Driver assisting system

• US 7,206,673 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kondoh, Takayuki, Yamamura, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US10/991,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41, 701/300, 701/96, 701/58, 701/75, 701/1, 701/36, 701/301, 701/70, 180/169, 180/402, 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 341/20, 345/156, 345/161, 345/167
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal

Abstract

A method and a system for assisting a driver operating a driver controlled input device within a vehicle, acquires data including information on environment in a field around the vehicle and information on vehicle setting regarding how devices are set within the vehicle. A risk perceived from the environment is calculated using the acquired data. Using the vehicle setting, the risk perceived is modified. Accounting for the modified risk perceived, an increment in force applied to the driver via the driver controlled input device is determined.

Claims

1. A driver assisting system for a vehicle having a driver controlled input device operable by a driver and through which force may be applied to the driver, comprising:

a data acquisition section that acquires data including information on environment in a field around the vehicle and information on vehicle setting regarding how devices are set within the vehicle;

a risk calculation section that calculates risk from the environment using the acquired data and the vehicle setting;

a control section that, accounting for the calculated risk, determines a change in a force applied to the driver via the driver controlled input device; and

a modification section that determines a force modification, and modifies the change in force at the driver controlled input device according to the determined force modification, to convey information related to the calculated risk to the driver.

2. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 1, wherein the risk includes risk perceived.

3. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 1, wherein the change in force is at least one of an increase in force and a decrease in force.

4. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 1, wherein the modification section determines the force modification based on vehicle settings.

5. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 4, further comprising a driver physique determination section that determines a driver physique based on at least one of the vehicle settings, wherein the vehicle setting used by the modification section to determine the force modification includes the at least one of the vehicle settings on which the driver physique determination section bases the determination of the driver physique, such that the modification section modifies the change in force based on the driver physique.

6. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one vehicle setting includes at least one of:

a position of a driver'"'"'s seat;

a tilt position of a steering wheel; and

a telescope position of the steering wheel.

7. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 4, wherein the data acquisition system acquires information on a plurality of vehicle settings, the vehicle settings being prioritized into a vehicle setting priority, and wherein the modification section forms the force modification of at least one of a plurality of different force modifications corresponding to the plurality of vehicle settings and in accordance with the vehicle setting priority.

8. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 4, wherein the vehicle settings include at least one of:

a driver seat position;

a steering wheel tilt position;

a steering wheel telescope position;

a setting state of a parking brake;

a snow mode shift pattern setting of an automatic transmission;

a setting of a windshield wiper;

a power mode shift setting of an automatic transmission; and

a setting of a suspension system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the force applied to the driver increases in response to the calculated risk being a higher risk.

10. A vehicle comprising:

a driver controlled input device operable by a driver and through which force may be applied to the driver;

a data acquisition section that acquires data including information on environment in a field around the vehicle and information on vehicle setting regarding how devices are set within the vehicle;

a risk calculation section that calculates risk from the environment using the acquired data and the vehicle setting;

a control section that, accounting for the calculated risk, determines a change in force applied to the driver via the driver controlled input device; and

a modification section that determines a force modification, and modifies the change in force at the driver controlled input device according to the determined force modification, to convey information related to the calculated risk to the driver.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the force applied to the driver increases in response to the calculated risk being a higher risk risk.

12. A vehicle comprising:

a driver controlled input device operable by a driver and through which force may be applied to the driver;

a data acquisition section that acquires data including information on environment in a field around the vehicle and information on at least one physical attribute of the driver;

a risk calculation section that calculates risk using the acquired data;

a control section that, accounting for the calculated risk, determines a change in force applied to the driver via the driver controlled input device; and

a modification section that determines a force modification, and modifies the change in force at the driver controlled input device according to the determined force modification, to convey information related to the calculated risk to the driver.

13. A driver assisting system for use in a vehicle including a control input device operable by a driver for controlling the operation of the vehicle, the system comprising:

data acquisition apparatus configured to acquire information related to an environment around the vehicle and information related to vehicle settings;

a data processor configured to perform the steps of;

calculating an initial risk associated with the vehicle based on the information related to the environment around the vehicle;

modifying the calculated risk based on the information related to the vehicle settings; and

generating a control signal to adjust a force applied to the driver via the control input device based on the modified risk, to convey information related to the modified risk to the driver.

14. The driver assisting system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle settings include at least one of a position of a driver'"'"'s seat, a tilt position of a steering wheel, a telescope position of the steering wheel, a setting state of a parking brake, a snow mode shift pattern setting of an automatic transmission, a setting of a windshield wiper, a power mode shift setting of an automatic transmission, and a setting of a suspension system.

15. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 14, wherein:

the vehicle settings are prioritized into a vehicle setting priority, and

the data processor modifies the calculated risk by applying at least one of a plurality of different force modifications corresponding to the vehicle settings and in accordance with the vehicle setting priority.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the force applied to the driver increases in response to the calculated risk being a higher risk.

17. A driver assisting system for use in a vehicle including a control input device operable by a driver for controlling the operation of the vehicle, the system comprising:

data acquisition apparatus configured to acquire information related to an environment around the vehicle and information related to vehicle settings of the vehicle;

a data processor configured to perform the steps of;

calculating a driving risk associated with the vehicle based on the information related the environment around the vehicle and the information related to the equipment settings of the vehicle; and

generating a control signal to adjust a force applied to the driver via the control input device based on the calculated risk, to convey information related to the calculated risk to the driver.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the force applied to the driver increases in response to the calculated risk being a higher risk.

19. A vehicle comprising:

a control input device operable by a driver for controlling the operation of the vehicle;

data acquisition apparatus configured to acquire information related to an environment around the vehicle and information related to vehicle settings;

a data processor configured to perform the steps of;

calculating a driving risk associated with the vehicle based on the information related the environment around the vehicle and the information related to the vehicle settings; and

generating a control signal to adjust a force applied to the driver via the control input device based on the calculated risk, to convey information related to the calculated risk to the driver.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the force applied to the driver increases in response to the calculated risk being a higher risk.