US 7,548,173 B2Granted

Vehicle on-board unit

AssigneeNissan Technical Center North America, Inc.

InventorsSteve Tengler, Jack Auflick

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A vehicle on-board unit of a host vehicle is configured to activate its brake lights upon determining a vehicle traveling condition exists that is indicative of a potentially inadequate safety zone between the host vehicle and a following vehicle. The vehicle on-board unit has a vehicle traveling condition detecting section, an automatic brake light triggering section and a brake light activating section. The vehicle traveling condition detecting section detects the vehicle traveling condition indicative of a potentially inadequate safety zone. The automatic brake light triggering section outputs a brake light activation signal upon determining a predetermined condition has been satisfied based upon the detected vehicle traveling condition. The brake light activating section activates the brake lights without a braking operation being performed upon receiving the brake light activation signal from the automatic brake light triggering section.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A vehicle on-board unit comprising:

a vehicle traveling condition detecting section configured to detect at least one vehicle traveling condition indicative of a potentially inadequate safety zone occurring in a host vehicle equipped with the vehicle on-board unit, with the vehicle traveling condition detecting section monitoring a host vehicle location as part of the vehicle traveling condition to determine a travel lane of the host vehicle using a plurality of detection results of the host vehicle location;
an automatic brake light triggering section configured to output a brake light activation signal upon determining a predetermined condition has been satisfied based upon the vehicle traveling condition detected by the vehicle traveling condition detecting section, the automatic brake light triggering section adjusts the predetermined condition used to determine when to output the brake light activation signal depending upon the travel lane;
and
a brake light activating section configured to activate brake lights of the host vehicle without performing a braking operation in the host vehicle upon receiving the brake light activation signal from the automatic brake light triggering section.

1 more element

An automatic brake light activation method comprising:

detecting a vehicle traveling condition of a host vehicle indicative of a potentially inadequate safety zone occurring in a host vehicle, the detecting of the host vehicle traveling condition at least including monitoring a host vehicle location of as part of the vehicle traveling condition to determine a travel lane of the host vehicle using a plurality of detection results of the host vehicle location;
outputting a brake light activation signal upon determining a predetermined condition has been satisfied based upon the vehicle traveling condition that was detected;
and
activating brake lights of the host vehicle without performing a braking operation in the host vehicle upon receiving the brake light activation signal;
and
adjusting the predetermined condition used to determine when to output the brake light activation signal depending based on at least the travel lane that was determined.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/516,695Filed 7 Sep 2006
Published: US 2008/0122605 A129 May 2008
Granted: 16 Jun 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

B60Q 1/44
The devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic: for indicating braking…
G08G 1/164
Anti-collision systems: centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
B60Q 2300/43
Indexing codes relating to other road users or special conditions: following vehicle
B60Q
Arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or