Claims:CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A system for managing information about impediments to a vehicle, the system comrpising
a data collection module (101a) in the vehicle configured for
detecting an event that interrupts the motion of the vehicle; and
communicating the event and additional data related to the event to a Vehicle Impediment Management System (VIMS) (102); and
the VIMS (102) configured for
determining significant data from the received data;
identifying impediments by performing clustering of the determined significant data to merge nearby impediments; and
presenting the identified impediments.
2. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data collection module (101a) further comprises a location sensing unit (202); and at least one sensor (203).
3. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data collection module (101a) is calibrated based on characteristics of the vehicle, mounting angle of the data collection module (101a) in the vehicle, and position of mounting of the data collection module (101a) in the vehicle.
4. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data collection module (101a) is further configured for
normalizing samples received from an accelerometer by calculating a square root of sum of squares of axes of the accelerometer;
eliminating variations in suspension, mount location by calculating central momentum for the normalized samples;
determining the average of centralmomentum values for a trip by
extracting average, standard deviation of centralmomentum values for a plain road; and
extracting average centralmomentum values for known impediment locations;
determining a significant sampling window;
determining number of instances of samples in the determined sampling window that are above the sum of average and standard deviation of the samples;
scanning for consecutive sampling windows for macimum number of deviation; and
communicating window with maximum deviation, the direction of travel and location to the VIMS (102).
5. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the VIMS (102) is configured for determining correct samples among the received data by
comparing the received data with reference samples from multiple trips, made by the same vehicle and/or other vehicles who crossed the same location where the data indicates an impediment; and
filtering the received data for correct samples using at least one user-defined filter.
6. The system, as claimed in claim 5, wherein the user-defined filter comprises a threshold count, and a recent time stamp.
7. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the VIMS (102) is configured for performing clustering using a density based spatial clustering algorithm.
8. The system, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the VIMS (102) is configured for performing clustering by
using a look up table to see a closest entry to the received data of the location of the received data;
determining the received data as a new impediment, if the location does not have an entry within a pre-defined distance;
initializing count of the received data as 1, on determining that the received data is a new impediment; and
incrementing count of an existing entry in the look up table, if the location of the received data is within the pre-defined distance of the the existing entry.
9. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the VIMS (102) is further configured for
performing Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) of the received data, wherein the received data is time series data;
measuring difference between a waveform representing the time warped received data and a reference waveform;
transforming the waveform representing the time warped received data to nullify variations in the measured difference using derivatives; and
computing gradient of the waveform representing the time warped received data using second order accurate central differences in interior and at boundaries of the waveform representing the time warped received data.
10. The system, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the VIMS (102) is configured for performing DTW using FastDTW.
11. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the VIMS (102) is configured for denoting an impediment in both directions of travel using a a distance function based on spatial distance of given points in the received data and also direction of travel where the impediment was detected.
12. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the VIMS (102) is configured for providing a tag for a determined impediment.
13. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the VIMS (102) is configured for updating a provided impediment.

, Description:CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[001] This application is a Patent of Addition of the Indian patent application, 6554/CHE/2014.

TECHINCAL FIELD
[002] The embodiments herein generally relate to warning systems in vehicles, and more particularly to systems and methods for collating and sharing information about impediments to vehicles.

BACKGROUND
[003] Generally, speed breakers are installed to reduce speed related accidents. If speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed, then speed breakers cause extreme discomfort to the passenger as well as pose serious damage to the vehicle. Also, potholes, rough patches of road are also present on roads and can serve as impediments in the smooth movement of the vehicle.
[004] In the Indian scenario, speed breakers and potholes are typically unmarked and consequently unnoticed till the end. This leads to damage of the underbody parts or getting hit by a vehicle at the rear. Sudden slowdowns or startups also affect fuel efficiency. Further, impediments are inconspicuous in low visibility conditions.
[005] A current solution discloses providing warning to users based on information collected from personal electronic devices such as mobile phones about impediments in their path. The solution detects the location of the users using the location means present in the personal electronic devices, measures the type and severity of the impediment and communicates this information to at least one external entity (such as a server, other devices, and so on). However, this solution depends on the accuracy, capability and availability of the sensors and processing power present in the electronic devices. All electronic devices need not have sufficient processing power and capabilities, and this can vary across devices. Also, this can result in the battery of the devices depleting very quickly.
OBJECT
[006] The principal object of the embodiments as disclosed herein is to provide systems and methods for collating information about impediments to a vehicle, based on information provided by vehicle.
