U.S. patent number 10,755,580 [Application Number 16/461,012] was granted by the patent office on 2020-08-25 for methods and apparatus to enable vehicle-to-vehicle guidance and tracking.
This patent grant is currently assigned to FORD MOTOR COMPANY. The grantee listed for this patent is Ford Motor Company. Invention is credited to Daniel A. Makled, Michael McQuillen, Gopichandra Surnilla, Hao Zhang.
United States Patent |
10,755,580 |
McQuillen , et al. |
August 25, 2020 |
Methods and apparatus to enable vehicle-to-vehicle guidance and
tracking
Abstract
Methods and apparatus to enable vehicle-to-vehicle guidance and
tracking are disclosed. An example method includes transmitting,
from a first vehicle, a first message to a second vehicle. The
first message requests the second vehicle to become a leader
vehicle. The example method further includes receiving a second
message from the second vehicle. The second message includes leader
information indicative of a travel path of the second vehicle. The
example method also includes receiving authorization from the
second vehicle for the first vehicle to follow the second
vehicle.
Inventors: |
McQuillen; Michael (Warren,
MI), Surnilla; Gopichandra (West Bloomfield, MI), Makled;
Daniel A. (Dearborn, MI), Zhang; Hao (Ann Arbor,
MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ford Motor Company |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
FORD MOTOR COMPANY (Dearborn,
MI)
|
Family
ID: |
62145725 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/461,012 |
Filed: |
November 18, 2016 |
PCT
Filed: |
November 18, 2016 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/US2016/062893 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
May 15, 2019 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2018/093381 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
May 24, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20190272760 A1 |
Sep 5, 2019 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05D
1/0293 (20130101); G08G 1/163 (20130101); H04W
4/08 (20130101); G08G 1/22 (20130101); H04W
4/46 (20180201); G08G 1/20 (20130101); G08G
1/0968 (20130101); G05D 2201/0213 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04B
1/713 (20110101); H04W 4/46 (20180101); G08G
1/00 (20060101); G08G 1/0968 (20060101); G08G
1/16 (20060101); H04W 4/08 (20090101); G05D
1/02 (20200101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
International Searching Authority, "International Search Report and
Written Opinion" issued in connection with International
Application No. PCT/US2016/062893 dated Feb. 2, 2017, 11 pages.
cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Nguyen; Tu X
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hicks; Brandon Hanley, Flight &
Zimmerman, LLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system in a first vehicle, the
vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system comprising; a communication
interface, executed via a processor, to: transmit a first message
to a second vehicle, the first message requesting the second
vehicle to become a leader vehicle for the first vehicle to follow;
receive a second message from the second vehicle, the second
message including leader information indicative of a travel path of
the second vehicle; receive authorization from the second vehicle
for the first vehicle to follow the second vehicle; and transmit a
third message to an intermediate relay node between the first
vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is unable to
directly communicate with the second vehicle, the third message
including follower information and rebroadcast instructions, the
rebroadcast instructions to instruct the intermediate relay node to
rebroadcast the third message; and a user interface, executed via
the processor, to provide guidance information to a driver of the
first vehicle based on the leader information.
2. The vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system of claim 1, wherein the
first and second messages are basic safety messages associated with
dedicated short-range communications.
3. The vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system of claim 1, further
including a control module to generate a potential leader list
identifying vehicles nearby the first vehicle, the nearby vehicles
including the second vehicle, the second vehicle to be designated
as an intended recipient of the first message based on a
user-selection of the second vehicle from the potential leader
list.
4. The vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system of claim 1, wherein the
rebroadcast instructions include a limit on rebroadcasts of the
third message, the limit corresponding to at least one of a
threshold number of rebroadcasts or a timeout period for delivery
of the third message to the second vehicle.
5. The vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system of claim 1, wherein the
rebroadcast instructions include a qualification for the
intermediate relay node to rebroadcast the follower information,
the qualification based on at least one of a list of designated
relay nodes or a location of the intermediate relay node relative
to at least one the first vehicle or the second vehicle.
6. The vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system of claim 1, furthering
including a control module to determine an efficient rebroadcast
path based on cascade information received in multiple instances of
a fourth message from the second vehicle associated with different
rebroadcast paths through different intermediate relay nodes, the
cascade information identifying ones of the different intermediate
relay nodes in each of the different rebroadcast paths
corresponding to each instance of the fourth message, the control
module to designate at least one of the different intermediate
relay nodes associated with the efficient rebroadcast path for a
return communication path.
7. A vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system in a first vehicle, the
vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system comprising; a control module to
generate a potential leader list identifying vehicles nearby the
first vehicle, the nearby vehicles including a second vehicle; a
communication interface, executed via a processor, to: transmit a
first message to the second vehicle, the first message requesting
the second vehicle to become a leader vehicle for the first vehicle
to follow, the second vehicle to be designated as an intended
recipient of the first message based on a user-selection of the
second vehicle from the potential leader list, wherein the
potential leader list is to identify the nearby vehicles with
generic vehicle identifiers corresponding to vehicle-to-vehicle
information obtained from the nearby vehicles; receive a second
message from the second vehicle, the second message including
leader information indicative of a travel path of the second
vehicle; and receive authorization from the second vehicle for the
first vehicle to follow the second vehicle; and a user interface,
executed via the processor, to provide guidance information to a
driver of the first vehicle based on the leader information.
8. The vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system of claim 7, further
including a vehicle-to-vehicle information analyzer to identify a
subset of the nearby vehicles based on a location of the subset of
the nearby vehicles defined in the vehicle-to-vehicle information,
the potential leader list including the generic vehicle identifiers
for the subset of the nearby vehicles and excluding other ones of
the nearby vehicles.
9. A vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system in a first vehicle, the
vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system comprising; a communication
interface, executed via a processor, to: poll nearby vehicles for
available vehicle occupant identifying data, the nearby vehicles
including a second vehicle; transmit a first message to the second
vehicle, the first message requesting the second vehicle to become
a leader vehicle for the first vehicle to follow; receive a second
message from the second vehicle, the second message including
leader information indicative of a travel path of the second
vehicle; and receive authorization from the second vehicle for the
first vehicle to follow the second vehicle; a control module to:
compare the vehicle occupant identifying data to individuals in a
personal database of a person in the first vehicle; and generate a
potential leader list identifying ones of the nearby vehicles
associated with the vehicle occupant identifying data that matches
the individuals in the personal database of a driver of the first
vehicle, the second vehicle to be designated as an intended
recipient of the first message based on a user-selection of the
second vehicle from the potential leader list; and a user
interface, executed via the processor, to provide guidance
information to the driver based on the leader information.
10. The vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system of claim 9, wherein the
occupant identifying data corresponds to phone numbers associated
with occupants in the nearby vehicles and the personal database
corresponds to a phone contact list of the person in the first
vehicle.
11. The vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system of claim 9, wherein the
occupant identifying data corresponds to social media profiles
associated with occupants in the nearby vehicles and the personal
database corresponds to a list of social media connections of the
person in the first vehicle.
12. A method comprising transmitting, from a first vehicle, a first
message to a second vehicle, the first message requesting the
second vehicle to become a leader vehicle; receiving a second
message from the second vehicle, the second message including
leader information indicative of a travel path of the second
vehicle; receiving authorization from the second vehicle for the
first vehicle to follow the second vehicle; and transmitting, from
the first vehicle, a third message to an intermediate relay node
between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first
vehicle is unable to directly communicate with the second vehicle,
the third message including follower information and rebroadcast
instructions, the rebroadcast instructions to instruct the
intermediate relay node to rebroadcast the third message.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second messages
are basic safety messages associated with dedicated short-range
communications.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the rebroadcast instructions
include a limit on rebroadcasts of the third message, the limit
corresponding to at least one of a threshold number of rebroadcasts
or a timeout period for delivery of the third message to the second
vehicle.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the rebroadcast instructions
include a qualification for the intermediate relay node to
rebroadcast the follower information, the qualification based on at
least one of a list of designated relay nodes or a location of the
intermediate relay node relative to at least one the first vehicle
or the second vehicle.
16. The method of claim 12, furthering including: receiving, at the
first vehicle, multiple instances of a fourth message from the
second vehicle via different rebroadcast paths through different
intermediate relay nodes, the instances of the fourth message
including cascade information identifying ones of the different
intermediate relay nodes in the corresponding rebroadcast path of
each instance of the fourth message; determining an efficient
rebroadcast path based on the cascade information in the multiple
instances of the fourth message; and designating at least one of
the different intermediate relay nodes associated with the
efficient rebroadcast path for a return communication path.
17. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising
instructions that, when executed, cause a first vehicle to at
least: transmit a first message to a second vehicle, the first
message requesting the second vehicle to become a leader vehicle
for the first vehicle to follow; receive a second message from the
second vehicle, the second message including leader information
indicative of a travel path of the second vehicle; receive
authorization from the second vehicle for the first vehicle to
follow the second vehicle; and transmitting, from the first
vehicle, a third message to an intermediate relay node between the
first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is
unable to directly communicate with the second vehicle, the third
message including follower information and rebroadcast
instructions, the rebroadcast instructions to instruct the
intermediate relay node to rebroadcast the third message.
18. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 17,
wherein the instructions further cause the first vehicle to
generate a potential leader list identifying vehicles nearby the
first vehicle, the potential leader list to identify the nearby
vehicles with generic vehicle identifiers corresponding to
vehicle-to-vehicle information obtained from the nearby vehicles,
the nearby vehicles including the second vehicle, the second
vehicle to be designated as an intended recipient of the first
message based on a user-selection of the second vehicle from the
potential leader list.
19. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 17,
wherein the instructions further cause the first vehicle to: poll
vehicles nearby the first vehicle for available vehicle occupant
identifying data, the nearby vehicles including the second vehicle;
compare the vehicle occupant identifying data to individuals in a
personal database of a person in the first vehicle; and generate a
potential leader list identifying ones of the nearby vehicles
associated with the vehicle occupant identifying data that matches
the individuals in the personal database of a driver of the first
vehicle, the second vehicle to be designated as an intended
recipient of the first message based on a user-selection of the
second vehicle from the potential leader list.
20. The method of claim 12, further including generating a
potential leader list identifying vehicles nearby the first
vehicle, the potential leader list to identify the nearby vehicles
with generic vehicle identifiers corresponding to
vehicle-to-vehicle information obtained from the nearby vehicles,
the nearby vehicles including the second vehicle, the second
vehicle to be designated as an intended recipient of the first
message based on a user-selection of the second vehicle from the
potential leader list.
Description
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
This disclosure relates generally to vehicle-to-vehicle
communications and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus to
enable vehicle-to-vehicle guidance and tracking.
BACKGROUND
In recent years, vehicles have been manufactured with the ability
to wirelessly communicate with other surrounding vehicles and/or
fixed location devices using Dedicated Short-Range Communications
(DSRC). The United States has mandated that all new vehicles
include DSRC capabilities by 2019. Standards for DSRC have been
established to define the protocols and message formats to ensure
interoperability between different systems and different
manufacturers. One type of DSRC message for which standards have
been established is Basic Safety Message (BSM), which provides
vehicle safety related information to other vehicles.
SUMMARY
Methods and apparatus to enable vehicle-to-vehicle guidance and
tracking are disclosed. An example vehicle-to-vehicle guidance
system in a first vehicle includes a communication interface,
executed via a processor, to: transmit a first message to a second
vehicle, the first message requesting the second vehicle to become
a leader vehicle for the first vehicle to follow; receive a second
message from the second vehicle, the second message including
leader information indicative of a travel path of the second
vehicle; and receive authorization from the second vehicle for the
first vehicle to follow the second vehicle. The example
vehicle-to-vehicle guidance system further includes a user
interface, executed via the processor, to provide guidance
information to a driver of the first vehicle based on the leader
information.
An example method includes transmitting, from a first vehicle, a
first message to a second vehicle. The first message requests the
second vehicle to become a leader vehicle. The example method
further includes receiving a second message from the second
vehicle. The second message includes leader information indicative
of a travel path of the second vehicle. The example method also
includes receiving authorization from the second vehicle for the
first vehicle to follow the second vehicle.
An example tangible computer readable storage medium including
instructions that, when executed, cause a first vehicle to at least
transmit a first message to a second vehicle. The first message
requests the second vehicle to become a leader vehicle for the
first vehicle to follow. The instructions further cause the first
vehicle to receive a second message from the second vehicle. The
second message including leader information indicative of a travel
path of the second vehicle. The instructions further cause the
first vehicle to receive authorization from the second vehicle for
the first vehicle to follow the second vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates an example system of roads along which a leader
vehicle is leading several follower vehicles in accordance with the
teachings disclosed herein.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example cascade of messages that has multiple
transmission legs passing through intermediate vehicles between a
source vehicle and an intended recipient vehicle.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example
vehicle-to-vehicle (v2v) guidance system that may be implemented in
the leader vehicle and/or the follower vehicles of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system of FIG. 3 in one of the
follower vehicles of FIG. 1 to initiate tracking of the leader
vehicle of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system of FIG. 3 in the leader
vehicle of FIG. 1 to authorize one of the follower vehicles of FIG.
1 to begin following the leader vehicle.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system of FIG. 3 in the leader
vehicle 102 of FIG. 1 to provide leader information to one of the
follower vehicles of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system of FIG. 3 in one of the
follower vehicles of FIG. 1 to track and follow the leader vehicle
of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system of FIG. 3 in a vehicle
functioning as an intermediate relay node between the leader
vehicle and one of the follower vehicles of FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example processor system structured
to execute example machine readable instructions represented at
least in part by FIGS. 4-8 to implement the example v2v guidance
system of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
There are often circumstances when multiple people drive together
but in separate vehicles (e.g., large families or other groups on a
trip, funeral processions, commercial fleet vehicles travelling to
a job site, and/or other convoys of vehicles). When drivers of
multiple vehicles are travelling together, one driver may be
designated as the leader of the group with all other drivers
following in their separate vehicles. Problems may arise if the
leader in a caravan of vehicles outpaces or otherwise becomes
separated from following vehicles. This may occur for any number of
reasons. For example, the lead vehicle may pass through a
traffic-light-controlled intersection before the light turns red
while a follower vehicle is stopped by the light. As another
example, vehicles not associated with the travelling party may cut
in between the leader vehicle and the follower vehicle potentially
causing confusion and/or preventing the follower vehicle from
following the leader.
Current methods used by travelling groups include the use of global
position systems (GPS). In some examples, each vehicle in the group
may be guided by a separate GPS navigation system. However, this is
not always a viable option as not all vehicles may have access to a
GPS navigation system and/or the driver of a follower vehicle may
not know the address of the destination to enter into a navigation
system. Furthermore, the different GPS navigation systems in the
different vehicles may select different routes and/or routes that
are undesirable to the group of travelers.
Examples disclosed herein make use of vehicle-to-vehicle (v2v)
communication technologies to assist vehicles in a travelling group
to follow a leader vehicle in the group. More particularly, in some
examples, the v2v information provided over the basic safety
message (BSM) channel of dedicated short-range communications
(DSRC) is used to track a leader vehicle and provide guidance
information to follower vehicles. High priority BSM communications
(e.g., BSM1 and BSM2) that include safety critical information
(e.g., a vehicle's location, speed, travel direction, braking
system status, etc.) are broadcast over DSRC to surrounding
vehicles multiple times every second. Other types of lower priority
BSM communications (e.g., BSM3) may be broadcast less frequently
with any additional information designated by the original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of the v2v systems. BSM standards
provide that such communications are to have a range of
approximately 300 meters. However, DSRC has a maximum range of
approximately 1000 meters such that additional non-BSM qualifying
communications with similar information may also be transmitted
between vehicles at distances beyond the 300 meter threshold for
BSM communications.
Data provided from one vehicle to another nearby vehicle (e.g., via
a BSM communication) is referred to herein as v2v information.
While v2v information is repeatedly broadcast by a vehicle to other
nearby vehicles within the range of the communication broadcast,
the drivers of the nearby vehicles typically do not have access to
the v2v information being reported. Examples disclosed herein
enable a driver of a first vehicle to request access to the v2v
information reported from a second vehicle to specifically track
the movement of the second vehicle. If permission to track the
second vehicle is granted, the first vehicle may analyze the v2v
information to generate guidance information that is provided to
the driver of the first vehicle. The guidance information enables
the driver of the first vehicle to follow the second vehicle even
when the vehicles become spaced apart or the driver of the first
vehicle is unable to see the second vehicle. In some examples, the
leader vehicle may analyzer v2v information transmitted from the
follower vehicle to monitor where the follower vehicle is located
relative to the leader vehicle.
While BSM communications are supported up to approximately 300
meters, there may be circumstances where a follower vehicle becomes
separated from a leader vehicle by more than that distance. In some
such examples, non-BSM communications (e.g., with ranges of up to
1000 meters) may be employed. Additionally or alternatively, the
v2v information to be transmitted between a leader vehicle and a
follower vehicle in such situations may be relayed or cascaded
through other nearby vehicles to bridge the gap between the
vehicles. In such examples, there is no need for the intermediate
vehicles to have the same permission to access the v2v information
as the follower vehicle or to otherwise be associated with the
vehicle convoy because the intermediate vehicles are merely
relaying the information using BSM communications that are
standardized for all vehicles. Further still, in some examples, the
messages cascaded across multiple vehicles may be encrypted to
protect the identity of individuals during the transmissions.
Additionally or alternatively, messages between a leader vehicle
and a follower vehicle spaced farther apart than the threshold of
300 meters may be communicated through other intermediate relay
nodes such as fixed-position roadside devices capable of
communicating using DSRC. Additionally or alternatively, alternate
communication technologies may be used to enable the leader and
follower vehicles to communicate over larger distances. For
example, the messages may be sent via an Internet based system
(e.g., via a long-term evolution (LTE) network used by mobile
phones) or via available Wi-Fi networks.
Before a follower vehicle can track a leader vehicle, the follower
vehicle needs to be able to identify the v2v information from the
leader vehicle relative to v2v information being transmitted from
other nearby vehicles and obtain permission to use such information
for guidance. Accordingly, in some examples, the follower vehicle
and leader vehicle undergo a handshake algorithm. In some examples,
a driver of the follower vehicle may input a command, via a user
interface associated with the vehicle, for the vehicle to enter or
initiate a following mode. Once the following mode is selected, the
follower vehicle may poll or discover all nearby vehicles by
logging v2v information received from each nearby vehicle. As used
herein, two vehicles are considered to be "nearby" if v2v
information broadcast by either vehicle can be directly
communicated directly via a BSM communication (e.g., within
approximately 300 meters). Having identified the nearby vehicles,
the follower vehicle may provide a list of the nearby vehicles as
potential leader vehicles for a driver or occupant of the follower
vehicle to select. In some examples, the potential leader list may
be a subset of all nearby vehicles based on the information
collected from the nearby vehicles. For instance, in some examples,
the potential leader list may include only those vehicles that can
be matched to people listed in a personal database (e.g., a phone
contact list, a social media connections list, etc.) of the
occupant of the follower vehicle. Matching surrounding or nearby
vehicles to individuals an occupant of the follower vehicle knows
enables the occupant to more easily identify the desired vehicle to
be selected as a leader vehicle.
