METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A CARRIER VEHICLE

Abstract

Method (100) for controlling a carrier vehicle (10), comprising: Receiving (102) object data by a controller (34) of the host vehicle (10) from a plurality of sources, wherein the plurality of sources comprises remote objects (RO) and a sensor system (28) of the host vehicle (10), the sensor system (28) is in communication with the controller (34), the sensor system (28) comprises a plurality of sensors (40), the sensor system (28) sends internal object data to the controller (34), the remote objects (RO) sends external object data to the controller (34) of the host vehicle (10), the external object data comprises cooperative sensor messages (CSMs) from the remote objects (RO); Identifying (202) a target object by the controller (34) of the host vehicle (10) using the object data from the plurality of sources, wherein the object data comprises target object data and wherein the target object data is the object data specifically related to the target object; determining (204), by the controller (34), that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources; in response to determining (204) that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources, merging (206) by the controller (34) the target object data available from more than one of the plurality of sources to create a single data set about the target object; Determining (302) that the target object is moving in the same direction as the host vehicle (10); Determining and monitoring (304) a proximity of the target object to the host vehicle (10), wherein the proximity of the target object to the host vehicle (10) is a distance from the target object to the host vehicle (10); Determining (304) a probability that the target object physically contacts the host vehicle (10); and Assigning (304) a first priority level based on the proximity of the target object to the host vehicle (10) and the likelihood of the target object physically contacting the host vehicle (10) in response to determining (302) that the target object is moving in the same direction as the host vehicle (10).

Description

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and system for prioritizing the processing of received cooperating sensor-sharing objects.

[0002] DE 10 2018 119 469 A1 discloses a method for shared vehicle-to-all (V2X) communications that is capable of locating neighboring road users and sharing the location, speed, and direction of the neighboring road user with other road users via V2X communication.

[0003] In cooperative sensor sharing, remote vehicles and / or infrastructure share the collected data about the detected objects (including themselves) with a host vehicle. Cooperative sensor sharing is a wireless transmission of sensor information to neighboring users (other vehicles) for cooperative information, which is bandwidth-intensive. A vehicle may receive information about a detected object from multiple neighboring users. Processing this information from the users is redundant and computationally intensive. To efficiently utilize computational resources, the present disclosure describes a method for prioritizing the processing of information received by the cooperative sensor sharing system and prioritizing object processing to minimize computations.By applying this method, the host vehicle's controller detects redundant sensor information from a cooperative sharing system / network. The method described here also improves the system's computational performance by prioritizing the sensor object based on object relevance and object importance.

[0004] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the method for controlling the host vehicle comprises receiving object data by a controller of the host vehicle from a plurality of sources, the plurality of sources comprising remote objects and a sensor system of the host vehicle, the sensor system being in communication with the controller, the sensor system comprising a plurality of sensors, the sensor system sending internal object data to the controller, the remote objects sending external object data to the controller of the host vehicle, the external object data comprising cooperative sensor messages (CSMs) from the remote objects;Identifying a target object by the controller of the host vehicle using the object data from the plurality of sources, wherein the object data comprises target object data and the target object data is the object data specifically related to the target object, wherein the controller determines that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources; and in response to determining that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources, fusing, by the controller, the target object data available from more than one of the plurality of sources to generate a single data set about the target object;

[0005] The target object data may include object position data indicative of a position of the target object. Identifying the target object by the controller may include using the object position data and a bounding box to identify the target object. The method may further include marking the target object as redundant in response to determining that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources. The external object data may include basic safety messages (BSMs) and cooperative sensing messages (CSMs) from the remote objects. The method further includes determining that the target object is moving in the same direction as the host vehicle.

[0006] The method further comprises: determining and monitoring a proximity of the target object to the host vehicle, wherein the proximity of the target object to the host vehicle is a distance from the target object to the host vehicle; determining a probability that the target object physically contacts the host vehicle; and assigning a first priority level based on the proximity of the target object to the host vehicle and the probability that the target object physically contacts the host vehicle in response to determining that the target object is moving in the same direction as the host vehicle.

