Intervehicle communication and notification

• US 10,703,386 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2018
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Badigannavar, Vijet Siddalinga
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Hirdepal
• Application Number:
  US16/166,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20200122743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 340902
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Technologies are shown for intervehicle communication involving notification messages sent from one vehicle to another vehicle. Sensor event data from one vehicle can be sent in a wireless message to another vehicle and information from the wireless message displayed to a driver of the other vehicle providing the driver with information that may not be detectable by the sensors in the driver'"'"'s vehicle. Inquiries or requests can also be sent from one vehicle to another vehicle. User interfaces can include graphical user interfaces, haptic devices and audio devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented vehicle communication method, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of a first vehicle proximity sensor event within a first vehicle;

converting the first vehicle proximity sensor event into a first wireless notification;

automatically determining one or more remote receiving devices to receive the first wireless notification based on a type of the first vehicle proximity sensor event and proximity of the one or more remote receiving devices to the first vehicle;

sending the first wireless notification to the one or more remote receiving devices;

receiving a second wireless notification from another device located in a second vehicle, the second wireless notification corresponding to a second vehicle proximity sensor event within the second vehicle, where the second wireless notification is received directly in the first vehicle from the second vehicle and includes information regarding a relative position of the second vehicle proximity sensor event to the second vehicle;

automatically determining the second vehicle is within a proximity to the first vehicle;

converting the second wireless notification to a representation of the second vehicle event that includes the information regarding the relative position of the second vehicle proximity sensor event to the second vehicle; and

graphically displaying the representation of the second vehicle event on a user interface within the first vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein information regarding the relative position of the second vehicle proximity sensor event to the second vehicle indicates at least one of a position, distance, speed or direction of a third vehicle or object relative to the second vehicle based on data from one or more proximity sensors in the second vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining one or more remote receiving devices to receive the first wireless notification based on a type of the vehicle event and proximity of the one or more remote receiving devices to the first vehicle further comprises determining a strength of network signal between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining one or more remote receiving devices to receive the first wireless notification based on a type of the vehicle event and proximity of the one or more remote receiving devices to the first vehicle further comprises receiving at least one of an ultrasonic sensor result or a lidar sensor result.

5. A computer-implemented vehicle communication method, the method comprising:

detecting a first proximity sensor input event in a first vehicle;

generating a first wireless notification message based on the first proximity sensor input event;

automatically determining one or more vehicle communication devices within a proximity to the first vehicle;

detecting that a vehicle communication device of the second vehicle is within the proximity to the first vehicle by;

determining a strength of network signal between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and

determining that the vehicle communication device of the second vehicle is within the proximity to the first vehicle if the strength of network signal exceeds a threshold level;

establishing a communication link between the vehicle communication device of the first vehicle and the vehicle communication device of the second vehicle; and

transmitting the first wireless notification message from the first vehicle to the second vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, the method including:

receiving the first wireless notification message in the second vehicle; and

generating an interface signal based on the first wireless notification message that is configured to cause information from the first wireless notification message to be graphically displayed on a user interface of the second vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the first proximity sensor input event comprises at least one of a radar sensor event, a LIDAR sensor event, and an optical sensor event; and

the signal configured to cause the information to be displayed on the user interface of the second vehicle comprises information corresponding to at least one of the radar sensor event, the LIDAR sensor event, and the optical sensor event.

8. The method of claim 5, where the first wireless notification message further includes information regarding at least one of a position, speed, and direction of the first vehicle.

9. The method of claim 5, where the first wireless notification message includes information from one or more proximity sensors in the first vehicle regarding at least one of a third vehicle and an object.

10. The method of claim 9, where the information from one or more proximity sensors in the first vehicle in the first wireless notification message includes information regarding at least one of a distance, position, speed, and direction of the third vehicle or the object.

11. A vehicle communication system, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

at least one computer storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

establish a wireless communication link between a first vehicle and a second vehicle by;

automatically determining one or more vehicle communication devices within a proximity to the first vehicle;

detecting that a vehicle communication device of the second vehicle is within the proximity to the first based on a communication signal strength relating to each of the one or more vehicle communication devices; and

establishing the communication link between the vehicle communication device of the first vehicle and the vehicle communication device of the second if the vehicle communication device of the second vehicle is within the proximity to the first vehicle;

receive a first wireless message in the first vehicle from the second vehicle, where the first wireless message is based on a first proximity sensor input event in the second vehicle; and

generate an interface signal with information based on the first wireless message that is configured to cause the information to be displayed by a user interface of the first vehicle.

12. The vehicle communication system of claim 11, wherein:

the first proximity sensor input event comprises at least one of a radar sensor event, a LIDAR sensor event, and an optical sensor event; and

the signal configured to cause the information to be displayed on the user interface of the first vehicle comprises information corresponding to at least one of the radar sensor event, the LIDAR sensor event, and the optical sensor event.

13. The vehicle communication system of claim 11, where the system is further configured to:

establish a wireless communication link between the first vehicle and a static object;

receive a second wireless message in the first vehicle from the static object, the second wireless message including information regarding the static object; and

generate an interface signal with the information in the second wireless message that is configured to cause the information in the second wireless message to be displayed by a user interface of the first vehicle.

14. The vehicle communication system of claim 13, where:

the information in the second wireless message regarding the static object comprises ticket availability information for an event to be held at the static object; and

the interface signal with the information in the second wireless message that is configured to cause the information in the second wireless message to be displayed by a user interface of the first vehicle is further configured to provide a touch activation button to initiate purchase of at least one ticket to the event.

15. The vehicle communication system of claim 11, where the system is further configured to:

transmit a third wireless message from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, where the third wireless message includes an inquiry regarding a first proximity sensor measurement of space available for parking;

receive a fourth wireless message in the first vehicle from the second vehicle, where the fourth wireless message includes the first proximity sensor measurement of the space available for parking; and

generate an interface signal with the information in the fourth wireless message that is configured to cause the first proximity sensor measurement of the space available for parking in the fourth wireless message to be displayed by a user interface of the first vehicle.

16. The vehicle communication system of claim 11, where the system is further configured to:

transmit a second wireless message from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, where the second wireless message includes a request for the second vehicle to move to increase space available for parking.

17. The vehicle communication system of claim 16, where the system is further configured to:

transmit a third wireless message from the first vehicle to the third vehicle, where the third wireless message includes a request for a third vehicle to autonomously move to increase space available for parking.