WO2003042953A2

WO2003042953A2 - Sign for requesting and displaying transport information

Info

Publication number: WO2003042953A2
Application number: PCT/NZ2002/000248
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Brian Burke; Robert Barry Burling
Original assignee: Connexionz Limited
Priority date: 2001-11-13
Filing date: 2002-11-13
Publication date: 2003-05-22
Also published as: WO2003042953A3; AU2002363697A1

Abstract

A means for requesting and displaying information which includes a fixed sign means and/or display device. The sign means has user activatable means for requesting and displaying real-time transport information on demand at a point on one or more transport routes. The sign means and/or display device is adapted to display answers to user queries regarding the arrival of transportation and display actual arrival/departure times on the sign means.

Description

STICK SIGN Field of the invention

The invention relates to means for requesting and displaying transport information reflecting the actual state of one or more transports at a position remote from those transports. For example; requesting on demand by passengers the display of bus arrival / departure information at an enroute bus stop, based on the current location of buses.

Background to the invention

Existing real-time transport information systems tend to display information to users / passengers as a list of text messages on an electronic sign board. Such sign board systems suffer a number of disadvantages which can make them unsuitable for use at enroute bus stops. Real-time as used herein means information relating to an event that is provided so promptly that the receiver of the information believes that there will be little or no delay between the time of the event and the time when the information is provided. When this perception is achieved, the information is said to be given in "realtime".

For example, one problem is that where large numbers of routes serve a single bus stop, very large signs are needed to display sufficient information to be useful to users / passengers. Secondly these signs require a mains capacity electrical power source, and thirdly, they frequently require local body permission for installation. These, and other factors, make the cost of deploying this type of technology on anything other than a limited number of bus stops prohibitive. The present invention seeks to provide a solution which overcomes or ameliorates most of the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least provides a useful alternative. The present invention seeks to provide a solution which overcomes or ameliorates most of the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least provides a useful alternative.

Summary of the invention

In its broadest aspect the invention provides a fixed sign means and/or display device for requesting and displaying real-time transport information on demand at a point on one or more transport routes, the sign means and/or display device is adapted to receive user queries regarding the arrival of transportation and display actual arrival / departure times in response to those queries, the sign means including a compact electronic means which includes: • at least one input means by which a user / passenger can request an output means to display / announce information for either a requested transport or to a requested destination;

• communication means adapted to receive information from a remote central data source or from the transport itself; • processing means adapted to manipulate the received information;

• output means to graphically or otherwise indicate actual arrival / departure times for the transport on a route or to a destination at the sign means and/or display device.

Preferably the compact electronic means is adapted to automatically switch to an inactive or sleep mode after a predetermined period after answering each user query.

The means for inputting user queries can be, but is not limited to, mechanical or electronic devices and the means for displaying actual arrival/departure times can be, but is not limited to character, audible or binary state devices. The invention is intended particularly as a sign or display means for displaying on demand, the arrival / departure time of multiple transports of a kind which travel either a regular route past one or more fixed locations or to particular destinations. An instance of the invention is placed at one of those locations or remote from that location to represent arrival / departure times at the location of a transport on a route or going to a selected destination. The invention can be applied to indicate the arrival / departure time of a bus at one or more bus stops on a city bus route. However, use of the invention to indicate the actual or relative departure time of other types of vehicles on other types of route is not excluded and it is envisaged that the invention could be used, for example, in association with a rail network, elevator or other transportation system.

The invention envisages that preferably the compact electronic means is located in a fixed position remote from both the transport and the source of data relating to the transport.

Preferably, the power source for the communication means, processing means, output means and input means is self-contained within compact electronic means. This would include, but would not be limited to battery power. However, the compact electronic means can also be powered by an adjacent external source. This would include, but would not be limited to, solar panels or mains power.

Preferably, but not exclusively, the sign is adapted to be installed in a public, environmentally unprotected location. Preferably, but not exclusively, the input means includes a representation of one or more transports or routes for which the user / passenger may request arrival / departure information.

Preferably, but not exclusively, the output means can include a plurality of illumination means, such as light emitting diodes (LED's) one or more of which are illuminated in response to the activation of the input means and / or an audible response. The output means will indicate actual or relative arrival / departure time for the requested transport at a location adjacent to the invention or at another location remote from the invention. The indicated actual or relative arrival / departure time can either be a representation of the actual arrival/departure time, eg 8.06am, or it can be an estimate of the period of time before the actual arrival/departure time, eg 6 minutes.

It is also envisaged that the compact electronic means may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) touch screen or the like for displaying and reporting a transport's location, for example a bus is 5 minutes away and is at the corner of X and Y streets.

The invention envisages that the location of each transport is determined by some external means, which processes and manipulates current location information from the transport to provide material for transmission as a discrete periodic signal to the compact electronic means.

Preferably, but not exclusively, a communication signal can update the processing means and can be the discrete periodic signal. The signal can be communicated via a physical wire, optical cable, radio network, or some other means of wireless communication to a receiver mounted relative to the processing means and adapted to communicate with the processing means.

Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a typical front panel view of a compact electronic sign means according to the invention; and

Figure 2 illustrates diagrammatically a front view of an alternative example of compact electronic sign according to the invention.

Description of the Examples

The examples of the invention will now be described with reference to its use to display information for a number of city bus routes. However, use of the invention to display information relating to other scheduled or occasional transport services is not excluded. For example the invention can be applied for use with a series of elevators or lifts in a high rise building complex such that a person is able to establish which lift or bank of lifts will shortly be available.

