Regulatory information notifying device and method

• US 9,892,641 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yokochi, Yuji, Takatsudo, Izumi, Saito, Shinnosuke, Nakajima, Hiroki, Kinoshita, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Timory, Kabir A
• Application Number:
  US15/388,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20170178507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/592 Data transfer involving external databases
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/18 including a device to audibly, visibly, or otherwise signal the existence of unusual or unintended speed to the driver of the vehicle devices primarily intended for indicating speed to other traffic B60Q1/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

The regulatory sign or traffic information presented on a roadway is detected by capturing an image of ahead of a vehicle, and also the regulatory information is detected by receiving a signal transmitted from outside the vehicle. When the regulatory information is detected from the signal transmitted from outside the vehicle, that regulatory information is notified. When no regulatory information is detected from the signal transmitted from outside the vehicle, the regulatory information detected by capturing the image of ahead of the vehicle is notified.

Claims

1. A regulatory information notifying device comprising:

a regulatory information detecting unit configured to detect regulatory sign or traffic information existing on a roadway in front of a vehicle having an occupant, the regulatory information detecting unit comprising,

an image capturing unit configured to capture an image ahead of the vehicle to detect the regulatory sign or traffic information from the image, and

a communication unit configured to receive a signal transmitted from an outside of the vehicle to detect the regulatory sign or traffic information from the transmitted signal;

a notifying unit configured to notify the occupant of the regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the regulatory information detecting unit; and

a controlling unit configured to control the notifying unit and to determine whether or not the communication unit is detecting the regulatory sign or traffic information, wherein

when it is determined that regulatory sign or traffic information is detected by the communication unit, the notifying unit is controlled to notify the occupant of the regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the communication unit, and

when it is determined that regulatory sign or traffic information is detected by the image capturing unit, while any regulatory sign or traffic information which corresponds to the regulatory sign detected by the image capturing unit is not detected by the communication unit, the notifying unit is controlled to notify the occupant of the regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the image capturing unit.

2. The regulatory information notifying device according to claim 1, wherein

out of the regulatory sign or traffic information, the image capturing unit and the communication unit detect (i) speed limit information indicating a speed limit of the roadway and (ii) other regulatory sign or traffic information other than the speed limit information, and

when it is determined that the speed limit information is detected by the communication unit, the notifying unit is controlled to notify the occupant of the speed limit information detected by the communication unit and to notify the occupant of the other regulatory sign or traffic information by the image capturing unit, and

when it is determined that the speed limit information is not detected by the communication unit, the notifying unit is controlled to notify the occupant of the speed limit information and the other regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the image capturing unit.

3. The regulatory information notifying device according to claim 2, wherein

the communication unit detects the speed limit information by executing road-to-vehicle communication with a wireless transmitter provided on the roadway, and

when it is determined that the speed limit information is detected by the communication unit, the notifying unit is controlled not to notify the occupant of the other regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the image capturing unit if the other regulatory sign or traffic information is not existing on the roadway on which the wireless transmitter is placed.

4. The regulatory information notifying device according to claim 3, wherein the other regulatory sign or traffic information includes information regarding a stop sign detected by the image capturing unit,

when it is determined that the speed limit information is detected by the communication unit, the notifying unit is controlled not to notify the occupant of the other regulatory sign or traffic information regarding the stop sign.

5. The regulatory information notifying device according to claim 1, wherein

the notifying unit comprises a display unit that displays the regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the image capturing unit or the communication unit and displays a predetermined kind of vehicle information set by the occupant,

the communication unit configured to execute road-to-vehicle communication with a wireless transmitter provided on the roadway to detect speed limit information indicating a speed limit of the roadway and traffic light information indicating a signal state of a traffic light in front of the vehicle from the regulatory sign or traffic information, and

when it is determined that neither of the speed limit information nor the traffic light information is detected by the communication unit, the display unit of the notifying unit is controlled to display the regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the image capturing unit and the vehicle information set by the occupant, and

when it is determined that each of the speed limit information and the traffic light information is detected by the communication unit, the display unit of the notifying unit is controlled to display the speed limit information and the traffic light information detected by the communication unit.

6. A regulatory information notifying method comprising:

image capturing and sign detecting steps of capturing an image ahead of a vehicle having an occupant and detecting the regulatory sign or traffic information existing on a roadway from the image;

communication and sign detecting steps of receiving a signal transmitted from an outside of the vehicle and detecting the regulatory sign or traffic information from the signal;

a first notifying step of notifying the occupant of the regulatory sign or traffic information detected in the communication and sign detecting steps when the regulatory sign or traffic information is detected in the communication and sign detecting steps; and

a second notifying step of notifying the occupant of the regulatory sign or traffic information detected in the image capturing and sign detecting steps when any regulatory sign or traffic information which corresponds to the regulatory sign or traffic information detected in the image capturing and sign detecting steps is not detected in the communication and sign detecting steps.

7. A regulatory information notifying device comprising:

a regulatory information detector configured to detect regulatory sign or traffic information existing on a roadway in front of a vehicle having an occupant, the regulatory information detecting device comprising,

an image capturing device configured to capture an image ahead of the vehicle to detect the regulatory sign or traffic information from the image, and

a communicator configured to receive a signal transmitted from an outside of the vehicle to detect the regulatory sign or traffic information from the transmitted signal;

a notifying device configured to notify the occupant of the regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the regulatory information detector and

a controller configured to control the notifying unit and to determine whether or not the communicator is detecting the regulatory sign or traffic information, wherein

when it is determined that regulatory sign or traffic information is detected by the communication unit, the notifying device is controlled to notify the occupant of the regulatory sign or traffic information detected by the communicator, and

when it is determined that regulatory sign or traffic information is detected by the image capturing device, while any regulatory sign or traffic information which corresponds to the regulatory sign detected by the image capturing device is not detected by the communicator, the notifying device is controlled to notify the occupant of the regulatory sign or traffic information-detected by the image capturing device.