System for supporting emergency vehicle using drone

• US 10,223,914 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HL Klemove Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Man Bok
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US15/482,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20170301234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 3/00 Ambulance aspects of vehicles; Vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances, e.g. for facilitating access of, or for loading, wheelchairs
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 3/006 Means for reducing the influence of acceleration on patients, e.g. suspension systems of platforms securing loads against shocks in general B60P7/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/094 Hardware aspects; Signal processing or signal properties, e.g. frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• 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 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 : Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 : Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/04 : Electric megaphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 : for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 : Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Disclosed are an emergency vehicle supporting device and system using a drone that resolve forward traffic congestion on a road on which an emergency vehicle is driving via the drone and supports securing of a driving path for the emergency vehicle. According to the present invention, an emergency vehicle supporting device mounted on the emergency vehicle generates drone control information and transmits the generated drone control information to the drone. Further, the drone flies according to the drone control information and a location change of the emergency vehicle and broadcasts an avoidance warning to surrounding vehicles around the flying drone, so that the surrounding vehicles may help the emergency vehicle secure a driving path and thus the emergency vehicle may arrive at a destination within a desired time.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supporting an emergency vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a supporting information acquisition unit configured to receive signals for (i) information on a target relative distance from a drone and (ii) information on a target path for the emergency vehicle from a driver of the emergency vehicle; and

a drone control information generation unit configured to

generate, in response to the received signals, drone control information including a progress path to a destination of the emergency vehicle, the target relative distance, and the target path and

transmit the generated drone control information and GPS information of the emergency vehicle to the drone, and

control the drone to

fly in the target relative distance away from the emergency vehicle, and

remotely broadcast an avoidance warning to surrounding vehicles which drive in front of the emergency vehicle, the avoidance warning including information on the target path for the emergency vehicle and avoidance paths for the surrounding vehicles.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drone control information generation unit controls the drone to generate a flight path for the drone based on the drone control information transmitted to the drone and to fly along the generated flight path according to a change in the GPS information of the emergency vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drone control information generation unit controls the drone to fly above a lane or a lane line corresponding to the target path for the emergency vehicle while maintaining the target relative distance from the emergency vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drone control information generation unit transmits a voice message of a driver of the emergency vehicle to the drone and controls the drone to broadcast the voice message in real time.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drone control information generation unit receives feedback of avoidance state information of surrounding vehicles that drive in front of the emergency vehicle from the drone.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the drone control information generation unit generates drone control information, of which at least one of the progress path to the destination, the target relative distance, and the target path is changed based on the received feedback of the avoidance state information and transmits the drone control information to the drone.

7. A drone for supporting an emergency vehicle, the drone comprising:

a flight path generation unit configured to

receive signals for drone control information including (i) a progress path to a destination of the emergency vehicle, (i) a target relative distance from the emergency vehicle, and (iii) a target path for the emergency vehicle from the emergency vehicle, and

generate a flight path based on the received signals for drone control information; and

a drone control unit configured to

control a flight in the target relative distance away from the emergency vehicle, based on the generated flight path and GPS information of the emergency vehicle, and

broadcast an avoidance warning to surrounding vehicles which drive on the target path for the emergency vehicle.

8. The drone of claim 7, wherein the drone control unit controls a flight above a lane or a lane line corresponding to the target path for the emergency vehicle while maintaining the target relative distance from the emergency vehicle.

9. The drone of claim 7, wherein the drone control unit broadcasts the avoidance warning including information on the target path for the emergency vehicle and avoidance paths for surrounding vehicles that drive in front of the emergency vehicle.

10. The drone of claim 7, wherein the drone control unit broadcasts the avoidance warning to the surrounding vehicles located within a predetermined distance from the drone through a communication device identical to an inter-vehicle communication device mounted on the emergency vehicle.

11. The drone of claim 7, wherein the drone control unit acquires avoidance state information of surrounding vehicles driving in front of the emergency vehicle and transmits the avoidance state information to the emergency vehicle.

12. The drone of claim 11, wherein, when the avoidance state information is transmitted to the emergency vehicle, the drone control unit receives drone control information, of which at least one of the progress path to the destination of the emergency vehicle, the target relative distance from the emergency vehicle, and the target path for the emergency vehicle is changed, from the emergency vehicle and controls a flight based on the received drone control information.

13. A system for supporting an emergency vehicle using a drone, the system comprising:

the drone; and

an emergency vehicle supporting device configured to

receive signals for (i) information on a target relative distance from a drone and (ii) information on a target path for the emergency vehicle from a driver of the emergency vehicle,

generate, in response to the received signals, drone control information including a progress path to a destination of the emergency vehicle, the target relative distance, and the target path, and

transmit the generated drone control information and GPS information of the emergency vehicle to the drone,

wherein the emergency vehicle supporting device is configured to control the drone to remotely broadcast an avoidance warning to surrounding vehicles which drive in front of the emergency vehicle while the drone is controlled to be flying in the target relative distance away from the emergency vehicle based on the drone control information received from the emergency vehicle supporting device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the drone generates a flight path based on the drone control information and flies along the generated flight path according to a change in GPS information of the emergency vehicle.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the drone flies over a lane or a lane line corresponding to the target path for the emergency vehicle while maintaining the target relative distance from the emergency vehicle.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the drone broadcasts the avoidance warning including information on the target path for the emergency vehicle and avoidance paths for the surrounding vehicles driving in front of the emergency vehicle.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the drone is equipped with a communication device equal to an inter-vehicle communication device mounted on the emergency vehicle and transmits the avoidance warning to vehicles located within a predetermined distance from the drone through the communication device.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the drone receives a voice message of the driver of the emergency vehicle and broadcasts the received voice message in real time.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the emergency vehicle supporting device transmits an avoidance warning broadcast stop instruction of the drone to the drone according to an input of the driver of the emergency vehicle.