V2X communication with sensor assistance

Abstract

The techniques described herein provide enhanced determination of V2X communication range based on sensor information obtained at a V2X device. According to an embodiment, a V2X device may obtain sensor information about a detected object and determine the communication range of a V2X message sent by the V2X device based on one or more detected characteristics of the detected object. The V2X message itself may contain information about the one or more detected characteristics of the detected object, as well as information indicating the location of the V2X device and the determined communication range.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) is a communication standard for vehicles and related entities to exchange information about the traffic environment. V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications between V2X-capable vehicles, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between vehicles and infrastructure-based devices (e.g., roadside units (RSUs), cellular base stations, Wi-Fi access points, servers, etc.), and vehicle-to-person (V2P) communications between vehicles and nearby pedestrians (pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users). V2X can also utilize any of a variety of wireless radio frequency (RF) communication technologies. For example, cellular V2X (CV2X) is a form of V2X that uses cellular-based communications, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR), and / or other cellular technologies, in a direct communication mode as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The components or devices on a vehicle, RSU, or other V2X entity used to transmit V2X messages are generally referred to as V2X devices or V2X user equipment (UE).

[0002] To help ensure efficient use of communications, V2X devices are equipped with the ability to apply distance-based communication control to transmitted V2X messages. Specifically, a V2X device can determine the communication range for a V2X message and then transmit the V2X message to all V2X entities within the communication range of the transmitting V2X device. However, this communication range is currently determined solely by the time it takes a V2X device to react to a particular maneuver or action. This can be problematic in dynamic scenarios where factors other than reaction time may be important to the V2X entities. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The techniques described herein provide enhanced determination of V2X communication range based on sensor information obtained at a V2X device. According to an embodiment, a V2X device may obtain sensor information regarding a detected object and determine a communication range for a V2X message sent by the V2X device based on one or more detected characteristics of the detected object. The V2X message itself may contain information regarding the one or more detected characteristics of the detected object, as well as information indicating the location of the V2X device and the determined communication range.

[0004] According to the present description, an example method for determining a communication range for a V2X message based on sensors includes obtaining, at a V2X device, sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors, determining a communication range for the V2X message based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the object, and wirelessly transmitting a V2X message from the V2X device. The V2X message includes information indicating a location of the V2X device and the determined communication range.

[0005] An example V2X device according to the present description includes a wireless communication interface, a memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the memory and the wireless communication interface. The one or more processing units are configured to obtain sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors, determine a communication range of a V2X message based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the object, and wirelessly transmit the V2X message via the wireless communication interface. The V2X message includes information indicating a location of the V2X device and the determined communication range.

[0006] According to the present description, another example device includes means for obtaining sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors, means for determining a communication range of a V2X message based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the object, and means for wirelessly transmitting the V2X message. The V2X message includes information indicating a location of the device and the determined communication range.

[0007] An example non-transitory computer-readable medium according to the present description has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processing units, cause the one or more processing units to obtain sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors, determine a communication range of a V2X message based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the object, and transmit the V2X message. The V2X message includes information indicating a location of a V2X device and the determined communication range. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 A diagram providing a bird's-eye view of a traffic intersection.

[0009] Figure 2 is a diagram that provides a top view of an intersection and vehicles according to some embodiments, similar to Figure 1 , but further illustrates how enhanced communication range can be determined based on sensor information.

[0010] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a basic architecture of components for determining enhanced communication range as described herein, according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a V2X device.

[0012] Figure 5 1 is a flow chart of a method for determining a communication range for a V2X message based on a sensor at a V2X device according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 6is an illustration of a system in which a vehicle can communicate through various networks and with various devices, vehicles, and servers according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 7 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 8 is a perspective view of an example vehicle capable of communicating using sidelink / CV2X communications in the manner described herein, according to an embodiment.

[0016] According to certain example embodiments, the same reference symbols in the various drawings indicate the same elements. In addition, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by following the first digit of the element with a letter or hyphen and a second digit. For example, multiple instances of element 110 can be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc. or 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When only the first digit is used to refer to such an element, any instance of the element will be understood (for example, element 110 in the previous example will refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3 or elements 110a, 110b, and 110c). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Several illustrative embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. Although specific embodiments are described below in which one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented, other embodiments may be used and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure or the spirit of the appended claims.

[0018] As used herein, "V2X devices," "V2X vehicles," and "V2X entities" refer to devices, vehicles, and entities, respectively, that are capable of sending and receiving V2X messages. Similarly, "non-V2X vehicles" and "non-V2X entities" refer to vehicles and entities that do not or cannot participate in V2X communications. While many embodiments describe "V2X vehicles" and "non-V2X vehicles," it will be understood that many embodiments may be expanded to include non-vehicle entities, such as pedestrians, cyclists, road hazards, obstacles, and / or other traffic-related objects. As generally referred to herein, an "object" detected by a sensor as described in the embodiments herein may refer to a detected vehicle or a non-vehicle object, which may be on or near a road. Furthermore, while the embodiments herein are directed to V2X communications, it will be understood that alternative embodiments may be directed to alternative forms of traffic-related communications. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize such variations.

[0019] In V2X communication, data transmitted by a V2X device may only be relevant to V2X devices within a certain distance of the transmitting V2X device. For example, a vehicle attempting to cross an intersection may only see relevant data within a certain distance of the intersection. Similarly, for vehicles participating in coordinated driving, only the vehicles affected by the maneuver may see relevant data.

[0020] As mentioned, V2X (under 5G NR) supports distance-based communication control. More specifically, if a receiving V2X device within a specified distance (referred to herein as the "V2X communication range" or simply the "communication range") receives a V2X message from a transmitting V2X device, it will send a negative acknowledgement (NAK) if the receiving V2X device is within the specified range but fails to decode the message. This allows the transmitting V2X device to retransmit the message. Through this mechanism, V2X reception reliability is improved for V2X devices within the specified range, thereby enhancing the performance of device maneuvers that rely on the underlying V2X communication.

[0021] Furthermore, V2X-capable devices can be aware of the location and motion of other V2X vehicles and non-V2X vehicles (and other objects) in their vicinity. With respect to the former, this can be determined by receiving messages or signaling from other V2X devices, such as control signaling, Basic Safety Messages (BSMs), or Collaborative Awareness Messages (CAMs) indicating the location of the V2X device or vehicle. With respect to the latter, this can be determined by onboard sensors capable of detecting the motion and / or other characteristics of non-V2X vehicles and other objects.

[0022] Embodiments provided herein leverage the ability of V2X devices to use onboard sensors to determine the characteristics of non-V2X vehicles and other objects to dynamically determine the communication range of V2X messages. In some embodiments, for example, a V2X device can determine one or more characteristics of a detected object and, based on these characteristics, increase the communication range for V2X messages to help inform nearby V2X devices of the detected object's one or more characteristics. This additional information can alert nearby V2X devices to any conditions that need to be considered to ensure user safety. Embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0023] Figure 1 is a diagram that provides a top view of a traffic intersection 100 that is provided to help illustrate how vehicles 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, and 110-4 (collectively and generally referred to herein as vehicles 110) can use V2X communications to provide useful information that can be used by the vehicles 110 to help ensure the safety of passengers therein. It will be understood that Figure 1 Other Figure 1This example is provided as a non-limiting example. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the number of scenarios in which V2X communication may be useful far exceeds this example. Note that scenarios may include more or fewer vehicles, different types of vehicles, and non-vehicle entities (such as RSUs, vulnerable road users (VRUs), road hazards, and other objects, which may or may not have V2X communication capabilities).

