On-board vehicle warning system and vehicle driver warning method

1. An on-board vehicle warning system comprising:

a location detecting section configured to detect a geographic location of a host vehicle equipped with the on-board vehicle warning system, and a geographic location of a forthcoming intersection;

a regulation retrieving section configured to selectively retrieve a jurisdiction from a plurality of jurisdictions based on the geographic location of the forthcoming intersection, the jurisdiction including local intersection regulation information, the local intersection regulation information including information pertaining to a vehicle position with respect to an intersection boundary at the time of a particular phase transition of a traffic light device at any traffic intersection governed by the jurisdiction that is impermissible within at least the jurisdiction and is permissible within at least one other jurisdiction of the plurality of jurisdictions;

an incoming message receiving section configured to receive intersection status information of the forthcoming intersection with the intersection status information containing a geographic location of a boundary of the forthcoming intersection and phase information including a current phase and a time to the particular phase transition of a traffic light device of the forthcoming intersection; and

a potential violation alerting section configured to estimate a future position at which the host vehicle will be with respect to the boundary of the forthcoming intersection at the time that the particular phase transition is going to occur, the potential violation alerting section being further configured to estimate a required stopping distance and a reaction distance, and determine a first warning distance from the boundary of the traffic intersection based on the reaction distance and the required stopping distance when the estimated future position is determined to be impermissible according to the local intersection regulation, the potential violation alerting section being further configured to provide a first warning notification to a driver of the host vehicle when the host vehicle reaches the first warning distance.

2. An on-board vehicle warning system comprising:

a vehicle location detecting section configured to detect a location of a host vehicle equipped with the on-board vehicle warning system;

a regulation retrieving section configured to selectively retrieve local intersection regulation information relating to a local traffic intersection regulation, which includes information pertaining to a vehicle position in relation to a phase of a traffic light device at a traffic intersection that is impermissible within at least one jurisdiction and permissible within at least one other jurisdiction of a plurality of jurisdictions, based on a location of the traffic intersection;

an incoming message receiving section configured to receive intersection status information of the traffic intersection that is in front of the host vehicle with the intersection status information containing at least phase information of the traffic light device, the intersection status information containing information relating to a width of the traffic intersection;

a vehicle information detecting section configured to detect vehicle travel information; and

a potential violation alerting section configured to determine whether a potential violation of the local traffic intersection regulation by the host vehicle is possible based on the local intersection regulation information, the location of the host vehicle, the intersection status information and the vehicle travel information, and to selectively produce a driver notification to a driver of the host vehicle based upon a determination that the potential violation is possible.

3. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 2 , wherein

the potential violation alerting section is further configured to determine whether the host vehicle is taking an action to avoid the potential violation based on the vehicle travel information.

4. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 3 , wherein

the potential violation alerting section is configured to produce the driver notification when the potential violation alerting section determines that the host vehicle is required to stop prior to the traffic intersection in order to avoid the potential violation and that the host vehicle is not taking the action to avoid the potential violation.

5. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 4 , wherein

the potential violation alerting section is configured to issue a warning as the driver notification when the phase information of the traffic light device indicates a phase of the traffic light device is red and when the potential violation alerting section determines the host vehicle is not stopping.

6. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 5 , wherein

the potential violation alerting section is configured to issue the warning upon the host vehicle reaching a position with respect to the traffic intersection which requires the host vehicle to decelerate at a prescribed rate in order to stop the host vehicle before the host vehicle reaches the traffic intersection.

7. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 4 , wherein

the potential violation alerting section is configured to issue an advisory as the driver notification when the phase information of the traffic light device indicates an impending phase change and when the potential violation alerting section determines the host vehicle will commit a violation under the local traffic intersection regulation if the host vehicle continues to travel at a current speed.

8. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 7 , wherein

the potential violation alerting section is configured to issue the advisory upon the host vehicle reaching a position with respect to the traffic intersection which requires the host vehicle to decelerate at a prescribed rate in order to stop the host vehicle before the host vehicle reaches the traffic intersection.

9. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 2 , wherein

the potential violation alerting section is further configured to determine the potential violation by taking into account a longitudinal length of a vehicle body of the host vehicle to calculate timings at which the host vehicle enters the traffic intersection and exits the traffic intersection.

