VEHICLE OCCUPANCY INDICATION AND UTILIZATION THEREOF

• US 20180208185A1
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Published: 07/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nagraj Rao, Nikhil, Myers, Scott Vincent, Scaria, Lisa, Banvait, Harpreetsingh
• Granted Patent: US 10,392,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/323 on or for doors illuminated exterior door handles B60Q1/2669; illuminated door locks E05B17/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/5037 the display content changing automatically, e.g. depending on traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/544 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle occupants, e.g. for indicating disabled occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/00 Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

Techniques pertaining to vehicle occupancy indication and utilization thereof are described. A method may involve determining occupancy information regarding a number of occupants in a vehicle. The method may also involve indicating the occupancy information in either or both of a human-perceivable way and a machine-perceivable way.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a processor associated with a vehicle, occupancy information regarding a number of occupants in the vehicle; and

indicating, by the processor, the occupancy information in either or both of a human-perceivable way and a machine-perceivable way.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicating of the occupancy information in the human-perceivable way comprises controlling a visual indicator to visibly indicate the occupancy information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the controlling of the visual indicator comprises controlling at least a light bar or a numerical display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicating of the occupancy information in the machine-perceivable way comprises wirelessly transmitting the occupancy information via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocol, a vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication protocol, or both.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the processor, additional occupancy information from each of one or more other vehicles regarding a number of occupants in the respective vehicle; and

determining, by the processor based at least in part on the occupancy information regarding the vehicle and the additional occupancy information regarding the one or more other vehicles, a maneuvering pattern to maneuver the vehicle when the vehicle is in a predefined condition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predefined condition comprises the vehicle being involved in an unavoidable collision with at least one vehicle of the one or more vehicles.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the maneuvering pattern comprises a pattern that maneuvers the vehicle to crash into one of the one or more vehicles with a number of occupants lower than that of at least another of the one or more vehicles.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, whether the vehicle is in the predefined condition; and

maneuvering, by the processor, the vehicle using the maneuvering pattern responsive to a determination that the vehicle is in the predefined condition.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor associated with a roadside traffic control infrastructure, occupancy information regarding a number of occupants in each of a plurality of vehicles; and

managing, by the processor, one or more traffic flows based at least in part on the occupancy information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the managing of the traffic flow comprises:

ranking, by the processor, the plurality of vehicles based at least in part on the occupancy information; and

directing, by the processor, one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles to travel on one or more lanes of at least one road according to a result of the ranking.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the directing of the one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles to travel on the one or more lanes of the at least one road comprises:

designating, by the processor, a first lane of the one or more lanes for use by vehicles associated with a higher criticality;

designating, by the processor, a second lane of the one or more lanes for use by vehicles associated with a lower criticality;

directing, by the processor, a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to travel on the first lane; and

directing, by the processor, a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to travel on the second lane,

wherein a number of occupants of the first vehicle is higher than a number of occupants of the second vehicle, and

wherein the result of the ranking designates the first vehicle to the higher criticality and the second vehicle to the lower criticality.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the directing of the one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles to travel on the one or more lanes of the at least one road comprises:

designating, by the processor, a first lane of the one or more lanes for use by vehicles associated with a higher criticality;

designating, by the processor, a second lane of the one or more lanes for use by vehicles associated with a lower criticality;

directing, by the processor, a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to travel on the first lane; and

directing, by the processor, a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to travel on the second lane,

wherein a number of occupants of the first vehicle is lower than a number of occupants of the second vehicle, and

wherein the result of the ranking designates the first vehicle to the higher criticality and the second vehicle to the lower criticality due to the first vehicle being associated with a special status.

13. An apparatus implementable in a vehicle, comprising:

an information acquisition device capable of obtaining data indicative of a number of occupants in the vehicle;

an indication device; and

a processor operatively coupled to the information acquisition device and the indication device, the processor capable of performing operations comprising;

determining, using the data obtained by the information acquisition device, occupancy information regarding the number of occupants in the vehicle; and

controlling the indication device to indicate the occupancy information in either or both of a human-perceivable way and a machine-perceivable way.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the indication device comprises a visual indicator, and wherein, in indicating the occupancy information in the human-perceivable way, the processor is capable of controlling the indication device to visibly indicate the occupancy information.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator comprises at least a light bar or a numerical display.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the indication device comprises a wireless transmitter, and wherein, in indicating the occupancy information in the machine-perceivable way, the processor is capable of controlling the indication device to wirelessly transmit the occupancy information via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocol, a vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication protocol, or both.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

the information acquisition device comprises a wireless receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocol,

the processor is also capable of obtaining, via the information acquisition device, additional occupancy information from each of one or more other vehicles regarding a number of occupants in the respective vehicle, and

the processor is further capable of determining, based at least in part on the occupancy information regarding the vehicle and the additional occupancy information regarding the one or more other vehicles, a maneuvering pattern to maneuver the vehicle when the vehicle is in a predefined condition.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the predefined condition comprises the vehicle being involved in an unavoidable collision with at least one vehicle of the one or more vehicles.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the maneuvering pattern comprises a pattern that maneuvers the vehicle to crash into one of the one or more vehicles with a number of occupants lower than that of at least another of the one or more vehicles.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a vehicle control interface capable of operating the vehicle under the control of the processor,

wherein;

the information acquisition device comprises one or more sensors capable of detecting parameters regarding a status of the vehicle in a traffic,

the processor is also capable of determining whether the vehicle is in the predefined condition based on a result of the detecting by the one or more sensors, and

the processor is further capable of controlling the vehicle control interface to maneuver the vehicle using the maneuvering pattern responsive to a determination that the vehicle is in the predefined condition.