Traffic light passing support system, in-vehicle apparatus for the same, and method for the same

• US 20110018701A1
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Mizuno, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,410,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/604 Merging friction therewith; Adjusting their repartition
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

An in-vehicle arithmetic unit calculates a required time, which is needed for a vehicle to arrive at a traffic light when the vehicle maintains a present speed, according to a speed of the vehicle, a present position of the vehicle, and information on the traffic light. An in-vehicle determination unit determines whether the vehicle can pass the traffic light by maintaining the present speed, according to the required time and the traffic light information. An in-vehicle generating unit generates a request signal to request the traffic light to light a passing permission color such as a blue light after the required time elapses, in response to a determination that the vehicle cannot pass the traffic light. An in-vehicle transmission unit transmits the request signal to the traffic light. A control unit of the traffic light controls the signal light according to the transmitted request signal.

Claims

1. A traffic light passing support system for supporting a vehicle to pass a traffic light, the traffic light passing support system comprising:

an in-vehicle apparatus provided to the vehicle;

a traffic light including a signal light and a traffic-light control unit configured to control the signal light,

wherein the in-vehicle apparatus includes;

a first acquisition unit configured to successively obtain vehicle speed information on a speed of the vehicle;

a second acquisition unit configured to successively obtain present position information on a present position of the vehicle;

an third acquisition unit configured to successively obtain traffic light information including a location of the traffic light, a lighting cycle of the traffic light, and a transition time before a color of the traffic light is changed to a subsequent color;

a first arithmetic unit configured to calculate an at-constant-speed required time, which is needed for the vehicle to arrive at the traffic light when the vehicle maintains a vehicle speed, according to the vehicle speed information, the present position information, and the traffic light information;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the vehicle can pass the traffic light by maintaining the vehicle speed, according to the at-constant-speed required time and the traffic light information;

a request generating unit configured to, in response to a determination of the determination unit that the vehicle cannot pass the traffic light, generate a first request signal to request the traffic light to control the signal light so as to light a passing permission color after the at-constant-speed required time elapses; and

an in-vehicle transmission unit configured to transmit the first request signal to the traffic light,

wherein the traffic light includes;

a traffic-light receiving unit configured to receive the first request signal transmitted from the in-vehicle transmission unit,

wherein the traffic-light control unit is configured to control the signal light according to the first request signal received by the traffic-light receiving unit.

2. The traffic light passing support system according to claim 1,

wherein the traffic light further includes a traffic-light transmission unit configured to transmit a signal to the in-vehicle apparatus,

the traffic-light control unit is further configured to:

determine whether the traffic-light control unit is capable of controlling the signal light according to the first request signal received by the traffic-light receiving unit and according to whether there is an other control request of a signal light from an other in-vehicle apparatus of an other vehicle; and

cause the traffic-light transmission unit to transmit a determination result to the in-vehicle apparatus.

3. The traffic light passing support system according to claim 2,

wherein the in-vehicle apparatus further includes:

a second arithmetic unit configured to, in response to a determination result not to accept the first request signal, calculate an in-deceleration required time, which is needed for the vehicle to arrive at the traffic light when a driver of the vehicle does not perform both braking and acceleration, according to the vehicle speed information, the present position information, the traffic light information, and a deceleration quantity when the driver does not perform both braking and acceleration,

wherein the determination unit is further configured to determine whether the vehicle can pass the traffic light when decelerating by the deceleration quantity, according to the in-deceleration required time and the traffic light information,

the request generating unit is further configured to, in response to a determination of the determination unit that the vehicle cannot pass the traffic light when decelerating by the deceleration quantity, generate the second request signal to request the traffic light to control the signal light to light a passing permission color after the in-deceleration required time elapses,

the in-vehicle transmission unit is further configured to transmit the second request signal to the traffic light, and

the traffic-light control unit is further configured to control the signal light according to the second request signal when the traffic-light receiving unit receives the second request signal.

4. The traffic light passing support system according to claim 3,

wherein the vehicle further includes a regenerative braking device, an electricity accumulating device, which is configured to accumulate electricity regenerated by the regenerative braking device, and a friction brake device,

the regenerative braking device is caused to generate a braking power smaller than a limit braking power, which is an allowable limit of the braking power generated by the regenerative braking device, and the friction brake device is not operated, in a state where the driver does not perform both braking and acceleration,

the second arithmetic unit is further configured to calculate the in-deceleration required time in a state where the regenerative braking device generates the limit braking power, the friction brake device is not operated, and the driver of the vehicle does not perform both braking and acceleration.

