Communications: electrical – External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm – Highway information
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-23
2001-05-22
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm
Highway information
C340S426110, C340S988000, C342S457000, C455S011100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236337
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to a process for transmitting information between moving bodies, e.g. vehicles, using a radio transceiver and, more particularly, to a communication device which also evaluates the information received and presents it to the vehicle operator in audio and/or visual form.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Communications systems have been disclosed in which information is sent to a particular receiver by means of a correspondingly modulated radio message originating from a stationary or mobile sender. For many uses, this bilateral communication is completely sufficient. However, there is an increasing demand for multilateral information exchange between moving bodies. Moving bodies are understood here to mean, in the broadest sense, any bodies which can change location in relation to one another, for example even driverless transport systems which are equipped with a separate intelligence and coordinate their movements with one another. In the following, though, the considerations primarily relate to vehicles of street, rail, and air traffic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a process and a communication device, by means of which information can be very rapidly transmitted to a large number of moving bodies, in particular vehicles.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by transmitting a radio message which contains information and also parameters which define limits to retransmission, receiving the message in a moving body and retransmitting it to every other similarly-equipped moving body within range, and successively retransmitting to further moving bodies in cascade fashion, until the limit parameters have been reached. The transmission of information is based on the cascade-like dissemination of a radio message, wherein the communication device of each vehicle in a sense functions as a relay station. The original radio message designated for transmission can be generated by a stationary transmitter as well as by a vehicle. The radio message contains limit parameters to end the information transmission. One such limit parameter can be a predetermined dissemination time, a location-based dissemination area in which the relevant information is of interest, or also a response to a query.
For example, the whereabouts of a vehicle, in particular one being sought by the police, can be of interest. To that end, each communication device contains a vehicle-specific identification, which in the event of the receipt of a radio message or query, is automatically added to the radio message and transmitted further. The identification of the vehicle from which the radio message was received can also be overwritten by this new identification.
According to an advantageous modification, when there is a result of the query, a new radio message that contains this result is generated and disseminated. After a period of time, the search result is consequently sent back to the requesting or querying point, for example a police station, in the same manner as the query. However, it is also possible to retrieve the search result at another point in the communication cascade.
The dissemination speed of a radio message, or the time that elapses between the dissemination of a query and the existence of a response, depends in a completely crucial manner on the equipment density of vehicles with the communication device for receiving and sending radio messages. At an equipment density of approximately 0.1% and a range of the radio message of approximately 100 meters, a piece of information is disseminated to all of Germany within approximately 10 hours. If the equipment density is 10%, the dissemination time for Germany falls to a few seconds.
Even if when turned off, a sought-after vehicle identifies itself as the vehicle sought, in the query, to another vehicle that is disseminating the search message. Then a new, (secret) message as to where the sought-after vehicle was found, travels in the same manner back to the sender of the search message, in particular the police, who can trace the vehicle in a well-directed manner. Preferably, a send/receive antenna is cast into the windshield and is embodied as a retroreflector. The retroreflector responds even when the remaining subassemblies of the communication system are not operational or have been shut down by manipulation.
Interests of data protection can be taken into consideration by virtue of the fact that a sought after vehicle only identifies itself if the requesting point, in particular the police, has a code which can be communicated only by the vehicle owner, wherein this code is a component of the vehicle identification.
The process claimed is distinguished in particular by means of speed and economy. A particular infrastructure is not required, so that communication costs are not incurred.
In order to give the vehicle owner an incentive to purchase the communication device, in addition to devices for receiving and sending radio messages, the communication device should also have a device for evaluating the radio message. As a result, the vehicle is used not only as a passive relay station, in which information is received and passed along. In addition, there is the possibility of using all of the information or particular information contained in the radio message for one's own purposes.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, information of this kind is indicated optically or acoustically. It can, for example, be information as to the traffic density. Vehicles that can automatically detect traffic jams, by evaluating the speed profile or the emergency blinkers of other vehicles, transmit corresponding information into the surrounding area. This information, as well as the corresponding information regarding the breaking up of the traffic jam, are then disseminated in accordance with the process described above. Primarily location-based limitations are used as the limit parameters in this instance, so that the dissemination area is of a size in which a traffic report can be expected to be of interest. Moreover, vehicles can also automatically determine the road conditions, in particular, whether the road is slippery. The outside temperature and the slip detected in the driving wheels can be used as measurement values for this.
Furthermore, the detection of empty parking spaces, or spaces that have just opened up, is of practical significance. Vehicles can automatically detect when they are leaving a parking space. This fact and the location of the parking space can be disseminated via a radio message. The device for evaluating the radio message displays this information to interested drivers of other vehicles. Vehicles can furthermore automatically detect when they are involved in an accident. The location of the accident, possibly along with details that are of interest to a rescue service, can be automatically disseminated by means of a radio message. The drivers of other vehicles can use this information in order to avoid chain reaction accidents. Vehicles which are equipped with a map navigation device can automatically determine deviations between the path traveled and the streets plotted. These can be either newly constructed roads or changes due to construction sites. Occasional forays into open country can be detected because they do not recur. The information as to map changes that is obtained in this manner can be transmitted with the dissemination of radio messages by means of the device for evaluating radio messages from other vehicles and stationary dispatch centers and the like.
A further refinement of the invention relates to determination of one's own position, and the support of other vehicles in service of the same task. Vehicles that can determine their relative position, in relation to other vehicles, can determine their own absolute position if they use absolute position data from another vehicle. The absolute position determined in this manner is transmitted to other vehicles, which can determine their own abso
Beier Wolfgang
Idler Horst
Alcatel
Swarthout Brent A.
Ware Fressola Van der Sluys & Adolphson LLP
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