Wireless vehicle system for enhancing situational awareness

• US 9,595,195 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Varoglu, Devrim, Parupudi, Ravisastry
• Primary Examiner(s): Syed, Nabil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/605,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Electronic equipment in vehicles may transmit and receive wireless messages. Each wireless message that is transmitted by a transmitter may include information on the vehicle from which it is being transmitted, information on the location of the transmitter within the vehicle, and other vehicle status information. Receiving equipment in vehicles may be used to receive the transmitted messages. Received signal strength indicator information may be associated with the transmitted messages. Using the received signal strength indicator information and information on the locations of the transmitters within the vehicles in which the transmitters are installed, equipment in a receiving vehicle may determine locations for nearby vehicles. Alerts may be presented to a driver of a vehicle and other suitable actions may be taken based on the locations of nearby vehicles, vehicle type information, and other information regarding traffic in the vicinity of the driver.

Claims

1. A method for operating a moving vehicle that has receiving electronic equipment, wherein the moving vehicle is being driven by a driver on a road, the method comprising:

with the receiving electronic equipment of the moving vehicle, receiving wireless messages from transmitting electronic equipment in a nearby vehicle being driven at a vehicle location on the road, wherein the nearby vehicle has a plurality of regions, and wherein the wireless messages comprise information specifying particular regions of the plurality of regions of the nearby vehicle in which the transmitting electronic equipment is located;

analyzing the received wireless messages with the receiving electronic equipment to generate corresponding received signal strength indicator information; and

with the receiving electronic equipment, using the received signal strength indicator information to determine the vehicle location of the nearby vehicle.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

based at least partly on the vehicle location of the nearby vehicle, presenting an alert to the driver.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein presenting the alert comprises, using a display in the moving vehicle to display graphics to the driver.

4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein the nearby vehicle comprises an emergency services vehicle and wherein presenting the alert comprises presenting information on the display alerting the driver to the emergency services vehicle.

5. The method defined in claim 3 wherein the nearby vehicle is passing the moving vehicle and wherein presenting the alert comprises presenting information on the display alerting the driver to the passing of the nearby vehicle.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the transmitting electronic equipment in the nearby vehicle comprises multiple transmitters, and wherein receiving the wireless messages from the transmitting electronic equipment in nearby vehicles comprises:

receiving at least one wireless message with the receiving electronic equipment of the moving vehicle from each of the transmitters in that nearby vehicle.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein using the received signal strength indicator information comprises determining distances between the transmitters and the receiving electronic equipment.

8. The method defined in claim 7 wherein the nearby vehicle has a rectangular outline with four corners, wherein a respective one of the transmitters is located at each of the four corners, and wherein determining the vehicle locations of the nearby vehicles comprises processing received signal strength indicator information associated with transmitters in the four corners.

9. The method defined in claim 8 wherein receiving the wireless messages comprises receiving Bluetooth Low Energy messages.

10. The method defined in claim 1 wherein receiving the wireless messages comprises receiving Bluetooth Low Energy messages.

11. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising presenting an alert to the driver based at least partly on the vehicle location of the nearby vehicle.

12. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising displaying an alert to the driver that includes an icon representing the moving vehicle and the nearby vehicle based at least partly on the vehicle location of the nearby vehicle.

13. The method defined in claim 12 further comprising:

receiving satellite navigation system signals with the receiving electronic equipment, wherein the icon is displayed at least partly based on the satellite navigation system signals.

14. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

extracting vehicle type information identifying the nearby vehicles from the wireless messages.

15. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

with control circuitry in the receiving electronic equipment, automatically slowing the moving vehicle based at least partly on the vehicle locations of the nearby vehicles.

16. Electronic equipment operable in a moving vehicle driven by a driver on a road on which multiple nearby vehicles are being driven, wherein the moving vehicle has a plurality of regions, the electronic equipment comprising:

a plurality of wireless transmitters each of which transmits wireless messages, wherein the wireless messages include information specifying particular regions of the plurality of regions of the moving vehicle in which the transmitters are located; and

a wireless receiver that receives transmitted messages from the nearby vehicles to identify where each of the nearby vehicles is located.

17. The electronic equipment defined in claim 16 wherein the plurality of wireless transmitters comprise Bluetooth Low Energy transmitters.

18. The electronic equipment defined in claim 17 wherein the wireless receiver comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy receiver.

19. The electronic equipment defined in claim 18 wherein the wireless receiver is configured to measure received signal strength indicator information associated with the transmitted messages from the nearby cars.

20. A method of providing a driver of a moving vehicle that is being driven on a road with information regarding a nearby vehicle on the road, wherein the nearby vehicle has a plurality of regions, the method comprising:

with Bluetooth Low Energy equipment in the moving vehicle, receiving Bluetooth Low Energy messages from Bluetooth Low Energy transmitters in the nearby vehicle, wherein the Bluetooth Low Energy messages comprise information specifying particular regions of the plurality of regions of the nearby vehicle in which the Bluetooth Low Energy transmitters are located;

analyzing the received Bluetooth Low Energy messages to produce corresponding received signal strength indicator information; and

with a display in the moving vehicle, displaying information for the driver regarding the nearby vehicle based at least partly on the received signal strength indicator information.

21. The method defined in claim 20 wherein the Bluetooth Low Energy messages include information identifying transmitter locations within the nearby vehicle for each of the Bluetooth Low Energy transmitters and wherein displaying the information comprises displaying an alert on the display based at least partly on the transmitter locations within the nearby vehicle.

22. The method defined in claim 21 wherein the Bluetooth Low Energy messages each contain vehicle type information for the nearby vehicle.