US 12,179,787 B2Granted

Pedestrian alert system

AssigneeAptiv Technologies AG

InventorsAjay Chandra Nallani, Yang Yang

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Abstract

This document describes a pedestrian alert system that can draw a driver's attention to a pedestrian on or near a roadway. The described pedestrian alert system can help prevent collisions with pedestrians and other objects in poor visibility environments or when drivers may be distracted. For example, a system can determine a presence of an object in or near a travel path of a host vehicle. The system can also determine the object's position relative to the host vehicle and control a light bar to provide an indication of the object. The indication can have specific characteristics to indicate the object's position relative to the host vehicle. In this way, the described pedestrian alert system can utilize sensors to focus a driver's attention on an object before a potential crash occurs and reduce the number of traffic-related deaths.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for alerting a driver of a host vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, based on sensor data obtained from one or more exterior sensors of the host vehicle, a presence of an object in or near a travel path of the host vehicle;
determining, based on the sensor data, a position of the object relative to the host vehicle;
determining, based on other sensor data obtained from one or more interior sensors of the host vehicle, whether the driver of the host vehicle is distracted;
responsive to determining that the driver of the host vehicle is not distracted and the presence of the object in or near the travel path of the host vehicle, controlling a light bar within an interior of the host vehicle to provide an indicator with one or more first characteristics, the one or more first characteristics indicating at least the position of the object relative to the host vehicle;
or
responsive to determining that the driver of the host vehicle is distracted and the presence of the object in or near the travel path of the host vehicle, controlling the light bar to provide the indicator with one or more second characteristics, the one or more second characteristics being different from the one or more first characteristics.

3 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to:

determine, based on sensor data obtained from one or more exterior sensors of a host vehicle, a presence of an object in or near a travel path of the host vehicle;
determine, based on the sensor data, a position of the object relative to the host vehicle;
determine, based on other sensor data obtained from one or more interior sensors of the host vehicle, whether the driver of the host vehicle is distracted;
responsive to a determination that the driver of the host vehicle is not distracted and the presence of the object in or near the travel path of the host vehicle, control a light bar within an interior of the host vehicle to provide an indicator with one or more first characteristics, the one or more first characteristics indicating at least the position of the object relative to the host vehicle;
or
responsive to a determination that the driver of the host vehicle is distracted and the presence of the object in or near the travel path of the host vehicle, controlling the light bar to provide the indicator with one or more second characteristics, the one or more second characteristics being different from the one or more first characteristics.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/335,078Filed 14 Jun 2023 · continuation
Priority: 11 Mar 2022
Published: US 2023/0322253 A112 Oct 2023
Granted: 31 Dec 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification37 codes

B60Q 3/80
Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors: circuits; Control arrangements
B60W 50/14
Interaction between the driver and the control system: means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
B60K 35/22
Using visual output, e.g. blinking lights or matrix displays: display screens
B60K 35/50
Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles: instruments characterised by their means of attachment…

Family

Application17/654,571Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Mar 2022
US 2023/0322253 A1Pre-grant publication · published 12 Oct 2023
US 11,718,314 B1Parent of this continuation
US 12,179,787 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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