WO2017222452A1 - A system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic - Google Patents

A system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2017222452A1
WO2017222452A1 PCT/SE2017/050657 SE2017050657W WO2017222452A1 WO 2017222452 A1 WO2017222452 A1 WO 2017222452A1 SE 2017050657 W SE2017050657 W SE 2017050657W WO 2017222452 A1 WO2017222452 A1 WO 2017222452A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
vehicle
collision
traffic
receiver
distress signal
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE2017/050657
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Assad ALAM
Christoffer NORÉN
Original Assignee
Scania Cv Ab
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Scania Cv Ab filed Critical Scania Cv Ab
Publication of WO2017222452A1 publication Critical patent/WO2017222452A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/22—Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
    • B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
    • B60Q1/50—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
    • B60Q1/525—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
    • B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
    • B60Q1/50—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
    • B60Q1/508—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking specific to vehicles driving in fleets or convoys
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q9/00—Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00, e.g. haptic signalling
    • B60Q9/008—Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00, e.g. haptic signalling for anti-collision purposes
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/16—Anti-collision systems
    • G08G1/161—Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
    • G08G1/162—Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication event-triggered

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic including motor vehicles, according to the pre- amble of claim 1.
  • the invention also relates to a motor vehicle used in such a system and a method for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic.
  • Bus Rapid Transit is another type of a veh icle train .
  • two or more buses are coordinated to travel along a particular l ine, for instance to transport passengers to/from an airport, or in public transportation .
  • a group of trucks or automobiles may be controlled in a correspondi ng manner to reduce the requ ired number of operators and render the use of fuel more efficient.
  • Safety is stil l one of the main aspects that must be considered when operating a veh icle. Therefore, it must be taken under special consideration when designing automated systems for governing vehicles that operate i n a platoon formation .
  • Vehicles participating in a platoon commun icate wirelessly with each other. Thereby, it is possible to obtain information from vehicles in front and beh ind of each vehicle, which can add to drivers knowledge about what is happening and hence a safer driving experience can be obtained.
  • a system of the type defined in the introduction is known throug h US 8 552 886 disclosing how a distress signal is transm itted from a veh icle subjected to a col lision to surrounding veh icles.
  • This distress signal may be trigged by the ai rbag system of the col liding veh icle.
  • the distress signal wil l just inform other participants in the traffic but not help them further to mitigate any coll i- sion by other means.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a system of the type defined in the introduction bei ng i mproved in at least some aspect with respect to such systems already known .
  • a control unit associated with the receiver to activate a collision mitigating device/system present in the said surrounding traffic, i njuries inflicted upon participants in said traffic, such as drivers of other vehicles, may be mitigated when a collision is in prog ress. This means a possibility to significantly reduce the number of accidents with deathly outcome through such a system .
  • the system comprises said receivers arranged on board other motor vehicles.
  • a col lision mitigating device/system present on board such a motor veh icle may then be activated for protecting the driver of that vehicle.
  • said control unit associated with said receiver is configu red to activate col lision mitigating devices of said other veh icle, such as tighten ing a seat belt, preparing an air bag for deployment, filli ng the vehicle with foam to protect the driver upon imm inent i mpact, locking the steering wheel to avoid jack-knifing , automatically adjusting the position of the steering wheel so that inj ury to the driver is mini mised if the driver is propelled forward during the collision , etc.
  • col lision mitigating devices of said other veh icle such as tighten ing a seat belt, preparing an air bag for deployment, filli ng the vehicle with foam to protect the driver upon imm inent i mpact, locking the steering wheel to avoid jack-knifing , automatically adjusting the position of the steering wheel so that inj ury to the driver is mini mised if the driver is propelled forward during the collision , etc.
