Harsh braking warning system and method, vehicle warning apparatus and method utilizing same, information transmitting apparatus and method utilizing the system and method, server apparatus, program for the system and information recording medium for such a program

• US 7,246,000 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Matsushita, Fumio, Arakawa, Katsunori, Shioda, Takehiko, Odagawa, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEISKOPF, MARIE
• Application Number:
  US10/850,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20040245853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/70, 303/191, 340/901, 340/902, 342/455
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus is provided that warns a vehicle of a harsh braking-applied vehicle based on information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle. The apparatus includes a reception device, a position detection device, a forward side vehicle judgment device, and a warning device. The reception device receives the information indicating that harsh braking has been applied to the harsh braking-applied vehicle and information indicating a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle. The position detection device detects a position of the vehicle to be warned, and the forward side vehicle judgment device determines if the harsh braking-applied vehicle is in front of the vehicle to be warned based on the positions of the harsh braking-applied vehicle and the vehicle to be warned. The warning device warns the vehicle to be warned when the harsh braking-applied vehicle is in front of the vehicle to be warned.

Claims

1. A harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus, which is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, on a basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

a reception device for receiving the harsh braking information, said harsh braking information including information, which is indicative that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information, which is indicative of a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a position detection device for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment device for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned;

a warning device for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle; and

a distance calculation device for calculating distance between said harsh braking-applied vehicle and said vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned,

wherein said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said distance,

wherein said harsh braking information further includes another information, which is indicative of a driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a velocity detection device for detecting a driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned; and

a reaching time-calculating device for calculating a period of time required for said vehicle to be warned to reach the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, on a basis of the position of said vehicle to be warned, the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, the driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned and the driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle,

wherein said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said period of time.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with at least one of weather conditions and road surface conditions.

3. A harsh braking warning system, comprising:

(i) a harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus, which is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, on a basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle, said apparatus comprising;

a reception device for receiving the harsh braking information, said harsh braking information including information, which is indicative that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information, which is indicative of a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a position detection device for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment device for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned;

a warning device for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle; and

a distance calculation device for calculating distance between said harsh braking-applied vehicle and said vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned,

wherein;

said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said distance; and

(ii) a harsh braking information transmitting apparatus, for transmitting the harsh braking information from the harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to the vehicle to be warned, to give the warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, said apparatus comprising;

a position detection device for detecting the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a harsh braking detection device for detecting that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle; and

a transmission device for transmitting, when application of the harsh braking is detected, the harsh braking information, which the includes information indicative of the application of the harsh braking in said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and the other information indicative of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, said transmission device broadcast-transmits said harsh braking information to an indefinite number of vehicle to be warned,

wherein said harsh braking information further includes another information, which is indicative of a driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and

wherein said harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus further comprises;

a velocity detection device for detecting a driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned; and

a reaching time-calculating device for calculating a period of time required for said vehicle to be warned to reach the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, on a basis of the position of said vehicle to be warned, the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, the driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned and the driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle,

wherein said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said period of time.

4. A harsh braking warning system, comprising:

(i) a harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus, which is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, on a basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle, said apparatus comprising;

a reception device for receiving the harsh braking information, said harsh braking information including information, which is indicative that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information, which is indicative of a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a position detection device for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

forward side vehicle judgment device for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned;

a warning device for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle; and

a distance calculation device for calculating distance between said harsh braking-applied vehicle and said vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned,

wherein;

said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said distance; and

(ii) a transmission device that transmits the harsh braking information to a server apparatus, which transmits said harsh braking information to said vehicle to be warned, wherein the server apparatus receives the harsh braking information transmitted from the harsh braking information transmitting apparatus,

wherein said harsh braking information further includes another information, which is indicative of a driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and

wherein said harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus further comprises;

a velocity detection device for detecting a driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned; and

reaching time-calculating device for calculating a period of time required for said vehicle to be warned to reach the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, on a basis of the position of said vehicle to be warned, the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, the driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned and the driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and

wherein said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said period of time.

5. A harsh braking-applied vehicle warning method, which is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, on a basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle, said method comprising:

a reception step for receiving the harsh braking information, said harsh braking information including information, which is indicative that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information, which is indicative of a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a position detection step for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment step for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned;

a warning step for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle; and

a distance calculation step for calculating distance between said harsh braking-applied vehicle and said vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned,

wherein said warning step gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said distance,

wherein said harsh braking information further includes another information, which is indicative of a driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a velocity detecting step for detecting a driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned; and

a reaching time calculating step for calculating a period of time required for said vehicle to be warned to reach the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, on a basis of the position of said vehicle to be warned, the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, the driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned and the driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle,

wherein said warning step gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said period of time.

6. A harsh braking warning method, which is to transmit a harsh braking information from a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied to a vehicle to be warned, to give a warning of existence of the harsh braking-applied vehicle, to the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the harsh braking information, said method comprising:

a position detection step for detecting a position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a harsh braking detection step for detecting that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a transmission step for transmitting, when application of the harsh braking is detected, the harsh braking information, which includes information indicative of the application of the harsh braking in said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information indicative of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, said transmission step comprising broadcast-transmitting said harsh braking information to an indefinite number of vehicle to be warned;

a reception step for receiving the harsh braking information in said vehicle to be warned;

a position detection step for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment step for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned; and

a warning step for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle,

wherein said harsh braking information further includes another information, which is indicative of a driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a velocity detection step for detecting a driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned; and

a reaching time-calculating step for calculating a period of time required for said vehicle to be warned to reach the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, on a basis of the position of said vehicle to be warned, the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, the driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned and the driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle,

wherein said warning step gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said period of time.

7. An information recording medium on which there is recorded a harsh braking-applied vehicle warning program, which is to be executed by a computer included in a harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus that is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, on a basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle, to cause the computer to function as:

a reception device for receiving the harsh braking information, said harsh braking information including information, which is indicative that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information, which is indicative of a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a position detection device for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment device for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned;

a warning device for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle; and

a distance calculation device for calculating distance between said harsh braking-applied vehicle and said vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned,

wherein said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said distance, and

wherein said harsh braking information further includes another information, which is indicative of a driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a velocity detection device for detecting a driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned; and

a reaching time-calculating device for calculating a period of time required for said vehicle to be warned to reach the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, on a basis of the position of said vehicle to be warned, the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, the driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned and the driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle,

wherein said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said period of time.