System and method for inhibiting automatic movement of a barrier

• US 10,358,859 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lickfelt, Brian K., Yoshimura, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thang D
• Application Number:
  US15/791,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20190048639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 340517, 340935
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/02 Small garages, e.g. for one or two cars attached to, or supported by, the vehicle B62D
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/42 Devices or arrangements peculiar to garages, not covered elsewhere, e.g. securing devices, safety devices , monitoring and operating schemes; centering devices
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/40 Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/668 for overhead wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/763 using acoustical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/767 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/45 Control modes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/818 with visual display
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/426 against unauthorised use E05Y2400/51, E05Y2400/522 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/40 for gates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00928 for garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method for inhibiting automatic movement of a barrier that includes determining a current state of the barrier when a vehicle travels through at least one first zone associated with the barrier. The system and method also include analyzing sensor data to determine if at least one: individual or object is located within a movement path of the barrier. The system and method further include inhibiting a sending of the at least one barrier control signal that is automatically sent to move the barrier once the vehicle travels through at least one second zone upon determining that the at least one: individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier. Additionally, the system and method include presenting a user interface alert relating to inhibiting the automatic movement of the barrier.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for inhibiting automatic movement of a barrier, comprising:

determining a current state of the barrier when a vehicle travels through at least one first zone associated with the barrier;

analyzing sensor data to determine if at least one individual or object is located within a movement path of the barrier, wherein at least one barrier control signal is sent to automatically control movement to open or close the barrier based on the current state of the barrier;

inhibiting a sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle to a barrier controller associated with the barrier that is automatically sent to move the barrier once the vehicle travels through at least one second zone upon determining that the at least one individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier; and

presenting a user interface alert relating to inhibiting the automatic movement of the barrier upon inhibiting the sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the current state of the barrier includes determining that the barrier is at least one of:

an opened state, a partially opened state, and a closed state.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing sensor data includes receiving sensor data from at least one of:

image sensors and RADAR/LADAR sensors when the vehicle reaches at least one sensing location that pertains to at least one of;

the arrival of the vehicle towards the barrier and the departure of the vehicle away from the barrier.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the at least one sensing location is determined based on a capability of at least one of:

the image sensors to capture images of a full expanse of the movement path of barrier and the RADAR/LADAR sensors to sense obstacles that may be located within the full expanse of the movement path of the barrier.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein image data is received from the image sensors and sensor wave data is received from the RADAR/LADAR sensors, wherein the image data and the sensor wave data is aggregated into a sensor data package, wherein the sensor data package is analyzed to determine if the at least one:

individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the at least one barrier control signal is sent to the barrier controller associated with the barrier to traverse the barrier to an opened state upon determining that the at least one:

individual or object is not located within the movement path of the barrier when the vehicle is arriving towards the barrier and when the current state of the barrier is determined to be a closed state or a partially opened state.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the at least one barrier control signal is sent to the barrier controller associated with the barrier to traverse the barrier to the closed state upon determining that the at least one:

individual or object is not located within the movement path of the barrier when the vehicle is departing away from the barrier and the current state of the barrier is determined to be the opened state or the partially opened state.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein inhibiting the sending of the at least one barrier control signal includes communicating data that indicates the determination that the at least one:

individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier to a vehicle communication system to inhibit the sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle to the barrier controller associated with the barrier.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein presenting the user interface alert relating to inhibiting the automatic movement of the barrier includes presenting a manual barrier movement user input that may be inputted to send the at least one barrier control signal to move the barrier.

10. A system for inhibiting automatic movement of a barrier, comprising:

a memory storing instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to;

determine a current state of the barrier when a vehicle travels through at least one first zone associated with the barrier;

analyze sensor data to determine if at least one individual or object is located within a movement path of the barrier, wherein at least one barrier control signal is sent to automatically control movement to open or close the barrier based on the current state of the barrier;

inhibit a sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle to a barrier controller associated with the barrier that is automatically sent to move the barrier once the vehicle travels through at least one second zone upon determining that the at least one individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier; and

present a user interface alert relating to inhibiting the automatic movement of the barrier upon inhibiting the sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining the current state of the barrier includes determining that the barrier is at least one of:

an opened state, a partially opened state, and a closed state.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein analyzing sensor data includes receiving sensor data from at least one of:

image sensors and RADAR/LADAR sensors when the vehicle reaches at least one sensing location that pertains to at least one of;

the arrival of the vehicle towards the barrier and the departure of the vehicle away from the barrier.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one sensing location is determined based on a capability of at least one of:

the image sensors to capture images of a full expanse of the movement path of barrier and the RADAR/LADAR sensors to sense obstacles that may be located within the full expanse of the movement path of the barrier.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein image data is received from the image sensors and sensor wave data is received from the RADAR/LADAR sensors, wherein the image data and the sensor wave data is aggregated into a sensor data package, wherein the sensor data package is analyzed to determine if the at least one:

individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one barrier control signal is sent to the barrier controller associated with the barrier to traverse the barrier to an opened state upon determining that the at least one:

individual or object is not located within the movement path of the barrier when the vehicle is arriving towards the barrier and when the current state of the barrier is determined to be a closed state or a partially opened state.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one barrier control signal is sent to the barrier controller associated with the barrier to traverse the barrier to the closed state upon determining that the at least one:

individual or object is not located within the movement path of the barrier when the vehicle is departing away from the barrier and the current state of the barrier is determined to be the opened state or the partially opened state.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein inhibiting the sending of the at least one barrier control signal includes communicating data that indicates the determination that the at least one:

individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier to a vehicle communication system to inhibit the sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle to the barrier controller associated with the barrier.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein presenting the user interface alert relating to inhibiting the automatic movement of the barrier includes presenting a manual barrier movement user input that may be inputted to send the at least one barrier control signal to move the barrier.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer, which includes a processor, perform a method, the method comprising:

determining a current state of a barrier when a vehicle travels through at least one first zone associated with the barrier;

analyzing sensor data to determine if at least one individual or object is located within a movement path of the barrier, wherein at least one barrier control signal is sent to automatically control movement to open or close the barrier based on the current state of the barrier;

inhibiting a sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle to a barrier controller associated with the barrier that is automatically sent to move the barrier once the vehicle travels through at least one second zone upon determining that the at least one individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier; and

presenting a user interface alert relating to inhibiting the automatic movement of the barrier upon inhibiting the sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein inhibiting the sending of the at least one barrier control signal includes communicating data that indicates the determination that the at least one:

individual or object is located within the movement path of the barrier to a vehicle communication system to inhibit the sending of the at least one barrier control signal from the vehicle to the barrier controller associated with the barrier.