Driving assistance based on road infrastructure information

• US 9,551,591 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bodake, Ramesh Kashinath
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US14/636,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20160258777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/439
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• 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: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) provides driving assistance based on road infrastructure information. The UE may include a wireless interface which communicates over a wireless channel, a position determination system configured to determine a position of the UE, a memory configured to store instructions, and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory. The processor may be configured to transmit a request for road infrastructure data which may include the position of the UE, receive road infrastructure data associated with road infrastructure element(s) within a proximity to the UE, where a boundary of the proximity exceeds a line of sight of the UE. The processor may also generate a graphical representation of the road infrastructure element(s) along with information associated with the road infrastructure data, and provide the graphical representation to a display. The graphical representation may convey status of, or information provided by, the road infrastructure element(s).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a position of a User Equipment (UE);

transmitting a request for road infrastructure data, wherein the request includes the position of the UE;

receiving road infrastructure data associated with at least one road infrastructure element within a proximity of the UE;

determining whether the at least one road infrastructure element lies beyond a line of sight of a driver associated with the UE;

generating a graphical representation of the at least one road infrastructure element along with information associated with the road infrastructure data, wherein the information includes a position of the at least one road infrastructure element; and

providing the graphical representation to a display, wherein the graphical representation includes an indication in response to determining that the at least one road infrastructure element lies beyond the line of sight of the driver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises:

providing the request to at least one road infrastructure information provider or a navigation information sourcing system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting periodic requests for road infrastructure data, wherein the periodic requests update the position of the UE; and

receiving updates of road infrastructure data based on the updated positions of the UE.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving crowd sourced navigation information which includes traffic and road condition status provided by a plurality of users over a wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving information regarding a state of at least one traffic signal;

and wherein the generating the graphical representation comprises generating a map indicating a position and the state of the at least one traffic signal.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving updates of road infrastructure data based on changes in the state of the at least one traffic signal within the proximity of the UE.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the state of the at least one traffic signal comprises at least one of a signaling state, an operational state, or a traffic flow state.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving road infrastructure data further comprises:

receiving timing information regarding the state of the at least one traffic signal; and

predicting future signaling states of the at least one traffic signal based on the timing information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a speed at which a vehicle associated with the UE is to travel to reduce wait time at the at least one traffic signal; and

providing the speed on the display which associates the speed with the at least one traffic signal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining route guidance based upon the road infrastructure data; and

providing a preferred route to the display based on the route guidance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining route guidance comprises:

determining a route which reduces an overall wait time on at least one traffic signal.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of a size or shape of an area associated with the proximity automatically varies based on the speed of UE.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of a size or shape of an area associated the proximity automatically varies based on variations in geography.

12. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a wireless interface which communicates over a wireless channel;

a position determination system configured to determine a position of the UE;

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the wireless interface, position determination system, and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to;

transmit a request for road infrastructure data, wherein the request includes the position of the UE,

receive road infrastructure data associated with at least one road infrastructure element within a proximity of the UE,

determine whether the at least one road infrastructure element lies beyond a line of sight of a driver associated with the UE,

generate a graphical representation of the at least one road infrastructure element along with information associated with the road infrastructure data, wherein the information includes a position of the at least one road infrastructure element, and

provide the graphical representation to a display, wherein the graphical representation includes an indication in response to determining that the at least one road infrastructure element lies beyond the line of sight of the driver.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the instructions to transmit further cause the processor to:

provide the request to at least one road infrastructure information provider or a navigation information sourcing system.

14. The UE of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit periodic requests for road infrastructure data, wherein the periodic requests update the position of the UE; and

receive updates of road infrastructure data based on the updated positions of the UE.

15. The UE of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive crowd sourced navigation information which includes traffic and road condition status provided by a plurality of users over a wireless network.

16. The UE of claim 12, wherein the instructions to receive road infrastructure data further cause the processor to:

receive timing information regarding a state of at least one traffic signal; and

predict future signaling states of the at least one traffic signal based on the timing information.

17. The UE of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine route guidance based upon the road infrastructure data; and

provide a preferred route to the display based on the route guidance.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a network element, a request for road infrastructure data from at least one User Equipment (UE);

executing a query for road infrastructure data, wherein the road infrastructure data is associated with at least one road infrastructure element within a proximity of the at least one UE, wherein a boundary the proximity exceeds a line of sight of a driver associated with the at least one UE;

receiving the road infrastructure data in response to the query, wherein the road infrastructure data includes a position of the at least one road infrastructure element to determine whether the at least one road infrastructure element lies beyond the line of sight of the driver; and

transmitting the road infrastructure data to the at least one UE in response to the request.