System and method for informing nearby vehicle to avoid a moving vehicle which is malfunctioning

• US 10,019,903 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Lee, Kun-Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US14/957,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20170162049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 701303, 701532-533, 701409-414, 701 9, 701300, 340435-436, 340902-903
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

The disclosure is related to a system and a method for avoiding abnormal vehicle. In the method, the avoidance system predicts multiple routes for the abnormal vehicle within a period of time according to historical data when an alert from the abnormal vehicle is generated. A route-potential figure can be created when the system gets the historical data. The system computes one or more available routes for the nearby vehicle based on its vehicle information when a collision is possible. Every available route has its collision risk value. The system finally provides a recommended route with lower collision risk value when it considers a time of the abnormal vehicle reaches its great change, a time of predicting the nearby vehicle meets the range of route-potential figure, and a safety distance there-between.

Claims

1. A method for informing a nearby vehicle to avoid moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, the method comprising:

generating an abnormal signal indicating one of Diagnostic Trouble Codes by an avoidance system installed in the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning;

predicting, by the avoidance system, a predicted traveling route of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning within a period of time according to historical data corresponding to the abnormal signal and vehicle information of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning;

receiving, by the avoidance system of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, vehicle information from the avoidance system installed in a nearby first vehicle via the wireless communication network, and determining at least one available route for the first vehicle within the period of time according to the vehicle information from the first vehicle;

computing, by the avoidance system of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, the collision risk value of every available route for the first vehicle; and

deciding, by the avoidance system of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, a best recommended route for the first vehicle in order to avoid the collision risk according to the collision risk value of every available route, and informing the first vehicle the best recommended route;

wherein, both the vehicle and the nearby vehicle are installed with the avoidance system and staying in a communication state through their avoidance systems;

the avoidance system is used to compute a collision risk value corresponding to every available route based on whether or not the available route for the first vehicle enters a route potential pattern of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, and the route potential pattern is established by the avoidance system installed in the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning through the steps comprising;

obtaining the historical data corresponding to the abnormal signal when the avoidance system receives the abnormal signal;

determining at least one predicted traveling route for the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning according to the historical data;

drawing the at least one predicted traveling route on a grid map; and

accumulating multiple times of the at least one predicted traveling route passing through each lattice of the grid map for producing the route potential pattern based on a proportion calculation.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the vehicle information includes at least one of operating statuses of a gas pedal, a brake, and a steering wheel.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the avoidance system configures the available route with a lowest collision risk value as the best recommended route.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the avoidance system also informs the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning the best recommended route.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the historical data is stored in a database, the method to establish the database includes:

when the avoidance system receives the abnormal signal generated by the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, the avoidance system also receives driving event information corresponding to the abnormal signal, and categorizes the driving event information based on similarity;

wherein the driving event information includes at least one of an abnormal code, a collision, an event time, a vehicle location, a vehicle speed, a vehicle acceleration, a vehicle direction, and climate corresponding to the abnormal signal.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

providing the best recommended route for the first vehicle if the avoidance system determines that a distance between the first vehicle and the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning is smaller than a safety distance; and

providing an instant best recommended route in every time interval, and informing the instant best recommended route to the first vehicle if the avoidance system determines the distance between the first vehicle and the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning is larger than the safety distance.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the instant best recommended route provided by the avoidance system is based on one of the conditions comprising:

the avoidance system computing the collision risk value corresponding to every available route for the first vehicle in every time interval until the avoidance system determines one available route'"'"'s collision risk value is lower than a risk threshold, and the corresponding available route is set as the best recommended route; and

the avoidance system computing the collision risk value corresponding to every available route for the first vehicle in every time interval, the available route with the lowest collision risk value is set as the best recommended route.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

providing the best recommended route to the first vehicle if the avoidance system determines a distance between the first vehicle and the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning is smaller than a safety distance; and

periodically computing the collision risk value for every available route for the first vehicle in every time interval until the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning is in great change if the avoidance system determines the distance between the first vehicle and the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning is larger than a safety distance;

