Claims:We Claim:

1. A method for avoiding collision of a vehicle (100), the method comprising:
determining, by an autonomous safe stop unit (ASSU) (101) associated with the vehicle (100), a plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100), upon detection of one or more objects (102) in a predicted colliding path of the vehicle (100);
generating, by the ASSU (101), an alert signal to a user, when a distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) is within a first defined distance;
determining, by the ASSU (101), a user response towards the alert signal; and
performing, by the ASSU (101), selectively at least one of, when the user response remains unchanged to the alert signal,
navigating the vehicle (100), by the ASSU (101), into at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths, when the distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) is between the first defined distance and a second defined distance; and
regulating, by the ASSU (101), speed of the vehicle (100), when the distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) is less than the second defined distance.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprises receiving, by the ASSU (101), signals corresponding to the distance of the one or more objects (102) through a plurality of sensors (109).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprises determining, by the ASSU (101), relative speed of the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprises predicting, by the ASSU (101), one or more spatial trajectories and temporal trajectories of the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102), to determine the plurality of travel paths and colliding path of the vehicle (100) based on the signals received from the plurality of sensors (109).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user response is determined by change in at least one of operation of a steering device (104) of the vehicle (100) by the user and operation of a brake device (105) of the vehicle (100) by the user, is response to the alert signal generated.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the vehicle (100) is navigated, by the ASSU (101) by operating the steering device (104) of the vehicle (100).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brake device (105) is operated based on rate of change in distance between the first defined distance and the second defined distance.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein operation of the steering device (104) is accompanied by selective operation of the brake device (105), when the distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) is between the first defined distance and the second defined distance.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle (100) operating parameters includes at least one of speed of the vehicle (100), number of occupants in the vehicle (100), gradient of travel path of the vehicle (100), and direction of travel of the one or more objects (102) with respect to the vehicle (100).

10. A system for avoiding collision of a vehicle (100), comprising:
an autonomous safe stop unit (ASSU (101)) associated with the vehicle (100), the ASSU (101) comprising:
one or more memory units (108), and
a processing unit (107) with the one or more memory units (108),
wherein the processing unit (107)is configured to:
determine, a plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100), upon detection of one or more objects (102) through a plurality of sensors (109) coupled in the vehicle (100);
generate, an alert signal to a user, when a distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) is within a first defined distance;
determine, a user response towards the alert signal generated based on the first defined distance, wherein the user response is based on operation of a steering device (104) and a brake device (105) of the vehicle (100); and
perform, selectively at least one of, when the user response remains unchanged to the alert signal,
navigate, the vehicle (100) into at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths, when the distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) is between the first defined distance and a second defined distance; and
regulate, speed of the vehicle (100), when the distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) is less than the second defined distance.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the alert signal is indicated through an indication unit (106).

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the indication unit (106) is at least one of audio, video, and audio-visual unit.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the alert signal is indicated as at least one of an audio signal, a video signal, a vibrating signal, and an audio-video signal.

14. A vehicle (100) comprising a system as claimed in claim 10. , Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates in general to the field of automobiles. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a driver assistance system for a vehicle. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure discloses a method and system for avoiding collision of the vehicle by an automatic safe-stop unit (ASSU).

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
With increase in vehicular population, road accidents have been considered as utmost concern due to high number of human fatalities. As modern vehicles are equipped with high speed and state-of-the-art performance engines and deliverables, the average speed of every vehicle has gradually increased leading to more number of accidents. Further, in most scenarios, road accidents may lead to fatal injuries, that are endured by a group of commuters including, but not limited to, animals, pedestrians, vehicle occupants and the like. Conventionally, to reduce fatality in such road accidents, vehicles are provisioned with cabin safety means such as, but not limited to, seat belt tensioners, air bags, Anti-lock braking systems and the like.

