Vehicle surrounding information informing device

• US 20070279250A1
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kume, Takanori, Kore, Haruhisa, Kawamata, Shiyouta
• Granted Patent: US 7,688,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

An existing-area calculating device of a vehicle surrounding information informing device calculates an existing area where a dead-ground obstacle approaching an own vehicle is likely to exist, based on own-vehicle traveling information detected by an own-vehicle traveling information detecting device and information of a dead-ground obstacle of another-vehicle obstacle information detected by an another-vehicle obstacle detecting device. Then, an informing device informs the exiting area of the dead-ground obstacle. Accordingly, the passenger (driver) can surely recognize the existence of the dead-ground obstacle to take any proper action to avoid a possible collision with the dead-ground obstacle, thereby improving the reliability of the vehicle surrounding information informing device.

Claims

1. A vehicle surrounding information informing device, which informs a vehicle passenger of a surrounding obstacle information, comprising:

an own-vehicle traveling information detecting device to detect own-vehicle traveling information including a location, a moving speed and a moving direction of an own vehicle;

an information communication device to receive another-vehicle obstacle information including a location, a moving speed and a moving direction of an obstacle that exists around the own vehicle, the another-vehicle obstacle information being detected by another vehicle;

an existing-area calculating device to calculate an existing area where a dead-ground obstacle that approaches the own vehicle is likely to exist, based on the own-vehicle traveling information detected by said own-vehicle traveling information detecting device and information with respect to the dead-ground obstacle of the another-vehicle obstacle information, the dead-ground obstacle being the obstacle that is located within a dead ground of the own vehicle; and

an informing device to inform the existing area of the dead-ground obstacle calculated by said existing-area calculating device.

2. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 1, wherein said information communication device receives another-vehicle traveling information including a location, a moving speed and a moving direction of another vehicle that exists around the own vehicle, the another-vehicle obstacle information being detected by another vehicle, said existing-area calculating device calculates an existing area where a dead-ground another vehicle that approaches the own vehicle is likely to exist, based on the own-vehicle traveling information detected by said own-vehicle traveling information detecting device and information with respect to the dead-ground another vehicle of the another-vehicle traveling information, the dead-ground another vehicle being another vehicle that is located within the dead ground of the own vehicle, and said informing device informs the existing area of the dead-ground another vehicle calculated by said existing-area calculating device.

3. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 1, wherein said informing device comprises an indicator to indicate the existing area of the dead-ground obstacle.

4. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 3, wherein said existing-area calculating device calculates the existing area in which the dead-ground obstacle approaches closest to the own vehicle.

5. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 3, wherein said existing-area calculating device calculates an error-allowance existing area in which at least one of a detection error of the another-vehicle obstacle information by another vehicle and a communication error by said information communication device becomes a maximum.

6. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 5, wherein said indicator indicates the existing area and the error-allowance existing area in such a manner that the areas indicated are distinguishable from each other.

7. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 3, wherein said indicator comprises a window indicator that indicates the existing area of the dead-ground obstacle on at least one of a windshield, a side window, and a rear window.

8. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 7, wherein there is provided an eye-point detecting device to detect an eye position of a deriver of the own vehicle, and said window indicator indicates the existing area of the dead-ground obstacle in such a manner that the indicated existing area of the dead-ground obstacle overlaps an actual view of the driver.

9. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 3, wherein there is provided an obstacle identifying device to identify a kind of the obstacle detected by another vehicle, and said indicator distinguishably indicates the kind of the obstacle identified by the obstacle identifying device for the existing area.

10. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 1, further comprising an own-vehicle obstacle detecting device that includes at least one of a radar and a camera that are provided on the own vehicle to detect the obstacle, and a dead-ground obstacle detecting device to detect the dead-ground obstacle based on an own-vehicle obstacle information detected by said own-vehicle obstacle detecting device and the another-vehicle obstacle information.

11. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 10, wherein said dead-ground obstacle detecting device is provided on at least one of the own vehicle and another vehicle.

12. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 10, wherein said dead-ground obstacle detecting device is provided at an information center that is capable of communicating with the own vehicle and another vehicle.

13. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 11 wherein there is provided a map data base to store map information including road information with respect to plural roads, and said dead-ground obstacle detecting device detects the dead-ground obstacle that has a possibility of encountering the own vehicle further based on the information stored by said map data base.

14. The vehicle surrounding information informing device of claim 12, wherein there is provided a map data base at the information center to store map information including road information with respect to plural roads, and said dead-ground obstacle detecting device detects the dead-ground obstacle that has a possibility of encountering the own vehicle further based on the information stored by said map data base.