PREDICTIVE BRAKE PREFILL FOR EMERGENCY BRAKING

Abstract
Predictive brake prefill for emergency braking (e.g., using a computerized tool) is enabled. For example, a system can comprise a memory that stores computer executable components, and a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable components comprise a light determination component that determines whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, and a brake prefill component that, based upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, initiates a prefill for a braking system of a vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed subject matter relates to vehicles (e.g., transportation vehicles) and, more particularly, to predictive brake prefill for emergency braking.


BACKGROUND

When an automated braking system identifies a potential target to avoid by emergency braking, system latency exists in the calculation of the deceleration request transmission, transmission to a brake controller, and initiation of the automated braking. Such latency can span 500 milliseconds, or even longer. Additionally, it can take a brake controller 400 milliseconds, or longer, to build enough brake pressure to cause corresponding brake pads to contact respective brake rotors. During this time, a corresponding vehicle can travel a significant distance, thus increasing the likelihood of a collision with a leading vehicle.


The above-described background relating to emergency braking is merely intended to provide a contextual overview of some current issues and is not intended to be exhaustive. Other contextual information may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description.


SUMMARY

The following presents a summary to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements, or delineate any scope of the particular embodiments or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. In one or more embodiments described herein, systems, devices, computer-implemented methods, apparatuses and/or computer program products that facilitate predictive brake prefill for emergency braking are described.


As alluded to above, emergency braking can be improved in various ways, and various embodiments are described herein to this end and/or other ends.


According to an embodiment, a system can comprise a memory that stores computer executable components, and a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable components can comprise a light determination component that determines whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, and a brake prefill component that, based upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, initiates a prefill for a braking system of a vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.


According to another embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable medium can comprise executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising determining whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, and based upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, initiating a prefill for a braking system of a vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.


According to yet another embodiment, a method can comprise determining, by a vehicle comprising a processor, whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, and based upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, initiating, by the vehicle, a prefill for a braking system of the vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS


FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.



FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of example, non-limiting computer executable components in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.



FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of an example, non-limiting scenario in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.



FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of an example, non-limiting scenario in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.



FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an example, non-limiting braking system in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.



FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart for a process associated with predictive brake prefill for emergency braking in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.



FIG. 7 illustrates a block flow diagram for a process associated with predictive brake prefill for emergency braking in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.



FIG. 8 illustrates a block flow diagram for a process associated with predictive brake prefill for emergency braking in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.



FIG. 9 is an example, non-limiting computing environment in which one or more embodiments described herein can be implemented.



FIG. 10 is an example, non-limiting networking environment in which one or more embodiments described herein can be implemented.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit embodiments and/or application or uses of embodiments. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied information presented in the preceding Background or Summary sections, or in the Detailed Description section.


One or more embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like referenced numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the one or more embodiments. It is evident, however, in various cases, that the one or more embodiments can be practiced without these specific details.


It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “coupled” to another element, it can describe one or more different types of coupling including, but not limited to, chemical coupling, communicative coupling, capacitive coupling, electrical coupling, electromagnetic coupling, inductive coupling, operative coupling, conductive coupling, acoustic coupling, ultrasound coupling, optical coupling, physical coupling, thermal coupling, and/or another type of coupling. As referenced herein, an “entity” can comprise a human, a client, a user, a computing device, a software application, an agent, a machine learning model, an artificial intelligence, and/or another entity. It should be appreciated that such an entity can facilitate implementation of the subject disclosure in accordance with one or more embodiments the described herein.


The computer processing systems, computer-implemented methods, apparatus and/or computer program products described herein employ hardware and/or software to solve problems that are highly technical in nature (e.g., determining and/or executing one or more actions determined to predict brake prefill for emergency braking herein), that are not abstract and cannot be performed as a set of mental acts by a human.


Embodiments herein can reduce latency time associated with automated braking, for instance, by initiating brake prefill as soon as a brake light of a leading vehicle is detected using a camera of a trailing vehicle.


Turning now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an example, non-limiting system 100 in accordance with one or more embodiments herein. System 100 can comprise a computerized tool, which can be configured to perform various operations relating to predictive brake prefill for emergency braking. In accordance with various exemplary embodiments, system 100 can be deployed on or within a vehicle 102, (e.g., an automobile, as shown in FIG. 1). Although FIG. 1 depicts the vehicle 102 as an automobile, the architecture of the system 100 is not so limited. For instance, the system 100 described herein can be implemented with a variety of types of vehicles 102. Example vehicles 102 that can incorporate the exemplary system 100 can include, but are not limited to: automobiles (e.g., autonomous vehicles), airplanes, trains, motorcycles, carts, trucks, semi-trucks, buses, boats, recreational vehicles, helicopters, jets, electric scooters, electric bicycles, a combination thereof, and/or the like. It is additionally noted that the system 100 can be implemented in a variety of types of automobiles, such as battery electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, or other suitable types of vehicles.


As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 can comprise one or more systems 104, which can include one or more input devices 106, one or more other vehicle electronic systems and/or devices 108, and/or one or more computing devices 110. Additionally, the system 100 can comprise one or more external devices 112 that can be communicatively and/or operatively coupled to the one or more computing devices 110 of the one or more systems 104 either via a one or more networks 114 and/or a direct electrical connection (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1). In various embodiments, one or more of the system 104, input devices 106, vehicle electronic systems and/or devices 108, computing devices 110, external devices 112, and/or networks 114 can be communicatively or operably coupled (e.g., over a bus or wireless network) to one another to perform one or more functions of the system 100.


