Driving support system, driving support method and computer program for setting and using facility entry difficulty levels

• US 8,190,363 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Tomita, Hiroshi, Miyachi, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWDER, LINDSAY
• Application Number:
  US12/382,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/424
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

When a vehicle enters a facility off a road on which the vehicle is traveling, information pertaining to an entry direction into the facility is sent to a probe center as probe information, and a current driving level of the host vehicle is identified. Meanwhile, the probe center that received the probe information calculates a right-turn entry percentage for facilities based upon the received probe information, and sets an entry difficulty level of the facilities based upon the calculated right-turn entry percentage. A vehicle to which information pertaining to the entry difficulty level of a set facility was distributed from the probe center is structured so as to perform driving support based upon the information pertaining to the entry difficulty level of the facility.

Claims

1. A driving support system, comprising:

an entry direction obtaining unit that obtains an entry direction when respective vehicles traveling on a road enter a facility, the entry direction indicating a cross-traffic entry or an entry other than a cross-traffic entry;

a percentage calculating unit that calculates a percentage of cross-traffic entry of the facility based upon the entry directions obtained by the entry direction obtaining unit, the percentage of cross-traffic entry being a percentage of vehicles that entered the facility by a cross-traffic entry among vehicles that entered the facility;

an entry difficulty level setting unit that sets an entry difficulty level for the facility based upon the percentage of cross-traffic entry calculated by the percentage calculating unit; and

a travel guidance unit that performs guidance regarding travel of a vehicle based upon the entry difficulty level.

2. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein

the percentage calculating unit calculates the percentage of cross-traffic entry per date and time, and

the entry difficulty level setting unit sets the entry difficulty level of the facility per date and time.

3. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein

the entry difficulty level setting unit sets a higher entry difficulty level for a facility where there is a smaller percentage of cross-traffic entry.

4. The driving support system according to claim 2, wherein

the entry difficulty level setting unit sets a higher entry difficulty level for a facility where there is a smaller percentage of cross-traffic entry.

5. The driving support system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a driving level identifying unit that identifies a driving level of the vehicle from a travel history of the vehicle; and

a comparison unit that compares the entry difficulty level and the driving level,

wherein the travel guidance unit performs the guidance regarding travel of the vehicle based upon a comparison result of the comparison unit.

6. The driving support system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a driving level identifying unit that identifies a driving level of the vehicle from a travel history of the vehicle; and

a comparison unit that compares the entry difficulty level and the driving level,

wherein the travel guidance unit performs the guidance regarding travel of the vehicle based upon a comparison result of the comparison unit.

7. The driving support system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a driving level identifying unit that identifies a driving level of the vehicle from a travel history of the vehicle; and

a comparison unit that compares the entry difficulty level and the driving level,

wherein the travel guidance unit performs the guidance regarding travel of the vehicle based upon a comparison result of the comparison unit.

8. The driving support system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a driving level identifying unit that identifies a driving level of the vehicle from a travel history of the vehicle; and

a comparison unit that compares the entry difficulty level and the driving level,

wherein the travel guidance unit performs the guidance regarding travel of the vehicle based upon a comparison result of the comparison unit.

9. The driving support system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a route search unit that searches for a route to a destination, wherein

the comparison unit

includes an entry difficulty level obtaining unit that obtains an entry difficulty level for a facility that is the destination from among the entry difficulty levels of facilities set by the entry difficulty level setting unit, and

compares the entry difficulty level of the destination obtained by the entry difficulty level obtaining unit with the driving level, and

the route search unit

searches for a route specifying a non-cross-traffic entry into the destination when it is determined that the driving level is inadequate compared to the entry difficulty level of the destination.

10. The driving support system according to claim 9, further comprising:

an estimated arrival time calculating unit that calculates an estimated time of arrival at which the vehicle will arrive at the destination, wherein

the percentage calculating unit calculates the percentage of cross-traffic entry per date and time,

the entry difficulty level setting unit sets the entry difficulty level of the facility per date and time, and

the entry difficulty level obtaining unit obtains the entry difficulty level of the destination at the estimated time of arrival at the destination.

