Systems and methods for controlling sensor-based data acquisition and signal processing in vehicles

• US 9,988,056 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Octo Telematics S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Octo Telematics S.p.A.
• Inventors: Sbianchi, Fabio, Giannella, Gianfranco
• Primary Examiner(s): Ismail, Mahmoud S
• Application Number:
  US14/969,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20170166217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1, 280735
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/107 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/109 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3089 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in sensing the monitored data, e.g. interfaces, connectors, sensors, probes, agents software debugging using additional hardware using a specific debug interface G06F11/3656; performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/10 Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1036 with automatic suppression of narrow band noise or interference, e.g. by using tuneable notch filters H04B1/123 takes precedence; filter circuits H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/1054 by changing bandwidth
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for dynamically controlling sensor-based data acquisition in vehicles. The disclosed embodiments may receive signals associated with sensors in a vehicle, wherein the signals are associated with sampling rates, and apply bandwidth filters to the signals to create filtered signals. The disclosed embodiments may also detect an occurrence of an event by comparing the filtered signals to one or more event thresholds and transmit event data to a control system when the event thresholds are exceeded. The disclosed embodiments also may dynamically adjust signals, sampling rates, bandwidth filters, a generated event score, and the event thresholds based on changes to a set of control variables. The control variables may depend on signals associated with a set of sensors in a vehicle or on boundary conditions and signals associated to an external system.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically controlling sensor-based data acquisition in vehicles, comprising:

a memory storing a set of instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the set instructions to perform one or more operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a set of signals associated with a set of sensors in a vehicle, wherein the set of signals is associated with a set of sampling rates,

applying a set of bandwidth filters to the set of signals to create a set of filtered signals, and

detecting an occurrence of an event by comparing an event score based on the set of filtered signals with an event threshold, wherein;

at least one of the set of signals, the set of sampling rates, the set of bandwidth filters, the event score, or the event threshold is dynamically adjusted based on a change to a set of control variables, wherein the set of control variables is changed in response to detecting occurrences of subsequent events, wherein each change to the set of control variables causes a modification to at least one of the set of signals, the set of sampling rates, the set of bandwidth filters, the event score, or the event threshold;

wherein the set of control signals comprises;

a set of local control variables based on the set of signals; and

a set of external control variables based on a hazard index received from the control system,

the event threshold is inversely proportional to the hazard index,

the hazard index is based on the event data and a set of boundary conditions reflecting conditions external to the vehicle, and

the set of boundary conditions includes at least two of a weather condition, a traffic condition, a road type condition, or an average speed map condition.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein dynamically adjusting the set of signals further comprises switching off a selected signal in the set of signals or switching on a new signal not included in the set of signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein applying a set of bandwidth filters further comprises:

determining a noise frequency range for a noisy signal in the set of signals;

determining whether a minimum frequency of the noise frequency range exceeds a threshold frequency; and

applying a low-pass filter to the noisy signal when the minimum frequency exceeds the threshold frequency, wherein the low-pass filter has a cutoff frequency less than the minimum frequency.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein applying the set of bandwidth filters further comprises applying a band-stop filter to the noisy signal when a width of the noise frequency range is less than a threshold width, the band-stop filter attenuating the noisy signal within the noise frequency range in the frequency domain.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein determining the noise frequency range and width of the noise frequency range causes the change to the set of control variables, and wherein dynamically adjusting the set of bandwidth filters further comprises applying the low-pass filter or the band-stop filter to the noisy signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further include determining an event class associated with the event based on the set of filtered signals and a set of vehicle parameters reflecting physical characteristics of the vehicle, wherein the event threshold is based on the event class and a set of event factors based on the event class, and wherein determining the event class causes the change to the set of control variables.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the set of signals is associated with a set of signal weights based on the control variables;

the event score is further based on the set of signal weights; and

dynamically adjusting the event score further comprises modifying the set of signals or the set of signal weights.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the set of event factors is associated with a set of factor weights based on the control variables;

the event threshold is further based on the set of factor weights; and

dynamically adjusting the event threshold further comprises modifying the event class, the event factors, or the factor weights.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise outputting event data when the event score exceeds the event threshold for the event and each of the subsequent events.

