Vehicle surrounding monitoring system

• US 7,663,475 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Kudo, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase; Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US11/527,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20070069873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system

Abstract

a vehicle surrounding monitoring system including a vehicle travel information detecting unit for detecting travel information of an own vehicle, a solid object recognizing unit for detecting solid objects existing in front of the own vehicle and recognizing at least a preceding vehicle from the solid objects, a target route calculating unit for calculating a target route for the own vehicle in accordance with the present position of the preceding vehicle and the present position of the own vehicle, an alarm area setting unit for setting an alarm area on the basis of the target route, and an alarm control unit for giving an alarm in accordance with an existing state of solid objects existing in the alarm area.

Claims

1. A vehicle surrounding monitoring system comprising:

a vehicle travel information detecting unit for detecting travel information of an own vehicle;

a solid object recognizing unit for detecting solid objects existing in front of the own vehicle and recognizing at least a preceding vehicle from the solid objects;

a target route calculating unit for calculating a target route for the own vehicle in accordance with the present position of the preceding vehicle and the present position of the own vehicle, the target route being calculated for the own vehicle to follow up the preceding vehicle;

an alarm area setting unit for setting an alarm area along the target route; and

an alarm control unit for giving an alarm in accordance with an existing state of solid objects existing in the alarm area.

2. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the target route calculated by the target route calculating unit is set to any one of a straight line and a route approximated by an arc.

3. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein when in a coordinate system including the position of the own vehicle as an origin, the center-of-gravity position of the preceding vehicle is not displaced in the lateral direction with respect to the origin, the target route calculating unit sets the route to a straight line.

4. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein when the radius of the route approximated by the calculated arc is larger than a set value, the target route calculating unit sets the route to a straight line.

5. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the width of the alarm area set by the alarm area setting unit is variably set in accordance with at least one of the speed of the own vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, an approach speed of a solid object as a judgment target to the alarm area, and the relative speed between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle.

6. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm area set by the alarm area setting unit is set to extend forward from the rear end of the preceding vehicle.

7. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein the forward extension length of the alarm area from the rear end of the preceding vehicle is variable in accordance with the speed of the own vehicle.

8. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein when a white line of a travel road exists in the alarm area, the alarm area set by the alarm area setting unit restricts the alarm area by the white line.

9. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein when a solid object exists at the right side in the alarm area, the alarm control unit gives an alarm to promote turning of steering to the left, and when the solid object exists at the left side in the alarm area, the alarm control unit gives an alarm to promote turning of steering to the right.

10. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein when the speed of a solid object as an alarm target is substantially equal to that of the preceding vehicle and also the solid object as the alarm target has a preset width which is regarded as a vehicle, the alarm control unit switches the alarm to any one of prohibition of the alarm and a notification indicating an interrupting vehicle.