DRIVER ASSISTING SYSTEM, METHOD FOR ASSISTING DRIVER, AND VEHICLE INCORPORATING SAME

• US 20090259372A1
• Filed: 06/22/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Egami, Masahiro, HIJIKATA, Shunsuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,902,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42763 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4279 electric or electronic triggering
• 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 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• 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: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles

Abstract

A driver assisting system calculates a risk perceived (RP) by a driver from the environment, and a potential risk. At least one actuator is coupled to a driver controlled input device (or a driver'"'"'s seat) to provide a first force to the driver controlled input device to stimulate the driver with a first form of tactile stimulus thereby to forward the calculated risk perceived (RP) to the driver, and to provide a second force to the driver controlled input device to stimulate driver with a second form of tactile stimulus thereby to forward the calculated potential risk to the driver.

Claims

1. driver assisting system for assisting a driver, within a driver'"'"'s seat, operating a driver controlled input device of a vehicle, comprising:

a running environment detecting section configured to detect an obstacle appearing in a running environment around the vehicle and obtain information of a vehicle speed standard for a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

a vehicle speed sensor configured to detect a vehicle speed of the vehicle;

a risk calculating section configured to calculate a first type of risk perceived by the driver and associated with a possible collision with the detected obstacle and a second type of risk unrelated to the detected obstacle and derived from determining an amount by which the detected vehicle speed exceeds the vehicle speed standard;

a tactile stimulus controlling section configured to translate the calculated first type of risk and second type of risk into different first and second forms of tactile stimulus, respectively; and

a tactile stimulus forwarding device configured to forward the calculated first and second type of risk to the driver by applying the first and second forms of tactile stimulus to the driver, via a single device, wherein the single device is the driver'"'"'s seat or the driver controlled input device.

2. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section controls the tactile stimulus forwarding device such that the calculated first type of risk is forwarded to the driver by applying the first form of tactile stimulus to the driver in a continuous manner and the calculated second type of risk is forwarded to the driver by applying the second form of tactile stimulus to the driver in an intermittent, non-continuous or pulsed manner.

3. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 2, wherein the second type of risk represents the determine amount by which the detected vehicle speed exceeds the vehicle speed standard, and wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section alters the form in which the second form of tactile stimulus occurs according to different values of the determined amount.

4. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 3, wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section varies an interval and a magnitude with which the second form of tactile stimulus occurs with different values of the determined amount.

5. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 3, wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section varies a magnitude with which the second form of tactile stimulus occurs with different values of the determined amount.

6. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 3, wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section varies a magnitude with which the second form of tactile stimulus occurs with different values of an accelerator pedal position.

7. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 3, wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section varies a frequency with which the second form of tactile stimulus occurs with different values of the determined amount.

8. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 2,

wherein the one of the driver'"'"'s seat and the driver controlled input device is an accelerator pedal;

wherein the tactile stimulus forwarding device includes an accelerator pedal reaction force control unit;

wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section causes the accelerator pedal reaction force control unit to provide, as the first force, an accelerator pedal reaction force that continuously varies with different values of the calculated first risk; and

wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section causes the accelerator pedal reaction force control unit to provide, as the second force, a pulse-like reaction force added to the accelerator pedal reaction force in response to the calculated second risk.

9. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 2,

wherein the one of the driver'"'"'s seat and the driver controlled input device is the driver'"'"'s seat;

wherein the tactile stimulus forwarding device includes a seat control unit;

wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section causes the seat control unit to provide, as the first force, a force that continuously vary the driver'"'"'s seat in height and hardness with different values of the calculated first risk, and

wherein the tactile stimulus controlling section causes the seat control unit to provide, as the second force, a vibration of the driver'"'"'s seat in response to the calculated second risk.

10. The driver assisting system as recited in claim 2,

wherein the one of the driver'"'"'s seat and the driver controlled input device is a steering system including a steering column;

and

wherein the tactile stimulus forwarding device includes a motor unit that retractably extends the steering column.