Methods and systems for processing local and cloud data in a vehicle and a cloud server for transmitting cloud data to vehicles

• US 10,139,834 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Bai, Fan, Grimm, Donald K., Mehta, Amit, Malkan, David D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US15/405,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20180196443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for receiving local data via a vehicle sensing module of a vehicle control system, receiving remote data via a cloud interface unit of the vehicle control system from a cloud server, and processing the local data and the remote data via a processing unit of the vehicle control system. Based on the processing of the local data and the remote data, at least one vehicle feature is controlled. The local data and the remote data are associated with processing priority levels. The processing unit varies a frequency of processing based on the processing priority levels. Further provided is a cloud server for transmitting remote data to a crowd of vehicles. The cloud server comprises a first module configured to allocate vehicles to a plurality of groups based at least on location data received from the vehicles. A second module of the cloud server is configured to determine different remote data for each group. A third module is configured to transmit the determined remote data to vehicles within each group.

Claims

1. A control system for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle sensing module configured to provide local data;

a cloud interface unit configured to provide remote data received from a cloud server, the cloud server is remote from the vehicle and processes data received from sources other than the vehicle;

a processing unit configured to process the local data and the remote data and to generate at least one vehicle control command based thereon; and

a vehicle control unit configured to control at least one vehicle feature based on the at least one vehicle control command,

wherein the remote data and the local data are associated with a processing priority level, wherein a first priority level is associated with the local data, and a second priority level is associated with the remote data, and the processing unit is configured to vary a frequency of processing of the remote data and the local data by decreasing the frequency of processing from the first priority level to the second priority level.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to control at least one of a steering control unit, an engine power control unit, a braking control unit and a driver interface unit based on the at least one vehicle control command.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the remote data received by the cloud interface unit is associated with data subjects, and wherein the remote data received by the cloud interface unit from the cloud server is filtered based at least partly on distance from the vehicle, and wherein different data subjects are filtered based on different distances from the vehicle.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sensing module includes an object detection unit configured to detect at least one object located outside of the vehicle and to provide object data based thereon, wherein the local data includes the object data.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle sensing module includes a vehicle to external device wireless communications unit configured to provide the local data, wherein the local data from the object detection unit is associated with a first sub-priority level of the first priority level and the local data from the vehicle to external device wireless communications unit is associated with a second sub-priority level of the first priority level, wherein the processing unit varies the frequency of processing of the local data by decreasing the frequency of processing from the first sub-priority level to the second sub-priority level.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the remote data includes road slip data, and wherein the road slip data is associated with a first sub-priority level of the second priority level.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the remote data includes road and lane closure data, and wherein the road and lane closure data is associated with a second sub-priority level of the second priority level, wherein the processing unit varies the frequency of processing of the remote data by decreasing the frequency of processing from the first sub-priority level to the second sub-priority level.

8. The control system of claim 7, wherein the remote data includes traffic congestion data, and wherein the traffic congestion data is associated with a third sub-priority level of the second priority level, wherein the processing unit varies the frequency of processing of the remote data by decreasing the frequency of processing from the second sub-priority level to the third sub-priority level.

9. A vehicle control method, comprising:

receiving local data via at least one vehicle sensor of a vehicle control system;

receiving remote data via a cloud interface unit of the vehicle control system from a cloud server, the cloud server is remote from the vehicle and processes data received from sources other than the vehicle;

processing the local data and the remote data via a processing unit of the vehicle control system;

based on the processing of the local data and the remote data, controlling at least one responsive vehicle feature,

wherein the remote data and the local data are associated with a processing priority level, wherein a first priority level is associated with the local data, and a second priority level is associated with the remote data, and the processing comprises varying a frequency of processing of the remote data and the local data by decreasing the frequency of processing from the first priority level to the second priority level.

10. The vehicle control method of claim 9, wherein the controlling step comprises controlling at least one of a steering operation via a steering control unit, a braking operation via a braking control unit, an engine power operation via an engine power control unit and a driver alert via a driver interface unit based on the at least one vehicle control command.

11. The vehicle control method of claim 9, comprising associating the remote data received by the cloud interface unit with data subjects, filtering based at least partly on distance from the vehicle, via the cloud server, so that the remote data received by the cloud interface unit from the cloud server is filtered based at least partly on distance from the vehicle, and wherein different data subjects are filtered based on different distances from the vehicle.

12. The vehicle control method of claim 9, further comprising:

allocating, via the cloud server, vehicles to a plurality of groups based at least on location data including allocating said vehicle to one of the plurality of groups;

determining, via the cloud server, different remote data for each group;

transmitting the determined remote data to vehicles within each group including said vehicle so that remote data is received via the cloud interface unit of the vehicle from the cloud server.

13. The vehicle control method of claim 9, wherein the local data includes data on objects located outside of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle control method of claim 13, wherein the local data includes data received from at least one external wireless device via a vehicle to external device wireless communication unit, wherein the data on objects located outside of the vehicle is associated with a first sub-priority level of the first priority level and the local data from the vehicle to external device wireless communications unit is associated with a second sub-priority level of the first priority level, wherein the varying the frequency of processing of the local data comprises decreasing the frequency of processing from the first sub-priority level to the second sub-priority level.

15. The vehicle control method of claim 9, wherein the remote data includes road slip data, and wherein the road slip data is associated with a first sub-priority level of the second priority level.

16. The vehicle control method of claim 15, wherein the remote data includes road and lane closure data, and wherein the road and lane closure data is associated with a second sub-priority level of the second priority level, wherein the varying the frequency of processing of the remote data comprises decreasing the frequency of processing from the first sub-priority level to the second sub-priority level.

17. The vehicle control method of claim 16, wherein the remote data includes traffic congestion data, and wherein the traffic congestion data is associated with a third sub-priority level of the second priority level, wherein the varying the frequency of processing of the remote data comprises decreasing the frequency of processing from the second sub-priority level to the third sub-priority level.