FORWARD VEHICLE BRAKE WARNING SYSTEM

• US 20090096598A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Heft, Ronald, Tengler, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,854,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/453
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A forward vehicle brake warning system includes an incoming message receiving component, an adverse driving condition obtaining component, an incoming message relevancy component, a relevancy adjustment component and a driver warning component. The incoming message receiving component is configured to receive hard brake messages from neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around a host vehicle. The adverse driving condition obtaining component is configured to receive driving condition information affecting drivability of the host vehicle. The incoming message relevancy component is configured to perform a relevancy determination of the hard brake messages. The relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively filter the hard brake messages received depending upon the driving condition information. The driver warning component configured to alert a driver of the host vehicle.

Claims

1. A forward vehicle brake warning system comprising:

an incoming message receiving component configured to receive hard brake messages from neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around a host vehicle equipped with the forward vehicle brake warning system;

an adverse driving condition obtaining component configured to receive driving condition information affecting drivability of the host vehicle;

an incoming message relevancy component configured to perform a relevancy determination of the hard brake messages received by the incoming message receiving component filtering out irrelevant hard brake messages transmitted from neighboring vehicles outside an adjustable zone of interest and retaining relevant messages transmitted from neighboring vehicles within the adjustable zone of interest, the zone of interest being an area in front of the host vehicle;

a relevancy adjustment component configured to adjust at least one dimension of the zone of interest to selectively filter the hard brake messages received depending upon the driving condition information; and

a driver warning component configured to alert a driver of the host vehicle with a warning signal in response to relevant messages identified during the relevancy determination by the incoming message relevancy component.

2. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the zone of interest is bound by a maximum distance ahead measured from the front of the host vehicle forward along a current trajectory of the host vehicle.

3. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination by selectively changing the maximum ahead distance of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle.

4. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the zone of interest is bound by a lateral angle of view measured relative to the front of the host vehicle side-to-side from the current trajectory of the host vehicle.

5. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 4, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination by selectively changing the lateral angle of view of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle.

6. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is configured and arranged to selectively change the maximum distance ahead in response to changes in visibility impairing conditions.

7. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the zone of interest is bound by a lateral angle of view measured relative to the front of the host vehicle side-to-side from the current trajectory of the host vehicle.

8. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 7, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination by selectively changing the lateral angle of view of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle.

9. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 8, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is configured to selectively change the lateral angle of view in response to changes in traction impairing conditions.

10. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the adverse driving condition obtaining component further includes a host vehicle operating state section configured and arranged to detect a host vehicle operating state of the host vehicle and to provide a signal indicative of the host vehicle operating state as the driving condition information to the adverse driving condition obtaining component.

11. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 10, wherein

the host vehicle operating state section is configured to detect operation of a host vehicle traction control system as the host vehicle operating state that is provided to the adverse driving condition obtaining component as the driving condition information.

12. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 10, wherein

the host vehicle operating state section is configured to detect operation of a host vehicle windshield wiper system as the host vehicle operating state that is provided to the adverse driving condition obtaining component as the driving condition information.

13. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the adverse driving condition obtaining component further includes a weather condition receiving section configured and arranged to detect weather conditions of the host vehicle and to provide a signal indicative of the weather conditions of the host vehicle as the driving condition information to the adverse driving condition obtaining component.

14. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the prescribed zone of interest in size based on a detected host vehicle speed.

15. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the zone of interest is bound by a minimum distance ahead measured from the front of the host vehicle forward along a current trajectory of the host vehicle.

16. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 15, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination by selectively changing a minimum ahead distance of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle.

17. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination based on a detected host vehicle speed.

18. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the driver warning component is further configured to produce an audible warning signal to alert the driver.

19. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the driver warning component is further configured to produce a haptic warning signal to alert the driver.

20. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the driver warning component is further configured to produce a visual warning signal to alert the driver.