Abstract: A transit stop destination sign is provided that communicates wirelessly with a central transit system server over a wireless network, determines its GPS location and provides the same to the central transit system server, and provides both an updated visual destination sign display as well as an audio button for visually impaired that provides updated destination information in a natural language.

Abstract: A system and method for tracking mobile resources that displays tracking data in a graphical display. The system receives tracking data and characteristic tag data about a mobile resource from a tracking device, which is stored in a server or sent directly to a reporting device. The reporting device creates a graphical display indicating, e.g., how long a resource has been at various locations and displays this information on a display device.

Abstract: Implementations of the present invention contemplate utilizing the communicative connections between a telematics service provider (TSP), a communication device, and a telematics unit in a vehicle parked in a multilevel parking garage to determine location information of the vehicle and to provide such information to a subscriber of the TSP. A subscriber of a TSP may transmit a request for information pertaining to the location of a vehicle parked within a multilevel parking structure from a communication device. Upon the receipt of such a request, the TSP provides the information requested by the subscriber. In various implementations, the providing of such information by the TSP may involve querying the telematics unit in the vehicle or querying a database storing location information pertaining to one or more vehicles and may further involve performing calculations to derive the information requested by the communication device.

Abstract: A first navigation device records first direction information as the first navigation device traverses a route from a first location to a second location, and transmits the first direction information to a second navigation device while the second navigation device is following the first navigation along the route. After recording the first direction information and while transmitting the first direction information, the first navigation device records second direction information as the first navigation device traverses the route from the second location to a third location. The first navigation device transmits the second direction information to the second navigation device. The first direction information and the second direction information include information that allows the second navigation device to follow the route traversed by the first navigation device.

Abstract: A road surface management system is capable of detecting road surface conditions that tend to damage dump trucks and displaying the positions of such road surfaces. When the traveling speed of the dump truck is higher than or equal to a preset threshold value, the server judges whether or not each of the pressures of suspensions of the dump truck detected by pressure sensors is within a reference range which has been set corresponding to each suspension. The server judges that the road surface at the position of a dump truck is in a poor condition if one of the pressures of the four suspensions of the dump truck is judged to be outside the reference range and the remaining three pressures are judged to be within the reference range. The positions of the road surfaces judged to be in the poor condition are displayed on an indicator.

Abstract: When a service is requested at a platform in a collaborative services environment, a service orchestration engine accesses a service definition from a repository and schedules a number of tasks at a number of end points in accordance with a number of end point profiles and a number of policies associated with the end points.

Abstract: Device, system and method, in a vehicle communication system, of generating a location by the use of combining the rough locations of a “consensus set” of vehicles within wireless communication range to produce more accurate locations of the vehicles in the consensus set. Unique features of some embodiments include the continual re-computation and re-adjustment of both the vehicles in the consensus set and the more accurate locations. Embodiments use sensors on a first vehicle, such as cameras, sonar, radar and LIDAR to determine the relative location of the second vehicle to the first vehicle. Embodiments use this relative location in the computation of the more accurate locations. Algorithms are described for the computation, communication, convergence and updating of the more accurate locations. Algorithms are described for generation and update of the consensus set.

Abstract: A method for providing location information such as a map in an underground or shielded environment entails storing first near-field communication (NFC) data obtained by reading a first NFC tag at a first location, reading a second NFC tag at a second location, obtaining map data for an area encompassing the first and second locations, and displaying a map showing the first location and the second location.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for preventing interference from simultaneous data transmissions in a remote control system. A controlled terminal is typically configured to receive control data from a controlling terminal and to transmit feedback data to a monitoring terminal. To prevent interference caused by the simultaneous transmissions of control data and feedback data. The controlling terminal can transmit the control data to the monitoring terminal, which then transmits the control data to the controlled terminal. Such transmission of the control data may be carried out in a way that does not interfere with the transmission of the feedback data.

Abstract: A system is provided for monitoring system and operational parameters on one or more pieces of machinery or equipment. The system can monitor the pieces of machinery or equipment in real time, i.e., the time delay between the taking of a measurement on a piece of equipment and its subsequent display in the system is within accepted standards, e.g., from about 1 second to about 1 minute depending on the type of measurement or data set being monitored. The system can also permit the tracking of the pieces of machinery or equipment and can enable the transfer, i.e., the sending and/or receiving, of information between the system and the pieces of machinery or equipment.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and programs access map information including link information related to links that constitute a road, acquire a current location of a vehicle at unit time intervals, and acquire traffic information, which includes a distributed traffic congestion level of each link at predetermined time intervals. Each time the vehicle exits a link, the devices, methods, and programs sequentially store the exited link in an exited link train based on the map information. If the traffic information has been received, the devices, methods, and program store the distributed traffic congestion level included in the received traffic information as a traffic congestion level in association with a portion of the exited link train within a range from the current location at a received time point when the traffic information has been received to a location that is a predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point.