[007] Another object of the invention is to provide warning of impediments to a user in a vehicle, wherein the information about the impediments has been collated previously.
[008] Another object of the embodiments as disclosed herein is to provide enhanced passenger and vehicle safety.
[009] Another object of the embodiments as disclosed herein is to provide a system and method that contribute to reduced hard stops and hard starts of a vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0010] The embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, through out which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts a system for providing information about impediments to a vehicle to an online server, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0012] FIG. 2 depicts a data collection module configured for communicating about events to the VIMS, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0013] FIG. 3 depicts the VIMS, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting the process of providing information about impediments to a vehicle to an online system, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0015] FIG. 5 depicts a system for communicating about impediments to a user in a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[0016] FIGs. 6a and 6b depict examples of a system for communicating about impediments to a user in a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0017] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0018] The embodiments herein disclose systems and methods for collating and sharing information about impediments to vehicles. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 6, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0019] Embodiments herein disclose methods and systems for tracking impediments to the vehicle and providing alerts to a user in the vehicle, when the vehicle is travelling from a first point to a second point. Impediments herein can refer to any issue that can cause the vehicle to interrupt its steady motion, including but not restricted to speed breakers, potholes, barricades, construction zones, poor road conditions, traffic, school/hospital zones, and so on. The alerts can be provided to the user using at least one of a personal electronic device present with the user or a system integrated with the vehicle.
[0020] FIG. 1 depicts a system for providing information about impediments to a vehicle to an online system. The vehicle 101 can be travelling along a path. The vehicle 101 can comprise of a data collection module 101a to detect the acceleration/deceleration/g levels exerted on the vehicle 101. The data collection module 101a can be a dedicated device present in a suitable location inside the vehicle, such as the engine day of the vehicle, the cabin of the vehicle, the boot of the vehicle, and so on.
[0021] The data collection module 101a can be connected to a Vehicle Impediment Management System (VIMS) 102. The data collection module 101a can be connected to the VIMS 102 using a suitable means such as a wireless communication means. The data collection module 101a can communicate information related to the acceleration/deceleration/g levels exerted on the vehicle 101 to the VIMS 102. The VIMS 102 can communicate with the vehicle 101 in a continuous manner. The VIMS 102 can communicate with the vehicle 101 at pre-defined intervals or on one or more pre-defined events (such as the location of the vehicle 101, speed of the vehicle 101, and so on) occurring.
[0022] The VIMS 102 can provide the data about impediments to users 103, using a suitable device such as a user device 103a (examples of user devices can be, but not limited to, mobile phones, smart phones, tablets, wearable computing devices, computers, laptops, and so on), a heads up display (HUD) 103b present in the vehicle 101, a vehicle infotainment system 103c present in the vehicle 101, the instrument panel 103d of the vehicle 101, and so on.
[0023] In an embodiment herein, the data can be presented by superimposing the impediments and data related to the impediments on a map. In an embodiment herein, the data can be presented in the form of text. In an embodiment herein, the data can be presented using a visual means, such as a warning light. In an embodiment herein, the data can be presented using an audio, such as a warning tone. In an embodiment herein, the data can be presented using an audiovisual means, such as a warning light and a warning tone.
[0024] The VIMS 102 can provide the map to the user in a continuous manner in real-time, as the map is updated. The VIMS 102 can provide the map to the user at intervals (depending on factors such as the location of the vehicle 101, speed of the vehicle 101, and so on). The VIMS 102 can provide the map to the user at pre-defined intervals, or an event occurring such as the map being updated, the vehicle entering a specific zone, the vehicle approaching an area where the map has been updated recently, and so on. The VIMS 102 can also provide the map, based on user requests or preferences.
[0025] FIG. 2 depicts the data collection module. The data collection module 101a, as depicted comprises of a controller 201, a location sensing unit 202, a plurality of sensors 203, and a communication module 204. The controller 201 can be connected to a plurality of sensors and modules present in the vehicle 101, which provides the controller 201 with information about the vehicle, driver inputs (accelerator, brake, and so on), current speed of the vehicle, and so on.
[0026] The location sensing unit 202 can be a means for determining the location of the vehicle and the direction of travel of the vehicle, using at least one suitable means such as Global Positioning System (GPS), triangulation, GAGAN, and so on.
[0027] The sensors 203 can detect the forces acting on the vehicle 101. The sensors 203 can comprise of active sensors and/or passive sensors. Examples of the sensors 203 can be, but not limited to, an accelerometer, a G-force sensor, a gyroscope, a motion sensor, a vibration sensor, a piezoelectric device, a proximity sensor, a Microelectromechanical System (MEMS), or any other equivalent means.
