Weather Monitoring Techniques

• US 20080140318A1
• Filed: 02/18/2008
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/3
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2863 backward facing
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0073 Driver overrides controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 related to roll-over prevention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18159 Traversing an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 : with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 : of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 : Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 : Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 : Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 : Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/50 : whereby the position solution is constrained to lie upon a particular curve or surface, e.g. for locomotives on railway tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2007/4975 : of sensor obstruction by, e.g. dirt- or ice-coating, e.g. by reflection measurement on front-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 : Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 : combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 : Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 : Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 : Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 : using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 : Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 : using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 : in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 : in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93273 : on the top of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 : cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 : Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 : involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 : involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 : using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 : using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 : comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 : using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 : using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 : Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 : involving continuous checking
• 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 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Arrangement and method for monitoring weather includes a sensor system arranged in vehicles for obtaining information about the weather in the vicinity of the vehicle, a communication system arranged in each vehicle and coupled to a respective sensor system for communicating the obtained weather information to a control station or other remote facility, and a transmission system arranged at the control station for transmitting weather conditions in an area in which the vehicles travel based on the information obtained by the vehicles. A positioning system may be arranged on each vehicle to determine its position so that the communication systems transmit the position of each vehicle along with the obtained information. A display may be arranged in each vehicle for displaying the transmitted weather conditions to an occupant of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring weather, comprising:

obtaining information about the weather in the vicinity of the vehicles by means of the vehicles;

transmitting the obtained information to a control station; and

determining weather conditions at the control station in an area in which the vehicles travel based on the transmitted information and the position of the vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the position of each vehicle using a positioning system arranged on the vehicle; and

transmitting the determined position along with the obtained information to the control station,

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained information is transmitted to the control station over the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting specific weather conditions to vehicles based on the position of the vehicles.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying the transmitted weather conditions to an occupant of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring weather conditions using infrastructure-based sensors; and

providing the weather conditions monitored by the infrastructure-based sensors to the control station for use in determining the weather conditions in the area in which the vehicles travel.

7. An arrangement for monitoring weather, comprising:

a sensor system arranged in each vehicle for obtaining information about the weather in the vicinity of the vehicle;

a communication system arranged in each vehicle and coupled to a respective one of said sensor systems for communicating the obtained information to a control station; and

a transmission system arranged at the control station for transmitting weather conditions in an area in which the vehicles travel based on the information obtained by the vehicles.

8. The arrangement of claim 7, further comprising a positioning system arranged on each vehicle to determine its position, said communication systems being arranged to transmit the position of each vehicle along with the obtained information.

9. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein said communication systems are arranged to transmit the obtained information over the Internet to the control station.

10. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein said transmission system is arranged to transmit specific weather conditions to vehicles based on the position of the vehicles.

11. The arrangement of claim 7, further comprising a display arranged in each vehicle for displaying the transmitted weather conditions to an occupant of the vehicle.

12. The arrangement of claim 7, further comprising:

infrastructure-based weather monitoring sensors, said infrastructure-based sensors being coupled to the control station and providing the weather conditions monitored by said infrastructure-based sensors to the control station for use in determining the weather conditions in the area in which the vehicles travel.