System for providing site-specific, real-time environmental condition information to vehicles and related methods

• US 7,847,708 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baron Services Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Baron Services Incorporated
• Inventors: Jones, Erick C., Baron, Robert O., Thompson, Thomas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phung
• Application Number:
  US11/495,078
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/539.13, 340/539.12, 340/601, 702/3, 702/19
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/02 Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed G01W1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A system for providing environmental condition information to remote users includes a computer system that obtains environmental data from a variety of sources and converts them into data that indicate presence of an environmental condition (including the strength, severity and form of a weather event), a distribution network in communication with the computer system, and one or more remote systems, which further comprise a receiver configured to receive distribution network signals and down convert them, and a remote computer system. The remote computer system is configured to receive the down-converted signals from the receiver and uses the data transmitted in the messages to determine whether the environmental conditions are geo-graphically relevant to the remote system based upon the geographic position of the remote system. The remote systems include a display systems which provide visual or aural alerts relating to weather phenomena, road conditions, road status or traffic.

Claims

1. A system for providing environmental information to one or more geographically dispersed mobile users comprising:

a computer system having a memory configured with processor-readable instructions to execute a method comprising the steps of;

assigning indicator data to a plurality of cells of a geographic grid based upon environmental data, said environmental data being at least one of meteorological data, road condition data, road status data, and traffic; and

transmitting said assigned indicator data according to at least one remote system within said plurality of cells via a distribution network; and

wherein said at least one remote system is responsive to said distribution network said at least one remote system comprising;

a receiver for receiving said assigned data;

a navigation system for providing a geographic position; and

a remote computer system having a memory configured with processor-readable instructions to cause said remote computer system to locally determine whether said received assigned indicator data is relevant to said remote system and respond only to relevant indicator data based upon said geographic position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote computer system memory is further configured with processor-readable instructions to determine whether said received assigned data may be relevant to said remote system at a time in the future based upon the remote system'"'"'s speed and heading.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said distribution network is at least one of a satellite radio network, a terrestrial radio network, a cellular network, and a telephone network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said assigned data is transmitted according to the order of its assigned cells by grid rows.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said assigned data is transmitted according to the order of its assigned cells by grid columns.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said assigned data indicates a characteristic of a weather event, said characteristic being at least one of intensity, form and duration.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said meteorological data is at least one of storm data, wind data, precipitation data, hail data, visibility data, lightning data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said meteorological data includes forecast meteorological data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said environmental data is automatically received.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said environmental data is manually input.

11. A computer system for providing environmental information to one or more geographically dispersed mobile remote users comprising:

a memory configured with processor-readable instructions to execute a method comprising the steps of;

receiving environmental data, said environmental data being at least one of meteorological data, road condition data, road status data, and traffic data;

determining indicator values representing a characteristic of said environmental data;

assigning said indicator data values to a plurality of cells of a geographic grid;

outputting said assigned environmental data to one or more remote systems according to said plurality of cells via a distribution network; and

locally determining with said remote system if assigned environmental data is relevant to said remote system based upon said remote system'"'"'s geographic position.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said distribution network is at least one of a satellite radio network, a terrestrial radio network, a cellular network, and a telephone network.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said assigned data is transmitted according to the order of its assigned cells by grid rows.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said assigned data is transmitted according to the order of its assigned cells by grid columns.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said indicator data indicates a characteristic of a weather event, said characteristic being at least one of intensity, form and duration.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said meteorological data is at least one of storm data, wind data, precipitation data, hail data, visibility data, lightning data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said meteorological data includes forecast meteorological data.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein said environmental data is automatically received.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein said environmental data is manually input.

20. A mobile system for receiving and displaying environmental information comprising:

a receiver for receiving environmental indicator data, said environmental indicator data representing characteristics of at least one of meteorological data, road condition data, road status data and traffic data;

a navigation system for providing a geographic position; and

a remote computer system having a memory configured with processor-readable instructions to cause said remote computer system to locally determine with said mobile system whether said received environmental indicator data is relevant to said mobile system based upon said geographic position.

21. The mobile system of claim 20, wherein said remote computer system memory is further configured with processor-readable instructions to determine whether said received environmental indicator data may be relevant to said mobile system at a time in the future based upon the mobile system'"'"'s speed and heading.

22. The mobile system of claim 20, wherein said receiver is responsive to a distribution network, said distribution network being at least one of a satellite radio network, a terrestrial radio network, a cellular network, and a telephone network.

23. The mobile system of claim 20, wherein said characteristic is a characteristic of a weather event, said characteristic being at least one of intensity, form and duration.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein said meteorological data is at least one of storm data, wind data, precipitation data, hail data, visibility data, lightning data.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein said meteorological data includes forecast meteorological data.

26. A system for distributing environmental information to one or more remote users comprising:

a computer system having memory configured with processor-readable instructions to populate a geographic grid having a plurality of cells with indicator data representing a characteristic of environmental data, said environmental data being at least one of meteorological data, road condition data, road status data and traffic data, and to output said populated grid to a distribution network; and

one or more remote systems responsive to said distribution network and configured to receive said output data, each of said one or more remote systems having a processor with a memory configured with the geographic position of its remote system, and with processor-readable instructions to locally determine with said remote system whether said received output data is relevant to said remote system based upon said geographic position.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said remote system further comprises a navigation system for providing updated geographic position information.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said remote computer system memory is further configured with processor-readable instructions to determine whether said received output data may be relevant to said remote system at a time in the future based upon the remote system'"'"'s speed and heading.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein said distribution network is at least one of a satellite radio network, a terrestrial radio network, a cellular network, and a telephone network.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein said output data is transmitted according to the order of its assigned cells by grid rows.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein said output data is transmitted according to the order of its assigned cells by grid columns.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein said characteristic is at least one of intensity, form and duration of a weather event.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein said meteorological data is at least one of storm data, wind data, precipitation data, hail data, visibility data, lightning data.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said meteorological data includes forecast meteorological data.

35. The system of claim 26, wherein said environmental data is automatically received.

36. The system of claim 26, wherein said environmental data is manually input.

37. An environmental condition notification method comprising the steps of

assigning indicator data to a plurality of cells of a geographic grid based upon environmental data, said environmental data being at least one of meteorological data, road condition data, road status data, and traffic;

and

transmitting said assigned data to one or more remote systems responsive thereto according to said plurality of cells via a distribution network; and

locally determining with said remote system if said assigned environmental data is relevant to said remote system based upon said remote system'"'"'s geographic position.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said distribution network is at least one of a satellite radio network, a terrestrial radio network, a cellular network, and a telephone network.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein said assigned data is transmitted according to the order of its assigned cells by grid rows.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein said assigned data is transmitted according to the order of its assigned cells by grid columns.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein said indicator data indicates a characteristic of a weather event, said characteristic being at least one of intensity, form and duration.

42. The method of claim 37, wherein said meteorological data is at least one of storm data, wind data, precipitation data, hail data, visibility data, lightning data.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said meteorological data includes forecast meteorological data.

44. The system of claim 37, wherein said environmental data is automatically received.

45. The method of claim 37, wherein said environmental data is manually input.

46. A environmental information distribution method comprising:

providing a remote user system comprising;

a receiver;

a navigation system for providing a geographic position and a heading; and

a computer system having a memory configured with processor-readable instructions to cause said remote computer system to determine whether received assigned data is relevant to said remote system based upon said geographic position;

transmitting via a communications network to said remote user system said assigned data, said assigned data representing a characteristic of at least one of meteorological data, road condition data, road status data and traffic data; and

locally determining with said remote user system if said assigned data is relevant to said remote user system based upon said remote user system'"'"'s geographic position.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein said communications network is at least one of a satellite radio network, a terrestrial radio network, a cellular network, and a telephone network.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein said assigned data represents a characteristic of a weather event, said characteristic being at least one of intensity, form and duration.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein said meteorological data is at least one of storm data, wind data, precipitation data, hail data, visibility data, lightning data.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein said meteorological data includes forecast meteorological data.

51. A method for providing geographically dispersed remote users with real-time environmental information comprising the steps of:

providing a remote user receiving and display system comprising;

a computer having a memory configured with processor-readable instructions to accept as input indicator data received from a communications link responsive to a distribution network, said indicator data representing a characteristic of at least one of meteorological data, road condition data, road status data and traffic data, and to locally determine with said computer whether said indicator data is relevant to the remote user based upon a geographic position; and

aural and visual display means for displaying alerts based on relevant indicator data to said remote user.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein said computer system memory is further configured with processor-readable instructions to determine whether said received indicator data may be relevant to said remote system at a time in the future based upon motion of said remote system.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein said distribution network is at least one of a satellite radio network, a terrestrial radio network, a cellular network, and a telephone network.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein said indicator data indicates a characteristic of a weather event, said characteristic being at least one of intensity, form and duration.

55. The system of claim 51, wherein said meteorological data is at least one of storm data, wind data, precipitation data, hail data, visibility data, lightning data.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein said meteorological data includes forecast meteorological data.