Using vehicle sensor data to monitor environmental and geologic conditions

• US 10,708,547 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2016
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIO Technology Company Limited (Shanghai Anbin Technology Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Nio Usa Inc.
• Inventors: Newman, Austin
• Primary Examiner(s): Geroleo, Francis
• Application Number:
  US15/366,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/44 Event detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring environmental and geological conditions based upon information is collected by a wide array of sensors already included in modern motor vehicles. Also included is a system for monitoring environmental and geological conditions by aggregating data collected by an array of vehicles.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a vehicle for monitoring environmental conditions surrounding the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of sensors of the vehicle comprising at least one thermal imager, at least one high-definition imager, and an air quality sensor, wherein each of the at least one thermal imager and the at least one high-definition imager has a respective bubble of vision;

a real-time communication interface that communicates information from the vehicle across a wireless communications channel while the vehicle is in motion;

a short-range communication interface that communicates information from the vehicle across a short-range communications channel when the vehicle is stopped and is in range of the short-range communications channel;

a geolocation system to determine a location of the vehicle at a selected point in time; and

a vehicle computer communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors, the geolocation system, the real-time communication interface, and the short-range communication interface, wherein the vehicle computer;

receives, from the plurality of sensors, environmental information of the environment in which the vehicle is traveling, the environmental information comprising a plurality of thermal images, a plurality of high-definition images, and gas and particulate information defining a condition of the environment;

determines, based on the environmental information, whether a hazard exists in the environment;

determines, when the hazard is determined to exist in the environment, whether the hazard is a low-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about structures in the environment, a medium-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about a change in lighting or weather conditions in the environment, and a high-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about a fire or a fallen tree in the environment;

stores, in a memory of the vehicle, the environmental information associated with the determined hazard along with a location of the vehicle at a time when the environmental information is received;

displays, via a display device inside the vehicle only when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the medium-priority hazard or the high-priority hazard, an alert informing occupants of the vehicle of the medium-priority hazard or the high-priority hazard;

transmits, via the real-time communication interface, only the stored environmental information associated with the high-priority hazard when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the high-priority hazard, to a database server in real time, and

transmits, via the short-range communication interface, only the stored environmental information associated with the low-priority hazard or the medium-priority hazard when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the low-priority hazard or the medium-priority hazard, to the database server when the vehicle is stopped and is in range of the short-range communications channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air quality sensor detects an amount of gas in air of the environment, and wherein the amount of gas in the air indicates the hazard is the high-priority hazard associated with the fire in the environment.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environmental information is stored in the memory of the vehicle as a record comprising a time of detection of the determined hazard, a date of detection of the determined hazard, and the location of the vehicle at the time of detection of the determined hazard, and wherein the vehicle computer, in response to determining the hazard is the high-priority hazard, transmits the record to an emergency service provider using the real-time communication interface in real time.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the high-priority hazard is the fallen tree blocking, or potentially blocking, a roadway in the environment, and wherein the low-priority hazard is poor air quality in the environment measured by the air quality sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information about structures in the environment comprises corrosion information associated with at least one of bridges, overpasses, and other structures crossing over a roadway in the environment that is detected by one or more of the plurality of sensors.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle computer further:

retrieves, via the real-time communication interface, information from the database server when the hazard is determined to exist in the environment.

7. A method for monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprising:

acquiring, at a first time by a vehicle computer of a vehicle, environmental information from a plurality of sensors of the vehicle, wherein the environmental information comprises a plurality of thermal images, a plurality of high-definition images, and gas and particulate information defining a condition of an environment in which the vehicle is traveling;

simultaneously acquiring, by a geolocation system, a location of the vehicle when the environmental information is acquired by the vehicle computer at the first time;

determining, by the vehicle computer and based on the environmental information, whether a hazard exists in the environment;

determining, by the vehicle computer when the hazard is determined to exist in the environment, whether the hazard is a low-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about structures in the environment, a medium-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about a change in lighting or weather conditions in the environment, and a high-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about a fire or a fallen tree in the environment;

storing, in a memory of the vehicle, the environmental information associated with the determined hazard along with a location of the vehicle at the first time when the environmental information is acquired;

displaying, via a display device inside the vehicle only when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the medium-priority hazard or the high-priority hazard, an alert informing occupants of the vehicle of the medium-priority hazard or the high-priority hazard;

transmitting, via a real-time communication interface of the vehicle computer across a wireless communications channel and while the vehicle is in motion, in real time to a database server only the stored environmental information associated with the high-priority hazard when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the high-priority hazard; and

transmitting, via a short-range communication interface of the vehicle computer, to the database server when the vehicle is stopped and is in range of the short-range communications channel only the stored environmental information associated with the low-priority hazard or the medium-priority hazard when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the low-priority hazard or the medium-priority hazard.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting, by the vehicle computer, the hazard is the high-priority hazard based on data acquired from an air quality sensor of the plurality of sensors that detects an amount of gas in air of the environment, and wherein the amount of gas in the air indicates the hazard is the fire in the environment.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein storing the environmental information in the memory of the vehicle comprises generating, by the vehicle computer, a record comprising a time of detection of the determined hazard, a date of detection of the determined hazard, and the location of the vehicle at the first time, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, via the real-time communication interface of the vehicle computer in response to determining the hazard that exists in the environment is the high-priority hazard, the record to an emergency service provider in real time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the high-priority hazard is the fallen tree blocking, or potentially blocking, a roadway in the environment, and wherein the low-priority hazard is poor air quality in the environment measured by an air quality sensor of the plurality of sensors.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the information about structures in the environment comprises corrosion information associated with at least one of bridges, overpasses, and other structures crossing over a roadway in the environment that is detected by one or more of the plurality of sensors.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving, by the vehicle computer, information from the database server when the hazard is determined to exist in the environment.