Methods and systems for providing alerts to a connected vehicle driver and/or a passenger via condition detection and wireless communications

• US 10,611,304 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2019
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lopez-Hinojosa, Brennan T., Lopez, Kermit D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US16/375,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20190232870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• 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: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A monitoring system for a vehicle can use one or more sensors to monitor a condition external to a vehicle while a driver is operating the vehicle and the vehicle is temporarily stopped. The system can detect a change in the condition external to the vehicle and transmit a signal wirelessly to a computing device of the driver, which can cause the computing device to output an alert indicating the change in the condition external to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for a vehicle, comprising:

one or more sensors;

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the monitoring system to;

establish a wireless connection to a computing device of a driver of the vehicle;

using the one or more sensors, monitor at least one condition external to the vehicle while the driver is operating the vehicle and the vehicle is temporarily stopped;

detect a change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle; and

in response to detecting the change, transmit a signal wirelessly to the computing device of the driver, the signal causing the computing device to output an alert indicating the change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the signal causes the computing device of the driver to output an audible alert.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the signal causes the computing device of the driver to output a visual alert.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one condition of a traffic light, and wherein the change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle comprises a change in the at least one condition of the traffic light.

5. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the change in the at least one condition of the traffic light comprises a change from one traffic light color to another traffic light color.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one condition comprises a movement of a pedestrian external to the vehicle.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a smartphone or a tablet computing device.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to monitor the at least one condition external to the vehicle by monitoring image data generated by the camera.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the monitoring system to:

track and record, in the memory, data indicating a number of times the driver is alerted to the change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions further cause the system to:

periodically retrieve the data from the memory; and

transmit the data wirelessly to a central repository for storage and analysis.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

establish a wireless connection to a computing device of a driver of the vehicle;

using one or more sensors, monitor at least one condition external to a vehicle while the driver is operating the vehicle and the vehicle is temporarily stopped;

detect a change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle; and

in response to detecting the change, transmit a signal wirelessly to the computing device of the driver, the signal causing the computing device to output an alert indicating the change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the signal causes the computing device of the driver to output an audible alert.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the signal causes the computing device of the driver to output a visual alert.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one condition of a traffic light, and wherein the change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle comprises a change in the at least one condition of the traffic light.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the change in the at least one condition of the traffic light comprises a change from one traffic light color to another traffic light color.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one condition comprises a movement of a pedestrian external to the vehicle.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computing device comprises a smartphone or a tablet computing device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to monitor the at least one condition external to the vehicle by monitoring image data generated by the camera.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the executed instructions further cause the monitoring system to:

track and record, in the memory, data indicating a number of times the driver is alerted to the change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle.

20. A computer-implemented method of monitoring a vehicle, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

establish a wireless connection to a computing device of a driver of the vehicle;

using one or more sensors, monitoring at least one condition external to a vehicle while the driver is operating the vehicle and the vehicle is temporarily stopped;

detecting a change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle; and

in response to detecting the change, transmitting a signal wirelessly to the computing device of the driver, the signal causing the computing device to output an alert indicating the change in the at least one condition external to the vehicle.