Proxy DSRC basic safety message for unequipped vehicles

A method for generating a message including vehicle operating parameters. The method includes the following: measuring operating parameters of an unequipped vehicle using monitoring equipment present on an equipped vehicle that is proximate to the unequipped vehicle; generating at the equipped vehicle a message including the measured operating parameters of the unequipped vehicle; and transmitting from the equipped vehicle to surrounding vehicles the message including the measured operating parameters of the unequipped vehicle to inform surrounding vehicles of the operating parameters of the unequipped vehicle.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to generating a proxy DSRC basic safety message for unequipped vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Active safety systems based on vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure wireless communications, such as dedicated short range communication (DSRC), identify potential threats and hazards on a roadway and provide drivers with associated alerts and warnings. To maximize the benefits of such active safety systems, wireless communication equipment would have to be installed in all vehicles and relevant pieces of infrastructure, which will take many years to achieve, and may never be fully achieved. An alternative active safety system in which less than all vehicles and pieces of infrastructure are equipped with DSRC would therefore be desirable.

SUMMARY

The present teachings include a method for generating a message including vehicle operating parameters. The method includes the following: measuring operating parameters of an unequipped vehicle using monitoring equipment present on an equipped vehicle that is proximate to the unequipped vehicle; generating at the equipped vehicle a message including the measured operating parameters of the unequipped vehicle; and transmitting from the equipped vehicle to surrounding vehicles the message including the measured operating parameters of the unequipped vehicle to inform surrounding vehicles of the operating parameters of the unequipped vehicle.

The present teachings further include a method for generating one or more proxy messages including vehicle operating parameters. The method includes receiving at a primary equipped vehicle messages from secondary equipped vehicles, the messages identifying positions of each one of the secondary equipped vehicles; comparing the positions of the secondary equipped vehicles with positions of unequipped vehicles detected by the primary equipped vehicle for which no messages have been received; generating at the primary equipped vehicle a proxy message for each one of the unequipped vehicles including operating parameters of the unequipped vehicles; and transmitting from the primary equipped vehicle to the secondary equipped vehicles the proxy messages generated for each one of the unequipped vehicles to inform the secondary equipped vehicles of the operating parameters of the unequipped vehicles.

The present teachings also include a method for generating at least one proxy basic safety message (PBSM) having vehicle operating parameters. The method includes the following: identifying locations of secondary vehicles proximate to a primary vehicle using identification equipment of the primary vehicle; comparing positions of the secondary vehicles identified by the primary vehicle to vehicle positions set forth in basic safety messages (BSMs) received by the primary vehicle; designating as secondary equipped vehicles the secondary vehicles identified by the primary vehicle having positions that match the vehicle positions set forth in the BSMs received by the primary vehicle; designation as secondary unequipped vehicles the secondary vehicles identified by the primary vehicle having positions that do not match the vehicle positions set forth in the BSMs received by the primary vehicle; generating at the primary vehicle the PBSM for each one of the secondary unequipped vehicles including operating parameters of the unequipped vehicles; and transmitting from the primary vehicle to the secondary equipped vehicles the PBSMs to inform the secondary equipped vehicles of the operating parameters of the secondary unequipped vehicles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference toFIG. 1, a method and system according to the present teachings for generating a proxy message including vehicle operating parameters for a vehicle not equipped with an active safety system, such as dedicated short range communication (DSRC), is generally illustrated at reference numeral10. A DSRC receiver of a DSRC equipped vehicle is illustrated at reference numeral12. The DSRC receiver12is configured to receive DSRC basic safety messages (BSM) from DSRC equipped vehicles proximate to the primary DSRC equipped vehicle. The BSMs can include information regarding any suitable operating parameter of the surrounding DSRC equipped vehicles, such as one or more of the following operating parameters of each one of the DSRC equipped vehicles for example: GPS position data; acceleration; speed; change in speed; throttle percentage; steering angle; and any other suitable operating parameter.

The primary DSRC equipped vehicle further includes any suitable equipment for detecting the positions of vehicles or objects proximate to the primary DSRC equipped vehicle. For example, the primary DSRC equipped vehicle may include a camera system14, a sonar system16, a radar system18, or any other suitable vehicle or object detecting device.

Data from the DSRC receiver12, the camera system14, the sonar system16, the radar system18, and any other suitable device for detecting vehicles and/or objects proximate to the primary DSRC equipped vehicle is input to a data collector20. The data collector20can be any suitable processing device, such as a central processing unit (CPU). The data collected for each vehicle and/or object by the data collector20is input to a position comparator22. The position comparator22may be any suitable device configured to compare data collected by the data collector20, such as a CPU. The position comparator22may be separate from the data collector20or included with the data collector20. For example, the CPU of the position comparator22may be separate from, or the same as, the CPU of the data collector20.

The position comparator22compares the position of a secondary DSRC equipped vehicle, based on the BSM location information (for example) transmitted to the DSRC receiver12of the primary DSRC equipped vehicle, with vehicles and/or objects detected by the primary DSRC equipped vehicle using the primary vehicle's on board detection systems or devices, such as the camera system14, the sonar system16, and/or the radar system18. If the position comparator22identifies a match at block24, and if at block28additional BSM data is available for comparison, then the position comparator22again determines whether a position match exists at block24. If at block24the position comparator22determines that the primary DSRC equipped vehicle detected a vehicle or object for which no BSM data has been received, then at block26the primary equipped vehicle generates a proxy BSM for the vehicle not equipped with DSRC (unequipped vehicle). A proxy BSM for an object can be generated as well.

The proxy BSM message includes any suitable vehicle operating parameter information, such as GPS position data, speed, change in speed, acceleration, etc. The vehicle operating parameter information is measured relative to the position of the primary DSRC equipped vehicle because the parameters are measured by the equipped vehicle, such as by using one or more of the camera system14, the sonar system16, and the radar system18. The proxy message is transmitted by the primary equipped vehicle to surrounding secondary DSRC equipped vehicles, such as the vehicles for which the primary vehicle received BSMs for at the DSRC receiver12. In this manner, all DSRC equipped vehicles in the vicinity of the unequipped vehicles will be aware of the position and operating parameters of the unequipped vehicle or vehicles, and thus be able to avoid the unequipped vehicles and continuously monitor their location or any other suitable parameter. Proxy BSMs can also be generated for objects, and can include any suitable information for the objects, such as location and type for example. If no additional vehicles or objects are detected by the primary equipped vehicle at block28, the operation ends at block30.