Information system

• US 20060197682A1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lastmile Communications Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lastmile Communications Ltd.
• Inventors: Brandwood, John D., Crocker, Timothy R., Bishop, Frank M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,427,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the 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 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

An information system is provided for transmitting data into a local area surrounding the transmitter. The transmitter may be used to provide information to pedestrians, or to passing road traffic. Data is stored in a local memory 64 associated with the transmitter such that data stored in the memory can be repeatedly and frequently transmitted to users 70 having suitable reception apparatus 18 in the vicinity of the transmitter.

Claims

1. A vehicle information system comprising a receiver;

a transmitter for transmitting messages to another vehicle; and

a communications device for providing at least one of audio and visual communication for communicating information to an occupant of a vehicle.

2. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the receiver has a narrow acceptance aperture such that it is responsive substantially only to signal coming from a predetermined direction with respect to the vehicle.

3. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 2, in which the receiver'"'"'s acceptance aperture is restricted in the horizontal plane and can view from the horizontal towards the vertical in the vertical plane.

4. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which said messages include at least one of messages generated by the vehicle warning of severe braking and messages generated by the vehicle warning of adverse conditions.

5. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a data processor responsive to an emergency deceleration signal and arranged to transmit a signal to following vehicles via the transmitter indicative that its vehicle is undergoing heavy braking.

6. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which said messages include daisy chained messages.

7. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a data processor arranged to receive signals from the receiver and to daisy chain some of the signals it receives by re-transmitting them via the transmitter.

8. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 7, in which the data processor is arranged to generate a random delay period before re-transmitting the signals.

9. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 7, wherein an algorithm is employed within the data processor to enable the control of the geographical extent of any daisy chain alarm message.

10. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 9, in which the daisy chain alarm message includes a data tag including position information indicating a geographical source of the message, and in which the data processor is arranged to determine whether the position information indicates that the system is a sufficient distance from the geographical source of the alarm message, and if so not to re-transmit the alarm message or to modify the alarm message before re-transmission.

11. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 10, in which the daisy chain alarm message includes a generation number tag, and in which the data processor is arranged to determine whether or not to re-transmit the alarm message according to the generation number tag, and if so to increase the generation number tag before re-transmitting the alarm message.

12. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmitter is a rear facing transmitter for transmitting messages to a following vehicle, and the system further comprises a forward facing transmitter;

and a data processor arranged to receive alarm messages from the receiver, to daisy chain the alarm messages by re-transmitting them via the rear facing transmitter, and to retransmit the alarm messages from the forward facing transmitter to roadside transceivers.

13. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 12, in which the data processor is arranged to cancel the daisy chain mode of propagation in response to the receipt of an authorisation code.

14. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a data processor arranged to perform an arbitration algorithm in the event that multiple broadcasts are received simultaneously or near simultaneously.

15. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1 in which the system is arranged to use messages from a preceding vehicle to carry out collision avoidance calculations.

16. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the transmitter is arranged to intermittently transmit so as to advertise the presence of the vehicle to other vehicles.

17. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the transmitter is a forward facing transmitter which is arranged to intermittently transmit so as to advertise the presence of the vehicle to preceding vehicles.

18. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the transmitter is arranged to transmit in a “

whisper-shout”

mode.

19. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the transmitter is arranged to send a code to indicate its power level of transmission.

20. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an onboard data processor arranged to use identity codes to distinguish between signals from vehicles travelling in the same direction and those travelling in the opposite direction.

21. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the system is arranged to use a Doppler shift of the message received from a transmitting vehicle to estimate the transmitting vehicle'"'"'s speed and/or relative speed.

22. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the transmitter is arranged to act in a RADAR mode, using microwave travel time to another vehicle and back to provide an estimate of range.

23. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the signals are actively retransmitted with data identifying the propagation delay introduced by the transmitter and receiver of the other vehicle actively returning the signal.

24. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to actively retransmit signals with data identifying a propagation delay introduced by the transmitter and receiver.

25. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver is responsive to local data transmissions from roadside transmitters.

26. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the receiver looks forward from the vehicle.

27. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the transmitter is a rear facing transmitter for transmitting messages to a following vehicle.

28. A vehicle information system as claimed in claim 1, in which the system is adapted to automatically transmit to the authorities when a speed violation above a certain threshold has occurred.