Vehicle navigation apparatus and method

• US 8,234,065 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ina, Katsuhiro, Harayama, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US11/889,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20080071474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 701206-211, 701/93, 701/96, 701/117, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/412, 701/414, 701418-423, 701/428, 701/437, 701444-448, 702/94, 340/901, 340/904, 340/905, 340/995.2, 340/988, 340/990, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/446
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance

Abstract

A vehicle navigation apparatus includes an imaging device, a guidance point determining device, an object detecting device and a traveling guiding device. The imaging device takes an image of a periphery adjacent to a subject vehicle. The guidance point determining device determines the subject vehicle to be located at a traveling guidance point or not. The object detecting device detects a changing object by comparing two images of the periphery taken at a predetermined interval, when the guidance point determining device determines the subject vehicle to be located at the traveling guidance point. The traveling guiding device performs a traveling guidance by using the changing object as a target object of the traveling guidance.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation apparatus for use in a subject vehicle, comprising:

an imaging device for taking an image of a periphery adjacent to the subject vehicle;

a guidance point determining device for determining whether the subject vehicle is located at a traveling guidance point;

an object detecting device for detecting a moving object by comparing two images of the periphery taken by the imaging device at a predetermined interval, when the guidance point determining device determines that the subject vehicle is located at the traveling guidance point; and

a traveling guiding device for performing a traveling guidance by using the moving object detected by the object detecting device as a target object of the traveling guidance, wherein

the object detecting device determines whether the detected moving object exists around an intersection,

the object detecting device determines whether the detected moving object enters or leaves the intersection, when the object detecting device determines that the detected moving object exists around the intersection, and

the traveling guidance device performs the traveling guidance by using the moving object entering or leaving the intersection, when the object detecting device determines that the detected moving object enters or leaves the intersection.

2. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the guidance point determining device determines whether the subject vehicle is located at a right/left turning guidance point as the traveling guidance point, and

the traveling guiding device performs a right/left turning guidance as the traveling guidance by using the moving object as the target object of the traveling guidance.

3. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the guidance point determining device determines whether the subject vehicle is located at a traveling lane guidance point as the traveling guidance point, and

the traveling guiding device performs a traveling lane guidance as the traveling guidance by using the moving object as the target object of the traveling guidance.

4. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the object detecting device includes a pattern recognizing element for recognizing the moving object by using a pattern matching, and

the traveling guiding device performs the traveling guidance by indicating the moving object recognized by the pattern recognizing element.

5. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the object detecting device includes a color recognizing element for recognizing a color of the moving object, and

the traveling guiding device performs the traveling guidance by indicating the color of the moving object recognized by the color recognizing element.

6. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the object detecting device includes a moving direction determining element for determining a moving direction of the moving object moving in a direction approximately perpendicular to a traveling direction of the subject vehicle, and

the traveling guiding device performs the traveling guidance by indicating the moving direction of the moving object determined by the moving direction determining element.

7. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging device takes a moving image as the image of the periphery adjacent to the subject vehicle,

the object detecting device extracts two images taken at a predetermined interval among a plurality of images of the periphery taken by the imaging device as the moving image, and

the object detecting device detects the moving object by comparing the two images.

8. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the moving object is a passing vehicle that moves in a direction approximately perpendicular to a traveling direction of the subject vehicle.

9. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the moving object is a pedestrian that moves in a direction approximately perpendicular to a traveling direction of the subject vehicle.

10. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the traveling guidance device performs the traveling guidance in accordance with a distance between the subject vehicle and the intersection.

11. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object detecting device further detects that the moving object is moving in a direction approximately perpendicular to a traveling direction of the subject vehicle instead of being stationary and instead of moving in a direction not approximately perpendicular to the traveling direction, so that the traveling guiding device uses the moving object that enters or leaves the intersection perpendicular to the traveling direction as the target object of the traveling guidance instead of a stationary object and instead of an object not moving approximately perpendicular to the traveling direction.

12. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the traveling guidance device performs the traveling guidance at the traveling guidance point for the subject vehicle that is driving through the traveling guidance point while the guidance point determining device is in operation.

13. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the traveling guidance device performs the traveling guidance instead of ordinary voice guidance, in the situation that the detected moving object is determined to exist around an intersection and the detected moving object is determined to enter or leave the intersection,

wherein the traveling guidance indicates the detected moving object that exists around the intersection.

14. A vehicle navigation method for use in a subject vehicle, comprising:

taking an image of a periphery adjacent to the subject vehicle, using an imaging device;

determining whether the subject vehicle is located at a traveling guidance point or not;

detecting a moving object by comparing two images of the periphery taken by the imaging device at a predetermined interval, when the subject vehicle is determined to be located at the traveling guidance point;

determining whether the detected moving object exists around an intersection;

determining whether the detected moving object enters or leaves the intersection, when the detected moving object is determined to exist around the intersection; and

performing a traveling guidance in a navigation device of the subject vehicle by using the moving object entering or leaving the intersection as a target object of the traveling guidance.

15. The vehicle navigation method according to claim 14, further comprising:

detecting that the moving object is moving in a direction approximately perpendicular to a traveling direction of the subject vehicle instead of being stationary and instead of moving in a direction not approximately perpendicular to the traveling direction; and

using the moving object that enters or leaves the intersection perpendicular to the traveling direction as the target object of the traveling guidance performed in the navigation device, instead of a stationary object and instead of an object not moving approximately perpendicular to the traveling direction.

16. The vehicle navigation method according to claim 14, wherein

the traveling guidance is performed at the traveling guidance point for the subject vehicle that is driving through the traveling guidance point when the subject vehicle is determined to be located at the traveling guidance point.

17. The vehicle navigation method according to claim 14, wherein

the traveling guidance is performed instead of ordinary voice guidance, in the situation that the detected moving object is determined to exist around an intersection and the detected moving object is determined to enter or leave the intersection,

wherein the traveling guidance indicates the detected moving object that exists around the intersection.