Driving operation feedback apparatus and program for same

• US 20080278301A1
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kaneiwa, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,800,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/301 combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8033 for pedestrian protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles

Abstract

A safe driving support apparatus in a vehicle is used in a manner that prevents an over-reliance of a driver on a safety device by an application of a technique. That is, for example, an evaluation of driving operation is lowered when the vehicle has been under control of an avoidance control for avoiding an unsafe situation of the vehicle, and the lowered evaluation of driving operation is recorded on a memory medium as well as being notified for the driver after evaluation is being changed. A provision of the avoidance control may result in a suppression of a vehicular function that contributes to a comfort in the vehicle among functions provided by in-vehicle devices.

Claims

1. A driving operation feedback apparatus comprising:

a safe driving support unit that performs an avoidance control to have a vehicle avoid an unsafe condition based on information regarding physical condition around the vehicle and on a content of a driving operation by a driver in the vehicle, and

a notification unit that changes an evaluation of the driving operation of the driver to have a lower grade, records the evaluation after grade change in a record medium and notifies the driver of the evaluation after the grade change.

2. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the safe driving support unit identifies an operation that highly possibly leads to the unsafe condition of the vehicle based on the physical condition around the vehicle, and further provides as the avoidance control an unsafe warning that warns that the vehicle is on a verge of the unsafe condition based on the vehicle operation performed by the driver, and

the function suppression unit lowers the evaluation by a first amount based on a discontinuance of the vehicle operation by the driver in correspondence to a provision of the unsafe warning, or lowers the evaluation further by a second amount that is greater than the first amount based on a lack of the discontinuance of the vehicle operation by the driver in spite of a provision of the unsafe warning.

3. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the safe driving support unit provides in a switching manner as the avoidance control an unsafe warning that warns that the vehicle is on a verge of the unsafe condition and a vehicle behavior control that have the vehicle avoid the unsafe condition, and

the function suppression unit lowers the evaluation by a third amount based on a provision of the unsafe warning by the safe driving support unit, or lowers the evaluation by a fourth amount based on a provision of the vehicle behavior control by the safe driving support unit.

4. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the safe driving support function identifies a vehicle operation that highly possibly leads to the unsafe condition of the vehicle based on the physical condition around the vehicle, and

the notification unit changes the evaluation to have a higher grade based on a lack of the vehicle operation identified by the safe driving support unit by the driver, and records the evaluation after grade change in the record medium.

5. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the safe driving support unit identifies an operation that highly possibly leads to the unsafe condition of the vehicle based on the physical condition around the vehicle, and further provides as the avoidance control an unsafe warning that warns that the vehicle is on a verge of the unsafe condition based on the vehicle operation performed by the driver, and

the notification unit changes a change amount of grade change for lowering the evaluation due to the unsafe warning according to a type of the operation that has caused the unsafe warning.

6. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the notification unit switches the evaluation to be changed in correspondence to each of plural drivers based on a recognition of an identity of each of the plural drivers.

7. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the notification unit uses as the record medium for recording the evaluation after grade change a record medium to be carried by the driver.

8. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a function suppression unit that suppresses an operation of functionality mainly contributing to vehicle comfort among vehicular devices functionality regarding vehicle safety and the vehicle comfort based on the avoidance control performed by the safe driving support unit.

9. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 8,

wherein the function suppression unit suppresses one of a function for controlling air temperature in the vehicle and a function for providing an optimum route toward a destination.

10. A driving operation feedback apparatus comprising:

a safe driving support unit that performs an avoidance control to have a vehicle avoid an unsafe condition based on information regarding physical condition around the vehicle and on a content of a driving operation by a driver in the vehicle; and

a function suppression unit that suppresses an operation of functionality mainly contributing to vehicle comfort among vehicular devices functionality regarding vehicle safety and the vehicle comfort based on the avoidance control performed by the safe driving support unit.

11. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the safe driving support unit identifies an operation that highly possibly leads to the unsafe condition of the vehicle based on the physical condition around the vehicle, and further provides as the avoidance control an unsafe warning that warns that the vehicle is on a verge of the unsafe condition based on the vehicle operation performed by the driver, and

the function suppression unit suppresses a first function in plural vehicle comfort functions mainly contributing to the vehicle comfort among vehicular devices functionality regarding vehicle safety and the vehicle comfort based on a discontinuance of the vehicle operation by the driver in correspondence to a provision of the unsafe warning, or suppresses a second function in the plural functions based on a lack of the discontinuance of the vehicle operation by the driver in spite of a provision of the unsafe warning.

12. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the safe driving support unit provides in a switching manner as the avoidance control an unsafe warning that warns that the vehicle is on a verge of the unsafe condition and a vehicle behavior control that have the vehicle avoid the unsafe condition, and

the function suppression unit suppresses a third function in plural vehicle comfort functions mainly contributing to the vehicle comfort among vehicular devices functionality regarding vehicle safety and the vehicle comfort based on a provision of the unsafe warning by the safe driving support unit, or suppresses a fourth function in plural vehicle comfort functions based on a provision of the vehicle behavior control by the safe driving support unit.

13. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the safe driving support function identifies a vehicle operation that highly possibly leads to the unsafe condition of the vehicle based on the physical condition around the vehicle, and

the function suppression unit releases a suppression of functionality currently being provided based on a lack of the vehicle operation identified by the safe driving support function performed by the driver.

14. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the safe driving support unit identifies an operation that highly possibly leads to the unsafe condition of the vehicle based on the physical condition around the vehicle, and further provides as the avoidance control an unsafe warning that warns that the vehicle is on a verge of the unsafe condition based on the vehicle operation performed by the driver, and

the function suppression unit changes functionality to be suppressed according to the vehicle operation that has caused the unsafe warning based on a provision of the unsafe warning.

15. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the function suppression unit switches functionality to be suppressed in correspondence to each of plural drivers based on a recognition of an identity of each of the plural drivers.

16. A driving operation feedback apparatus comprising:

a safe driving support unit that performs an avoidance control to have a vehicle avoid an unsafe condition based on information regarding physical condition around the vehicle and on a content of a driver'"'"'s operation of the vehicle; and

a function suppression unit that prohibits traveling of the vehicle based on the avoidance control performed by the safe driving support unit.

17. The driving operation feedback apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

a movie player that plays a movie for a safe driving operation lesson based on the driver'"'"'s operation,

wherein the function suppression unit releases a prohibition of the traveling of the vehicle based on a playback of the movie by the movie player.

18. A program product stored in a storage medium for operating a computer as following units, the program product comprising steps of:

providing a safe driving support unit that performs an avoidance control to have a vehicle avoid an unsafe condition based on information regarding physical condition around the vehicle and on a content of a driving operation by a driver in the vehicle, and

providing a notification unit that changes an evaluation of the driving operation of the driver to have a lower grade, records the evaluation after grade change in a record medium and notifies the driver of the evaluation after the grade change.

19. A program product stored in a storage medium for operating a computer as following units, the program product comprising steps of:

providing a safe driving support unit that performs an avoidance control to have a vehicle avoid an unsafe condition based on information regarding physical condition around the vehicle and on a content of a driving operation by a driver in the vehicle, and

providing a function suppression unit that suppresses an operation of functionality mainly contributing to vehicle comfort among vehicular devices functionality regarding vehicle safety and the vehicle comfort based on the avoidance control performed by the safe driving support unit.

20. A program product stored in a storage medium for operating a computer as following units, the program product comprising steps of:

providing a safe driving support unit that performs an avoidance control to have a vehicle avoid an unsafe condition based on information regarding physical condition around the vehicle and on a content of a driving operation by a driver in the vehicle; and

providing a function suppression unit that prohibits traveling of the vehicle based on the avoidance control performed by the safe driving support unit.