Collision avoidance system using telematics unit

• US 9,734,715 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Butz, Matthew, Cazanas, Carlos A., Khan, Azam
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Luke
• Application Number:
  US14/727,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20150262487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 701301, 340435, 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

The various examples disclosed herein relate to systems, methods, and equipment that provide location and velocity monitoring of both a user'"'"'s vehicle and another vehicle to avoid collision. The examples are applicable for using on-board telematics units to process that information and provide additional information based thereon such as the probability of collision. In some examples, if the chances of collision are high based on information received, warnings may be given to the vehicle'"'"'s user. Based on these warnings, the user may take evasive maneuvers to reduce the probability of collision and prevent it. In other examples, if the chances of collision are high, the vehicle may decelerate without prompting from the user to minimize the impact of the collision. Any emergency reporting by the telematics unit, e.g. if a collision still occurred, may be enhanced with the relative location and velocity data from some interval the prior to emergency.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a user interface for providing information to and receiving information from a user of a vehicle, the user interface including either a touch display or a keypad and a display, and the vehicle including one or more sensors for sensing location and velocity of the vehicle, wherein the one or more sensors include a sensor for detecting an emergency condition;

a short range transmitter for direct wireless broadcast of data regarding a sensed location and velocity of the vehicle without engaging a public wireless mobile communications network;

a short range receiver for direct wireless reception of wirelessly broadcast data regarding location and velocity of any other vehicle within a short range of the vehicle without engaging the public wireless mobile communications network;

a network access device of a telematics unit including a wireless transceiver for wireless cellular communication via the public wireless mobile communications network for communication with a call center of a telematics service provider; and

a control unit, responsive to a detected emergency condition to control the network access device of the telematics unit to report a detected emergency condition through the public wireless mobile communications network to the call center and responsive to the one or more sensors and the short range receiver, for controlling information output for the user via the user interface,

wherein the control unit also is configured to;

receive, from the user via the keypad or the touch display of the user interface, a selection of a collision hazard criteria from among a plurality of collision hazard criteria,

when data is directly received from a plurality of other vehicles within the short range of the vehicle without engaging the public wireless mobile communications network, select another vehicle from among the plurality of other vehicles based on the user-selected collision hazard criteria,

process the sensed location and the velocity of the vehicle and the received data regarding location and velocity of the selected other vehicle to detect a collision hazard relative to the selected other vehicle and detect one of a plurality of levels of risk of collision relative to the selected other vehicle, and

responsive to detecting one of the plurality of levels of risk of collision, cause the user interface to output a hazard alert indicating a detected level of risk of collision relative to the selected other vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network access device communicates information based on the sensed location and the velocity of the vehicle and the selected other vehicle to the public wireless mobile communications network and provides additional information to the user based on the information from the control unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the short range receiver is configured to receive data regarding location and velocity from a telematics unit and/or routing information from an on-board navigation systems of each of the plurality of other vehicles.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the hazard alert is a visual and/or audio warning to the user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to cause the vehicle to decelerate in response to the detected level of risk of collision.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to receive data regarding location and velocity information of each of the plurality of other vehicles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the collision hazard criteria are used to select one or more metrics for determining whether a hazard is present.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein metrics used for determining whether the hazard is present include at least one of:

distances between the vehicle and vehicles of the plurality of other vehicles, speed of the vehicles of the plurality of other vehicles, or global positioning satellite (GPS) location of other vehicles of the plurality of other vehicles.