The one or more input devices 106 can display one or more interactive graphic entity interfaces (“GUIs”) that facilitate accessing and/or controlling various functions and/or application of the vehicle 102. The one or more input devices 106 can display one or more interactive GUIs that facilitate accessing and/or controlling various functions and/or applications. The one or more input devices 106 can comprise one or more computerized devices, which can include, but are not limited to: personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, cellular telephones (e.g., smartphones or mobile devices), computerized tablets (e.g., comprising a processor), smart watches, keyboards, touchscreens, mice, a combination thereof, and/or the like. An entity or user of the system 100 can utilize the one or more input devices 106 to input data into the system 100. Additionally, the one or more input devices 106 can comprise one or more displays that can present one or more outputs generated by the system 100 to an entity. For example, the one or more displays can include, but are not limited to: cathode tube display (“CRT”), light-emitting diode display (“LED”), electroluminescent display (“ELD”), plasma display panel (“PDP”), liquid crystal display (“LCD”), organic light-emitting diode display (“OLED”), a combination thereof, and/or the like.


For example, the one or more input devices 106 can comprise a touchscreen that can present one or more graphical touch controls that can respectively correspond to a control for a function of the vehicle 102, an application, a function of the application, interactive data, a hyperlink to data, and the like, wherein selection and/or interaction with the graphical touch control via touch activates the corresponding functionality. For instance, one or more GUIs displayed on the one or more input devices 106 can include selectable graphical elements, such as buttons or bars corresponding to a vehicle navigation application, a media application, a phone application, a back-up camera function, a car settings function, a parking assist function, and/or the like. In some implementations, selection of a button or bar corresponding to an application or function can result in the generation of a new window or GUI comprising additional selectable icons or widgets associated with the selected application. For example, selection of one or more selectable options herein can result in generation of a new GUI or window that includes additional buttons or widgets with one or more selectable options. The type and appearance of the controls can vary. For example, the graphical touch controls can include icons, symbols, widgets, windows, tabs, text, images, a combination thereof, and/or the like.


The one or more input devices 106 can comprise suitable hardware that registers input events in response to touch (e.g., by a finger, stylus, gloved hand, pen, etc.). In some implementations, the one or more input devices 106 can detect the position of an object (e.g., by a finger, stylus, gloved hand, pen, etc.) over the one or more input devices 106 within close proximity (e.g., a few centimeters) to touchscreen without the object touching the screen. As used herein, unless otherwise specified, reference to “on the touchscreen” refers to contact between an object (e.g., an entity's finger) and the one or more input devices 106 while reference to “over the touchscreen” refers to positioning of an object within close proximity to the touchscreen (e.g., a defined distance away from the touchscreen) yet not contacting the touchscreen.


The type of the input devices 106 can vary and can include, but is not limited to: a resistive touchscreen, a surface capacitive touchscreen, a projected capacitive touchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, and an infrared touchscreen. In various embodiments, the one or more input devices 106 can be positioned on the dashboard of the vehicle 102, such as on or within the center stack or center console of the dashboard. However, the position of the one or more input devices 106 within the vehicle 102 can vary.


The one or more other vehicle electronic systems and/or devices 108 can include one or more additional devices and/or systems (e.g., in addition to the one or more input devices 106 and/or computing devices 110) of the vehicle 102 that can be controlled based at least in part on commands issued by the one or more computing devices 110 (e.g., via one or more processing units 116) and/or commands issued by the one or more external devices 112 communicatively coupled thereto. For example, the one or more other vehicle electronic systems and/or devices 108 can comprise: a media system (e.g., audio and/or video); a back-up camera system; a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) system; a lighting system; a cruise control system, a power locking system, a navigation system, an autonomous driving system, a vehicle sensor system, telecommunications system, a combination thereof, and/or the like. Other example other vehicle electronic systems and/or devices 108 can comprise one or more sensors, which can comprise odometers, altimeters, speedometers, accelerometers, engine features and/or components, fuel meters, flow meters, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, heat cameras, infrared cameras, and/or the like), lasers, radar systems, lidar systems, microphones, vibration meters, moisture sensors, thermometers, seatbelt sensors, wheel speed sensors, a combination thereof, and/or the like. For instance, a speedometer of the vehicle 102 can detect the vehicles 102's traveling speed. Further, the one or more sensors can detect and/or measure one or more conditions outside the vehicle 102, such as: whether the vehicle 102 is traveling through a rainy environment; whether the vehicle 102 is traveling through winter conditions (e.g., snowy and/or icy conditions); whether the vehicle 102 is traveling through very hot conditions (e.g., desert conditions); and/or the like. Example navigational information can include, but is not limited to: the destination of the vehicle 102, the position of the vehicle 102, the type of vehicle 102, the speed of the vehicle 102, environmental conditions surrounding the vehicle 102, the planned route of the vehicle 102, traffic conditions expected to be encountered by the vehicle 102, operational status of the vehicle 102, a combination thereof, and/or the like.


The one or more computing devices 110 can facilitate executing and controlling one or more operations of the vehicle 102, including one or more operations of the one or more input devices 106, and the one or more other vehicle electronic systems/devices 108 using machine-executable instructions. In this regard, embodiments of system 100 and other systems described herein can include one or more machine-executable components embodied within one or more machines (e.g., embodied in one or more computer readable storage media associated with one or more machines, such as computing device 110). Such components, when executed by the one or more machines (e.g., processors, computers, virtual machines, etc.) can cause the one or more machines to perform the operations described.


For example, the one or more computing devices 110 can include or be operatively coupled to at least one memory 118 and/or at least one processing unit 116. The one or more processing units 116 can be any of various available processors. For example, dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures also can be employed as the processing unit 116. In various embodiments, the at least one memory 118 can store software instructions embodied as functions and/or applications that when executed by the at least one processing unit 116, facilitate performance of operations defined by the software instruction. In the embodiment shown, these software instructions can include one or more operating system 120, one or more computer-executable components 122, and/or one or more other vehicle applications 124. For example, the one or more operating systems 120 can act to control and/or allocate resources of the one or more computing devices 110. It is to be appreciated that the claimed subject matter can be implemented with various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.


