Dynamic Vehicle Grid Infrastructure to Allow Vehicles to Sense and Respond to Traffic Conditions

• US 20070252723A1
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick, Dawson, Christopher, Boss, Gregory, Waters, Timothy, Graham, Barry
• Granted Patent: US 7,425,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

A dynamic ‘vehicle grid’ system provides the ability for drivers to be automatically warned to the conditions of other vehicles in the vicinity. In this grid system, a motor vehicle would be equipped with a transmitter, receiver, computer and a selection of sensors. Other adjacent vehicles are also contain the same of equipment for transmitting and receiving signals. When the sensors in a vehicle detect a change such as hard braking (rapid deceleration) or very slow speed (blockages), it automatically sends this information via the transmitter over a wireless communication channel to any other receivers in the vicinity.

Claims

1. A dynamic vehicle grid system that enables vehicles to sense and respond to traffic conditions comprising;

two or more vehicles positioned in close proximity to each other such that the vehicles could send and receive signals from each other;

at least one sensor positioned in each vehicle to detect various conditions and status of the vehicle;

a transmitter positioned in the each vehicle to broadcast signals to other vehicles in the vehicle grid system;

a receiver positioned in the each vehicle to receive signals transmitted from other vehicles in the vehicle grid system; and

a computing device positioned in each vehicle, said computing device capable of accepting signals from the sensors and receiver, to transmitting signals to the transmitter for broadcast to other vehicles in the grid and to processing signals received from said receiver and sensor.

2. The vehicle grid system as described in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of vehicle sensors for detecting various conditions and status of a vehicle in the vehicle grid system.

3. The vehicle grid system as described in claim 2 wherein a vehicle in the system has a sensor positioned at each wheel on the vehicle.

4. The vehicle grid system as described in claim 2 wherein said plurality of vehicle sensor comprise at least one accelerometer, one speed sensor, one crash sensor, and one peripheral sensor.

5. A method for enabling motor vehicles in a dynamic vehicle grid system to sense and respond to traffic conditions comprising the steps of:

detecting a vehicle event at a first vehicle in a vehicle grid system;

formulating a warning message at the first in response to the detected vehicle event;

broadcasting the formulated message to other vehicles in the dynamic vehicle grid;

receiving the broadcasted message at a second vehicle in the dynamic vehicle grid; and

generating a warning at the second vehicle to convey to the driver of the second vehicle.

6. The method as described in claim 5 wherein said message formulating step further comprises the steps of:

interpreting the message, which identifies the vehicle event detected; and

creating a message format indicating the detected event and the identity of the vehicle.

7. The method as described in claim 6 wherein the formulated message is broadcast from a computing device.

8. The method as described in claim 6 wherein said broadcast message receiving step further comprises the steps of:

detecting a received message;

determining whether the message is from a different vehicle than the vehicle that received the message;

interpreting the message; and

relaying the message to other vehicles in the grid when the determination is that the received message is from a vehicle other than the vehicle that received the message.

9. The method as described in claim 6 wherein said broadcast message receiving step further comprises the steps of:

detecting a received message;

determining whether the message is from a different vehicle than the vehicle that received the message;

interpreting the message; and

broadcasting the message to different vehicles in the grid when the determination is that the message is not from another vehicle.

10. The method as described in claim 6 wherein the formulated message is broadcast from a transmitter device.

11. The method as described in claim 6 wherein the generated warning at the second vehicle is conveyed to the driver of the second vehicle via a display in the second vehicle.

12. A computer program product in a computer readable storage medium for enabling motor vehicles in a dynamic vehicle grid system to sense and respond to traffic conditions comprising:

instructions for detecting a vehicle event at a first vehicle in a vehicle grid system;

instructions for formulating a warning message at the first in response to the detected vehicle event;

instructions for broadcasting the formulated message to other vehicles in the dynamic vehicle grid;

instructions for receiving the broadcasted message at a second vehicle in the dynamic vehicle grid; and

instructions for generating a warning at the second vehicle to convey to the driver of the second vehicle.

13. The computer program product as described in claim 12 wherein said message-formulating instructions further:

instructions for interpreting the message, which identifies the vehicle event detected; and

instructions for creating a message format indicating the detected event and the identity of the vehicle.

14. The computer program product as described in claim 13 wherein said broadcast message receiving instructions further comprise instructions for:

detecting a received message;

determining whether the message is from a different vehicle than the vehicle that received the message;

interpreting the message; and

relaying the message to other vehicles in the grid when the determination is that the received message is from a vehicle other than the vehicle that received the message.

15. The computer program product as described in claim 13 wherein said broadcast message receiving instructions further comprise instructions for:

detecting a received message;

determining whether the message is from a different vehicle than the vehicle that received the message;

interpreting the message; and

broadcasting the message to different vehicles in the grid when the determination is that the message is not from another vehicle.

16. The computer program product as described in claim 13 further comprising instructions for conveying a generated warning at the second vehicle to the driver of the second vehicle via a display in the second vehicle.