[0024] Here, each vehicle 110 is approaching an intersection 100. As the vehicles approach the intersection 100, it may be helpful for each vehicle 110 to understand the speed, direction, and location of each of the other vehicles to help ensure safe navigation through the intersection 100. Ultimately, the intersection 100 may manage the crossing of vehicles using V2X communications with a dedicated RSU or between the vehicles 110 themselves. However, even without such management, such awareness of the characteristics of other vehicles 110 may help vehicles (e.g., autonomous and / or semi-autonomous vehicles) and / or their drivers safely navigate through the intersection 100.

[0025] exist Figure 1 , the communication range 120 of a V2X message sent from a transmitting vehicle 110-1 is illustrated. (However, it should be noted that the communication range 120 is shown as an example and is not necessarily to scale.) That is, vehicle 110-1 includes a V2X device capable of transmitting V2X messages (e.g., BSM, CAM, etc.) to alert nearby vehicles 110 of the characteristics (location, velocity, direction, etc.) of the transmitting vehicle 110-1. As noted, the communication range 120 is generally defined by the time it takes for the device to react to a desired belief or action. This reaction time is a function of the velocity of the transmitting vehicle 110-1, the distance to a location (e.g., the distance from the transmitting vehicle 110-1 to the intersection 100), and, in the case of coordinated maneuvers with other V2X vehicles, the velocity and distance between vehicles. In some cases, the reaction time may be on the order of seconds, but in other cases it may be longer or shorter, depending on the situation. Thus, the communication range 120 dynamically adapts to each situation.

[0026] The V2X message sent by the transmitting vehicle 110-1 may include an indication of the communication range 120. For example, the communication range may be carried in the message, or may be indicated by lower layer signaling accompanying the message transmission. As noted, to help ensure that the message is successfully delivered, V2X may implement the use of distance-based hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback, enabling vehicles 110 within the communication range 120 to indicate that they were unable to decode a packet and prompt a retransmission of the V2X message. For example, in Figure 1In the embodiment of the present invention, if the receiving vehicle 110-2 includes a V2X device that is capable of decoding the indication of the communication range 120 (e.g., the control signaling for the V2X message sent from the sending vehicle 110-1), but is unable to decode the packet of information contained in the V2X message, the receiving vehicle 110-2 may send a NAK to prompt the sending vehicle 110-1 to retransmit the V2X message. Other vehicles receiving the V2X message outside the communication range 120 (e.g., vehicles 110-3 and 110-4) may choose to ignore the V2X message.

[0027] Figure 2 is a diagram providing a top view of an intersection 100 and a vehicle 110 according to some embodiments, similar to Figure 1 , but illustrates how enhanced communication range 210 can be determined based on sensor information. Enhanced communication range 210 can be determined by transmitting vehicle 110-1 and can be advantageous in any of a variety of scenarios, including scenarios where transmitting vehicle 110-1 obtains sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of a detected object that may be beneficial to be noted by a nearby V2X device. Vehicles with V2X capabilities generally have access to a wealth of sensor data, and therefore, transmitting vehicle 110-1 may be able to determine any of a variety of characteristics of a detected object.

[0028] exist Figure 2 In the example, the detected object includes detected vehicle 110-5. According to some embodiments, detected vehicle 110-5 may include a non-V2X vehicle or may include a currently disabled V2X device. In any case, transmitting vehicle 110-1 may be able to use sensor data to determine that detected vehicle 110-5 is not transmitting a V2X message. This sensor data may be used by transmitting vehicle 110-1 to determine enhanced communication range 210.

[0029] As a basic example, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 can obtain sensor data about one or more characteristics of the detected vehicle 110-5. Based on the one or more characteristics (discussed in more detail below), the transmitting vehicle 110-1 can determine the distance of the enhanced communication range 210, thereby enabling the receiving vehicle (e.g., 110-3) to have a greater reaction time to the actions of the transmitting vehicle 110-1 (and therefore an appropriate reaction time to 110-5). In some embodiments, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 can not only use the one or more characteristics of the detected vehicle 110-5 to determine the enhanced communication range 210, but the transmitting vehicle 110-1 can also send these characteristics in a V2X message to alert other V2X devices of these characteristics. Therefore, in such embodiments, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 can effectively relay V2X related information for non-V2X vehicles.

[0030] As described above, because transmitting vehicle 110-1 includes V2X equipment, it has access to a large amount of sensor data. The sensor data can be obtained from one or more sensors located on transmitting vehicle 110-1 itself (such as one or more cameras, LIDAR, radar, etc.). That is, the sensor data is not necessarily limited to data from sensors on transmitting vehicle 110-1.

[0031] According to some embodiments, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 can use sensor information received from other V2X devices. For example, the detected vehicle 110-5 can be detected by one or more sensors of another vehicle 110-6, which transmits the sensor information (or detected characteristics of the detected vehicle 110-5 derived therefrom) in one or more V2X messages received by the transmitting vehicle 110-1. The transmitting vehicle 110-1 can then use this information to transmit a new message about the detected vehicle 110-5 using the enhanced communication range 210 so that other V2X devices (e.g., vehicle 110-3, if it has V2X capabilities) can receive information about the detected vehicle 110-5. Thus, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 relays information about the detected vehicle 110-5 to V2X devices that may not have received the message sent from the other vehicle 110-6. It should be noted that sensor information is not necessarily limited to vehicle-mounted sensors. Sensor information can be relayed by non-vehicle V2X devices (such as RSUs, VRUs, etc.).

[0032] The characteristics of the detected vehicle 110-5 are used by the transmitting vehicle 110-1 to determine the enhanced communication range 210 and, as previously indicated, may be included in the V2X message sent from the transmitting vehicle 110-1. These characteristics may vary depending on the type of sensor used to detect the detected vehicle 110-5. These characteristics may generally include information about the position and motion state of the detected vehicle. More specifically, these characteristics may include the absolute and / or relative position of the detected vehicle (e.g., relative to the transmitting vehicle 110-1, the intersection 100, etc.), speed (or separate rate and / or direction components), acceleration, etc. In some embodiments, other detected characteristics may include vehicle type, one or more detected visible features, etc.

[0033] In other cases, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 may determine the enhanced communication range 210 based on sensor information about non-vehicle detected objects. For example, these objects may include VRUs (pedestrians, cyclists, etc.), road hazards, etc. In such cases, similar information may be used to determine the enhanced communication range 210 and / or included in the V2X message sent from the transmitting vehicle 110-1. Again, this information may include the location and motion state of the detected object. In some embodiments, other information, such as the object type, may also be used.

[0034] Depending on the desired functionality, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 may use one or more detected characteristics of the detected vehicle 110-5 to determine the enhanced communication range 210 in any of a variety of ways. Generally speaking, the enhanced communication range 210 may be based on an initial communication range (e.g., Figure 1 The communication range 120 shown in FIG. 1 ) starts with a value of 0 and increases based on whether one or more detected characteristics meet certain conditions.

[0035] In some cases, for example, the location of the detected vehicle 110-5 can be used to determine the enhanced communication range 210. In some embodiments, the enhanced communication range 210 can be determined simply based on the initial communication range of the transmitting vehicle 110-1 plus the distance 220 between the transmitting vehicle 110-1 and the detected vehicle 110-5. The location of the detected vehicle 110-5 relative to other objects (besides the transmitting vehicle 110-1) can also be considered. As previously described, for example, the initial communication range 120 may be based in part on the proximity of the transmitting vehicle 110-1 to the intersection (e.g., the communication range 120 may be extended to help ensure that other vehicles (110-3 and 110-4) approaching the intersection receive the V2X message. According to an embodiment, when determining the enhanced communication range 210, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 may consider the proximity of the detected vehicle 110-5 to the intersection 100 (or a construction zone, hazard zone, or other traffic feature that may similarly necessitate an extended communication range). As such, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 may utilize a map and / or other information regarding the location of the intersection 100 (or other traffic feature). Similarly, the transmitting vehicle 110-1 may consider the proximity of the detected vehicle 110-5 to the RSU, which may then coordinate sensor measurements and / or plan crosswalks, traffic light changes, etc. for the intersection 100 (or other traffic feature).

[0036] In some embodiments, speed may also be considered in any of a variety of ways, depending on the desired functionality. For example, if the sending vehicle 110-1 and the detected vehicle 110-5 are in a Figure 21 (traveling in the same direction, the detected vehicle 110-5 is in front of the sending vehicle 110-1), if the detected vehicle 110-5 is traveling at a slower rate than the sending vehicle 110-1, then the rate of the detected vehicle 110-5 will not affect the distance of the enhanced communication range 210. On the other hand, if the detected vehicle 110-5 is traveling at a higher rate, then the distance of the enhanced communication range 210 can be increased. Here, the distance 220 between the vehicles can also play a role so that the relative rate and position of the detected vehicle 110-5 can be taken into account. If the detected vehicle 110-5 is moving in the opposite direction to the sending vehicle 110-1 and / or away from the intersection 100 (for example, positioned and moving in the manner of vehicle 110-6), then it will not affect the distance of the enhanced communication range 210.

[0037] In some embodiments, the direction of movement of the transmitting vehicle 110-1 and / or the detected vehicle 110-5 may be taken into account when determining the enhanced communication range 210. For example, if the transmitting vehicle 110-1 or the detected vehicle 110-5 is traveling in a particular direction, the enhanced communication range 210 may be farther in front of the transmitting vehicle 110-1 or the detected vehicle 110-5 than behind the transmitting vehicle 110-1 or the detected vehicle 110-5. Thus, the enhanced communication range 210 does not form a circle around the transmitting vehicle 110-1 (e.g., instead forms an ellipse), and / or the transmitting vehicle 110-1 is not located at the center of the enhanced communication range 210. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the boundaries of this enhanced communication range 210 may also be transmitted within the V2X message, and / or beamforming may be performed to ensure that the V2X message is properly transmitted within the communication range.

[0038] Figure 3 2 is a block diagram of a basic architecture of components for determining an enhanced communication range 210 as described herein, according to an embodiment. These components include a V2X device 310 having an application layer 320 and a radio layer 330, a sensor processing unit 340, and one or more sensors 350. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, Figure 3 The components shown in may include hardware and / or software components and may be executed by different devices, as indicated below.

[0039] The V2X device 310 may include a device or component used to obtain sensor information, determine an enhanced communication range based thereon, and send a V2X message with the enhanced communication range. As such, the V2X device 310 may be located in a transmitting vehicle (e.g., Figure 1-Figure 2The V2X device 310 may be in and / or incorporated into the vehicle 110-1 (as previously described). That is, some embodiments may not be limited to vehicle V2X devices. Thus, the V2X device 310 may include an off-board V2X-capable device (e.g., at an RSU, VRU, etc.).

[0040] The V2X device 310 may include hardware and software components such as Figure 4 Those components shown in and described below. These components include the ability to perform Figure 3 Components of the application layer 320 and the radio layer 330 are shown in FIG. For example, the application layer may be implemented by a software application executed by the processing unit(s) 410, the DSP 420, and / or the memory 460 of the V2X device 310, and the radio layer 330 may be implemented by software (e.g., firmware) executed at the wireless communication interface 430 of the V2X device 310.

[0041] Although shown separately from the V2X device 310, according to some embodiments, the sensor processing unit 340 and / or the sensor(s) 350 may be incorporated into the V2X device 310. For example, the sensor(s) 350 may include the sensor(s) 440 of the V2X device 310, and / or the sensor processing unit 340 may be implemented by the processing unit(s) 410 and / or the DSP 420 of the V2X device 310. Again, regarding Figure 4 , additional description regarding these and other software and hardware components of the V2X device 310 is provided subsequently.

[0042] In short, the application layer 320 may determine the sensor-based communication range (e.g., Figure 2The sensor processing unit 340 may comprise a general-purpose or specialized processor that acts as a central hub for sensor data by receiving and processing sensor data from the sensor(s) 350. In some embodiments, for example, the sensor processing unit 340 may be capable of receiving and fusing sensor data from the sensor(s) 350 to determine high-level information. Thus, in some embodiments, the sensor processing unit 340 may provide one or more characteristics of objects detected by the sensor(s) 350 (object type, location, velocity, acceleration, etc.) to the application layer 320 of the V2X device 310. Additionally or alternatively, raw sensor data may be provided to the V2X device 310, which may make this determination. Thus, in some embodiments, the functionality of the sensor processing unit 340 may be integrated into the V2X device 310, as noted. In some embodiments, as noted, the sensor(s) 350 may be located on and / or integrated into a vehicle or device separate from the V2X device 310. In some embodiments, the sensor processing unit 340 may also be located on a separate vehicle or device. In this case, communication between the sensor(s) 350 and the sensor processing unit 340, and / or communication between the sensor processing unit 340 and the V2X device 310 may be via wireless communication means.

[0043] The application layer 320 acts as an intermediary between the radio layer 330 and the sensor(s) 350. As noted, it can determine the communication range of a V2X message sent from the V2X device 310 via the radio layer 330 based on sensor data provided via the sensor processing unit 340. At the radio layer 330 of the physical layer, which includes hardware and software components configured to send V2X messages, the determined communication range can be implemented as a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback distance based on a desired range. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a parameter indicating the HARQ feedback distance can be included in the V2X message itself; alternatively, the parameter indicating the HARQ feedback distance can be included in signaling accompanying or indicative of the V2X message (e.g., sidelink control information). Thus, in some embodiments, the determined communication range can be implemented by including a parameter indicating the HARQ feedback distance in the V2X message or corresponding signaling.

[0044] However, it may be noted that the HARQ feedback distance may not be the same as the determined communication range. In some embodiments, for example, the HARQ feedback distance may be slightly larger than the determined communication range to accommodate some margin. Thus, some embodiments may utilize techniques for converting or mapping the determined communication range to the HARQ feedback distance. For example, these may include increasing the determined communication range by a certain percentage or minimum distance. In another example, the indication of the HARQ feedback distance is limited (e.g., only a limited number of quantized distances can be indicated); the determined communication range is mapped to one of the quantized distances.

[0045] According to some embodiments, the radio layer 330 may also be used to determine an appropriate modulation and coding scheme (MCS) based on the communication range determined by the application layer 320 and passed to the radio layer. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the radio layer 330 may use different orders of MCS to transmit V2X messages. Generally speaking, a more refined codec scheme (a higher order MCS) may be used at a shorter range, while a more basic codec scheme may be used if a longer range is desired. Correct MCS selection may be used to help ensure efficient spectrum usage.

[0046] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a V2X device 310 that can be utilized as described above. In some embodiments, the V2X device 310 can include or be integrated into a vehicle computer system that is used to manage one or more systems related to navigation and / or autonomous driving of the vehicle, as well as communicate with other onboard systems and / or other transportation entities. In some embodiments, the V2X device 310 can include a standalone device or component on a vehicle (or other V2X entity) that can be communicatively coupled with other components / devices of the vehicle (or entity).

[0047] As noted, the V2X device 310 may implement Figure 3 The application layer 320 and the radio layer 330 shown in FIG, and can also perform Figure 5 One or more of the functions of the method 500 will be described later. It should be noted that Figure 4 It is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of the various components, any or all of which may be used as appropriate. It may be noted that in some cases, Figure 4 The components shown may be located in a single physical device and / or distributed among various networked devices, which may be located at different physical locations, such as on a vehicle.

