Abstract:
A system that collects parametric information that reflects local weather conditions receives signals from sensors. The signals are transmitted to a server that combines the information contained within the signals with weather data to determine local weather conditions and develop forecasts. The local weather conditions and forecasts may be transmitted to a vehicle and may be combined with navigation information to optimize travel routes.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 04003872.1, filed on Feb. 20, 2004. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Technical Field  
         [0003]     This application relates to a system that reports weather conditions, in particular, a system that reports weather conditions to an operator of a vehicle.  
         [0004]     2. Related Art  
         [0005]     Weather information and forecasts for wide regional areas are broadcasted for pubic use. The weather information may be transmitted on traffic message channels (TMC). Some vehicles may have TMCs. The weather information may be stored in a TMC receiver, and made available to the operator of the vehicle at the operator&#39;s convenience. The system may display or audibly transmit the weather information.  
         [0006]     Because broadcasted weather information is regional, the weather may vary considerably throughout the region. Further, the weather conditions and forecasts may not be updated on a consistent basis. Therefore, a driver using this information may change plans or routes unnecessarily. Thus, there is a need to provide local weather forecasts.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0007]     A system collects parametric information that is indicative of the local weather conditions. The system may include a receiver that receives an ambient parametric value from a sensor connected to a vehicle. The system may include an initiator that initiates the transmission of the ambient value to an external server. The system may receive localized data from the external server. The data may include local weather conditions and forecasts.  
         [0008]     A method detects and reports weather information that may include reports on current weather conditions and forecasts for a local area. The method may receive an ambient value from a sensor located on a vehicle. The method may correlate the position of the ambient value to a position of the vehicle. The method may transmit the value and position to an external server that determines weather information for the local position of the vehicle where the ambient value was measured. The method may receive local weather conditions and forecasts from the server. The method may use the local weather information to calculate and determine an optimized route of travel between a point of origin and a destination.  
         [0009]     Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a weather information system.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a relational diagram of components in a weather information system.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary flow diagram for receiving ambient conditions.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is an exemplary flow diagram for determining weather information.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is an exemplary flow diagram for determining a route. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     Some vehicles are equipped with sensors that measure ambient conditions such as temperature, background light, and the occurrence of precipitation. The values of these conditions or parameters may be presented to an operator of the vehicle or used to control specific devices such as windshield wipers or headlights. Other sensors detecting ambient conditions may provide data that informs the driver about the possibility of black ice or slippery road conditions. The data may be transmitted to an external server that may process the data to determine local road conditions. An “external server” may be used outside the vehicle, such as a server at a weather or meteorological station. However, where the vehicle is a ship, the ship may be capable of determining local meteorological conditions and forecasts since the ship may be in communication with weather satellites. The sensor information correlated with a vehicle position may be combined with the regional weather information at the server. When the combined weather information is transmitted to the vehicle, a vehicle operator may be provided with a local view of weather conditions along a travel route. Where the information is received from many vehicles throughout a region, the server has much more detailed weather information for various local areas. The weather information and conditions for the local areas may be made available to any vehicle operator planning to travel through the region. Further, the detailed weather conditions and forecasts may be taken into consideration when a travel route between a point of origin and a destination is calculated.  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a control system  101  that may be connected to a vehicle for measuring ambient conditions or parameters surrounding the immediate area of the vehicle. The control system  101  may measure ambient parameters for determining precise and up-to-date local weather information. The parameters may be obtained from several corresponding sensors  102  that are connected to the control system  101 . Depending on the type of vehicle, for instance a car, a ship, a plane, or a train, different types of sensors  102  may be provided. The control system may connect to a navigation system  103  for obtaining the position of the vehicle. The control system may connect to a telephone  104 . The connection to the telephone  104  may be a wireless connection.  
         [0018]     The control system may include a triggering device  1013  to trigger a sensor  102  to transmit the current value of the associated parameter. A receiver  1011  that receives the value from the sensor may be included in the control system  101 . A memory  1014  in the control system  102  may store the parametric value from the sensor  102 . An initiating unit  1012  may be included within the control system to initiate transmission of the parametric values from the telephone  104  to an outside server.  
