Driver information system

• US 20060220905A1
• Filed: 11/25/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hovestadt, Guido
• Granted Patent: US 7,595,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• 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 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A driver information system is disclosed for providing driving information to the driver of a vehicle. The system comprises a traffic rule database including traffic rules for geographical regions, a position detecting unit for detecting the actual position of the vehicle, a driving parameter detecting unit for detecting at least one driving parameter of the vehicle, a control unit for extracting relevant traffic rules for the detected vehicle position from the traffic rule database and for comparing the extracted traffic rules to the detected at least one driving parameter in order to detect a traffic rule violation, a traffic rule violation significance judgment unit for judging the significance of a traffic rule violation detected by the control unit and for deciding whether information regarding the detected traffic rule violation is presented to the driver.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a traffic rule database comprising traffic rules for geographical regions;

a position detecting unit to detect an actual position of a vehicle;

a driving parameter detecting unit to detect at least one driving parameter of the vehicle;

a control unit operable to extract relevant traffic rules for the actual position of the vehicle from the traffic rule database and to compare the extracted traffic rules to the detected at least one driving parameter in order to detect a traffic rule violation; and

a traffic rule violation significance judgment unit to judge the significance of a traffic rule violation detected by the control unit and to decide whether information regarding the detected traffic rule violation is presented to a driver.

2. The system of claim 1 where the traffic rule database comprises traffic rules and corresponding sanctions for the driver in case of non-observance of the traffic rules, and wherein the traffic rule violation significance judgment unit informs the driver of a detected driving parameter and the corresponding possible sanction resulting from the non-observance of a traffic rule.

3. The system of claim 2 where the traffic rule violation significance judgment unit decides whether traffic rule violation information is presented to the driver based on the corresponding sanction of the non-observance of a traffic rule.

4. The system of claim 3 where the significance of a traffic rule violation is judged by comparing the corresponding sanction to a sanction limit value set by the driver.

5. The system of claim 2 further comprising a memory unit comprising vehicle-related and/or driver-related data which are taken into consideration for the determination of the traffic rules and/or the sanctions depending on the vehicle related or driver related data.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a parameter variation information unit, which compares the detected driving parameter to a sanction related to the driving parameter and which informs the driver that a change of a driving parameter by a certain amount would result in a corresponding change of the sanction.

7. The system of claim 1 where the driving parameter detecting unit detects at least one of the following driving parameters:

the country in which the vehicle is moving, the kind of road on which the vehicle is travelling, the driving speed, the type of vehicle, the weather condition outside the vehicle, the distance to another vehicle driving in front of the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle control unit, which actively controls the driving parameters when a violation of a traffic rule would result in a predetermined sanction.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a geographical database comprising map data representing physical features of geographical regions, wherein the traffic rules are assigned to the map data of geographical regions, the control unit determines the position of the vehicle on the map based on the detected actual vehicle position and extracts the assigned traffic rules from the traffic rule database.

10. The system of claim 1 comprising an information unit for informing the driver of a traffic rule violation, wherein the type of information presented on the information unit depends on the non-observed traffic rule and/or the corresponding sanction.

11. The system of claim 1 where the traffic rule database, the control unit, and/or the traffic rule violation significance judgment unit is/are arranged at a centralized server unit for serving a plurality of vehicles having an on-board communication unit mounted for communicating with the centralized server unit.

12. A method comprising:

detecting the actual position of a vehicle;

detecting at least one driving parameter of the vehicle;

extracting traffic rules for the detected vehicle position from a traffic rule database comprising traffic rules for geographical regions;

comparing the extracted traffic rules to the detected at least one driving parameter; and

judging the significance of a traffic rule violation and deciding, whether information regarding the detected traffic rule violation is presented to the driver.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of informing the driver of the detected at least one driving parameter and of the corresponding possible sanction for the driver in case of non-observance of traffic rules.

14. A method according to claim 12, where the decision of whether traffic rule violation information is presented to the driver is based on the corresponding sanction of the non-observance of a traffic rule.

15. A method according to claim 12 where the significance of a traffic rule violation is judged by comparing the corresponding sanction to a sanction limit value set by the driver.

16. A method according to claim 12 where for the determination of the traffic rules and/or for the determination of the sanctions, vehicle-related data and/or driver-related data are taken into consideration.

17. A method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of comparing the detected driving parameter to a sanction related to said driving parameter and informing the driver that a change of a driving parameter by a certain amount would result in a corresponding change of the sanction.

18. A method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of automatically controlling the driving parameter when the violation of the traffic rule would result in a predetermined sanction in case of non-observance of the traffic rule.

19. A method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of informing the driver of a traffic rule violation, wherein the type of information presented to the driver depends on the non-observed traffic rule and/or the corresponding sanction.

20. A method according to claim 12, where the traffic rules are extracted from a traffic rule database which is arranged at a centralized server unit outside the vehicle, the vehicle and the centralized server unit using wireless communication technologies.

21. A method according to claim 12, where the step of detecting a driving parameter comprises at least one of the following steps:

detecting the country in which the vehicle is moving, detecting the kind of road on which the vehicle is moving, detecting the type of vehicle the driver is using, detecting driver related information, detecting the vehicle speed, detecting the weather conditions outside the vehicle, detecting the presence of any special permits of the vehicle or the driver, detecting the distance to another vehicle driving in front of the vehicle, detecting the time, detecting whether the driver is using a mobile phone, detecting the driving direction and comparing the latter to direction restrictions comprised in the map data, detecting whether the lights are turned on, detecting the loading of the vehicle.