METHOD AND INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR INFORMING A VEHICLE DRIVER REGARDING THE CONDITIONS OF A PLANNED PASSING MANEUVER

• US 20130271295A1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Huelbusch, Katja
• Granted Patent: US 9,847,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/907
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map

Abstract

In a method for informing a vehicle driver regarding the conditions of an upcoming passing maneuver, a speed of a preceding vehicle is ascertained and compared to a speed of a vehicle of the vehicle driver, and a passing duration is estimated and/or computed and displayed to the vehicle driver directly and/or in processed form.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method for informing a driver of a host vehicle regarding conditions of an upcoming passing maneuver by the host vehicle, comprising:

ascertaining a speed of a target vehicle ahead of the host vehicle;

comparing the ascertained speed of the target vehicle to a speed of the host vehicle;

computing a duration of the passing maneuver; and

displaying to the vehicle driver at least one of (i) the duration of the passing maneuver, and (ii) an information derived from the duration of the passing maneuver.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the information derived from the duration of the passing maneuver is displayed as a traffic light display.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the traffic light display includes GREEN for uncritical to pass, YELLOW for critical to pass, and RED for too dangerous to pass.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein an average speed of the host vehicle and an average speed of the target vehicle are determined based on measured values at multiple measuring points in time, and wherein the duration of the passing maneuver is determined based on the average speed of the host vehicle and the average speed of the target vehicle.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein a relative speed between the target vehicle and the host vehicle is also computed and displayed to the driver of the host vehicle.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of the duration of the passing maneuver and the relative speed is continuously computed.

17. An information system for informing a driver of a host vehicle regarding conditions of an upcoming passing maneuver by the host vehicle, comprising:

means for ascertaining a speed of a target vehicle ahead of the host vehicle;

means for comparing the ascertained speed of the target vehicle to a speed of the host vehicle;

means for computing a duration of the passing maneuver; and

means for displaying to the vehicle driver at least one of (i) the duration of the passing maneuver, and (ii) an information derived from the duration of the passing maneuver.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing a computer program having program codes which, when executed on a computer, perform a method for informing a driver of a host vehicle regarding conditions of an upcoming passing maneuver by the host vehicle, the method comprising:

ascertaining a speed of a target vehicle ahead of the host vehicle;

comparing the ascertained speed of the target vehicle to a speed of the host vehicle;

computing a duration of the passing maneuver; and

displaying to the vehicle driver at least one of (i) the duration of the passing maneuver, and (ii) an information derived from the duration of the passing maneuver.