Method and system for an in-vehicle computing architecture

• US 6,161,071 A
• Filed: 03/12/1999
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Shields, T. Russell, Jasper, John C., Paulauskas, Cynthia, Shuman, Valerie, Weiland, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/268,162
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 701/48, 701/93, 701/36, 701/96, 701/200, 701/201, 701/117, 701/33, 701/24, 340/436, 340/901, 180/167, 180/170
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/98 Intelligent Transportation System or Bus [IDB]
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0058 responsive to externally generated signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01311 monitoring the braking system, e.g. ABS
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2081 combined with personal settings of other vehicle devices, e.g. mirrors, seats, steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/302 using recording means, e.g. black box
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/02 Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A computing architecture for a motorized land-based vehicle is disclosed. The computing architecture includes a data network comprised of a plurality of interconnected processors, a first group of sensors responsive to environmental conditions around the vehicle, a second group of sensors responsive to the vehicle'"'"'s hardware systems, and a map database containing data that represent geographic features in the geographic area around the vehicle. A vehicle-environment modeling program, executed on the data network, uses the outputs from the first and second groups of sensors and the map database to provide and continuously update a data model that represents the vehicle and the environmental around the vehicle, including geographic features, conditions, structures, objects and obstacles around the vehicle. Vehicle operations programming applications, executed on the data network, use the data model to determine desired vehicle operation in the context of the vehicle'"'"'s environment. A driver interface receives the vehicle driver'"'"'s input. Vehicle control programming, executed on the data network, receives outputs from the vehicle operations programming applications and the driver interface, determines a resolved operation for the vehicle'"'"'s hardware systems and provides output commands indicative, thereof. The vehicle operations programming applications may include adaptive cruise control, automated mayday, and obstacle and collision warning systems, among, others. Also disclosed is a new computing architecture that organizes the applications and systems in the vehicle into two groups: driver assistance systems and mobile services and information systems. Also disclosed is a drive recorder that maintains records of the statuses of all vehicle systems and of the driver.

Claims

1. A method for operating software applications in a land-based vehicle using a data network comprised of a plurality of interconnected processors, comprising the steps of:

developing a data model of the vehicle and an environment of the vehicle, wherein the data model is formed using information from

a first group of sensors that obtain information about vehicle internal operations and vehicle movement and position in relation to the environment around the vehicle;

a second group of sensors that obtain information about the environment of the vehicle; and

a geographic database installed in the vehicle, wherein the geographic database contains data about geographic features in an area in which the vehicle is located;

obtaining driver input from a driver interface;

executing a plurality of operations applications, each of which determines a respective desired vehicle operation using the data model;

determining a resolved vehicle operation using the driver input and the respective desired vehicle operations from the plurality of operations applications; and

outputting commands to actuators associated with vehicle hardware components, wherein said commands effect said resolved vehicle operation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data model includes information about objects around the vehicle, including other vehicles that are located ahead of the vehicle,

and wherein the plurality of operations applications includes an adaptive cruise control application that performs the step of:

calculating and updating a required speed of the vehicle to maintain an appropriate distance between the vehicle and the other vehicles located ahead of the vehicle;

and wherein the step of determining a resolved vehicle operation comprises the step of;

using the appropriate distance calculated by the adaptive cruise control application.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said vehicle includes route calculation and guidance applications that perform the steps of:

receiving input from a driver indicating a desired destination;

determining a calculated route to the desired destination along roads in the area in which the vehicle is located; and

providing the driver with guidance to follow the calculated route; and

wherein said adaptive cruise control application performs the step of;

using the calculated route to determine what portion of the environment around the vehicle is located ahead of the vehicle along the calculated route.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data model includes status data,

and wherein the plurality of operations applications includes an automated mayday application that performs the steps of:

scanning the status data in said data model for triggering events; and

upon detection of a triggering event in said status data in said data model, constructing an automated mayday message that indicates said triggering event;

and wherein the step of determining a resolved vehicle operation comprises the step of sending the automated mayday message from a wireless communication system installed in the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said automated mayday application further performs the step of:

including data about a medical history of the vehicle driver in said automated mayday message.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said automated mayday application further performs the step of:

including data about medical histories of passengers in said automated mayday message.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said automated mayday application further performs the step of:

including data identifying a geographic position of the vehicle in said automated mayday message.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the status data includes data about a driver of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the status data includes data about vehicle hardware systems.

10. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

storing data in a drive recorder included in the vehicle, wherein the data stored indicates that the automated mayday message was sent in response to the triggering event.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the data model includes status data,

wherein the vehicle includes a manual mayday application wherein a driver requests that a wireless mayday message for help be sent,

wherein the plurality of operations applications includes an automated mayday application that performs the steps of:

scanning the status data in said data model for triggering events; and

upon detection of a triggering event in said status data, constructing an automated mayday message that indicates said triggering event;

receiving said request from said manual mayday application; and

integrating the request from said manual mayday application with the automated mayday message to form an integrated mayday message;

and wherein the step of determining a resolved vehicle operation includes sending said integrated mayday message from a wireless communication system installed in the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the data model includes information about obstacles detected around the vehicle, wherein said obstacles are detected by a process that identifies objects around the vehicle by location and speed relative to the vehicle,

and wherein the plurality of operations applications includes an obstacle warning application that includes the steps of:

relating the speed of the vehicle to the obstacles detected around the vehicle;

determining whether to provide a warning to the vehicle driver based upon said relating step; and

if a warning to the driver is determined to be warranted, requesting that a command be provided to the driver,

and wherein the step of determining a resolved vehicle operation includes commanding operation of user interface hardware included in the vehicle hardware to display a warning to the driver.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of operations applications includes an external reporter application that performs the steps of:

compiling data from the second group of sensors about external conditions, including precipitation and hazardous road conditions, into an external report; and

requesting that the external report be transmitted by communications hardware included in said vehicle hardware components to a service provider to be relayed to other vehicles.

14. An in-vehicle computing architecture for a motorized land-based vehicle that has a plurality of hardware systems, the in-vehicle computing architecture comprising:

a first group of sensor devices responsive to environmental conditions around the vehicle, wherein said first group of sensor devices provides outputs indicative of sensed environmental conditions around the vehicle;

a second group of sensor devices responsive to said plurality of hardware systems, wherein said second group of sensor devices provides outputs indicative of operating states of said plurality of hardware systems;

a map database containing data that represent geographic features in a geographic area around the vehicle;

a plurality of processors interconnected to form a data network across which programs share data;

vehicle-environment modeling programming executed on said data network and coupled to receive said outputs of said first and second groups of sensor devices, wherein said vehicle-environment modeling programming uses data from said map database and said outputs from said first and second groups of sensor devices to provide and continuously update a data model that represents said vehicle, environmental conditions around said vehicle, and geographic features around said vehicle;

vehicle operations programming applications executed on said data network, wherein said vehicle operations programming applications determine desired vehicle operations based upon analysis of said data model and provide outputs indicative thereof;

a driver interface that receives inputs from a driver of said vehicle and provides outputs indicative thereof; and

vehicle critical control programming executed on said data network, wherein said vehicle critical control programming receives said outputs from said vehicle operations programming applications and said driver interface, determines resolved operations for said hardware systems, and provides output commands indicative of said resolved operations to said plurality of hardware systems.

15. The in-vehicle computing architecture of claim 14 further comprising:

a first programming interface to which said first and second groups of sensor devices provide their outputs and from which said vehicle-environment modeling programming receives said outputs from said first and second groups of sensor devices.

16. The in-vehicle computing architecture of claim 14 further comprising:

a second programming interface to which said vehicle critical control programming provides said output commands and from which said plurality of hardware systems receive the output commands.

17. The in-vehicle computing architecture of claim 14 further comprising:

a drive recorder application that stores data from said first group of sensor devices, said second group of sensor devices, said vehicle-environment modeling programming, said vehicle operations programming applications, and said driver interface in a non-volatile drive recorder memory storage installed in the vehicle.

18. The in-vehicle computing architecture of claim 14 wherein said vehicle operations programming applications comprise:

an adaptive cruise control application that analyzes the data in said data model, provides an output indicating a vehicle speed to maintain an appropriate distance between the vehicle and obstacles ahead of the vehicle, and then updates said output;

an automated mayday application that analyzes status data in said data model and provides an output to send a wireless communication requesting roadside assistance upon detection of a triggering event in said status data; and

an obstacle warning application that analyzes data in said data model to detect obstacles located around the vehicle and provides an output to furnish a warning to the driver of the vehicle upon detection of an obstacle with which the vehicle might collide.

