Driving support device and driving support method

• US 10,163,344 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2018
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Maeda, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, James J
• Application Number:
  US15/880,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20180151067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A driving support device includes: an intersection information acquiring unit 3 to obtain signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of a road along which the vehicle is traveling and to obtain distances to the intersections; a vehicle state detector 4 to detect a position and speed of travel of the vehicle; a signal passableness deciding unit 5 to decide a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals by the vehicle from the signal light information, the distances to the intersections, and the position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and a display controller 7 to display the passable or impassable state of the traffic signals decided by the signal passableness deciding unit 5 by changes of color on the map.

Claims

1. A driving support device for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, the driving support device comprising:

an intersection information acquirer to obtain signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of the vehicle on a road along which the vehicle is traveling and to obtain distances to the intersections;

a vehicle state detector to detect a position and speed of travel of the vehicle;

a signal passableness decider to decide a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals on a basis of the obtained signal light information, the obtained distances to the intersections, and the detected position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and

a display controller to display the road on a display,

wherein the display controller is configured to display the road in a first color for a section of the road controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as passable by the signal passableness decider, and to display the road in a second color, different from the first color, for another section of the road controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as impassable by the signal passableness decider.

2. A driving support device for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, the driving support device comprising:

an intersection information acquirer to obtain signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of the vehicle on a road along which the vehicle is traveling and to obtain distances to the intersections;

a vehicle state detector to detect a position and speed of travel of the vehicle;

a signal passableness decider to decide a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals on a basis of the obtained signal light information, the obtained distances to the intersections, and the detected position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and

a display controller to display the road on a display,

wherein the display controller is configured to display the road in a first color in a case in which the road is controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as passable by the signal passableness decider, and to display the road in a second color, different from the first color, in a case in which the road is controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as impassable by the signal passableness decider.

3. A driving support device for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, the driving support device comprising:

an intersection information acquirer to obtain signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of the vehicle on a road along which the vehicle is traveling and to obtain distances to the intersections;

a vehicle state detector to detect a position and speed of travel of the vehicle;

a signal passableness decider to decide a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals on a basis of the obtained signal light information, the obtained distances to the intersections, and the detected position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and

a display controller to display the road on a display,

wherein the display controller is configured to display the road in a first color for a road whose traffic is controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as passable by the signal passableness decider, and to display the road in a second color, different from the first color, for another road whose traffic is controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as impassable by the signal passableness decider.

4. A driving support device for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, the driving support device comprising:

an intersection information acquirer to obtain signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of the vehicle on a road along which the vehicle is traveling and to obtain distances to the intersections;

a vehicle state detector to detect a position and speed of travel of the vehicle;

a signal passableness decider to decide a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals on a basis of the obtained signal light information, the obtained distances to the intersections, and the detected position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and

a display controller to display the road on a display,

wherein the display controller is configured to display a road adjacent to a traffic signal that is decided as passable by the signal passableness decider in a first color, and to display another road adjacent to a traffic signal that is decided as impassable by the signal passableness decider in a second color different from the first color.

5. A driving support method for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, comprising:

obtaining, by an intersection information acquirer, signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of the vehicle on a road along which the vehicle is traveling and obtaining distances to the intersections;

detecting, by a vehicle state detector, a position and speed of travel of the vehicle;

deciding, by a signal passableness decider, a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals on a basis of the obtained signal light information, the obtained distances to the intersections, and the detected position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and

displaying, by a display controller, the road on a display,

wherein the displaying comprises displaying the road in a first color for a section of the road controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as passable by the signal passableness decider, and displaying the road in a second color, different from the first color, for another section of the road controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as impassable by the signal passableness decider.

6. A driving support method for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, comprising:

obtaining, by an intersection information acquirer, signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of the vehicle on a road along which the vehicle is traveling and obtaining distances to the intersections;

detecting, by a vehicle state detector, a position and speed of travel of the vehicle;

deciding, by a signal passableness decider, a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals on a basis of the obtained signal light information, the obtained distances to the intersections, and the detected position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and

displaying, by a display controller, the road on a display,

wherein the displaying comprises displaying the road in a first color in a case in which the road is controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as passable by the signal passableness decider, and displaying the road in a second color, different from the first color, in a case in which the road is controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as impassable by the signal passableness decider.

7. A driving support method for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, comprising:

obtaining, by an intersection information acquirer, signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of the vehicle on a road along which the vehicle is traveling and obtaining distances to the intersections;

detecting, by a vehicle state detector, a position and speed of travel of the vehicle;

deciding, by a signal passableness decider, a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals on a basis of the obtained signal light information, the obtained distances to the intersections, and the detected position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and

displaying, by a display controller, the road on a display,

wherein the displaying comprises displaying the road in a first color for a road whose traffic is controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as passable by the signal passableness decider, and displaying the road in a second color, different from the first color, for another road whose traffic is controlled by a traffic signal that is decided as impassable by the signal passableness decider.

8. A driving support method for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, comprising:

obtaining, by an intersection information acquirer, signal light information about traffic signals installed at one or more intersections ahead of the vehicle on a road along which the vehicle is traveling and obtaining distances to the intersections;

detecting, by a vehicle state detector, a position and speed of travel of the vehicle;

deciding, by a signal passableness decider, a passable or impassable state of the traffic signals on a basis of the obtained signal light information, the obtained distances to the intersections, and the detected position and speed of travel of the vehicle; and

displaying, by a display controller, the road on a display,

wherein the displaying comprises displaying a road adjacent to a traffic signal that is decided as passable by the signal passableness decider in a first color, and displaying another road adjacent to a traffic signal that is decided as impassable by the signal passableness decider in a second color different from the first color.