WARNING SYSTEM, VEHICULAR APPARATUS, AND SERVER

• US 20130147955A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Oosugi, Takuya
• Application Number:
  US13/613,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20130147955A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

In-vehicle systems are in host vehicles. Each in-vehicle system transmits a vehicle information item indicating a present position, travel course, and size of the host vehicle to a server. Out of the host vehicles, detecting vehicles pass through a dangerous spot where a dangerous object is present. The in-vehicle system in each detecting vehicle transmits a dangerous object information item indicating an image and position of the dangerous spot, to the server. The server extracts warned vehicles expected to pass through the dangerous spot, from the present positions and travel courses of the host vehicles. The server determines a danger degree when passing through the dangerous spot, based on an image of the dangerous spot and a width of each warned vehicle, thereby preparing warning information and distributing it to the in-vehicle system of each warned vehicle.

Claims

1. A warning system including (i) a server and (ii) a plurality of vehicular apparatuses in host vehicles, the host vehicle being a vehicle to which each of the vehicular apparatuses is mounted,

the vehicular apparatus comprising:

an in-vehicle communicator to wirelessly communicate with the server;

a vehicle notification section to

specify a present position and a travel course of the host vehicle with predetermined intervals, and

notify the server of a vehicle information item via the in-vehicle communicator, the vehicle information item specifying a size of the host vehicle and indicating the present position and the travel course of the host vehicle;

a detection section to detect a dangerous object which is present on a road;

a distinction section to distinguish a position of a dangerous spot where the dangerous object is present;

a whole-image capture section to capture a whole-image of the dangerous spot; and

a danger notification section to notify the server of a dangerous object information item via the in-vehicle communicator, the dangerous object information item indicating the position and the whole image of the dangerous spot,

the server comprising;

an in-server communicator to wirelessly communicate with each of the plurality of vehicular apparatuses;

an extraction section to extract, out of the host vehicles, a warned vehicle based on the present positions and the travel courses indicated by the vehicle information items acquired from the vehicular apparatuses via the in-server communicator, the warned vehicle being expected to pass through the dangerous spot indicated by the dangerous object information item acquired from the vehicular apparatus;

a determination section to determine a danger degree at a time when the warned vehicle passes through the dangerous spot based on (i) the size specified by the vehicle information item of the warned vehicle, and (ii) the whole image indicated by the dangerous object information item relative to the dangerous object which is present in the dangerous spot through which the warned vehicle passes; and

a provision section to provide the vehicular apparatus in the warned vehicle with a warning information item according to the danger degree at the time when the warning vehicle passes through the dangerous spot, via the in-server communicator,

the vehicular apparatus further comprising;

a warning section to perform a warning having a content according to the warning information item acquired from the server via the in-vehicle communicator.

2. The warning system according to claim 1, wherein:

the detection section detects (i) a foreign object which is present ahead of the host vehicle, and (ii) a behavior of the host vehicle at the time when the host vehicle passes through the dangerous spot where the foreign object is present; and

the detection section detects the foreign object as the dangerous object based on the behavior that is detected.

3. The warning system according to claim 1, wherein:

the detection section detects a foreign object which is present ahead of the host vehicle, and the detection section receives a predetermined manipulation from an occupant in the host vehicle; and

the detection section detects as the dangerous object the foreign object when receiving the predetermined manipulation when detecting the foreign object.

4. The warning system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicular apparatus includes a navigation function; and

the vehicle notification section specifies as the travel course a travel estimated route that is a route that the host vehicle is estimated to travel in a route guidance by the navigation function.

5. A vehicular apparatus in a host vehicle, the host vehicle being a vehicle to which the vehicular apparatus is mounted, the vehicular apparatus having an in-vehicle communicator that wirelessly communicates with a server,

the server acquiring vehicle information items about a plurality of the host vehicles, the vehicle information item specifying a size, a present position, and a travel course of each of the host vehicles,

the server acquiring a dangerous object information item which indicates a position of a dangerous spot where a dangerous object is present and a whole image of the dangerous spot,

the vehicular apparatus comprising:

a vehicle notification section to specify a present position and a travel course of the host vehicle with predetermined intervals, and notify the server of a vehicle information item relative to the host vehicle via the in-vehicle communicator, the vehicle information item specifying a size of the host vehicle and indicating the present position and the travel course of the host vehicle; and

a warning section to perform a warning having a content according to a warning information item acquired from the server via the in-vehicle communicator,

the warning information item being according to a danger degree at a time when the host vehicle passes through the dangerous spot,

the danger degree being determined by the server based on (i) the size specified by the vehicle information item relative to the host vehicle, and (ii) the whole image indicated by the dangerous object information item in cases that the server defines the host vehicle as a warned vehicle, which is expected to pass through the dangerous spot indicated by the acquired dangerous object information item, based on the vehicle information item relative to the host vehicle.

6. The vehicular apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a detection section to detect a dangerous object which is present on a road;

a distinction section to distinguish a position of the dangerous spot where the dangerous object is present;

a whole-image capture section to capture a whole image of the dangerous spot; and

a danger notification section to notify the server of the dangerous object information item, which indicates the position and the whole image of the dangerous spot, via the in-vehicle communicator.

7. A server including an in-server communicator that communicates with each of a plurality of vehicular apparatuses in host vehicles, the host vehicle being a vehicle to which the vehicular apparatus is mounted,

the server acquiring from the vehicle apparatus a dangerous object information item, which indicates (i) a position of a dangerous spot on a road, the dangerous spot where a dangerous object is present and (ii) a whole image of the dangerous spot,

the server acquiring, from the vehicular apparatuses vehicle, information items, which indicate sizes, present positions, and travel courses of the host vehicles,

the server comprising:

an extraction section to extract, out of the host vehicles, a warned vehicle based on the present positions and the travel courses indicated by the vehicle information items acquired from the vehicular apparatuses via the in-server communicator, the warned vehicle being expected to pass through the dangerous spot indicated by the dangerous object information item acquired from the vehicular apparatus;

a determination section to determine a danger degree at a time when the warned vehicle passes through the dangerous spot based on (i) the size specified by the vehicle information item of the warned vehicle, and (ii) the whole image indicated by the dangerous object information item relative to the dangerous object which is present in the dangerous spot through which the warned vehicle passes; and

a provision section to provide a warning information item to the vehicular apparatus in the warned vehicle via the in-server communicator,

the warning information item having a content according to the danger degree at the time when the warning vehicle passes through the dangerous spot.