AUTOMOTIVE DYNAMIC VIRTUAL NETWORK

• US 20150353008A1
• Filed: 06/04/2014
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kline, Eric V.
• Granted Patent: US 9,643,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• 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

An apparatus includes a vehicle position module that determines a position of each proximal vehicle with respect to a user'"'"'s vehicle. Each proximal vehicle is positioned in relation to the user'"'"'s vehicle without another vehicle between the proximal vehicle and the user'"'"'s vehicle. A vehicle network module establishes a communication link between the user'"'"'s vehicle and the proximal vehicles. A message receiver module receives an alert message from a front proximal vehicle in front of the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to the front proximal vehicle sending the alert message. A message transmitter module transmits an alert message to a rear proximal vehicle traveling behind the user'"'"'s vehicle. The transmitted alert message includes an alert message received from a front proximal vehicle and/or an alert message generated within the user'"'"'s vehicle. An alert action module takes an action with respect to the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to receiving an alert message.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle position module that determines a position of each proximal vehicle with respect to a user'"'"'s vehicle, each proximal vehicle comprising one or more vehicles traveling in a same direction as the user'"'"'s vehicle and within a sensor range, wherein each proximal vehicle is positioned in relation to the user'"'"'s vehicle without another vehicle between the proximal vehicle and the user'"'"'s vehicle;

a vehicle network module that establishes a communication link between the user'"'"'s vehicle and one or more of the proximal vehicles;

a message receiver module that receives an alert message from a front proximal vehicle that is in front of the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to a proximal vehicle traveling in front of the user'"'"'s vehicle and in response to the front proximal vehicle sending the alert message;

a message transmitter module that transmits an alert message to a rear proximal vehicle that is traveling behind the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to a proximal vehicle traveling behind the user'"'"'s vehicle, the alert message transmitted by the message transmitter module comprising one or more of an alert message received from a front proximal vehicle and an alert message generated within the user'"'"'s vehicle; and

an alert action module that takes an action with respect to the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to receiving an alert message from a front proximal vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an alert message received by the message receiver module comprises one or more of an alert message from a front proximal vehicle and an alert message received by the front proximal vehicle from another vehicle ahead of the front proximal vehicle and further comprising a message priority module that prioritizes alert messages received by the message receiver module based on a proximity of the vehicle where the alert message originated to the user'"'"'s vehicle, wherein an alert message generated by a front proximal vehicle has a higher priority than an alert message received by a front proximal vehicle and passed to the user'"'"'s vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the alert action module takes actions with respect to the user'"'"'s vehicle that differ based on one or more of alert message priority and a type of alert message.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the message priority module further prioritizes alert messages by how many vehicles are between a vehicle sending an alert message and the user'"'"'s vehicle, wherein an alert message from a vehicle closer to the user'"'"'s vehicle has a higher priority than an alert message from a vehicle further away from the user'"'"'s vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein a vehicle being closer to or further away from the user'"'"'s vehicle is based on a number of vehicles away from the user'"'"'s vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the message priority module reduces priority of an alert message received from the front proximal vehicle prior to the message transmitter module transmitting the alert message to a rear proximal vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message receiver module rejects alert messages sent directly from vehicles other than a proximal vehicle.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle position module further determines a position of each proximal vehicle using one or more of:

a global positioning satellite (“

GPS”

) system;

short range radio frequency (“

RF”

);

directional short range radar;

infrared; and

laser light.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an alert generation module that generates an alert message based on information from one or more sensors of the user'"'"'s vehicle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more sensors of the user'"'"'s vehicle sense one or more of:

a condition within the user'"'"'s vehicle indicative of a crash;

a condition within the user'"'"'s vehicle indicative of abnormal maneuvering of the user'"'"'s vehicle;

a condition within the user'"'"'s vehicle indicative a failure of a component of the user'"'"'s vehicle; and

one or more of an object and a condition in an area surrounding the user'"'"'s vehicle indicative of one or more of a danger to the vehicle, a situation for emergency maneuvering of the user'"'"'s vehicle, and an impending crash.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the action taken by the alert action module comprises one or more of alerting a driver of the user'"'"'s vehicle and taking an action that affects control of the user'"'"'s vehicle.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the front proximal vehicle comprises one or more of:

a vehicle traveling in a same lane as the lane that the user'"'"'s vehicle is traveling and ahead of the user'"'"'s vehicle; and

