VEHICLE COLLISION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM RESPONSIVE TO A SITUATION OF AN OCCUPANT OF AN APPROACHING VEHICLE

• US 20150066346A1
• Filed: 08/28/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cheatham, Jesse R. III, Hyde, Roderick A., Jung, Edward K.Y., Kare, Jordin T., Myhrvold, Conor L., Petroski, Robert C., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US14/012,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20150066346A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Described embodiments include a system, method, and vehicle. A system includes a collision management algorithm utilizable in determining a management of a possible collision between a collision-managed vehicle and an approaching vehicle. The collision management algorithm is responsive to sensor-acquired data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle. The system includes a damage mitigation circuit configured to determine in at least substantially real time a collision mitigation strategy applicable to the collision-managed vehicle. The collision mitigation strategy is determined in response to (i) the collision management algorithm, (ii) sensor-acquired data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle, and (iii) a predicted likelihood of a collision between the collision-managed vehicle and the approaching vehicle. The system includes an instruction generator circuit configured to generate a collision management instruction responsive to the determined collision mitigation strategy.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer readable storage media storing a collision management algorithm utilizable in determining a management of a possible collision between a collision-managed vehicle and an approaching vehicle, the collision management algorithm responsive to sensor-acquired data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle;

a damage mitigation circuit configured to determine in at least substantially real time a collision mitigation strategy applicable to the collision-managed vehicle, the collision mitigation strategy determined in response to (i) the collision management algorithm, (ii) sensor-acquired data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle, and (iii) a predicted likelihood of a collision between the collision-managed vehicle and the approaching vehicle; and

an instruction generator circuit configured to generate a collision management instruction responsive to the determined collision mitigation strategy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor-acquired data includes data descriptive or indicative of demographic information of the at least one occupant.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor-acquired data includes an identifier or an identification of the at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification of at least one occupant includes an identification of a disability or medical issue of the at least one occupant.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification includes identification of the at least one occupant derived from identifying the approaching vehicle, and accessing a database indicative of an identification of an owner or a family member of the approaching car owner.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification includes an identification of at least one occupant based upon a facial recognition process.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to acquire the data descriptive or indicative of the at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the sensor includes an imaging device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the imaging device includes an optical, infrared, radar, or ultrasound based imaging device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the collision mitigation strategy includes selecting or controlling an impact site of the collision-managed vehicle with the approaching vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the collision mitigation strategy includes selecting or controlling an impact site of the collision-managed vehicle with the approaching vehicle based upon a collision resistance of the approaching car.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

another sensor configured to acquire data indicative of an environment or situation external to the collision-managed vehicle.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the collision mitigation strategy is further determined in response to (iv) data indicative of an environment or situation external to the collision-managed vehicle.

14. A method implemented in a computing device, the method comprising:

acquiring data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of a vehicle approaching a collision-managed vehicle;

determining in at least substantially real time a collision mitigation strategy responsive to the approaching vehicle, the collision mitigation strategy determined in response to (i) sensor-acquired data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle, (ii), a collision management algorithm utilizable in determining a management of a possible collision between the collision-managed vehicle and the approaching vehicle, and responsive to the acquired data, and (iii) a predicted likelihood of a collision between the collision-managed vehicle and the approaching vehicle; and

generating a collision management instruction responsive to the determined collision mitigation strategy.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the acquiring data includes acquiring data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle using a sensor carried by the collision-managed vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the collision mitigation strategy is further determined in response to (iv) data indicative of an environment or situation presented by the approaching vehicle and the collision-managed vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the collision management algorithm includes a collision management algorithm utilizable in determining a best management of a possible collision between a collision-managed vehicle and the approaching vehicle.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sensing data indicative of an environment or situation presented by the approaching vehicle and the collision-managed vehicle.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

predicting in at least substantially real time the likelihood of a collision between the collision-managed vehicle and the approaching vehicle, the predicting responsive to data indicative of an environment or situation presented by the approaching vehicle and the collision-managed vehicle.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

outputting the collision management instruction to an operations controller of the collision-managed vehicle.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

executing the collision management instruction in the collision-managed vehicle.