  • said sensors on board the host motor vehicle comprises one or more of the brake system of the vehicle, airbags, pressure systems in the front, radar, lidar and camera.
  • Such sensors may provide reliable information about a coll ision or expected collision of a vehicle and they are already there i n most modern veh icles, especially heavy motor vehicles.
  • said control un it associated with a said receiver is configu red to use wireless communication , for example Wi-Fi , Telecom , Bluetooth , I R, etc. , to activate coll ision mitigating devices of said other vehicle.
  • the system is arranged on a group of motor veh icles, such as buses or trucks, configured to operate i n a platoon formation and each being a said host vehicle as well as a said other vehicle and comprisi ng a wire- less interface configured to comm unicate wi relessly with the wireless interfaces of the other motor vehicles of said group.
  • One vehicle in this group may be considered to be a master vehicle and the other vehicles slave vehicles controlled by the master ve- hide by an automatic controller for platoon ing using wireless communication between the vehicles for controlling the operation of the vehicles in a platoon formation .
  • the system com- prises a said receiver associated with a control unit arranged in the i nfrastructure surrounding said host veh icle and configured to activate a coll ision mitigating device belongi ng to said infrastructure upon receipt of a said distress signal .
  • a device belongi ng to said infrastructure may according to further developments of this embodiment be a traffic barrier, which may be moved to mitigate the consequences of a collision , or a road barrier, especially a road barrier of cushioning material , which may be lowered to an active blocking state for "braki ng" a vehicle coll iding therewith .
  • a motor vehicle according to the present invention is defi ned in the appended clai m directed to such a motor vehicle. Such a motor vehicle may when surrounded by other such vehicles in the traffic efficiently contribute to mitigation of collisions when such appear.
  • a method for mitigati ng collisions occurring i n traffic is according to the invention provided by the combination of features l isted i n the appended independent method claim . The advantages of this method and embodiments thereof appear clearly from the above discussion of the system according to the present invention .
  • the invention also relates to a computer program , a computer program product and an electronic control unit having the features of the claims directed to a computer prog ram , a computer program product and an electronic control unit, respectively.
  • Fig 1 is a schematic view ill ustrating a group of trucks operati ng in a platoon formation to which a system and a method according to the i nvention may be applied,
  • Fig 2 is a schematic view of a motor vehicle according to the present invention being a part of a system for m itigating col lisions accordi ng to the present invention
  • Fig 3 is a simpl ified view from above of a group of vehicles operati ng in a platoon formation and to which a system for mitigating col lisions according to a second embodiment of the i nvention is appl ied
  • Fig 4 is a flow chart illustrating the steps carried out in a method according to an embodiment of the invention .
  • Fig 5 is a schematic view i llustrating an electronic control unit for implementing a method according to the invention .
  • the invention is particularly but not exclusively directed to the case of having said sensors and transmitter arranged on board a plural ity of motor vehicles driving close to each other in said traffic, in which these motor veh icles may be of any conceivable type, such as passenger cars, but the invention is especially directed to the case of mitigating collisions that may occur when a group of heavy wheeled motor veh icles, such as trucks or buses, are operated in a platoon formation , which is the reason for hereinafter mainly disclosing that application of the invention without in any way restrict the invention thereto.
  • Fig 1 illustrates schematically a number of heavy wheeled motor vehicles 1 in the form of trucks operating in a platoon formation 2, i .e. a vehicle train , by being driven close to each other, for example with a mutual spacing 3 in the order of 5 m - 1 5 m , resulting in a substantial reduction of fuel consu mption for each vehicle fol lowing upon another veh icle.
  • Embodiments of the present invention wil l now be described for this type of driving of vehicles without any intention to restrict the i nvention thereto.
  • Fig 2 illustrates schematically one of the vehicles shown in Fig 1 , and each of the vehicles operating i n the platoon formation has the features now disclosed with reference to Fig 2.
  • the vehicle has a wireless interface 4 configured to commun icate wire- lessly with the wi reless interfaces of the other motor vehicles, for example through Wi-Fi , Telecom , Bl uetooth or I R.