[0028] The communication module 204 enables the vehicle 101 to communicate with the VIMS 102. The communication module 204 can use a suitable means such as a wireless communication network. The communication module 204 can use a dedicated means of communication or a means of communication shared with other modules present in the vehicle.
[0029] The controller 201 can be calibrated based on the mounting angle of the data collection module 101a in the vehicle and the position at which the data collection module 101a is mounted. The controller 201 can be further calibrated for characteristics of each vehicle, based on parameters such as, but not limited to, standard vibration levels in the vehicle compared to driving over a hump (by performing one time calibration on known plain road data), the effectiveness of suspension in the vehicle (by performing one time calibration on known plain road data), and similar vibrations created by other driving behaviors such as harsh braking, harsh acceleration, sharp turnings, and so on.
[0030] The controller 201 can first normalize the samples received from the accelerometer by calculating a square root of sum of the?squares of the axes of the accelerometer. For example, if the accelerometer is a tri-axis accelerometer, the controller 201 can normalize the samples by calculating the square root of sum of squares of axes as SQRT(x2+y2+z2). The controller 201 can eliminate variations in suspension, mount location by calculating the central momentum for the normalized samples. For a series (excluding, first and last values), the controller 201 can calculate the central momentum as
Central momentumi = (normalizer(i+1) – normalizer(i-1))/ (timestamp(i+1) – timestamp(i-1))
[0031] The controller 201 can determine the average of central momentum values for a trip. The controller 201 can extract the average, standard deviation of central momentum values for a plain road. The controller 201 can extract the average central momentum values for known impediment locations.
[0032] The controller 201 can determine the significant sampling window, wherein the size of the sampling window is to be significant enough to detect the phenomenon/event. Based on the number of data samples collected in the sampling window, the controller 201 can determine the number of instances that are above the sum of average and standard deviation of the samples.
[0033] Consider an example that the impediment is a hump, it can be observed that the accelerometer values deflects most in 2 seconds or less on a hump. Based on this, minimum window size can start with 50 and can vary with every 50.
[0034] The controller 201 can scan for consecutive sampling windows for maximum number of deviation. If the speed is above a threshold, the controller 201 can reset the current window and restart the analysis. The controller 201 can store the window with the maximum deviation along with the direction of travel and the location. The controller 201 can communicate all such window values to the VIMS 102, using the communication interface 204.
[0035] The controller 201 can determine the current speed of the vehicle using inputs from the vehicle 101, and/or the inputs from the location sensing unit 202.
[0036] The controller 201 can detect an event that interrupts the motion of the vehicle 101, based on inputs from the force sensor 203. The controller 201 can further collect additional data related to the event such as the response of the vehicle taken because of the impediment, the events as detected, the date and time of the event occurring, the speed of the vehicle, change in the speed of the vehicle (reduction/increase), driver inputs, power produced by the engine, the current location of the vehicle 101 (as provided by the location sensing unit 202), and so on. The controller 201 can communicate this data to the VIMS 102 using the communication module 204.
[0037] In an embodiment herein, the controller 201 can determine if the event was an impediment. In an example, the controller 201 can check if the force measured by the accelerometer is greater than a pre-defined threshold. Further, the controller 201 can also check if the provided location is a valid location. The controller 201 can further determine the type of impediment. The controller 201 can communicate this data to the VIMS 102 using the communication module 204.
[0038] FIG. 3 depicts the VIMS. The VIMS 102 comprises of a control module 301, a communication interface 302, and a memory 303.
[0039] The communication interface 302 enables the VIMS 102 to communicate with vehicles 101 and the users 103. The communication interface 302 can use a suitable means for communication such as a wireless communication network. The communication interface 302 can be configured with one or more communication modes. The memory 303 can be at least one of an internal memory, an expandable memory, a data server, a file server, the cloud, and so on. The memory 303 can be distributed in nature.
[0040] The control module 301 can receive data such as the response of the vehicle taken because of the impediment, the events as detected, the location of the impediment (in terms of suitable means such as latitude/longitude co-ordinates, and so on), the date and time of the event occurring, the speed of the vehicle, change in the speed of the vehicle (reduction/increase), driver inputs, power produced by the engine, and so on, from the data collection module 101, using the communication interface 302.
