Vehicle data processing systems and methods using one or more local processors

• US 11,186,273 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Issued: 11/30/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Salles, Felipe G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US16/175,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20200130679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40156 by using dedicated slots associated with a priority level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A vehicle data processing method includes receiving data points from one or more sensors arranged in or around a vehicle, identifying one or more emergency events based on the received data points from the sensors, determining, with the one or more local processors of a vehicle, an instant reaction in response to the emergency events, and controlling a control mechanism of the vehicle based on the determined instant reaction.

Claims

1. A vehicle data processing method, comprising:

receiving data points from one or more sensors arranged in or around a vehicle having a main processor and one or more local processors, wherein the one or more local processors are located in closer proximity than the main processor to one or more sensors, a control mechanism, or both;

identifying one or more events based on the received data points from the sensors;

determining, with the one or more local processors of the vehicle, an instant reaction in response to the events;

controlling the control mechanism of the vehicle based on the determined instant reaction;

transmitting a message relating to the instant reaction to the main processor; and

determining, with the main processor, whether a follow-up action to the instant reaction is needed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling the control mechanism further comprises controlling the control mechanism to control a motion of one or more components of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling the control mechanism further comprises controlling the control mechanism to forgo a motion of one or more components of the vehicle whereby injury and damage to the vehicle are mitigated or prevented.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the instant reaction further comprises retrieving the instant reaction correlated to the identified events.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting one or more positions of the one or more local processors to minimize data latency between the sensors and the one or more local processors, between the control mechanism and the one or more local processors, between the main processor and the one or more local processors, or combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the one or more local processors in one or more wheels of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the message relating to the instant reaction to a cloud server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying one or more events further comprises classifying the data points into the one or more events that are predetermined and stored in a memory arranged in the vehicle.

9. A vehicle data processing system, comprising:

a main processor;

a first local processor associated with a first event detected by a first group of sensors in closer data processing proximity to the first local processor than the main processor;

and a second local processor associated with a second event detected by a second group of sensors in closer data processing proximity to the second local processor than the main processor,

wherein the first local processor is operable to;

identify the first event based on data points from the first group of sensors; and

determine a first instant reaction in response to the first event;

wherein the second local processor is operable to;

identify the second event based on the data points from the second group of sensors;

determine a second instant reaction in response to the second event;

transmit a message relating to at least one of the first instant reaction and the second instant reaction to the main processor; and

determine, with the main processor, whether a follow-up action to at least one of the first instant reaction and the second instant reaction is needed; and

one or more control mechanisms operable to control a motion of a vehicle based on the first instant reaction, the second instant reaction, or both.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the positions of the first and second local processors are selected to minimize data latency between sensors and the first and second local processors, between the one or more control mechanisms and the first and second local processors, between the main processor and the first and second local processors, or combinations thereof.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first local processor is associated with a first group of the control mechanisms such that the first local processor is positioned at a location in data transmission proximity to a first group of the one or more control mechanisms.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second local processor is associated with a second group of the control mechanisms by positioning the second local processor at a location in data processing proximity to a second group of the one or more control mechanisms.

13. A vehicle data processing system, comprising:

a main processor;

one or more control mechanisms;

one or more local processing units, each of the one or more local processing units comprising;

a local processor in closer proximity than the main processor to one or more sensors, the control mechanisms, or both;

a memory module coupled to the local processor;

machine readable instructions stored in the memory and upon execution by the local processor, performing at least the following;

receiving data points from the sensors;

identifying one or more events based on the data points from the one or more sensors;

determining an instant reaction in response to the identified events;

outputting the instant reaction to the one or more control mechanisms;

transmitting a message relating to the instant reaction to the main processor; and

determining, with the main processor, whether a follow-up action to the instant reaction is needed;

a control area network (CAN) bus connected to the main processor, the control mechanisms, and the local processing units;

wherein the control mechanisms are configured to perform or suppress a motion of a vehicle based on the instant reaction.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the main processor is configured to:

receive a message relating to the instant reaction from the local processing units via the CAN bus;

determine whether or not to supplement the instant reaction; and

control the control mechanisms to perform or suppress a follow-up action.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a data communication unit communicatively connected to a network;

wherein the main processor is operable to;

receive a message relating to the instant reaction from the one or more local processing units via the CAN bus;

transmit the message relating to the instant reaction to a cloud server via the data communication unit over the network; and

receive a feedback message from the cloud server, the feedback message including modification information to the instant reaction.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the local processing units comprise a first local processor and a second local processor;

the sensors comprise a first group of sensors and a second group of sensors;

the first local processor is associated with a first event detected by the first group of the sensors by positioning the first local processor at a first location in data processing proximity to the first group of sensor; and

the second local processor is associated with a second event detected by the second group of the sensors by positioning the second local processor at a second location in data processing proximity to the second group of sensors.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the control mechanisms comprise a first group of control mechanisms and a second group of control mechanisms;

the one or more local processing units comprise a first local processor and a second local processor;

the first local processor is associated with the first group of control mechanisms by positioning the first local processor at a location in data transmission proximity to the first group of control mechanisms; and

the second local processor is associated with the second group of control mechanisms by positioning the second local processor at a location in data processing proximity to the second group of control mechanisms.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein a response time of the instant reaction is shorter than a critical time needed to avoid a crash resulting from the events.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the local processing units are mounted in one or more of wheels of the vehicle.