  • the vehicle has also an automatic controller 5 for the platooni ng operation of the group of vehicles in question using said wireless interface 4 for controlling the veh icles to maintain the desired mutual spacing .
  • the vehicle has sensors, here summarised by a box 6, configured to detect the status of equipment of the vehicle sensitive to/reacting upon a collision or an expected collision of the vehicle with an object, such as another veh icle, and these sensors may be part of the brake system of the vehicle, ai rbags, pressure systems in front, radar, lidar and camera. All these types of sensor/equipment may react upon a collision and most of them also upon an expected collision of the veh icle.
  • the veh icle has also a transmitter 7 usi ng the wi reless interface 4 to transm it a distress signal to the traffic surrounding the vehicle upon receipt of information from a sensor 6 of detection of a status of coll ision or expected collision of the vehicle.
  • a receiver 8 is arranged i n the veh icle to receive a said distress signal by using said wireless interface 4 when another vehicle i n the platoon formation is transm itting such a signal and upon receipt of a said distress signal trig a control unit 9 associated with the receiver to activate collision m itigating devices 1 0 of the vehicle.
  • Such devices may be a seat belt then tightened, an airbag then prepared for deployment, the steering wheel then locked to avoid jack-knifing or automatically adjusting the position thereof so that inj ury to the driver is mi nimized if the driver is propelled forward du ring the collision , etc.
  • Another option is to cause fil ling of the vehicle with foam to protect the driver upon immi nent impact.
  • Fig 3 illustrates schematically another embodiment of the invention , in which the receiver of the collision mitigating system is not arranged on a vehicle but in the infrastructure. It is illustrated how a road 1 1 the vehicle 1 is drivi ng on is a road with a traffic barrier 1 2, and a receiver 8' arranged in connection with the traffic barrier is configured to trig a control u nit to activate a collision mitigati ng device i n the form of moving the traffic barrier 1 2 as i ndicated by the arrows A in Fig 3 when said distress signal is transmitted by the motor vehicle 1 involved in a col lision or an expected collision and received by the receiver 8'.
  • receiver 8" may be arranged in the infrastructu re in connection with a road barrier 1 3, especially a road barrier of a cushion ing material , which may be control led to be lowered to an active blocking state as il lustrated by the arrow B when said receiver 8" receives a said distress sig nal .
  • vehicle 1 may very well be another veh icle than the one transmitting the distress sig nal while colliding , which for instance may be the vehicle 1 ', and the actions then carried out by involvement of the receivers 8' and 8" wi ll be to protect other vehicles such as the vehicle 1 by for i nstance mitigate an expected coll ision thereof with the vehicle V.
  • Fig 4 ustrates a flow chart of a method according to an embodi- ment of the present invention carried out for m itigating collisions occurring in traffic.
  • the method is started with the step Si of asking the question : "Collision or expected collision detected?"
  • a distress signal is transmitted to the surrounding traffic in a step S2.
  • This sig nal is received by mem- bers of the surrounding traffic i n a step S3 and upon such a receipt a collision mitigating device/system is activated in the traffic surrou nding the motor vehicle in a step S 4 .
  • Computer program code for implementing a method accordi ng to the i nvention is with advantage i ncluded in a computer program which can be read into the internal memory of a computer, e.g . the internal memory of an electronic control unit of a motor vehicle.
  • a computer program is with advantage provided via a computer program product comprising a data storage medium which can be read by a computer and which has the computer program stored on it.
  • Said data storage medium is for example an optical data storage medium in the form of a CD ROM disc, a DVD disc etc. , a magnetic data storage medi um i n the form of a hard disc, a diskette, a cassette tape etc.
  • Fig . 5 ill ustrates very schematically an electronic control u nit 1 4 comprising an execution means 1 5, e.g . a central processor unit (CPU) , for execution of computer software.
  • the execution means 1 5 commu nicates with a memory 1 6, e.g . of the RAM type, via a data bus 1 7.
  • the control unit 1 4 comprises also a non-transitory data storage medium 1 8, e.g. in the form of a flash memory or a memory of the ROM, PROM, EPROM or EEPROM type.
  • the execution means 15 communicates with the data storage medium 18 via the data bus 17.
  • a computer program comprising computer program code for implementing a method according to the invention, e.g. in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in Fig.4 is stored on the data storage medium 18.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Traffic Control Systems (AREA)
  • Control Of Driving Devices And Active Controlling Of Vehicle (AREA)

