System and Method for Electronic Road Signs With In-Car Display Capabilities

• US 20090284394A1
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alexandre Polozoff, Gregory J. Boss, Rick A. Hamilton II, Timothy Moffett Waters
• Inventors: Polozoff, Alexandre, Boss, Gregory Jensen, Waters, Timothy Moffett, Hamilton, Rick Allen II
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/907
• 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 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

The present invention is method and system for delivering road sign content information to a mobile computing device for display to the driver of a vehicle. The system consists of a wireless communication network in communication with a mobile computing device operationally coupled to a dashboard display device or a vehicle head'"'"'s up display device. The wireless communication network further comprises a plurality of meshed network sign transmitting devices placed along predetermined intervals along the highway. Each sign-transmitting device is capable of transmitting road sign content information to the mobile computing device for display to the driver.

Claims

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20. In a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of wireless road sign transmitters in communication with a mobile computing device located a system of delivering road sign content to the mobile computing devices within vehicles, the system comprising:

a road sign transmitter for continuously broadcasting signals onto the wireless communication network a message containing specific road sign content information;

a computing device within a vehicle for continuously monitoring, a wireless communication network for signals being broadcast over the network, the broadcasted signals coming from road sign transmitters;

a receiver within the computing device for capturing the message from the wireless communication network, when a signal is in range of the mobile computing device;

a means within the computing device for interpreting the message to determine the road sign content information; and

for a predetermined time period, a display for displaying contents of a road sign contained in the captured message.

22. The system of claim 20 further comprises an interface for securing the mobile computing device into a computing system manufactured as part of the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the means for interpreting has the ability to retrieve from the message a set of attributes that identify the specific type of road sign to be displayed.

24. The system of claim 20 further comprises a device to activate a backup sign transmitter to replace a deactivated sign transmitter.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein the displaying means further comprises a display for redisplaying the message for a predetermined period of time.

26. The system of claim 20 further comprises an input means for accepting a user request to filter and display a specific type of message.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the displaying means further comprises a means for displaying the road sign based upon the user request.

28. The system claim 20 further comprising:

a means for providing a remote server in communication with the plurality of sign transmitters;

a means for continuously monitoring the plurality of sign transmitters to determine their status; and

if a sign transmitter malfunctions a means for issuing an error notification.

21. The system of claim 21 wherein the mobile computing device is a hand-held computing device.