Weather monitoring techniques

• US 8,060,308 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): COSIMANO, EDWARD R
• Application Number:
  US12/032,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 702 2- 4, 702/130, 702/188, 702/1, 702/127, 702/187, 702/189, 340/902, 340904-905, 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 340/500, 340/540, 340/580, 340/584, 340/601, 340/602, 340/870.01, 340/870.07, 340/870.09, 340/901, 340/945, 340/962, 340/970, 340/984, 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/995.27, 340/995.28, 340/963, 701/207, 701213-214, 701/1, 701/2, 701/200, 701/208, 701/217, 701/220, 731/04, 731/46, 731/700.1, 731/701.6, 731/702.6, 731/702.9, 731/703.1, 734/321, 738/658, 738/663, 250/330, 250/358.1, 250/336.1, 356/2, 356/600, 356/614, 356/625, 356/237.1, 356/237.2, 382/100, 382/108
• US Class Current: 702/3
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2863 backward facing
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0073 Driver overrides controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 related to roll-over prevention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18159 Traversing an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 : with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 : of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 : Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 : Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 : Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 : Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/50 : whereby the position solution is constrained to lie upon a particular curve or surface, e.g. for locomotives on railway tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2007/4975 : of sensor obstruction by, e.g. dirt- or ice-coating, e.g. by reflection measurement on front-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 : Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 : combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 : Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 : Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 : Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 : using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 : Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 : using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 : in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 : in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93273 : on the top of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 : cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 : Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 : involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 : involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 : using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 : using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 : comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 : using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 : using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 : Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 : involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 : Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 : for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Arrangement and method for monitoring weather includes a sensor system arranged in vehicles for obtaining information about the weather in the vicinity of the vehicle, a communication system arranged in each vehicle and coupled to a respective sensor system for communicating the obtained weather information to a control station or other remote facility, and a transmission system arranged at the control station for transmitting weather conditions in an area in which the vehicles travel based on the information obtained by the vehicles. A positioning system may be arranged on each vehicle to determine its position so that the communication systems transmit the position of each vehicle along with the obtained information. A display may be arranged in each vehicle for displaying the transmitted weather conditions to an occupant of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring weather, comprising:

obtaining information about an environment in the vicinity of at least one vehicle by means of sensors mounted on each of the at least one vehicle, the sensors including at least one of an optical sensor that obtains images of the environment, a laser radar that sends beams into the environment and receives beams reflected from material in the environment and radar that sends beams into the environment and receives beams reflected from material in the environment;

transmitting using a transmission device, the obtained information from the at least one vehicle to a remote station separate and apart from the at least one vehicle; and

determining, using a processor, weather conditions at the remote station in the area in which the at least one vehicle is travelling based on the transmitted information and the position of the at least one vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the position of the at least one vehicle using a positioning system arranged on the vehicle; and

transmitting, using the transmission device, the determined position along with the obtained weather information to the remote station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained weather information is transmitted to the remote station by the transmission device over the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring weather conditions using infrastructure-based sensors; and

providing the weather conditions monitored by the infrastructure-based sensors to the remote station for use in determining the weather conditions in the area in which the at least one vehicle is travelling.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are arranged to measure air temperature, visibility or precipitation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are arranged to measure road surface condition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle is an automobile, truck, airplane, train or boat.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing using a process, whether the obtained weather information is indicative of a potentially hazardous weather condition; and

if so

transmitting, using another transmission device, the obtained weather conditions to at least one other vehicle in a vicinity of the at least one vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining at the remote station, weather forecast, meteorological or historical data from a source other than the at least one vehicle;

generating, using a processor, a weather map based on the obtained weather information from the at least one vehicle and the weather forecast, meteorological or historical data;

analyzing, using the processor, whether the weather map includes a potentially hazardous weather condition; and

if so

transmitting, using another transmission device, the weather map to at least one other vehicle in a vicinity of the at least one vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, using another transmission device, specific weather conditions to at least one other vehicle based on the position of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the transmitted weather conditions to an occupant of the vehicle on a display in the vehicle visible to the occupant.

12. An arrangement for monitoring weather, comprising:

a sensor system arranged in at least one vehicle for obtaining information about an environment in the vicinity of the vehicle, said sensor system including at least one of an optical sensor that obtains images of the environment, a laser radar that sends beams into the environment and receives beams reflected from material in the environment and radar that sends beams into the environment and receives beams reflected from material in the environment;

a communication system arranged in the at least one vehicle and coupled to said sensor system for communicating the obtained information to a remote station; and

a transmission system arranged at the remote station for transmitting weather conditions to other vehicles in an area in which the at least one vehicle is travelling based on the information obtained by the at least one vehicle.

13. The arrangement of claim 12, further comprising a positioning system arranged on the at least one vehicle to determine its position, said communication systems being arranged to transmit the position of at least one vehicle along with the obtained weather information.

14. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein said communication systems are arranged to transmit the obtained information over the Internet to the remote station.

15. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein said transmission system is arranged to transmit specific weather conditions to at least one vehicle based on the position of the vehicle.

16. The arrangement of claim 12, further comprising a display arranged in the at least one vehicle for displaying the transmitted weather conditions to an occupant of the vehicle.

17. The arrangement of claim 12, further comprising:

infrastructure-based weather monitoring sensors, said infrastructure-based sensors being coupled to the remote station and providing the weather conditions monitored by said infrastructure-based sensors to the remote station for use in determining the weather conditions in the area in which the at least one vehicle is travelling.