Road information communicating system

• US 6,317,682 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1999
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Institute For Land and Infrastructure Management Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transportation
• Original Assignee: Public Works Research Institute
• Inventors: Ogura, Toshihiko, Nishimoto, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/376,228
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/201, 701/205, 701/211, 701/207, 701/208, 340/905, 340/903, 340/902, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 340/996, 455/456, 455/457
• US Class Current: 701/117
• 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 1/096775 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

Abstract

A road information communicating system is provided in which a central communication system communicates with vehicles using a network of distributed information processing units. Each of these distributed information processing units is able to receive local road information and compute a set of local coordinates corresponding to that local road information. It is then able to relay that information to the central unit and receive like information from other distributed units. The information is then prioritized, and a subset of that prioritized data is selected and transmitted to vehicles in the coverage area.

Claims

1. A road information communicating system for communication with vehicles comprising:

a central communication system; and

,

a plurality of distributed information processing units connected to said central communication system via a network, wherein each said distributed information processing unit comprises;

(1) a sensor means for receiving local road information regarding a road located within a local transmission area surrounding said sensor means;

(2) a means for computing local coordinates corresponding to said local road information;

(3) a means for relaying said local road information and said local coordinates over said network to said central communication system;

(4) a means for receiving remote road information and corresponding remote coordinates regarding a road located outside said local transmission area from said central communication system;

(5) a means for determining vehicle coordinates of said vehicles that are located within said local transmission area, the distance between each said vehicle coordinates and each said local coordinates, and the distance between each said vehicle coordinates and each said remote coordinates;

(6) a means for prioritizing said local road information and said remote road information based on said distances;

(7) a means for selecting a subset of said prioritized data for transmission to a vehicle located within said transmission area; and

,

(8) a means for relaying said subset of said prioritized data to said vehicle.

2. The road information communicating system of claim 1 wherein said means for selecting a subset of said prioritized data for transmission to a vehicle excludes prioritized data that corresponds to coordinates located more than a preselected distance from said vehicle.

3. The road information communicating system of claim 1 wherein said means for relaying said subset of said prioritized data to said vehicle further comprises a means for determining whether said subset was received by said vehicle.

4. The road information communicating system of claim 1 wherein each said distributed information processing unit further comprises an electronically accessible memory for storing road information.