Collision avoidance system

• US 10,121,378 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2014
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Kodama, Yuji, Nakatani, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US15/539,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20170372611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/00 Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04 mounted on the wheel or tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/06 Signalling devices actuated by deformation of the tyre , e.g. tyre mounted deformation sensors or indirect determination of tyre deformation based on wheel speed, wheel-centre to ground distance or inclination of wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096733 where a selection of the information might take place
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A collision avoidance system includes: an onboard acquisition unit provided in a vehicle traveling on a road that acquires state quantity data indicating a state quantity of a pneumatic tire of the vehicle; an onboard transmission unit provided in the vehicle that transmits the state quantity data acquired by the onboard acquisition unit to a data acquisition roadside device installed on the road; an abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not the state quantity data is abnormal; and a management device including a data acquisition unit that acquires the state quantity data from the data acquisition roadside device, a data storage unit that stores the state quantity data acquired by the data acquisition unit, and a data distribution unit that distributes the state quantity data determined as abnormal by the abnormality determination unit.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance system, comprising:

an onboard acquisition unit provided in a vehicle traveling on a road and configured to acquire state quantity data indicating a state quantity of a pneumatic tire of the vehicle, the state quantity including an amount of wear of the pneumatic tire, the onboard acquisition unit comprising;

a wear operation determination unit configured to determine whether or not a wear operation whereby the pneumatic tire is worn has been performed, the wear operation including at least one of a rapid deceleration operation where the vehicle decelerates at a first predetermined speed per unit time or faster, or a cornering operation where the vehicle travels on a curve having a curvature radius less than or equal to a predetermined value at a second predetermined speed or faster; and

an estimation unit configured to estimate the amount of wear of the pneumatic tire on the basis of history data of the wear operation;

an onboard transmission unit provided in the vehicle and configured to transmit the state quantity data acquired by the onboard acquisition unit to a data acquisition roadside device installed on the road;

an abnormality determination unit configured to determine whether or not the state quantity data is abnormal; and

a management device including;

a data acquisition unit configured to acquire the state quantity data from the data acquisition roadside device;

a data storage unit configured to store the state quantity data acquired by the data acquisition unit; and

a data distribution unit configured to distribute the state quantity data determined as abnormal by the abnormality determination unit.

2. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein:

the data distribution unit is configured to distribute the state quantity data to a data transmission roadside device installed on the road; and

the state quantity data is transmitted via the data transmission roadside device to at least one of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle and a following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle.

3. The collision avoidance system according to claim 2, wherein:

the management device is configured to;

collect the state quantity data of the pneumatic tires of each of a plurality of vehicles that has passed a predetermined location of the road; and

among the plurality of vehicles, when an abnormal vehicle for which the state quantity data has been determined as abnormal passes the predetermined location again, transmit, to the abnormal vehicle, request data requesting improvement of the pneumatic tire.

4. The collision avoidance system according to claim 3, wherein:

the management device is configured to transmit analysis data on the state quantity data collected in a predetermined period to the abnormal vehicle.

5. The collision avoidance system according to claim 4, wherein:

the vehicle travels in accordance with a dispatch order; and

the data distribution unit is configured to distribute the state quantity data to a command device configured to issue the dispatch order.

6. The collision avoidance system according to claim 5, wherein:

the management device is configured to;

collect the state quantity data of the pneumatic tires of each of a plurality of vehicles to which dispatch orders are issued by the command device; and

distribute the analysis data on the state quantity data that has been collected to the command device.

7. The collision avoidance system according to claim 6, wherein the state quantity includes an amount of wear of the pneumatic tire,

the collision avoidance system further comprising:

a following vehicle acquisition unit provided in the following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle and configured to acquire amount of wear data indicating the amount of wear of the pneumatic tire of the vehicle; and

a following vehicle transmission unit provided in the following vehicle and configured to transmit the amount of wear data acquired by the following vehicle acquisition unit to the data acquisition roadside device;

wherein

the abnormality determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the amount of wear data is abnormal, and

the data distribution unit is configured to distribute the amount of wear data determined as abnormal by the abnormality determination unit to at least one of the vehicle and a second following vehicle traveling behind the following vehicle.