5. The traffic light passing support system according to claims 2,

wherein the in-vehicle apparatus further includes:

a notification unit configured to notify the driver; and

a notification control unit configured to cause the notification unit to notify that the vehicle can pass the traffic light without stopping by maintaining the vehicle speed when the in-vehicle apparatus obtains a determination result to accept the first request signal from the traffic light.

6. The traffic light passing support system according to claim 3,

wherein the traffic-light control unit is further configured to:

determine whether the traffic-light control unit is capable of controlling the signal light according to the second request signal received by the traffic-light receiving unit according to whether there is an other control request of a signal light from an other in-vehicle apparatus of an other vehicle; and

cause the traffic-light transmission unit to transmit a determination result to the in-vehicle apparatus.

7. The traffic light passing support system according to claim 6,

wherein the in-vehicle apparatus further includes:

a notification unit configured to notify the driver; and

a notification control unit configured to cause the notification unit to notify that the vehicle can pass the traffic light without stopping by decelerating without braking, and accelerating when the in-vehicle apparatus obtains a determination result to accept the second request signal from the traffic light.

8. The traffic light passing support system according to claim 6,

wherein the in-vehicle apparatus further includes:

a notification unit configured to notify the driver; and

a notification control unit configured to cause the notification unit to notify that the vehicle cannot pass the traffic light without stopping when the in-vehicle apparatus obtains a determination result not to accept the second request signal from the traffic light.

9. The traffic light passing support system according to claim 4,

wherein the vehicle further includes a brake device control unit configured to control the regenerative braking device,

wherein the regenerative braking device is capable of generating a braking power larger than the limit braking power being specified to secure a long life of the electricity accumulating device,

the traffic-light control unit is further configured to:

determine whether the traffic-light control unit is capable of controlling the signal light according to the second request signal received by the traffic-light receiving unit and according to whether there is an other control request of a signal light from an other in-vehicle apparatus of an other vehicle; and

cause the traffic-light transmission unit to transmit a determination result to the in-vehicle apparatus,

the in-vehicle apparatus is further configured to output an extension request signal to the brake device control unit to request to temporarily extend a braking power generated by the regenerative braking device to be greater than the limit braking power when obtaining a determination result not to accept the second request signal from the traffic light and when detecting a deceleration request from the driver before the vehicle arrives at the traffic light.

10. An in-vehicle apparatus for a traffic light passing support system for supporting a vehicle to pass a traffic light, the traffic light passing support system including a traffic light, which includes a signal light and a traffic-light control unit for controlling the signal light, the in-vehicle apparatus comprising:

a first acquisition unit configured to successively obtain vehicle speed information on a speed of the vehicle;

a second acquisition unit configured to successively obtain present position information of the vehicle;

a third acquisition unit configured to successively obtain traffic light information including a location of the traffic light, a lighting cycle, and a transition time before a color of the traffic light is changed to a subsequent color;

a first arithmetic unit configured to calculate an at-constant-speed required time, which is needed for the vehicle to arrive at the traffic light when the vehicle maintains a vehicle speed, according to the vehicle speed information, the present position information, and the traffic light information;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the vehicle can pass the traffic light by maintaining the vehicle speed, according to the at-constant-speed required time and the traffic light information;

a request generating unit configured to, in response to a determination of the determination unit that the vehicle cannot pass the traffic light, generate a first request signal to request the traffic light to control the signal light so as to light a passing permission color after the at-constant-speed required time elapses; and

an in-vehicle transmission unit configured to transmit the first request signal to the traffic light.

11. A method for supporting a vehicle to pass a traffic light, the method comprising:

successively obtaining vehicle speed information on a speed of the vehicle by an in-vehicle apparatus;

successively obtaining present position information on a present position of the vehicle by the in-vehicle apparatus;

successively obtaining traffic light information including a location of the traffic light, a lighting cycle of the traffic light, and a transition time by the in-vehicle apparatus, the transition time being a time before a color of the traffic light is changed to a subsequent color;

calculating an at-constant-speed required time by the in-vehicle apparatus according to the obtained vehicle speed information, the obtained present position information, and the obtained traffic light information, the at-constant-speed required time being a time needed for the vehicle to arrive at the traffic light when the vehicle maintains a vehicle speed;

determining by the in-vehicle apparatus whether the vehicle can pass the traffic light when maintaining the vehicle speed according to the calculated at-constant-speed required time and the obtained traffic light information;

generating a first request signal by the in-vehicle apparatus, in response to a determination that the vehicle cannot pass the traffic light, to request the traffic light to control a signal light so as to light a passing permission color after the at-constant-speed required time elapses;

transmitting the first request signal from the in-vehicle apparatus to the traffic light;

receiving the transmitted first request signal by the traffic light; and

controlling the signal light by the traffic light according to the received first request signal.