Computationally efficient intersection collision avoidance system

• US 8,639,437 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation), Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation), Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Inventors: Caminiti, Lorenzo, Quisenberry, Evan, Peplin, Christopher, Del Vecchio, Domitilla, Verma, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewandroski, Sara
• Application Number:
  US12/796,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/117, 701/26, 340/907, 340/903, 340/436, 180/275, 700/255, 700/44
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

The present invention discloses a back-propagating intersection collision avoidance (ICA) system for preventing two or more vehicles from colliding at an intersection. The ICA system can calculate predicted positions of the two or more vehicles in the near future, and both the current and future positions can be broadcast to surrounding vehicles using vehicle-to-vehicle communication. For each vehicle, a set of states, for example position, speed, acceleration, and the like, where a collision is imminent can be identified using state information for a local vehicle, a remote vehicle, and a known collision zone for the intersection. If the current states of the vehicles are determined to be in danger of entering the collision zone, the ICA system can control the vehicles to perform evasive driving maneuvers and/or alert the drivers.

Claims

1. A back propagating intersection collision avoidance system for preventing two vehicles from colliding at an intersection, said system comprising:

a first vehicle and a second vehicle each operable to approach an intersection at a definable velocity and acceleration, said intersection having a collision zone;

a microprocessor having an algorithm, said microprocessor with said algorithm operable to;

back propagate from said collision zone a final capture set as an intersection of a first vehicle capture set and a second vehicle capture set, said first vehicle capture set and said second vehicle capture set covering control scenarios as a function of maximum torque and minimum torque of said first vehicle and said second vehicle, said final capture set defining a plurality of locations that if simultaneously occupied by said first vehicle and said second vehicle approaching said intersection, said first vehicle and said second vehicle are guaranteed to enter said collision zone at a same time; and

determine a collision avoidance scenario to prevent said first vehicle and said second vehicle from entering said collision zone at said same time; and

a controller operable to accelerate or de-accelerate each of said first vehicle and said second vehicle in accordance with said collision avoidance scenario in order to prevent at least one of said first vehicle and said second vehicle from entering said final capture set.

2. The system of claim 1, said first vehicle capture set defines a plurality of locations as a function of a position, velocity and acceleration of said first vehicle that guarantee said first vehicle will enter said collision zone within a first range of time, and said second vehicle capture set defines a plurality of locations as a function of position, velocity and acceleration of said second vehicle that guarantee said second vehicle will enter said collision zone within a second range of time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said microprocessor with said algorithm is operable to back propagate from said collision zone an updated final capture set as a function of an updated first and second vehicle position, velocity and acceleration as said first and second vehicle approach said intersection.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said microprocessor with said algorithm is attached to at least one of said first vehicle and said second vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said first vehicle has a first microprocessor and said second vehicle has a second microprocessor, each of said first and second microprocessors operable to:

back propagate from said collision zone said final capture set as a function of a position, velocity and acceleration of each of said first vehicle and said second vehicle, said final capture set defining a plurality of locations that if occupied by said first and second vehicle guarantee said first and second vehicle will enter said collision zone at a same time;

determine if each of said first vehicle and said second vehicle is within said final capture set; and

determine if each of said first and second vehicle will enter said final capture set.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said first microprocessor is in communication with said second microprocessor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said first vehicle has a first controller and said second vehicle has a second controller, said first controller in communication with said first microprocessor and operable to accelerate and de-accelerate said first vehicle, and said second controller in communication with said second microprocessor and operable to accelerate and de-accelerate said second vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said microprocessor with said algorithm is operable to back propagate said final capture set as a function of a position, velocity and acceleration of said first vehicle and said second vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said microprocessor with said algorithm is operable to:

determine if each of said first vehicle and said second vehicle is within said final capture set; and

determine if each of said first vehicle and said second vehicle will enter said final capture set given said position, velocity and acceleration of said first vehicle and said second vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said controller is in communication with said microprocessor with said algorithm and is operable to accelerate or de-accelerate each of said first vehicle and said second vehicle in order to prevent at least one of said first vehicle and said second vehicle from entering said final capture set, if said at least one of said first vehicle and said second vehicle is determined not to be within said final capture set by said microprocessor.

11. A process for avoiding an intersection collision between two vehicles approaching the intersection, the process comprising:

providing an intersection;

providing a collision zone for the intersection, the collision zone defining an area of the intersection where two vehicles cannot simultaneously occupy without colliding with each other;

providing a first vehicle approaching the intersection from a first direction and a second vehicle approaching the intersection from a second direction, the first vehicle and the second vehicle each having a position, velocity and acceleration at a given time t_o;

providing a microprocessor having an algorithm operable to;

back propagate from the collision zone to a final capture set that is an intersection of a first vehicle capture set and a second vehicle capture set, the first vehicle capture set and the second vehicle capture set covering control scenarios as a function of maximum torque and minimum torque of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the final capture set being a function of the position, velocity and acceleration of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the final capture set defining a plurality of locations for the first vehicle and the second vehicle that will guarantee the first vehicle and the second vehicle will enter the collision zone at the same time;

determine if at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle are in the final capture set; and

determine if at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle will enter the final capture set based on the velocity and acceleration of the first vehicle and the second vehicle at the given time t_o;

determine if at least one the first vehicle and the second vehicle should accelerate or de-accelerate in order to avoid entering the final capture set;

providing a controller, the controller in communication with the microprocessor with the algorithm and operable to accelerate or de-accelerate each of the first and second vehicles in order to prevent at least one of the first and second vehicles from entering the final capture set, if at least one of the first and second vehicles is not already within the final capture set;

back propagating the final capture set for the given time t_o;

determining if the first vehicle and the second vehicle will enter the final capture set; and

de-accelerating the first vehicle or the second vehicle if the first vehicle or second vehicle is not already within the final capture set and accelerating the first vehicle or the second vehicle if the first vehicle or second vehicle is already within the final capture set.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor having the algorithm is a first microprocessor with a first algorithm and a second microprocessor with a second algorithm.

13. The process of claim 12, wherein the first microprocessor back propagates a first vehicle capture set that defines a plurality of locations for the first vehicle that guarantees the first vehicle enter the collision zone given the position, velocity and acceleration of the first vehicle and the second microprocessor back propagates a second vehicle capture set that defines a plurality of locations for the second vehicle that guarantees the second vehicle enter the collision zone given the position, velocity and acceleration of the second vehicle.

14. The process of claim 13, wherein the first microprocessor is in communication with the second microprocessor.

15. The process of claim 14, wherein the first microprocessor is attached to the first vehicle and the second microprocessor is attached to the second vehicle.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the controller is a first controller attached to the first vehicle and in communication with the first microprocessor and a second controller attached to the second vehicle and in communication with the second microprocessor.

17. A back propagating intersection collision avoidance system for preventing two vehicles from colliding at an intersection, said system comprising:

a road intersection having a collision zone, said collision zone defining an area of said intersection where two or more vehicles will collide if said two or more vehicles enter at a same time;

a first vehicle and a second vehicle, said first vehicle and said second vehicle each operable to approach said road intersection at a definable velocity and acceleration;

said first vehicle having a first microprocessor with an algorithm and said second vehicle having a second microprocessor with an algorithm, said first and second microprocessor each operable to;

back propagate from said collision zone a final capture set as an intersection of a first vehicle capture set and a second vehicle capture set, said first vehicle capture set and said second vehicle capture set covering control scenarios as a function of maximum torque and minimum torque of said first vehicle and said second vehicle, said final capture set being a function of a position, velocity and acceleration of said first vehicle and said second vehicle and defining a plurality of locations for said first vehicle and said second vehicle that will guarantee said first vehicle and said second vehicle will enter said collision zone at said same time;

determine if at least one of said first vehicle and said second vehicle are in said final capture set; and

determine if at least one of said first vehicle and said second vehicle will enter said final capture set given said position, velocity and acceleration of said at least one of said first vehicle and said second vehicle;

a first controller and a second controller, said first controller in communication with said first microprocessor and said second controller in communication with said second microprocessor;

said first controller operable to accelerate and de-accelerate said first vehicle and said second controller operable to accelerate and de-accelerate said second vehicle, for the purpose of preventing at least one of said first vehicle and said second vehicle from entering said final capture set.