WO2015193899A1

WO2015193899A1 - Interactive safety system for motorcycle riders

Info

Publication number: WO2015193899A1
Application number: PCT/IL2015/050618
Authority: WO
Inventors: Abraham Glezerman
Original assignee: Cardo Systems, Inc.
Priority date: 2014-06-19
Filing date: 2015-06-18
Publication date: 2015-12-23

Abstract

A system for generating travel information for riders of two-wheeled vehicles, comprising at least one server suitable to receive information relative to driving speed and/or driving conditions pertinent to said riders, and to deliver information received to one or more riders.

Description

INTERACTIVE SAFETY SYSTEM FOR MOTORCYCLE RIDERS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a GPS -based communication safety system for two-wheeled vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to the provision of real-time information to riders of two-wheeled vehicles, including but not limited to motorcycles.

Background of the Invention

The global positioning system (GPS) has opened many possibilities to streamline the movement of vehicles, mainly under two aspects- the abi ty to drive to a destination without the need to consult a map, and the ability to alert riders of adverse traffic conditions, which may help them to choose alternative routes and avoid traffic jams due, for instance, to accidents, road works or changing road conditions, such as ice or snow. The latter result can be accomplished in different ways, for instance by monitoring a road via satellite imaging, or by using crowd -generated information, such as is done by the well-known Waze system. The Waze system is based on a smartphone/GPS connection through which the company's main server continuously collects live information on the whereabouts of Waze members, and in particular how fast members in the vicinity are moving in the traffic. Based on this info the server concludes how congested or free certain routes are and then alerts users about traffic congestions while offering alternative routes with less congestion. While many motorcycle riders own and use smartphones that can run software such as Waze, this and other systems do not solve critical problems of two-wheeled vehicles and, in fact, may exacerbate them, for the following reasons :

1. Operating a smartphone while riding on two wheels is dangerous because it detracts from the attention of the rider, who is a priori more exposed to traffic risks than drivers of cars.

2. Systems like Waze are designed for car drivers and therefore do not provide information that is critical to a motorcycle rider, such as the presence of hazards like oil spills on the road, strong side winds or torrential rain, all of which represent vital safety risks for motorcycle riders and not to driver of cars.

3. The typical information that those systems provide (e.g. traffic jams) are to a large extent of much less relevance and often even useless for motorcycle riders since the latter can easily circumvent them by riding alongside the shoulders of the motorway.

4. On the other hand, the truly critical features that riders of two- wheeled vehicles are in dire need of, are missing. The subject invention endeavors to provide such missing information and achieve this in an easy and safe manner, while interacting with a system of the type discussed herein. It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a system and apparatus to allow riders of two-wheeled vehicles to enjoy the possibility of useful crowd-generated information that may be critical to their safety and in addition also provide information to enhance the riding experience.

It is an object of the present invention to provide such system and related operation methods, which will provide crowd-generated information to riders of two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles, and allow such riders to receive and transmit relevant information from and to other riders. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

The invention relates to a system that generates and shares information and alerts for riders of two -wheeled vehicles while in motion, comprising at least one server suitable to receive information relative to driving and terrain related conditions pertinent to said riders, and to deliver information received to one or more riders. In one embodiment of the invention the information comprises information received by one or more riders of two-wheeled vehicles. In another embodiment of the invention the information comprises information received from sources that are not riders, such as, for instance, providers of weather forecasts. In one embodiment of the invention the information originates from a cellular network and in another embodiment of the invention it is delivered to said one or more riders over a cellular network.

The invention also comprises a communication apparatus suitable to operate in cooperation with the system of the invention, which is provided in, or coupled to, the helmet of a rider, said communication apparatus being suitable to receive standard commands that cause the system to receive from the rider, or to communicate to the rider, information relevant to driving conditions.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings^

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Although, as stated above, the invention is suitable for riders and passengers of two wheeled vehicles in general, reference will be made hereinafter motorcycles as the representative vehicle, for the sake of simplicity. The invention will be illustrated with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in Fig. 1.

In the simplified scheme of Fig. 1 a server 100 is in contact with a plurality of base stations 101, which may be, for instance, part of a cellular network. Server 100 itself may be part of the cellular network, or maybe separate and in connection with a cellular network. The actual network configuration is not important to the invention as any suitable communication arrangement may be utilized. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of the cellular network and of the flow of information therefrom to server 100 are not provided.

A pluralitj^ of motorcycle riders 102 are in contact with the cellular network through a^ suitable cellular apparatus, such as a smartphone. Server 100 receives information from any number of motorcycle riders 102, regarding the driving conditions thej^ encounter, hazards they detect along the way, etc. Server 100 may also obtain relevant information from other sources that are vital to motorcycle riders, such as weather alerts and forecasts, wind speeds on exposed roads, and the like, all of which are available on the Internet and as services from a variety of providers. Server 100 also knows the position of each of the motorcycles that is provided with software, such as a smart phone app, that connects to the server 100, by virtue of the GPS software available on the device that runs the software. Accordingly, server 100 is capable of providing information relevant to the motorcycle rider and his location.

The information can be provided to the motorcycle rider either in pull or push mode, i.e. can be delivered by the server as a voice message to the rider's communication apparatus, whenever the server 100 determines that this information is important to the rider's safety, or it can be delivered at the request of the rider. The rider, on the other hand, will only transmit to server 100 information that he deems important, when he so decides. The combination of the nature of the information and of the GPS positioning of the rider who is furnishing it, enriches the dynamic information available to server 100, which can then be provided to other motorcycle riders, who are about to reach the relevant location.

Communication with server 100 can be implemented using a conventional communication apparatus available in the helmet of a motorcycle rider. However, special commands must be provided for connecting to the server. To initiate communication with the server - both for queries and for reporting - users may employ different input schemes using physical buttons, and in many cases it is convenient to employ vocal commands, such as, for example, "report hazard", "weather report", or "oil spill ahead", "wet pavement" "dangerous road condition", "bad light condition", "car parked on road shoulders", "potholes", "graded road", "police", "speed camera", "pedestrians crossing", "road barrier ahead", "animals crossing", "ice/snow on the road", etc. Translating speech to signals that are recognized by suitable equipment is well known in the art, as described, e.g., in WO2006/007441 of the same applicant hereof, and therefore are not described herein in detail, for the sake of brevity. As will be apparent to the skilled person, the system of the invention provides a much-needed safety tool for riders of two-wheeled vehicles, which is not available today. While the above description has been provided for the purpose of illustration, it is not meant to limit the invention in any way except as provided by the appended drawings.

Claims

1. A system for generating travel information for riders of two- wheeled vehicles, comprising at least one server suitable to receive information relative to driving speed and/or driving conditions pertinent to said riders, and to deliver information received to one or more riders.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said information comprises information received by one or more riders of two-wheeled vehicles.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said information comprises information received from sources that are not riders.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the sources comprise providers of weather forecast.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the information originates from a cellular network.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the information is delivered to said one or more riders over a cellular network.

7. Communication apparatus suitable to operate in cooperation with the system of claim 1, which is provided in, or coupled to, the helmet of a rider, said communication apparatus being suitable to receive standard commands that cause the system to receive from the rider, or to communicate to the rider, information relevant to driving conditions.