COOPERATIVE SENSOR-SHARING VEHICLE TRAFFIC SAFETY SYSTEM

• US 20100214085A1
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Inventors: Bouraoui, Reda Laurent, Curtis, Joshua J., Avery, Paul A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,994,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A method and system for using vehicle-to-vehicle cooperative communications for traffic collision avoidance. One vehicle detects a “situation”, such as a pedestrian within the crosswalk, where an “offending object” is in or near a roadway feature, which could result in a collision. The detecting vehicle informs a second vehicle via wireless communications, of the detecting vehicle'"'"'s GPS location, the GPS location of the detected object, and the GPS location of the roadway feature, i.e., a crosswalk boundary. Additional data about the “offending object” can include its speed and heading. A receiving vehicle receives this data and takes appropriate avoidance action.

Claims

1. A method of cooperatively sharing traffic safety sensor data between vehicles for collision avoidance, comprising:

using detection sensors of a detecting vehicle to detect an object in or proximate to a roadway on which a receiving vehicle is traveling;

using GPS and processing equipment of the detecting vehicle to determine at least the following data;

the GPS location of the object, the GPS location of the receiving vehicle, and the GPS location of an a priori roadway feature that the object is in or near;

using communications equipment of the detecting vehicle to communicate the data to a receiving vehicle;

using communications equipment of the receiving vehicle to receive the data; and

using processing equipment of the receiving vehicle to evaluate the relevance of the data to collision avoidance between the receiving vehicle and the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection sensor is a LIDAR sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection sensor is a vision sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadway feature is a crosswalk and the object is a pedestrian.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadway feature is a blind spot area of the receiving vehicle and the object is a third vehicle in or near the blind spot.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadway feature is an intersection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications units of the detecting vehicle and the receiving vehicle are implemented with the Dedicated Short Range Communications standard.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting vehicle further determines and communicates the object'"'"'s velocity and heading.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting vehicle further communicates a timestamp.

10. A method of cooperatively sharing traffic safety sensor data between vehicles for avoidance of a pedestrian-vehicle collision in a crosswalk, comprising:

using detection sensors of a detecting vehicle to detect a pedestrian in or proximate to a crosswalk;

using GPS and processing equipment of the detecting vehicle to determine at least the following data;

the GPS location of the pedestrian, the GPS location of the receiving vehicle, and the GPS location of the crosswalk;

using communications equipment of the detecting vehicle to communicate the data to a receiving vehicle;

using communications equipment of the receiving vehicle to receive the data; and

using processing equipment of the receiving vehicle to evaluate the relevance of the data to collision avoidance between the receiving vehicle and the pedestrian.

11. A detecting vehicle equipped for cooperative sensor sharing, for collision avoidance between an object and one or more receiving vehicles, comprising:

an on-board traffic safety sensor unit, having at least one sensor for detecting objects in or near a roadway feature of the roadway on which the detecting vehicle is traveling;

an on-board roadway feature memory unit, for storing data describing roadway features near the detecting vehicle;

an on-board GPS unit for determining GPS data comprising the locations of the detecting vehicle, the roadway feature, and of a receiving vehicle near the object;

a processing unit for assembling the GPS data; and

a communications unit for delivering the GPS data to one or more receiving vehicles.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a LIDAR sensor.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a vision sensor.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the roadway feature is a crosswalk and the object is a pedestrian.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the roadway feature is a blind spot area of the receiving vehicle and the object is a third vehicle in or near the blind spot.

16. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the roadway feature is an intersection.

17. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the communications is implemented with the Dedicated Short Range Communications standard.

18. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the detecting vehicle further determines and communicates the object'"'"'s velocity and heading.

19. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the detecting vehicle further communicates a timestamp.