GB2515355A

GB2515355A - Vehicle assistance system (VAS)

Info

Publication number: GB2515355A
Application number: GB1315466.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mouhamed El Bachire Thiam
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-06-19
Filing date: 2013-08-30
Publication date: 2014-12-24
Also published as: GB201310878D0; GB201315466D0

Abstract

A vehicle assistance system comprising a driving assistance unit (DAU), traffic lights communicator unit (TLCU), tagging system for road surface markings and lanes, and an GPS system which holds accurate information about angles of all corners on a road network as well as detailed information permitting it to indentify different lanes on any given road. The vehicle assistance system may be built in a vehicle and may control the vehicle to act as an autopilot system. Road surface markings are recognised using readers on board the vehicle and the tagging system allow identification of each road marking and the lane in which the vehicle is positioned. A screen displays information regarding environment and surroundings including weather and road conditions such as obstacles that are out of the sight of a driver. A computer has a chip which processes information received from a transmitter and outputs a suggestion on a course of action to be taken by the driver.

Description

Vehicle Assistance System (VAS) This invention relates to a system recognising vehicles around and assisting the driver either by advice/warning or by presenting the options available to the driver in real time.

When on the roads drivers often face dangers related to hazard they do not see or they saw but did not appreciate correctly. As a result of this, many potentially life threatening collisions occur frequently on roads all around the world. Some involve cars and motorcycles. Often in such case, the driver, who is coming from a direction opposite to the motorcyclist, has already started an overtaking procedure but unfortunately found out too late that he overestimated the distance that was separating him with the coming motorcyclist. Other common causes of accident involving cars and 2 wheel are: the motorcyclist being in the driver's blind spot; or both the motorcyclist the and car driver approaching from opposite directions, at speed, a blind corner such as those often seen in the countryside with bushes leaning over the roads. This scenario is often more dangerous during daylight as at night the driver can sometimes tell when a vehicle comes by the lights of that vehicle.

Often these types of accidents are mortal for motorcyclist, however although better protected the other categories of drivers can also see their lives endangered. While it is harder for a car to hide in the blind spot of another driver, one must say that the example of the blind corner applies here as much as it does with a motorcyclist. In fact the blind corner may also be dangerous if a slow tractor, going in the same direction as a faster vehicle that follows, had turned the corner without being seen by the following driver who would turn the corner at a speed that may not allow him to break on time before colliding with the tractor. Also some car drivers may be blinded when reversing from their own driveways onto the road especially if there are high walls delimiting their property. In another clear example, a motorcycle or car driver may be stuck behind a long, large and heavy vehicle which does not allow him to see whether there is a vehicle coming, whether there is a corner ahead, or whether there is another long vehicle preceding the one he is following and he should take into consideration during his overtaking procedure. When facing such case the driver might find himself stuck behind the slow vehicle for quite a while, which will contribute to form a queue with other cars behind or he might be too impatient and gamble, which of course would be dangerous.

Besides it might also sometimes be impossible to identify vehicles that brake down or park on the side road especially if their hazard warning lights are not on.

To solve this problem, this invention proposes a system called Vehicle Assistance System (VAS). It will comprise a sensor built in a driving assistance unit (DAU) incorporating a screen when the vehicle does not come with a built in screen display, a transmission mean, a reception mean, a data bank either built in or external, and a computer chip; a traffic lights communicator unit (TLCU) fitted on traffic lights, enclosing a computer chip recognising live which light is switched onto the traffic light and a transmission mean; and means for the vehicle to recognise the road surface marking using readers on board of the vehicle and tagging technology which allow the identification of each type of road marking as well as the lane on which the vehicle is positioned.

In this system the traffic lights communicator unit (TLCU) which acts as a source of informing of the colour of the light displayed, can also be substituted by a live feed from the local centre empowered with real time traffic management operations, such as the London Traffic Control Centre (LTCC) or the National traffic control centre. Therefore the system could use the TLCU as a provider of that information as it could use the local or national traffic control centre.

