Advanced driver assistance system feature performance using off-vehicle communications

• US 8,744,675 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2012
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: King, Anthony Gerald, Reed, Eric L., Mills, Aaron L.
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US13/408,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/301, 701/468, 701/117, 701/439, 340/436, 340/903
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

An Advance Driver Assistance System of a vehicle collects measurements for a driving event, including GPS coordinates for a specific location from the EH system, and logs the data into an on-vehicle database. The ADAS uses the data in the on-vehicle database to develop a history associated with the specific location. Information, including GPS coordinates and recorded false output warnings, may be shared between the on-vehicle database and an off-vehicle database, such as associated with and Electronic Horizon system, providing an opportunity to significantly improve the feature performance of the ADAS. Driver assist information may be compiled between the off-vehicle database and the on-vehicle database, thereby continuously updating the knowledge base of the ADAS and optimizing feature performance of the ADAS over the life of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An advanced driver assistance system comprising:

one or more output devices operable to output a warning to a driver;

one or more memory locations to store a history of GPS coordinates associated with an output warning; and

a processor in communication with the output devices and memory locations, the processor being configured to identify a false output warning, compare a set of GPS coordinates associated with the false output warning to the history of GPS coordinates associated with false output warnings, and adjust a predetermined threshold setting used by the output devices to output a warping to a driver based on the history of GPS coordinates associated with false output warnings.

2. The advanced driver assistance system of claim 1 wherein one or more memory locations further comprises an on-vehicle database.

3. The advanced driver assistance system of claim 2 wherein one or more memory locations further comprises an off-vehicle database.

4. The advanced driver assistance system of claim 3 further comprising an updated history of GPS coordinates associated with an output warning replacing the history of GPS coordinates upon identification of a false output warning and comparison of the GPS coordinates.

5. The advanced driver assistance system of claim 2 further comprising an updated history of GPS coordinates associated with an output warning replacing the history of GPS coordinates upon identification of a false output warning, and comparison of the GPS coordinates.

6. A method for updating an advanced driver assistance system carried out in a controller on a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a false output warning of the advanced driver assistance system associated with a vehicle location;

determining present GPS coordinates of the vehicle location;

comparing the present GPS coordinates to a database having stored GPS coordinates saved in a memory to determine whether the present GPS coordinates correspond to stored GPS coordinates;

if the present GPS coordinates do not correspond with stored GPS coordinates, updating the stored GPS coordinates associated with a false output warning to include the present GPS coordinates; and

if the present;

GPS coordinates do correspond with stored GPS coordinates, adjusting a predetermined threshold setting used in determining a false output warning to prevent future false output warnings for the vehicle location.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising the step of accessing an on-vehicle database for stored GPS coordinates.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising the step of accessing an off-vehicle database for stored GPS coordinates.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the step of updating the stored GPS coordinates further comprises the step of communicating present GPS coordinates associated with a false output warning that are not already stored to an off-vehicle database.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the step of updating the stored GPS coordinates further comprises the step of receiving newly stored GPS coordinates associated with a false output warning from an off-vehicle database.

11. A vehicle comprising:

as global positioning system determining a sot of GPS coordinates associated with a vehicle location;

an advanced driver assistance system having one or more output devices operable to output a warning to a driver relative to a present set of GPS coordinates;

an on-vehicle database in communication with the GPS and the advanced driver assistance system to store a history of GPS coordinates associated with false warnings from the advanced driver assistance system; and

a processor in communication with the output devices and the on-vehicle database, the processor configured to identify a false warning for the present set of GPS coordinates, compare the present set of GPS coordinates to the history of GPS coordinates associated with false warnings, add the present set of GPS coordinates to the history of GPS coordinates if the present set of GPS coordinates is not already stored in the history, and adjust a predetermined threshold setting used by the output devices to output a warning if the present set of GPS coordinates is already stored in the history of GPS coordinates.

12. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11 further comprising an off-vehicle database to store a history of GPS coordinates associated with false warnings, wherein the on-vehicle database and the off-vehicle database are capable of sharing data associated with histories of GPS coordinates.

13. The vehicle as claimed in claim 12 wherein the off-vehicle database is part of an electronic horizon system.