Reduction of the risk of collision with an obscured motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12387602-B2
Application number	US-202117925809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2021
Priority date	May 18, 2020
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

Technologies and techniques for reducing a collision risk between a first motor vehicle and a second motor vehicle. At least a first vehicle-to-environment message is transmitted by the first motor vehicle and received by the second motor vehicle. Using a second computing unit of the second motor vehicle, it is determined, depending on the vehicle-to-environment message, whether a risk situation exists in which the first motor vehicle is obscured by a preceding third motor vehicle. The second computing unit executes a criticality analysis to determine that the risk situation exists and, depending on the result of the criticality analysis, a risk-reducing measure is initiated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for reducing a risk of collision between a first motor vehicle and a second motor vehicle, comprising:
receiving at least one first vehicle-to-environment message at a second computing unit of the second motor vehicle, from the first motor vehicle, wherein the message comprises real-time sensor data generated by at least one environmental sensor of the first motor vehicle, the real-time sensor data comprising radar, lidar, or camera data indicative of a position of a third motor vehicle preceding the first motor vehicle;
processing, via the second computing unit, the received vehicle-to-environment message to determine if a risk situation exists in which the real-time sensor data indicates a third motor vehicle preceding the first motor vehicle, and the first motor vehicle is obscured for at least one of:
(i) a driver of the second motor vehicle, or
(ii) an environmental sensor system of the second motor vehicle;

performing a criticality analysis if the second computing unit determines that the risk situation exists, wherein the criticality analysis comprises comparing the real-time sensor data of the first motor vehicle with at least one predefined safety threshold to predict a potential collision; and
initiating a risk-reducing measure, based on the criticality analysis.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first vehicle-to-environment message is received, depending on first sensor data of the first vehicle, the first sensor data comprising environmental sensor system data in front of the first motor vehicle in a direction of travel.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one first vehicle-to-environment message comprises a first vehicle-to-environment sensor message relating to the first sensor data, and wherein the first vehicle-to-environment sensor message is cyclically transmitted.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising
processing the first sensor data, via a first computing unit of the first motor vehicle, to determine if a further motor vehicle is within a preset range in front of and/or next to the first motor vehicle; and
transmitting the first vehicle-to-environment sensor message if the first computing unit determines that the further motor vehicle is within the preset range.

5. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising
determining, via a first computing unit, if a crossroad or junction is within a preset distance from the first motor vehicle; and
transmitting the first vehicle-to-environment sensor message if it is determined that the crossroads or junction is within the preset distance.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising
transmitting at least one second vehicle-to-environment message from the second motor vehicle to the first motor vehicle;
performing a further criticality analysis, via a first computing unit of the first motor vehicle, to determine if a further motor vehicle is within a preset range from the first motor vehicle; and
initiating a further risk-reducing measure via the first computing unit, based on the performed further criticality analysis.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first vehicle-to-environment message comprises a first vehicle-to-environment status message relating to a state of the first motor vehicle, and wherein the first vehicle-to-environment status message is cyclically transmitted.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the risk-reducing measure comprises
outputting a visual, acoustic and/or haptic warning for the driver of the second motor vehicle;
an automatic intervention in a control of the second motor vehicle; and/or
outputting a visual and/or acoustic warning into an environment of the second motor vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising
generating driver monitoring data relating to the driver of the second motor vehicle via a driver monitoring system of the second motor vehicle, and
performing the criticality analysis based on the driver monitoring data; and/or
performing a second criticality analysis based on the driver monitoring data, and initiating a second risk-reducing measure depending on a result of the second further criticality analysis.

10. A system for reducing a risk of collision between a first motor vehicle and a second motor vehicle, comprising:
a second computing unit of the second motor vehicle; and
a second communication interface of the second motor vehicle configured to receive at least one first vehicle-to-environment message, wherein the message comprises real-time sensor data generated by at least one environmental sensor of the first motor vehicle, the real-time sensor data comprising radar, lidar, or camera data indicative of a position of a third motor vehicle preceding the first motor vehicle;
wherein the second computing unit is configured to
process the received vehicle-to-environment message to determine if a risk situation exists in which the real-time sensor data indicates a third motor vehicle preceding the first motor vehicle and the first motor vehicle is obscured for at least one of: (i) a driver of the second motor vehicle, or (ii) an environmental sensor system of the second motor vehicle;
perform a criticality analysis if the second computing unit determines that the risk situation exists, wherein the criticality analysis comprises comparing the real-time sensor data of the first motor vehicle with at least one predefined safety threshold to predict a potential collision; and
initiate a risk-reducing measure, based on the criticality analysis.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one first vehicle-to-environment message is received, depending on first sensor data of the first vehicle, the first sensor data comprising environmental sensor system data in front of the first motor vehicle in a direction of travel.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one first vehicle-to-environment message comprises a first vehicle-to-environment sensor message relating to the first sensor data, and wherein the first vehicle-to-environment sensor message is cyclically transmitted.

13. The system according to claim 11 , further comprising a first computing unit of the first motor vehicle configured to process the first sensor data to determine if a further motor vehicle is within a preset range in front of and/or next to the first motor vehicle; and
a first communication interface for the first motor vehicle, configured to transmit the first vehicle-to-environment sensor message if the first computing unit determines that the further motor vehicle is within the preset range.

14. The system according to claim 11 , further comprising
a first computing unit of the first motor vehicle, configured to determine if a crossroad or junction is within a preset distance from the first motor vehicle; and
a first communication interface for the first motor vehicle, configured to transmit the first vehicle-to-environment sensor message if it is determined that the crossroads or junction is within the preset distance.

15. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the second communication interface is configured to transmit at least one second vehicle-to-environment message from the second motor vehicle to the first motor vehicle, and further comprising
a first computing unit of the first motor vehicle, configured to perform a further criticality analysis, to determine if a further motor vehicle is within a preset range from the first motor vehicle, and initiate a further risk-reducing mea

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag
• Ktm Ag

Inventors

• HARTOG Johannes
• Hermann Daniel
• Schwarz Markus
• Krumpholz Klaus
• Biehle Thomas

Classifications

• H04L67/12 Primary

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• G08G1/166

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

• B60T2210/32

  Vehicle surroundings · CPC title

• B60T2210/20

  Road shapes · CPC title

• B60T7/22

  initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle} · CPC title