         [0019]     The sensors  102  that measure the ambient conditions may be, but are not limited to, a thermometer, a barometer, a precipitation sensor, a brightness sensor, a loss of traction sensor or sensors, a visibility range sensor, a wind sensor, and weather radar units within or on the vehicle. In particular, the sensors  102  may sense temperature, pressure, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, visibility, brightness, fog, low traction, low sunlight, or any other parameter that may influence the driving conditions. The value of the parameter may be a number indicating the value of the parameter or a logic value such as that found in a digital system.  
         [0020]     The triggering device  1013  in the control system  101  sends a triggering signal to the sensor  102 . The triggering signal may be sent to one or more sensors  102  simultaneously or sequentially. The triggering signal may cause a sensor  102  to measure an associated ambient parameter value. The parameter value may be transmitted directly to the receiver  1011 . The triggering device  1013  may be a clock generator configured to provide the triggering signal at regular time intervals. In another variation, the triggering signal may be sent when a location or position of a vehicle is detected. The triggering device  1013  may receive an external triggering signal that triggers the sensors  102 .  
         [0021]     The receiver  1011  in the control system  101  receives the parameter values from the sensors  102 . The receiver also may be configured to receive position data related to the location of the vehicle. The position data correlates the position of the vehicle to a time when a value of the ambient parameter was received. The position data may be provided by a navigation system  103 . The receiver  1011  may include any line or wireless receiver capable  30  of receiving electronic signals from the sensor  102  and may communicate the data to a processor within the control system  101 .  
         [0022]     The control system  101  may include a processor (not shown) or controller for processing data. For example, the parameter data and/or the position data may be processed into a specific format. In particular, the parameter data and the position data may be combined into a single data file that may be transmitted as a complete signal. The processor may be part of the receiver  1011 . The processor may include embedded instructions for providing operating instructions to the control system  101  or it may be programmable. The control system  101  may include a memory  1014  for storing the values received from the sensors. The memory  1014  may also store the operating instructions for receiving the sensor data and transmitting the data to an external server.  
         [0023]     The control system  101  may include an initiator  1012  that initiates the transmission of the parametric values to an external server. The initiator  1012  may combine the measured values with the position data so that the data is transmitted as one signal. The initiator  1012  also may be configured to transmit in a wireless environment. The initiator  1012  may be a small computer system interface (“SCSI”) initiator that commands routines by sending a task to a device. As shown, the initiator  1012  may send the data to the telephone  104 , and the telephone  104  may transmit the parametric data from the sensors  102  to an outside server.  
         [0024]     Position data may be received from a navigation system  103  connected to the control system  101 . The navigation system  103  may be configured to determine the current position of the vehicle from satellite signals such as Global Positioning System (“GPS”) signals and may include motion sensors such as a gyroscopes and accelerometers. Upon request, the navigation system  103  may transmit the current position of the vehicle to the receiver  1011 . Alternatively, the navigation system  103  may be configured to regularly provide the control system  101  with the position of the vehicle.  
         [0025]     A telephone  104  may be connected to the control system  101  to provide communication with an external server (not shown). The connection between the system  101  and the telephone  104  may be wireless. The telephone  104  may be a digital service (e.g. a wireless Personal Communication Service or “PCS”) or a cellular telephone that use wireless and/or landline telephone networks. The control system  101  may communicate the parametric values and the position data to the telephone  104 . The transmission from the control system  101  to the telephone  104  may include a control signal that commands the telephone  104  to send the parametric values and related position data to an external server. The telephone  104  may be an operator&#39;s wireless or mobile phone.  
