Apparatus for Monitoring Traffic

Abstract

A personal traffic congestion avoidance system for drivers of motor vehicles traveling on roadways in motor vehicles with GPS-based navigational systems. The system includes a GPS-based navigational system that includes a GPS receiver connected to a visual display, a map database and a wireless communication device for communicating with a remote computer over a wireless communication network. The GPS-based navigation system continuously determines the motor vehicle exact physical location in a region that is intermittently or continuously uploaded to a remote computer via the wireless communication network. The remote computer is connected to a traffic monitoring service that provides current traffic congestion information thereto. When a traffic congestion event is in the designated vicinity of the current location of the motor vehicle or on a roadway that may affect the traffic on the roadway on which the motor vehicle is traveling, a warning is generated and delivered to the GPS-based navigational system. The driver may ignore the warning or take an alternative route to avoid the traffic congestion.

1 . An apparatus for monitoring traffic, comprising:
 a vehicle position determination device configured to determine a position of a vehicle in substantially real time; and   a wireless transceiver coupled to the vehicle position determination device and configured to transmit a first signal to a remote computer and to receive a second signal from the remote computer, the first signal representing the position of the vehicle, the second signal representing an indication that a position of a traffic affecting event is within a vicinity of the position of the vehicle.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an indication device coupled to the wireless transceiver and configured to indicate the indication in response to the wireless transceiver receiving the second signal. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the indication device is configured to display, on the vehicle position determination device, the position of the traffic affecting event. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the indication device is configured to broadcast audible information about the traffic affecting event. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the remote computer is configured to receive the first signal from the wireless transceiver and a third signal from a traffic monitoring system, to determine if the position of the traffic affecting event is within the vicinity of the position of the vehicle, and to transmit the second signal to the wireless transceiver, the third signal representing the position of the traffic affecting event. 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle position determination device comprises a global positioning system device. 
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle position determination device is a component of a navigational system, the navigational system is further configured to determine a route from the position of the vehicle to a position of a destination, and the vicinity comprises the route. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the vicinity further comprises a road that affects a flow of traffic along the route. 
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the navigational system is further configured to determine a second route from the position of the vehicle to the position of the destination, wherein the second route avoids the position of the traffic affecting event. 
   
   
       10 . An apparatus for monitoring traffic, comprising:
 a wireless transceiver configured to receive a first signal from a first remote vehicle position determination device and to transmit a second signal to the first remote vehicle position determination device, the first signal representing a position of the first remote vehicle position determination device, the second signal representing an indication that a position of a traffic affecting event is within a vicinity of the position of the first remote vehicle position determination device; and   a computer coupled to the wireless transceiver and configured to receive the first signal from the wireless transceiver, to determine if the position of the traffic affecting event is within the vicinity of the position of the first remote vehicle position determination device, and to produce the second signal.   
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the computer is further configured to receive a third signal from a traffic monitoring system, and wherein the third signal represents the position of the traffic affecting event. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the traffic monitoring system is configured to determine the position of the traffic affecting event and to produce the third signal. 
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the computer is further configured to produce a fourth signal to determine if the position of the traffic affecting event is within the vicinity of the position of the first remote vehicle position determination device, and wherein the fourth signal represents the vicinity of the position of the first remote vehicle position determination device. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the traffic monitoring system is further configured to receive the fourth signal, to determine if the position of the traffic affecting event is within the vicinity of the position of the first remote vehicle position determination device, and to produce the third signal if the position of the traffic affecting event is within the vicinity of the position of the first remote vehicle position determination device. 
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the traffic monitoring system comprises a traffic monitoring service. 
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the traffic monitoring system comprises:
 a camera positioned along a section of a road and configured to produce an image of the section of the road;   a transmitter coupled to the camera and configured to transmit a fourth signal, the fourth signal representing the image of the section of the road; and   a remote processing system configured to receive the fourth signal, to determine if the image of the section of the road shows the traffic affecting event, and to produce the third signal.   
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the computer includes the remote processing system. 
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the traffic monitoring system comprises:
 a second remote vehicle position determination device configured to determine a position of a vehicle in substantially real time;   a wireless transmitter coupled to the second remote vehicle position determination device and configured to transmit a fourth signal, the fourth signal representing the position of the vehicle; and   a remote processing system configured to receive the fourth signal, to determine if the position of the vehicle coincides with the position of the traffic affecting event, and to produce the third signal.   
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the computer includes the remote processing system. 
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the remote processing system is configured to determine a speed of the second remote vehicle to determine if the position of the second remote vehicle coincides with the position of the traffic affecting event. 
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising a vehicle speed determination device configured to determine a speed of the second remote vehicle in substantially real time, wherein the wireless transmitter is further configured to transmit a fifth signal, the fifth signal represents the speed of the second remote vehicle, and the remote processing system is further configured to receive the fifth signal to determine if the position of the second remote vehicle coincides with the position of the traffic affecting event. 
   
   
       22 . A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions when executed performing a method for monitoring traffic, comprising:
 determining a position of a vehicle in substantially real time;   transmitting a first signal from the vehicle to a remote computer, the first signal representing the position of the vehicle; and   receiving at the vehicle a second signal from the remote computer, the second signal representing an indication that a position of a traffic affecting event is within a vicinity of the position of the vehicle.   
   
   
       23 . A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions when executed performing a method for monitoring traffic, comprising:
 receiving a first signal from a remote wireless transceiver, the first signal representing a position of a remote vehicle;   determining if a position of a traffic affecting event is within a vicinity of the position of the remote vehicle; and   transmitting a second signal to the remote wireless transceiver, the second signal representing an indication that the position of the traffic affecting event is within the vicinity of the position of the remote vehicle.   
   
   
       24 . An apparatus for monitoring traffic, comprising:
 means for determining a position of a vehicle in substantially real time;   means for transmitting a first signal from the vehicle to a remote computer, the first signal representing the position of the vehicle; and   means for receiving at the vehicle a second signal from the remote computer, the second signal representing an indication that a position of a traffic affecting event is within a vicinity of the position of the vehicle.   
   
   
       25 . An apparatus for monitoring traffic, comprising:
 means for receiving a first signal from a remote wireless transceiver, the first signal representing a position of a remote vehicle;   means for determining if a position of a traffic affecting event is within a vicinity of the position of the remote vehicle; and   means for transmitting a second signal to the remote wireless transceiver, the second signal representing an indication that the position of the traffic affecting event is within the vicinity of the position of the remote vehicle.