Information provision device for use in vehicle

• US 9,256,989 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kondoh, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US14/112,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• 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: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A first driving instability determining unit estimates driving instability based on a difference value between plural traveling state distributions of different time ranges on the basis of the traveling state data. A second driving instability determining unit estimates driving instability by a process different from the process used in the first driving instability determining unit. A learning completion determining unit determines that the learning is completed when a predetermined learning time elapses from the start of collection of the traveling state data, depending on a degree of learning at which the traveling state distribution calculated by a first traveling state distribution calculating unit is matched with the driving characteristic of a driver. An instability selecting unit selects the instability estimated by the first driving instability determining unit when the learning is completed and selects the instability estimated by the second driving instability determining unit when the learning is not completed.

Claims

1. An information provision device for use in a vehicle comprising:

a processor configured to;

acquire first traveling state data including at least one of a driving operation of a driver and a vehicle state;

calculate a plurality of traveling state distributions including a traveling state distribution of an immediately-previous time range indicating a current traveling state and a traveling state distribution of a time range different from the immediately-previous time range on the basis of the first traveling state data;

estimate first driving instability on the basis of a difference value between the calculated plurality of traveling state distributions;

determine, as a learning completion determining result, that learning is completed when a predetermined learning time elapses from start of collection of the first traveling state data;

estimate second driving instability by comparing the traveling state distribution of the immediately-previous time range, which indicates the current traveling state and which is calculated on the basis of the first traveling state data, with a comparative traveling state distribution acquired on the basis of another traveling state data different from the first traveling state data of the immediately-previous time range;

select the first driving instability when the learning is completed and selecting the second driving instability when the learning is not completed, on the basis of the learning completion determining result; and

control, when the first driving instability is selected, an information presenting device to provide an output that attracts more attention of the driver than attention of the driver that is attracted by an output provided when the second driving instability is selected,

wherein the another traveling state data is traveling state data acquired in another time range different from the immediately-previous time range, and

wherein the another time range is changed depending on a degree of learning which is a ratio of the elapsed time from the start of collection of the first traveling state data up to now to the learning time and the another time range is set to be larger with an increase in the degree of learning.

2. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the another traveling state data are a plurality of types of traveling state data, and

wherein the processor is configured to calculate a plurality of traveling state distributions as the comparative traveling state distribution based on the plurality of types of traveling state data.

3. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the traveling state distribution is calculated based on an operation amount of steering operation.

4. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein a steering entropy method is used in calculation based on the operation amount of steering operation.

5. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to estimate the second driving instability using a time to collision (TTC).

6. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to change the instability information to be presented depending on whether or not the learning is completed.

7. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information presenting device is an auditory information presenting device configured to provide an audio output.