System for and method of updating traffic data using probe vehicles having exterior sensors

• US 7,706,963 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Ferman, Martin A., Krishnan, Hariharan, Parikh, Jayendra S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chuong P
• Application Number:
  US11/262,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 701116-119, 701/207, 701/208, 701300-302, 340901-905, 340/907, 340988-993, 3409951-99513, 340/995.28, 342/357.08, 342454-458, 342/461, 342/463
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A probe-vehicle traffic information system for and method of gathering traffic data utilizing a host probe vehicle having onboard exterior sensors. The host vehicle is configured to detect at least one condition from at least one traveling target vehicle, aggregate and process the condition data, and report only the processed data to a traffic information center, so as to reduce the number of simultaneous communication channels typically required to report condition data from a plurality of probe vehicles.

Claims

1. A traffic information system adapted for use by a mobile probe device spaced from a plurality of remotely traveling vehicles, and for updating at least one traffic condition and transmitting the traffic condition to at least one receiving entity, said system comprising:

a traffic information center configured to store a first value of the traffic condition; and

at least one mobile probe device communicatively coupled to the center, including at least one exterior sensor configured to concurrently detect remote vehicle conditions for each of said plurality of remotely traveling vehicles including the current time, location, speed, and heading of each of said plurality of remote vehicles, configured to determine at the device a probed value of the traffic condition based in part on the detected remote vehicle conditions, and transmit the probed value to the center, wherein the probed value is based on the average speed of remote vehicles having generally congruent headings;

said center being communicatively coupled to said at least one probe device and said at least one receiving entity, and further configured to modify the first value of the traffic condition upon receipt of the probed value from said at least one probe device, and transmit the modified first value to said at least one receiving entity.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said probe device is a probe vehicle, and the center transmits the modified first value to a plurality of receiving vehicles, which include said at least one probe vehicle.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said at least one probe vehicle is configured to determine a corresponding probe vehicle condition, detect the remote vehicle conditions relative to the corresponding probe vehicle condition, and compute corresponding absolute remote vehicle conditions therefrom.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of probe devices determines a separate probed value of the condition, and transmits the probed value to the center, and the modified value is cooperatively determined by the plurality of probed values received.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the probe device is further configured to consider the remote vehicle condition only when the remote vehicle condition exceeds a predetermined remote vehicle condition threshold.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said probe device is configured to segregate the remote traveling vehicles into pre-defined lanes of traffic, and determine a lane-specific average speed for each lane.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1,

said at least one sensor utilizing a mode of detection selected from the group consisting essentially of radar, sonar, lidar, video imaging, and ultrasonic sensing.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said probe device includes a plurality of short, medium, and long range exterior sensors.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the probe device and receiving vehicles are communicatively coupled to the center by cellular communication.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission of the modified value is event-triggered.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said probed and modified values of the condition are transmitted periodically.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said at least one exterior sensor is communicatively coupled to a data processor.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the remote vehicle conditions include the vehicle range relative to the exterior sensor, and the range rate over a given period.

14. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the remote vehicle conditions include the azimuth angle of the remote vehicle relative to the measuring sensor, and the azimuth angle rate based in part on the azimuth angle.

15. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said at least one probe device further includes a map database, and the remote vehicle conditions include the speed of the remote vehicle, and the travel time to a point on the map database.