Vehicle collision avoidance

• US 10,065,562 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bernstein, Yaniv, Lynar, Timothy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US14/144,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20150329044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 340435, 340436
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A monitoring area may be defined for a monitoring device attached to a first object, wherein the monitoring area moves with the monitoring device. The monitoring device may detect a second object in the monitoring area. A collision awareness factor may be determined in relation to the monitoring area, and a warning zone may be defined in relation to the monitoring area based on the collision awareness factor. A warning may be generated based on detecting the second object within the warning zone and based on the collision awareness factor.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for generating a collision warning, the method comprising:

defining, by a computer, a monitoring area monitored by a warning device attached to a first object, wherein the monitoring area moves with the warning device;

detecting, by the computer, a second object in the monitoring area;

determining, by the computer, a change in a collision awareness factor in relation to the monitoring area, the collision awareness factor corresponding to an estimated awareness level of an operator of the first object of a likelihood of collision with the second object, wherein determining the collision awareness factor is based on a type of vehicle of the first object, a maneuverability of the first object, a type of one or more objects expected to be encountered by the first object, a direction of movement of the first object, a velocity of the first object, an angular divergence of a focus direction relative to a movement direction of the first object, a number and a distribution of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a velocity of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a size and a shape of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a position and a proximity of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a current weather condition in the monitoring area, a light condition in the monitoring area, a time of day and a level of humidity in the environment of the first object and is used to adjust a shape and a size of a warning zone;

defining, by the computer, the warning zone in relation to the monitoring area based on the collision awareness factor;

and

generating, by the computer, a warning based on at least the second object being within the warning zone, and the change in the collision awareness factor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the computer, the second object in the monitoring area, wherein the detecting comprises detecting one or more of;

a size of the second object, a shape of the second object, and a position of the second object relative to a direction of movement of the first object; and

wherein determining the collision awareness factor comprises determining the collision awareness factor based at least on one or more of;

the size of the second object, the shape of the second object, and the position of the second object relative to the direction of movement of the first object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the computer, two or more second objects in the monitoring area, wherein the detecting is based on detecting a number of second objects detected in the warning area, a size of each of the second objects, a shape of each of the second objects, a velocity of each of the second objects relative to the warning device, and an average velocity of all of the second objects.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a direction of movement of the first object;

detecting an orientation direction of a third object using a gyroscope coupled with an accelerometer;

determining a divergence between the direction of movement of the first object and the orientation direction of the third object; and

wherein determining the collision awareness factor comprises determining the collision awareness factor based at least on the determined divergence.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a collision awareness factor comprises:

determining the collision awareness factor based on detecting any one or more of;

a responsive action relative to the second objects;

a first change in a direction of movement of the first object, wherein the first change is higher than a first threshold value; and

a second change in a velocity of the first object, wherein the second change is higher than a threshold value.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the defined monitoring area based on the collision awareness factor.

7. A computer system for generating a collision warning, the system comprising:

a computer device having a processor and a tangible storage device, wherein the computer is attached to a first object; and

a program embodied on the storage device for execution by the processor, the program having a plurality of program modules, the program modules including;

a first defining module configured to define a monitoring area monitored by the computer device, wherein the monitoring area moves with the computer device;

a first detecting module configured to detect a second object in the monitoring area;

a first determining module configured to determine a change in a collision awareness factor in relation to the monitoring area, the collision awareness factor corresponding to an estimated awareness level of an operator of the first object of a likelihood of collision with the second object, wherein determining the collision awareness factor is based on a type of vehicle of the first object, a maneuverability of the first object, a type of one or more objects expected to be encountered by the first object, a direction of movement of the first object, a velocity of the first object, an angular divergence of a focus direction relative to a movement direction of the first object, a number and a distribution of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a velocity of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a size and a shape of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a position and a proximity of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a current weather condition in the monitoring area, a light condition in the monitoring area, a time of day and a level of humidity in the environment of the first object and is used to adjust a shape and a size of a warning zone;