         [0026]     The telephone  104  may be configured to receive data, for example, weather forecast data, from the external server. The data may be forwarded to the control system  101  and/or to the navigation system  103 . Either the control system  101  or navigation system  103  may be configured to direct the received signal to an output device (not shown) such as a display or to a text-to-speech device which sends the information to a speaker system so that the user may hear the local weather report. The output device may be integral to the control system  101  or navigation system  103  or may be a unitary part of either system  101  or  103 . The output device also may be part of an entertainment system within the vehicle. The weather information may be transmitted directly from the telephone  104  to a corresponding output device without passing through the control system  101 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrates the relationship between the various systems that provide input for the weather information. The vehicle  201  is shown as a car traveling along a road  202 , but the vehicle  201  may be any device that transports persons or things and may include trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, and boats. The vehicle  201  may be equipped with the control system  101  of  FIG. 1 . The vehicle  201  may include a navigation system  103  and a telephone  104  for communicating with a server  203 . A satellite system  204  may provide GPS to the navigation system  103 . A triggering station  205  may be positioned along the road  202  to provide external triggering signals. The triggering station  205  may provide position information that may be correlated with the values received from the sensors  102  on the vehicle  201 .  
         [0028]     A sensor  102  may determine the value of an ambient parameter by measuring the parameter directly or indirectly. The temperature may be measured directly with a thermometer. A loss of traction may be determined indirectly by utilizing information supplied by wheel speed sensors. Where the desired parameter is a loss of traction, the value may be represented by a “yes” or “no,” or the digital equivalent of these values.  
         [0029]     Parameter values may be transmitted to the external server  203 . The transmission of the values may be accomplished by a mobile phone  104 . The external server  203  receiving the parametric values may be located in a meteorological office. The server  203  may include a receiver (not shown) and a transmitter (not shown) for communicating with the telephone  104 . Alternatively, the server  203  may connect to a communication system (not shown) that provides communication systems and protocols for communicating with a vehicle&#39;s control system  101  and/or telephone  104 . The server  203  also may include a processor or controller that processes the ambient parameters and the related position to determine local weather information. The server  203  may be any computer capable of communicating with the control system  101 .  
         [0030]     The navigation system  103  may receive signals from a satellite  204  to determine the current position of the vehicle  201 . A satellite system may provide GPS data to the navigation system  103 . Sensors such as accelerometers may be used in the vehicle  201  to increase the accuracy of the position data. Navigation systems  103  may calculate a route based on an origin and a destination. For example, an electronic map in a navigation system  103  may display a preferred route. Weather conditions along certain roadways may be factors that influence the route calculation. The factors may include parameters or conditions that are related to “black ice” or poor visibility from fog or blowing snow. A road having these conditions may receive a penalty value for route calculation. Alternatively, the route calculation may ignore roads having poor travel conditions. The calculation of the route may include a calculation of the estimated travel time incorporating the current weather conditions.  
         [0031]     A satellite  204  may provide images in the visible and infrared range representative of regional weather conditions to an external server  203 . The external server  203  may process and combine these images with other regional weather data. The images from the satellite  204  may be current or relatively current.  
         [0032]     The values of the ambient parameters and the related position data may be transmitted to the external server  203  in reaction to a triggering signal. A clock generator may provide the triggering signal. Alternatively, a triggering signal may issue when a vehicle  201  passes a location. For example, the navigation system  103  in a vehicle may be configured to provide a triggering signal if the vehicle  201  passes a marker. The vehicle  201  may cross a bridge or may approach or pass a position having specific topographic features such as a hilltop, lake, river, or forest.  
         [0033]     Alternatively, an external triggering signal may be provided by a triggering station  205 . The triggering station may be positioned along a roadside  202  or other path such as a railway or river. The triggering station  205  may have a beacon or serve as a toll station where passing vehicles, which may be registered, receive the triggering signal. Once received, the control system  101  requests the sensors  102  to measure a parameter and transmit the value to the receiver  1011 .  
         [0034]     Where triggering stations  205  are used, it may not be necessary to equip a vehicle  201  with a navigation system  103 . If a vehicle  201  passes a triggering station  205 , the vehicle may be detected. The triggering signal of the station  205  may cause the sensor  102  to transmit a value to the control system  101  which may transmit the value to the triggering station  205 . From this station  205 , the value may be further transmitted to an external server  203  with an identifier of the triggering station  205 . The server  203  will recognize the position of the triggering station  205  from the identifier.  
