Vehicle pedestrian safety system and methods of use and manufacture thereof

• US 10,074,280 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bai, Xue, Miucic, Radovan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nwugo, Ojiako
• Application Number:
  US15/832,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20180096605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 340435, 340436, 340438, 701 36, 701 49, 701300, 701301
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/006 indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication system and method of operating same including acquiring V2P parameters from at least one of a first V2P device associated with a user or a second V2P device integrated with a vehicle associated with the user. Detecting a pedestrian state transition of the user based on the V2P parameters. The pedestrian state transition indicates at least one of a change in a classification of the user from a pedestrian state to a driver state or a change in the classification of the user from a driver state to a pedestrian state. Further, the method includes warning to at least one of the user or one or more entities in proximity to the user using the V2P parameters, the pedestrian state transition, and the vehicle parameters.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of operating a vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication system, the computer-implemented method comprising:

acquiring V2P parameters from at least one of a first V2P device associated with a user or a second V2P device integrated with a vehicle associated with the user;

detecting a pedestrian state transition of the user based on the V2P parameters, wherein the pedestrian state transition indicates at least one of a change in a classification of the user from a pedestrian state to a driver state or a change in the classification of the user from a driver state to a pedestrian state; and

actuating a warning to at least one of the user or one or more entities in proximity to the user using the V2P parameters and the pedestrian state transition, wherein the warning indicates the pedestrian state transition.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including predicting a path of the user based on the V2P parameters and the pedestrian state transition.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, including acquiring vehicle parameters from a remote vehicle associated with a vehicle operator, the vehicle parameters are relevant to the remote vehicle'"'"'s location and movement.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, including determining whether a path of the remote vehicle intersects with the path of the user using the V2P parameters, the pedestrian state transition, and the vehicle parameters.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein predicting the path of the user includes predicting a cross-street intention of the user using the V2P parameters, the pedestrian state transition, and the vehicle parameters, wherein the cross-street intention indicates the user intends to intersect a path of the remote vehicle during the pedestrian state transition of the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the cross-street intention indicates at least one of the user intends to exit the vehicle associated with the user or the user intends to enter the vehicle associated with the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first V2P device and the second V2P device are operable to transmit a Basic Safety Message (BSM).

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, including controlling transmission of the BSM from the first V2P device or the second V2P device based on the pedestrian state transition.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein controlling transmission of the BSM includes controlling the second V2P device to transmit the BSM when the pedestrian state transition indicates the change in the classification of the user from the pedestrian state to the driver state.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein controlling transmission of the BSM includes controlling the first V2P device to transmit the BSM when the pedestrian state transition indicates the change in the classification of the user from the driver state to the pedestrian state.

11. A vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication system, comprising:

at least one of a first V2P device associated with a user or a second V2P device integrated with a vehicle associated with the user;

a remote vehicle associated with a vehicle operator and including a V2V device operably connected for computer communication to the at least one of the first V2P device or the second V2P device using the V2P communication system; and

a processor operably connected for computer communication to the remote vehicle and the at least one of the first V2P device or the second V2P device, wherein the processor;

receives V2P parameters from the at least one of the first V2P device or the second V2P device and receives vehicle parameters from the remote vehicle;

detects a pedestrian state transition of the user based on the V2P parameters, by detecting a change in a classification of the user from a pedestrian state to a driver state or a driver state to a pedestrian state; and

generates a warning to at least one of the first V2P device, the second V2P device or the remote vehicle using the V2P parameters, the pedestrian state transition, and the vehicle parameters, wherein the warning indicates the pedestrian state transition.

12. The V2P communication system of claim 11, wherein the processor determines whether a path of the remote vehicle intersects with a path of the user using the V2P parameters, the pedestrian state transition, and the vehicle parameters.

13. The V2P communication system of claim 11, wherein upon determining the pedestrian state transition of the user is the change in the classification of the user from the pedestrian state to the driver state, the processor determines a cross-street intention of the user to traverse a path of the remote vehicle, wherein the path of the remote vehicle is located in between the user and the vehicle associated with the user.

14. The V2P communication system of claim 11, wherein the processor designates the first V2P device or the second V2P device as responsible for transmitting a Basic Safety Message (BSM) associated with the user based on the pedestrian state transition.

15. A vehicle control system for use with:

a vehicle communications network, at least one source of V2P data about a user and about at least one of a first V2P device associated with the user or a second V2P device integrated with a vehicle associated with the user, at least one source of vehicle data about one or more remote vehicles, the control system, comprising;

a processor that is configured to;

access the V2P data and the vehicle data;

detect a pedestrian state transition of the user based on the V2P data, wherein the pedestrian state transition indicates at least one of a change in a classification of the user from a pedestrian state to a driver state or a change in the classification of the user from a driver state to a pedestrian state;

determine a path of the user based on the V2P data and the pedestrian state transition;

determine a path of the remote vehicle based on the vehicle data; and

actuate a warning to a vehicle operator using the V2P data, the pedestrian state transition, and the vehicle data, wherein the warning indicates the pedestrian state transition.

16. The vehicle control system of claim 15, wherein the processor predicts a path of the user based on the V2P data and the pedestrian state transition, and predicts a path of the one or more remote vehicles.

17. The vehicle control system of claim 16, wherein the processor determines whether the path of the user intersects with the path of the one or more remote vehicles.

18. The vehicle control system of claim 16, wherein the processor predicts a cross-street intention of the user using the V2P data and the pedestrian state transition, wherein the cross-street intention indicates the user intends to traverse a road and enter the vehicle associated with the user.

19. The vehicle control system of claim 18, wherein upon determining the road intersects with the path of the one or more remote vehicles, the processor actuates the warning to the vehicle operator.

20. The vehicle control system of claim 15, wherein the processor controls transmission of a Basic Safety Message (BSM) from at least one of the first V2P device associated with the user or the second V2P device integrated with the vehicle associated with the user to the one or more remote vehicles based on the pedestrian state transition.