[0007] The method may further comprise increasing the first priority level based on a type of target object. The method may further comprise determining that the target object is not moving in the same direction as the host vehicle. The method may further comprise determining that the target object is approaching the host vehicle in response to determining that the target object is not moving in the same direction as the host vehicle. The method may further comprise assigning a second priority level to the target object in response to determining that the target object is approaching the host vehicle, determining a type of target object, and increasing the second priority level based on the type of target object.The method may further comprise determining that the target object is not approaching the host vehicle in response to determining that the target object is not moving in the same direction as the host vehicle. The method may further comprise assigning a third priority level in response to determining that the target object is not approaching the host vehicle, determining a type of the target object, and increasing the third priority level based on the type of the target object. The method may further comprise removing the target object from a current processing cycle in response to assigning the third priority level.

[0008] The present disclosure also describes a host vehicle. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the host vehicle includes a communication system, a controller in communication with the communication system, the controller configured to receive external object data from remote objects, a sensor system in communication with the controller. The sensor system includes a plurality of sensors and is configured to send object position data to the controller. The external object data includes cooperative sensor messages (CSMs) from the remote objects. The controller is programmed to: identify a target object based on internal object data received from the sensor system of the host vehicle, the sensor system including a plurality of sensors and the internal object data including internal location data;Receiving external object data from remote objects to identify the target object, wherein the external object data comprises external location data about the target object, wherein the external object data comprises cooperative sensor messages (CSMs) from the remote objects, and the remote objects comprise remote vehicles; determining that the internal object data about the target object is the same as the external object data about the target object; and in response to determining that the internal object data about the target object is the same as the external object data about the target object, fusing the internal object data about the target object and the external object data about the target object to create a single data set about the target object.;

[0009] The controller may be programmed to identify the target object using the object position data and a bounding box to identify the target object. The controller may be further programmed to identify the target object as redundant if it is determined that the internal object data about the target object is identical to the external object data about the target object. The external object data may include a Basic Safety Message (BSM) and a Cooperative Sensing Message (CSM) from the remote objects. The controller may be further programmed to determine that the target object is moving in the same direction as the host vehicle.

[0010] The present disclosure describes a system and associated infrastructure that enables the vehicle operator to make an informed decision about their choice between range and feature availability. Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle. Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle receiving data from remote objects. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the vehicle of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a subroutine of the method of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of another subroutine of the method of Fig. 3.

[0011] As in Fig. 1, the vehicle 10 generally includes a chassis 12, a body 14, and front and rear wheels 17, and may be referred to as a host vehicle. The body 14 is disposed on the chassis 12 and substantially encloses components of the vehicle 10. The body 14 and the chassis 12 may together form a frame. The wheels 17 are each rotatably coupled to the chassis 12 near a corresponding corner of the body 14.

[0012] In various embodiments, the vehicle 10 may be an autonomous vehicle, and a control system 98 is integrated into the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is, for example, a vehicle that is automatically controlled to transport passengers from one location to another. The vehicle 10 is shown as a passenger car in the illustrated embodiment, but it should be understood that any other vehicle may be used, including motorcycles, trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), recreational vehicles (RVs), marine vessels, aircraft, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, the vehicle 10 is a so-called Level Four or Level Five automation system. A Level Four system means "high automation" and refers to the drive mode-related performance of an automated driving system under aspects of the dynamic driving task, even when a human driver does not adequately respond to a request for intervention.A Level Five system denotes “full automation,” meaning the full-time performance of aspects of the dynamic driving task by an automated driving system under a range of road and environmental conditions that can be controlled by a human driver.

[0013] As illustrated, the vehicle 10 generally includes a propulsion system 20, a transmission system 22, a steering system 24, a braking system 26, a sensor system 28, an actuator system 30, at least one data storage device 32, at least one controller 34, and a communication system 36. The propulsion system 20, in various embodiments, may include an electric machine, such as a traction motor and / or a fuel cell propulsion system. The vehicle 10 further includes a battery (or battery pack) 21 electrically connected to the propulsion system 20. Accordingly, the battery 21 is configured to store electrical energy and supply electrical energy to the propulsion system 20. Additionally, the propulsion system 20 may include an internal combustion engine. The transmission system 22 is configured to transfer power from the propulsion system 20 to the vehicle wheels 17 according to selectable gear ratios.According to various embodiments, the transmission system 22 may include a continuously variable automatic transmission, a continuously variable transmission, or other suitable transmission. The braking system 26 is configured to provide braking torque to the vehicle wheels 17. The braking system 26 may, in various embodiments, include friction brakes, wire brakes, a regenerative braking system such as an electric machine, and / or other suitable braking systems. The steering system 24 influences a position of the vehicle wheels 17. Although depicted as a steering wheel for illustrative purposes, the steering system 24 may not include a steering wheel in some embodiments contemplated by the present disclosure.

