SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COOPERATIVE COLLISION DETECTION

• US 20140012492A1
• 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 9,558,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A vehicle collision detection system may be configured to coordinate with collision detection systems of other vehicles. The coordination may comprise sharing sensor data with other vehicles, receiving sensor information from other vehicles, using sensor information to generate a collision detection model, sharing the collision detection model with other vehicles, receiving a collision detection model from other vehicles, and the like. In some embodiments, vehicles may coordinate sensor operation to form a bistatic and/or multistatic sensor configuration, in which a detection signal generated at a first land vehicle is detected at a sensing system at a second land vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

acquiring sensor data pertaining to an object at a first land vehicle from a second land vehicle; and

generating a collision detection model using the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle into a frame of reference of the first land vehicle.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle into another coordinate system.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating the collision detection model into a frame of reference of the first land vehicle.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the collision detection model comprises a position of the object relative to the first land vehicle.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the collision detection model comprises an orientation of the object relative to the first land vehicle.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the collision detection model comprises a velocity of the object relative to the first land vehicle.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the collision detection model comprises an acceleration of the object relative to the first land vehicle.

85. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a first kinematic component of the object by use of the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle and determining a second kinematic component of the object by use of sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle.

86. The method of claim 85, further comprising modeling the object in the collision detection model using at least the first kinematic component and the second kinematic component.

87. The method of claim 1, wherein sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprise angle information pertaining to the object.

88. The method of claim 87, further comprising determining a position of the object in the collision detection model by triangulating the angle information acquired by use of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the angle information acquired from the second land vehicle.

89. The method of claim 1, wherein sensor data obtained by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprise range information pertaining to the object.

90. The method of claim 89, further comprising determining an angular orientation of the object within the collision detection model by identifying intersecting range radii of the sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

91. The method of claim 1, wherein sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprise both range and angle information pertaining to the object.

92. The method of claim 91, further comprising determining a position of the object in the collision detection model by combining range and angle information of the sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

93. The method of claim 1, wherein sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprise angle information pertaining to the object, the method further comprising:

acquiring sensor data comprising range information pertaining to the object from a third land vehicle; and

generating the collision detection model by use of the angle information pertaining to the object and the range information acquired from the third land vehicle.

94. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining one of an orientation, a position, a velocity, and an acceleration of the object in the collision detection model using sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle; and

refining one of the orientation, a position, a velocity, and an acceleration of the object in the collision detection model using the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

2-21. -21. (canceled)

29-84. -84. (canceled)

95-156. -156. (canceled)

157. A collision detection system, comprising:

a coordination module of a first land vehicle configured to acquire sensor data pertaining to an object from a second land vehicle; and

a processing module configured to generate a collision detection model by use of the acquired sensor data.

201. The collision detection system of claim 157, wherein the processing module is configured to detect a potential collision between a first object and a second object in the collision detection model.

208. The collision detection system of claim 201, wherein the processing module is configured to generate an alert in response to detecting the potential collision.

209. The collision detection system of claim 208, wherein the coordination module is further configured to provide the alert to at least one of the first object and the second object.

210. The collision detection system of claim 201, further comprising a vehicle interface module configured to activate a collision avoidance system of the first land vehicle in response to detecting the potential collision.

211. The collision detection system of claim 201, further comprising a vehicle interface module configured to activate a collision warning system of the first land vehicle in response to detecting the potential collision.

213. The collision detection system of claim 211, wherein the vehicle interface module is configured to activate an electro-optical emitter of the first land vehicle in response to detecting the potential collision.

215. The collision detection system of claim 211, wherein the vehicle interface module is configured to display an alert in response to detecting the potential collision.

217. The collision detection system of claim 211, wherein the vehicle interface module is configured to display a visual indication of the potential collision on a heads-up display of the first land vehicle.

219. The collision detection system of claim 201, wherein the processing module is configured to generate a collision avoidance instruction by use of the collision detection model in response to detecting the potential collision.

221. The collision detection system of claim 201, wherein the processing module is configured to predict a result of the potential collision by use of the collision detection model, and to generate a collision avoidance instruction by use of the predicted result.

222. The collision detection system of claim 221, wherein the collision avoidance instruction is configured for use by the first land vehicle.

158-200. -200. (canceled)

202-207. -207. (canceled)

212. (canceled)

214. (canceled)

216. (canceled)

218. (canceled)

220. (canceled)

223-310. -310. (canceled)

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

acquiring sensor data pertaining to an object at a first land vehicle from a second land vehicle; and

generating a collision detection model using the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

395. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, the method further comprising determining a first kinematic component of the object by use of the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle and determining a second kinematic component of the object by use of sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle.

396. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 395, the method further comprising modeling the object in the collision detection model using at least the first kinematic component and the second kinematic component.

397. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, wherein sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprise angle information pertaining to the object.

398. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 397, the method further comprising determining a position of the object in the collision detection model by triangulating the angle information acquired by use of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the angle information acquired from the second land vehicle.

399. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, wherein sensor data obtained by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprise range information pertaining to the object.

400. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 399, the method further comprising determining an angular orientation of the object within the collision detection model by identifying intersecting range radii of the sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

401. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, wherein sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprise both range and angle information pertaining to the object.

402. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 401, the method further comprising determining a position of the object in the collision detection model by combining range and angle information of the sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

403. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, wherein sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle and the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprise angle information pertaining to the object, The machine-readable storage medium further comprising:

acquiring sensor data comprising range information pertaining to the object from a third land vehicle; and

generating the collision detection model by use of the angle information pertaining to the object and the range information acquired from the third land vehicle.

404. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, The machine-readable storage medium further comprising:

determining one of an orientation, a position, a velocity, and an acceleration of the object in the collision detection model using sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle; and

refining one of the orientation, position, velocity, and acceleration of the object in the collision detection model using the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

405. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, wherein at least a portion of the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle pertains to a second object that is outside of a detection range of the sensing system of the first land vehicle, The machine-readable storage medium further comprising:

including the second object in the collision detection model by use of the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

406. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, the method further comprising aligning sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle with the sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle.

431. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 311, The machine-readable storage medium further comprising requesting access to the sensor data of the second land vehicle.

312-394. -394. (canceled)

407-430. -430. (canceled)

432-467. -467. (canceled)