The one or more computer executable components 122 and/or the one or more other vehicle applications 124 can take advantage of the management of resources by the one or more operating systems 120 through program modules and program data also stored in the one or more memories 118. The one or more computer executable components 122 can provide various features and/or functionalities that can facilitate predictive brake prefill for emergency braking herein. Example, other vehicle applications 124 can include, but are not limited to: a navigation application, a media player application, a phone application, a vehicle settings application, a parking assistance application, an emergency roadside assistance application, a combination thereof, and/or the like. The features and functionalities of the one or more computer executable components 122 are discussed in greater detail infra.


The one or more computing devices 110 can further include one or more interface ports 126, one or more communication units 128, and a system bus 130 that can communicatively couple the various features of the one or more computing devices 110 (e.g., the one or more interface ports 126, the one or more communication units 128, the one or more memories 118, and/or the one or more processing units 116). The one or more interface ports 126 can connect the one or more input devices 106 (and other potential devices) and the one or more other vehicle electronic systems/devices 108 to the one or more computing devices 110. For example, the one or more interface ports 126 can include, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port, a universal serial bus (“USB”) and the like.


The one or more communication units 128 can include suitable hardware and/or software that can facilitate connecting one or more external devices 112 to the one or more computing devices 110 (e.g., via a wireless connection and/or a wired connection). For example, the one or more communication units 128 can be operatively coupled to the one or more external devices 112 via one or more networks 114. The one or more networks 114 can include wired and/or wireless networks, including but not limited to, a personal area network (“PAN”), a local area network (“LAN”), a cellular network, a wide area network (“WAN”, e.g., the Internet), and the like. For example, the one or more external devices 112 can communicate with the one or more computing devices 110 (and vice versa) using virtually any desired wired or wireless technology, including but not limited to: wireless fidelity (“Wi-Fi”), global system for mobile communications (“GSM”), universal mobile telecommunications system (“UMTS”), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (“WiMAX”), enhanced general packet radio service (enhanced “GPRS”), fifth generation (“5G”) communication system, sixth generation (“6G”) communication system, third generation partnership project (“3GPP”) long term evolution (“LTE”), third generation partnership project 2 (“3GPP2”) ultra-mobile broadband (“UMB”), high speed packet access (“HSPA”), Zigbee and other 902.XX wireless technologies and/or legacy telecommunication technologies, near field communication (“NFC”) technology, BLUETOOTH®, Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”), ZIGBEE®, RF4CE protocol, WirelessHART protocol, 6LoWPAN (IPv6 over Low power Wireless Area Networks), Z-Wave, an ANT, an ultra-wideband (“UWB”) standard protocol, and/or other proprietary and non-proprietary communication protocols. In this regard, the one or more communication units 128 can include software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware that is configured to facilitate wired and/or wireless communication between the one or more computing devices 110 and the one or more external devices 112. While the one or more communication units 128 are shown for illustrative clarity as a separate unit that is not stored within memory 118, it is to be appreciated that one or more (software) components of the communication unit can be stored in memory 118 and include computer executable components.


The one or more external devices 112 can include any suitable computing device comprising a display and input device (e.g., a touchscreen) that can communicate with the one or more computing devices 110 comprised within the system 104 and interface with the one or more computer executable components 122 (e.g., using a suitable application program interface (“API”)). For example, the one or more external devices 112 can include, but are not limited to: a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (“PC”), a digital assistant (“PDA”), a heads-up display (“HUD”), virtual reality (“VR”) headset, an augmented reality (“AR”) headset, or another type of wearable computing device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a computer tablet, a combination thereof, and the like.



FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of example, non-limiting computer executable components 122 that can facilitate predictive brake prefill for emergency braking in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. Repetitive description of like elements employed in other embodiments described herein is omitted for sake of brevity. As shown in FIG. 2, the one or more computer executable components 122 can comprise light determination component 202, brake prefill component 204, prefill disengage component 206, machine learning (ML) component 208, calibration component 210, and/or braking component 212.


According to an embodiment, the light determination component 202 can determine whether a brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of a leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) indicates that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in a braking operation. It is noted that the light determination component 202 can comprise a camera 306 of the vehicle 102, and the camera 306 of the vehicle 102 can be utilized to detect the brake light 308 of the leading vehicle 304. Because brake lights can comprise a plurality of intensities or luminosities, the light determination component 202 can be configured to detect a distinction between nighttime running lights and brake lights, even when such lights are comprised in the same taillight housing. In this regard, defined intensity or luminosity thresholds can be utilized on order to determine whether a taillight (e.g., a brake light 308) of a vehicle 304 indicates that the vehicle 304 is engaged in a braking operation (e.g., brake pressure applied). In further embodiments, the light determination component 202 can determine whether a brake light 308 of the leading vehicle 304 indicates that the leading vehicle 304 is engaged in the braking operation using a brake light model. In this regard, the brake light model can be generated by an ML component 208 using machine learning applied to past braking of other vehicles, other than the leading vehicle 304. Further in this regard, the brake light model can incorporate a variety of factors, such as time of day, location, time zone, vehicle type, vehicle make/model, driver information (e.g., height, seating position, visual abilities), weather conditions, or other suitable factors.


According to an embodiment, the brake prefill component 204 can, based upon a determination (e.g., via the light determination component 202) that the brake light 308 of the leading vehicle 304 indicates that the leading vehicle 304 is engaged in a braking operation, initiate a prefill for a braking system 502 of a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 102). It is noted that the prefill for the braking system 502 of the vehicle 102 can remove an airgap 516 between a brake pad 508 of the vehicle 102 and a brake rotor 504 of the vehicle 102. The foregoing can be accomplished, for instance, by increasing (e.g., by the braking system 502 via the brake prefill component 204) brake pressure of a vehicle 102 just enough to cause a slight contact between brake pads 508 and rotors 504 of the vehicle 102 without exerting perceivable braking force (e.g., not perceivable by an occupant of the vehicle 102). This braking prefill leads to faster braking (e.g., automated braking) by reducing an amount of time to initiate a braking action, since the brake pads 508 are already moved to a braking position (e.g., slightly dragging against a corresponding brake rotor 504) as a result of the brake prefill. It is thus noted that the braking prefill does not cause ascertainable deceleration of the vehicle 102, and is thus not generally perceivable by an occupant of the vehicle 102. In various embodiments, the brake prefill component 204 can further initiate the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle 102 based on an illumination of a traffic signal 402 in a traveling direction of the vehicle 102. In this regard, the light determination component 202 can determine various lights of the traffic signal 402. For instance, the light determination component 202 can determine whether a light of the traffic signal 402 is yellow or red, or otherwise indicates a stop or future stop. The brake prefill component 204 can thus initiate the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle 102 based on the illumination of one or more defined light(s) of the traffic signal 402.


