Driving assisting apparatus

• US 8,290,677 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Akihisa, Yamada, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/201,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20090076698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 701/9, 701/70, 701/81, 701/121, 701/301
• US Class Current: 701/70
• 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: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A driving assisting apparatus acquires a stoppable condition for allowing a vehicle to stop at a stop position and a driver characteristic concerning a driving operation for stopping the vehicle, and determines whether to determine the condition for starting assisting the driving operation according to the stoppable condition or driver characteristic depending on a running state of the vehicle. This sets the start condition for assisting the driving operation in view of the driver characteristic as well, thus making it possible to assist the driving operation in conformity to the driver'"'"'s feelings.

Claims

1. A driving assisting apparatus for assisting a driving operation for stopping a running vehicle at a stop position, the apparatus comprising:

stoppable condition acquiring means for acquiring a stoppable condition for allowing the vehicle to stop at the stop position;

driver characteristic acquiring means for acquiring a driver characteristic concerning the driving operation for stopping the vehicle; and

start condition setting means for setting a condition for starting assisting the driving operation;

wherein the start condition setting means determines whether to determine the condition for starting assisting the driving operation by selecting one of the stoppable condition or driver characteristic, depending on a running state of the vehicle,

wherein the start condition setting means determines a first timing based on the stoppable condition and a second timing based on the driver characteristic as timings for starting assisting the driving operation, and sets an occurrence of the second timing as the start condition when the second timing is earlier than the first timing, and

wherein the start condition setting means acquires a timing at which a traffic light display state changes from a display indicating that the vehicle is passable to a display indicating that the vehicle is inhibited from passing, and employs the occurrence of the second timing as the start condition when the traffic light display state changing timing is earlier than the first timing but later than the second timing.

2. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notification control means for notifying the driver of an alarm;

wherein the start condition setting means causes the notification control means to notify the driver of the alarm when the start condition is satisfied.

3. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the start condition setting means acquires a timing at which a traffic light display state changes from a display indicating that the vehicle is passable to a display indicating that the vehicle is inhibited from passing, and causes the notification control means to issue a notification only when the traffic light display state changing timing occurs before the vehicle running at a fixed speed passes the stop position.

4. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the driver characteristic is stored as data concerning a distance felt necessary by the driver to stop the vehicle at a given speed.

5. A driving assisting apparatus for assisting a driving operation for stopping a running vehicle at a stop position, the apparatus including a control unit;

the control unit comprising;

a stoppable condition acquiring part configured to acquire a stoppable condition for allowing the vehicle to stop at the stop position;

a driver characteristic acquiring part configured to acquire a driver characteristic concerning the driving operation for stopping the vehicle; and

a start condition setting part configured to set a condition for starting assisting the driving operation;

wherein the start condition setting part determines whether to determine the condition for starting assisting the driving operation by selecting one of the stoppable condition or driver characteristic, depending on a running state of the vehicle,

wherein the start condition setting part determines a first timing based on the stoppable condition and a second timing based on the driver characteristic as timings for starting assisting the driving operation, and sets an occurrence of the second timing as the start condition when the second timing is earlier than the first timing, and

wherein the start condition setting part acquires a timing at which a traffic light display state changes from a display indicating that the vehicle is passable to a display indicating that the vehicle is inhibited from passing, and employs the occurrence of the second timing as the start condition when the traffic light display state changing timing is earlier than the first timing but later than the second timing.

6. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a notification control part for notifying the driver of an alarm;

wherein the start condition setting part causes the notification control part to notify the driver of the alarm when the start condition is satisfied.

7. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the start condition setting part acquires a timing at which a traffic light display state changes from a display indicating that the vehicle is passable to a display indicating that the vehicle is inhibited from passing, and causes the notification control part to issue a notification only when the traffic light display state changing timing occurs before the vehicle running at a fixed speed passes the stop position.

8. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the driver characteristic is stored as data concerning a distance felt necessary by the driver to stop the vehicle at a given speed.