Driving support apparatus and driving support method

• US 20060293819A1
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Motohiro, Matsuo, Tomohiro, Harumoto, Satoshi, Tomiyama, Kouichi, Yamato, Toshitaka, Matsuda, Yuusaku, Takatori, Tsuyoshi, Sakiyama, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models

Abstract

A driving support apparatus supports a driver in driving a vehicle. The driving support apparatus determines a state of the vehicle by collecting information concerning an operating condition of the vehicle, determines a plurality of optimum operations of the vehicle to achieve a corresponding objective based on the determined state, and arbitrates determined the optimum operations.

Claims

1. A driving support apparatus that supports a driver in driving a vehicle, the driving support apparatus comprising:

a state determining unit that determines a state of the vehicle by collecting information concerning an operating condition of the vehicle;

a plurality of operation determination service providing units each of which determines an optimum operation of the vehicle to achieve a corresponding objective based on the state determined by the state determining unit; and

an operation arbitrating unit that arbitrates the optimum operations determined by the operation determination service providing units.

2. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation determination service providing units include at least two of

a curved road running support service providing unit that supports running of the vehicle on a road having a curved portion;

an intersection running support service providing unit that supports running of the vehicle on a road having an intersection; and

a slope road running support service providing unit that supports running of the vehicle on a road having an inclined portion.

3. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation arbitrating unit calculates an ideal running model for the vehicle from the optimum operations.

4. The driving support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation arbitrating unit calculates the running model beforehand, using at least one of a route on which the vehicle is scheduled to run, either of a shape and a slope of the scheduled running route, weather at a scheduled running time, and a traffic condition.

5. The driving support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation arbitrating unit corrects the running model based on a situation around the vehicle.

6. The driving support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the situation around the vehicle include at least one of a state of a road surface on which the vehicle is running, a state of other vehicle on the road on which the vehicle is running, a state of a pedestrian on the road on which the vehicle is running, and a traffic condition on the road on which the vehicle is running.

7. The driving support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the running model includes a speed change model indicating a relationship between a position of the vehicle on a road and a speed of the vehicle.

8. The driving support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation arbitrating unit calculates the running model following a control policy to be kept in common by the operation determination service providing units.

9. The driving support apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the operation arbitrating unit calculates the running model following a control policy to be kept in common by the operation determination service providing units, wherein the control policy is a maximum acceleration level.

10. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification arbitrating unit that arbitrates contents to be notified to a driver based on arbitration performed by the operation arbitrating unit.

11. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation arbitrating unit places priority to operation control necessary to avoid risk over a result of a determination made by the operation determination service providing unit, when the risk avoidance is necessary as a result of a determination made by the state determining unit.

12. A driving support method of supporting a driver in driving a vehicle, the driving support method comprising:

determining a state of the vehicle by collecting information concerning an operating condition of the vehicle;

determining a plurality of optimum operations of the vehicle to achieve a corresponding objective based on the state determined at the determining; and

arbitrating the optimum operations determined at the determining.