Vehicle sensor health monitoring

• US 10,262,475 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Smith, Joshua Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US15/410,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20180204398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction

Abstract

Techniques and examples pertaining to vehicle sensor health monitoring are described. A processor of a road-side station may receive first data from a vehicle and receive second data from one or more sensors associated with the road-side station. The processor may compare the first data and the second data. In response to a result of the comparing indicating a difference between the first data and the second data, the processor may generate a report.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a road-side station, first data from a vehicle;

receiving, by the processor, second data from one or more sensors associated with the road-side station at least one of which embedded in a road on which the vehicle travels, with the second data indicating at least ground truth positioning of the vehicle;

comparing, by the processor, the first data and the second data; and

generating, by the processor, a health score responsive to a result of the comparing indicating a difference between the first data and the second data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data comprises data related to vehicle positioning, weather monitoring, precipitation monitoring, anomaly detection, malevolent intention detection, or a combination thereof, collected by one or more sensors associated with the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data comprises data related to vehicle positioning, weather monitoring, precipitation monitoring, anomaly detection, malevolent intention detection, or a combination thereof, collected by the one or more sensors associated with the road-side station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the health score to the vehicle, a remote location, or both.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting the second data to one or more vehicles.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a health report from at least one vehicle of the one or more vehicles responsive to the broadcasting.

7. A method, comprising:

determining, by a processor associated with a vehicle, a condition with respect to one or more sensors associated with the vehicle, one or more algorithms utilized by the vehicle, or a combination thereof, using first data collected by the one or more sensors and second data associated with a road-side station, with the second data collected by one or more sensors embedded in a road on which the vehicle travels and indicating at least ground truth positioning of the vehicle; and

generating, by the processor, a health report indicating a result of the determining, the health report indicating inaccuracy or anomaly with respect to the one or more sensors associated with the vehicle, the one or more algorithms utilized by the vehicle, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first data comprises data related to vehicle positioning, weather monitoring, precipitation monitoring, anomaly detection, malevolent intention detection, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second data comprises data related to vehicle positioning, weather monitoring, precipitation monitoring, anomaly detection, malevolent intention detection, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving the first data from the one or more sensors; and

receiving the second data from the road-side station.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more sensors capable of collecting station sensor data;

a wireless transceiver capable of establishing wireless communications with one or more vehicles; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and the wireless transceiver, the processor capable of receiving the station sensor data from the one or more sensors, the processor also capable of communicating with the one or more vehicles through the wireless transceiver, the processor further capable of generating a health score indicating a condition associated with at least one vehicle of the one or more vehicles,

wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is embedded in a road on which the vehicle travels and capable of generating data indicating ground truth positioning of the vehicle.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the station sensor data comprises data related to vehicle positioning, weather monitoring, precipitation monitoring, anomaly detection, malevolent intention detection, or a combination thereof, collected by the one or more sensors.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, a radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensor, an infrared camera, a visible light camera, a road pressure sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a precipitation sensor, a ground condition sensor, a temperature sensor, a wind speed sensor, a wind direction sensor, a spectrum sensing device, or a combination thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver is capable of establishing the wireless communications with the one or more vehicles via a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further capable of transmitting the health score via the wireless transceiver to the at least one vehicle, a remote location, or both.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is capable of operating in an interactive mode with respect to the one or more vehicles by performing operations comprising:

receiving vehicle sensor data from the at least one vehicle of the one or more vehicles;

comparing the vehicle sensor data and the station sensor data;

generating the health score responsive to a result of the comparing indicating a difference between the vehicle sensor data and the station sensor data; and

transmitting, via the wireless transceiver, the health score to the at least one vehicle, a remote location, or both.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the vehicle sensor data comprises data related to vehicle positioning, weather monitoring, precipitation monitoring, anomaly detection, malevolent intention detection, or a combination thereof, collected by one or more sensors associated with the at least one vehicle.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is capable of operating in a broadcast mode with respect to the one or more vehicles by performing operations comprising:

broadcasting the station sensor data to the one or more vehicles.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is capable of operating in a hybrid mode with respect to the one or more vehicles by performing operations comprising:

broadcasting the station sensor data to the one or more vehicles; and

receiving a health report from the at least one vehicle of the one or more vehicles responsive to the broadcasting, the health report indicating inaccuracy or anomaly with respect to one or more sensors associated with the at least one vehicle, one or more algorithms implemented by the at least one vehicle, or a combination thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein, in broadcasting the station sensor data to the one or more vehicles, the processor is capable of broadcasting the station sensor data to the one or more vehicles with a request that triggers the at least one vehicle to provide the health report.