22. A collision-managed vehicle comprising:

a vehicle operations controller configured to control at least one of a propulsion system, a steering system, or a braking system of the collision-managed vehicle in response to a collision management instruction;

a sensor configured to acquire data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of an approaching vehicle; and

a collision management system comprising;

a computer readable storage media storing a collision management algorithm utilizable in determining a management of a possible collision between the collision-managed vehicle and the approaching vehicle, and responsive to the sensor-acquired data descriptive or indicative of the at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle;

a damage mitigation circuit configured to determine in at least substantially real time a collision mitigation strategy applicable to the collision-managed vehicle, the collision mitigation strategy determined in response to (i) the collision management algorithm, (ii) the sensor-acquired data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of the approaching vehicle, and (iii) a predicted likelihood of a collision between the collision-managed vehicle and the approaching vehicle; and

an instruction generator circuit configured to generate the collision management instruction responsive to the determined collision mitigation strategy.

23. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein the sensor is configured to acquire data descriptive or indicative of at least one occupant of an approaching vehicle having a possibility of colliding with the collision-managed vehicle.

24. A system comprising:

a computer readable storage media storing a collision management algorithm having a rule-set that includes preferences utilizable in determining a management of a possible collision between a collision-managed vehicle and an external object, the rule-set configured to incorporate vehicle collision management preferences respectively inputted by at least two human users or occupants of the collision-managed vehicle;

a damage mitigation circuit configured to determine in at least substantially real time a collision mitigation strategy applicable to the collision-managed vehicle, the collision mitigation strategy determined in response to (i) the collision management algorithm with the inputted vehicle collision management preferences incorporated therein, and (ii) a predicted likelihood of a collision between the collision-managed vehicle and an external object; and

an instruction generator circuit configured to generate a collision management instruction responsive to the determined collision mitigation strategy.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the incorporating the at least two vehicle collision management preferences includes a weighing or prioritizing of the vehicle collision management preferences respectively inputted by at least two human users or occupants.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the weighing or prioritizing is responsive to a role in the operation of the collision-managed vehicle by the human-user submitting the collision management preference.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the weighing or prioritizing is responsive to a relationship between a prospective collision avoidance maneuver of the collision-managed vehicle in a possible determined collision mitigation strategy and the human-user submitting the collision management preference.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the weighing or prioritizing is responsive to a relationship between a location in the collision-managed vehicle of the human-user submitting the collision management preference and a predicted collision impact region of the collision-managed vehicle with the external object.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the collision management strategy is further determined in response to (iii) data indicative of an environment or situation external or internal to the collision-managed vehicle.

30. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a receiver circuit configured to receive the collision management preferences for the collision-managed vehicle respectively inputted by the at least two human users or occupants.

31. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a reporting system configured to output a human perceivable report indicating one or more active vehicle collision management preferences.

32. A method implemented in a computing device, the method comprising:

integrating vehicle collision management preferences respectively inputted by at least two human users or occupants of a collision-managed vehicle into a rule-set of a collision management algorithm, the rule-set including preferences utilizable in determining a management of a possible collision between the collision-managed vehicle and an external object;

determining in at least substantially real time a collision mitigation strategy applicable to the collision-managed vehicle, the collision mitigation strategy determined in response to (i) the collision management algorithm, and (ii) a predicted likelihood of a collision between the collision-managed vehicle and a particular external object; and

generating a collision management instruction responsive to the determined collision mitigation strategy.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

receiving a first collision management preference inputted by a first human user of the at least two different human users or occupants and a second collision management preference inputted by a second human user of the at least two different human users or occupants.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

sensing data indicative of an environment or situation internal to the collision-managed vehicle.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

sensing data indicative of an environment or situation external of the collision-managed vehicle.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

predicting in at least substantially real time the likelihood of a collision between the collision-managed vehicle and the external object, the prediction responsive to data indicative of an environment or situation external or internal to the collision-managed vehicle.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

executing the collision management instruction in the collision-managed vehicle.