Monitoring of vehicle passing maneuver

• US 10,331,142 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eyedog Israel Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Eyedog Israel Ltd.
• Inventors: Bar-Tal, Mordehai, Nanikashvili, Reuven
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Luat T
• Application Number:
  US15/596,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20180081371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096708 where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A system and methods are provided for generating a safety level notification with respect to a passing vehicle maneuvering to overtake a leading vehicle by travelling in a lane designated for opposing traffic. The system may include a camera having a narrow bandwidth emitter, an image sensor, a lens subsystem and a processor. The processor is configured to perform the steps of: determining a speed and a position of the leading vehicle; receiving images from the camera; processing the images to calculate a-speed and a position of an on-coming vehicle travelling in the lane designated for opposing traffic and approaching the passing vehicle; responsively determining a safety level of performing an overtaking maneuver; and providing a notification of the safety level to a driver of the passing vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle-installed system for generating a safety level notification with respect to a passing vehicle maneuvering to overtake a leading vehicle by travelling in an opposing lane designated for on-coming traffic, the system comprising:

a camera comprising a light emitter configured to emit a narrow bandwidth light, an image sensor, and a lens subsystem; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the camera and to a memory that comprises computer-readable instructions, which cause the processor to perform the steps of;

identifying a start of an overtaking maneuver;

determining a speed and a position of the leading vehicle;

receiving images from the camera;

processing the images to calculate a speed and a position of an on-coming vehicle travelling in the opposing lane and approaching the passing vehicle;

responsively to the speeds and positions of the leading and on-coming vehicles, determining a safety level of performing an overtaking maneuver;

providing a notification of the safety level to a driver of the passing vehicle; and

continuing to perform safety level calculations and providing additional safety level notifications while the overtaking maneuver is in progress.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver is a human driver or an autonomous system for controlling the passing vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the safety level comprises determining a required passing speed.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein providing the notification comprises providing an indication of the required passing speed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to display the notification of the safety level on a screen viewable by the driver, wherein the display is a stand-alone display, or an existing vehicle multimedia/GPS navigation display, or a smartphone/PDA display.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver is an autonomous system and the processor is configured to provide the notification by transmitting the notification to the autonomous system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the safety level notification is one of a set of possible notifications comprising a first notification that the maneuver is safe and a second notification that the maneuver is unsafe.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a driver input to initiate the overtaking calculation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor determines from location data that the passing vehicle is traveling on a two-lane road, and wherein the driver input is received from a turn signal, or from an indication of the passing vehicle crossing a road dividing line, or from a verbal instruction.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein processing the images comprises identifying a representation of the on-coming vehicle in the images.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein identifying the representation of the on-coming vehicle comprises identifying reflections of the narrow bandwidth light from at least two positions on the on-coming vehicle, and wherein calculating the speed and position of the on-coming vehicle comprises determining a change in positions of the reflections between at least three of the images.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein calculating the speed and position of the on-coming vehicle further comprises receiving the images while the speed of the passing vehicle is changing.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein identifying the representation of the on-coming vehicle comprises adjusting a zoom and field of view of the camera.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein receiving the images further comprises determining a contour of the opposing lane from location data and responsively orienting the camera to a view of the lane.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser emitter and the image sensor respectively transmit and receive laser pulses through one or more common lenses of the lens subsystem.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein determining a speed and a position of the leading vehicle comprises determining a speed and a position of two leading vehicles, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine a safety level of overtaking both leading vehicles.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera is a front camera and wherein the system further comprises a back camera.

18. A vehicle-installed system for generating a safety level notification with respect to a passing vehicle maneuvering to overtake a leading vehicle by travelling in an opposing lane designated for on-coming traffic, the system comprising:

a front camera comprising a light emitter configured to emit a narrow bandwidth light, an image sensor, and a lens subsystem;

a back camera; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the front camera and to a memory that comprises computer-readable instructions, which cause the processor to perform the steps of;

determining a speed and a position of the leading vehicle;

receiving images from the front camera;

processing the images to calculate a speed and a position of an on-coming vehicle travelling in the opposing lane and approaching the passing vehicle;

responsively to the speeds and positions of the leading and on-coming vehicles, determining a safety level of performing an overtaking maneuver;

providing a notification of the safety level to a driver of the passing vehicle; and

determining from images from the back camera that the passing vehicle can safely return from the opposing lane to a position in front of the leading vehicle; and

providing a notification that return from the opposing lane is safe.

19. A vehicle-installed system for generating a safety level notification with respect to a passing vehicle maneuvering to overtake a leading vehicle by travelling in an opposing lane designated for on-coming traffic, the system comprising:

a camera comprising a light emitter configured to emit a narrow bandwidth light, an image sensor, and a lens subsystem; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the camera and to a memory that comprises computer-readable instructions, which cause the processor to perform the steps of;

determining a speed and a position of the leading vehicle;

receiving images from the camera;

processing the images to calculate a speed and a position of an on-coming vehicle travelling in the opposing lane and approaching the passing vehicle;

responsively to the speeds and positions of the leading and on-coming vehicles, determining a safety level of performing an overtaking maneuver; and

providing a notification of the safety level to a driver of the passing vehicle, wherein determining the safety level comprises determining a required passing speed, and wherein determining the required passing speed comprises acquiring location data, and further comprises determining that the required passing speed does not exceed the legal maximum speed at the vehicle location.