Collision avoidance and/or pedestrian detection system

• US 10,549,690 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2018
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosco Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Rosco Incorporated
• Inventors: Englander, Benjamin, Serer, Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US15/911,853
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/34 Backlit symbols
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/48 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/797 at the vehicle exterior
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/008 allowing the driver to see passengers, e.g. for busses combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/108 using 'non-standard' camera systems, e.g. camera sensor used for additional purposes i.a. rain sensor, camera sensor split in multiple image areas
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/301 combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8033 for pedestrian protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 : for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2410/10 : Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 : Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 : of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 : Receivers

Abstract

A collision avoidance and/or pedestrian detection system for a large passenger vehicle such as commuter bus, which includes one or more exterior and/or interior sensing devices positioned strategically around the exterior and interior of the vehicle for recording data, method for avoiding collisions and/or detecting pedestrians, and features/articles of manufacture for improving same, is described herein in various embodiments. The sensing devices may be responsive to one or more situational sensors, and may be connected to one or more interior and/or exterior warning systems configured to alert a driver inside the vehicle and/or a pedestrian outside the vehicle that a collision may be possible and/or imminent based on a path of the vehicle and/or a position of the pedestrian as detected by one or more sensing devices and/or situational sensors.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance and/or pedestrian detection system for a large passenger vehicle, comprising:

at least one exterior sensing device configured to be mounted to the exterior surface of the vehicle via a mount;

at least one interior sensing device independent of said at least one exterior sensing device and configured to be mounted inside the vehicle to detect at least one of a potential hazard and a potential collision in the forward direction of the vehicle;

at least one additional sensor, comprising at least one of a speed sensor, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, an accelerometer, and a gyro sensor;

a driver display interface comprising at least one warning display mounted inside the vehicle within the driver'"'"'s field of vision, the warning display comprising at least one of a visual warning and an audible alarm configured to alert the driver when a hazard is detected by said at least one exterior sensing device or said at least one interior sensing device, wherein said at least one exterior sensing device is one of sensitivity adjusted, engaged and disengaged responsive to said at least one additional sensor determining that the vehicle is traveling one of;

in the forward direction or at, above or below a predetermined speed; and

an exterior alarm system comprising a plurality of speakers mounted to the exterior surface of the vehicle, and configured to alert nearby pedestrians when a hazard is detected by said at least one exterior sensing device or said at least one interior sensing device connected thereto, wherein the exterior alarm system comprises a multiple channel system configured to provide predetermined audible alerts through one or more of the speakers responsive to a plurality of predetermined triggers comprising at least one of;

warning alerts or urgent alerts responsive to the sensing by at least one of said at least one exterior sensing device or said at least one interior sensing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one interior sensing device comprises at least two interior sensing devices including a front center interior sensing device and a front left interior sensing device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the front center interior sensing device is mounted at or near the center of the windshield on an interior track mount and the front left interior sensing device is mounted at or near the upper left hand corner of the windshield on an interior hinge mount.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the front center interior sensing device and the front left interior sensing device comprises a sensor system configured to provide at least one of a forward collision warning, a lane departure warning, a headway alert, and a pedestrian collision warning.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the front left interior sensing device comprises a sensor system configured to provide only a pedestrian collision warning.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one interior sensing device comprises a dual vision camera to detect events within the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver display interface comprises a left warning display, a center warning display, and a right warning display, each comprising an LED backlit pedestrian graphic indicator and a piezoelectric alarm.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the center warning display includes an eye watch indicator in communication with a front center interior sensing device comprising a sensor system configured to provide at least one of a forward collision warning, a lane departure warning, a headway alert, and a pedestrian collision warning.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the exterior alarm system is configured to automatically adjust the speaker volume depending on the location of the vehicle determined by one or more sensors.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one exterior sensing device comprises two exterior sensing devices, and wherein said two exterior sensing devices are each independent of each another.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one sensing device comprises a field of view that overlaps in part with the field of view of at least one other sensing device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver display interface comprises at least one of a two-stage visual warning comprising a yellow graphic warning and a red graphic warning and a two-stage audible alarm, comprising a yellow alarm and a red alarm louder than the yellow alarm.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the exterior alarm system provides a two-stage audible alert, comprising a yellow warning message and a red urgent message louder than the yellow message.

