System and method for guiding a vehicle

• US 7,706,969 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamane, Masao, Fujita, Susumu, Takagi, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US11/315,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 701201-213, 701/300, 701/301, 701/96, 342/357.1, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.01, 342/357.06
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A guide system terminal device is provided to facilitate group operation vehicles. The guide system terminal device has a transceiver that receives the traveling environment information from another vehicle, such as for the turn signal, vehicle speed, running position, a road change judgment module that judges course changes by the other vehicle based on the traveling environment information of the other vehicle, and a user interface that outputs the judgment result obtained by road change judgment module. For example, the road change judgment module judges a left/right turn to have occurred when the blinker information acquired by turn signal sensor lasts longer than a prescribed time, and when the maximum value of the change in vehicle speed exceeds a prescribed level.

Claims

1. A guidance system for use in a group of vehicles including at least a first vehicle and a second vehicle, comprising:

a first controller associated with the first vehicle and adapted to generate travel environment information of the first vehicle, wherein the travel environment information comprises a speed of the first vehicle and at least one of information concerning operation of a turn signal of the first vehicle and information concerning a steering angle of the first vehicle;

a user interface associated with the second vehicle; and

a second controller in radio communication with the first controller, the second controller programmed to determine course change information of the first vehicle based on the travel environment information and to display the course change information on the user interface.

2. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the second controller determines course change information that indicates whether the first vehicle has made a right/left turn or lane change based on the travel environment information.

3. The guidance system of claim 1, further comprising:

a timer adapted to determine a duration of operation of the turn signal; and

a vehicle speed change module adapted to determine a change in the speed;

wherein

the second controller is responsive to the timer and the vehicle speed change module to determine the course change information based on the duration of operation of the turn signal and the change in the speed.

4. The guidance system of claim 3, wherein the second controller is further adapted to:

determine that the first vehicle has made a left/right turn if the duration of operation of the turn signal is longer than a prescribed time and the change in the speed is above a prescribed value; and

determine that the first vehicle has changed lanes if the duration of operation of the turn signal is equal to or shorter than the prescribed time and the change in the speed is equal to or below the prescribed value.

5. The guidance system of claim 1, further comprising:

a steering angle change computing module that computes a change in the steering angle; and

a vehicle speed change module adapted to determine a change in the speed;

wherein

the second controller is responsive to the steering angle change computing module and the vehicle speed change module to determine course change information based on the change in the steering angle and the change in the speed.

6. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is further adapted to:

determine that the first vehicle has made a left/right turn if a change in the steering angle is larger than a prescribed value and a change in the speed is larger than a prescribed value; and

determine that the first vehicle has changed lanes if the change in the steering angle is equal to or smaller than the prescribed value and the change in the speed is equal to or below the prescribed value.

8. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the travel environment information further comprises position information and road information;

and the second controller is further adapted to determine the course change information based on the position information and the road information for a road corresponding to the position information.

9. The guidance system of claim 8, wherein the road information includes information about at least one of road type and lane information.

10. The guidance system of claim 8, wherein the second controller is further adapted to output the position information when the course change information indicates that the first vehicle has changed course.

11. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is further adapted to determine the course change information based on the travel environment information received before interruption of communication with the first controller when communication between the first and second controllers is interrupted.

12. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is further adapted to activate a standby mode if at least one of the following conditions is true:

the operation of the turn signal starts;

a change in the speed is above a first prescribed level; and

the speed is below a second prescribed level.

13. The guidance system of claim 12, wherein the second controller is further adapted to deactivate the standby mode if at least one of the following conditions is true:

an amount of steering angle change for the first vehicle is smaller than a third prescribed value;

an angular velocity value for the steering angle of the first vehicle is smaller than a fourth prescribed value during a prescribed time; and

the first vehicle has traveled a prescribed distance.

14. The guidance system of claim 12, wherein the first and second controllers are adapted to communicate more frequently when the standby mode is activated than they communicate when the standby mode is not activated.

15. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is further adapted to display on the user interface an icon representing the first vehicle and an icon representing the second vehicle;

to display the travel environment information for the first vehicle near the icon representing the first vehicle; and

to display the course change information near the icon representing the second vehicle.

7. A guidance system for use in a group of vehicles including at least a first vehicle and a second vehicle, comprising:

a first controller associated with the first vehicle and adapted to generate travel environment information of the first vehicle, wherein the travel environment information comprises position information;

a user interface associated with the second vehicle; and

a second controller in radio communication with the first controller, the second controller programmed to determine course change information of the first vehicle based on the travel environment information and to display the course change information on the user interface, to compute a position vector for the first vehicle relative to the second vehicle based on the position information, and to determine the course change information based on changes in the position vector.

16. A guidance terminal for transmitting guidance information from a vehicle, comprising:

a controller associated with the vehicle and adapted to generate travel environment information of the vehicle, the travel environment information including information concerning operation of a turn signal of the vehicle; and

a radio transmitter responsive to the controller to wirelessly transmit the travel environment information.

17. A guidance terminal for use in a first vehicle for receiving guidance information transmitted by a second vehicle, comprising:

a user interface associated with the first vehicle;

a receiver adapted to receive a radio transmission from the first vehicle, which transmission includes travel environment information of the first vehicle, the travel environment information including a speed of the first vehicle and at least one of information concerning operation of a turn signal of the first vehicle and information concerning a steering angle of the first vehicle; and

a controller operatively coupled to the receiver and programmed to determine course change information of the first vehicle based on the travel environment information received by the receiver and to display the course change information on the user interface.

18. A method for exchanging guidance information between a first and second vehicle, comprising:

generating travel environment information of the first vehicle, wherein the travel environment information comprises a speed of the first vehicle and at least one of information related to operation of a turn signal of the first vehicle and information related to a steering angle of the first vehicle;

wirelessly transmitting the travel environment information from the first vehicle to the second vehicle;

determining course change information for the first vehicle based on the travel environment information; and

displaying the course change information on a user interface located in the second vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining course change information for the first vehicle which includes a determination of whether the first vehicle has turned left, turned right and changed lanes.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

computing a duration of operation of the turn signal;

computing a change in the speed; and

determining the course change information based on the duration of the operation of the turn signal and on the change in the speed.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

computing changes in the steering angle of the first vehicle;

computing changes in the speed of the first vehicle;

determining course change information based on the computed changes in the steering angle and the speed.