VEHICLE SPEED LIMIT DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20160332517A1
• Filed: 05/11/2016
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: FUJIMAKI, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,005,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/155 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A speed limit display device for a vehicle, includes an indicator configured to display information related to a speed limit of a road; an image obtaining device configured to capture an image of a landscape and obtain image data of the landscape; and an electronic control unit configured to detect the speed limit indicated on a traffic sign in the captured landscape, and display the speed limit on the indicator. The electronic control unit is configured to i) determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied when the traffic sign is detected, the predetermined condition including a condition that a distance between the vehicle and the traffic sign be less than a predetermined distance, ii) display the detected speed limit when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and iii) not display the detected speed limit when the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

Claims

1. A speed limit display device for a vehicle, comprising:

an indicator mounted in the vehicle, the indicator configured to display information related to a speed limit of a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

an image obtaining device configured to capture an image of a landscape in a direction in which the vehicle is traveling and obtain image data of the landscape; and

an electronic control unit configured to detect a speed limit indicated on a traffic sign in the landscape based on the image data, and display the speed limit on the indicator, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied when the traffic sign is detected based on the image data, the predetermined condition including a condition that a distance between the vehicle and the traffic sign is less than a predetermined distance;

the electronic control unit is configured to display the speed limit on the indicator when the predetermined condition is satisfied; and

the electronic control unit is configured to not display the detected speed limit on the indicator when the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

2. The speed limit display device according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined condition includes a condition that the speed limit is equal to or higher than a speed threshold value;

and

the speed threshold value is set to a value equal to or greater than a speed that is lower, by a predetermined value, than a speed being displayed by the indicator at a time when the speed limit is detected.

3. The speed limit display device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to set the predetermined distance larger when the speed limit is higher than a predetermined speed, than when the speed limit is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed.

4. The speed limit display device according to claim 1, wherein the image obtaining device is a camera with an optic axis aligned with a vehicle body front-rear direction.

5. The speed limit display device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to detect in the landscape a supplemental speed limit indicated on a traffic sign with a speed limit and a condition in which the in the speed limit applies, and

the electronic control unit is configured to display the speed limit on a first portion of the indicator and display the supplemental speed limit on a second portion of the indicator.