COOPERATIVE VEHICLE COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM

• US 20130154853A1
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: CHEN, Wei-Peng
• Granted Patent: US 8,907,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/094 Hardware aspects; Signal processing or signal properties, e.g. frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096708 where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

According to an aspect of the invention, a traffic information communication system includes a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be configured to receive a message relating to traffic conditions along a thoroughfare from a communication node. The transmitter may be communicatively coupled to the receiver and may be configured to rebroadcast the message within a predetermined amount of time after receiving the message. The traffic information communication system may be implemented in a vehicle traveling along the thoroughfare.

Claims

1. A traffic information communication system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a message relating to traffic conditions along a thoroughfare from a communication node; and

a transmitter communicatively coupled to the receiver and configured to rebroadcast the message within a predetermined amount of time after receiving the message,

wherein the traffic information communication system is implemented in a vehicle traveling along the thoroughfare.

2. The traffic information communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a directional antenna coupled to the transmitter, wherein the rebroadcast message is included in a wireless carrier signal emitted by the directional antenna and the directional antenna is positioned to emit the wireless carrier signal primarily toward a rearward travel path of the traffic information communication system.

3. The traffic information communication system according to claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises:

a code division multiple access (CDMA) receiver;

a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) receiver;

or

an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) receiver.

4. The traffic information communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a deceleration module configured to determine a deceleration of the communication node by measuring a change over time in Doppler shift of a wireless carrier wave of the received message.

5. The traffic information communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a distance module configured to determine a distance between the communication node and the traffic information communication system by measuring attenuation of a wireless carrier wave of the received message, wherein an initial transmit power of the wireless carrier wave is known.

6. The traffic information communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor installed in the vehicle and configured to detect a trigger, wherein the transmitter is further configured to generate and broadcast a warning message relating to a potential safety threat to other vehicles in response to detecting the trigger.

7. The traffic information communication system according to claim 6, wherein at least one of:

the sensor comprises a brake sensor configured to detect emergent braking in the vehicle;

the sensor comprises an accelerometer or a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit configured to detect abrupt changes in speed in the vehicle;

or

the sensor comprises a component sensor configured to detect failure of a particular vehicle component in the vehicle.

8. A method of providing communications regarding traffic conditions, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first vehicle traveling along a thoroughfare, a message relating to traffic conditions along the thoroughfare;

determining that the traffic conditions may affect other vehicles traveling along the thoroughfare; and

in response to the determination, rebroadcasting the message within a predetermined amount of time after receiving the message.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the traffic conditions represent an imminent threat to the first vehicle; and

at least one of;

initiating a warning to a driver of the first vehicle regarding the imminent threat;

or

initiating autonomous control of an aspect of operation of the first vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

the imminent threat comprises at least one of;

an abrupt stop by one or more vehicles on the thoroughfare ahead of the first vehicle;

an emergency vehicle approaching the first vehicle along the thoroughfare;

or

a traffic light behind a bend in the thoroughfare ahead of the first vehicle, where the traffic light is about to transition to or has already transitioned to red;

the warning comprises at least one of a verbal warning or a visual warning; and

initiating autonomous control of an aspect of operation of the first vehicle comprises automatically causing the first vehicle to decelerate.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the traffic conditions represent an imminent threat to other vehicles traveling along the thoroughfare; and

at least one of;

rebroadcasting the message using at least two different resource blocks;

rebroadcasting the message using a resource block reserved for urgent warnings;

repeatedly rebroadcasting the message using a same resource block;

or

rebroadcasting the message with a transmission power greater than a default transmission power.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein determining that the traffic conditions may affect other vehicles traveling along the thoroughfare comprises at least one of:

determining that the first vehicle is within a predetermined distance of an original source of the message;

determining that at least a predetermined number of messages relating to the traffic conditions were received at the first vehicle from other vehicles in front of the first vehicle on the thoroughfare;

or

determining that a driver of the first vehicle who was warned about an imminent threat represented by the traffic conditions applied brakes in the first vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the message is received from a second vehicle traveling along the thoroughfare in front of the first vehicle, the method further comprising:

determining a deceleration of the second vehicle; and

determining a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

14. A processor configured to execute computer instructions to cause a system to perform operations for providing communications regarding traffic conditions, the operations comprising:

receiving a carrier signal;

extracting, from the carrier signal, a message relating to traffic conditions along a thoroughfare;

determining that the traffic conditions may affect other vehicles traveling along the thoroughfare; and

in response to the determination, rebroadcasting the message within a predetermined amount of time after receiving the message.

15. The processor according to claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise determining a deceleration of a vehicle from which the carrier signal originated.

16. The processor according to claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise determining a distance between the processor and a vehicle from which the carrier signal originated.

17. The processor according to claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise, based on one or more of:

content of the message, a deceleration of a first vehicle from which the carrier signal originated, and a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle in which the processor is installed, at least one of;

initiating a warning to a driver of the second vehicle regarding the imminent threat;

or

initiating autonomous control of an aspect of operation of the second vehicle.

18. The processor according to claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise adding lane positioning information of a vehicle in which the processor is installed to the rebroadcast message.

19. The processor according to claim 14, wherein the message specifies a particular traffic condition, comprising at least one of:

a vehicle failure, traffic congestion, or activated hazard flashers.

20. The processor according to claim 14, wherein the message is received from a first vehicle traveling along the thoroughfare in front of a second vehicle in which the processor is installed, the message comprising at least one of:

a current speed of the first vehicle, a deceleration of the first vehicle, a number of propagated hops of the message from an original source, a location of the first vehicle or another vehicle, or an identification of a particular traffic condition on the thoroughfare ahead of the second vehicle.