VEHICLE DRIVING ASSISTANCE APPARATUS AND VEHICLE DRIVING ASSISTANCE METHOD

• US 20150353088A1
• Filed: 05/11/2015
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: ISHIKAWA, Shota
• Granted Patent: US 9,956,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0059 Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

An in-vehicle system includes a vehicle position detection unit and a vehicle position calculation unit that detect a vehicle position, a road condition prediction unit that predicts a road condition at a position in front of the detected vehicle position, an automatic driving continuation determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle automatic driving can be continued at the position in front of the vehicle based on the road condition predicted by the road condition prediction unit, and an automatic driving cancellation warning unit that warns of cancellation of the vehicle automatic driving when the automatic driving continuation determination unit determines that it is difficult to continue the vehicle automatic driving.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving assistance apparatus comprising:

a vehicle position detector configured to detect a position of a vehicle;

a road condition predictor configured to predict a road condition at a position in front of the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detector;

an automatic driving continuation determiner configured to determine whether or not vehicle automatic driving can be continued at the position in front of the vehicle based on the road condition predicted by the road condition predictor; and

an automatic driving cancellation warner configured to warn of vehicle automatic driving cancellation when the automatic driving continuation determiner determines that it is difficult to continue the vehicle automatic driving.

2. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communicator configured to communicate with an external device and obtain information used to predict the road condition,

wherein the road condition predictor predicts the road condition based on the information obtained from the external device.

3. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the automatic driving cancellation warner warns of the cancellation when a distance to the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle automatic driving is difficult, becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value.

4. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an automatic driving controller configured to control the vehicle automatic driving; and

an automatic driving canceller configured to cancel the control of the automatic driving by the automatic driving controller at a point before the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle automatic driving is difficult, after warning of the cancellation by the automatic driving cancellation warner.

5. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the information which is used to predict the road condition obtained by the communicator is weather information in an area around the vehicle.

6. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the automatic driving continuation determiner determines that it is difficult to continue the vehicle automatic driving when the obtained weather information indicates at least one of a snow-covered condition and an icy road.

7. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the automatic driving continuation determiner determines whether or not the vehicle automatic driving can be continued at the position in front of the vehicle corresponds to a tunnel exit or on a bridge.

8. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a map display configured to display a map image around the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detector with the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that it is difficult to continue the automatic driving.

9. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the information which is obtained by the communicator and used to predict the road condition is road traffic information including a congesting area, a jamming area, a construction area, or an accident occurrence area of streets.

10. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the automatic driving cancellation warner warns of the cancellation when the distance to the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle automatic driving is difficult, becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value.

11. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

an automatic driving controller configured to control the vehicle automatic driving; and

an automatic driving canceller configured to cancel the control of the automatic driving by the automatic driving controller at a point before the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle automatic driving is difficult, after warning of the cancellation by the automatic driving cancellation warner.

12. The vehicle driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an automatic driving controller configured to control the vehicle automatic driving; and

an automatic driving canceller configured to cancel the control of the automatic driving by the automatic driving controller at a point before the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle automatic driving is difficult, after warning of the cancellation by the automatic driving cancellation warner.

13. A vehicle driving assistance method comprising:

predicting, by a road condition predictor, a road condition at a position in front of a vehicle position detected by a vehicle position detector, in relation to a vehicle;

determining, by an automatic driving continuation determiner, whether or not vehicle automatic driving can be continued at the position in front based on the road condition predicted by the road condition predictor; and

warning, by an automatic driving cancellation warner, cancellation of the vehicle automatic driving when the automatic driving continuation determiner determines that it is difficult to continue the vehicle automatic driving.

14. The vehicle driving assistance method of claim 13, further comprising:

communicating, by a communicator, with an external device and obtaining information used to predict the road condition,

wherein the road condition predictor predicts the road condition based on the information obtained from the external device.

15. The vehicle driving assistance method of claim 14,

wherein the automatic driving cancellation warner warns of the cancellation when a distance to the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle automatic driving is difficult, becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value.

16. The vehicle driving assistance method of claim 14, further comprising:

controlling, by an automatic driving controller, the vehicle automatic driving; and

cancelling, by an automatic driving canceller, the control of the automatic driving by the automatic driving controller at a point before the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle automatic driving is difficult, after warning of the cancellation by the automatic driving cancellation warner.

17. The vehicle driving assistance method of claim 14,

wherein the information which is used to predict the road condition obtained by the communicator is weather information in an area around the vehicle.

18. The vehicle driving assistance method of claim 17,

wherein the automatic driving continuation determiner determines that it is difficult to continue the vehicle automatic driving when the obtained weather information indicates at least one of a snow-covered condition and an icy road.

19. The vehicle driving assistance method of claim 17,

wherein the automatic driving continuation determiner determines whether or not the vehicle automatic driving can be continued at the position in front of the vehicle corresponds to a tunnel exit or on a bridge.

20. The vehicle driving assistance method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying, by a map display, a map image around the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detector with the position in front of the vehicle, when it is determined that it is difficult to continue the automatic driving.