Information notification device and information notification method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12562060-B2
Application number	US-202418589657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2024
Priority date	May 10, 2023
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

The information notification device includes a failure information detection unit that detects failure information that affects traveling of the host vehicle when the host vehicle is traveling, and a notification control unit that notifies the succeeding vehicle of at least one of the failure information and the behavior information related to the behavior of the host vehicle caused by the failure information via a display provided in the host vehicle so as to be visually recognized from the succeeding vehicle located behind the host vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An information notification device configured to be mounted on a host vehicle, comprising
a processor configured to:
detect a position of a driver of a following vehicle located behind the host vehicle using image recognition with a first neural network based on information acquired from a rear camera of the host vehicle;
detect failure information that affects travel of the host vehicle while the host vehicle is traveling using image recognition with a second neural network based on information acquired from a front camera of the host vehicle; and
control a plurality of displays positioned at different locations on a rear part of the host vehicle to display the failure information by showing an image generated by the front camera that includes the failure information, with behavior information and recommendation information superimposed on the image, the behavior information indicating behavior of the host vehicle due to the failure information, and the recommendation information indicating an operation that the driver of the following vehicle is recommended to take, wherein
the processor is further configured to change which of the plurality of displays shows the image based on the detected position of the driver of the following vehicle.

2 . The information notification device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to,
in a case where a level of a risk caused to the following vehicle based on the failure information is high, control the plurality of displays such that more displays display the failure information compared to a case where the level of the risk is low.

3 . The information notification device according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor is further configured to, in a case where the level of the risk is higher than a predetermined value, control the plurality of displays such that all displays display the failure information.

4 . The information notification device according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor is further configured to
calculate a time to collision (TTC) between the following vehicle and the host vehicle, and
calculate the level of the risk based on the TTC, wherein the level of the risk increases as the TTC decreases.

5 . The information notification device according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of displays includes a right display located on a right side of the host vehicle and a left display located on a left side of the host vehicle, and the processor is further configured to:
detect whether the position of the driver of the following vehicle is on a right side or a left side of the following vehicle;
control the right display to display the failure information in response to determining that the driver of the following vehicle is on the right side of the following vehicle; and
control the left display to display the failure information in response to determining that the driver of the following vehicle is on the left side of the following vehicle.

6 . The information notification device according to claim 5 , wherein
the processor is further configured to
control the right display to display the failure information and the left display to display an advertisement in response to determining that the driver of the following vehicle is on the right side of the following vehicle; and
control the left display to display the failure information and the right display to display an advertisement in response to determining that the driver of the following vehicle is on the left side of the following vehicle.

7 . The information notification device according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of displays includes an upper display and a lower display located below the upper display, and the processor is further configured to:
detect whether the position of the driver of the following vehicle is equal to or above a predetermined height;
control the upper display to display the failure information in a case where the position of the driver of the following vehicle is equal to or above the predetermined height; and
control the lower display to display the failure information in a case where the position of the driver of the following vehicle is below the predetermined height.

8 . The information notification device according to claim 1 , wherein
the failure information indicates presence of an object in front of the host vehicle, a construction, or lane restriction, the behavior information indicates a braking or steering operation is performed on the host vehicle, and the recommendation information indicates texts to prompt the driver of the following vehicle to change lanes.

9 . The information notification device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is further configured to transmit the failure information to a facility outside the host vehicle.

10 . An information notification method to be executed by a computer mounted on a host vehicle, the information notification method comprising:
detecting a position of a driver of a following vehicle located behind the host vehicle using image recognition with a first neural network based on information acquired from a rear camera of the host vehicle; detecting failure information that affects travel of the host vehicle while the host vehicle is traveling using image recognition with a second neural network based on information acquired from a front camera of the host vehicle; controlling a plurality of displays positioned at different locations on a rear part of the host vehicle to display the failure information by showing an image generated by the front camera that includes the failure information, with behavior information and recommendation information superimposed on the image, the behavior information indicating behavior of the host vehicle due to the failure information, and the recommendation information indicating an operation that the driver of the following vehicle is recommended to take; and changing which of the plurality of displays shows the image based on the detected position of the driver of the following vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kaneko Tomohiko
• Morimura Junichi
• Maruyama Shun
• Hiraike Ryoma
• Omi Satoshi

Classifications

• B60W50/0205

  Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models · CPC title

• B60W2540/223

  Posture, e.g. hand, foot, or seat position, turned or inclined · CPC title

• B60W2050/146

  Display means · CPC title

• B60W2556/65

  Data transmitted between vehicles · CPC title

• B60W50/14

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title