Once an occupant selects the desired nearby vehicle, the follower
vehicle transmits a message to the selected vehicle requesting the
vehicle to become a leader vehicle that the follower vehicle is to
track and follow. The leader vehicle may transmit a second message
responding to the request that either grants or denies
authorization to the follower vehicle to track the leader vehicle.
The authorization may be based on an input by the driver and/or
another occupant in the leader vehicle. If authorization is
granted, the follower vehicle begins analyzing the v2v information
subsequently received from the leader vehicle to generate guidance
information provided to the driver in the follower vehicle. In some
examples, the v2v information provided by the leader information is
the same v2v information broadcast to all surrounding vehicles
regardless of whether the vehicle is in a leader/follower
relationship. In other examples, the v2v information transmitted
from the leader vehicle may include additional information that is
included only after the leader vehicle has accepted the request to
become a leader vehicle. In some examples, additional information
in the initial handshake messages and/or additional messages may be
sent between the follower vehicle and the leader vehicle to enable
encryption of the data sent therebetween.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example system of roads 100 along which a
leader vehicle 102 (demarcated by the letter "L" in FIG. 1) is
leading several follower vehicles 104, 106, 108 (demarcated by the
letter "F") in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein. A
number of other vehicles 110 are also travelling along the example
road system 100. In the illustrated example, each of the leader
vehicle 102 and the follower vehicles 104, 106, 108 includes a v2v
guidance system 300 (FIG. 3) that enables the vehicles 102, 104,
106, 108 to communicate using DSRC.
Messages transmitted using DSRC, such as BSM communications, are
broadcast to all vehicles equipped to receive such communications
within range of the transmission as well as to any other device
equipped to receive such communications that are within range. In
some examples, the range of BSM communications is approximately 300
meters. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the dashed circle 112
represents the transmission range of communications from the leader
vehicle 102. Thus, in the illustrated example, there are fifteen
vehicles within the communication range of the leader vehicle 102.
The number of vehicles within the circle 112 and which vehicles are
in the circle 112 changes with time as the leader vehicle 102 and
the surrounding vehicles move around. Thus, when the leader vehicle
broadcasts a message containing v2v information, the information
will be transmitted to every vehicle within the circle 112 at the
time of the transmission.
Not all of the other vehicles 110 may be equipped with DSRC
capabilities (e.g., older vehicles) such that they will not be able
to receive transmissions from the leader vehicle 102 (or any other
vehicle) regardless of how close they are together. However, in the
illustrated example, at least some of the other vehicles 110
include the capability to both receive and transmit messages (e.g.,
v2v information) using DSRC. Furthermore, with the mandate in the
United States for all new vehicles to include DSRC capabilities, it
is likely that more and more vehicles will include v2v
communication capabilities as time goes on. Thus, while
communications originating from the leader vehicle 102 are shown
and described, many of the other vehicles 110 (and the follower
vehicles 104, 106, 108) are also broadcasting v2v information such
that any particular vehicle may be receiving messages from multiple
other vehicles at any given point in time.
In some examples, the leader vehicle 102 becomes a leader in
response to a request from each of the follower vehicles 104, 106,
108. For example, an occupant (e.g., a driver or a passenger) in
the first follower vehicle 104 may activate a follower mode in the
vehicle 104. In some examples, when placed in the follower mode,
the follower vehicle 104 identifies or discovers all nearby
vehicles as potential vehicles to become a leader vehicle that the
follower vehicle 104 is to track and follow. The nearby vehicles
may be discovered by collecting v2v information transmitted from
each vehicle within communication range of the follower vehicle
104.
In some examples, a generic vehicle identifier is assigned to each
discovered vehicle and presented to the occupant of the follower
vehicle for selection. Once the occupant has selected the desired
vehicle to follow, the follower vehicle 104 may transmit a message
requesting the selected vehicle to become a leader vehicle (e.g.,
the leader vehicle 102) and authorize or allow the follower vehicle
104 to track and follow the vehicle. Messages transmitted using
DSRC are broadcast to all vehicles in the immediate area.
Accordingly, in some examples, the message designates the selected
vehicle as the intended recipient of the message so that any other
vehicle that is within range of the broadcast will ignore the
message.
There may be a significant number of vehicles within the
communication range of the follower vehicle 104 (e.g., 300 meters)
such that providing a list of generic vehicle identifiers will be
insufficient to enable an occupant to select the vehicle the
occupant desires to follow. Accordingly, in some examples, the full
list of vehicles that may be potential leaders is limited based on
the location of the vehicle relative to the follower vehicle 104.
For example, while the follower vehicle 104 may be able to detect
all vehicles within a 300 meter radius, the follower vehicle 104
may reduce what vehicles are presented to the occupant to those
vehicles that are within a threshold distance of the follower
vehicle 104 (e.g., 10 meters, 15 meters, etc.). The smaller
threshold distance may be based on the assumption that a group of
vehicles embarking on a trip with a designated leader vehicle will
begin close together. In some examples, the list of potential
leader vehicles may be based on the position of the identified
vehicles relative to the follower vehicle 104 (e.g., list only the
vehicles that are in front of the follower vehicle, list the
vehicles in the order of their relative position to each other,
etc.) to further assist the occupant in identifying the correct
vehicle intended as the leader.
In some examples, the follower vehicle 104 may limit the vehicles
included in the potential leader list to those that can be matched
to a particular individual known to the occupant of the follower
vehicle 104. For example, the follower vehicle 104 may broadcast a
message polling nearby vehicles for occupant identifying data.
Occupant identifying data is any type of data that is accessible by
a vehicle and that may be used to uniquely identify an occupant of
the vehicle. For example, individuals may connect their mobile
phones to their vehicles while they are driving. Thus, the vehicles
may have access to the phone numbers of the individuals that can be
used to uniquely identify the individuals. In response to the
request from the follower vehicle 104, any vehicle that is
connected to a mobile phone may report the associated phone number.
Once such information is collected, the follower vehicle 104
compares the phone information to a phone contact list of the
occupant of the follower vehicle 104. If the collected phone
information matches a person in the occupant's contact list, the
matching person is associated with the vehicle from which the phone
information was received and presented to the occupant for
selection as a potential leader.
As another example, the occupant identifying data may correspond to
an individual's profile on social media. Just as individuals may
connect their phones to their vehicles, their vehicles may also be
connected to the Internet and one or more different social media
accounts. Furthermore, some social media accounts enable users to
share their location with their connections. Accordingly, in some
examples, the follower vehicle 104 may poll nearby vehicles
requesting a response if the vehicle is connected to a social media
account. Such occupant identifying data may then be compared to the
connections in the social media account of the occupant of the
follower vehicle 104 seeking to identify the leader vehicle 102 to
initiate their relationship as a leader vehicle and a follower
vehicle.
In some examples, occupant identifying data (e.g., phone
information, social media information, etc.) is encrypted to
maintain the privacy of the individuals. While the follower vehicle
104 may directly collect and compare the occupant identifying data
to a corresponding personal database (e.g., phone contact list,
social media connections, etc.) of the occupant, in other examples,
the occupant identifying data is transmitted to a remote facility
for analysis and identification. In such examples, the follower
vehicle 104 may only directly receive the occupant identifying data
and/or the corresponding identified individuals that actually match
people in the occupant's personal database.
Once a complete list of potential leader vehicles (and/or
individuals associated with such vehicles identified based on
occupant identifying data) is generated and provided to an occupant
of the follower vehicle 104 for selection, a message is transmitted
to the selected vehicle (e.g., the leader vehicle 102) to request
the selected vehicle to become a leader vehicle that the follower
vehicle 104 is given permission to track and follow. In some
examples, the leader vehicle 102 provides the request to an
occupant to accept or deny the request (e.g., via a human machine
interface of the vehicle 102). In some examples, the request is
provided to the occupant of the leader vehicle 102 based on the
occupant identifying data used to identify the occupant. For
example, if the occupant was identified as matching a person in a
phone contact list of the driver of the follower vehicle 104, the
request to become a follower may be provided to the occupant of the
leader vehicle 102 via the phone of the occupant, which is
connected to (e.g., via Bluetooth) the leader vehicle 102.
Similarly, if the occupant is identified based on social media
contacts, the request for the leader vehicle 102 to authorize the
follower vehicle 104 to track and follow the leader vehicle 102 may
be provided via the corresponding social media application.
If permission or authorization is granted to the follower vehicle
104 to track and follow the leader vehicle 102, the follower
vehicle 104 may begin analyzing the v2v information received from
the leader vehicle 102 to generate guidance information to be
provided to a driver of the follower vehicle 104. As described
above, DSRC equipped vehicles may already be communicating v2v
information about their location, direction, and/or any other
relevant information to each other without tracking or following
each other. Thus, the permission or authorization requested by the
follower vehicle 104 is to authorize the follower vehicle 104 to
present the v2v information from the leader vehicle 102 as guidance
information to a driver of the follower vehicle 104 to assist the
driver in following the leader vehicle 102.