In the first example a system or sub-system, provided with real-time vehicle position data, periodically transmits a signal to one or more instances of the sign means an example of which is shown in Figure 1. The signal can be a discrete periodic signal containing information relating to the location of one or more buses on bus routes. The information may be in the form of a variable parameter representing the location of the bus.

Each instance of the sign means contains a radio receiver (not shown) for receiving the signals from a central information system, a micro controller or similar (not shown) for processing the received data, and a display panel (1) for receiving user requests and displaying the results of those requests. The example uses one or more batteries as its power source.

The display panel (1) features a time line (2) formed by a series of indicator lamps such as LEDs. The time line represents discrete intervals of time on a scale suitable to the specific application of the sign means. Other information, representing physical locations, could also be shown instead of, or as well as, time.

Adjacent to the time line are one or more, and in this example eight, user inputs (3) in association with each of which is an illuminated display lamp. In practice each user activatable means represents a separate bus route or a physical destination.

Activation of a user input (3) causes the sign means to seek and display information to establish when the next bus moving on the desired route is due to arrive or depart from the location associated with the specific sign means.

The processing means lights the indicator lamp for the activated user input, requests the communication means to acquire the next periodic signal, interprets the periodic signal data and then activates one of the time line indicator lamps to display the next arrival / departure related to the activated user input. By this means a passenger or bus user waiting at an enroute stop is informed of the estimated arrival / departure time of the next bus on the requested route based upon its actual (or real-time) position.

Because the sign means is self powered there is no need to provision electrical services to the location of the sign means and the sign means is arranged to assume a 'sleep' mode to conserve energy.

The casing (4) for the sign means, is constructed from any suitable metal alloy or other durable material and is designed as a compact unit which is nearly indestructible. The display panel is constructed from a reinforced glass or other durable, transparent material. The user input means is preferably optical, capacitative or like activated.

In the second example shown in Figure 2 there is shown an alternative in the form of a compact display device 5 with a series of six input devices 6 for required transport service routes and four input devices 7 for transport services to particular destinations on a bus route or routes. The device 5 also has a display in the form of a series of LED's 8 with adjacent legends one of which give as estimate of the period of time until the requested bus will arrive, eg 6 minutes or 20 minutes. Alternatively the device 5 can have instead of the series of LED's an LCD which gives an estimate of the actual arrival time, eg 10pm.

In use a user requests relevant arrival / departure time information using one or other of the input devices 6, 7. A processor 9 takes information obtained periodically from an information source 11 via a receiver unit 10 together with the user's request obtained from either 5 or 7 and produces display information. The display information is used by the display device 8 to provide an arrival / departure information to the user. The fixed device 5 is powered by a power/electricity source 12, eg batteries within a casing of the device 5.

The above description is given by way of example only and is intended to illustrate the process of the invention. It is envisaged that improvements and modifications can take place without departing from the scope of the attached claims.

Where, in the foregoing description, reference has been made to integers or elements having known equivalents, then such equivalents are herein included as if individually set forth.

Claims

1 A fixed sign means and/or display device for requesting and displaying real-time transport information on demand at a point on one or more transport routes, the sign means and/or display device is adapted to receive user queries regarding the arrival of transportation and display actual arrival / departure times in response to those queries, the sign means including a compact electronic means which includes at least one input means by which a user / passenger can request an output means to display / announce information for either a requested transport or to a requested destination, communication means adapted to receive information from a remote central data source or from the transport itself, processing means adapted to manipulate the received information, output means to graphically or otherwise indicate actual arrival / departure times for the transport on a route or to a destination at the sign means and/or display device

2 A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the compact electronic means is adapted to automatically switch to an inactive or sleep mode after a predetermined period after answering each user query

3 A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the means for inputting user queries can be mechanical or electronic devices

4. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the means for displaying actual arrival/departure times can be character, audible or binary state devices.

5. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the sign or display means displays on demand, the arrival / departure time of multiple transports of a kind which travel either a regular route past one or more fixed locations or to particular destinations.

6. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 5 wherein the sign or display means is placed at one of those locations or remote from that location to represent arrival / departure times at the location of a transport on a route or going to a selected destination.

7. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 6 wherein the sign or display means is applied to indicate the arrival / departure time of a bus at one or more bus stops on a city bus route.

8. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the compact electronic means is located in a fixed position remote from both the transport and the source of data relating to the transport.

9. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the power source for the communication means, processing means, output means and input means is self-contained within compact electronic means.

10. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the output means includes a plurality of illumination means, such as light emitting diodes (LED's) one or more of which are illuminated in response to the activation of the input means and / or an audible response.

11. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 10 wherein the output means will indicate actual or relative arrival / departure time for the requested transport at a location adjacent to the invention or at another location remote from the invention.

12. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 11 wherein the indicated actual or relative arrival / departure time can either be a representation of the actual arrival/departure time or it can be an estimate of the period of time before the actual arrival/departure time.

13. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 11 wherein the compact electronic means includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) touch screen or the like for displaying and reporting a transport's location.

14. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the location of each transport is determined by some external means, which processes and manipulates current location information from the transport to provide material for transmission as a discrete periodic signal to the compact electronic means.

15. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 14 wherein a communication signal updates the processing means and can be the discrete periodic signal.

16. A fixed sign means and/or display as claimed in claim 15 wherein the signal is communicated via a physical wire, optical cable, radio network, or some other means of wireless communication to a receiver mounted relative to the processing means and adapted to communicate with the processing means.