Systems and methods for reporting real-time handling characteristics

• US 9,123,250 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Duncan, William David, Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Petroski, Robert C., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US14/098,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20150161893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

A vehicle may include a monitoring unit configured to determine a time-varying handling characteristic of the vehicle. The time-varying handling characteristic may include a characteristic of vehicle performance in executing maneuvers, a status of a vehicle component (e.g., tires, brakes, drivetrain, etc.), and/or the like. The time-varying handling characteristic may be transmitted to one or more nearby vehicles to improve the ability of manual operators and/or automatic-driving software of the nearby vehicles to predict the performance of the vehicle in executing maneuvers, to be aware of a failure (or likely failure) of a vehicle component, and/or the like. Record of the transmission of the time-varying handling characteristic and/or of any acknowledgements of receipt of the time-varying handling characteristic by the nearby vehicles may be logged to a persistent storage device.

Claims

1. A system for reporting real-time handling capabilities of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a monitoring unit configured to,

determine one or more current conditions of the vehicle;

determine a time-varying handling characteristic of the vehicle based on the one or more current conditions of the vehicle, wherein the time-varying handling characteristic comprises a predicted handling capability that varies based on the one or more conditions of the vehicle; and

a communication unit configured to transmit the time-varying handling characteristic to a nearby vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the time-varying handling characteristic comprises a braking distance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the time-varying handling characteristic comprises an acceleration.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the time-varying handling characteristic comprises a linear acceleration.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the time-varying handling characteristic comprises a rotational acceleration.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the time-varying handling characteristic comprises a deceleration.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit determines the time-varying handling characteristic based on the one or more conditions comprising a vehicle velocity.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit determines the time-varying handling characteristic based on the one or more conditions comprising an engine rotation speed.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit determines the time-varying handling characteristic based on the one or more conditions comprising a gear ratio.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit determines the time-varying handling characteristic based on the one or more conditions comprising a power output from an electric motor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit determines the time-varying handling characteristic based on the one or more conditions comprising an occupant status.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the occupant status comprises an ability to perform a maneuver without injuring an occupant.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is further configured to transmit a planned maneuver.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication unit is further configured to transmit anticipated changes in the time-varying handling characteristic as the planned maneuver is executed.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication unit is further configured to transmit an anticipated performance in executing the planned maneuver.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication unit is further configured to transmit an achieved performance in executing the planned maneuver.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the time-varying handling characteristic using radio-frequency radiation.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the time-varying handling characteristic using optical radiation.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the nearby vehicle is unassociated with the vehicle.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code configured to cause a processor to perform a method for reporting real-time handling capabilities of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining one or more current conditions of the vehicle;

determining a time-varying handling characteristic of the vehicle based on the one or more current conditions of the vehicle, wherein the time-varying handling characteristic comprises a predicted handling capability that varies based on the one or more conditions of the vehicle; and

transmitting the time-varying handling characteristic to a nearby vehicle.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein transmitting the time-varying handling characteristic comprises transmitting a minimum value of the time-varying handling characteristic.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining the one or more current conditions comprises determining a tire status.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining one or more current conditions comprises determining a brake status.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more current conditions comprises a drivetrain status.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more current conditions comprises a current weight.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining the one or more current conditions comprises determining a weight distribution.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more current conditions comprises a characteristic of a trailer.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more current conditions comprises a wind loading.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the time one or more current conditions comprises an aerodynamic loading.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining the time-varying handling characteristic comprises determining the time-varying handling characteristic based on the one or more current conditions comprising a location of another vehicle.

31. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the location of the other vehicle affects aerodynamic loading of the vehicle.

32. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the location of the other vehicle affects obscuration of a field of view of the vehicle.

33. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises receiving reported handling characteristics from a reporting vehicle.

34. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein determining the time-varying handling characteristics comprises determining the time-varying handling characteristic based on the reported handling characteristics of the reporting vehicle.

35. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises receiving a planned maneuver from a reporting vehicle.

36. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein determining the time-varying handling characteristics comprises determining the time-varying handling characteristic based on the planned maneuver of the reporting vehicle.

37. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises receiving an acknowledgement of receipt of the time-varying handling characteristic.

38. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the method further comprises saving the acknowledgement of receipt of the time-varying handling characteristic to a persistent computer readable storage medium.