Traveling safety device for vehicle

• US 7,764,192 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sekine, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US11/826,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20080024266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/905, 340/995.13, 340438-439, 340/937, 701/45, 701/70, 701/72
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/16 Curve braking control, e.g. turn control within ABS control algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/32 Vehicle surroundings
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence

Abstract

A traveling safety device for a vehicle of the present invention includes a storage device, a present vehicle position detecting device, a vehicle state detecting device, a curve recognizing device, a proper vehicle state setting device, a comparing device, an operating device, an improper operation determining device that determines whether or not the operation of the operating device for a recognized curve is improper operation, an improper operation curve storage device that stores the recognized curve for which the operation of the operation device is determined to be improper operation by the improper operation determining device, and a suppressing device that suppresses the operation of the operating device for the recognized curve stored by the improper operation curve storage device.

Claims

1. A traveling safety device for a vehicle, comprising:

a storage device that stores a road data;

a present vehicle position detecting device that detects a position of a present vehicle;

a vehicle state detecting device that detects a vehicle state of the present vehicle;

a curve recognizing device that recognizes a shape of a curve that exists in a traveling direction of the present vehicle based on the road data stored by the storage device;

a proper vehicle state setting device that sets, based on the shape of a recognized curve that is a curve recognized by the curve recognizing device, a proper vehicle state where the vehicle is able to properly pass through the recognized curve;

a comparing device that compares the vehicle state detected by the vehicle state detecting device with the proper vehicle state set by the proper vehicle state setting device;

an operating device that operates a safety device provided in the present vehicle if the vehicle state of the present vehicle is not the proper vehicle state based on a comparison result by the comparing device;

an improper operation determining device that determines whether or not the operation of the operating device for the recognized curve is improper operation;

an improper operation curve storage device that stores, for current use and further use, the recognized curve for which the operation of the operation device is determined to be improper operation by the improper operation determining device; and

a suppressing device that suppresses the operation of the operating device for the recognized curve stored by the improper operation curve storage device,

wherein if the present vehicle has passed through a curve stored in the improper operation curve storage device, an improper operation memory for the curve stored in the improper operation curve storage device is erased.

2. The traveling safety device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a route estimating device that estimates a route of the present vehicle based on at least the road data stored in the storage device; and

an estimated route passage determining device that determines whether or not the route estimated by the route estimating device corresponds with an actual traveling road, wherein

the improper operation determining device determines that the operation of the operating device is improper operation if it is determined that the route estimated by the estimated route passage determining device does not correspond with the actual traveling road, after the operation of the operating device.

3. The traveling safety device according to claim 2, further comprising an actual curve detecting device that detects a curve on the actual road from a vehicle traveling state, wherein

the improper operation determining device determines that the operation of the operating device is improper operation if it is determined that the route estimated by the estimated route passage determining device corresponds with an actual traveling road, and any curve is not detected on the actual road by the actual curve detecting device, after the operation of the operating device.

4. The traveling safety device according to claim 1, further comprising a matching determining device that determines whether or not the present vehicle is traveling on a road corresponding to the road data based on the road data stored in the storage device and an output from the present vehicle position detecting device, wherein

the improper operation determining device determines that the operation of the operating device is improper operation if the matching determining device has determined that the present vehicle is not traveling on the road corresponding to the road data, after the operation of the operating device.

5. The traveling safety device according to claim 4, wherein

the improper operation determining device does not perform improper operation determination for the recognized curve if the matching determining device has determined that the present vehicle is traveling on a road corresponding to road data that is different from an estimated route, after the operation of the operating device.

6. The traveling safety device according to claim 1, wherein

the improper operation curve storage deice additionally stores a traveling direction in which the safety device has been operated;

and

the suppressing device suppresses the operation of the operating device if the stored traveling direction, and the traveling direction of the present vehicle are the same.