Method of triggering the transmission of data from a mobile asset

• US 7,142,979 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Didi (HK) Science and Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Magellan DIS, Inc.
• Inventors: Shonk, Carl W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US09/598,538
• Time in Patent Office: 2,351 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/209, 701/200, 701/208, 701/213, 701/214, 340/990, 340/995, 340/988, 340/989, 340/993, 342/457, 342/451, 342/357.08, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A navigation system that uses a method for transmitting the location of a vehicle to a location remote from the vehicle is provided. The method includes determining a location of the vehicle relative to a road network defined as a first location, and determining a change in the location of the vehicle relative to the road network defined as a second location. The first location may be a first street while the second location is a second street different that the first street. The navigation system then communicates the location of the vehicle to the remote location when vehicle reaches the second location. In another aspect of the present invention, the method includes determining a location of the vehicle relative to a road network defined as a first location. A new location of the vehicle is determined relative to the road network and is defined as a second location. The first location of the vehicle is communicated to the remote location at a first frequency, and the second location of the vehicle is communicated to the remote location at a second frequency, which is different from the first frequency.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting the location of a vehicle to a location remote from the vehicle comprising the steps of:

a) determining a street attribute of the vehicle relative to a road network defined as a first location;

b) determining a change in the street attribute of the vehicle relative to the road network defined as a second location; and

c) automatically communicating the street attribute of the vehicle to the remote location based upon said change in street attribute including communicating the first location at a first interval frequency, and communicating the second location at a second interval frequency.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the location of the vehicle is communicated in said step b) with reference to the road network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the road network is in a map database.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the location of the vehicle is determined in said step a) by map-matching.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a third location is arranged between the first and second locations, and step c) includes communicating the first location at a first interval frequency, suppressing communication of the third location, and communicating the second location at a second interval frequency.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second interval frequencies are different.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first location is a first street and the second location is a second street.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first location is a first street address and the second location is a second street address.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the interval frequencies define a data transmission interval.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the street attribute is one of street name, street address and street segment, street intersection.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interval frequency is determined based on the street attribute of the vehicle at the first location.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second interval frequency is determined based on the street attribute of the vehicle at the second location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second interval frequency is determined based on a comparison between the first location street attribute and the second location street attribute.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second interval frequency is modified if the first location street attribute differs from the second location street attribute.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the second interval frequency differs from the first interval frequency if the first location street attribute differs from the second location street attribute.

16. An apparatus for a navigation system for transmitting the location of a vehicle to a location remote from the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

at least one position determining device for providing a vehicle location signal;

a database having a map database with a road network;

a processor interconnected to said at least one positioning device and said database for determining the location of the vehicle relative to said map;

a transmitter for producing a transmission signal to the remote location having the location of the vehicle;

a trigger device for triggering said transmission signal, wherein said triggering device determines a street attribute of the vehicle relative to said road network defined as a first location and determines a change in the street attribute of the vehicle relative to said road network defined as a second location, and said trigger device automatically commands said transmitter to produce said transmission signal based upon the change in location, wherein a third location is arranged between the first and second locations, and said trigger device communicates the first location at a first interval frequency, suppressing communication of the third location, and communicates the second location at a second interval frequency.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the location of the vehicle is communicated in with reference to said road network.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the location of the vehicle is determined by map-matching.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein a third location is arranged between the first and second locations, and step c) includes communicating the first location at a first interval frequency, suppressing communication of the third location, and communicating the second location at a second interval frequency.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the first and second interval frequencies are different.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said interval frequencies define a data transmission interval.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the street attribute is one of street name, street address and street segment, street intersection.

23. A method for transmitting the location of a vehicle to a location remote from the vehicle comprising the steps of:

a) determining a street attribute of the vehicle relative to a road network defined as a first location;

b) determining a new street attribute of the vehicle relative to the road network defined as a second location;

c) automatically communicating the first location of the vehicle to the remote location at a first interval frequency; and

d) automatically communicating the second location of the vehicle to the remote location at a second interval frequency different from the first interval frequency, wherein the first location is a freeway and the second location is a residential street, wherein the first interval frequency is less than the second interval frequency.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the street attribute is one of street name, street address and street segment, street intersection.

25. A method for transmitting the location of a vehicle to a location remote from the vehicle comprising the steps of:

a) determining a street attribute of the vehicle relative to a road network defined as a first location;

b) determining a new street attribute of the vehicle relative to the road network defined as a second location;

c) automatically communicating the first location of the vehicle to the remote location at a first interval frequency; and

d) automatically communicating the second location of the vehicle to the remote location at a second interval frequency different from the first interval frequency,

wherein the first location is a high traffic road and the second location is a low traffic road, wherein the first frequency is less than the second frequency.

26. A method for transmitting the location of a vehicle to a location remote from the vehicle comprising the steps of:

a) determining a street attribute of the vehicle relative to a road network defined as a first location;

b) determining a new street attribute of the vehicle relative to the road network defined as a second location;

c) automatically communicating the first location of the vehicle to the remote location at a first interval frequency; and

d) automatically communicating the second location of the vehicle to the remote location at a second interval frequency different from the first interval frequency, wherein the first location is part of a dense road network and the second location is part of a sparse road network wherein the first frequency is greater than the second interval frequency.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the street attribute is one of street name, street address and street segment, street intersection.

28. A method for transmitting the location of a vehicle to a location remote from the vehicle comprising the steps of:

a) determining a street attribute of the vehicle relative to a road network defined as a first location;

b) determining a new street attribute of the vehicle relative to the road network defined as a second location;

c) automatically communicating the first location of the vehicle to the remote location at a first interval frequency; and

d) automatically communicating the second location of the vehicle to the remote location at a second interval frequency different from the first interval frequency, wherein the first and second locations have first and second speed limits, respectively, with the first speed limit being greater than the second speed limit, wherein the first interval frequency is less than the second interval frequency.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the street attribute is one of street name, street address and street segment, street intersection.