Alarm generation method and apparatus

• US 7,375,622 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takata, Kazuaki, Mori, Daishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie Bichngoc
• Application Number:
  US11/269,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20060109095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

An on-vehicle alarm generation method and an on-vehicle alarm generation apparatus for notifying a driver to be aware of safe driving by detecting a passerby or a bicycle moving at a dangerous point and generating an alarm to the driver are provided. In one aspect, the on-vehicle alarm generation method for detecting a passerby and generating an alarm to a driver includes the steps of including a dangerous driving point in map data and detecting the vehicle position; monitoring whether the vehicle approaches the dangerous driving point; transmitting a searching signal when the vehicle approaches the dangerous driving point; monitoring whether, in response to the searching signal, a responsive signal is received from a mobile device carried by the passerby; and generating an alarm to the driver upon receiving the responsive signal.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle alarm generation method for detecting a passerby and generating an alarm to a driver, comprising:

identifying and storing a dangerous driving point in map data;

detecting the vehicle position;

monitoring whether the vehicle approaches the dangerous driving point;

transmitting a searching signal when the vehicle approaches the dangerous driving point, but otherwise not transmitting a searching signal;

monitoring whether, in response to the searching signal, a responsive signal is received from a mobile device carried by the passerby; and

generating an alarm to the driver upon receiving the responsive signal.

2. The alarm generation method according to claim 1, wherein the dangerous driving point is one of an intersection without a traffic signal, a curve having a radius of curvature not greater than a predetermined value, a point at which traffic accidents frequently occur, a specified school route, and a bus stop.

3. The alarm generation method according to claim 1, wherein the generated alarm is at least one of a sound alarm and a displayed alarm.

4. The alarm generation method according to claim 3, wherein the displayed alarm is a mark displayed at the dangerous driving point on a displayed map.

5. An on-vehicle alarm generation method for detecting a passerby moving along the sidewalk and for generating an alarm to a driver, comprising:

monitoring whether the vehicle approaches a stepping-out passage point;

obtaining the number of passersby at the stepping-out passage point when the vehicle approaches the stepping-out passage point; and

generating an alarm to the driver when the obtained number is more than a set number of passersby.

6. The alarm generation method according to claim 5, further comprising:

including the stepping-out passage point in map data and detecting the vehicle position; and

detecting the approach of the vehicle position to the stepping-out passage point on the basis of the distance between the stepping-out passage point and the vehicle position.

7. The alarm generation method according to claim 5, wherein the stepping-out passage point is one of an intersection without a traffic signal, a curve having a radius of curvature not greater than a predetermined value, a point at which traffic accidents frequently occur, a specified school route, and a bus stop.

8. The alarm generation method according to claim 5, wherein the number of passersby is obtained by obtaining an image of the stepping-out passage point, extracting features of the image, and identifying passersby in the image.

9. The alarm generation method according to claim 5, wherein the number of passersby is obtained by transmitting a searching signal when the vehicle approaches the stepping-out passage point and counting the number of responsive signals received from mobile devices carried by the passersby in response to the searching signal.

10. The alarm generation method according to claim 5, wherein the generated alarm is at least one of a sound alarm and a displayed alarm.

11. An on-vehicle alarm generation apparatus for detecting a passerby and generating an alarm to a driver, comprising:

a map-data storing unit holding map data identifying and storing a dangerous driving point;

a vehicle measuring unit detecting a vehicle position;

a navigation controller computing the distance between the vehicle position and the dangerous driving point stored in the map-data storing unit;

a searching-signal transmitting unit transmitting a searching signal when the distance becomes equal to or less than a set distance, but otherwise not transmitting a searching signal;

a response-signal receiving unit receiving a responsive signal emitted from a mobile device carried by the passerby in response to the searching signal; and

an alarm generating unit generating an alarm to the driver upon receiving the responsive signal.

12. The alarm generation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the dangerous driving point is one of an intersection without a traffic signal, a curve having a radius of curvature not greater than a predetermined value, a point at which traffic accidents frequently occur, a specified school route, and a bus stop.

13. The alarm generation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the generated alarm is at least one of a sound alarm and a displayed alarm.

14. The alarm generation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the displayed alarm is a mark displayed at the dangerous driving point on a displayed map.

15. An on-vehicle alarm generation apparatus for detecting a passerby moving along the sidewalk and for generating an alarm to a driver, comprising:

a navigation controller monitoring whether the vehicle approaches a stepping-out passage point previously registered in a navigation system;

a passerby counting unit counting passersby near the stepping-out passage point when the vehicle approaches the stepping-out passage point; and

an alarm generating unit generating an alarm when the number of passersby is more than a set number.

16. The alarm generation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the stepping-out passage point is one of an intersection without a traffic signal, included in map data, a curve having a radius of curvature not greater than a predetermined value, a point at which traffic accidents frequently occur, a specified school route, and a bus stop.

17. The alarm generation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the number of passersby is obtained by obtaining an image of the stepping-out passage point, extracting features of the image, and identifying passerby in the image.

18. The alarm generation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the number of passersby is obtained by transmitting a searching signal when the vehicle approaches the stepping-out passage point and counting the number of responsive signals received from mobile devices carried by the passersby in response to the searching signal.

19. The alarm generation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the generated alarm is at least one of a sound alarm and a displayed alarm.

20. The alarm generation apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the displayed alarm is a mark displayed at the stepping-out passage point on a displayed map.