9. A device, comprising:

a short range transmitter for direct wireless broadcast of data regarding a sensed location and velocity of a first vehicle without engaging a public wireless mobile communications network, wherein the first vehicle includes one or more sensors for sensing location and the velocity of the first vehicle, and wherein the one or more sensors include a sensor for detecting an emergency condition;

a short range receiver for direct wireless reception of wirelessly broadcast data regarding location and velocity of any other vehicle of a plurality of vehicles within a short range of the first vehicle without engaging the public wireless mobile communications network;

a network access device of a telematics unit including a wireless transceiver for wireless cellular communication via the public wireless mobile communications network for communication with a call center of a telematics service provider; and

a control unit, responsive to a detected emergency condition to control the network access device of the telematics unit to report the detected emergency condition through the public wireless mobile communications network to the call center and responsive to the one or more sensors and the short range receiver, for controlling information output for a user via a user interface,

wherein the control unit also is configured to;

receive, from the user interface, a selection of a collision hazard criteria from among a plurality of collision hazard criteria,

when data is directly received from a plurality of other vehicles within the short range of the first vehicle without engaging the public wireless mobile communications network, select another vehicle from among the plurality of other vehicles based on the user-selected collision hazard criteria,

process the sensed location and the velocity of the first vehicle and the received data regarding location and velocity of the selected other vehicle to detect a collision hazard relative to the selected other vehicle and detect one of a plurality of levels of risk of collision relative to the selected other vehicle, and

responsive to detecting one of the plurality of levels of risk of collision, cause the user interface to output a hazard alert indicating a detected level of risk of collision relative to the selected other vehicle.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the network access device communicates information based on the sensed location and the velocity of the first vehicle and the selected other vehicle to the public wireless mobile communications network and provides additional information to the user based on the information from the control unit.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the short range receiver is configured to receive data regarding location and velocity from a telematics unit and/or routing information from an on-board navigation system of each of the plurality of other vehicles.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the hazard alert is a visual and/or audio warning to the user.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the control unit is further configured to cause the first vehicle to decelerate in response to the detected level of risk of collision.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the control unit is further configured to receive data regarding location and velocity information of each of the plurality of other vehicles.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the collision hazard criteria are used to select one or more metrics for determining whether a hazard is present.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the one or more metrics used for determining whether the hazard is present include at least one of:

distances between the first vehicle and vehicles of the plurality of other vehicles, speed of the vehicles of the plurality of other vehicles, or global positioning satellite (GPS) location of other vehicles of the plurality of other vehicles.

17. A device configured to wirelessly communicate with a call center, the device comprising:

a short range transmitter for direct wireless broadcast of data regarding a sensed location and velocity of a first vehicle without engaging a public wireless mobile communications network, wherein the first vehicle includes one or more sensors for sensing location and the velocity of the first vehicle, and wherein the one or more sensors include a sensor for detecting an emergency condition;

a short range receiver for direct wireless reception of wirelessly broadcast data regarding location and velocity of any other vehicle of a plurality of vehicles within a short range of the first vehicle without engaging the public wireless mobile communications network;

a network access device of a telematics unit including a wireless transceiver for wireless cellular communication via the public wireless mobile communications network for communication with the call center; and

a control unit, responsive to a detected emergency condition to control the network access device of the telematics unit to report the detected emergency condition through the public wireless mobile communications network to the call center and responsive to the one or more sensors and the short range receiver, for controlling information output for a user via a user interface,

wherein the control unit also is configured to;

receive, from the user interface, a selection of a collision hazard criteria from among a plurality of collision hazard criteria,

when data is directly received from a plurality of other vehicles within the short range of the first vehicle without engaging the public wireless mobile communications network, select another vehicle from among the plurality of other vehicles based on the user-selected collision hazard criteria,

process the sensed location and the velocity of the first vehicle and the received data regarding location and velocity of the selected other vehicle to detect a collision hazard relative to the selected other vehicle and detect one of a plurality of levels of risk of collision relative to the selected other vehicle, and

responsive to detecting one of the plurality of levels of risk of collision, cause the user interface to output a hazard alert indicating the detected level of risk of collision relative to the selected other vehicle.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the control unit of the device is further configured to cause the first vehicle to decelerate in response to the detected level of risk of collision.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the control unit of the device is further configured to receive data regarding location and velocity information of each of the plurality of other vehicles.