DRIVE ASSIST APPARATUS

• US 20160086486A1
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: MAEDA, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,691,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

Provided is a drive assist apparatus: based on signal indication information on a traffic signal installed at at least one intersection located ahead of a self-vehicle in a travelling direction of the self-vehicle, distance information from the self-vehicle to the at least one intersection, and a running speed of the self-vehicle, a recommended speed at which the self-vehicle can pass through the at least one intersection during a period in which the traffic signal installed at the at least one intersection is green is calculated and is notified to the driver. In addition, when a difference obtained by subtracting an actual running distance from a predicted running distance in a case where the self-vehicle runs at the recommended speed exceeds a first threshold value, it is determined that the road has a traffic jam and the notification of the recommended speed is terminated.

Claims

1. A drive assist apparatus, comprising:

an intersection-information acquiring section for acquiring intersection information containing signal indication information on a traffic signal installed at at least one intersection located ahead of a vehicle in a travelling direction of the vehicle and distance information from the vehicle to the at least one intersection through an infrastructure communication apparatus outside of the vehicle;

a vehicle-state detecting section for detecting a running speed of the vehicle;

an intersection passage determining section for calculating, as a recommended speed, a speed of the vehicle at which the vehicle is capable of passing through the at least one intersection during a period in which the traffic signal installed at the at least one intersection is green;

an information providing section for notifying a driver of the vehicle of the recommended speed;

a running-distance measuring section for measuring an actual running distance of the vehicle from a time at which the intersection information is acquired, based on the running speed;

a running-distance predicting section for calculating a predicted running distance of the vehicle from the time at which the intersection information is acquired in a case where the vehicle runs at the recommended speed, based on the intersection information and the recommended speed; and

a traffic-jam detecting section for determining that a road on which the vehicle is running has a traffic jam when a first running distance difference obtained by subtracting the actual running distance from the predicted running distance exceeds a first threshold value which defines an upper limit of the first running distance difference, wherein;

the intersection passage determining section calculates, as the recommended speed, the speed of the vehicle at which the vehicle is capable of passing through at least a first intersection to pass through of the at least one intersection during the period in which the traffic signal installed at the first intersection is green, based on the intersection information, the running speed, and the actual running distance; and

the information providing section terminates the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section detects occurrence of the traffic jam.

2. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the termination of the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section detects the occurrence of the traffic jam.

3. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the traffic-jam detecting section continues comparing the predicted running distance and the running distance with each other even after detecting the occurrence of the traffic jam and determines that the traffic jam has been solved when the first running distance difference becomes equal to or smaller than the first threshold value; and

the information providing section restarts the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the traffic jam has been solved.

4. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the traffic-jam detecting section continues comparing the predicted running distance and the running distance with each other even after detecting the occurrence of the traffic jam and determines that the traffic jam has been solved when the first running distance difference becomes equal to or smaller than the first threshold value; and

the information providing section restarts the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the traffic jam has been solved.

5. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the restart of the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the traffic jam has been solved.

6. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the restart of the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the traffic jam has been solved.

7. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the traffic-jam detecting section determines that a data content of the intersection information has an abnormality when a second running distance difference obtained by subtracting the predicted running distance from the running distance exceeds a second threshold value regarding a data abnormality of the intersection information; and

the information providing section terminates the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

8. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the traffic-jam detecting section determines that a data content of the intersection information has an abnormality when a second running distance difference obtained by subtracting the predicted running distance from the running distance exceeds a second threshold value regarding a data abnormality of the intersection information; and

the information providing section terminates the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

9. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the traffic-jam detecting section determines that a data content of the intersection information has an abnormality when a second running distance difference obtained by subtracting the predicted running distance from the running distance exceeds a second threshold value regarding a data abnormality of the intersection information; and

the information providing section terminates the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

10. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the traffic-jam detecting section determines that a data content of the intersection information has an abnormality when a second running distance difference obtained by subtracting the predicted running distance from the running distance exceeds a second threshold value regarding a data abnormality of the intersection information; and

the information providing section terminates the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

11. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the traffic-jam detecting section determines that a data content of the intersection information has an abnormality when a second running distance difference obtained by subtracting the predicted running distance from the running distance exceeds a second threshold value regarding a data abnormality of the intersection information; and

the information providing section terminates the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

12. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the traffic-jam detecting section determines that a data content of the intersection information has an abnormality when a second running distance difference obtained by subtracting the predicted running distance from the running distance exceeds a second threshold value regarding a data abnormality of the intersection information; and

the information providing section terminates the notification of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

13. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the termination of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

14. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the termination of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

15. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the termination of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

16. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the termination of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

17. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the termination of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.

18. A drive assist apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the information providing section notifies the driver of the termination of the recommended speed when the traffic-jam detecting section determines that the data content of the intersection information has the abnormality.