Information processing apparatus and non-transitory recording medium

• US 10,453,344 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2018
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Yasunori, Hagawa, Reiko, Fujimura, Ryota
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US15/883,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20180233049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

An information processing apparatus obtains, from a right/left-turn vehicle, first obtaining information for providing an instruction to sense a blind-spot area of the right/left-turn vehicle, and determines whether to sense the blind-spot area on the basis of the first obtaining information. The information processing apparatus further obtains second obtaining information for determining a blind-spot area of the right/left-turn vehicle that is determined to be sensed, and generates first control information for controlling sensing of the blind-spot area determined from the obtained second obtaining information. Then, information processing apparatus outputs the first control information to a sensor or a first device, and outputs a sensing result received from the sensor or the first device to a second device or outputs to the first device the first control information and information for providing an instruction to output the sensing result to the second device.

Claims

1. An apparatus equipped in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing thereon a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations including;

obtaining, from a right- or left-turn vehicle in a lane opposite to a lane in which the vehicle is currently located, first information for providing an instruction to sense a blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle;

determining whether to sense the blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle in accordance with the first information;

obtaining second information for determining the blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle that is determined to be sensed;

generating first control information for controlling sensing of the blind-spot area determined from the obtained second information; and

outputting the first control information,

wherein the outputting includes

outputting the first control information to (i) a sensor or (ii) a first device including the sensor and outputting a sensing result received from the sensor or the first device to a second device mounted on the right- or left-turn vehicle, or

outputting (i) the first control information and (ii) an instruction to output the sensing result to the second device, to the first device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blind-spot area includes a blind-spot area that occurs due to presence of the vehicle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the obtaining of the second information calculates the blind-spot area on the basis of a positional relationship between the vehicle and the right- or left-turn vehicle to obtain the second information.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the obtaining of the second information obtains the second information from the right- or left-turn vehicle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include obtaining (i) first position information indicating a position of the vehicle and (ii) second position information indicating a position of at least one vehicle in a range of vehicles with which the apparatus is capable of communicating,

wherein the first device includes a device mounted on a following vehicle that follows the vehicle,

wherein the generating identifies the device mounted on the following vehicle by using the first position information and the second position information, and

wherein the outputting outputs the first control information to the identified device mounted on the following vehicle.

6. An apparatus equipped in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing thereon a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations including;

obtaining an image in which another vehicle in a lane opposite to a lane in which the vehicle is currently located appears;

determining, based on whether the other vehicle appearing in the image is a right- or left-turn vehicle, whether to sense a blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle;

obtaining blind-spot area information for determining the blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle that is determined to be sensed;

generating first control information for controlling sensing of the blind-spot area determined from the obtained blind-spot information; and

outputting the first control information,

wherein the outputting includes

outputting the first control information to (i) a sensor or (ii) a first device including the sensor and outputting a sensing result received from the sensor or the first device to a second device mounted on the right- or left-turn vehicle, or

outputting (i) the first control information and (ii) an instruction to output the sensing result to the second device, to the first device.

7. An apparatus equipped in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing thereon a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations including;

detecting a right or left turn of the vehicle;

determining whether to calculate a blind-spot area of the vehicle in accordance with a result of detecting the right or left turn of the vehicle, the blind-spot area occurring due to presence of an oncoming vehicle in a lane opposite to a lane in which the vehicle is currently located;

calculating the blind-spot area of the vehicle using a positional relationship between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle;

outputting the blind-spot area to an external apparatus via wireless communication;

receiving a result of sensing the blind-spot area from the external apparatus via wireless communication;

generating travel assistance information for assisting travel of the vehicle in accordance with the result of sensing the blind-spot area; and

outputting the travel assistance information to a device mounted on the vehicle.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the detecting detects a right or left turn of the vehicle in accordance with information indicating turning on of a directional indicator included in the vehicle.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the detecting includes detecting, by the oncoming vehicle in the lane opposite to the lane in which the vehicle is currently located, the right or left turn of the vehicle, and

wherein the determining determines whether to calculate the blind-spot area of the vehicle in accordance with a result of detecting the right or left turn of the vehicle, the result being received from the oncoming vehicle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the generating generates the travel assistance information to make the vehicle stop turning right or left when the result of sensing the blind-spot indicates presence of an object in the blind-spot area.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the generating generates the travel assistance information to allow the vehicle to turn right or left when the result of sensing the blind-spot indicates no object in the blind-spot area.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the travel assistance information is information for controlling travel of the vehicle.

13. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the travel assistance information is information to be presented to a passenger of the vehicle.

14. The apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the external apparatus is the oncoming vehicle.

15. A non-transitory recording medium storing thereon a computer program for controlling an apparatus equipped in a vehicle, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, from a right- or left-turn vehicle in a lane opposite to a lane in which the vehicle is currently located, first information for providing an instruction to sense a blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle;

determining whether to sense a blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle in accordance with the first information;

obtaining second information for determining the blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle that is determined to be sensed;

generating first control information for controlling sensing of the blind-spot area determined from the obtained second information; and

outputting the first control information to (i) a sensor or (ii) a first device including the sensor and outputting a sensing result received from the sensor or the first device to a second device mounted on the right- or left-turn vehicle, or

outputting (i) the first control information and (ii) an instruction to output the sensing result to the second device, to the first device.

16. A non-transitory recording medium storing thereon a computer program for controlling an apparatus equipped in a vehicle, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining an image in which another vehicle in a lane opposite to a lane in which the vehicle is currently located appears;

determining, based on whether the other vehicle appearing in the image indicated is a right- or left-turn vehicle, whether to sense a blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle;

obtaining blind-spot area information for determining the blind-spot area of the right- or left-turn vehicle that is determined to be sensed;

generating first control information for controlling sensing of the blind-spot area determined from the obtained blind-spot area information; and

outputting the first control information to (i) a sensor or (ii) a first device including the sensor and outputting a sensing result received from the sensor or the first device to a second device mounted on the right- or left-turn vehicle, or

outputting (i) the first control information and (ii) an instruction to output the sensing result to the second device, to the first device.

17. A non-transitory recording medium storing thereon a computer program for controlling an apparatus equipped in a vehicle, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a right or left turn of the vehicle;

determining whether to calculate a blind-spot area of the vehicle in accordance with a result of detecting a right or left turn of the vehicle, the blind-spot area occurring due to presence of an oncoming vehicle in a lane opposite to a lane in which the vehicle is currently located;

calculating a blind-spot area of the vehicle using a positional relationship between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle;

outputting the blind-spot area to an external apparatus via wireless communication;

receiving a result of sensing the blind-spot area from the external apparatus via wireless communication;

generating travel assistance information for assisting travel of the vehicle in accordance with the result of sensing the blind-spot area; and

outputting the travel assistance information to a device mounted on the vehicle.