Vehicle driving support device and vehicle driving support method

• US 8,843,272 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2013
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Shibakawa, Manabu, Okita, Reiji, Sasaki, Kenji, Oguri, Kensaku, Ishii, Yosuke, Ito, Takeatsu, Kawahara, Naoto, Ohsumi, Kazuya, Okada, Kenji, Nakashima, Hidenobu, Sugano, Naoya, Tsukuda, Atsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBERSON, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US14/030,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20140018974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0031 Mathematical model of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/20 Reducing vibrations in the driveline
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

There is provided a vehicle driving support device including: a change amount calculating part 10 that calculates a first correlation value correlated to a change amount of acceleration of a vehicle; a jerk calculating part 11 that calculates a second correlation value correlated to a jerk of the vehicle; and an operation state determining part 13 that determines a driving operation state of the vehicle from a first correlation value calculated by a change amount calculating part 10, and a second correlation value calculated by a jerk calculating part 11, in accordance with a determination reference previously set from a ratio of a kinetic energy of a mass point to the change amount of the acceleration of the vehicle at an end point of change when the acceleration of the vehicle is changed, calculated using a vibration model showing a movement of the mass point in a passenger compartment.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle, which includes at least one of an accelerator opening sensor, a speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, brake fluid pressure sensor, ignition sensor and a steering sensor providing signals to the vehicle driving support device, the vehicle driving support device comprising:

a controller to receiving signals from at least one of the sensors;

the controller includes;

a change amount calculation unit to calculate a first correlation value correlated to a change amount of an acceleration of the vehicle provided by the acceleration opening sensor;

a jerk calculation unit to calculate a second correlation value correlated to a jerk of the vehicle, the jerk being an acceleration change rate per unit time; and

an operation state determination unit to determine a driving operation state of the vehicle,

wherein based on the first correlation value and the second correlation value, the operation state determination unit is to calculate a ratio of a kinetic energy of a mass point to the change amount of the acceleration of the vehicle, at an end point of a change when the acceleration of the vehicle is changed, by using a vibration model showing a movement of the mass point in a passenger compartment, and the operation state determination unit is to determine a driving operation state of the vehicle in accordance with a determination reference in which the ratio of the kinetic energy to the change amount of the acceleration is previously set.

2. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the kinetic energy of the mass point is obtained by removing an influence of the kinetic energy of the mass point at the end point of the previous change of the acceleration of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the operation state determination unit is configured to not determine the driving operation state of the vehicle, when there is a change of the acceleration of the vehicle, and when an accelerator operation or a brake operation is carried out by a certain operation amount or lower.

4. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the operation state determination unit is configured to determine the driving operation state as an unpreferable driving operation state, irrespective of magnitudes of the first and second correlation values, when the accelerator operation, the brake operation or a steering operation is carried out by a certain operation amount or higher, at a certain frequency or higher.

5. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the operation state determination unit is configured to determine whether the driving operation state is a preferable driving operation state or an unpreferable driving operation state exhibiting sudden change of acceleration, based on the first and second correlation values, in accordance with the determination reference.

6. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 5, wherein on condition that the operation state determination unit determines the driving operation state as the preferable driving operation state, when the first correlation value is equal to a predetermined value or more, the operation state determination unit is configured to determine the driving operation state to be a state exhibiting moderate change of acceleration, and when the first correlation value is smaller than the predetermined value, and is configured to determine the driving operation state to be a state exhibiting slow change of acceleration.

7. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, further comprising an acceleration calculation unit to calculate a third correlation value correlated to an absolute value of the acceleration of the vehicle, wherein

when the first correlation value calculated by the change amount calculation unit is a predetermined value or higher, based on the first correlation value and the second correlation value, and by using a first determination map, the operation state determination unit is configured to calculate the ratio of the kinetic energy of the mass point to the change amount of the acceleration of the vehicle at the end point of the change when the acceleration of the vehicle is changed by using the vibration model showing the movement of the mass point in the passenger compartment, and the operation state determination unit determines the driving operation state of the vehicle in accordance with the determination reference in which the ratio of the kinetic energy to the change amount of the acceleration is previously set, and

when the first correlation value is smaller than the predetermined value, the driving operation state of the vehicle is determined based on the first correlation value and the third correlation value by using a second determination map different from the first determination map.

8. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 7, wherein the operation state determination unit determines whether the driving operation state is the state exhibiting moderate acceleration, when the first correlation value is smaller than the predetermined value.

9. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the operation state determination unit is configured to determine whether the driving operation state of the vehicle is a first driving operation state exhibiting moderate change of acceleration or a second driving operation state exhibiting sudden change of acceleration in accordance with the determination reference;

said vehicle driving support device further comprising a comprehensive determination unit to calculate a score of a determination result determined by the operation state determination unit in the current drive of the vehicle, and to calculate a first evaluation index by dividing the score by the number of times of determinations by the operation state determination unit in the current drive of the vehicle, and to calculate a comprehensive evaluation point of the driving operation state in the current drive of the vehicle based on the first evaluation index.

10. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 9, further comprising a rattling driving degree determination unit to determine a degree of a rattling drive related to a generation of a peak of a speed of the mass point in the vibration model,

wherein the comprehensive determination unit is configured to calculate the score of a determination result determined by the rattling driving degree determination unit in the current drive of the vehicle, and is configured to calculate a second evaluation index by dividing the score by a determination time or the number of times of determinations by the rattling driving degree determination unit in the current drive of the vehicle, and is configured to calculate first and second evaluation points based on the first and second evaluation indexes, and calculates the comprehensive evaluation point of the driving operation state in the current drive of the vehicle based on the first and second evaluation points.

11. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 10, wherein the comprehensive determination unit is configured to weight the first and second evaluation points, so that the first evaluation point is more weighted than the second evaluation point, and is configured to calculate the comprehensive evaluation point of the driving operation state in the current drive of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 9, further comprising a notification unit to notify a driver of at least one of the information that the comprehensive evaluation point, which is calculated by the comprehensive determination unit, is lower than a predetermined point, and advices information regarding driving operation of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 9, further comprising a changing unit to change the determination reference based on the comprehensive evaluation point calculated by the comprehensive determination unit.

14. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit to display information regarding the driving operation state determined by the operation state determination unit, wherein

the display unit has a first display part that displays information regarding a preferable driving operation state, and a second display part that displays information regarding an unpreferable driving operation state, and

the second display part includes one second display area and the other second display area which are provided at both sides of the first display part.

15. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 14, wherein said one second display area and the other second display area are configured to display information different from each other.

16. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 15, wherein

the preferable driving operation state is a first driving operation state exhibiting moderate change of acceleration,

the unpreferable driving operation state is a second driving operation state exhibiting sudden change of acceleration, and

said one second display area displays information regarding the second driving operation state exhibiting sudden change of acceleration in a back and forth direction of a vehicle, and

the other second display area is configured to display information regarding the second driving operation state exhibiting sudden change of acceleration in a right and left direction of the vehicle.

17. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 16, wherein the display unit executes display on one of the first and second display parts.

18. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 17, wherein

display colors in the first and second display parts are different from each other, and

display colors in said one second display area and said other second display area are the same as each other.

19. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 18, wherein

the first and second display parts are arranged side by side in a right and left direction of a vehicle, and

the first display part is more protruded vertically than the second display part.

20. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 14, wherein

the screen includes a third display part configured to display information regarding a third driving operation state exhibiting slow change of acceleration,

the first and second display parts are arranged side by side in a right and left direction of a vehicle, and

the third display part is provided at the same position as the position of the first display part in the right and left direction of the vehicle.

21. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 16, wherein the display unit displays information, in steps, regarding a degree of the second driving operation state on the second display part in a direction of separation from a first display part side, as the degree is increased.

22. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 14, wherein an area of the first display part is larger than an area of said one second display area, and is larger than an area of said other second display area.

23. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the operation state determination unit is configured to determine whether the driving operation state is a first driving operation state exhibiting moderate change of acceleration, and has a display unit displaying vehicle driving information including information regarding the first driving operation state when the driving operation state is determined to be the first driving operation state.

24. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 23, wherein

the operation state determination unit is configured to determine whether a second driving operation state exhibiting sudden change of acceleration is established, and

the display unit is configured to display vehicle driving information including information regarding the second driving operation state, when the operation state determination unit determines that the second driving operation state is established.

25. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 24, wherein the display unit is configured to display information regarding a direction in which sudden change of acceleration has occurred in such a manner that a driver can recognize this direction.

26. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 23, wherein

the operation state determination unit is configured to determine whether a third driving operation state exhibiting slow change of acceleration is established, and

the display unit is configured to display vehicle driving information including information regarding the third driving operation state, when the operation state determination unit determines that the third driving operation state is established.

27. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 24, further comprising a decision unit to decide advice information regarding next driving operation of a vehicle, based on the information regarding the second driving operation state, wherein

the display unit is configured to display the advice information decided by the decision unit when ignition is off.

28. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 27, wherein the display unit is configured to display vehicle driving information regarding the current drive of a vehicle when the ignition is off, and thereafter display advice information regarding next driving operation of the vehicle.

29. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 28, wherein the vehicle driving information regarding the current drive of the vehicle includes information regarding first and second driving operation states in the current drive of the vehicle, and information regarding echo-driving related to the current idling stop of the vehicle.

30. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 23, wherein when the ignition is on, the display unit is configured to display vehicle driving information regarding the previous drive of a vehicle, and thereafter is configured to display vehicle driving information regarding the current drive of the vehicle.

31. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 24, wherein the display unit is configured to display information regarding a degree of the second driving operation state in steps.

32. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 23, wherein the display unit is configured to change a display form of the vehicle driving information based on a driving operation state of a vehicle.

33. A vehicle driving support method performed by a vehicle driving support device having a controller to receive signals from at least one of an accelerator opening sensor, a speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, brake fluid pressure sensor, ignition sensor and a steering sensor of the vehicle, the controller includes a change amount calculation unit, a jerk calculation unit and an operation state determination unit, comprising:

utilizing the change amount calculation unit to calculate a first correlation value correlated to a change amount of an acceleration of a vehicle;

utilizing the jerk calculation unit to calculate a second correlation value correlated to a jerk of the vehicle; and

utilizing the operation state determination unit to determine a driving operation state of the vehicle,

the determining a driving operation state of the vehicle utilizing the operation state determination unit further including;

calculating a ratio of a kinetic energy of a mass point to the change amount of the acceleration of the vehicle at an end point of a change when the acceleration of the vehicle is changed, by using a vibration model showing a movement of the mass point in a passenger compartment, based on the first correlation value and the second correlation value; and

determining the driving operation state of the vehicle based on the calculated ratio of the kinetic energy to the change amount of the acceleration in accordance with the predetermined reference.