Vehicle Operation Support Method and System

• US 20080225271A1
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Ohmura, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US12/044,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20080225271A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/51
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/134 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle operation support system and an associated method of improving a driver'"'"'s visibility. The vehicle may be equipped with at least one UV light which irradiates the ambient environment with UV radiation. In some examples, the direction or the intensity of UV radiation may be changed in response to vehicle and environment variables.

Claims

1. A method of improving a driver'"'"'s visibility of the environment outside a vehicle equipped with at least one UV light which irradiates the ambient environment of said vehicle with UV radiation, the method comprising:

irradiating the ambient environment of said vehicle with UV radiation from said UV light; and

changing a direction of irradiation of said UV radiation.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said vehicle is equipped with a sensor which detects an object in the ambient environment of said vehicle;

and

wherein said changing the direction of irradiation of UV radiation includes changing the direction according to a detection result of said sensor.

3. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising determining a collision possibility of the object with said vehicle detected by said sensor;

wherein said changing the direction of irradiation of said UV radiation includes directing the direction to said object upon it being determined that the object has a predetermined degree of the collision possibility with the vehicle.

4. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising changing an intensity of said UV radiation reaching said object detected by said sensor according to a determined type of said object.

5. The method as described in claim 4, wherein said intensity of said UV radiation reaching said object is set to a first intensity when said object is not determined to be a pedestrian and wherein said intensity is set to a second intensity that is lower than said first intensity when said object is determined to be a pedestrian.

6. The method as described in claim 2, wherein changing the direction of irradiation of said UV radiation irradiated from said UV light occurs when a plurality of objects are detected by said sensor.

7. The method as described in claim 6, further comprising setting an order of priority for each object according to a degree of risk of collision of each object with said vehicle;

wherein said changing the direction of irradiation of said UV radiation includes changing the direction according to said order of priority of each object.

8. The method as described in claim 7, wherein selecting at least one object from said plurality of objects occurs on the basis of said order of priority;

and

wherein said changing the direction of irradiation of said UV radiation includes directing said UV radiation to selected objects.

9. The method as described in claim 6, further comprising calculating the center position of said plurality of objects along a vehicle width direction and a vehicle longitudinal direction;

wherein said changing the direction of irradiation of said UV radiation includes directing said UV radiation to said center position.

10. The method as described in claim 9, further comprising expanding the irradiation range of said UV radiation while directing said UV radiation to said center position.

11. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising changing an irradiation range of said UV radiation irradiated from said UV light when a plurality of objects are detected by said sensor.

12. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said vehicle is equipped with a right UV light on a right-hand side of a vehicle body and a left UV light on a left-hand side of said vehicle body, the method further comprising:

determining whether said object detected by said sensor is on a right-hand side of said vehicle or on a left-hand side of said vehicle;

wherein irradiating said object on the right-hand side is accomplished with UV radiation from said right UV light and irradiating said object on the left-hand side is accomplished with UV radiation from said left UV light.

13. A vehicle operation support system, comprising:

at least one UV light irradiating an ambient environment of a vehicle;

at least one actuator capable of changing a direction of UV irradiation from the UV light; and

a controller configured to control said at least one actuator.

14. The system as described in claim 13, further comprising:

a sensor which detects an object in the ambient environment of said vehicle and that is capable of communicating with said controller;

wherein said controller is configured to control said actuator according to an input from said sensor.

15. The system as described in claim 13, wherein a right UV light which irradiates a vehicle right side front area with UV radiation is provided on a right-hand side of a vehicle front body, a left UV light which irradiates a vehicle left side front area with UV radiation is provided on a left-hand side of said vehicle front body, the system further comprising:

a first actuator capable of changing the direction of said UV radiation from said right UV light; and

a second actuator capable of changing the direction of said UV radiation from said left UV light.

16. The system as described in claim 14, wherein said controller is configured to determine a collision possibility of the object detected by said sensor with said vehicle, and wherein the controller controls said actuator such that said direction of irradiation is directed to said object upon determining that the object has a predetermined degree of collision possibility.

17. The system as described in claim 14, further comprising:

an intensity changing mechanism for changing an intensity of said UV radiation reaching said object detected by said sensor;

wherein said controller is configured to determine a type of said object and is configured to control said intensity changing mechanism according to the determined type of object.

18. The system as described in claim 17, wherein said controller is configured to determine whether said object detected by said sensor is a pedestrian or not, and to control said intensity changing mechanism such that an intensity of said UV radiation reaching said object is set to a first intensity when said object is not determined to be a pedestrian and said intensity is set to a second intensity that is lower than said first intensity when said object is determined to be a pedestrian.

19. The system as described in claim 14, wherein said controller is configured to set an order of priority for each object according to a degree of risk of collision with the vehicle when a plurality of objects are detected by said sensor, and to change the direction of irradiation of said UV radiation according to said order of priority for each object.

20. The system as described in claim 15 wherein said controller is configured to determine whether said object detected by said sensor is on a right-hand side of said vehicle or a on a left-hand side of said vehicle, to control said first actuator such that said first UV light irradiates said object when said object is on the right-hand side of said vehicle and to control said second actuator such that said second UV light irradiates said object when said object is on the left-hand side of said vehicle.