Method and system of assisting a driver of a vehicle

• US 9,586,593 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Nissan North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takamatsu, Yoshiro, Takada, Yuji, Kusayanagi, Yoshinori, Kishi, Norimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US14/496,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20160090084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/10 Number of lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/50 Barriers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/60 Traversable objects, e.g. speed bumps or curbs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/805 Azimuth angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal

Abstract

A method of assisting a driver of a vehicle in driving a road, the method includes determining a location of a road boundary relative to the vehicle using a sensor, selecting, via a controller, a parameter to assist a driver of the vehicle at the location of the road boundary, updating the parameter based on a previous operation of the vehicle, determining, via the controller, whether the vehicle is approaching the road boundary based on a vehicle trajectory and the location of a road boundary, and providing a feedback operation to assist the driver in avoiding the road boundary, the feedback operation based on the selected parameter.

Claims

1. A method of assisting a driver of a vehicle in driving a road, the method comprising:

determining a location of a road boundary relative to the vehicle using a sensor;

selecting, via a controller, a parameter to assist a driver of the vehicle at the location of the road boundary;

updating the parameter based on a previous operation of the vehicle, data for the parameter and the updated parameter being stored in a storage device;

determining, via the controller, whether the vehicle is approaching the road boundary based on a vehicle trajectory and the location of a road boundary; and

providing a feedback operation under a first condition to assist the driver in avoiding the road boundary based on the parameter and under a second condition based on the updated parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes parameters that are related to a segment of the road.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein

the parameter includes a parameter obtained from traveling the segment of the road a plurality times previously.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the parameter includes a parameter based on a statistical calculation of traveling the segment of the road the plurality times previously.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein

the parameters related to the segment of the road are stored with latitude and longitude of the segment of the road.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes a distance threshold, and the providing a feedback operation includes applying a feedback force when a distance of the vehicle to the road boundary is less than the distance threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein

the parameter is updated based on a previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising

determining whether the vehicle has previously travelled the road, and the parameter being a first parameter of a plurality of parameters, the updating the parameter including updating the parameter with information related to the road, and the selecting the parameter includes, when the controller has determined that the road has been previously traveled, selecting the first parameter from the plurality of parameters.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein

the parameter includes a trajectory of the vehicle during the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein

the parameter includes a latitude and longitude location of the vehicle during the previous driving operation of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein

the parameter includes distance information about the location of the road boundary with respect to the road based on the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein

the updating the parameter includes updating the parameter with curvature information about the location of the road boundary with respect to the road based on the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein

the updating the parameter includes updating the parameter with weather information during the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein

the updating the parameter includes updating the parameter with a time of day during the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein

the updating the parameter includes updating the parameter with a state of traffic state of the of the road during the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein

the updating the parameter includes updating the parameter with a position of other vehicles on the road during the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein

the updating the parameter includes updating the parameter with a position of static objects proximal to the road during the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein

the updating the parameter includes updating the parameter with pedestrian status during the previous driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising

determining whether the vehicle has previously travelled the road, and the parameter being a first parameter of a plurality of parameters, the updating the parameter including updating the parameter with information related to the road, and the selecting the parameter includes, when the controller has determined that the road has not been previously traveled, selecting the first parameter from the plurality of parameters.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein

the providing the feedback operation includes providing haptic feedback to a portion of an interior of the vehicle located proximate to the driver.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein

the providing the feedback operation includes applying torque on a portion of a steering system of the vehicle to cause movement of the vehicle away from the road boundary.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein

the road boundary is at least one of a wall and a curb proximal to the road.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein

the road boundary is a lane marker on a road.

3. A method of assisting a driver of a vehicle in driving a road, the method comprising:

determining a location of a road boundary relative to the vehicle using a sensor;

selecting, via a controller, a parameter to assist a driver of the vehicle at the location of the road boundary;

updating the parameter based on a previous operation of the vehicle, including updating the parameter based on a first road;

selecting the parameter or the updated parameter prior to traveling a second road;

determining, via the controller, whether the vehicle is approaching the road boundary based on a vehicle trajectory and the location of a road boundary; and

providing a feedback operation under a first condition to assist the driver in avoiding the road boundary based on the parameter and under a second condition based on the updated parameter.

4. A method of assisting a driver of a vehicle in driving a road, the method comprising:

determining a location of a road boundary relative to the vehicle using a sensor;

selecting, via a controller, a parameter to assist a driver of the vehicle at the location of the road boundary, the parameter including parameters related to a segment of the road;

updating the parameter based on a previous operation of the vehicle, including updating the parameter based on a first road, and the selecting the updated parameter includes selecting the updated parameter prior to traveling the first road again, data from the previous operation being stored in a storage device;

determining, via the controller, whether the vehicle is approaching the road boundary based on a vehicle trajectory and the location of a road boundary; and

providing a feedback operation to assist the driver in avoiding the road boundary, the feedback operation based on the selected parameter.