Driver assistance apparatus and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12097872-B2
Application number	US-202318101782-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2023
Priority date	Feb 25, 2022
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A driver assistance apparatus for assisting driving of a vehicle, comprises: a first detector which detects first state information related to driving of the vehicle; a second detector which detects second state information related to driving of the vehicle; first output circuitry which outputs a first signal based on the first state information; second output circuitry which outputs a second signal based on the second state information; and a controller which controls output of the first output circuitry and the second output circuitry. The controller controls, when the second output circuitry outputs the second signal during output of the first signal by the first output circuitry, the output of the first output circuitry so as to gradually decrease and controls the output of the second output circuitry so as to gradually increase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driver assistance apparatus for assisting driving of a vehicle, comprising:
a first detector which detects first state information related to driving of the vehicle;
a second detector which detects second state information related to driving of the vehicle;
a first output circuitry which outputs a first signal to a driver of the vehicle based on the first state information; the first signal indicating a state of the driver of the vehicle;
a second output circuitry which outputs a second signal to the driver of the vehicle based on the second state information; the second signal indicating information related to a presence of an object in a periphery of the vehicle; and
a controller which controls different intensities of the first signal and the second signal of the first output circuitry and the second output circuitry, wherein the controller controls, when the second output circuitry outputs the second signal during output of the first signal by the first output circuitry, the output of the first output circuitry so as to gradually decrease and controls the output of the second output circuitry so as to gradually increase.

2. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second detector detects a distance between the object in the periphery of the vehicle and the vehicle as the second state information, and
the controller controls the output of the second output circuitry so as to change a variation of the second signal in accordance with a change in a degree of proximity of the object.

3. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein based on the distance detected by the second detector, the controller
controls the output of the second output circuitry so that the variation of the second signal increases as the degree of proximity of the object increases, and
controls the output of the second output circuitry so that the variation of the second signal decreases as the degree of proximity of the object decreases.

4. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first signal and the second signal are signals that stimulate a sense of touch of the driver of the vehicle or the first signal and the second signal are signals that stimulate a sense of hearing of the driver, and
the controller
performs control so that, after the first signal decreases, output of the second signal by the second output circuitry gradually increases, and
performs control so that, after the second signal decreases, output of the first signal by the first output circuitry gradually increases.

5. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first detector detects biological information of the driver as the first state information.

6. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller determines whether or not the biological information is within a predetermined threshold range, and
the first output circuitry outputs different first signals between a state where the biological information is lower than a lower limit of the predetermined threshold range and a state where the biological information is higher than an upper limit of the predetermined threshold range based on the determination by the controller.

7. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the first output circuitry outputs an audio signal for guiding the biological information to within the predetermined threshold range as the first signal,
the second output circuitry outputs an audio signal for notifying the driver of the presence of the object present in the periphery of the vehicle as the second signal, and
the controller
controls the first signal output from the first output circuitry in a state where the second state information exceeds a first signal threshold so as to gradually decrease, and
controls the second signal output from the second output circuitry in a state where the second state information exceeds a second signal threshold which is larger than the first signal threshold so as to gradually increase.

8. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the first output circuitry outputs a vibration signal for vibrating a seat on which the driver sits as the first signal in order to guide the biological information to within the predetermined threshold range,
the second output circuitry outputs a vibration signal for changing a tension of a seat belt as the second signal in order to notify the driver of the presence of the object present in the periphery of the vehicle, and
the controller
controls the first signal output from the first output circuitry in a state where the second state information exceeds a first signal threshold so as to gradually decrease, and
controls the second signal output from the second output circuitry in a state where the second state information exceeds a second signal threshold which is larger than the first signal threshold so as to gradually increase.

9. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the controller
determines that, when the biological information is lower than a lower limit of a predetermined threshold range, the driver is in a low-arousal state and sets a first signal threshold for during low arousal as the first signal threshold,
determines that, when the biological information is higher than an upper limit of the predetermined threshold range, the driver is in an excessive stress state and sets a first signal threshold for during excessive stress as the first signal threshold, and
the first signal threshold for during low arousal is larger than the first signal threshold for during excessive stress.

10. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the controller
determines that, when the biological information is lower than a lower limit of a predetermined threshold range, the driver is in a low-arousal state and sets a second signal threshold for during low arousal as the second signal threshold,
determines that, when the biological information is higher than an upper limit of the predetermined threshold range, the driver is in an excessive stress state and sets a second signal threshold for during excessive stress as the second signal threshold, and
the second signal threshold for during low arousal is larger than the second signal threshold for during excessive stress.

11. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first signal and the second signal are signals that each stimulate a different sense of the driver of the vehicle between the sense of touch and the sense of hearing, and
the controller controls output of the second output circuitry to gradually increase during a period in which output of the first signal by the first output circuitry gradually decreases.

12. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the second detector detects a relative distance and a relative position of the object in the periphery with respect to the vehicle as the second state information.

13. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the first output circuitry outputs, based on a relative distance between the object present in the rear and to the side of the vehicle and the vehicle and a relative position of the object with respect to the vehicle among the second state information, an audio signal for notifying the driver of the presence of the object as the first signal,
the second output circuitry outputs, based on a relative distance between the object present to the side and in front of the vehicle and the vehicle and a relative position of the object with respect to

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kimura Ryo
• Matsuoka Takahiro

Classifications

• B60W2540/221

  Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs · CPC title

• B60W2554/4041

  Position · CPC title

• B60W2050/143

  Alarm means · CPC title

• B60W2540/229

  Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping · CPC title

• B60W2554/80

  Spatial relation or speed relative to objects · CPC title