[0014] The sensor system 28 includes one or more sensors 40 (i.e., sensor devices) that detect observable conditions of the external environment and / or the internal environment of the vehicle 10. The sensors 40 may include, but are not limited to, radar, lidar, global positioning systems, optical cameras, thermal imaging cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and / or other sensors. The actuator system 30 includes one or more actuating devices 42 that control one or more vehicle features, such as the drive system 20, the transmission system 22, the steering system 24, and the braking system 26. In various embodiments, the vehicle features may further include interior and / or exterior vehicle features such as doors, trunk, and cabin features such as air, music, lighting, etc. (not numbered). The sensor system 24 includes one or more Global Positioning System (GPS) transceivers 40g configured to receive the route data (i.e.,Route information). The GPS transceiver 40g is configured to communicate with a GPS and locate the position of the vehicle 10 in the world. The GPS transceiver 40g is in electronic communication with the controller 34. Since the sensor system 28 provides object data to the controller 34, the sensor system 28 and its sensors 40 are considered information sources (or simply sources).

[0015] The data storage device 32 stores data for use in the automatic control of the vehicle 10. In various embodiments, the data storage device 32 stores defined maps of the navigable environment. In various embodiments, the defined maps may be predefined by and obtained from a remote system (described in more detail with respect to Fig. 2). For example, the defined maps may be compiled by the remote system and transmitted to the vehicle 10 (wirelessly and / or wired) and stored in the data storage device 32. As can be appreciated, the data storage device 32 may be part of the controller 34, separate from the controller 34, or part of the controller 34 and part of a separate system.

[0016] The controller 34 includes at least one processor 44 and a non-volatile computer storage device or medium 46. The processor 44 may be a custom-made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an auxiliary processor among a plurality of processors associated with the controller 34, a semiconductor-based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chipset), a macroprocessor, a combination thereof, or generally any device for executing instructions. The computer-readable storage device or medium 46 may include, for example, volatile and non-volatile memory in read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and keep-alive memory (KAM). KAM is persistent or non-volatile memory that can be used to store various operating variables while the processor 44 is powered off.The computer-readable storage device or storage medium 46 may be implemented using any of a variety of known storage devices such as PROMs (programmable read-only memory), EPROMs (electrically PROM), EEPROMs (electrically erasable PROM), flash memory, or other electrical, magnetic, optical, or combination storage device for storing data, some of which may be executable instructions used by the controller 34 to control the vehicle 10.

[0017] The instructions may comprise one or more separate programs, each of which comprises an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. The instructions, when executed by the processor 44, receive and process signals from the sensor system 28, perform logic, calculations, methods, and / or algorithms to automatically control the components of the vehicle 10, and generate control signals to the actuator system 30 to automatically control the components of the vehicle 10 based on the logic, calculations, methods, and / or algorithms. Although a single controller 34 in Fig. 1, embodiments of the vehicle 10 may include a number of controllers 34 that communicate and cooperate via a suitable communication medium or combination of communication media to process the sensor signals, perform logic, calculations, methods and / or algorithms, and generate control signals for automatically controlling features of the vehicle 10.

[0018] In various embodiments, one or more instructions from controller 34 are included in control system 98 and. The vehicle 10 includes a user interface 23, which may be a touchscreen in the instrument panel. The user interface 23 is in electronic communication with the controller 34 and is configured to receive inputs from a user (e.g., vehicle operator). Accordingly, the controller 34 is configured to receive inputs from the user via the user interface 23. The user interface 23 includes a display configured to display information for the user (e.g., vehicle operator or passenger).