Abstract

A system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic including motor vehicles comprises on board a host motor vehicle (1) sensors for detection of the status of equipment of the vehicle sensitive to/reacting upon a collision or an expected collision of the vehicle with an object and a transmitter (7) transmitting a distress signal upon such a detection. When a receiver (8) receives said distress signal it will trig a control unit (9) associated therewith to activate a collision mitigating device/system (10) present in the traffic surrounding the motor vehicle.

Description

A system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic
TECHINCAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic including motor vehicles, according to the pre- amble of claim 1.
The invention also relates to a motor vehicle used in such a system and a method for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic. BACKGROUND ART
Technical solutions for coordinating vehicle trains (or so-called platoons) are becoming increasingly frequent. These systems enable a number of motor vehicles to travel much closer to one an- other than would be possible if a reacting distance for human reaction were needed. The main advantage of operating in such a platoon formation is the possibility to reduce the fuel consumption of the vehicles considerably as a consequence of the lowering of the air resistance obtained. Another advantage is the possibility to in some cases make the number of drivers smaller than the number of vehicles. Automated Highway System (AHS), or Smart Road, is one example of this technology, which is designed to provide for driverless cars on specific rights-of-way. The system is most often touted as a means of traffic congestion relief, since it will drasti- cally reduce following distances and headway, thus allowing more cars to occupy a given stretch of road. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is another type of a veh icle train . Here two or more buses are coordinated to travel along a particular l ine, for instance to transport passengers to/from an airport, or in public transportation . Of course, a group of trucks or automobiles may be controlled in a correspondi ng manner to reduce the requ ired number of operators and render the use of fuel more efficient.
Safety is stil l one of the main aspects that must be considered when operating a veh icle. Therefore, it must be taken under special consideration when designing automated systems for governing vehicles that operate i n a platoon formation . Vehicles participating in a platoon commun icate wirelessly with each other. Thereby, it is possible to obtain information from vehicles in front and beh ind of each vehicle, which can add to drivers knowledge about what is happening and hence a safer driving experience can be obtained.
Even though systems of the type defined in the introduction are getti ng more advanced th roug h advances in technology, safety will always be an issue as long as there are lives involved i n the traffic. Most advanced driver assistant systems have a lot of safety measu res i n place to ensure that no injuries occur i n traffic when they are active. However, collisions can still occur due to errors and uncertainties in traffic making it i mportant to mitigate such collisions.
A system of the type defined in the introduction is known throug h US 8 552 886 disclosing how a distress signal is transm itted from a veh icle subjected to a col lision to surrounding veh icles. This distress signal may be trigged by the ai rbag system of the col liding veh icle. However, the distress signal wil l just inform other participants in the traffic but not help them further to mitigate any coll i- sion by other means.
SU MMARY OF TH E I NVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a system of the type defined in the introduction bei ng i mproved in at least some aspect with respect to such systems already known .
This object is according to the invention obtained by providing such a system with the features listed in the characterizing part of appended patent clai m 1 .
By providing such a system with at least one receiver configured to on one hand receive a said distress signal when the host vehicle is in a location making said receiver to be arranged in the traffic surrounding the host vehicle and on the other hand upon receipt of a said distress sig nal trig a control unit associated with the receiver to activate a collision mitigating device/system present in the said surrounding traffic, i njuries inflicted upon participants in said traffic, such as drivers of other vehicles, may be mitigated when a collision is in prog ress. This means a possibility to significantly reduce the number of accidents with deathly outcome through such a system .
Accordi ng to an embodiment of the i nvention the system comprises said receivers arranged on board other motor vehicles. Thus, a col lision mitigating device/system present on board such a motor veh icle may then be activated for protecting the driver of that vehicle. This constitutes the subject of another embodiment of the invention in wh ich said control unit associated with said receiver is configu red to activate col lision mitigating devices of said other veh icle, such as tighten ing a seat belt, preparing an air bag for deployment, filli ng the vehicle with foam to protect the driver upon imm inent i mpact, locking the steering wheel to avoid jack-knifing , automatically adjusting the position of the steering wheel so that inj ury to the driver is mini mised if the driver is propelled forward during the collision , etc.
