SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COORDINATING SENSOR OPERATION FOR COLLISION DETECTION

• US 20140009307A1
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bowers, Jeffrey A., Deane, Geoffrey F., Hyde, Roderick A., Kundtz, Nathan, Myhrvold, Nathan P., Smith, David R., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A collision detection system of a land vehicle may be configured to coordinate sensor operation with one or more other sensing systems of one or more other land vehicles. The coordination may comprise configuring the other sensing systems. In some embodiments, the coordination comprises forming a multistatic sensor comprising one or more emitters and/or one or more receivers. The collision detection system may be configured to receive detection signal(s) emitted by one or more of the other sensing systems. The coordination may further comprise directing detection signals of the multistatic sensor. The collision detection system may use sensor data acquired by use of the coordinated sensing system(s) to generate a collision detection model.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a request at a first land vehicle to configure a sensing system of a second land vehicle; and

generating a collision detection model using sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a multistatic sensor comprising at least a portion of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and at least a portion of the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the multistatic sensor comprises one or more detection signal emitters, including a detection signal emitter of the first land vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the multistatic sensor comprises one or more receivers, including a receiver of the first land vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises configuring the sensing system of the first land vehicle to receive a detection signal emitted by the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises configuring the sensing system of the first land vehicle to emit a sensing signal configured to be detected by a receiver of the second land vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising using sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the second land vehicle in response to the sensing signal emitted by the sensing system of the first land vehicle to generate the collision detection model.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises steering a sensing signal to a pre-determined area.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises beamforming the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein beamforming comprises directing a detection signal of the multistatic radar in a pre-determined direction.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein beamforming comprises varying a phase of a detection signal emitted by one of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein beamforming comprises varying an amplitude of a detection signal emitted by one of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises forming a multistatic radar comprising at least a portion of a radar sensing system of the first land vehicle and at least a portion of a radar sensing system of the second land vehicle.

24. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises forming a multistatic radar comprising a plurality of radar receivers, including a radar receiver of the first land vehicle.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises forming a multistatic radar comprising a plurality of radar transmitters, including a transmitter receiver of the first land vehicle.

26. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises forming a bistatic radar comprising a radar transmitter of the first land vehicle and a radar receiver of the second land vehicle.

27. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises forming a bistatic radar comprising a radar receiver of the first land vehicle and a radar transmitter of the second land vehicle.

28. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the multistatic sensor comprises forming a phased array comprising at least a portion of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and at least a portion of the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising steering the phased array in a pre-determined direction.

30. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

acquiring auxiliary data pertaining to the second land vehicle; and

using the acquired auxiliary data to form the multistatic sensor.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the acquired auxiliary data comprises one of acceleration, velocity, position, and orientation of the second land vehicle.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising requesting auxiliary data from the second land vehicle.

2-11. -11. (canceled)

33-158. -158. (canceled)

159. A collision detection system, comprising:

a coordination module of a first land vehicle configured to generate a request to configure a sensing system of a second land vehicle; and

a processing module configured to generate a collision detection model using sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

160. The collision detection system of claim 159, further comprising a communication module configured to transmit the request to the second land vehicle.

162. The collision detection system of claim 159, further comprising a communication module configured to receive sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the second land vehicle, wherein the processing module is configured to generate the collision detection model using the sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the second land vehicle and the sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle.

163. The collision detection system of claim 159, wherein the coordination module is configured to select the second land vehicle based at least in part on at least one of position of the second land vehicle, orientation of the second land vehicle, sensor capability of the second land vehicle, the position of the second land vehicle relative to a specified region, the position of the second land vehicle relative to a specified object, the orientation of the second land vehicle relative to the specified region, and the orientation of the second land vehicle relative to the specified object.

165. The collision detection system of claim 159, wherein the request identifies a region, and wherein the sensing system of the second land vehicle directs a detection signal to the identified region in response to the request.

166. The collision detection system of claim 165, wherein the detection signal is configured to be detected by a receiver of a sensing system of the first land vehicle.

167. The collision detection system of claim 159, wherein the request identifies an object, and wherein the sensing system of the second land vehicle directs a detection signal to the identified object in response to the request.

168. The collision detection system of claim 167, wherein the detection signal is configured to be detected by a receiver of a sensing system of the first land vehicle.

193. The collision detection system of claim 159, wherein the coordination module is configured to generate the request in response to determining that kinematic information pertaining to an object does not satisfy a threshold.

194. The collision detection system of claim 193, wherein determining that the kinematic information pertaining to the object does not satisfy the threshold comprises determining that a signal-to-noise ratio of sensor data pertaining to the object does not satisfy the threshold.

195. The collision detection system of claim 193, wherein determining that the kinematic information pertaining to the object does not satisfy the threshold comprises determining that an orientation of the sensing system of the first land vehicle prevents determining one or more kinematic characteristics of the object.

161. (canceled)

164. (canceled)

169-192. -192. (canceled)

196-309. -309. (canceled)

310. A machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions configured to cause a collision detection system to perform a method, comprising:

generating a request at a first land vehicle to configure a sensing system of a second land vehicle; and

generating a collision detection model using sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

321. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 310, the method further comprising forming a multistatic sensor comprising at least a portion of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and at least a portion of the sensing system of the second land vehicle.

322. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 321, wherein the multistatic sensor comprises one or more detection signal emitters, including a detection signal emitter of the first land vehicle.

339. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 321, the method further comprising:

acquiring auxiliary data pertaining to the second land vehicle; and

using the acquired auxiliary data to form the multistatic sensor.

348. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 310, the method further comprising generating the request in response to determining that an object is inside of a detection envelope of a sensing system of the second land vehicle.

351. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 310, wherein the request comprises a payment offer.

353. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 310, wherein the request comprises an offer of access to the collision detection model.

354. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 310, wherein the request comprises an offer of access to sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the first land vehicle.

311-320. -320. (canceled)

323-338. -338. (canceled)

340-347. -347. (canceled)

352. (canceled)

355-468. -468. (canceled)