a proximal vehicle in a lane different than the lane that the user'"'"'s vehicle is traveling and further ahead than the user'"'"'s vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle network module establishes the communication link between the user'"'"'s vehicle and the one or more proximal vehicles via a wireless ad hoc network.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a message limit module that prevents an alert message received from a front proximal vehicle that has been transmitted through more than N vehicles before being transmitted to the user'"'"'s vehicle from being transmitted to a rear proximal vehicle, wherein N is an integer and wherein N is a message travel limit expressed as a number of vehicles from the user'"'"'s vehicle.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the proximal vehicles include the apparatus and a proximal vehicle with the apparatus transmits an alert message to a rear proximal vehicle behind the proximal vehicle with the apparatus, which includes the user'"'"'s vehicle, the transmitted alert message comprising one of an alert received from a front proximal vehicle in front of the proximal vehicle with the apparatus and an alert message generated by the proximal vehicle with the apparatus and wherein the vehicle network module of the user'"'"'s vehicle and each proximal vehicle with the apparatus each establishes a wireless ad hoc network with proximal vehicles.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the user'"'"'s vehicle.

17. A method comprising:

determining a position of each proximal vehicle with respect to a user'"'"'s vehicle, each proximal vehicle comprising one or more vehicles traveling in a same direction as the user'"'"'s vehicle and within a sensor range, wherein each proximal vehicle is positioned in relation to the user'"'"'s vehicle without another vehicle between the proximal vehicle and the user'"'"'s vehicle;

establishing a communication link between the user'"'"'s vehicle and one or more of the proximal vehicles;

receiving an alert message from a front proximal vehicle that is in front of the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to a proximal vehicle traveling in front of the user'"'"'s vehicle and in response to the front proximal vehicle sending the alert message;

transmitting an alert message to a rear proximal vehicle that is traveling behind the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to a proximal vehicle traveling behind the user'"'"'s vehicle, the transmitted alert message comprising one or more of an alert message received from a front proximal vehicle and an alert message generated within the user'"'"'s vehicle; and

taking an action with respect to the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to receiving an alert message from a front proximal vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein an alert message received from a front proximal vehicle comprises one or more of an alert message from the front proximal vehicle and an alert message received by the front proximal vehicle from another vehicle ahead of the front proximal vehicle and wherein the method further comprises prioritizing alert messages received from a front proximal vehicle based on a proximity of the vehicle where the alert message originated to the user'"'"'s vehicle, wherein an alert message generated by a front proximal vehicle has a higher priority than an alert message received by a front proximal vehicle and passed to the user'"'"'s vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating an alert message based on information from one or more sensors of the user'"'"'s vehicle.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle position module that determines a position of each proximal vehicle with respect to a user'"'"'s vehicle, each proximal vehicle comprising one or more vehicles traveling in a same direction as the user'"'"'s vehicle and within a sensor range, wherein each proximal vehicle is positioned in relation to the user'"'"'s vehicle without another vehicle between the proximal vehicle and the user'"'"'s vehicle;

a vehicle network module that establishes a communication link between the user'"'"'s vehicle and one or more of the proximal vehicles via a wireless ad hoc network;

a message receiver module that receives an alert message from a front proximal vehicle that is in front of the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to a proximal vehicle traveling in front of the user'"'"'s vehicle and in response to the front proximal vehicle sending the alert message, wherein an alert message received by the message receiver module comprises one or more of an alert message from the front proximal vehicle and an alert message received by the front proximal vehicle from another vehicle ahead of the front proximal vehicle;

a message priority module that prioritizes alert messages received by the message receiver module based on a proximity of the vehicle where the alert message originated to the user'"'"'s vehicle, wherein an alert message generated by the front proximal vehicle has a higher priority than an alert message received by the front proximal vehicle and passed to the user'"'"'s vehicle;

an alert generation module that generates an alert message based on information from one or more sensors of the user'"'"'s vehicle;

a message transmitter module that transmits an alert message to a rear proximal vehicle that is traveling behind the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to a proximal vehicle traveling behind the user'"'"'s vehicle, the alert message transmitted by the message transmitter module comprising one or more of an alert message received from a front proximal vehicle and an alert message generated within the user'"'"'s vehicle by the alert generation module;

a message limit module that prevents the alert message received from the front proximal vehicle that has been transmitted through more than N vehicles before being transmitted to the user'"'"'s vehicle from being transmitted to a rear proximal vehicle, wherein N is an integer and wherein N is a message travel limit expressed as a number of vehicles from the user'"'"'s vehicle; and

an alert action module that takes an action with respect to the user'"'"'s vehicle in response to receiving an alert message from a front proximal vehicle.