14. A method of alerting a bus driver to pedestrians in a plurality of dynamic bus danger zones while the bus is moving, comprising:

detecting, using at least one sensor positioned to detect a pedestrian located in an area at least one of in front, right and left of the bus, whether the pedestrian is located in a dynamic danger zone with respect to movement of the bus while the bus driver is operating the bus;

determining, using at least one additional sensor comprising at least one of a speed sensor, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, an accelerometer, and a gyro sensor, a path of the bus and whether the bus is in danger of a collision with the pedestrian;

triggering at least one interior alarm for the bus driver and at least one exterior alarm for the pedestrian corresponding to at least one of the dynamic danger zones where the pedestrian is located when it is determined that a collision between the bus and the pedestrian is likely or imminent based on the path of the bus, and enabling the driver to determine a location of the danger zone to avoid the collision with the pedestrian, wherein the at least one interior alarm is triggered if a calculated time to collision (TTC) falls within a preset threshold;

generating audible alerts through one or more speakers responsive to said triggering comprising at least one of;

warning alerts or urgent alerts responsive to the sensing by at least one of said at least one sensing device or said at least one additional sensing device;

recording one or more video feeds from one or more video capture devices substantially corresponding to detection areas of one or more of the sensor and the additional sensor; and

comparing the one or more video feeds with one or more signals produced by one or more sensors from substantially corresponding detection areas to determine and verify whether the sensors are correctly triggering the alarm for a potential collusion or to avoid the collusion.

15. A collision avoidance and/or pedestrian detection system for a large passenger vehicle, comprising:

at least two exterior sensing devices, each independent of each another, each of said at least two sensing devices configured to be mounted to the exterior surface of the vehicle via a mount to detect at least one of a potential hazard and a potential collision in a forward or turning direction of the vehicle;

at least one additional sensor, comprising at least one of a speed sensor, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, an accelerometer, and a gyro sensor;

a driver display interface comprising at least one warning display mounted inside the vehicle within the driver'"'"'s field of vision, the warning display comprising at least one of a visual warning and an audible alarm configured to alert the driver when a hazard is detected by at least one of said at least two exterior sensing devices, wherein at least one of said at least two exterior sensing devices is one of sensitivity adjusted, engaged and disengaged responsive to said at least one additional sensor determining that the vehicle is traveling one of in the forward direction and at, above or below a predetermined speed; and

an exterior alarm system comprising at least two speakers mounted to the exterior surface of the vehicle, each speaker configured to alert nearby pedestrians when a hazard is detected by at least one of said two exterior sensing devices connected thereto, wherein the exterior alarm system comprises the at least two speakers having at least one amplifier connected thereto, and wherein the exterior alarm system comprises a multiple channel system configured to provide predetermined audible alerts through at least one of the at least two speakers responsive to predetermined triggers comprising at least one of;

warning alerts or urgent alerts responsive to the sensing by at least one of said two exterior sensing devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system is configured to automatically adjust the speaker volume depending on the location of the vehicle determined by one or more sensors.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alai in system provides a two-stage audible alert, comprising a yellow warning message and a red urgent message louder than the yellow message.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system is configured to alert nearby pedestrians responsive to a severity of the hazard detected.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system is configured to generate visual and audible alerts in the interior and exterior of the vehicle to alert the driver of the vehicle as well as endangered pedestrians of a possible or imminent collision.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system comprises a multiple channel system configured to provide predetermined audible alerts through one or more of the speakers responsive to at least eight predetermined triggers comprising yellow/warning alerts and red/urgent alerts from different sensing devices.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the system determines a time to collision and reduces false positives by not using data from at least one of said exterior sensing devices responsive to a predetermined speed or predetermined speed threshold and potential vehicle or pedestrian trajectory.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system is configured to detect ambient noise and to adjust the volume of the audible alert according to the detected ambient noise to alert the pedestrian.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system is configured to generate audible alerts and to adjust the volume of the audible alert responsive to a geo-sensor indicating a specific neighborhood the vehicle is located.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system is configured to generate visual and audible alerts in the interior and exterior of the vehicle to alert the driver of the vehicle as well as endangered pedestrians of a possible or imminent collision responsive to a severity of the hazard detected by at least one exterior sensing device.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system comprises a playback unit storing a yellow warning and a red warning,