10. A method for dynamically controlling sensor-based data acquisition in vehicles, comprising the following operations performed via one or more processors associated with a device within the vehicle:

receiving a set of signals associated with a set of sensors in a vehicle, wherein the set of signals is associated with a set of sampling rates;

applying a set of bandwidth filters to the set of signals to create a set of filtered signals; and

detecting an occurrence of an event by comparing an event score based on the set of filtered signals with an event threshold, wherein;

at least one of the set of signals, the set of sampling rates, the set of bandwidth filters, the event score, or the event threshold is dynamically adjusted based on a change to a set of control variables, the set of control variables is changed in response to detecting occurrences of subsequent events, wherein each change to the set of control variables causes a modification to at least one of the set of signals, the set of sampling rates, the set of bandwidth filters, the event score, or the event threshold;

a set of local control variables based on the set of signals; and

a set of external control variables based on a hazard index received from the control system,

the event threshold is inversely proportional to the hazard index,

the hazard index is based on the event data and a set of boundary conditions reflecting conditions external to the vehicle, and

the set of boundary conditions includes at least two of a weather condition, a traffic condition, a road type condition, or an average speed map condition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein applying a set of bandwidth filters further comprises:

determining a noise frequency range for a noisy signal in the set of signals;

determining whether a minimum frequency of the noise frequency range exceeds a threshold frequency; and

applying a low-pass filter to the noisy signal when the minimum frequency exceeds the threshold frequency, wherein the low-pass filter has a cutoff frequency less than the minimum frequency.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein applying the set of bandwidth filters further comprises applying a band-stop filter to the noisy signal when a width of the noise frequency range is less than a threshold width, the band-stop filter attenuating the noisy signal within the noise frequency range in the frequency domain.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the noise frequency range and width of the noise frequency range causes the change to the set of control variables, and wherein dynamically adjusting the set of bandwidth filters further comprises applying the low-pass filter or the band-stop filter to the noisy signal.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining an event class associated with the event based on the set of filtered signals and a set of vehicle parameters reflecting physical characteristics of the vehicle, wherein the event threshold is based on the event class and a set of event factors based on the event class, and wherein determining the event class causes the change to the set of control variables.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the set of signals is associated with a set of signal weights based on the control variables;

the event score is further based on the set of signal weights; and

dynamically adjusting the event score further comprises modifying the set of signals and the set of signal weights.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the set of event factors is associated with a set of factor weights based on the control variables;

the event threshold is further based on the set of factor weights; and

dynamically adjusting the event threshold further comprises modifying the event class, the event factors, or the factor weights.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising outputting event data when the event score exceeds the event threshold for the event and each of the subsequent events.

18. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for dynamically controlling sensor-based data acquisition in vehicles, comprising:

receiving a set of signals associated with a set of sensors in a vehicle, wherein the set of signals is associated with a set of sampling rates;

applying a set of bandwidth filters to the set of signals to create a set of filtered signals; and

detecting an occurrence of an event by comparing an event score based on the set of filtered signals with an event threshold, wherein;

at least one of the set of signals, the set of sampling rates, the set of bandwidth filters, the event score, or the event threshold is dynamically adjusted based on a change to a set of control variables,

the set of control variables is changed in response to detecting occurrences of subsequent events, wherein each change to the set of control variables causes a modification to at least one of the set of signals, the set of sampling rates, the set of bandwidth filters, the event score, or the event threshold;

a set of local control variables based on the set of signals; and

a set of external control variables based on a hazard index received from the control system,

the event threshold is inversely proportional to the hazard index,

the hazard index is based on the event data and a set of boundary conditions reflecting conditions external to the vehicle, and

the set of boundary conditions includes at least two of a weather condition, a traffic condition, a road type condition, or an average speed map condition.