Driving state determining system

• US 20050280520A1
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kubo, Shunitsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,388,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal

Abstract

A driving state determining system in a vehicle recognizes an obstruction that may collide with the vehicle based on obtained various information. The system executes a plurality of danger determinations that have individual determination conditions, based on a relative distance and a relative speed with the obstruction to thereby comprehensively determine one of danger regions that the vehicle is situated in. The danger regions are classified depending on a danger degree. The system then outputs a determined result to relevant devices. Each of the relevant devices thereby determines operation by obtaining the comprehensively determined result outputted by the system. Consequently, the relevant devices can function more cooperatively and more effectively to lead to increase in safety than another system where each of relevant devices determines operation by individually collecting information.

Claims

1. A driving state determining system provided in a vehicle, the system comprising:

an obtaining unit that obtains information including vehicle information of the vehicle and surrounding information for understanding a state surrounding the vehicle;

a determining unit that

recognizes an obstruction that has a possibility of colliding with the vehicle based on the information and

executes a plurality of danger determinations that have individual determination conditions, based on a relative distance between the vehicle and the obstruction and a relative speed between the vehicle and the obstruction; and

an outputting unit that outputs to other devices a signal based on a result of a danger determination executed by the determining unit.

2. The driving state determining system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communicating unit that communicates with an outside to obtain second information,

wherein the determining unit

recognizes the obstruction additionally based on the second information.

3. The driving state determining system of claim 2,

wherein one of the danger determination is whether the vehicle is in a state where attention of a driver of the vehicle needs to be drawn based on the relative distance and the relative speed.

4. The driving state determining system of claim 3,

wherein, when the determining unit determines that the vehicle is in a state where attention of a driver of the vehicle needs to be drawn, the outputting unit outputs the signal that includes one of:

a signal for notifying that attention of a driver needs to be drawn;

a signal for causing a sound output device to output a warning sound; and

a signal for causing a display device to output a warning display.

5. The driving state determining system of claim 2,

wherein one of the danger determinations is whether the vehicle is in a state where a driver of the vehicle needs to start an operation for preventing danger based on the relative distance and the relative speed.

6. The driving state determining system of claim 5,

wherein, when the determining unit determines that the vehicle is in a state where a driver of the vehicle needs to start an operation for preventing danger, the outputting unit outputs the signal that includes one of:

a signal for notifying that a driver needs to start an operation for preventing danger;

a signal for vibrating a steering wheel of the vehicle;

a signal for vibrating a driver'"'"'s seat; and

a signal for fastening a seatbelt to cause the driver to recognize.

7. The driving state determining system of claim 2,

wherein one of the danger determinations is whether the vehicle is in a state where an ordinary braking function in a driving operation of the vehicle will unavoidably cause collision between the vehicle and the obstruction based on the relative distance and the relative speed.

8. The driving state determining system of claim 7,

wherein, when the determining unit determines that the vehicle is in a state where an ordinary braking function will unavoidably cause collision, the outputting unit outputs the signal that includes one of:

a signal for notifying a result determined by the determining unit;

a signal for forcibly braking the vehicle;

a signal for returning a driver'"'"'s seat to a normal position; and

a signal for fastening a seatbelt to fix the driver to the driver'"'"'s seat.

9. The driving state determining system of claim 2,

wherein the obtaining unit further obtains traffic regulation information relating to a traffic regulation of a road surrounding the vehicle, and

wherein the determining unit executes the danger determinations additionally based on the traffic regulation information.

10. The driving state determining system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communicating unit that communicates with a comparable second driving state determining system provided in a second vehicle,

wherein the obtaining unit obtains, via the communicating unit, information obtained by a comparable second obtaining unit included in the second driving state determining system.

11. A driving state determining system provided in a vehicle, the system comprising:

an obtaining unit that obtains information including vehicle information of the vehicle and surrounding information for understanding a state surrounding the vehicle;

a determining unit that

recognizes a point where the vehicle needs to stop based on the information and

executes a plurality of danger determinations that have individual determination conditions, based on a distance between the vehicle and the point and a speed of the vehicle; and

an outputting unit that outputs to other devices a signal based on a result of a danger determination executed by the determining unit.

