Harsh braking warning system and method, vehicle warning apparatus and method utilizing same, information transmitting apparatus and method utilizing the system and method, server apparatus, program for the system and information recording medium for such a program

• US 20040245853A1
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Matsushita, Fumio, Shioda, Takehiko, Arakawa, Katsunori, Odagawa, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 303/191
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

A harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to a vehicle to be warned, on the basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle. The apparatus comprises a reception device, a position detection device, a forward side vehicle judgment device and a warning device. The reception device receives the-harsh braking information, which includes information indicating that the harsh braking has been applied to the harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information indicating a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle. The position detection device detects a position of the vehicle to be warned. The forward side vehicle judgment device judges as whether or not the harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on the basis of the positions of the harsh braking-applied vehicle and the vehicle to be warned. The warning device gives a warning of existence of the harsh braking-applied vehicle to the vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that the harsh braking-applied vehicle is the preceding vehicle.

Claims

1. A harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus, which is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, on a basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

a reception device for receiving the harsh braking information, said harsh braking information including information, which is indicative that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information, which is indicative of a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a position detection device for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment device for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned; and

a warning device for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a distance calculation device for calculating distance between said harsh braking-applied vehicle and said vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned, and

wherein;

said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said distance.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said harsh braking information further includes another information, which is indicative of a driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and

said apparatus comprising;

a velocity detection device for detecting a driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned; and

a reaching time-calculating device for calculating a period of time required for said vehicle to be warned to reach the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, on a basis of the position of said vehicle to be warned, the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, the driving velocity of said vehicle to be warned and the driving velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and

wherein;

said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with said period of time.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said warning device gives the warning at a level, which varies in accordance with al least one of weather conditions and road surface conditions.

15. A harsh braking warning system, comprising:

the harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus as claimed in claim 1;

and the harsh braking information transmitting apparatus as claimed in claim 5.

16. A harsh braking warning system, comprising:

the harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus as claimed in claim 1;

and the server apparatus as claimed in claim 12.

5. A harsh braking information transmitting apparatus, for transmitting a harsh braking information from a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, to give a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

a position detection device for detecting a position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a harsh braking detection device for detecting that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle; and

a transmission device for transmitting, when application of the harsh braking is detected, the harsh braking information, which includes information indicative of the application of the harsh braking in said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information indicative of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said harsh braking detection device judges that the harsh braking has been applied, when acceleration that is not more than a predetermined value is detected.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said harsh braking detection device judges that the harsh braking has been applied, when an ABS (antilock brake system) is operated.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said transmission device broadcast-transmits said harsh braking information to an indefinite number of vehicle to be warned.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said transmission device transmits said harsh braking information to a server apparatus, which transmits said harsh braking information to said vehicle to be warned.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said harsh braking information includes information of a harsh braking-applied vehicle-driving link, which is indicative of a place in which said harsh braking-applied vehicle is currently driving, in links that are indicative of roads on map data.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said harsh braking information includes information of velocity of said harsh braking-applied vehicle.

12. A server apparatus for receiving the harsh braking information transmitted from the harsh braking information transmitting apparatus as claimed in claim 9, said server apparatus comprising:

a reception device for receiving said harsh braking information; and

a transmission device for transmitting said harsh braking information as received to the vehicle to be warned.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

said reception device receives information of a positional relationship between the harsh braking-applied vehicle and other vehicle;

said apparatus further comprises a near vehicle specifying device for specifying said other vehicle, which exists in a place distant from said harsh braking-applied vehicle by a predetermined distance, as a near vehicle; and

wherein;

said transmission device transmits said harsh braking information to said near vehicle.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

said server apparatus is a communication control apparatus for controlling communication of a base station for a public radio communication network;

said base station serves as said reception device; and

said transmission device transmits said harsh braking information to all vehicles in a communication area of said base station.

17. A harsh braking-applied vehicle warning method, which is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, on a basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle, said method comprising:

a reception step for receiving the harsh braking information, said harsh braking information including information, which is indicative that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information, which is indicative of a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a position detection step for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment step for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned; and

a warning step for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle.

18. A harsh braking information transmitting method, for transmitting a harsh braking information from a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, to give a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, said method comprising:

a position detection step for detecting a position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a harsh braking detection step for detecting that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle; and

a transmission step for transmitting, when application of the harsh braking is detected, the harsh braking information, which including information indicative of the application of the harsh braking in said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information indicative of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle.

19. A harsh braking warning method, which is to transmit a harsh braking information from a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied to a vehicle to be warned, to give a warning of existence of the harsh braking-applied vehicle, to the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the harsh braking information, said method comprising:

a position detection step for detecting a position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a harsh braking detection step for detecting that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a transmission step for transmitting, when application of the harsh braking is detected, the harsh braking information, which includes information indicative of the application of the harsh braking in said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information indicative of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a reception step for receiving the harsh braking information in said vehicle to be warned;

a position detection step for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment step for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned; and

a warning step for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle.

20. A harsh braking-applied vehicle warning program, which is to be executed by a computer included in a harsh braking-applied vehicle warning apparatus that is to give a warning of existence of a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, on a basis of a harsh braking information sent from the harsh braking-applied vehicle, to cause the computer to function as:

a reception device for receiving the harsh braking information, said harsh braking information including information, which is indicative that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information, which is indicative of a position of the harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a position detection device for detecting a position of the vehicle to be warned;

a forward side vehicle judgment device for judging as whether or not said harsh braking-applied vehicle is a preceding vehicle, which drives in front of the vehicle to be warned, on a basis of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle and the position of said vehicle to be warned; and

a warning device for giving a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle to said vehicle to be warned, when it is judged that said harsh braking-applied vehicle is said preceding vehicle.

22. An information recording medium on which there is recorded the program as claimed in claim 20 so as to be readable by the computer.

21. A harsh braking information transmitting program, which is to be executed by a computer included in a harsh braking information transmitting apparatus, for transmitting a harsh braking information from a harsh braking-applied vehicle to which harsh braking was applied, to a vehicle to be warned, to give a warning of existence of said harsh braking-applied vehicle, to cause the computer to function as:

a position detection device for detecting a position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle;

a harsh braking detection device for detecting that the harsh braking has been applied to said harsh braking-applied vehicle; and

a transmission device for transmitting, when application of the harsh braking is detected, the harsh braking information, which includes information indicative of the application of the harsh braking in said harsh braking-applied vehicle, and another information indicative of the position of said harsh braking-applied vehicle.