Multi-vehicle high integrity perception

• US 8,666,587 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Noel W.
• Primary Examiner(s): VERLEY, NICOLE T
• Application Number:
  US13/919,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20130282200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 260 Days
• Field of Search: 701/34, 701/1, 701/29, 702182-185, 714/25, 714/100, 340/988
• US Class Current: 701/29.3
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0287 involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16

Abstract

The illustrative embodiments provide a method for processing sensor data and controlling the movement of a vehicle. In one illustrative embodiment, a vehicle having a plurality of sensors attempts to receive sensor data. In response to an inability of the vehicle to obtain needed sensor data, collected sensor data is requested from a plurality of other vehicles to form alternate sensor data. The alternate sensor data is received and the vehicle is controlled using the alternate sensor data. In another illustrative embodiment, a request is received at a first vehicle for sensor data from a different vehicle. Sensor data is collected from a plurality of sensors at the first vehicle. The sensor data is then sent to the different vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for managing sensor data for a vehicle, the method comprising:

requesting collected sensor data from at least one other vehicle;

receiving the requested collected sensor data by the vehicle; and

controlling the vehicle using the requested collected sensor data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling comprises:

performing localization of the vehicle using the requested collected sensor data to identify a location of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling comprises:

controlling movement of the vehicle based on a location of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of requesting collected sensor data from the at least one other vehicle comprises:

requesting collected sensor data from the at least one other vehicle responsive to an inability of the vehicle to obtain needed sensor data at the vehicle having a plurality of sensors.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a plurality of redundant sensors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle has a plurality of sensors and a set of fields of regard covered by the plurality of sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle and the at least one other vehicle are automobiles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle and the at least one other vehicle are non-automobiles.