19. An adaptive cruise control system implemented in a vehicle, the adaptive cruise control system comprising:

a first group of sensor devices installed in the vehicle that sense features around the vehicle;

a second group of sensor devices installed in the vehicle that sense vehicle hardware systems;

a map database installed in the vehicle, wherein said map database includes data representing features in a geographic area around the vehicle;

data modeling programming that uses outputs from the first group of sensors, the second group of sensors, and the map database to construct a data model of the vehicle and the area around the vehicle;

a driver interface into which a driver of the vehicle provides input to indicate desired vehicle operation;

an adaptive cruise control application that uses the data model to determine an appropriate vehicle operation, including maintenance of an appropriate distance between the vehicle and obstacles ahead of the vehicle; and

critical vehicle programming that receives outputs from the adaptive cruise control application and the driver interface, determines a resolved vehicle operation, and outputs commands to vehicle hardware systems to effect said resolved vehicle operation.

20. The invention of claim 19 wherein said data modeling programming, said adaptive cruise control application, and said critical vehicle programming are implemented on a data network in said vehicle formed of a plurality of interconnected processors.

21. The invention of claim 19 further comprising:

a route calculation application responsive to input from the driver indicating a desired destination and determining a route along a road network located in said geographic area to said desired destination; and

a route guidance application that uses said determined route to explicate maneuvering instructions to the driver to follow said determined route;

and further wherein said adaptive cruise control application uses said determined route to identify what portion of the geographic area is ahead of the vehicle along the determined route.

22. An obstacle detection system implemented in a vehicle, comprising:

a first group of sensor devices installed in the vehicle an area around the vehicle;

a second group of sensor devices installed in the vehicle that sense vehicle hardware systems;

a map database installed in the vehicle, wherein said map database includes data representing features in the area around the vehicle; and

data modeling programming that uses outputs from the first group of sensors, the second group of sensors, and the map database to construct a data model of the vehicle and the area around the vehicle;

wherein said data modeling programming comprises;

an image processing program that uses data from the first group of sensors to obtain images of the area around the vehicle and scan for objects in said images;

an object identifier program that uses data from the image processing program that relates the objects found in said scanned images and data from the map database to identify said found objects; and

an obstacle detection program that receives data from the object identifier program identifying said objects and determines whether said identified objects are obstacles to be avoided;

and wherein said data model includes an identification of said obstacles to be avoided.

23. The obstacle detection system of claim 22 further comprising:

a communications manager that receives data from outside the vehicle relating to obstacles detected by other vehicles in the area around the vehicle;

and wherein said obstacle detection program receives said data from the communications manager and uses said data from the communication manager when identifying detected objects as obstacles.

24. The obstacle detection system of claim 22 further comprising:

a communications manager that receives said data from said obstacle detection program that identify objects around the vehicle as obstacles and transmits said data to a service provider in order that said data be relayed to other vehicles in said area.

25. An in-vehicle computing architecture for a motorized land-based vehicle that has a plurality of hardware systems, the in-vehicle computing architecture comprising:

sensor devices responsive to said plurality of hardware systems and to environmental conditions around the vehicle, wherein said sensor devices provide outputs indicative of sensed hardware systems and environmental conditions;

a plurality of processors interconnected to form a data network across which programs share data;

driver assistance applications executed on said data network, wherein said driver assistance applications receive the outputs of said sensor devices and provide essential vehicle control and safety features;

mobile services and information programming applications executed on said data network, wherein said mobile services and information programming applications provide driver and passenger entertainment, non-emergency communications, convenience, and navigation functions; and

an internal firewall system that restricts exchange of data between the driver assistance applications and the mobile services and information applications in order to prevent information from the mobile services and information applications from interfering with the driver assistance applications.

26. An in-vehicle computing architecture for a motorized land-based vehicle that has a plurality of hardware systems, the in-vehicle computing architecture comprising:

sensor devices responsive to said plurality of hardware systems and to environmental conditions around the vehicle, wherein said sensor devices provide outputs indicative of sensed hardware systems and environmental conditions;

a plurality of processors interconnected to form a data network across which programs share data;

in-vehicle applications executed on said data network and responsive to said outputs of said sensor devices;

a communications system that provides for exchange of data between the in-vehicle applications and a remote service over a wireless communications medium; and

an external firewall system that restricts provision of data to the in-vehicle applications in order to prevent information from external of the vehicle from interfering with the in-vehicle applications.

27. The invention of claim 26 wherein said in-vehicle applications include driver assistance applications executed on said data network, wherein said driver assistance applications receive the outputs of said sensor devices and provide essential vehicle control and safety features;

and

mobile services and information programming applications executed on said data network, wherein said mobile services and information programming applications provide driver and passenger entertainment, non-emergency communications, convenience, and navigation functions;

and further wherein said in-vehicle architecture further comprises;

an internal firewall system that restricts exchange of data between the driver assistance applications and the mobile services and information applications in order to prevent information from the mobile services and information applications from interfering with the driver assistance applications.