a second defining module configured to define a warning zone in relation to the monitoring area based on the collision awareness factor;

and

a generating module configured to generate a warning based on detecting at least the second object being within the warning zone, and the collision awareness factor.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein:

the first detecting module is further configured to detect one or more of;

a size of the second object, a shape of the second object, and a position of the second object relative to a direction of movement of the first object; and

the first determining module is configured to determine the collision awareness factor based at least on one or more of;

the size of the second object, the shape of the second object, and the position of the second object relative to the direction of movement of the first object.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein:

the first detecting module is further configured to detect two or more second objects in the monitoring area, wherein the detecting is based on detecting a number of second objects detected in the warning area, a size of each of the second objects, a shape of each of the second objects, a velocity of each of the second objects relative to the warning device, and an average velocity of all of the second objects.

10. The computer system of claim 7, wherein:

the program modules further include;

a second detecting module configured to detect a direction of movement of the first object, and to detect an orientation direction of a third object using a gyroscope coupled with an accelerometer; and

a second determining module configured to determine a divergence between the direction of movement of the first object and the orientation direction of the third object; and

the first determining module is further configured to determine the collision awareness factor based at least on the determined divergence.

11. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the first determining module is further configured to determine the collision awareness factor based on detecting any one or more of:

a responsive action relative to the second objects;

a first change in a direction of movement of the first object, wherein the first change is higher than a first threshold value; and

a second change in a velocity of the first object, wherein the second change is higher than a threshold value.

12. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the program modules further include:

a modifying module configured to modify the monitoring area based on the collision awareness factor.

13. A computer program product for generating a collision warning, comprising a tangible storage device having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a processor of a computer to perform a method comprising:

defining, by the processor, a monitoring area monitoring by a warning device attached to a first object, wherein the monitoring area moves with the warning device;

detecting, by the processor, a second object in the monitoring area;

determining, by the processor, a change in a collision awareness factor in relation to the monitoring area, the collision awareness factor corresponding to an estimated awareness level of an operator of the first object of a likelihood of collision with the second object, wherein determining the collision awareness factor is based on a type of vehicle of the first object, a maneuverability of the first object, a type of one or more objects expected to be encountered by the first object, a direction of movement of the first object, a velocity of the first object, an angular divergence of a focus direction relative to a movement direction of the first object, a number and a distribution of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a velocity of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a size and a shape of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a position and a proximity of one or more objects within the monitoring area, a current weather condition in the monitoring area, a light condition in the monitoring area, a time of day and a level of humidity in the environment of the first object and is used to adjust a shape and a size of a warning zone;

defining, by the processor, a warning zone in relation to the monitoring area based on the collision awareness factor;

and

generating, by the processor, a warning based on at least the second object being within the warning zone, and the collision awareness factor.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the processor, the second object in the monitoring area, wherein the detecting comprises detecting one or more of;

a size of the second object, a shape of the second object, and a position of the second object relative to a direction of movement of the first object; and

wherein determining the collision awareness factor comprises determining the collision awareness factor, by the processor, based at least on one or more of;

the size of the second object, the shape of the second object, and the position of the second object relative to the direction of movement of the first object.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the processor, two or more second objects in the monitoring area, wherein the detecting is based on detecting a number of second objects detected in the warning area, a size of each of the second objects, a shape of each of the second objects, a velocity of each of the second objects relative to the warning device, and an average velocity of all of the second objects.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the processor, a direction of movement of the first object;

detecting, by the processor, an orientation direction of a third object using a gyroscope coupled with an accelerometer;

determining, by the processor, a divergence between the direction of movement of the first object and the orientation direction of the third object; and

wherein determining the collision awareness factor comprises determining the collision awareness factor, by the processor, based at least on the determined divergence.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

determining the collision awareness factor, by the processor, based on detecting any one or more of;

a responsive action relative to the second objects;

a first change in a direction of movement of the first object, wherein the first change is higher than a first threshold value; and

a second change in a velocity of the first object, wherein the second change is higher than a threshold value.