IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,659,372
Granted Patent B2
US 11,659,372 · App. 16/943,421 · Granted May 23, 2023

Adaptive sensor data sharing for a connected vehicle

Inventors: Hongsheng Lu (Mountain View, CA); Rui Guo (Mountain View, CA)
H04W4/46G01S17/86G06V20/54G06V20/56G08C17/02H04N7/185
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,659,372
App. No.
16/943,421
Granted
May 23, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

The disclosure includes embodiments for adaptive sensor data sharing by a connected vehicle. A method includes calculating, by a processor of an ego vehicle, a view angle overlap between a first sensor of the ego vehicle and a second sensor of a roadway device, wherein the view angle overlap is an amount of sensor view overlap shared by first sensor and the second sensor. The method includes determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap. The method includes building a sharing message that includes the amount of ego sensor data in a payload of the sharing message. The method includes transmitting, by a communication unit of the ego vehicle, the sharing message to the roadway device.

Claims (35)

1. A method executed by an ego vehicle, the method comprising:

calculating, by a processor of the ego vehicle, a view angle overlap between a first sensor of the ego vehicle and a second sensor of a roadway device, wherein the view angle overlap is an amount of sensor view overlap shared by first sensor and the second sensor;

determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap;

building a sharing message that includes the amount of ego sensor data in a payload of the sharing message; and

transmitting, by a communication unit of the ego vehicle, the sharing message to the roadway device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the roadway device is a remote vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the roadway device is not a remote vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ego sensor data includes lidar measurements recorded by a lidar sensor of the ego vehicle, and wherein when the view angle shared by the ego vehicle and the roadway device is greater, then less of the lidar measurements described by the ego sensor data is included in the payload relative to how many lidar measurements are included in the payload when the view angle is less.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap includes applying the following rule: when the view angle shared by the ego vehicle and the roadway device is greater, then less of the lidar measurements are included in the amount of ego sensor data in the payload of the sharing message relative to how much lidar measurements are included in the amount when the view angle is less.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap includes applying the following rule: when the view angle shared by the ego vehicle and the roadway device is less, then an amount of lidar measurements included in the ego sensor data which is included in the in the payload of the sharing message is selected from a group that includes: (1) sharing more lidar measurements relative to how much lidar measurements are included in the amount when the view angle is more; (2) sharing a same amount of lidar measurements relative to how much lidar measurements are included in the amount when the view angle is more; and (3) sharing all of the lidar measurements that are recorded by the lidar sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ego sensor data includes images recorded by a camera of the ego vehicle, and wherein when the view angle shared by the ego vehicle and the roadway device is greater, then more of the images described by the ego sensor data is included in the payload relative to how many images are included in the payload when the view angle is less.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap includes applying the following rule: when the view angle overlap described by the view overlap data is more, then more of the images are included in the amount of ego sensor data relative to how many images are included when the view angle overlap is less.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap includes applying the following rule: when the view angle overlap described by the view overlap data is less, then less of the images are included in the amount of ego sensor data relative to how many images are included when the view angle overlap is less.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ego vehicle and the roadway devices are endpoints of a vehicular micro cloud and the ego vehicle is a hub of the vehicular micro cloud.

11. A computer program product included in at least one onboard vehicle computer of an ego vehicle, the computer program product comprising computer code that is operable, when executed by the onboard vehicle computer, to cause the onboard vehicle computer to execute steps including:

calculating, by the onboard vehicle computer, a view angle overlap between a first sensor of the ego vehicle and a second sensor of a roadway device, wherein the view angle overlap is an amount of sensor view overlap shared by first sensor and the second sensor;

determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap;

building a sharing message that includes the amount of ego sensor data in a payload of the sharing message; and

transmitting, by a communication unit of the ego vehicle, the sharing message to the roadway device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the roadway device is a remote vehicle.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the roadway device is not a remote vehicle.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the ego sensor data includes lidar measurements recorded by a lidar sensor of the ego vehicle, and wherein when the view angle shared by the ego vehicle and the roadway device is greater, then less of the lidar measurements described by the ego sensor data is included in the payload relative to how many lidar measurements are included in the payload when the view angle is less.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the step of determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap includes applying the following rule: when the view angle shared by the ego vehicle and the roadway device is greater, then less of the lidar measurements are included in the amount of ego sensor data in the payload of the sharing message relative to how much lidar measurements are included in the amount when the view angle is less.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the step of determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap includes applying the following rule: when the view angle shared by the ego vehicle and the roadway device is less, then an amount of lidar measurements included in the ego sensor data which is included in the in the payload of the sharing message is selected from a group that includes: (1) sharing more lidar measurements relative to how much lidar measurements are included in the amount when the view angle is more; (2) sharing a same amount of lidar measurements relative to how much lidar measurements are included in the amount when the view angle is more; and (3) sharing all of the lidar measurements that are recorded by the lidar sensor.

17. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the ego sensor data includes images recorded by a camera of the ego vehicle, and wherein when the view angle shared by the ego vehicle and the roadway device is greater, then more of the images described by the ego sensor data is included in the payload relative to how many images are included in the payload when the view angle is less.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the step of determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap includes applying the following rule: when the view angle overlap described by the view overlap data is more, then more of the images are included in the amount of ego sensor data relative to how many images are included when the view angle overlap is less.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the step of determining an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap includes applying the following rule: when the view angle overlap described by the view overlap data is less, then less of the images are included in the amount of ego sensor data relative to how many images are included when the view angle overlap is less.

20. A system included in an ego vehicle, the system comprising:

a processor;

a communication unit;

a non-transitory memory communicatively coupled to the processor and the communication unit, which are communicatively coupled to one another, wherein the non-transitory memory stores executable code that is operable, when executed by the processor, to cause the processor to:

calculate, by the processor, a view angle overlap between a first sensor of the ego vehicle and a second sensor of a roadway device, wherein the view angle overlap is an amount of sensor view overlap shared by first sensor and the second sensor;

determine an amount of ego sensor data to share with the roadway device based on the view angle overlap;

build a sharing message that includes the amount of ego sensor data in a payload of the sharing message; and

transmit, by the communication unit, the sharing message to the roadway device.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2023
From: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 064051/0161 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 5, 2020
From: GUO, RUI; LU, HONGSHENG
To: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Reel/Frame 053406/0039 →
Continuity (1)
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