Vehicle operation diagnosis device, vehicle operation diagnosis method, and computer program

• US 8,311,719 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2010
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Miura, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCULLOUGH, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US12/656,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 701/93, 701/96
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour

Abstract

Vehicle operation diagnosis devices, methods, and programs diagnose a driver'"'"'s vehicle operation in a vehicle that is provided with an inter-vehicular distance control system. When an inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and a vehicle ahead that is moving forward ahead of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle is within a specified distance, the inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and the vehicle ahead is controlled by performing deceleration control of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle. The devices, methods, and programs acquire a first driving parameter and a second driving parameter and diagnose the driver'"'"'s vehicle operation based on a difference between the first driving parameter and the second driving parameter.

Claims

1. A vehicle operation diagnosis device that diagnoses a driver'"'"'s vehicle operation in a vehicle that is provided with an inter-vehicular distance control system that, in a case where an inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and a vehicle ahead that is moving forward ahead of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle is within a specified distance, controls the inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and the vehicle ahead by performing deceleration control of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle, the vehicle operation diagnosis device comprising:

a processor;

a first driving distance acquisition unit that acquires a first driving distance when the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled in a state in which the deceleration control by the inter-vehicular distance control system was in operation;

a second driving distance acquisition unit that acquires a second driving distance when the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled in a state in which the deceleration control by the inter-vehicular distance control system was in operation based on the inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and the vehicle ahead being within the specified distance in accordance with a factor that is based on the vehicle ahead;

a ratio computation unit that computes a ratio of the difference between the first driving distance and the second driving distance to a driving distance that the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled at a predetermined speed or more; and

a vehicle operation diagnosis unit that diagnoses, via the processor, the driver'"'"'s vehicle operation based on the ratio computed by the ratio computation unit.

2. The vehicle operation diagnosis device according to claim 1, wherein

the ratio computation unit further computes a ratio of the difference between a first driving number of times when the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled in a state in which the deceleration control by the inter-vehicular distance control system was in operation and a second driving number of times when the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled in a state in which the deceleration control by the inter-vehicular distance control system was in operation based on the inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and the vehicle ahead being within the specified distance in accordance with a factor that is based on the vehicle to a number of times that the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled under a specified condition,

the vehicle operation diagnosis unit further diagnoses the driver'"'"'s vehicle operation based on the ratio of the difference between the first driving number of times and the second driving number of times to the number of times that the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled under the specified condition.

3. The vehicle operation diagnosis device according to claim 2, wherein

the inter-vehicular distance control system executes the deceleration control on the condition that the driver'"'"'s own vehicle is traveling at not less than a specified speed, and

the specified condition is that the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled at not less than the specified speed.

4. The vehicle operation diagnosis device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a diagnosis result guidance unit that provides guidance with respect to a result of the diagnosis of the driver'"'"'s vehicle operation by the vehicle operation diagnosis unit.

5. A processor-implemented vehicle operation diagnosis method that diagnoses a driver'"'"'s vehicle operation in a vehicle that is provided with an inter-vehicular distance control system that, in a case where an inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and a vehicle ahead that is moving forward ahead of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle is within a specified distance, controls the inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and the vehicle ahead by performing deceleration control of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle, the vehicle operation diagnosis method comprising the steps of:

acquiring a first driving distance when the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled in a state in which the deceleration control by the inter-vehicular distance control system was in operation;

acquiring a second driving distance when the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled in a state in which the deceleration control by the inter-vehicular distance control system was in operation based on the inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and the vehicle ahead being within the specified distance in accordance with a factor that is based on the vehicle ahead;

computing a ratio of the difference between the first driving distance and the second driving distance to a driving distance that the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled at a predetermined speed or more; and

diagnosing, via the processor, the driver'"'"'s vehicle operation based on the computed ratio.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to diagnose a driver'"'"'s vehicle operation in a vehicle that is provided with an inter-vehicular distance control system that, in a case where an inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and a vehicle ahead that is moving forward ahead of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle is within a specified distance, controls the inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and the vehicle ahead by performing deceleration control of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle, the computer program causing the processor to perform the functions of:

acquiring a first driving distance when the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled in a state in which the deceleration control by the inter-vehicular distance control system was in operation;

acquiring a second driving distance when the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled in a state in which the deceleration control by the inter-vehicular distance control system was in operation based on the inter-vehicular distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and the vehicle ahead being within the specified distance in accordance with a factor that is based on the vehicle ahead;

computing a ratio of the difference between the first driving distance and the second driving distance to a driving distance that the driver'"'"'s own vehicle has traveled at a predetermined speed or more; and

diagnosing the driver'"'"'s vehicle operation based on the computed ratio.