Methods and apparatus to facilitate pedestrian detection during remote-controlled maneuvers

• US 10,384,605 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2018
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Golgiri, Hamid M., Lavoie, Erick Michael, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Murillo Garcia, Fabricio R
• Application Number:
  US16/121,078
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/06 Ball-and-socket hitches , e.g. constructional details, auxiliary devices, their arrangement on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/36 for facilitating connection, e.g. hitch catchers , visual guide means, signalling aids B60D1/465 takes precedence; vehicle signalling in general B60Q; optical arrangements specially adapted for viewing trailer-hitches B60R1/003
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/006 indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/08 Driving in reverse
• 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: B60T 7/20 specially for trailers, e.g. in case of uncoupling of or overrunning by trailer inertia-actuated overrun brakes B60T13/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed to facilitate pedestrian detection during remote-controlled maneuvers. An example vehicle comprises external indicators and a processor and memory. The processor and memory are in communication with the external indicators and a remote device. The processor is configured to: determine whether the remote device is in a travel zone related to the vehicle; determine a risk assessment if the remote device is in the travel zone; and communicate a warning based on the risk assessment via the external indicators.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

external indicators; and

a processor and memory in communication with i) the external indicators, ii) a mobile device, and iii) a remote device for remotely communicating with the vehicle, the processor and memory configured to;

receive, from a driver of the vehicle via the mobile device, a command signal for autonomously driving the vehicle while the driver is outside the vehicle;

determine, proximate to when the command signal for autonomously driving the vehicle is received, whether the remote device, when associated with the driver, is identified to be in a travel zone related to the vehicle;

determine a risk assessment for the driver if the remote device, associated with the driver, is identified to be in the travel zone; and

communicate a warning to the driver based on the risk assessment via the external indicators.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to estimate a trajectory of the driver associated with the remote device.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine an estimated contact time remaining until the vehicle reaches the remote device.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein to determine the risk assessment, the processor is configured to select the risk assessment from a look up table of risk assessment values stored in the memory based on the estimated contact time.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to stop the vehicle based on the risk assessment.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the remote device is in a control zone related to the vehicle;

and

pause remote control of the vehicle if the remote device is outside the control zone.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the external indicators include one or more of lights, a horn, speakers, and a puddle lamp; and

the warning includes one or more or of a horn chirp, a horn blast, and a light flash.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the mobile device and the remote device are together a single device.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor and from a driver of a vehicle via a mobile device, a command signal for autonomously driving the vehicle while the driver is outside the vehicle;

determining, with a processor, whether a remote device, associated with the driver, is in a travel zone related to a vehicle;

determining, with the processor, when the command signal is received for autonomously driving the vehicle, a risk assessment for the driver if the remote device, associated with the driver, is in the travel zone; and

communicating to the driver, with external indicators of the vehicle, a warning based on the risk assessment to a driver.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising estimating, with the processor, a trajectory of the driver, wherein the driver is holding the remote device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining, with the processor, an estimated contact time remaining until the vehicle reaches the remote device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the risk assessment includes selecting, with the processor, the risk assessment from a look up table of risk assessment values based on the estimated contact time.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising stopping, with the processor, the vehicle based on the risk assessment.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising

determining, with the processor, whether the remote device is in a control zone related to the vehicle;

and

pausing, with the processor, remote control of the vehicle if the remote device is outside the control zone.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein

the external indicators include one or more of lights, a horn, speakers, and a puddle lamp;

and

the warning includes one or more or of a horn chirp, a horn blast, and a light flash.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising, communicating, with a transceiver of the vehicle, the warning to a mobile device.

17. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the mobile device and the remote device are together a single device.

18. A system comprising:

a mobile device;

a key fob associated with a driver of a vehicle; and

the vehicle comprising

wheels;

external indicators; and

a processor and memory in communication with i) the mobile device, ii) the key fob, and iii) the external indicators, the processor and memory configured to;

receive, from a driver of the vehicle via the mobile device, a command signal for autonomously controlling the wheels while the driver is outside the vehicle;

determine, when the command signal is received for autonomously controlling the wheels, whether the key fob, associated with the driver, is identified to be in a travel zone related to the vehicle;

determine a risk assessment for the driver if the key fob, associated with the driver, is identified to be in the travel zone;

communicate a warning to the driver based on the risk assessment via one or more of the external indicators and the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to estimate a trajectory of the driver holding the key fob.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to determine an estimated contact time remaining until the vehicle reaches the key fob.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein to determine the risk assessment, the processor is configured to select the risk assessment from a look up table of risk assessment values stored in the memory based on the estimated contact time.

22. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the mobile device and the key fob are together a single device.