[0048] The V2X device 310 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 405 (or may communicate in other ways where appropriate). The hardware elements may include (one or more) processing units 410, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing (DSP) chips, graphics acceleration processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or devices. Figure 4 As shown in , some embodiments may have a separate digital signal processor (DSP) 420, depending on the desired functionality. Figure 3 In an embodiment where the sensor processing unit 340 is integrated into the V2X device 310 (as shown in and previously described in FIG), the processing unit(s) 410 may include the sensor processing unit 340.

[0049] The V2X device 310 may further include one or more input devices 470 , which may include devices associated with a user interface (e.g., a touch screen, a touchpad, a microphone, button(s), dial(s), switch(s), etc.) and / or devices associated with navigation, autonomous driving, etc. Similarly, one or more output devices 415 may be associated with interaction with a user (e.g., via a display, light emitting diode(s) (LEDs), speaker(s), etc.) and / or may be devices associated with navigation, autonomous driving, etc.

[0050] The V2X device 310 may also include a wireless communication interface 430, which may include but is not limited to a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and / or a chipset (such as devices, IEEE 802.11 devices, IEEE802.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX devices, WAN devices and / or various cellular devices, etc. (Examples of such communications are Figure 6 ) The wireless communication interface 430 may enable the V2X device 310 to communicate with other V2X devices and (as previously described) may be used to implement Figure 3 The radio layer 330 shown in FIG. 3 and, as described above, transmits V2X messages with a determined communication range. Communications using the wireless communication interface 430 may be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 432 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 434.

[0051] The V2X device 310 may also include (one or more) sensors 440. The sensors 440 may include, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., (one or more) accelerometers, (one or more) gyroscopes, (one or more) cameras, (one or more) magnetometers, (one or more) altimeters, (one or more) microphones, (one or more) proximity sensors, (one or more) light sensors, (one or more) barometers, etc.). For example, the sensors 440 may be used to determine certain real-time characteristics of the vehicle, such as position, speed, acceleration, etc. In the case where the sensor data for detecting an object is received from a sensor co-located on the vehicle (or other V2X entity) with the V2X device 310, Figure 4 The sensor(s) 440 shown in FIG. 4 may include sensor(s) 350 (e.g., Figure 3 and previously described).

[0052] Embodiments of the V2X device 310 may also include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver 480 capable of receiving signals 484 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 482 (which may be the same as antenna 432). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be used to determine the current location of the V2X device and may also be used as a basis for determining the location of detected objects. The GNSS receiver 480 may extract the location of the V2X device 310 from GNSS satellites of a GNSS system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and / or similar satellite systems using conventional techniques.

[0053] The V2X device 310 may also include and / or communicate with memory 460. The memory 460 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM)), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0054] The memory 460 of the V2X device 310 may also include software elements ( Figure 4 ), including an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code (such as one or more application programs), which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement the methods and / or configure the systems described herein. The software applications stored in the memory 460 and executed by the processing unit(s) 410 may be used to implement Figure 3Furthermore, one or more processes described with respect to the method(s) discussed herein may be implemented as code and / or instructions in the memory 460 that may be executed by the V2X device 310 (and / or the processing unit(s) 410 or DSP 420 within the V2X device 310), including the following: Figure 5 Then, in one aspect, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adapt a general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described method.

[0055] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method 500 for determining a communication range of a V2X message based on a sensor at a V2X device according to an embodiment. Alternative embodiments may be combined, separated, or otherwise modified. Figure 5 To change the functionality described in the block shown in Figure 5 An apparatus that implements the functionality of one or more of the blocks shown in FIG. 1 may include a V2X device such as Figure 4 The hardware and / or software components of the V2X device 310 shown in and described above.

[0056] At block 510, the functionality includes obtaining, at a V2X device, sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors. As indicated in the previously described embodiments, the object may include any traffic-related object whose characteristics may inform a decision of a nearby V2X device. For example, this may include a second vehicle, a road hazard, or a VRU. Additionally, the one or more characteristics may include the location of the object, the direction of movement of the object, the acceleration of the object, the velocity of the object, or the object type of the object, or any combination thereof.

[0057] The means for performing the function at block 510 may include one or more software and / or hardware components of the V2X device, such as the bus 405, the processing unit(s) 410, the sensor(s) 440, the memory 460, the wireless communication interface 430, and / or Figure 3 Other software and / or hardware components of the V2X device 310 shown and previously described.

[0058] At block 520, the functionality includes determining a communication range for a V2X message based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the object. Figure 2As described, for example, the position and velocity of the detected object may be used to determine the communication range (enhanced communication range 210). As further noted, this determination may be made at the application layer 320 of the V2X device 310. And thus, the means for performing the function at block 520 may include one or more software and / or hardware components of the V2X device (such as the bus 405, the processing unit(s) 410, the memory 460, and / or the like). Figure 3 and other software and / or hardware components of the V2X device 310 shown in and previously described in FIG).

[0059] At block 530, the functionality includes wirelessly transmitting a V2X message from the V2X device, wherein the V2X message includes information indicating the location of the vehicle and the determined communication range. In some embodiments, the V2X message may additionally include one or more characteristics of the object. The location of the vehicle and the determined communication range may enable receiving V2X devices to determine whether they are within the determined range of the transmitting V2X device based on their own location. The V2X message may be transmitted by the radio layer of the V2X device (e.g., Figure 3 The determined communication range may be reflected in the V2X message or its accompanying signaling as a HARQ feedback distance. Thus, in some embodiments, the information indicating the determined communication range includes the HARQ feedback distance.

[0060] The means for performing the function at block 530 may include one or more software and / or hardware components of the V2X device (such as the bus 405, the processing unit(s) 410, the memory 460, the wireless communication interface 430, and / or the like). Figure 3 and other software and / or hardware components of the V2X device 310 shown in and previously described in FIG).

[0061] Alternative embodiments of method 500 may include additional or alternative functionality, depending on the desired functionality. In some embodiments, there may be an initial determination that a detected object is not transmitting a V2X message, thereby allowing the V2X device to transmit one or more characteristics of the detected object on its behalf. In such cases, method 500 may also include determining that the object has not transmitted a V2X message within a threshold time period (e.g., a time window in which a V2X message from the object is expected if the object is V2X-enabled). Additionally, in such embodiments, obtaining sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of the object may be responsive to determining that the object has not transmitted a V2X message within the threshold time period.

[0062] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial variations can be made depending on specific requirements. For example, customized hardware can also be used, and / or specific elements can be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. In addition, connections to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, can be employed.

[0063] Figure 6-Figure 8 is an illustration of systems, structural devices, vehicle components, and other devices, components, and systems related to V2X communications, according to some embodiments, which may be used to implement the techniques provided herein for sensor-based determination of communication range for V2X messages.

[0064] Figure 6 6 is an illustration of a system in which vehicles may communicate over various networks and with various devices, vehicles, and servers, according to an embodiment. In an embodiment, a V2X vehicle A 680 may communicate with a V2X or other communication transceiver-enabled vehicle B 690 over a link 623 using a V2X or other wireless communication transceiver, for example, to perform inter-vehicle relative positioning, negotiate lane changes or intersection passages, and exchange V2X data elements (such as GNSS measurements, vehicle status, vehicle position, and vehicle capabilities, measurement data, and / or calculated status), as well as other V2X vehicle status steps that may not be covered by a V2X capability data element. In embodiments, vehicle A 680 may also communicate with vehicle B 690 over a network, for example, via wireless signals 622 / 624 to / from base station 620 and / or via wireless signals 632 to / from access point 630, or via one or more communication-enabled RSUs 625, any of which may relay communications, information, and / or convert protocols for use by other vehicles, such as vehicle B 690, particularly in embodiments where vehicle B 690 is unable to communicate directly with vehicle A 680 using a common protocol. In embodiments, the RSU(s) may include various types of roadside beacons, traffic and / or vehicle monitors, traffic control devices, and location beacons.

[0065] In an embodiment, the RSU(s) 625 may have a processor 625A configured to operate a wireless transceiver 625E to send and receive wireless messages, such as Basic Safety Messages (BSMs) or Collaborative Awareness Messages (CAMs), or other V2X messages, to and from vehicle A 680 and / or vehicle B 690, and from the base station 620 and / or access point 630. For example, the wireless transceiver 625E may send and / or receive wireless messages in various protocols, such as V2X communications with vehicles (e.g., using sidelink communications), and / or communicate over a wireless communication network using various wide area network (WAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), and / or personal area network (PAN) protocols. In an embodiment, the RSU(s) 625 may include one or more processors 625A and memory communicatively coupled to a wireless transceiver 625E, and may include instructions and / or hardware to execute and / or provide and / or process environmental and roadside sensor information 625D as a traffic control unit 625C or to serve as a location reference for its relative position to the vehicle using GNSS. In an embodiment, the RSU(s) 625 may include a network interface 625B (and / or a wireless transceiver 625E), which, in an embodiment, may communicate with an external server (such as a traffic optimization server 665, a vehicle information server 655, and / or an environmental data server 640). In an embodiment, the wireless transceiver 625E may communicate via a wireless communication network by receiving or transmitting wireless signals from a wireless base transceiver subsystem (BTS), a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB), or a next generation Node B (gNodeB) via a wireless communication link. In an embodiment, the wireless transceiver(s) 625E may include various combinations of WAN, WLAN, and / or PAN transceivers. In an embodiment, the local transceiver may also be The local transceiver, WAN wireless transceiver and / or mobile wireless transceiver may include a WAN transceiver, an access point (AP), a femtocell, a home base station, a small cell base station, a home node B (HNB), a home eNodeB (HeNB), or a next generation NodeB (gNodeB), and may provide access to a wireless local area network (WLAN, e.g., an IEEE 802.11 network), a wireless personal area network (PAN, e.g., a Bluetooth network), or a cellular network (e.g., an LTE network or other wireless wide area network, such as those discussed in the next paragraph). It should be understood that these are merely examples of networks that can communicate with (one or more) RSUs 625 via wireless links, and the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

[0066] The RSU(s) 625 can receive location, status, GNSS and other sensor measurements, and capability information from vehicle A 680 and / or vehicle B 690, such as GNSS measurements, sensor measurements, speed, heading, location, stopping distance, priority or emergency status, and other vehicle-related information. In an embodiment, environmental information such as road surface information / status, weather conditions, and camera information can be collected and shared with the vehicles via point-to-point or broadcast messaging. The RSU(s) 625 can utilize information received from vehicle A 680 and / or vehicle B 690 via wireless transceiver 625E, environmental and roadside sensors 625D, and network information and control messages from, for example, a traffic control and optimization server 665 to coordinate and direct traffic flow and provide environmental, vehicle, safety, and advisory information to vehicle A 680 and vehicle B 690.

[0067] Processor 625A may be configured to operate a network interface 625B, which, in embodiments, may be connected to a network 670 via a backhaul and, in embodiments, may be used to communicate and coordinate with various centralized servers, such as a centralized traffic control and optimization server 665 that monitors and optimizes traffic flow in an area, such as within a city or a portion of a city or a region. Network interface 625B may also be used to remotely access RSU(s) 625 for crowdsourcing vehicle data, maintenance of RSU(s) 625, and / or coordination with other RSU(s) 625, or for other purposes. RSU(s) 625 may have a processor 625A configured to operate a traffic control unit 625C, which may be configured to process data received from vehicles, such as vehicle A 680 and vehicle B 690, such as location data, stopping distance data, road condition data, identification data, and other information related to the status and location of nearby vehicles and their environment. The RSU(s) 625 may have a processor 625A configured to obtain data from environmental and roadside sensors 625D, which may include temperature, weather, cameras, pressure sensors, road sensors (e.g., for car detection), accident detection, movement detection, speed detection, and other vehicle and environmental monitoring sensors.

[0068] In an embodiment, vehicle A 680 may also communicate with mobile device 600 using short-range communications and personal networks (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Zigbee) or via V2X (e.g., CV2X / sidelink communication) or other vehicle-related communication protocols, for example, to access a WAN and / or Wi-Fi network in an embodiment and / or to obtain sensor and / or location measurements from mobile device 600 in an embodiment. In an embodiment, vehicle A 680 may communicate with mobile device 600 over a WAN network using WAN-related protocols, such as via a WAN base station 620 or directly peer-to-peer using Wi-Fi or via a Wi-Fi access point. Vehicle A 680 and / or vehicle B 690 may communicate using various communication protocols. In an embodiment, vehicle A 680 and / or vehicle B 690 may support various and multiple wireless communication modes, such as, for example, using V2X, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WiMAX, LTE, 5G New Radio Access Technology (NR) communication protocols, and the like.

[0069] In an embodiment, vehicle A can communicate over a WAN network using a WAN protocol via base station 620, or using a wireless LAN protocol (such as Wi-Fi) to communicate with a wireless LAN access point 630. For example, the vehicle may also support wireless communication using WLAN, PAN (such as Bluetooth or ZigBee), digital subscriber line (DSL), or packet cable.

[0070] In an embodiment, vehicle A 680 and / or vehicle B 690 may include one or more GNSS receivers (such as GNSS receiver 480) for receiving GNSS signals 612 from GNSS satellites 610 for position determination, time acquisition, and time maintenance. GNSS receiver 480 or other receivers may be used, alone or in combination, to support various GNSS systems to receive signals from BeiDou, Galileo, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), and / or Global Positioning System (GPS), and various regional navigation systems such as Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) and NavIC or Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). Other wireless systems may be utilized, such as those that rely on beacons, such as one or more RSUs 625, one or more wireless LAN access points 630, or one or more base stations 620 in the example. Various GNSS signals 612 may be used in conjunction with vehicle sensors to determine position, speed, and proximity to other vehicles (such as between vehicle A 680 and vehicle B 690).

[0071] In an embodiment, vehicle A and / or vehicle B may have access to GNSS measurements and / or positions determined at least in part using GNSS provided by mobile device 600, which, in an embodiment, will also have GNSS, WAN, Wi-Fi, and other communication receivers and / or transceivers. In an embodiment, vehicle A 680 and / or vehicle B 690 may have access to GNSS measurements (such as pseudorange measurements, Doppler measurements, and satellite IDs) and / or positions determined at least in part using GNSS provided by mobile device 600 as a fallback in the event that GNSS receiver 480 fails or provides a position accuracy below a threshold level.

[0072] Vehicle A 680 and / or vehicle B 690 may access various servers on the network, such as a vehicle information server 655 , a route server 645 , a location server 660 , a map server 650 , and an environmental data server 640 .

[0073] The vehicle information server 655 can provide information describing various vehicles, such as antenna locations, vehicle dimensions, and vehicle capabilities, which can be used to make decisions about maneuvers related to nearby cars, such as whether they can stop or accelerate in a timely manner, whether they are autonomously driven, have the capability to drive autonomously, or have the capability to communicate. In embodiments, the vehicle information server 655 can also provide information about the vehicle's size, shape, capabilities, identification, ownership, occupancy, and / or a determined location point (such as, for example, the location of a GNSS receiver) and the location of the vehicle's boundaries relative to the determined location point.

[0074] The routing server 645 may receive current location and destination information and provide routing information, map data, alternative route data, and / or traffic and street condition data for the vehicle.

[0075] In an embodiment, the location server 660 may provide location determination capabilities, transmitter signal acquisition assistance (such as GNSS satellite orbit prediction information, time information approximate location information and / or approximate time information), transceiver almanacs (such as those containing the identification and locations of Wi-Fi access points and base stations), and in some embodiments, provide additional information related to the route, such as speed limits, traffic, and road status / construction status. The map server 650 may provide map data (such as road locations, points of interest along the road, address locations along the road, road dimensions, road speed limits, traffic conditions and / or road conditions (wet, slippery, snowy / icy, etc.), road status (open, under construction, accident, etc.). In an embodiment, the environmental data server 640 may provide weather and / or road related information, traffic information, terrain information, and / or road quality and speed information and / or other relevant environmental data.

[0076] In an embodiment, Figure 6 Vehicles 680 and 690 and mobile device 600 in the embodiment can communicate over network 670 via various network access points on network 670, such as wireless LAN access point 630 or wireless WAN base station 620. In some embodiments, vehicles 680 and 690 and mobile device 600 can also communicate directly between devices, between vehicles, and between devices to vehicles and vehicles to devices using various short-range communication mechanisms to communicate directly without going through network 670 (such as via Bluetooth, Zigbee, and 5G new radio standards).

[0077] Figure 7 7. A functional block diagram of a vehicle 700 according to an embodiment is included. As noted, the vehicle 700 may include a V2X device 310. Thus, for performing Figure 7 Example hardware and / or software components of the blocks shown in Figure 4 Shown in.

[0078] like Figure 7 As shown in FIG, vehicle 700 may receive vehicle and environment information from vehicle external sensors 702, vehicle internal sensors 704, vehicle capabilities 706, external wireless information (such as the location of other vehicles and GNSS measurement information) 708 (from the environment, from other vehicles, from (one or more) RSUs, from system servers), and / or vehicle motion state 710 (describing current and / or future motion state). In an embodiment, the received vehicle, sensor, and environment information may be processed by one or more processors 410, (one or more) DSPs 420, and memory 460 ( Figure 4 ), is connected and configured to provide external object sensing and classification, prediction and planning, and maneuver execution, as well as determine and update V2X or other wireless data element values ​​(including GNSS data element values), and transmit messaging including the determined data elements via the wireless communication interface 430. The messaging and data elements may be sent and received via various means, protocols, and standards, such as via SAE or European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) CV2X messages and / or other wireless V2X protocols supported by the wireless communication interface 430.

[0079] The inter-vehicle relative position determination block 728 can be used to determine the relative positions of vehicles in an area of ​​interest. In an embodiment, GNSS data is exchanged with vehicles or other devices such as RSUs to determine and / or verify and / or increase the accuracy of relative positions associated with other vehicles or devices. In one embodiment, vehicles (or other devices) within an area of ​​interest can utilize broadcast position information (such as broadcast latitude and longitude received in messages from other vehicles or other devices) and the position information of vehicle 700 to determine the approximate relative position and / or approximate range between vehicles.

[0080] In embodiments, other vehicle-related input sources, such as servers 655, 645, 660, 650, and 640, can provide information such as vehicle information, routing, location assistance, map data, and environmental data, and provide input regarding and / or supplement other inputs (e.g., road location data, map data, driving condition data, and other vehicle-related data inputs) and / or be used in conjunction with other inputs for use in conjunction with inter-vehicle maneuver coordination 724 to determine maneuver execution 726. In embodiments, map data can include the location of roadside units relative to the road location, where vehicles can utilize relative positioning between RSUs in conjunction with map data to determine their position relative to the road surface, particularly in situations where other systems may fail, such as due to low-visibility weather conditions (snow, rain, dust storms, etc.). In embodiments, map data from map server 650 can be used in conjunction with relative and / or absolute data from neighboring vehicles and / or from RSU(s) 625 to determine high-confidence absolute positions and relative positions with respect to the road / map for multiple vehicles. For example, if vehicle A 680 has a high accuracy / high confidence position compared to other vehicles communicating with vehicle A 680, then a vehicle such as vehicle B 690 can use GNSS information to obtain a highly accurate relative position, and the highly accurate position from vehicle A 680 is sent to vehicle B 690 to determine a highly accurate position of vehicle B 690, even if vehicle B 690's system is unable to calculate a highly accurate position in a particular situation or environment. In this case, the presence of vehicle A with a highly accurate position determination system provides a benefit to all surrounding vehicles by sharing one or more highly accurate positions along with ongoing relative position information. Furthermore, assuming the map data from the map server 650 is accurate, the ability to propagate highly accurate position data from vehicle A 680 to surrounding vehicles such as vehicle B 690 enables surrounding vehicles to also accurately determine their relative position with respect to the map data, even in otherwise troublesome signal / position environments. The vehicle information server 655 can provide vehicle information, such as size, shape, and antenna location, which can be used by, for example, vehicle A or other vehicles to determine not only the relative position between the GNSS receiver on vehicle A 680 and, for example, vehicle B 690, but also the distance between the closest points of vehicle A 680 and vehicle B 690. In embodiments, traffic information from the traffic control and optimization server 665 can be used to determine overall routing and rerouting in conjunction with the routing server 645 (in embodiments). In embodiments, the environmental data server 640 can provide input regarding road conditions, black ice, snow, water, and other environmental conditions on the road, which can also influence the decisions and decision criteria in the inter-vehicle maneuver coordination block 724 and the maneuver execution block 726.For example, in icy or rainy conditions, vehicle 700 may implement and / or request increased vehicle-to-vehicle distance with neighboring vehicles, or may select routing options that avoid hazardous road conditions such as black ice and standing water.

[0081] Block 728 may be implemented using various special or general purpose hardware and software, such as using processor 410 and / or DSP 420 and memory 460 (again, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 ), or in an embodiment, implemented in a dedicated hardware block such as a dedicated sensor processing and / or vehicle messaging core. According to some embodiments, the location of nearby vehicles can be determined by various means, such as based on signal-based timing measurements such as round-trip time, time of arrival (TOA), signal strength of the vehicle's broadcast signal, and / or a distance determined based on the broadcast latitude and longitude from the neighboring vehicle and the vehicle's current position. Additionally or alternatively, the location of nearby vehicles can be determined from sensor measurements such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR), radio detection and ranging (RADAR), sonar (SONAR), and camera measurements. In an embodiment, some or all of blocks 702, 704, 706, 708, and / or 710 can have a dedicated processing core, for example, to improve performance and reduce measurement latency. In an embodiment, some or all of blocks 702, 704, 706, 708, and / or 710 can share processing with block 728.

[0082] In some embodiments, vehicle external sensors 702 may include cameras, LIDAR, RADAR, proximity sensors, rain sensors, weather sensors, GNSS receiver 480, and data received for use with the sensors, such as map data, environmental data, location, route, and / or other vehicle information, such as may be received from other vehicles, devices, and servers (such as, in embodiments, map server 650, route server 645, vehicle information server 655, environmental data server 640, location server 660) and / or from associated devices (such as mobile device 600) that may be present in or near a vehicle such as vehicle A 680. For example, in embodiments, mobile device 600 may provide additional GNSS measurement sources, may provide additional motion sensor measurement sources, or may provide network access as a communication portal to a WAN, Wi-Fi, or other network, and as a gateway to various information servers (such as servers 640, 645, 650, 655, 660, and / or 665).

[0083] It should be understood that the vehicle 700 may include one or more cameras. In embodiments, the camera may be front-mounted, side-mounted, rear-mounted, or have an adjustable field of view (such as a rotatable camera). For example, Figure 8As shown in , there can be multiple cameras 806 facing the same plane. For example, the bumper-mounted cameras at cameras 806 and 808 can include two front-facing cameras, one focused on lower objects and / or a lower viewpoint (such as mounted on the bumper) for parking purposes, and one focused on a higher viewpoint, such as to track traffic, other vehicles, pedestrians, and more distant objects. In embodiments, the various views can be stitched together and / or correlated with other inputs (such as V2X inputs from other vehicles) to optimize tracking of other vehicles and external entities and objects and / or calibrate the sensor systems against each other. The LIDAR 804 can be roof-mounted and rotate, or can be focused on a specific viewpoint (such as facing forward, rear-facing, or side-facing). The LIDAR 804 can be solid-state or mechanical. The proximity sensor can be ultrasonic, RADAR-based, light-based (such as infrared-based ranging), and / or capacitive (for surface touch or capacitive detection of metal objects). The rain and weather sensor may include various sensing capabilities and technologies, such as a pressure sensor, a humidity detector, a rain sensor, and / or a light sensor, and / or may leverage other pre-existing sensor systems. The GNSS receiver may be roof-mounted (such as in a fin-shaped antenna assembly on the rear roof of the car), hood- or dashboard-mounted, or otherwise placed on the exterior or interior of the vehicle.

[0084] In an embodiment, the vehicle interior sensors 704 may include wheel sensors 812, such as tire pressure sensors, brake pad sensors, brake status sensors, speedometers and other rate sensors, heading sensors and / or orientation sensors (such as magnetometers and geomagnetic compasses), distance sensors (such as odometers and wheel tic sensors), inertial sensors (such as accelerometers and gyroscopes), and inertial positioning results using the sensors mentioned above, as well as yaw, pitch and / or roll sensors that can be determined alone or using other sensor systems (such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and / or tilt sensors).

[0085] Both the vehicle interior sensors 704 and the vehicle exterior sensors 702 may have shared or dedicated processing capabilities. For example, a sensor system or subsystem may have one or more sensor processing cores that determine vehicle state values ​​such as yaw, pitch, roll, heading, rate, acceleration capability and / or distance, and / or stopping distance based on measurements and other inputs from accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and / or other sensing systems. Different sensing systems can communicate with each other to determine measurements or send values ​​to block 728 to determine vehicle position. Vehicle state values ​​derived from measurements from interior and exterior sensors can also be combined with measurements and / or vehicle state values ​​from other sensor systems using a general-purpose or application processor. For example, blocks 728 and / or 724 may be implemented on a dedicated or centralized processor to determine data element values ​​that can be transmitted using the wireless communication interface 430 or via other communication transceivers for V2X messaging. In an embodiment, the sensors may be separated into related systems, e.g., LIDAR, RADAR, motion, wheel systems, etc., with dedicated cores processing the operations to obtain raw results to output vehicle state values ​​from each core, which are combined and interpreted to derive a combined vehicle state value, including capability data elements and state data elements, which may be used to control or otherwise affect vehicle operation and / or as a messaging step shared with other vehicles and / or systems via V2X or other messaging capabilities. In an embodiment, these messaging capabilities may be based on various wireless, optical, or other communication standards, such as those supported by the wireless communication interface 430 and antenna(s) 432.

[0086] In embodiments, vehicle capabilities 706 may include performance estimates for stopping, braking, acceleration, and turning radius, as well as autonomous and / or non-autonomous states and / or one or more capabilities. Capability estimates may be based on stored estimates, which, in embodiments, may be loaded into memory. These estimates may be based on empirical performance figures, either for a specific vehicle or averaged across one or more vehicles, and / or based on one or more models for a given performance metric. When performance estimates from multiple models are averaged or otherwise combined, they may be selected based on similar or common characteristics. For example, vehicles with similar or identical weights and identical or similar drivetrains may share performance estimates for driving performance-related estimates such as braking / stopping distance, turning radius, and acceleration performance. Vehicle performance estimates may also be obtained using, for example, one or more external V2X inputs 708 from a vehicle data server on a network via a wireless network. This is particularly helpful for obtaining information for vehicles that do not have wireless capabilities and cannot directly provide vehicle information. In embodiments, vehicle performance 706 may also be affected by the state of vehicle components, such as tire wear, tire brand and capability, brake pad wear, brake brand and capability, and engine status. In embodiments, vehicle capability 706 may also be affected by overall vehicle state (such as speed, heading), as well as external factors such as road surface, road conditions (wet, dry, slippery / traction), weather (windy, rainy, snowy, black ice, slippery roads, etc.). In many cases, wear or other system degradation, as well as external factors such as weather, road surface, road conditions, etc., may be used to reduce, verify, or improve performance estimates. In some embodiments, actual measured vehicle performance may be measured and / or estimated based on actual vehicle driving-related performance, such as measuring vehicle stopping distance and / or acceleration time per distance. In embodiments, if the measurements are inconsistent, more recently measured performance may be weighted or given priority over older measurements. Similarly, in embodiments, measurements taken during similar conditions (such as in the same type of weather or on the same type of road surface as currently detected by the vehicle (such as via vehicle exterior sensors 702 and / or vehicle interior sensors 704)) may be weighted or given priority when determining capability.

[0087] The V2X vehicle sensing, prediction, and planning execution 712 handles the reception and processing of information from blocks 702, 704, 706, 708, and 710 via the external object sensing and classification block 714 (partially utilizing the sensor fusion and object classification block 716) to correlate, validate, and / or combine the data from the input blocks 702, 704, 706, 708, and 710. Block 714 external object sensing and classification determines the presence of an object, the type of object (car, truck, bicycle, motorcycle, pedestrian, animal, etc.), and / or the state of the object relative to the vehicle (such as its movement, proximity, heading, and / or position relative to the vehicle), size, threat level, and vulnerability priority (e.g., a pedestrian will have a higher vulnerability priority than road debris). In an embodiment, block 714 may utilize GNSS measurement messages from other vehicles to determine relative positioning with respect to the other vehicles. This output from block 714 can be provided to a prediction and planning block 718, which determines detected objects and vehicles and their associated trajectories via block 720 and determines vehicle maneuvers and path plans in block 722, the output of which is used in vehicle maneuver execution in block 726, either directly or via a V2X vehicle-to-vehicle negotiation block 724, which integrates and interprets maneuver plans, positions, and states received from other vehicles. V2X vehicle-to-vehicle negotiation interprets the states of neighboring vehicles and enables negotiation and coordination between neighboring or other affected vehicles based on vehicle priority, vehicle capabilities (such as the ability to stop, slow down, or accelerate to avoid a collision), and, in some embodiments, various conditions (such as weather conditions (rain, fog, snow, wind), road conditions (dry, wet, icy, slippery), etc. These include, for example, negotiation between cars approaching an intersection regarding the timing and order of passing through the intersection, negotiation between neighboring cars regarding lane changes, negotiation for parking spaces, negotiation for directional driving on a single-lane road, or negotiation for passing another vehicle. The inter-vehicle negotiation may also include time-based and / or distance-based factors, such as the time of the appointment, the distance to the destination, and the estimated route time to the destination, and in some embodiments, the type of appointment and the importance of the appointment.

