Cooperative automated vehicle system

• US 10,037,696 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Laur, Michael H., Absmeier, John P., Mangal, Nandita, Dun, Wu, Agarwal, Divya
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alsomiri, Majdi
• Application Number:
  US15/086,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20170287331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/00 Steering not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0289 with means for avoiding collisions between vehicles vehicle fittings for automatically controlling speed including means for detecting potential obstacles B60K31/0008; avoiding obstacles by action on the steering system B62D; radar, sonar, lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A cooperative-vehicle system suitable to operate an automated vehicle in a courteous or cooperative manner includes an object-detector and a controller. The object-detector is used by the host-vehicle to detect an other-vehicle attempting to enter a travel-lane traveled by the host-vehicle. The controller is in communication with the object-detector. The controller is configured to control motion of the host-vehicle. The controller is also configured to adjust a present-vector of the host-vehicle to allow the other-vehicle to enter the travel-lane. The decision to take some action to allow the other vehicle to enter the travel-lane may be further based on secondary considerations such as how long the other-vehicle has waited, a classification of the other-vehicle (e.g. an ambulance), an assessment of how any action by the host-vehicle would affect nearby vehicles, the intent of the other-vehicle, and/or a measure traffic-density proximate to the host-vehicle.

Claims

1. A cooperative-vehicle system suitable to operate an automated vehicle, said system comprising:

an object-detector used by the host-vehicle to detect an other-vehicle attempting to enter a travel-lane traveled by the host-vehicle;

a controller in communication with the object-detector, said controller configured to control motion of the host-vehicle, determine a wait-time that the other-vehicle has waited to enter the travel-lane, and adjust a present-vector of the host-vehicle to allow the other-vehicle to enter the travel-lane when the wait-time is greater than a time-threshold, wherein the controller is further configured to stop the host-vehicle when the wait-time of the other-vehicle is greater than a time-threshold.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the present-vector of the host-vehicle by one of a vehicle-stop, a speed-change, a lane-change, and a combination of speed-change and lane-change.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the object-detector is used by the controller to determine a traffic-density of the travel-lane, and the controller is further configured to adjust the present-vector of the host-vehicle to allow the other-vehicle to enter the travel-lane when the traffic-density is greater than a density-threshold.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the object-detector is used by the controller to determine a classification of the other-vehicle, and the controller is further configured to adjust the present-vector to allow the other-vehicle to enter the travel-lane when the classification is one of an emergency-vehicle and a public-transportation-vehicle.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the object-detector is used by the controller to detect an approaching-vehicle approaching the host-vehicle from behind, and the controller is further configured to not stop the host-vehicle when the approaching-vehicle would collide with the host-vehicle if the host-vehicle stopped.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the system includes a transceiver used to communicate information about the other-vehicle to the controller.

7. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the information includes a classification of the other-vehicle, and the controller is further configured to adjust the present-vector to allow the other-vehicle to enter the travel-lane when the classification is one of an emergency-vehicle and a public-transportation-vehicle.

8. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the transceiver is also used to communicate information about an approaching-vehicle approaching the host-vehicle from behind, and the controller is further configured to not stop the host-vehicle when the approaching-vehicle would collide with the host-vehicle if the host-vehicle stopped.

9. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the transceiver is also used to broadcast that the host-vehicle is searching for a place to park, receive an indication that the other-vehicle is waiting to exit a parking-spot, and the controller is further configured to adjust the present-vector of the host-vehicle to allow the other-vehicle to exit the parking-spot, and enter the parking-spot after the other-vehicle is clear of the parking-spot.