Navigation infrastructure for motor vehicles
OwnerJanice H. Nickelinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transit system includes a road, a plurality of pavement markers spaced apart along a lane line of the road, and a plurality of RF devices carried by the pavement markers. The RF devices are configured to transmit RF navigation signals to motor vehicles traveling along the road.
Claims26
An apparatus comprising:
- a raised pavement marker configured to be mounted to a road at a lane line of a lane at known orientation with respect to the lane line;
- and
- an RF device carried by the raised pavement marker, the device configured to transmit directional RF navigation signals and positioned relative to the known orientation to transmit the signals across the lane in a direction that is substantially normal to the lane line.
A system for lateral lane positioning of vehicles on a road, the system comprising:
- a plurality of raised pavement markers mounted to the road at lane lines;
- and
- a plurality of passive RFID devices embedded within at least some of the pavement markers, each of the passive RFID devices configured to transmit a directional RFID navigation signal across the road at a transmission angle of only zero degrees with respect to its associated lane line.
A motor vehicle comprising:
- a body;
- an RFID antenna mounted to the body at a location for receiving RFID navigation signals during movement of the vehicle;
- an RFID receiver, mounted on the body, the receiver configured to broadcast interrogation signals in timed radio pulses as a function of distance between pavement markers and speed of the vehicle, and receive RFID navigation signals in response to the interrogation signals, the receiver further configured to process the received RFID navigation signals to determine a sequence of lateral lane distances of the vehicle;
- and
- an vehicle control responsive to changes in the sequence of lateral lane distances for lateral lane positioning of the vehicle.
A method comprising controlling a motor vehicle to move along a road having pavement markers along a lane line of a lane of the road, at least some of the pavement markers carrying RFID devices that, when interrogated, transmit directional RFID navigation signals across the lane in a direction normal to the lane line;
- wherein controlling the motor vehicle includes:
- broadcasting interrogation signals in timed radio pulses as a function of distance between the pavement markers and speed of the vehicle;
- receiving the RFID navigation signals as the vehicle moves along the lane;
- processing the received RFID signals to determine a sequence of lateral distances from the lane line;
- and
- steering the vehicle in response to changes in the sequence of lateral distances to avoid vehicle drift.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.