Vehicle traveling support control apparatus

• US 10,639,991 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ho, Shien, Yahata, Yoshitaka, Sugiyama, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Chace, Christian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Kyung J
• Application Number:
  US15/386,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20170174080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2031/0025 Detecting position of target vehicle, e.g. vehicle driving ahead from host vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/161 Explanation of functions, e.g. instructions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0088 Adaptive recalibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/13 Mileage
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/18 Distance travelled
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map

Abstract

A vehicle traveling support control apparatus includes a traveling environment determining portion that determines a traveling environment of a vehicle, a support device determining portion that determines a serviceable traveling support device from one or more traveling support devices mounted in the vehicle in accordance with the traveling environment determined by the traveling environment determining portion, a presentation portion that presents support guidance of the serviceable traveling support device, and a control portion that controls the presentation portion to present the support guidance of the serviceable traveling support device based on use frequency of the serviceable traveling support device determined by the support device determining portion.

Claims

1. A vehicle traveling support control apparatus comprising:

a traveling environment determining portion that determines a traveling environment of a vehicle;

a support device determining portion that determines a serviceable traveling support device from one or more traveling support devices mounted in the vehicle in accordance with the traveling environment determined by the traveling environment determining portion;

a presentation portion that presents support guidance of the serviceable traveling support device;

a control portion that controls the presentation portion to present the support guidance of the serviceable traveling support device based on a use frequency of the serviceable traveling support device determined by the support device determining portion; and

a use frequency determining portion that determines the use frequency of the traveling support device by counting a number of times that the serviceable traveling support device is used,

wherein the control portion changes the support guidance presented by the presentation portion when the counted number of times is equal to or larger than a predetermined number of times, and

wherein the supporting guidance displayed, when the counted number is equal to or larger than the predetermined number of times, is more simple than the supporting guidance displayed when the counted number of times is smaller than the predetermined number of times.

2. The vehicle traveling support control apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a traveling distance detecting portion which detects a traveling distance of the vehicle,

wherein the control portion controls the presentation portion to present the support guidance of the serviceable traveling support device in a case where the traveling distance detected by the traveling distance detecting portion is larger than a predetermined distance.

3. The vehicle traveling support control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control portion controls the presentation portion to present, as the support guidance, contents for inquiring whether to use the serviceable traveling support device determined by the support device determining portion or not when the use frequency is equal to or larger than the predetermined number of times which has been set in advance.

4. The vehicle traveling support control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control portion selects inquiring the driver whether to use the serviceable traveling support device when the use frequency is equal to or larger than the predetermined number of times.

5. The vehicle traveling support control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control portion controls the presentation portion to present, as the support guidance, contents for urging a user to use at least the serviceable traveling support device determined by the support device determining portion when the use frequency is smaller than the predetermined number of times which has been set in advance.

6. The vehicle traveling support control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control portion selects one of urging the driver to use the serviceable traveling support device and indicating a method of operating the serviceable traveling support device when the use frequency is smaller than the predetermined number of times.

7. The vehicle traveling support control apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the control portion selects urging the driver to use the serviceable traveling support device when the user frequency is zero.

8. The vehicle traveling support control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the serviceable traveling support device includes an adaptive cruise control device that at least one of automatically controls a traveling speed of the vehicle constant and automatically controls a distance from a preceding vehicle.

9. The vehicle traveling support control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the serviceable traveling support device includes a lane keeping assist device that controls a steering force to keep the vehicle between traveling lanes.