11. The driving support system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a route search unit that searches for a route to a destination, wherein

the comparison unit

includes an entry difficulty level obtaining unit that obtains an entry difficulty level for a facility that is the destination from among the entry difficulty levels of facilities set by the entry difficulty level setting unit, and

compares the entry difficulty level of the destination obtained by the entry difficulty level obtaining unit with the driving level, and

the route search unit

searches for a route specifying a non-cross-traffic entry into the destination when it is determined that the driving level is inadequate compared to the entry difficulty level of the destination.

12. The driving support system according to claim 11, further comprising:

an estimated arrival time calculating unit that calculates an estimated time of arrival at which the vehicle will arrive at the destination, wherein

the percentage calculating unit calculates the percentage of cross-traffic entry per date and time, and

the entry difficulty level setting unit sets the entry difficulty level of the facility per date and time, and

the entry difficulty level obtaining unit obtains the entry difficulty level of the destination at the estimated time of arrival at the destination.

13. The driving support system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a route search unit that searches for a route to a destination, wherein

the comparison unit

includes an entry difficulty level obtaining unit that obtains an entry difficulty level for a facility that is the destination from among the entry difficulty levels of facilities set by the entry difficulty level setting unit, and

compares the entry difficulty level of the destination obtained by the entry difficulty level obtaining unit with the driving level, and

the route search unit

searches for a route specifying a non-cross-traffic entry into the destination when it is determined that the driving level is inadequate compared to the entry difficulty level of the destination.

14. The driving support system according to claim 13, further comprising:

an estimated arrival time calculating unit that calculates an estimated time of arrival at which the vehicle will arrive at the destination, wherein

the percentage calculating unit calculates the percentage of cross-traffic entry per date and time, and

the entry difficulty level setting unit sets the entry difficulty level of the facility per date and time, and

the entry difficulty level obtaining unit obtains the entry difficulty level of the destination at the estimated time of arrival at the destination.

15. The driving support system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a route search unit that searches for a route to a destination, wherein

the comparison unit

includes an entry difficulty level obtaining unit that obtains an entry difficulty level for a facility that is the destination from among the entry difficulty levels of facilities set by the entry difficulty level setting unit, and

compares the entry difficulty level of the destination obtained by the entry difficulty level obtaining unit with the driving level, and

the route search unit

searches for a route specifying a non-cross-traffic entry into the destination when it is determined that the driving level is inadequate compared to the entry difficulty level of the destination.

16. The driving support system according to claim 15, further comprising:

an estimated arrival time calculating unit that calculates an estimated time of arrival at which the vehicle will arrive at the destination, wherein

the percentage calculating unit calculates the percentage of cross-traffic entry per date and time, and

the entry difficulty level setting unit sets the entry difficulty level of the facility per date and time, and

the entry difficulty level obtaining unit obtains the entry difficulty level of the destination at the estimated time of arrival at the destination.

17. A driving support method, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an entry direction when respective vehicles traveling on a road enter a facility, the entry direction indicating a cross-traffic entry or an entry other than a cross-traffic entry;

calculating a percentage of cross-traffic entry of the facility based upon the entry directions obtained at the entry direction obtaining step, the percentage of cross-traffic entry being a percentage of vehicles that entered the facility by a cross-traffic entry among vehicles that entered the facility;

setting an entry difficulty level for the facility based upon the percentage of cross-traffic entry calculated at the percentage calculating step; and

performing a travel guidance based upon the entry difficult level.

18. A computer program, stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by a computer, performs the functions of:

obtaining an entry direction when respective vehicles traveling on a road enter a facility, the entry direction indicating a cross-traffic entry or an entry other than a cross-traffic entry;

calculating a percentage of cross-traffic entry of the facility based upon the entry directions obtained by the entry direction obtaining function, the percentage of cross-traffic entry being a percentage of vehicles that entered the facility by a cross-traffic entry among vehicles that entered the facility;

setting an entry difficulty level for the facility based upon the percentage of cross-traffic entry calculated by the percentage calculating function; and

performing a travel guidance based upon the entry difficult level.