Emergency corridor utilizing vehicle-to-vehicle communication

• US 9,905,129 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Colella, Nicholas, Herman, Dave A
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US15/170,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20170352268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 340902, 340901, 340905, 340938, 340995, 701431
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates 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 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for an emergency corridor utilizing vehicle-to-vehicle communication. An example disclosed system includes an emergency vehicle, infrastructure nodes distributed across a municipal area, and an emergency router. The example emergency router selects a route from a first location of the emergency vehicle to a second location specified by an emergency request. The example emergency router also determines ones of the infrastructure nodes that are along the route. Additionally, the example emergency router instructs the ones of the infrastructure nodes to broadcast emergency messages. The emergency messages include information regarding the route and the emergency vehicle.

Claims

1. An emergency response system comprising:

an emergency vehicle;

infrastructure nodes distributed across a municipal area; and

an emergency router to;

select a route from a first location of the emergency vehicle to a second location specified by an emergency request;

select the infrastructure nodes that are along the route; and

instruct the selected infrastructure nodes to broadcast emergency messages, the emergency messages including information regarding the emergency vehicle, the selected infrastructure nodes individually determining when to stop broadcasting the emergency messages based on third locations of the selected infrastructure nodes and a current location of the emergency vehicle identified in the emergency messages.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency messages include the route of the emergency vehicle, the current location of the emergency vehicle, a current heading of the emergency vehicle, and a current speed of the emergency vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency router is to:

instruct the emergency vehicle to traverse the route; and

update the emergency messages to include a current location, a current heading, and a current speed of the emergency vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency vehicle is to broadcast the emergency messages.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, by a DSRC module of a vehicle, an emergency message including a route, a current location, a current heading, and a current speed of an emergency vehicle;

determining, with a processor, whether a trajectory of the vehicle will be parallel or intersect the route;

in response to determining that the trajectory of the vehicle will be parallel or intersect the route, providing, via an infotainment head unit, an audio and visual warning based on instructions included in the emergency message;

monitoring the vehicle to determine whether properties of the vehicle changed after the audio and visual warning; and

in response to determining that the properties of the vehicle did not change after the audio and visual warning, increasing a frequency of the audio and visual warning provided by the infotainment head unit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the properties of the vehicle include a speed of the vehicle and a lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

7. The method of claim 5, including determining whether the emergency vehicle has passed the vehicle based on a current position of the vehicle and the current position of the emergency vehicle in the emergency message.

8. The method of claim 7, including in response to determine that the emergency vehicle has not passed the vehicle, broadcasting, by DSRC module of the vehicle, the emergency message.

9. The method of claim 7, including in response to determine that the emergency vehicle has passed the vehicle, ending the audio and visual warning.

10. A method comprising:

selecting, with a processor, infrastructure nodes distributed across a municipal area positioned along a route defined by a first location of an emergency vehicle and a second location specified by an emergency request;

broadcasting emergency messages via the selected infrastructure nodes; and

determining, individually by the selected infrastructure nodes, when to stop broadcasting the emergency messages based on third locations of the infrastructure nodes and a current location of the emergency vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the emergency messages include a current location of the emergency vehicle, a current heading of the emergency vehicle, and a current speed of the emergency vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, including:

instruct the emergency vehicle to traverse the route; and

update the emergency messages to include a current location, a current heading, and a current speed of the emergency vehicle.

13. The method of claim 10, including broadcasting the emergency messages via the emergency vehicle.

14. The method of claim 10, including:

determining that the emergency vehicle has not passed a vehicle traversing the route based on a third location of the vehicle and a current location of the emergency vehicle; and

broadcasting the emergency message via the vehicle while the emergency vehicle has not passed the vehicle.