GB2570137A

GB2570137A - A motor vehicle and method for a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2570137A
Application number: GB1800517.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hoggarth Marcus; Dodds Harriet; Fearns Liberty; Cook Susan
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2018-01-12
Filing date: 2018-01-12
Publication date: 2019-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-12
Also published as: GB2570137B; GB201800517D0

Abstract

A method for a vehicle 2 comprising adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles 50 to provide or block a line of sight 20 to a point of interest (POI) 150. Both of the vehicles may be in motion and able to determine each other’s position or velocity through vehicle to vehicle (V2V) or vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) means. The location or line of sight of each occupant in the vehicle may be determined, this may be done in part by a camera or seat sensor configured to detect an occupant present in a seat 8. Priority values may be assigned by an occupant of the vehicle which may be used in conjunction with other vehicles to grant line of sight to the highest priority value set. The point of interest may be dynamic (600, Fig.6) and move relative to the road which the vehicle is travelling on, in this case an expected path of the POI may be predicted.

Description

A motor vehicle and method for a motor vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle and is particularly, although not exclusively, concerned with a motor vehicle configured to improve the visibility of points of interest to occupants of the vehicle.

Background

During a journey performed in a vehicle, such as a motor vehicle, the vehicle may pass points of interest, such as buildings, statues, monuments, mountains, forests, waterfalls etc, that are visible from the vehicle.

An occupant of the vehicle may wish to see the points of interest as the vehicle drives past or around them. However, a line of sight of the occupant to the point of interest may be blocked by other vehicles traveling adjacent to the vehicle along the road.

Statements of Invention

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for a vehicle, the method comprising: adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles to provide or block a line of sight to a point of interest, e.g. from the vehicle or from an occupant of the vehicle.

The method may comprise adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles whilst the vehicle and the one or more other vehicles are moving.

The method may comprise identifying the point interest, the point of interest potentially being visible from the vehicle, e.g. provided that the line of sight to the point of interest is not blocked by the other vehicles.

The method may comprise controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or one or more of the other vehicles, e.g. the operation of a powertrain and/or brakes of the vehicle or other vehicles, in order to adjust the position of the vehicle relative to the one or more other vehicles.

Controlling the operation of one or more of the other vehicles may comprise communicating with one or more other vehicles and requesting that the one or more other vehicles control their operation in order to adjust the relative position of the vehicle.

Controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or one or more other vehicles may comprise adjusting a speed of the vehicle and/or the one or more other vehicles, e.g. for an amount time until the relative position of the vehicles has changed so that the line of sight is not blocked. Additionally or alternatively, controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or the one or more other vehicles may comprise changing a road lane in which the vehicle and/or one or more other vehicles are travelling.

The method may comprise: determining current and/or future positions and/or velocities of the vehicle and/or one or more of the other vehicles relative to one another and/or relative to the point of interest. The velocity of the vehicle relative to the point of interest may be used to determine how much time is available for occupants of the vehicle to see the point of interest, e.g. provided that their line of sight is not blocked.

The method may further comprise determining current and/or future positions and/or velocities of the other vehicles relative to the vehicle. The current position and velocity of the other vehicles may be used to determine future positions of the other vehicles.

The positions and/or velocities of the other vehicles may determined using one or more sensors provided on the vehicle, such as cameras, e.g. 3D cameras, proximity sensors, radar, LIDAR or any other sensors, and/or by using vehicle-to-vehicle and/or vehi cl e-to-i nfrastructure com m u ni cations.

The method may comprise adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to the other vehicles as the vehicle travels past or around the point of interest to maintain or continue to block the line of sight to the point of interest.

The method may further comprise determining a current and/or future location and/or line of sight of one or more occupants of the vehicle, wherein the relative position of the vehicle is adjusted according to the location and/or line of sight of the one or more occupants.

The location and/or line of sight of the occupant of the vehicle may be determined at least partially using a camera configured to capture an image of the occupants within the vehicle and/or one or more seat sensors configured to determine if an occupant is sitting in a seat.

The position of the vehicle relative to one or more of the other vehicles may be adjusted to provide or block a line of sight from one or more of the other vehicles or from occupants of one or more of the other vehicles to the point of interest.

The method may comprise determining whether a line of sight from the vehicle to the point of interest is expected to be blocked at a future time; and controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or one or more other vehicle so that the line of sight is not blocked at the future time.

The method may comprise communicating, e.g. directly or indirectly, between the vehicle and one or more of the other vehicles in order to coordinate the adjustment of the relative positions of the vehicle, one or more of the other vehicles and the point of interest, e.g. in order to determine how the vehicle and/or other vehicles should be operated in order to adjust the relative position of the vehicle. The vehicle and one or more other vehicles may coordinate their positions to arrange the vehicles in a staggered arrangement, such that the point of interest is visible from each of the vehicles.

The method may further comprise determining one or more points of interest that are potentially visible from the vehicle along a route to be performed by the vehicle, e.g. within a certain distance from the route and/or that are known to be visible from the route. The route to be performed by the vehicle may be determined according to a position and/or direction of travel of the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, the route may be determined according to a destination input into a navigation system of the vehicle.

Each of the points of interest along a route may be associated with a priority value corresponding to a level of interest of an occupant in seeing or being prevented from seeing the point of interest. The method may comprise setting an increased priority value for one or more points of interest along a route, the increased priority value being set for the vehicle. The method may further comprise determining a priority value of the vehicle and one or more of the other vehicles in respect of the point of interest. The method may further comprise adjusting the relative positions of the vehicle and other vehicle, and the point of interest to provide or block a line of sight to a point of interest from the vehicle and/or one or more of the other vehicles having the highest priority value set in respect of the point of interest.

The point of interest may be a dynamic point of interest that moves relative to a road on which the vehicle is travelling. The method may comprise predicting a path expected to be followed by the point of interest. The method may further comprise adjusting the relative position of a vehicle with regards to other vehicles based on the expected path, in order to provide or block a line of sight to the point of interest, as the point of interest moves.

The method may comprise receiving information relating to the movement of the point of interest at the vehicle and/or the other vehicles. The method may further comprise adjusting the relative position of a vehicle with regards to other vehicles to maintain or continue blocking a line of sight to the point of interest as the point of interest moves. The information relating to the movement of the point of interest may be received from the point of interest, e.g. directly, or via and vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-toinfrastructure communication system.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle that adjusts its relative position with regards to other vehicles to maintain or block a line of sight to a point of interest.

The vehicle may comprise a controller having one or more modules configured to perform the above-mentioned method.

To avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and repetition of text in the specification, certain features are described in relation to only one or several aspects or embodiments of the invention. However, it is to be understood that, where it is technically possible, features described in relation to any aspect or embodiment of the invention may also be used with any other aspect or embodiment of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a vehicle, according to arrangements of the present disclosure, travelling along a road past a point of interest;

Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a motor vehicle according to arrangements of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating another method of operating a motor vehicle according to arrangements of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 is a schematic top view of the vehicle travelling past the point of interest after the position of the vehicle relative to other vehicle travelling along the road has been adjusted;

Figure 5 is a schematic top view of the vehicle travelling past the point of interest after the position of the vehicle relative to other vehicle travelling along the road has been adjusted; and

Figure 6 is a schematic top view of a vehicle, according to arrangements of the present disclosure, travelling along a road past a moving point of interest.

Detailed Description

With reference to Figure 1, a vehicle 2, such as a motor vehicle, comprises a powertrain 4 configured to provide power to drive the vehicle and a steering system 5 configured to allow the vehicle 2 to be steered, e.g. in order to adjust the direction of travel of the vehicle 2.

The steering system 5 may comprise a steering wheel 5a or other driving control to enable the driver to control the steering system 5. The steering system may comprise a mechanical linkage between the steering wheel 5a and wheels 10 of the vehicle. Alternatively, as depicted in Figure 1, the steering system may be a steer-by-wire system in which an electro-mechanical system is provided to convert driving inputs provided at the steering wheel into steering controls applied at the wheels 10, e.g. without a mechanical linkage being provided between the steering wheel and wheels.

The vehicle 2 may be configured to operate in an autonomous or semi-autonomous operating mode. The vehicle 2 may comprise a controller 6 having one or more modules configured to at least partially control the operation of the powertrain 4 and/or steering system 5, e.g. when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous or semiautonomous operating mode.

The vehicle further comprises one or more seats 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d arranged within an interior of the vehicle. Occupants of the vehicle may sit in the seats 8a-d during a journey in the vehicle.

