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US 10,708,547 B2Granted
Using vehicle sensor data to monitor environmental and geologic conditions
AssigneeNIO USA, Inc.
InventorAustin Newman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for monitoring environmental and geological conditions based upon information is collected by a wide array of sensors already included in modern motor vehicles. Also included is a system for monitoring environmental and geological conditions by aggregating data collected by an array of vehicles.
Claims12
An apparatus of a vehicle for monitoring environmental conditions surrounding the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of sensors of the vehicle comprising at least one thermal imager, at least one high-definition imager, and an air quality sensor, wherein each of the at least one thermal imager and the at least one high-definition imager has a respective bubble of vision;
- a real-time communication interface that communicates information from the vehicle across a wireless communications channel while the vehicle is in motion;
- a short-range communication interface that communicates information from the vehicle across a short-range communications channel when the vehicle is stopped and is in range of the short-range communications channel;
- a geolocation system to determine a location of the vehicle at a selected point in time;
- and
- a vehicle computer communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors, the geolocation system, the real-time communication interface, and the short-range communication interface, wherein the vehicle computer:
- receives, from the plurality of sensors, environmental information of the environment in which the vehicle is traveling, the environmental information comprising a plurality of thermal images, a plurality of high-definition images, and gas and particulate information defining a condition of the environment;
- determines, based on the environmental information, whether a hazard exists in the environment;
- determines, when the hazard is determined to exist in the environment, whether the hazard is a low-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about structures in the environment, a medium-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about a change in lighting or weather conditions in the environment, and a high-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about a fire or a fallen tree in the environment;
- stores, in a memory of the vehicle, the environmental information associated with the determined hazard along with a location of the vehicle at a time when the environmental information is received;
- displays, via a display device inside the vehicle only when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the medium-priority hazard or the high-priority hazard, an alert informing occupants of the vehicle of the medium-priority hazard or the high-priority hazard;
- transmits, via the real-time communication interface, only the stored environmental information associated with the high-priority hazard when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the high-priority hazard, to a database server in real time, and
- transmits, via the short-range communication interface, only the stored environmental information associated with the low-priority hazard or the medium-priority hazard when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the low-priority hazard or the medium-priority hazard, to the database server when the vehicle is stopped and is in range of the short-range communications channel.
10 more elements
A method for monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprising:
- acquiring, at a first time by a vehicle computer of a vehicle, environmental information from a plurality of sensors of the vehicle, wherein the environmental information comprises a plurality of thermal images, a plurality of high-definition images, and gas and particulate information defining a condition of an environment in which the vehicle is traveling;
- simultaneously acquiring, by a geolocation system, a location of the vehicle when the environmental information is acquired by the vehicle computer at the first time;
- determining, by the vehicle computer and based on the environmental information, whether a hazard exists in the environment;
- determining, by the vehicle computer when the hazard is determined to exist in the environment, whether the hazard is a low-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about structures in the environment, a medium-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about a change in lighting or weather conditions in the environment, and a high-priority hazard associated with the environmental information comprising information about a fire or a fallen tree in the environment;
- storing, in a memory of the vehicle, the environmental information associated with the determined hazard along with a location of the vehicle at the first time when the environmental information is acquired;
- displaying, via a display device inside the vehicle only when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the medium-priority hazard or the high-priority hazard, an alert informing occupants of the vehicle of the medium-priority hazard or the high-priority hazard;
- transmitting, via a real-time communication interface of the vehicle computer across a wireless communications channel and while the vehicle is in motion, in real time to a database server only the stored environmental information associated with the high-priority hazard when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the high-priority hazard;
- and
- transmitting, via a short-range communication interface of the vehicle computer, to the database server when the vehicle is stopped and is in range of the short-range communications channel only the stored environmental information associated with the low-priority hazard or the medium-priority hazard when the hazard that exists in the environment is determined to be the low-priority hazard or the medium-priority hazard.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.