8. The collision avoidance system according to claim 7, wherein:

the pneumatic tire includes a first mark provided on a surface of a tread portion that comes into contact with a road surface, and a second mark embedded in tread rubber of the tread portion; and

the following vehicle acquisition unit includes a camera configured to acquire images of the first mark and the second mark, and is configured to estimate the amount of wear of the pneumatic tire on the basis of image data representing the acquired images.

9. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein:

the management device is configured to;

collect the state quantity data of the pneumatic tires of each of a plurality of vehicles that has passed a predetermined location of the road; and

among the plurality of vehicles, when an abnormal vehicle for which the state quantity data has been determined as abnormal passes the predetermined location again, transmit, to the abnormal vehicle, request data requesting improvement of the pneumatic tire.

10. The collision avoidance system according to claim 9, wherein:

the management device is configured to transmit analysis data on the state quantity data collected in a predetermined period to the abnormal vehicle.

11. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle travels in accordance with a dispatch order; and

the data distribution unit is configured to distribute the state quantity data to a command device configured to issue the dispatch order.

12. The collision avoidance system according to claim 11, wherein:

the management device is configured to;

collect the state quantity data of the pneumatic tires of each of a plurality of vehicles to which dispatch orders are issued by the command device; and

distribute analysis data on the state quantity data that has been collected to the command device.

13. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

the state quantity including an amount of wear of the pneumatic tire,

the collision avoidance system comprising:

a following vehicle acquisition unit provided in the following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle and configured to acquire amount of wear data indicating the amount of wear of the pneumatic tire of the vehicle; and

a following vehicle transmission unit provided in the following vehicle and configured to transmit the amount of wear data acquired by the following vehicle acquisition unit to the data acquisition roadside device;

wherein

the abnormality determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the amount of wear data is abnormal, and

the data distribution unit is configured to distribute the amount of wear data determined as abnormal by the abnormality determination unit to at least one of the vehicle and a second following vehicle traveling behind the following vehicle.

14. The collision avoidance system according to claim 13, wherein:

the pneumatic tire includes a first mark provided on a surface of a tread portion that comes into contact with a road surface, and a second mark embedded in tread rubber of the tread portion; and

the following vehicle acquisition unit includes a camera configured to acquire images of the first mark and the second mark, and is configured to estimate the amount of wear of the pneumatic tire on the basis of image data representing the acquired images.

15. A collision avoidance system, comprising:

an onboard acquisition unit provided in a vehicle traveling on a road and configured to acquire state quantity data indicating a state quantity of a pneumatic tire of the vehicle, the state quantity including an amount of wear of the pneumatic tire, and the pneumatic tire including;

a first mark provided on a surface of a tread portion that comes into contact with a road surface, and a second mark embedded in tread rubber of the tread portion;

an onboard transmission unit provided in the vehicle and configured to transmit the state quantity data acquired by the onboard acquisition unit to a data acquisition roadside device installed on the road;

an abnormality determination unit configured to determine whether or not the amount of wear is abnormal; and

a management device including;

a data acquisition unit configured to acquire the state quantity data from the data acquisition roadside device;

a data storage unit configured to store the state quantity data acquired by the data acquisition unit;

a data distribution unit configured to distribute the state quantity data determined as abnormal by the abnormality determination unit;

a following vehicle acquisition unit provided in a following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle and configured to acquire amount of wear data indicating the amount of wear of the pneumatic tire of the vehicle, the following vehicle acquisition unit including a camera configured to acquire images of the first mark and the second mark, and is configured to estimate the amount of wear of the pneumatic tire on the basis of image data representing the acquired images; and

a following vehicle transmission unit provided in the following vehicle and configured to transmit the amount of wear data acquired by the following vehicle acquisition unit to the data acquisition roadside device;

wherein the data distribution unit is configured to distribute the amount of wear data determined as abnormal by the abnormality determination unit to at least one of the vehicle and a second following vehicle traveling behind the following vehicle.