Notification regarding an estimated movement path of a vehicle

• US 10,249,192 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2018
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Wittorf, Marten, Kahler, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US15/901,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20180240340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

A system and method provide notification regarding an estimated movement path of a vehicle. A first vehicle includes an identification feature. A second vehicle includes an identification feature detection unit, an output unit and a transmission unit. A heuristic unit is configured to determine an estimation of an imminent movement path of the first vehicle. A position detection unit is configured to detect a current position of the first vehicle and/or the second vehicle and to transmit the detected current position to the heuristic unit. The identification feature detection unit is configured to detect and transmit the identification feature to the heuristic unit via the transmission unit. The heuristic unit is configured to transmit the current estimation for the first vehicle to the output unit via the transmission unit. The output unit is configured to communicate the estimation to a driver of the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first vehicle having an identification feature configured to uniquely identify the first vehicle, and having a vehicle locating unit configured to estimate a current vehicle position of the first vehicle, and having a first transmission unit configured to transmit the current vehicle position;

a processing unit that has a heuristic unit configured to determine a current estimation of an imminent movement path of the first vehicle;

a position detection unit remote from the first vehicle and configured to detect the current vehicle position of the first vehicle as transmitted by the first transmission unit and to transmit the current vehicle position to the heuristic unit; and

a second vehicle including an identification feature detection unit configured to detect the identification feature of the first vehicle, a second transmission unit and an output unit, wherein the identification feature detection unit is configured to detect and transmit the identification feature to the heuristic unit by the second transmission unit;

wherein the heuristic unit is configured to transmit the current estimation of the imminent movement path of the first vehicle to the second transmission unit;

wherein the second transmission unit is in communication with the output unit which is configured to communicate the current estimation of the imminent movement path of the first vehicle to a driver of the second vehicle, wherein the driver of the second vehicle is alerted to the current estimation of the imminent movement path of the first vehicle.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the position detection unit is configured to detect a current second vehicle position of the second vehicle and to transmit the current second vehicle position to the heuristic unit.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the identification feature comprises at least one of the following elements:

a shape of the first vehicle;

a color scheme of the first vehicle;

a movement pattern of the first vehicle;

an optically readable characteristic mark;

an electromagnetically readable characteristic mark; and

an identification signal emitted by the first vehicle.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the identification signal comprises a light signal.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the heuristic unit is remote from both the first and second vehicles.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the heuristic unit is configured to estimate the imminent movement path of the first vehicle by a statistical evaluation of the routes traveled by the first vehicle in the past.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the heuristic unit is configured to estimate the imminent movement path of the first vehicle by a current routing of a navigation system of the first vehicle.

8. The system according to claim 5, wherein the heuristic unit is configured to estimate the imminent movement path of the first vehicle by a calendar entry in an electronic device of a driver of the first vehicle.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit comprises a head-up display of the second vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit comprises a display of the second vehicle.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit comprises an electroacoustic transducer of the second vehicle.

12. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a communication device of the first vehicle configured to communicate to external entities via a transmitted signal.

13. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit of the first vehicle and an autopilot of the second vehicle, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit a control signal to the autopilot of the second vehicle.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission unit is configured to provide encrypted transmissions.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission unit is configured to provide transmissions in an anonymous manner.

16. A system comprising:

a first vehicle including an identification feature, a first transmission unit and a vehicle locating unit configured to estimate a current vehicle position of the first vehicle;

a heuristic unit configured to estimate an imminent movement path of the first vehicle;

a position detection unit configured to detect the current vehicle position of the first vehicle and to transmit the current vehicle position to the heuristic unit; and

a second vehicle including an identification feature detection unit for detecting the identification feature of the first vehicle, a second transmission unit and an output unit, wherein the identification feature detection unit is configured to detect and transmit by the second transmission unit, the identification feature to the heuristic unit;

wherein the first vehicle has a navigation system with an active routing to a predetermined destination position;

wherein the first transmission unit is configured to transmit the active routing to the heuristic unit;

wherein the heuristic unit is configured to transmit the imminent movement path of the first vehicle to the second transmission unit which is in communication with the output unit for communicating the current estimation to a driver of the second vehicle, wherein the driver of the second vehicle is alerted to the current estimation of the imminent movement path of the first vehicle.

17. A method for outputting an estimation of an imminent movement path of a first vehicle to an output unit of a second vehicle comprising:

identifying, by a vehicle locating unit of the first vehicle, a current position of the first vehicle;

transmitting, by the first vehicle via a first transmission unit, the current position;

detecting, by a position detection unit located remote from the first vehicle, the current position of of the first vehicle as transmitted by the first transmission unit;

transmitting, by the position detection unit, the current position to a heuristic unit;

transmitting, by the first transmission unit, an identification feature of the first vehicle;

detecting, by an identification feature detection unit of the second vehicle, the identification feature of the first vehicle;

transmitting, by the second vehicle via a second transmission unit, the identification feature of the first vehicle to the position detection unit;

transmitting, by the position detection unit, the identification feature to the heuristic unit;

estimating, by the heuristic unit, a current estimation of the imminent movement path of the first vehicle;

transmitting, by a second transmission unit, the current estimation to the output unit of the second vehicle; and

displaying, by the output unit and to a driver of the second vehicle, the current estimation.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

recording, by a navigation system, an active routing to a predetermined destination position;

transmitting, by the first transmission unit the active routing to the heuristic unit; and

calculating, by the heuristic unit using the active routing, the imminent movement path.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein estimating the current estimation of the imminent movement path of the first vehicle further comprises estimating, by the heuristic unit, the imminent movement path of the first vehicle by a calendar entry in an electronic device of a driver of the first vehicle.