# US 12,179,787 B2 · Pedestrian alert system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,179,787 B2 - Document ID: US12179787B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/335,078 - Filed: 2023-06-14 - Published: 2023-10-12 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-11 - Assignees: Aptiv Technologies AG - Applicants: Aptiv Technologies AG - Inventors: Ajay Chandra Nallani; Yang Yang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179787B2 ## CPC - B60Q 3/80: Circuits; Control arrangements (for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47) - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - B60K 35/22: Display screens - B60K 35/50: Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle (B60K35/231 takes precedence) - B60K 35/60: Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles (arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10) - B60K 35/80: Arrangements for controlling instruments - B60K 35/90: Calibration of instruments, e.g. setting initial or reference parameters; Testing of instruments, e.g. detecting malfunction - B60K 37/00: Dashboards (as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14) - B60Q 3/16: Circuits; Control arrangements - B60Q 3/78: for generating luminous strips, e.g. for marking trim component edges - B60Q 9/00: Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} - B60Q 9/008: {for anti-collision purposes} - B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters} - B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers - B60W 50/0097: {Predicting future conditions} - G06V 20/597: {Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness} - B60K 35/28: characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver - B60K 35/285: {for improving awareness by directing driver's gaze direction or eye points} - B60K 35/29: Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions - B60K 2360/178: Warnings - B60K 2360/1868: according to driving situations - B60K 2360/188: Displaying information using colour changes - B60K 2360/336: Light guides - B60W 2040/0818: {Inactivity or incapacity of driver} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W 2540/225: Direction of gaze - B60W 2540/229: Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping - B60W 2554/4026: Cycles - B60W 2554/4029: Pedestrians - B60W 2554/4041: Position - B60W 2554/4044: Direction of movement, e.g. backwards - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - 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 - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the one or more first characteristics include a first color of the indicator; and the one or more second characteristics include flashing of the indicator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: the one or more second characteristics further include a second color of the indicator, the second color being different than the first color. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: the first color indicates a likelihood of a collision between the host vehicle and the object. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the method further comprises determining, based on the sensor data, a classification of an object type for the object; and the one or more first characteristics and the one or more second characteristics further indicate the classification of the object type for the object. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the classification of the object type includes one of a pedestrian, a bicyclist, an animal, or a person on a scooter. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the driver of the host vehicle is distracted comprises: determining whether a gaze of the driver is not directed toward the travel path of the host vehicle; determining whether the gaze of the driver is not directed toward the object; or determining whether the gaze of the driver is directed away from the travel path of the host vehicle. ### Claim 8 A system comprising one or more processors configured 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. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein: the one or more first characteristics include a first color of the indicator; and the one or more second characteristics include flashing of the indicator. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein: the one or more second characteristics further include a second color of the indicator, the second color being different than the first color. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein: the first color indicates a likelihood of a collision between the host vehicle and the object. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein: the one or more processors are further configured to determine, based on the sensor data, a classification of an object type for the object; and the one or more first characteristics and the one or more second characteristics further indicate the classification of the object type for the object. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the classification of the object type includes one of a pedestrian, a bicyclist, an animal, or a person on a scooter. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine whether the driver of the host vehicle is distracted by: determining whether a gaze of the driver is not directed toward the travel path of the host vehicle; determining whether the gaze of the driver is not directed toward the object; or determining whether the gaze of the driver is directed away from the travel path of the host vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more interior sensors are positioned to have a view of a head of the driver of the host vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the light bar is positioned on or in a dashboard of the host vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the light bar is integrated into a display on, in, or near a dashboard of the host vehicle. ### Claim 18 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. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein: the one or more first characteristics include a first color of the indicator; and the one or more second characteristics include flashing of the indicator. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein: the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises additional computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to determine, based on the sensor data, a classification of an object type for the object; and the one or more first characteristics and the one or more second characteristics further indicate the classification of the object type for the object.