[0041] The data received by the control module 301 can be time series data. The control module 301 can perform Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) for the time series data to measure distance between two signals in a moving window of time series data. In an embodiment herein, the control module 301 can use a FastDTW methodology with linear time O(N) for performing DTW. The control module 301 can measure the difference between two waveforms. The DTW takes two waveforms (reference and current) and returns the distance between the waveforms. Larger the distance from the reference waveform, lesser is the correlation with the reference waveform. The control module 301 can account for variation in amplitude and time window due to difference in the suspension, speed at which the hump is crossed and also possibly due to difference in the position at which the data collection module 101a is mounted. The waveform representing the time warped received data is transformed to nullify the variations using derivatives. The transformed data will have the same waveform shape. The gradient of the waveform is computed using second order accurate central differences in the interior and either first differences or second order accurate one-sides (forward or backwards) differences at the boundaries. The returned gradient hence has the same shape as the input array.
[0042] The control module 301 can use a distance function based on spatial distance of given points and also the direction of travel where the impediment was detected. Thus an impediment in both directions of travel can be denoted as two separate impediments.
[0043] The control module 301 can perform classification for determining correct samples among the received data. The control module 301 can use one or more pre-determined reference samples. The control module 301 can compare the reference samples with multiple trips, made by the same user/vehicle and/or other users/vehicles who crossed the same location where the data indicates an impediment. The control module 301 can use user-defined filters for filtering the data. Examples of the filters can be, but not limited to the threshold count (number of times the entry was recorded; for example, 200 minimum incidents reported), the recent time stamp (say latest time in 7 days the incident reported), and so on. The control module 301 can filter out reference samples using the user-defined filters.
[0044] The control module 301 can repeat the above mentioned steps for different samples received from the same user over multiple time intervals and/or samples received from multiple users who crossed the same location where the data indicates an impediment. The control module 301 can repeat the above mentioned steps for multiple known trips to determine which data sample indicates an impediment.
[0045] On receiving data, the control module 301 can determine the distance and select significant data, wherein significant data can indicate impediments. The control module 301 can perform clustering of the data to merge close/nearby impediments. After positively identifying the impediment, the control module 301 can use a look up table to see the closest entry to the location of the received data, wherein the lookup table comprises of impediment entries and their corresponding locations. If the new location does not have an entry within a pre-defined distance (for example, the pre-defined distance can be defined as one of 10 meters, 25 meters, 50 meters, and so on), the control module 301 can determine this received data a as a new impediment with corresponding the location. The control module 301 can also initialize the count as 1. If there is an existing entry within the pre-defined distance, the control module 301 can increment the count of the existing entry. The control module 301 can push the results to the memory 303.
[0046] The control module 301 can use a density based spatial clustering algorithm (for example, Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN)). The control module 301 can consider two points as density-connected, if there is an intermediate point such that both points are density-reachable from the intermediate point. Density-connectedness is symmetric. The control module 301 can consider data points as belonging to a single cluster if
- all points within the cluster are mutually density-connected; and
- if a point is density-reachable from any point of the cluster, it is part of the cluster as well.
[0047] The control module 302 determines if the event was an impediment. The control module 302 can determine if the event is an impediment, based on the information provided by the vehicle. In an example, the control module 302 can check if the force measured by the accelerometer is greater than a pre-defined threshold. Further, the control module 302 can also check if the provided location is a valid location. The control module 302 can further determine the type of impediment, based on the information provided by the vehicle. The control module 302 can then update the map with the impediment. Updating the map can comprise of at least one of adding an impediment to the map at the appropriate location, adding/deleting information about an impediment already present in the map, and so on. The control module 302 can provide a tag for the impediment, to indicate the type of impediment, the action taken by the vehicle, severity of the impediment (which can be depicted using a suitable means such as a colour code, a symbol, a severity scale, and so on). For example, for an identified impediment, if the control module 302 detects that the severity of the impediment has increased (based on the force exerted on the vehicle), the control module 302 can update the impediment.
[0048] In an embodiment herein, the control module 302 can check if the impediment is already present in the map, before updating the map. The control module 302 can check this by comparing the locations and the force measured.
[0049] In an embodiment herein, the control module 302 can wait for a pre-defined number of events to be identified as a specific impediment, before updating the map with the impediment.
[0050] In an embodiment herein, the control module 302 can receive information about the impediment from the vehicle 101. The control module 302 can then update the map with the impediment.