[0019] The communication system 36 is configured to wirelessly transmit information to and from other units 48, such as, but not limited to, other vehicles (“V2V” communication), infrastructure (“V2I” communication), remote systems, and / or personal devices (described in more detail with respect to Fig. 2). In an exemplary embodiment, the communication system 36 is a wireless communication system configured to communicate over a wireless local area network (WLAN) using the IEEE 802.11 standards or using cellular data communication. However, additional or alternative communication methods, such as a dedicated short-range communication channel (DSRC), are also contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. DSRC channels refer to short- to medium-range, one-way or two-way wireless communication channels specifically designed for automotive use, as well as a corresponding set of protocols and standards. Accordingly, the communication system 36 may include one or more antennas and / or transceivers for receiving and / or transmitting signals, such as cooperative sensor messages (CSMs).

[0020] Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the control system 98 configured to control the vehicle 10. The controller 34 of the control system 98 is in electronic communication with the braking system 26, the propulsion system 20, and the sensor system 28. The braking system 26 includes one or more brake cylinders (e.g., brake calipers) coupled to one or more wheels 17. When actuated, the brake cylinders apply braking pressure to one or more wheels 17 to decelerate the vehicle 10. The propulsion system 20 includes one or more propulsion actuators for controlling the propulsion of the vehicle 10. As explained above, for example, the propulsion system 20 may include an internal combustion engine, and in this case, the propulsion actuator may be a throttle valve specifically configured to control airflow within the internal combustion engine.The sensor system 28 may include one or more acceleration sensors (or one or more gyroscopes) coupled to one or more wheels 17. The acceleration sensor is in electronic communication with the controller 34 and is configured to measure and monitor the longitudinal and lateral accelerations of the vehicle 10. The sensor system 28 may include one or more speed sensors configured to measure the speed (or velocity) of the vehicle 10. The speed sensor is coupled to the controller 34 and is in electronic communication with one or more wheels 17.

[0021] With reference to Fig. 2, the communication system 36 enables the vehicle 10 (i.e., the host vehicle) to receive and / or transmit CSMs for detecting remote objects RO, such as the remote vehicle RV, the remote infrastructure RI, and / or vulnerable road users (VRUs). The remote infrastructure RI may include traffic symbols and / or traffic signs (e.g., a stop sign, a traffic light, etc.). The remote vehicle RV may detect other remote vehicles and / or remote infrastructure, such as traffic signs, with its sensors (e.g., optical cameras). The remote objects RO, such as the remote vehicles RV or the remote infrastructure RI, send the CSMs to the vehicle 10. The CSMs may contain object data. The object data may also be Basic Safety Messages (BSMs). Since the remote objects (e.g.,When remote vehicles (RVs) and remote infrastructure (RI) send messages to the vehicle 10, the remote objects (RO) are considered information sources (or simply sources (SC). The object data may include, among other things, class data and external location data. The location data indicates the location (in real time) of the detected remote object (RO). Since the location of the detected remote object (e.g., the remote vehicle (RV)) is monitored in real time, the controller 34 is programmed to determine the speed of the detected remote object. A remote vehicle (RV) may include one or more of the components of the vehicle 10 (i.e., the host vehicle), such as the communication system 36 and the sensor system 28. The class data is indicative of the object class of the detected remote object. The object class includes a VRU (vulnerable road user) class, a vehicle class (e.g.,Emergency vehicle), a traffic sign class, and another class. The vehicle class designates vehicles (i.e., remote vehicles RV). The VRU class designates, among other things, pedestrians and cyclists. The traffic sign class designates traffic signs and traffic symbols. The other class designates other detected objects or conditions, such as weather conditions (e.g., fog, rain, snow) and / or road conditions (e.g., traffic accidents, wet roads, etc.).

