Propagation of alerts regarding traffic events

• US 10,403,140 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2016
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Banvait, Harpreetsingh, Jain, Jinesh J., Ray, Surjya Sarathi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US16/087,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20190088126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 340933
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates 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 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

In response to detecting a traffic event such as a motorcycle lane splitting or an accident, a vehicle broadcasts a notification over a V2V communication channel. Traffic events may be detected using sensor systems of the vehicle or in response to messages reporting the event. Notifications may be received from the vehicle over a cellular communication channel. Roadside infrastructure, such as DSRC or cellular communication installations receive the notification and may rebroadcast it to adjacent vehicles. A DSRC installation may broadcast the message by way of a cellular communication installation and vice versa. The vehicle may provide a cellular notification by way of a driver'"'"'s mobile device connected to a controller of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising performing by a vehicle controller:

detecting a lane-splitting vehicle;

in response to detecting the lane-splitting vehicle, transmitting a first message including a lane-splitting flag (LS flag);

detecting a second message including the LS flag; and

in response to the LS flag, processing the second message ahead of one or more previously received messages not including the LS flag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the second message by the vehicle controller further includes refraining from invoking lane changes by a vehicle housing the vehicle controller in response to the second message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the second message by the vehicle controller further includes invoking movement of a vehicle housing the vehicle controller away from an inter-lane region in response to the second message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first message comprises transmitting a first vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) packet directly to another vehicle over a V2V transmission protocol.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the V2V transmission protocol is Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) protocol.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the first V2V packet includes transmitting the first V2V packet to a roadside DSRC station.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating, by the vehicle controller, whether there are any V2V connections to the vehicle controller;

determining, by the vehicle controller, that there are no V2V connections to the vehicle controller;

in response to determining that there are no V2V connections to the vehicle controller, invoking transmission of the first message using a cellular communication protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein invoking transmission of the first message using the cellular communication protocol comprises invoking communication with a fixed cellular communication tower.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting the first message using the cellular communication protocol comprises instructing a mobile phone located in a vehicle housing the vehicle controller to transmit a third message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the lane-splitting vehicle by the vehicle controller comprises at least one of:

receiving a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) message from the lane-splitting vehicle over a V2V protocol;

receiving a message from the lane-splitting vehicle over a cellular network protocol; and

detecting the lane-splitting vehicle according to an acoustic signature of the lane-splitting vehicle in an output of one or more microphones coupled to the vehicle controller.

11. A system comprising:

a vehicle;

a vehicle controller housed in the vehicle, the vehicle controller programmed to

detect a lane-splitting vehicle;

in response to detecting the lane-splitting vehicle, transmit a first message including a lane-splitting flag (LS flag);

detect a second message including the LS flag; and

in response to the LS flag, process the second message ahead of any previously received messages not including the LS flag.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle controller is further programmed to process the second message by refraining from invoking lane changes by the vehicle in response to the second message.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein processing the second message by the vehicle controller further includes invoking movement of a vehicle housing the vehicle controller away from an inter-lane region in response to the second message.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle controller is further programmed to transmit the first message by transmitting a first vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) packet directly to another vehicle over a V2V transmission protocol.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the V2V transmission protocol is Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) protocol.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle controller is further programmed to transmit the first V2V packet includes transmitting the first V2V packet to a roadside DSRC station.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle controller is further programmed to:

evaluate whether there are any V2V connections to the vehicle controller;

if there are no V2V connections to the vehicle controller, invoking transmission of the first message using a cellular communication protocol;

if there is at least one V2V connection to the vehicle controller, invoking transmission of the first message over the V2V connection using a V2V transmission protocol.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the vehicle controller is further programmed to invoke transmission of the first message using the cellular communication protocol by invoking communication with a fixed cellular communication tower.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the vehicle controller is further programmed to transmit the first message using the cellular communication protocol by instructing a mobile phone located in the vehicle to transmit a third message.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle controller is further programmed to detect the lane-splitting vehicle by at least one of:

receiving a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) message from the lane-splitting vehicle over a V2V protocol;

receiving a message from the lane-splitting vehicle over a cellular network protocol; and

detecting the lane-splitting vehicle according to an acoustic signature of the lane-splitting vehicle in an output of one or more microphones coupled to the vehicle controller.