JP2005289357A - Safe drive assisting apparatus for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus which assists safe drive at all times, yielding to pedestrians in a dense residential area or the like where there are many pedestrians. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle safety drive assisting apparatus comprises a storage means 10 which stores road map information including safety drive area data 15, a present-position detecting means 16 which detects the present position of a vehicle, a decision means 22 which decides whether the vehicle is presently in the safety drive zone on the basis of a detected result given by the present-position detecting means, and a limiting means 30 which limits the torque (travel torque, start torque) of the vehicle in the safety drive zone on the basis of the decision result given by the deciding means. In the safety drive area, the limiting means, for example, specifies a start gear position, to prevent the vehicle from accelerating rapidly and force the vehicle to start at the second gear, or sets a limited angle for throttle valve operation angles to limit an engine power so that the vehicle does not gain much speed even if accelerator opening is made large. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a device that supports safe driving by automatically controlling various states of a vehicle such as an automobile, for example, a vehicle navigation device that searches for a route from a current position to a destination and guides the vehicle according to the route. The present invention relates to a safe driving support apparatus that operates in cooperation.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a storage means for storing map road information and a current position detection means for detecting the current position of a vehicle by means of GPS, beacons, various direction sensors, etc., and a route from the detected current position to a destination are described in the map. 2. Description of the Related Art Navigation devices that search by referring to road information and display the route together with a peripheral map on a display or provide voice guidance to guide a vehicle according to the searched route are becoming widespread.

  The map road information includes the coordinate data of major intersections, railroad tracks, water systems, etc. in addition to road data indicating the coordinates of major intersections, road types, widths, etc. The main intersection, building, station, and the like, which are marks for the driver to travel on the searched route, are displayed.

  However, the map road information stored in the conventional navigation device does not include data on whether or not the area is a densely populated area, a housing estate area, a school zone, or the like (safe driving area).

  There are many pedestrians in the safe driving area, and it is required to drive with special attention. However, since conventional navigation devices do not have data on whether or not it is a safe driving area, a display is required. It is impossible to display the above and provoke safe driving.

  In addition, even if it can be determined that the area is a safe driving area on the map, it is important for the driver to observe the regulation speed and avoid sudden start-up and sudden acceleration in consideration of pedestrians jumping out. There is no means to actively limit sudden start and acceleration from the vehicle side within the safe driving area.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for solving the above-described problems of the prior art and assisting a safe driving with priority given to pedestrians in a safe driving area.

That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a storage means for storing safe driving area data of a safe driving area consisting of a densely populated area, a housing estate area, and a school zone, a current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, Determining means for determining that the current position of the vehicle is within the safe driving area from the detection result by the current position detecting means; and limiting means for limiting engine output in the safe driving area based on the determination result by the determining means; The vehicle is provided in a vehicle safe driving support device.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle safe driving support device according to the first aspect, the limiting means limits the engine output by limiting an engine speed.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle safe driving support measure according to the first or second aspect, the restricting means restricts the engine output by decreasing an output negative pressure of an accelerator pedal servo valve. It is characterized by doing.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle safe driving support device according to the first or second aspect, the limiting means limits and limits the engine output by reducing an operating angle of a throttle valve. It is characterized by.
In the invention described in claim 5, storage means for storing safe driving area data of a safe driving area consisting of densely populated areas, housing estate areas, and school zones, current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, and the current Determining means for determining that the current position of the vehicle is within a safe driving area from the detection result by the position detecting means; and controlling a shift mode of the transmission in the safe driving area based on the determination result by the determining means. Limiting means for limiting the running torque of the vehicle is provided in the vehicle safe driving support device.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle safe driving support device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the vehicle safe driving support device is configured by turning an ignition key on and off. Alternatively, it is activated or deactivated by manual operation of a switch installed separately from the ignition key.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the vehicular safe driving support device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, a notification for further notifying the driver of entry into the safe driving area. It has the means.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle safe driving support device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, a notification means for notifying a driver of passage in the safe driving area. It is characterized by having.

