DRIVING ENVIRONMENT RISK DETERMINATION APPARATUS AND DRIVING ENVIRONMENT RISK NOTIFICATION APPARATUS

• US 20160035222A1
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: MIKUNI, Tsukasa, MIZUTANI, Koichi, HAMADA, Yusuke, SUZUKI, Takahito, SATO, Hideki, TAKAGI, Hidemichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,922,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0137 for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages

Abstract

A driving environment risk determination apparatus includes a driver status acquisition module that acquires a status of a driver who drives another vehicle running in the vicinity of a subject vehicle that is equipped with the driving environment risk determination apparatus, an other-vehicle status acquisition module that acquires a driving status of the another vehicle, a driving environment acquisition module that acquires a driving environment in the vicinity of the subject vehicle, a risk determination module that calculates a degree of risk from information acquired through the driver status acquisition module, the other-vehicle status acquisition module, and the driving environment acquisition module and thereby determines whether the degree of risk is minor or major.

Claims

1. A driving environment risk determination apparatus comprising:

a driver status acquisition module that acquires a status of a driver who drives another vehicle running in the vicinity of a subject vehicle that is equipped with the driving environment risk determination apparatus;

an other-vehicle status acquisition module that acquires a driving status of the another vehicle;

a driving environment acquisition module that acquires a driving environment in the vicinity of the subject vehicle; and

a risk determination module that calculates a degree of risk from information acquired through the driver status acquisition module, the other-vehicle status acquisition module, and the driving environment acquisition module and thereby determines whether the degree of risk is minor or major.

2. The driving environment risk determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the degree of risk acquired through any one of the driver status acquisition module, the other-vehicle status acquisition module, and the driving environment acquisition module is not less than a certain level, the risk determination module determines, irrespective of the degree of risk acquired through the other two units, that a section of a road that lies in a direction in which the subject vehicle is traveling is a risky section.

3. The driving environment risk determination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the risk determination module weights the degree of risk acquired through the driver status acquisition module, the other-vehicle status acquisition module, and the driving environment acquisition module before calculating the degree of risk.

4. The driving environment risk determination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, if information acquired through the driver status acquisition module indicates that wakefulness of the driver is degrading and a vehicle-to-vehicle distance to the another vehicle is not more than a predetermined level, the risk determination module determines the distance between the subject vehicle and the another vehicle as a risky section.

5. The driving environment risk determination apparatus us according to claim 1, wherein the risk determination module increases the degree of risk when detecting the presence of a pedestrian or an urban area along a section of a road that is between the subject vehicle and the another vehicle and lies in the direction in which the subject vehicle travels.

6. The driving environment risk determination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the risk determination module increases the degree of risk when the vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the subject vehicle and the another vehicle becomes shorter.

7. The driving environment risk determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the risk determination module increases the degree of risk when a moving object in the vicinity of the subject vehicle is approaching the subject vehicle.

8. The driving environment risk determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when detecting an emergency vehicle in the vicinity of the subject vehicle and detecting that the emergency vehicle is approaching the subject vehicle, the risk determination module determines a section of the road between the emergency vehicle and the subject vehicle as an attention-state section.

9. A driving environment risk notification apparatus comprising:

a driver status acquisition module that acquires a status of a driver who drives another vehicle running in the vicinity of a subject vehicle equipped with the apparatus;

an other-vehicle status acquisition module that acquires a driving status of the another vehicle,

a driving environment acquisition module that acquires a driving environment in the vicinity of the subject vehicle that is equipped with the driving environment risk notification apparatus;

a risk determination module that calculates a degree of risk from information acquired through the driver status acquisition module, the other-vehicle status acquisition module, and the driving environment acquisition module and thereby determines whether the degree of risk is minor or major; and

a notification module that provides notification to the driver of the subject vehicle in accordance with determination results of the risk determination module.

10. The driving environment risk notification apparatus us according to claim 9, wherein the notification module provides a visual notification to the driver of the subject vehicle.

11. The driving environment risk notification apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the notification module is a display disposed inside a passenger compartment of the subject vehicle.

12. The driving environment risk notification apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the display makes a notification with a changing color on a map screen indicating a road on which the subject vehicle is running.

13. The driving environment risk notification apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the notification module indicates a vicinity of the another vehicle as being in a risky state when the degree of risk acquired through the driver status acquisition module is not less than a predetermined level.

14. The driving environment risk notification apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when detecting the presence of a pedestrian on the side of a road that lies in the direction in which the subject vehicle travels, the notification module increases the degree of risk for notification.

15. The driving environment risk notification apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the notification module indicates the degree of risk that varies with a direction in which a vehicle on an adjacent lane travels.

16. The driving environment risk notification apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the notification module indicates the degree of risk that varies with the width of a road.