Abstract: A system and method for location detection is disclosed. The system and method may derive estimates of a user's location by interfacing with other sources of location data. In one aspect of the invention, a client device may determine the user's location by using locally configured location services. The client device may also query a remote server that contains recent geolocation data of the user. Both the local and remote estimates may be presented to a user. The user may also be allowed to select the location that most accurately represents the user's current location.

Abstract: To obtain point of interest information in a vicinity of a vehicle, the vehicle selects a reference point away from the current location of the vehicle. A region is formed, including the current location of the vehicle, based on the reference point. Points of interest falling within the region are communicated to the vehicle.

Abstract: A system and method are provided to support accommodating safe integration of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUASs) into the National Airspace Structure in the United States. A specifically-tailored service is provided to address a change of paradigm from aircraft-based avionics/capabilities to a ground-based solution centered on the sUAS control station that is typically employed to manage an sUAS mission and/or flight. Appropriate software, server and system components are integrated into an interactive, easy-to-use, web-based tool that provides interested parties with real-time, graphical flight-following information to acquire position information regarding an sUAS platform from the control console for the sUAS platform. The acquired position information is forwarded to a separate server that can augment and provide graphical display of the sUAS intended route of flight (flight planned route).

Abstract: A system and methods for communicating with a location system are disclosed. An electronic communication device is provided to a user that performs a communication through a device specific communication channel. A separate radio communication channel that is different from the device specific communication channel is provided. Location information is received at the electronic communication device from a location system through the separate radio communication channel. The location information is viewed on the electronic communication device.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a connector to an on board diagnostic (OBD) port of a vehicle, wireless communications circuitry, a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to monitor the ignition state of the vehicle, and upon detecting an ignition off state, reporting at least the off state to a network-enabled communications appliance wirelessly paired for wireless communication with the apparatus.

Abstract: Disclosed is an article transport facility in which interference between an article transport vehicle and an interfering object is prevented. A position detector is provided on the ground side for detecting the position of an interfering object, and an external managing device issues a deceleration command to the article transport vehicle if the distance from the article transport vehicle to the interfering object becomes less than or equal to a predetermined low speed distance, based on position information for the interfering object and travel position information for the article transport vehicle. A vehicle side travel controller changes a target travel speed from a normal travel speed to a reduced travel speed which is lower, or less, than the normal travel speed while the target travel speed is set to the normal travel speed, if the deceleration command is issued from the external managing device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus which ensures that static data entered into a communications device or apparatus is accurate, or at least consistent with data provided to an authentication service. In some embodiments of the invention, the authentication service may maintain a database of static data associated with each communications apparatus and/or verify the validity of at least a portion of the static data.

Abstract: A method for providing messages indicating potential hazardous road conditions using a wireless communications network. Vehicles using the network include sensors that are able to detect various potentially hazardous road conditions, such as rain, fog, icy road conditions, traffic congestion, etc. A plurality of vehicles that detect a specific road condition provide a confidence value that the condition exists. The confidence value is then aggregated by the vehicles with the confidence value of the detected condition from the other vehicles to provide an aggregated result that identifies the probability that the detected road condition is occurring. The aggregated result is then transmitted to other vehicles approaching the road condition, possibly in a multi-hop manner. Alternately, the confidence value from all of the vehicles that detect the condition can be transmitted to approaching vehicles who will provide the aggregated result identifying the potential that the condition exists.

