VEHICLE TURN ASSIST SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20130289824A1
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Litkouhi, Bakhtiar Brian, Mudalige, Upali Priyantha
• Application Number:
  US13/459,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20130289824A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• 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

Abstract

A turn assist system for a vehicle includes a transceiver configured to receive data corresponding to the location and motion of a nearby vehicle, a GPS receiver configured to generate location data representative of the location of the vehicle, a vehicle motion sensor configured to monitor one or more motion parameters of the vehicle, and a processor. The processor may be configured to: receive the location data and the vehicle motion data; maintain a plurality of motion paths within a database; map the location of the adjacent vehicle to one of the plurality of motion paths using the received data; and determine if the adjacent vehicle will obstruct the forward motion of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A turn assist system comprising:

a transceiver disposed on a first vehicle and configured to receive data corresponding to the location and motion of an adjacent, second vehicle;

a global positioning system receiver disposed on the first vehicle and configured to generate location data representative of the location of the first vehicle according to known terrestrial coordinates;

a vehicle motion sensor disposed on the first vehicle and configured to generate vehicle motion data corresponding to one or more motion parameters of the first vehicle;

a processor disposed on the first vehicle and in communication with the transceiver, global positioning system receiver, and vehicle motion sensor, and configured to;

receive the location data and the vehicle motion data;

maintain a plurality of motion paths within a database, each of the plurality of motion paths respectively representing a potential path of a vehicle within a road;

map the location of the second vehicle to one of the plurality of motion paths using the received data; and

determine if the second vehicle will obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle.

2. The turn assist system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to fuse the vehicle motion data with the location data to generate refined position data.

3. The turn assist system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the plurality of motion paths from the refined position data.

4. The turn assist system of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the refined position data to a central server via the transceiver.

5. The turn assist system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to receive the plurality of motion paths from the central server via the transceiver;

and

wherein each of the plurality of motion paths represents refined position data consolidated from a plurality of vehicles.

6. The turn assist system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform a control action if it is determined that the second vehicle will obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle.

7. The turn assist system of claim 6, wherein the control action includes providing an alert to a user.

8. The turn assist system of claim 6, wherein the control action includes decelerating or steering the first vehicle using a vehicle control system.

9. A computerized method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of motion paths in a database associated with a first vehicle, each of the plurality of motion paths respectively representing a potential path of a vehicle within a road;

receiving data from a second vehicle indicative of the location of the second vehicle;

mapping the location of the second vehicle to a first motion path of the plurality of maintained motion paths;

determining if the second vehicle will obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle.

10. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising mapping the location of the first vehicle to a second motion path of the plurality of maintained motion paths.

11. The computerized method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving data from the second vehicle indicative of the motion of the second vehicle;

sensing the motion of the first vehicle; and

determining if the forward motion of the second vehicle along the first motion path obstructs the forward motion of the first vehicle along the second motion path.

12. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising providing an alert if the second vehicle is determined to obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle.

13. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising decelerating the first vehicle if the second vehicle is determined to obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle.

14. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of maintained motion paths represent the recorded vehicle path history of one or more vehicles within a road.

15. The computerized method of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of maintained motion paths are generated by fusing vehicle path history of one or more vehicles together.

16. The computerized method of claim 9 further comprising overlaying the plurality of motion paths onto a digital representation of a road.

17. A turn assist system comprising:

a transceiver disposed on a first vehicle and configured to receive data corresponding to the location and motion of a second vehicle;

a global positioning system receiver disposed on the first vehicle and configured to generate location data representative of the location of the first vehicle according to known terrestrial coordinates;

a vehicle motion sensor disposed on the first vehicle and configured to generate vehicle motion data corresponding to one or more motion parameters of the first vehicle;

a processor disposed on the first vehicle and in communication with the transceiver, global positioning system receiver, and vehicle motion sensor, and configured to;

maintain a plurality of motion paths in a database associated with a first vehicle, each of the plurality of motion paths respectively representing a potential path of a vehicle within a road;

receive data from the transceiver indicative of the location of the second vehicle;

map the location of the second vehicle to a first motion path of the plurality of maintained motion paths;

determine if the second vehicle will obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle; and

provide an alert if the second vehicle is determined to obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle.

18. The turn assist system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

fuse the location data with the vehicle motion data to generate refined position data indicative of the location of the first vehicle within a road;

map the location of the first vehicle to a second motion path of the plurality of maintained motion paths;

receive data from the second vehicle indicative of the motion of the second vehicle; and

determine if the forward motion of the second vehicle along the first motion path obstructs the forward motion of the first vehicle along the second motion path.

19. The turn assist system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to decelerate or steer the first vehicle if the second vehicle is determined to obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle.

20. The turn assist system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to steer the first vehicle into a second lane of traffic if the second vehicle is determined to obstruct the forward motion of the first vehicle in a first lane of traffic.