System and method for determining a collision status of a nearby vehicle

• US 7,991,551 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Trombley, Roger, Nave, Christopher, Samuel, Stephen, Yopp, W. Trent
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWDER, LINDSAY
• Application Number:
  US12/266,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20100114467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/224, 701300-302, 701117-119, 340901-904, 340933-943, 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 342 70- 72, 382/103, 382/104, 382/107
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

A system and method are provided to determine the collision status of a nearby vehicle or vehicles. If a nearby vehicle has been in a collision, responsive systems may be triggered automatically. Responses may include warning the driver of the host vehicle and/or warning drivers of other vehicles or centralized networks by, among other methods, V2V or V2I communications. Responses may also include automatically triggering countermeasures in the host vehicle.

Claims

1. A system installable on a host vehicle for determining a collision status of a remote vehicle and responding to same, the system comprising;

(a) a mechanism for sensing a presence and a longitudinal speed of the remote vehicle;

(b) a controller for determining the rate of change of the sensed speed of the remote vehicle and comparing same to threshold values to determine the collision status of the remote vehicle; and

(c) if the remote vehicle has been in a collision, a signal is configured to trigger a response.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the mechanism is a sensing system that comprises at least one of a radar sensor, a lidar sensor or a vision-based sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the mechanism comprises vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the response is a visual warning in the host vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the response is an audible warning in the host vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the response is a haptic warning in the host vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the response is to alert drivers of other vehicles of the collision status of the remote vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the response is to alert drivers of other vehicles of the collision status of the remote vehicle via setting hazard lights of the host vehicle to on.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the response is the application of at least one countermeasure.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

(d) if the vehicle has been in a collision, an apparatus for identifying non-drivable paths, drivable paths, and preferred drivable paths.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a controller for selecting preferred drivable paths among available drivable paths.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

(e) a signal configured to trigger an audio or visual alert in the host vehicle that identifies one or more of non-drivable, drivable and preferred drivable path information.

13. A method of avoiding a collision, comprising, from a host vehicle:

(a) determining a collision status of a remote vehicle based upon a change of speed of the remote vehicle in a longitudinal direction; and

(b) automatically responding to the collision status.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatically responding step comprises providing a visual warning to a driver of the host vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatically responding step comprises providing an audible warning to a driver of the host vehicle.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatically responding step comprises providing a haptic warning to a driver of the host vehicle.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatically responding step comprises providing a warning to drivers of other vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatically responding step comprises providing a warning to drivers of other vehicles via turning on hazard lights on the host vehicle.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatically responding step comprises applying at least one countermeasure.

20. A system installable on a host vehicle for determining a collision status of a remote vehicle and responding to same, the system comprising;

(a) a mechanism for sensing a presence and a longitudinal speed of the remote vehicle;

(b) a controller for determining the rate of change of the sensed speed of the remote vehicle and comparing same to threshold values to determine the collision status of the remote vehicle;

(c) if the remote vehicle has been in a collision, a signal is configured to trigger a response; and

(d) if the remote vehicle has been in a collision, an apparatus for identifying non-drivable paths, drivable paths, and preferred drivable paths, wherein driving path information is communicated to the host vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.