Accordi ng to another embodiment of the invention said sensors on board the host motor vehicle comprises one or more of the brake system of the vehicle, airbags, pressure systems in the front, radar, lidar and camera. Such sensors may provide reliable information about a coll ision or expected collision of a vehicle and they are already there i n most modern veh icles, especially heavy motor vehicles.
According to another embodiment of the i nvention said control un it associated with a said receiver is configu red to use wireless communication , for example Wi-Fi , Telecom , Bluetooth , I R, etc. , to activate coll ision mitigating devices of said other vehicle.
According to another embodiment of the invention the system is arranged on a group of motor veh icles, such as buses or trucks, configured to operate i n a platoon formation and each being a said host vehicle as well as a said other vehicle and comprisi ng a wire- less interface configured to comm unicate wi relessly with the wireless interfaces of the other motor vehicles of said group. This constitutes a particularly preferred application of a system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic according to the present i nvention althoug h each such vehicle of said g roup of vehicles is here considered to be a host vehicle and a said other vehicle with respect to the features of the present invention included in each vehicle. One vehicle in this group may be considered to be a master vehicle and the other vehicles slave vehicles controlled by the master ve- hide by an automatic controller for platoon ing using wireless communication between the vehicles for controlling the operation of the vehicles in a platoon formation .
According to another embodiment of the invention the system com- prises a said receiver associated with a control unit arranged in the i nfrastructure surrounding said host veh icle and configured to activate a coll ision mitigating device belongi ng to said infrastructure upon receipt of a said distress signal . Such a device belongi ng to said infrastructure may according to further developments of this embodiment be a traffic barrier, which may be moved to mitigate the consequences of a collision , or a road barrier, especially a road barrier of cushioning material , which may be lowered to an active blocking state for "braki ng" a vehicle coll iding therewith . These measures may be very efficient in m itigating collisions and saving lives.
A motor vehicle according to the present invention is defi ned in the appended clai m directed to such a motor vehicle. Such a motor vehicle may when surrounded by other such vehicles in the traffic efficiently contribute to mitigation of collisions when such appear. A method for mitigati ng collisions occurring i n traffic is according to the invention provided by the combination of features l isted i n the appended independent method claim . The advantages of this method and embodiments thereof appear clearly from the above discussion of the system according to the present invention .
The invention also relates to a computer program , a computer program product and an electronic control unit having the features of the claims directed to a computer prog ram , a computer program product and an electronic control unit, respectively.
Other advantageous features as well as advantages of the present invention appear from the description following below.
BRI EF DESCRI PTION OF TH E DRAWINGS
With reference to the appended drawi ngs, below fol lows a specific description of embodi ments of the i nvention cited as examples. In the drawings:
Fig 1 is a schematic view ill ustrating a group of trucks operati ng in a platoon formation to which a system and a method according to the i nvention may be applied,
Fig 2 is a schematic view of a motor vehicle according to the present invention being a part of a system for m itigating col lisions accordi ng to the present invention , Fig 3 is a simpl ified view from above of a group of vehicles operati ng in a platoon formation and to which a system for mitigating col lisions according to a second embodiment of the i nvention is appl ied,
Fig 4 is a flow chart illustrating the steps carried out in a method according to an embodiment of the invention , and
Fig 5 is a schematic view i llustrating an electronic control unit for implementing a method according to the invention .
DETAI LED DESCRI PTION OF EMBODI M ENTS OF TH E INVENTION
The invention is particularly but not exclusively directed to the case of having said sensors and transmitter arranged on board a plural ity of motor vehicles driving close to each other in said traffic, in which these motor veh icles may be of any conceivable type, such as passenger cars, but the invention is especially directed to the case of mitigating collisions that may occur when a group of heavy wheeled motor veh icles, such as trucks or buses, are operated in a platoon formation , which is the reason for hereinafter mainly disclosing that application of the invention without in any way restrict the invention thereto.
Fig 1 illustrates schematically a number of heavy wheeled motor vehicles 1 in the form of trucks operating in a platoon formation 2, i .e. a vehicle train , by being driven close to each other, for example with a mutual spacing 3 in the order of 5 m - 1 5 m , resulting in a substantial reduction of fuel consu mption for each vehicle fol lowing upon another veh icle. Embodiments of the present invention wil l now be described for this type of driving of vehicles without any intention to restrict the i nvention thereto.
Fig 2 illustrates schematically one of the vehicles shown in Fig 1 , and each of the vehicles operating i n the platoon formation has the features now disclosed with reference to Fig 2. Th us, the vehicle has a wireless interface 4 configured to commun icate wire- lessly with the wi reless interfaces of the other motor vehicles, for example through Wi-Fi , Telecom , Bl uetooth or I R. The vehicle has also an automatic controller 5 for the platooni ng operation of the group of vehicles in question using said wireless interface 4 for controlling the veh icles to maintain the desired mutual spacing .
