Vehicle contact warning method and system

• US 9,324,233 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Goudy, Roy W, Probert, Neal, Chambers, Jeremy S, Grabow, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKKI, MUNEAR T
• Application Number:
  US14/197,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 340901-905, 340988-994, 340/995, 340/436, 701/301, 701/213, 701/469
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

A vehicle contact warning method and system are provided in a host vehicle. A communication device of the host vehicle receives a remote vehicle message including information pertaining to a remote vehicle including a remote vehicle location and a remote vehicle trajectory. A controller of the host vehicle prepares a host vehicle location and a host vehicle trajectory. The controller determines a possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at a contact location at a contact time based on a host vehicle travel time from the host vehicle location to the contact location based on the host vehicle information and a remote vehicle travel time from the remote vehicle location to the contact location based on the remote vehicle information. The controller automatically operates an external warning device to the host vehicle, the remote vehicle, or both, upon determining the possibility of contact exists between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle contact warning method comprising:

preparing host vehicle information pertaining to a host vehicle including a host vehicle location and a host vehicle trajectory;

receiving with a receiver at the host vehicle, a remote vehicle message including information pertaining to a remote vehicle including a remote vehicle location and a remote vehicle trajectory;

determining with a controller a location relationship between the host vehicle location and the remote vehicle location, the location relationship including a straight line between the host vehicle location and the remote vehicle location, and an angle between the host vehicle heading and the straight line based on a fixed coordinate system and a preselected angle direction;

determining with the controller whether the host vehicle and the remote vehicle are travelling on converging paths based on the location relationship;

determining with the controller a possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at a contact location at a contact time based on a host vehicle travel time from the host vehicle location to the contact location that is determined based on the host vehicle information and a remote vehicle travel time from the remote vehicle location to the contact location that is determined based on the remote vehicle information; and

issuing automatically an external warning for perception at at least one of the remote vehicle and the host vehicle upon determining the possibility of contact exists between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at the contact location and the time to contact has decreased below a remote vehicle warning threshold.

2. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 1, wherein

the issuing of the external warning includes automatically operating at least one external light of at least one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle to provide the external warning as a visual warning.

3. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 2, wherein

the automatically operating of the at least one external light includes automatically flashing headlights of at least one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle as the visual warning.

4. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 1, further comprising

issuing automatically an internal warning for perception inside of the host vehicle while the external warning is being issued.

5. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 4, wherein

the internal warning includes information indicating possible contact between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle.

6. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 5, wherein

the internal warning includes at least one of a visual warning, an audio warning and a tactile warning.

7. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 1, further comprising

issuing automatically an internal alert for perception inside of the host vehicle before providing the external warning upon determining the possibility of contact exists between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at the contact location and the time to contact has decreased below a remote vehicle alert threshold which is greater than the remote vehicle warning threshold.

8. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 7, wherein

the internal alert includes remote vehicle presence information indicating a presence of the remote vehicle with respect to the host vehicle.

9. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 7, wherein

the internal alert includes at least one of a visual alert, an audio alert and a tactile alert.

10. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 1, wherein

the determining of the possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle includes determining whether one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle is preparing to turn across a path of travel of the other of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle based on the host vehicle information and the remote vehicle information and concluding that the possibility of the contact exists while one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle is preparing to turn across the path of travel of the other of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle.

11. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 10, wherein

the determining of whether one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle is preparing to turn across the path of travel of the other of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle includes evaluating at least one of the following:

a host vehicle speed, a remote vehicle speed, host vehicle turn signal direction, a remote vehicle turn signal direction, and a distance of the remote vehicle relative to the host vehicle.

12. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 10, wherein

the issuing automatically of the external warning issues the external warning from the host vehicle for perception at the remote vehicle while the determining determines that the host vehicle is preparing to turn across the path of travel of the remote vehicle.

13. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 10, wherein

the issuing automatically of the external warning issues the external warning from the host vehicle for perception at the remote vehicle while the determining determines that the remote vehicle is preparing to turn across the path of travel of the host vehicle.

14. The vehicle contact warning method according to claim 1, wherein

the determining of the possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle includes calculating a latitude and longitude of the contact location, determining a first time for the host vehicle to travel a first distance from the current location of the host vehicle to the contact location, determining a second time for the remote vehicle to travel a second distance from the current location of the remote vehicle to the contact location, and determining whether the possibility of contact exists between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at the contact location based on a comparison of the first and second times.

15. A vehicle contact warning system comprising:

a communication device at a host vehicle, configured to receive a remote vehicle message including information pertaining to a remote vehicle including a remote vehicle location and a remote vehicle trajectory; and

a controller at the host vehicle, configured to prepare host vehicle information pertaining to a host vehicle including a host vehicle location and a host vehicle trajectory, determine a location relationship between the host vehicle location and the remote vehicle location, the location relationship including a straight line between the host vehicle location and the remote vehicle location, and an angle between the host vehicle heading and the straight line based on a fixed coordinate system and a preselected angle direction, determine with the controller whether the host vehicle and the remote vehicle are travelling on converging paths based on the location relationship, determine a possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at a contact location at a contact time based on a host vehicle travel time from the host vehicle location to the contact location that is determined based on the host vehicle information and a remote vehicle travel time from the remote vehicle location to the contact location that is determined based on the remote vehicle information, and operate an external warning device to provide an external warning automatically for perception at at least one of the remote vehicle and the host vehicle upon determining the possibility of contact exists between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at the contact location and the time to contact has decreased below a remote vehicle warning threshold.

16. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 15, wherein

the controller is further configured to automatically operate the external warning device, which includes at least one external light of at least one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle, to provide the external warning as a visual warning.

17. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 16, wherein

the controller is further configured to automatically flash headlights of at least one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle as the visual warning.

18. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 16, wherein

the controller is further configured to operate an internal warning device to provide an internal warning automatically for perception inside of the host vehicle while the external warning is being issued.

19. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 18, wherein

the internal warning includes information indicating possible contact between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle.

20. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 15, wherein

the controller is further configured to provide an internal alert automatically for perception inside of the host vehicle before providing the external warning upon determining the possibility of contact exists between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at the contact location and the time to contact has decreased below a remote vehicle alert threshold which is greater than the remote vehicle warning threshold.

21. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 20, wherein

the internal alert includes remote vehicle presence information indicating a presence of the remote vehicle with respect to the host vehicle.

22. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 15, wherein

the controller is further configured to evaluate whether one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle is preparing to turn across a path of travel of the other of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle based on the host vehicle information and the remote vehicle information and determine that the possibility of the contact exists while one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle is preparing to turn across the path of travel of the other of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle.

23. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 22, wherein

the controller is further configured to determine whether one of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle is preparing to turn across the path of travel of the other of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle by evaluating at least one of the following:

a host vehicle speed, a remote vehicle speed, host vehicle turn signal direction, a remote vehicle turn signal direction, and a distance of the remote vehicle relative to the host vehicle.

24. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 22, wherein

the controller is further configured to automatically issue the external warning from the host vehicle for perception at the remote vehicle while the controller determines that the host vehicle is preparing to turn across the path of travel of the remote vehicle.

25. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 22, wherein

the controller is further configured to automatically issue the external warning from the host vehicle for perception at the remote vehicle while the controller determines that the remote vehicle is preparing to turn across the path of travel of the host vehicle.

26. The vehicle contact warning system according to claim 15, wherein

the controller is further configured to calculate a latitude and longitude of the contact location, determining a first time for the host vehicle to travel a first distance from the current location of the host vehicle to the contact location, determine a second time for the remote vehicle to travel a second distance from the current location of the remote vehicle to the contact location, and determine whether the possibility of contact exists between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle at the contact location based on a comparison of the first and second times.