The guidance information may be provided to the following driver
via any suitable human machine interface. For example, the travel
path of the vehicle may be audibly described using navigation voice
cues (e.g., "Turn right in 0.5 miles"). Such voice cues may be
provided from a navigation system built into the follower vehicle
104 or via a portable device (e.g., smartphone, portable navigation
system, etc.) connected to the follower vehicle 104. As another
example, navigation directions may be provided on a user interface
screen of the vehicle 104 and/or a portable device connected to the
vehicle 104. In some examples, the travel path and/or location of
the leader vehicle 102 (and/or any other relevant guidance
information) may be overlaid on a map. Additionally or
alternatively, the guidance information may be provided via a
heads-up display installed in the follower vehicle 104.
In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the leader vehicle 102 has
already gone through a handshake algorithm with each of the
follower vehicles 104, 106, 108 to authorize the follower vehicles
104, 106, 108 to track and follow the leader vehicle 102. That is,
in FIG. 1, the leader vehicle 102 has already authorized the
follower vehicles 104, 106, 108 to generate and provide guidance
information to drivers of the follower vehicles based on v2v
information broadcast during BSM communications. Thus, each time
the leader vehicle 102 broadcasts the v2v information, the follower
vehicles 104, 106 that are within the broadcast range of the
transmission (i.e., within the circle 112) will process the v2v
information and provide relevant guidance information to the
drivers. While the same v2v information may be transmitted to and
received by the other vehicles 110 within the circle 112 of FIG. 1,
these vehicles will not generate guidance information or provide
such information to their respective drivers because the other
vehicles 110 have not been granted permission as followers of the
leader vehicle 102.
Unlike the first and second follower vehicles 104, 106 that are
within the circle 112 representative of the signal range of the BSM
communications from the leader vehicle 102, the third follower
vehicle 108 has become separated from the leader vehicle 102 and
fallen outside the signal range. In such situations, broadcasts of
v2v information from the leader vehicle 102 may not reach the
follower vehicle 108, thereby inhibiting the follower vehicle 108
from tracking and following the leader vehicle 102. Accordingly, in
some examples, the leader vehicle 102 indirectly communicates with
the follower vehicle 108 by relaying or cascading the v2v
information through intermediate relay nodes. In the illustrated
example, the intermediate relay nodes correspond to the follower
vehicles 104, 106 and/or the other vehicles 110 unassociated with
the traveling group of vehicles 102, 104, 106, 108. In some
examples, the intermediate relay nodes may be fixed position
devices along the roadways on which the vehicle 102, 104, 106, 108
are travelling.
In some examples, the leader vehicle 102 enables broadcast v2v
information to be cascaded through one or more intermediate relay
nodes to bridge the gap between the leader vehicle 102 and the
follower vehicle 108 by including rebroadcast instructions with the
v2v information. The rebroadcast instructions provide directions
for the intermediate relay nodes to retransmit or rebroadcast the
v2v information from the leader vehicle 102 to other relay nodes
within communication range of the rebroadcasting node but outside
the range for direct communication with the leader vehicle 102. By
creating a chain of retransmissions for particular v2v information
that extends across multiple different nodes, relatively large
distances may be covered to enable the follower vehicle 108 that
has become separated from the leader vehicle 102 to remain in
communication.
The v2v information broadcast from the leader vehicle 102 in a
first leg of a cascaded message, subsequently rebroadcast by each
vehicle within range of the leader vehicle 102 in a second leg of
the cascaded message, and then rebroadcast by every additional
vehicle that received the second leg of the message and so on
through additional legs of the cascaded message can result in a
large number of transmissions being relayed between different
vehicles. Many of these transmissions may not result in a
communication path that reaches the follower vehicle 108.
Accordingly, in some examples, the rebroadcast instructions
provided with the v2v information include qualifications and/or
limits defining when vehicles are to rebroadcast the relayed
message or to stop relaying the message.
For purposes of explanation, six different communication chains or
rebroadcast paths 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124 are represented in
FIG. 1 that begin at the leader vehicle 102 and branch out to other
nearby vehicles in different chains. Thus, the first leg in each
rebroadcast path 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124 corresponds to the
same initial message broadcast from the leader vehicle 102. Each
subsequent leg in each path is a separate rebroadcast of the
initial message except for the second leg of the third and fourth
rebroadcast paths 118, 120 that are associated with the same
transmission because they stem from the same vehicle. While six
rebroadcast paths 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124 are represented,
there may be many additional rebroadcast paths that are not shown
that may or may not reach the follower vehicle 108 and that may
involve one or more of the same vehicles as intermediate relay
nodes in different ones of the paths.
In the illustrated example, the first two rebroadcast paths 114,
116 do not reach the follower vehicle 108, whereas the remaining
four rebroadcast paths 118, 120, 122, 124 do reach the follower
vehicle 108. Of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rebroadcast
paths 118, 120, 122, 124 that were completed, the sixth is the most
efficient because it includes only three legs based on two
intermediate vehicles (one being the second follower vehicle 106)
between the leader vehicle 102 and the third follower vehicle 108.
By contrast, the fourth and fifth rebroadcast paths 120, 122
include four legs each, and the third rebroadcast path 118 includes
five legs. In the illustrated example, none of the rebroadcast
paths 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124 includes more than five legs
because of limits placed on the retransmission of the v2v
information originating from the leader vehicle 102 as described
more fully below in connection with FIG. 2.
While each of the six example rebroadcast paths 114, 116, 118, 120,
122, 124 shown in FIG. 1 pass through different vehicles, in some
examples, different rebroadcast paths between the leader vehicle
102 and the follower vehicle 106 may be cascaded through
intermediate relay nodes other than the vehicles. For instance,
rather than direct vehicle-to-vehicle (v2v) communications, one or
more of the legs in different ones of the rebroadcast paths may
involve vehicle-to-infrastructure and/or infrastructure-to-vehicle
communications, vehicle-to-pedestrian and/or pedestrian-to-vehicle
communications, vehicle-to-device and/or device-to-vehicle
communications, vehicle-to-grid and/or grid-to-vehicle
communications, any other suitable communication technology, and/or
any combination of the above.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example cascade of messages from a source
vehicle 202 that has multiple legs or links passing through
intermediate vehicles 204, 206, 208 before reaching an intended
recipient vehicle 210. The source vehicle 200 corresponds to the
vehicle from which cascaded message initially originates and the
intended recipient vehicle 210 corresponds to the vehicle to which
the message is directed. Thus, if the message corresponds to v2v
information broadcast by the leader vehicle 102 to the follower
vehicle 108 of FIG. 1, the source vehicle 202 is the leader vehicle
102 and the intended recipient vehicle 210 is the follower vehicle
108. In some examples, a message may be cascaded from the follower
vehicle 108 to the leader vehicle 102. In such examples, the
follower vehicle 108 of FIG. 1 corresponds to the source vehicle
200 and the intended recipient vehicle 210 is the leader vehicle
102.
In the illustrated example, a first message (e.g., a v2v source
message 212) is broadcast by the source vehicle 202 as a leader
vehicle to intermediate relay nodes (e.g., the intermediate
vehicles 204, 206, 208) within communication range of the source
vehicle 202. As shown in the illustrated example, the v2v source
message 212 message includes source information 214 and rebroadcast
instructions 216.
The source information 214 may correspond to leader information if
the source vehicle 202 is a leader vehicle (e.g., the leader
vehicle 102) and to follower information if the source vehicle 202
is a follower vehicle (e.g., the follower vehicle 108). In some
examples, the source information 214 corresponds to the v2v
information broadcast by the source vehicle 200 as part of a
standard BSM communication even when the source vehicle 200 is not
part of a travelling group of vehicles. In some examples, the
source information includes a source vehicle identifier to identify
the source vehicle 200, a location of the source vehicle 200 (e.g.,
based on GPS coordinates), a speed of the source vehicle 200, a
direction of travel of the source vehicle 200, an anticipated
travel route of the source vehicle 200, a final destination of the
source vehicle 200, a turn signal status of the source vehicle 200,
a steering wheel position of the source vehicle 200, a timestamp
identifying when the message 212 was transmitted, and/or any other
relevant information. In some examples, the anticipated travel
route and/or the final destination may be provided by a navigation
system in the source vehicle 200 providing navigation assistance to
the driver of the source vehicle 200.
The rebroadcast instructions 216 in the message 212 provide
information to direct intermediate relay nodes (e.g., the vehicles
204, 206, 208) to relay the source information 214 to the intended
recipient vehicle 210. In some examples, the rebroadcast
instructions include intended recipient information to identify the
intended recipient vehicle 210 and/or to indicate the last known
location of the intended recipient vehicle 210. Further, in some
examples, the rebroadcast instructions 216 include a limit
corresponding to a threshold number of legs or links in a
communication path after which no further rebroadcasts will be
relayed. For example, in the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the
threshold number of transmission legs is set to five. Thus, the
first and second rebroadcast paths 114, 116 stop without reaching
the follower vehicle 108 because the number of transmissions along
the communication path (e.g., the number of legs) has reached the
threshold limit. The threshold number of communication links may be
any suitable number (e.g., 2, 3, 5, 10, etc.). Additionally or
alternatively, in some examples, the rebroadcast instructions
include a temporal limit defining a timeout period after which no
subsequent rebroadcasts are to be transmitted. The timeout period
may be any suitable period of time after the initial transmission
of the v2v source message 212 (e.g., 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30
seconds, etc.).