During the journey, the vehicle 2 travels along a road 100 and one or more other vehicles, such as the other vehicle 50, may also travel along the road 100 adjacent to, e.g. in front, behind or to the side of the vehicle 2.

As depicted in Figure 1, the road 100 may run past a Point Of Interest (POI) 150, such as a building, statue, monument, forest, mountain, waterfall or any other visible item of potential interest to the vehicle occupants. An occupant of the vehicle 2 may wish to see the point of interest 150 as the vehicle 2 travels past. However, as depicted in Figure 1, a line of sight 20 from the vehicle, e.g. from a first seat 8a, may be blocked by the other vehicle 50. As a result, an occupant sat in the first seat 8a is not able to see the point of interest 150. The other vehicle 50 may be travelling at substantially the same speed as the vehicle 2 so that the line of sight of the occupant remains blocked by the other vehicle 50 as the vehicle 2 travels past the POI 150.

With reference to Figure 2, the vehicle 2 may be operated according to a method 200 in order to adjust the relative position of the vehicle 2 with regards to the other vehicle 50, in order to provide a line of sight to the POI 150. The method may be carried out, at least in part, by the controller 6.

The method 200 may comprise a first step 202, in which a point of interest, such as the POI 150, that may be visible from the vehicle (provided that a line of sight to the point of interest is not blocked by the other vehicles) is identified.

The point of interest may be identified by referring to a list or database of points of interest and their locations, e.g. their visibility from particular roads. The database or list may be stored in a memory provided on the vehicle, or in a remote storage device, such as a cloud storage device. Additionally or alternatively, the point of interest may be input by an occupant of the vehicle 2 prior to or during the journey.

In some arrangements, the vehicle may determine a list of points of interest that are potentially visible along a route or potential route to be performed by the vehicle and the occupants may select which of the points of interest they have an interest in seeing.

When one or more POIs 150 are input or selected by an occupant of the vehicle 2 prior to the journey being performed or before the POI 150 is reached, a route for the journey may be planned, e.g. by a navigation system of the vehicle, such that the vehicle 2 travels along a road from which one, more than one or each of the POIs 150 is visible. If one or more POIs 150 are input after the route for the journey has already been planned, the route may be adjusted to include a road from which the POI 150 is visible.

The method 200 may comprise a second step 204, in which the position and/or the velocity of the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicles travelling along the road 100, such as the other vehicle 50 are determined, e.g. relative to the POI 150. Additionally or alternatively, the positions and/or velocities of the one or more other vehicles may be determined relative to the vehicle 2.

The position and/or velocity of the vehicle 2 may be determined using a navigation system, such as a satellite navigation system provided on the vehicle. The positions and/or velocities of the other vehicles may be received by the vehicle from the other vehicles using a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system or from road infrastructure using a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication system.

The other vehicles may determine their own positions using satellite navigation systems provided on the other vehicles and the other vehicles may transmit their respective locations to the vehicle 2 using the V2V communication system or to a road infrastructure using the V2I communication system.

Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle 2 may determine the relative positions and/or velocities of the other vehicles using one or more sensors provided on the vehicle 2, such as a camera, e.g. a 3D camera, proximity sensors, radar, LIDAR or any other sensor capable of determining the relative positions and/or velocities of the other vehicles.

The vehicle 2 may also determine the size of the other vehicles. The size of the vehicles may be determined by the vehicle, e.g. directly determined, using one or more sensors provided on the vehicle, such as a camera, e.g. a 3D camera, proximity sensors, radar, LIDAR or any other suitable sensor.

The vehicle 2 may receive information relating to the size of the other vehicles using the V2V and/or V2I communication systems. Alternatively, the vehicle 2 may receive information describing what categories of vehicle the other vehicles are, allowing the vehicle 2 to determine or estimate the sizes of the other vehicles. In one arrangement, the other vehicles may transmit information relating to their size or their vehicle category to the road infrastructure, and the vehicle 2 may request information relating to the size and or vehicle category of the other vehicle from the infrastructure e.g. using the V2I communication system.

The method may comprise a third step 206 in which a line of sight, e.g. current line of sight, from the vehicle 2 to the point of interest 150 is determined. The current line of sight may be determined based on the current position of the vehicle 2 and the position of the POI 150.

The method may comprise a fourth step 208, in which it is determined whether the line of sight, e.g. the current line of sight, is being blocked by the other vehicle 50. The determination may be made based on the line of sight, the position of the other vehicle 50 and, optionally, the size or category of the other vehicle 50.

