# US 10,373,499 B1 · Cognitively filtered and recipient-actualized vehicle horn activation

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- Number: US 10,373,499 B1
- Document ID: US10373499B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/958,174
- Filed: 2018-04-20
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2018-04-20
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Jayashree Kumar; Yethish Venkataramanachari; Dhandapani Shanmugam
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373499B1

## CPC

- G08G 1/0175: {by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules}
- G08G 1/162: {event-triggered}
- B60W 50/16: Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
- G06V 20/56: exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
- G08G 1/0965: responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
- G08G 1/164: {Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles}
- H04W 4/16: Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
- H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information
- H04W 4/46: for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
- B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means}
- B60W 2050/146: {Display means}
- B60W 2555/60: Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
- H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Approaches presented herein enable recipient-actualized internal vehicle-to-vehicle honking. More specifically, an action of a first vehicle is monitored and a communication is obtained from a second vehicle. In response to the obtainment of the communication, it is determined whether the action of the first vehicle violates a rule. In the case that the action of the first vehicle violates a rule, responsive to the communication, a honk indication, perceptible to an occupant of the first vehicle, is actualized inside the first vehicle. In the case that the action of the first vehicle does not violate a rule, the communication from the second vehicle is rejected, and the honk indication is not actualized inside the first vehicle. A response can be transmitted to the second vehicle indicating if the honk indication was actualized inside the first vehicle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for recipient-actualized internal vehicle-to-vehicle honking, comprising:
monitoring an action of a first vehicle by receiving sensor data from a set of sensors on the first vehicle, the sensor data comprising the action of the first vehicle and a condition associated with the first vehicle;
obtaining a set of rules from a rule depository, the set of rules being correct conduct of the first vehicle responsive to a condition associated with the first vehicle, wherein the rules comprise a set of cognitively learned driving customs, the violation of which warrants a honk according to the cognitively learned driving customs;
obtaining a communication from a second vehicle;
determining, in response to the obtainment of the communication, whether the action of the first vehicle violates a rule by analyzing the sensor data for a violation of a rule of the set of rules for the received action of the first vehicle and condition associated with the first vehicle, the analysis comprising generating a hypothesis proposing a reason an operator of the second vehicle honked at the first vehicle based on a machine-learned association of the sensed action with the hypothesis; and
actualizing, responsive to the communication, in the case that the action of the first vehicle violates a rule, a honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to an occupant of the first vehicle, the actualized honk indication comprising an indication of a direction of the second vehicle relative to the first vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the method further comprising, in the case that the action of the first vehicle does not violate a rule, rejecting the communication from the second vehicle by not actualizing the honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to the occupant of the first vehicle, wherein the action of the first vehicle occurs prior to obtaining the communication from the second vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, the method further comprising transmitting a response to the second vehicle, responsive to the communication from the second vehicle, indicating if the honk indication was actualized inside the first vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein, in the case that the action of the first vehicle violates a rule, the honk indication notifies the occupant of the first vehicle of the rule of the set of rules that has a violation.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the honk indication comprises at least one indicator selected from the group consisting of: a visual alert on a display of the first vehicle, an auditory alert through a sound system of the first vehicle, and a haptic alert through a surface in physical contact with the occupant of the first vehicle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the communication from the second vehicle being in response to an auditory command in a natural language identifying the first vehicle by an occupant of the second vehicle.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:
obtaining an alert announcement communication from the second vehicle, the alert announcement communication being communicated to a set of vehicles in proximity to the second vehicle;
identifying the alert announcement communication as an alert announcement communication based on metadata associated with the alert announcement communication, wherein the metadata comprises an identification of a location of the second vehicle; and
actualizing, responsive to the alert announcement communication, an alert announcement honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to the occupant of the first vehicle.