In addition to limits on the rebroadcasts, in some examples, the
rebroadcast instructions 216 may include one or more qualifications
that the intermediate relay nodes must satisfy before the node will
rebroadcast a message. Such qualifications may apply regardless of
whether limits on the rebroadcasts have been reached. In some
examples, the qualifications may be based on a location of the
relay node relative to a location of the source vehicle 200
(identified in the source information 214) and the last known
location of the intended recipient vehicle 210 (identified in the
rebroadcast instructions 216). For example, if an intermediate
relay node is farther away from the intended recipient vehicle 210
than the source vehicle 202, it is unlikely that the intermediate
relay node will be able to assist in bridging the gap between the
source vehicle 202 and the intended recipient vehicle 210.
Accordingly, in some examples, the intermediate relay node may be
disqualified from rebroadcasting a message. Thus, with reference to
FIG. 1, the first rebroadcast path 114 would be stopped after the
first leg because the vehicle that received the first transmission
does not meet the qualification of being closer to the follower
vehicle 108 than the leader vehicle 102.
In some examples, the qualifications for the intermediate relay
nodes may be based on a list of designated relay nodes included
within the rebroadcast instructions. That is, an intermediate relay
node is qualified to rebroadcast a message if the message
specifically designates the node to rebroadcast the message. Nodes
that are not specifically designated may be excluded or
disqualified from rebroadcasting the message. In some examples, the
list of designated relay nodes is generated based on previous
cascaded messages sent between the source vehicle 202 and the
intended recipient vehicle 210. For example, FIG. 1 shows that four
rebroadcast paths 118, 120, 122, 124 reached the follower vehicle
108. Based on these completed rebroadcast paths 118, 120, 122, 124,
the follower vehicle 108 may specifically assign the vehicles used
in the different rebroadcast paths 118, 120, 122, 124 as designated
nodes for a return path of a second message sent from the follower
vehicle 108 back to the leader vehicle 102 to the exclusion of all
other vehicles. That is, any vehicle that was not used as an
intermediate relay node for one of the completed rebroadcast path
118, 120, 122, 124 may be disqualified from use for a return
message because they are not designated in the rebroadcast
instructions included in the message to be cascaded.
In some examples, only a subset of the vehicles associated with the
completed rebroadcast paths 118, 120, 122, 124 are designated as
qualified for subsequent message cascading. In some examples, which
vehicles are designated for return path messaging is based on which
rebroadcast paths 118, 120, 122, 124 are the most efficient. For
example, in FIG. 1, the third rebroadcast path 118 has more legs
than the other three completed paths 120, 122, 124 and, therefore,
the vehicles associated specifically with the third path 118 may be
excluded or disqualified from being used for future communications.
In some examples, the subset of vehicles used for future
communicates may depend upon the direction of travel and/or
location of the vehicles. For example, while each of the fourth and
fifth rebroadcast paths 120, 122 includes four links in the
communication chain, none of the vehicles associated with the
fourth path 120 are moving in the same direction as the leader
vehicle 102 and the follower vehicle 108. By contrast, all of the
vehicles in the fifth path 122 are moving in the same direction.
Accordingly, in some examples, the vehicles in the fourth
rebroadcast path 120 may be excluded from future communications as
it is unlikely they will continue being in a position to bridge the
gap between the leader vehicle 102 and the follower vehicle 108. In
some examples, all follower vehicles following the same leader
vehicle may be specifically designated as potential intermediate
relay nodes for cascading messages.
In some examples, the identification of the intermediate relay
nodes and/or the determination of their location and direction is
based on cascade information provided by each intermediate relay
node as it rebroadcasts a message. For example, as represented in
the illustrated example of FIG. 2, the second vehicle 204 (or other
intermediate relay node) may broadcast a first relay message 218
after receiving the v2v source message 212. As shown in the
illustrated example, the first relay message 218 includes the
source information 214 and the rebroadcast information 216 of the
v2v source message 212. Thus, the first relay message 218 is a
rebroadcast of the original v2v source message 212. However, the
first relay message 218 also includes additional cascade
information 220 with information corresponding to the second
vehicle 204 in the cascaded message chain. The third vehicle 206
may broadcast a second relay message 222 after receiving the first
relay message 218 from the second vehicle 204. The second relay
message 222 again includes the source information 214 and the
rebroadcast instructions 216 from the original v2v source message
212 along with updated cascade information 224. In the illustrated
example, the communication chain continues to the fourth vehicle
208 that may broadcast a third relay message 226 that again
includes the source information 214 and the rebroadcast
instructions 216 along with further updated cascade information
228.
In some examples, the first, second, and third relay messages 218,
222, 226 are transmitted along with standard BSM communications
that include standard v2v information corresponding to the vehicles
204, 206, 208 transmitting the relay messages 218, 22, 229. In some
examples, the v2v information included in such BSM communications
is the basis for the content added to the cascade information 220,
224, 228 in each successive relay message 218, 222, 226. More
particularly, in some examples, the cascade information 220, 224,
228 includes relay node information corresponding to each
intermediate relay node (e.g., the vehicles 204, 206, 208) by which
the message is rebroadcast. The relay node information may include
a relay node identifier to identify each node (e.g., vehicle) in
the communication chain or rebroadcast path. Further, in some
examples, the relay node information may include a location and/or
a direction of travel of each node in the rebroadcast path.
In the illustrated example of FIG. 2, the cascade information 220
in the first relay message 218 includes first relay node
information 230 corresponding to the second vehicle 204. The
cascade information 224 in the second relay message 222 includes
the first relay node information 230 included in the previous relay
message 218 plus second relay node information 232 corresponding to
the third vehicle 206. Further, the cascade information 228 in the
third relay message 226 includes the first relay node information
230 and the second relay node information 232 provided in the
previous relay message 222 plus third relay node information 234
corresponding to the fourth vehicle 208. In some examples, as shown
in FIG. 2, the relay node information 230, 232, 234 is arranged in
order within the corresponding cascade information 220, 224, 228 to
indicate the order of the rebroadcasts from each node. Additionally
or alternatively, each relay node information 230, 232, 234 may
include a timestamp to determine their ordering. In the illustrated
example, the cascade information 220, 224, 228 does not include
information specifically relating to the source vehicle 200 because
such information is already provided in the source information
214
In some examples, the number of separate relay node information
items included in the cascade information is used by each
intermediate relay node (e.g., the vehicles 204, 206, 208) to
determine whether a specified limit has been reached. For example,
the three relay node information items 230, 232, 234 in the third
relay message 226 indicate that there have been four transmissions
(including the initial transmission from the source vehicle 202).
Thus, if the rebroadcast instructions 216 provide a threshold limit
of five transmissions, any vehicle that receives the third relay
message 226 will not rebroadcast the message because the threshold
limit will have been met. Additionally, the number of separate
relay node information items may be used by the intended recipient
vehicle 210 to identify the efficient rebroadcast paths (e.g.,
those with the fewest transmission legs). Further, the location and
direction information included in the relay node information may be
used to determine whether the particular nodes may be relied on for
future cascaded messages. Based on this analysis, the intended
recipient vehicle 210 may identify certain ones of the intermediate
relay nodes as designated nodes for a return path message. In such
examples, the particular relay node identifiers may be included
into new rebroadcast information associated with the new return
path message.
In some examples, the intermediate relay nodes may be limited in
the number of times they can serve as a link in a single
communication chain. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the second
rebroadcast path 116 includes a message that is passed back and
forth between two vehicles. In the context of FIG. 2, this can be
represented as the second and fourth vehicles 204, 208
corresponding to the same vehicle. In some examples, when the
vehicle receives the message for a second time, the cascade
information will contain relay node information already identifying
the vehicle. Thus, the vehicle may determine that the message was
already rebroadcast by the vehicle such that broadcasting the
message again is unlikely to serve any purpose. Accordingly, in
some examples, a vehicle is limited to transmitting a particular
message one time. In other examples, a vehicle may be limited to a
different number of times and/or there may be no limit. Even if
there is a limit on the retransmissions of a message in association
with a single communication path, in some examples, the vehicle may
nevertheless be used as a node in multiple different paths. For
example, both the second and third vehicles 204, 206 in FIG. 2 may
be within range of the source vehicle 202 such that both vehicles
204, 206 receive the v2v source message 212. Further, each of the
second and third vehicles 204, 206 may rebroadcast the message to
each other as separate instances of the first relay message 218.
While both vehicles 204, 206 have already rebroadcast the initial
message (as separate instances of the first relay message 218), in
some examples, they may both rebroadcast the message again (as
separate instances of the second relay message 222) because each
message is associated with a different communication path.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example v2v guidance
system 300 that may be implemented in the leader vehicle 102 and
the follower vehicles 104, 106, 108 of FIG. 1. The example v2v
guidance system 300 includes an example v2v communication interface
302, an example alternate communication interface 304, an example
v2v information analyzer 306, an example v2v guidance control
module 308, an example user interface 310, and an example
navigation system 312.
In the illustrated example, the v2v guidance system 300 is provided
with the example v2v communication interface 302 to transmit v2v
information to nearby vehicles and to receive v2v information from
nearby vehicles. In some examples, v2v information may also be
transmitted to, or received from, fixed-position devices other than
vehicles positioned along roadways. As used herein, v2v information
includes any type of information communicated between vehicles.
