VEHICLE DRIVE ASSISTANCE SYSTEM AND VEHICLE DRIVE ASSISTANCE METHOD

• US 20180281808A1
• Filed: 02/15/2018
• Published: 10/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Minegishi, Yuka, Tomii, Keiichi, Tochioka, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,562,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/106 Rate of change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/06 : Combustion engines, Gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 : Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 : Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 : Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 : Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A vehicle drive assistance system is provided, which includes a processor configured to execute a required driving ability estimating module to estimate a driver'"'"'s required driving ability required for driving a vehicle based on a traffic environment around the vehicle and drive assistance provided to the driver by the vehicle, a current driving ability estimating module to estimate a driver'"'"'s current driving ability, and a changing module to perform increase processing in which the required driving ability is increased when the current driving ability is higher than the required driving ability.

Claims

1. A vehicle drive assistance system, comprising a processor configured to execute:

a required driving ability estimating module to estimate a driver'"'"'s required driving ability required for driving a vehicle based on a traffic environment around the vehicle and drive assistance provided to the driver by the vehicle;

a current driving ability estimating module to estimate a driver'"'"'s current driving ability; and

a changing module to perform increase processing in which the required driving ability is increased when the current driving ability is higher than the required driving ability.

2. The vehicle drive assistance system of claim 1, wherein the increase processing includes processing in which an amount of information regarding a driving operation presented to the driver by an on-board information presentation device is increased.

3. The vehicle drive assistance system of claim 2, wherein

the increase processing includes autonomous drive processing in which an operation of one or more autonomous drive control systems is stopped, and

the changing module preferentially performs the increase processing using the on-board information presentation device over the autonomous drive processing.

4. The vehicle drive assistance system of claim 1, wherein the increase processing includes processing in which an information presentation mode of an on-board information presentation device is changed to a broader view presentation mode.

5. The vehicle drive assistance system of claim 4, wherein in the broader view presentation mode, map information on a wider area is displayed.

6. The vehicle drive assistance system of claim 1, wherein

the drive assistance includes presenting, on an on-board information presentation device, traffic information on a zone from a current position to an estimated arrival point after a given period of time, and

the increase processing includes processing of extending the given time period.

7. The vehicle drive assistance system of claim 1, wherein the changing module performs the increase processing so as to balance out the required driving ability and the current driving ability.

8. The vehicle drive assistance system of claim 1, wherein the traffic environment includes at least vehicle information that includes the size of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle drive assistance system of claim 1, wherein the current driving ability estimating module estimates the current driving ability based on drive history data of the vehicle and at least one of physical and mental states of the driver.

10. A vehicle drive assistance method that is implemented by a vehicle drive assistance system, comprising:

estimating a driver'"'"'s required driving ability required for driving a vehicle based on a traffic environment around the vehicle and drive assistance provided to the driver by the vehicle;

estimating a driver'"'"'s current driving ability; and

performing increase processing in which the required driving ability is increased when the current driving ability is higher than the required driving ability.