Driving supporting device

• US 8,981,964 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumura, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Assistant Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US13/000,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,197 Days
• Field of Search: 340/907, 340/929, 701/70, 701/96, 701117-119, 455344-346
• US Class Current: 340/907
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08

Abstract

In this driving supporting device, the light color change cycle of a prediction object traffic signal is acquired on the basis of the light color change cycle of a prediction basis traffic signal installed before the prediction object traffic signal, and the light color state of the prediction object traffic signal when the vehicle arrives at the prediction object traffic signal is predicted on the basis of the light color state of the prediction basis traffic signal and the light color change cycle of the prediction object traffic signal. Thus, since the light color change cycle of the prediction object traffic signal is acquired on the basis of the light color change cycle of the prediction basis traffic signal, it becomes possible to predict a light color state even in the case of a traffic signal which cannot transmit information indicating its light color change cycle.

Claims

1. A driving supporting device that predicts a light color state of a first traffic signal that a vehicle is due to pass, comprising:

light color state acquisition means for acquiring a light color state of a second traffic signal installed before the first traffic signal;

infrastructure information receiving section that receives a light color change cycle of the second traffic signal and information regarding a time difference of a light color change cycle of the first traffic signal from the light color change cycle of the second traffic signal from an infrastructure apparatus installed in the second traffic signal;

light color change cycle acquisition means for acquiring the light color change cycle of the first traffic signal on the basis of the light color change cycle of the second traffic signal and the information regarding the time difference received from the infrastructure receiving section; and

light color state predicting means for predicting the light color state of the first traffic signal when the vehicle arrives at the first traffic signal on the basis of the light color state of the second traffic signal acquired by the light color state acquisition means and the light color change cycle of the first traffic signal acquired by the light color change cycle acquisition means.

2. The driving supporting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

scheduled time calculating means for calculating a scheduled time at which the vehicle arrives at the first traffic signal,

wherein the light color state predicting means predicts the light color state of the first traffic signal at the scheduled time calculated by the scheduled time calculating means.

3. The driving supporting device according to claim 1,

wherein the light color state acquisition means acquires the light color state of the second traffic signal and the duration of the light color state, and

the light color state predicting means predicts the light color state of the first traffic signal on the basis of the light color state of the second traffic signal and the duration of the light color state acquired by the light color state acquisition means and the light color change cycle of the first traffic signal acquired by the light color change cycle acquisition means.

4. The driving supporting device according to claim 1,

wherein the light color state acquisition means acquires the light color state of the second traffic signal on the basis of an image of the second traffic signal captured by a camera mounted in the vehicle.

5. The driving supporting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

driving support instructing means for giving an instruction to the vehicle, on the basis of the light color state of the first traffic signal predicted by the light color state predicting means, so that a predetermined driving support operation is performed when the vehicle arrives at the first traffic signal.

6. The driving supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the time difference is a time until, after the light color state of the second traffic signal changes, the light color state of the first traffic signal similarly changes.