Intersection warning system

• US 5,939,976 A
• Filed: 07/30/1998
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), DENSO Corporation, HINO Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha HINO Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha and Denso Corporation
• Inventors: Sasaki, Kenji, Kobayashi, Yuji, Yamaguchi, Kazuhiko, Hattori, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAI T
• Application Number:
  US09/126,132
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 342/70
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

An intersection warning system provided in a vehicle includes a receiving unit that receives watching information, about states of bodies in a watching area including an intersection, from a road watching apparatus, a vehicle position detecting unit that detects a position of the vehicle, a dead angle area calculation unit that calculates a dead area for the vehicle based on the position detected by the vehicle position detecting unit and the watching information received by the receiving unit, a first determination unit that determines whether there is another vehicle in the dead angle area calculated by the dead angle area calculation unit, a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of the vehicle, a second determination unit that, when the first determination unit determines that there is another vehicle in the dead angle, determines, based on the running state of the vehicle detected by the running state detecting unit and the watching information about the another vehicle in the dead angle area, whether a driving operation for the vehicle is appropriate, and a warning unit that issues a warning based on a determination result obtained the second determination unit.

Claims

1. An intersection warning system provided in a vehicle comprising:

a receiving unit that receives watching information about states of bodies in a watching area including an intersection, the watching information being transmitted from a road watching apparatus which watches the watching area;

a vehicle position detecting unit that detects a position of said vehicle;

a dead angle area calculation unit that calculates a dead area for said vehicle based on the position detected by said vehicle position detecting unit and the watching information received by said receiving unit;

a first determination unit that determines whether there is another vehicle in the dead angle area calculated by said dead angle area calculation unit;

a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of said vehicle;

a second determination unit that, when said first determination unit determines that there is another vehicle in the dead angle, determines, based on the running state of said vehicle detected by said running state detecting unit and the watching information about said another vehicle in the dead angle area, whether a driving operation for said vehicle is appropriate; and

a warning unit that issues a warning based on a determination result obtained said second determination unit.

2. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said dead angle area calculation unit comprises:

a position calculating unit that calculates a position of a driver of said vehicle based on the position detected by said vehicle position detecting unit; and

a unit that calculates the dead angle area for the driver based on the position of the driver calculated by said position calculating unit and the watching information about a body facing said vehicle, the dead angle area being formed by the body.

3. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a first course determination unit that determines whether said vehicle is going to turn at the intersection so as to cross an opposite lane, wherein when said first course determination unit determines that said vehicle is going to turn at the intersection so as to cross the opposite lane, said dead angle area calculation unit calculates the dead angle area for said vehicle formed by anther vehicle in the opposite lane.

4. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a second course determination unit that determines whether said vehicle is going to straightly pass through the intersection, wherein when said second course determination unit determines that said vehicle is going to straightly pass through the intersection, said dead angle area calculation unit calculates the dead angle area for said vehicle formed by another vehicle which is put in the same direction of said vehicle and at a position in front of said vehicle and near an opposite lane.

5. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a braking control unit that carries out braking control of said vehicle based on the determination result obtained by said second determination unit.