Granted Patent B2

US 12,361,826 · App. 18/072,658 · Granted Jul 15, 2025

Inventor: Edward Allen Cain, Jr. (Plano, TX)

Assignees: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.; TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

G08G1/0965B60W30/09B60W30/0953B60W30/0956B60W30/143B60W30/18163G08G1/096805G08G1/161G08G1/167B60W2520/00B60W2554/404B60W2554/408B60W2756/10G07C5/12

Abstract

Claims (74)

1. A method, comprising:

determining an action by a vehicle causing a dangerous situation;

setting a driving score based on a number of occurrences of the action;

creating a notification based on a number of occurrences of the action;

responsive to the number of occurrences of the action being above a threshold, sending the notification to the vehicle, wherein the notification includes a modification to the vehicle;

applying the modification to the vehicle to minimize the action, wherein an amount of the modification is related to a change of the threshold; and

responsive to an accident on a first side of a roadway, maintaining a speed of the vehicle when the vehicle approaches the accident traveling on a second side of the roadway, wherein a travel direction of the second side is opposite a travel direction of the first side.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises:

changing the speed of the vehicle for a lane change of the vehicle into a proximate lane, such that a movement of the vehicle into the proximate lane is performed to avoid a collision with another vehicle,

wherein the speed of the vehicle is changed to alleviate the dangerous situation.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

monitoring a first speed of the vehicle and a second speed of another vehicle for a merge of the vehicle and the another vehicle into a single traffic lane; and

modifying at least one of the first speed or the second speed to facilitate the merge,

wherein the at least one of the first speed or the second speed are modified to alleviate the dangerous situation.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

detecting an obstruction on a roadway; and

reducing the speed of the vehicle in response to the vehicle approaching the obstruction,

wherein the speed is reduced to alleviate the dangerous situation.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining a traffic flow on a roadway, wherein the traffic flow causes the dangerous situation; and

responsive to the traffic flow, allowing a first set of vehicles to enter the roadway, and maneuvering a second set of vehicles to take an alternate route,

wherein the vehicle is in at least one of the first set of vehicles or the second set of vehicles.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining, by the vehicle, a traffic condition when the vehicle is traveling on the first side of the roadway; and

communicating, by the vehicle, the traffic condition to a second vehicle traveling on the second side of the roadway, wherein the communicating causes the second vehicle to alleviate the dangerous situation.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor that, when executing instructions stored in a memory, is configured to:

determine that an action by a vehicle causes a dangerous situation;

set a drive score based on a number of occurrences of the action;

create a notification based on a number of occurrences of the action;

responsive to the number of occurrences of the action is above a threshold, sends the notification to the vehicle, wherein the notification includes a modification to the vehicle;

applies the modification to the vehicle to minimize the action, wherein an amount of the modification is related to a change of the threshold; and

responsive to an accident on a first side of a roadway, maintaining a speed of the vehicle when the vehicle approaches the accident traveling on a second side of the roadway, wherein a travel direction of the second side is opposite a travel direction of the first side.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the modification changes the speed of the vehicle for a lane change of the vehicle into a proximate lane, such that a movement of the vehicle into the proximate lane is performed to avoid a collision with another vehicle; and

wherein the speed of the vehicle is changed to alleviate the dangerous situation.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to:

monitor a first speed of the vehicle and a second speed of another vehicle for a merge of the vehicle and the another vehicle into a single traffic lane; and

modify at least one of the first speed or the second speed to facilitate the merge,

wherein the at least one of the first speed or the second speed are modified to alleviate the dangerous situation.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to:

detect an obstruction on a roadway; and

reduce the speed of the vehicle in response to the vehicle approaches the obstruction,

wherein the speed is reduced to alleviate the dangerous situation.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to:

determine a traffic flow on a roadway, wherein the traffic flow causes the dangerous situation; and

responsive to the traffic flow, allow a first set of vehicles to enter the roadway, and maneuvers a second set of vehicles to take an alternate route,

wherein the vehicle is in at least one of the first set of vehicles or the second set of vehicles.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to:

determine a traffic condition when the vehicle is traveling on the first side of the roadway; and

communicate the traffic condition to a second vehicle traveling on the second side of the roadway, wherein the communicating causes the second vehicle to alleviate the dangerous situation.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform:

determining an action by a vehicle causing a dangerous situation;

setting a driving score based on a number of occurrences of the action;

creating a notification based on a number of occurrences of the action;

responsive to the number of occurrences of the action being above a threshold, sending the notification to the vehicle, wherein the notification includes a modification to the vehicle;

applying the modification to the vehicle to minimize the action, wherein an amount of the modification is related to a change of the threshold; and

responsive to an accident on a first side of a roadway, maintaining a speed of the vehicle when the vehicle approaches the accident traveling on a second side of the roadway, wherein a travel direction of the second side is opposite a travel direction of the first side.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the modification comprises:

changing the speed of the vehicle for a lane change of the vehicle into a proximate lane, such that a movement of the vehicle into the proximate lane is performed to avoid a collision with another vehicle, wherein the speed of the vehicle is changed to alleviate the dangerous situation.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform:

monitoring a first speed of the vehicle and a second speed of another vehicle for a merge of the vehicle and the another vehicle into a single traffic lane; and

modifying at least one of the first speed or the second speed to facilitate the merge,

wherein the at least one of the first speed or the second speed are modified to alleviate the dangerous situation.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform:

detecting an obstruction on a roadway; and

reducing the speed of the vehicle in response to the vehicle approaching the obstruction,

wherein the speed is reduced to alleviate the dangerous situation.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform:

determining a traffic flow on a roadway, wherein the traffic flow causes the dangerous situation; and

responsive to the traffic flow, allowing a first set of vehicles to enter the roadway, and maneuvering a second set of vehicles to take an alternate route,

wherein the vehicle is in at least one of the first set of vehicles or the second set of vehicles.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform:

determining, by the vehicle, a traffic condition when the vehicle is traveling on the first side of the roadway; and

communicating, by the vehicle, the traffic condition to a second vehicle traveling on the second side of the roadway, wherein the communicating causes the second vehicle to alleviate the dangerous situation.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (26)