US6470272B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Situation awareness processor
Assignee: Automotive Systems Laboratory Inc
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Filing: 2001-06-11
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Granted: 2002-10-22
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Expires: 2021-06-11
Abstract
Abstract A plurality of events representative of a situation in which the host vehicle is operated are selected, including at least one set of related events. Input data is provided to an inference engine from either a first set of data representative of a target in a field of view of the host vehicle, a second set of data representative of the position or motion of the host vehicle, or a third set of data is representative of an environment of said host vehicle. The inference engine operates in accordance with an inference method to generate an output representative of a probability of occurrence of at least one event of the set of events, responsive to the input data, and possibly to one or more outputs at a past time. A countermeasure may be invoked responsive to one or more outputs from one or more inference engines.
Inventors
- 👤 Shan Cong
- 👤 Leonard W. Behr
- 👤 James P. Ebling
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 16:38
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S13/00; G01S13/66; G01S13/72; G01S13/723; G06; G06N; G06N7/00; G06N7/01; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S706/00; Y10S706/902; Y10S706/903; Y10S706/905
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
244 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, comprising: a. selecting a plurality of events, wherein each event of said plurality of events is representative of a situation in which the host vehicle is operated, and at least two of said events are different from one another; b. selecting at least one set of said events that are related to a situation in which the host vehicle is operated; c. providing for a set of data from at least one of a first set of data, a second set of data and a third set of data, wherein said first set of data is representative of a target in a field of view of the host vehicle, said second set of data is representative of the position or motion of the host vehicle, and said third set of data is representative of an environment of said host vehicle; d. selecting an inference method for a first inference engine, wherein said inference engine comprises at least one input and an output; e. selecting as a first input to said inference engine at least one element of said first set of data, said second set of data and said third set of data; and f. generating a first output from said first inference engine responsive to said first input, wherein said first output is representative of a probability of occurrence of at least one event of said set of said events.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
244 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, comprising: a. selecting a plurality of events, wherein each event of said plurality of events is representative of a situation in which the host vehicle is operated, and at least two of said events are different from one another; b. selecting at least one set of said events that are related to a situation in which the host vehicle is operated; c. providing for a set of data from at least one of a first set of data, a second set of data and a third set of data, wherein said first set of data is representative of a target in a field of view of the host vehicle, said second set of data is representative of the position or motion of the host vehicle, and said third set of data is representative of an environment of said host vehicle; d. selecting an inference method for a first inference engine, wherein said inference engine comprises at least one input and an output; e. selecting as a first input to said inference engine at least one element of said first set of data, said second set of data and said third set of data; and f. generating a first output from said first inference engine responsive to said first input, wherein said first output is representative of a probability of occurrence of at least one event of said set of said events.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said events are related to a location of the host vehicle.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
121 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 2 , wherein each of said plurality of said events related to said location of the host vehicle is a situation selected from an operation of the host vehicle in a vicinity of a divided or undivided highway; an operation of the host vehicle in a vicinity of an intersection, an operation of the host vehicle in a vicinity of a freeway, an operation of the host vehicle in a vicinity of an entrance or exit to a freeway entrance; an operation of the host vehicle in a vicinity of a parking lot; and an operation of the host vehicle in an off-highway environment.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said events are related to a traffic situation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
75 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 4 , wherein each of said plurality of said events related to a traffic situation comprises operation of the host vehicle in an environment selected from crowded, loose or normal traffic; a moving or stationary object to the left or right of the host vehicle; and a moving or stationary object in a lane of the host vehicle.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said events are related to a relative position change of a target with respect to the host vehicle.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
136 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 6 , wherein each of said plurality of said events related to a relative position change of a target with respect to the host vehicle is selected from an object cutting in a lane of the host vehicle from the left or right of the host vehicle; the host vehicle changing lanes to the left or right; a change in speed of traffic to the left or right of the host vehicle; a change in speed of traffic in the same lane as the host vehicle; a change in speed of the host vehicle; a change in direction of traffic to the left or right; and a change in direction of the host vehicle to the left or right.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least two events of said set of events are mutually exclusive.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
78 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , wherein said first set of data is selected from a count of targets in a field of view of the host vehicle, a target heading, a target speed, and a target location relative to the host vehicle, and at least a portion of said first set of data is generated by a tracker operatively coupled to a radar system.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , wherein said second set of data is selected from a speed of the host vehicle, a yaw rate of the host vehicle, a heading of the host vehicle, and a location of the host vehicle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 10 , further comprising providing for reading said location of the host vehicle from a navigation system.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
106 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , wherein said third set of data is selected from a track map representative of a composite path of targets in an environment of the host vehicle, a curvature or type of a road upon which the host vehicle is operated, data representative of a fixed structure in the field of view of the host vehicle, and a digital map of a road surface, wherein said track map is generated by a track map generator from data is generated by a tracker operatively coupled to a radar system.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , wherein said inference method is selected from a Dempster-Shafer evidential reasoning method, a fuzzy logic reasoning method, a Bayesian inference method, a neural network and a reasoning method based on random set theory.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
67 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising: a. selecting as a second input to said inference engine an output from an inference engine, wherein said output is at a past time relative to said first input; and b. generating an output from said first inference engine responsive to said first and second inputs.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method of identifying a situation in which a host vehicle is operated, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising selecting a countermeasure responsive to at least one said output of at least one said inference engine.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-10-21 | 2006-04-22 | 2006-10-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-10-21 | 2010-04-22 | 2010-10-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-10-21 | 2014-04-22 | 2014-10-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |