Vehicle speed limit display device

• US 10,005,360 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujimaki, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JR., WILLARD A
• Application Number:
  US15/152,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20160332517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A speed limit display device for a vehicle, includes an indicator configured to display information related to a speed limit of a road; an image obtaining device configured to capture an image of a landscape and obtain image data of the landscape; and an electronic control unit configured to detect the speed limit indicated on a traffic sign in the captured landscape, and display the speed limit on the indicator. The electronic control unit is configured to i) determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied when the traffic sign is detected, the predetermined condition including a condition that a distance between the vehicle and the traffic sign be less than a predetermined distance, ii) display the detected speed limit when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and iii) not display the detected speed limit when the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

Claims

1. A speed limit display control device for a vehicle, comprising:

an image obtaining device configured to obtain an image of a landscape in a direction in which the vehicle is traveling; and

an electronic control unit configured to (i) detect a speed limit indicated on a traffic sign in the landscape based on the image, (ii) display the speed limit when a distance between the vehicle and the traffic sign is a predetermined distance or less, (iii) not display the speed limit when the distance between the vehicle and the traffic sign is greater than the predetermined distance, and (iv) set the predetermined distance larger when the speed limit is higher than a predetermined speed, than when the speed limit is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed.

2. The speed limit display control device according to claim 1, wherein the image obtaining device is a camera with an optic axis aligned with a vehicle body front-rear direction.

3. The speed limit display control device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to detect in the landscape a supplemental speed limit indicated on a traffic sign with a speed limit and a condition in which the in the speed limit applies, and

the electronic control unit is configured to display the speed limit on a first portion of the indicator and display the supplemental speed limit on a second portion of the indicator.

4. A vehicle comprising:

the speed limit control display device according to claim 1; and

an indicator mounted in the vehicle, the indicator configured to display information related to the speed limit detected by the electronic control unit.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the electronic control unit displays the speed limit on the indicator.

6. A speed limit display control method for a vehicle, the method comprising:

obtaining with a camera an image of a landscape in a direction in which the vehicle is traveling;

detecting with an electronic control unit a speed limit indicated on a traffic sign in the landscape based on the image;

display the speed limit when a distance between the vehicle and the traffic sign is a predetermined distance or less;

not displaying the speed limit when the distance between the vehicle and the traffic sign is greater than the predetermined distance; and

setting with the electronic control unit the predetermined distance larger when the speed limit is higher than a predetermined speed, than when the speed limit is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed.