EXTRA-VEHICULAR ANTI-COLLISION SYSTEM

• US 20130282267A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zetta Research and Development LLC (Zetta Research, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Zetta Research and Development LLC - FORC Series
• Inventors: Rubin, Kim T., Betts-Lacroix, Jonathan N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,008,958 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3822 Road feature data, e.g. slope data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 : Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 9/02 : Anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1694 : Allocation of channels in TDM/TDMA networks, e.g. distributed multiplexers Passive Optical Networks H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 : Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• 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 56/0035 : detecting errors in frequency or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 : Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 : with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 : for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

Device, system and method, in a vehicle communication system using a first protocol, of implementing a gateway using a distinct second protocol. Embodiments include a first protocol transmitting in a government set vehicle safety band, and a second protocol in the set of: WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular phone and cellular data. An embodiment uses a validity-testing module to prevent insecure messages on the second protocol from interfering with the first protocol. Both one-way and two-way inter-protocol message transfers are described. Embodiments use the gateway to communicate from a vehicle using the first protocol to pedestrians, bicyclists, and equipped animals using the second protocol. Embodiments use a computed and transmitted risk-of-collision value. Embodiments include a driver or operator warning responsive to the transmitted risk value. Embodiments include computation of likely future position.

Claims

1. A vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system comprising:

a V2V transceiver configured to operate in a transmitting vehicle;

wherein the V2V transmitter is configured to accept as input subject vehicle position and subject vehicle heading;

wherein the V2V transmitter broadcasts V2V messages, at regular intervals, using a V2V protocol, wherein the V2V messages comprise;

(i) the subject vehicle position;

(ii) the subject vehicle heading; and

(iii) subject vehicle speed;

a wireless transmit gateway configured to transmit V2V information over at least one the wireless protocols in the Markush group;

(WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular phone, cellular data) and wherein the wireless protocol used by the wireless transmit gateway is not the V2V protocol.

2. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 1 wherein:

bandwidth used by the wireless transmit gateway is distinct from the bandwidth used by the V2V transmitter.

3. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 1 wherein:

data transmitted by the wireless gateway comprises a subset of the data transmitted by the V2V transmitter.

4. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless receive gateway configured to receive gateway input information from at least one the wireless protocols in the Markush group;

(WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular data).

5. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 4 further comprising:

a validity testing module, wherein the validity testing module tests the receive gateway input information for V2V validity;

wherein the V2V transceiver transmits receive gateway input information only if the V2V validity test is passed.

6. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless, mobile, consumer electronic device, “

the consumer device,”

configured to receive data from the wireless transmit gateway;

wherein the consumer device comprises data comprising its own location;

an application in non-transitory memory in the consumer device configured to compute a possible collision involving the consumer device, and the computation uses both its own location and received V2V message data transmitted via the wireless transmit gateway;

wherein the application is configured to generate a warning based on the computation of a possible collision.

7. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 6 wherein:

wherein the application executes in the background such that no active involvement of the user of the consumer device is required;

wherein the computation is performed multiple times using data at least partially distinct from data used in an immediately prior computation.

8. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 6 wherein:

wherein the application computes a likely future location of the user of the consumer device;

wherein the application is configured to compute a risk value of a possible collision involving the consumer device and the computation is responsive to the likely future location;

wherein the application is configured to generate a warning if the computed risk value exceeds a risk threshold.

9. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 8 wherein:

wherein the warning is at least partially a V2V wireless transmission message transmitted to a gateway operatively connected to the V2V transceiver located the transmitting vehicle.

10. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system of claim 1 further comprising:

a cellular communication device within wireless range of the wireless transmit gateway;

wherein the wireless transmit gateway is configured to send a notification message via a predetermined emergency cellular number, using the cellular communication device;

a risk computation module;

wherein this module computes a risk value;

wherein the notification message is sent when the risk value is equal to or greater than a cellular notification risk threshold.

11. A method of preventing collisions involving a vehicle comprising:

determining the location, speed and heading of the vehicle;

receiving the location of a mobile consumer electronic device to the vehicle;

comparing the received location of the mobile consumer electronic device to the future location of the vehicle;

generating a warning to the driver of the vehicle if the difference between the two locations is less than a warning threshold.

12. A method of preventing collisions involving a vehicle comprising:

determining the location of a mobile consumer electronic device;

receiving the location, speed and heading of a vehicle;

comparing the future location of the vehicle to the location of the mobile consumer electronic device;

generating a warning on the mobile consumer electronic device if the difference between the two locations is less than a warning threshold.

13. A device for preventing collisions comprising:

a mobile electronic device comprising non-transitory memory;

a collision avoidance application running in the non-transitory memory;

a user interface in the mobile electronic device;

a processor in the mobile electronic device executing the running collision avoidance application;

wherein the collision avoidance application performs the following steps;

receiving the location, speed and heading of a vehicle;

comparing the future location of the vehicle to the location of the mobile consumer electronic device;

generating a warning on the mobile consumer electronic device using the user interface if the difference between the two locations is less than a warning threshold.