[0022] Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method 100 for controlling the vehicle 10 by prioritizing the processing of object data. The method 100 begins at block 102. At block 102, the controller 34 of the vehicle 10 receives object data from a plurality of sources SC ( Fig. 2). The sources SC include remote objects RO, such as the remote infrastructure RO and the remote vehicles RV, and the sensor system 28. As explained above, the sensor system 28 is in communication with the controller 34 and a plurality of sensors 40. The sensor system 28 detects remote objects RO using the sensors 40, such as the optical cameras, and sends internal object data to the controller 34. The term "internal object data" refers to data about remote objects RO originating from the sensor system 28 of the vehicle 10. The internal object data includes internal location data indicating the location of the vehicle 10 or a remote object RO. The remote objects RO may have their own sensor system (including sensors) and send external object data to the controller 34 of the vehicle 10.The term "external object data" includes cooperative sensor messages (CSMs) and basic safety messages (BSMs) from the remote objects RO. The term "basic safety message" refers to a data packet containing information about the position, heading, speed, and other information about the state and predicted path of a remote vehicle RV. The object data may be received by the variable speed controller 34. After executing block 102, the method 100 proceeds to block 104.

[0023] At block 104, the controller 34 classifies a target object and locates the detected remote objects RO using the object data received from the sensor system 28 and the external object data received from the remote objects RO. The method 100 then proceeds to block 106. At block 106a, the controller 34 detects redundant object data available from more than one source SC (e.g., the sensor system 28 and remote objects ROs) in subroutine 106a. In subroutine 106b, the controller 34 prioritizes and downscales the object data for threat detection. The method 100 then proceeds to block 108. At block 108, the controller 34 initiates multiple hazard detection applications with the prioritized object data. The threat detection applications may include, but are not limited to, forward collision warning (FCW), blind-side warning (BSW), and do-not-pass warning (DNPW), etc.

[0024] Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the subroutine 106a described above. The subroutine 106a loops through the detected remote objects RO and begins at block 202. At block 202, the controller 34 identifies a target object using the object data from the plurality of sources SC ( Fig. 2). The object data includes target object data, and the target object data is the object data specifically related to the target object. The target object data includes object location data indicating a position of the target object (e.g., a remote target vehicle RV or a remote target infrastructure RI). The controller 34 can identify the target object using the internal location data (from the sensor system 28) and a bounding box (from the sensor system 28) to identify the target object, which is also detected using the external object data. Subroutine 106a then proceeds to block 204.

[0025] At block 204, the controller 34 reads the external object data and the internal object data to determine whether the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources. In other words, the controller 34 determines whether the same object data for the target object is available from multiple sources. If the controller 34 determines that the same object data for the target object is available from multiple sources SC, the subroutine 106a proceeds to block 206. At block 206, the controller 34 merges the target object data available from more than one of the plurality of sources SC into a single record about the target object in response to determining that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources SC.Also at block 206, the controller 34 marks the target object as a redundant object in response to determining that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources SC. If the controller 34 determines that the same object data for the target object is not available from multiple sources SC, the subroutine 106a proceeds to block 208. At block 208, the controller 34 marks the target object as an object of interest (i.e., a non-redundant object).

[0026] Fig.5 is a flowchart of the remote object prioritization and downsizing (RO) subroutine 106b for threat detection. The subroutine 106b begins at block 302. At block 302, the controller 34 determines that the target object is moving in the same direction as the vehicle 10. To determine the direction of movement of the vehicle 10, the controller 34 receives data from the sensor system 28, and the sensor system 28 may use one or more sensors 40, such as radar, lidar, global positioning systems, optical cameras, thermal imaging cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and / or other sensors. To determine the direction of movement of the remote object, the target object sends the target object data, which includes data about the direction of movement of the remote object. If the target object is moving in the same direction as the vehicle 10, the subroutine 106b proceeds to block 304.If the target object is not moving in the same direction as the vehicle 10, the subroutine 106b proceeds to block 306.

[0027] At block 304, the controller 34 determines and monitors the proximity of the target object to the vehicle 10 using one or more sensors 40 (e.g., lidar) of the sensor system 28. The proximity of the target object to the vehicle 10 is the distance from the target object to the vehicle 10. At block 304, the controller 34 also determines (e.g., calculates) the probability that the target object physically contacts the vehicle 10. At block 304, the controller 34 also assigns a first priority level based on the proximity of the target object to the vehicle 10 and the probability that the target object physically contacts the host vehicle in response to determining that the target object is moving in the same direction as the vehicle 10.

