ALERTING PREDICTED ACCIDENTS BETWEEN DRIVERLESS CARS

• US 20160347310A1
• Filed: 05/26/2016
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dov Moran, Menahem Lasser
• Original Assignee: Dov Moran, Menahem Lasser
• Inventors: MORAN, Dov, LASSER, Menahem
• Granted Patent: US 9,598,078 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 2710/182 Brake pressure, e.g. of fluid or between pad and disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/106 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/085 Taking automatic action to adjust vehicle attitude in preparation for collision, e.g. braking for nose dropping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

This patent application discloses methods and systems for alerting computerized motor-vehicles about predicted accidents. In an example method, a motor vehicle alerts another motor vehicle about a predicted accident, even though that accident is between the alerting car and a third motor vehicle—for example, the alert is transmitted by non-visual electromagnetic (EM) radiation. When an adjacent motor vehicle receives such accident alert and determines it might itself be hit, it will react so as to minimize its chances of being hit or at least to minimize the damage if it is being hit.

Claims

1. A method for attempting to avoid a potential motor-vehicle accident and/or minimizing damage caused by the potential motor-vehicle accident, the method comprising:

a. wirelessly transmitting, by non-visual electromagnetic (EM) radiation and from a first motor-vehicle, a first accident alert comprising accident prediction data about a potential motor-vehicle accident;

b. receiving the first accident alert at a second motor-vehicle;

c. in response to the receiving of the first accident alert, wirelessly transmitting a second accident alert by non-visual EM radiation and from the second motor-vehicle;

d. receiving the second accident alert by a third motor-vehicle; and

e. in response to the receiving of the second accident alert, attempting, by an onboard computer of the third motor-vehicle, (i) to avoid being involved in the potential motor-vehicle accident and/or (ii) to reduce damage inflicted upon the third motor-vehicle as a result of involvement in the potential motor-vehicle accident by performing at least one vehicle control action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in addition to accident prediction data, the first accident alert and/or the second accident alert includes factual input data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the factual input data of the first and/or second accident alert includes at least one of:

(i) an indication that the first motor-vehicle is braking;

(ii) an indication that the first motor-vehicle is decelerating;

(iii) an indication that the first motor-vehicle is accelerating; and

(iv) an indication of an action by a fourth motor-vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the accident prediction data of the first and/or second accident alerts includes an indication that an accident might occur between the first motor-vehicle and the second motor-vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the accident prediction data of the first and/or second accident alerts includes an indication that an accident might occur between the first motor-vehicle and a fourth motor-vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second motor-vehicle follows the first motor-vehicle and the third motor-vehicle follows the second motor-vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second motor-vehicle follows the third motor-vehicle and the first motor-vehicle follows the second motor-vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the attempting by the third motor-vehicle to avoid being involved in the potential motor-vehicle accident and/or to minimize damage comprises at least one of:

(i) accelerating the third motor-vehicle;

(ii) decelerating the third motor-vehicle;

(iii) employing a steering system of the third motor-vehicle; and

(iv) employing a braking system of the third motor vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the accident prediction data of the received first accident alert is evaluated at the second motor-vehicle and the transmitting of the second accident alert from the second motor-vehicle is contingent upon results of the evaluation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein (i) one or more onboard computer(s) of the first motor-vehicle computes accident prediction data of the first accident alert from a first set of factual input data;

and (ii) one or more onboard computer(s) of the second motor-vehicle computes accident prediction data of the second accident alert from a second set of factual input data that includes factual input data not present within the first set of factual input data.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the accident prediction data of the second accident alert is evaluated at the second motor-vehicle and the transmitting of the second accident alert from the second motor-vehicle is contingent upon results of the evaluation.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein onboard computer(s) of the second motor-vehicle derive(s) accident prediction data of the second accident alert only from accident prediction data of the received first accident alert.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein an onboard computer of the first motor-vehicle evaluates accident prediction data and only transmits the first accident alert if a likelihood and/or severity of a predicted accident exceeds a threshold.

