Method and apparatus for perception-sharing between vehicles

Abstract

A method for perception-sharing between similarly-situated vehicles that are traveling on a portion of a roadway that is equipped with an intelligent vehicle highway system is described, and includes executing, in a multi-access edge computing cluster in communication with a roadside unit disposed to monitor a roadway, an application-layer routine. The application-layer routine includes collecting real-time data associated with a plurality of objects from each of the similarly-situated vehicles, predicting motion of each of the plurality of objects based upon the real-time data, object-matching the motion of each of the plurality of objects, and executing fusion of the plurality of objects based upon the object-matching of the motion of each of the plurality of objects. Locations of the similarly-situated vehicles traveling on the roadway are identified based upon the fusion of the plurality of objects. The locations are communicated to one of the similarly-situated vehicles.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A connected vehicle, comprising:
 a satellite navigation system;   a spatial monitoring system; and   a telematics communication system;   wherein the spatial monitoring system is arranged to monitor a portion of a roadway on which the connected vehicle is operating, including:
 collect real-time data associated with a plurality of objects that are disposed on the portion of the roadway, and 
 predict motion of each of the plurality of objects based upon the real-time data associated with the plurality of objects; 
   wherein the spatial monitoring system is arranged to generate a vehicle perception packet based upon an input from the satellite navigation system and the real-time data associated with the plurality of objects that are disposed on the portion of the roadway being monitored by the spatial monitoring system; and   wherein the telematics communication system is arranged to communicate the vehicle perception packet to a second controller.   
     
     
         2 . The connected vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the spatial monitoring system being arranged to generate the vehicle perception packet based upon an input from the satellite navigation system and the real-time data associated with the plurality of objects that are disposed on the portion of the roadway being monitored by the spatial monitoring system comprises the spatial monitoring system being arranged to generate the vehicle perception packet including data related to a distance, a visual descriptor, a lane-level lateral position, and a speed estimation of each of the plurality of the objects, a corresponding time stamp, and a geo-spatial positioning of the connected vehicle. 
     
     
         3 . The connected vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the spatial monitoring system being arranged to monitor a portion of a roadway on which the connected vehicle is operating to predict motion of each of the plurality of objects based upon the real-time data from the plurality of objects comprises the spatial monitoring system being arranged to predict motion of each of the plurality of objects based upon the real-time data by linearly extrapolating geo-spatial positioning of each of the plurality of objects. 
     
     
         4 . The connected vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the spatial monitoring system being arranged to monitor the portion of the roadway on which the connected vehicle is operating to collect real-time data associated with a plurality of objects comprises the spatial monitoring system being arranged to monitor objects that are travelling in the same direction on the portion of the roadway. 
     
     
         5 . The connected vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle perception packet includes a geo-spatial position, speed and trajectory for the connected vehicle based upon the input from the satellite navigation system and the spatial monitoring system. 
     
     
         6 . The connected vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the spatial monitoring system is configured to determine a linear range, relative speed, and trajectory of the connected vehicle relative to one of the objects. 
     
     
         7 . The connected vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the second controller comprises a roadside unit that is disposed to monitor the portion of the roadway. 
     
     
         8 . The connected vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS); wherein the ADAS is arranged to control operation of the connected vehicle based upon the vehicle perception packet. 
     
     
         9 . A connected vehicle, comprising:
 a satellite navigation system;   a telematics communication system; and   an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS);   wherein the telematics communication system receives a fused perception packet (FPP);   wherein the FPP includes a geo-spatial position, speed and trajectory of each of a plurality of similarly-situated vehicles;   wherein the ADAS is arranged to control operation of the connected vehicle based upon the FPP.   
     
     
         10 . The connected vehicle of  claim 9 , wherein the FPP includes self-identification information; and
 wherein the ADAS controls operation of the connected vehicle based upon the self-identification information included in the FPP.   
     
     
         11 . The connected vehicle of  claim 10 , further comprising the connected vehicle including a propulsion system, a braking system and a steering system;
 wherein the ADAS is operably connected to the propulsion system, the braking system and the steering system; and   wherein the ADAS is arranged to control operation of the propulsion system, the braking system and the steering system based upon the geo-spatial position, speed and trajectory of each of the plurality of similarly-situated vehicles and the self-identification information included in the FPP.   
     
     
         12 . The connected vehicle of  claim 9 , wherein the FPP includes a blind area monitor associated with one of the plurality of similarly-situated vehicles. 
     
     
         13 . The connected vehicle of  claim 9 , wherein the plurality of similarly-situated vehicles comprises a plurality of vehicles that are travelling on a same portion of a roadway and travelling in a same direction as the connected vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . The connected vehicle of  claim 9 , further comprising a spatial monitoring system arranged to monitor a portion of a roadway on which the connected vehicle is operating; wherein the spatial monitoring system is arranged to predict motion of each of the plurality of similarly-situated vehicles by linearly extrapolating the geo-spatial position, speed and trajectory of each of the plurality of similarly-situated vehicles that are included in the FPP. 
     
     
         15 . The connected vehicle of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 the FPP being generated by a remotely-located multi-access edge computing cluster in communication with the connected vehicle via the telematics communication system;   wherein the multi-access edge computing cluster generates the FPP by fusing vehicle perception packets that are generated by the plurality of similarly-situated vehicles; and   wherein the multi-access edge computing cluster is arranged to communicate the fused perception packet to the connected vehicle.   
     
     
         16 . The connected vehicle of  claim 15 , further comprising a spatial monitoring system, wherein the spatial monitoring system is arranged to generate a vehicle perception packet including a geo-spatial position, a speed and a trajectory for the connected vehicle based upon the satellite navigation system and the spatial monitoring system.