According to an embodiment, the prefill disengage component 206 can, in response to a defined amount of time elapsing after initiating the prefill for the braking system 502 of the vehicle 102 without further engagement of the braking system 502 and/or braking component 212, release the prefill of the braking system 502. In this regard, the braking component 212 can, in response to a defined braking condition being determined to be satisfied, initiate a braking operation for the braking system of the vehicle. Such a defined braking condition can comprise, for instance, a threshold probability of a collision involving the vehicle 102 being determined (e.g., by the braking component 212) to be satisfied. It is noted that, after the brake prefill component 204 initiates a brake prefill, the prefill disengage component 206 can start a timer. If a defined amount of time elapses after the prefill disengage component 206 starts the timer, without further intervention of an automated braking system of the vehicle 102 (e.g., braking component 212), the prefill disengage component 206 can facilitate the release of the prefill of the braking system 502. In further embodiments, the amount of time before releasing the prefill of the braking system 502 can be variable. For instance, the prefill disengage component 206 can determine to release the prefill using a prefill release model. In this regard, the prefill release model can be generated by an ML component 208 using machine learning applied to past brake prefills (e.g., of other vehicles and/or the vehicle 102).


According to an embodiment, the calibration component 210 can calibrate the braking system 502 of the vehicle 102 based on brake pad 508 condition, brake rotor 504 condition, brake fluid condition applicable to the vehicle 102, brake caliper 506 condition, or other suitable factors. In this regard, the amount of brake pressure applied (e.g., via a brake prefill component 204 and/or braking system 502) during a prefill operation herein can be variable, for instance, based on such calibration by the calibration component 210. According to an embodiment, the calibration component 210 can perform testing of the braking system 502 (e.g., at defined or random intervals and/or in response to an instruction to perform the test) in order to determine the amount of brake pressure required to initiate the prefill operation.


In various embodiments, the machine learning described herein can perform classifications, correlations, inferences and/or expressions associated with principles of artificial intelligence. For instance, machine learning techniques can employ an automatic classification system and/or an automatic classification. In one example, the one or more artificial intelligence techniques can employ a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) to learn and/or generate inferences. Additionally, the one or more artificial intelligence techniques can employ any suitable machine-learning based techniques, statistical-based techniques and/or probabilistic-based techniques, such as, but not limited to: expert systems, fuzzy logic, SVMs, Hidden Markov Models (“HMMs”), greedy search algorithms, rule-based systems, Bayesian models (e.g., Bayesian networks), neural networks, other non-linear training techniques, data fusion, utility-based analytical systems, systems employing Bayesian models, a combination thereof, and/or the like. In another aspect, the one or more artificial intelligence techniques can perform a set of machine learning computations, such as: a set of clustering machine learning computations; a set of logistic regression machine learning computations; a set of decision tree machine learning computations; a set of random forest machine learning computations; a set of regression tree machine learning computations; a set of least square machine learning computations, a set of instance-based machine learning computations; a set of regression machine learning computations; a set of support vector regression machine learning computations; a set of k-means machine learning computations; a set of spectral clustering machine learning computations; a set of rule learning machine learning computations, a set of Bayesian machine learning computations; a set of deep Boltzmann machine computations; a set of deep belief network computations; a set of different machine learning computations, a combination thereof and/or the like.



FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of an example, non-limiting scenario in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. In scenario 300, the vehicle 102 (e.g., via the light determination component 202), traveling on road 302, can detect the illumination of the brake lights 308 of the vehicle 304, for instance, using a camera 306 of the vehicle 102. In this regard, after detection of the brake lights 308 of the vehicle 304, the brake prefill component 204 can initiate brake prefill for the vehicle 102 as described herein. FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of an example, non-limiting scenario in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. In scenario 400, the vehicle 102 (e.g., via the light determination component 202), traveling on road 302, can detect the brake lights 308 of the vehicle 304, for instance, using a camera 306 of the vehicle 102. In various embodiments, the vehicle 102 (e.g., via the light determination component 202) can further detect the traffic signal 402 using the camera 306 of the vehicle 102. For instance, the light determination component 202 can determine whether a light of the traffic signal 402 is yellow or red, or otherwise indicates a stop or future stop. The brake prefill component 204 can thus initiate the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle 102 based on the illumination of one or more defined light(s) of the traffic signal 402.



FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an example, non-limiting braking system 502 of the vehicle 102 (and/or other suitable vehicles) in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. The braking system 502 can comprise one or more of brake rotor 504, brake caliper 506, brake pads 508a and 508b, brake lines 510, brake controller 512 (e.g., further comprising a brake booster and/or brake master cylinder), brake pedal 514, and/or other suitable braking components applicable to a vehicle herein. In FIG. 5, airgap 516a between the brake pad 508a and the rotor 504 can be appreciated. Similarly, airgap 516b between the brake pad 508b and the rotor 504 can be appreciated. These airgaps 516 can be closed (e.g., via a brake prefill component 204) during a brake prefill operation, for instance, to reduce latency time associated with automated braking as soon as a brake light 308 of a leading vehicle 304 is detected (e.g., via the light determination component 202) using a camera 306 of a trailing vehicle (e.g., vehicle 102).



FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart for a process 600 associated with predictive brake prefill for emergency braking in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. At 602, the process 600 can comprise determining (e.g., via the light determination component 202) whether a brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of a leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) indicates that the leading vehicle 304 is engaged in a braking operation. It is noted that the light determination component 202 can comprise a camera 306 of the vehicle 102, and the camera 306 of the vehicle 102 can be utilized to detect the brake light 308 of the leading vehicle 304. Because brake lights can comprise a plurality of intensities or luminosities, the light determination component 202 can be configured to detect a distinction between nighttime lights and brake lights, even when such lights are comprised in the same taillight housing. In this regard, defined intensity or luminosity thresholds can be utilized on order to determine whether a taillight (e.g., a brake light 308) of a vehicle 304 indicates that the vehicle 304 is engaged in a braking operation (e.g., brake pressure applied). At 604, if the brake light 308 of the leading vehicle 304 indicates that the leading vehicle 304 is engaged in the braking operation (YES at 604), the process can proceed to 606. If at 604, the brake light 308 of the leading vehicle 304 does not indicate that the leading vehicle 304 is engaged in the braking operation (NO at 604), the process can return to 602. At 606, the process 600 can comprise, based upon a determination (e.g., via the light determination component 202) that the brake light 308 of the leading vehicle 304 indicates that the leading vehicle 304 is engaged in a braking operation, initiating (e.g., via the brake prefill component 204) a prefill for a braking system 502 of a vehicle 102. It is noted that the prefill for the braking system 502 of the vehicle 102 can remove an airgap 516 between a brake pad 508 of the vehicle 102 and a brake rotor 504 of the vehicle 102. The foregoing can be accomplished, for instance, by increasing (e.g., by the braking system 502 via the brake prefill component 204) brake pressure of a vehicle 102 just enough to cause a slight contact between brake pads 508 and rotors 504 of the vehicle 102 without exerting perceivable braking force (e.g., not perceivable by an occupant of the vehicle 102). At 608, if a defined amount of time has elapsed after initiating the prefill for the braking system 502 of the vehicle 102, without further engagement of the braking system 502 (YES at 608), the prefill of the braking system 502 can be released (e.g., via the prefill disengage component 206) at 610. If at 608, a braking operation is further initiated or required before the defined amount of time has elapsed (NO at 608), the process 600 can proceed to 612 at which the brakes (e.g., brake pads 508) of the vehicle 102 are engaged (e.g., by the braking system 502 via the braking component 212).



FIG. 7 illustrates a block flow diagram for a process 700 associated with predictive brake prefill for emergency braking in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. At 702, the process 700 can comprise determining (e.g., via the light determination component 202) whether a brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of a leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) indicates that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in a braking operation. At 704, if the brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) indicates that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in the braking operation (YES at 704), the process can proceed to 706. If at 704, the brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) does not indicate that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in the braking operation (NO at 704), the process can return to 702. At 706, the process 700 can comprise, based upon a determination (e.g., via the light determination component 202) that the brake light of the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) indicates that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in a braking operation, initiating (e.g., via the brake prefill component 204) a prefill for a braking system (e.g., braking system 502) of a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 102), other than the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304).



FIG. 8 illustrates a block flow diagram for a process 800 associated with predictive brake prefill for emergency braking in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. At 802, the process 800 can comprise determining, by a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 102) comprising a processor (e.g., via the light determination component 202), whether a brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of a leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) indicates that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in a braking operation. At 804, if the brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) indicates that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in the braking operation (YES at 804), the process can proceed to 806. If at 804, the brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) does not indicate that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in the braking operation (NO at 804), the process can return to 802. At 806, the process 800 can comprise, based upon a determination (e.g., via the light determination component 202) that the brake light (e.g., brake light 308) of the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) indicates that the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304) is engaged in a braking operation, initiating, by the vehicle (e.g., via the brake prefill component 204), a prefill for a braking system (e.g., braking system 502) of the vehicle (e.g., vehicle 102), other than the leading vehicle (e.g., vehicle 304).


Systems described herein can be coupled (e.g., communicatively, electrically, operatively, optically, inductively, acoustically, etc.) to one or more local or remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and/or devices (e.g., electronic control systems (ECU), classical and/or quantum computing devices, communication devices, etc.). For example, system 100 (or other systems, controllers, processors, etc.) can be coupled (e.g., communicatively, electrically, operatively, optically, etc.) to one or more local or remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and/or devices using a data cable (e.g., High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), recommended standard (RS), Ethernet cable, etc.) and/or one or more wired networks described below.


In some embodiments, systems herein can be coupled (e.g., communicatively, electrically, operatively, optically, inductively, acoustically, etc.) to one or more local or remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and/or devices (e.g., electronic control units (ECU), classical and/or quantum computing devices, communication devices, etc.) via a network. In these embodiments, such a network can comprise one or more wired and/or wireless networks, including, but not limited to, a cellular network, a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet), and/or a local area network (LAN). For example, system 100 can communicate with one or more local or remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and/or devices, for instance, computing devices using such a network, which can comprise virtually any desired wired or wireless technology, including but not limited to: powerline ethernet, VHF, UHF, AM, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH®, fiber optic communications, global system for mobile communications (GSM), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), enhanced general packet radio service (enhanced GPRS), third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE), third generation partnership project 2 (3GPP2) ultra-mobile broadband (UMB), high speed packet access (HSPA), Zigbee and other 902.XX wireless technologies and/or legacy telecommunication technologies, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), ZIGBEE®, RF4CE protocol, WirelessHART protocol, L-band voice or data information, 6LoWPAN (IPv6 over Low power Wireless Area Networks), Z-Wave, an ANT, an ultra-wideband (UWB) standard protocol, and/or other proprietary and non-proprietary communication protocols. In this example, system 100 can thus include hardware (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a transceiver, a decoder, an antenna (e.g., a ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna, a BLUETOOTH® low energy (BLE) antenna, etc.), quantum hardware, a quantum processor, etc.), software (e.g., a set of threads, a set of processes, software in execution, quantum pulse schedule, quantum circuit, quantum gates, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software that facilitates communicating information between a system herein and remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and/or devices (e.g., computing and/or communication devices such as, for instance, a smart phone, a smart watch, wireless earbuds, etc.).