Thus, in some examples, v2v information includes the source
information 214, the rebroadcast instructions 216, and/or the
cascade information 220, 224, 228 described above in connection
with FIG. 2. The v2v information transmitted using the example v2v
communication interface 302 involves any type of communication
using DSRC (e.g., BSM communications). Additionally or
alternatively, v2v information may be transmitted and received via
the alternate communication interface 304. The example alternate
communication interface 304 may correspond to one or more different
communication interfaces including communications over a mobile
phone network, a Wi-Fi network, ZigBee, Z-wave,
vehicle-to-infrastructure (v2i) communications,
vehicle-to-pedestrian (v2p) communications, vehicle-to-device (v2d)
communications, vehicle-to-grid (v2g) communications, and/or any
other communication medium.
In the illustrated example, the v2v guidance system 300 is provided
with the example v2v information analyzer 306 to analyze the v2v
information received via the v2v communication interface 302
(and/or the alternate communication interface 304). In some
examples, the v2v information analyzer 306 identifies each nearby
vehicle and/or identifies the nearby vehicles associated with
particular occupant identifying data. Further, the v2v information
analyzer 306 may analyze the cascade information 220, 224, 228 to
determine efficient rebroadcast paths and identify which vehicles
may be designated as qualifying to be intermediate relay nodes in
subsequent cascaded messages.
In the illustrated example, the v2v guidance system 300 is provided
with the example v2v guidance control module 308 to direct and
control the interaction of the other block elements in the v2v
guidance system 300. Furthermore, in some examples, the v2v
guidance control module 308 generates a potential leader list of
vehicles identified by the v2v information analyzer 306 that an
occupant of a follower vehicle may select as a leader vehicle for
the follower vehicle to follow. Further still, the v2v guidance
control module may generate guidance information based on the
collected v2v information from a leader vehicle that is to be
provided to a driver of a follower vehicle to enable the driver to
follow the leader vehicle.
In the illustrated example, the v2v guidance system 300 is provided
with the example user interface 310 to enable interactions between
a driver or other occupant of a vehicle and the functionality of
the v2v guidance system 300. In some examples, the user interface
310 in a follower vehicle may receive inputs by an occupant of the
vehicle requesting the vehicle to enter a following mode. Further,
the user interface 310 may then provide a list of potential leader
vehicles, as generated by the v2v guidance control module 308, for
selection by the occupant to then send a request for permission to
follow the selected vehicle. In some examples, the user interface
310 in the leader vehicle may provide an occupant of the leader
vehicle the request initiated by the occupant of the follower
vehicle. Once the leader vehicle and the follower vehicle have
implemented a handshake operation to enable the follower vehicle to
track and follow the leader vehicle, the user interface 310 in the
follower vehicle may provide guidance information to the driver of
the follower vehicle. In some examples, the follower vehicle may
also authorize the leader vehicle to provide information received
from the follower vehicle to a driver of the leader vehicle. In
such examples, relevant information received at the leader vehicle
from the follower vehicle may be provided via the example user
interface 310 of the leader vehicle. The example user interface 310
may provide information to the occupants of a vehicle through any
suitable means such as visually via a screen built into the
vehicle, audibly via speakers in the vehicle, and/or via external
devices connected to the vehicle (e.g., a smartphone of an occupant
of the vehicle).
In the illustrated example, the v2v guidance system 300 is provided
with the example navigation system 312 to determine an anticipated
travel route for a leader vehicle based on a user-input final
destination. In some examples, the navigation system 312 may
provide navigation guidance to the driver of the leader vehicle.
Furthermore, in situations where a follower vehicle becomes
separated from a leader vehicle and they are not able to
communicate, the navigation system 312 in the follower vehicle may
provide navigation guidance to the driver of the follower vehicle
because the driver is no longer able to track and follow the leader
vehicle.
While an example manner of implementing the v2v guidance system 300
is illustrated in FIG. 3, one or more of the elements, processes
and/or devices illustrated in FIG. 3 may be combined, divided,
re-arranged, omitted, eliminated and/or implemented in any other
way. Further, the example v2v communication interface 302, the
example alternate communication interface 304, the example v2v
information analyzer 306, the example v2v guidance control module
308, the example user interface 310, the example navigation system
312, and/or, more generally, the example v2v guidance system 300 of
FIG. 3 may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware and/or
any combination of hardware, software and/or firmware. Thus, for
example, any of the example v2v communication interface 302, the
example alternate communication interface 304, the example v2v
information analyzer 306, the example v2v guidance control module
308, the example user interface 310, the example navigation system
312, and/or, more generally, the example v2v guidance system 300
could be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuit(s),
logic circuits, programmable processor(s), application specific
integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s)
(PLD(s)) and/or field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)). When
reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent to
cover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least
one of the example v2v communication interface 302, the example
alternate communication interface 304, the example v2v information
analyzer 306, the example v2v guidance control module 308, the
example user interface 310, and/or the example navigation system
312 is/are hereby expressly defined to include a tangible computer
readable storage device or storage disk such as a memory, a digital
versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc.
storing the software and/or firmware. Further still, the example
v2v guidance system 300 of FIG. 3 may include one or more elements,
processes and/or devices in addition to, or instead of, those
illustrated in FIG. 3, and/or may include more than one of any or
all of the illustrated elements, processes and devices.
Flowcharts representative of example methods for implementing the
v2v guidance system 300 of FIG. 3 are shown in FIGS. 4-8. In these
example, the methods may be implemented using machine readable
instructions that comprise a program for execution by a processor
such as the processor 912 shown in the example processor platform
900 discussed below in connection with FIG. 9. The program may be
embodied in software stored on a tangible computer readable storage
medium such as a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, a digital
versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray disk, or a memory associated with
the processor 912, but the entire program and/or parts thereof
could alternatively be executed by a device other than the
processor 912 and/or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware.
Further, although the example program is described with reference
to the flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 4-8, many other methods of
implementing the example v2v guidance system 300 may alternatively
be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be
changed, and/or some of the blocks described may be changed,
eliminated, or combined.
As mentioned above, the example processes of FIGS. 4-8 may be
implemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer and/or machine
readable instructions) stored on a tangible computer readable
storage medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a
read-only memory (ROM), a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile
disk (DVD), a cache, a random-access memory (RAM) and/or any other
storage device or storage disk in which information is stored for
any duration (e.g., for extended time periods, permanently, for
brief instances, for temporarily buffering, and/or for caching of
the information). As used herein, the term tangible computer
readable storage medium is expressly defined to include any type of
computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and to exclude
propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. As used
herein, "tangible computer readable storage medium" and "tangible
machine readable storage medium" are used interchangeably.
Additionally or alternatively, the example processes of FIGS. 4-8
may be implemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer and/or
machine readable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computer
and/or machine readable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash
memory, a read-only memory, a compact disk, a digital versatile
disk, a cache, a random-access memory and/or any other storage
device or storage disk in which information is stored for any
duration (e.g., for extended time periods, permanently, for brief
instances, for temporarily buffering, and/or for caching of the
information). As used herein, the term non-transitory computer
readable medium is expressly defined to include any type of
computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and to exclude
propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. As used
herein, when the phrase "at least" is used as the transition term
in a preamble of a claim, it is open-ended in the same manner as
the term "comprising" is open ended.
Turning in detail to the drawings, FIG. 4 is a flowchart
representative of an example method to implement the example v2v
guidance system 300 in a follower vehicle (e.g., the follower
vehicle 104 of FIG. 1) to initiate tracking of a leader vehicle
(e.g., the leader vehicle 102 of FIG. 1). The method of FIG. 4
begins at block 402 where the example user interface 310 receives a
user command to enter a following mode. Placing the follower
vehicle 104 into a following mode initiates the process to identify
a leader vehicle 102 the follower vehicle 104 is to track and
follow. At block 404, the example v2v guidance control module 308
determines whether to identify the leader vehicle 102 based on
occupant identifying data. In some example, this determination is
made based on the process through which the user command at block
402 was provided by the user. For example, if the user command was
provided via a smartphone of the user that is connected to the
follower vehicle 104 and/or via a social media application
connected to the vehicle 104, the example v2v guidance control
module 308 may determine to identify the leader vehicle 102 based
on occupant identifying data that matches the personal database
(e.g., phone contact list, social media contact list, etc.)
associated with the user. In some examples, the user command may
directly specify whether to identify the leader vehicle based on
occupant identifying data.
If, at block 404, the example v2v guidance control module 308
determines to identify the leader vehicle 102 based on occupant
identifying data, control advances to block 406 where the example
v2v communication interface 302 polls nearby vehicles for available
occupant identifying data. At block 408, the example v2v
communication interface receives occupant identifying data. In some
examples, the occupant identifying data is encrypted to protect the
privacy of the individuals associated with the data. At block 410,
the example v2v guidance control module 308 determines whether the
occupant identifying data from a particular vehicle matches an
individual in a personal database of the user. If so, control
advances to block 412 where the example v2v guidance control module
adds the matched individual to a potential leader list. Thereafter,
control advances to block 414 where the example v2v guidance
control module determines whether there is occupant identifying
data from another vehicle. If so, control returns to block 410. If
the occupant identifying data does not match an individual (block
410), control advances directly to block 414 to determine whether
there is more occupant identifying data to analyze. If there is no
additional occupant identifying data, control advances to block 416
where the example user interface 310 provides the potential leader
list of individuals to the user for selection.
