Intersection warning system

• US 5,940,010 A
• Filed: 07/30/1998
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), DENSO Corporation, HINO Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), DENSO Corporation, HINO Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Kenji, Kobayashi, Yuji, Yamaguchi, Kazuhiko, Hattori, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/126,131
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/916, 340/917, 340/918, 340/933, 340/936, 340/937, 340/938, 340/906, 340/913, 340/914, 340/905, 340/907, 340/901, 340/904, 340/929
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

An intersection warning system provided in a vehicle includes a distance detecting unit detecting a distance between a position at which the vehicle runs toward an intersection and a boundary position (a stop line) set for vehicles to stop before the intersection, a running state detecting unit detecting a running state of the vehicle, a determination unit determining whether the detected running state of the vehicle is appropriate by estimating a running state of the vehicle at the boundary position based on the distance detected by the distance detecting unit and the detected running state of the vehicle, and a warning unit issuing a warning to a driver of the vehicle based on a result obtained by the determination unit.

Claims

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

a distance detecting unit detecting a distance between a position at which said vehicle runs toward an intersection and a boundary position set for vehicles to stop before the intersection;

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

a determination unit determining whether the detected running state of said vehicle is appropriate by estimating a running state of said vehicle at the boundary position based on the distance detected by said distance detecting unit and the detected running state of said vehicle; and

a warning unit issuing a warning to a driver of said vehicle based on a result obtained by said determination unit.

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

a signal information receiving unit receiving information about a signal state of a traffic signal provided at the intersection and a switching cycle of said traffic signal from a roadside system; and

an estimate unit estimating the signal state of the traffic signal when said vehicle enters the intersection based on the detected distance to the boundary position, the detected running state and the information received by said signal information receiving unit, wherein said determination unit determines whether the detected running state is appropriate additionally based on the estimate result obtained by said estimate unit.

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

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

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

distance detecting means for detecting a distance between a position at which said vehicle runs toward an intersection and a boundary position set for vehicles to stop before the intersection;

running state detecting means for detecting a running state of said vehicle;

determination means for determining whether the detected running state of said vehicle is appropriate by estimating a running state of said vehicle at the boundary position based on the distance detected by said distance detecting unit and the detected running state of said vehicle; and

warning means for issuing a warning to a driver of said vehicle based on a result obtained by said determination means.

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

signal information receiving means for receiving information about a signal state of a traffic signal provided at the intersection and a switching cycle of said traffic signal from a roadside system; and

estimate means for estimating the signal state of the traffic signal when said vehicle enters the intersection based on the detected distance to the boundary position, the detected running state and the information received by said signal information receiving unit, wherein said determination means determines whether the detected running state is appropriate additionally based on the estimate result obtained by said estimate means.

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

braking control means for carrying out a braking control of said vehicle based on the result obtained by said determination means.