# US 7,610,138 B2 · Vehicle information processing system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,610,138 B2 - Document ID: US7610138B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/338,718 - Filed: 2006-01-25 - Published: 2006-08-03 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2005-01-28 - Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Toru Takagi; Susumu Fujita; Masao Yamane - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610138B2 ## CPC - G08G 1/096791: {where the origin of the information is another vehicle} - G01C 21/3407: {specially adapted for specific applications} - G01C 21/3632: {Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows (G01C21/365 takes precedence)} - G01C 21/3655: {Timing of guidance instructions} - G08G 1/161: {Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication} - B60K 35/29: Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions - B60K 2360/191: Highlight information - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES ## Abstract A vehicle information processing system 100 conducts wireless communications between a preceding vehicle 200 and a succeeding vehicle 201, and exhibits information on a winker operation of the preceding vehicle 200 to a driver of the succeeding vehicle 201, and includes vehicle-mounted apparatuses 1 in the preceding and succeeding vehicles, of which one 1 in the preceding vehicle 200 wirelessly transmits information on a winker operation of the preceding vehicle, and the other 1 in the succeed vehicle 201 receives the wirelessly transmitted information on the winker state, and exhibits same to a driver of the succeeding vehicle 201, while the apparatus 1 in the succeeding vehicle 201 estimates a relationship between the preceding vehicle 200 and the succeeding vehicle 201, judges whether an exhibition liming of the information on the winker state is to be hastened or delayed based on an estimation result, and exhibits the information on the winker state at the judged timing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle information processing system configured to process information on a vehicle, comprising: an estimator configured to estimator running-related relationship between a first vehicle and a second vehicle; and a timing decider configured to decide, depending on a result of an estimation by the estimator, an exhibition timing at which information on a winker state of the first vehicle is exhibited to a driver of the second vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an information acquirer configured to acquire information on a winker state of the first vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit the information on the winker state of the first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle includes, mounted thereon, the information acquirer and the transmitter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a receiver configured to receive the information on the winker state of the first vehicle, wherein the second vehicle, mounted thereon, the receiver and the timing decider. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first vehicle includes, mounted thereon: an information acquirer configured to acquire information on a winker state of the first vehicle; and a transmitter configured to transmit the information on the winker state of the first vehicle to the second vehicle, and wherein the second vehicle includes, mounted thereon: a receiver configured to receive the information on the winker state of the first vehicle; the estimator; and the timing decider. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second vehicle is a vehicle configured to run by following the first vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the timing decider is configured to decide the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state, in case of prediction that follow-up running of the second vehicle will be disordered. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the case of prediction that follow-up running of the second vehicle will be disordered, is at least one of cases that the first vehicle has made a right or left turn, that the first vehicle has changed a traffic lane, and that the first vehicle is about to pass through a toll gate of a toll road. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the information acquirer is configured to acquire information on a running status of the first vehicle, in addition to the information on the winker state, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the information on the running status of the first vehicle, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the information on the running status of the first vehicle, from the transmitter, and wherein the timing decider is configured to decide an exhibition timing of the information on the winker state, based on the received information on the running status of the first vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the information acquirer is configured to acquire, as the information on the running status of the first vehicle, a distance from the first vehicle to an intersection at the time when a winker of the first vehicle was operated, and wherein the timing decider is configured to judge that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be hastened as the distance is longer, and to judge that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be delayed as the distance is shorter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the information acquirer is configured to acquire, as the information on the running status of the first vehicle, information on a shape of a road which the first vehicle has cruised down, and wherein the timing decider is configured to judge a necessity of deceleration depending on the shape of the road, in a manner to judge that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be hastened as the judged necessity of deceleration is increased, and to judge that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be delayed as the judged necessity of deceleration is lowered. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a second information acquirer mounted on the second vehicle and configured to acquire information on a running status of the second vehicle, and wherein the timing decider is configured to decide the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state, based on both the information on the running status of the first vehicle and the information on the running status of the second vehicle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the information acquirer and the second information acquirer are each configured to acquire vehicular speed information as the running status information, and wherein the timing decider is configured to judge: that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be hastened, when a current vehicular speed of the second vehicle exceeds a vehicular speed of the first vehicle at a current location of the second vehicle; and that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be delayed, when the current vehicular speed of the second vehicle is equal to or less than the vehicular speed of the first vehicle at the current location of the second vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising an exhibiter configured to exhibit the information on the winker state of the first vehicle at the exhibition timing decided by the timing decider, and wherein the exhibiter is mounted on the second vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the exhibiter exhibits at least one of information to brake, and information to shift down in advance of the information on the winker state, when the vehicular speed of the second vehicle exceeds the vehicular speed of the first vehicle at the current location of the second vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the information acquirer and the second information acquirer are each configured to acquire information on a cruising lane as the running status information, and wherein the timing decider is configured to judge that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be hastened when a cruising lane the first vehicle has cruised down is different from a current cruising lane of the second vehicle, at a current location of the second vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the information acquirer and the second information acquirer are each configured to acquire information on a state of a traffic light to be passed by the vehicle, and wherein the ting decider is configured to judge: that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be hastened, in case that a traffic light to be next passed by the second vehicle has been turned into green when the second vehicle is about to approach the traffic light though the traffic light was red when the first vehicle approached it; and that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be delayed, in case that a traffic light to be next passed by the second vehicle has been turned into red when the second vehicle is about to approach the traffic light though the traffic light was green when the first vehicle approached it. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The vehicle information processing system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the information acquirer and the second information acquirer are each configured to acquire a minimum timing radius of the vehicle as the running status information, and wherein the timing decider is configured to judge: that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be hastened, in case that the second vehicle has a minimum turning radius larger than a minimum turning radius of the first vehicle; and that the exhibition timing of the information on the winker state is to be delayed, in case that the second vehicle has a minimum turning radius equal to or less than a minimum timing radius of the first vehicle. ### Claim 19 A vehicle information processing system configured to process information on a vehicle, comprising: estimation means for estimating a running-related relationship between a first vehicle and a second vehicle; and timing decision means for deciding an exhibition timing of information on a winker state of the first vehicle, depending on a result of an estimation by the estimation means. ### Claim 20 A vehicle information processing method of processing information on a vehicle, comprising: estimating a running-related relationship between a first vehicle and a second vehicle; and deciding an exhibition timing of information on a winker state of the first vehicle, depending on an estimation result.