Vehicular navigation system updating based on object presence/absence

• US 9,677,893 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2016
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S
• Primary Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US15/375,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20170102242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 184 Days
• Field of Search: 701532
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

Processing arrangement for managing temporary updates to a map for use by vehicular navigation systems in vehicles in which a communications system at a remote site receives wireless communications from each vehicle including information about presence of an object or condition at a specific location automatically identified at the specific location without requiring manual entry of data about the object or condition at the specific location and that affects movement of vehicles on a roadway. A processor generates a map update for use by vehicular navigation systems based on the identified object or condition at the specific location which is transmitted to any vehicle in a vicinity of the specific location to cause the vehicular navigation system of that vehicle to use a map with the generated map update to display or otherwise indicate the presence of the object or condition at the specific location.

Claims

1. A processing arrangement for managing temporary updates to a map for use by vehicular navigation systems in a plurality of vehicles, comprising:

a communications system at a remote site that is configured to receive wireless communications from each of the vehicles that includes information about presence of an object or condition at a specific location automatically identified at the specific location without requiring manual entry of data about the object or condition at the specific location, the presence of the object or condition at the specific location affecting movement of vehicles on a roadway; and

a processor coupled to said communications system and configured to generate an update for a map for use by the vehicular navigation systems based on the identified object or condition at the specific location included in the communications received by said communications system;

said communications system being configured to transmit the generated map update to any vehicle in a vicinity of the specific location to cause the vehicular navigation system of that vehicle to use a map with the generated map update to display or otherwise indicate the presence of the object or condition at the specific location,

said processor being further configured to;

process wireless communications received from each of the vehicles using said communications system including information that the object or condition whose presence was previously detected at the specific location is absent at the specific location at a subsequent time after generation of the map update relating to the presence of that object or condition at the specific location,

generate another update for a map for use by the vehicular navigation systems based on the absence of the object or condition at the specific location provided during processing of the wireless communications received from each of the vehicles using said communications system; and

direct transmission of the another map update using said communications system to any vehicle in a vicinity of the specific location to cause the vehicular navigation system of the vehicles to use a map with the another map update to avoid display or indication of the presence of the object or condition at the specific location.

2. The processing arrangement of claim 1, wherein the map update comprises an audio file that is configured to be verbalized by the vehicular navigation system when a location of the vehicle including the vehicular navigation system approaches the specific location.

3. The processing arrangement of claim 1, wherein the map update comprises an image file that is configured to be displayed on a display of the vehicular navigation system at the specific location.

4. The processing arrangement of claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to generate as the map update, a vehicle-targeted map update and wirelessly transmit the vehicle-targeted map update using said communications system from the remote site to vehicles travelling on a roadway based on the specific location.

5. A multi-vehicle method for causing temporary updates to a map for use by a vehicular navigation system in each vehicle, comprising:

identifying presence of an object or condition at a specific location and for which presence of the object or condition at the specific location affects movement of vehicles on a roadway using at least one condition detector located on at least one of the vehicles or infrastructure, the at least one condition detector being configured to identify the presence of the object or condition at the specific location without requiring manual entry of data about the object or condition at the specific location;

when the presence of an object or condition is identified by the at least one condition detector, wirelessly communicating the presence of the object or condition at the specific location automatically identified by the at least one condition detector to a remote site using a first communications system coupled to the at least one condition detector;

generating, using a processor at the remote site, an update for a map for use by the vehicular navigation systems based on the identified object or condition at the specific location;

transmitting, using a second communications system associated with the remote site, the generated map update to any vehicle in a vicinity of the specific location at which the at least one condition detector detected the presence of the object or condition to cause the vehicular navigation system of that vehicle to use a map with the generated map update to display or otherwise indicate the presence of the object or condition at the specific location;

determining whether the object or condition whose presence was detected by the at least one condition detector at the specific location is still present at that location or is absent at the specific location at a subsequent time after generation of the map update relating to the presence of that object or condition using an assessment system in any of the vehicles passing by that location or infrastructure capable of obtaining information about that location, and

when the assessment system determines that the object or condition is absent at the specific location,

communicating the absence of the object or condition at the specific location to the remote site using a third communications system;

generating, using the processor at the remote site, another update for the map for use by the vehicular navigation systems based on the absence of the object or condition at the specific location;

transmitting, using the second communications system associated with the remote site, the another update to vehicles in that vicinity to cause the vehicular navigation system of the vehicles to use a map with the another map update to avoid display or indication of the presence of the object or condition at the specific location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of generating the map update comprises generating an audio file that is configured to be verbalized by vehicular navigation system when a location of the at least one vehicle approaches the specific location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of identifying presence of an object or condition at a specific location and for which presence of the object or condition at the specific location affects movement of vehicles on a roadway using at least one condition detector located on at least one of the vehicles or infrastructure comprises identifying presence of an object or condition selected from a group consisting of an animal, an accident, a disabled vehicle, ice, construction, police radar, a landslide, pot holes, rough road, a vehicle traveling the wrong way on the roadway, smoke, low visibility, fog, snow, heavy rain and congestion.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of generating the map update comprises generating an image file that is configured to be displayed on a display of the vehicular navigation system at the specific location.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one condition detector is arranged at a fixed location on or alongside the roadway such that the at least one condition detector detects objects or conditions on or alongside the roadway.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of transmitting the map update to any vehicle comprising directing a vehicle-targeted map update from the remote site to vehicles travelling on the roadway based on location of the at least one condition detector at which the presence of the object or condition is detected.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one condition detector is located on one of the vehicles.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of wirelessly communicating the presence of the object or condition at the specific location automatically identified by the at least one condition detector to a remote site using a first communications system coupled to the at least one condition detector comprises wirelessly transmitting a signal, data or information about the presence of the object or condition at the specific location automatically detected by the at least one condition detector, the first communications system being situated on the same vehicle as the at least one condition detector.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first communications system is co-located with the at least one condition detector on the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one condition detector is located on infrastructure.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of communicating the absence of the object or condition at the specific location to the remote site using a third communications system comprises wirelessly transmitting a signal, data or information about the determined absence of the object or condition at the specific location to the remote site using the third communications system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the assessment system is coupled to the first communications system and the signal, data or information about the determined absence of the object or condition at the specific location is transmitted by the first communications system to the second communications system.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the first communications system is arranged in a common housing on the vehicle with the at least one condition detector.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one condition detector is removably coupled to the vehicle and receives sounds from an environment in or around the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one condition detector is removably coupled to the vehicle and receives vibrations from an environment in or around the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one condition detector is independently operable when separated and removed from the vehicle.