A method for providing a traffic signal status detection range by a traffic signal awareness system for a vehicle, a computer program product, a non-transitor

Abstract

A traffic signal status 22 detection range is provided by a traffic signal awareness system (24,Fig.2) for a vehicle 10. Thus a computing device (26,Fig.2) of the awareness system obtains information

Description

[0001] The invention relates to the field of vehicles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for providing a traffic signal status detection range by a traffic signal awareness system for a vehicle. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, as well as to a corresponding awareness system. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0002] It is known to the state of the art that a road-side system may make use of traffic information such as a traffic flow at various locations in order to calculate an optimal traffic signal duration and driving formation of motor vehicles as well as to communicate the calculated optimum to at least one at least partly automated motor vehicle in the vicinity.

[0003] It is known to the state of the art that a learning system may be applied to train an at least partly automated driving system to brake for a traffic signal in a manner similar to that in which a human driver would.

[0004] Physical structures such as tree clusters or buildings, especially around bends in a road, may obstruct a view of an operator of a vehicle toward an upcoming traffic signal, including where the operator of the vehicle is an automated driving system with optical traffic-signal detection. The view may also be obscured by an extreme weather condition, such as heavy rain or thick fog. An obstructed and / or obscured view may result in abrupt braking of the vehicle by the operator once the operator arrives at an unobstructed view of the upcoming traffic signal.

[0005] Furthermore, it is known to the state of the art that an at least partly automated motor vehicle may make use of an optical sensor such as a camera to identify the status of a traffic signal so that the driving plan of the motor vehicle may be adjusted. For instance, if an upcoming traffic light is red for traffic with the same inbound and outbound directions as those planned by a control unit of a motor vehicle, a camera feed of the motor vehicle may be analyzed by an electronic computing device of the motor vehicle, resulting in recognition of the traffic light as red and in subsequent application of the brakes. However, due to the finite range of the camera, the ability of the camera to resolve an upcoming traffic signal is limited even when the view of the traffic signal by the camera is neither obstructed nor obscured as exemplified earlier. The range of visibility associated with a camera may be further limited in, for example, poorly illuminated environments. Therefore, at least one limitation of the optical sensor may result in additional scenarios in which at least one brake must be abruptly applied due to the late time at which at least one traffic signal is optically detected. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method, a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, as well as a corresponding awareness system, by which the presence of a current and / or future traffic signal along a planned route of the vehicle may be determined without a clear line of sight between the vehicle and the traffic signal.

[0007] This object is solved by a method, a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, as well as a corresponding awareness system according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are presented in the dependent claims.

[0008] One aspect of the invention relates to a method for providing a traffic signal status detection range by a traffic signal awareness system for a vehicle. Information about a current planned route of the vehicle is obtained by an electronic computing device of the awareness system. A traffic signal information server is accessed by the electronic computing device via a telecommunication device of the awareness system. At least one current and / or future traffic signal control point along the current planned route is determined by the electronic computing device and / or information server. The respective traffic signal status of at least one traffic signal regulating the at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point is predicted by the electronic computing device and / or information server for an estimated arrival time of the vehicle at the respective traffic signal control point.

[0009] The information server may contain separate timing information for each incoming and outgoing direction at the traffic signal control point. For instance, a vehicle turning left at an intersection may have a shorter green-light window than a vehicle passing straight through the intersection, even if both vehicles approach from the same direction. The information server may be based on a road-side system as has been described in the introduction.

[0010] As a result of the above mentioned method, the presence of at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point along the planned route of the vehicle may be determined before the traffic signal control point is or may be optically detected by an operator of the vehicle. It is noted here, that the term “operator” may refer to a human operator as well as to an automated driving system. As a further result of the above mentioned method, the respective traffic signal status of at least one traffic signal regulating the at least one upcoming traffic signal control point may be determined before the at least one traffic signal is or can be optically detected by the operator of the vehicle. Therefore, the above mentioned method solves the problem of abruptly perceived traffic signals by receiving their locations and / or current state ahead of time.

