On-demand street lighting for a connected vehicle

• US 10,568,188 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, BaekGyu, Lin, Chung-Wei, Shiraishi, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh B
• Application Number:
  US15/939,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20190306956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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: H04B 10/1129 Arrangements for outdoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The disclosure includes embodiments for providing on-demand street lighting for a connected vehicle. In some embodiments, a method includes controlling an operation of a street light based on a lighting policy and a presence of a connected vehicle. In some embodiments, the street light is operated consistent with the lighting policy. In some embodiments, the presence of the connected vehicle is determined based on a receipt of a wireless message that is transmitted by the connected vehicle. In some embodiments, the lighting policy is operable to reduce an energy consumption of the street light while also providing illumination for the connected vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a wireless message from a connected vehicle that describes a heading of the connected vehicle;

determining, based on the heading described in the wireless message, that the connected vehicle is approaching a street light; and

transmitting a command to the street light based on a lighting policy and the connected vehicle approaching the street light, wherein the street light is operated consistent with the lighting policy and the lighting policy is operable to reduce an energy consumption of the street light while also providing illumination for the connected vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless message is a Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the DSRC message is not one of the following:

a WiFi message;

a 3G message;

a 4G message;

a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) message;

a millimeter wave communication message;

a Bluetooth message; and

a satellite communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting policy is determined by a cloud server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the street light does not receive the wireless message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless message is received by an edge server that is communicatively coupled to the street light and operable to transmit the command to the street light consistent with the lighting policy.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting policy is determined at least in part on a preference of a user of the connected vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the connected vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.

9. A system comprising:

a processor communicatively coupled to a non-transitory memory storing computer code that is operable, when executed by the processor, to cause the processor to;

receive a wireless message from a connected vehicle that describes a heading of the connected vehicle;

determine, based on the heading described in the wireless message, that the connected vehicle is approaching a street light; and

transmit a command to the street light based on a lighting policy and the connected vehicle approaching the street light, wherein the street light is operated by the processor consistent with the lighting policy and the lighting policy is operable to reduce an energy consumption of the street light while also providing illumination for the connected vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the lighting policy is determined by a cloud server.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the wireless message is received by an edge server that is communicatively coupled to the street light and operable to transmit the command to the street light consistent with the lighting policy.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the street light is not controlled based on a signal from a photovoltaic cell indicating a state of ambient light.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the determination that the connected vehicle is approaching the street light is not determined based on an image of the connected vehicle.

14. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a wireless message from a connected vehicle that describes a heading of the connected vehicle;

determining, based on the heading described in the wireless message, that the connected vehicle is approaching a street light; and

transmitting a command to the street light based on a lighting policy and the connected vehicle approaching the street light, wherein the street light is operated consistent with the lighting policy and the lighting policy is operable to reduce an energy consumption of the street light while also providing illumination for the connected vehicle.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the lighting policy is determined by a cloud server.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the street light generates energy data describing an energy usage of the street light and the energy data is provided to the cloud server in a feedback loop so that the lighting policy is revised based on the energy usage of the street light so that the energy usage is reduced while still providing sufficient illumination for the connected vehicle.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the connected vehicle is a Highly Autonomous Vehicle (HAV) and the lighting policy is configured based on an illumination requirement for an onboard sensor of the connected vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the connected vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that is not an HAV and the lighting policy is configured based on an illumination requirement for an onboard sensor of the connected vehicle.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the connected vehicle is an autonomous vehicle and transmitting the command to the street light improves a performance of the connected vehicle by enabling one or more onboard sensors of the connected vehicle to perceive a roadway environment that includes the street light and the connected vehicle because the lighting policy is configured based on one or more illumination requirements for the one or more onboard sensors of the connected vehicle.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the one or more illumination requirements for the one or more onboard sensors are wirelessly communicated by the connected vehicle to an edge server that includes the one or more processors that transmit the command to the street light.