Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-09
2001-09-04
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
C701S036000, C701S041000, C701S043000, C701S070000, C701S072000, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S357490, C340S901000, C340S905000, C180S193000, C280S791000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285923
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a running control apparatus for car use by which a profile of a road ahead of an own vehicle is predicted according to road map information composed of a collection of plurality of nodes and a running state of the own vehicle is controlled according to the result of the prediction.
2. Description of the Related Art
The above running control apparatus for car use has already been proposed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/056,244 by the present applicant. This running control apparatus for car use operates as follows. As shown in
FIG. 4
, there are provided coordinates composed of a large number of nodes N
N
(N
N
=N
0
, N
1
, N
2
, N
3
. . . ) which are set at predetermined intervals on a road so that they can be used as road map data. According to link length L
N
defined as a distance between nodes N
N
and N
N+1
which are adjacent to each other and also according to crossing angle &thgr;
N
defined as an angle formed by one link N
N−1
N
N
and another link N
N
N
N+1
which is located ahead of link N
N−1
N
N
, a passing state decision quantity (car turning quantity) &thgr;
N
/L
N
is computed. A passable speed of node N
N
computed according to the passing state decision quantity &thgr;
N
/L
N
is compared with a passage predicting speed at which the own vehicle passes through node N
N
, and when it is decided that it is difficult for the own vehicle to pass through node N
N
, a warning is given to a driver or an automatic speed reduction is conducted on the own vehicle. The above passing state decision quantity &thgr;
N
/L
N
corresponds to a change quantity in an azimuth angle of the vehicle with respect to a moving distance of the vehicle. When this value is high, it is indicated that the road is curved, and when this value is low, it is indicated that the road is straight.
In this connection, in a navigation system to which the above running control apparatus for car use is applied, a decision whether or not the own vehicle is actually running on a road, the route of which can precisely guide the own vehicle to the destination (this road is referred to as a designated road hereinafter), that is, a decision whether the own vehicle is on route or off route is conducted by a method of map matching in which a moving locus of the own vehicle is superimposed on a road profile. Accordingly, when the own vehicle is transferred from a state of off-route to a state of on-route, alternatively when the own vehicle is transferred from a state of on-route to a state of off-route, there is temporarily generated a section in which it is impossible to decide whether or not the own vehicle is running on the designated road. In this case, the following problems may be encountered. Although the own vehicle is in a state of off-route, it is mistakenly decided that the own vehicle is in a state of on-route, and a warning is given to a driver or an automatic speed reduction is conducted on the own vehicle according to a profile of the designated road, that is, there is a possibility that the driver feels a sense of incongruity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to prevent controlling an own vehicle improperly according to a profile of a road on which the own vehicle is not actually running, that is, it is an object of the present invention to properly control the own vehicle so that a driver can not feel a sense of incongruity.
In order to accomplish the above object, according to the first aspect, there is provided a vehicular running control apparatus comprising: a road map information storing device storing road map information; an own vehicle position detecting device detecting an own vehicle position on a road; a running state detecting device detecting a running state of the own vehicle; a passage deciding device deciding whether or not the own vehicle can pass through a designated road, according to a profile of the designated road in the front of the own vehicle which has been read from the road map information storing device and also according to a running state of the own vehicle detected by the running state detecting device; a vehicle controlling device controlling a running state of the own vehicle according to a result of the decision of the passage deciding device so that the own vehicle can pass through the designated road; and an on-route deciding device deciding whether or not the own vehicle is actually running on the designated road, wherein the vehicle controlling device changes control of the own vehicle according to the result of decision of the on-route deciding device.
According to the above constitution, it is decided whether or not the own vehicle is running on the designated road ahead of the own vehicle which has been read from the road map information storing device, and a running state of the own vehicle is controlled according to the result of the decision. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the own vehicle from being improperly controlled when it is running on a road which is not the designated road. Accordingly, the driver can avoid feeling a sense of incongruity.
According to the second aspect of the invention, in a vehicular running control apparatus according to the first aspect, the on-route deciding device may decide a probability that the own vehicle is actually running on the designated road.
According to the third aspect of the invention, in a vehicular running control apparatus according to the first aspect, the on-route deciding device may conduct the decision according to deviation between a direction of the designated road and an advancing direction of the own vehicle detected by the running state detecting device.
According to the above constitution, whether or not the own vehicle is actually running on the designated road is decided by deviation between a direction of the designated road and an advancing direction of the own vehicle. Therefore, the decision can be accurately made.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to a vehicular running control apparatus according to the third aspect, the on-route deciding device may decide that the own vehicle is actually running on the designated road when deviation is lower than a first threshold value.
According to the fifth aspect to the invention, in addition to a vehicular running control apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the on-route deciding device may decide that the own vehicle is not actually running on the designated road when deviation is not less than a second threshold value which is higher than the first threshold value.
According to the sixth aspect of the invention, in addition to a vehicular running control apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the first threshold value and the second threshold value may increase according to an increase in a moving distance of the own vehicle.
According to the above constitution, when a moving distance of the own vehicle is increased, the first and the second threshold value are also increased. Therefore, even if errors are accumulated so that the deviation is increased, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a mistaken decision that the own vehicle is in a state of off-route although it is actually running in a state of on-route.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, in addition to a vehicular running control apparatus according to the first aspect, the running state of the own vehicle may be controlled by the vehicle controlling device which gives a warning to a driver or conducts a speed adjustment of the own vehicle.
According to the above constitution, when it is decided that the own vehicle can not pass through the designated road, the driver is given a warning or the speed of the own vehicle is adjusted. Accordingly, it is possible to change a running state of the car and pass through the designated road positively.
According to the eighth aspect of the inventi
Matsuda Shohei
Tsuchida Hirotatsu
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
To Tuan C
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