Virtual barrier system

• US 10,223,912 B1
• Filed: 12/13/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motional AD, LLC (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Divya, Hilnbrand, Brian R., Laur, Michael H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bee, Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US15/840,112
• Time in Patent Office: 447 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 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• 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 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A virtual-barrier system that defines a keep-out-zone for vehicles to avoid includes a transmitter, a location-detector, and a controller. The transmitter is configured to broadcast information regarding a keep-out-zone. The location-detector is configured to indicate a location of the transmitter. The controller is in communication with the transmitter and the location-detector. The controller is configured to determine boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the location, and operate the transmitter to broadcast coordinates of the boundaries of the keep-out-zone.

Claims

1. A virtual-barrier system that defines a keep-out-zone for vehicles to avoid, said system comprising:

a transmitter, said transmitter configured to broadcast information regarding a keep-out-zone on a roadway traveled by other-vehicles;

a location-detector, said location-detector configured to indicate a location of the transmitter; and

a controller in communication with the transmitter and the location-detector, said controller configured to determine boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the location, and operate the transmitter to broadcast coordinates of the boundaries of the keep-out-zone to the other-vehicles on the roadway, wherein the system includes a proximity-detector, said proximity-detector configured to indicate that an object has approached an edge of the keep-out-zone, and the controller is configured to adjust the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object has approached the edge of the keep-out-zone.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the system includes a door-detector, said door-detector configured to indicate a door-status of an access-door of a host-vehicle, said door-status includes open and closed, and the controller is configured to determine the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the door-status.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to expand the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object has approached the edge of the keep-out-zone from within the keep-out-zone.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to expand the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object is a person who has approached the edge of the keep-out-zone from outside of the keep-out-zone.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the location-detector is configured to indicate a motion-vector of a host-vehicle, and the controller is configured to adjust the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the motion-vector.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the system includes one or more safety-markers, and the controller is configured to define the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a position of each of the one or more safety-markers.

7. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the transmitter is attached to a host-vehicle, and the position of each of the one or more safety-markers is determined with respect to the location of the transmitter.

8. The system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the location-detector is attached to the host-vehicle.

9. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the transmitter is attached to one instance of the one or more safety-markers.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the location-detector is attached to one instance of the one or more safety-markers.

11. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to update a digital-map in accordance with the boundaries of the keep-out-zone, and the digital-map is available to other-vehicles.

12. A controller for a virtual-barrier system that defines a keep-out-zone for vehicles to avoid, said controller comprising:

a processor, said processor configured to communicate with a transmitter, said transmitter configured to broadcast information regarding a keep-out-zone on a roadway traveled by other-vehicles, and a location-detector, said location-detector configured to indicate a location of the transmitter, said processor configured to determine boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the location, and operate the transmitter to broadcast coordinates of the boundaries of the keep-out-zone to the other-vehicles on the roadway, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with a proximity-detector, said proximity-detector configured to indicate that an object has approached an edge of the keep-out-zone, and said processor is configured to adjust the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object has approached the edge of the keep-out-zone.

13. The controller in accordance with claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with a door-detector, said door-detector configured to indicate a door-status of an access-door of a host-vehicle, said door-status includes open and closed, and said processor is configured to determine the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the door-status.

14. The controller in accordance with claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to expand the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object has approached the edge of the keep-out-zone from within the keep-out-zone.

15. The controller in accordance with claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to expand the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object is a person who has approached the edge of the keep-out-zone from outside of the keep-out-zone.

16. The controller in accordance with claim 12, wherein the location-detector is configured to indicate a motion-vector of a host-vehicle, and the processor is configured to adjust the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the motion-vector.

17. The controller in accordance with claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with one or more safety-markers, and the processor is configured to define boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a position of each of the one or more safety-markers.

18. The controller in accordance with claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to operate the transmitter to update a digital-map in accordance with the boundaries of the keep-out-zone, and the digital-map is available to other-vehicles.

19. A method of operating a virtual-barrier system that defines a keep-out-zone for vehicles to avoid, said method comprising:

determining a location of a transmitter using a location-device, said transmitter configured to broadcast information regarding a keep-out-zone on a roadway traveled by other-vehicles;

determining boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the location;

indicating that a proximity-detector detected an object approaching an edge of the keep-out-zone;

adjusting the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object is approaching the edge of the keep-out-zone; and

broadcasting coordinates of the boundaries of the keep-out-zone to the other-vehicles on the roadway using the transmitter.

20. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the method includes determining a door-status an access-door of a host-vehicle indicated by a door-detector;

and determining the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the door-status.

21. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the method includes

expanding the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object is approaching the edge of the keep-out-zone from within the keep-out-zone.

22. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the method includes

expanding the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a determination that the object is a person who is approaching the edge of the keep-out-zone from outside of the keep-out-zone.

23. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the method includes

determining, with the location-detector, a motion-vector of a host-vehicle;

and

adjusting the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with the motion-vector.

24. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the method includes

defining the boundaries of the keep-out-zone in accordance with a position of each of one or more safety-markers.

25. The method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the method includes

determining the position of each of the one or more safety-markers with respect to the location of the transmitter.

26. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the method includes updating a digital-map in accordance with the boundaries of the keep-out-zone.