With the advancements in technology, the automotive industry has directed the focus on providing safety systems in the vehicles to detect and prevent the collision of vehicles in addition to occupant safety systems, which comes into play after the vehicle collision. To curb effects which are external to the vehicle such as frontal collisions, many attempts have been made and accordingly safety systems have been employed in the vehicles. The conventional safety system commonly referred to as forward collision detection and avoidance systems, and Emergency Braking System, may include sensors in the front of the vehicle, and the control unit interfaced with the sensors. The control unit receives signals from the sensors, and checks the distance of the vehicle with objects in front the vehicle. The control unit may also predict a possibility of frontal collision based on the distance and speed of the vehicle. Upon determining the possibility of collision, the control unit may operate the brakes to avoid collision. However, such application of brakes may merely stop the vehicle from movement, while avoidance of collision of the vehicle may still be subjective to various factors such as, but not limited to, response of the user, direction of movement of the colliding object, and the like.

Additionally, the conventional systems particularly focus on indicating to the user of the vehicle regarding occurrence of collision and do not provide further safety systems to avoid such collisions. The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitation associated with the prior arts.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE:
One or more shortcomings of conventional methods or systems are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the method and the system as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for avoiding collision of a vehicle is disclosed. The method comprises of determining, a plurality of travel paths for the vehicle, upon detection of one or more objects in a predicted colliding path of the vehicle, by an autonomous safe stop unit (ASSU) associated with the vehicle. Further, the ASSU is configured to generate an alert signal to a user, when a distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is within a first defined distance. The ASSU then determines a user response towards the alert signal, to avoid collision of the vehicle. When the user response remains unchanged to the alert signal, the ASSU is configured to perform selectively at least one of, navigating the vehicle into at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths. The vehicle is navigated by the ASSU, when the distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is between the first defined distance and a second defined distance. Also, the ASSU is configured to regulate speed of the vehicle, when the distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is less than the second defined distance, in addition to navigating the vehicle.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ASSU is configured to receive signals corresponding to the distance of the one or more objects through a plurality of sensors. Based on the signals received, the ASSU determines relative speed of the vehicle and the one or more objects. Upon determining the relative speed of the vehicle and the one or more objects, the ASSU is configured to predict one or more spatial trajectories and temporal trajectories of the vehicle and the one or more objects. The ASSU is then configured to determine the plurality of travel paths and colliding path of the vehicle.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user response is determined by change in at least one of operation of a steering device of the vehicle by the user and operation of a brake device of the vehicle by the user, is response to the alert signal generated.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ASSU navigates the vehicle by operating the steering device of the vehicle. Further, the ASSU operates the brake device based on rate of change in distance between the first defined distance and the second defined distance. Additionally, operation of the steering device by the ASSU is accompanied by selective operation of the brake device, when the distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is between the first defined distance and the second defined distance.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, vehicle operating parameters includes at least one of speed of the vehicle, number of occupants in the vehicle, gradient of travel path of the vehicle, and direction of travel of the one or more objects with respect to the vehicle.

In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for avoiding collision of a vehicle is disclosed. The system comprises an autonomous safe stop unit (ASSU) associated with the vehicle. The ASSU includes one or more memory units and a processing unit associated with the one or more memory units. The processing unit is configured to determine, a plurality of travel paths for the vehicle, upon detection of one or more objects through a plurality of sensors coupled in the vehicle. The processing unit generates an alert signal to a user, when a distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is within a first defined distance. The alert signal is indicated to a user by at least one of an audio indication, a video indication and a vibratory indication. Further, the processing unit determines a user response towards the alert signal generated based on the first defined distance. The user response is determined when at least one of a steering device and a brake device of the vehicle is operated by the user. When the user response remains unchanged to the alert signal, the processing unit is configured to perform, selectively at least one of, navigating the vehicle into at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths, when the distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is between the first defined distance and a second defined distance. The processing unit is also configured to regulate speed of the vehicle, when the distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is less than the second defined value.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the alert signal is indicated through an indication unit. The indication unit is at least one of audio, video, and audio-visual unit. Further, the alert signal is indicated as at least one of an audio signal, a video signal, a vibrating signal, and an audio-video signal.