In the driving assistance unit, the computer chip will transmit and receive data related to the vehicles' position, serve as an identifier in terms of the type of the vehicle (long vehicle, motorbike...), automatically calculate the speed of approach and distance between the vehicle and the immediate vehicles on the same road regardless of the lanes on which they are; and also it will process data about the environment of the vehicle: those data gathered from its above function and others such as weather data (which it will take into account to inform of safe braking distance), type of road (e.g one way road) or speed limit. Those data will be downloaded from source of data which is updated whenever there is a change in the transport network.

Furthermore the chip will be in communication with the DAU of other vehicles considered as hazards so that a synchronized suggestion to each driver is decided between the two DAIJs. After processing those data and identifying the appropriate suggestion, each chip will suggest the course of action to follow to his driver in order to avoid any accident.

The assistance from the DAU will ensure that drivers are aware of the safest option when driving by supporting them in their decisions in real time, whether those decisions are to overtake, change lane, turn into a blind corner, simply reversing out of a driveway, or changing altitude or direction to avoid the path of another transport mean.

The device is preferably portable so it may be used by every vehicle including planes, boats, motorcycles, bikes and vehicles that are already operating, although it may also come built-in in certain types of vehicles especially those already equipped with an onboard computer screen.

The transmission and reception means, vital to position vehicles and calculate their distances and speeds, is preferably provided by satellite signal in order to cover the widest area possible, although it may also be provided by short range radar so the device may fulfil its functions inside tunnels or areas where satellite reception is too weak; otherwise, both satellite signal and short range radar may be used together to provide the positions, speeds and distances of vehicles.

The source of data is preferably a memory unit built-in the DAU device which downloads periodically data such as whether conditions, although it may also be provided by an external database communicating live with all DAUs.

The driving assistance unit (DAU) will also come with an ultra precise GPS system. When used, the GPS system allows the DAU to identify precisely which traffic lights will be on the way to the destination of the driver, and they will be regarded as checkpoints for the DAU. If using the traffic lights communicator unit (TLCU), the TLCU of the immediate traffic lights ahead, on the same lane as the GPS will tell which lane to use, will therefore communicate the DAU which light is on at that given moment. That information is dispatched to the driver over the screen.

The information that would be provided by the TLCU could also come either directly from the local Area Traffic Control Centre and National Traffic Control Centre, or else those traffic control centres could communicate to the centre where the external database of the VAS is managed and the latter centre will dispatch the live information to the DAUs.

The GPS system that will be used in the DAU will be much more precise than the current ones as it will also detain information about the angle of each turn and corners of the roads.

The sensor could be provided by mean of an active infrared device and a passive one. The active infrared device will detect obstacles in front of the car such as other cars, bikes etc.; while the passive detector will detect people or animals using the body temperature.

The sensor could also be based on the Electric Field Proximity Sensor technology.

Furthermore, for the vehicle to recognise the different road surface markings and in order to precisely identify its position on the road, each type of road surface marking will be given a mean to be identified. That mean of identification for each type of road surface marking can be either a unique digital code, alphabetical code, colour code or any other type of coding means.

These means of coding are made possible using electronic tagging technology although it can also be provided by manual tagging technology. The tagging technology in this case will be resistant to extreme environmental conditions, including extreme heat, extreme cold, rain, snow, flame etc. The electronic tagging technology may be based on Radio-Frequency Identification (REID) or any other mean of electronic tagging.

The electronic tagging means will have a storage which may be read-write (rewritable), read-only and WORM (write once, read many).

The vehicle will be equipped with a reader in order to decipher the information contained in the tags and provide that information for processing to the DAU which in turn will control the vehicle according to the information received. This reader may be on-board of the vehicle or on any part of the vehicle.

The information may also be directly provided to the Engine Control Unit for processing and subsequent action.

The road lanes may also be tagged as well as the road surface markings.

