Apparatus using sync and balanced V2V communication

• US 10,339,807 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: MacNeille, Perry Robinson, Neubecker, Cynthia M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US15/749,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20180225965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 340907
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

A vehicle equipped with a wireless communication interface is configured to communicate with other similarly equipped vehicles within an intersection area. By including the wireless communication equipment to communicate with other vehicles within the intersection area, a traffic optimization tool running on one or more of the vehicles is enabled to direct traffic through the intersection area even in the case where one or more traffic signals are malfunctioning.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a wireless interface to communicate with an offsite wireless interface; and

a controller to;

identify a location of the vehicle;

determine when the location is within one of multiple concentric intersection zones extending outwardly from an intersection area;

responsive to determining a traffic signal within the intersection area is malfunctioning, generate a traffic optimization plan based on the location being within the one of the zones; and

communicate the traffic optimization plan.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control presentation of the traffic optimization plan by controlling the wireless interface to transmit the traffic optimization plan to the offsite wireless interface.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a display,

wherein the controller is configured to present the traffic optimization plan via the display.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a speaker,

wherein the controller is configured to present the traffic optimization plan via the speaker.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive an offsite vehicle location of an offsite vehicle that includes the offsite wireless interface;

determine when the offsite vehicle location is in one of the multiple concentric intersection zones; and

generate the traffic optimization plan based, at least in part, on the offsite vehicle location.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises a turn signal unit;

wherein the controller is further configured to;

receive turn signal information from the turn signal unit;

determine a desired traffic route for the vehicle based on the turn signal information; and

generate the traffic optimization plan based, at least in part, on the desired traffic route.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive offsite turn signal information from an offsite vehicle including the offsite wireless interface, the offsite turn signal information corresponding to a desired traffic route of the offsite vehicle; and

generate the traffic optimization plan based, at least in part, on the desired traffic route of the offsite vehicle.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a desired traffic route for the vehicle;

determine whether a set of required resources corresponding to the desired traffic route are available; and

generate the traffic optimization plan to indicating the vehicle is allowed to travel in the desired traffic route when the set of required resources corresponding to the desired traffic route are available.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the multiple concentric intersection zones include a first intersection zone, a second intersection zone, and a third intersection zone, wherein the second intersection zone is inside the third intersection zone and the first intersection zone is inside the second intersection zone and defining the crossing.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless interface is configured to communicate with the offsite wireless interface according to a dedicated short-range communication protocol.

11. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a token, according to an optimization algorithm, for driving through an intersection within the intersection area.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is to automate driving functions of a propulsion system for driving through the intersection within the intersection area.

13. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein to increase efficiency of traffic through the intersection area, the controller generates the traffic optimization plan for the first intersection zone before the second intersection zone and for the second intersection zone before the third intersection zone.

14. A method for optimizing traffic flow comprising:

identifying a vehicle location of a vehicle;

determining when the vehicle location is in one of multiple concentric intersection zones extending outwardly from a crossing of an intersection area;

determining a status of a traffic signal of the intersection area;

responsive to determining the traffic signal is malfunctioning, generating a traffic optimization plan based on the vehicle location being in the one of the multiple concentric intersection zones; and

communicating the traffic optimization plan.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an offsite location of an offsite vehicle;

determining when the offsite location is in one of the multiple concentric intersection zones; and

generating the traffic optimization plan based, at least in part, on the offsite location.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving turn signal information from a turn signal unit corresponding to the vehicle;

determining a desired traffic route for the vehicle based on the turn signal information; and

generating the traffic optimization plan based, at least in part, on the desired traffic route.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving offsite turn signal information from an offsite vehicle;

determining a desired traffic route of the offsite vehicle based on the offsite turn signal information; and

generating the traffic optimization plan based, at least in part, on the desired traffic route of the offsite vehicle.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiple concentric intersection zones include a first intersection zone, a second intersection zone, and a third intersection zone, wherein the second intersection zone is inside the third intersection zone and the first intersection zone is inside the second intersection zone.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a token, according to an optimization algorithm, for driving through an intersection within the intersection area.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein to increase efficiency of traffic through the intersection area, generating the traffic optimization plan includes generating the traffic optimization plan for the first intersection zone before the second intersection zone and for the second intersection zone before the third intersection zone.