1. A driving assistance apparatus, comprising:
an estimation unit configured to estimate a brake-on vehicle speed as a vehicle speed at which a driver of a vehicle starts a brake operation, based on information related to deceleration of the vehicle and vehicle-speed information;
a deceleration-operation-point calculation unit configured to calculate location information of a deceleration-operation point where the driver of the vehicle starts a deceleration operation, based on the brake-on vehicle speed; and
an information presentation unit configured to present driving assistance information for prompting the driver of the vehicle to perform the deceleration operation, corresponding to the calculated location information of the deceleration-operation point and a running position of the vehicle.
2. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the deceleration operation includes an accelerator-off operation and a brake-on operation,
the deceleration-operation point includes an accelerator-off point where the accelerator-off operation is to be started and a brake-on point where the brake-on operation is to be started,
the deceleration-operation-point calculation unit is configured to:
predict the brake-on point based on location information of a stop point where the vehicle is to be stopped and the brake-on vehicle speed;
calculate a distance reachable after execution of the accelerator-off operation until the vehicle speed of the vehicle is decelerate to the brake-on vehicle speed; and
set a position at a near side with respect to the brake-on point by the distance, as the accelerator-off point, and
the information presentation unit is configured to present the driving assistance information for prompting the accelerator-off operation to the driver corresponding to location information of the set accelerator-off point and the running position of the vehicle.
3. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the information related to deceleration includes at least one of a road surface gradient, a road load, and an air resistance.
4. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
the information related to deceleration includes at least one of a road surface gradient, a road load, and an air resistance.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A system for enhancing an individual’s hearing experience comprising:
a component for capturing the individual’s audio hearing characteristics for a test signal pathway, the test signal pathway comprising elements that transform an input test electronic signal into a perceived audio signal, including electronic components of a test audio device that transforms an input test electronic signal into an output test audio signal, the sound environment in which the individual hears the output test audio signal, and the individual’s hearing capabilities;
a component for analyzing the individual’s audio hearing characteristics for the test signal pathway to generate a shaped auditory profile; and
a component for selectively applying said shaped auditory profile to enhance audio perceived by an individual in response to another input electronic signal transmitted to the individual through a listening signal pathway similar to the test signal pathway.
2. The system of claim 1, said test signal pathway further comprising the positioning andor fit of said particular audio device relative to the individual’s ear.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a component applying optional user preferences to dictate, modify or adjust said audio enhancement.
4. The system of claim 1, the enhanced audio being generated by a computerized apparatus, to compensate for frequency dependent loudness deficits in the perceived audio signal for signal pathways similar to the test signal pathway, within customized loudness levels.
5. The system of claim 1, the shaped auditory profile comprising a test measurement of a minimum audible loudness level for at least one frequency transmitted via the test signal pathway.
6. The system of claim 5, the shaped auditory profile further comprising test measurements of a most comfortable level and an uncomfortable level for at least one frequency transmitted via the test signal pathway.
7. The system of claim 5, the minimum audible loudness level being measured at a plurality of audiometric frequencies.
8. The system of claim 1, the analyzing component comprising a subsystem for producing a processed result according to gain calculations.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the gain calculations that dictate the frequency gain and compression characteristics of the processed result are frequency-dependent and input-level dependent.
10. The system of claim 1, further including a data repository for storing individualized shaped auditory profiles, the repository being configured for collecting data from any source and for storing, updating, and responding to requests for specific individualized shaped auditory profiles for use by the analyzing component.
11. The system of claim 10, the individualized shaped auditory profile further comprising optional customization settings selected by the individual to dictate, modify or adjust said audio enhancement.
12. The system of claim 11, the individualized shaped auditory profile further including measurements from a tinnitus test.
13. The system of claim 10, wherein said data repository is accessible through an Internet connection.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the capturing component is a portable electronic component.
15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the analyzing component is a portable electronic component.
16. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a component to detect at least one element of the listening signal pathway and to alter the audio enhancement based on a difference between the listening signal pathway element and a corresponding element of the test signal pathway.
17. A method for enhancing a hearing experience of an individual, comprising:
capturing audio hearing characteristics of the individual corresponding to a test signal pathway for transforming an input electronic signal into a perceived audio signal perceived by the individual, by administering a hearing test to the individual using a test audio device in a test sound environment to transmit to the individual an output test audio signal from an input test electronic signal;
analyzing the individual’s audio hearing characteristics for the test signal pathway to generate a shaped auditory profile; and
applying said shaped auditory profile to enhance an output audio signal transmitted to the individual by a listening audio device having similar signal processing characteristics to said test audio device in a similar listening sound environment to said test sound environment.
18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising detecting at least one aspect of the listening audio device or the listening sound environment and altering the audio enhancement based on a difference between the aspect of the listening audio device or sound environment and a corresponding aspect of the test audio device or sound environment.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating at least a second shaped auditory profile for said individual, corresponding to a different test signal pathway, and storing said at least two shaped auditory profiles in a data repository to permit one of said at least two shaped auditory profiles to be selected to be applied to enhance said output audio signal.
20. An apparatus for delivering customized enhanced sound to an individual via a particular signal pathway comprising:
a component for receiving unenhanced audio signals from a source;
a component for receiving a stored individualized shaped auditory profile associated with the individual and the particular signal pathway;
a filter means to receive the individualized shaped auditory profile to establish filter coefficients and to receive the unenhanced audio signals as input for modifying loudness of the audio signals at a plurality of frequencies to obtain modified audio signals;
a time-domain-to-frequency-domain converter for converting the modified audio signals from the time domain to the frequency domain;
a component for analyzing the loudness tolerance level of the modified audio signals by comparing loudness tolerance levels of the individualized shaped auditory profile with loudness levels of the modified audio signals at a plurality of audiological frequencies, and for adjusting the loudness at selected audiological frequencies where the loudness tolerance levels are exceeded to produce enhanced frequency domain audio signals;
a component for converting the enhanced frequency domain audio signals to equivalent time domain enhanced audio to the individual.
21. The apparatus of claim 20, the filter means being a time-domain finite impulse response filter bank.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, the time-domain-to-frequency domain converter being a Fourier transform element and the component for converting the enhanced audio signals being an inverse Fourier transform element.