DRIVING ENVIRONMENT ESTIMATION APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150210284A1
• Filed: 08/12/2013
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyashita, Michihiro, Tochigi, Kouhei
• Application Number:
  US14/423,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20150210284A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/00 Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18009 related to particular drive situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions

Abstract

A driving environment estimation apparatus for identifying either an urban or suburban area including a vehicle stop degree data acquirer to obtain data representing a degree of tendency of a vehicle stop state; and an urban area/suburban area identifier to compare the obtained vehicle stop degree data with a threshold value to identify whether a vehicle driving area is an urban or suburban area. The urban area/suburban area identifier provides a predetermined high threshold value and a low threshold value lower than the high threshold value. The urban area/suburban area identifier identifies as the urban area when the vehicle stop degree data increases from a lower value than the high threshold value to be higher than the high threshold value, and identifies as the suburban area when the vehicle stop degree data decreases from a higher value than the low threshold value to be lower than the low threshold value.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A driving environment estimation apparatus, comprising:

a vehicle stop degree data acquirer configured to obtain vehicle stop degree data representing a degree of tendency of a vehicle stop state; and

an urban area/suburban area identifier configured to compare the obtained vehicle stop degree data with a threshold value and thereby identify whether a driving area of the vehicle is an urban area or a suburban area,

wherein the urban area/suburban area identifier provides a predetermined high threshold value and a low threshold value that is lower than the high threshold value, as said threshold value, and identifies as the urban area when the vehicle stop degree data increases from a lower value than the high threshold value to be higher than the high threshold value, and identifies as the suburban area when the vehicle stop degree data decreases from a higher value than the low threshold value to be lower than the low threshold value, wherein

the vehicle stop degree data acquirer obtains a first vehicle stop time rate that is a rate of vehicle stop time in a first time period and a second vehicle stop time that is a rate of vehicle stop time in a second time period longer than the first time period, as the vehicle stop degree data.

8. The driving environment estimation apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the urban area/suburban area identifier provides a first high threshold value and a second high threshold value, as the high threshold value, and identifies as the urban area when the first vehicle stop time rate increases from a lower value than the first high threshold value to be higher than the first high threshold value or when the second vehicle stop time rate increases from a lower value than the second high threshold value to be higher than the second high threshold value.

9. The driving environment estimation apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the urban area/suburban area identifier provides a first low threshold value and a second low threshold value, as the low threshold value, and identifies as the suburban area when the first vehicle stop time rate decreases from a higher value than the first low threshold value to be lower than the first low threshold value and when the second vehicle stop time rate decreases from a higher value than the second low threshold value to be lower than the second low threshold value.

10. A driving environment estimation method, comprising:

(i) obtaining vehicle stop degree data representing a degree of tendency of a vehicle stop state; and

(ii) comparing the obtained vehicle stop degree data with a threshold value and thereby identifying whether a driving area of the vehicle is an urban area or a suburban area,

wherein the step (ii) comprises;

providing a predetermined high threshold value and a low threshold value that is lower than the high threshold value, as the threshold value;

identifying as the urban area when the vehicle stop degree data increases from a lower value than the high threshold value to be higher than the high threshold value; and

identifying as the suburban area when the vehicle stop degree data decreases from a higher value than the low threshold value to be lower than the low threshold value, and

the step (i) comprises;

obtaining a first vehicle stop time rate that is a rate of vehicle stop time in a first time period and a second vehicle stop time that is a rate of vehicle stop time in a second time period longer than the first time period, as the vehicle stop degree data.