12. The driving state determining system of claim 11, further comprising:

a communicating unit that communicates with an outside to obtain second information,

wherein the determining unit

recognizes the point additionally based on the second information.

13. The driving state determining system of claim 11,

wherein one of the danger determination is whether the vehicle is in a state where attention of a driver of the vehicle needs to be drawn based on the distance and the speed.

14. The driving state determining system of claim 13,

wherein, when the determining unit determines that the vehicle is in a state where attention of a driver of the vehicle needs to be drawn, the outputting unit outputs the signal that includes one of:

a signal for notifying that attention of a driver needs to be drawn;

a signal for causing a sound output device to output a warning sound; and

a signal for causing a display device to output a warning display.

15. The driving state determining system of claim 11,

wherein one of the danger determinations is whether the vehicle is in a state where a driver of the vehicle needs to start an operation for preventing danger based on the distance and the speed.

16. The driving state determining system of claim 15,

wherein, when the determining unit determines that the vehicle is in a state where a driver of the vehicle needs to start an operation for preventing danger, the outputting unit outputs the signal that includes one of:

a signal for notifying that a driver needs to start an operation for preventing danger;

a signal for vibrating a steering wheel of the vehicle;

a signal for vibrating a driver'"'"'s seat; and

a signal for fastening a seatbelt to cause the driver to recognize.

17. The driving state determining system of claim 11,

wherein one of the danger determinations is whether the vehicle is in a state where an ordinary braking function in a driving operation of the vehicle will unavoidably disable the vehicle from stopping before reaching the position based on the distance and the speed.

18. The driving state determining system of claim 17,

wherein, when the determining unit determines that the vehicle is in a state where an ordinary braking function unavoidably disables the vehicle from stopping before reaching the position, the outputting unit outputs the signal that includes one of:

a signal for notifying a result determined by the determining unit;

a signal for forcibly braking the vehicle;

a signal for returning a driver'"'"'s seat to a normal position; and

a signal for fastening a seatbelt to fix the driver to the driver'"'"'s seat.

19. The driving state determining system of claim 11,

wherein the obtaining unit further obtains traffic regulation information relating to a traffic regulation of a road surrounding the vehicle, and

wherein the determining unit executes the danger determinations additionally based on the traffic regulation information.

20. The driving state determining system of claim 11, further comprising:

a communicating unit that communicates with a comparable second driving state determining system provided in a second vehicle,

wherein the obtaining unit obtains, via the communicating unit, information obtained by a comparable second obtaining unit included in the second driving state determining system.

21. A driving state determining system provided in a vehicle, the system comprising:

an obtaining unit that obtains information including both vehicle information of the vehicle and surrounding information for understanding a state surrounding the vehicle;

a determining unit that

recognizes, based on the information, a prevention-necessitating target that necessitates the vehicle to prevent danger relating to the prevention-necessitating target and

executes a plurality of danger determinations that have individual determination conditions, based on a distance and a speed with respect to the prevention-necessitating target; and

an outputting unit that outputs to other devices a signal based on a result of a danger determination executed by the determining unit.

22. The driving state determining system of claim 21, further comprising:

a communicating unit that communicates with an outside to obtain second information,

wherein the determining unit

recognizes the prevention-necessitating target additionally based on the second information.

23. The driving state determining system of claim 22,

wherein the prevention-necessitating target includes one of an obstruction and a temporary-stop-required position, and

wherein the obstruction has a possibility of colliding with the vehicle while the temporary-stop-required position is a position where the vehicle needs to temporarily stop.

24. A driving state determining method provided in a vehicle, the method comprising steps:

obtaining information including both vehicle information of the vehicle and surrounding information for understanding a state surrounding the vehicle;

recognizing, based on the information, a prevention-necessitating target that necessitates the vehicle to prevent danger relating to the prevention-necessitating target;

executing one of a plurality of danger determinations that have individual determination conditions, based on a distance and a speed with respect to the prevention-necessitating target; and

outputting to other devices a signal based on a result of the one of the plurality of danger determinations executed.