Vehicle direction guide vibration system and method

• US 20080100476A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Byung Sung
• Granted Patent: US 7,619,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/995.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/981 Warning systems, e.g. the seat or seat parts vibrates to warn the passenger when facing a danger
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3652 Guidance using non-audiovisual output, e.g. tactile, haptic or electric stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/10 Miscellaneous

Abstract

The present invention relates to a direction guide vibration system of a vehicle operating with a navigation and control method thereof, which applies vibration to a driver'"'"'s seat on which a driver sits at the spot where a left turn or a right turn and a U turn are expected, on a path to move to a driver'"'"'s intended destination, informs a driver thereof in advance for people and the hearing impaired using a navigation and informs the driver thereof before an enforcement area in which an over-speed camera is installed, thereby securing a safe driving of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A direction guide vibration system of a vehicle operating with a navigation system, comprising:

a driving unit installed along a longitudinal direction of a seat rail provided in the vehicle and comprising a chain having an upper side, which is circulated and operated by a roller connected onto an axis of a driving motor;

a vibration generator provided in the upper side of the chain to generate a vibration in a driver'"'"'s seat on which the driver sits at a time of a left turn, a right turn or an U-turn of the vehicle, the vibration being provided together with an image and a voice guide through the navigation system; and

a controller electrically connected to the driving unit and the vibration generator such that the controller operates the driving unit at the time of the left turn, the right turn and the U-turn of the vehicle to move a position of the vibration generator and in the position that the vibration generator is moved, generates the vibration in the vibration generator.

2. The direction guide vibration system of claim 1, wherein the driving motor is a stepping motor.

3. The direction guide vibration system of claim 1, further comprising another driving unit, one driving unit being provided at a lower left side of the driver'"'"'s seat and the other driving unit being provided at a lower right side of the the driver'"'"'s seat.

4. The direction guide vibration system of claim 1, wherein the vibration generator comprises a vibration plate having a lower side, the vibration plate being provided on the upper side of the chain and a vibration motor installed on the lower side of the vibration plate, such that the vibration motorrotates a cam installed in an end of the axis of the motor to oscillate the vibration plate in up and down directions.

5. The direction guide vibration system of claim 4, wherein the seat rail is installed with stoppers such that the stoppers limit movement of the vibration plate.

6. The direction guide vibration system of a vehicle operating with the navigation as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cam is formed with a cam body of triangular shape wherein a first portion of the cam body contacts the an outer surface of the vibration plate, the first portion being convex with respect to the outer surface of the vibration plate.

7. The direction guide vibration system of claim 1, wherein the driving unit comprises position sensing sensors that are installed on the seat rail such that the sensing sensors sense an upper limit and a lower limit position of the vibration generator.

8. A control method of the direction guide vibration system of a vehicle operating with the navigation system, including the steps of:

a left/right turn mode step that comprises informing a driver of the vehicle to make a left turn or make a right turn of the vehicle by applying a vibration to a driver'"'"'s seat, before an expected position in which the driver has to make a left turn or make a right turn of the vehicle on an moving path along which the vehicle will be moved to an intended destination, together with an image and a voice navigation guides provided by the navigation system.;

an U-turn mode step that comprises informing the driver that the vehicle arrives at an U-turn expecting region by applying the vibration to the driver'"'"'s seat when arriving at the U-turn expecting region after making the left turn or the right turn of the vehicle; and

an overspeed camera mode step that comprises inputting information from a plurality of overspeed cameras installed on a path along which the vehicle will be moved to the intended destination through the navigation system and informing the driver of an enforcement area proximate the path by applying the vibration to the driver'"'"'s seat before the enforcement area.

9. The control method of claim 8, wherein the left/right turn mode steps further comprises:

a remote distance mode step that comprises generating the vibration a plurality of times in the driver'"'"'s seat in order to inform the driver of a position of a traffic signal lamp located more than 100 meters from the vehicle,

a mid distance mode step that comprises generating the vibration a plurality of times in the driver'"'"'s seat when the vehicle is positioned within 100 meters from the traffic signal lamp, and

an approaching distance mode step that comprises informing the driver that the vehicle is approaching the traffic signal lamp by applying the vibration to the driver'"'"'s seat, when the vehicle is positioned within 50 meters of traffic signal lamp.

10. The control method of claim 8, wherein the left/right turn mode step further comprises generating the vibration in a left side of the seat base of the driver'"'"'s seat at the time of the left turn of the vehicle and generating the vibration in a right side of the seat base of the driver'"'"'s seat at the time of the right turn of the vehicle.

11. The control method of claim 8, wherein the U-turn mode step further comprises:

a left side U-turn mode step that comprises informing the driver that the driver makes the U-turn of the vehicle to the left side by generating the vibration in the left side of the driver'"'"' seat, and

a right side U-turn mode step that comprises informing the driver that the driver makes the U-turn of the vehicle to the right side by generating the vibration in the right side of the driver'"'"' seat after informing the driver by simultaneously generating the vibration in both left and right sides of the driver'"'"'s seat before the time to make an U-turn of the vehicle.

12. The control method of claim 8, wherein the overspeed camera mode step further comprises:

a camera sensing mode step operated in the position in which the vehicle is distanced above 100 meters from the position in which the overspeed camera is installed, a preliminary warning mode step operated when the vehicle is positioned within 100 meters from the overspeed camera, and

an approaching warning mode step operated in a position in which the vehicle is distanced less than 50 meters from the position in which the overspeed camera is installed, that comprises informing the driver that the vehicle approaches the overspeed camera by applying the vibration to the driver'"'"'s seat.