wherein the yellow warning includes a warning that a pedestrian is in a dangerous position relative the vehicle'"'"'s path, and

wherein the red warning includes a warning that is urgent warning that a pedestrian is in imminent danger of collision with the vehicle.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the exterior alarm system is configured to generate visual and audible alerts responsive to one or more of predetermined conditions or triggers.

27. A collision avoidance and/or pedestrian detection system for a large passenger vehicle, comprising:

at least a first sensing device configured to be mounted to the vehicle via a mount;

at least a second sensing device independent of said at least a first sensing device and configured to be mounted to the vehicle to detect at least one of a potential hazard and a potential collision in the forward direction of the vehicle;

at least one third sensor, comprising at least one of a speed sensor, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, an accelerometer, and a gyro sensor;

a driver display interface comprising at least one warning display mounted inside the vehicle within the driver'"'"'s field of vision, the warning display comprising at least one of a visual warning and an audible alarm configured to alert the driver when a hazard is detected by said at least first sensing device or said at least second sensing device, wherein at least one of said first and second sensing devices is one of sensitivity adjusted, engaged and disengaged responsive to said at least one third sensor determining that the vehicle is traveling in the forward direction and at, above or below a predetermined speed; and

an alarm system comprising a plurality of speakers mounted to the vehicle, and configured to alert nearby pedestrians when a hazard is detected by said at least first sensing device or said at least second sensing device connected thereto, wherein the alarm system comprises a plurality of speakers, and configured to provide predetermined audible alerts through one or more of the speakers responsive to a plurality of predetermined triggers comprising at least one of;

warning alerts or urgent alerts responsive to the sensing by at least one of said first sensing device or said second sensing device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the alarm system is configured to automatically adjust the speaker volume depending on the location of the vehicle determined by one or more sensors.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the alarm system provides a two-stage audible alert, comprising a yellow warning message and a red urgent message louder than the yellow message.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the alarm system is configured to alert nearby pedestrians responsive to a severity of the hazard detected.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the alarm system is configured to generate visual and audible alerts in the interior and exterior of the vehicle to alert the driver of the vehicle as well as endangered pedestrians of a possible or imminent collision.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the alai in system comprises a multiple channel system configured to provide predetermined audible alerts through one or more of the speakers responsive to at least eight predetermined triggers comprising yellow/warning alerts and red/urgent alerts from different sensing devices.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the system determines a time to collision and reduces false positives by not using data from at least one of said sensing devices responsive to a predetermined speed or predetermined speed threshold and potential vehicle or pedestrian trajectory.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein the alai in system is configured to detect ambient noise and to adjust the volume of the audible alert according to the detected ambient noise to alert the pedestrian.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein the alarm system is configured to generate audible alerts and to adjust the volume of the audible alert responsive to a geo-sensor indicating a specific neighborhood the vehicle is located.

36. The system of claim 27, wherein the alarm system is configured to generate visual and audible alerts in the interior and exterior of the vehicle to alert the driver of the vehicle as well as endangered pedestrians of a possible or imminent collision responsive to a severity of the hazard detected by at least one sensing device.

37. The system of claim 27, wherein the alarm system comprises a playback unit storing a yellow warning and a red warning,

wherein the yellow warning includes a warning that a pedestrian is in a dangerous position relative the vehicle'"'"'s path, and

wherein the red warning includes a warning that is urgent warning that a pedestrian is in imminent danger of collision with the vehicle.

38. The system of claim 27, wherein the alarm system is configured to generate visual and audible alerts responsive to one or more of predetermined conditions or triggers.