It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system for avoiding collision of a vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2A illustrates a graph representing one or more spatial trajectories predicted by the system, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2B illustrates a graph representing one or more temporal trajectories predicted by the system, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3A is a schematic representation of the vehicle being operated by the system for avoiding collision in a first scenario, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3B is a schematic representation of the vehicle being operated by the system for avoiding collision in a second scenario, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3C is a schematic representation of the vehicle being operated by the system for avoiding collision in a third scenario, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present disclosure. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the embodiments in the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described 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 alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

It is to be noted that a person skilled in the art would be motivated from the present disclosure and modify various features of the system, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, such modifications are considered to be part of the disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings show only those specific details that are pertinent to understand the embodiments of the present disclosure, so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein. Also, the system of the present disclosure may be employed in any kind of vehicle ranging from passenger vehicles to commercial vehicles. However, the vehicle illustrated in the drawings of the disclosure is for the purpose of simplicity.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the disclosure, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a device, system, method and assembly that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such system, method, or assembly, or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or device proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or device.

Embodiments of the present disclosure discloses a system and method for avoiding collision of a vehicle. Collision between the vehicle and one or more objects including vehicles, walls, rocks, trees and the like may cause severe damage to the vehicle and may lead to fatal injuries to the occupants of the vehicle or even loss of life. Considering the severity of collisions, the present disclosure aims to issue an alert signal to a user of the vehicle or avoid collisions between the vehicle and the one or more objects to curb or eliminate the effects of collisions.

Accordingly, the present disclosure discloses a method for avoiding collision of a vehicle. The method comprises of determining, a plurality of travel paths for the vehicle, upon detection of one or more objects in a predicted colliding path of the vehicle, by an autonomous safe stop unit (ASSU) associated with the vehicle. Further, the ASSU is configured to generate an alert signal to a user, when a distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is within a first defined distance. The ASSU then determines a user response towards the alert signal, to avoid collision of the vehicle. When the user response remains unchanged to the alert signal, the ASSU is configured to perform selectively at least one of, navigating the vehicle into at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths. The vehicle is navigated by the ASSU, when the distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is between the first defined distance and a second defined distance. Also, the ASSU is configured to regulate speed of the vehicle, when the distance between the vehicle and the one or more objects is less than the second defined value, in addition to navigating the vehicle.

Henceforth, the present disclosure is explained with the help of figures illustrating a system and a method for avoiding collision of a vehicle. However, such exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limitations of the present disclosure, since the method may be used on other types of vehicles where such need arises. A person skilled in the art can envisage various such embodiments without deviating from scope of the present disclosure.

Figure 1 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating is a block diagram of a system for avoiding collision of a vehicle (100) [shown in Figures 3A-3C]. The system includes an autonomous safe stop unit (ASSU) [herein referred as ASSU] of the vehicle (100), where the ASSU (101) may be configured to be a part of an electronic control unit or may be interfaced to communicate with the electronic control unit of the vehicle (100). The ASSU (101) may be configured to perform real-time data communication pertaining to the vehicle (100), with various other control units associated with the vehicle (100). Other control units such as transmission control unit, powertrain control unit, brake control unit, steering control unit and the like, and may provide real-time data to the ASSU (101) for operation. The ASSU (101) and the other control units may be configured to communicate real-time data pertaining to operating parameters of the vehicle (100) such as, but not limited to, speed of the vehicle (100), number of occupants in the vehicle (100), gradient of travel path of the vehicle (100), and the like.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the ASSU (101) of the vehicle (100) may be configured to predict occurrence of collision between the vehicle (100) and one or more objects (102) in the path of travel of the vehicle (100). The one or more objects (102) may be proximal to the vehicle (100) and may be surrounding the vehicle (100), where the one or more objects (102) may be including, but not limited to, other vehicles, road barriers, lane barriers, trees, pedestrians, animals and the like. Further, the other vehicles may be proximal to the vehicle (100) such as vehicles on same lane as that of the vehicle (100), other vehicles on different or opposite lanes, other vehicles at an intersections, and the like. The ASSU (101) may be configured to receive signals corresponding to a distance and a relative speed between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102), through a plurality of sensors (109). Based on the received signals from the plurality of sensors (109), the ASSU (101) may be configured to determine a plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100), which may deviate the vehicle (100) from a predicted colliding path, to avoid collision of the vehicle (100).

Further, the plurality of sensors (109) may be positioned at defined locations in the vehicle (100) including, but not limited to, either side on a body of the vehicle (100), front portion of the body of the vehicle (100), and rear portion of the body of the vehicle (100). The plurality of sensors (109) may be configured to perpetually determine characteristics of path travelled by the vehicle (100) such as, but not limited to, lane in which the vehicle (100) travels, gradient of the path or road, curvature of the path or road and the like. In addition, the plurality of sensors (109) may be adapted to sense the distance and the relative speed between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) in real-time, when the one or more objects (102) intervene in the path travelled by the vehicle (100). The plurality of sensors (109) may also be configured to sense the direction in which the one or more objects (102) may move with respect to movement of the vehicle (100). In this way, the plurality of sensors (109) may generate signals pertaining to parameters associated with the one or more objects (102) around the vehicle (100), which may suitably be transmitted to the ASSU (101). In an embodiment, the plurality of sensors (109) may be including, but not limited to, an image capturing unit, a proximity sensor, an accelerometer, infrared sensors, a Hall effect sensor, a LIDAR, a RADAR, an electro-optical sensor, and the like. However, it should be noted that any other plurality of sensors (109) that may determine at least one of the distance and the speed between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) may be employed in the vehicle (100), while the same should not be considered as a limitation.

The ASSU (101), upon receipt of the signals from the plurality of sensors (109), may be configured to predict one or more spatial trajectories and temporal trajectories of the vehicle (100), as best seen in figures 2A and 2B. Referring now to Figure 2A, illustrating graphical representation of the one or more spatial trajectories of the vehicle (100), when the one or more objects (102) [also referred to as 102’ in Figures 3A-3C] may not be within vicinity of the vehicle (100). In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the ASSU (101) may be configured to receive the signals pertaining to the characteristics of the path travelled by the vehicle (100), from the plurality of sensors (109) of the vehicle (100). The ASSU (101) may then generate the one or more spatial trajectories for the vehicle (100), based on the characteristics of the path. The one or more spatial trajectories may provide a predicted purview of possible trajectorial paths along which the vehicle (100) may travel. For example, the ASSU (101) may predict six possible trajectorial paths, namely, P1, P1’, P2, P2’ P3, and P3’ for the vehicle (100) to travel. The predicted trajectorial paths may be defined with respect to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle (100) [that is, along a central axis of the vehicle (100)], where the predicted trajectorial paths such as, P1 and P1’, P2 and P2’ and P3 and P3’ may form a spatial conjugate pairs, for the vehicle (100) to travel. The predicted trajectorial paths of the one or more one or more spatial trajectories, by the ASSU (101), may also be determined by considering of factors such as, but not limited to, motion constraints of the vehicle (100) due to operation by the user, steering limitations of the vehicle (100) by the user, and the like. In this way, the ASSU (101) may be configured to adapt to the travel paths of the vehicle (100) for generating the one or more spatial trajectories, based on speed of the vehicle (100), yaw rate of the vehicle (100) due to terrain, and the like.

Turning now to Figure 2B, which illustrates the one or more temporal trajectories of the vehicle (100), travelling in a defined speed. The one or more temporal trajectories may provide a predicted purview of possible rate of change in speed of the vehicle (100) along the predicted trajectorial paths to stop or halt the vehicle (100). For example, the ASSU (101) may recognize that the vehicle (100) may be moving at the defined speed of Pstart as the vehicle (100) travels on a defined path, and the vehicle (100) may be required to be brought to halt or rest condition. The ASSU (101) may predict the one or more temporal trajectories along six predicted trajectorial paths, namely, T1, T1’, T2, T2’, T3, and T3’, which when combined with the six possible travel paths of the vehicle (100), that is, P1, P1’, P2, P2’ P3, and P3’, to result in the plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100). To bring the vehicle (100) to halt or rest condition as and when the one or more objects (102) enters any of the six predicted trajectorial paths, the speed of the vehicle (100) may be required to be regulated at different intervals so that, abrupt and inadvertent stoppage of the vehicle (100) may be avoided. To do this, the vehicle (100) may be subjected to different rate of change in speed while travelling in different predicted trajectorial paths, as evident from Figure 2B. Here, it may be noted that, generation of six possible spatial paths and corresponding six predicted trajectorial paths are exemplary in nature and the same should not be considered as a limitation. The ASSU (101) may be configured to generate spatial paths and corresponding trajectorial paths ranging from 2 to 20, based on pre-set of the ASSU (101).