         [0035]     Multiple triggering stations  205  may be located along the path  202  traveled by the vehicle  201 . The triggering stations  205  may be placed at predetermined distances from one another or at predetermined positions along the road  202 . Some of the triggering stations  205  may have a data receiving station. When the vehicle  201  passes by the triggering station  205 , the sensors  102  may be triggered either directly or by the control system  101 . In response, the sensors  102  measure the associated parameters and transmit the values to the control system  101 . If a particular triggering station  205  does not have a receiver, then the values may be stored in the memory  1014 . When the vehicle  201  passes a triggering station  205  that has a receiver, the values may be transmitted to the triggering station  205 . The values may be correlated to the positions of the triggering stations  205 . The corresponding data pairs (consisting of a parameter value and a corresponding position) may be transmitted to an external server  203 .  
         [0036]     The server  203  may use the values from the vehicle  201  to realize the current weather conditions and to forecast impending and longer term weather. Measured values received from vehicles  201  in various locations may be combined with data from meteorological stations, including Doppler radar stations and satellite signals. The server  203  may process the associated data forming local weather conditions and forecasts. The server  203  may transmit the weather conditions and forecasts to vehicles  201  either upon request or automatically. Vehicles  201  receiving the weather information and the vehicles  201  sending the ambient values may be different vehicles. Vehicles  201  that are just beginning a trip may take advantage of existing weather information that results from the data sent by other vehicles  201  passing through the local areas. Vehicle operators may request information on any region or local area of interest. The request may include the current position of the requesting vehicle. The position data may be used to identify the region for which weather information is desired.  
         [0037]     Values may be collected for ambient parameters that were measured by sensors  102  integrated within a vehicle. The parametric values may be transmitted to a server  203  where the values are processed, thus determining weather information for a corresponding region or local area. The resulting weather information may include current weather conditions for the local areas and accurate forecast information based on the ambient parametric values received from vehicles passing through the particular regions or areas. If multiple vehicles provide ambient parametric data, a large amount of data may be supplied from different regions, regularly updating the server  203  to provide accurate, local weather information.  
         [0038]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating the collection of ambient parametric data A triggering signal may be sent to one or several sensors on a vehicle (act  301 ). The triggering signal may originate from a triggering unit  1013  in a control system  101 . The control system  101  may be an integral unit or a unitary part of the vehicle  201 . The triggering signal may be sent in different ways. For example, the triggering device  1013  may be a clocking device that sends a triggering signal at predetermined time intervals. Alternatively, or additionally, an external device may cause the control system  101  to generate a triggering signal.  
         [0039]     Sensors  102  that receive a triggering signal measure an associated parameter or ambient condition that may include temperature, pressure, wind, precipitation, or a loss of traction. In the case of a motor vehicle  201 , the loss of traction sensor may be part of a system mounted in the motor vehicle for preventing the loss of traction such as an electronic stability program (ESP) or system.  
         [0040]     A receiver  1011  in the control system  101  may receive the value from the sensor  102  (act  302 ). When the value is received, the current position of the vehicle  201  may be requested (act  303 ). The position data may correlate the position where the value from the sensor  102  was measured. The correlation may be achieved by sending a corresponding signal to a navigation system  103  in the vehicle  201 . The navigation system  103  may determine the current position of the vehicle  201  from satellite data and/or motion sensors attached to the vehicle  201 .  
         [0041]     The position data is received by the control system  101  (act  304 ). The values received from the sensors  102  and the position data may be joined to form a combined signal (act  305 ). An initiator  1012  may initiate the transmission of the signal (act  306 ). The initiator  1012  may send the data to a telephone  104  connected to the control system  101  together with the identification of the server  203 . The identification of the server may be a telephone number. The transmitted signal may be the combined signal or it may be the value from the sensor  102  and the position data transmitted separately. The sensor data and the position data may also be sent separately at different times. The values may still be correlated to the position so that the server  203  determines the corresponding weather conditions and develops the weather forecasts.  
