Communications: electrical – External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm – Highway information
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-21
2003-10-28
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm
Highway information
C340S933000, C455S517000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06639520
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmission system and coding communication method for a transmission system capable of transmitting information by transmitting and receiving signals between a plurality of modules installed at different positions.
2. Related Art of the Invention
For a practical and optimum sophisticated road traffic system to be realized, the following five factors are considered crucial.
1. Possibility of measuring the following distance of vehicles
2. Possibility of drive support
3. Possibility of automatic drive
4. Possibility of communication from the vehicle
5. Possibility of inter-vehicle communication
The situation of the prior art for each of the above-mentioned five factors will be explained.
As to a vehicle for which the following distance is measurable as in (1) above, though not currently available, provision of a laser measuring instrument, an ultrasonic measuring instrument or the like would make it possible to measure the following distance. The measurement of the following distance is indispensable for the factors (2) and (3).
As to the items (2) and (3) above relating to the drive support and the automatic drive, respectively, there is not any means currently available. Research is under way in each organization for a drive support or an automatic drive system with a computer mounted on a vehicle using a method unique to each organization. Details of the research, however, are unknown.
The use of a portable telephone or the like can realize the factors (4) and (5). Also, the radio or the like equipment permits acquisition of information on traffic congestion or the like.
The above-mentioned methods, however, require realization of the five factors separately from each other, and it is impossible to realize an overall efficient road traffic system.
Especially, the factor (4) has no relation with the factors (1) to (3), and it seem that they can be processed independently of each other. If information to be communicated is of the type used with a navigator, however, the factor (4) may be related to the factors (1) to (3). It is not efficient, therefore, to realize the above-mentioned five factor independently of each other but an overall integrated system is desirably built up. By doing so, the road conditions can be accurately grasped, and the information used with the navigator can be generated based on the road conditions, thereby making it possible to supply information much more useful than the information obtained from the CD ROM or the like.
Also, in the case where a vehicle performs a communication, or especially, in the case where information on automatic drive or the like is transmitted or received between the vehicle and other stations, a multiplicity of vehicles running on a road undesirably transmit a high-output radio wave.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Taking this problem into consideration, the object of the present invention is to provide a transmission system capable of realizing the above-mentioned five factors in a single system.
One aspect of the present invention for solving this problem comprises a plurality of modules installed at different positions along a predetermined road, and is characterized in that each of the plurality of said modules includes a receiving means of receiving an input signal and a transmission means of transmitting an output signal based on said input signal in accordance with a predetermined radio scheme, and each of the plurality of said modules receives and transmits a signal thereby to transmit the whole or part of the information contained in said signal along the whole or part of said predetermined road.
By the way, said predetermined radio scheme can be the one for radio communication using radio wave, light, laser, sound wave or ultrasonic wave.
Another aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of modules installed at different positions along a predetermined route, and is characterized in that each of the plurality of said modules includes receiving means of receiving an input signal in accordance with a radio wave communication scheme and a transmission means of transmitting an output signal receivable only by at least one another module based on said input signal in accordance with a radio wave communication scheme, and each of the plurality of said modules receives and transmits a signal thereby to transmit the whole or part of the information contained in said signal along the whole or part of said predetermined route.
Still another aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of modules installed at different positions along a predetermined route, and is characterized in that each of the plurality of said modules includes a receiving means of receiving an input signal of a radio wave having a predetermined carrier frequency and a transmission means of transmitting an output signal of a radio wave having a carrier frequency different from said predetermined carrier frequency based on said input signal in accordance with a radio wave communication scheme, and each of the plurality of said modules receives and transmits a signal thereby to transmit the whole or part of the information contained in said signal along the whole or part of said predetermined route.
A further aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of modules installed at different positions along a predetermined route, and is characterized in that each of the plurality of said modules includes a receiving means of receiving an input signal and a transmission means of transmitting an output signal based on said input signal in accordance with a predetermined radio scheme, each of the plurality of said modules receives and transmits a signal thereby to transmit the whole or part of the information contained in said signal along the whole or part of said predetermined route, and each of the plurality of said modules further includes a mobile unit detection means of detecting the presence or absence of a mobile unit moving along said predetermined route.
By the way, an arrangement can be made in which the receiving means of each of the plurality of said modules can receive as said input signal the output signal transmitted from the transmission means of another module adjacent to said first module having said receiving means, and the transmission means of each of the plurality of said modules can transmit said output signal in such a manner as to be received by the receiving means of at least still one another module adjacent to said first module having said transmission means and different from the module having the transmission means that has transmitted the output signal received as an input signal by the receiving means of said first module.
Also, an arrangement can be made in which the receiving means of each of the plurality of modules can receive, as said input signal, the output signal transmitted from the transmission means of another module adjacent to said module having said receiving means and the output signal transmitted from the transmission means of at least still another module adjacent to said first module and different from said another module, and the transmission means of each of the plurality of said modules can transmit said output signal in such a manner as to be received by the receiving means of at least still another module adjacent to said first module and different from the module having the transmission means that has transmitted the output signal received as an input signal by the receiving means of said first module.
Further, an arrangement can be made in which said transmission means or said receiving means of each of the plurality of said modules can have such a directivity as to transmit said output signal to a predetermined transmission range or receive said input signal from a predetermined receiving range.
A still further aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of modules installed at different positions along a predetermined route, and is characterized in that each of the plurality of said
Kane Joji
Nomura Noboru
Yoshida Takashi
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
RatnerPrestia
Swarthout Brent A.
LandOfFree
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