In an embodiment, the ASSU (101) may be configured to compile predicted data from the one or more spatial trajectories and the temporal trajectories, when the one or more objects (102) may be detected to intervene in the predicted trajectorial paths of the vehicle (100), as seen in Figures 3A-3C. The intervention of the one or more objects (102) in the predicted trajectorial paths of the vehicle (100) may cause imminent collision of the vehicle (100) with the one or more objects (102). Further, upon determining the one or more objects (102), the ASSU (101) may be configured to determine the plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100), which may deviate the vehicle (100) from the predicted colliding path. The ASSU (101) may compile predicted data from the one or more spatial trajectories and the temporal trajectories, in order to render the vehicle (100) movement in at least one path of the plurality of travel paths, to avoid collision. Furthermore, the ASSU (101) may generate an alert signal to a user, who may be including, but not limited to, a driver of the vehicle (100), to suitably maneuver the vehicle (100), to avoid imminent collision. The alert signal may be generated when the vehicle (100) may be at a first defined distance, which may be pre-programmed in the ASSU (101). In addition to generation of the alert signal, the ASSU (101) may be configured to determine a user response, that is, actions performed by the user with respect to the alert signal generated thereof. In an embodiment, the ASSU (101) may determine that an action is performed by the user with respect to the alert signal, when a change in state of at least one of a steering device (104) of the vehicle (100) may be performed by the user and state of a brake device (105) of the vehicle (100) may be performed by the user. This user response may provide an inference data to the ASSU (101) pertaining to avoidance of the one or more objects (102) by the user, based on the alert signal.

Additionally, when the ASSU (101) may determine that the user response remains unchanged [or unaltered by the user] for the alert signal generated therein, the ASSU (101) may be configured to determine position of the vehicle (100) with respect to the one or more objects (102). In an embodiment, the ASSU (101) may generate the alert signal when the distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102) is within the first defined distance, such as A1 as in Figure 3A. Further, when the ASSU (101) determines that the user response remains unchanged as the vehicle (100) approaches a second defined distance A2 from the first defined distance A1, the ASSU (101) may be prepared to override control of the vehicle (100) from the user. In particular, when the vehicle (100) may be at an intermediate defined distance A3, between the first defined distance A1 and the second defined distance A2, the ASSU (101) may be prepared to override control of the vehicle (100) in order to avoid collision with the one or more objects (102). In continuation, the ASSU (101), during interim of overriding the control of the vehicle (100), may also be configured to intensify the alert signal so that, the user may respond to the intensified alert signal and may maneuver the vehicle (100). Nonetheless, when the vehicle (100) reaches the second defined distance A2, the ASSU (101) may selectively perform at least one of navigating the vehicle (100), into at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths, or regulating speed of the vehicle (100). The ASSU (101) may navigate the vehicle (100) by operating the steering device (104) of the vehicle (100), while regulation of speed of the vehicle (100) may be performed by operating the brake device (105) of the vehicle (100), by the ASSU (101). Also, the ASSU (101) may operate the steering device (104) in conjunction with selective operation of the brake device (105), in order to avoid reckless maneuver of the vehicle (100).

Further referring to Figure 3A, the one or more objects (102) is another vehicle (102’), which may intervene the predicted path of the vehicle (100) along a lateral direction [that is, the other vehicle (102’) may normally intervene the predicted path of the vehicle (100)]. The ASSU (101) may determine the direction of travel of the other vehicle (102’) along with the relative speed and distance between the vehicle (100) and the other vehicle (102’). The ASSU (101) may then be configured to predict the plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100), upon detection of the one or more objects (102). In this case, when the vehicle (100) approaches within the first defined distance A1, the ASSU (101) is configured to generate the alert signal to the user, for suitably responding by the user in changing state of the vehicle (100) [that is, by either navigating the vehicle (100) or regulating speed of the vehicle (100)]. The alert signal generated by the ASSU (101) may be intensified as the vehicle (100) approaches the intermediate defined distance A3 from the other vehicle (102’). In an embodiment, when the vehicle may be at the intermediate defined distance A3, the ASSU (101) may generate an operational signal to the brake device (105), to limit locking of wheels of the vehicle (100) in preparation for the imminent application of hard braking by the user or the ASSU (102).

The ASSU (101) may further be configured to override control of the vehicle (100) from the user, at the intermediate defined distance A3. Furthermore, when the vehicle (100) approaches the second defined distance A2, and the user response remains unchanged, then the ASSU (101) is configured to perform at least one of navigating the vehicle (100) or regulating speed of the vehicle (100). In order to navigate the vehicle (100) away from the other vehicle (102’), the ASSU (101) may consider factors including, but not limited to, the relative speed and distance between the vehicle (100) and the other vehicle (102’), direction of travel of the other vehicle (102’), lane in which the vehicle (100) may be travelling, and the like. In particular, the ASSU (101) may navigate the vehicle (100) when the plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100) is not further intervened by one or more objects (102). As illustrated in Figure 3A, when the plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100) is not further intervened, then the ASSU (101) selectively determines at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths for the vehicle (100) and suitably navigates the vehicle (100) from the predicted collision path. Also, the ASSU (101) may regulate the speed of the vehicle (100) to bring to the rest or halt condition, when the distance between the vehicle (100) at the second defined distance A2 and the other vehicle (102’) may exponentially decrease.

Turning now to Figure 3B, which illustrates a second scenario of the vehicle (100), where the vehicle (100) may be predicted to collide with the other vehicle (102’), travelling in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the vehicle (100). Here, the relative speed and distance between the vehicle (100) and the other vehicle (102’) may change at a greater rate, in comparison to the scenario of Figure 3A. In this scenario, the ASSU (101) may instantaneously override the control of the vehicle (100) from the user, upon detection of the other vehicle (102’) in the travel path of the vehicle (100). The ASSU (101) may navigate the vehicle (100) into at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths predicted to avoid collision of the vehicle (100). Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the ASSU (101) may not be configured to individually operate the brake device (105) of the vehicle (100) without navigating the vehicle (100) into the at least one travel path of the plurality of travel paths. This may be due to the reason that, the predicted travel path of the other vehicle (102’) may intervene with the path of the vehicle (100) when being brought to rest or halt condition, whereby imminent collision may still inadvertently occur. However, it should not be construed that the aforesaid condition may be a limitation of the disclosure, as the ASSU (101) may also be configured to adaptively vary the second defined distance, in order to provide sufficient time to navigate the vehicle (100) into the at least one path of the plurality of travel paths predicted therein.

Figure 3C illustrates a third scenario of the vehicle (100), where the vehicle (100) may be predicted to collide with the one or more objects (102) such as, a pedestrian (102’). Here, the pedestrian (102’) may be crossing the road. However, the pedestrian (102’), unlike the other vehicle (102’) in the first scenario of Figure 3A, may either rush to cross the road or may freeze in their position to avoid collision with the vehicle (100). In this scenario, the ASSU (101) may be configured to adaptively recognize the condition of the pedestrian (102’) and selectively operate the steering device (104) and the brake device (105) of the vehicle (100) to suitably navigate the vehicle (100) to the at least one path of the plurality of travel paths. In this way, the ASSU (101) may account deviation in distance and direction of movement of the pedestrian (102’), to avoid collision with the vehicle (100).

In an embodiment, the alert signal may be indicated through an indication unit (106) associated with the ASSU (101). The indication unit (106) may be at least one of an audio device, a video device, a vibrating device, and an audio-video device in the vehicle (100). The indication unit (106) may be positioned in locations including but not limited to, a cabin of the vehicle (100), a horn, a steering wheel, a seat belt, a windshield, and the like. Further, the indication unit (106) may be configured to vary intensity of the alert signal so as to increase with the rate of change in the distance between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102), when approaching from the first defined distance to the second defined distance.

In one embodiment, the user may be provisioned to deactivate the alert signal generated by the ASSU (101), in order to avoid continuous indications/warnings pertaining to the one or more objects (102) in conditions such as, but not limited to, slow moving traffic, parking spaces, and the like. In addition, even with deactivation of the alert signal, the ASSU (101) may be configured to perpetually communicate data with the other control units of the vehicle (100), in order to override the control of vehicle (100) from the user, when necessitated. Further, access of the user to deactivate the ASSU (101) may be seized, for safety of the user. Additionally, the ASSU (101) may be configured to be activated during initiation of the vehicle (100) movement, or may be activated when the vehicle (100) attains the defined speed.