System herein can comprise one or more computer and/or machine readable, writable, and/or executable components and/or instructions that, when executed by processor (e.g., a processing unit 116 which can comprise a classical processor, a quantum processor, etc.), can facilitate performance of operations defined by such component(s) and/or instruction(s). Further, in numerous embodiments, any component associated with a system herein, as described herein with or without reference to the various figures of the subject disclosure, can comprise one or more computer and/or machine readable, writable, and/or executable components and/or instructions that, when executed by a processor, can facilitate performance of operations defined by such component(s) and/or instruction(s). Consequently, according to numerous embodiments, system herein and/or any components associated therewith as disclosed herein, can employ a processor (e.g., processing unit 116) to execute such computer and/or machine readable, writable, and/or executable component(s) and/or instruction(s) to facilitate performance of one or more operations described herein with reference to system herein and/or any such components associated therewith.


Systems herein can comprise any type of system, device, machine, apparatus, component, and/or instrument that comprises a processor and/or that can communicate with one or more local or remote electronic systems and/or one or more local or remote devices via a wired and/or wireless network. All such embodiments are envisioned. For example, a system (e.g., a system 100 or any other system or device described herein) can comprise a computing device, a general-purpose computer, field-programmable gate array, AI accelerator application-specific integrated circuit, a special-purpose computer, an onboard computing device, a communication device, an onboard communication device, a server device, a quantum computing device (e.g., a quantum computer), a tablet computing device, a handheld device, a server class computing machine and/or database, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, wearable device, internet of things device, a cell phone, a smart phone, a consumer appliance and/or instrumentation, an industrial and/or commercial device, a digital assistant, a multimedia Internet enabled phone, a multimedia players, and/or another type of device.


In order to provide additional context for various embodiments described herein, FIG. 9 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment 900 in which the various embodiments of the embodiment described herein can be implemented. While the embodiments have been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments can be also implemented in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.


Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, distributed computing systems, as well as personal computers (e.g., ruggedized personal computers), field-programmable gate arrays, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.


The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.


Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which can include computer-readable storage media, machine-readable storage media, and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media or machine-readable storage media can be any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media or machine-readable storage media can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable or machine-readable instructions, program modules, structured data, or unstructured data.


Computer-readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, solid state drives or other solid state storage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to store desired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory, or computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per sc.


Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries, or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the information stored by the medium.


Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, optic, infrared, and other wireless media.


With reference again to FIG. 9, the example environment 900 for implementing various embodiments of the aspects described herein includes a computer 902, the computer 902 including a processing unit 904, a system memory 906 and a system bus 908. The system bus 908 couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory 906 to the processing unit 904. The processing unit 904 can be any of various commercially available processors, field-programmable gate array, AI accelerator application-specific integrated circuit, or other suitable processors. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as the processing unit 904.


The system bus 908 can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory 906 includes ROM 910 and RAM 912. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a nonvolatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 902, such as during startup. The RAM 912 can also include a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data. It is noted that unified Extensible Firmware Interface(s) can be utilized herein.


The computer 902 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 914 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices 916 (e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 916, a memory stick or flash drive reader, a memory card reader, etc.) and an optical disk drive 920 (e.g., which can read or write from a CD-ROM disc, a DVD, a BD, etc.). While the internal HDD 914 is illustrated as located within the computer 902, the internal HDD 914 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown). Additionally, while not shown in environment 900, a solid-state drive (SSD) could be used in addition to, or in place of, an HDD 914. The HDD 914, external storage device(s) 916 and optical disk drive 920 can be connected to the system bus 908 by an HDD interface 924, an external storage interface 926 and an optical drive interface 928, respectively. The interface 924 for external drive implementations can include at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein.


The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer 902, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refers to respective types of storage devices, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a computer, whether presently existing or developed in the future, could also be used in the example operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein.


A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 912, including an operating system 930, one or more application programs 932, other program modules 934 and program data 936. All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 912. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.


Computer 902 can optionally comprise emulation technologies. For example, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary can emulate a hardware environment for operating system 930, and the emulated hardware can optionally be different from the hardware illustrated in FIG. 9. In such an embodiment, operating system 930 can comprise one virtual machine (VM) of multiple VMs hosted at computer 902. Furthermore, operating system 930 can provide runtime environments, such as the Java runtime environment or the .NET framework, for applications 932. Runtime environments are consistent execution environments that allow applications 932 to run on any operating system that includes the runtime environment. Similarly, operating system 930 can support containers, and applications 932 can be in the form of containers, which are lightweight, standalone, executable packages of software that include, e.g., code, runtime, system tools, system libraries and settings for an application.


Further, computer 902 can be enabled with a security module, such as a trusted processing module (TPM). For instance, with a TPM, boot components hash next in time boot components, and wait for a match of results to secured values, before loading a next boot component. This process can take place at any layer in the code execution stack of computer 902, e.g., applied at the application execution level or at the operating system (OS) kernel level, thereby enabling security at any level of code execution.


A user can enter commands and information into the computer 902 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 938, a touch screen 940, and a pointing device, such as a mouse 942. Other input devices (not shown) can include a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a radio frequency (RF) remote control, or other remote control, a joystick, a virtual reality controller and/or virtual reality headset, a game pad, a stylus pen, an image input device, e.g., camera(s), a gesture sensor input device, a vision movement sensor input device, an emotion or facial detection device, a biometric input device, e.g., fingerprint or iris scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 904 through an input device interface 944 that can be coupled to the system bus 908, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, a BLUETOOTH® interface, etc.


A monitor 946 or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus 908 via an interface, such as a video adapter 948. In addition to the monitor 946, a computer typically includes other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.


The computer 902 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 950. The remote computer(s) 950 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 902, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 952 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted include wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 954 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 956. Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications network, e.g., the Internet.


When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 902 can be connected to the local network 954 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 958. The adapter 958 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 954, which can also include a wireless access point (AP) disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 958 in a wireless mode.


