Intersection information provision system and driving assist system

• US 20080055056A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Ichirou, Mase, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 7,777,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

In an intersection information provision system, multiple cameras are installed oriented towards the direction where each road extends from the intersection. Each camera captures as an image or video the state ranging from the intersection to each road. Therefore, the area of the captured image by each camera is narrowed down. When this captured image is displayed in a display unit of a navigation apparatus in a vehicle, the driver of the vehicle can perform safety check easily. Furthermore, according to the traveling direction of the vehicle at the intersection, a display pattern of several captured images to be displayed is determined. According to the determined display pattern, multiple captured images are displayed in order. Therefore, image information required to pass through the intersection safely can be offered without shortage to the driver of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An intersection information provision system comprising:

an over-road apparatus provided over a road around an intersection; and

an in-vehicle apparatus provided in a vehicle and having a display unit for displaying an image,

wherein the over-road apparatus includes;

a plurality of capturing devices, each capturing device oriented towards a direction where each road extends from the intersection, the each capturing device capturing as an image a state ranging from the intersection to each road; and

a transmission unit which transmits, to the in-vehicle apparatus, a captured image captured by each of the plurality of capturing devices,

wherein the in-vehicle apparatus includes;

a traveling direction detection unit which detects a traveling direction of the vehicle at the intersection;

a determination unit to determine several captured images which are to be displayed in the display unit from among a plurality of captured images by the plurality of capturing devices of the over-road apparatus, based on the detected traveling direction of the vehicle at the intersection;

a reception unit which receives at least the determined captured images; and

a display control unit which switches to display the received captured images in order in the display unit.

2. The intersection information provision system of claim 1, wherein

when the traveling direction detection unit detects that the vehicle is to run straight the intersection, the determination unit determines captured images capturing states of cross roads which intersect with a running road the vehicle runs as the several captured images which are to be displayed in the display unit.

3. The intersection information provision system of claim 1, wherein

when the traveling direction detection unit detects that the vehicle is to cross an oncoming lane at the intersection to turn, the determination unit determines, as the several captured images which are to be displayed in the display unit, a captured image which captures a state of a road of the oncoming lane and a captured image which captures a state of a road the vehicle is to enter after turning.

4. The intersection information provision system of claim 3, wherein

when the vehicle is to cross the oncoming lane to turn at the intersection, the determination unit further determines a captured image capturing a state of a road extending from the intersection to a direction opposite to a direction of a road which the vehicle is to enter after turning as one of the several captured images which are to be displayed in the display unit.

5. The intersection information provision system of claim 1, wherein

when the traveling direction detection unit detects that the vehicle is to turn without crossing an oncoming lane at the intersection, the determination unit determines, as the several captured images which are to be displayed in the display unit, a captured image which captures a state of a road the vehicle is to enter after turning, and a captured image which captures a state of a road extending from the intersection to a direction opposite to a direction of a road the vehicle is to enter after turning.

6. The intersection information provision system of claim 1, further comprising:

an in-vehicle capturing device provided in the vehicle for capturing as images a right side, a left side, a right back, and a left back of the vehicle, wherein

when the traveling direction detection unit detects that the vehicle is to advance in a certain direction other than a direction to run straight at the intersection, the determination unit further determines, as the several captured images which are to be displayed in the display unit, captured images of a side and a back of the vehicle, which are captured by the in-vehicle capturing device and correspond to the certain direction in which the vehicle is to advance.

7. The intersection information provision system of claim 6, wherein

after displaying the captured images by the in-vehicle capturing device in the display unit, the display control unit displays the captured images by the capturing devices of the over-road apparatus.

8. A driving assist system comprising:

an over-road apparatus provided over a road around an intersection; and

an in-vehicle apparatus provided in a vehicle and having a display unit for displaying an image,

wherein the over-road apparatus includes;

a plurality of capturing devices, each of which is oriented towards a direction, where each road extends from the intersection and for capturing as an image a state ranging from the intersection to each road; and

a transmission unit which transmits, to the in-vehicle apparatus, a captured image captured by each of the plurality of capturing devices, and

wherein the in-vehicle apparatus includes;

a traveling direction detection unit to detect a traveling direction of the vehicle at the intersection;

a reception unit which receives the captured images by the capturing devices of the over-road apparatus;

an in-vehicle capturing device which captures as images a right side, a left side, a right back, and a left back of the vehicle;

a determination unit to determine several captured images which are to be displayed in the display unit from among a plurality of captured images by the plurality of capturing devices of the over-road apparatus and by the in-vehicle capturing device, based on the detected traveling direction of the vehicle at the intersection; and

a display control unit which switches to display the determined captured images in order in the display unit.

9. The driving assist system of claim 8, wherein

when the traveling direction detection unit detects that the vehicle advances in a certain direction other than a direction to run straight at the intersection,

(i) the determination unit determines, as the several captured images which are to displayed in the display unit, captured images which captures a vehicle'"'"'s side and a vehicle'"'"'s back corresponding to the certain direction in which the vehicle is to advance, and

(ii) the display control unit displays the captured images by the capturing devices of the over-road apparatus after displaying the captured images by the in-vehicle capturing device.

10. A method for displaying images for assisting a driver in passing through an intersection, the method comprising:

capturing as an image each area ranging from the intersection to each cross road crossing at the intersection by using a corresponding over-road capturing device around the intersection to thereby generate and transmit captured images for all the cross roads;

detecting a traveling direction of the vehicle in which the vehicle is to pass through the intersection;

determining captured images, which are to be displayed in the display unit, from among the transmitted captured images for all the cross roads based on the detected traveling direction of the vehicle; and

switching to display the determined captured images in order in the display unit.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

capturing as an image a side and/or a back of the vehicle by using an in-vehicle capturing device;

wherein

when it is determined that the vehicle is to turn to a certain direction instead of running straight at the intersection in the detecting the traveling direction of the vehicle, captured images of the side and/or the back of the vehicle, which are captured by the in-vehicle capturing device and correspond to the certain direction, are further determined in the determining captured images which are to be displayed in the display unit.