  The vehicle safe driving support device of the present invention can be configured by being incorporated in a navigation device. That is, road information storage means for storing map road information, current position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, road information stored in the road information storage means, and current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection means In the navigation device having a route determination means for determining the route of the vehicle from the information, the road information includes safe driving area data of a safe driving area consisting of a densely populated area, a housing estate area, and a school zone, and the current position A determination means for determining that the current position of the vehicle is within the safe driving area from the detection result by the detection means; and the engine output is limited in the safe driving area based on the determination result by the determination means, or the shift mode of the transmission And limiting means for limiting the running torque of the vehicle by controlling the vehicle.

  According to the present invention, automatic control is performed so that pedestrian priority safe driving is performed, particularly in an area where there are many pedestrians, and the driver is also conscious of safe driving. Can contribute greatly.

  In particular, the present invention is configured by being incorporated in a navigation device, so that it is possible to use storage means installed in the navigation device, current position detection means such as GPS, and the like, and an efficient system construction is possible. is there.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a vehicle safe driving support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This safe driving support device is built in a navigation device.

  The data storage unit 10 of the navigation device includes a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or an IC card, and stores various data such as voice data 11, map data 12, road data 13, and place name data 14.

  The current position detector 16 includes a GPS satellite receiver 17 and receives radio waves from the GPS satellite to determine the current position coordinates of the vehicle. In addition, the current position detector 16 further includes various sensors such as a geomagnetic sensor 18, a distance sensor 19, and a steering sensor 20. By using data relating to the azimuth and actual travel distance detected by the sensor as correction data, the position can be detected with high accuracy.

  Position information such as the current location (departure location) and destination is input by a user's operation at the input unit 21 including a keyboard or the like.

  Various data from the input unit 21, the data storage unit 10, and the current position detection unit 16 are input to the arithmetic processing unit 22. Based on these data, the CPU 23 calculates a route from the current location to the destination in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 24. The RAM 25 is a working memory that stores data such as paths determined by the CPU 23. The ROM 24 and RAM 25 are connected to the CPU 23 via data bus lines.

  The CPU 23 synthesizes the voice data 11 in accordance with the determination result, creates a voice instruction signal, and outputs the voice instruction signal from the voice output unit 27, thereby performing a route guidance to the driver. A road map drawn on the basis of the map data 12, road data 13 and the like is displayed on the display unit 26 composed of a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, and the like. The current position detection unit 16 displays the road map on the road map. The detected current position is displayed, and a recommended route as a determination result by the CPU 23 is displayed.

  The configuration described above is generally a known configuration as a conventional navigation device.

  In the present example, the data storage unit 10 further stores safe driving area data 15 for operating the vehicle safe driving support apparatus according to the present invention. That is, an area with many pedestrians such as a densely populated area, a housing estate area, and a school zone is stored as a safe driving area. In addition, a slow lane, a construction zone, a danger zone (accident frequent occurrence zone), etc. may be stored in the safe driving area.

  Further, a switch 28 for turning on / off the operation of the vehicle safe driving support device is provided. The switch 28 can also be used as an ignition key. In this case, when the ignition key is turned ON, the safe driving support device is activated, and the safe driving support device is stopped by turning off the ignition switch. Alternatively, the switch 28 that is manually operated separately from the ignition key may be installed at an appropriate position on the panel of the display unit 26. In this case, the safe driving support device is started or stopped by operating the switch 28 according to the judgment of the driver.

  Further, a vehicle information detection unit 29 for detecting the current vehicle speed, gear position, engine speed, and the like is provided. The detection target in the vehicle information detection unit 29 is a restriction target 30 that is finally restricted as a safe driving support device.

  The operation of the vehicle safe driving support apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

  When the safe driving support device is activated by turning on the switch 28, the arithmetic processing unit 22 uses the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detecting unit 16 and the safe driving area data 15 read from the data storage unit 10. Determine whether the vehicle is in a safe driving area. When it is determined that the vehicle is within the safe driving area, the restriction target 30 is appropriately controlled with reference to the detection result from the vehicle information detection unit 29 so that safe driving is achieved.

  For example, in a safe driving area, specify the start gear position so that it starts in the 2nd speed so that sudden start is not possible, or the throttle valve operating angle so that the speed does not come out much even if the accelerator opening is increased. The engine output can be limited by setting a limit angle.

  In addition, speed limit data for each road is stored as safe driving area data, and when the current vehicle speed detected by the vehicle information detection unit 29 exceeds this speed limit, the output negative pressure of the accelerator pedal servo valve is reduced. By doing so, the operating angle of the throttle valve can be reduced, and it can be limited to prevent an increase in the vehicle speed.

