US6169952B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System for determining passability of vehicle
Assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
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Filing: 1998-04-07
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Granted: 2001-01-02
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Expires: 2018-04-07
Abstract
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 NN (N1, N2, N3, N4 . . . ) constituting the road section ahead of a subject vehicle. The system calculates a passing-state determination amount thetaN/LN for each of the nodes NN, and based on the passing-state determination amount thetaN/LN, the system then determines whether the vehicle can positively or safely pass through the road section. The passing-state determination amount thetaN/LN serves as an indicator which represents a degree of difficulty in the passage of the vehicle through the nodes NN and which is obtained, for example, by dividing an angle thetaN formed by a line segment connecting the adjacent nodes NN by a distance LN between the adjacent nodes NN. Even if only one or two nodes NN exist on a curve, it is possible to accurately determine whether the vehicle can pass the curve by using the passing-state determination amount thetaN/LN.
Inventors
- 👤 Shohei Matsuda
- 👤 Makoto Otabe
- 👤 Yuji Sakaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 14:42
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60K; B60K31/00; B60K31/0066; B60K31/12; G; G01; G01C; G01C21/00; G01C21/26; B60W; B60W2520/00; B60W2520/12; B60W2520/125; B60W2520/14; B60W2552/00; B60W2552/20; B60W2552/30; B60W2556/00; B60W2556/45; B60W2556/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
135 words
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.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
135 words
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.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
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.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
89 words
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: passable speed=(preset limit lateral acceleration/passing-state determination amount) ½.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
89 words
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: passable speed=preset limit yaw rate/passing-state determination amount.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
182 words
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.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
182 words
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.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
49 words
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.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system according to claim 6 , wherein: said passability determining means compares said predicted temporary speed with said passable speed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
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.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
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.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
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.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-01-02 | 2004-07-03 | 2005-01-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-01-02 | 2008-07-03 | 2009-01-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-01-02 | 2012-07-03 | 2013-01-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |