System, method and program products for supporting to drive cars

• US 20030065429A1
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisan Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sanei Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Tadashi, Tamura, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 6,711,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A system for supporting to drive cars has a server 10 for processing road geometry, an apparatus 20 for supporting to drive a car 70, and a computer network 40 for communicating with the server 10 and the apparatus 20, wherein the saver 10 provides road parameters and/or road information for the apparatus 20, and the apparatus 20, placed on the car 70, supports to drive the car 70 and/or automatically drives the car 70 by using the road information which includes virtual digital driving orbit (lattice of coordinate) 60 from the saver 10 and/or calculated by the road parameters, and GPS (Global Positioning System) information from GPS satellite 50 for calculating the position of the car 70.

Claims

1. A system for supporting to drive cars according to the present invention, which comprising:

a server for processing road geometry;

an apparatus for supporting to drive a car; and

a computer network for communicating with said server and said apparatus, wherein

said server for processing road geometry includes

communication control means for controlling communication with said computer network,

storing means of said road geometry for storing road parameters and/or road information, and

processing means of said road parameters for loading said road parameters and said road information stored in said storing means in dependence upon a request received from said apparatus for supporting to drive said car via said communication control means,

said apparatus for supporting to drive a car includes

communication control means for controlling communication with said computer network,

positioning information control means for calculating a position information of said car by using a base position information,

means for generating driving support information by using said road parameters and/or said road information from said server for processing said road geometry and said positioning information of said car from said positioning information control means.

2. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said means for generating driving support information generates said road information based on said road parameters.

3. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said apparatus for supporting to drive said car further comprises

instrumentation means for calculating an instrumentation value by detecting a car condition;

and

instrumentation information control means for generating instrumentation information based on said

instrumentation value received from said instrumentation means;

wherein

said means for generating driving support information generates said driving support information based on said road information generated based on said road parameters and/or received from said server for processing road geometry, said positioning information received from said positioning information control means, and said instrumentation information received from said instrumentation information control means.

4. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 3, wherein

said instrumentation means further comprises

distance accumulating means for calculating an instrumentation value by accumulating driving distance of said car;

speed sensor means for calculating an instrumentation value by measuring speed of said car;

gyro-sensor for calculating an instrumentation value by measuring gradient of said car; and

angle measuring means for calculating an instrumentation value by measuring angle of car progress way;

wherein

said instrumentation information control means for generating accumulating distance information based on said instrumentation value from said distance accumulating means, generating speed information based on said instrumentation value from said speed sensor means, generating rolling angle information based on said instrumentation value from said gyro-sensor, and generating way angle information based on said instrumentation value from angle measuring means.

5. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, further comprises

input means for inputting said request

output means for displaying said road information and/or said driving support information.

6. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said apparatus for supporting to drive a car further comprises map storing means for storing a part or all of said road information and/or map information;

wherein

said means for generating driving support information generates said driving support information based on said road information, said positioning information, and said map information.

7. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said communication with said apparatus for supporting to drive a car and said computer network is executed by using communication unit such as a mobile phone and/or LCX (Leakage Coaxial Cable) placed on road.

8. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said computer network is internet or intranet.

9. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said means for generating driving support information generates said driving support information by using image information from radar and/or laser scan unit.

10. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said apparatus for supporting to drive a car further comprises

driving control means for controlling to drive said car by using said driving support information generated by said means for generating driving support information.

11. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said road information includes virtual digital driving orbit for indicating driving orbit of said car, and

said means for generating driving support information generates said virtual digital driving orbit by line segment, circular arcs and/or clothoid curve, and generates a clothoid curve from a clothoid origin without executing exceptional processing near said clothoid origin in case of generating a curvature transition curve of said virtual digital driving orbit using said clothoid curve, by calculating coordinates of said clothoid curve using the following recurrence equation (1), of which parameters are only the arc length “

λ

”

from said clothoid origin, expressed as

$\begin{array}{cc}x=\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{\infty <br><br>}}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>{\left(-1\right)}^n<br><br>\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^{4<br><br>n+1}}{\left(4<br><br>n+1\right)·<br><br>2^{2<br><br>n}·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n\right)!}<br><br><br><br>y=\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{\infty <br><br>}}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>{\left(-1\right)}^n<br><br>\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^{4<br><br>n+3}}{\left(4<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>2^{2<br><br>n+1}·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+1\right)!}& \left(\mathrm{Equation}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>1\right)\end{array}$

 

where “

λ

”

is the unit clothoid arc length, “

x” and

“

y”

is a coordinate of the arc length “

λ

”

from a clothoid origin of the unit clothoid curve, and “

n”

is order.

12. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 11, wherein

said means for generating driving support information generates said clothoid curve using the following relation equation (2) of a “

n”

term (Tx(n), Ty(n)), which is deduced by expanding “

x” and

“

y”

of said recurrence equation (1) in a series, expressed as

$\begin{array}{cc}T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(n+1\right)=-\frac{\left(4<br><br>n+1\right)·<br><br>{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^4}{4·<br><br>\left(4<br><br>n+5\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+2\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+1\right)}<br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(n\right)<br><br><br><br>\left(n=0,1,2,\mathrm{\Lambda <br><br>}\right)<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(0\right)=\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(n+1\right)=-\frac{\left(4<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^4}{4·<br><br>\left(4<br><br>n+7\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+2\right)}<br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(n\right)<br><br><br><br>\left(n=0,1,2,\mathrm{\Lambda <br><br>}\right)<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(0\right)=\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^3}{3·<br><br>2}& \left(\mathrm{Equation}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>2\right)\end{array}$

13. The system for supporting to drive cars of claim 1, wherein

said base position information is from GPS, magnetic nail, and/or beacon.

14. A method for supporting to drive cars, which executes driving support processes by using a server for processing road geometry, an apparatus for supporting to drive a car, and a computer network for communicating with said server for processing road geometry and said apparatus for supporting to drive a car, comprising the steps of:

(A) in said apparatus for supporting to drive a car, sending request information inputted for supporting to drive said car to said server for processing road geometry via said computer network;

(B) in said server for processing road geometry, loading road parameters and/or beforehand stored road information in dependence upon said request information receiving from said apparatus for supporting to drive a car, and sending said road parameters and/or said road information to said apparatus for supporting to drive a car via said computer network;

(C) in said apparatus for supporting to drive a car, generating road information by using said road parameters when receiving said road parameters from said server for processing road geometry;

(D) in said apparatus for supporting to drive a car, calculating position information of said car by using base position information;

(E) in said apparatus for supporting to drive a car, generating driving support information by using said road information received from said server for processing road geometry and/or generated by said step of (C), and said positioning information of said car calculated by said step of (D).

15. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 14, wherein

at said step of (E), in said apparatus for supporting to drive a car, generating instrumentation information by measuring car condition, and generating said driving support information by using said road information received from said server for processing road geometry and/or generated by said step of (C), said positioning information of said car calculated by said step of (D), and said instrumentation information.

16. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 15, wherein

said instrumentation information includes accumulating distance information, speed information, rolling angle information, and way angle information by a handle of said car.

17. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 14, wherein

at said steps of (A) and (B), said communication with said apparatus for supporting to drive a car and said computer network is executed by using communication unit such as a mobile phone.

18. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 14, wherein

at said steps of (A) and (B), said communication with said apparatus for supporting to drive a car and said computer network is executed by using LCX (Leakage Coaxial Cable) placed on road.

19. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 14, wherein

at said steps of (A) and (B), said computer network is internet or intranet.

20. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 14, wherein

at said step of (E), generating said driving support information based on said road information received from said server for processing road geometry and/or generated by said step of (C), said positioning information of said car calculated by said step of (D), and beforehand stored map information.

21. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 14, wherein

at said step of (E), generating said driving support information by using image information from radar and/or laser scan unit.

22. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 14, wherein

said road information includes virtual digital driving orbit for indicating driving orbit of said car, and

at said step of (E), generating said virtual digital driving orbit by line segment, circular arcs and/or clothoid curve, and generates a clothoid curve from a clothoid origin without executing exceptional processing near said clothoid origin in case of generating a curvature transition curve of said virtual digital driving orbit using said clothoid curve, by calculating coordinates of said clothoid curve using the following recurrence equation (1), of which parameters are only the arc length “

λ

”

from said clothoid origin, expressed as

$\begin{array}{cc}x=\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{\infty <br><br>}}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>{\left(-1\right)}^n<br><br>\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^{4<br><br>n+1}}{\left(4<br><br>n+1\right)·<br><br>2^{2<br><br>n}·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n\right)!}<br><br><br><br>y=\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{\infty <br><br>}}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>{\left(-1\right)}^n<br><br>\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^{4<br><br>n+3}}{\left(4<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>2^{2<br><br>n+1}·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+1\right)!}& \left(\mathrm{Equation}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>1\right)\end{array}$

 

where “

λ

”

is the unit clothoid arc length, “

x” and

“

y”

is a coordinate of the arc length “

λ

”

from a clothoid origin of the unit clothoid curve, and “

n”

is order.

23. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 22, wherein

at said step of (E), generating said clothoid curve using 10 the following relation equation (2) of a “

n”

term (Tx(n), Ty(n)), which is deduced by expanding “

x” and

“

y”

of said recurrence equation (1) in a series, expressed as

$\begin{array}{cc}T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(n+1\right)=-\frac{\left(4<br><br>n+1\right)·<br><br>{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^4}{4·<br><br>\left(4<br><br>n+5\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+2\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+1\right)}<br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(n\right)<br><br><br><br>\left(n=0,1,2,\mathrm{\Lambda <br><br>}\right)<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(0\right)=\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(n+1\right)=-\frac{\left(4<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^4}{4·<br><br>\left(4<br><br>n+7\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+2\right)}<br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(n\right)<br><br><br><br>\left(n=0,1,2,\mathrm{\Lambda <br><br>}\right)<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(0\right)=\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^3}{3·<br><br>2}& \left(\mathrm{Equation}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>2\right)\end{array}$

24. A method for supporting to drive cars of claim 14, wherein

at said step of (D), said base position information is GPS information, magnetic nail information, and/or beacon information.

25. Program products for supporting to drive cars according to the present invention, which is executed by computer system, comprises the steps of:

(A) sending request information inputted for supporting to drive said car to said server for processing road geometry via said computer network;

(B) loading road parameters and/or beforehand stored road information in dependence upon said request information receiving from said apparatus for supporting to drive a car, and sending said road parameters and/or said road information to said apparatus for supporting to drive a car via said computer network;

(C) generating road information by using said road parameters when receiving said road parameters from said server for processing road geometry;

(D) calculating position information of said car by using base position information;

(E) generating driving support information by using said road information received from said server for processing road geometry and/or generated by said step of (C), and said positioning information of said car calculated by said step of (D).

26. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 25, wherein

at said step of (E), generating instrumentation information by measuring car condition, and generating said driving support information by using said road information received from said server for processing road geometry and/or generated by said step of (C), said positioning information of said car calculated by said step of (D), and said instrumentation information.

27. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 26, wherein

said instrumentation information includes accumulating distance information, speed information, rolling angle information, and way angle information by a handle of said car.

28. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 25, wherein

at said steps of (A) and (B), said communication with said apparatus for supporting to drive a car and said computer network is executed by using communication unit such as a mobile phone.

29. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 25, wherein

at said steps of (A) and (B), said communication with said apparatus for supporting to drive a car and said computer network is executed by using LCX (Leakage Coaxial Cable) placed on road.

30. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 25, wherein

at said steps of (A) and (B), said computer network is internet or intranet.

31. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 25, wherein

at said step of (E), generating said driving support information based on said road information received from said server for processing road geometry and/or generated by said step of (C), said positioning information of said car calculated by said step of (D), and beforehand stored map information.

32. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 25, wherein

at said step of (E), generating said driving support information by using image information from radar and/or laser scan unit.

33. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 25, wherein

said road information includes virtual digital driving orbit for indicating driving orbit of said car, and

at said step of (E), generating said virtual digital driving orbit by line segment, circular arcs and/or clothoid curve, and generates a clothoid curve from a clothoid origin without executing exceptional processing near said clothoid origin in case of generating a curvature transition curve of said virtual digital driving orbit using said clothoid curve, by calculating coordinates of said clothoid curve using the following recurrence equation (1), of which parameters are only the arc length “

λ

”

from said clothoid origin, expressed as

$\begin{array}{cc}x=\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{\infty <br><br>}}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>{\left(-1\right)}^n<br><br>\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^{4<br><br>n+1}}{\left(4<br><br>n+1\right)·<br><br>2^{2<br><br>n}·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n\right)!}<br><br><br><br>y=\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{\infty <br><br>}}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>{\left(-1\right)}^n<br><br>\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^{4<br><br>n+3}}{\left(4<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>2^{2<br><br>n+1}·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+1\right)!}& \left(\mathrm{Equation}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>1\right)\end{array}$

 

where “

λ

”

is the unit clothoid arc length, “

x” and

“

y”

is a coordinate of the arc length “

λ

”

from a clothoid origin of the unit clothoid curve, and “

n”

is order.

34. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 33, wherein

at said step of (E), generating said clothoid curve using the following relation equation (2) of a “

n”

term (Tx(n), Ty(n)), which is deduced by expanding “

x” and

“

y”

of said recurrence equation (1) in a series, expressed as

$\begin{array}{cc}T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(n+1\right)=-\frac{\left(4<br><br>n+1\right)·<br><br>{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^4}{4·<br><br>\left(4<br><br>n+5\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+2\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+1\right)}<br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(n\right)<br><br><br><br>\left(n=0,1,2,\mathrm{\Lambda <br><br>}\right)<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>x<br><br>\left(0\right)=\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(n+1\right)=-\frac{\left(4<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^4}{4·<br><br>\left(4<br><br>n+7\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+3\right)·<br><br>\left(2<br><br>n+2\right)}<br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(n\right)<br><br><br><br>\left(n=0,1,2,\mathrm{\Lambda <br><br>}\right)<br><br><br><br>T<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y<br><br>\left(0\right)=\frac{{\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}}^3}{3·<br><br>2}& \left(\mathrm{Equation}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>2\right)\end{array}$

35. Program products for supporting to drive cars of claim 25, wherein

at said step of (D), said base position information is GPS information, magnetic nail information, and/or beacon information.