Method and apparatus for establishing a communication session between parked vehicles to determine a suitable parking situation

• US 9,014,914 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Beaurepaire, Jerome, Aarnio, Ari
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/860,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20140309917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An approach is provided for causing, at least in part, a sensing of information with at least one sensor, wherein the information is associated with at least one anticipated movement of the at least one parked vehicle. The approach also involves processing and/or facilitating a processing of the information to determine one or more conditions of the at least one anticipated movement of the at least one parked vehicle. The approach further involves causing, at least in part, an initiation of at least one action based, at least in part, on the one or more conditions, the at least one anticipated movement, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method comprising facilitating a processing of and/or processing (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal, the method comprising:

sensing of information with at least one sensor, wherein the information is associated with at least one anticipated movement of the at least one parked vehicle;

processing of the information to determine one or more conditions of the at least one anticipated movement of the at least one parked vehicle; and

initiation of at least one action based, at least in part, on the one or more conditions, the at least one anticipated movement, or a combination thereof;

wherein the at least one action includes, at least in part, (a) an establishment of at least one communication session between at least one device associated with the at least one parked vehicle and at least one other device associated with at least one other parked vehicle;

or (b) a determination that at least one communication session is not needed based, at least in part, on the one or more conditions.

2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

an exchange of the one or more conditions over the at least one communication session,

wherein the one or more conditions are for determining one or more possibilities of the anticipated movement of the at least one parked vehicle.

3. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one determination that the at least one parked vehicle, at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof, represents at least one obstruction; and

a transmission of a request to present at least one notification to at least one operator of the at least one parked vehicle, at least one operator of the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof, regarding the at least one obstruction, the at least one anticipated movement, or a combination thereof.

4. A method of claim 3, further comprising:

at least one determination of whether to initiate the at least one action, the at least one notification, or a combination thereof based, at least in part, on calendar information associated with at least one operator of the least one parked vehicle, at least one other operator of the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof.

5. A method of claim 4, further comprising:

at least one determination of the one or more conditions based, at least in part, on the calendar information.

6. A method of claim 3, further comprising:

at least one determination that the at least one obstruction is no longer present; and

a presentation of at least one other notification that the at least one parked vehicle, the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof is no longer obstructing.

7. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

a presentation of at least one user interface element to represent status information for the one or more conditions.

8. A method of claim 7, wherein the presentation of the at least one user interface element is based, at least in part, on calendar information associated with at least one operator of the at least one parked vehicle, at least one other operator of the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof.

9. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one determination of the information based, at least in part, on a querying of one or more information stores associated with the at least one parked vehicle, the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

cause, at least in part, a sensing of information with at least one sensor, wherein the information is associated with at least one anticipated movement of the at least one parked vehicle;

process and/or facilitate a processing of the information to determine one or more conditions of the at least one anticipated movement of the at least one parked vehicle; and

cause, at least in part, an initiation of at least one action based, at least in part, on the one or more conditions, the at least one anticipated movement, or a combination thereof;

wherein the at least one action includes, at least in part, (a) an establishment of at least one communication session between at least one device associated with the at least one parked vehicle and at least one other device associated with at least one other parked vehicle;

or (b) a determination that at least one communication session is not needed based, at least in part, on the one or more conditions.

11. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, the establishment of the at least one communication session; and

cause, at least in part, an exchange of the one or more conditions over the at least one communication session,

wherein the one or more conditions are for determining one or more possibilities of the anticipated movement of the at least one parked vehicle.

12. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine that the at least one parked vehicle, at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof, represents at least one obstruction; and

cause, at least in part, a transmission of a request to present at least one notification to at least one operator of the at least one parked vehicle, at least one operator of the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof, regarding the at least one obstruction, the at least one anticipated movement, or a combination thereof.

13. An apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine whether to initiate the at least one action, the at least one notification, or a combination thereof based, at least in part, on calendar information associated with at least one operator of the least one parked vehicle, at least one other operator of the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof.

14. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine the one or more conditions based, at least in part, on the calendar information.

15. An apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine that the at least one obstruction is no longer present; and

cause, at least in part, a presentation of at least one other notification that the at least one parked vehicle, the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof, is no longer obstructing.

16. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, a presentation of at least one user interface element to represent status information for the one or more conditions.

17. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the presentation of the at least one user interface element is based, at least in part, on calendar information associated with at least one operator of the at least one parked vehicle, at least one other operator of the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof.

18. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine the information based, at least in part, on a querying of one or more information stores associated with the at least one parked vehicle, the at least one other parked vehicle, or a combination thereof.