         [0042]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram that determines weather information by a server  203 . The server  203  receives a signal from at least one vehicle  201  (act  401 ). The signal may include ambient values from one or multiple sensors  102 . The signal may include the position data for the vehicle  201 . In particular, the combined data in this signal may be formatted for processing by the server  203 . If not, the server  203  may reformat the data to a suitable form. The server  203  may be located in a meteorological office and configured to process weather data. In particular, the server  203  may develop a weather forecast and provide the weather conditions and the forecasts to a user. The server  203  may include one or several data processing units and data storage units to carry out the required functions.  
         [0043]     The ambient values received from one or several vehicles  201  may be combined with data obtained from meteorological stations and/or weather satellites (act  402 ). The act of combining the ambient values with meteorological data is optional and the processing of the ambient values by the server  203  may occur without considering additional data  
         [0044]     The combination of the ambient values from vehicles  201  and data from meteorological stations and/or satellites may develop a weather forecast for a local area (act  403 ). The weather forecast may include expected temperature, precipitation, road, and visibility conditions. The weather forecast may be transmitted to a vehicle  201  (act  404 ). A transmission may be performed at the request of the vehicle  201  or it may be transmitted automatically. The forecast may cover local areas outside of the area where the vehicle is traveling. Thus, a vehicle  201  may request the weather forecast for a specific area which may include a travel route. For example, if a vehicle operator wishes to know the forecast in a specific area, a corresponding request may be sent from the vehicle  210  to the external server  203 . The external server  203  may respond with the desired information. The information may include a weather forecast and current, up-to-date weather information and travel conditions.  
         [0045]      FIG. 5  is flow diagram for calculating a travel route. Navigation systems  103  may calculate the shortest route between an origin and a destination based on electronic road maps available to the navigation system  103 . In such a system  103 , the origination and the destination may be entered (act  501 ). The origin may be entered by the system  103  requesting the user to select the origin from a corresponding list of cities. The destination may be selected similarly. The user may enter the origin and destination on an input device such as a keyboard. Alternatively, the starting point may be the current position of the vehicle that is obtained from GPS satellite data.  
         [0046]     A route may be calculated by the navigation system  103  using one or several electronic road maps (act  502 ). The road map may be stored in a memory of a navigation system  103  or obtained from a CD or DVD that has current road map data for a specific region. The route may be calculated using different criteria and constraints such as the shortest route or most scenic route.  
         [0047]     The weather data for regions along the calculated route may be requested by the control system  101  (act  503 ). The request is made to a corresponding external server  203 . In the request, the regions for which weather data (current data and/or forecast data) is desired may be specified by transmitting coordinates of the route or the names of large cities along the route. The weather data and road conditions will be transmitted in reply to the vehicle request (act  504 ). The navigation system  103  may analyze the calculated route for unsafe conditions such as reduced visibility or slippery road conditions (act  505 ). These conditions may be identified by the control system  101  or navigation system  103  as unsafe conditions.  
         [0048]     The control system  101  determines when weather or changing conditions exist (act  506 ). If the road condition is acceptable then the route that was previously calculated and determined based on the vehicle operator&#39;s preferences is selected and presented to the vehicle operator (act  507 ). The operator may be informed through audio electronics or through a display.  
         [0049]     Where road conditions may make travel difficult along the route, the navigation system  103  may present an alternative route (act  508 ). The alternative route may not be an optimal route. In some cases, data indicating that the primary route is closed because of weather conditions or future weather conditions may be displayed. Other unsafe road or regional conditions such as the existence of black ice or bad visibility may be identified by a penalty score. During route planning, the score may affect route selection. A more desirable route, avoiding the bad weather conditions, may be presented to the driver (act  507 ).  
         [0050]     Alternatively, the original route and the alternate route may be presented to the driver, along with the forecasted and current weather conditions, so that the driver may select between the alternatives. Instead of calculating an optimized route (act  508 ), the control system may calculate an estimated travel time, taking the weather conditions into account in the route selection. Once a route is selected and weather conditions worsen along the route, the route may be presented to the driver with updated information reflecting changes in travel parameters such as an increase in the estimated travel time. Additionally, corresponding weather conditions providing for the increased travel time may be presented to the vehicle operator.  
         [0051]     While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.