Camera assisted vehicle lamp diagnosis via vehicle-to-vehicle communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10336254-B2
Application number	US-201715494380-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2017
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for camera assisted vehicle lamp diagnosis via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. An example vehicle includes a forward-facing camera and a processor. The processor classifies a target vehicle based on images captured by the camera. Based on the classification, the processor determines locations of lamps on the target vehicle and determines when one of the lamps is not functioning properly. Additionally, when one of the lamps is not functioning properly, the processor sends, via a first communication module, a message to the target vehicle indicating of one of the lamps not functioning properly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a camera;
a first communication module; and
a processor to:
classify a make and model of a target vehicle based on images captured by the camera;
based on the make and model, determine locations of lamps on the target vehicle;
determine when one of the lamps is not functioning properly; and
when one of the lamps is not functioning properly, send, via the first communication module, an alert to the target vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , including an ambient light sensor, and wherein to determine when one of the lamps is not functioning properly, the processor is configured to determine an expected illumination value for each of the lamps based on an ambient light measurement from the ambient light sensor.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein to determine when one of the lamps is not functioning properly, the processor is configured to measure an actual illumination value for each of the lamps based on the images captured by the camera.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , including a second communication module, and wherein to determine the make and model of the target vehicle based on the images captured by the camera, the processor is configured to upload the images to an image recognition server via the second communication module.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the processor is configured to receive, via the second communication module, the make and model of the target vehicle from the image recognition server.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , including onboard memory with a database that associates the make and model of the target vehicle with the locations of the lamps of the target vehicle.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine when high beam lamps of the target vehicle are activated.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein, responsive to determining that the high beam lamps of the target vehicle are activated and the target vehicle is traveling in an opposite direction as the vehicle, the processor is configured to send, via the first communication module, a message to the target vehicle requesting the high beam lamps be deactivated.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to utilize image recognition to determine the make and model based on the images captured by the camera.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 , further including onboard memory with a database that associates makes and models of vehicles with lamp locations of the vehicles, wherein the processor is configured to access the database to determine the locations of the lamps of the target vehicle based on the make and model of the target vehicle.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the make and model of the target vehicle further based upon communication between the first communication module and the target vehicle.

12. A method for a host vehicle comprising:
detecting, with range detection sensors, a target vehicle;
classifying, with a processor, a make and model of the target vehicle based on images captured by a camera;
based on the make and model, determining locations of lamps on the target vehicle;
calculating illumination values for the lamps on the target vehicle;
determining, based on the illumination values, whether the lamps are not functioning properly; and
responsive to determining that the lamps are not functioning properly, sending, with a communications module, a message to the target vehicle that causes the target vehicle to provide a warning to a driver.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining whether the lamps are not functioning properly includes determining, with an ambient light sensor, whether area around the host vehicle is dark.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining whether the lamps are not functioning properly includes, when the area around the host vehicle is dark, determining whether one of a set of head lights of the target vehicle is not functioning properly.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein, responsive to determining that one of the set of head lights of the target vehicle is not functioning properly, the message indicates that the one of the set of head lights is malfunctioning.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining whether the lamps are not functioning properly includes, when the area around the host vehicle is dark, determining whether all of the head lights of the target vehicle are not functioning properly.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein, responsive to determining that all of the head lights of the target vehicle are not functioning properly, the message indicates that the driver of the target vehicle forgot to turn on the head lights.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining whether the lamps are not functioning properly includes, when the area around the host vehicle is not dark, determining whether daylight running lights are required by law.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein, responsive to determining that the daylight running lights are required by law, determining, based on the images captured by the camera, whether the daylight running lights of the target vehicle are illuminated.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein, responsive to determining that the daylight running lights of the target vehicle are not illuminated, the message indicates that the daylight running lights of the target vehicle are malfunctioning.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Boesch Mathew A
• Makled Daniel A
• Mcquillen Michael

Classifications

• G01M11/068

  with part of the measurements done from inside the vehicle · CPC title

• G07C5/0866

  the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• B60Q11/005 Primary

  for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not · CPC title

• G08G1/096791

  where the origin of the information is another vehicle · CPC title