Emergency signal detection and response

• US 10,074,274 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
• Original Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
• Inventors: Becker, Jan, Yalla, Veera Ganesh, Wang, Chongyu, Halder, Bibhrajit
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaude, Gertrude Arthur
• Application Number:
  US15/445,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20170249839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 701301, 701469, 701 96, 34235734, 34235755
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• 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: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a method of safely and automatically navigating in the presence of emergency vehicles. A first vehicle may receive, via communication hardware, a message indicating presence of the emergency vehicle. Such a message may originate from the emergency vehicle itself and/or from infrastructure such as a smart traffic light that can sense the presence of the emergency vehicle. The first vehicle may then determine the relative location of the emergency vehicle and automatically respond appropriately by determining a safe trajectory and navigating according to that trajectory until the emergency vehicle is out of range. In some examples, the first vehicle may detect the presence of an emergency vehicle using on-board sensors such as distance measuring sensors, depth sensors, and cameras, in addition to receiving a message via communication hardware.

Claims

1. A method of navigating a first vehicle in presence of an emergency vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, via communication hardware of the first vehicle, a message indicating presence of the emergency vehicle;

determining a relative location of the emergency vehicle;

in accordance with the relative location of the emergency vehicle being a same lane as the vehicle, automatically manipulating actuators of the first vehicle to move the first vehicle out of the same lane as the emergency vehicle; and

in accordance with the relative location of the emergency vehicle being a different lane than the vehicle, automatically manipulating the actuators of the first vehicle to reduce a speed of the first vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining the emergency vehicle is out of a threshold range of the first vehicle;

wherein the speed of the first vehicle is reduced until the emergency vehicle is out of the threshold range of the first vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the emergency vehicle is out of the threshold range of the first vehicle includes comparing the threshold range to a distance between the first vehicle and the emergency vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the emergency vehicle is out of the threshold range of the first vehicle includes:

sensing, using one or more sensors of the first vehicle, one or more of sound and light of the emergency vehicle; and

determining that the sensed one or more of sound and light falls below a sensing threshold.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the emergency vehicle is out of the threshold range of the first vehicle includes determining that a time elapsed since receipt of a message indicating presence of the emergency vehicle exceeds a threshold time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is received from the emergency vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is received from an infrastructure device proximate to the first vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is received from a remote server via a communication network.

9. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving information from one or more sensors of the first vehicle; and

based on the information from the one or more sensors, calculating a trajectory for avoiding the emergency vehicle;

wherein the actuators of the first vehicle are automatically manipulated according to the calculated trajectory for avoiding the emergency vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a location of the emergency vehicle, and the relative location of the emergency vehicle is determined based on the location of the emergency vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining, using a location sensor of the first vehicle, a location of the first vehicle, wherein the relative location of the emergency vehicle is determined based on the location of the first vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

sensing, using one or more sensors of the first vehicle, one or more of sound and light of the emergency vehicle, wherein the relative location of the emergency vehicle is determined based on sensing one or more of sound and light of the emergency vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining the emergency vehicle is stopped;

in response to determining the emergency vehicle has stopped, determining whether a safe trajectory exists for passing the emergency vehicle;

in accordance with existence of a safe trajectory for passing the emergency vehicle, manipulating the actuators of the first vehicle to safely pass the emergency vehicle; and

in accordance with no existence of a safe trajectory for passing the emergency vehicle, manipulating the actuators of the first vehicle to stop the first vehicle until a safe trajectory exists for passing the emergency vehicle.

14. A method of navigating a first vehicle in presence of an emergency vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, via communication hardware of the first vehicle, a message indicating presence of the emergency vehicle;

determining a relative location of the emergency vehicle;

in accordance with the relative location of the emergency vehicle being a same lane as the vehicle, automatically manipulating actuators of the first vehicle to move the first vehicle out of the same lane as the emergency vehicle; and

in accordance with the relative location of the emergency vehicle being a different lane than the vehicle, automatically manipulating the actuators of the first vehicle to reduce a speed of the first vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, the method further comprising:

determining the emergency vehicle is out of a threshold range of the first vehicle;

wherein the speed of the first vehicle is reduced until the emergency vehicle is out of the threshold range of the first vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the emergency vehicle is out of the threshold range of the first vehicle includes comparing the threshold range to a distance between the first vehicle and the emergency vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the emergency vehicle is out of the threshold range of the first vehicle includes:

sensing, using one or more sensors of the first vehicle, one or more of sound and light of the emergency vehicle; and

determining that the sensed one or more of sound and light falls below a sensing threshold.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the emergency vehicle is out of the threshold range of the first vehicle includes determining that a time elapsed since receipt of a message indicating presence of the emergency vehicle exceeds a threshold time.

19. The method of claim 14, the method further comprising:

receiving information from one or more sensors of the first vehicle; and

based on the information from the one or more sensors, calculating a trajectory for avoiding the emergency vehicle;

wherein the actuators of the first vehicle are automatically manipulated according to the calculated trajectory for avoiding the emergency vehicle.

20. A first vehicle, comprising:

one or more processors;

communication hardware;

actuators; and

a memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vehicle to perform a method of recognizing a driving pattern of the vehicle, the method comprising;

receiving, via the communication hardware of the first vehicle, a message indicating presence of the emergency vehicle;

determining a relative location of the emergency vehicle;

in accordance with the relative location of the emergency vehicle being a same lane as the vehicle, automatically manipulating the actuators of the first vehicle to move the first vehicle out of the same lane as the emergency vehicle; and

in accordance with the relative location of the emergency vehicle being a different lane than the vehicle, automatically manipulating the actuators of the first vehicle to reduce a speed of the first vehicle.