×

Travel information sensing and communication system

  • US 9,652,984 B2
  • Filed: 03/16/2015
  • Issued: 05/16/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A method for conveying driving conditions and using the conveyed driving conditions for vehicular control, comprising:

  • determining when a vehicle is within a set distance from an activatable sensor using a proximity sensor coupled to the activatable sensor, the activatable sensor being configured to generate information, when activated, about a travel surface of the vehicle or an environment around the travel surface that affects interaction between tires of the vehicle and the travel surface;

    only when the proximity sensor determines that the vehicle is within the set distance from the activatable sensor, activating the activatable sensor tomeasure or detect a property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface that affects interaction between tires of the vehicle and the travel surface using a measuring or detecting component that is part of the activatable sensor, the measured or detected property or condition constituting at least part of the sensor-generated information;

    communicate the sensor-generated information directly from the activatable sensor to the vehicle determined to be within the set distance from the activatable sensor or occupant thereof; and

    providing energy to the activatable sensor from an energy harvesting system included in or connected to the activatable sensor and that generates energy and provides the generated energy to the measuring or detecting component to enable the measuring or detecting component to measure or detect the property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface, whereby the sensor-generated information is not communicated from the activatable sensor until the activatable sensor is activated by the proximity sensor; and

    causing operation of at least one of a display, navigation, control and guidance system in the vehicle determined to be within the set distance from the activatable sensor to change from an existing operating state to one of a plurality of different operating states as a result of the communication of the sensor-generated information, the specific one of the different operating states to which the display, navigation, control or guidance system is changed being determined based on the sensor-generated information.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×