The vehicle has sensors, here summarised by a box 6, configured to detect the status of equipment of the vehicle sensitive to/reacting upon a collision or an expected collision of the vehicle with an object, such as another veh icle, and these sensors may be part of the brake system of the vehicle, ai rbags, pressure systems in front, radar, lidar and camera. All these types of sensor/equipment may react upon a collision and most of them also upon an expected collision of the veh icle. The veh icle has also a transmitter 7 usi ng the wi reless interface 4 to transm it a distress signal to the traffic surrounding the vehicle upon receipt of information from a sensor 6 of detection of a status of coll ision or expected collision of the vehicle.
A receiver 8 is arranged i n the veh icle to receive a said distress signal by using said wireless interface 4 when another vehicle i n the platoon formation is transm itting such a signal and upon receipt of a said distress signal trig a control unit 9 associated with the receiver to activate collision m itigating devices 1 0 of the vehicle. Such devices may be a seat belt then tightened, an airbag then prepared for deployment, the steering wheel then locked to avoid jack-knifing or automatically adjusting the position thereof so that inj ury to the driver is mi nimized if the driver is propelled forward du ring the collision , etc. Another option is to cause fil ling of the vehicle with foam to protect the driver upon immi nent impact.
Fig 3 illustrates schematically another embodiment of the invention , in which the receiver of the collision mitigating system is not arranged on a vehicle but in the infrastructure. It is illustrated how a road 1 1 the vehicle 1 is drivi ng on is a road with a traffic barrier 1 2, and a receiver 8' arranged in connection with the traffic barrier is configured to trig a control u nit to activate a collision mitigati ng device i n the form of moving the traffic barrier 1 2 as i ndicated by the arrows A in Fig 3 when said distress signal is transmitted by the motor vehicle 1 involved in a col lision or an expected collision and received by the receiver 8'. It is also indicated how another type of receiver 8" may be arranged in the infrastructu re in connection with a road barrier 1 3, especially a road barrier of a cushion ing material , which may be control led to be lowered to an active blocking state as il lustrated by the arrow B when said receiver 8" receives a said distress sig nal . It is pointed out that the vehicle 1 may very well be another veh icle than the one transmitting the distress sig nal while colliding , which for instance may be the vehicle 1 ', and the actions then carried out by involvement of the receivers 8' and 8" wi ll be to protect other vehicles such as the vehicle 1 by for i nstance mitigate an expected coll ision thereof with the vehicle V.
Fig 4 ill ustrates a flow chart of a method according to an embodi- ment of the present invention carried out for m itigating collisions occurring in traffic. The method is started with the step Si of asking the question : "Collision or expected collision detected?" When the answer to th is question is "Yes" a distress signal is transmitted to the surrounding traffic in a step S2. This sig nal is received by mem- bers of the surrounding traffic i n a step S3 and upon such a receipt a collision mitigating device/system is activated in the traffic surrou nding the motor vehicle in a step S4.
Computer program code for implementing a method accordi ng to the i nvention is with advantage i ncluded in a computer program which can be read into the internal memory of a computer, e.g . the internal memory of an electronic control unit of a motor vehicle. Such a computer program is with advantage provided via a computer program product comprising a data storage medium which can be read by a computer and which has the computer program stored on it. Said data storage medium is for example an optical data storage medium in the form of a CD ROM disc, a DVD disc etc. , a magnetic data storage medi um i n the form of a hard disc, a diskette, a cassette tape etc. , or a flash memory or a memory of the ROM, PROM , EP ROM or E EP ROM type. Fig . 5 ill ustrates very schematically an electronic control u nit 1 4 comprising an execution means 1 5, e.g . a central processor unit (CPU) , for execution of computer software. The execution means 1 5 commu nicates with a memory 1 6, e.g . of the RAM type, via a data bus 1 7. The control unit 1 4 comprises also a non-transitory data storage medium 1 8, e.g. in the form of a flash memory or a memory of the ROM, PROM, EPROM or EEPROM type. The execution means 15 communicates with the data storage medium 18 via the data bus 17. A computer program comprising computer program code for implementing a method according to the invention, e.g. in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in Fig.4 is stored on the data storage medium 18.
The invention is of course in no way restricted to the embodiments described above, since many possibilities for modifications thereof are likely to be obvious to one skilled in the art without having to deviate from the scope of invention defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Claims
1 . A system for mitigating collisions occurri ng in traffic includi ng motor vehicles ( 1 , 1 ') , said system comprisi ng on board a host motor vehicle:
• sensors (6) configured to detect the status of equipment of the veh icle sensitive to/reacti ng upon a col lision or an expected collision of the host vehicle with an object, such as another vehicle, and
