SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COOPERATIVE VEHICLE ADAPTATION

• US 20120188097A1
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brillhart, David C., Dawson, Christopher J., Karels, Nicholas J., Kendzierski, Michael D., Seaman, James W.
• Application Number:
  US13/014,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188097A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Techniques for cooperative vehicle adaptation are disclosed. A method according to one embodiment includes the steps of receiving an indicator of a first vehicle, receiving an indicator of a second vehicle when the second vehicle is within a geographic region of the first vehicle, analyzing the indicator of the first vehicle and the indicator of the second vehicle, and determining an external condition based on the analyzed indicators. The indicators may be fault indicators or internal condition indicators.

Claims

1. A method for determining conditions external to one or more vehicles in a geographic region, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, in a corroborative adaptive controller, a first group of one or more indicators, wherein the first group of indicators indicate information about one or more subsystems of a first vehicle;

receiving, in the corroborative adaptive controller, a second group of one or more indicators, wherein the second group of indicators indicate information about one or more subsystems of a second vehicle; and

determining, by the corroborative adaptive controller, based on the first group of indicators and the second group of indicators, that there is an external condition in a geographic region including the first vehicle and the second vehicle that can affect performance of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the external condition is a road hazard.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second groups of indicators indicate faults of the first and second vehicles.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a geographic location associated with the external condition, wherein the geographic location resides within the geographic region;

detecting a third vehicle approaching the geographic location associated with the external condition; and

sending an alert regarding the external condition to the third vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a geographic location for each of the indicators in the first and second groups, wherein the external condition is associated with the geographic location.

6. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices and program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and when executed by the one or more processors perform the method of claim 1.

7. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices and when executed by one or more processors, perform the method of claim 1.

8. A computer program product for determining conditions external to one or more vehicles, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to receive a first group of one or more indicators, wherein the first group of indicators indicate information about one or more subsystems of a first vehicle;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to receive a second group of one or more indicators, wherein the second group of indicators indicate information about one or more subsystems of a second vehicle, wherein the first and second vehicles are located within a geographic region; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine, based on the first group of indicators and the second group of indicators, that there is an external condition in the geographic region that can affect performance of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the external condition is a road hazard.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first and second groups of indicators indicate faults of the first and second vehicles.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine a geographic location associated with the external condition, wherein the geographic location resides within the geographic region;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to detect a third vehicle approaching the geographic location associated with the external condition; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to send an alert regarding the external condition to the third vehicle.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine a geographic location for each of the indicators in the first and second groups, wherein the external condition is associated with the geographic location.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to send an alert identifying the external condition to all vehicles in the geographic region.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices to send an alert about the external condition to a transportation authority.

15. A computer system for determining conditions external to one or more vehicles in a geographic region, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to receive a first group of one or more indicators, wherein the first group of indicators indicate information about one or more subsystems of a first vehicle;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to receive a second group of one or more indicators, wherein the second group of indicators indicate information about one or more subsystems of a second vehicle, wherein the first and second vehicles are located within a geographic region; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine, based on the first group of indicators and the second group of indicators, that there is an external condition that can affect performance of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the external condition is a road hazard.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first and second groups of indicators indicate faults of the first and second vehicles.

18. The computer system of claim 15 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine a geographic location associated with the external condition, wherein the geographic location resides within the geographic region;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to detect a third vehicle approaching the geographic location associated with the external condition; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to send an alert regarding the external condition to the third vehicle.

19. The computer system of claim 15 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine a geographic location for each of the indicators in the first and second groups, wherein the external condition is associated with the geographic location.

20. The computer system of claim 15 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to send an alert identifying the external condition to all vehicles in the geographic region.