[0051] The control module 302 can provide the map to the user, using the communication interface 303. The control module 302 can provide the map to the user in a continuous manner in real-time, as the map is updated. The control module 302 can provide the map to the user at intervals (depending on factors such as the location of the vehicle 101, speed of the vehicle 101, and so on). The control module 302 can provide the map to the user at pre-defined intervals, or an event occurring such as the map being updated, the vehicle entering a specific zone, the vehicle approaching an area where the map has been updated recently, and so on. The control module 302 can also provide the map, based on user requests or preferences.
[0052] FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting the process of providing information about impediments to a vehicle to an online system. The vehicle 101 can be travelling along a path. The data collection module 101a detects (401) an event that the vehicle that interrupts the motion of the vehicle 101. The data collection module 101a can detect this using at least one of a suitable means such as accelerometer, g force sensor, or any other equivalent means. On detecting the impediment and the response of the vehicle 101 to the impediment (such as slowing down, a sideways motion, an up/down motion, coming to a complete stop, a sudden swerve or any other equivalent response), the data collection module 101a communicates (402) information about the impediment to the VIMS 102. The information can comprise of the response of the vehicle taken because of the impediment, the events as detected, the location of the impediment (in terms of suitable means such as latitude/longitude co-ordinates, and so on), the date and time of the event occurring, and so on. The data collection module 101a can communicate additional information such as speed of the vehicle, change in the speed of the vehicle (reduction/increase), driver inputs, power produced by the engine, and so on. The VIMS 102 determines (403) if the event was an impediment. The VIMS 102 can determine if the event is an impediment, based on the information provided by the vehicle. In an example, the VIMS 102 can check if the force measured by the accelerometer is greater than a pre-defined threshold. Further, the VIMS 102 can also check if the provided location is a valid location. The VIMS 102 can further determine the type of impediment, based on the information provided by the vehicle. The VIMS 102 updates (404) the map with the impediment. Updating the map can comprise of at least one of adding an impediment to the map at the appropriate location, adding/deleting information about an impediment already present in the map, and so on. The VIMS 102 can provide a tag for the impediment, to indicate the type of impediment, the action taken by the vehicle, severity of the impediment (which can be depicted using a suitable means such as a colour code, a symbol, a severity scale, and so on). For example, for an identified impediment, if the VIMS 102 detects that the severity of the impediment has increased (based on the force exerted on the vehicle), the VIMS 102 can update the impediment.
[0053] In an embodiment herein, the VIMS 102 can check if the impediment is already present in the map, before updating the map. The VIMS 102 can check this by comparing the locations and the force measured.
[0054] In an embodiment herein, the VIMS 102 can wait for a pre-defined number of events to be identified as a specific impediment, before updating the map with the impediment.
[0055] In an embodiment herein, the data collection module 101a can determine if the event was an impediment, based on the information collected by the vehicle 101. In an example, the data collection module 101a can check if the force measured by the accelerometer is greater than a pre-defined threshold. Further, the data collection module 101a can also check if the provided location is a valid location. The data collection module 101a can further determine the type of impediment.
[0056] The various actions in method 400 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 4 may be omitted.
[0057] FIG. 5 depicts a system for communicating about impediments to a user in a vehicle. The VIMS 102 can provide the map to the user 103. The VIMS 102 can provide the map to the user in a continuous manner in real-time, as the map is updated. The VIMS 102 can provide the map to the user at intervals (depending on factors such as the location of the vehicle 101, speed of the vehicle 101, and so on). The VIMS 102 can provide the map to the user at pre-defined intervals, or an event occurring such as the map being updated, the vehicle entering a specific zone, the vehicle approaching an area where the map has been updated recently, and so on. The VIMS 102 can also provide the map, based on user requests or preferences.
[0058] In an embodiment herein, the user can communicate with the VIMS 102 using a user device, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet, a wearable computing device, a computer, or any other suitable user device (as depicted in FIG. 6a). In an embodiment herein, the user can communicate with the VIMS 102 using a device integrated with the vehicle 101, such as an infotainment system, the dashboard of the vehicle, the instrument cluster of the vehicle, a Multi-function display means in the vehicle (in the instrument cluster and/or the dashboard), a display screen in the vehicle, a Heads-up-Display (HUD) in the vehicle, or any other device (as depicted in FIG. 6b).
[0059] The user can view the information about impediments using a dedicated application or a map/navigation application. The application can be provided with an alert about an approaching impediment, wherein the alert can be at least one of an audio and a visual alert. The application can provide feedback to the VIMS 102, about the action taken by the vehicle related to the impediment, the response of the vehicle, and so on.
[0060] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.