System and method for providing road user related data based on vehicle communications

• US 10,490,075 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2017
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bai, Xue, Moradi-Pari, Ehsan
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhter, Sharmin
• Application Number:
  US15/822,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20190164423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 340901-905
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding 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 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A system and method for providing road user related data based on vehicle communications that include detecting at least one road user located within a surrounding environment of a vehicle. The system and method also include sending vehicle communication signals to the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The system and method additionally include receiving reflected vehicle communication signals that are reflected back from the at least one road user. The system and method further include analyzing the reflected vehicle communication signals to determine a received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing road user related data based on vehicle communications, comprising:

detecting at least one road user located within a surrounding environment of a vehicle;

sending vehicle communication signals to the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication signals are sent from the vehicle by at least one vehicle communications transceiver through a vehicle communications network to be received by at least one road user to determine vehicle data associated with the vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication signals are also reflected off of a body of the at least one road user and are received by the at least one vehicle communications transceiver as reflected vehicle communication signals;

and

analyzing the reflected vehicle communication signals to determine a received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine attributes associated with the at least one road user relative to the vehicle.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein detecting the at least one road user includes determining if at least one vehicle communication signal is received from the at least one road user, wherein upon determining if the at least one vehicle communication signal is received, the at least one vehicle communication signal is analyzed to determine a geo-tag associated with the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein sending the vehicle communication signals to the at least one road user includes evaluating the geo-tag associated with the at least one road user and positioning at least one directional antenna towards the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle, wherein the at least one directional antenna is physically connected to the at least one vehicle communications transceiver.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein sending the vehicle communication signals to the at least one road user includes the at least one vehicle communications transceiver sending the vehicle communications signals as beams towards the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle based on the positioning of the at least one directional antenna.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein receiving the reflected vehicle communication signals includes positioning the at least one directional antenna towards the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle, wherein the enabled vehicle communications transceiver receives the reflected vehicle communication signals that are reflected back off of the body of the at least one road user based on the positioning of the at least one directional antenna.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the reflected vehicle communication signals to determine the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals includes evaluating respective signal strengths of each of the vehicle communication signals sent to the at least one road user and using the respective signal strengths as respective baselines to calculate the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine location attributes associated with the at least one road user, wherein the locational attributes associated with the at least one road user are relative to the vehicle.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine directional attributes associated with the at least one road user, wherein the directional attributes associated with the at least one road user are relative to the vehicle.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine dynamic attributes associated with the at least one road user, wherein the dynamic attributes associated with the at least one road user are relative to the vehicle.

10. A system for providing road user related data based on vehicle communications, comprising:

a memory storing instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to;

detect at least one road user located within a surrounding environment of a vehicle;

send vehicle communication signals to the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication signals are sent from the vehicle by at least one vehicle communications transceiver through a vehicle communications network to be received by at least one road user to determine vehicle data associated with the vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication signals are also reflected off of a body of the at least one road user and are received by the at least one vehicle communications transceiver as reflected vehicle communication signals;

and

analyze the reflected vehicle communication signals to determine a received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine attributes associated with the at least one road user relative to the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein detecting the at least one road user includes determining if at least one vehicle communication signal is received from the at least one road user, wherein upon determining if the at least one vehicle communication signal is received, the at least one vehicle communication signal is analyzed to determine a geo-tag associated with the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein sending the vehicle communication signals to the at least one road user includes evaluating the geo-tag associated with the at least one road user and positioning at least one directional antenna towards the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle, wherein the at least one directional antenna is physically connected to the at least one vehicle communications transceiver.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein sending the vehicle communication signals to the at least one road user includes the at least one vehicle communications transceiver sending the vehicle communications signals as beams towards the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle based on the positioning of the at least one directional antenna.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein receiving the reflected vehicle communication signals includes positioning the at least one directional antenna towards the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle, wherein the enabled vehicle communications transceiver receives the reflected vehicle communication signals that are reflected back off of the body of the at least one road user based on the positioning of the at least one directional antenna.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein analyzing the reflected vehicle communication signals to determine the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals includes evaluating respective signal strengths of each of the vehicle communication signals sent to the at least one road user and using the respective signal strengths as respective baselines to calculate the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine location attributes associated with the at least one road user, wherein the locational attributes associated with the at least one road user are relative to the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine directional attributes associated with the at least one road user, wherein the directional attributes associated with the at least one road user are relative to the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine dynamic attributes associated with the at least one road user, wherein the dynamic attributes associated with the at least one road user are relative to the vehicle.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer, which includes a processor, perform a method, the method comprising:

detecting at least one road user located within a surrounding environment of a vehicle;

sending vehicle communication signals to the at least one road user detected within the surrounding environment of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication signals are sent from the vehicle by at least one vehicle communications transceiver through a vehicle communications network to be received by at least one road user to determine vehicle data associated with the vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication signals are also reflected off of a body of the at least one road user and are received by the at least one vehicle communications transceiver as reflected vehicle communication signals;

and

analyzing the reflected vehicle communication signals to determine a received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals, wherein the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals are analyzed to determine attributes associated with the at least one road user relative to the vehicle.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein analyzing the reflected vehicle communication signals to determine the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals includes evaluating respective signal strengths of each of the vehicle communication signals sent to the at least one road user and using the respective signal strengths as respective baselines to calculate the received signal strength of each of the reflected vehicle communication signals.