Methods for road safety enhancement using mobile communication device

• US 8,791,835 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wei Zhang
• Original Assignee: Wei Zhang
• Inventors: Zhang, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/269,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20130082874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Methods for road safety enhancement use mobile communication device (MCD) onboard vehicle to share traveling data through inter-vehicle communication broadcasting, perform road hazard warning, enhance road navigation, and provide autonomous road assistance. The methods have a variety of vehicle status data, such as moving data, steering data, or indicator data, obtained through GPS or image capturing and recognition of instrument cluster of vehicle. The image capturing and recognition allows to get speed data from indication of speedometer, indication of left or right turn signal, steering action data corresponding to steering wheel rotation, and light-on indication of system status indicators. To facilitate that, the MCD may be placed in front of steering wheel, and, if applicable, also in coupling with movement of steering wheel. The MCD may perform relative positioning map-matching lane correlation and GPS-update-interval speed positioning to improve data quality regarding vehicle moving status.

Claims

1. A method for road safety enhancement comprising:

taking an image of at least a portion of an instrument cluster of a vehicle containing a speed indication of a speedometer on said instrument cluster;

obtaining a speed data corresponding to said speed indication by processing said image; and

,

obtaining a steering data of a steering wheel rotation by processing said image to determine a tilt angle of said image according to a predetermined image orientation, wherein said tilt angle is associated with the steering wheel rotation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle and a time data associated with said location data by using GPS (Global Positioning System);

and,

broadcasting said speed data in together with said location data and said time data through inter-vehicle communication.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle and a time data associated with said location data by using GPS (Global Positioning System) measurement, and, during update time interval of the GPS measurement, by using GPS-update-interval speed positioning in conjunction with said speed data; and

,

broadcasting said speed data and said steering data in together with said location data and said time data through inter-vehicle communication.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle and a time data associated with said location data by using GPS (Global Positioning System);

and,

broadcasting said speed data and said steering data in together with said location data and said time data through inter-vehicle communication.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

taking an image of an indication of indicators on instrument cluster of a vehicle;

obtaining an indication data corresponding to said indication by processing said image of said indication;

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle and a time data associated with said location data by using GPS (Global Positioning System); and

, broadcasting said speed data, said steering data, and said indication data in together with said location data and said time data through inter-vehicle communication.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle and a time data associated with said location data by using GPS (Global Positioning System), whereby said speed data, said steering data and said location data and said time data form primitives of a base traveling data;

receiving a source traveling data regarding to a nearby vehicle through inter-vehicle communication, wherein said source traveling data comprises a source location data and a source time data associated with said source location data and a source speed data, which are respectively corresponding to the location and the speed of the nearby vehicle at the moment represented by said source time data;

determining a road hazard under development by analyzing said source traveling data in conjunction with said base traveling data; and

,

giving a warning regarding to said road hazard.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle and a time data associated with said location data by using GPS (Global Positioning System) measurement, and, during update time interval of the GPS measurement, by using GPS-update-interval speed positioning in conjunction with said speed data, whereby said location data and said time data, said steering data and said speed data form primitives of a base traveling data;

receiving a source traveling data regarding to a nearby vehicle through inter-vehicle communication, wherein said source traveling data comprises a source location data and a source time data associated with said source location data and a source speed data, which are respectively corresponding to the location and the speed of the nearby vehicle at the moment represented by said source time data;

determining a road hazard under development by analyzing said source traveling data in conjunction with said base traveling data; and

,

giving a warning regarding to said road hazard.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle and a time data associated with said location data by using GPS (Global Positioning System), whereby said location data and said time data, said steering data and said speed data form primitives of a base traveling data;

receiving a source traveling data regarding to a nearby vehicle through inter-vehicle communication, wherein said source traveling data comprises a source location data and a source time data associated with said source location data and a source speed data, which are respectively corresponding to the location and the speed of the nearby vehicle at the moment represented by said source time data;

obtaining a lane relation between the vehicle and the nearby vehicle by performing relative positioning map-matching lane correlation based on said location data and said source location data;

determining a road hazard under development by analyzing said source traveling data in conjunction with said base traveling data under assistance of said lane relation;

and,

giving a warning regarding to said road hazard.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle and a time data associated with said location data by using GPS (Global Positioning System) measurement, and, during update time interval of the GPS measurement, by using GPS-update-interval speed positioning in conjunction with said speed data, whereby said location data and said time data, said steering data and said speed data form primitives of a base traveling data;

receiving a source traveling data regarding to a nearby vehicle through inter-vehicle communication, wherein said source traveling data comprises a source location data and a source time data associated with said source location data and a source speed data, which are respectively corresponding to the location and the speed of the nearby vehicle at the moment represented by said source time data;

obtaining a lane relation between the vehicle and the nearby vehicle by performing relative positioning map-matching lane correlation based on said location data and said source location data;

determining a road hazard under development by analyzing said source traveling data in conjunction with said base traveling data under assistance of said lane relation;

and,

giving a warning regarding to said road hazard.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle by using GPS (Global Positioning System) measurement, and, during update time interval of the GPS measurement, by using GPS-update-interval speed positioning in conjunction with said speed data; and

,

giving guidance for road navigation according to said location data and said steering data.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a speed change by comparing said speed data with a previously stored speed data;

determining a road hazard under development by analyzing said speed change and said steering data in conjunction with moving status of the vehicle and moving statuses of other vehicles in proximity thereof; and

,

giving a warning regarding to said road hazard.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a speed change by comparing said speed data with a previously stored speed data;

determining a noncompliance of said speed change and said steering data with a guidance effective for road navigation; and

,

giving a warning regarding to said noncompliance.

13. A method for road safety enhancement comprising:

taking an image of at least a portion of an instrument cluster of a vehicle containing an indication of indicators on said instrument cluster;

obtaining a steering data of a steering wheel rotation by processing said image to determine a tilt angle of said image according to a predetermined image orientation, wherein said tilt angle is associated with the steering wheel rotation;

and,

obtaining an indication data corresponding to said indication by processing said image.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said indication is corresponding to light-on status of indicators of left and right turn signals, and, said indication data is a turn signal data.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining a road hazard under development by analyzing said turn signal data and said steering data in conjunction with moving status of the vehicle and moving statuses of other vehicles in proximity thereof; and

,

giving a warning regarding to said road hazard.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining a noncompliance of said turn signal data and said steering data with a guidance effective for road navigation; and

,

giving a warning regarding to said noncompliance.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said indication is corresponding to light-on status of indicators of vehicle system warning, and, said indication data is a system warning data.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

acquiring a location data corresponding to a location of the vehicle using GPS (Global Positioning System);

sending a service request associated with said system warning data to a road assistance server through wireless communication network, wherein said request comprises said location data; and

,

receiving a response corresponding to said request from said server through wireless communication network.

19. A method for road safety enhancement comprising:

taking an image of at least a portion of an instrument cluster of a vehicle; and

,

obtaining a steering data of a steering wheel rotation by processing said image to determine a tilt angle of said image according to a predetermined image orientation, wherein said tilt angle is associated with the steering wheel rotation.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

determining a road hazard under development by analyzing said steering data in conjunction with moving status of the vehicle and moving statuses of other vehicles in proximity thereof; and

,

giving a warning regarding to said road hazard.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

determining a noncompliance of said steering data with a guidance effective for road navigation; and

,

giving a warning regarding to said noncompliance.