Infrastructure-Device Status-Verification System For Automated Vehicles

• US 20170286784A1
• Filed: 03/29/2016
• Published: 10/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motional AD, LLC (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bhatia, Gaurav, Lee, Jong Ho, Kim, Junsung
• Granted Patent: US 10,685,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

An infrastructure-device status-verification system suitable for use by an automated vehicle includes a transceiver, an object-detector, and a controller. The transceiver is suitable to install on a host-vehicle. The transceiver is used to receive an indicated-status of an infrastructure-device. The object-detector is suitable to install on the host-vehicle. The object-detector is used to determine a detected-status of the infrastructure-device. The controller is in communication with the transceiver and the object-detector. The controller determines a confirmed-status of the infrastructure-device based on the indicated-status and the detected-status. The system provides for increased confidence and security regarding information about the status of an infrastructure-device such as the traffic-signal (e.g. red, yellow, and green), thereby avoid miss-information caused by, for example, hacking or spoofing of V2I communications from the infrastructure-device, and overcome instances when the field-of-view between the object-detector and the infrastructure-device 26 becomes occluded after the confirmed-status has been established or determined.

Claims

1. An infrastructure-device status-verification system suitable for use by an automated vehicle, said system comprising:

a transceiver suitable to install on a host-vehicle, said transceiver used to receive an indicated-status of an infrastructure-device proximate to the host-vehicle;

an object-detector suitable to install on the host-vehicle, said object-detector used to determine a detected-status of the infrastructure-device; and

a controller in communication with the transceiver and the object-detector, wherein the controller determines a confirmed-status of the infrastructure-device based on the indicated-status and the detected-status.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the object-detector is a camera, the infrastructure-device is a traffic-signal operable to selectively emit a light characterized by a color, and the detected-status and the indicated-status are indicative of the color emitted by the traffic signal.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the object-detector is one of a radar-unit and a lidar-unit, the infrastructure-device is a gate operable to a state including an open-state that allows traffic to pass by the gate and a closed-state that prevents traffic from passing by the gate, and the detected-status and the indicated-status are indicative of the state of the gate.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller maintains the confirmed-status based only on the indicated-status for a, occlusion-time when a field-of-view between the object-detector and the infrastructure-device becomes occluded.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller maintains the confirmed-status based only on the detected-status for an interruption-time when reception of the indicated-status by the transceiver is interrupted.