Abstract: The invention includes using multiple wireless vehicular sensor nodes to wirelessly receive multiple, time-interleaved vehicular waveform reports from the nodes. Each vehicular waveform report approximates a raw vehicular sensor waveform observed by a magnetic sensor at the node based upon the presence of a vehicle. The vehicular waveform reports are products of this wirelessly receiving process. The invention includes apparatus supporting the above outlined process. The vehicular waveform reports may be time synchronized.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method (400) for monitoring a rental vehicle, said vehicle including a navigation/geolocation device arranged such as to determine and report the positioning coordinates of said vehicle, said method including the following steps: verifying (406) that the positioning coordinates of said vehicle are inside a previously recorded predetermined area and, if the positioning coordinates are not inside the predetermined area, executing a step (408-440) of indicating the anomaly. The invention also relates to a system implementing such a method.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for generating a sketch map in a portable terminal. The apparatus includes a sketch map generating unit. The sketch map generating unit collects information about route points of the portable terminal by using location information, generates a sketch map message including the route information, and shares the generated sketch map message with another user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a mobile device generates sensor data configured to describe a geographic position of a mobile device. A list of events is defined according to position data and time data. The geographic position of the mobile device is compared to positions in the list of events of interest and a current time is compared to time data in the list of events of interest. The comparison determines whether events in the list are in range of the mobile device. One or more nearby events in range of the mobile device at the current time or a future time are selected. A command is generated to capture an image of the nearby events using a camera coupled to the mobile device. The captured images may be used to update navigation or map database, provide community or weather data to other users, social media functions, or other features.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mobile crane having means for wireless reception or for the determination of data identifying the location of the crane as well as having transmission means which are in communication with these means or can be connected to them, wherein the transmission means are configured such that they transmit the data identifying the location of the crane from the crane to a receiver in a wireless manner.

Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods are disclosed for distance and congestion-aware resource deployment. In some embodiments, a method is provided to estimate a vehicle deployment region. The method includes constructing a graph data structure using at least in part a single invocation of a form of Dijkstra's algorithm. The method additionally includes partitioning an angular space centered on a vehicle location into a plurality of angular space regions, the vehicle location corresponding to a current or potential location of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of providing augmented Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation can include detecting movement of a GPS enabled mobile device along a navigational route and displaying a photographic image on a display of the GPS enabled mobile device responsive to detecting movement of the GPS enabled mobile device along the navigational route provided by the GPS enabled mobile device. Related devices and computer program products are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program for detecting and displaying a person's activity-travel pattern over time and space is provided. Person-based location data is acquired by a personal communication device and processed in accordance with an algorithm. The invention goes beyond applications that focus on the detection of the current location of the user, but rather the enhanced knowledge of the users current, past, and likely future activities and their multi-dimensional attributes. The present invention can be implemented on common hardware and is easily accessible via web-based interfaces and reporting, making various applications achievable at very low cost.

Abstract: Provided is a communication device mounted in a vehicle or disposed at the roadside, which can adaptively and efficiently manage positional information relating to directly communicable surrounding in-vehicle communication devices and surrounding roadside communication devices and can stably transmit information to a specified communication destination even when the positional relationship between vehicles frequently changes.

Abstract: A system and method that enables a user of a telematics-equipped vehicle to initiate security services by activating their vehicle keyfob. If a user senses an emergency situation, such as a person breaking into their home, they can engage a panic button on their vehicle keyfob. This causes the vehicle to send a wireless warning signal to a call center which already has emergency contact numbers on file. The call center can then call the user to see if they require assistance from a police department, fire department, ambulance, etc. In one embodiment, the method also determines if the vehicle is currently located within a certain proximity of one or more designated locations (usually the user's home or work) before contacting the user. This can reduce responses to non-emergencies, such as when a user simply presses their panic button in order to locate their vehicle in a crowded parking lot.

Abstract: A method in a wireless communications device for transmitting current location information representing a current location of the wireless communications device. The method entails, from within a communication application executing on a processor of the wireless communications device, causing the wireless communications device to obtain the current location information representing the current location of the wireless communications device, including the current location information in a communication generated from within the communication application, and transmitting the communication that includes the current location information. The method optionally entails a further step of performing a reverse look-up of GPS coordinates representing the current location to determine address information for including in the communication. Location information, such as maps or URLs to maps can be sent directly from an e-mail application or instant messenger without having to separately launch a mapping application.

Abstract: In a system and method of navigating a plurality vehicles consisting of one or more standalone tugs, or one or more tug propelled aircraft, or some combination thereof on the grounds of an airport, a virtual safety zone is electronically defined around each vehicle. Movement of each vehicle on the grounds of an airport is controlled based on the virtual safety zones defined around the plurality of vehicles.

Abstract: The invention relates to wireless vehicle-to-X communication by means of radio key (RKE) with a transceiver. The radio key transceiver is designed to send and receive not only data associated with the keyless driving authorization but also vehicle-to-X communication data. The radio key X communication can be used between two vehicles equipped with this radio key communication technique in order to communicate data such as positions, weather conditions or warnings quickly and reliably. This wireless communication technique using radio keys can also be used for coordinating emergency services when searching for an accident scene.