When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 902 can include a modem 960 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN 956 via other means for establishing communications over the WAN 956, such as by way of the Internet. The modem 960, which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 908 via the input device interface 944. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 902 or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 952. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.


When used in either a LAN or WAN networking environment, the computer 902 can access cloud storage systems or other network-based storage systems in addition to, or in place of, external storage devices 916 as described above. Generally, a connection between the computer 902 and a cloud storage system can be established over a LAN 954 or WAN 956 e.g., by the adapter 958 or modem 960, respectively. Upon connecting the computer 902 to an associated cloud storage system, the external storage interface 926 can, with the aid of the adapter 958 and/or modem 960, manage storage provided by the cloud storage system as it would other types of external storage. For instance, the external storage interface 926 can be configured to provide access to cloud storage sources as if those sources were physically connected to the computer 902.


The computer 902 can be operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, store shelf, etc.), and telephone. This can include Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.


Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated a schematic block diagram of a computing environment 1000 in accordance with this specification. The system 1000 includes one or more client(s) 1002, (e.g., computers, smart phones, tablets, cameras, PDA's). The client(s) 1002 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The client(s) 1002 can house cookie(s) and/or associated contextual information by employing the specification, for example.


The system 1000 also includes one or more server(s) 1004. The server(s) 1004 can also be hardware or hardware in combination with software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The servers 1004 can house threads to perform transformations of media items by employing aspects of this disclosure, for example. One possible communication between a client 1002 and a server 1004 can be in the form of a data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or more computer processes wherein data packets may include coded analyzed headspaces and/or input. The data packet can include a cookie and/or associated contextual information, for example. The system 1000 includes a communication framework 1006 (e.g., a global communication network such as the Internet) that can be employed to facilitate communications between the client(s) 1002 and the server(s) 1004.


Communications can be facilitated via a wired (including optical fiber) and/or wireless technology. The client(s) 1002 are operatively connected to one or more client data store(s) 1008 that can be employed to store information local to the client(s) 1002 (e.g., cookie(s) and/or associated contextual information). Similarly, the server(s) 1004 are operatively connected to one or more server data store(s) 1010 that can be employed to store information local to the servers 1004. Further, the client(s) 1002 can be operatively connected to one or more server data store(s) 1010.


In one exemplary implementation, a client 1002 can transfer an encoded file, (e.g., encoded media item), to server 1004. Server 1004 can store the file, decode the file, or transmit the file to another client 1002. It is noted that a client 1002 can also transfer uncompressed file to a server 1004 and server 1004 can compress the file and/or transform the file in accordance with this disclosure. Likewise, server 1004 can encode information and transmit the information via communication framework 1006 to one or more clients 1002.


The illustrated aspects of the disclosure can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.


The above description includes non-limiting examples of the various embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods for purposes of describing the disclosed subject matter, and one skilled in the art can recognize that further combinations and permutations of the various embodiments are possible. The disclosed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.


With regard to the various functions performed by the above-described components, devices, circuits, systems, etc., the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to also include, unless otherwise indicated, any structure(s) which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., a functional equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure. In addition, while a particular feature of the disclosed subject matter may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature can be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.


The terms “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” as used herein are intended to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent structures and techniques known to one skilled in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive—in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word—without precluding any additional or other elements.


The term “or” as used herein is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” For example, the phrase “A or B” is intended to include instances of A, B, and both A and B. Additionally, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless either otherwise specified or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.


The term “set” as employed herein excludes the empty set, i.e., the set with no elements therein. Thus, a “set” in the subject disclosure includes one or more elements or entities. Likewise, the term “group” as utilized herein refers to a collection of one or more entities.


The description of illustrated embodiments of the subject disclosure as provided herein, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possible that are considered within the scope of such embodiments and examples, as one skilled in the art can recognize. In this regard, while the subject matter has been described herein in connection with various embodiments and corresponding drawings, where applicable, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments can be used or modifications and additions can be made to the described embodiments for performing the same, similar, alternative, or substitute function of the disclosed subject matter without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims below.


Further aspects of the invention are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses:


1. A system, comprising:

    • a memory that stores computer executable components; and
    • a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable components comprise:
    • a light determination component that determines whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation; and
    • a brake prefill component that, based upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, initiates a prefill for a braking system of a vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.


2. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the computer executable components further comprise:


a prefill disengage component that, in response to a defined amount of time elapsing after initiating the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle without further engagement of the braking system, releases the prefill of the braking system.


3. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the light determination component determines whether a brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the vehicle is engaged in the braking operation using a brake light model, and wherein the brake light model has been generated by a machine learning component using machine learning applied to past braking of other vehicles, other than the leading vehicle.


4. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the computer executable components further comprise:


a calibration component that calibrates the braking system of the vehicle based on brake pad condition, brake rotor condition, or brake fluid condition applicable to the vehicle.


5. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the prefill for a braking system of the vehicle removes an airgap between a brake pad of the vehicle and a brake rotor of the vehicle.


6. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the brake prefill component further initiates the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle based on an illumination of a traffic signal in a traveling direction of the vehicle.


7. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the light determination component comprises a camera of the vehicle.


8. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the computer executable components further comprise:


a braking component that, in response to a defined braking condition being determined to be satisfied, initiates a braking operation for the braking system of the vehicle.


9. The system of clause 1 above with any set of combinations of the systems of clauses 2-8 above.


10. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

    • determining whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation; and
    • based upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, initiating a prefill for a braking system of a vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.


11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the operations further comprise:


in response to a defined amount of time elapsing after initiating the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle without further engagement of the braking system, releasing the prefill of the braking system of the vehicle.


12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the operations further comprise:


determining whether a brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the vehicle is engaged in the braking operation using a brake light model, and wherein the brake light model has been generated using machine learning applied to past braking of other vehicles, other than the leading vehicle.


13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the operations further comprise:


calibrating the braking system of the vehicle based on brake pad condition, brake rotor condition, or brake fluid condition applicable to the vehicle.