14. A method for responding to a prediction of a potential accident involving first, second and third motor-vehicles, with the first, second and third motor-vehicles arranged so that (i) the second motor-vehicle is behind the first motor-vehicle and (ii) the first motor-vehicle is behind the third motor-vehicle, the method comprising:

a. computationally predicting an accident scenario by an onboard computer of a first motor-vehicle, the accident scenario indicating that the first motor-vehicle might be hit from behind by a second motor-vehicle;

b. in response to the predicting, wirelessly transmitting, by non-visual electromagnetic (EM) radiation and from the first motor-vehicle, an accident alert;

c. receiving the accident alert by a third motor-vehicle that is in front of the first motor-vehicle; and

d. in response to the receiving of the accident alert, attempting, by an onboard computer of the third motor-vehicle, (i) to avoid being hit from behind by the first motor-vehicle and/or (ii) to reduce damage inflicted upon the third motor-vehicle resulting from being hit from behind by the first motor-vehicle, by performing at least one vehicle control action.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the accident alert comprises an indication that the first motor-vehicle might be hit from behind by the second motor-vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the accident alert comprises an indication that an accident may occur between the first and third motor-vehicles.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein:

i. the onboard computer of the first and/or of the third motor-vehicle predicts at least one parameter of a chain accident resulting from said accident scenario in which the second motor-vehicle hits the first motor-vehicle and the first motor-vehicle hits the third motor-vehicle; and

ii. the at least one vehicle control action is selected in accordance with at least one of the at least one parameter of the chain accident.

18. A method for responding to a prediction of a potential accident involving first, second and third motor-vehicles, the method comprising:

a. computationally predicting an accident scenario by an onboard computer of the first motor-vehicle, the accident scenario indicating that a first motor-vehicle accident might occur between the first and second motor-vehicles;

b. determining, by the onboard computer of the first motor-vehicle, if changing a velocity of the first motor-vehicle in order to (i) avoid the first motor-vehicle accident and/or (ii) reduce a likelihood thereof and/or (iii) reduce a severity thereof would result in one or more of;

A. a second motor-vehicle accident occurring between the first and third motor-vehicles; and

B. an increase in a likelihood that the second motor-vehicle accident will occur; and

c. in response to a positive determining, performing at least one vehicle control action by the onboard computer of the first motor-vehicle for adjusting the velocity of the first motor-vehicle according to respective velocities and/or accelerations of the second and third motor-vehicles.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the velocity of the first motor-vehicle is adjusted so as to reduce a predicted amount of damage inflicted upon the first motor-vehicle as a result of its involvement in the first and second motor-vehicle accidents.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the velocity of the first motor-vehicle is adjusted so as to reduce a predicted aggregate amount of damage inflicted upon a combination of at least two of the first, second and third motor-vehicles as a result of their collective involvement in the first and/or second motor-vehicle accidents.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the velocity of the first motor-vehicle is adjusted without attempting to avoid the first motor-vehicle accident.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the first motor-vehicle follows the second motor-vehicle and the third motor-vehicle follows the first motor-vehicle.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the first motor-vehicle follows the third motor-vehicle and the second motor-vehicle follows the first motor-vehicle.

24. An anti-accident device for operation onboard a host motor-vehicle, the anti-accident device comprising:

a. a prediction-engine for processing factual input data about a plurality of motor-vehicles and computationally predicting an accident scenario, thereby generating output prediction data of a potential accident;

b. a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting non-visual electromagnetic (EM) signals;

c. a wireless receiver for wirelessly receiving non-visual EM signals; and

d. a device controller for sending control signals to onboard vehicle controls of the host motor-vehicle where the anti-accident device resides, wherein the anti-accident onboard device provides the following features;

i. in response to a predicting, by the prediction engine, of an accident scenario about a first potential motor-vehicle accident, the device controller transmits, via the wireless transmitter, a first outgoing accident alert comprising accident prediction data about the first potential motor-vehicle accident;

ii. in response to a receiving, via the wireless receiver, of a first incoming accident alert comprising accident prediction data about a second potential motor-vehicle accident, the device controller transmits, via the wireless transmitter, a second outgoing accident alert comprising accident prediction data for the second potential motor-vehicle accident;

iii. in response to a receiving, via the wireless receiver, of a second incoming accident alert comprising accident prediction data about a third potential motor-vehicle accident between two or more external motor-vehicles, the device controller sends control signals to one or more onboard vehicle controls of the host motor-vehicle so as (A) to avoid involvement, of the host motor-vehicle, in the third potential motor-vehicle accident; and

/or (B) to reduce damage inflicted upon the host motor-vehicle as a result of involvement in the third potential motor-vehicle accident by performing at least one vehicle control action.