Abstract: An in-vehicle mobile communication and routing apparatus for use with a taxi cab, public safety vehicle, delivery truck, fire truck, emergency vehicle, or any vehicle. Embodiments of the invention include a system incorporating the apparatus and a method for using the same. The mobile apparatus is attachable to a vehicle and includes a plurality of long-range transceivers communicatively coupled with one or more databases located remotely from the vehicle, and a plurality of short-range transceivers communicatively coupled with one or more devices external to the mobile apparatus and proximally located to the vehicle. An intelligent power supply is structured to monitor a battery condition of the vehicle and initiate a controlled shutdown of the mobile apparatus responsive to at least one of a timer countdown and a voltage threshold of a vehicle battery. Devices external to the mobile apparatus communicate with an in-vehicle processor and one or more remote databases.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring navigation state errors are provided. In this regard, a representative system, among others, includes a receiver that is configured to receive GPS signals and calculate pseudorange (PR) residuals, the receiver including a navigation state error manager that is configured to: calculate a distance traveled by the receiver having the PR residuals, determine whether a navigation state has errors based on the calculated PR residuals and calculated distance, and responsive to determining that the navigation state has errors, send an error message indicating that the navigation state has errors.

Abstract: A method of operation of a location based system includes: detecting an event representing a gathering of event participants; establishing a geofence associated with the event; and identifying a matching target from the event participants located within the geofence during the search time window for displaying on a device.

Abstract: A method for reverse geocoding location information obtained by a wireless communications device comprises determining the location information for a location, communicating the location information to a reverse geocoding server that reverse-geocodes the location information to generate location description data for a bounding region that geographically surrounds the location, receiving the location description data from the reverse geocoding server for the bounding region containing the location, and caching the location description data for the bounding region in a memory cache on the device. When the current location remains within one or more bounding regions cached on the device, location description data is fetched from the cache, thus improving application responsiveness. Only when the current location is no longer within the bounding region(s) does the device communicate a new request to the reverse geocoding server.

Abstract: A system for monitoring of vehicles and particularly heavy vehicles and their compliance with specific network (e.g. road) access conditions uses vehicle telematics solutions. The system includes an in-vehicle unit (IVU) associated with a vehicle being monitored. The IVU includes a receiver for receiving positioning signals, a processor for processing a time-marked log of vehicle data, a storage element for storing the time-marked log and a first wireless communication element for communicating time marked data to a Service Provider (SP) processing apparatus. One or more Service Providers operate Service Provider (SP) processing apparatus. The SP processing apparatus include a SP wireless communication element for receiving time-marked data from one or more IVUs and a SP processor for processing received data.

Abstract: A mobile-body navigation device includes a communication device 7 and a communication interface unit 9, which constitute a receiving unit for receiving information about a deviation-prone connection route identified using probe information, a deviation-prone connection route caution instructing unit 14 for instructing to send a notification when a vehicle approaches a deviation-prone point on the guide route in accordance with the information about the deviation-prone connection route the receiving unit receives, and a display device 8 and a map display unit 13, which constitute a display unit for displaying a guide map of the guide route in response to the instruction.

Abstract: A geographic tracking system with minimal power and size required at the mobile terminal collects observation data at the mobile terminal, forwards the data to a processor, which calculates the position. The mobile terminal needs only to gather a few milliseconds of observation data, and to relay this observation data to the processor. The range from the satellite (or other airborne transponder) to the terminal is determined using the known positions of an interrogating transmitter and a satellite, and a known terminal delay between the received signal and the transmission of the return signal, and the round trip time. An arc of locations is determined by computing an intersection of a sphere centered at the satellite having a radius given by the calculated range with a model of the Earth's surface. The candidate points are considered and refined using code phase measurements from a set of GPS satellites.

Abstract: A method for determining location such as vehicle location receives data at a predetermined frequency, validates the received data, stores the received data based on the validation and computes a location based on the stored data. The validation includes verifying a presence of particular data substrings within the received data, verifying a presence of a plurality of data fields within each data substring, computing a parameter based on information contained in two of the plurality of data fields and comparing the computer parameter with a pre-defined threshold.

Abstract: Systems and methods that provide positional data with a variable level of precision may be implemented on positional systems of electronic devices by associating a position profile to application software running on the electronic devices.

