Driving assist method and driving assist apparatus for vehicle

• US 8,073,574 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Yukio, Shibata, Yumi, Maruyama, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US11/603,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20070118282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/48, 701/49, 701/70, 701/71, 701/79, 701/93, 701/96, 701/116, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/211, 701/220, 701/223, 701/225, 701/300, 701/301, 303/1, 303/138, 303/183, 303/191, 303/193, 340/901, 340/903, 340/905, 340/932.2, 340/943, 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/994, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.15, 340/995.17, 340/995.2, 340/995.23, 340/995.25, 188/1.11 R, 180/167, 180/170
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

Responsive to braking, a CPU of a driving assist apparatus calculates an average deceleration of the vehicle and then calculates a braking distance. The CPU further calculates a final position at which the vehicle will come to a stop, on the basis of the braking distance. The CPU next activates an assist display for display a map including, superimposed thereon, the route to the final position and an arrival indicator indicating the stop (final) position of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A driving assist method for assisting a driver in decelerating a vehicle by generating a display on a display means mounted in the vehicle, comprising:

determining a current position of the vehicle;

calculating a position at which a vehicle speed will become a predetermined speed based on deceleration of the vehicle;

displaying the calculated position as an arrival indicator on a road map display of the display means, whereby the driver, viewing the display of the calculated position at which the vehicle speed will become the predetermined speed, is able to adjust his or her driving operation based on the display on the display means;

detecting an object located in front of the vehicle, specifying the position of the detected object, and generating an object indicator indicating the specified position of the object;

determining a distance from the determined current position to the position of the detected object as a first distance and the distance from the determined current position to the calculated position as a second distance;

comparing the first distance with the second distance to determine which is greater;

displaying the object indicator together with the arrival indicator, superimposed on the road map display; and

displaying, on the road map display, a route section from the current vehicle position to the calculated position in a first color when the first distance is greater than the second distance and in a second color, different from the first color, when the second distance is greater than the first distance.

2. The driving assist method according to claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined speed is 0 kilometers per hour.

3. The driving assist method according to claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of predetermined speeds are set in a memory and arrival indicators indicating positions at which the vehicle speed will become each of the plurality of the predetermined speeds are individually displayed, superimposed on the road map.

4. A driving assist method for assisting a driver in decelerating a vehicle by generating a display on a display means mounted in the vehicle, comprising:

detecting an object located in front of the vehicle;

specifying the position of the detected object;

calculating a position at which the vehicle speed will become a predetermined speed based on deceleration of the vehicle; and

converting the calculated position to an arrival indicator indicating a value based on the position of the detected object and indicating whether the calculated position is on the near side or the far side of the position of the detected object; and

displaying the arrival indicator on the display means, whereby the driver, viewing the displayed arrival indicator, is able to adjust his or her driving operation based on the display on the display means.

5. The driving assist method according to claim 4, wherein:

the predetermined speed is 0 kilometers per hour.

6. The driving assist method according to claim 4 additionally comprising:

generating an object indicator indicating the specified position of the object, and

displaying the object indicator and the arrival indicator together, superimposed on the road map.

7. The driving assist method according to claim 4, wherein the arrival indicator is a graph showing distance of the detected object relative to the calculated final position of the vehicle.

8. A driving assist apparatus for assisting a driver in decelerating a vehicle, comprising:

vehicle position determination means for determining a current position of the vehicle;

object detecting means for detecting an object located in front of the vehicle;

object position calculating means for calculating the position of the detected an object located in front of the vehicle;

calculating means for calculating a final position at which a vehicle speed will become a predetermined speed based on vehicle position and deceleration of the vehicle, for determining a distance from the determined current position to the position of the detected object as a first distance and the distance from the determined current position to the calculated position as a second distance and for comparing the first distance with the second distance to determine which is greater;

display means for displaying a road map; and

display control means for displaying an arrival indicator indicating the calculated final position together with an object indicator indicating the calculated position of the object together simultaneously superimposed on the displayed road map and for displaying a route section from the current position of the vehicle to the calculated position in a first color when the first distance from the determined current position to the position of the detected object is greater than the second distance from the determined current position of the vehicle to the final position and in a second color, different from the first color, when the second distance is greater than the first distance, whereby the driver, viewing the display of the arrival indicator at which the vehicle speed will become the predetermined speed, is able to adjust his or her driving operation based on the display.

9. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the final position calculating means calculates the position at which the vehicle speed will become the predetermined speed only when braking of the vehicle is detected.

10. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the final position calculating means calculates the position at which the vehicle will come to a stop.

11. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the final position calculating means calculates the position at which the vehicle will come to a stop.

12. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the final position calculating means calculates each position at which the vehicle speed becomes one of a plurality of predetermined speeds; and

the display control means displays individual arrival indicators, respectively indicating the plurality of positions calculated by the final position calculating means, superimposed on the displayed road map.

13. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the final position calculating means calculates each position at which the vehicle speed becomes one of a plurality of predetermined speeds; and

the display control means displays individual arrival indicators, respectively indicating the plurality of positions calculated by the final position calculating means, superimposed on the displayed road map.

14. A driving assist apparatus for assisting a driver in decelerating a vehicle, comprising:

vehicle position determining means for determining a current vehicle position;

object detecting means for detecting an object located in front of the vehicle;

object position calculating means for calculating the position of the detected an object located in front of the vehicle;

final position calculating means for calculating, as a final position, a position at which vehicle speed will become a predetermined speed based on the determined vehicle position and deceleration of the vehicle;

converting means for converting the calculated final position to an arrival indicator indicating a relationship between the calculated position of the object and the calculated final position of the vehicle;

display means for displaying a decelerating assist image; and

display control means for displaying the arrival indicator and an object indicator, indicating the calculated position of the object, on the display means, so that the driver is able to determine whether the calculated final position is on the far side or the near side of the calculated position of the object and to adjust his or her driving operation accordingly.

15. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

the final position calculating means calculates a position at which a vehicle speed will become a predetermined speed responsive to satisfaction of conditions including braking.

16. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the arrival indicator is a graph showing distance of the detected object relative to the calculated final position of the vehicle.