Infrastructure-device status-verification system for automated vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10685247-B2
Application number	US-201615083520-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2016
Priority date	Mar 29, 2016
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

An infrastructure-device status-verification system suitable for use by an automated vehicle includes a transceiver, an object-detector, and a controller. The transceiver is suitable to install on a host-vehicle. The transceiver is used to receive an indicated-status of an infrastructure-device. The object-detector is suitable to install on the host-vehicle. The object-detector is used to determine a detected-status of the infrastructure-device. The controller is in communication with the transceiver and the object-detector. The controller determines a confirmed-status of the infrastructure-device based on the indicated-status and the detected-status. The system provides for increased confidence and security regarding information about the status of an infrastructure-device such as the traffic-signal (e.g. red, yellow, and green), thereby avoid miss-information caused by, for example, hacking or spoofing of V2I communications from the infrastructure-device, and overcome instances when the field-of-view between the object-detector and the infrastructure-device 26 becomes occluded after the confirmed-status has been established or determined.

First claim

We claim:

1. An infrastructure-device status-verification system, comprising:
a transceiver installed on a host-vehicle, said transceiver used to receive an indicated-status of an infrastructure-device proximate to the host-vehicle;
an object-detector installed on the host-vehicle, said object-detector used to determine a detected-status of the infrastructure-device;
a controller in communication with the transceiver and the object-detector, wherein the controller:
compares the indicated-status and detected-status;
determines, based on the comparing, whether the indicated-status and detected-status match;
in accordance with determining that the indicated-status and the detected-status match;
establishes a confirmed-status;
determines whether a change in the indicated-status or the detected-status has occurred;

in accordance with determining a change in the detected-status due to a field-of-view between the object-detector and infrastructure-device being occluded,
maintains the confirmed-status based on the indicated-status for an occlusion-time so long as the indicated-status remains unchanged; and

in accordance with determining a change in the indicated-status due to a wireless transmission used to determine the indicated-status being interrupted,
maintains the confirmed-status based on the detected-status for an interruption-time so long as the detected-status remaings unchanged, wherein the interruption-time is different than the occlusion-time.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the object-detector is a camera, the infrastructure-device is a traffic-signal operable to selectively emit a light characterized by a color, and the detected-status and the indicated-status are indicative of the color emitted by the traffic signal.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure-device is a gate operable to a state including an open-state that allows traffic to pass by the gate and a closed-state that prevents traffic from passing by the gate, and the detected-status and the indicated-status are indicative of the state of the gate.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the innfrastructure-device is a reconfigurable-sign proximate to the host-vehicle and operable to broadcast sign-content from which the indicated-status is determined, and the object-detector is operable to detect the sign-content from which the detected-status is determined.

5. The system in accordance with claim 4 , wherein object-detector is a camera and the detected-status is determined using character-recognition of a camera image.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure-device is a walk/don't walk sign operable to broadcast a signal from which the indicated-status is determined, and the object-detector is operable to detect a pedestrian proximate to the host-vehicle from which the detected-status is determined.

7. The system in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the gate controls access to a parking garage.

8. The system in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the gate state is broadcast to the host-vehicle in a wireless-transmission, and the wireless-transmission includes information about where vacant parking-spots are located within a parking garage.

9. A method comprising:
receiving, using a transceiver installed on a host-vehicle, an indicated-status of an infrastructure-device proximate to the host-vehicle;
determining, using an object-detector installed on the host-vehicle, a detected-status of the infrastructure-device;
using a controller of the host-vehicle to:
compare the indicated-status and detected-status;
determine, based on the comparing, whether the indicated-status and detected-status match;
in accordance with determining that the indicated-status and the detected-status match,
establish a establish a confirmed-status;
determine whether a change in the indicated-status or the detected-status has occurred;

in accordance with determining a change in the detected-status due to a field-of-view between the object-detector and infrastructure-device being occluded,
maintain the confirmed-status based on the indicated-status for an occlusion-time so long as the indicated-status remains unchanged; and

in accordance with determining a change in the indicated-status due to a wireless transmission used to determine the indicated-status being interrupted,
maintain the confirmed-status based on the detected-status for an interruption-time so long as the detected-status remains unchanged, wherein the interruption-time is different than the occlusion-time.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the object-detector is a camera, the infrastructure-device is a traffic-signal operable to selectively emit a light characterized by a color, and the detected-status and the indicated-status are indivcative of the color emitted by the traffic signal.

11. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the infrastructure-device is a gate operable to a state including an open-state that allows traffic to pass by the gate and a closed-state that prevents traffic from passing by the gate, and the detected-status and indicated-status are indicative of the state of the gate.

12. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the infrastructure-device is a walk/don't walk sign operable to broadcast a signal from which the indicated-status is determined, and the object-detector is operable to detect a pedestrian proximate to the host-vehicle from which the detected-status is determined.

13. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the infrastructure-device is a reconfigurable-sign proximate to the host-vehicle and operable to broadcast sign-content from which the indicated-status is determined, and the object-detector is operable to detect the sign-content from which the detected-status is determined.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13 , whererin object-detector is a camera and the detected-status is determined using character-recognition of a camera image.

15. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the gate controls access to a parking garage.

16. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the gate state is broadcast to the host-vehicle in a wireless-transmission, and the wireless-transmission includes information about where vacant parking-spots are located within a parking garage.

17. A non-transitory, compter-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, that when executed by controller in a host-vehicle, cause the controller to perform operations comprising:
receiving, using a transceiver installed on the host-vehicle, an indicated-status of an infrastructure-device proximate to the host-vehicle;
determining, using an object-detector installed on the host-vehicle, a detected-status of the infrastructure-device;
compare the indicate-status and detected-status;
determine, based on the comparing, whether the indicated-status and detected-status match;
in accordance with determining that the indicated-status and the detected-status match,
establish a confirmed-status;

determine whether a change in the indicated-status or the detected-status has occurred;
in accordance with determining a change in the detected-status due to a field-of-view between the object-detector and infrastructure-device being occluded,
maintain the confirmed-status based on the indicated-status for an occlusion-time so long as the indicated-status remains unchanged; and

in accordance with determining a change in the indicated-status due to a wireless transmission used to det

Assignees

• Aptiv Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Bhatia Gaurav
• Lee Jong Ho
• Kim Junsung

Classifications

• G08G1/096725 Primary

  where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control · CPC title

• G06V20/584 Primary

  of vehicle lights or traffic lights · CPC title

• H04L63/00

  Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00) · CPC title

• G06F11/00

  Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring (error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00) · CPC title

• G08G1/09675

  where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle · CPC title