[0028] If the target object is not moving in the same direction as the vehicle 10, the subroutine 106b proceeds to block 306. At block 306, the controller 34 determines whether the target object is approaching the vehicle 10 using the sensors 40 or remote object data, such as lidar, in response to determining that the target object is not moving in the same direction as the vehicle 10. If the target object is approaching the vehicle 10, the subroutine 106b proceeds to block 308. At block 308, the controller 34 assigns a second priority level to the target object to determine that the target object is approaching the vehicle 10. If the target object is not approaching the vehicle 10, the subroutine 106b proceeds to block 310. At block 310, the controller 34 assigns a third priority level to determine that the target object is not approaching the host vehicle.After block 304, 308, or 310, subroutine 106b continues with block 312. The first, second, and third priority levels differ from each other.

[0029] At block 312, the controller 34 determines the type (or class) of the target object based on the object data. The target object data includes a target class. The target class data is an indicator of the type of the target object. For example, the target class data may indicate that the target object is an emergency vehicle. The term “emergency vehicle” refers to a vehicle used for an emergency, such as an ambulance, a police vehicle, or a fire engine. At block 312, the controller 34 also increases the corresponding priority level (e.g., the first, second, or third priority level) based on the type of target vehicle. For example, the corresponding priority level (e.g., the first, second, or third priority level) may be a significant increase if it is determined that the vehicle 10 is the emergency vehicle.At block 314, the controller 34 includes or removes remote objects RO for the current processing cycle (i.e., analysis) based on the determined priority level (i.e., first, second, or third priority level plus step size at block 312) through virtual adaptive processing to conserve computational resources.

Claims

[1] Method (100) for controlling a carrier vehicle (10), comprising: Receiving (102) object data by a controller (34) of the host vehicle (10) from a plurality of sources, wherein the plurality of sources comprises remote objects (RO) and a sensor system (28) of the host vehicle (10), the sensor system (28) is in communication with the controller (34), the sensor system (28) comprises a plurality of sensors (40), the sensor system (28) sends internal object data to the controller (34), the remote objects (RO) sends external object data to the controller (34) of the host vehicle (10), the external object data comprises cooperative sensor messages (CSMs) from the remote objects (RO); Identifying (202) a target object by the controller (34) of the host vehicle (10) using the object data from the plurality of sources, wherein the object data comprises target object data and wherein the target object data is the object data specifically related to the target object; determining (204), by the controller (34), that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources; in response to determining (204) that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources, merging (206) by the controller (34) the target object data available from more than one of the plurality of sources to create a single data set about the target object; Determining (302) that the target object is moving in the same direction as the host vehicle (10); Determining and monitoring (304) a proximity of the target object to the host vehicle (10), wherein the proximity of the target object to the host vehicle (10) is a distance from the target object to the host vehicle (10); Determining (304) a probability that the target object physically contacts the host vehicle (10); and Assigning (304) a first priority level based on the proximity of the target object to the host vehicle (10) and the likelihood of the target object physically contacting the host vehicle (10) in response to determining (302) that the target object is moving in the same direction as the host vehicle (10). [2] The method (100) of claim 1, wherein: the target object data includes object position data indicating a position of the target object; and Identifying (202) the target object by the controller (34) of the host vehicle (10) using the object position data and a bounding box to identify the target object. [3] The method (100) of claim 2, further comprising marking (206) the target object as redundant in response to determining (204) that the target object data is available from more than one of the plurality of sources. [4] The method (100) of claim 3, wherein the external object data comprises basic security messages (BSMs) and cooperative sensor messages (CSMs) from the remote objects (RO). [5] The method (100) of claim 3, further comprising increasing (312) the first priority level based on a type of the target object. [6] The method (100) of claim 4, further comprising determining (306) that the target object is not moving in the same direction as the host vehicle (10). [7] The method (100) of claim 6, further comprising determining (306) that the target object is approaching the host vehicle (10) in response to determining (306) that the target object is not moving in the same direction as the host vehicle (10). [8] The method (100) of claim 7, further comprising: Assigning (308) a second priority level for the target object in response to determining (306) that the target object is approaching the host vehicle (10); Determining (312) a type of the target object; and Incrementing (312) the second priority level based on the type of the target object.

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