IP Library Granted Patent US 11,945,462
Granted Patent B2
US 11,945,462 · App. 18/066,073 · Granted Apr 2, 2024

Systems and methods for managing speed thresholds for vehicles

Inventors: Samuel Thomas Kruse (San Diego, CA); David Wagstaff (San Diego, CA); Jason Palmer (San Diego, CA)
Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc.
B60W50/14B60W30/146B60W50/085G08G1/20B60W2555/20B60W2555/60B60W2756/10G05D1/0291
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,945,462
App. No.
18/066,073
Granted
Apr 2, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for managing speed thresholds for a fleet of vehicles are disclosed. Input is used to provide associations between particular weather-relation conditions (such as rain) and arithmetic operations, that may be used to determine a current speed threshold as a function of a local posted speed limit at the current location of a vehicle. The current speed threshold is subsequently used to detect whether vehicles are exceeding the current speed threshold.

Claims (67)

1. A system configured for managing speed thresholds for a fleet of vehicles, wherein the vehicles include a vehicle located at a current vehicle location, the system comprising:

one or more hardware processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:

receive input, wherein the input represents a first association between a first weather-related condition and a first arithmetic operation used to determine a given current speed threshold in case a posted speed limit falls within a first range of speed limits, wherein the given current speed threshold is determined by applying the first arithmetic operation to the posted speed limit in case the posted speed limit falls within the first range of speed limits, and wherein the input further represents a second association between the first weather-related condition and a second arithmetic operation used to determine the given current speed threshold in case the posted speed limit falls within a second range of speed limits that is mutually exclusive with the first range of speed limits, wherein the given current speed threshold is determined by applying the second arithmetic operation to the posted speed limit in case the posted speed limit falls within the second range of speed limits; and

an event detector configured to detect vehicle events, wherein the event detector is carried by the vehicle, wherein the event detector includes one or more processors configured by particular machine-readable instructions to:

obtain information that represents the first association and the second association;

obtain a first set of weather-related information for at least two different weather-related conditions, wherein the at least two different weather-related conditions include snow, wherein the first set of weather-related information indicates the first weather-related condition is currently present at the current vehicle location;

obtain a first current posted speed limit at the current vehicle location;

determine a first current speed threshold based on the first current posted speed limit, wherein:

(i) responsive to the first current posted speed limit falling within the first range of speed limits and further responsive to the first weather-related condition being currently present at the current vehicle location, the first current speed threshold is determined by applying the first arithmetic operation to the first current posted speed limit, and wherein

(ii) responsive to the first current posted speed limit falling within the second range of speed limits and further responsive to the first weather-related condition being currently present at the current vehicle location, the first current speed threshold is determined by applying the second arithmetic operation to the first current posted speed limit;

obtain a first current speed of the vehicle;

detect a first occurrence of a first vehicle event, responsive to the first current speed of the vehicle exceeding the first current speed threshold.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors included in the event detector are further configured to:

responsive to detection of the first occurrence of the first vehicle event, generate a first notification regarding the first vehicle event; and

provide the first notification to one or more of a vehicle operator, a stakeholder of the fleet of vehicles, and/or a remote computing server.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to transfer the information that represents the first association and the second association to multiple vehicles in the fleet of vehicles, including the first vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two different weather-related conditions include at least one of ice, snow, and fog.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein applying the first arithmetic operation to the first posted speed limit is performed such that the determined first current speed threshold is lower than the first posted speed limit.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors included in the event detector are further configured to obtain the current vehicle location of the first vehicle, and wherein the first current posted speed limit is obtained as a function of the current vehicle location.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two different weather-related conditions include separate weather-related conditions for different levels of severity of the same type of precipitation.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of weather-related information is determined at the vehicle.

9. A method for managing speed thresholds for a fleet of vehicles, wherein the vehicles include a vehicle located at a current vehicle location, the method comprising:

receiving input, wherein the input represents a first association between a first weather-related condition and a first arithmetic operation used to determine a given current speed threshold in case a posted speed limit falls within a first range of speed limits, wherein the input further represents a second association between the first weather-related condition and a second arithmetic operation used to determine the given current speed threshold in case the posted speed limit falls within a second range of speed limits that is mutually exclusive with the first range of speed limits; and

detecting vehicle events by:

obtaining information that represents the first association and the second association;

obtaining a first set of weather-related information for at least two different weather-related conditions, wherein the at least two different weather-related conditions include snow, wherein the first set of weather-related information indicates the first weather-related condition is currently present at the current vehicle location;

obtaining a first current posted speed limit at the current vehicle location;

determining a first current speed threshold based on the first current posted speed limit, wherein:

(i) responsive to the first current posted speed limit falling within the first range of speed limits and further responsive to the first weather-related condition being currently present at the current vehicle location, determining the first current speed threshold includes applying the first arithmetic operation to the first current posted speed limit, and wherein

