System and method for coordinating V2X and standard vehicles

• US 9,959,763 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2016
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Miller, Kenneth James, Miller, Charles James
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, JESS G
• Application Number:
  US14/991,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20170200369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0066 for limitation of acceleration or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

In various embodiments, the present disclosure includes a system for reducing vehicular collisions having: (a) a vehicle comprising sensors, an acceleration system, a braking system, a processor, and memory; and (b) programs operatively coupled to the vehicle including: (1) a marking program configured to mark an outside vehicle as V2X or standard; (2) a reaction program configured to generate a signal in response to the mark, the signal being based on the mark.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle comprising;

sensors; and

a communication module; and

a computing device including;

a marking program that marks an outside vehicle as V2X or standard based on detection of the outside vehicle by at least one of the sensors and the communication module; and

a reaction program that performs the following;

emits a cue for the outside vehicle responsive to the mark being standard; and

transmits instructions to the outside vehicle via the communication module responsive to the mark being V2V.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes an acceleration system and a braking system, the reaction program configured to control at least one of the acceleration system and the braking system of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reaction program is configured to determine a braking rate for a braking system of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the braking rate is at least partially based on the mark.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the marking program is configured to:

determine a determined location of the outside vehicle via at least one of the sensors and the communication module;

retrieve recorded locations of other vehicles via the communication module;

compare the determined location of the outside vehicle to the recorded locations of the other vehicles;

mark the outside vehicle as V2V responsive to determining that the determined location matches one of the recorded locations.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the marking program is configured to download driving properties of the outside vehicle from the outside vehicle if the outside vehicle is V2X, and wherein the marking program is configured to measure driving properties of the outside vehicle if the outside vehicle is standard.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are electronic instructions and the cues are visual cues.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a planning program operatively coupled to the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the planning program is configured to build a traffic database by downloading driving properties of at least one of a V2X vehicle and a standard vehicle from the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the planning program is configured to instruct the V2X vehicle to measure driving properties of a standard vehicle.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the planning program is configured to generate a traffic plan based on at least the driving properties that includes vehicle braking rates for avoiding a traffic collision.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the planning program is configured to identify vehicles projected to experience a traffic collision and prioritize communication of the traffic plan to the vehicles identified relative to other vehicles.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the planning program is configured to instruct V2X vehicles to send cues to standard vehicles.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the cue emitted for the outside vehicle includes at least one of a visual cue and audio cue directed toward a driver of the outside vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the instruction transmitted to the outside vehicle causes the outside vehicle to brake or accelerate.

16. A method of reducing vehicular collisions, the method comprising:

sensing, via a sensor of a vehicle, an outside vehicle;

sending, via a communication module of the vehicle, a ping to the outside vehicle;

marking the outside vehicle as V2X or standard with a marking program based on at least one of the sensor and the communication module of the vehicle;

emitting, in response to marking the outside vehicle as standard, a cue for the outside vehicle with a reaction program; and

transmitting, in response to marking the outside vehicle as V2V, an instruction to the outside vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising braking the vehicle based on at least one of the sensor and the communication module of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising measuring driving properties of the outside vehicle via the sensor if the outside vehicle is standard, and downloading driving properties of the outside vehicle from the outside vehicle via the communication module if the outside vehicle is V2X.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying a group of vehicles,

collecting driving properties of the group of vehicles,

marking each vehicle as V2X or standard,

generating a traffic plan that projects braking rates of the vehicles based on their driving properties and their respective marks.

20. A vehicle comprising:

sensors;

a communication module; and

a computing device that performs the following;

marks an outside vehicle as V2X or standard based on detection of the outside vehicle by at least one of the sensors and the communication module;

emits a cue for the outside vehicle responsive to the mark being standard; and

transmits an instruction to the outside vehicle via the communication module responsive to the mark being V2V.