System and method for managing emergency vehicle alert geofence

• US 10,531,224 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2019
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Lemieux, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Akki, Munear T
• Application Number:
  US16/298,457
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• 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 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A system, method and storage medium for providing an emergency vehicle (EV) alert includes a server receiving a first location of the EV, the server determining a first geofence based on the first location of the EV, the server transmitting the first geofence to a second device, the second device receiving the first geofence, the second device performing at least one alert action in response to determining that the another vehicle is located within the first geofence, the server receiving a second location of the EV at a second time, the server determining a geofence release zone based on the second location of the EV, the server transmitting the geofence release zone to the second device, the second device receiving the geofence release zone, and the second device stopping performing the at least one alert action in response to determining that the another vehicle is within the geofence release zone.

Claims

1. A system for managing a geofence for an emergency vehicle (EV), comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a first location of the EV from a first device at a first time, the first device being associated with the EV;

a processor configured to determine a first geofence based on the first location of the EV; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the determined first geofence to a second device associated with a vehicle, the vehicle being located within the first geofence,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a second location of the EV from the first device at a second time subsequent to the first time,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine a geofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence based on the second location of the EV, and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the geofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence to the second device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second device is configured to:

receive the first geofence;

determine a location of the vehicle with respect to the received first geofence; and

perform one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the first geofence.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second device is further configured to:

receive the geofence release zone;

determine the location of the another vehicle with respect to the received geofence release zone; and

stop performing the one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the geofence release zone.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising the second device, wherein the second device comprises:

another receiver configured to receive the first geofence and the geofence release zone; and

another processor configured to control an alert-generation device to;

determine a location of the vehicle with respect to the received first geofence;

perform the one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the first geofence;

determine the location of the vehicle with respect to the received geofence release zone; and

stop performing the one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the geofence release zone.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first geofence is defined to cover one or more regions excluding all rear regions of the EV.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the geofence release zone is defined to cover one or more rear regions located behind the second location of the EV.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a first control signal including the first geofence and a second control signal including the geofence release zone, and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to broadcast the first and second control signals over a wireless channel around the EV.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a region defined by the first geofence does not overlap the geofence release zone.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the alert-generation device comprises at least one of a speaker and a visual display.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a second geofence defined to cover one or more rear regions of the EV when the EV slows down or stops,

wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the determined second geofence to the second device, and

wherein the second device is configured to:

receive the second geofence;

determine a location of the vehicle with respect to the received second geofence; and

perform second one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the received second geofence.

11. A method for managing a geofence for an emergency vehicle (EV), comprising:

receiving, using a receiver of a management server, a first location of the EV from a first device at a first time, the first device being associated with the EV;

determining, using a processor of the management server, a first geofence based on the first location of the EV;

transmitting, using a transmitter of the management server, the determined first geofence to a second device associated with a vehicle, the vehicle being located within the first geofence;

receiving, using the receiver of the management server, a second location of the EV at a second time subsequent to the first time;

determining, using the processor of the management server, a geofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence based on the second location of the EV; and

transmitting, using the transmitter of the management server, the geofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence to the second device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, using another receiver of the second device, the transmitted first geofence;

determining, using another processor of the second device, a location of the vehicle with respect to the first geofence; and

controlling, using the another processor of the second device, an alert generation device to perform first one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the first geofence.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, using the another receiver of the second device, the geofence release zone;

determining, using the another processor of the second device, the location of the vehicle with respect to the geofence release zone; and

controlling, using the another processor of the second device, the alert generation device to stop performing the first one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the geofence release zone.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first geofence is defined to cover one or more regions excluding all rear regions of the EV.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the geofence release zone is defined to cover one or more rear regions located behind the second location of the EV.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, using the processor of the management server, a first control signal including the first geofence and a second control signal including the geofence release zone; and

broadcasting, using the transmitter of the management server, the first and second control signals over a wireless channel around the EV.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a region defined by the first geofence does not overlap the geofence release zone.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the performing first one or more alert actions comprises generating at least one of an audible output and a visual display.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, using the processor of the management server, a second geofence defined to cover one or more rear regions of the EV when the EV slows down or stops;

transmitting, using the transmitter of the management server, the determined second geofence to the second device;

receiving, using the second device, the second geofence;

determining, using the second device, a location of the vehicle with respect to the received second geofence; and

performing, using the second device, second one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the second geofence.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions,

the computer readable program instructions read and executed by at least first and second processors for performing a method for managing a geofence for an emergency vehicle (EV), the method comprising:

receiving, using a receiver of a management server, a first location of the EV from a first device at a first time, the first device being associated with the EV;

determining, using the first processor of the management server, a first geofence based on the first location of the EV;

transmitting, using a transmitter of the management server, the determined first geofence to a second device associated with a second vehicle, the second vehicle being located within the first geofence;

receiving, using the receiver of the the management server, a second location of the EV at a second time subsequent to the first time;

determining, using the first processor of the management server, a geofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence based on the second location of the EV; and

transmitting, using the transmitter of the management server, the geofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence to the second device.

21. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, using a receiver of the second device, the transmitted first geofence;

determining, using the second processor of the second device, a location of the vehicle with respect to the first geofence; and

controlling, using the second processor of the second device, the alert generation device to perform one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the first geofence.

22. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, using the receiver of the second device, the geofence release zone;

determining, using the second processor of the second device, the location of the vehicle with respect to the geofence release zone; and

controlling, using the second processor of the second device, the alert generation device to stop performing the one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the geofence release zone.

23. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the first geofence is defined to cover one or more regions excluding all rear regions of the EV.

24. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the geofence release zone is defined to cover one or more rear regions located behind the second location of the EV.

25. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein a region defined by the first geofence does not overlap the geofence release zone.

26. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, using the processor of the management server, a second geofence defined to cover one or more rear regions of the EV when the EV slows down or stops;

transmitting, using the transmitter of the management server, the determined second geofence to the second device;

receiving, using the second device, the second geofence;

determine, using the second device, a location of the vehicle with respect to the received second geofence; and

performing, using the second device, second one or more alert actions based on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the second geofence.