Information system for vehicle

• US 6,292,719 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2000
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Honda, Naoki, Takagi, Toru, Seto, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/562,645
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/22, 701/23, 701/25, 701/35, 701/65, 701/207, 701/214, 342/357.01, 342/357.09, 342/357.13, 342/357.17, 340/435, 340/438, 340/439, 340/992
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0058 responsive to externally generated signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal 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 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

An information system of a vehicle has a controller which is arranged to decide a danger point on a traveling road according to a traveling circumstance of the vehicle and to store the danger point for the next travel. The information system informs a driver that the vehicle approaches the danger point stored. Therefore, the information system can provide optimum information according to driver'"'"'s driving skill to the driver.

Claims

1. An information system for a vehicle comprising:

a position detector that detects a position of the vehicle with respect to the Earth;

a traveling circumstance detector that detects circumstantial information of the vehicle; and

a controller connected to said position detector and said traveling circumstance detector, said controller being arranged

to decide whether a quantity indicative of the circumstantial information of the vehicle is greater than a circumstance threshold,

to store the position of the vehicle as a stored point when said controller decides that the quantity indicative of the circumstantial information is greater than the circumstance threshold,

to decide whether a distance between the position of the vehicle and the stored point is shorter than a predetermined distance, and

to output information indicative that the vehicle approaches the stored point when said controller decides that the distance is shorter than the predetermined distance.

2. The information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumstantial information detected by said traveling circumstance detector includes a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle.

3. The information system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said controller is further arranged to estimate a kind of a road traveled by the vehicle, the traveling circumstance threshold being varied according to the kind of the traveling road.

4. The information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumstantial information detected by said traveling circumstance detector includes a lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

5. The information system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said controller is further arranged to estimate a kind of a road traveled by the vehicle, the traveling circumstance threshold being varied according to the kind of the traveling road.

6. The information system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the kind of the traveling road is classified according to a surface condition of the road.

7. The information system as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a slope angle detector that detects a lateral slope angle of a traveling road of the vehicle, the traveling circumstance threshold being varied according to the lateral slope angle of the traveling road.

8. The information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumstantial information detected by said traveling circumstance detector includes a variation of a depression quantity of a brake pedal.

9. The information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumstantial information detected by said traveling circumstance detector includes a variation of a depression quantity of a brake pedal and a variation of a depression amount of an accelerator pedal, said controller deciding whether the variation of the depression quantity of the brake pedal is greater than a first predetermined threshold and whether the variation of the depression quantity of the accelerator pedal is greater than a second predetermined threshold.

10. The information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumstantial information detected by said traveling circumstance detector includes a variation of a steer angle of the vehicle.

11. The information system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a vehicle speed detector connected to said controller, said controller being arranged to vary the predetermined distance on the basis of the vehicle speed.

12. The information system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a vehicle speed detector that detects a vehicle speed of the vehicle, said controller being further arranged to store a traveled locus of the vehicle, to store a variation of a steer angle of the vehicle, to identify the stored point on the basis of the vehicle speed, the traveled locus and the steer angle, and to vary the predetermined distance on the basis of the identified stored point.

13. The information system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a road slope detector that detects a slope of the traveling road of the vehicle, said controller identifying the stored point on the basis of the vehicle speed, the traveled locus, the steer angle and the road slope.

14. The information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumstantial information detected by said traveling circumstance detector includes the operating state of an antilock braking system controller installed to the vehicle.

15. The information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said traveling circumstance detector includes a heartbeat sensor attached to a driver.

16. An information system for a vehicle comprising:

a controller arranged

to ascertain a position of the vehicle with respect to the Earth,

to ascertain circumstantial information of the vehicle,

to decide whether a quantity indicative of the circumstantial information is greater with a circumstance threshold,

to store the position of the vehicle as a stored point when said controller decides that the quantity indicative of the circumstantial information is greater than the circumstance threshold,

to decide whether a distance between the position of the vehicle and the stored point is shorter than a predetermined distance, and

to output information indicative that the vehicle approaches the stored point when said controller decides that the distance is shorter than the predetermined distance.

17. A method of informing a position to a driver of a vehicle, said method comprising:

deciding whether a quantity indicative of circumstantial information of the vehicle is greater with a circumstance threshold;

storing a position of the vehicle with respect to the Earth as a stored point when the quantity indicative of the circumstantial information is greater than the circumstance threshold;

deciding whether a distance between the position of the vehicle and the stored point is shorter than a predetermined distance; and

outputting information indicative that the vehicle approaches the stored point when the distance is shorter than the predetermined distance.

18. An information system for a vehicle, comprising:

position detecting means for detecting a position of the vehicle;

traveling circumstance detecting means for detecting traveling circumstantial information of the vehicle;

comparing means for comparing the traveling circumstantial information of the vehicle with a traveling circumstance threshold;

storing means for storing the position of the vehicle as a stored point when said comparing means decides that the traveling circumstantial information is greater than the traveling circumstance threshold;

approach deciding means for deciding whether a distance between the position of the vehicle and the stored point is shorter than a predetermined distance; and

informing means for outputting information indicative that the vehicle approaches the stored point when said approach deciding means decides the distance is shorter than the predetermined distance.

19. An information system for a vehicle, the vehicle having an antilock braking system, said information system comprising:

position detecting means for detecting a position of the vehicle;

ABS operation detecting means for detecting that the ABS is put in an operative condition at the position detected by said position detecting means;

storing means for storing the position of the vehicle as a stored point when said ABS operation detecting means decides that the ABS is put in an operative condition;

approach deciding means for deciding whether a distance between the position of the vehicle and the stored point is shorter than a predetermined distance; and

informing means for outputting information indicative that the vehicle approaches the stored point when said approach deciding means decides the distance is shorter than the predetermined distance.

20. An alarming point storing system for a vehicle comprising:

a position detector that detects a position of the vehicle with respect to the Earth;

a traveling circumstance detector that detects circumstantial information of the vehicle; and

a controller connected to said position detector and said traveling circumstance detector, said controller being arranged

to decide whether a quantity indicative of the circumstantial information of the vehicle is greater than a circumstance threshold,

to store the position of the vehicle as an alarming point when said controller decides that the quantity indicative of the circumstantial information is greater than the circumstance threshold.