Human imperceptible signals

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for initiating a response action based at least in part on a human imperceptible signal. An emitting device may emit a human imperceptible signal. The signal may be received by a receiving device. The receiving device may analyze the signal to obtain digital information contained therein. The receiving device may then initiate a response action based at least in part on the digital information. Further, the emitting device may dynamically modify the human imperceptible signal based on a change to a characteristic in an environment into which the human imperceptible signal is emitted.

BACKGROUND

Machines and systems can be configured to emit and receive signals to enable machine-to-machine communication. There are a number of drawbacks associated conventional machine-to-machine signal communication, technical solutions to which are described herein.

SUMMARY

In one or more example embodiments of the disclosure, a method for utilizing a human imperceptible signal is disclosed. The method includes detecting the human imperceptible signal, analyzing the human imperceptible signal to obtain digital information contained in the human imperceptible signal, and initiating a response action based at least in part on the digital information.

In one or more other example embodiments of the disclosure, system for utilizing a human imperceptible signal is disclosed. The system includes at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions and at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform a set of operations. The operations include detecting the human imperceptible signal, analyzing the human imperceptible signal to obtain digital information contained in the human imperceptible signal, and initiating a response action based at least in part on the digital information.

In one or more other example embodiments of the disclosure, a computer program product for utilizing a human imperceptible signal is disclosed that includes a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit, the storage medium storing instructions executable by the processing circuit to cause a method to be performed. The method includes detecting the human imperceptible signal, analyzing the human imperceptible signal to obtain digital information contained in the human imperceptible signal, and initiating a response action based at least in part on the digital information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments of the disclosure include, among other things, systems, methods, computer-readable media, techniques, and methodologies for initiating a response action based at least in part on a human imperceptible signal. While the signal may be imperceptible to humans, a machine may be capable of detecting and analyzing it. In one or more example embodiments of the disclosure, an emitting device may emit a human imperceptible signal. The signal may be received by a receiving device. The receiving device may analyze the signal to obtain digital information contained therein. The digital information may include, without limitation, instructions, route guidance, directions, data, information, communications, or the like. The receiving device may then initiate a response action based at least in part on the digital information. The response action may, without limitation, correspond to a navigational objective, a safety objective, or the like. Further, the emitting device may dynamically modify the human imperceptible signal based on a change to a characteristic in an environment into which the human imperceptible signal is emitted.

FIG. 1is a schematic block diagram depicting the emission and reception of a human imperceptible signal and the initiation of a response action based thereon in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.FIG. 2is a process flow diagram of an illustrative method200for dynamic modifying a human imperceptible signal based on changed characteristics of an environment into which the signal is emitted in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.FIG. 3is a process flow diagram of an illustrative method300for detecting a human imperceptible signal and performing a response action based thereon in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.FIGS. 2 and 3will be described hereinafter in conjunction withFIG. 1.

Each operation of either of the methods200or300may be performed by one or more components that may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. In certain example embodiments, one or more of these component(s) may be implemented, at least in part, as software and/or firmware that contains or is a collection of one or more program modules that include computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processing circuit cause one or more operations to be performed. A system or device described herein as being configured to implement example embodiments of the disclosure may include one or more processing circuits, each of which may include one or more processing units or nodes. Computer-executable instructions may include computer-executable program code that when executed by a processing unit may cause input data contained in or referenced by the computer-executable program code to be accessed and processed to yield output data.

Referring first toFIG. 2in conjunction withFIG. 1, at block202, computer-executable instructions of one or more human imperceptible signal generation modules residing, for example, on an emitting device102may be executed to cause a human imperceptible signal104to be emitted. The emitting device102may be a mobile device, a stationary device or group of stationary devices located in an environment (e.g., a parking garage), a device that is coupled to a mobile object such as a vehicle (e.g., autonomous vehicle), or the like.

The human imperceptible signal104may be a hologram or other light or electromagnetic spectrum (EM) signal. The human imperceptible signal104may be an invisible signal, in inaudible signal, or a signal that is otherwise imperceptible to the human senses. For example, the human imperceptible signal104may be a hologram or other EM signal having a wavelength that is outside of the passband of visible light of about 400 nanometers (nm) to about 800 nm. If the human imperceptible signal104is an auditory, ultrasonic, or haptic signal, the signal104may be imperceptible if its wavelength is outside of the passband of about 20 Hertz (Hz) to 20K Hz.

