US 6,184,802 B2 · Autonomous estimator of vehicle arrival time

Abstract

An autonomous apparatus for generating real-time estimates of the time of arrival of vehicles at user selected sites. The apparatus is comprised of two separate components, a vehicle unit which is carried by each vehicle and a user unit which is carried by each user. The vehicle unit determines time and geographical position at predetermined locations and broadcast these data to the user units through a wireless communications medium. The user unit receives the time and position information and adds it to computer memory records of similar data received over a prior period of time. The combined set of recorded data is used to estimate the time that the broadcasting vehicle will arrive at a specific location, that location having been specified by the user on a previous occasion by pressing a button on the user unit when the vehicle was stopped at the selected location. The estimated arrival time is presented on a display. The system operates without any assistance or information input from humans and its user require no special knowledge or skills. It is ideally suited for application to school bus transportation services.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A system for estimating the time of arrival at user selected sites of a vehicle that repeatedly traverses a specific route, comprising:

(a) a vehicle unit which is carried by the vehicle, and
(b) a user unit which is available to each user,
said vehicle unit comprising
means for determining the space-time coordinates of the vehicle at each point where it comes to a stop and at predetermined intervals between stops;
means for broadcasting said space-time coordinates;
said user unit comprising
means for receiving said space-time coordinates broadcast by said vehicle unit;
means for generating a database of space-time coordinates, said database containing all space-time coordinates received from said vehicle unit during a plurality of the most recent traversals of the vehicle's route;
button means that the user can press on any one occasion when the vehicle is stopped at a selected site;
means for determining the time Tb that said button means is pressed;
means for finding within said database of space-time coordinates the space-time
coordinate S,T whose time component T is equivalent to Tb;
means for designating the space component S of said space-time coordinate S,T as the spatial coordinates of said selected site;
means for estimating from the space-time coordinates in said database of space-time coordinates and the space-time coordinates most recently received from said vehicle unit the time of arrival of the vehicle at said selected site;
means for displaying said time of arrival.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Autonomous estimator of vehicle arrival time

Life of this patent

Autonomous estimator of vehicle arrival time

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims3