Systems and methods for vehicular application of detected traffic flow

• US 10,319,221 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2016
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Orris, David Joseph, Lei, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/344,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20180130346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A host vehicle consistent with the present disclosure is configured to detect pass events performed by adjacent vehicles. According to some embodiments, adjacent vehicles occupy a lane aligned with (i.e., heading in the same direction as) and immediately next to the host vehicle'"'"'s lane. Pass events include passed events and passing events. A passed event occurs when the host vehicle is passed by an adjacent vehicle. A passing event occurs when the host vehicle passes an adjacent vehicle. An unusually high number of passed events versus passing events indicate that the host vehicle is impeding traffic. An unusually high number of passing events versus passed events indicate that the host vehicle is traveling excessively fast. A host vehicle consistent with the present disclosure is thus enabled to determine, or at least approximate, when it is impeding traffic and when it is traveling dangerously fast with respect to traffic.

Claims

1. A host vehicle comprising:

sensors configured to detect passing vehicles; and

processor(s) configured to;

count the passing vehicles;

determine a desired pass history threshold; and

generate a display based on a predetermined portion of the passing vehicle count exceeding the threshold.

2. The host vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor(s) are configured to:

determine a relevant timespan; and

set the predetermined portion of the passing vehicle count based on the relevant timespan.

3. A host vehicle comprising:

sensors configured to detect passed vehicles and passing vehicles; and

processor(s) configured to;

write a pass history of the passed vehicles and the passing vehicles;

determine a desired pass history threshold;

compare the threshold to a predetermined portion of the pass history; and

generate a display based on the comparison.

4. The host vehicle of claim 3, wherein the processor(s) are configured to:

determine a relevant timespan based on a speed value; and

set the predetermined portion of the pass history based on the relevant timespan.

5. The host vehicle of claim 4, wherein the speed value is a speed limit.

6. The host vehicle of claim 5, wherein the speed limit is a modified speed limit and the processor(s) are configured to calculate the modified speed limit based on a received posted speed limit and a property of a road lane.

7. The host vehicle of claim 6, wherein the road lane is a current road lane occupied by the host vehicle, the property of the road lane is a radius of curvature of the current road lane, and the processor(s) are configured to:

determine the current road lane; and

determine the radius of curvature of the current road lane.

8. The host vehicle of claim 3, wherein the processor(s) are configured to convert the predetermined portion of the pass history into a numerical value.

9. The host vehicle of claim 8, wherein the processor(s) are configured to positively correlate the passed vehicles with the numerical value and negatively correlate the passing vehicles with the numerical value.

10. The host vehicle of claim 3, wherein the processor(s) are configured to update the pass history with first entries when corresponding ones of the passed vehicles are detected and update the pass history with second entries when corresponding ones of the passing vehicles are detected.

11. The host vehicle of claim 10, wherein the processor(s) are configured to:

weight each of the first entries based on a lane relationship between the host vehicle and the corresponding one of the passed vehicles; and

weight each of the second entries based on a lane relationship between the host vehicle and the corresponding one of the passing vehicles.

12. The host vehicle of claim 11, wherein the processor(s) are configured to compare the threshold to the predetermined portion of the pass history at least by:

noting each of the first entries and the second entries that fall within the predetermined portion;

summing the noted first entries according to the respective weights of the noted first entries;

summing the noted second entries according to the respective weights of the noted second entries;

subtracting the sum of the noted second entries from the sum of the noted first entries to generate a result; and

comparing the result with the threshold.

13. The host vehicle of claim 12, wherein the processor(s) are configured to generate a first display when the threshold exceeds the predetermined portion and generate a different second display when the predetermined portion exceeds the threshold.

14. The host vehicle of claim 3, wherein the processor(s) are configured to generate a first display when the threshold exceeds the predetermined portion and generate a different second display when the predetermined portion exceeds the threshold.

15. A method of controlling a host vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting, via sensors of the host vehicle, passed vehicles and passing vehicles;

writing, via processor(s) of the host vehicle, a pass history of the passed vehicles and the passing vehicles;

determining, via the processor(s), a desired pass history threshold;

comparing, via the processor(s), the threshold to a predetermined portion of the pass history; and

generating, via the processor(s), a display based on the comparison.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

determining a relevant timespan based on a speed value; and

setting the predetermined portion of the pass history based on the relevant timespan.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the speed value is a modified speed limit and the method comprises

calculating the modified speed limit based on a received posted speed limit and a property of a road lane.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the road lane is a current road lane occupied by the host vehicle, the property of the road lane is a radius of curvature of the current road lane, and the method comprises:

determining the current road lane; and

determining the radius of curvature of the current road lane.

19. The method of claim 15, comprising:

converting the predetermined portion of the pass history into a numerical value; and

positively correlating passed vehicles with the numerical value and negatively correlating passing vehicles with the numerical value.

20. The method of claim 15, comprising:

updating the pass history with first entries when corresponding ones of the passed vehicles are detected;

updating the pass history with second entries when corresponding ones of the passing vehicles are detected;

weighting each of the first entries based on a lane relationship between the host vehicle and the corresponding one of the passed vehicles;

weighting each of the second entries based on a lane relationship between the host vehicle and the corresponding one of the passing vehicles; and

comparing the threshold to the predetermined portion of the pass history at least by;

noting each of the first entries and the second entries that fall within the predetermined portion;

summing the noted first entries according to the respective weights of the noted first entries;

summing the noted second entries according to the respective weights of the noted second entries;

subtracting the sum of the noted second entries from the sum of the noted first entries to generate a result; and

comparing the result with the threshold.