Adding matching individuals to the potential leader list in the
manner described above reduces the total number of vehicles within
communication distance of the follower vehicle 104 to only those
vehicles associated with people the user in the follower vehicle
104 is likely to know. Furthermore, by including the name or other
contact information of the matching individual in the list, the
user is enabled to easily identify the corresponding vehicle the
user desires to follow. Thus, once the potential leader list is
provided (block 416), control advances to block 426 where the
example user interface 310 receives a selection of the leader
vehicle 102 from the potential leader list. In some examples, as
mentioned above, the selection of the leader vehicle 102 is made
indirectly by the user based on a selection of the matching
individual associated with the leader vehicle 102.
Returning to block 404, if the example v2v guidance control module
308 determines not to identify the leader vehicle 102 based on
occupant identifying data, control advances to block 418 where the
example v2v communication interface 302 receives generic v2v
information from nearby vehicles. Generic v2v information
corresponds to the standard v2v information transmitted as part of
standard BSM communications. Thus, in some examples, there is no
need for the v2v communication interface 302 to specifically poll
the nearby vehicles to request such information because each
vehicle in the surrounding area equipped to communicate such
information may do so automatically. At block 420, the example v2v
information analyzer 306 identifies the nearby vehicles based on
the generic v2v information. At block 422, the example v2v guidance
control module 308 generates a potential leader list of generic
vehicle identifiers based on a location of the nearby vehicles. In
some examples, only a subset of all vehicles identified at block
420 are included in the potential leader list based on the
assumption that the leader vehicle 102 is likely to be close to the
follower vehicle 104 at the time that the user enters the user
command for the follower vehicle 104 to enter the following mode.
Reducing the potential leader list to correspond to vehicles within
a threshold distance of (and/or in a particular position relative
to) the follower vehicle 104 can assist the user in identifying the
correct vehicle to request to become the leader vehicle 102. At
block 424, the example user interface 310 provides the potential
leader list of generic vehicle identifiers to the user for
selection. Control then advances to block 426 where the example
user interface 310 receives a selection of the leader vehicle 102
from the potential leader list.
At block 428, the example v2v communication interface 304 transmits
a request to the vehicle associated with the selection to become
the leader vehicle 102. As with all communications using DSRC, the
transmission directed to the leader vehicle 102 is a broadcast that
may be received by all nearby vehicles within the range of the
transmission signal. However, the transmission may include a
designation of the leader vehicle 102 as the intended recipient
such that all other vehicles will ignore the transmission. At block
430, the example v2v communication interface 304 receives a
response in the v2v information sent from the leader vehicle 102.
In some examples, the response may include a request for additional
information to which the follower vehicle may respond before a
final determination on the request is provided.
At block 432, the example v2v guidance control module 308
determines whether authorization to follow the leader vehicle 102
is granted. If not, the example method of FIG. 4 ends because no
further action can be taken by the follower vehicle 104 to follow
the leader vehicle 102. However, if authorization is granted,
control advances to block 434 where the example user interface 310
provides guidance information to the user based on leader
information (e.g., the source information 216 of FIG. 2) included
in the v2v information. At block 436, the v2v guidance control
module 308 determines whether to continue following the leader
vehicle 102. In some examples, the follower vehicle 104 continues
following the leader vehicle 102, until either vehicle terminates
the relationship. If the follower vehicle 104 is to continue
following the leader vehicle 102, control advances to block 438
where the example v2v communication interface 302 receives
additional leader information. Thereafter, control returns to block
434. If the example v2v guidance control module 308 determines not
to continue following the leader vehicle 102 (block 436), the
example method of FIG. 4 ends.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system 300 in a leader vehicle
(e.g., the leader vehicle 102 of FIG. 1) to authorize a follower
vehicle (e.g., the follower vehicle 104) to begin following the
leader vehicle 102. The method of FIG. 5 begins at block 502 where
the example v2v guidance control module 308 makes the vehicle
available for requests to become a leader vehicle. That is, in some
examples, the leader vehicle 102 is set to be available to receive
the request transmitted by the follower vehicle 104 at block 428 of
FIG. 4. In some examples, the leader vehicle 102 is automatically
configured to receive such requests such that block 502 may be
omitted. In other examples, a user in the leader vehicle 102 (e.g.,
the driver or another occupant) may provide a user command to enter
a leader mode to become available. In some examples, this approach
may further facilitate the user in the follower vehicle 104 in
identifying the leader vehicle by polling nearby vehicles to
identify those that are available to receive requests to become a
leader vehicle (e.g., in a leader mode).
At block 504, the example v2v communication interface 302
determines whether a request for occupant identifying data was
received. Such a request corresponds to the follower vehicle 104
polling nearby vehicles in block 406 of FIG. 4. If a request for
occupant identifying data was received, control advances to block
506 where the example v2v guidance control module 308 determines
whether occupant identifying data is available. Occupant
identifying data may be available if a smartphone is connected to
the vehicle and/or if the vehicle is connected to a social media
account. If occupant identifying data is available, control
advances to block 508 where the example v2v communication interface
302 transmits the occupant identifying data before advancing to
block 512. Returning to block 506, if no occupant identifying data
is available, the request for such data is ignored and control
advances to block 510 where the example v2v communication interface
transmits generic v2v information. Likewise, if no request for
occupant identifying data was received (block 504), control
advances directly to block 510 to transmit the generic v2v
information before advancing to block 512.
At block 512, the example v2v communication interface 302 receives
a request for the vehicle to become a leader vehicle. Such a
request corresponds to the request transmitted by the follower
vehicle 104 at 428 of FIG. 4. At block 514, the example user
interface 310 provides the request to a user for authorization. The
user may be the driver of the leader vehicle 102 or a different
occupant of the leader vehicle 102. At block 516, the example v2v
guidance control module 308 determines whether the user authorized
the request. In some examples, as mentioned above, the user may
request additional information that may be communicated to the
follower vehicle 104 for additional feedback before authorization
is granted or denied. If the example v2v guidance control module
308 determines the user did not authorize the request, control
advances to block 518 where the example v2v communication interface
transmits a response denying the request, whereupon the example
method of FIG. 5 ends.
If the example v2v guidance control module 308 determines the user
did authorize the request (block 516), control advances to block
520 where the example v2v communication interface 302 transmits a
response including authorization of the request. At block 522, the
example v2v communication interface transmits leader information.
In some examples, the response including the authorization and the
leader information are included in a single transmission. In other
examples, the response and the leader information are included in
separate transmissions. At block 524, the example v2v guidance
control module 308 determines whether to continue leading the
follower vehicle 104. If so, control returns to block 522.
Otherwise, the example method of FIG. 5 ends.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system 300 in a leader vehicle
(e.g., the leader vehicle 102 of FIG. 1) to provide leader
information to a follower vehicle (e.g., the follower vehicle 108).
The method of FIG. 6 begins at block 602 where the example v2v
information analyzer 306 determines whether the follower vehicle
108 is in v2v communication range. This may be determined based on
the leader vehicle 102 receiving v2v information directly from the
follower vehicle 108. If the follower vehicle 108 is in range,
control advances to block 604 where the example v2v communication
interface 302 transmits leader information to the follower vehicle
108. At block 606, the example v2v communication interface 302
receives follower information from the follower vehicle 108. In the
illustrated example, both the leader information and the follower
information are transmitted between the leader vehicle 102 and the
follower vehicle 108 using DSRC (e.g., via BSM communications). In
some examples, if the distance between the leader vehicle 102 and
the follower vehicle 108 is approaching the communication range for
BSM communications, the follower information from the follower
vehicle 108 may indicate that direct communications may be lost.
Control then returns to block 602 to again determine whether the
follower vehicle is in communication range. If not, control
advances to block 608.
At block 608, the example v2v communication interface 302 transmits
leader information with rebroadcast instructions. In some examples,
the rebroadcast instructions may direct intermediate relay nodes
(e.g., other nearby vehicles) to bridge the gap between the leader
vehicle 102 and the follower vehicle 108. In some examples, the
same intermediate relay nodes (or different ones) may provide a
return path for follower information sent from the follower vehicle
108, which, if received, indicates that the initial message (sent
at block 608) was successfully cascaded to the follower vehicle
108. Thus, at block 610, the example v2v guidance control module
308 determines whether additional follower information was
received. If so, control advances to block 612, where the example
v2v guidance control module 308 determines efficient rebroadcast
paths based on cascade information provided with the follower
information. At block 614, the example v2v communication interface
302 transmits leader information with updated rebroadcast
instructions. In some examples, the updates to the rebroadcast
instructions are based on the identification of the efficient
rebroadcast paths. Additionally, the updates to the rebroadcast
instructions may include an updated last known location of the
follower vehicle 108 as reported from the follower information
received at block 610.
At block 616, the example v2v guidance control module 308
determines whether additional follower information was received
(e.g., to confirm delivery of the transmission sent at block 614
and to provide updated location data). If so, control advances to
block 618, where the example v2v information analyzer 306
determines whether the follower vehicle 108 is in v2v communication
range. If not, control returns to block 612 to continue determining
efficient rebroadcast paths and updating the rebroadcast
instructions to cascade leader information via intermediate relay
nodes. If the example v2v information analyzer 306 determines that
the follower vehicle 108 is in v2v communication range, control
returns to block 604.
The absence of the additional follower information being received
at blocks 610 and 616 indicates that cascading a message through
intermediate relay nodes has failed. Accordingly, if no follower
information is received at either block 610 or block 616, control
advance to block 620 where the example v2v guidance control module
308 determines whether other communication methods are available.
If so, control advances to block 622 where the example alternate
communication interface 304 transmits the leader information using
the other communication methods. Thereafter, at block 624, the
example v2v information analyzer 306 determines whether the
follower vehicle 108 is in v2v communication range. If not, control
returns to block 622. Otherwise, control returns to block 604.