In one embodiment, the first defined distance and the second defined distance may be either pre-set or may be instantaneously generated by the ASSU (101), in order to selectively perform navigation and regulation of speed of the vehicle (100), to avoid collision with the one or more objects (103).

In an embodiment, the ASSU (101) may be configured to determine the first defined distance, the second defined distance and the intermediate defined distance from the one or more objects (102) based on Time to Collision (TTC) prediction. Further, the TTC may be determined by the ASSU (101) with respect to the one or more objects (102) that is most proximal to the vehicle (100) and which may intervene the travel path of the vehicle (100) rendering prediction of the collision path. The ASSU (101) may be adaptable in determining the TTC for each scenario based one or more parameters including, but not limited to, relative speed between the vehicle (100) and the one or more objects (102), direction of travel of the vehicle (100), direction of travel of the one or more objects (102), the road geometry, and the like. In particular, the ASSU (101) may determine the first defined distance to be in the range of about 1.1s to about 1.5s for collision; for the intermediate defined distance to be in the range of about 0.90s to about 1.1s; and for the second defined distance to be in the range of about 0.8s to about 0.9s, based on TTC. Additionally, the first defined distance and the second defined distance may be calibrated by the ASSU (101) based on the braking capability [such as, extend to stop or halt the vehicle and the like] and steering capability [such as, turning radius of the vehicle, and the like] of the vehicle (100).

In one embodiment, the ASSU (101) may be configured to operate the steering device (104) of the vehicle (100). The steering device (104) may be including, but not limited to, an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, a pneumatic motor, and the like, which may be associated with a steering assembly of the vehicle (100). The ASSU (101) may be configured to operate the steering device (104) of the vehicle (100) by considering the aspects such as, but not limited to, gradient of the travel path of the vehicle (100), curvature of the road/path of the vehicle (100), terrain of the travel path of the vehicle (100), lane in which the vehicle (100) may be travelling, road barriers and lane barriers in the travel path, and the like. The steering device (104) may be selectively operated in order to prevent uncontrolled maneuvering of the vehicle (100), in addition to avoiding collision with the one or more objects (102).

In one embodiment, the ASSU (101) may be configured to operate the brake device (105) of the vehicle (100). The brake device (105) may be including, but not limited to, a hydraulic motor, a piston-cylinder arrangement, mechanical brake, and the like, which may be associated with a braking mechanism employed in the vehicle (100). The braking mechanism may be such as, but not limited to, an Anti-lock braking mechanism, a disc-brake mechanism, a centrifugal braking mechanism, and the like. In particular, the brake device (105) may be operated by the ASSU (101) on considering the vehicle (100) operating parameters which may include at least one of the speed of the vehicle (100), number of occupants in the vehicle (100), gradient of travel path of the vehicle (100), direction of travel of the one or more objects (102) with respect to the vehicle (100), and the like.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, the ASSU (101) provided in the vehicle (100) may be implemented by any computing systems that is utilized to implement the features of the present disclosure. The ASSU (101) may comprise a processing unit (107) and one or more memory units (108) associated with the vehicle (100). The processing unit (107) may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user- or system-generated requests. The processing unit (107) may be a specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. The processing unit (107) may include a microprocessor, such as AMD Athlon, Duron or Opteron, ARM’s application, embedded or secure processors, IBM PowerPC, Intel’s Core, Itanium, Xeon, Celeron or other line of processors, etc. The processing unit (107) may be implemented using mainframe, distributed processor, multi-core, parallel, grid, or other architectures. Some embodiments may utilize embedded technologies like application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.

In one embodiments, the ASSU (101) may include one or more memory units (108), which may be disposed in communication with one or more memory units (108) (e.g., RAM, ROM etc.) associated with the vehicle (100) via a storage interface. The storage interface may connect to the one or more memory units (108) including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, universal serial bus (USB), fiber channel, small computing system interface (SCSI), etc. The one or more memory units 108 may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, redundant array of independent discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., are non-transitory. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

It is to be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art may develop a system of similar configuration without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Such modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations provided they come within the ambit of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Equivalents:

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.” While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

REFERRAL NUMERALS
Particulars
Numeral
Vehicle
100
ASSU
101
Objects
102
Another vehicle or Pedestrian
102’
Steering device
104
Brake device
105
Indication unit
106
Processing unit
107
Memory unit
108
Sensors
109