Traffic-adaptive deployment of vehicle functions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11455890-B2
Application number	US-202016827196-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2020
Priority date	Mar 23, 2020
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

In an example, a method receives vehicle data for a plurality of vehicles associated with a geographic region. The method determines, based on the vehicle data, a connected vehicle status of the geographic region. The connected vehicle status reflects an estimated number of connected vehicles in the geographic region at a point in time. The method determines, based on the estimated number of connected vehicles, one or more vehicle functions to be deployed by a server associated with the geographic region. The method deploys, by the server, the one or more vehicle functions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving vehicle data for a plurality of vehicles associated with a geographic region;
predicting, based on the vehicle data, a connected vehicle status of the geographic region, the connected vehicle status reflecting an estimated number of connected vehicles in the geographic region at a future point in time;
determining, based on the estimated number of connected vehicles, one or more vehicle functions to be deployed at the future point in time to a first connected vehicle of the plurality of vehicles associated with the geographic region by a server associated with the geographic region, the first connected vehicle being communicatively coupled with the server at the future point in time;
processing, by the server associated with the geographic region, data for deploying the one or more vehicle functions in advance of the future point in time; and
deploying, by the server, the one or more vehicle functions to the first connected vehicle at the future point in time when the first connected vehicle is in the geographic region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein deploying the one or more vehicle functions includes:
computing, by the server prior to the future point in time, an operating parameter for a first vehicle function from the one or more vehicle functions, the first vehicle function associated with the first connected vehicle from the plurality of vehicles.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining that the first connected vehicle is within the geographic region; and
transmitting function data including the operating parameter associated with the first vehicle function to the first connected vehicle for executing the first vehicle function based on the operating parameter.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first vehicle function and the operating parameter associated with the first vehicle function include one or more of:
the first vehicle function is a function to minimize travel time and the operating parameter includes one or more of:
an average roadway speed associated with one or more road segments,
an average lane speed associated with one or more lanes, and
a traffic signal duration associated with one or more intersections; and

the first vehicle function is a function to increase traffic safety and the operating parameter includes one or more of:
a driving pattern or a driving score of one or more vehicles located on the one or more road segments, and
a situation location and an impact zone of one or more traffic situations in the geographic region.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
predicting the connected vehicle status of the geographic region includes estimating a vehicle dynamic of the first connected vehicle in the geographic region; and
deploying the one or more vehicle functions includes computing function data for a first vehicle function associated with the first connected vehicle based on the estimated vehicle dynamic of the first connected vehicle in the geographic region.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the estimated vehicle dynamic of the first connected vehicle includes one or more of a travel path of the first connected vehicle in the geographic region, an estimated vehicle speed and an estimated vehicle location of the first connected vehicle in the geographic region at one or more timestamps.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of vehicles associated with the geographic region includes one or more vehicles located in the geographic region and one or more vehicles located within a predefined distance from the geographic region; and
predicting the connected vehicle status of the geographic region includes:
determining, based on the vehicle data associated with the plurality of vehicles, one or more connected vehicles that will be in the geographic region at the future point in time; and
determining the estimated number of connected vehicles in the geographic region at the future point in time based on the one or more connected vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein predicting the connected vehicle status of the geographic region includes:
estimating, based on the vehicle data associated with the plurality of vehicles, a future traffic condition of one or more road segments associated with the geographic region;
receiving trip data of the first connected vehicle in the plurality of vehicles, the trip data including a vehicle route and a departure time of the first connected vehicle; and
estimating, based on the future traffic condition of the one or more road segments and the trip data of the first connected vehicle, one or more of an enter time, an exit time, a serving duration, and a vehicle dynamic of the first connected vehicle in the geographic region.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining one or more first vehicle functions for one or more connected vehicles in the geographic region of the server at the future point in time;
determining a priority level for a first vehicle function in one or more first vehicle functions based on one or more of:
a number of connected vehicles associated with the first vehicle function in the geographic region at the future point in time,
an enter time and a serving duration in the geographic region of the first connected vehicle associated with the first vehicle function, and
a vehicle priority metric of the first connected vehicle and an urgency metric of the first vehicle function; and

determining, from the one or more first vehicle functions, the one or more vehicle functions to be deployed by the server based on the priority level of the first vehicle function.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more vehicle functions to be deployed by the server includes:
determining that a second vehicle function is not deployed by the server based on a priority level of the second vehicle function; and
requesting one or more second connected vehicles associated with the second vehicle function to select one or more of a different option of the second vehicle function and a different vehicle function.

11. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations including:
receiving vehicle data for a plurality of vehicles associated with a geographic region;
predicting, based on the vehicle data, a connected vehicle status of the geographic region, the connected vehicle status reflecting an estimated number of connected vehicles in the geographic region at a future point in time;
determining, based on the estimated number of connected vehicles, one or more vehicle functions to be deployed at the future point in time to a first connected vehicle of the plurality of vehicles associated with the geographic region by a server associated with the geographic region, the first connected vehicle being communicatively coupled with the server at the future point in time;
processing, by the server associated with the geographic region, data for deploying the one or more vehicle functions in advance of the future point in time; and
deploying, by the server, the one or more vehicle functions to the first connected vehicle when the first connected vehicle is in the geographic region.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein deploying the one or more vehicle functions includes:
computing, by the server prior to the future point in time, an operating parameter for a first vehicle function from the one or more vehicle functions, the first vehicle function associated with the first connected vehicle from the plurality

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America
• Toyota Motor Eng & Mfg North America Inc

Inventors

• Yang Hao
• Oguchi Kentaro

Classifications

• G08G1/091

  Traffic information broadcasting (broadcasting communication H04H) · CPC title

• G08G1/052

  with provision for determining speed or overspeed {(speed measuring in general G01P)} · CPC title

• H04W4/021

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• G08G1/20 Primary

  Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles · CPC title

• G08G1/0133

  for classifying traffic situation · CPC title