Abstract: A method in a wireless communications device for transmitting current location information representing a current location of the wireless communications device. The method entails, from within a communication application executing on a processor of the wireless communications device, causing the wireless communications device to obtain the current location information representing the current location of the wireless communications device, including the current location information in a communication generated from within the communication application, and transmitting the communication that includes the current location information. The method optionally entails a further step of performing a reverse look-up of GPS coordinates representing the current location to determine address information for including in the communication. Location information, such as maps or URLs to maps can be sent directly from an e-mail application or instant messenger without having to separately launch a mapping application.

Abstract: A method for providing navigation information, a machine-readable storage medium, a mobile terminal and a server are provided. The method includes generating a preview image captured by a camera and location information of the mobile terminal; transmitting the preview image and location information to a server, receiving, from the server, route guide information generated based on the preview image and the location information, and displaying the route guide information to a user.

Abstract: A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product guides mobility-impaired pedestrians. Mobile tracking readings are received from multiple mobility assistance devices, each of which has an affixed tracking device. Based on these mobile tracking readings, multiple pedestrian routes for mobility-impaired pedestrians, including an optimal pedestrian route that has the highest tracking history to a desired destination, are generated.

Abstract: Electronic toll collection for a motorist and/or subscriber having a wireless mobile device that links the device to (a) specific vehicle(s) and billing account(s) with a service provider(s), third party(s) and or toll authority(s). When a motorist having the mobile device in the vehicle approaches and passes a “virtual” toll location(s) and/or “virtual” toll barriers(s) and/or “virtual” toll boundary(s) having a given toll a central server determines whether the motorist and/or subscriber has activated an electronic ETC service associated with the mobile device, and sends a charge transaction from the central server to a service provider(s), third party(s) and/or directly to the toll authority(s) system. After every transaction, a confirmation (which may be SMS or text, vibration, voice, audible alert, email, etc.) is sent to the mobile device and/or subscriber indicating the amount paid and the status of the account.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for generating a sketch map in a portable terminal. The apparatus includes a sketch map generating unit. The sketch map generating unit collects information about route points of the portable terminal by using location information, generates a sketch map message including the route information, and shares the generated sketch map message with another user.

Abstract: Device, system and method, in a vehicle communication system, of generating a location by the use of combining the rough locations of a “consensus set” of vehicles within wireless communication range to produce more accurate locations of the vehicles in the consensus set. Unique features of some embodiments include the continual re-computation and re-adjustment of both the vehicles in the consensus set and the more accurate locations. Embodiments use sensors on a first vehicle, such as cameras, sonar, radar and LIDAR to determine the relative location of the second vehicle to the first vehicle. Embodiments use this relative location in the computation of the more accurate locations. Algorithms are described for the computation, communication, convergence and updating of the more accurate locations. Algorithms are described for generation and update of the consensus set.

Abstract: Disclosed is an article transport facility in which interference between an article transport vehicle and an interfering object is prevented. A position detector is provided on the ground side for detecting the position of an interfering object, and an external managing device issues a deceleration command to the article transport vehicle if the distance from the article transport vehicle to the interfering object becomes less than or equal to a predetermined low speed distance, based on position information for the interfering object and travel position information for the article transport vehicle. A vehicle side travel controller changes a target travel speed from a normal travel speed to a reduced travel speed which is lower, or less, than the normal travel speed while the target travel speed is set to the normal travel speed, if the deceleration command is issued from the external managing device.

Abstract: The invention relates to compressed data transmission in wireless data communication. Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for transporting residue of vehicle position data via a wireless network. A disclosed method for transporting residue of vehicle position data via a wireless network, includes the steps of: receiving data for updating residue encoding schema from a monitoring server; constructing a residue encoding schema based on the data, thereby producing a constructed residue encoding schema; and storing the constructed residue encoding schema such that the constructed residue encoding schema will become the current residue encoding schema; where: the constructed residue encoding schema is constructed such that each residue of the constructed residue encoding schema corresponds to a code; and the constructed residue encoding schema is constructed such that a residue having a relatively high probability of occurrence corresponds to a code of relatively short length.

Abstract: A vehicle-based complex event processing (CEP) engine executes on a hardware computer processor in a vehicle. The CEP engine receives a first input stream onto which vehicle information related to the vehicle is published, and applies at least one query to the first input stream. The CEP engine then assesses, based on application of the query/queries, if a vehicle-related event has occurred and, if so, the CEP engine publishes an indication of occurrence of the vehicle-related event on at least one output stream of the CEP engine. In one example, the CEP engine may receive a second input stream onto which image information is published, wherein the image information is based at least in part on data provided by at least one on-board vehicle camera.