Driving support system

• US 20050085954A1
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Isaji, Kazuyoshi, Tsuru, Naohiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,440,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/00 Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions for electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; road vehicle drive control systems for purposes not related to the control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/00; drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/082 using alarm actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/007 adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/008 Control of feed-back to the steering input member, e.g. simulating road feel in steer-by-wire applications
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

In a driving support system, a necessary information amount determining section determines the amount of visual information necessary for safe driving. An information acquisition capacity setting section sets an information acquisition capacity of a driver. A comparing section compares the necessary information amount with the information acquisition capacity and determines a difference between the two. If a possibility of collision between an object and a vehicle is determined by a collision possibility determining section, a driving support level setting section sets a level of driving support based on the difference.

Claims

1. A driving support system comprising:

information amount determining means for determining an amount of visual information on objects, the objects necessary to be recognized by a driver for safe driving of a vehicle;

information acquisition capacity setting means for estimating a level of the driver in acquiring visual information and setting the estimated level as a visual information acquisition capacity of the driver;

driving support means for providing support to the driver in driving the vehicle; and

driving support level setting means for setting a level of driving support provided by the driving support means based on the visual information amount and the visual information acquisition capacity.

2. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein:

the driving support means includes at least one of caution indicating means for providing support in driving of the vehicle by notifying the driver that caution is required and driving operation supporting means for providing support in driving operation of the vehicle; and

the driving support level setting means sets a support level of at least one of the caution indicating means and the driving operation support means.

3. The driving support system according to claim 2, wherein the driving support level setting means adjusts the support level of both the caution indicating means and the driving operation support means.

4. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein:

the information amount determining means determines the amount of the information obtained per a predetermined time; and

the information acquisition capacity setting means sets an information acquisition capacity that the driver can visually obtain in a predetermined period of time.

5. The driving support system according to claim 1, further comprising:

object detecting means for detecting objects around the vehicle; and

object selecting means for selecting objects necessary to be recognized by the driver for safe driving from the detected objects and determining a number of selected objects, wherein

the information amount determining means determines the amount of visual information based on the number of the selected objects.

6. The driving support system according to claim 5, further comprising obstacle selecting means for selecting an object that becomes an obstacle to safe driving from the selected objects and determining the selected object as an obstacle, wherein

the driving support means provides support in driving of the vehicle to avoid the obstacle.

7. The driving support system according to claim 5, further comprising:

position detecting means for detecting a current position of the vehicle;

object classifying means for classifying objects for each of different road conditions and determining a number of the objects in each road condition; and

storing means for storing the number of objects in relation to a current position on a map, wherein

at least one of the object classifying means and the object selecting means determines the number of objects in consideration of at least one of time of a day, a day of a week, and weather, and

the information amount determining means determines the amount of visual information based on the number of objects determined with such consideration.

8. The driving support system according to claim 1, further comprising:

position detecting means for detecting a current position of the vehicle; and

object classifying means for determining a number of objects, the objects necessary to be recognized by the driver for safe driving, for each of different road conditions, wherein

the information amount determining means determines the amount of visual information based on the determined number of the objects.

9. The driving support system according to claim 8, wherein the object classifying means determines the number of the objects in consideration of at least one of time of a day, a day of a week, and weather.

10. The driving support system according to claim 1, further comprising:

position detecting means for detecting a current position of the vehicle; and

storing means for storing a number of objects, the objects necessary to be recognized by the driver for same driving, in relation to a current position on a map, wherein

the information amount determining means obtains the number of the objects related to the current position of the vehicle from the storing means and determines the amount of visual information based on the obtained number of the objects.

11. The driving support system according to claim 10, wherein the storing means stores the number of the objects in consideration of at least one of time of a day, a day of a week, and weather.

12. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the objects include an obstacle to driving and a road facility.

13. The driving support system according to claim 1, further comprising driver information inputting means for inputting individual information on the driver, wherein

the information acquisition capacity setting means sets the information acquisition capacity based on the individual information on the driver.