System and method for avoiding sensor interference using vehicular communication

• US 10,168,418 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Al-Stouhi, Samir K., Kelkar, Paritosh, Tafish, Hasan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Tanmay
• Application Number:
  US15/851,566
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 34087007
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/006 using shared front-end circuitry, e.g. antennas G01S13/765, G01S13/825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/023 Interference mitigation, e.g. reducing or avoiding non-intentional interference with other HF-transmitters, base station transmitters for mobile communication or other radar systems, e.g. using electro-magnetic interference [EMI] reduction techniques auxiliary means for detecting or identifying radar signals or the like G01S7/021; means for anti-jamming G01S7/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/0235 Avoidance by time multiplex

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system for controlling sensor data acquisition including establishing an operable connection for computer communication between a first vehicle and remote vehicles within a communication range. The method includes receiving capability data corresponding to the capabilities of sensors of the one or more remote vehicles, including a sensor actuation time slot. The method includes selecting a set of N remote vehicles based on the capability data. The set of N remote vehicles consists remote vehicles closest to the first vehicle, and the sensor actuation time slot of each of the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles are different. The method includes dividing a clock cycle into a plurality of time slots, and controlling, according to the plurality of time slots and the sensor actuation time slot, sensor actuation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling sensor data acquisition using a vehicular communication network, comprising:

establishing an operable connection for computer communication between a first vehicle and one or more remote vehicles within a communication range of the first vehicle using the vehicular communication network, wherein the first vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles operate based upon a common time base according to a global time signal;

receiving, from each of the one or more remote vehicles, capability data corresponding to the capabilities of sensors of each of the one or more remote vehicles, wherein the capability data includes a sensor actuation time slot of each of the one or more remote vehicles indicting a time slot at which the sensors of each of the one or more remote vehicles are actuating;

selecting a set of N remote vehicles from the one or more remote vehicles based on the capability data, wherein the set of N remote vehicles consists of those remote vehicles of the one or more remote vehicles within the communication range of the first vehicle that are closest to the first vehicle, and wherein the sensor actuation time slot of each of the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles are different;

dividing a clock cycle into a plurality of time slots based on the set of N remote vehicles; and

controlling, according to the plurality of time slots and the sensor actuation time slot, sensor actuation of a sensor of the first vehicle and the sensors of each of the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including updating the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles at a predetermined time interval.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including determining a capture interval for a sensor data acquisition process time that maximizes a time between actuation of the sensor of the first vehicle and actuation of the sensors of each remote vehicle in the set of N remote vehicles.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the capture interval maximizes the time between the actuation of the sensor of the first vehicle and the sensors of each of the remote vehicles based on a number of vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein controlling, according to the plurality of time slots and the sensor actuation time slot, sensor actuation of the sensor of the first vehicle and the sensors of each of the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles, includes actuating, according to the capture interval, the sensor of the first vehicle to capture sensor data from the sensor of the first vehicle and the sensors of each of the remote vehicles to capture sensor data from the sensors of each of the remote vehicles.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first vehicle transmits to each of the remote vehicles the sensor data from the sensor of the first vehicle acquired by the actuation of the sensor of the first vehicle, and each of the remote vehicles transmits to the first vehicle the sensor data from the sensors each of the remote vehicles by the actuation of the sensors each of the remote vehicles, according to the plurality of time slots.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the capability data includes a geoposition of the one or more remote vehicles.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein selecting the set of N remote vehicles from the one or more remote vehicles based on the capability data is based on a geoposition of the first vehicle and the geoposition of the one or more remote vehicles.

9. A system for controlling sensor data acquisition using a vehicular communication network, comprising:

a first vehicle including a first vehicle sensor, wherein the first vehicle is configured for computer communication with one or more remote vehicles using the vehicular communication network, wherein the one or more remote vehicles are within a communication range of the first vehicle and wherein the one or more remote vehicles include sensors; and

a processor of the first vehicle that is configured to;

receive capability data from each of the one or more remote vehicles, wherein the capability data indicates the capabilities of the sensors of each of the one or more remote vehicles, wherein the capability data includes a sensor actuation time slot of each of the one or more remote vehicles indicting a time slot at which the sensors of each of the one or more remote vehicles are actuating;

select a set of N remote vehicles from the one or more remote vehicles based on the capability data, wherein the set of N remote vehicles consists of those remote vehicles of the one or more remote vehicles that are closest to the first vehicle, and wherein the time slot of each of the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles are different;

divide a clock cycle into a plurality of time slots based on the set of N remote vehicles; and

control, according to the plurality of time slots, sensor actuation of the sensor of the first vehicle sensor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a local clock signal of the first vehicle and a local clock signal of each of the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles are synchronized with a global positioning source.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor updates the set of N remote vehicles at predetermined time interval.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor determines a capture interval for a sensor data acquisition process time that maximizes a time between actuation of the first vehicle sensor and actuation of the sensors of each remote vehicle in the set of N remote vehicles.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor determines the capture interval based on a number of vehicles in the set of N remote vehicle and a sensor data acquisition process time of each vehicle in the set of N remote vehicles.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor, actuates according to the plurality of time slots and the sensor actuation time slot, the sensor of the first vehicle to capture sensor data from the sensor of the first vehicle.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

establish an operable connection for computer communication between a first vehicle and one or more remote vehicles within a communication range of the first vehicle using a vehicular communication network, wherein the first vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles are synchronized according to a global time signal;

receive, from each of the one or more remote vehicles, capability data corresponding to the capabilities of sensors of each of the one or more remote vehicles, wherein the capability data a sensor actuation time slot of each of the one or more remote vehicles indicting a time slot at which the sensors of each of the one or more remote vehicles are actuating;

select a set of N remote vehicles from the one or more remote vehicles based on the capability data, wherein the set of N remote vehicles consists of those remote vehicles of the one or more remote vehicles that are closest to the first vehicle, and wherein the time slot each of the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles are different;

divide a clock cycle into a plurality of time slots based on the set of N remote vehicles; and

control, according to the plurality of time slots and the sensor actuation time slot, sensor actuation of a sensor of the first vehicle and the sensors of each of the remote vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, causes the processor to monitor a distance between the first vehicle and each of the one or more remote vehicles within the communication range, and update the set of N remote vehicles based on the distance between the first vehicle and each of the one or more remote vehicles.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, causes the processor to determine a capture interval for a sensor data acquisition process time that maximizes a time between actuation of the sensor of the first vehicle and actuation of the sensors of each remote vehicle in the set of N remote vehicles.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the capture interval is based on a number of vehicles in the set of N remote vehicles.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, causes the processor to actuate, according to the capture interval, the sensor of the first vehicle to capture sensor data from the sensor of the first vehicle and the sensors of each of the remote vehicles to capture sensor data from the sensors of each of the remote vehicles.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the capability data includes a geoposition of the one or more remote vehicles.