Forward vehicle brake warning system

• US 7,486,199 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Heft, Ronald, Tengler, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofass; Jeff
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US11/280,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 340/438, 340/901, 340/902, 340/903, 340/905, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A forward vehicle brake warning system includes an incoming message receiving component, an adverse driving condition obtaining component, an incoming message relevancy component, a relevancy adjustment component and a driver warning component. The incoming message receiving component is configured to receive hard brake messages from neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around a host vehicle. The adverse driving condition obtaining component is configured to receive adverse driving condition information affecting drivability of the host vehicle. The incoming message relevancy component is configured to perform a relevancy determination of the hard brake messages. The relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively filter the hard brake messages received depending upon the adverse driving condition information. The driver warning component configured to alert a driver of the host vehicle.

Claims

1. A forward vehicle brake warning system comprising:

an incoming message receiving component configured to receive incoming messages from neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around a host vehicle equipped with the forward vehicle brake warning system;

an adverse driving condition obtaining component configured to receive adverse driving condition information affecting drivability of the host vehicle;

an incoming message relevancy component configured to perform a relevancy determination of the incoming messages received by the incoming message receiving component in that the incoming message relevancy component compares locations of the neighboring vehicles from the incoming messages that are received with a prescribed zone of interest defining an area in front of the host vehicle along a direction of travel and then determines the incoming messages from the neighboring vehicles that are within the prescribed zone of interest to be relevant and determines the incoming messages from the neighboring vehicles that are within the prescribed communication region but outside of the prescribed zone of interest to be irrelevant, the zone of interest having a predetermined maximum ahead distance measured from the front of the host vehicle and a predetermined maximum width measured perpendicular to the direction of travel of the host vehicle, the prescribed zone of interest having an approximate conical shape viewed from above at least partially confined by a lateral angle of view having a focal point proximate the host vehicle, with the lateral angle of view being bisected by the direction of travel;

a relevancy adjustment component configured to adjust at least one of the maximum ahead distance and the maximum width of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle prior to making the relevancy determination such that the incoming messages are selectively filtered depending upon the adverse driving condition information, the relevancy adjustment component further being configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the lateral angle of view of the prescribed zone of interest; and

a driver warning component configured to alert a driver of the host vehicle based upon the relevancy determination by the incoming message relevancy component.

2. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the adverse driving condition obtaining component further includes a road condition receiving section configured and arranged to detect road conditions of the host vehicle and to provide a signal indicative of the road conditions of the host vehicle as the adverse driving condition information to the adverse driving condition obtaining component.

3. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the road condition receiving section is configured to receive a remotely broadcasted road condition signal that indicates the road conditions of the host vehicle.

4. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the road condition receiving section is configured to receive a detection signal from an on-board sensor that indicates the road conditions of the host vehicle.

5. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the adverse driving condition obtaining component further includes a host vehicle operating state section configured and arranged to detect a host vehicle operating state of the host vehicle and to provide a signal indicative of the host vehicle operating state as the adverse driving condition information to the adverse driving condition obtaining component.

6. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 5, wherein

the host vehicle operating state section is configured to detect operation of a host vehicle traction control system as the host vehicle operating state that is provided to the adverse driving condition obtaining component as the adverse driving condition information.

7. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 5, wherein

the host vehicle operating state section is configured to detect operation of a host vehicle windshield wiper system as the host vehicle operating state that is provided to the adverse driving condition obtaining component as the adverse driving condition information.

8. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the adverse driving condition obtaining component further includes a weather condition receiving section configured and arranged to detect weather conditions of the host vehicle and to provide a signal indicative of the weather conditions of the host vehicle as the adverse driving condition information to the adverse driving condition obtaining component.

9. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 8, wherein

the weather condition receiving section is configured to receive a remotely broadcasted weather condition signal that indicates the weather conditions of the host vehicle.

10. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination based on a detected host vehicle speed.

11. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the driver warning component is further configured to produce an audible warning signal to alert the driver.

12. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the driver warning component is further configured to produce a haptic warning signal to alert the driver.

13. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the driver warning component is further configured to produce a visual warning signal to alert the driver.

14. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising

a braking condition detection component configured to detect a hard braking operation of the host vehicle;

and

a communication component configured to broadcast a host vehicle hard brake message to the neighboring vehicles located within the prescribed communication region around the host vehicle upon detection of the hard braking operation by the braking condition detection component.

15. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the prescribed zone of interest in size based on vehicle operating conditions.

16. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 15, wherein

the vehicle operating conditions used by the relevancy adjustment component to adjust the relevancy determination include:

vehicle speed;

whether or not windshield wipers are on or off; and

whether or not headlights are on or off.

17. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the prescribed zone of interest in size based on road conditions.

18. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the prescribed zone of interest in size based on weather conditions.

19. A forward vehicle brake warning system comprising:

an incoming message receiving component configured to receive incoming messages from neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around a host vehicle equipped with the forward vehicle brake warning system;

an adverse driving condition obtaining component configured to receive adverse driving condition information affecting drivability of the host vehicle;

an incoming message relevancy component configured to perform a relevancy determination of the incoming messages received by the incoming message receiving component in that the incoming message relevancy component compares locations of the neighboring vehicles from the incoming messages that are received with a prescribed zone of interest defining an area in front of the host vehicle along a direction of travel and then determines the incoming messages from the neighboring vehicles that are within the prescribed zone of interest to be relevant and determines the incoming messages from the neighboring vehicles that are within the prescribed communication region but outside of the prescribed zone of interest to be irrelevant, the zone of interest having a predetermined maximum ahead distance measured from the front of the host vehicle and a predetermined maximum width measured perpendicular to the direction of travel of the host vehicle, the prescribed zone of interest having an approximate conical shape viewed from above at least partially confined by a lateral angle of view having a focal point proximate the host vehicle, with the lateral angle of view being bisected by the direction of travel;

a relevancy adjustment component configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively filter the incoming messages received depending upon the adverse driving condition information and adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the lateral angle of view of the prescribed zone of interest; and

a driver warning component configured to alert a driver of the host vehicle based upon the relevancy determination by the incoming message relevancy component.

20. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the prescribed zone of interest in size based on a detected host vehicle speed.

21. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination by selectively changing the maximum ahead distance of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle.

22. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 21, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to increase the maximum ahead distance of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle when the adverse driving condition obtaining component determines a visibility impaired road condition.

23. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination by selectively changing a minimum ahead distance of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle.

24. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination by selectively changing a lateral angle of view of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle.

25. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 24, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to increase the lateral angle of view of the prescribed zone of interest relative to the host vehicle when the adverse driving condition obtaining component determines a low friction road condition.

26. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively set the prescribed zone of interest based on a lateral angle of view relative to the host vehicle, a detected host vehicle speed, a minimum ahead distance relative to the host vehicle and a maximum ahead distance relative to the host vehicle.

27. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the prescribed zone of interest in size based on vehicle operating conditions.

28. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 27, wherein

the vehicle operating conditions used by the relevancy adjustment component to adjust the relevancy determination include:

vehicle speed;

whether or not windshield wipers are on or off; and

whether or not headlights are on or off.

29. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the prescribed zone of interest in size based on road conditions.

30. The forward vehicle brake warning system as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the relevancy adjustment component is further configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively adjust the prescribed zone of interest in size based on weather conditions.