Alternatively, it may be determined whether the line of sight is being blocked using a sensor, such as a camera, provided on the vehicle 2 to determine whether the other vehicle 50 is currently positioned between the vehicle 2 and the POI 150 along the line of sight. For example, the further step may comprise capturing an image taken along the line of sight and determining whether the POI 150 is visible in the image or whether the other vehicle 50 is blocking the line of sight in the image.

The method may comprise a fifth step 210, in which, if the line of sight is blocked, desirable movements of one or both of the vehicle 2 and other vehicle 50 are determined, such that the resulting relative movement between the vehicle 2 and other vehicle 50 restores an unblocked line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the POI 150. Changes in speed of the vehicle 2 and/or the other vehicle together with the periods of time that the speed changes should be maintained in order to carry out the desired movements may also be determined.

The desired movement may be determined in order to minimise the magnitude of the relative movement of the vehicle 2 and other vehicle 50 and/or to minimise changes in speed of the vehicle 2 and/or the other vehicle 50. In some arrangements, the desired movement may be determined so that it is performed by the vehicle 2 changing speed in preference to the other vehicle 50 changing speed. Additionally or alternatively, the desired movement may be determined so that it is performed by slowing the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicle 50 in preference to accelerating the vehicle and/or other vehicle.

In a sixth step 212 of the method, if the line of sight is blocked, the operation of the vehicle 2 may be controlled in order to adjust the relative position of the vehicle 2 with regards to one or more other vehicles, e.g. the other vehicle 50. In other words, the operation of the vehicle 2 may be controlled in order to carry out the desired movement. The powertrain 4 and/or brakes of the vehicle 2 may be controlled such that the speed of the vehicle 2 is reduced, maintained or increased relative to the other vehicle 12. For example, the speed of the vehicle 2 may be initially increased or reduced in order to unblock the line of sight. The speed of the vehicle 2 may then be maintained, e.g. held constant or match that of the other vehicle, to keep the POI 150 visible.

Alternatively, the sixth step 212 may comprise controlling the operation of one or more of the other vehicles, such as the other vehicle 50, to adjust the relative position of the vehicle 2 with regard to the one or more other vehicles. For example, the vehicle 2 may communicate with one or more of the other vehicles, e.g. the other vehicle 50, and may request that one or more of the other vehicles control their operation in order to adjust the position of the vehicle 2 relative to the other vehicles, for example by increasing or reducing their speed. The vehicle 2 may communicate with the other vehicles using a V2V communication system or via a V2I communication system.

In a similar way, the vehicle 2 may receive communications from the other vehicle 150, or a further vehicle, requesting that the vehicle 2 control its operation to adjust the position of the vehicle relative to the other vehicle or further vehicle in order to provide or maintain a line of sight from the other vehicle or further vehicle to the POI 50 or another POI. The vehicle 2 may be configured to control its operation appropriately when such communications are received.

In some arrangements, the vehicle and other vehicles may communicate between one another in order to arrange the vehicle and other vehicles in an arrangement in which unblocked lines of sight are provided from as many as possible or substantially all of the vehicles travelling along the road to the point of interest at the substantially the same time. For example, the vehicles may adopt a staggered arrangement.

In some cases, depending on the relative positions of the vehicle 2, other vehicles and the POI 150, it may be desirable for the vehicle 2 or other vehicle 150 to maintain a higher or lower speed than the other vehicle 50 as the vehicle 2 passes the POI 150, e.g. such that the relative speed between the vehicle and other vehicle 150 is non-zero, in order to maintain the line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the POI 150.

The steps of the method 200 may be repeated in order to maintain the line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the POI 150, e.g. in order to account for changes in speed and/or direction of travel of the vehicle and/or other vehicles.

In the method 200, described above, the operation of the vehicle and/or other vehicles is controlled based on a current line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the POI 150. However, with reference to Figure 3, in other arrangements the vehicle 2 may be operated according to a method 300 in order to adjust the relative position of the vehicle 2 with regards to the other vehicle 50 based on a predicted line of sight from the vehicle 2 or a POI 150. In some arrangements, a combination of methods 200 and

300 may be used in order to control the operation of the vehicle and/or other vehicles, e.g. depending on whether the line of sight from the vehicle is currently blocked and whether it is expected to be blocked in the future.