the available route with the lowest collision risk value is set as the best recommended route.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

the avoidance system acquiring vehicle information based on similarity in response to the abnormal signal generated by the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, acquiring a great change time from normal to abnormal of the vehicle, and computing a great change distance from normal to abnormal of the vehicle according to the great change time;

the avoidance system acquiring a traveling route of the first vehicle according to vehicle information of the first vehicle, and computing a potential distance when the first vehicle is estimated to enter the route potential pattern of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning;

the avoidance system comparing the great change distance or the potential distance, whichever is smaller, with a safety distance;

the avoidance system providing the best recommended route for the first vehicle if the avoidance system determines the great change distance or the potential distance, whichever is smaller, is smaller than the safety distance; and

the avoidance system periodically informing an instant best recommended route to the first vehicle in every time interval if the avoidance system determines the great change distance or the potential distance, whichever is smaller, is larger than the safety distance.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the instant best recommended route in every time interval provided by the avoidance system is based on one of the conditions comprising:

the avoidance system computing collision risk values for multiple available routes in every time interval for the first vehicle to avoid the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning until the collision risk value for at least one available route is lower than a risk threshold; and

the avoidance system setting the available route with the collision risk value lower than the risk threshold as the best recommended route; and

the avoidance system computing collision risk values for the multiple available routes in every time interval for the first vehicle to avoid the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, and the avoidance system setting the instant available route with the lowest collision risk value as the best recommended route.

12. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the avoidance system does not record the vehicle information corresponding to the abnormal signal when the vehicle slows down as receiving the abnormal signal generated by the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning.

13. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein, after receiving the abnormal signal generated by the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, the avoidance system further receives vehicle information from a second vehicle so as to acquire the second vehicle'"'"'s traveling route within the period of time;

and the avoidance system re-computes the collision risk value according to traveling routes of the first vehicle, the second vehicle and the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning for re-arranging the available route to avoid the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning.

6. A system for informing a nearby vehicle to avoid a moving vehicle which is malfunctioning and generates an signal indicating one of Diagnostic Trouble Codes, comprising circuits used to:

receive signals from the nearby vehicle, and signals from the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning;

retrieve vehicle information from the signals obtained from the vehicles;

receive the abnormal signal and obtain historical data as comparing with a database for analyzing a future traveling route of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning;

form a route potential pattern having multiple potential routes according to the historical data corresponding to the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning;

acquire one or more recommended routes according to vehicle information of the nearby vehicle, and compute collision risk value for every recommended route;

acquire distance relationship between the vehicles, and provide the recommended route with the lowest collision risk value based on whether or not a distance between the nearby vehicle and the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning is smaller than a safety distance; and

output the recommended route with the lowest collision risk value generated from the route determination unit to the nearby vehicle;

wherein, both the vehicle and the nearby vehicle are installed with the avoidance system and staying in a communication state through their avoidance systems;

the avoidance system is used to compute a collision risk value corresponding to every available route based on whether or not the available route for the first vehicle enters a route potential pattern of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, and the route potential pattern is established by the avoidance system installed in the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning through the steps comprising;

obtaining the historical data corresponding to the abnormal signal when the avoidance system receives the abnormal signal;

determining at least one predicted traveling route for the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning according to the historical data;

drawing the at least one predicted traveling route on a grid map; and

accumulating multiple times of the at least one predicted traveling route passing through each lattice of the grid map for producing the route potential pattern based on a proportion calculation.

14. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the abnormal signal includes a trouble code and its corresponding vehicle information.

15. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the system is installed in the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, and a wireless communication network is provided among the vehicles for transmitting signals.

16. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the route determination unit estimates distance relationship between the vehicles according to a time that the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning becomes from normal to abnormal status, a time that the nearby vehicle enters the route potential pattern of the moving vehicle which is malfunctioning, and a safe time between every two vehicles.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, further introduce a risk threshold to determine if the recommended route with the lower collision risk value is obtained.

18. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the information includes operating data of gas pedal, brake and/or steering wheel.