Driving assistance apparatus
AssigneeDenso Corporation
InventorTakahiro ISHIKAWA
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a hand-free driving warning process for a vehicle, when a grip state of a steering wheel is in a hand-free driving state, and the vehicle is in a travel state stipulated previously, a danger degree is derived based on a position of a vehicle compartment where a non-grip hand exists. In deriving the danger degree, when the non-grip hand is in a high danger position, a high level is set; when the non-grip hand exists in a low danger position, a middle level or a low lever is set. In the low level, any warning is not outputted; in the middle level, a warning is outputted in a sound volume smaller than a usual sound volume; and in the high level, a warning is outputted in the usual sound volume or greater.
Claims14
A driving assistance apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
- a grip state detection section configured to detect a grip state of a steering wheel in a compartment of the vehicle;
- an image acquisition section configured to acquire a captured image of the compartment that covers a possible action range of a person who is seated in a driver's seat;
- a position specification section configured to specify, based on a captured image acquired by the image acquisition section, a position where a non-grip hand exists, the non-grip hand being a hand that is separate from the steering wheel, on condition that (i) the grip state of the steering wheel is in a hand-free state, in which at least either of two hands is separate from the steering wheel as a result of detecting of the grip state detection section, and (ii) a travel state of the vehicle is within a stipulated travel state, which is predetermined;
- a danger derivation section configured to derive a danger degree such that the danger degree comes to have a greater value as a degree of a danger against driving of the vehicle becomes higher because the non-grip hand exists in a position specified by the position specification section;
- and
- a warning section configured to execute an output of a warning in a weaker state as the danger degree derived by the danger derivation section comes to have a smaller value.
A method in a driving assistance apparatus for a vehicle for deriving a danger degree to warn against driving manipulation of the vehicle,
- the driving assistance apparatus including:
- a grip state detection section configured to detect a grip state of a steering wheel in a compartment of the vehicle;
- and
- an image acquisition section configured to acquire a captured image of the compartment that covers a possible action range of a person who is seated in a driver's seat,
- the method being computer-implemented and comprising:
- specifying, based on a captured image acquired by the image acquisition section, a position where a non-grip hand exists, the non-grip hand being a hand that is separate from the steering wheel, on condition that (i) the grip state of the steering wheel is in a hand-free state, in which at least either of two hands is separate from the steering wheel as a result of detecting of the grip state detection section, and (ii) a travel state of the vehicle is within a stipulated travel state, which is predetermined;
- deriving a danger degree such that the danger degree comes to have a greater value as a degree of a danger against driving of the vehicle becomes higher because the non-grip hand exists in the position specified;
- and
- executing an output of a warning in a weaker state as the danger degree derived comes to have a smaller value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.