Methods and systems for providing alerts to a driver of a vehicle via condition detection and wireless communications

• US 9,824,582 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2017
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lopez-Hinojosa, Brennan T., Lopez, Kermit D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US15/396,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20170169707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 340435, 340903, 340439, 340436, 340576, 340438, 34053913, 701 36, 701538, 701 23, 701 2, 701123, 701408, 701 70, 701 1, 701 49, 348118
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 9/00 Reinforcements or ply arrangement of pneumatic tyres inserts having reinforcing means B60C5/08; bead structure, e.g. turnup or overlap construction, B60C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Methods and system for alerting a vehicle driver via wireless communications. One or more conditions with respect to a vehicle are monitored. A change in the condition can be detected and a signal automatically and wirelessly transmitted to a computing device, wherein the signal is indicative of the change in condition(s). The driver is then alerted to the change in condition(s) in response to transmitting the signal to the computing device (e.g., a tablet computing device, smartphone, smartwatch, other wearable device, in-vehicle system, etc.) associated with the driver and/or a vehicle passenger.

Claims

1. A system for alerting a vehicle driver via wireless communications, said system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, said computer-usable medium capable of communicating with said at least one processor, said computer program code comprising instructions executable by said at least one processor and configured for;

monitoring at least one condition external to a vehicle while said vehicle is in operation and a driver of said vehicle is located in a driver seat of said vehicle and said vehicle is stopped;

detecting a change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle during said monitoring of said at least one condition while said vehicle is stopped;

transmitting a signal wirelessly to a computing device, said signal indicative of said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle; and

alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle after transmission of said signal to said computing device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said instructions for alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle after transmission of said signal to said computing device, further comprises instructions configure for:

providing an audible alert via a speaker associated with said computing device, said audible alert indicative of said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said instructions for alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle after transmission of said signal to said computing device, further comprises instructions configured for:

establishing a wireless connection between said computing device and a radio system of said vehicle;

providing an audible alert from said computing device indicative of said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle, wherein said audible alert is broadcast via said radio system, after said establishing said wireless connection between said computing device and said radio system of said vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one condition comprises at least one condition of a traffic light and said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle comprises a change in said at least one condition of said traffic light.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said computing device comprises at least one of a smartphone and a tablet computing device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one condition external to said vehicle comprises a stop light condition and said change in said at least one condition comprises a change from one stop light color to another stop light color.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein instructions for alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition after transmission of said signal to said computing device, further comprises instructions configured for:

establishing a wireless connection between said computing device and a radio system of said vehicle;

providing an audible alert from said computing device indicative of said change in said at least one condition via said radio system.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said instructions for monitoring a condition external to a vehicle while said vehicle is in operation and a driver of said vehicle is located in a driver seat of said vehicle, further comprises instructions configured for:

monitoring said at least one condition with a camera that communicates with said computing device.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said instructions are further configured for:

tracking and recording in a memory of a computing system data indicative of a number of times said driver is alerted to said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle while said vehicle is stopped.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said instructions are further configured for:

periodically retrieving said data from said memory; and

transmitting said data wirelessly from said computing system to a central repository for further storage and analysis.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said signal is transmitted wirelessly to said computing device through a bidirectional wireless communications network.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one condition external to said vehicle is monitored by at least one sensor and at least one video camera.

18. The system of claim 8 wherein said camera comprises a wireless video camera.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said computing device comprises an in-vehicle system that provides an alert indicative of said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle after said transmission of said signal to said computing device, said in-vehicle system associated with said vehicle.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein said monitoring said at least one condition external to said vehicle, further comprises determining how far said at least one condition is from said vehicle.

11. A method for alerting a vehicle driver via wireless communications, said method comprising:

monitoring at least one condition with respect to a vehicle with said video camera while said vehicle is stopped;

detecting a change in said at least one condition during said monitoring of said at least one condition with a video camera wherein said change in said at least one condition is detected by said video camera while said vehicle is stopped;

transmitting a signal wirelessly to a computing device, said signal indicative of said change in said at least one condition detected by said video camera; and

alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition in response to transmitting said signal to said computing device, wherein said alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition, further comprises establishing a wireless connection between said computing device and a radio system of said vehicle and providing an audible alert from said computing device indicative of said change in said at least one condition via said radio system; and

wherein said wireless connection comprises a PAN (Personal Area Network) and wherein said instructions for alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition further comprise instructions configured for alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition by a text message displayable through said computing device and simultaneously broadcast as a voice alert through said computing device and said radio system, said voice alert including said audible alert.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said computing device comprises at least one of a smartphone and a tablet computing device.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said instructions for alerting said driver of said change in said at least one condition are further configured for providing an audible alert via a speaker associated with said computing device, said audible alert indicative of said change in said at least one condition while said vehicle is stopped.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said video camera comprises a 360 degree video camera and wherein said at least one condition is monitored by automatically analyzing video data obtained from said 360 degree video camera utilizing anomaly detection in association with machine learning and GPS data obtained from said system.

15. The system of clam 1 wherein said at least one condition external to said vehicle comprises a pedestrian and said change in said at least one condition external to said vehicle comprises a movement of said pedestrian.