Guidance assist vehicle module
First Claim
1. A method of assisting in selection of driving lanes and target speeds for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
- a. receiving real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data from an Advanced Lane Management Assist Management Center (ALMAMC) downstream of the vehicle, said real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data being generated from a combination of real-time unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data from a traffic management center (TMC) with data from a static database, wherein the real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data conforms to a data structure comprising barrels divided into zones, wherein boundaries of the barrels are defined by physical roadway configuration changes and permanent changes in regulatory use of the limited-access highway lanes and wherein boundaries of the zones are defined by changes in traffic conditions along the limited-access highway resulting from entry ramps and exit ramps and locations of motorist information devices and regulatory devices that provide changeable information and active traffic management control of the limited-access highway;
b. determining the vehicle'"'"'s characteristics, requirements and constraints including freeway exit requirements for the trip, vehicle speed and vehicle location based on data entry of an operator of the vehicle and data from the vehicle;
c. combining the real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data with the data from the vehicle, the data from the operator of the vehicle and the data from the static database in the vehicle to create a recommendation to the operator of the vehicle comprising at least one of lane recommendation and speed recommendation using a copy or a subset of the static database; and
d. providing the recommendation to the operator of the vehicle or to the vehicle from a guidance assist vehicle module.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The automated lane management assist method, data structure and system receive unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway information, including lane use and speed limits, from freeway transportation management centers or traffic management centers, process and convert the unprocessed information to a form that assists in the selection of driving lanes and target speeds for vehicles, and communicate the processed information to the vehicles by suitable means. The Guidance Assist Vehicle Module combines the processed information with information from the vehicle and the driver including the information on appropriate lane changes and speed commands to the vehicle.
59 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of assisting in selection of driving lanes and target speeds for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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a. receiving real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data from an Advanced Lane Management Assist Management Center (ALMAMC) downstream of the vehicle, said real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data being generated from a combination of real-time unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data from a traffic management center (TMC) with data from a static database, wherein the real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data conforms to a data structure comprising barrels divided into zones, wherein boundaries of the barrels are defined by physical roadway configuration changes and permanent changes in regulatory use of the limited-access highway lanes and wherein boundaries of the zones are defined by changes in traffic conditions along the limited-access highway resulting from entry ramps and exit ramps and locations of motorist information devices and regulatory devices that provide changeable information and active traffic management control of the limited-access highway; b. determining the vehicle'"'"'s characteristics, requirements and constraints including freeway exit requirements for the trip, vehicle speed and vehicle location based on data entry of an operator of the vehicle and data from the vehicle; c. combining the real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data with the data from the vehicle, the data from the operator of the vehicle and the data from the static database in the vehicle to create a recommendation to the operator of the vehicle comprising at least one of lane recommendation and speed recommendation using a copy or a subset of the static database; and d. providing the recommendation to the operator of the vehicle or to the vehicle from a guidance assist vehicle module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for assisting in selection of driving lanes and target speeds of a vehicle, comprising:
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a. a first interface for receiving real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data from an Advanced Lane Management Assist Management Center (ALMAMC); b. a processor coupled to the first interface, wherein the processor (i) receives the real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data from the ALMAMC through the first interface, (ii) transforms the real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data, conforming to a data structure comprising barrels divided into zones, wherein boundaries of the barrels are defined by physical roadway configuration changes and permanent changes in regulatory use of the limited-access highway lanes and wherein boundaries of the zones are defined by changes in traffic conditions along the limited-access highway resulting from entry ramps and exit ramps and locations of motorist information devices and regulatory devices that provide changeable information and active traffic management control of the limited-access highway, with data from a static database in the vehicle, the data from the vehicle and the data from an operator of the vehicle to generate transformed real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data, and (iii) creates a recommendation to a driver of the vehicle or to the vehicle comprising at least one of lane recommendation and speed recommendation; and c. one or more of a lane closure guidance module, lane and speed limit requirements module, dynamic lane use requirements module, toll information module, module for checking detector values for accuracy, module for formatting traffic data, miscellaneous data module, and static database module, said one or more module operatively coupled to the processor for developing driving lane and target speed selection. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of assisting in selection of driving lanes and target speeds for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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a. receiving real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data from downstream of the vehicle, said real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data being generated from a combination of real-time unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data from a traffic management center (TMC) with data from a static database, wherein the real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data conforms to a data structure comprising barrels divided into zones, wherein boundaries of the barrels are defined by physical roadway configuration changes and permanent changes in regulatory use of the limited-access highway lanes and wherein boundaries of the zones are defined by changes in traffic conditions along the limited-access highway resulting from entry ramps and exit ramps and locations of motorist information devices and regulatory devices that provide changeable information and active traffic management control of the limited-access highway; b. determining the vehicle'"'"'s characteristics, requirements and constraints including freeway exit requirements for the trip, vehicle speed and vehicle location based on data entry of an operator of the vehicle and data from the vehicle; c. combining the real-time processed lane-specific limited-access highway conditions data with the data from the vehicle, the data from the operator of the vehicle and the data from the static database in the vehicle to create a recommendation to the operator of the vehicle comprising at least one of lane recommendation and speed recommendation using a copy or a subset of the static database; and d. providing the recommendation to the operator of the vehicle or to the vehicle from a guidance assist vehicle module. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification