Information providing device for vehicle

• US 8,548,643 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Asano, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US13/256,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20120010762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/24, 701/424
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An information providing device for a vehicle is provided in which when the subject vehicle (VA) transmits to a base station (20) subject vehicle information including the position, speed of travel, and direction of travel of the subject vehicle (VA), moving object information including the position, speed of travel, and direction of travel of a detected vehicle (VB), and time information including the time at which the above has been obtained, the base station (20) calculates the probability of the presence of the detected vehicle (VB) on map data based on each of the above-mentioned pieces of information and transmits to the subject vehicle (VA) prediction information about the detected vehicle (VB) present in an intersection, including the subject vehicle position, based on the subject vehicle position and the probability of the presence of the detected vehicle (VB). This enables the avoidance of an intersection collision with the detected vehicle (VB) by issuing an alert or warning to an occupant of the subject vehicle (VA) based on the prediction information. During this process, since it is unnecessary for the detected vehicle (VB) to include the same equipments with the subject vehicle (VA), it is possible for the subject vehicle (VA) to avoid an intersection collision with all the detected vehicle (VB) including a vehicle which has no device such as inter-vehicle communication means and, moreover, since it is unnecessary to provide infrastructure for each intersection, realization is possible at a low cost.

Claims

1. An information providing device for a vehicle for providing to an occupant of a subject vehicle information about a moving object that has a possibility of coming close to the subject vehicle on a path of the subject vehicle by carrying out intercommunication between the subject vehicle and a base station,

the subject vehicle comprising:

a subject vehicle information detection device for detecting subject vehicle information including a position, speed of travel, and direction of travel of the subject vehicle,

a moving object detection device for detecting the moving object that is present in an area around the subject vehicle,

a moving object information calculation device for calculating moving object information including the position, speed of travel, and direction of travel of the moving object based on detection results of the moving object detection device and the subject vehicle information,

a first transmitting device for transmitting to the base station the subject vehicle information, the moving object information, and the time at which the information has been obtained,

a first receiving device for receiving a signal from the base station, and

an information providing device for presenting information to an occupant; and

the base station comprising;

a second receiving device for receiving a signal transmitted by the first transmitting device,

a base station side map data storage device for storing map data,

a moving object probability of presence calculation device for calculating the probability of a moving object being present on the map data based on the moving object information and the time information obtained by the second receiving device, and

a second transmitting device for transmitting to the subject vehicle prediction information about the moving object present within a predetermined range that includes the subject vehicle position based on the subject vehicle position and the probability of the moving object being present obtained by the second receiving device,

wherein the information providing device presents information to the occupant based on the subject vehicle position and the prediction information received by the first receiving device.

2. The information providing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the subject vehicle detects an intersection present in the direction of travel of the subject vehicle based on the subject vehicle position detected by subject vehicle side map data storage device for storing map data and the subject vehicle information detection device and the map data stored in the subject vehicle side map data storage device, and when it is determined from prediction information with respect to the moving object transmitted from the second transmitting device of the base station that the moving object will enter the intersection, the information providing device presents information to the occupant.

3. The information providing device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the information providing device presents information to the occupant when the speed of travel of the subject vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the probability of presence of a moving object that will enter an intersection present in the direction of travel of the subject vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

4. The information providing device for a vehicle according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the moving object probability of presence calculation device calculates the probability of a moving object being present at a predetermined position based on the time that has elapsed from the time when the moving object detection device detected the moving object.

5. The information providing device for a vehicle according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the moving object probability of presence calculation device calculates the probability of a moving object being present at a predetermined position based on the distance between the position of the moving object detected by the moving object detection device and the predetermined position.

6. The information providing device for a vehicle according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the moving object probability of presence calculation device calculates the probability of a moving object being present at a predetermined position based on road-branching information of the map data stored in the base station side map data storage device.

7. The information providing device for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the moving object probability of presence calculation device calculates the probability of a moving object being present at a predetermined position based on the distance between the position of the moving object detected by the moving object detection device and the predetermined position.

8. The information providing device for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the moving object probability of presence calculation device calculates the probability of a moving object being present at a predetermined position based on road-branching information of the map data stored in the base station side map data storage device.

9. The information providing device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the moving object probability of presence calculation device calculates the probability of a moving object being present at a predetermined position based on road-branching information of the map data stored in the base station side map data storage device.

10. The information providing device for a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the moving object probability of presence calculation device calculates the probability of a moving object being present at a predetermined position based on road-branching information of the map data stored in the base station side map data storage device.