Image forming system

• US 20070280503A1
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kubota, Tomoki, Okabe, Hidefumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,862,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/543 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle indicating taxis' state of hire or fare G07B13/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

When it is determined that the subject vehicle stopped at the intersection is in the right turn waiting state, the navigation ECU forms a right turn waiting mark representing the right turn waiting state on the road surface of the opposite lane at the intersection where the subject vehicle is stopped with visually identifiable laser beam with a predetermined color. When it is determined that the subject vehicle is brought into the right turn start state from the right turn waiting state where the subject vehicle is stopped at the intersection, the navigation ECU forms the right turn start mark representing the right turn start state instead of the right turn waiting mark on the road surface of the opposite lane at the intersection where the subject vehicle enters with the visually identifiable laser beam with the color (for example, red) different from that of the right turn waiting mark at substantially the same position thereof in accordance with the traveling state of the subject vehicle.

Claims

1. An image forming system comprising:

an image forming unit that forms a mark with a predetermined shape on a road surface ahead of a subject vehicle in a traveling direction;

a right turn start detection unit that detects whether or not a state of the subject vehicle has been changed from a right turn waiting state where the subject vehicle is stopped at an intersection to a right turn start state; and

a first image forming control unit that drives the image forming unit to form a right turn start mark with the predetermined shape representing that the subject vehicle is in the right turn start state on the road surface of a lane opposite the subject vehicle at the intersection to which the subject vehicle enters in the case where the right turn start detection unit detects the right turn start state.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a right turn waiting detection unit that detects whether or not the subject vehicle stopped at the intersection is in the right turn waiting state; and

a second image forming control unit that drives the image forming unit to form a right turn waiting mark with a predetermined shape representing that the subject vehicle stopped at the intersection is in the right turn waiting state on the road surface of the lane opposite the subject vehicle at the intersection in the case where the right turn waiting detection unit detects the right turn waiting state.

3. The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein the first image forming control unit drives the image forming unit to form the right turn start mark on a position where the right turn waiting mark has been formed by the second image forming control unit, and to form the right turn start mark with one of color or shape different from those of the right turn waiting mark.

4. The image forming system according to claims 1, further comprising a leading vehicle detection unit that detects whether or not a leading vehicle which is going to turn right exists ahead of the subject vehicle, wherein the first image forming control unit drives the image forming unit so as not to form the right turn start mark when the leading vehicle detection unit detects the existence of the leading vehicle which is going to turn right ahead of the subject vehicle.

5. The image forming system according to claim 4, wherein the second image forming control unit drives the image forming unit not to form the right turn waiting mark when the leading vehicle detection unit detects the existence of the leading vehicle which is going to turn right ahead of the subject vehicle.

6. The image forming system according to claims 1, further comprising a passage detection unit that detects whether or not the subject vehicle has passed a point adjacent to an image forming position at which the right turn start mark has been formed, wherein the first image forming control unit drives the image forming unit to terminate formation of the right turn start mark in response to detection of passage of the subject vehicle around the image forming position by the passage detection unit.