Selective actions in a vehicle based on detected ambient hazard noises

• US 10,152,884 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Frederick, Scott L., Robison, Scott P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nwugo, Ojiako K
• Application Number:
  US15/483,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20180293886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 340902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

Provided is a device and method for selective announcement of hazard-noise signals detected in ambient vehicle-noise environments are disclosed. The device and method provide for monitoring an ambient vehicle-noise environment for a hazard-noise signal. Upon detecting the hazard-noise signal, determining whether a source location of the hazard-noise signal closes on a monitoring location of the ambient vehicle-noise environment. When the source location of the hazard-noise signal closes on the monitoring location, generating announcement data relating to the hazard-noise signal, and transmitting the announcement data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, using one or more audible sensors of a vehicle, an environment of the vehicle;

identifying, using first data acquired by the one or more audible sensors, a hazard-noise signal indicative of a hazard noise being detected in the environment;

upon identifying the hazard-noise signal, performing the following;

determining a first relative location associated with a source of the hazard noise;

determining, using second data acquired subsequent to the first data by at least one of the one or more audible sensors, a second relative location;

sensing the location of the source with another sensor to produce additional sensor data;

comparing the additional sensor data with the data corresponding to any one of the first relative location and the second relative location of the source; and

when the additional sensor data compares favorably with the data, corroborate the first relative location or the second relative location of the source;

in response to the first relative location and second relative location being corroborated, determining, using the first relative location and second relative location, a vector having a magnitude and direction relative to the location of the vehicle; and

determining, using the identified vector, whether a location of the source of the hazard noise closes on a location of the vehicle; and

when the location of the source of the hazard noise closes on the location of the vehicle, performing the following;

generating, via one or more processors of the vehicle, announcement data relating to the hazard-noise signal; and

transmitting, via the one or more processors of the vehicle, the announcement data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring the environment of the vehicle further comprises:

acquiring a plurality of ambient signals by the one or more audible sensors of the vehicle to produce a plurality of received signal data; and

filtering the plurality of received signal data using a characteristic filter parameter related to the hazard-noise signal to produce filtered signal data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is capable of an autonomous vehicle operation.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

when the vehicle operates under the autonomous vehicle operation and the source of the hazard noise closes on the location of the vehicle, initiating a handover sequence from the autonomous vehicle operation to a manual vehicle operation.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting the announcement data further comprises:

when the vehicle operates under the autonomous vehicle operation, transmitting data for receipt by a powertrain control unit being operable to render powertrain control data for an autonomous response to the data, the autonomous response being any one of a lane change or pulling the vehicle to a side of a road upon which the vehicle is operating.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the another sensor comprises at least one of:

a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor;

radar sensor; and

visual sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hazard-noise signal comprises at least one of:

an emergency vehicle siren signal;

a vehicle horn warning signal; and

an audio signal indicative of a collision impact.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the announcement data further comprises at least one of:

visually announcing the announcement data via a vehicle display; and

audibly announcing the announcement data via a vehicle audio device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the announcement data comprises:

audibly conveying the exterior hazard-noise signal to the vehicle cabin via the vehicle audio device.

10. A method comprising:

monitoring, via data obtained by one or more audible sensors of a vehicle capable of an autonomous vehicle operation, an environment of the vehicle to identify at least one hazard-noise signal indicative of a hazard noise being detected in the environment of the vehicle;

upon identifying the at least one hazard-noise signal, performing the following;

determining a location of a source of the hazard noise relative to a location of the vehicle;

determining whether the location of the source of the hazard noise closes on the location of the vehicle by;

sensing the location of the source with another sensor to produce additional data;

comparing the additional data with a plurality of reference data; and

when the additional data compares favorably with one of the plurality of reference data, generating corroboration data for corroborating the location of the source via the another sensor; and

in response to the location of the source being corroborated and when the location of the source of the hazard noise closes on the location of the vehicle, performing the following;

determining one or more maneuvers to execute including at least one of executing a lane change and pulling over the vehicle; and

controlling one or more vehicle components to execute the one or more maneuvers, whereby, in executing the one or more maneuvers, the vehicle yields to the source of the hazard noise.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring the environment of the vehicle further comprises:

generating a plurality of ambient signals by one or more audible sensors of the vehicle to produce a plurality of received signal data;

filtering the plurality of received signal data with a plurality of characteristic filter parameters, each of the plurality of characteristic filter parameters relating to each of a plurality of hazard-noise signals including the at least one hazard-noise signal to produce filtered signal data; and

when the filtered signal data includes the at least one hazard-noise signal, indicating the identification of the at least one hazard-noise signal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the another sensor comprises at least one of:

a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor;

radar sensor; and

visual sensor.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

when the location of the source of the hazard noise closes on the location of the vehicle, initiating a handover sequence from the autonomous vehicle operation to a manual vehicle operation.

14. The method of claim 10;

further comprising;

generating announcement data corresponding to the hazard-noise signal, the announcement data providing an indication of the identification of the hazard-noise signal to one or more occupants of the vehicle; and

performing at least one of the following;

visually announcing the announcement data via a vehicle display; and

audibly announcing the announcement data via a vehicle audio device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein audibly announcing the announcement data via the vehicle audio device comprises:

audibly conveying the exterior hazard-noise signal to the vehicle cabin via the vehicle audio device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the hazard noise is a siren.

17. A vehicle control unit comprising:

a wireless communication interface to service communication with a vehicle network;

a processor communicably coupled to the wireless communication interface; and

memory communicably coupled to the processor and storing;

an ambient vehicle-noise environment module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

monitor, using one or more audible sensors of a vehicle, an environment to

identify, using first data acquired by the one or more audible sensors, a hazard-noise signal indicative of a hazard noise being detected in the environment; and

upon the identification of the at least one hazard-noise signal, generate a hazard-noise detection signal;

a source location tracking module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

responsive to the generation of the hazard-noise detection signal;

determine a first relative location associated with a source of the hazard noise;

determine, using second data acquired subsequent to the first data by at least one of the one or more audible sensors, a second relative location;

sense the location of the source with another sensor to produce additional sensor data;

compare the additional sensor data with the data corresponding to any one of the first relative location and the second relative location of the source;

when the additional sensor data compares favorably with the data, corroborate the first relative location or the second relative location of the source;

in response to the first relative location and second relative location being corroborated, determine, using the first relative location and second relative location, a vector having a magnitude and direction relative to the location of the vehicle; and

determine, using the identified vector, whether a location of the source of the hazard noise is in a dynamic closing relation with respect to a location of the vehicle; and

generate, based on the dynamic closing relation, closing data operable to indicate the dynamic closing relation;

an announcement module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

when the closing data indicates the location of the source closes on the location of the vehicle, perform the following;

generate announcement data relating to the at least one hazard-noise signal; and

transmit the announcement data to alert an occupant of the vehicle of the identification of the hazard-noise signal.

18. The vehicle control unit of claim 17, wherein the memory further stores:

a hazard-noise filter module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a plurality of received signal data from audible sensor data produced via a pickup pattern of the one or more audible sensors;

filter the plurality of received signal data with a plurality of characteristic filter parameters, each of the plurality of characteristic filter parameters respectively relating to each of the plurality of hazard-noise signals to produce filtered signal data; and

when the filtered signal data includes the at least one hazard-noise signal, indicating the identification of the at least one hazard-noise signal.