Vehicle recommendation speed display system

• US 7,911,361 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kumabe, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Son M
• Application Number:
  US11/730,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20070262883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 340/936, 340/995.17, 340/996, 701/41, 701/70, 701/93, 701/96, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/936
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle recommendation speed display system includes a vehicle speed sensor, a recommendation speed processing unit that calculates a recommended speed based on a vehicle speed and a display unit that is usually mounted in a speedometer. The recommendation speed processing unit is configured to send information on the vehicle recommended speed to the display unit to display the recommended speed regardless of whether an actual vehicle speed is higher than the recommended speed or not in order to prevent a driver from being irritated by a difference between the actual vehicle speed and a vehicle speed intended by the driver.

Claims

1. A recommendation speed display system for a vehicle comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor;

sensing means for sensing a plurality of conditions that may affect a vehicle speed;

an operating panel for providing a vehicle control speed setting signal;

a recommendation speed processing unit for providing a display recommendation speed determined based on at least one of the plurality of conditions sensed by the sensing means and a vehicle control speed based on the vehicle control speed setting signal sent from the operating panel, and for sending a plurality of images that include an image of a message on what basis the display recommendation speed is determined, and an image of the display recommendation speed;

a display unit for displaying the plurality of images sent from the recommendation speed processing unit; and

speed control means, connected to the recommendation speed processing unit and the vehicle speed sensor, for controlling the vehicle at the vehicle control speed.

2. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 1,

wherein the sensing means comprises at least one of a road conditions sensing means, a driver monitoring means for monitoring a driver condition, and a vehicle monitoring means for monitoring a vehicle condition, and

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit comprises a neighboring circumstance recognition section connected to the road condition sensing means, a driver condition recognition section connected to the driver monitoring means, a vehicle condition recognition section connected to the vehicle monitoring means calculating means for calculating a plurality of vehicle recommendation speeds and selecting means for selecting the display recommendation speed from the plurality of vehicle recommendation speeds.

3. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 2, characterized in that the vehicle recommendation speed processing unit further comprises a display data formation section, connected to the display unit, for forming a display images to be sent to the display unit.

4. A recommendation speed display system for a vehicle having a speedometer as in claim 1, wherein the display unit is disposed in the speedometer.

5. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 4, wherein the display unit is configured to display a spot light at a portion of a speed scale of the speedometer that corresponds to the display recommendation speed.

6. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 5, wherein the display unit is configured to further display colored message the color of which represents a degree of importance.

7. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 1,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit further comprises a control speed calculation section for providing the vehicle control speed.

8. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 7,

wherein the recommendation speed processing unit is configured to send a display image of the vehicle control speed to the display unit in addition to the display recommendation speed and message on what basis the display recommendation speed is determined.

9. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 7,

wherein the control speed calculation section is configured to provide a subordinate mode to control the vehicle speed based on a control speed that changes according to the recommendation speed displayed by the display unit.

10. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 9,

wherein the control speed calculation section is configured to further provide a limited period mode to control the vehicle speed at the display recommendation speed in a limited period until the display recommendation speed changes.

11. A vehicle recommendation speed display system for a vehicle comprising:

a recommendation speed processing unit, including means for providing a plurality of recommendation speeds on a basis of a neighboring circumstance, a driver condition and a vehicle condition and selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of recommendation speeds; and

output means for outputting information sent from the recommendation speed processing unit, wherein

the recommendation speed processing unit sends the output means information of selected one of the recommendation speeds and information on what basis the one of the plurality of recommendation speeds is determined wherein the recommendation speed processing unit provides the plurality of recommendation speeds based on a plurality of conditions and selects an optimum recommendation speed from the plurality of recommendation speeds.

12. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 11, wherein the recommendation speed processing unit comprises a neighboring circumstance recognition section connected to the radar, a driver condition recognition section connected to the camera, a vehicle recognition section connected to the vehicle monitoring system.

13. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 11, wherein the recommendation speed processing unit comprises a plurality of recommendation speed calculations sections and a display data information section connected between the recommendation speed calculation sections and the output means.

14. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 11, wherein the plurality of recommendation speeds are provided at the same time by the recommendation speed processing unit.

15. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 11, wherein the recommendation speed processing unit provides the plurality of recommendation speeds based on a plurality of current conditions and selects an optimum recommendation speed from the plurality of recommendation speeds.

16. A recommendation speed display system as in claim 11, wherein the recommendation speed processing unit further comprises:

a first recommendation speed calculation element configured to provide a first recommendation speed based on a first subset of the plurality of current conditions;

a second recommendation speed calculation element configured to provide a second recommendation speed based on a second subset of the plurality of current conditions; and

a final recommended speed calculation element configured to select the optimum recommendation speed from the first and second recommendation speeds.

wherein the first subset of the plurality of current conditions and the second subset of the plurality of current conditions are different, and

wherein the second recommendation speed calculation element provides the second recommendation speed at the same time as the first recommendation speed calculation element provides the first recommendation speed.