At block204, computer-executable instructions of one or more dynamic signal adjustment modules residing, for example, on the emitting device102may be executed to determine that at least one characteristic of an environment into which the signal104is emitted has changed. Then, at block206, computer-executable instructions of the dynamic signal adjustment module(s) may be executed to modify the human imperceptible signal based at least in part on the determined change in the at least one environmental characteristic.

As will be described in more detail later in this disclosure, the human imperceptible signal104may be, in example embodiments, a hologram representing at least a portion of a boundary of a parking location. The signal104may be, for example, a hologram that is machine-detectable as a machine-vision wall but which is imperceptible to a human. In such an example embodiment, the environmental characteristic determined at block202may be a distance between the boundary of the parking location and an adjacent vehicle. The detected change may then be a change in distance between an adjacent vehicle and the parking location.

For example, a first vehicle parked adjacent to the parking location may be a distance d1from the boundary of the parking location. This first vehicle may exit the parking location, and a second vehicle may park adjacent to the parking location at a distance d2from the boundary of the parking location. This change in the distance to the adjacent vehicle may be determined at block202, and the positioning of the human imperceptible hologram wall may be modified to reflect this change.

Referring now toFIG. 3in conjunction withFIG. 1, at block302, a receiving device106may detect/receive the human imperceptible signal104. As previously described, the signal104may be a hologram or other EM signal that is invisible, inaudible, or otherwise undetectable by a human. As another example, the signal104may be a haptic signal with a frequency outside of the range detectable by humans. The signal104may be static or dynamic.

At block304, computer-executable instructions of one or more human imperceptible signal analysis modules residing, for example, on the receiving device106or another device coupled to the receiving device106may be executed to analyze the signal104and obtain digital information contained therein. The digital information may be, for example, a data signal containing instructions (e.g., route guidance information) for enabling or assisting with one or more operations of the receiving device106or another device coupled to the receiving device106. In other example embodiments, analyzing the signal104to obtain digital information may include interpreting the signal104as a rendering of a physical barrier or object. In such example embodiments, the human imperceptible signal104may be a hologram or other rendering of a parking location boundary, a lane divider, a barrier, or the like. Further, in certain example embodiments, the human imperceptible signal104may be a route path that an autonomous vehicle may utilize to navigate from a starting location to a destination location.

At block306, computer-executable instructions of one or more response action determination modules residing, for example, on the receiving device106or another device coupled to the receiving device106may be executed to initiate a response action108based at least in part on the digital information contained in the human imperceptible signal. The response action may relate to any of a variety of types of objectives such as, for example, navigational objectives, safety objectives, or the like.

In certain example embodiments, the human imperceptible signal104and/or digital information contained therein may be utilized by an autonomous vehicle parking assistance protocol. For example, one or more emitting devices102may be provided at a parking venue. The emitting device(s)102may emit human imperceptible signals104that may be rendered as human invisible walls on either side of a parking space. Such holographic or other light-based machine vision walls may provide better parking accuracy for autonomous vehicle parking protocols than ground markings because ground markings can become covered with debris, oil, or the like and become obscured.

Further, in other example embodiments, holographic or other light-based machine walls representing a boundary of a parking space may be modified based on changes to an environment. For example, the machine walls may be repositioned based on the skew associated with a vehicle parked adjacent to the parking space. Further, as the distance between an adjacent vehicle and the boundary of the parking space changes, the machine walls may be repositioned to indicate more or less tolerance in parking.

In addition, in certain example embodiments, the receiving device106may be coupled to a human-driven or autonomous vehicle and may detect the human imperceptible signal104(e.g., an invisible hologram) upon entry into a parking garage. The invisible hologram may move from the starting location to a destination location (e.g., a first available parking spot) along a predetermined path. In this manner, the invisible hologram may lead the vehicle along the predetermined path. In certain example embodiments, the emitting device102may also be coupled to the vehicle, while in other example embodiments, the emitting device(s)102may be provided in the environment. For example, a series of emitting devices102may be provided for emitting the signal104that travels from a starting location to a destination location along a predetermined path.

In other example embodiments, the response action108that is initiated may relate to a safety objective such as pedestrian safety. For example, the emitting device102may be a mobile phone of a pedestrian. The mobile phone may emit the human imperceptible signal104to autonomous and human-driven vehicles, thereby augmenting the pedestrian's safety. A receiving device106coupled to a vehicle may detect the human imperceptible signal104and initiate a response action108which may be, for example, automatic braking or other collision avoidance measures or an alarm signal warning a driver of the pedestrian obstruction.

