METHOD AND SYSTEM OF ALERTING HAZARDS

• US 20070096892A1
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Nathan, John, Maue, H.
• Application Number:
  US11/163,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20070096892A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/471
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A method and system for alerting a hazard. The method and system including generating a warning signal for alerting the hazard and communicating the warning signal to oncoming vehicles through vehicle to vehicle communications.

Claims

1. A method of alerting a hazard, the method comprising:

generating a warning signal for alerting the hazard; and

communicating the warning signal to oncoming vehicles through vehicle to vehicle communications.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing an alerting feature included on one or more of the vehicles receiving the warning signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the alerting feature is a patterned flasher that flashes a particular pattern depending on a type of hazard identified by the warning signal.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the alerting feature is an audio or visual indicator that provides a particular audio or visual indicator depending on a type of hazard identified by the warning signal.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising only executing the alerting feature if the vehicle is approaching the hazard with a desired directionality.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising only executing the alerting feature if the vehicle is within a hazardous distance zone defined relative to the hazard.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising defining the hazardous distance zone as a function of at least one of distance to the hazard, vehicle speed, hazard incident type, and directionality relative to the hazard.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving instructions for manually overriding the alerting feature from a vehicle occupant.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising resetting the manual override if the overridden vehicle is warned of a new hazard.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the warning signal in response to activation of a vehicle crash sensor.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the warning signal in response to activation of a road-side warning feature.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the warning so as to track information associated with the vehicles included within the vehicle to vehicle communications.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the warning signal in response to activation of an emergency alert signal by an emergency response entity.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising including an incident identifier with the warning signal, the incident identifier including information regarding the hazard.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising controlling operation of an alerting feature included on one or more vehicles as a function of the incident identifier.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating the warning signal from at least one of the vehicles to a non-vehicle feature such that the non-vehicle feature executes an alerting operation in response thereto.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising limiting the vehicle to vehicle communications as a function of vehicle directionality.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein limiting the vehicle to vehicle communications includes preventing communications of the warning signal from vehicles traveling in a non-hazardous direction relative to the hazard.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising limiting the vehicle to vehicle communications as a function of vehicle range.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising limiting the vehicle to vehicle communications as a function of vehicle to vehicle distance/speed.

21. A communication element on-board a vehicle, the element configured to:

receive a warning signal associated with a hazard; and

relay the warning signal to an additional vehicle so as to alert the additional vehicle of the hazard.

22. The element of claim 21 further configured to facilitate activating an alerting feature in response to the warning signal.

23. The element of claim 22 further configured to facilitate activating the alerting feature on-board the vehicle.

24. The element of claim 22 further configured to facilitate activating the alerting feature of a non-vehicle entity.

25. The element of claim 21 further configured to interrogate the warning signal for a directionality feature, to determine a hazardous direction associated with the hazard as a function of the directionality feature, and to limit further communication of the warning signal to the hazardous direction associated with the hazard.

26. The element of claim 21 further configured to interrogate the warning signal for a distance feature, to determine a hazardous distance zone associated with the hazard as a function of the distance feature, and to limit further communication of the warning signal to the hazardous distance zone.