[0011] The term “traffic signal control point” is used to describe any location at which a traffic signal is used to regulate the flow of traffic. One instance of a traffic signal control point is an intersection featuring different traffic signals depending on the directions from and / or to which traffic enter and / or exit the intersection, respectively, as well as different traffic signals depending on the mode of transportation, such as walking or bicycling. Another instance is a railway crossing featuring a traffic signal indicating the presence or lack of an approaching train.

[0012] The term “traffic signal” is used broadly to include all dynamic traffic regulation machines. Examples include three-color lights, flashing monochrome lights, variable lane controls, and railway signals.

[0013] The term “traffic signal status” is used to include all visual properties of a traffic signal at a particular point in time that relate to meaningful traffic information. For example, the possible statuses of a three-color traffic light are red, green, and yellow. Whether the traffic signal is in an activated state is itself an example of a traffic signal status, such as for monochrome flashing lights which are either in a flashing state or an off state.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the method, the traffic signal status prediction involves a bias toward more cautious predictions in the event of uncertainty, where a prediction of a signal to stop at the traffic signal control point is more cautious than a prediction of a signal to proceed through the traffic signal control point. The uncertainty is a value provided by the information server and indicates the paucity of available data on the at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point and / or on the closeness of the estimated arrival time of the vehicle at the traffic signal control point to the estimated time of the transition of the at least one traffic signal status. The higher the uncertainty, the lower the expected accuracy of the traffic signal status prediction.

[0015] Such an uncertainty could be, for example, calculated by multiplying several quantities. One example of such a multiplicand could be the number of seconds separating the estimated arrival time of the vehicle at the respective traffic signal control point from the nearest estimated time of signal transition of the respective traffic signal. Another example of such a multiplicand could be a number of traffic signal logs associated with the respective traffic signal that are timestamped to within ten seconds of the estimated arrival time of the vehicle at the respective traffic signal control point. In the example of these two multiplicands, the scaled number of seconds may be compared against a cutoff, say six scaled seconds. If the scaled number of seconds is above this cutoff, a prediction of a signal to proceed through the traffic signal control point is transmitted, otherwise a prediction of a signal to stop at the traffic signal control point is transmitted.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the traffic signal status prediction result is used by an automated driving control unit of the vehicle to change a predefined driving parameter of the vehicle, in particular acceleration. For example, the brakes of the vehicle may begin to be applied before the traffic signal is resolved by an optical traffic-signal detection system of the at least partly automated vehicle so that the slowdown is comfortably gradual for at least one occupant. Alternatively, for example, if the vehicle is driving at a speed lower than the speed limit, the vehicle may be accelerated in order to pass through the at least one upcoming traffic signal control point before the at least one traffic signal switches to a halting signal such as a red light. In this way, the time demand of the planned route may be decreased.

[0017] This embodiment has the advantage of compensating for inaccuracies on the order of a few seconds in the information provided by the traffic signal information server. If a vehicle is made to slow down for a traffic signal control point because a red light was expected, for example, but the light is in fact green, the consequence is an amount of lost time on the order of a minute. However, if the speed of a vehicle is maintained or even increased because a green light was expected, but the light is in fact red, the consequence may again be an abrupt application of the brakes. In order to maximize user comfort, this embodiment may predict, for example, a red light if the traffic signal is expected to be yellow.

[0018] In one embodiment, the vehicle transmits at least one datum to the information server, where the at least one datum is used to update and / or expand upon the information provided by the information server. Examples of data relevant to the information server include date and time; GPS location, where the precision at least suffices to identify the lane in which the vehicle is; and camera recordings.

[0019] The traffic signal timing information hosted by the information server may need to be updated at regular intervals, for instance to accommodate for any tunings of the traffic signals. The at least one datum described in this embodiment may help the information server to correct and / or refine the information that it provides. To facilitate this procedure, data analysis methods known to the state of the art for filtering and reducing redundant data may be applied to the information server, reducing the computational load on and / or hardware complexity of the information server.

[0020] In one embodiment, the telecommunication device is a device peripheral to the vehicle. For example, the telecommunication device may be a mobile device, such as a smartphone, connected to the vehicle such as via a cable or via a Bluetooth pairing.

[0021] In one embodiment, the information server contains traffic signal timing information concerning at least one additional mode of transportation that is also regulated by the respective traffic signal and that represents potential cross-traffic and / or potential ahead-traffic for the vehicle.

[0022] For example, the information server may provide separate predictions for pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle traffic signal statuses. In some cases, at least one pedestrian walk signal is broadcast at the same time as at least one potentially conflicting green signal for a motor vehicle. In such a case, the automated driving control unit may make use of at least one prediction of the status of at least one pedestrian signal to determine that a speed lower than the speed limit should be maintained despite the respective motor vehicle traffic signal being predicted to be green.

[0023] In particular, the method is a computer-implemented method. Therefore, one aspect of the invention relates to a computer program product consisting of computer-readable instructions for performing a method according to the preceding aspect.

[0024] One aspect of the invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising the computer program product according to the preceding aspect.

[0025] One aspect of the invention relates to an awareness system for a vehicle, comprising at least one electronic computing device, at least one telecommunication device, and at least one information server, wherein the awareness system is configured for performing a method according to the preceding aspect. In particular, the method is performed by the awareness system.

[0026] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a vehicle comprising the awareness system according to the preceding aspect.

[0027] An “electronic computing device” may in particular be understood as a data processing device, which comprises processing circuitry. The electronic computing device may therefore in particular process data to perform computing operations. This may also include operations to perform indexed accesses to a data structure, for example a look-up table, LUT.

[0028] In particular, the electronic computing device may include one or more computers, one or more microcontrollers, and / or one or more integrated circuits, for example, one or more application-specific integrated circuits, ASIC, one or more field- programmable gate arrays, FPGA, and / or one or more systems on a chip, SoC. The electronic computing device may also include one or more processors, for example one or more microprocessors, one or more central processing units, CPU, one or more graphics processing units, GPU, and / or one or more signal processors, in particular one or more digital signal processors, DSP or neural processing units, NPU. The electronic computing device may also include a physical or a virtual cluster of computers or other of said units.

[0029] In various embodiments, the electronic computing device includes one or more hardware and / or software interfaces and / or one or more memory units.

[0030] A memory unit may be implemented as a volatile data memory, for example a dynamic random access memory, DRAM, or a static random access memory, SRAM, or as a non-volatile data memory, for example a read-only memory, ROM, a programmable read-only memory, PROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM, a flash memory or flash EEPROM, a ferroelectric random access memory, FRAM, a magnetoresistive random access memory, MRAM, or a phase-change random access memory, PCRAM.

[0031] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention derive from the following description of preferred embodiments as well as from the drawings. The features and feature combinations previously mentioned in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned in the following description of the figures and / or shown in the figures alone can be employed not only in the respectively indicated combination but also in any other combination or taken alone without leaving the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The drawings show in:

[0033] Fig. 1 a schematic bird’s-eye view according to an embodiment of a vehicle comprising an embodiment of an awareness system.

[0034] Fig. 2 a schematic side-view view according to an embodiment of a vehicle comprising an embodiment of an awareness system.

[0035] Fig. 3 a schematic flowchart according to several embodiments of the method.

[0036] In the figures the same elements or elements having the same function are indicated by the same reference signs.

[0037] The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. The same reference numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of systems and / or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described below, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In the following detailed descriptions of the embodiments of the disclosure, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form parts hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. This embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0039] Fig. 1 shows a schematic bird’s-eye view according to an embodiment of a vehicle 10, here a bicycle. A current planned route 12 of the vehicle 10 leads into a traffic signal control point 14, here a four-way intersection. Due to an obstruction 16, here a cluster of trees, an occupant 18 of the vehicle 10 is unable to perceive the traffic signal 20. The traffic signal status 22 of the traffic signal 20 is red, as indicated by the shading in the uppermost light. Therefore, the vehicle 10 is not yet able to pass through the traffic signal control point 14.

[0040] Fig. 2 shows a schematic side-view according to an embodiment of the vehicle 10, here a partly automated motor vehicle. The vehicle 10 comprises an awareness system 24. The awareness system 24 comprises at least one electronic computing device 26 and at least one telecommunication device 28, here a smartphone and thus a device peripheral to the vehicle 10. The telecommunication device 28 is used to request a traffic signal status prediction 30 and to transmit at least one datum 32 to an information server 34, where the at least one datum 32 is used to update and / or expand upon the information provided by the information server 34. The vehicle 10 comprises an optical sensor 36, here a camera, which may be used to observe the surroundings of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the vehicle 10 comprises an automated driving control unit 38, which may control pre-defined parameters of the vehicle 10 such as the heading and acceleration.

[0041] It is known from series vehicle construction that at least one telecommunication device, such as a dedicated short-range communications device, may be installed in a motor vehicle, for example to receive traffic information. Such a device may rely on, for example, at least one radio transmitter and at least one radio receiver, such as a Wi-Fi-enabled network interface controller. The telecommunication device 28 of the awareness system 24 may be the same telecommunication device as one which, like the dedicated short-range communications device, is already installed for a different purpose.

[0042] The information server is a system external to the vehicle 10 and comprising at least one electronic computing unit. The information server may be, for example, a roadside unit or a computer hosting an internet service.

[0043] A current planned route 12 may take the form of a route suggested by a navigation application and accepted by the at least one occupant 18. In an at least partly automated motor vehicle, a current planned route 12 may take the form of an active route computed by the motor vehicle’s on-board navigation system. Absent of explicit indicators such as these, a current planned route 12 may still be inferred by the electronic computing device 26 by, for example, combining compass information about the orientation of the vehicle 10 with GPS information about its geographical coordinates. However, in this example, the current planned route may only be inferable until the next traffic signal control point 14 at which the vehicle 10 will arrive, because the at least one occupant 18 may direct the vehicle 10 to turn.

[0044] Fig. 3 shows a schematic flowchart according to several embodiments of the method. In particular, Fig. 3 shows a method for providing a traffic signal status 22 detection range by the traffic signal awareness system 24 for the vehicle 10. In a first step S1, information about the current planned route 12 of the vehicle 10 is obtained by the electronic computing device 26 of the awareness system 24. In a second step S2, the traffic signal information server 34 is accessed by the electronic computing device 26 via the telecommunication device 28 of the awareness system 24. In a third step S3, the at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point 14 along the current planned route 12 is determined by the electronic computing device 26 and / or information server 34. In a fourth step S4, the respective traffic signal status 22 of the at least one traffic signal 20 regulating the at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point 14 is predicted by the electronic computing device 26 and / or information server 34 for an estimated arrival time of the vehicle 10 at the respective traffic signal control point 14. According to an embodiment, in a fifth step S5, the traffic signal status prediction 30 involves a bias toward more cautious predictions in the event of uncertainty. A prediction of a signal to stop at the traffic signal control point 14 is considered more cautious than a prediction of a signal to proceed through the traffic signal control point 14. Uncertainty is a value provided by the information server 34 indicating the paucity of available data on the at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point 14 and / or the closeness of the estimated arrival time of the vehicle 10 at the traffic signal control point 14 to the estimated time of the transition of the at least one traffic signal status 22; and wherein the higher the uncertainty, the lower the expected accuracy of the traffic signal status prediction 30. According to another embodiment, in a sixth step S6, the traffic signal status prediction 30 result is used by an automated driving control unit 38 of the vehicle 10 to change a predefined driving parameter of the vehicle 10, in particular acceleration. According to another embodiment, in a seventh step S7, the vehicle 10 transmits the at least one datum 32 to the information server 34, where the at least one datum 32 is used to update and / or expand upon the information provided by the information server 34.