· a transmitter (7) configured to transmit a distress signal to the traffic su rrounding the host vehicle ( 1 , 1 ') upon receipt of information from a said sensor (6) of detection of a status of collision or expected col lision of the vehicle,
characterized in that the system further comprises at least one receiver (8,8', 8") config ured to on one hand receive a said distress signal when the host vehicle is in a location making said receiver to be arranged in the traffic surrou nding the host vehicle and on the other hand upon receipt of a said distress signal trig a control unit (9) associated with the receiver to activate a col lision mitigating device/system ( 1 0) present i n said surrounding traffic.
2. A system according to claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises said receivers (8) arranged on-board other motor veh i- cles ( 1 , 1 ') .
3. A system according to claim 2, characterized in that said control unit (9) associated with a said receiver (8) is configured to activate collision mitigating devices ( 1 0) of said other vehi- cle, such as tightening a seat belt, preparing an air bag for deployment, filling the vehicle with foam to protect the driver upon imminent impact, locking the steering wheel to avoid jack-knifing, automatically adjusting the position of the steering wheel so that injury to the driver is minimised if the driver is propelled forward during the collision, etc.
System according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sensors (6) on board the host motor vehicle (1, 1') comprises one or more of the brake system of the vehicle, air bags, pressure systems in the front, radar, lidar and camera.
A system according to claim 2, characterized in that said control unit (9) associated with a said receiver (8) is configured to use wireless communication, for example Wi-Fi, Telecom, Bluetooth, IR, etc., to activate collision mitigating devices (10) of said other vehicle.
A system according to claim 2, characterized in that it is arranged on a group of motor vehicles, such as buses or trucks, configured to operate in a platoon formation and each being a said host vehicle (1, 1') as well as a said other vehicle and comprising a wireless interface (4) configured to communicate wirelessly with the wireless interfaces of the other motor vehicles of said group.
A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a said receiver (8', 8") associated with a control unit (9) arranged in the infrastructure surround- ing said host vehicle (1, 1') and configured to activate a collision mitigating device (12, 13) belonging to said infrastructure upon receipt of a said distress signal.
A system according to claim 7, characterized in that said infrastructure control unit (9) is configured to control the movement of a traffic barrier (12).
A system according to any of the preceding claims, charac¬
Figure imgf000015_0001
terized in that said infrastructure control unit (9) is configured to control the lowering of a road barrier (13), especially a road barrier of a cushioning material, to an active blocking state.
10. A motor vehicle comprising:
• sensors (6) configured to detect the status of vehicle equipment sensitive to/reacting upon a collision or expected collision of the vehicle with an object, such as another vehicle,
• a transmitter (7) configured to transmit a distress signal to the traffic surrounding the host vehicle upon receipt of information from a said sensor (6) of detection of a status of collision or expected collision of the vehicle,
• a receiver (8) configured to, upon receipt of a said distress signal from another correspondingly equipped motor vehicle in the surrounding traffic informing about a collision or expected collision of that vehicle, trig a control unit (9) associated with the receiver (8) to activate collision mitigating devices (10) in the vehicle.
A method for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic comprising the steps of • detecting the status of equipment on-board a motor vehicle sensitive to/reacting upon a collision or expected collision of the vehicle with an object, such as another vehicle,
• transmitting a distress signal to surrounding traffic upon detection of a said collision or expected collision,
• receiving said distress signal when transmitted and
• activating a collision mitigating device/system (10) present in the traffic surrounding said motor vehicle.
A method according to claim 11, characterized in that said steps are carried out for a group of motor vehicles (1,1') operating in a platoon formation, and that the activation of a collision mitigating device/system (10) takes place in one or more motor vehicles of said group receiving a said distress signal from another motor vehicle of said group.
A computer program comprising a computer program code for causing a computer to implement a method according to claim 11 or 12 when the computer program is executed in the computer.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory data storage medium which can be read by a computer and on which the program code of a computer program according to claim 13 is stored.
An electronic control unit comprising an execution means (15), a memory (16) connected to the execution means (15) and a non-transitory data storage medium (18) which is connected to the execution means and on which the computer program code of a computer program according to claim 1 3 is stored.
PCT/SE2017/050657 2016-06-21 2017-06-19 A system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic WO2017222452A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE1650880A SE539978C2 (en) 2016-06-21 2016-06-21 A system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic
SE1650880-6 2016-06-21

