Traffic citation delivery based on type of traffic infraction

• US 9,552,724 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ariel Inventions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ariel Inventions, LLC
• Inventors: Rothschild, Leigh M.
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US13/683,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 340/933, 340/995.1, 340/905, 340/936, 340/937, 701/301, 701/1, 701/23, 701/20, 348/148
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for vehicle speed acquisition and citation. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, multiple different imaging systems can be placed individually at different locations along a route of travel, such as a highway, byway or waterway. Images of different vehicles can be captured at each of the locations and different ones of the different vehicles can be image-recognized. A time of travel between pairs of the locations can be determined for selected ones of the different vehicles in order to compute a rate of travel for the selected ones of the different vehicles. A citation signal is generated when a speed of a vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed limit such that the vehicle owner may be automatically cited for speeding.

Claims

1. A method for vehicle traffic flow data acquisition and reporting for onboard vehicle navigation, the method comprising:

acquiring, at a first location, data of multiple vehicles travelling through the first location, wherein said data is acquired from a source not travelling in the vehicle;

individually identifying the multiple vehicles from the first location data;

acquiring, at a second location, data of said multiple vehicles travelling through the second location; and

determining an elapsed time of travel from said data for the individually identified vehicles travelling through the two locations;

computing a rate of travel for each of the individually identified multiple vehicles based upon the elapsed time of travel; and

,

broadcasting the rate of travel for at least one of the individually identified multiple vehicles to a subscriber for at least one of the two locations,

wherein broadcasting the rate of travel for at least one of the individually identified multiple vehicles to the subscriber for at least one of the two locations, further comprises additionally broadcasting the acquired data to the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating an average rate of travel for the individually identified multiple vehicles, wherein the average rate of travel is broadcast only when the average rate of travel falls below a threshold value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the average rate of travel is broadcast to the onboard vehicle navigation system of the subscriber using an internet connection with the on board vehicle navigation system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the average rate of travel is broadcast only when a planned route of travel in the onboard navigation system includes at least one of the first and second locations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting further comprises broadcasting at least one of the first and second locations to the onboard vehicle navigation system of the subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting further comprises broadcasting a weather report for at least one of the first and second locations to the onboard vehicle navigation system of the subscriber.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the average rate of travel is broadcast to the on board vehicle navigation system of the subscriber using one of text messaging and e-mail.