[0045] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0046] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawing and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0047] The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion so that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus preceded by “comprises” or “comprise” does not or do not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method. List of reference signs 10 Vehicle 12 Planned route 14 Traffic signal control point 16 Obstruction 18 Occupant 20 Traffic signal 22 Traffic signal status 24 Awareness system 26 Electronic computing device 28 Telecommunication device 30 Traffic signal status prediction 32 Datum 34 Information server 36 Camera 38 Automated driving control unit S1-S7 Steps of the method

Claims

1. A method for providing a traffic signal status (22) detection range by a traffic signal awareness system (24) for a vehicle (10), comprising the steps of:- obtaining (S1) information about a current planned route (12) of the vehicle (10) by an electronic computing device (26) of the awareness system (24);- accessing (S2) a traffic signal information server (34) by the electronic computing device (26) via a telecommunication device (28) of the awareness system (24);- determining (S3) at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point (14) along the current planned route (12) by the electronic computing device (26) and / or information server (34); and- predicting (S4) the respective traffic signal status (22) of at least one traffic signal (20) regulating the at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point (14) by the electronic computing device (26) and / or information server (34) for an estimated arrival time of the vehicle (10) at the respective traffic signal control point (14).

2. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe traffic signal status prediction (30) involves a bias toward more cautious predictions in the event of uncertainty, where a prediction of a signal to stop at the traffic signal control point (14) is considered more cautious than a prediction of a signal to proceed through the traffic signal control point (14); where the uncertainty is a value provided by the information server (34) indicating the paucity of available data on the at least one current and / or future traffic signal control point (14) and / or the closeness of the estimated arrival time of the vehicle (10) at the traffic signal control point (14) to the estimated time of the transition of the at least one traffic signal status (22); and wherein the higher the uncertainty, the lower the expected accuracy of the traffic signal status prediction (30).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, whereinthe traffic signal status prediction (30) result is used by an automated driving control unit (38) of the vehicle (10) to change a predefined driving parameter of the vehicle (10), in particular acceleration.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle (10) transmits at least one datum (32) to the information server (34), where the at least one datum (32) is used to update and / or expand upon the information provided by the information server (34).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the telecommunication device (28) is a device peripheral to the vehicle (10).

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, whereinthe information server (34) contains traffic signal (20) timing information concerning at least one additional mode of transportation that is also regulated by the respective traffic signal (20) and that represents potential cross-traffic and / or potential ahead-traffic for the vehicle (10).

7. A computer program product consisting of computer-readable instructions for performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising the computer program product according to claim 7.

9. An awareness system (12) for a vehicle (10), comprising at least one electronic computing device (26) and at least one telecommunication device (28), wherein the awareness system (12) is configured for performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.Application No: GB2411659.2Examiner: Ms Amanda MasonClaims searched: 1-9Date of search: 7 January 2025Patents Act 1977: Search Report under Section 17Documents considered to be relevant:Category Relevant to claims Identity of document and passage or figure of particular relevance X 1, 4-5, 7-9 US 2021 / 0095977 Al (GAO et al.) See Figure 1; paragraphs [0016], [0025], [0035], [0042]-[0044], X 1, 3-5, 7-9 US 10650678 B2 (WERNER et al.) See Figures 1, 5-7; column 1: lines 6-8, co!.10:54-col,12:10, col 13:5-14. X 1-2, 5, 7-9 US 2011 / 0040621 Al (GINSBERG et al.) See Figures 1-2, 8; paragraphs [0008], [0028J-[0029], [0034], [0036], [0064], [0074], X 1, 5, 7-9 IP 2009129230 A (TOYOTA MOTOR CORP) See Figure 1; paragraphs [0004], [0018], [0022]-[0024], [0039]-[0040] X 1, 3, 5, 7- RU 2767219 C2 9 (KYOSAN ELECTRIC MFG) See Figures 1,5. A 2 IP 5273099 B2 (DENSO CORP) See paragraphs [0119], [0123]-[0126], [0115],Categories:X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step A Document indicating technological background and / or state of the art. Y Document indicating lack of inventive step if combined with one or more other documents of same category. P Document published on or after the declared priority date but before the filing date of this invention. & Member of the same patent family E Patent document published on or after, but with priority date earlier than, the filing date of this application.Field of Search:International Classification:Subclass Subgroup Valid From G08G 0001 / 0967 01 / 01 / 2006 G01C 0021 / 36 01 / 01 / 2006

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