SAFETY DISTANCE MONITORING OF ADJACENT VEHICLES

• US 20140095061A1
• Filed: 10/03/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Spireon Incorporated (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Spireon Incorporated (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: HYDE, Richard Franklin
• Application Number:
  US13/633,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095061A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

A method and a system related to monitoring a safety distance of adjacent vehicles is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method of a first vehicle includes determining that a second vehicle is in motion in front of the first vehicle when the first vehicle is in motion and calculating a distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle through a range measurement device of the first vehicle when the first vehicle and the second vehicle are in motion. The method also includes generating an alert at an administrative server when the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than a safety distance. The method may include applying a value data (e.g. a weight, length, and/or speed of the first vehicle) at the administrative server to determine when the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than the safety distance.

Claims

1. A method of a first vehicle comprising:

determining that a second vehicle is in motion in front of the first vehicle when the first vehicle is in motion;

calculating a distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle when the first vehicle and the second vehicle are in motion through a range measurement device of the first vehicle; and

generating an alert at an administrative server when the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than a safety distance.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying a value data at the administrative server to determine when the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than the safety distance.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the value data comprises at least one of a type of the first vehicle, a weight of the first vehicle, a speed of the first vehicle, a size of the first vehicle, and a length of the first vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the safety distance is determined based on the value data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calculating the distance through an algorithm applied by the range measurement device that measures a physical separation between a posterior area of the second vehicle and an anterior area of the first vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the second vehicle and the first vehicle are traveling in substantially a same direction.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calculating an amount of time that the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than the safety distance;

determining whether the amount of time is greater than an acceptable time value; and

communicating the distance and the amount of time to the administrative server communicatively coupled with the first vehicle.

8. A method of a first vehicle comprising:

calculating a distance between a second vehicle and the first vehicle when the first vehicle and the second vehicle are in motion through a range measurement device of the first vehicle;

applying a value data to determine when the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than a safety distance;

calculating an amount of time that the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than the safety distance;

determining whether the amount of time is greater than an acceptable time value;

generating an alert when the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than the safety distance and when said distance is maintained for longer than the acceptable time value; and

communicating the alert to an administrative server.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining that the second vehicle is in motion in front of the first vehicle when the first vehicle is in motion.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

calculating the distance through an algorithm applied by the range measurement device that measures a physical separation between a posterior area of the second vehicle and an anterior area of the first vehicle.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the value data comprises at least one of a type of the first vehicle, a weight of the first vehicle, a speed of the first vehicle, a size of the first vehicle, and a length of the first vehicle.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the safety distance is calculated based on the value data.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining that the second vehicle and the first vehicle are traveling in substantially a same direction when generating the alert.

14. A first vehicle comprising:

a Global Positioning System unit that communicates with a space based navigation system to determine a present location of the first vehicle and a speed of the first vehicle;

a range measurement device that detects a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle in front of the first vehicle; and

a data processor that processes information generated by the Global Positioning System unit and the range measurement device and which executes an instruction generated through a communication between an administrative server and the first vehicle.

15. The first vehicle of claim 14 further comprising:

a configuration module to compute a safety distance based on a value data of the first vehicle as determined through the administrative server.

16. The first vehicle of claim 15 wherein the value data comprises at least one of a type of the first vehicle, a weight of the first vehicle, the speed of the first vehicle, a size of the first vehicle, and a length of the first vehicle.

17. The first vehicle of claim 14 further comprising:

a time tracking module to calculate an amount of time that the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is less than a safety distance.

18. The first vehicle of claim 14 further comprising:

an analytic module to determine;

when the distance is less than a safety distance, and

when said distance is maintained for an amount of time that is greater than an acceptable time value.

19. The first vehicle of claim 14 further comprising:

an alert origination module to generate an alert communication when the distance is less than a safety distance and when said distance is maintained for an amount of time that is greater than an acceptable time value.

20. The first vehicle of claim 14 further comprising:

a communications module to send an alert communication to the administrative server through a network.