### Claim 8

A computer system for recipient-actualized internal vehicle-to-vehicle honking, the computer system comprising:
a memory medium comprising program instructions;
a bus coupled to the memory medium; and
a processor, for executing the program instructions, coupled to a recipient-actualized internal vehicle-to-vehicle honk engine via the bus that when executing the program instructions causes the system to:
monitor an action of a first vehicle by receiving sensor data from a set of sensors on the first vehicle, the sensor data comprising the action of the first vehicle and a condition associated with the first vehicle;
obtain a set of rules from a rule depository, the set of rules being correct conduct of the first vehicle responsive to a condition associated with the first vehicle, wherein the rules comprise a set of cognitively learned driving customs, the violation of which warrants a honk according to the cognitively learned driving customs;
obtain a communication from a second vehicle;
determine, in response to the obtainment of the communication, whether the action of the first vehicle violates a rule by analyzing the sensor data for a violation of a rule of the set of rules for the received action of the first vehicle and condition associated with the first vehicle, the analysis comprising generating a hypothesis proposing a reason an operator of the second vehicle honked at the first vehicle based on a machine-learned association of the sensed action with the hypothesis; and
actualize, responsive to the communication, in the case that the action of the first vehicle violates a rule, a honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to an occupant of the first vehicle, the actualized honk indication comprising an indication of a direction of the second vehicle relative to the first vehicle.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The computer system of claim 8, the instructions further causing the system to, in the case that the action of the first vehicle does not violate a rule, reject the communication from the second vehicle by not actualizing the honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to the occupant of the first vehicle, wherein the action of the first vehicle occurs prior to obtaining the communication from the second vehicle.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The computer system of claim 9, the instructions further causing the system to transmit a response to the second vehicle, responsive to the communication from the second vehicle, indicating if the honk indication was actualized inside the first vehicle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The computer system of claim 8, the instructions further causing the system to
notify, in the case that the action of the first vehicle violates a rule, the occupant of the first vehicle of the hypothesis.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The computer system of claim 8, the communication from the second vehicle being in response to an auditory command in a natural language identifying the first vehicle by an occupant of the second vehicle.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The computer system of claim 8, the instructions further causing the system to:
obtain an alert announcement communication from the second vehicle, the alert announcement communication being communicated to a set of vehicles in proximity to the second vehicle;
identify the alert announcement communication as an alert announcement communication based on metadata associated with the alert announcement communication, wherein the metadata comprises an identification of a location of the second vehicle; and
actualize, responsive to the alert announcement communication, an alert announcement honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to the occupant of the first vehicle.

### Claim 14

A computer program product for recipient-actualized internal vehicle-to-vehicle honking, the computer program product comprising a computer readable hardware storage device, and program instructions stored on the computer readable hardware storage device, to:
monitor an action of a first vehicle by receiving sensor data from a set of sensors on the first vehicle, the sensor data comprising the action of the first vehicle and a condition associated with the first vehicle;
obtain a set of rules from a rule depository, the set of rules being correct conduct of the first vehicle responsive to a condition associated with the first vehicle, wherein the rules comprise a set of cognitively learned driving customs, the violation of which warrants a honk according to the cognitively learned driving customs;
obtain a communication from a second vehicle;
determine, in response to the obtainment of the communication, whether the action of the first vehicle violates a rule by analyzing the sensor data for a violation of a rule of the set of rules for the received action of the first vehicle and condition associated with the first vehicle, the analysis comprising generating a hypothesis proposing a reason an operator of the second vehicle honked at the first vehicle based on a machine-learned association of the sensed action with the hypothesis; and
actualize, responsive to the communication, in the case that the action of the first vehicle violates a rule, a honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to an occupant of the first vehicle, the actualized honk indication comprising an indication of a direction of the second vehicle relative to the first vehicle.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The computer program product of claim 14, the computer readable storage device further comprising instructions to, in the case that the action of the first vehicle does not violate a rule, reject the communication from the second vehicle by not actualizing the honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to the occupant of the first vehicle, wherein the action of the first vehicle occurs prior to obtaining the communication from the second vehicle.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The computer program product of claim 15, the computer readable storage device further comprising instructions to transmit a response to the second vehicle, responsive to the communication from the second vehicle, indicating if the honk indication was actualized inside the first vehicle.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The computer program product of claim 14, the computer readable storage device further comprising instructions to
notify, in the case that the action of the first vehicle violates a rule, the occupant of the first vehicle of the hypothesis.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The computer program product of claim 14, the communication from the second vehicle being in response to an auditory command in a natural language identifying the first vehicle by an occupant of the second vehicle.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The computer program product of claim 14, the computer readable storage device further comprising instructions to:
obtain an alert announcement communication from the second vehicle, the alert announcement communication being communicated to a set of vehicles in proximity to the second vehicle;
identify the alert announcement communication as an alert announcement communication based on metadata associated with the alert announcement communication, wherein the metadata comprises an identification of a location of the second vehicle; and
actualize, responsive to the alert announcement communication, an alert announcement honk indication inside the first vehicle perceptible to the occupant of the first vehicle.