed, and further including a first processor configured to generate a moving violation alert based at least in part on the vehicle'"'"'s present location and vehicle'"'"'s present speed, the moving violation alert being generated in response to at least one of;

the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding a percentage of a posted speed limit specified by a user and the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding the posted speed limit for a distance of travel specified by the user;

a tracking device coupled to the navigation device and including a second processor, the tracking device configured to provide the moving violation alert from the navigation device on a network; and

a network connection coupled to the tracking device, the network connection configured to transmit the moving violation alert to a recipient outside of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the posted speed limit is determined from a map database.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracking device is coupled to a sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the navigation device and the tracking device are in communication through a bus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the navigation device and the tracking device comprise a single device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first processor and the second processor comprise a single processor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a data center in communication with the tracking device through the network connection, the data center configured to receive the moving violation alert.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the data center further comprises:

a database configured to store the moving violation alert; and

a data exchange coupled to the database, the data exchange configured to transform the moving violation alert for use by external applications.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein an external application is configured to notify a third party after the data center receives the moving violation alert.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the third party is notified with at least one of a display on a computer screen, telephone call, an email, or an SMS message.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the display on a computer screen is at least one of a pop-up window and a moving icon.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the data center further comprises:

a database which stores the moving violation alert; and

an application server coupled to the database, the application server configured to run internal applications.

13. A method for generating a moving violation alert comprising:

receiving a present vehicle speed and a present vehicle location from a GPS navigation system;

generating the moving violation alert based in part upon the present vehicle speed and the present vehicle location in comparison to map information including at least posted speed limit information for a road segment or road attribute information, the moving violation alert being generated in response to at least one of;

the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding a percentage of a posted speed limit specified by a user and the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding the posted speed limit for a distance of travel specified by the user; and

transmitting the moving violation over a wireless communication network to a dispatch system.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the present vehicle speed is determined in part using a sensor which measures wheel rotations.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the present vehicle speed is further received from a speedometer.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the moving violation alert is generated further based on when the present vehicle speed is greater than a speed limit for the present vehicle location.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the speed limit is determined using a map database.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the moving violation alert is generated further based on at least one of a present date and a present time.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the moving violation alert is further generated based in part on a schedule.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the moving violation alert is further generated based in part on a class of road of the present vehicle location.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein the moving violation alert is further generated based in part on whether the present vehicle location is within a predefined area.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein

the moving violation alert comprises at least one of time information, location information, road segment information, and sensor information,

the time information including at least one of a start date and time, an end date and time, and a duration,

the location information including at least one of a starting location identifier, an ending location identifier, a distance, and an identifier of a predefined region,

the road segment information including at least one of a road segment identification, a road name, and a road class, and

the sensor information including at least one of a current vehicle speed, a seat belt state, a door state, and an airbag state.

23. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

providing the moving violation alert over a network to a data center in communication with a tracking device located in the vehicle.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the moving violation alert is provided to the data center over a wireless network.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, direct a processor to:

receive a present vehicle speed and a present vehicle location from a GPS navigation system;

generate a moving violation alert based in part on the present vehicle speed and the present vehicle location, the moving violation alert being generated in response to at least one of;

the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding a percentage of a posted speed limit specified by a user and the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding the posted speed limit for a distance of travel specified by the user; and

transmit the moving violation alert over a network to a data center in communication with a tracking device located in the vehicle.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, further having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, direct a processor to:

receive parameters over a network from the data center which in part determine when the moving violation alert is generated.

27. A method for generating moving violation alerts comprising:

receiving a present vehicle speed and receiving a present vehicle location from a GPS navigation system;

generating the moving violation alerts based in part upon the present vehicle speed in comparison to map information including at least one of a posted speed limit information for a road segment, the moving violation alerts including a start moving violation alert in response to at least one condition being satisfied and an end moving violation alert in response to the at least one condition not being satisfied; and

transmitting the moving violation alerts over a wireless communication network to a dispatch system.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the at least one condition includes one or more of the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding a posted speed limit for the vehicle'"'"'s present location by an amount specified by a user and the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding a posted speed limit for the vehicle'"'"'s present location by a percentage of the posted speed limit specified by the user.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the at least one condition includes one or more of the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding the posted speed limit for a period of time specified by the user and the vehicle'"'"'s present speed exceeding a posted speed limit for the vehicle'"'"'s present location by a distance of travel specified by the user.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the present vehicle speed is determined in part using a sensor which measures wheel rotations.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the present vehicle speed is further received from a speedometer.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the speed limit is determined using a map database.