Vehicle control system and method

• US 10,189,474 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steven Schraga
• Original Assignee: Steven Schraga
• Inventors: Schraga, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US15/352,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20170057501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 340904, 340436, 340435, 3409322
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 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 2013/9317 Driving backwards
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• 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 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4017 of HF systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments are directed to methods for driving control of a given vehicle in motion. An object detecting transducer that is fixed to the given vehicle is driven in order to detect an object in a detection area at a detection distance away from the given vehicle. A notification message is communicated from the given vehicle to the object in the detection area. The notification message is sent when the object is detected at a too close distance.

Claims

1. A method for driving control of a given vehicle in motion, comprising:

driving an object detecting transducer that is fixed to the given vehicle in order to detect an object in a detection area at a detection distance away from the given vehicle; and

communicating a notification message from the given vehicle to the object in the detection area, the notification message being sent when the object is detected at a too close distance; and

wherein the object detecting transducer includes an image analysis detection system including plural image detection transducer elements.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object is another detected vehicle, and the notification message is communicated from the given vehicle to the detected vehicle via transceivers in the given and detected vehicles.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the too close distance is a distance where the detection distance is less than a target distance that should be maintained between the given vehicle and the detected vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising a detected vehicle'"'"'s driving control system being controlled in response to the notification message.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the notification message is an instruction sent to the detected vehicle'"'"'s transducer instructing it to act as an agent for the given vehicle'"'"'s transducer controller.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the instruction causes an outwardly manifest message directed at a detection area of a transducer of the detected vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the object is another detected vehicle, wherein the detected vehicle has a driving control system that is controlled in response to the notification message, and wherein the detected vehicle'"'"'s driving control system is controlled so that the detected vehicle'"'"'s brakes are automatically applied to slow down the detected vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the object is another detected vehicle, wherein the detected vehicle has a driving control system that is controlled in response to the notification message, and wherein the detected vehicle'"'"'s driving control system is controlled so that the detected vehicle is automatically decelerated.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the object is another detected vehicle, wherein the detected vehicle has a driving control system that is controlled in response to the notification message, and wherein the driving control system is controlled so that a visible warning message is displayed on a display viewable by a user of the detected vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising storing in a long term database messages sent from the given vehicle to select in-range vehicles within range of the given vehicle for communication using the given vehicle'"'"'s transceiver.

11. The method according to claim 2, further comprising storing in a long term database further instructions, when the further instructions are sent to the transducer in order to instruct a parameter adjustment of the transducer.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transducer comprises an array of object detecting transducers mounted to a front of the vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising storing in a long term database results of a status determination during operation of the given vehicle'"'"'s transducers in the transducer array, the stored results of the status determination including an identity of a transducer, a flag indicating whether the transducer is functioning, and a time at which the determination was made.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object detecting transducer includes at least one laser and at least one light detector, the laser generating pulsed laser signals reflected by the object when the object is positioned in a trajectory of the pulsed laser signals, and the reflected pulsed laser signals then being detected by the light detector.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image analysis detection system is mounted on the front of the given vehicle and includes four image detection transducer elements.

16. A method for driving control of a given vehicle in motion, comprising:

driving an object detecting transducer that is fixed to the given vehicle in order to detect an object in a detection area at a detection distance away from the given vehicle; and

communicating a notification message from the given vehicle to the object in the detection area, the notification message being sent when the object is detected at a too close distance;

wherein the object is another detected vehicle, and the notification message is communicated from the given vehicle to the detected vehicle via transceivers in the given and detected vehicles; and

the method further comprising capturing and storing images of objects within the detection area in a long term database.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein as the images are captured, they are stored, in real time, in the long term database.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the captured images are annotated by a user via a user interface, and stored in the long term database with the annotations.