Determination of road conditions using sensors associated with a vehicle

• US 10,262,477 B1
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Inventors: Nguyen, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US15/368,501
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A system for determining road conditions includes an input interface and a processor. The input interface is configured to receive sensor data from one or more sensors. The processor is configured to determine vehicle maneuver data based at least in part on the sensor data; determine a road slipperiness value based at least in part on the vehicle maneuver data; and update an event detection threshold based at least in part on the road slipperiness value.

Claims

1. A system for determining road conditions, comprising:

an input interface configured to;

receive sensor data from one or more sensors; and

a processor configured to;

determine vehicle maneuver data associated with a current vehicle stopping maneuver based at least in part on the sensor data;

retrieve historical vehicle maneuver data associated with one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances;

determine a road slipperiness value for the current vehicle stopping maneuver based at least in part on the vehicle maneuver data and the historical vehicle maneuver data, wherein the historical vehicle maneuver data comprises a road slipperiness value for each historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instance of the one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances; and

update an event detection threshold based at least in part on the road slipperiness value for the current vehicle stopping maneuver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle maneuver data comprises a parameterized model of the sensor data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein determining the vehicle maneuver data comprises selecting the parameterized model from a set of one or more parameterized models.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein determining the vehicle maneuver data comprises determining one or more parameters of the parameterized model.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein a parameter of the parameterized model is associated with the road slipperiness value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle maneuver data comprises historical vehicle maneuver data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein retrieving the historical vehicle maneuver data comprises selecting the one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances based at least in part on the vehicle maneuver data associated with the current vehicle stopping maneuver.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instance of the one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances is associated with the road slipperiness value for the current vehicle stopping maneuver.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances comprises two or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data is received from one or more of the following:

an accelerometer, a brake system, an anti-lock braking system, a traction control system, or a drive wheel speed controller.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data comprises one or more of the following:

an acceleration magnitude, a stopping time, a stopping distance, an anti-lock braking system activation pattern, a drive wheel speed differential, or a traction control system activation pattern.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further to determine a road slipperiness category.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further to cause storage of the road slipperiness value for the current vehicle stopping maneuver.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further to determine vehicle maintenance information based at least in part on the road slipperiness value for the current stopping maneuver.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further to determine a road slipperiness anomaly based at least in part on a set of road slipperiness values determined from the sensor data measured at different locations.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the road slipperiness anomaly comprises one or more of following:

a fluid spill on the road, a trash spill on the road, a pile of leaves on the road, or an animal on the road.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the event detection threshold is one of a plurality of event detection thresholds.

18. A method for determining road conditions, comprising:

receiving sensor data from one or more sensors;

determining, using a processor, vehicle maneuver data associated with a current vehicle stopping maneuver based at least in part on the sensor data;

retrieving historical vehicle maneuver data associated with one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances;

determining a road slipperiness value for the current vehicle stopping maneuver based at least in part on the vehicle maneuver data and the historical vehicle maneuver data, wherein the historical vehicle maneuver data comprises a road slipperiness value for each historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instance of the one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances; and

updating an event detection threshold based at least in part on the road slipperiness value for the current stopping maneuver.

19. A computer program product for determining road conditions, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving sensor data from one or more sensors;

determining vehicle maneuver data associated with a current vehicle stopping maneuver based at least in part on the sensor data;

retrieving historical vehicle maneuver data associated with one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances;

determining a road slipperiness value for the current vehicle stopping maneuver based at least in part on the vehicle maneuver data and the historical vehicle maneuver data, wherein the historical vehicle maneuver data comprises a road slipperiness value for each historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instance of the one or more historical vehicle stopping maneuver data instances; and

updating an event detection threshold based at least in part on the road slipperiness value for the current vehicle stopping maneuver.