Vehicle safety system

• US 10,286,906 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Williams, Matthew, Sun, Bo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Application Number:
  US15/413,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20180208188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/32 Vehicle surroundings
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/02 Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17 Using electrical or electronic regulation means to control braking detecting or indicating faulty operation B60T8/885
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4023 large-size vehicles, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 : Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 : Moving wireless networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for slowing (and stopping) a subject vehicle in response to detection of an emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights, or a school bus with activated stop lights.

Claims

1. A system for slowing a subject vehicle in response to detection of an emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights or a school bus with activated stop lights, the system comprising:

a camera module including at least one camera configured to capture image data;

a detection module in communication with the camera module to receive image data from the camera module, the detection module configured to at least one of;

detect location of the emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights relative to the subject vehicle based on image data received from the camera module including images of the activated emergency lights; and

detect location of the school bus with activated stop lights relative to the subject vehicle based on image data received from the camera module including images of the activated stop lights; and

a vehicle control module configured to slow the subject vehicle in response to;

the detection module detecting that the emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights and the subject vehicle are approaching one another;

or

the detection module detecting that subject vehicle is approaching the school bus with activated stop lights.

2. The system of claim 1, the system further comprising the subject vehicle including the detection module and the vehicle control module.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a communications module configured to receive route data from at least one of the emergency vehicle and the school bus by vehicle-to-vehicle communication;

wherein the detection module is configured to detect location of the emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights relative to the subject vehicle based on the route data, or detect location of the school bus with activated stop lights relative to the subject vehicle based on the route data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control module is configured to activate brakes of the subject vehicle to slow the subject vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle control module is configured to activate the brakes of the subject vehicle to slow the subject vehicle to a complete stop.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control module is configured to move the subject vehicle away from the emergency vehicle when the detection module detects that the emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights and the subject vehicle are approaching one another.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the vehicle control module is configured to control at least one of a steering system and a braking system of the subject vehicle to move the subject vehicle away from the emergency vehicle.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the vehicle control module is configured to control at least one of a steering system and a braking system to move the subject vehicle away from the emergency vehicle to a road shoulder or a side of a vehicle lane that the subject vehicle is traveling in.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the detection module is configured to detect an activated stop sign mounted to the school bus, and the vehicle control module is configured to slow the subject vehicle in response to detection of the activated stop sign.

10. A method for slowing a subject vehicle in response to detection of an emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights, the method comprising:

detecting the emergency vehicle based on image data input to a detection module from, and captured by a camera of, a camera module;

detecting, with the detection module for the subject vehicle, the emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights and location of the emergency vehicle relative to the subject vehicle based on image data received from the camera module including images of the activated emergency lights; and

applying brakes of the subject vehicle by way of a vehicle control module when the detection module detects that the emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights and the subject vehicle are approaching one another.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising detecting location of the emergency vehicle relative to a secondary vehicle based on route data transmitted by the emergency vehicle and received by the detection module from a communications module for the subject vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising steering the subject vehicle to a road shoulder or a side of the subject vehicle'"'"'s lane of travel when the detection module detects that the emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights and the subject vehicle are approaching one another.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising applying the brakes to bring the subject vehicle to a complete stop when the detection module detects that the emergency vehicle with activated emergency lights and the subject vehicle are approaching one another.

14. A method for stopping a subject vehicle in response to detection of a school bus with activated stop lights, the method comprising:

detecting the school bus based on image data input to a detection module from, and captured by a camera of, a camera module;

detecting, with the detection module for the subject vehicle, the school bus with activated stop lights and location of the school bus relative to the subject vehicle based on image data received from the camera module including images of the activated stop lights; and

applying brakes of the subject vehicle by way of a vehicle control module to bring the subject vehicle to a complete stop when the detection module detects that the subject vehicle is approaching the school bus with activated stop lights.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting with the detection module an activated stop sign of the school bus based on camera data input to the detection module from the camera module, and applying the brakes of the subject vehicle by way of the vehicle control module in response to detection of the stop sign.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting location of the school bus relative to a secondary vehicle based on route data transmitted by the school bus and received by the detection module from a communications module for the subject vehicle.

17. A method for stopping a subject vehicle in response to detection of a secondary vehicle with activated warning lights, the method comprising:

detecting the secondary vehicle based on image data input to a detection module from, and captured by a camera of, a camera module;

detecting, with a detection module for the subject vehicle, the secondary vehicle with activated emergency lights, and location of the secondary vehicle relative to the subject vehicle based on image data received from the camera module including images of the activated emergency lights; and

applying brakes of the subject vehicle by way of a vehicle control module when the detection module detects that the secondary vehicle with activated emergency lights and the subject vehicle are approaching one another.