System for determining passability of vehicle

• US 6,169,952 B1
• Filed: 04/07/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Otabe, Makoto, Sakaki, Yuji, Matsuda, Shohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US09/056,244
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/41, 701/43, 701/48, 701/70, 701/72, 701/80, 701/93, 701/97, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/440, 340/441, 340/466, 340/467, 340/470, 340/471, 340/905, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 342/357.14, 342/357.17, 342/385, 342/386
• US Class Current: 701/72
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0066 responsive to vehicle path curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0083 responsive to centrifugal force acting on vehicle due to the path it is following
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A system for determining the passability of a vehicle through a section of road ahead of the vehicle is controlled based on coordinates of a plurality of nodes N_N (N₁, N₂, N₃, N₄ . . . ) constituting the road section ahead of a subject vehicle. The system calculates a passing-state determination amount θ_N/L_N for each of the nodes N_N, and based on the passing-state determination amount θ_N/L_N, the system then determines whether the vehicle can positively or safely pass through the road section. The passing-state determination amount θ_N/L_N serves as an indicator which represents a degree of difficulty in the passage of the vehicle through the nodes N_N and which is obtained, for example, by dividing an angle θ_N formed by a line segment connecting the adjacent nodes N_N by a distance L_N between the adjacent nodes N_N. Even if only one or two nodes N_N exist on a curve, it is possible to accurately determine whether the vehicle can pass the curve by using the passing-state determination amount θ_N/L_N.

Claims

1. A system for determining the passability of a vehicle, comprising:

map information outputting means for outputting a map information as an aggregation of a plurality of nodes constituting a road section;

subject-vehicle position detecting means for detecting a position of the subject vehicle on a map;

curve section determining means for determining whether a node ahead of said subject vehicle position exists on a curve section;

passing-state determination amount calculating means for calculating a passing-state determination amount of a node existing on said curve section as a value resulting from division of an amount of variation in azimuth angle of the vehicle by a distance of movement of the vehicle; and

passability determining means for determining whether the vehicle can pass through said node existing on said curve section, based on the passing-state determination amount.

2. A system for determining the passability of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said amount of variation in azimuth angle of the vehicle is calculated as an angle formed by a line segment connecting adjacent nodes, and said distance of movement of the vehicle is calculated based on a distance between adjacent nodes.

3. A system for determining the passability of a vehicle according to claim 1, further including passable speed calculating means for calculating a passable speed enabling the vehicle to pass said node existing on said curve section, based on the passing-state determination amount, said passable speed calculating means being adapted to calculate said passable speed based on a preset lateral acceleration limit permissible in passage of the vehicle through said node and said passing-state determination amount according to the following equation:

4. A system for determining the passability of a vehicle according to claim 1, further including passable speed calculating means for calculating a passable speed enabling the vehicle to pass through said node existing on the curve section, based on the passing-state determination amount, said passable speed calculating means being adapted to calculate said passable speed based on a preset yaw rate limit permissible in passage of the vehicle through said node and said passing-state determination amount according to the following equation:

5. A system for determining the passability of a vehicle, comprising:

map information means for outputting map data as an aggregation of a plurality of nodes constituting a road section;

subject vehicle position detecting means for detecting a position of a vehicle on a map;

road section determining means for determining whether a node ahead of said vehicle exists on a curve section of road;

passable speed calculating means for calculating a passable speed enabling said vehicle to pass through said node ahead of said vehicle;

passage predicting speed calculating means for calculating a speed of said vehicle;

passability determining means for determining whether said vehicle can pass through said node ahead of said vehicle;

means for warning a driver of said vehicle to decelerate said vehicle, based upon said determination of said passability determining means;

means for automatically decelerating said vehicle following activation of said warning means, based upon said determination of said passability determining means;

wherein said passage predicting speed calculating means includes reference deceleration means for assigning one of a plurality of deceleration values for calculation of said passable speed.

6. A system according to claim 5, further including means for establishing a temporary vehicle position forward of said vehicle on said map, wherein said passage predicting speed calculating means calculates a predicted temporary speed for said vehicle based upon said temporary vehicle position established by said establishing means.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein:

said passability determining means compares said predicted temporary speed with said passable speed.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein:

said warning means is activated based upon said comparison of said predicted temporary speed with said passable speed.

9. A system according to claim 6, wherein:

said automatic decelerating means is activated based upon said comparison of said predicted temporary speed with said passable speed.

10. A system according to claim 6, wherein:

said passage predicting speed calculating means calculates a predicted speed of said vehicle based upon data from said map information means and subject vehicle position detecting means; and

said automatic decelerating means is activated based upon a comparison of said passable speed with said predicted speed of said vehicle.