The method 300 comprises a first step 302, in which a point of interest is identified. The first step 302 may be the same as the first step 202 of the method 200 described above.

The method 300 may comprise a second step 204, in which the position and the velocity of the vehicle 2 and the position and velocity of one or more other vehicles travelling along the road 100 are determined relative to the POI 150. Additionally or alternatively, the positions and velocities of the one or more other vehicles may be determined relative to the vehicle 2.

The positions and velocities of the vehicle and other vehicles may be determined in the same way as for the method 200, described with reference to Figure 2 above.

The method 300 may comprise a third step 306, in which future positions of the vehicle 2 and one or more of the other vehicles, such as the other vehicle 50, are determined based on the positions and velocities of the vehicle 2 and other vehicle 50 determined in the second step. The future positons may be determined at a future time that is a period of time At after the current time t. By way of example, the period of time At may be between approximately 0 seconds and 10 seconds. Alternatively, the period of time At may be greater than 10 seconds. The period of time At may be less than the length of time that the POI 150 is expected to be visible from the vehicle 2, e.g. based on the current position and velocity of the vehicle 2.

The method 300 may comprise a fourth step 308, in which a future line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the point of interest 150 is determined. The future line of sight may be determined based on the future position of the vehicle 2, e.g. at the future time t+At, and the position of the POI 150.

The method 300 may comprise a fifth step 310, in which it is determined whether the future line of sight is expected to be blocked by the other vehicle 50. The determination may be made based on the future line of sight, the future position of the other vehicle 50, e.g. at time t+At, and, optionally, the size or category of the other vehicle 50.

The method may comprise a sixth step 312, in which, if the future line of sight is expected to be blocked, desirable changes in speed of one or both of the vehicle 2 and the other vehicle 50, e.g. over the period of time At, are determined so that the future line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the POI 150 is not blocked.

The desirable changes in speed may be determined in order to minimise the magnitude of the changes in speed of the vehicle 2 and other vehicle 50. In some arrangements, the desirable changes in speed may be determined so that the speed of the vehicle 2 changes in preference to the other vehicle 50 changing speed. Additionally or alternatively, the desired changes in speed may be determined so that the desired changes in speed consist of slowing the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicle 50 in preference to accelerating the vehicle and/or other vehicle.

In some cases, it may be determined that the speed of the vehicle and other vehicle cannot be changed sufficiently within the time period At in order to unblock the line of sight from the vehicle to the POI at the future time t+At. In this case, the period of time At may be increased and the preceding steps of the method 300, e.g. the third, fourth fifth, and sixth steps 306, 308, 310, 312, may be repeated until suitable, desirable changes in speed are determined to unblock the line of sight from the vehicle to the POI 150 at the future time t+At.

In a seventh step 314 of the method 300, if the future line of sight is expected to be blocked, the operation of the vehicle 2 and/or one or more other vehicles, such as the other vehicle 50 may be controlled to adjust the speeds of the vehicles according to the desirable changes in speed. The operation of the vehicle 2 and the other vehicle 50 may be controlled in the same way as in the method 200, described above with reference to Figure 2.

In a similar way, the vehicle 2 may receive communications from the other vehicle 150, or a further vehicle, requesting that the vehicle 2 control its operation to adjust its speed in order to unblock a line of sight from the other vehicle or a further vehicle to the POI 150 or another POI at a future time. The vehicle 2 may be configured to control its operation appropriately when such communications are received.

The steps of the method 300 may be repeated in order to maintain the line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the POI 150, e.g. by preventing the line of sight becoming blocked in the future.

As depicted in Figure 4, the operation of the vehicle 2 and/or the other vehicle 50 have been controlled such that the line of sight 20 from the first seat 8a to the point of interest 150 is not blocked by the other vehicle 50. In a particular example, the vehicle 2 has reduced its speed relative to the other vehicle 50 and has requested that the other vehicle 50 increase its speed relative to the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 and the other vehicle 50 may maintain their reduced and increased speeds respectively, until the vehicles are positioned appropriately relative to one another. Once the line of sight has been unblocked, the speed of the vehicles 2, 50 may be adjusted so as to maintain the unblocked line of sight.

As shown in Figure 5, the operation of the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicles may additionally be controlled to change the lane of the road in which the vehicle 2 is travelling, e.g. to position the vehicle in a lane that is closer to the point of interest 150. Changing lanes may allow a further vehicle 500 to overtake the vehicle 2 without blocking the line of sight 20 from the vehicle 2 to the point of interest 150 whilst overtaking.