These road surface marking or lane tags may carry any type of information regarding the portion of road on which the vehicle is located. The basic information for each tag will be the unique code identifying the particular type road sign. Road surface makings such as all set of right arrows will share the same code, left arrow will share a different code. Double yellow lines will also have their own unique identifier which they will share. The same principle will relevant to all other road surface marking.

Beyond these basic information, when the mean of tagging is read-write, other information, editable at will, may also be wirelessly uploaded on to the tags. Those information may be the speed limit in that stretch of road, the real-time weather information, the surface temperature of the particular stretch of road, roadwork, the colour of light and distance of the next traffic light, or even real-time road traffic and travel information on the roads ahead. If the tag is for an arrow, the tag may also carry information related to the distance of the turn and its angle.

By carrying the colour of the next traffic light, the means of tagging and the TLCU may be considered as substitutes. They may be used simultaneously or one may act a backup for the other.

Tags identifying the lanes of roads with multiple lanes going in one direction in the mould of the dual carriage ways, will carry information differentiating them from other lanes going in the same direction such as a maximum seed and a minimum speed.

All these information may be controlled remotely by the local road traffic agency or the Highway Agency.

When setting the GPS to a destination, the GPS will also identify all the means of tagging which are on the calculated route. Those means of tagging may also be treated as checkpoints on the GPS for the vehicle. These checkpoints may be identified even before the vehicle sets off.

With all the information stated above, the DAU, when built in a car with automatic gear, may be switched in autopilot mode. In that case it will manage the Engine control unit (Ecu) and steering of the car to control the throttle, brakes, gearshifts and steering of the car and act as an autopilot using as basis the features above mentioned. The DAU may be set up to follow another car equipped with a DAU, or it may be set up to reach a destination chosen from the GPS. All the data gathered from the different sources described above will be processed, when in autopilot mode, by the DAU to avoid collisions. It this way the DAU controls the Ecu only in autopilot mode. Control will be given back to the driver as soon as he intervenes by making use of means of control such as the pedals and steering.

The invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Description of the figures

Figure 1. shows the vehicle on board of which the screen displaying the information is. That vehicle is represented in black on this screen however it may be represented in any other colours, shape, or icon to distinguish it from other vehicles. The different type of vehicle can also be identified using colours e.g.: red for long vehicles, yellow for cars, brown for heavy vehicles and green for two wheels and quad bikes. This figure shows a scenario where the vehicle on board of which the device is (in black) is approaching a blind corner on a road where the speed limit is 20mph due to the damp weather conditions. As seen on the screen, the device informs the driver that the road is damp and therefore it advises not to go any faster than 20mph. The "Speed 20mph" which is under the black vehicle shows the current speed at which the driver is going. The "As" under the other vehicles stands for approach speed and shows the speed at which the driver is approaching the other vehicles. In this figure there is another vehicle coming from the other way to meet the vehicle equipped with the DALi. Because neither vehicle has turned the blind corner yet, they cannot see each other. However with the DAU the driver can see that there is a vehicle coming and is advised not to overtake the car in front for two reasons: first because there is a car coming and second because he is approaching a corner.

Figure 2 uses the same basic principles as figure 1. However in this case, the DAU shows that the vehicle is in a motorway with three lanes. The weather conditions are such that the road is a bit slippery, so the driver is advised to limit his speed at 8okph. The driver in this case as seen under the black triangle representing the vehicle is doing 5okph. The approach speed with the car in front, in the same lane, is -2kph meaning the car in front is pulling away with a speed that is 2kph higher. The DAU advises the driver not to change lane because he is very close to another car on the right, which is also catching up the on board vehicle at an approach speed of l5kph while another vehicle is pulling away.

Figure 3 show the vehicle in dry conditions, in a road with a speed limit of 60mph approaching another vehicle at an approach speed of lOkph without any danger coming from the other direction, or from behind. Because it is also a straight road with no immediate bend the driver is informed that if willing he can start an overtaking procedure.

