CROWD SOURCING EXTERIOR VEHICLE IMAGES OF TRAFFIC CONDITIONS

• US 20160057335A1
• Filed: 08/21/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Pisz, James T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,918,001 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

An apparatus and method for crowd sourcing current traffic conditions using an image sensor on a vehicle to record traffic conditions at the vehicle location, date and time stamp the images, and transmit the images along with selected vehicle operating conditions and vehicle coordinates through a network to a central crowd sourcing traffic condition control. The control stores the images and, upon receiving an image request from a vehicle, transmits traffic condition images to the requesting vehicle through the network for a specified roadway segment. A vehicle opted-in to the control can select another opted-in vehicle to have an image taken by the any selected vehicle of a desired road location. The control handles the exchange of a request and an image between the requesting vehicle and the selecting vehicle to enable an instantaneous image of a desired road location to be displayed in the requesting vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for generating visual images of roadway traffic conditions, comprising:

receiving, at a network, traffic condition image data from a computing device associated with a vehicle traversing a roadway, where the traffic condition data as a most recent image;

storing the received traffic condition image data as a most recent image; and

upon receiving an image request for a specific roadway segment, transmitting traffic condition images of the requested specific roadway segment through the network to the vehicle originating the image request.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining the traffic condition data from at least one image sensor mounted on the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

supplying vehicle location coordinate data and at least one of speed, acceleration and deceleration data along with the images; and

providing a communication network between a computing device on the vehicle and a crowd sourcing traffic image control.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the control transmitting the most recent time and day stamp image data to the image requesting vehicle upon receipt of an image request for a specific roadway segment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of storing the most recent image comprises:

associating a day and time that the most recent image was taken with the stored most recent image.

6. A method of reporting traffic condition images to a vehicle comprising:

providing a computing device in a vehicle coupled to an image sensor on the vehicle for recording traffic conditions on a roadway traversed by the vehicle;

the computing device executing stored program instructions to;

record the images generated by at least one of the image sensors on the vehicle;

couple vehicle operating condition data with the images; and

transmit the images and the vehicle operating condition data to a network;

a crowd sourcing traffic condition control including at least one processor executing stored program instructions to;

receive the images and vehicle operating data from the vehicle;

store the images in conjunction with coordinates of the roadway segment where the images were taken, along with time and date stamp information and vehicle operating conditions; and

upon request from a vehicle, transmit the most recent traffic condition images of the specific roadway segment through the network to the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

transmitting by control the most recent time and date stamped images in response to an image request from a vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the control is executes program instructions to:

store all of the images from the vehicle; and

in response to a request for traffic condition images containing at least one of a specified road coordinate location, in conjunction with time and date stamp information and direction, transmitting the traffic condition images for the date, time and direction to the vehicle from which the request originated.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

providing computing devices in a plurality of vehicles capable of transmitting images from image sensors carried on each of the plurality of vehicles to the control.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the computing device, when storing the images from at least one of the image sensors on the vehicle, comprises:

associating by the control a time and date that the image was taken.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the storing the most recent traffic condition image comprises:

tracking, by the control the geographic location of each vehicle with network transmission capabilities;

transmitting and displaying all vehicles actively coupled to each vehicle control;

resetting an image request generated by one of the vehicles, the image location request including a selection of another vehicle actively coupled to the control in the proximity of a selected road location;

receiving by the control, the vehicle selection, and transmitting commands to the selected vehicle for generating an image;

recording an image by an image sensor on the selected vehicle; and

receiving and transmitting by the control the taken image to the requesting vehicle for display in the requesting vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein any of the vehicles can opt-in to the control.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the opting-in to the control is one of automatic whenever a vehicle is operating or manually selected in any vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the control transmits signals for display on each navigation screen of any vehicle opted-in to the control of only the vehicles which are opted-in to the control.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the selection of a vehicle to take an image comprises:

selecting an image sensor on the selected vehicle for taking the requested image.

16. An apparatus for generating images of roadway traffic conditions using crowd sourcing image gathering comprising:

A computing device carried in a vehicle and having at least one processor executing stored program instructions to;

receive images from at least one image sensor carried on the vehicle;

time and date stamping the images received from the at least one image sensor;

coupling vehicle coordinates and direction information with the recorded images; and

transmitting the recorded images coupled with the vehicle operating coordinates and vehicle direction information to a network;

a traffic condition image reporting control including at least one processor executing program instructions to;

receive the images and vehicle operating coordinates from a vehicle;

storing the recorded images, the time and date stamp information in the vehicle coordinates in the memory;

in response to a request from a vehicle for traffic conditions for a specific roadway segment, accessing the memory to retrieve the most recent traffic condition images for the specified roadway segment; and

transmitting the images to the vehicle which made the request for traffic conditions.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

a display carried in the vehicle and coupled to the computing device in the vehicle for displaying the traffic condition images.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

the computing device responsive to a vehicle driver input specifying a roadway segment for image download.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

the control overriding stored images at a specified roadway segment with traffic condition images received from the network of the same specified roadway segment adding more recent time and date stamped images.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

the control storing all of the images received from the vehicle for all roadway segments and all date and time and vehicle coordinate data.

21. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein any of the vehicles can opt-in to the control.

22. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the opting-in to the control is one of automatic whenever a vehicle is operating or manual

23. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the control transmits signals for display on each navigation screen of any vehicle opted-in to the control of only the vehicles which are opted-in to the control.

24. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the selection of a vehicle to take an image comprising:

the control allowing a user to select an image sensor on the selected vehicle for taking the requested image.