Traveling condition determination device

• US 20060287812A1
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Takashima, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 7/04 involving a vehicle which moves along the profile to be traced

Abstract

A traveling condition determination device for use in a vehicle includes an imaging unit for periodically capturing an image of a road on which the vehicle is traveling, a recognition unit for recognizing a marker on a side of the road relative to the vehicle, a detection unit for detecting an angle of the vehicle relative to the marker recognized by the recognition unit, a storage unit for storing the angle of the vehicle detected by the detection unit in an analyzable manner and a determination unit for determining a traveling condition of the vehicle based on the angle stored in the storage unit.

Claims

1. A traveling condition determination device for use in a vehicle comprising:

an imaging unit for periodically capturing an image of a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

a recognition unit for recognizing a marker on a side of the road relative to the vehicle;

a detection unit for detecting an angle of the vehicle relative to an arrangement of the marker recognized by the recognition unit;

a storage unit for storing the angle of the vehicle detected by the detection unit in an analyzable manner; and

a determination unit for determining a traveling condition of the vehicle based on the angle stored in the storage unit.

2. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 1 further comprising:

a pattern memory unit for memorizing a transition pattern of the angle in association with the traveling condition of the vehicle,

wherein the determination unit determines the traveling condition of the vehicle based on a comparison between the angle of the vehicle in the storage unit and the transition pattern of the angle memorized in the pattern memory unit.

3. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 1,

wherein the imaging unit interrupts capturing the image of the road when the vehicle is stopping.

4. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 1,

wherein the storage unit stores the angle of the vehicle for a predetermined number of captures in a first-in first-out manner.

5. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 2,

wherein the pattern memory unit memorizes the transition pattern of the angle that defines a straight travel of the vehicle along a road without turning.

6. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 2,

wherein the pattern memory unit memorizes the transition pattern of the angle that defines a going-out-of-the-road travel of the vehicle.

7. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 2,

wherein the pattern memory unit memorizes the transition pattern of the angle that defines at least one of a straight passing of the vehicle, a right turning of the vehicle and a left turning of the vehicle in an intersection.

8. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 2,

wherein the storage unit stores a marker attribute that associates the marker recognized by the recognition unit to one of a solid line marker and a broken line marker, and

the transition pattern of the angle in the pattern memory unit is in association with the marker attribute.

9. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 8,

wherein the pattern memory unit stores the transition pattern of the angle that defines the travel of the vehicle in a specific lane on the road.

10. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 2,

wherein the recognition unit recognizes a graphical marker on the road,

the pattern memory unit memorizes a marker pattern, and

the determination unit determines the traveling condition of the vehicle based on a comparison between the graphical marker detected by the recognition unit and the marker pattern in the pattern memory unit when the graphical marker is detected by the recognition unit.

11. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 1 further comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring one of the traveling condition of the vehicle and attribute information of a road on which the vehicle is traveling,

wherein the imaging unit changes an interval of imaging based on one of the traveling condition of the vehicle and the attribute information.

12. A navigation system for use in a vehicle having the traveling condition determination device as in claim 1 comprising:

a position detector for detecting an estimated current position of the vehicle;

a map data storage unit for storing map data; and

a map matching unit for determining a location of the vehicle based on matching of the estimated current position of the vehicle with a road on the map data,

wherein the map matching unit takes the current traveling condition of the vehicle determined by the determination unit into consideration for a process of map matching.

13. The navigation system as in claim 12 further comprising:

a display unit for displaying the location of the vehicle in the map data.

14. The navigation system determination unit as in claim 12,

wherein the determination unit determines the traveling condition of the vehicle in synchronization with a timing of the process of map matching by the map matching unit.

15. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 12,

wherein the determination unit determines the traveling condition of the vehicle based on the location of the vehicle.

16. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 12,

wherein the map matching unit matches the current position of the vehicle with a position of an intersection when the determination unit determines the traveling condition of the vehicle as one of a straight pass through the intersection, a right turn in the intersection and a left turn in the intersection.

17. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 13,

wherein the map matching unit interrupts the process of map matching when the traveling condition of the vehicle determined by the determination unit is that the vehicle is out of the road, and

the display unit displays the estimated current position of the vehicle in the map data when the process of map matching is interrupted.

18. The traveling condition determination device as in claim 13,

wherein the display unit displays a traveling condition illustration based on the traveling condition of the vehicle determined by the determination unit.