Systems and methods for predicting weather performance for a vehicle

• US 9,616,897 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fathym, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fathym, Inc.
• Inventors: Powers, Richard M., Mickey, John C., Reeves, E. Duer
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US14/882,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20160137208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/26 Wheel slip
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/068 Road friction coefficient
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 13/04 movable to allow or prevent passage E01F13/12, E01F15/12 take precedence; removing part of barrier for occasional passage E01F13/024; gates for allowing passage through fences E06B11/02
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/40 Arrangements responsive to adverse atmospheric conditions, e.g. to signal icy roads or to automatically illuminate in fog; Arrangements characterised by heating or drying means
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 : Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096708 : where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates 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 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 : where the route is computed offboard

Abstract

Systems and methods for obtaining data about road conditions as they pertain to an individual vehicle, using this information to build a model of vehicle behavior as a function of its environment, and aggregating information concerning multiple vehicles along with data from other sources in order to predict vehicle behavior in future environments.

Claims

1. A method for use in predicting vehicle performance over a road segment, comprising:

establishing a wireless connection between a vehicle moving along a travel path and a database having road surface information for said travel path of the vehicle, wherein said road surface information is compiled from vehicles previously passing over at least a portion of said travel path;

accessing said road surface information from the database for one or more upcoming road segments along said travel path;

accessing stored profile information for the vehicle, wherein said profile information includes at least one vehicle performance characteristic indexed to road surface conditions;

calculating a vehicle performance value for the vehicle for at least one of said upcoming road segments along said travel path using said stored profile information and said road surface information; and

upon said vehicle performance value exceeding a predetermined threshold, generating an output for receipt by an occupant of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the wireless connection further comprises:

identifying a current location of the vehicle and at least one substantially current environmental condition for the current location of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle performance value is further calculated based at least in part on the current environmental condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the substantially current environmental condition is determined by an on-board sensor of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the substantially current environmental condition is determined by one or more roadway sensors affixed to infrastructure of the travel path.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing stored profile information for the vehicle further comprises:

identifying a vehicle type and accessing profile information corresponding to the vehicle type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing stored profile information for the vehicle further comprises:

identifying the vehicle and accessing a vehicle profile specific to the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle profile is generated by the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein accessing stored profile information for the vehicle comprises accessing a memory unit co-located with the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing weather information for the travel path of the vehicle, where the vehicle performance value is further calculated based at least in part on the weather information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the weather information is acquired from received from vehicles previously passing over at least a portion of the travel path.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the weather information is acquired from a weather forecast model.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the road surface information comprises coefficient of friction information associated with tire to road interface information determined by prior vehicles traveling over at least a portion of the travel path.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the vehicle performance value comprises calculating an estimated wheel slip of the vehicle for the at least one upcoming road segment.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored profile information comprises wheel slip information indexed to road coefficient of friction information for at least two environmental conditions.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the road surface information comprises at least one of:

road surface temperature;

road surface precipitation;

road surface grade;

road surface type; and

road surface coefficient of friction.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the output comprises an alternate route suggestion.