Patent ID: 7636034

Claim:
A system for assisting a driver occupying a seat within a vehicle traveling on a road, the system comprising: sensing apparatus configured to sense a plurality different types of conditions regarding the vehicle; and information apparatus configured to generate different types of haptic signals to the driver to indicate the sensed plurality of different types of conditions; wherein: the different types of conditions include longitudinal and lateral conditions with respect to the vehicle, and the lateral conditions include an in-lane lateral position of the vehicle within a lane of the road on which the vehicle is traveling; the in-lane lateral position of the vehicle indicates a relative position of the vehicle to a centerline of the lane on which the vehicle is traveling; the longitudinal condition comprises a risk potential with regard to a preceding vehicle; and the plurality of different types of conditions further comprise an obstacle located laterally of the vehicle, wherein the information apparatus provides a lateral risk potential with regard to the obstacle and the in-lane lateral position of the vehicle within the lane, and the information apparatus provides the risk potential with regard to the preceding vehicle and the in-lane lateral position of the vehicle within the lane to the driver by pressure signals via different respective pressure signals via different portions of the seat, and the lateral risk potential to the driver and the in-lane lateral position of the vehicle within the lane by different haptic signals via the same portion of the seat.