System and method for driving assistance along a path

• US 10,140,861 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Manish, Sastry, Ramesha Chelur Ramachandra, Chintalapoodi, Pramod, Tanaka, Sho
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US15/674,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20170345299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 340905, 340988, 3409951, 340936, 340435, 340436, 701 70, 701 93, 701 96
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 9/00 Reinforcements or ply arrangement of pneumatic tyres inserts having reinforcing means B60C5/08; bead structure, e.g. turnup or overlap construction, B60C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096708 where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 : involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 : Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

Various aspects of a system and method for driving assistance along a path are disclosed herein. In accordance with an embodiment, a unique identifier is received from a communication device at an electronic control unit (ECU) of a first vehicle. The unique identifier is received when the first vehicle has reached a first location along a first portion of the path. A communication channel is established between the first vehicle and the communication device based on the received unique identifier. Data associated with a second portion of the path is received by the ECU from the communication device based on the established communication channel. Alert information associated with the second portion of the path is generated by the ECU based on the received data.

Claims

1. A driving assistance system, comprising:

circuitry in an electronic control unit of a first vehicle, wherein said circuitry is configured to;

receive a unique identifier associated with said first vehicle from a first communication device based on a first location reached by said first vehicle, wherein said first location is along a first portion of a path;

establish a communication channel between said first vehicle and said first communication device based on said received unique identifier;

receive data associated with a second portion of said path from said first communication device, wherein the second portion is invisible from said first location; and

display, on a display device, first information associated with said second portion of said path, wherein the first information is displayed based on said received data.

2. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to communicate sensor data to said first communication device.

3. The driving assistance system according to claim 2, wherein said communicated sensor data comprises at least one of a direction of travel, lane information in which said first vehicle drives, a type of said first vehicle, a size of said first vehicle, a weight of said first vehicle, error information of a device embedded in said first vehicle, breakdown information of said first vehicle, a geospatial position, a steering angle, a yaw rate, a speed, or a rate of change of speed of said first vehicle.

4. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said received data associated with said second portion of said path comprises road surface characteristics of said path and at least one road hazard along said path.

5. The driving assistance system according to claim 4, wherein said road surface characteristics comprise at least one of an upward slope, a downward slope, a bank angle, a curvature, a boundary, a speed limit, a road texture, a pothole, a lane marking, or a width of said second portion of said path.

6. The driving assistance system according to claim 4, wherein said at least one road hazard comprises at least one of an obstacle, an animal, a landslide, or a second vehicle, wherein said second vehicle is on said second portion of said path.

7. The driving assistance system according to claim 6, wherein said circuitry is further configured to:

determine a threshold speed based on said road surface characteristics of said path; and

generate said first information based on one of a current speed of said second vehicle that is higher than said threshold speed or said second vehicle that crosses a lane marking along said second portion of said path.

8. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to display a combined view of said first portion and said first information on said display device.

9. The driving assistance system according to claim 8, wherein said combined view comprises at least one feature based on said received data from said first communication device, wherein said at least one feature comprises at least one of an indication of a second vehicle based on a vehicle type, a size, and a position along said second portion of said path, an indication of a current speed of said second vehicle, an indication of a current distance to pass said second vehicle, an indication of a required change in speed of said first vehicle to pass said second portion of said path, or an indication of at least one road hazard on said second portion of said path.

10. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to receive said data associated with said second portion of said path from at least one second communication device different from said first communication device.

11. A driving assistance system, comprising:

circuitry in a communication device, wherein said circuitry is configured to;

determine whether a first vehicle has reached a first location along a first portion of a path;

communicate a first unique identifier associated with said first vehicle to said first vehicle based on said determination that said first vehicle has reached said first location;

establish a first communication channel between said first vehicle and said communication device based on said first unique identifier; and

communicate first data associated with a second portion of said path to said first vehicle, wherein the second portion is invisible from said first location; and

wherein information associated with said second portion of said path based on said communicated first data is displayed on a display device.

12. The driving assistance system according to claim 11, wherein said circuitry is further configured to:

communicate a second unique identifier to a second vehicle based on a second location reached by said second vehicle, wherein said second location is along said second portion of said path; and

establish a second communication channel between said second vehicle and said communication device based on said second unique identifier.

13. The driving assistance system according to claim 12, wherein said circuitry is further configured to communicate second data associated with said first portion of said path to said second vehicle.

14. The driving assistance system according to claim 11, wherein said circuitry is further configured to receive sensor data from at least of said first vehicle or a second vehicle, wherein said second vehicle is on said second portion of said path.

15. The driving assistance system according to claim 14, wherein said circuitry is further configured to communicate a warning signal to at least one of said first vehicle or said second vehicle based on detection of at least one of said first vehicle or said second vehicle along an opposing traffic lane of said path.

16. The driving assistance system according to claim 11, wherein said communication device is one of an electronic control unit of a second vehicle, a mobile unit, or a road-side unit.

17. The driving assistance system according to claim 11, wherein said circuitry is further configured to communicate said first unique identifier based on one of a direction of travel of said first vehicle, lane information of said first vehicle, or a vehicle type of said first vehicle.

18. The driving assistance system according to claim 11, wherein said communicated first unique identifier is configured to expire based on a second location reached by said first vehicle, wherein said second location is along said second portion of said path.

19. A method for providing driving assistance, said method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle, a unique identifier associated with said vehicle from a communication device based on a location reached by said vehicle, wherein said location is along a first portion of a path;

establishing, by said ECU, a communication channel between said vehicle and said communication device based on said received unique identifier;

receiving, by said ECU, data associated with a second portion of said path from said communication device, wherein the second portion is invisible from said location reached by said vehicle; and

displaying, on a display device, information associated with said second portion of said path, wherein the information is displayed based on said received data.

20. A method for providing driving assistance, said method comprising:

determining, by a communication device, whether a vehicle has reached a location along a first portion of a path;

communicating, by said communication device, a unique identifier associated with said vehicle to said vehicle based on said determination that said vehicle has reached said location;

establish a communication channel between said vehicle and said communication device based on said unique identifier; and

communicating, by said communication device, data associated with a second portion of said path to said vehicle, wherein the second portion is invisible from said location; and

wherein information associated with said second portion of said path based on said communicated data is displayed on a display device.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, said operations comprising:

receiving, at an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle, a unique identifier associated with said vehicle from a communication device based on a location reached by said vehicle, wherein said location is along a first portion of a path;

establishing a communication channel between said vehicle and said communication device based on said received unique identifier;

receiving data associated with a second portion of said path from said communication device, wherein the second portion is invisible from said location; and

displaying, on a display device, information associated with said second portion of said path, wherein the information is displayed based on said received data.

22. A vehicle, comprising:

a battery;

a display device; and

an electronic control unit configured to be powered by said battery, wherein said electronic control unit comprises circuitry that is configured to;

receive a unique identifier associated with said vehicle from a communication device based on a location reached by said vehicle, wherein said location is along a first portion of a path;

establish a communication channel between said vehicle and said communication device based on said received unique identifier;

receive data associated with a second portion of said path from said communication device, wherein the second portion is invisible from said location; and

display, on said display device, information associated with said second portion of said path, based on said received data.