[0088] Figure 8 is a perspective view of an example vehicle 800 according to an embodiment that is capable of communicating using sidelink / CV2X communications in the manner described in the previous embodiments. Figure 4and some of the components discussed in earlier embodiments. As shown and discussed previously, the vehicle 800 can have (one or more) cameras, such as a camera 806 mounted on the rearview mirror, a camera mounted on the front fender (not shown), a camera mounted on the side mirror (not shown), and a rear camera (not shown, but typically on the trunk, hatch, or rear bumper). The vehicle 800 can also have a LIDAR 804 for detecting objects and measuring distances to those objects; the LIDAR 804 is often roof-mounted, but if there are multiple LIDAR units 804, they can be oriented around the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle. The vehicle 800 can have various other location-related systems, such as a GNSS receiver 470 (typically located in a shark fin unit on the rear of the roof, as indicated), various wireless communication interfaces (such as WAN, WLAN, V2X; typically but not necessarily located in the shark fin) 802, a RADAR 808 (typically located in the front bumper), and a SONAR 810 (typically located on both sides of the vehicle, if present). Various wheel 812 and driveline sensors may also be present, such as tire pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and wheel rotation detection and / or counters. In embodiments, distance measurements and relative positions determined via various sensors (such as LIDAR, RADAR, cameras, GNSS, and SONAR) may be combined with vehicle size and shape information and information about sensor locations to determine distances and relative positions between surfaces on different vehicles, such that the distance or vector from a sensor to another vehicle or between two different sensors (such as two GNSS receivers) is incrementally increased to account for the position of the sensors on each vehicle. Thus, the exact GNSS distance and vector between two GNSS receivers will need to be modified based on the relative positions of the various vehicle surfaces and the GNSS receivers. For example, when determining the distance between the front bumper of a rear vehicle and the rear bumper of a front vehicle, the distance will need to be adjusted based on the distance between the GNSS receiver and the front bumper of the rear vehicle and the distance between the GNSS receiver of the front vehicle and the rear bumper of the front vehicle. For example, the distance between the rear bumper of the leading vehicle and the front bumper of the trailing vehicle is the relative distance between the two GNSS receivers minus the distance from the GNSS receiver to the front bumper of the trailing vehicle and minus the distance from the GNSS receiver to the rear bumper of the leading vehicle. It should be appreciated that this list is not intended to be limiting and Figure 8 The present disclosure is intended to provide exemplary locations of various sensors in an embodiment of a vehicle including V2X 400.

[0089] With reference to the accompanying drawings, components that may include memory may include non-transitory machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may involve providing instructions / codes to a processing unit and / or (one or more) other devices for execution. Additionally or alternatively, a machine-readable medium may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / codes. In many embodiments, a computer-readable medium is a physical and / or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a hole pattern, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described below, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0090] The methods, systems, and devices discussed herein are examples. Various embodiments may appropriately omit, replace, or add various processes or components. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. The various components of the figures provided herein may be implemented in hardware and / or software. Moreover, technology is constantly evolving, and therefore, many of the elements herein are examples that do not limit the scope of this disclosure to those specific examples.

[0091] Sometimes, primarily for reasons of common usage, it has proven convenient to refer to signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerical values, or the like. However, it will be understood that all of these or similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless expressly stated otherwise, as will be apparent from the above discussion, it will be appreciated that discussions throughout this specification utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "ascertaining," "identifying," "correlating," "measuring," "performing," and the like refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic computing device. Thus, in the context of this specification, a special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities in a memory, register, or other information storage device, transmission device, or display device of the special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic computing device.

[0092] As used herein, the terms "and" and "or" may include multiple meanings, which are also expected to depend at least in part on the context in which the terms are used. Generally, if used in an associative list (such as A, B, or C), then "or" is intended to mean A, B, and C, used herein in an inclusive sense, and A, B, or C, used herein in an exclusive sense. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "one or more" may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular, or may be used to describe some combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and the claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Furthermore, if used in an associative list (such as A, B, or C), then the term "at least one" may be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0093] While several embodiments have been described, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may simply be components of a larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Furthermore, various steps may be performed before, during, or after consideration of the above elements. Thus, the above description does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for determining, at a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) device, a communication range for a V2X message based on a sensor, the method comprising: obtaining, at the V2X device, sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors; determining the communication range for the V2X message based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the detected object; further determining the communication range for the V2X message based at least in part on a direction of travel of the V2X device; and The V2X message is wirelessly transmitted from the V2X device, wherein the V2X message includes information indicating: The location of the V2X device, and Determine the communication range.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Obtaining the sensor information about the one or more characteristics of the object is responsive to determining that the object has not transmitted a V2X message within a threshold time period.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The information indicating the determined communication range includes a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback distance.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein: The communication range is determined by the application layer of the V2X device; The determined communication range is provided from the application layer to a radio layer of the V2X device; and The HARQ feedback distance is determined by the radio layer.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The one or more characteristics of the object include: the location of the object, The direction of movement of the object, the acceleration of the object, the object's velocity, or the object type of the object, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein: The objects include: The second vehicle, Road hazards, or Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein: The V2X message also includes information indicating the one or more characteristics of the object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: Determining the communication range for the V2X message is also based on one or more characteristics of the V2X device.

9. A vehicle-to-everything (V2X) device, comprising: Wireless communication interface; Memory; as well as one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the memory and the wireless communication interface, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to: obtaining sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors; determining a communication range for a V2X message based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the detected object; further determining the communication range for the V2X message based at least in part on a direction of travel of the V2X device; and Wirelessly transmitting the V2X message via the wireless communication interface, wherein the V2X message includes information indicating: The location of the V2X device, and Determine the communication range.

10. The V2X device according to claim 9, wherein: The one or more processing units are further configured to obtain the sensor information regarding the one or more characteristics of the object in response to a determination that the object has not transmitted a V2X message within a threshold time period.

11. The V2X device according to claim 9, wherein: The one or more processing units are configured to include a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback distance in the information indicating the determined communication range.

12. The V2X device according to claim 11, wherein: The wireless communication interface is configured to execute a radio layer, and the one or more processing units are configured to execute an application layer, and wherein: The communication range is determined by the application layer; The determined communication range is provided from the application layer to the radio layer; and The HARQ feedback distance is determined by the radio layer.

13. The V2X device according to claim 9, wherein: The one or more characteristics of the object include: the location of the object, The direction of movement of the object, the acceleration of the object, the object's velocity, or the object type of the object, or any combination thereof.

14. The V2X device according to claim 9, wherein: The objects include: The second vehicle, Road hazards, or Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs).

15. The V2X device according to claim 9, wherein: The one or more processing units are further configured to include information indicative of the one or more characteristics of the object in the V2X message.

16. The V2X device according to claim 9, wherein: The one or more processing units are configured to determine the communication range for the V2X message further based on one or more characteristics of the V2X device.

17. A device comprising: means for obtaining sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors; means for determining a communication range for a V2X message based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the detected object; means for determining the communication range for the V2X message based also at least in part on a direction of travel of the V2X device; as well as Apparatus for wirelessly transmitting a V2X message, wherein the V2X message includes information indicating: the location of the device, and Determine the communication range.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The means for obtaining the sensor information is configured to obtain the sensor information in response to a determination that the object has not transmitted a V2X message within a threshold time period.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The means for wirelessly transmitting the V2X message further includes means for including a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback distance in the information indicating the determined communication range.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for executing a radio layer and an application layer, and wherein: The communication range is determined by the application layer; The determined communication range is provided from the application layer to the radio layer; as well as The HARQ feedback distance is determined by the radio layer.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The one or more characteristics of the object include: the location of the object, The direction of movement of the object, the acceleration of the object, the object's velocity, or the object type of the object, or any combination thereof.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The objects include: The second vehicle, Road hazards, or Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs).

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The means for wirelessly transmitting the V2X message also includes means for including information indicative of the one or more characteristics of the object in the V2X message.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The means for determining the communication range for the V2X message includes means for determining the communication range further based on one or more characteristics of the device.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processing units, cause the one or more processing units to: obtaining sensor information regarding one or more characteristics of an object detected by one or more sensors; determining a communication range for a V2X message based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the detected object; further determining the communication range for the V2X message based at least in part on a direction of travel of the V2X device; and Send the V2X message, wherein the V2X message includes information indicating the following: The location of the V2X device, and Determine the communication range.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein: The instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, further cause the one or more processing units to obtain the sensor information in response to determining that the object has not transmitted a V2X message within a threshold time period.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein: The instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, further cause the one or more processing units to include a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback distance in the information indicating the determined communication range.

28. A computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

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