DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM

• US 20120245756A1
• Filed: 03/22/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shen, Shi, Ibrahim, Faroog, COOPRIDER, Troy Otis
• Application Number:
  US13/427,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20120245756A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/146 Speed limiting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal

Abstract

A system and method of assisting a driver of a vehicle by providing driver and vehicle feedback control signals is disclosed herein. The system and method includes receiving location data of the vehicle from a GPS unit, retrieving navigation characteristics stored in a map database based on the location data, generating a most probable future path for the vehicle, determining the locations of upcoming zones on the most probable future path based on the retrieved navigation characteristics using a processor, generating vehicle speed data at a vehicle sensor unit, and determining if the vehicle speed data exceeds a speed threshold associated with the upcoming zone on the most probable path.

Claims

1. A driver assistance system for providing driver and vehicle feedback control signals comprising:

a map database comprising navigation characteristics related to road locations;

a GPS unit that receives location data of the vehicle;

a map matching module configured to receive the location data of the vehicle and retrieve navigation characteristics relevant to the location data using a processing circuit;

a prediction module configured to generate a most probable future path for the vehicle and to determine the locations of upcoming zones on the most probable future path;

a vehicle sensor unit configured to generate vehicle speed data; and

a warning module configured to determine if the vehicle speed data exceeds a speed threshold associated with the upcoming zone on the most probable path.

2. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the zone is a speed zone on the future most probable path.

3. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the warning module is further configured to:

determine the distance between the current vehicle location and the upcoming zone on the most probable path; and

determine the time remaining before the vehicle reaches the upcoming zone on the most probable path based on the determined distance and the vehicle speed data.

4. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the warning module transmits a control signal to a vehicle module via a vehicle control area network if the vehicle speed data exceeds a speed threshold associated with the upcoming zone.

5. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the warning module transmits a control signal to a human machine interface via a vehicle control area network if a predicted future vehicle speed exceeds a speed threshold of an upcoming zone on the most probable future path.

6. The driver assistance system of claim 3, wherein the warning module transmits a control signal to a human machine interface via a vehicle control area network based on the time remaining before the vehicle reaches the upcoming zone and the vehicle speed.

7. The driver assistance system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle control module that transmits a control signal to at least one vehicle module via a vehicle control area network if a predicted future vehicle speed exceeds a speed threshold of an upcoming zone on the most probable future path.

8. The driver assistance system of claim 7, wherein the at least one vehicle module is at least one of an engine control module, a gear control module, and a brake control module.

9. The driver assistance system of claim 3, further comprising a vehicle control module that transmits a control signal to at least one vehicle module via a vehicle control area network based on the time remaining before the vehicle reaches the upcoming zone and the vehicle speed.

10. The driver assistance system of claim 6, wherein the human machine interface comprises at least one of an audible indicator, a visual indictor, and a tactile indicator.

11. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the zone is a no-passing zone on the future most probable path.

12. The driver assistance system of claim 11, further comprising:

a vehicle vision system configured to generate vision data; and

a lane detection module configured to analyze the vision data and identify driving lanes in the most probable future path.

13. The driver assistance system of claim 12, wherein the warning module is further configured to transmit a control signal to a human machine interface if the vehicle has entered a no passing zone and the vehicle comes within a predetermined distance of an identified driving lane.

14. The driver assistance system of claim 12, wherein the warning module is further configured to transmit a control signal to a human machine interface if the vehicle is predicted to enter a no passing zone and the vehicle comes within a predetermined distance of an identified driving lane.

15. A method of assisting a driver of a vehicle by providing driver and vehicle feedback control signals, the method comprising:

receiving location data of the vehicle from a GPS unit;

retrieving navigation characteristics stored in a map database based on the location data;

generating a most probable future path for the vehicle;

determining the locations of upcoming zones on the most probable future path based on the retrieved navigation characteristics using a processor;

generating vehicle speed data at a vehicle sensor unit; and

determining if the vehicle speed data exceeds a speed threshold associated with the upcoming zone on the most probable path.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the zone is a speed zone on the future most probable path.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining the distance between the current vehicle location and the upcoming zone on the most probable path; and

determining the time remaining before the vehicle reaches the upcoming zone on the future most probable path based on the determined distance and the vehicle speed data.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting a control signal to a vehicle module via a vehicle control area network if the vehicle speed data exceeds a speed threshold associated with the upcoming zone.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting a control signal to a human machine interface via a vehicle control area network if a predicted future vehicle speed exceeds a speed threshold of an upcoming zone on the most probable future path.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting a control signal to a human machine interface via a vehicle control area network based on the time remaining before the vehicle reaches the upcoming zone and the vehicle speed.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting a control signal to at least one vehicle module via a vehicle control area network if a predicted future vehicle speed exceeds a speed threshold of an upcoming zone on the most probable future path.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one vehicle module is at least one of an engine control module, a gear control module, and a brake control module.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting a control signal to at least one vehicle module via a vehicle control area network based on the time remaining before the vehicle reaches the upcoming zone and the vehicle speed.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the human machine interface comprises at least one of an audible indicator, a visual indictor, and a tactile indicator.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the zone is a no-passing zone on the future most probable path.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

generating vision data at a vehicle vision system; and

analyzing the vision data to identify driving lanes in the most probable future path.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting a control signal to a human machine interface if the vehicle has entered a no passing zone and the vehicle comes within a predetermined distance of an identified driving lane.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting a control signal to a human machine interface if the vehicle is predicted to enter a no passing zone and the vehicle comes within a predetermined distance of an identified driving lane.