Vehicle detection systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11423779-B2
Application number	US-201916277887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2019
Priority date	Feb 15, 2019
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure are generally directed to vehicle detection systems and methods. In one exemplary embodiment, a vehicle detection system that is provided in a first vehicle receives a map generated by a vehicle detection system of a second vehicle. The map, which can be a cardinal map, for example, indicates a third vehicle that is detected by the vehicle detection system of the second vehicle and is undetectable by the first vehicle due to various reasons. For example, the first vehicle may fail to detect the third vehicle due to signal blocking caused by an intervening vehicle located between the first vehicle and the third vehicle, or due to the loss of radio-frequency (RF) signal reception by the vehicle detection system in the first vehicle. The second vehicle can detect the third vehicle by using radio-frequency (RF) signals and to convey the information to the first vehicle.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
transmitting, by a first vehicle detection system of a first vehicle, a request to identify vehicles undetectable by the first vehicle;
receiving, responsive to the request, by the first vehicle detection system, a first map generated by a second vehicle detection system of a second vehicle, the first map indicating a present location of at least a third vehicle, and the second vehicle detection system configured to use one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals for detecting the third vehicle;
determining, by a first computer in the first vehicle detection system, by processing the first map, at least a relative location of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle;
determining, by the first computer in the first vehicle detection system, that the third vehicle is within a threshold distance based on a plurality of factors, wherein the plurality of factors comprises a braking capability of the first vehicle, weather conditions, traffic density, and characteristics of a road;
presenting, by the first computer in the first vehicle detection system, the relative location of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle on the first map; and
operating, based on the determination that the third vehicle is within the threshold distance, the first vehicle to increase a separation distance between the third vehicle and the first vehicle or to change lanes,
wherein the first map is a cardinal map that indicates a cardinal direction of travel of the third vehicle, and wherein the cardinal map is partitioned into a set of segments that is defined by a user and is based at least in part on the plurality of factors.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first vehicle detection system is configured to communicate with the second vehicle detection system using one of a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications format or a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications format, and wherein the third vehicle is undetectable by the first vehicle detection system during at least a first time period when the first vehicle detection system is receiving the one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals from the second vehicle detection system.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the third vehicle is undetectable by the first vehicle detection system due to a loss of radio-frequency (RF) signal reception at an antenna of the first vehicle detection system.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing, by the first computer, a first segment in the set of segments for determining one or more of a cardinal direction of travel of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle, a cardinal separation distance between the third vehicle and the first vehicle, and a cardinal orientation of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, by the at least the first computer of the first vehicle, a second map comprising a location information of at least the second vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first map is a first cardinal map partitioned into a first set of segments defined by a first user and the second map is a second cardinal map partitioned into a second set of segments defined by a second user, and wherein determining, by the first computer, the relative location of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle comprises:
comparing the second cardinal map to the first cardinal map.

7. A method comprising:
transmitting, by a first vehicle detection system of a first vehicle, a request to identify vehicles undetectable by the first vehicle;
receiving, responsive to the request, by the first vehicle detection system, one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals transmitted by a second vehicle detection system of a second vehicle;
processing, by the first vehicle detection system of the first vehicle, the one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals to detect a third vehicle that is undetectable by the first vehicle detection system during at least a first time period when receiving the one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals from the second vehicle detection system;
determining, by the first vehicle detection system of the first vehicle, that the third vehicle is within a threshold distance based on a plurality of factors, wherein the plurality of factors comprises a braking capability of the first vehicle, weather conditions, traffic density, and characteristics of a road;
presenting, by the first vehicle detection system of the first vehicle, a relative location of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle on a first map; and
operating, based on the determination that the third vehicle is within the threshold distance, the first vehicle to increase a separation distance between the third vehicle and the first vehicle or to change lanes,
wherein the first map is a cardinal map that indicates a cardinal direction of travel of the third vehicle, and wherein the cardinal map is partitioned into a set of segments that is defined by a user and is based at least in part on the plurality of factors.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first vehicle detection system is configured to communicate with the second vehicle detection system using one of a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications format or a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications format for receiving the one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals are utilized to propagate a first map from the second vehicle detection system to the first vehicle detection system, and wherein processing the one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals by the first vehicle detection system to detect the third vehicle comprises processing the first map to detect the third vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first vehicle detection system of the first vehicle includes a first computer, and further comprising:
processing, by the first computer, a first segment in the set of segments for determining one or more of a cardinal direction of travel of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle, a cardinal separation distance between the third vehicle and the first vehicle, and a cardinal orientation of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first vehicle detection system of the first vehicle includes a first computer, and further comprising:
generating, by the at least the first computer, a second cardinal map comprising a location information of at least the second vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining, by the first computer, a relative location of the third vehicle with respect to the first vehicle by comparing the second cardinal map to the first cardinal map, wherein the first cardinal map is partitioned into a first set of segments defined by a first user, and wherein the second cardinal map is partitioned into a second set of segments defined by a second user.

13. A system comprising:
a first vehicle detection system comprising:
a communications module;
at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and
at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to at least:
transmit, through the communications module, a request to identify vehicles undetectable by a first vehicle comprising the first vehicle detection system;
receive, responsive to the request, through the communications module, from a second vehicle detection system of a second vehicle, one or more radio-frequency (RF) signals;
processing the o

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Ibrahim Samer
• Das Sushanta

Classifications

• B60W50/14

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title

• G08G1/0141

  for traffic information dissemination · CPC title

• B60W2050/0043

  Signal treatments, identification of variables or parameters, parameter estimation or state estimation · CPC title

• G08G1/163

  involving continuous checking · CPC title

• B60W2050/143

  Alarm means · CPC title