(ii) responsive to the first current posted speed limit falling within the second range of speed limits and further responsive to the first weather-related condition being currently present at the current vehicle location, determining the first current speed threshold includes applying the second arithmetic operation to the first current posted speed limit;

obtaining a first current speed of the vehicle; and

detecting a first occurrence of a first vehicle event, responsive to the first current speed of the vehicle exceeding the first current speed threshold.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

responsive to detection of the first occurrence of the first current vehicle event, generating a first notification regarding the first vehicle event; and

providing the first notification to one or more of a vehicle operator, a stakeholder of the fleet of vehicles, and/or a remote computing server.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least two different weather-related conditions include at least one of ice, snow, and fog.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein applying the first arithmetic operation to the first posted speed limit is performed such that the determined first current speed threshold is lower than the first posted speed limit.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first range of speed limits is non-overlapping with the second range of speed limits.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

obtaining the current vehicle location of the vehicle, wherein the first current posted speed limit is obtained as a function of the current vehicle location.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least two different weather-related conditions include separate weather-related conditions for different levels of severity of the same type of precipitation.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first set of weather-related information is determined at the vehicle.

17. A system configured for managing speed thresholds for a fleet of vehicles, wherein the vehicles include a vehicle located at a current vehicle location, the system comprising:

one or more hardware processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:

receive input, wherein the input represents a first association between a first visibility-related condition and a first arithmetic operation used to determine a given current speed threshold in case a posted speed limit falls within a first range of speed limits, wherein the given current speed threshold is determined by applying the first arithmetic operation to the posted speed limit in case the posted speed limit falls within the first range of speed limits, and wherein the input further represents a second association between the first visibility-related condition and a second arithmetic operation used to determine the given current speed threshold in case the posted speed limit falls within a second range of speed limits that is mutually exclusive with the first range of speed limits, wherein the given current speed threshold is determined by applying the second arithmetic operation to the posted speed limit in case the posted speed limit falls within the second range of speed limits; and

an event detector configured to detect vehicle events, wherein the event detector is carried by the vehicle, wherein the event detector includes one or more processors configured by particular machine-readable instructions to:

obtain information that represents the first association and the second association;

obtain a first set of visibility-related information, wherein the first set of visibility-related information indicates the first visibility-related condition is currently present at the current vehicle location;

obtain a first current posted speed limit at the current vehicle location;

determine a first current speed threshold based on the first current posted speed limit, wherein:

(i) responsive to the first current posted speed limit falling within the first range of speed limits and further responsive to the first visibility-related condition being currently present at the current vehicle location, the first current speed threshold is determined by applying the first arithmetic operation to the first current posted speed limit, and wherein

(ii) responsive to the first current posted speed limit falling within the second range of speed limits and further responsive to the first visibility-related condition being currently present at the current vehicle location, the first current speed threshold is determined by applying the second arithmetic operation to the first current posted speed limit;

obtain a first current speed of the vehicle;

detect a first occurrence of a first vehicle event, responsive to the first current speed of the vehicle exceeding the first current speed threshold.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the first visibility-related condition includes fog.

19. A method for managing speed thresholds for a fleet of vehicles, wherein the vehicles include a vehicle located at a current vehicle location, the method comprising:

receiving input, wherein the input represents a first association between a first visibility-related condition and a first arithmetic operation used to determine a given current speed threshold in case a posted speed limit falls within a first range of speed limits, wherein the input further represents a second association between the first visibility-related condition and a second arithmetic operation used to determine the given current speed threshold in case the posted speed limit falls within a second range of speed limits that is mutually exclusive with the first range of speed limits; and

detecting vehicle events by:

obtaining information that represents the first association and the second association;

obtaining a first set of visibility-related information, wherein the first set of visibility-related information indicates the first visibility-related condition is currently present at the current vehicle location;

obtaining a first current posted speed limit at the current vehicle location;

determining a first current speed threshold based on the first current posted speed limit, wherein:

(i) responsive to the first current posted speed limit falling within the first range of speed limits and further responsive to the first visibility-related condition being currently present at the current vehicle location, determining the first current speed threshold includes applying the first arithmetic operation to the first current posted speed limit, and wherein

(ii) responsive to the first current posted speed limit falling within the second range of speed limits and further responsive to the first visibility-related condition being currently present at the current vehicle location, determining the first current speed threshold includes applying the second arithmetic operation to the first current posted speed limit;

obtaining a first current speed of the vehicle; and

detecting a first occurrence of a first vehicle event, responsive to the first current speed of the vehicle exceeding the first current speed threshold.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first visibility-related condition includes fog.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 14, 2022
From: KRUSE, SAMUEL THOMAS; WAGSTAFF, DAVID; PALMER, JASON
To: SMARTDRIVE SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 062093/0055 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 17235877 · Apr 20, 2021
Continuation 16891782 · Jun 3, 2020
Continuation 16798231 · Feb 21, 2020
Related Publication 20230120803A1 · Apr 20, 2023