Road safety warning system and method

• US 20050083211A1
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yossef Shiri
• Original Assignee: Yossef Shiri
• Inventors: Shafir, Michael, Shiri, Yosef
• Granted Patent: US 7,057,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• 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: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages

Abstract

An in-vehicle system for tracking events that occur at specific locations of a transportation route and alerting a driver of an impending significant event includes a location determination unit for determining an instantaneous location of the vehicle, and an event determination unit coupled to the location determination unit and responsive to the instantaneous location of the vehicle for communicating with an events database for obtaining an impending traffic sign that the vehicle is about to confront based on the vehicle'"'"'s instantaneous location. A decision module coupled to the event determination unit is responsive to current parameters of the vehicle for determining whether the current parameters of the vehicle are conducive to safe driving based on the impending event, and a warning unit coupled to the decision module is responsive to at least one current parameter of the vehicle not being conducive to safe driving for alerting the driver of the impending event.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle system for tracking events that occur at specific locations of a transportation route and alerting a driver of an impending significant event, the system including:

a location determination unit for determining an instantaneous location of the vehicle,

an event determination unit coupled to the location determination unit and responsive to the instantaneous location of the vehicle for communicating with an events database for obtaining an impending event that the vehicle is about to confront based on said instantaneous location,

a decision module coupled to the event determination unit and responsive to current parameters of the vehicle for determining whether the current parameters of the vehicle are conducive to safe driving based on said impending event, and

a warning unit coupled to the decision module and responsive to at least one current parameter of the vehicle not being conducive to safe driving based on said impending event for alerting the driver of the impending event.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the location determination unit is GPS-based.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the event determination unit includes a map interface adapted to be coupled to a map database mapping traffic signs according to their location in 2 -D or 3-D space.

4. The system according to claim 3, further including a map data update module coupled to the map interface for allowing data in the map database to be updated.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the map data update module includes a manual interface for allowing data in the map database to be updated manually.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the map data update module includes a wireless interface for allowing data in the map database to be updated remotely.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the wireless interface is adapted to communicate warnings to proximate vehicles in broadcast range of the wireless interface.

8. The system according to claim 1, further including a profile matching module coupled to the analysis unit that is responsive to data defining a driver'"'"'s driving pattern so that warnings can be adapted to a learned driver'"'"'s driving pattern.

9. The system according to claim 1, further including an alert filter for allowing the driver to filters out warning signals that the driver has indicated should be discarded.

10. The system according to claim 1, further including a driving analysis unit coupled to the decision unit for feeding instantaneous vehicle location, speed and acceleration to the decision module.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the driving analysis unit is adapted to compute instantaneous vehicle speed and acceleration from successive locations of the vehicle received in a known time interval.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the driving analysis unit is coupled to a vehicle instrumentation unit for deriving vehicle parameters that may influence the decision as to whether to provide a warning.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the warning unit is adapted to render warning messages vocally.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the warning unit is adapted to render warning messages visibly.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the events database includes both spatial coordinates of an event and time data relating to time restrictions associated with the event.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the events database includes data relating to markers that are associated with actual events in the events database and serve to provide the driver with advance notice of said event.

17. The system according to claim 16, where in respect of said markers the events database includes data defining a speed threshold that may not be exceeded.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the data relating to said markers includes a driving profile represented by a continuous profile defined by an initial marker (S₁) depicting commencement of an alert zone and having associated therewith a definition of a safe speed (V₁) at the commencement of the alert zone and a formula that describes a safe acceleration profile from the commencement of the alert zone to termination of the alert zone.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the alert zone is defined spatially in terms of distance between the marker and an associated event.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the alert zone is defined temporally in terms of time taken to reach an event from an associated marker based on speed and acceleration of the vehicle at the marker.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein the event is an upcoming traffic sign.

22. A method for alerting a driver of an impending significant event that occurs at a specific location of a transportation route, the method including:

determining an instantaneous location of the vehicle;

accessing an events database for obtaining an impending event that the vehicle is about to confront based on said instantaneous location;

determining whether the current parameters of the vehicle are conducive to safe driving based on said impending event; and

if at least one current parameter of the vehicle is not conducive to safe driving based on said impending event, alerting the driver of the impending event.

23. The method according to claim 22, further including learning a driver'"'"'s driving pattern so that warnings can be adapted to a learned driver'"'"'s driving pattern.

24. The method according to claim 22, further including filtering out warning signals that the driver has indicated should be discarded.

25. The method according to claim 22, further including:

obtaining data relating to markers that are associated with actual events in the events database;

upon passing a marker, obtaining data defining a speed threshold that may not be exceeded;

comparing an instantaneous speed of the vehicle with said speed threshold; and

if the instantaneous speed of the vehicle exceeds said speed threshold, alerting the driver.

26. The method according to claim 22, further including:

obtaining data relating to a marker that is associated with actual events in the events database and denotes commencement of an alert zone and has associated therewith a definition of a speed (V₁) at the commencement of the alert zone and a formula that describes a safe acceleration profile from the commencement of the alert zone to termination of the alert zone;

upon passing a marker, predicting from an instantaneous speed and acceleration of the vehicle whether the vehicle is conducive to safe driving; and

if the vehicle is not conducive to safe driving, alerting the driver.

27. The method according to claim 22, wherein the event is an upcoming traffic sign.