ABILITY ENHANCEMENT

• US 20150336578A1
• Filed: 08/05/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Hyde, Roderick A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Wood, Victoria Y.H., Whitmer, Charles, Bahl, Paramvir, Burger, Douglas C., Chandra, Ranveer, Gates, William H. III, Holman, Paul, Kare, Jordin T., Mundie, Craig J., Paek, Tim, Tan, Desney S., Zhong, Lin, Dyor, Matthew G.
• Granted Patent: US 10,875,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/22 Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/00 Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

Techniques for ability enhancement are described. In some embodiments, devices and systems located in a transportation network share threat information with one another, in order to enhance a user'"'"'s ability to operate or function in a transportation-related context. In one embodiment, a process in a vehicle receives threat information from a remote device, the threat information based on information about objects or conditions proximate to the remote device. The process then determines that the threat information is relevant to the safe operation of the vehicle. Then, the process modifies operation of the vehicle based on the threat information, such as by presenting a message to the operator of the vehicle and/or controlling the vehicle itself.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing ability in a transportation-related context, the method comprising:

at a first vehicle, receiving threat information from a remote device, the threat information based at least in part on information about objects and/or conditions proximate to the remote device;

determining that the threat information is relevant to safe operation of the first vehicle; and

modifying operation of the first vehicle based on the threat information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving threat information includes:

receiving threat information determined based on information about driving conditions proximate to the remote device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about driving conditions indicates that icy surface conditions, wet surface conditions, oily surface conditions, or a limited visibility condition is/are present proximate to the remote device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about driving conditions indicates that there is an accident proximate to the remote device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving threat information includes:

receiving threat information determined based on information about a second vehicle proximate to the remote device, wherein the information about the second vehicle indicates at least one of;

that the second vehicle is driving erratically, that the second vehicle is driving with excessive speed; and

/or that the second vehicle is driving too slowly.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving threat information includes:

receiving threat information determined based on information about a pedestrian proximate to the remote device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving threat information includes:

receiving threat information determined at a second vehicle with respect to information about objects and/or conditions received at the second vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving threat information determined at a second vehicle includes:

receiving threat information determined by a wearable device of an occupant of the second vehicle and/or receiving threat information determined by a computing device installed in the second vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving threat information determined at a second vehicle includes:

receiving motion-related information from a velocity and/or position sensor attached to the second vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving threat information includes:

receiving threat information determined by a road-based device with respect to information about objects and/or conditions received at the road-based device, from vehicles proximate to the road-based computing device, or from road-based sensors.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the road-based device is a sensor attached to a structure proximate to the first vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the structure proximate to the first vehicle is one of a utility pole, a traffic control signal support, a building, a street light, a tunnel wall, a bridge, an overpass, a flyover, a communication tower, a traffic kiosk, an advertisement structure, a roadside sign, an information/regulatory display, and/or a vehicle toll reader.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving threat information determined by a road-based device includes:

receiving an image of a second vehicle from a camera deployed at an intersection or receiving ranging data from a range sensor deployed at an intersection, the ranging data representing a distance between a second vehicle and the intersection.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the road-based device includes at least one of:

a camera, a microphone, a radar gun, and/or a range sensor.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the road-based device includes a receiver operable to receive motion-related information transmitted from a second vehicle, the motion-related information including at least one of a position of the second vehicle, a velocity of the second vehicle, and/or a trajectory of the second vehicle.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the road-based device is an induction loop embedded in the roadway, the induction loop configured to detect the presence and/or velocity of a second vehicle, the motion-related information including at least one of a position of the second vehicle, a velocity of the second vehicle, and/or a trajectory of the second vehicle.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving threat information from a remote device includes determining a threat to the first vehicle based on the threat information and further comprising:

predicting a path of an object identified by the threat information;

predicting a path of the first vehicle; and

determining, based on the paths of the object and the first vehicle, whether the first vehicle and the object will come within a threshold distance of one another.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying multiple threats to the first vehicle, at least one of which is based on the threat information;

identifying a first one of the multiple threats that is more significant than at least one other of the multiple threats; and

instructing an operator of the first vehicle to avoid the first one of the multiple threats.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including contents that are configured, when executed, to cause a computing system to perform a method for enhancing ability in a transportation-related context, the method comprising:

at a first vehicle, receiving threat information from a remote device, the threat information based at least in part on information about objects and/or conditions proximate to the remote device;

determining that the threat information is relevant to safe operation of the first vehicle; and

modifying operation of the first vehicle based on the threat information.

20. A computing system for enhancing ability in a transportation-related context, the computing system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a module that is stored in the memory and that is configured, when executed by the processor, to perform a method comprising;

at a first vehicle, receiving threat information from a remote device, the threat information based at least in part on information about objects and/or conditions proximate to the remote device;

determining that the threat information is relevant to safe operation of the first vehicle; and

modifying operation of the first vehicle based on the threat information.