  • 14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the prefill for a braking system of the vehicle removes an airgap between a brake pad of the vehicle and a brake rotor of the vehicle.


15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the operations further comprise:


further initiating the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle based on an illumination of a traffic signal in a traveling direction of the vehicle.


16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the operations further comprise:


in response to a defined braking condition being determined to be satisfied, initiating a braking operation for the braking system of the vehicle.


17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of clause 10 above with any set of combinations of the non-transitory machine-readable mediums of clauses 11-16 above.


18. A method, comprising:

    • determining, by a vehicle comprising a processor, whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation; and
    • based upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, initiating, by the vehicle, a prefill for a braking system of the vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.


19. The method of any preceding clause, further comprising:


in response to a defined amount of time elapsing after initiating the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle, releasing, by the vehicle, the prefill of the braking system of the vehicle.


20. The method of any preceding clause, further comprising:


determining, by the vehicle, whether a brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the vehicle is engaged in the braking operation using a brake light model, and wherein the brake light model has been generated using machine learning applied to past braking of other vehicles, other than the leading vehicle.


21. The method of any preceding clause, further comprising:


calibrating, by the vehicle, the braking system of the vehicle based on brake pad condition, brake rotor condition, or brake fluid condition applicable to the vehicle.


22. The method of any preceding clause, further comprising:


further initiating, by the vehicle, the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle based on an illumination of a traffic signal in a traveling direction of the vehicle.


23. The method of clause 18 above with any set of combinations of the methods of clauses 19-22 above.

Claims
  • 1. A system, comprising: a memory that stores computer executable components; anda processor that executes at least one of the computer executable components that: determines whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, wherein the determining comprises: in response to detecting an illumination of the brake light, determining whether the illumination of the brake light is associated with engagement of brakes of the leading vehicle in the braking operation or nighttime running light operation of the leading vehicle, comprising: in response to determining that a luminosity of the illumination satisfies a defined luminosity threshold, determining that the illumination is associated with the engagement of brakes of the leading vehicle; andin response to determining that the luminosity of the illumination does not satisfy the defined luminosity threshold, determining that the illumination is associated with the nighttime running light operation of the leading vehicle; andbased upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in the braking operation, initiates a prefill for a braking system of a vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.
  • 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the computer executable components further: in response to a defined amount of time elapsing after initiating the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle without further engagement of the braking system, releases the prefill of the braking system.
  • 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the vehicle is engaged in the braking operation employ a brake light model, and wherein the brake light model has been generated using machine learning applied to past braking of vehicles.
  • 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the computer executable components further: calibrates the braking system of the vehicle based on brake pad condition, brake rotor condition, or brake fluid condition applicable to the vehicle.
  • 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle removes an airgap between a brake pad of the vehicle and a brake rotor of the vehicle.
  • 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the computer executable components also initiates the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle based on detecting at least one of a yellow illuminated light or a red illuminated light of a traffic signal in a traveling direction of the vehicle.
  • 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a camera of the vehicle.
  • 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the computer executable components further: in response to a defined braking condition being determined to be satisfied, initiates a braking operation for the braking system of the vehicle.
  • 9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: determining whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, wherein the determining comprises: in response to detecting an illumination of the brake light, determining whether the illumination of the brake light is associated with engagement of brakes of the leading vehicle in the braking operation or nighttime running light operation of the leading vehicle, comprising: in response to determining that a luminosity of the illumination satisfies a defined luminosity threshold, determining that the illumination is associated with the engagement of brakes of the leading vehicle; andin response to determining that the luminosity of the illumination does not satisfy the defined luminosity threshold, determining that the illumination is associated with the nighttime running light operation of the leading vehicle; andbased upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in the braking operation, initiating a prefill for a braking system of a vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.
  • 10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: in response to a defined amount of time elapsing after initiating the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle without further engagement of the braking system, releasing the prefill of the braking system of the vehicle.
  • 11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the determining whether the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the vehicle is engaged in the braking operation employs a brake light model, and wherein the brake light model has been generated using machine learning applied to past braking of vehicles.
  • 12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: calibrating the braking system of the vehicle based on brake pad condition, brake rotor condition, or brake fluid condition applicable to the vehicle.
  • 13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle removes an airgap between a brake pad of the vehicle and a brake rotor of the vehicle.
  • 14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: initiating the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle based further on detecting at least one of a yellow illuminated light or a red illuminated light of a traffic signal in a traveling direction of the vehicle.
  • 15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: in response to a defined braking condition being determined to be satisfied, initiating a braking operation for the braking system of the vehicle.
  • 16. A method, comprising: determining, by a vehicle comprising a processor, whether a brake light of a leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in a braking operation, wherein the determining comprises: in response to detecting an illumination of the brake light, determining whether the illumination of the brake light is associated with engagement of brakes of the leading vehicle in the braking operation or nighttime running light operation of the leading vehicle, comprising: in response to determining that a luminosity of the illumination satisfies a defined luminosity threshold, determining that the illumination is associated with the engagement of brakes of the leading vehicle; andin response to determining that the luminosity of the illumination does not satisfy the defined luminosity threshold, determining that the illumination is associated with the nighttime running light operation of the leading vehicle; andbased upon a determination that the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the leading vehicle is engaged in the braking operation, initiating, by the vehicle, a prefill for a braking system of the vehicle, other than the leading vehicle.
  • 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: in response to a defined amount of time elapsing after initiating the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle, releasing, by the vehicle, the prefill of the braking system of the vehicle.
  • 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining whether the brake light of the leading vehicle indicates that the vehicle is engaged in the braking operation employs a brake light model, and wherein the brake light model has been generated using machine learning applied to past braking of vehicles.
  • 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: calibrating, by the vehicle, the braking system of the vehicle based on brake pad condition, brake rotor condition, or brake fluid condition applicable to the vehicle.
  • 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: initiating, by the vehicle, the prefill for the braking system of the vehicle based further on detecting at least one of a yellow illuminated light or a red illuminated light of a traffic signal in a traveling direction of the vehicle.