Apparatus and method for safety improvement by collaborative autonomous vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11004338-B2
Application number	US-201916518392-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2019
Priority date	Dec 18, 2017
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

In embodiments, an apparatus for safety collaboration in autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles may include an input interface to obtain sensor data from one or more sensors of a computer-assisted or autonomous driving (CA/AD) vehicle, an output interface, and an analyzer coupled to the input and output interfaces to process the sensor data to identify an emergency condition of the CA/AD vehicle, and in response to the identified emergency condition, cause a communication interface of the CA/AD vehicle, via the output interface, to broadcast a request for assistance to be received by one or more nearby CA/AD vehicles. In embodiments, the apparatus may be disposed in the CA/AD vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for a computer-assisted or autonomous driving (CA/AD) vehicle to assist another CA/AD vehicle in a situation, comprising:
an input interface disposed on the CA/AD vehicle to receive, via a communication interface of the CA/AD vehicle, a request for assistance from the other CA/AD vehicle in the situation;
an analyzer disposed on the CA/AD vehicle and coupled to the input interface to process and analyze the request for assistance from the other CA/AD vehicle, and generate one or more response options to address the situation, with at least some of the one or more response options involving some assistance to be provided by the CA/AD vehicle to the other CA/AD vehicle in addressing the situation; and
an output interface disposed in the CA/AD vehicle and coupled to the analyzer to output the one or more response options for transmission to the other CA/AD vehicle, via the communication interface of the CA/AD vehicle, to propose the one or more response options to the other CA/AD vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more response options transmitted to the other CA/AD vehicle includes assistance to be provided by the CA/AD vehicle to the other CA/AD vehicle in addressing the situation, if the particular response option includes assistance to be provided by the CA/AD vehicle to the other CA/AD vehicle in addressing the situation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the input interface is further arranged to receive an emergency response plan from the other CA/AD vehicle, the emergency response plan being formulated by the other CA/AD vehicle taking into consideration at least the one or more response options proposed to the other CA/AD vehicle, by the CA/AD vehicle;
the analyzer is further arranged to process the emergency response plan to identify assistance selected by the other CA/AD vehicle to be provided by the CA/AD vehicle;
the output interface is further arranged to output the identified assistance to one or more controllers of the apparatus or the CA/AD vehicle to provide the identified assistance to the other CA/AD vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the apparatus further comprises some of the one or more controllers.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the analyzer is further arranged to take into consideration, as part of the generation of the one or more response options, size, mass, speed, location, passenger or any special resource or constraint of the CA/AD vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the input interface is further arranged to receive sensor data associated with size, mass, speed, location, passenger or any special resource or constraint of the CA/AD vehicle, from one or more sensors of the apparatus or the CA/AD vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising some of the one or more sensors.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the analyzer is arranged to further set a timer on receipt of the request for assistance.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the analyzer is arranged to further close the request for assistance on expiration of the timer or on receipt of an indication of resolution of the situation from the other CA/AD vehicle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the input interface is further arranged to receive, via the communication interface, the indication of resolution of the situation from the other CA/AD vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a distress controller having the input interface, the output interface and the analyzer.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed by a controller disposed in a CA/AD vehicle cause the controller, to:
receive an emergency response plan from another CA/AD vehicle, the emergency response plan being formulated by the other CA/AD vehicle taking into consideration at least one or more response options proposed to the other CA/AD vehicle, by the CA/AD vehicle, to address an emergency the other CA/AD vehicle is in or about to be in;
process the emergency response plan to identify assistance selected by the other CA/AD vehicle to be provided by the CA/AD vehicle to assist the other CA/AD vehicle in addressing the emergency; and
output the identified assistance to one or more additional controllers of the CA/AD vehicle to provide the identified assistance to the other CA/AD vehicle to assist the other CA/AD vehicle in addressing the emergency.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further caused to:
receive, prior to receipt of the emergency plan, a request for assistance from the other CA/AD vehicle to address the emergency;
process and analyze the request for assistance from the other CA/AD vehicle, and generate the one or more response options to address the emergency, with at least some of the one or more response options involving some assistance to be provided by the CA/AD vehicle to the other CA/AD vehicle in addressing the emergency; and
output the one or more response options for transmission to the other CA/AD vehicle to propose the one or more response options to the other CA/AD vehicle.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein each of the one or more response options transmitted to the other CA/AD vehicle includes assistance to be provided by the CA/AD vehicle to the other CA/AD vehicle in addressing the emergency, if the particular response option includes assistance to be provided by the CA/AD vehicle to the other CA/AD vehicle in addressing the emergency.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further caused to take into consideration, as part of the generation of the one or more response options, size, mass, speed, location, passenger or any special resource or constraint of the CA/AD vehicle.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further caused to receive sensor data associated with size, mass, speed, location, passenger or any special resource or constraint of the CA/AD vehicle, from one or more sensors of an apparatus or the CA/AD vehicle.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further caused to set a timer on receipt of the request for assistance.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17 , wherein the controller is further caused to close the request for assistance on expiration of the timer or on receipt of an indication of resolution of the emergency from the other CA/AD vehicle.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the controller is further caused to receive, via a communication interface, the indication of resolution of the emergency from the other CA/AD vehicle.

20. A method of collaboratively responding to emergency conditions in computer-assisted or autonomous driving (CA/AD) vehicles, comprising:
receiving, by a CA/AD vehicle, a request for assistance from another CA/AD vehicle to address a situation;
setting, by the CA/AD vehicle, a timer on receipt of the request for assistance; and
closing, by the CA/AD vehicle, the request for assistance on expiration of the timer or on receipt of an indication of resolution of the situation from the other CA/AD vehicle.

21.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Priev Avi

Classifications

• G08G1/162 Primary

  event-triggered · CPC title

• G08G1/166

  for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes · CPC title

• G05D2201/0213

  Physics · mapped topic

• G05D1/0061

  for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa · CPC title

• G05D1/0214 Primary

  in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas (monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13) · CPC title