Vehicle intersection monitoring system and method

• US 9,349,291 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• 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, Christensen, Andrew, Chambers, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): MELTON, TODD M
• Application Number:
  US13/689,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20140148999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A vehicle intersection monitoring method includes exchanging host and remote vehicle information including information pertaining to host and remote vehicle locations and headings, respectively, and determining whether the host and remote vehicles are travelling on converging paths based on the host vehicle and/or remote vehicle information. The method further includes determining a possibility of the host and remote vehicles contacting each other at a contact location based on host and remote vehicle travel times from the host vehicle and remote vehicle locations, respectively, to the contact location that is determined based on the host and remove vehicle information, determining a threshold value based on a current moving state of the host vehicle while the possibility of the host and remote vehicles contacting each other exists, and evaluating whether to perform a threat mitigation operation based on a condition of the host vehicle in relation to the threshold value.

Claims

1. A vehicle intersection monitoring method comprising:

generating host vehicle information with a navigation unit, the host vehicle information comprising a host vehicle location, and a host vehicle trajectory including a host vehicle heading and a host vehicle velocity;

receiving remote vehicle information with a receiver, the remote vehicle information including a remote vehicle location, and a remote vehicle trajectory including a remote vehicle heading and a remote vehicle velocity;

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, including determining an expected intersection location, based on the location relationship;

determining with the controller a host vehicle intent based on a current moving state of the host vehicle, the current moving state of the host vehicle including brake status of the host vehicle and whether the velocity of the host vehicle is below a threshold velocity;

selecting with the controller a host vehicle response based on the host vehicle intent indicating an intent to approach the expected intersection location;

providing no host vehicle response while the host vehicle brake status indicates a brakes released state and the velocity of the host vehicle is below the threshold velocity; and

altering the host vehicle response, including determining with the controller whether the current moving state of the host vehicle has changed, determining with the controller an updated host vehicle intent based on the changed current moving state of the host vehicle, and altering with the controller the host vehicle response based on the updated host vehicle intent.

2. The vehicle intersection monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle response is one of issuing a warning, performing an intervening threat mitigation operation , and refraining from performing an operation.

3. The vehicle intersection monitoring method according to claim 2, wherein

the host vehicle information includes a host vehicle elevation, the remote vehicle information includes a remote vehicle elevation, and the determining the expected intersection location includes determining whether the host vehicle elevation and the remote vehicle elevation are substantially the same, and

the selecting the host vehicle response includes selecting at least one of issuing the warning and the performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle elevation and the remote vehicle elevation are substantially the same, and includes refraining from performing an operation when the host vehicle elevation and the remote vehicle elevation are not substantially the same.

4. The vehicle intersection monitoring method according to claim 2, wherein

the selecting the host vehicle response includes selecting at least one of issuing the warning and the performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle location is within a predetermined distance from the expected intersection location, and includes refraining from performing an operation when the host vehicle location is greater than the predetermined distance from the expected intersection location.

5. The vehicle intersection monitoring method according to claim 2, wherein

the selecting the host vehicle response includes selecting at least one of issuing the warning and performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle location is within a first predetermined distance from the expected intersection location and the remote vehicle location is within a second predetermined distance from the expected intersection location, and includes refraining from performing an operation when at least one of the host vehicle location is greater than the first predetermined distance from the expected intersection location and the remote vehicle location is greater than the second predetermined distance from the expected intersection location.

6. The vehicle intersection monitoring method according to claim 2, further comprising

determining with the controller a host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location based on the host vehicle information, and

the selecting the host vehicle response includes selecting at least one of issuing the warning and performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is less than a threshold time, and includes refraining from performing an operation when the host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is greater than a threshold time.

7. The vehicle intersection monitoring method according to claim 2, further comprising

determining with the controller a host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location based on the host vehicle information and a remote vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location based on the remote vehicle information, and

the selecting the host vehicle response includes selecting at least one of issuing the warning and performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is less than a first threshold time and the remote vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is less than a second threshold time, and includes refraining from performing an operation when at least one of the host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is greater than the first threshold time and the remote vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is greater than a second threshold time.

8. The vehicle intersection monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein

the determining the host vehicle intent indicates an intent to approach the expected intersection location when the controller determines one of the following:

the host vehicle velocity is greater than the threshold velocity, and

the host vehicle velocity indicates a stopped state and the brake status indicates the brake released state.

