Vehicle travel assisting system

• US 20100057342A1
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 8,306,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle travel assisting system has an area setting part for setting an area, in which weather information is acquired. The area setting part sets the area by using at least one of an attribute of a vehicle travel road, vehicle equipment for bad weather travel, and vehicle information such as a vehicle type and vehicle chassis lowest height. If the acquired weather information varies along a travel road of the vehicle, weather information is provided at earlier time according to the attribute of the travel road or unnecessary weather information is limited according to the equipment or the information of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle travel assisting system comprising:

a navigation apparatus for displaying a present position of a vehicle on a map displayed in the vehicle;

attribute acquiring means for acquiring an attribute of a travel road, on which the vehicle is, from the navigation apparatus;

equipment acquiring means for acquiring equipment information about equipment, which is mounted on the vehicle;

vehicle information acquiring means for acquiring vehicle information including a type of the vehicle;

weather information acquiring means for acquiring weather information about weather in a direction the vehicle travels; and

area setting means for setting an acquisition area, in which the weather information acquiring means acquires the weather information, in accordance with at least one of the attribute of the travel road, the equipment information and the vehicle information.

2. The vehicle travel assisting system according to claim 1, wherein the attribute acquiring means acquires, as the attribute of the travel road, predetermined information among map information stored in the navigation apparatus, the predetermined information indicating whether the travel road has branch roads connected to the travel road.

3. The vehicle travel assisting system according to claim 2, wherein the area setting means broadens the acquisition area to be closer to the travel vehicle, when the attribute of the travel road indicates that the travel road has few branch roads.

4. The vehicle travel assisting system according to claim 1, wherein the equipment acquiring means includes communication means for acquiring the equipment information through an in-vehicle communication device.

5. The vehicle travel assisting system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle information acquiring means acquires, as the vehicle information, a vehicle chassis lowest height of the travel vehicle.

6. The vehicle travel assisting system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle information acquiring means acquires, as the vehicle information, predetermined information indicating whether the travel vehicle is for passenger transportation.

7. A vehicle travel assisting method comprising:

displaying a present position of a vehicle on a map of a road displayed in the vehicle to navigate the vehicle to a travel destination;

acquiring information about a travel road, which the vehicle travels to the travel destination;

acquiring information about the vehicle, which corresponds to ability of travel of the vehicle under different weather conditions;

setting variably a weather information acquisition area, in which the vehicle acquires weather information from an external information station, in accordance with acquired information about the travel road and the vehicle; and

acquiring the weather information only when a set acquisition area includes the present position of the vehicle to notify acquired weather information in the vehicle.

8. The vehicle travel assisting method according to claim 7, wherein the weather information acquisition area is broadened to substantially include the present position of the vehicle as the information about the travel road indicates that the travel road has less branch roads in a forward area of the vehicle than a predetermined number and the information about the vehicle indicates that the vehicle has lower ability of travel on the travel road in the forward area of the vehicle than a predetermined ability, the weather information acquisition area being normally set to exclude the present position of the vehicle.

9. A vehicle travel assisting method comprising:

displaying a present position of a vehicle on a map of a road displayed in the vehicle to navigate the vehicle to a travel destination;

acquiring information about a travel road, which the vehicle travels to the travel destination;

acquiring information about the vehicle, which corresponds to ability of travel of the vehicle under different weather conditions;

acquiring weather information from an external information station;

setting variably a weather information notification area, in which the vehicle notifies acquired weather information regarding the travel road, in accordance with acquired information about the travel road and the vehicle; and

notifying the acquired weather information in the vehicle only in a set weather information notification area.

10. The vehicle travel assisting method according to claim 9, wherein the weather information notification area is broadened to substantially include the present position of the vehicle as the information about the travel road indicates that the travel road has less branch roads in a forward area of the vehicle than a predetermined number and the information about the vehicle indicates that the vehicle has lower ability of travel on the travel road in the forward area of the vehicle than a predetermined ability, the weather information notification area being normally set to exclude the present position of the vehicle.