Apparatus, method and computer program for enabling control of a vehicle

• US 10,046,767 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Tuukkanen, Marko, Beaurepaire, Jerome, Aarnio, Ari
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, CALVIN K
• Application Number:
  US15/105,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20160318516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2900/00 Indexing codes relating to the purpose of, or problem solved of road vehicle drive control systems not otherwise provided for in groups B60W30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 Propelling the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0015 specially adapted for safety
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• 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 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 : for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 : Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer program the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry (5); and memory circuitry (7) including computer program code (11); the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus at least to perform: obtaining information from a plurality of sensors wherein the plurality of sensors are located on a plurality of vehicles; analyzing the obtained information to determine whether at least one vehicle is exposed to risk; and if it is determined that at least one vehicle is exposed to risk, enabling one or more of the plurality of vehicles to activate a defensive mode of operation.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry; and

memory circuitry including computer program code;

the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

obtaining information from a plurality of sensors wherein the plurality of sensors are located on a plurality of vehicles;

analysing the obtained information to determine whether at least one vehicle is exposed to risk; and

after it is determined that at least one vehicle is exposed to risk, enabling one or more of the plurality of vehicles to activate a defensive mode of operation wherein the defensive mode of operation comprises causing notification of one or more other vehicles located so as to encounter a person or object that created the risk in order to facilitate monitoring of the person or object that created the risk by the one or more other vehicles.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one vehicle is determined to be exposed to risk if the information obtained from the plurality of sensors comprises a predetermined pattern.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one vehicle is determined to be at risk if the information obtained from the plurality of sensors is above a threshold.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the information obtained from the plurality of sensors enables an activity of at least one person to be monitored.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the information which is obtained is analysed to define a category of risk which at least one vehicle is exposed to.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein functions performed in the defensive mode of operation are determined by the category of risk to which the at least one vehicle is exposed.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the defensive mode of operation comprises providing information to other vehicles.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the defensive mode of operation comprises contacting users of vehicles.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the defensive mode of operation further comprises autonomously controlling at least one vehicle to move away from the risk.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is further caused to identify the person or object that created the risk.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is caused to cause notification of one or more other vehicles located in a direction in which the person or object that created the risk is heading.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is embodied by a vehicle.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus embodied by a server that is configured to communicate with at least one vehicle.

12. An apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry; and

memory circuitry including computer program code;

the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

obtaining information from a plurality of sensors wherein the plurality of sensors are located on a plurality of vehicles;

analysing the obtained information to determine whether at least one vehicle is exposed to risk; and

after it is determined that at least one vehicle is exposed to risk, enabling one or more of the plurality of vehicles to activate a defensive mode of operation wherein the defensive mode of operation comprises autonomously controlling at least one vehicle to move away from the risk, wherein the defensive mode of operation further comprises autonomously controlling at least one vehicle to move back to its original location if the risk is removed.

15. A method comprising:

obtaining information from a plurality of sensors wherein the plurality of sensors are located on a plurality of vehicles;

analysing the obtained information to determine whether at least one vehicle is exposed to risk; and

after it is determined that at least one vehicle is exposed to risk, enabling one or more of the plurality of vehicles to activate a defensive mode of operation wherein the defensive mode of operation comprises causing notification of one or more other vehicles located so as to encounter a person or object that created the risk in order to facilitate monitoring of the person or object that created the risk by the one or more other vehicles.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the defensive mode of operation further comprises autonomously controlling at least one vehicle to move away from the risk.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 further comprising identifying the person or object that created the risk.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, enable:

obtaining information from a plurality of sensors wherein the plurality of sensors are located on a plurality of vehicles;

analysing the obtained information to determine whether at least one vehicle is exposed to risk; and

after it is determined that at least one vehicle is exposed to risk, enabling one or more of the plurality of vehicles to activate a defensive mode of operation wherein the defensive mode of operation comprises causing notification of one or more other vehicles located so as to encounter a person or object that created the risk in order to facilitate monitoring of the person or object that created the risk by the one or more other vehicles.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 18 wherein the defensive mode of operation further comprises autonomously controlling at least one vehicle to move away from the risk.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 18 wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by processing circuitry, further enable identifying the person or object that created the risk.