Leveraging of behavior of vehicles to detect likely presence of an emergency vehicle

• US 8,849,557 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Levandowski, Anthony Scott, Cullinane, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US13/678,072
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701 23- 25, 701/117, 701/400, 701/409, 701/410, 701/420, 701/422, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/181 Preparing for stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18109 Braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

A controlled vehicle is provided that detects the presence of an emergency vehicle by monitoring the trajectories of vehicles that are sharing the road with the controlled vehicle. The controlled vehicle may determine that the trajectory of each of the monitored vehicles follows the same predetermined pattern. Based on detecting the predetermined pattern in the behavior of the monitored vehicles, the controlled vehicle may deduce that an emergency vehicle is present in the vicinity of the monitored vehicles and/or the controlled vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a first vehicle that is travelling on a same road as a controlled vehicle;

identifying a second vehicle that is travelling on the same road as the controlled vehicle;

tracking the first vehicle to determine a first trajectory of the first vehicle;

tracking the second vehicle to determine a second trajectory of the second vehicle;

comparing, by a processor, the first trajectory to the second trajectory to determine whether the first trajectory and the second trajectory match, wherein two trajectories match when both have a similar shape;

determining, based on a match between the first trajectory and the second trajectory, that an emergency vehicle is present on the road;

changing a state of a vehicle system of the controlled vehicle in response to determining that the emergency vehicle is present on the road.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are part of traffic that is oncoming to the first vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are located behind the controlled vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first trajectory to the second trajectory includes:

determining, based on the first trajectory, that the first vehicle changed lanes at a first time instant;

determining, based on the second trajectory, that the second vehicle changed lanes at a second time instant;

determining a time difference between the first time instant and the second time instant; and

determining that the first trajectory matches the second trajectory based on the time difference being less than a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first trajectory to the second trajectory includes determining similarity between a shape of the first trajectory and the shape of the second trajectory.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first trajectory to the second trajectory includes:

determining, based on the first trajectory, that the first vehicle left a first lane on the road at a first time instant;

determining, based on the second trajectory, that the second vehicle left the first lane at a second time instant;

determining a duration of a time interval between the first time instant and the second time instant;

determining that the first trajectory matches the second trajectory based on the duration of the time interval being less than a predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining the predetermined threshold based on a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

8. A method comprising:

identifying a first vehicle that is travelling on a same road as the controlled vehicle;

identifying a second vehicle that is travelling on the same road as the controlled vehicle;

identifying a first set of one or more actions performed by the first vehicle;

identifying a second set of one or more actions performed by the second vehicle;

comparing, by a processor, the first set to the second set to determine whether the first set and the second set match, wherein two sets match when both include similar actions;

determining, based on a match between the first set and the second set, that an emergency vehicle is present on the road;

changing a state of a vehicle system of the controlled vehicle in response to determining that the emergency vehicle is present on the road.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the actions performed by the first vehicle include one or more of stopping, accelerating, decelerating, changing lanes, and activating a blinker.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first set includes a first action and a second action and the second set includes a third action and a fourth action, the method further comprising:

determining that the first set matches the second set based on the first action and the second action having been performed in the same relative order as the third action and the fourth action.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the first vehicle performed a first action;

determining that the second vehicle performed a second action that is of the same type as the first action; and

determining that the first set matches that second set based on the first action being of the same type as the second action.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the first vehicle performed a first action at a first time instant;

determining that the second vehicle performed a second action at a second time instant; and

determining that the first set matches the second set based on the duration of a time interval between the first time instant, and the second time instant being less than a threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining the threshold based on a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining the threshold based on at least one of a speed of the first vehicle and speed of the second vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first action is of the same type as the second action.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a first distance between the first vehicle and the controlled vehicle;

determining a second distance between the second vehicle and the controlled vehicle;

determining a third distance between a third vehicle and the controlled vehicle;

identifying a first action performed by the first vehicle;

identifying a second action performed by the second vehicle; and

identifying a third action performed by the third vehicle;

determining that the first set matches the second set based on the first action, the second action, and the third action being performed in an order that corresponds to the relative lengths of the first, second, and third distances.

17. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of vehicles that share a road with a controlled vehicle;

monitoring actions performed by each one of the plurality of vehicles; and

identifying a similarity in the actions performed by each one of the plurality of vehicles;

determining, by a processor, based on the similarity being identified, that an emergency vehicle is present on the road;

changing a state of a vehicle system of the controlled vehicle in response to determining that the emergency vehicle is present on the road.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the monitored vehicles are located behind the controlled vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the controlled vehicle is travelling in a first direction; and

the monitored vehicles are travelling in a direction opposite to the first direction.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the monitored vehicles are located in front of the controlled vehicle.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving data from a microphone;

wherein determining, by the processor, that an emergency vehicle is present on the road is further based on the received data from the microphone.