AUTOMATIC ACTIVATION OF TURN SIGNALS IN A VEHICLE

摘要

According to various embodiments, turn signals are automatically activated in response to signals received from a navigation system, based on the navigation instructions generated by the navigation system. The navigation system of a vehicle (either built into the vehicle or provided as a stand-alone unit) is communicatively coupled with or otherwise integrated with the turn signals of the vehicle. When the navigation system instructs the driver to perform a maneuver (such as making a turn), it can also cause the appropriate turn signal to be automatically activated at the appropriate time and/or distance in advance of the maneuver. When the navigation system detects that the maneuver has been made, or that the driver has ignored the system's instructions, the turn signal can be automatically deactivated.

主权项

1. A method for automatically activating a turn signal in a vehicle operated by a human driver, comprising:
in a navigation device operating in the vehicle operated by the human driver, receiving a destination; in the navigation device, determining a current location of the vehicle; in the navigation device, determining a route to the destination based on the current location of the vehicle; in the navigation device, generating an instruction for following the determined route, the instruction specifying a maneuver to be performed by the human driver at a specified location; on an output device, and in advance of the vehicle reaching the specified location, outputting the generated instruction to the human driver; in the navigation device, determining whether the vehicle is within a predetermined distance of the specified location; and responsive to the vehicle being within the predetermined distance of the specified location, and in advance of the vehicle reaching the specified location, and in advance of the specified maneuver being performed by the human driver, performing the step of:
automatically sending a signal from the navigation device to a turn signal controller to cause the turn signal of the vehicle to be automatically activated, wherein the automatically activated turn signal indicates the maneuver specified by the instruction output to the human driver.