In some arrangements, the operation of the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicles may be controlled to change the lane of the road in which the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicle is travelling as an alternative to adjusting the speed at which the vehicle 2 or other vehicles are travelling.

The way in which the operation of the vehicle and/or other vehicles is controlled may depend on the relative positions and/or velocities of the vehicle and/or the other vehicles with regards to the point of interest. The way in which the operation of the vehicle and/or other vehicles is controlled may be determined in order to provide the best view of the point of interest 50 to the occupants of the vehicle 2 and/or provide the view of the POI 50 for the longest length of time as the vehicle passes the POI.

The operation of the vehicle 2 and/or the other vehicles may be adjusted, e.g. continuously adjusted, as the vehicle 2 drives past or around the POI 150 in order to maintain a line of sight between an occupant of the vehicle 2 and the POI 150.

Additionally or alternatively, the way in which the operation of the vehicle 2 is controlled may depend on a current operating mode of the vehicle. For example, if the vehicle 2 is operating in an autonomous driving mode, the vehicle 2 may be controlled to adjust the speed of the vehicle 2 and/or the lane in which the vehicle is travelling. Alternatively, if the vehicle is operating in a semi-autonomous driving mode, the vehicle 2 may be controlled to adjust the speed of the vehicle, but may not be controlled to change the lane in which the vehicle is travelling. In some arrangements, e.g. when the vehicle 2 is operating in a semi-autonomous driving mode, the driver may be informed by the vehicle 2 that a better view of the point of interest 50 could be obtained by changing lanes or by changing the speed of the vehicle.

So that the occupants may be able to see the POI 150, it may be desirable to unblock the lines of sight originating from the position of the occupants. The vehicle 2 may comprise one or more sensors configured to determine the locations of the occupants within the vehicle. For example, the vehicle may comprise a camera, such as a 3D camera, configured to determine the positions of the occupants within the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, the seats 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d may comprise sensors, e.g. pressure sensors, configured to sense whether an occupant may be sitting in the seats. Once the positions of the occupants of the vehicle 2 have been identified, a line of sight, or possible line of sight, of the occupant may be determined. The relative position of the vehicle 2 with regards to the other vehicle 50 may be adjusted accordingly, e.g. to provide an unblocked line of sight for each of the occupants or particular ones of the occupants.

One or more of the windows of the vehicle 2 may be display screens capable of displaying images to occupants of the vehicle 2. When the vehicle is passing a point of interest, the location of the point of interest and/or information relating to the point of interest may be displayed on the window. The position at which the information is displayed on the window may be determined according to the line of sight from the occupant to the point of interest, such that the information is superimposed on or adjacent to the point of interest, as viewed by the occupant.

In some cases, an occupant of the vehicle 2 or the other vehicle 50 may have a particular desire to see a particular point of interest being passed by the vehicle 2 during a journey. In this case, the occupant may set an increased priority value in respect of the particular point of interest.

Occupants in the other of the vehicle and the other vehicle may not have the same desire to see the particular point of interest and may not have set an increased priority value in respect of the same POI. Hence, when the vehicle 2 and other vehicle 50 are passing the particular point of interest, the position of the vehicle 2 and/or the other vehicle 50 may be adjusted in order to provide an unblocked line of sight from the occupant who has set the highest priority value in respect of the particular POI, or the vehicle in which the occupant is travelling, to the POI, in preference to providing an unblocked line of sight from occupants of the other vehicles to the particular point of interest.

As depicted in Figures 1, 4 and 5, the POI 150 may be stationary relative to the road. However, with reference to Figure 6, some points of interest, such as a moving point of interest 600, may move relative to the road. For example, a train, aircraft or ship may change its position relative to the road as the vehicle passes or is passed by it.

The method 200 and the method 300 may comprise determining a path 610 expected to be followed by the moving POI 600. The expected path 610 may be predicted, e.g. based on a current position, velocity and/or orientation of the moving POI 600. Additionally or alternatively, the expected path 610 may be predicted based on paths previously travelled by the moving POI 600 or advertised planned paths of the moving point of interest 600, e.g. from a rail, flight or shipping plan. When the future line of sight to the POI 600 is calculated as part of the method 300, e.g. in in the fourth step 308 of the method, an expected future position of the POI 600, based on the path 610, may be used.

