Driver assistance device and method of controlling the same

• US 8,878,693 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nagura, Michinaga, Kumabe, Seigou
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCORMACK, THOMAS S
• Application Number:
  US13/089,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20110260886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 340900-905
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/081 Plural intersections under common control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A driver assistance device to be disposed in a vehicle includes a traffic signal information acquiring section, an intersection distance acquiring section, a target speed calculating section, and an outputting section. The traffic signal information acquiring section acquires traffic signal information that includes current and future lighting colors and lighting times of respective lighting colors of a traffic signal located in a traveling direction of the vehicle. The intersection distance acquiring section acquires an intersection distance between the vehicle and an intersection at which the traffic signal is located. The target speed calculating section calculates a target speed range to enable the vehicle to enter the intersection in a state where the lighting color of the traffic signal is green. The outputting section outputs the target speed range.

Claims

1. A driver assistance device to be disposed in a vehicle for assisting a driving operation by a driver of the vehicle, comprising:

a traffic signal information acquiring section configured to acquire traffic signal information that includes current and future lighting colors and lighting times of respective lighting colors of a traffic signal located in a traveling direction of the vehicle;

an intersection distance acquiring section configured to acquire an intersection distance between the vehicle and an intersection at which the traffic signal is located;

an entering speed calculating section configured to calculate an entering speed range to enable the vehicle to enter the intersection in a state where the lighting color of the traffic signal is green;

an outputting section configured to output the entering speed range;

a speed acquiring section configured to acquire a traveling speed of the vehicle;

a first warning section configured to compare the traveling speed of the vehicle with a target speed set within the entering speed range and to output a warning when there is a difference between the traveling speed and the target speed; and

a reaction time acquiring section configured to acquire a reaction time from when the first warning section outputs the warning to when the driver performs an operation corresponding to the warning,

wherein the first warning section is configured to end the warning when the first warning section, determines that the traveling speed of the vehicle will converge to the target speed after an amount of time corresponding to a stored reaction time has elapsed, before the traveling speed of the vehicle actually converges to the target speed.

2. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, wherein

the first warning section is configured to output the warning using a light-emitting part that is capable of lighting a predetermined image or a predetermined light-emitting body in accordance with the difference between the traveling speed of the vehicle and the target speed.

3. The driver assistance device according to claim 2, wherein

the first warning section is configured to shorten a blinking period of the light-emitting part with increasing the difference between the traveling speed of the vehicle and the target speed.

4. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a speed limit acquiring section configured to acquire a speed limit of a road on which the vehicle travels; and

a second warning section configured to prohibit the warning by the first warning section and to output a warning for prompting deceleration of the vehicle when the traveling speed is higher than the speed limit.

5. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising

a traveling distance acquiring section configured to detect a traveling distance of the vehicle,

wherein the intersection distance acquiring section includes a beacon acquiring section configured to acquire the intersection distance that is calculated based on an intersection distance included in information acquired previously through a light beacon receiver and a detection result by the traveling distance acquiring section.

6. The driver assistance device according to claim 1,

wherein the intersection distance acquiring section includes a latitude and longitude acquiring section configured to acquire the intersection distance calculated based on information including a latitude and a longitude of the intersection at which the traffic signal is located and a latitude and a longitude of a current position of the vehicle.

7. The driver assistance device according to claim 1,

wherein in a case where the entering speed calculating section calculates the entering speed range to enable the vehicle to enter the intersection in transition of the lighting color from red to green, the entering speed calculating section calculates the entering speed range so that an entering speed at which the vehicle arrives at a position at a predetermined distance short of the traffic signal when the lighting color turns to green becomes an upper limit of the entering speed range, and the predetermined distance depends on the traveling speed of the vehicle.

8. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a front vehicle acquiring section configured to acquire information about presence or absence of a front vehicle that travels ahead of the vehicle and a traveling speed of the front vehicle; and

a first prohibiting section configured to prohibit the outputting section from outputting the target speed higher than the traveling speed of the front vehicle.

9. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a speed limit acquiring section configured to acquire information about a speed limit of a road on which the vehicle travels, and

a second prohibiting section configured to prohibit the outputting section from outputting the target speed higher than the speed limit.

10. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third prohibiting section configured to prohibit the outputting section from outputting the target speed lower than a predetermined minimum speed.

12. A driver assistance system for assisting a driving operation by a driver of a vehicle, comprising an in-vehicle device and a roadside device that is communicable with the in-vehicle device,

wherein the roadside device includes a traffic signal information transmitting section configured to transmit a traffic signal information that includes current and future lighting colors and lighting times of respective lighting colors of a predetermined traffic signal to the vehicle, and

wherein the in-vehicle device is configured as the driving assistance device according to claim 1.

13. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the reaction time acquiring section is further configured to store a previously detected reaction time of the driver, to enable the first warning section to determine when the traveling speed of the vehicle will converge to the target speed, without requiring a presently detected reaction time from the reaction time acquiring section.

14. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the first warning section is configured to output the warning when there is a difference between the traveling speed and the target speed based on a warning start speed range between a high-side warning start speed and a low-side warning start speed.

11. A driver assistance device to be disposed in a vehicle for assisting a driving operation by a driver of the vehicle, comprising:

a speed acquiring section configured to acquire a traveling speed of the vehicle;

a warning section configured to compare the traveling speed of the vehicle with a target speed set in an entering speed range that indicates a range of a traveling speed to enable the vehicle to enter an intersection in a state where a lighting color of a traffic signal located in a traveling direction of the vehicle is green and to output a warning when there is a difference between the traveling speed and the target speed; and

a reaction time acquiring section configured to acquire a reaction time from when the warning section outputs the warning to when the driver performs an operation corresponding to the warning,

wherein the warning section is configured to end the warning when the warning section determines that the traveling speed of the vehicle will converge to the target speed after an amount of time corresponding to a stored reaction time has elapsed, before the traveling speed of the vehicle actually converges to the target speed.

15. The driver assistance device according to claim 11, wherein the reaction time acquiring section is further configured to store a previously detected reaction time of the driver, to enable the warning section to determine when the traveling speed of the vehicle will converge to the target speed, without requiring a presently detected reaction time from the reaction time acquiring section.

16. The driver assistance device according to claim 11, wherein the warning section is configured to output the warning when there is a difference between the traveling speed and the target speed based on a warning start speed range between a high-side warning start speed and a low-side warning start speed.