  It is preferable that the driver is encouraged to drive safely by notifying the driver that the vehicle has entered the safe driving area and has passed the safe driving area. As this notification means, display display or voice guidance can be performed using the display unit 26 or the voice output unit 27 installed in the navigation device.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle safe driving apparatus may be configured as follows.
(1) storage means for storing map road information including safe driving area data;
Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Determining means for determining that the current position of the vehicle is within a safe driving area from the detection result by the current position detecting means;
Limiting means for limiting the running torque of the vehicle in the safe driving area based on the determination result by the determining means;
A safe driving support device for a vehicle characterized by comprising:
(2) storage means for storing map road information including safe driving area data;
Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Determining means for determining that the current position of the vehicle is within a safe driving area from the detection result by the current position detecting means;
Limiting means for limiting the starting torque of the vehicle in the safe driving area based on the determination result by the determining means;
A safe driving support device for a vehicle characterized by comprising:
(3) The vehicle safe driving support apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein a shift mode of the transmission is specified by the limiting means.
(4) The vehicle safe driving support apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the engine output is limited by the limiting means.
(5) The vehicle safe driving support apparatus according to (1) or (2), further comprising notification means for notifying a driver of entry and passage into the safe driving area.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the current position of the vehicle is safe from the detection result by the storage means for storing the map road information including the safe driving area data, the current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, and the current position detecting means. A judging means for judging that the vehicle is in the driving area; and a limiting means for restricting the running torque and / or the starting torque of the vehicle in the safe driving area based on the result of the judgment by the judging means. It is the safe driving assistance device for vehicles.

The vehicle safe driving support device of the present embodiment can also be configured by being incorporated in a navigation device.
That is, road information storage means for storing map road information, current position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, road information stored in the road information storage means, and current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection means In a navigation apparatus having a route determination means for determining a route of a vehicle from the information, the road information includes safe driving area data, and the current position of the vehicle is within the safe driving area based on a detection result by the current position detecting means. It can be configured to include a determination unit that determines that the vehicle is running, and a limiting unit that limits the running torque and / or the starting torque of the vehicle in the safe driving area based on the determination result of the determination unit.

  The restriction target by the restriction means can be, for example, the shift mode of the transmission or the engine output. In other words, the limiting means identifies the transmission shift mode and restricts it from preventing sudden start or acceleration in the safe driving area, or restricts the engine output to prevent high speed driving or rapid acceleration in the safe driving area. Restrict to prevent.

  As mentioned above, the safe driving area mainly refers to areas where there are many pedestrians such as densely populated areas, housing complex areas, school zones, etc., and safe driving with priority on pedestrians is required. Safe driving may be particularly desired depending on conditions such as difficult blind corners, narrow roads, steep slopes, roads, or routes. ing.

  When it is determined that the current position of the vehicle is within the safe driving area, the shift mode of the transmission or the engine output is automatically controlled to limit the running torque and / or starting torque of the vehicle. Observe priority safe driving.

It is a block diagram which shows an example which comprised the safe driving assistance apparatus for vehicles by this invention incorporated in the navigation apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Data storage part 15 Safe driving area data 16 Present position detection part 22 Operation processing part 29 Vehicle information detection part 30 Restriction object

Claims (5)

Storage means for storing map road information including safe driving area data;
Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Determining means for determining that the current position of the vehicle is within a safe driving area from the detection result by the current position detecting means;
Limiting means for limiting the running torque of the vehicle in the safe driving area based on the determination result by the determining means;
A safe driving support device for a vehicle characterized by comprising:
Storage means for storing map road information including safe driving area data;
Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Determining means for determining that the current position of the vehicle is within a safe driving area from the detection result by the current position detecting means;
Limiting means for limiting the starting torque of the vehicle in the safe driving area based on the determination result by the determining means;
A safe driving support device for a vehicle characterized by comprising:
3. The vehicle safe driving support device according to claim 1, wherein a shift mode of the transmission is specified by the limiting means.
3. The vehicle safe driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the engine output is limited by the limiting means.
The vehicle safe driving support device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising notification means for notifying a driver of entry and passage into the safe driving area.

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