Method and system for adaptive detection and application of horn for an autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840254-B2
Application number	US-201514986140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2015
Priority date	Dec 31, 2015
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

Various aspects of a system and method for an autonomous vehicle, based on detection and/or application of horn, are disclosed herein. The system comprises one or more circuits in an electronic control unit (ECU) used in a first vehicle. The one or more circuits in the ECU are configured to detect a horn sound emanated from a second vehicle. First sensor data associated with the first vehicle is captured based on the detected horn sound. The captured first sensor data indicates a first traffic scenario in a vicinity of the first vehicle. Second sensor data associated with the first vehicle is captured for an elapsed time interval prior to the detection of the horn sound. One or more control systems in the first vehicle are recalibrated to perform one or more functions associated with the first vehicle. The recalibration is based on the captured first sensor data and the extracted second sensor data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
one or more circuits in an electronic control unit (ECU) used in a first vehicle, said one or more circuits configured to:
detect a horn sound from a second vehicle;
capture first sensor data associated with said first vehicle based on said detected horn sound, wherein said captured first sensor data indicates a first traffic scenario in a vicinity of said first vehicle;
extract second sensor data associated with said first vehicle for an elapsed time interval prior to said detection of said horn sound; and
recalibrate at least one control system in said first vehicle based on said captured first sensor data and said extracted second sensor data, wherein said recalibrated at least one control system is configured to execute at least one function associated with said first vehicle.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said one or more circuits are further configured to determine a position and/or a direction of said second vehicle with respect to said first vehicle based on said captured first sensor data.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said first vehicle is configured to operate in one of an autonomous mode, a semi-autonomous mode, or a manual mode.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said second vehicle operates in one of an autonomous mode, a semi-autonomous mode, or a manual mode.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one function corresponds to one of a change of lane, a change of speed, provision of lane change indication, maintenance of a safe distance from one or more other vehicles, application of horn, application of brakes, a change in driving path of said first vehicle, or generation of a safety alert, wherein said at least one function is executed to avoid a violation of a traffic regulation.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said first sensor data corresponds to at least one of a video stream of said first traffic scenario, vehicle data received from at least one connected vehicle in said vicinity of said first vehicle, or sensor data received from one of a radio wave-based object detection device or laser-based object detection device.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said second sensor data corresponds to at least one of a steering angle, a yaw rate, a speed value, lane information, a vehicle positional accuracy data, a brake system status, a status of a vehicle stability system, or a rate-of-change of speed of said first vehicle.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein said one or more circuits are further configured to tag said captured first sensor data and said extracted second sensor data with metadata corresponding to said detection of said horn sound.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein said one or more circuits are further configured to utilize said tagged first sensor data and said tagged second sensor data for said recalibration of said at least one control system of said first vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said one or more circuits are further configured to:
identify said first traffic scenario; and
apply a horn at said first vehicle based on said identified first traffic scenario and based on operation of said first vehicle in an autonomous mode.

11. A system comprising:
one or more circuits in an electronic control unit (ECU) used in a first vehicle, said one or more circuits configured to:
detect an application of a horn at said first vehicle;
capture first sensor data associated with said first vehicle based on said detected application of said horn, wherein said captured first sensor data indicates a first traffic scenario in a vicinity of said first vehicle;
extract second sensor data associated with said first vehicle for an elapsed time interval prior to said application of said horn at said first vehicle; and
recalibrate at least one control system in said first vehicle based on said captured first sensor data and said extracted second sensor data, wherein said recalibrated at least one control system is configured to execute at least one function associated with said first vehicle.

12. A method for controlling a first vehicle, said method comprising:
detecting, by an electronic control unit (ECU) used in said first vehicle, a horn sound from a second vehicle;
capturing, by said ECU, first sensor data associated with said first vehicle based on said detected horn sound, wherein said captured first sensor data indicates a first traffic scenario in a vicinity of said first vehicle;
extracting, by said ECU, second sensor data associated with said first vehicle for an elapsed time interval prior to said detection of said horn sound; and
recalibrating, by said ECU, at least one control system in said first vehicle based on said captured first sensor data and said extracted second sensor data, wherein said recalibrated at least one control system is configured to execute at least one function associated with said first vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising determining at least one of a position or a direction of said second vehicle with respect to said first vehicle based on said captured first sensor data.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said at least one function corresponds to one of a change of lane, a change of speed, provision of lane change indication, maintenance of a safe distance from one or more other vehicles, application of horn, application of brakes, a change in driving path of said first vehicle, or generation of a safety alert, wherein said at least one function is executed to avoid a violation of a traffic regulation.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said first sensor data corresponds to at least one of a video stream of said first traffic scenario, vehicle data received from at least one connected vehicle in said vicinity of said first vehicle, or sensor data received from one of a radio wave-based object detection device or laser-based object detection device.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said second sensor data corresponds to at least one of a steering angle, a yaw rate, a speed value, lane information, a vehicle positional accuracy data, a brake system status, a status of a vehicle stability system, or a rate-of-change of speed of said first vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising tagging said captured first sensor data and said extracted second sensor data with metadata corresponding to said detection of said horn sound.

18. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising utilizing said tagged first sensor data and said tagged second sensor data for said recalibration of said at least one control system of said first vehicle.

19. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
identifying said first traffic scenario; and
applying a horn at said first vehicle based on said identified first traffic scenario and based on operation of said first vehicle in an autonomous mode.

20. A first vehicle, comprising:
one or more sensors configured to:
detect a horn sound from a second vehicle; and
capture first sensor data and second sensor data associated with said first vehicle; and

one or more circuits used in an electronic control unit configured to:
receive said captured first sensor data associated with said first vehicle based on said detected horn sound, wherein said received first sensor data indicates a first traffic situation in a vicinity of said first vehicle;
receive said ca

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Gupta Manish
• PESWANI Khushwant
• Ramachandra Sastry Ramesha Chelur
• Chintalapoodi Pramod
• Tanaka Sho

Classifications

• B60W2555/00

  Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00 · CPC title

• B60W50/00 Primary

  Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit {, e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces} · CPC title

• B60W2050/143

  Alarm means · CPC title

• B60W2050/0062

  Adapting control system settings · CPC title

• B60W2554/00

  Input parameters relating to objects · CPC title