Systems and methods for cooperative collision detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9558667-B2
Application number	US-201213544757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2012
Priority date	Jul 9, 2012
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle collision detection system may be configured to coordinate with collision detection systems of other vehicles. The coordination may comprise sharing sensor data with other vehicles, receiving sensor information from other vehicles, using sensor information to generate a collision detection model, sharing the collision detection model with other vehicles, receiving a collision detection model from other vehicles, and the like. In some embodiments, vehicles may coordinate sensor operation to form a bistatic and/or multistatic sensor configuration, in which a detection signal generated at a first land vehicle is detected at a sensing system at a second land vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
acquiring first sensor data pertaining to a particular object at a first land vehicle by use of a sensing system of the first land vehicle;
using a communication module of the first land vehicle to acquire second sensor data pertaining to the particular object from a second land vehicle, wherein the second land vehicle comprises a sensing system, wherein the second sensor data comprises sensor data obtained by use of the sensing system of the second land vehicle, and wherein the particular object is external to the second land vehicle and the first land vehicle; and
determining a kinematic component for a kinematic model of the particular object using a processor of the first land vehicle, wherein determining the kinematic component comprises,
calculating a first measurement value pertaining to the kinematic component from the first sensor data pertaining to the particular object,
determining a second measurement value pertaining to the kinematic component from the second sensor data pertaining to the particular object, and
deriving the kinematic component for the kinematic model of the particular object such that the derived kinematic component incorporates the first measurement value calculated from the first sensor data and the second measurement value determined from the second sensor data.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising translating the second sensor data into a frame of reference of the first land vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising translating the second sensor data into another coordinate system.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a collision detection model for the first land vehicle that comprises the kinematic model of the particular object.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined kinematic component of the particular object comprises a position of the particular object relative to the first land vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined kinematic component of the particular object comprises an orientation of the particular object relative to the first land vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first measurement value comprises a first vector quantity, wherein the second measurement value comprises a second vector quantity, and wherein deriving the kinematic component comprises combining the first vector quantity and the second vector quantity.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the determined kinematic component comprises an acceleration vector of the particular object relative to the first land vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining another kinematic component for the kinematic model of the particular object by use of the first sensor data.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining another kinematic component for the kinematic model of the particular object by use of the second sensor data.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor data and the second sensor data comprise angle information pertaining to the particular object.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the kinematic component comprises a position of the particular object relative to the first land vehicle at a time the first sensor data was acquired, and wherein determining the position of the particular object comprises triangulating the angle information of the first sensor data with the angle information of the second sensor data.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor data and the second sensor data comprise range information pertaining to the particular object.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the kinematic component comprises an angular orientation of the particular object relative to the first land vehicle, and wherein determining the angular orientation comprises identifying intersecting range radii of the first sensor data and the second sensor data.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor data and the second sensor data comprise both range and angle information pertaining to the particular object.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the kinematic component of the particular object comprises a position of the particular object relative to the first land vehicle at a time the first sensor data was acquired, and wherein determining the position of the particular object comprises combining range and angle information of the first sensor data and the second sensor data.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor data and the second sensor data comprise angle information pertaining to the particular object, the method further comprising:
acquiring third sensor data comprising range information pertaining to the particular object from a third land vehicle; and
generating the kinematic model for the particular object by use of the angle information pertaining to the particular object in the first sensor data and the second sensor data and the range information acquired from the third land vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
determining one of an orientation, a position, a velocity, and an acceleration of the particular object in the kinematic model of the particular object using the first sensor data; and
refining one of the determined orientation, position, velocity, and acceleration using the second sensor data.

19. A collision detection system, comprising:
a sensor of a first land vehicle configured to capture first sensor data pertaining to objects external to the first land vehicle;
a coordination module of the first land vehicle configured to acquire second sensor data from a second land vehicle, wherein the second land vehicle comprises a sensing system, wherein the second sensor data acquired from the second land vehicle comprises sensor data obtained by use of the sensing system of the second land vehicle that pertains to objects external to the second land vehicle, and wherein the first sensor data and the second sensor data comprise sensor data pertaining to a particular object, the particular object external to the first land vehicle and the second land vehicle; and
a processing module configured to calculate a first measurement quantity from the first sensor data, to determine a second measurement quantity from the second sensor data, and to derive a value of a component of a kinematic model of the particular object that incorporates both of the first measurement quantity, calculated from the first sensor data, and the second measurement quantity, calculated from the second sensor data.

20. The collision detection system of claim 19 , wherein the processing module is configured to detect a potential collision based on the kinematic model of the particular object.

21. The collision detection system of claim 20 , wherein the processing module is configured to generate an alert in response to detecting the potential collision.

22. The collision detection system of claim 21 , wherein the coordination module is further configured to provide the alert to another land vehicle.

23. The collision detection system of claim 20 , further comprising a vehicle interface module configured to activate a collision avoidance system of the first land vehicle in response to detecting the potential collision.

24. The collision detection system of claim 20 , further comprising a vehicle interface module configured to activate a collision warning system of the first land vehicle in response to detecting t

Assignees

• Bowers Jeffrey A
• Deane Geoffrey F
• Hyde Roderick A
• Kundtz Nathan
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Smith David R
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Bowers Jeffrey A
• Deane Geoffrey F
• Hyde Roderick A
• Kundtz Nathan
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Smith David R
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• G08G1/16

  Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08) · CPC title

• G08G1/166 Primary

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