In certain example embodiments, the emitting device102and/or the receiving device104may store user profile data. The user profile data may include user preferences, user settings, or the like. The type of human imperceptible signal104that is generated (e.g., invisible, inaudible, haptic, etc.) may be determined based at least in part on the user profile data. In addition, other aspects of the human imperceptible signal104may be determined based on the user profile data. For example, if the user profile data indicates that a user operates a vehicle of a certain size, a route path generated by human imperceptible signals104may direct the user to a parking location capable of accommodating a vehicle of that size. It should be appreciated that above examples are merely illustrative and not exhaustive.

Example embodiments of the disclosure provide various technical features, technical effects, and/or improvements to technology. For instance, example embodiments of the disclosure provide the technical effect of improving the performance of autonomous systems. This technical effect is achieved at least in part by utilizing human imperceptible signals to enable machine-to-machine communication. The human imperceptible signals provide the technical feature of providing autonomous systems with additional information that these systems can utilize to improve the accuracy/precision of their performance. The technical feature of utilizing human imperceptible signals to enable improved autonomous system performance also serves to minimize the impact of human error.

One or more illustrative embodiments of the disclosure are described herein. Such embodiments are merely illustrative of the scope of this disclosure and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Accordingly, variations, modifications, and equivalents of embodiments disclosed herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 4is a schematic diagram of an illustrative networked architecture400configured to implement one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. The illustrative architecture400may include an emitting device402(which may represent an example configuration of the emitting device102) and a receiving device404(which may represent an example configuration of the receiving device104). The emitting device402and the receiving device404may be configured to communicate over one or more networks406. In certain example embodiments, multiple emitting devices402may be provided in a fixed or mobile state within an environment.

In an illustrative configuration, the emitting device402may include one or more processors (processor(s))410, one or more memory devices412(generically referred to herein as memory412), one or more input/output (“I/O”) interface(s)414, one or more network interfaces416, and data storage418. The emitting device402may further include one or more buses420that functionally couple various components of the emitting device402.

The memory412may include volatile memory (memory that maintains its state when supplied with power) such as random access memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory (memory that maintains its state even when not supplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and so forth. In certain example embodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read/write access than non-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments, certain types of non-volatile memory (e.g., FRAM) may enable faster read/write access than certain types of volatile memory.

The data storage418may include removable storage and/or non-removable storage including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical disk storage, and/or tape storage. The data storage418may provide non-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data. The memory412and the data storage418, removable and/or non-removable, are examples of computer-readable storage media (CRSM) as that term is used herein.

The data storage418may store computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loadable into the memory412and executable by the processor(s)410to cause the processor(s)410to perform or initiate various operations. The data storage418may additionally store data that may be copied to memory412for use by the processor(s)410during the execution of the computer-executable instructions. Moreover, output data generated as a result of execution of the computer-executable instructions by the processor(s)410may be stored initially in memory412and may ultimately be copied to data storage418for non-volatile storage.

More specifically, the data storage418may store one or more operating systems (O/S)422; one or more database management systems (DBMS)424configured to access the memory412and/or one or more external data store(s)408; and one or more program modules, applications, engines, computer-executable code, scripts, or the like such as, for example, one or more human imperceptible signal generation modules426and one or more dynamic signal adjustment modules428. Any of the components depicted as being stored in data storage418may include any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. The software and/or firmware may include computer-executable instructions (e.g., computer-executable program code) that may be loaded into the memory412for execution by one or more of the processor(s)410to perform any of the operations described earlier in connection with similarly named program modules.

Although not depicted inFIG. 4, the data storage418may further store various types of data utilized by components of the emitting device402(e.g., human imperceptible signal data, user profile data, etc.). Any data stored in the data storage418may be loaded into the memory412for use by the processor(s)410in executing computer-executable instructions. In addition, any data stored in the data storage418may potentially be stored in the external data store(s)408and may be accessed via the DBMS424and loaded in the memory412for use by the processor(s)410in executing computer-executable instructions.

Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being stored in the data storage418, the O/S422may be loaded from the data storage418into the memory412and may provide an interface between other application software executing on the emitting device402and hardware resources of the emitting device402. More specifically, the O/S422may include a set of computer-executable instructions for managing hardware resources of the emitting device402and for providing common services to other application programs. In certain example embodiments, the O/S422may include or otherwise control execution of one or more of the program modules depicted as being stored in the data storage418. The O/S422may include any operating system now known or which may be developed in the future including, but not limited to, any server operating system, any mainframe operating system, or any other proprietary or non-proprietary operating system.

