Vehicle recommendation speed display system

• US 20070262883A1
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kumabe, Hajime
• Granted Patent: US 7,911,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/936
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle recommendation speed display system includes a vehicle speed sensor, a recommendation speed processing unit that calculates a recommended speed based on a vehicle speed and a display unit that is usually mounted in a speedometer. The recommendation speed processing unit is configured to send information on the vehicle recommended speed to the display unit to display the recommended speed regardless of whether an actual vehicle speed is higher than the recommended speed or not in order to prevent a driver from being irritated by a difference between the actual vehicle speed and a vehicle speed intended by the driver.

Claims

1. A recommendation speed display system for a vehicle comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor;

a recommendation speed processing unit for providing a vehicle recommendation speed based on a vehicle speed sensed by the vehicle speed sensor; and

a display unit,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit is configured to send information on the vehicle recommendation speed to the display unit to display the information regardless of whether an actual vehicle speed is higher than the recommendation speed or not.

2. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 1 further comprising means for sensing vehicle conditions,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit provides a vehicle recommendation speed based on one of the vehicle conditions in addition to the vehicle speed.

3. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 1 further comprising means for monitoring a driver driving the vehicle,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit provides a vehicle recommendation speed based on a countenance of the driver in addition to the vehicle speed.

4. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 1 further comprising means for sensing road conditions relating to the vehicle,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit provides a vehicle recommendation speed based on information sensed by the means for sensing road conditions in addition to the vehicle speed.

5. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 4, wherein:

the recommendation speed processing unit comprises a neighboring circumstance recognition section connected to the means for sensing road conditions, a driver condition recognition section connected to the means for monitoring a driver driving the vehicle, a vehicle condition recognition section connected to the means for sensing vehicle conditions and means for calculating the recommendation speed; and

the means for sensing road conditions comprises at least one of a laser radar, a road-to-vehicle communication unit and a navigation system.

6. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 5 further comprising a display data formation section, connected to the display unit, for forming a display image based on the recommendation speed provided by the means for calculating the recommendation speed.

7. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 1,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit is configured to provide the recommendation speed that is selected from a plurality of candidates of the recommendation speed that are based on a plurality of kinds of information relating to the vehicle.

8. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 7, wherein the recommendation speed processing unit is configured to send the information to the display unit to display a basis of providing the recommendation speed in addition to the vehicle recommendation speed.

9. A recommendation speed display system for a vehicle having a speedometer as in claim 1, wherein the display unit is disposed in the speedometer.

10. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 1 further comprising an operating panel to be set by the driver and means for controlling speed of the vehicle within a control speed,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit further comprises a control speed calculation section for providing the control speed based on the set speed via the operating panel by the driver.

11. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 10,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit is configured to send information on the control speed to the display unit to display the control speed as a set speed.

12. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 10,

wherein the control speed calculation section is configured to provide a subordinate mode to control the vehicle speed based on a control speed that changes according to the recommendation speed displayed by the display unit.

13. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 12,

wherein the control speed calculation section is configured to further provide a limited period mode to control the vehicle speed based on the set speed in a limited period until the display recommendation speed changes.

14. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 9, wherein the display unit is configured to display the vehicle recommendation speed by a spot light at a portion that corresponds to a speed scale of the speedometer.

15. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 14, wherein the display unit is configured to further display colored message the color of which represents a degree of importance.