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US 12,600,381 B2Granted
Vehicle operation modification based on weather sensing sensors
OwnerScott C Harris, Benjamin J Kwitekinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A autonomous driving vehicle and system. Vehicle sensors, including cameras and microphones, detecting conditions around the vehicle and producing signals indicative of the conditions around the vehicle that are detected that represent the way that liquid in the environment is reacting to the vehicle. A computer drives the vehicle. The computer receives information from the sensors about a current way in which liquid in the environment interacts with parts of the vehicle, under current roadway conditions and compares that to information in a database to determine a dangerous roadway condition.
Claims16
An autonomous driving vehicle system comprising:
- plural vehicle sensors, detecting conditions around a vehicle and producing signals indicative of the conditions around the vehicle that are detected;
- a computer, operating for automated driving operation of the vehicle, using the signals from the plural vehicle sensors, the computer driving the vehicle according to rules, including at least rules for default amounts of maximum speed on a specific part of a road, follow distance to another vehicle and stopping distance of the vehicle;
- the computer receiving information from the plural vehicle sensors about a current way in which liquid in an environment interacts with parts of the vehicle, under a current roadway condition;
- a memory, storing information about ways in which liquid in the environment interacts with the parts of the vehicle under specified roadway conditions which were found in the past to be dangerous as a database in the memory;
- the computer comparing the information from the plural vehicle sensors against the information in the database,
- where the parts of the vehicle include at least tires of the vehicle, and
- where the information from the plural vehicle sensors includes at least images of the tires of the vehicle,
- the computer analyzing said images to check for specified items of motion of water droplets in the images;
- the computer analyzing including at least following a motion of droplets of water coming off the tires, and testing a speed and a trajectory of the droplets of water droplets coming off the tires,
- where the memory stores a model of what the water droplets look like when coming off different vehicle tires in different roadway conditions,
- and the computer comparing the motion of the water droplets, including the speed and trajectory of the water droplets coming off the tires, against the model of what water droplets look like when coming off different vehicle tires in the different roadway conditions to determine the current roadway condition;
- and
- the computer determining a dangerous road condition as the current roadway condition from the comparing, and upon determining the dangerous road condition, operating to operate the vehicle in a less aggressive automated driving, including at least all of reducing a speed of the vehicle on the specific part of the road, increasing a follow distance to another vehicle and increasing a stopping distance of the vehicle.
10 more elements
A method of autonomously driving a vehicle comprising:
- using plural vehicle sensors, detecting conditions around the vehicle and producing signals indicative of the conditions around the vehicle that are detected;
- using a computer, for automated driving operation of the vehicle, using the signals from the plural vehicle sensors, the computer driving the vehicle according to rules, including at least rules for default amounts of maximum speed on a specific part of a road, follow distance to another vehicle and stopping distance of the vehicle;
- using the computer for receiving information from the plural vehicle sensors about a current way in which liquid in an environment interacts with parts of the vehicle, under a current roadway condition;
- storing information about ways in which liquid in the environment interacts with the parts of the vehicle under specified roadway conditions which were found in the past to be dangerous, the storing being as a database in a memory;
- using the computer for comparing the information from the plural vehicle sensors against the information in the database;
- where the parts of the vehicle include at least tires of the vehicle, and
- where the information from the plural vehicle sensors includes at least images of the tires of the vehicle,
- using the computer for analyzing said images to check for specified items of motion of water droplets in the images;
- the using the computer for analyzing including at least following a motion of droplets of water coming off the tires, and testing a speed and a trajectory of the water droplets coming off the tires,
- where the memory stores a model of what the water droplets look like when coming off different vehicle tires in different roadway conditions,
- using the computer for comparing the motion of the water droplets, including the speed and trajectory of the water droplets coming off the tires, against the model of what water droplets look like when coming off the different vehicle tires in the different roadway conditions to determine the current roadway condition;
- and
- using the computer for determining a dangerous road condition as the current roadway condition from the comparing, and upon determining the dangerous road condition, operating to operate the vehicle in a less aggressive automated driving, including at least all of reducing a speed of the vehicle on the specific part of the road, increasing a follow distance to another vehicle and increasing a stopping distance of the vehicle.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.