Vehicle to entity communication

• US 8,253,589 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2009
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Grimm, Donald K., Kiefer, Raymond J., Angell, Linda S., Deering, Richard K., Green, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US12/582,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/517, 340/518, 340/601, 340/905, 340/990, 701/210, 701/200, 701/209
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A vehicle to pedestrian communication system includes a vehicle-based device having a transmitter and receiver for communicating global positioning of the vehicle. The transmitter broadcasts a global position of the vehicle as part of a vehicle periodic beacon message. A pedestrian-based device is carried by a pedestrian. The pedestrian-based device has a transmitter and receiver for communicating a global position of the pedestrian as part of a pedestrian periodic beacon message. A positional awareness of the vehicle in relation to the pedestrian is assessed by at least one of the vehicle-based device or the pedestrian-based device based on the positioning of the vehicle in relation to the pedestrian. An alert is provided to at least one of the vehicle or the pedestrian indicating a presence of the vehicle or pedestrian based on the respective global positions of the pedestrian and the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle to pedestrian communication system comprising:

a vehicle-based device having a transmitter and receiver for communicating global positioning of the vehicle, the transmitter broadcasting a global position of the vehicle as part of a vehicle periodic beacon message;

a pedestrian-based device carried by a pedestrian, the pedestrian-based device having a transmitter and receiver for communicating a global position of the pedestrian as part of a pedestrian periodic beacon message;

wherein a positional awareness of the vehicle in relation to the pedestrian is assessed by at least one of the vehicle-based device or the pedestrian-based device based on the positioning of the vehicle in relation to the pedestrian, and wherein an alert is provided to at least one of the vehicle or the pedestrian indicating a presence of the vehicle or pedestrian based on the respective global positions of the pedestrian and the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle-based device includes a position-determining device for determining the global position of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle comprises a position-determining device for providing global positioning data to the vehicle-based device.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising a short range wireless communication link for communicating between the position-determining device and the vehicle-based device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the pedestrian-based device includes a positioning device for determining the global position of the pedestrian.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising an output device for providing pedestrian information to a driver of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the output device is integrated in the vehicle-based device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the pedestrian-based device is integrated within a portable convenience device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the portable convenience device is a cell phone.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the portable convenience device is a key fob.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a warning device for providing vehicle awareness to the pedestrian.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the warning device is integrated within the pedestrian-based device.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the warning device provides safety related warnings to the pedestrian.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the safety related warnings to the pedestrian include potential collision warnings.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the warning device is remote from the pedestrian-based device, the pedestrian-based device communicating with the warning device via a short range wireless communication link.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the warning device is a haptic belt.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the haptic belt indicates a direction of the approaching vehicle.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the warning device is integrated within a walking cane.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the warning device is integrated within a cycling helmet.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the warning device is integrated within clothing of the pedestrian.

21. The system of claim 11 wherein the warning device includes a lighting device, wherein the warning device simultaneously alerts a driver of a vehicle as to the presence of the pedestrian.

22. The system of claim 11 wherein a warning device includes directional lighting, wherein at least one headlamp is moved to illuminate a communicating pedestrian.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle-based device communicates an approaching direction and approaching rate of the vehicle to the pedestrian-based device.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein a signal is communicated from the pedestrian-based device to the vehicle-based device indicating an intention by the pedestrian to cross a road at a respective location.