Method and system for determining road conditions based on driver data

• US 9,418,554 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Velusamy, Umashankar
• Primary Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US14/453,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20160042644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• 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 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724095 Worn on the wrist, hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A system and method for determining adverse/dangerous road conditions based on sensor data received from a vehicle and generating alerts for other vehicles which may encounter the same condition. The system receives sensor data from a vehicle and evaluates the data to determine if the vehicle encountered a potentially dangerous road condition. The system may apply one or more thresholds to the data, where the thresholds are designed to detect various sudden movements of the vehicle. The system may monitor the location associated with the potentially dangerous road condition and evaluate sensor data from one or more other vehicles that drive near the same location to determine whether they encounter a similar condition. The system may generate one or more alerts and transmit those alerts to vehicles that are approaching the location of the dangerous condition using location data provided by the approaching vehicles.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, a first set of sensor data from one or more sensors associated with a first vehicle,

the first set of sensor data comprising locational data of the first vehicle and at least one other parameter;

comparing, by the device, the first set of sensor data with at least one threshold from a first set of thresholds;

monitoring, by the device, a location associated with the locational data of the first vehicle for a first time period based on the first set of sensor data exceeding the at least one threshold from the first set of thresholds;

receiving, by the device, a second set of sensor data associated with a second vehicle that passes within a predetermined distance of the location during the first time period;

comparing, by the device, the second set of sensor data with at least one threshold from a second set of thresholds;

incrementing, by the device, a counter based on the second set of sensor data exceeding the at least one threshold from the second set of thresholds;

generating, by the device, at least one alert based on the counter exceeding a value,

the value representing a number of vehicles that transmitted a set of sensor data, exceeding the at least one threshold from the second set of thresholds, within a predetermined time period;

receiving, by the device, a third set of sensor data associated with a third vehicle,

the third set of sensor data comprising locational data of the third vehicle; and

transmitting, by the device, the at least one alert to a mobile device associated with the third vehicle based on the third set of sensor data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one other parameter comprises accelerometer data and a timestamp, and

wherein the second set of sensor data comprises locational data, accelerometer data, and a timestamp.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of thresholds comprises at least one of a bump threshold to detect a sudden vertical motion by a vehicle, a swerve threshold to detect a sudden swerving motion of a vehicle, a skid threshold to detect a sudden skidding motion of a vehicle, or a temperature threshold to detect a sudden temperature increase in a region of a vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the value is based on at least one of a current time, a weather condition, or the location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one alert is one of a text-based alert, an audible alert, or a video alert.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the at least one alert to the mobile device comprises:

transmitting the at least one alert to the mobile device based on the locational data of the third vehicle being within a second minimum distance of the locational data associated with the first vehicle and based on a change in the locational data of the third vehicle indicating that the third vehicle is approaching the location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a road condition corresponding to the locational data of the first vehicle based on a result, of comparing the first set of sensor data with the at least one threshold from the first set of thresholds, and a result of comparing the second set of sensor data with the at least one threshold from the second set of thresholds,

the road condition comprising one of a pothole, an icy road, a slippery road, an accident, an obstruction, or an object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one alert comprises:

a description of the road condition corresponding to the locational data of the first vehicle, and

a distance between a current location of the third vehicle and the locational data associated with the first vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an interactive alert to a communications device associated with the first vehicle based on the first set of sensor data exceeding the at least one threshold from the first set of thresholds; and

receiving a response to the interactive alert from the communications device associated with the first vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one alert comprises an interactive map showing an alternative route to avoid the location.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a first set of sensor data from one or more sensors associated with a first vehicle,

the first set of sensor data comprising locational data of the first vehicle and at least one other parameter;

compare the first set of sensor data with at least one threshold from a first set of thresholds;

monitor a location, associated with the locational data of the first vehicle, for a first time period based on the first set of sensor data exceeding the at least one threshold from the first set of thresholds,

monitoring the location comprising receiving a second set of sensor data associated with a second vehicle that passes, within a predetermined distance of the location, during the first time period;

transmit an interactive alert to a communications device, associated with the first vehicle, based on the first set of sensor data exceeding the at least one threshold from the first set of thresholds;

receive a response to the interactive alert from the communications device associated with the first vehicle;

compare the second set of sensor data with at least one threshold from a second set of thresholds;

increment a counter based on the second set of sensor data exceeding the at least one threshold from the second set of thresholds;

generate at least one alert based on the counter exceeding a value;

receive a third set of sensor data associated with a third vehicle,

the third set of sensor data comprising locational data of the third vehicle; and

transmit the at least one alert to a mobile device or a display device, associated with the third vehicle, based on the third set of sensor data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one other parameter comprises accelerometer data and a timestamp, and

wherein the second set of sensor data comprises locational data, accelerometer data, and a timestamp.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first set of thresholds comprises at least one of a bump threshold to detect a sudden vertical motion by a vehicle, a swerve threshold to detect a sudden swerving motion of a vehicle, a skid threshold to detect a sudden skidding motion of a vehicle, or a temperature threshold to detect a sudden temperature increase in a region of a vehicle.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the value is based on at least one of a current time, a weather condition, or the location.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one alert is one of a text-based alert, an audible alert, or a video alert.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when transmitting the at least one alert to the mobile device, cause the processor to:

transmit the at least one alert to the mobile device based on the locational data of the third vehicle being within a second minimum distance of the locational data, associated with the first vehicle, and based on a change in the locational data of the third vehicle indicating that the third vehicle is approaching the location.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

determine a road condition corresponding to the locational data of the first vehicle based on a result, of comparing the first set of sensor data with the at least one threshold from the first set of thresholds, and a result of comparing the second set of sensor data with the at least one threshold from the second set of thresholds,

the road condition comprising one of a pothole, an icy road, a slippery road, an accident, an obstruction, or an object.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one alert comprises:

a description of the road condition, corresponding to the locational data of the first vehicle, and

a distance between a location of the third vehicle and the locational data of the first vehicle.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a first set of sensor data from one or more sensors associated with a first vehicle,

the first set of sensor data comprising locational data of the first vehicle and at least one other parameter;

compare the first set of sensor data with at least one threshold from a first set of thresholds;

monitor a location, associated with the locational data of the first vehicle, for a first time period based on the first set of sensor data exceeding the at least one threshold from the first set of thresholds,

monitoring the location comprising receiving a second set of sensor data associated with a second vehicle that passes, within a predetermined distance of the location, during the first time period;

compare the second set of sensor data with at least one threshold from a second set of thresholds;

increment a counter based on the second set of sensor data exceeding the at least one threshold from the second set of thresholds;

generate at least one alert based on the counter exceeding a value,

the value representing a number of vehicles that transmitted a set of sensor data, exceeding the at least one threshold from the second set of thresholds, within a predetermined time period;

receive a third set of sensor data associated with a third vehicle,

the third set of sensor data comprising locational data of the third vehicle; and

transmit the at least one alert to a mobile device or a display device, associated with the third vehicle, based on the third set of sensor data.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, where the one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine a road condition corresponding to the locational data of the first vehicle based on a result, of comparing the first set of sensor data with the at least one threshold from the first set of thresholds, and a result of comparing the second set of sensor data with the at least one threshold from the second set of thresholds,

the road condition comprising one of a pothole, an icy road, a slippery road, an accident, an obstruction, or an object; and

where the one or more instructions, when generating the at least one alert based on the counter exceeding the value, cause the one or more processors to;

generate a description of the road condition, corresponding to the locational data of the first vehicle, and

generate a distance between a location of the third vehicle and the locational data of the first vehicle.