US 12,332,076 B2
Road surface information providing apparatus and vehicle control apparatus
Takuya Homma, Tokyo (JP); and Tsukasa Mikuni, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jun. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/829,845.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-099144 (JP), filed on Jun. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0397414 A1, Dec. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. G01C 21/36 (2006.01); G01C 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01C 21/3691 (2013.01) [G01C 21/3815 (2020.08); G01C 21/3841 (2020.08)] 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A road surface information providing apparatus comprising a processor configured to:
acquire vehicle information from a first vehicle with a wheel detected as being idling, the vehicle information including a position information indicating a position at which an idling of the wheel is detected;
determine the position indicated by the position information as a slippery point;
determine that a second vehicle travels within a predetermined region that includes the slippery point;
in response to determining that the second vehicle travels within the predetermined region, determine whether the slippery point is ahead of the second vehicle in a traveling direction of the second vehicle;
in response to determining that the slippery point is not ahead of the second vehicle in the traveling direction of the second vehicle, determine that a danger level for the second vehicle is a first level;
in response to determining that the slippery point is ahead of the second vehicle in the traveling direction of the second vehicle, determine whether a distance between the second vehicle and the slippery point is less than a predetermined distance;
in response to determining that the distance between the second vehicle and the slippery point is less than the predetermined distance, determine that the danger level is a second level;
in response to determining that the distance between the second vehicle and the slippery point is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance, determine whether the number of vehicles that have slipped at the slippery point is greater than or equal to a predetermined value;
in response to determining that the number of vehicles that have slipped at the slippery point is less than the predetermined value, determine that the danger level for the second vehicle is the second level;
in response to determining that the number of vehicles that have slipped at the slippery point is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, determine that the danger level for the second vehicle is a third level;
in response to determining that the danger level for the second vehicle is the first level, transmit the danger level to the second vehicle to control a display of the second vehicle to display that the slippery point is present;
in response to determining that the danger level for the second vehicle is the second level, transmit the danger level to the second vehicle (1) to control the display of the second vehicle to display that the slippery point is present, and (2) to control a speaker of the second vehicle to output an alarm; and
in response to determining that the danger level for the second vehicle is the third level, transmit the danger level to the second vehicle (1) to control the display of the second vehicle to display that the slippery point is present, (2) to control the speaker of the second vehicle to output the alarm, and (3) to control a vibrator of the second vehicle to vibrate a driver's seat of the second vehicle.