10. A vehicle driver warning method comprising:

detecting a geographic location of a host vehicle, and a geographic location of a forthcoming intersection;

retrieving a jurisdiction from a plurality of jurisdictions based on the geographic location of the forthcoming intersection, the jurisdiction including local intersection regulation information, the local intersection regulation information including information pertaining to a vehicle position with respect to an intersection boundary at the time of a particular phase transition of a traffic light device at any traffic intersection governed by the jurisdiction that is impermissible within at least the jurisdiction and is permissible within at least one other jurisdiction of the plurality of jurisdictions;

receiving intersection status information of the forthcoming intersection with the intersection status information containing a geographic location of a boundary of the forthcoming intersection and phase information including a current phase and a time to the particular phase transition of a traffic light device that exists in the forthcoming intersection;

estimating a future position at which the host vehicle will be with respect to the boundary of the forthcoming intersection at the time that the particular phase transition is going to occur, and estimating a required stopping distance and a reaction distance;

determining a first warning distance from the boundary of the traffic intersection based on the reaction distance and the required stopping distance when the estimated future position is determined to be impermissible according to the local intersection regulation; and

providing a first warning notification to a driver of the host vehicle when the host vehicle reaches the first warning distance.

11. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 1 , wherein

the first warning distance is an advisory distance based on a sum of the required stopping distance and the reaction distance.

12. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 1 , wherein

the potential violation alerting section is further configured to determine a second warning distance from the boundary of the traffic intersection based on the required stopping distance when the estimated future position is determined to be impermissible according to the local intersection regulation, with the second warning distance being shorter than the first warning distance, and the potential violation alerting section being further configured to provide a second warning notification to the driver of the host vehicle when the host vehicle reaches the second warning distance.

13. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 1 , wherein

the first warning distance is a warning distance based on the required stopping distance.

14. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 1 , wherein

the boundary of the forthcoming intersection is at least one of an entering boundary and an exiting boundary.

15. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 14 , wherein

the entering boundary is a first stop-bar located in a lane of travel of the host vehicle on a side of the intersection nearest the host vehicle, and the exiting boundary is a second stop-bar located on a side of the intersection opposite the host vehicle.

16. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 14 , wherein

the plurality of jurisdictions includes at least a jurisdiction in which the local intersection regulation requires the vehicle position to be beyond the entrance boundary at the time of the particular phase transition such that the host vehicle enters the forthcoming intersection by the time of the particular phase change, a jurisdiction in which the local intersection regulation requires the vehicle position to be beyond the exiting boundary at the time of the particular phase transition such that the host vehicle is clear of the forthcoming intersection by the time of the particular phase transition, and a jurisdiction in which the local intersection regulation requires the vehicle position to be before the entrance boundary such that the host vehicle does not enter the intersection at the time of the particular phase transition.

17. The on-board vehicle warning system as recited in claim 1 , wherein

the particular phase transition is at least one of a green to yellow phase change, and a yellow to red phase change.

18. The vehicle driver warning method as recited in claim 10 , wherein

the first warning distance is an advisory distance based on a sum of the required stopping distance and the reaction distance.

19. The vehicle driver warning method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising

determining a second warning distance from the boundary of the traffic intersection based on the required stopping distance when the estimated future position is determined to be impermissible according to the local intersection regulation, with the second warning distance being shorter than the first warning distance; and

providing a second warning notification to the driver of the host vehicle when the host vehicle reaches the second warning distance.

20. The vehicle driver warning method as recited in claim 10 , wherein

the first warning distance is a warning distance based on the required stopping distance.

21. The vehicle driver warning method as recited in claim 10 , wherein

the boundary of the forthcoming intersection is at least one of an entering boundary and an exiting boundary.

22. The vehicle driver warning method as recited in claim 21 , wherein

the entering boundary is a first stop-bar located in a lane of travel of the host vehicle on a side of the intersection nearest the host vehicle, and the exiting boundary is a second stop-bar located on a side of the intersection opposite the host vehicle.

23. The vehicle driver warning method as recited in claim 21 , wherein

the plurality of jurisdictions includes at least a jurisdiction in which the local intersection regulation requires the vehicle position to be beyond the entrance boundary at the time of the particular phase transition such that the host vehicle enters the forthcoming intersection by the time of the particular phase change, a jurisdiction in which the local intersection regulation requires the vehicle position to be beyond the exiting boundary at the time of the particular phase transition such that the host vehicle is clear of the forthcoming intersection by the time of the particular phase transition, and a jurisdiction in which the local intersection regulation requires the vehicle position to be before the entrance boundary such that the host vehicle does not enter the intersection at the time of the particular phase transition.

24. The vehicle driver warning method as recited in as recited in claim 10 , wherein

the particular phase transition is at least one of a green to yellow phase change, and a yellow to red phase change.