Some moving points of interest, such as the moving POI 600, may be configured to broadcast information relating to their current paths. Additionally or alternatively, a control base, e.g. a train signalling centre, or aircraft control tower, responsible for the path of the moving POI may transmit information relating to the path being followed by the moving POI 600.

The information broadcast by the moving POI 600 or control base may be received directly by the vehicle 2, or may be received by the vehicle 2 via a V2I and/or V2V communication system.

Once the expected path of the moving POI has been predicted or received, the relative position of the of the vehicle 2 with regards to the other vehicles may be adjusted, e.g. continuously adjusted, as the moving POI 600 moves and the vehicle 2 travels along the road 100 in order to maintain a line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the moving POI 600.

In the arrangements described above, the operation of the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicles is controlled in order to provide or maintain a line of sight from the vehicle 2 to a point of interest 150, 600 that occupants of the vehicle wish to see. However, the methods 200, 300 may also be applied to blocking or continuing to block a line of sight from the vehicle 2 to a point of interest that the occupants do not want to see or that might distract them. For example, the speeds of the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicle 50, and/or the lanes in which they are travelling may be adjusted in order to block or continue to block the line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the point of interest 150 or moving point of interest 600. An occupant of the vehicle 2 may set a priority not to see a particular point of interest during the journey and blocking the line of sight from the vehicle 2 to the particular point of interest may be prioritised over blocking the line of sight from other vehicles to the point of interest.

When the vehicle 2 is operating in a manual or semi-autonomous driving mode, in which input from a driver is used for controlling the operating the vehicle, it may be desirable to prevent the driver from being distracted by an object away from the road, particularly when the road is busy and/or in known accident black spots. In some arrangements, the method 200 or 300 may include a step in which the conditions of the road are determined and if it is determined that the conditions of the road are such that it is desirable to prevent the driver being distracted by a point of interest, the operation of the vehicle 2 and/or other vehicles may be controlled in order to block a line of sight from the vehicle 2, and in particular a driver’s seat of the vehicle, to the point of interest.

The following additional numbered statements of invention are also included within the present specification, and form part of the present disclosure.

Statement 1. A method for a vehicle, the method comprising:

adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles to provide or block a line of sight to a point of interest.

Statement 2. The method of statement 1, wherein the method comprises adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles whilst the vehicle and the one or more other vehicles are moving.

Statement 3. The method of statement 1 or 2, wherein the method comprises: identifying the point interest, the point of interest potentially being visible from the vehicle.

Statement 4. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the method comprises:

controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or one or more of the other vehicles in order to adjust the position of the vehicle relative to the one or more other vehicles.

Statement 5. The method of statement 4, wherein controlling the operation of one or more of the other vehicles comprises communicating with one or more other vehicles and requesting that the one or more other vehicles control their operation in order to adjust the relative position of the vehicle.

Statement 6. The method of statement 4 or 5, wherein controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or one or more other vehicles comprises adjusting a speed of the vehicle and/or the one or more other vehicles.

Statement 7. The method of any of statements 4 to 6, wherein controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or the one or more other vehicles comprises changing a road lane in which the vehicle and/or one or more other vehicles are travelling.

Statement 8. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the method comprises:

determining a position and/or velocity of the vehicle and/or one or more of the other vehicles relative to one another and/or relative to the point of interest.

Statement 9. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the method further comprises:

determining current and/or future positions and/or velocities of the other vehicles relative to the vehicle.

Statement 10. The method of statement 8 or 9, wherein the relative positions and/or velocities of the other vehicles are determined using one or more sensors provided on the vehicle and/or by using vehicle-to-vehicle and/or vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.

Statement 11. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the method comprises adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to the other vehicles as the vehicle travels past or around the point of interest to maintain or continue to block the line of sight to the point of interest.

Statement 12. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the method further comprises determining a location and/or line of sight of one or more occupants of the vehicle, wherein the relative position of the vehicle is adjusted according to the location and/or line of sight of the one or more occupants.

Statement 13. The method of statement 12, wherein the location and/or line of sight of the occupant of the vehicle is determined at least partially using a camera configured to capture an image of the occupants within the vehicle and/or one or more seat sensors configured to determine if an occupant is sitting in a seat.