The DBMS424may be loaded into the memory412and may support functionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and/or manipulating data stored in the memory412, data stored in the data storage418, and/or data stored in the external data store(s)408. The DBMS424may use any of a variety of database models (e.g., relational model, object model, etc.) and may support any of a variety of query languages. The DBMS424may access data represented in one or more data schemas and stored in any suitable data repository. The external data store(s)408that may be accessible by the emitting device402via the DBMS424may include, but are not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like. In certain example embodiments, the DBMS424may be a lightweight DBMS designed for a mobile device.

Referring now to other illustrative components of the emitting device402, the input/output (I/O) interface(s)414may facilitate the receipt of input information by the emitting device402from one or more I/O devices as well as the output of information from the emitting device402to the one or more I/O devices. The I/O devices may include any of a variety of components such as a display or display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; an audio output device for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audio capture device, such as a microphone; an image and/or video capture device, such as a camera; a haptic unit; and so forth. Any of these components may be integrated into the emitting device402or may be separate. The I/O devices may further include, for example, any number of peripheral devices such as data storage devices, printing devices, and so forth.

The emitting device402may further include one or more network interfaces416via which the emitting device402may communicate with any of a variety of other systems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth. The network interface(s)416may enable communication, for example, with the receiving device404(and any number of additional receiving devices) via the network(s)408.

In an illustrative configuration, the receiving device404may include one or more processors (processor(s))430, one or more memory devices432(generically referred to herein as memory432), one or more input/output (“I/O”) interface(s)434, one or more network interfaces436, and data storage438. The receiving device404may further include one or more buses440that functionally couple various components of the receiving device404.

The processor(s)430, the memory432, the I/O interface(s)434, and the network interface(s)436may include any of the types of components and functionality described earlier in reference to the processor(s)410, memory412, I/O interface(s)414, and network interface(s)416of the emitting device402, respectively. The data storage438may store one or more operating systems (O/S)442; one or more database management systems (DBMS)444configured to access the memory432and/or the external data store(s)406; and one or more program modules, applications, engines, computer-executable code, scripts, or the like such as, for example, one or more human imperceptible signal analysis modules446and one or more response action determination modules448. The O/S442and the DBMS444may include any of the types of components and functionality described earlier in reference to the O/S422and the DBMS424. In certain example embodiments, the DBMS444may be a lightweight DBMS designed for a mobile device. Any of the components depicted as being stored in data storage438may include any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. The software and/or firmware may include computer-executable instructions (e.g., computer-executable program code) that may be loaded into the memory432for execution by one or more of the processor(s)430to perform any of the operations described earlier in connection with similar named applications or program modules.

It should be appreciated that the program modules depicted inFIG. 4as being stored in the data storage418or the data storage438are merely illustrative and not exhaustive and that processing described as being supported by any particular module may alternatively be distributed across multiple modules, engines, or the like, or performed by a different module, engine, or the like. In addition, various program module(s), script(s), plug-in(s), Application Programming Interface(s) (API(s)), or any other suitable computer-executable code hosted locally on the emitting device402, hosted locally on the receiving device404, and/or hosted on other computing device(s) accessible via the network(s)408, may be provided to support functionality provided by the modules depicted inFIG. 4and/or additional or alternate functionality. Further, functionality may be modularized in any suitable manner such that processing described as being performed by a particular module may be performed by a collection of any number of program modules, or functionality described as being supported by any particular module may be supported, at least in part, by another module. In addition, program modules that support the functionality described herein may be executable across any number of servers in the emitting device402in accordance with any suitable computing model such as, for example, a client-server model, a peer-to-peer model, and so forth. In addition, any of the functionality described as being supported by any of the modules depicted inFIG. 4may be implemented, at least partially, in hardware and/or firmware across any number of devices.

One or more operations of either of the methods200or300may be performed by a emitting device402having the illustrative configuration depicted inFIG. 4and/or by a receiving device404having the illustrative configuration depicted inFIG. 4, or more specifically, by one or more program modules, engines, applications, or the like executing on such a system or device. It should be appreciated, however, that such operations may be implemented in connection with numerous other device configurations.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processing capabilities described with respect to a particular system, system component, device, or device component may be performed by any other system, device, or component. Further, while various illustrative implementations and architectures have been described in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous other modifications to the illustrative implementations and architectures described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, it should be appreciated that any operation, element, component, data, or the like described herein as being based on another operation, element, component, data, or the like may be additionally based on one or more other operations, elements, components, data, or the like. Accordingly, the phrase “based on,” or variants thereof, should be interpreted as “based at least in part on.”