Method and system for processing road sign content

• US 8,576,091 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory Jensen, Hamilton, Rick Allen II, Polozoff, Alexandre, Waters, Timothy Moffett
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SIGMUND N
• Application Number:
  US12/977,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20110092194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/908, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 701117-119
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• 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 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A method and system for processing road sign content by a mobile computing device in a vehicle. A wireless communication network is monitored for signals continuously broadcasted over the network from road sign transmitters, the signals including road sign messages containing road sign content information from road signs. A signal of said continuously broadcasted signals is captured as a result of the monitoring, the captured signal including a message of the road sign messages, the message including road sign content information from a road sign of including road signs, the captured signal being in range of the mobile computing device. The message is interpreted to ascertain the road sign content information from the road sign. Based on display parameters previously defined by a user, the road sign content information in the captured message is displayed onto a display device in the vehicle operationally coupled to the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A method for processing road sign content, said method comprising:

monitoring, at a mobile computing device in a vehicle, a wireless communication network for signals continuously broadcasted over the network from road sign transmitters, said signals comprising road sign messages containing road sign content information from road signs;

said mobile computing device capturing a signal of said continuously broadcasted signals as a result of said monitoring, said captured signal comprising a message of said road sign messages, said message comprising road sign content information from a road sign of said road signs, said captured signal being in range of the mobile computing device;

said mobile computing device interpreting the message comprised by the captured signal to ascertain the road sign content information from the road sign; and

based on display parameters previously defined by a user, displaying for a predetermined time period, by a display device in the vehicle operationally coupled to the mobile computing device, the road sign content information in the message within the captured signal that was transmitted to the display device from a processing unit in the mobile computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said interpreting comprises retrieving from the message a set of attributes that identifies a specific type of road sign to be displayed, said attributes comprising a shape of the road sign.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

said display device redisplaying the road sign content information in the captured message for a predetermined period of time after an initial display period during which the road sign content information in the message is initially displayed, wherein the initial display period is the predetermined time period, and wherein the initial display of the road sign content information in the captured message terminates upon elapse of the initial display period.

4. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

said mobile computing device accepting a user request for filtering and displaying a specific type of message on the display device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said displaying comprises displaying the road sign content information in the message based upon the user request.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the user request is to display only speed limit signs or mileage signs.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the user request is to display only restaurant signs or gas station signs.

6. A system comprising a mobile computing device and a display device in a vehicle, said mobile computing device comprising a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a computer readable storage device coupled to the processor, said storage device containing software configured to be executed by the processor via the memory to implement a method for processing road sign content, said method comprising:

monitoring, by the processor in the mobile computing device in the vehicle, a wireless communication network for signals continuously broadcasted over the network from road sign transmitters, said signals comprising road sign messages containing road sign content information from road signs;

capturing a signal of said continuously broadcasted signals as a result of said monitoring, said captured signal comprising a message of said road sign messages, said message comprising road sign content information from a road sign of said road signs, said captured signal being in range of the mobile computing device;

interpreting, by the processor, the message comprised by the captured signal to ascertain the road sign content information from the road sign; and

based on display parameters previously defined by a user, displaying for a predetermined time period, by the display device in the vehicle operationally coupled to the mobile computing device, the road sign content information in the message within the captured signal that was transmitted to the display device from the processor in the mobile computing device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said interpreting comprises retrieving from the message a set of attributes that identifies a specific type of road sign to be displayed, said attributes comprising a shape of the road sign.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

said display device redisplaying the road sign content information in the captured message for a predetermined period of time after an initial display period during which the road sign content information in the message is initially displayed, wherein the initial display period is the predetermined time period, and wherein the initial display of the road sign content information in the captured message terminates upon elapse of the initial display period.

9. The system of claim 6, said method further comprising:

said processor accepting a user request for filtering and displaying a specific type of message on the display device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said displaying comprises displaying the road sign content information in the message based upon the user request.

11. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable physically tangible storage device having computer readable software stored therein, said software containing instructions configured to be executed by a processor of a mobile computing device in a vehicle to implement a method for processing road sign content, said method comprising:

monitoring, by the processor in the mobile computing device in the vehicle, a wireless communication network for signals continuously broadcasted over the network from road sign transmitters, said signals comprising road sign messages containing road sign content information from road signs;

capturing a signal of said continuously broadcasted signals as a result of said monitoring, said captured signal comprising a message of said road sign messages, said message comprising road sign content information from a road sign of said road signs, said captured signal being in range of the mobile computing device;

interpreting, by the processor, the message comprised by the captured signal to ascertain the road sign content information from the road sign; and

based on display parameters previously defined by a user, displaying for a predetermined time period, by a display device in the vehicle operationally coupled to the mobile computing device, the road sign content information in the message within the captured signal that was transmitted to the display device from the processor in the mobile computing device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said interpreting comprises retrieving from the message a set of attributes that identifies a specific type of road sign to be displayed.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

said display device redisplaying the road sign content information in the captured message for a predetermined period of time after an initial display period during which the road sign content information in the message is initially displayed, wherein the initial display period is the predetermined time period, and wherein the initial display of the road sign content information in the captured message terminates upon elapse of the initial display period.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, said method further comprising:

said processor accepting a user request for filtering and displaying a specific type of message on the display device.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said displaying comprises displaying the road sign content information in the message based upon the user request, said attributes comprising a shape of the road sign.