System and method for providing weather warnings and alerts

• US 7,949,330 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Habaguchi, Masayuki, Yuhara, Hiromitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost; Dwayne D
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US11/510,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20070049260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.3
• US Class Current: 455/414.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A method is provided for providing weather data to a vehicle comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a broadcast signal containing weather data referenced to a plurality of cells arranged in a grid corresponding to a geographic map; (b) determining the present location, speed, and direction of the vehicle; (c) calculating a geographic region for which the weather data will affect the vehicle user based upon the current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle; (d) filtering the weather data to yield filtered data comprising at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to the previously calculated geographic region; and (e) formatting the filtered data for display to vehicle occupants.

Claims

1. A method for receiving weather data at a vehicle, comprising:

receiving a first broadcast signal at the vehicle, the first broadcast signal containing weather data referenced to a plurality of cells arranged in a grid corresponding to a geographic map, the weather data including one or more assigned warning numbers linking the plurality of cells to at least one weather warning;

receiving a second broadcast signal at the vehicle, the second broadcast signal containing weather warning information, the weather warning information including the weather warning associated with said one or more assigned warning numbers;

determining a current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle;

using the current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle to calculate a future location of the vehicle, the future location of the vehicle being different from the current location of the vehicle;

correlating the future location of the vehicle to at least one of the plurality of cells;

identifying a portion of the weather data referenced to said at least one of the plurality of cells;

filtering the weather data to yield at least filtered data referenced to said at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to the future location of the vehicle; and

formatting the filtered data for display to vehicle occupants.

2. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein correlating the future location of the vehicle to at least one of the plurality of cells further comprises:

using at least the current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle to calculate a velocity vector; and

associating the vehicle with one or more of the plurality of cells crossed by the calculated velocity vector of the vehicle.

3. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein formatting the filtered data further comprises arranging the weather data within a mesh defined by latitude and longitude.

4. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising removing duplicate data from the received weather data prior to the formatting step.

5. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein formatting the filtered data further comprises selecting a blinking icon to indicate the weather warning to the user.

6. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein formatting the filtered data further comprises selecting a pop-up message to indicate the weather warning to the user.

7. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising determining if the vehicle is near a warning area defined in the received weather data prior to the formatting step.

8. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein receiving at least one of the first broadcast signal and the second broadcast signal comprises receiving a satellite radio broadcast signal.

9. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein receiving the first broadcast signal containing weather data comprises receiving the weather data in a mesh/grid format.

10. The method for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein receiving the first broadcast signal containing weather data comprises receiving the weather data as a multi-longitudinal data array.

11. A system for receiving weather data at a vehicle, comprising:

a telematics unit in the vehicle equipped to receive weather data over a broadcast network such that the weather data is referenced to a plurality of cells arranged in a grid corresponding to a geographic map, the weather data including one or more assigned warning numbers linking the plurality of cells to at least one weather warning;

wherein the telematics unit is further adapted to receive weather warning information over the broadcast network, the weather warning information including the weather warning associated with said one or more assigned warning numbers; and

a navigation system in electrical communication with the telematics unit for reception of the weather data and further comprising a display equipped to present the weather data to a user, a Global Positioning System antenna equipped to determine the vehicle location, a speed sensor equipped to determine the vehicle speed, and a yaw-rate sensor equipped to determine the vehicle direction;

wherein the navigation system is adapted to calculate a future location of the vehicle using the current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle, the future location being different from the current location, and correlate the calculated future location of the vehicle to at least one of the plurality of cells; and

wherein at least one of the telematics unit and the navigation system is adapted to identify a portion of the weather data referenced to said at least one of the plurality of cells and to filter the weather data prior to displaying to the user the weather data referenced to said at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to the future location of the vehicle.

12. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the filtered data is displayed within a mesh defined by latitude and longitude.

13. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the future location of the vehicle is correlated to at least one of the plurality of cells by using at least the current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle to calculate a velocity vector and associating the vehicle with one or more of the plurality of cells crossed by the calculated velocity vector of the vehicle.

14. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the telematics unit further comprises a satellite radio receiver unit equipped to receive the weather data.

15. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the broadcast network comprises a satellite radio broadcasting network.

16. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the navigation system transmits the future location of the vehicle to the telematics unit and the telematics unit filters the weather data.

17. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the navigation system filters the weather data.

18. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein duplicate data is removed from the weather data.

19. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the telematics unit removes the duplicate data.

20. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the navigation system removes the duplicate data.

21. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the navigation system requests weather data from the telematics unit based upon the future location of the vehicle.

22. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the display indicates the weather warning via a blinking icon.

23. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the display indicates the weather warning via a pop-up message.

24. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the weather data comprises current weather data.

25. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the weather data comprises weather forecast data.

26. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the weather data comprises weather alerts.

27. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the weather data is displayed as weather icons.

28. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the weather data is displayed as text.

29. The system for receiving weather data at a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the weather data is displayed via a defined color scheme.

30. A method for providing weather warnings at a vehicle, comprising:

receiving a first broadcast signal containing weather warning mesh data, the weather warning mesh data including a plurality of cells associated with one or more assigned numbers corresponding to at least one weather warning;

receiving a second broadcast signal containing weather warning information, the weather warning information including the weather warning associated with said one or more assigned warning numbers;

linking the weather warning to one or more of the plurality of cells contained in the weather warning mesh data using the assigned warning numbers;

using at least current location, speed, and direction information to calculate a future location of the vehicle;

determining whether the future location of the vehicle is in or near said one or more of the plurality of cells contained in the weather warning mesh data linked to the weather warning; and

displaying the weather warning to the vehicle user if the future location of the vehicle is in or near said one or more of the plurality of cells contained in the weather warning mesh data linked to the weather warning.

31. The method for providing weather warnings at a vehicle according to claim 30, wherein displaying the weather warning to the vehicle user further comprises displaying an icon.

32. The method for providing weather warnings at a vehicle according to claim 30, wherein displaying the weather warning to the vehicle user further comprises displaying a blinking icon.

33. The method for providing weather warnings at a vehicle according to claim 30, wherein displaying the weather warning to the vehicle user further comprises displaying a pop-up message.

34. The method for providing weather warnings at a vehicle according to claim 30, wherein the step of linking the weather warning to one or more of the plurality of cells contained in the weather warning mesh data further comprises filtering a portion of the weather warning information that is mismatched to the weather warning mesh data based upon a matching number contained in both the weather warning mesh data and the weather warning information.

35. The method for providing weather warnings at a vehicle according to claim 30, wherein receiving at least one of the first broadcast signal and the second broadcast signal comprises receiving a satellite radio broadcast signal.