Figure 4 shows how the adapted version of the device would work in a plane. In this case the device indicates the altitude and speed of the plane on board of which the device is and those of planes around. At the same altitude and roughly the same speed, the device recognises the danger and advises the pilot to change altitude.

Claims

Claims: 1. A vehicle assistance system with a traffic lights communicator unit (TLCU), a mean for the vehicle to recognise the road surface marking using readers on board of the vehicle and tagging technology which allow the identification of each type of road marking as well as the lane on which the vehicle is positioned; and an on board driving assistance unit which is portable or built in the mean of transportation, and comprises a transmitter sending and receiving data, a computer chip uncovering live hazards processing information received by the receiver and suggesting a safe course of action; a screen displaying information regarding the environment and surroundings of the mean of transportation including weather and road conditions and all nearby means of transportation in motion or not using as basis a map with a scale that is changeable; and a database, external or built into the device assisting the computer to suggest a course of action.
2. A vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with a traffic lights communicator unit (ILCU) that is comprised of a computer chip recognising live which light is switched onto the traffic light and a transmission mean.
3. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit in which the transmission/reception means is provided by radar signal.
4. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit in which the transmission/reception means is provided by radar signal and satellite signal.
5. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit in which the computer chip identifies other vehicles using their GPS positions.
6. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with a mean for the vehicle to of recognise road surface markings using Radio-Frequency Identification (REID) technology.
7. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with a mean for the vehicle to of recognise road surface markings using any tagging technology.
8. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1, 6 and 7 with electronic tagging system which uses read-write (rewritable), read-only or WORM (write once, read many) storage.
9. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1, 6 and 7 with tagging on road lanes and road markings
10. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1, 6, 7 and 9 with tagging system which can carry live updatable information from a remote location.
11. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1, 6, 7 and 9 with identification made possible by unique digital code, alphabetical code, colour code or any other type of coding means
12. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1, 6 and 7 with a reader carried by the vehicle with the purpose of decoding the tags on the road and transmitting the data to the DAU.
13. A GPS system which allows the identification of each lane on a road and holds detailed information about the angle of every turn and corner on the road network.
14. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1, 2 and 3 with an onboard driving assistance unit in which the computer chip is capable to communicate with all other vehicles equipped with the same unit within a given perimeter and determine the status of those other vehicles equipped with the same unit using the transmissions and reception means of their own computer chips.
15. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit for which the bank of data means are provided by an external database connected to all DAUs live and feeding through satellite.
16. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit for which the bank of data means are provided by a built-in memory unit preloaded with a map and housing periodically downloaded updates for the computer chip to extract the information required for its functions.
17. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit that uses weather information to suggest a safe driving speed and breaking distance.
18. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit that can calculate driving speed of other vehicles using GPS satellite and the distance covered by those vehicles within a timeframe; or use the communication means shared with a given vehicle equally equipped with the same device as in claim 1 and 5 to exchange speed at which the vehicle and the given vehicle are running.
19. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit which communicates with the immediate traffic lights on the current road with the help of the device implanted on the traffic lights in order to recognise when traffic lights are Red, Amber or Green and suggest a course of action accordingly.
20. A Vehicle assistance system according to claim 1 with an onboard driving assistance unit which when built into the vehicle offers the option to switch on or off the vehicle management feature with which it is able to manages the Engine Control Unit and steering of the vehicle in order to control the throttle, brakes, gearshift and steering of the vehicle, while giving control back to the driver as soon as he intervenes by touching any of those controls cited.
21. A Vehicle assistance system according to all the above claims with an on-board driving assistance unit which take into account all information available from the external database or memory unit, the TLCU or local/national traffic control centre, the infrared or Electric Field Proximity Sensor, the tags and from the other Driving Assistance Units to act as an autopilot which can be set to follow a car equipped with a similar unit or simply follow a course traced on a GPS.
22. A Vehicle assistance system according to all the above claims used in road vehicles, motorbikes, quad bikes, and other means of transport.