Collision avoidance signaling from mobile devices

• US 10,306,418 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2018
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bostick, James E., Frank, Paul Alexander Raphael, Ganci, Jr., John M., Keen, Martin G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Du, Hung K
• Application Number:
  US15/985,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20180270618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• 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: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/322 Power control of broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• 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

A location of a target associated with a first system is determined at the first system at a first time. A signal is constructed at the first system where the data of the signal includes an identifier indicative of a collision avoidance nature of the signal. The signal is broadcast from the first system. the broadcasting causes a second system to receive the signal; compute a likelihood of a collision between the first system and the second system using the location from the signal, a velocity of the first system, a location of the second system at the first time, and a velocity of the second system at the first time; and send a notification from the second system about the likelihood of collision when the likelihood of collision exceeding a threshold likelihood.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining at a first system, at a first time, a location of a target associated with the first system;

constructing a signal, data of the signal comprising an identifier indicative of a collision avoidance nature of the signal;

determining an amount of ambient light around the target;

causing an increase, at a transmitter module in the first system, responsive to the amount of ambient light being less than a threshold amount, a transmission power for broadcasting the signal; and

broadcasting the signal from the first system, the broadcasting causing a second system to receive the signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether other signals are being broadcast by other systems at the first time, the other systems being located in a defined geographical area around the first system; and

initiating the constructing, responsive to less than a threshold number of other signals being broadcast at the first time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing an increase, at a transmitter module in the first system, responsive to less than the threshold number of other signals being broadcast, a transmission power for the broadcasting.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

re-determining at the first system, at a second time, a changed location of the target;

constructing second data of a second signal using the second location; and

broadcasting, at the second time, a second signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

computing, at the first system, a velocity of the target using the location and the changed location; and

adjusting a time gap between the broadcasting of the signal and the broadcasting of the second signal according to the velocity of the target.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

causing an increase, at a transmitter module in the first system, responsive to the velocity exceeding a threshold velocity, a transmission power for the broadcasting.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the target is moving at the first time, wherein the broadcasting is responsive to the target moving at the first time.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the second system to compute, responsive to the second system receiving the signal, a likelihood of a collision between the first system and the second system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal further comprises a timestamp corresponding to a time when the target was at the location of the target.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal further comprises a unique identifier that is unique within a defined geographical area around the target.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal further includes the velocity of the target.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first system is a mobile device associated with the target.

13. A computer usable program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to determine at a first system, at a first time, a location of a target associated with the first system;

program instructions to construct a signal, data of the signal comprising an identifier indicative of a collision avoidance nature of the signal;

program instructions to determine an amount of ambient light around the target;

program instructions to cause an increase, at a transmitter module in the first system, responsive to the amount of ambient light being less than a threshold amount, a transmission power for broadcasting the signal; and

program instructions to broadcast the signal from the first system, the broadcasting causing a second system to receive the signal.

14. The computer usable program product of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions to detect whether other signals are being broadcast by other systems at the first time, the other systems being located in a defined geographical area around the first system; and

program instructions to initiate the constructing, responsive to less than a threshold number of other signals being broadcast at the first time.

15. The computer usable program product of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions to cause an increase, at a transmitter module in the first system, responsive to less than the threshold number of other signals being broadcast, a transmission power for the broadcasting.

16. The computer usable program product of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions to re-determine at the first system, at a second time, a changed location of the target;

program instructions to construct second data of a second signal using the second location; and

program instructions to broadcast, at the second time, a second signal.

17. The computer usable program product of claim 16, further comprising:

program instructions to compute, at the first system, a velocity of the target using the location and the changed location; and

program instructions to adjust a time gap between the broadcasting of the signal and the broadcasting of the second signal according to the velocity of the target.

18. The computer usable program product of claim 17, wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage device in a data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is transferred over a network from a remote data processing system.

19. The computer usable program product of claim 17, wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage device in a server data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is downloaded over a network to a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage device associated with the remote data processing system.

20. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to determine at a first system, at a first time, a location of a target associated with the first system;

program instructions to construct a signal, data of the signal comprising an identifier indicative of a collision avoidance nature of the signal;

program instructions to determine an amount of ambient light around the target;

program instructions to cause an increase, at a transmitter module in the first system, responsive to the amount of ambient light being less than a threshold amount, a transmission power for broadcasting the signal; and

program instructions to broadcast the signal from the first system, the broadcasting causing a second system to receive the signal.