Importance

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Abstract

An automated highway system reduces the data processing requirements on the vehicles and distributes the processing requirements throughout the automated highway system infra-structure. In this system, a vehicle is detected by use of a vehicle on-board transponder. This transponder responds to an omni-directional radio frequency transmission from a highway control facility used by the automated highway system in the vicinity of the vehicle. The highway control facility interrogates the vehicle transponder for identification, destination, and other pertinent travel parameters or user services to route the vehicle, schedule maintenance, provide user services, and so on. Additionally, the highway control facility calculates the location of the vehicle and energizes vehicle mounted actuators to steer, accelerate and brake the vehicle as necessary. The vehicle maintains constant communications with the automated highway system facilities while on the automated highway system highway. The highway control facility maintains a record of the vehicle as it proceeds along the highway by handing the record to the next adjacent highway control facility. The vehicle has a user interface whereby the vehicle's occupant can be informed of road, weather, traffic conditions, other user services, and the user interface unit can communicate through the user vehicle transponder to the highway control facility of a change of travel schedule, change of destination, or other parameter changes. The user interface unit permits communication by voice (microphone and loudspeaker), keypad, and CRT.

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First Claim