Information provision device for use in vehicle

• US 9,428,057 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2015
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• 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:
  US14/971,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20160101696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 258 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 result of a learning completion determination, that learning is completed when a predetermined learning time elapses from start of collection of the first traveling state data;

detect whether a driving scene is a specific driving scene set in advance for use when the learning is not completed, when it is determined that the learning is not completed on the basis of a result of the learning completion determination;

calculate, when it is determined that the learning is not completed on the basis of a result of the learning completion determination and the specific driving scene is detected, a feature amount of the traveling state distribution of the immediately-previous time range which indicates a current traveling state based on the first traveling state data in the detected specific driving scene and estimate second driving instability on the basis of the calculated feature amount;

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

present instability information based on instability selected between the first driving instability and the second driving instability to the driver.

2. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a tendency of the feature amount on the basis of a history of the feature amount acquired at a constant interval and estimate the second driving instability on the basis of the calculated tendency.

3. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a right or left turn at an intersection is detected as the specific driving scene and the feature amount is calculated from a driving characteristic at that time.

4. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the magnitude of a transverse G is used as the driving characteristic of the right or left turn.

5. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a preceding vehicle approaching scene is detected as the specific driving scene and the feature amount is calculated from a driving characteristic of a decelerating operation at that time.

6. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the magnitude of a time to collision (TTC) at the time of braking is used as the driving characteristic of the decelerating operation.

7. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the driving state is unstable when the calculated feature amount is greater than a predetermined threshold value for determination.

8. 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.

9. The information provision device for use in the vehicle according to claim 8, wherein a steering entropy method is used in calculation based on the operation amount of steering operation.

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

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