Returning to block 620, if the example v2v guidance control module
308 determines that no other communication methods are available,
control advances to block 626 where the example v2v guidance
control module 308 determines whether to continue. If so control
returns to block 602. Otherwise, the example method of FIG. 6
ends.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system 300 in a follower vehicle
(e.g., the follower vehicle 108 of FIG. 1) to track and follow a
leader vehicle (e.g., the leader vehicle 102). The method of FIG. 7
begins at block 702 where the example v2v information analyzer 306
determines whether the leader vehicle 102 is in v2v communication
range. If so, control advances to block 704 where the example v2v
communication interface 302 transmits follower information to the
leader vehicle 102. At block 706, the example v2v communication
interface 302 receives leader information from the leader vehicle
102. At block 708, the example user interface 310 provides guidance
information to a driver of the follower vehicle based on the leader
information. Control then returns to block 702 to again determine
whether the follower vehicle is in communication range. If the
example v2v information analyzer 306 determines that the leader
vehicle 102 is not in v2v communication range, control advances to
block 710.
At block 710, the example v2v communication interface 302 transmits
follower information with rebroadcast instructions. At block 712,
the example v2v guidance control module 308 determines whether
additional leader information was received. If so, control advances
to block 714, where the example user interface 310 provides
guidance information to the driver of the follower vehicle based on
the leader information. At block 716, the example v2v guidance
control module 308 determines efficient rebroadcast paths based on
cascade information provided with the leader information. At block
718, the example v2v communication interface 302 transmits follower
information with updated rebroadcast instructions.
At block 720, the example v2v guidance control module 308
determines whether additional leader information was received. If
so, control advances to block 722, where the example v2v
information analyzer 306 determines whether the leader vehicle 102
is in v2v communication range. If not, control returns to block 714
to provide guidance information from the additional leader
information and to continue determining efficient rebroadcast paths
and updating the rebroadcast instructions to cascade additional
follower information via intermediate relay nodes. If the example
v2v information analyzer 306 determines that the leader vehicle 102
is in v2v communication range, control returns to block 708.
The absence of additional leader information at blocks 712 and 720
indicates that cascading a message through intermediate relay nodes
has failed. Accordingly, if no additional leader information is
received at either block 712 or block 720, control advance to block
724 where the example v2v guidance control module 308 determines
whether other communication methods are available. If so, control
advances to block 726 where the example alternate communication
interface 304 transmits follower information using the other
communication methods. At block 728, the example alternate
communication interface 304 receives additional leader information.
At block 730, the example v2v information analyzer 306 determines
whether the leader vehicle 102 is in v2v communication range. If
not, control advances to block 732 where the example user interface
310 provides guidance information to the driver of the follower
vehicle 108 based on the leader information. Thereafter, control
returns to block 726. If the example v2v information analyzer 306
determines that the leader vehicle 102 is in v2v communication
range (block 730), control returns to block 708.
Returning to block 724, if the example v2v guidance control module
308 determines that no other communication methods are available,
control advances to block 734 where the example v2v guidance
control module 308 determines whether there is a native navigation
system available (e.g., the navigation system 312). If so, control
advances to block 736 where the example user interface 310 provides
navigation instructions to the driver before the method of FIG. 7
ends. If the example v2v guidance control module 308 determines
there is not a native navigation system available (block 734), the
example method of FIG. 7 ends.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart representative of an example method to
implement the example v2v guidance system 300 in a vehicle
functioning as an intermediate relay node. As mentioned above, in
some examples, vehicles may serve as intermediate relay nodes
without implementing the v2v guidance system 300 so long as the
vehicles otherwise include the capability to send and receive
broadcasts between vehicles using DSRC. Thus, the method of FIG. 8
may be used to implement communication systems other than the v2v
guidance system 300. However, for the sake of convenience, FIG. 8
is described with reference to the v2v guidance system 300 of FIG.
3.
The method of FIG. 8 begins at block 802 where the example v2v
communication interface 302 receives a message containing
rebroadcast instructions. In some examples, the message may be from
the leader vehicle 102 and include leader information. In other
examples, the message may be from the follower vehicle 108 and
include follower information. In other examples, the message may be
a relay message from another intermediate relay node and include
cascade information along with the source information (e.g., the
leader information or the follower information).
At block 804, the example v2v information analyzer 306 determines
whether the message has reached limits for rebroadcasting. In some
examples, the limits are specified within the rebroadcast
instructions. The limits may define a threshold number of
transmissions for a rebroadcast path and/or a threshold period of
time from the initial message within which the message may be
rebroadcast. If the example v2v information analyzer 306 determines
that the message has reached the specified limits for
rebroadcasting, the example method of FIG. 8 ends. Otherwise,
control advances to block 806, where the example v2v information
analyzer 306 determines whether the relay node qualifies to
rebroadcast the message. In some examples, the qualifications for
the relay node are specified in the rebroadcast instructions. In
some examples, a relay node (e.g., a nearby vehicle) is qualified
to rebroadcast a message if the node is specifically designated as
such within the rebroadcast instructions associated with the
message. In some examples, a relay node is qualified based on a
location and/or direction of travel of the node relative to the
leader vehicle 102 and the follower vehicle 108. If the example v2v
information analyzer 306 determines that the relay node does not
qualify to rebroadcast the message, the example method of FIG. 8
ends. Otherwise, control advances to block 808.
At block 808, the example v2v guidance control module 308 prepares
cascade information. In some examples, the cascade information
includes identifying information relating to the relay node as well
as any previously relay nodes in the rebroadcast path. At block
810, the example v2v communication interface 302 transmits the
message with the cascade information and the rebroadcast
information. Thereafter, the example method of FIG. 8 ends.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 900
capable of executing instructions to implement the methods of FIGS.
4-8 and the v2v guidance system 300 of FIG. 3. The processor
platform 900 can be, for example, a server, a personal computer, a
mobile device (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet such as
an iPad.TM.), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet
appliance, or any other type of computing device.
The processor platform 900 of the illustrated example includes a
processor 912. The processor 912 of the illustrated example is
hardware. For example, the processor 912 can be implemented by one
or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors or
controllers from any desired family or manufacturer. The processor
912 of FIG. 9 may implement one or more of the example v2v
communication interface 302, the example alternate communication
interface 304, the example v2v information analyzer 306, the
example v2v guidance control module 308, the example user interface
310, the example navigation system 312, and/or, more generally, the
example v2v guidance system 300 of FIG. 3.
The processor 912 of the illustrated example includes a local
memory 913 (e.g., a cache). The processor 912 of the illustrated
example is in communication with a main memory including a volatile
memory 914 and a non-volatile memory 916 via a bus 918. The
volatile memory 914 may be implemented by Synchronous Dynamic
Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM),
RAMBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM) and/or any other type
of random access memory device. The non-volatile memory 916 may be
implemented by flash memory and/or any other desired type of memory
device. Access to the main memory 914, 916 is controlled by a
memory controller.
The processor platform 900 of the illustrated example also includes
an interface circuit 920. The interface circuit 920 may be
implemented by any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet
interface, a universal serial bus (USB), and/or a PCI express
interface.
In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 922 are
connected to the interface circuit 920. The input device(s) 922
permit(s) a user to enter data and commands into the processor 912.
The input device(s) can be implemented by, for example, an audio
sensor, a microphone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, a
button, a mouse, a touchscreen, a track-pad, a trackball, isopoint
and/or a voice recognition system.
One or more output devices 924 are also connected to the interface
circuit 920 of the illustrated example. The output devices 924 can
be implemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a light
emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a
liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube display (CRT), a
touchscreen, a tactile output device, a light emitting diode (LED),
a printer and/or speakers). The interface circuit 920 of the
illustrated example, thus, typically includes a graphics driver
card, a graphics driver chip or a graphics driver processor.
The interface circuit 920 of the illustrated example also includes
a communication device such as a transmitter, a receiver, a
transceiver, a modem and/or network interface card to facilitate
exchange of data with external machines (e.g., computing devices of
any kind) via a network 926 (e.g., an Ethernet connection, a
digital subscriber line (DSL), a telephone line, coaxial cable, a
cellular telephone system, etc.).
The processor platform 900 of the illustrated example also includes
one or more mass storage devices 928 for storing software and/or
data. Examples of such mass storage devices 928 include floppy disk
drives, hard drive disks, compact disk drives, Blu-ray disk drives,
RAID systems, and digital versatile disk (DVD) drives.
Coded instructions 932 to implement the methods of FIGS. 4-8 may be
stored in the mass storage device 928, in the volatile memory 914,
in the non-volatile memory 916, and/or on a removable tangible
computer readable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the above disclosed
methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture assist a driver of a
follower vehicle in following a leader vehicle. More particularly,
examples disclosed herein enable the relay of information regarding
the location and heading of a leader vehicle to a follower vehicle
to provide guidance to the driver of the follower vehicle even if
the follower vehicle becomes separated from the leader vehicle. In
some examples, this is made possible through the use BSM
communications using DSRC between vehicles. While BSM
communications have an upper range of approximately 300 meters,
examples disclosed herein enable longer range communications by
cascading or repeating v2v information between the leader vehicle
and the follower vehicle via one or more intermediate relay nodes
such as other nearby vehicles.
Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of
manufacture have been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of
this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent
covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly
falling within the scope of the claims of this patent.
* * * * *