Statement 14. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the relative position of the vehicle is adjusted to provide or block a line of sight from one or more of the other vehicles or from occupants of one or more of the other vehicles to the point of interest.

Statement 15. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the method comprises:

determining whether a line of sight from the vehicle to the point of interest is expected to be blocked at a future time; and controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or one or more other vehicle so that the line of sight is not blocked at the future time.

Statement 16. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the method comprises:

communicating between the vehicle and one or more of the other vehicles in order to coordinate the adjustment of the relative positions of the vehicle, one or more of the other vehicles and the point of interest.

Statement 17. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the method further comprises determining one or more points of interest that are potentially visible along a route to be performed by the vehicle.

Statement 18. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein each of the points of interest along a route is associated with a priority value corresponding to a level of interest of an occupant in seeing or being prevented from seeing the point of interest, wherein the method comprises:

setting an increased priority value for one or more points of interest along a route, the increased priority value being set for the vehicle;

determining a priority value of the vehicle and one or more of the other vehicles in respect of the point of interest;

adjusting the relative positions of the vehicle and other vehicle, and the point of interest to provide or block a line of sight to a point of interest from the vehicle and/or one or more of the other vehicles having the highest priority value set in respect of the point of interest.

Statement 19. The method of any of the preceding statements, wherein the point of interest is a dynamic point of interest that moves relative to a road on which the vehicle is travelling.

Statement 20. The method of statement 19, wherein the method comprises: predicting a path expected to be followed by the point of interest; and adjusting the relative position of a vehicle with regards to other vehicles based on the expected path, in order to provide or block a line of sight to the point of interest, as the point of interest moves.

Statement 21. The method of statement 19 or 20, wherein the method comprises:

receiving information relating to the movement of the point of interest at the vehicle and/or the other vehicles; and adjusting the relative position of a vehicle with regards to other vehicles to maintain or continue blocking a line of sight to the point of interest as the point of 5 interest moves.

Statement 22. A vehicle that adjusts its relative position with regards to other vehicles to maintain or block a line of sight to a point of interest.

Statement 23. The vehicle of statement 22, wherein the vehicle comprises a controller having one or more modules configured to perform the method according to any of statements 1 to 21.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although the invention has been described by way of example, with reference to one or more exemplary examples, it is not limited to the disclosed examples and that alternative examples could be constructed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for a vehicle, the method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles whilst the vehicle and the one or more other vehicles are moving.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or one or more of the other vehicles in order to adjust the position of the vehicle relative to the one or more other vehicles, wherein controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or the one or more other vehicles comprises changing a road lane in which the vehicle and/or one or more other vehicles are travelling.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the relative positions and/or velocities of the other vehicles are determined using one or more sensors provided on the vehicle and/or by using vehicle-to-vehicle and/or vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises adjusting the position of the vehicle relative to the other vehicles as the vehicle travels past or around the point of interest to maintain or continue to block the line of sight to the point of interest.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining a location and/or line of sight of one or more occupants of the vehicle, wherein the relative position of the vehicle is adjusted according to the location and/or line of sight of the one or more occupants.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the location and/or line of sight of the occupant of the vehicle is determined at least partially using a camera configured to capture an image of the occupants within the vehicle and/or one or more seat sensors configured to determine if an occupant is sitting in a seat.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises: communicating between the vehicle and one or more of the other vehicles in order to coordinate the adjustment of the relative positions of the vehicle, one or more of the other vehicles and the point of interest.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining one or more points of interest that are potentially visible along a route to be performed by the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the point of interest along a route is associated with a priority value corresponding to a level of interest of an occupant in seeing or being prevented from seeing the point of interest, wherein the method comprises:

setting a priority value for the point of interest along the route, the priority value being set for the vehicle;

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the point of interest is a dynamic point of interest that moves relative to a road on which the vehicle is travelling, wherein the method comprises:

predicting a path expected to be followed by the point of interest; and adjusting the relative position of a vehicle with regards to other vehicles based on the expected path, in order to provide or block a line of sight to the point of interest, as the point of interest moves.

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14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method comprises:

receiving information relating to the movement of the point of interest at the vehicle and/or the other vehicles; and adjusting the relative position of a vehicle with regards to other vehicles to maintain or continue blocking a line of sight to the point of interest as the point of 10 interest moves.

15. A vehicle that adjusts its relative position with regards to other vehicles to maintain or block a line of sight to a point of interest.