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2017222452A1 true WO2017222452A1 (en) 2017-12-28

Family

ID=60783275

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/SE2017/050657 WO2017222452A1 (en) 2016-06-21 2017-06-19 A system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic

Country Status (2)

Country Link
SE (1) SE539978C2 (en)
WO (1) WO2017222452A1 (en)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020198660A1 (en) * 2001-06-26 2002-12-26 Medius, Inc. Method and apparatus for transferring information between vehicles
US20060244632A1 (en) * 2005-05-02 2006-11-02 Mr. James Corcoran Automatic Vehicle Collison Avoidance and Warning System
US20070244643A1 (en) * 2005-10-11 2007-10-18 Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. Vehicle pre-collision countermeasure system
US8552886B2 (en) * 2010-11-24 2013-10-08 Bcs Business Consulting Services Pte Ltd. Crash warning system for motor vehicles

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020198660A1 (en) * 2001-06-26 2002-12-26 Medius, Inc. Method and apparatus for transferring information between vehicles
US20060244632A1 (en) * 2005-05-02 2006-11-02 Mr. James Corcoran Automatic Vehicle Collison Avoidance and Warning System
US20070244643A1 (en) * 2005-10-11 2007-10-18 Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. Vehicle pre-collision countermeasure system
US8552886B2 (en) * 2010-11-24 2013-10-08 Bcs Business Consulting Services Pte Ltd. Crash warning system for motor vehicles

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
SE1650880A1 (en) 2017-12-22
SE539978C2 (en) 2018-02-20

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US6480144B1 (en) Wireless communication between countermeasure devices
US8682285B2 (en) Positioning signal for rescue forces
US6831572B2 (en) Rear collision warning system
EP2284047B1 (en) Occupant protection system for vehicle
US10843685B2 (en) Method and system for preventing a following vehicle from driving up on a vehicle driving directly in front and use of the system
CN102963357A (en) Apparatus and method for preventing a vehicle collision, vehicle
KR101748648B1 (en) System for Automatic Control of Hazard Lamp and Automatic Control Method of Hazard Lamp by ECU
US10462225B2 (en) Method and system for autonomously interfacing a vehicle electrical system of a legacy vehicle to an intelligent transportation system and vehicle diagnostic resources
US20100114418A1 (en) System and method for determining a side-impact collision status of a vehicle
US11320838B2 (en) Concerted autonomous vehicle collision avoidance
CN103563337A (en) Method and vehicle-to-X communication system for selectively checking data security sequences of received vehicle-to-X messages
CN107103731A (en) A kind of traffic accident automatic alarm call-for-help device and method
JP5397463B2 (en) Roadside driving support device, in-vehicle driving support device, and driving support system
Maile et al. Intersection collision avoidance: From driver alerts to vehicle control
US20200269890A1 (en) Method for operating a rail vehicle network
JP4941121B2 (en) Roadside communication device and vehicle abnormality detection method
KR101361661B1 (en) Integrated intelligent safe system for vehicles
JP4474778B2 (en) Inter-vehicle communication device and inter-vehicle communication method
JP2006259861A (en) Hazard warning system
US10562527B2 (en) Method and device for controlling a vehicle
WO2017222452A1 (en) A system for mitigating collisions occurring in traffic
JP2005056016A (en) Collision avoidance apparatus
US9643557B1 (en) Multifunctional airbag triggering system
JP3747462B2 (en) Automatic reporting device for vehicles
US20140159885A1 (en) Blind Spot Detection System

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
DPE1 Request for preliminary examination filed after expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed from 20040101)
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 17815812

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 17815812

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1