Driver initiated vehicle-to-vehicle anonymous warning device

• US 9,269,267 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom North America Incorporated (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Tomtom North America Incorporated (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Goodwin, Cecil Wayne Hilton
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORTELL, JOHN F
• Application Number:
  US13/474,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20120229301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 340/902
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

A driver-initiated warning device is described for communicating descriptive vehicle-to-vehicle warning messages. The device can be deployed within an automobile and can include an interface that receives input from a driver or passenger of a vehicle. The device also includes a vehicle-to-vehicle communications component that generates anonymous messages upon having received the input and broadcasts the anonymous messages to other vehicles within range. The anonymous messages have embedded electronic data regarding an event observed by the driver or passenger, such as location information of a road hazard. Based on receiving the messages, the device can make decisions as to whether to alert the driver of any upcoming dangers or other events. The location information contained in the messages can be used to filter the messages based on relevance. The messages can also be relayed to other vehicles in order to optimize information diffusion between moving automobiles.

Claims

1. An apparatus deployable within a first vehicle, comprising:

an input interface; and

a vehicle-to-vehicle communications component arranged to;

generate a message regarding a first event in response to at least one of;

(i) an input received on the input interface; and

(ii) initiation of one or more systems within the first vehicle, said generated message comprising information indicating a location of the first event; and

broadcast said generated message regarding the first event to at least one second vehicle within the broadcast range of the vehicle-to-vehicle communications component;

wherein said vehicle-to-vehicle communications component is further arranged to receive a message regarding a second event generated and broadcast by a third vehicle; and

wherein said apparatus further comprises;

a risk filter component arranged to determine whether the received message is applicable to the first vehicle based at least on a location of the second event embedded in said received message and determine whether the received message is redundant and determine whether to relay said received message regarding the second event to at least one fourth vehicle based on at least one of;

a dynamically modifiable lifetime of the received message or a receipt of a stop message indicating the second event has ended from another vehicle and broadcast the received message to the at least one fourth vehicle based on the relay determination; and

a warning component arranged to issue a warning to a driver of the first vehicle if said received message is determined to be applicable to said first vehicle and is non-redundant by the risk filter component;

wherein said vehicle-to-vehicle communications component is further arranged to;

generate a stop message indicating the second event has ended in response to an input received on the input interface following an issuance of a warning by the warning component; and

broadcast said generated stop message to the at least one fourth vehicle within the broadcast range of the vehicle-to-vehicle communications component.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle communications component is arranged to broadcast said received message after waiting a certain time period following receipt of said message.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said certain time period is determined based on at least one of:

traffic density;

road type; and

speed of the first vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of said generated message regarding the first event and said generated stop message regarding the second event is anonymous with respect to any identity information of said first vehicle or a driver thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a global positioning system arranged to track a location of said first vehicle, and wherein said information indicating a location of the first event in said generated message is provided by the global positioning system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input interface is further arranged to receive a description of said first event, and said generated message further comprises said description of said first event.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the risk filter is further arranged to use one or more driver preferences for message receipt to determine whether the received message is applicable to the first vehicle.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the generated message includes location information specifying a side of a road for the first or second event.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the risk filter determines the applicability of the received message by comparing mapping coordinates of the second event with a location of the first vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the risk filter determines the applicability of the received message by comparing a distance between the second event location and the location of the first vehicle to a predetermined threshold distance.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received message is not applicable when the distance between the second event location and the location of the first vehicle is greater than the predetermined threshold distance.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the risk filter component arranged to determine whether the received message is applicable to the first vehicle based at least on a location of the second event embedded in said received message and determine whether the received message is redundant and determine whether to relay said received message regarding the second event to at least one fourth vehicle based additionally on at least one of:

a message priority, the event'"'"'s location, a distance between the receiving vehicle and the event'"'"'s location, and default device preferences.

7. A method for providing event warnings to a driver of a first vehicle, said method comprising:

generating a message at the first vehicle regarding a first event in response to at least one of;

(i) an input received from a driver of the first vehicle; and

(ii) initiation of one or more systems within the first vehicle, said generated message comprising information indicating a location of said first event; and

broadcasting said generated message regarding the first event to at least one second vehicle within the broadcast range of the first vehicle;

said method further comprising;

receiving a message regarding a second event generated and broadcast by a third vehicle;

determining whether to relay said received message regarding the second event to at least one fourth vehicle based on at least one of;

a dynamically modifiable lifetime of the received message or a receipt of a stop message indicating the second event has ended from another vehicle and broadcasting the received message to the at least one fourth vehicle based on the relay determination;

determining whether the received message is applicable to the first vehicle based at least on a location of the second event embedded in said received message and determining whether the received message is redundant;

issuing a warning to the driver of the first vehicle if said received message is determined to be applicable to said first vehicle and is non-redundant;

generating a stop message indicating the second event has ended in response to an input received from the driver of the first vehicle following the issuance of a warning; and

broadcasting said generated stop message to the at least one fourth vehicle within the broadcast range of the first vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said received message is broadcast after waiting a certain time period following receipt of said message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said certain time period is determined based on at least one of:

traffic density;

road type; and

speed of the first vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of said generated message regarding the first event and said generated stop message regarding the second event is anonymous with respect to any identity information of said first vehicle or a driver thereof.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first vehicle comprises a global positioning system arranged to track its location, and wherein said information indicating a location of the first event in said generated message is provided by the global positioning system.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein said generated message further comprises a description of the first event input by the driver of the first vehicle.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the method for providing event warnings to a driver of a first vehicle, said method comprising:

generating a message at the first vehicle regarding a first event in response to at least one of;

(i) an input received from a driver of the first vehicle; and

(ii) initiation of one or more systems within the first vehicle, said generated message comprising information indicating a location of said first event; and

broadcasting said generated message regarding the first event to at least one second vehicle within the broadcast range of the first vehicle;

said method further comprising;

receiving a message regarding a second event generated and broadcast by a third vehicle;

determining whether to relay said received message regarding the second event to at least one fourth vehicle based on at least one of;

a dynamically modifiable lifetime of the received message or a receipt of a stop message indicating the second event has ended from another vehicle and broadcasting the received message to the at least one fourth vehicle based on the relay determination;

determining whether the received message is applicable to the first vehicle based at least on a location of the second event embedded in said received message and determining whether the received message is redundant;

issuing a warning to the driver of the first vehicle if said received message is determined to be applicable to said first vehicle and is non-redundant;

generating a stop message indicating the second event has ended in response to an input received from the driver of the first vehicle following the issuance of a warning; and

broadcasting said generated stop message to at least one fourth vehicle within the broadcast range of the first vehicle.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the lifetime of the received message is independent of an original sender of the received message.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the lifetime is dynamically modified based on at least one of:

user preferences and driving behavior of a user or a plurality of road travelers.