Apparatus, program and storage medium for notifying intersection information

• US 8,040,252 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Namikawa, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees; Edny
• Application Number:
  US12/320,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20090212973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/904, 340/905, 340/907, 340/909, 340/916, 340/917, 340/918, 116/63.R, 406/12
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

A signal sequence of a traffic signal is notified for a driver of a vehicle that is heading for an intersection by using a signal sequence notification apparatus. If the apparatus determines, based on received signal sequence information, that the information indicates that the traffic signal is currently allowing an entrance into the intersection having the next signal sequence indicating that entrance is not allowed with no right turning permission, the driver receives warning about the entrance into the intersection. The warning thus decreases the possibility of the vehicle to be brought to a standstill in the intersection due to the traffic signal that has a signal sequence of no right/left turn by the right/left turn light after a signal change from GO to STOP regarding the straight traffic.

Claims

1. An intersection information notification apparatus for use in a vehicle comprising:

a receiver that receives information regarding a signal sequence of a traffic signal that is disposed at an intersection;

a positional detector unit that determines the position of the vehicle relative to the traffic signal at the intersection;

a control unit that warns a user of the vehicle of a second-variety traffic signal which is different from a first-variety traffic signal, the second-variety traffic signal is a traffic signal that has a signal sequence in the following order;

a first phase that allows through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed and does not indicate turns not allowed, to a second phase that does not allow through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed for a period of time to allow crossing traffic to pass through the intersection, to a third phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are allowed,

the control unit receives the position of the vehicle from the positional detector unit to determine whether the vehicle is approaching an intersection with a traffic signal and whether the vehicle will make a turn at the intersection;

the control unit receives the signal sequence of the traffic signal from the receiver and determines from the signal sequence whether the traffic signal is the first-variety traffic signal or the second-variety traffic signal; and

wherein the control unit provides a warning to the user during the first phase and disables the warning during the third phase, to not enter the intersection because the traffic signal is a second-variety traffic signal that does not permit a turn after the first phase, when the traffic signal is the second-variety traffic signal.

2. The intersection information notification apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a non-transitory memory medium that distinguishingly memorizes the second-variety traffic signal as an attention-required traffic signal from other traffic signals, wherein the attention-required traffic signal is equipped with a first signal unit for signaling entrance and a second signal unit for signaling the turn, the second signal unit indicating no turn even after a signal change of the first signal unit from a first condition allowing entrance to a second condition not allowing entrance, wherein

the control unit provides the warning that warns the driver of the vehicle of entrance into the intersection under a circumstance that (a) the traffic signal is determined as the attention-required traffic signal based on information memorized in the memory medium, and (b) a current signal sequence of the traffic signal indicates that the current signal is allowing entrance into the intersection.

3. The intersection information notification apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first-variety traffic signal is a traffic signal that has a signal sequence in this order:

a first phase that allows through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed and does not indicate turns not allowed, to a second phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are allowed, to a third phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are not allowed; and

wherein the control unit disables the warning during the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase when the traffic-signal is the first-variety traffic signal.

4. A computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer executable instructions that implement:

receiving, in a receiver information regarding a signal sequence of a traffic signal that is disposed at an intersection;

determining, in connection with a positional detector unit, the position of the vehicle relative to the traffic signal at the intersection;

warning a user of the vehicle of a second-variety traffic signal which is different from a first-variety traffic signal, the second-variety traffic signal is a traffic signal that has a signal sequence in the following order;

a first phase that allows through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed and does not indicate turns not allowed, to a second phase that does not allow through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed for a period of time to allow crossing traffic to pass through the intersection, to a third phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are allowed,

receiving the position of the vehicle from the positional detector unit and determining from the position of the vehicle from the positional detector unit whether the vehicle is approaching an intersection with a traffic signal and whether the vehicle will make a turn at the intersection;

receiving the signal sequence of the traffic signal from the receiver and determining from the signal sequence whether the traffic signal is the first-variety traffic signal or the second-variety traffic signal; and

providing a warning to the user during the first phase, and disabling the warning during the third phase, to not enter the intersection because the traffic signal is a second-variety traffic signal that does not permit a turn after the first phase, when the traffic signal is the second-variety traffic signal.

7. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein

the first-variety traffic signal is a traffic signal that has a signal sequence in this order:

a first phase that allows through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed and does not indicate turns not allowed, to a second phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are allowed, to a third phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are not allowed; and

wherein the control unit disables the warning during the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase when the traffic-signal is the first-variety traffic signal.

5. A method for intersection information notification performed in an intersection information notification apparatus, comprising:

monitoring, in an intersection information notification apparatus in a vehicle, a direction and a path of the vehicle;

determining, in the intersection information notification apparatus, whether the vehicle is approaching an intersection with a traffic signal and whether the vehicle will make a turn at the intersection;

receiving, in the intersection information notification apparatus, information regarding a signal sequence of the traffic signal that is disposed at the intersection;

determining, in the intersection information notification apparatus, whether the signal sequence of the traffic signal received in the intersection information notification apparatus is a first-variety traffic signal or a second-variety traffic signal, where the second-variety traffic signal is different from the first-variety traffic signal, the second-variety traffic signal is a traffic signal that has a signal sequence in the following order;

a first phase that allows through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed and does not indicate turns not allowed, to a second phase that does not allow through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed for a period of time to allow crossing traffic to pass through the intersection, to a third phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are allowed; and

providing a warning, from the intersection information notification apparatus, during the first phase, and disabling the warning during the third phase, to the user of the vehicle of the second-variety traffic signal and to not enter the intersection, when the traffic signal is the second-variety traffic signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the first-variety traffic signal is a traffic signal that has a signal sequence in this order:

a first phase that allows through traffic and does not indicate turns allowed and does not indicate turns not allowed, to a second phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are allowed, to a third phase that does not allow through traffic and indicates turns are not allowed; and

wherein the control unit disables the warning during the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase when the traffic-signal is the first-variety traffic signal.