9. The vehicle intersection monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein

the determining the host vehicle intent indicates a lack of intent to approach the expected intersection location when the controller determines one of the following:

the host vehicle velocity indicates a moving state while the host vehicle velocity is less than the threshold velocity, and

the host vehicle velocity indicates a stopped state, and the brake status indicates a brake applied state.

10. A vehicle intersection monitoring system comprising:

a communication device on a host vehicle configured to transmit host vehicle information and receive remote vehicle information, the host vehicle information comprising information pertaining to a host vehicle location, and a host vehicle trajectory including a host vehicle heading and a host vehicle velocity, and the remote vehicle information comprising information pertaining to a remote vehicle location and a remote vehicle trajectory including a remote vehicle heading and a remote vehicle velocity; and

a controller on the host vehicle configured to 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 whether the host vehicle and the remote vehicle are travelling on converging paths, including determining an expected intersection location based on the location relationship, determine a host vehicle intent based on a current moving state of the host vehicle, the current moving state of the host vehicle including brake status of the host vehicle and whether the velocity of the host vehicle is below a threshold velocity, select a host vehicle response based on the host vehicle intent indicating an intent to approach the expected intersection location, provide no host vehicle response while the host vehicle brake status indicates a brakes released state and the velocity of the host vehicle is below the threshold velocity, and alter the host vehicle response, including determine whether the current moving state of the host vehicle has changed, determine an updated host vehicle intent based on the changed current moving state of the host vehicle, and altering with the controller the host vehicle response based on the updated host vehicle intent.

11. The vehicle intersection monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein

the controller is configured to select the host vehicle response including issuing a warning, performing an intervening threat mitigation operation and refraining from performing an operation.

12. The vehicle intersection monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein

the navigation device is configured to generate the host vehicle information so as to include a host vehicle elevation, and the receiver is configured to receive the remote vehicle information including a remote vehicle elevation, and

the controller is configured to determine the expected intersection location by determining whether the host vehicle elevation and the remote vehicle elevation are substantially the same, and to select at least one of issuing the warning and the performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle elevation and the remote vehicle elevation are substantially the same, and to refrain from performing an operation when the host vehicle elevation and the remote vehicle elevation are not substantially the same.

13. The vehicle intersection monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein

the controller is configured to select at least one of issuing the warning and performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle location is within a predetermined distance from the expected intersection location, and to refrain from performing an operation when the host vehicle location is greater than the predetermined distance from the expected intersection location.

14. The vehicle intersection monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein

the controller is configured to select at least one of issuing the warning and performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle location is within a first predetermined distance from the expected intersection location and the remote vehicle location is within a second predetermined distance from the expected intersection location, and to refrain from performing an operation when at least one of the host vehicle location is greater than the first predetermined distance from the expected intersection location and the remote vehicle location is greater than a second predetermined distance from the expected intersection location.

15. The vehicle intersection monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein

the controller is configured to determine a host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location based on the host vehicle information, and

configured to select at least one of issuing the warning and performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is less than a threshold time, and to refrain from performing an operation when the host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is greater than a threshold time.

16. The vehicle intersection monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein

the controller is configured to determine a host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location based on the host vehicle information and a remote vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location based on the host vehicle information, and

configured to select at least one of issuing the warning and performing the intervening threat mitigation operation when the host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is less than a first threshold time and the remote vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is less than a second threshold time, and to refrain from performing an operation when at least one of the host vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is greater than the first threshold time and the remote vehicle time to reach the expected intersection location is greater than a second threshold time.

17. The vehicle intersection monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein

the controller is configured to determine the host vehicle intent indicating an intent to approach the expected intersection location when the controller determines one of the following:

the host vehicle velocity is greater than the threshold velocity, and

the host vehicle velocity indicates a stopped state and the brake status indicates the brake released state.

18. The vehicle intersection monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein

the controller is configured to determine the host vehicle intent indicating a lack of intent to approach the expected intersection location when the controller determines one of the following:

the host vehicle velocity indicates a moving state while the host vehicle velocity is less than the threshold velocity, and

the host vehicle velocity indicates a stopped state, and the brake status indicates a brake applied state.