Traveling assistance apparatus

• US 10,569,781 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2017
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Noto, Noriyasu, Yamaguchi, Masanobu, Tokuda, Tetsuya, Mukai, Yasuhiko, Hattori, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US15/624,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20170361848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 701 41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/106 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/045 Improving turning performance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 : Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 : Predicting future conditions

Abstract

A traveling assistance apparatus recognizes a travel road on which a vehicle is traveling, acquires a traveling state of the vehicle, and determines whether or not the vehicle will deviate from the travel road based on the recognition result of the travel road and the traveling state of the vehicle. The apparatus determines whether to perform, as a prevention method for preventing from the travel road, a method in which either of steering control and brake control of the vehicle is performed, or a method in which a period over which either of the steering control and the brake control is performed and a period over which both of the steering control and the brake control are performed are set. The apparatus sets a steering amount for the steering control and a brake amount for the brake control when the deviation prevention control is performed based on the prevention method.

Claims

1. A traveling assistance apparatus comprising:

a travel road recognizing unit that recognizes a travel road on which a vehicle is traveling;

a traveling state acquiring unit that acquires a traveling state of the vehicle;

a deviation determining unit that determines whether or not the vehicle will deviate from the travel road based on at least a recognition result of the travel road recognized by the travel road recognizing unit, of the recognition result and the traveling state acquired by the traveling state acquiring unit;

a method determining unit that determines whether to perform, as a prevention method for deviation prevention control to prevent deviation of the vehicle from the travel road in response to the deviation determining unit determining that the vehicle will deviate from the travel road, a method in which either of steering control and brake control of the vehicle is performed, or a method in which a period over which either of the steering control and the brake control is performed and a period over which both of the steering control and the brake control are performed are set, based on the recognition result and the traveling state; and

a traveling control unit that sets a steering amount for the steering control and a brake amount for the brake control in response to the deviation prevention control being performed based on the prevention method determined by the method determining unit, based on the recognition result and the traveling state.

2. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the method determining unit determines whether to perform, as the prevention method for deviation prevention control to prevent deviation of the vehicle from the travel road in response to the deviation determining unit determining that the vehicle will deviate from the travel road, the method in which either of steering control and brake control of the vehicle is performed, a method in which both of the steering control and the brake control are performed, or the method in which a period over which either of the steering control and the brake control is performed and a period over which both of the steering control and the brake control are performed are set, based on the recognition result and the traveling state.

3. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a path setting unit that sets a target path for preventing deviation of the vehicle from the travel road based on the recognition result and the traveling state, wherein

the traveling control unit sets the steering amount such that the vehicle travels along the target path set by the path setting unit.

4. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the traveling control unit determines a start timing for the brake control based on the recognition result and the traveling state, in response to the prevention method being that in which the steering control is first performed and then, midway of the steering control, the brake control is performed in addition to the steering control; and

the traveling control unit determines a start timing for the steering control based on the recognition result and the traveling state, in response to the prevention method being that in which the brake control is first performed and then, midway through the brake control, the steering control is performed in addition to the brake control.

5. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a road-surface state acquiring unit that acquires a road-surface state of the travel road, wherein

the method determining unit determines the prevention method based on the recognition result, the traveling state, and the road-surface state acquired by the road-surface state acquiring unit.

6. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the traveling control unit ends the deviation prevention control in response to the vehicle returning to the travel road based on the recognition result.

7. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the traveling control unit ends the deviation prevention control in response to a lateral acceleration and a yaw rate of the vehicle serving as the traveling state respectively becoming equal to or less than predetermined values.

8. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the traveling control unit continues the deviation prevention control until the vehicle stops and ends the deviation prevention control in response to the vehicle stopping in response to the brake control being performed as the deviation prevention control, in response to a driver not gripping a steering wheel.

9. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the traveling control unit continues the deviation prevention control until the vehicle stops and ends the deviation prevention control in response to the vehicle stopping in response to the brake control being performed as the deviation prevention control, in response to a driver not being alert and being in a state incapable of driving.

10. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a path setting unit that sets a target path for preventing deviation of the vehicle from the travel road based on the recognition result and the traveling state, wherein

the traveling control unit sets the steering amount such that the vehicle travels along the target path set by the path setting unit.

11. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the traveling control unit determines a start timing for the brake control based on the recognition result and the traveling state, in response to the prevention method being that in which the steering control is first performed and then, midway of the steering control, the brake control is performed in addition to the steering control; and

the traveling control unit determines a start timing for the steering control based on the recognition result and the traveling state, in response to the prevention method being that in which the brake control is first performed and then, midway through the brake control, the steering control is performed in addition to the brake control.

12. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a road-surface state acquiring unit that acquires a road-surface state of the travel road, wherein

the method determining unit determines the prevention method based on the recognition result, the traveling state, and the road-surface state acquired by the road-surface state acquiring unit.

13. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the traveling control unit ends the deviation prevention control in response to the vehicle returning to the travel road based on the recognition result.

14. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the traveling control unit ends the deviation prevention control in response to a lateral acceleration and a yaw rate of the vehicle serving as the traveling state respectively becoming equal to or less than predetermined values.

15. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the traveling control unit continues the deviation prevention control until the vehicle stops and ends the deviation prevention control in response to the vehicle stopping in response to the brake control being performed as the deviation prevention control, in response to a driver not gripping a steering wheel.

16. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the traveling control unit continues the deviation prevention control until the vehicle stops and ends the deviation prevention control in response to the vehicle stopping in response to the brake control being performed as the deviation prevention control, in response to a driver not being alert and being in a state incapable of driving.

17. A traveling assistance apparatus comprising:

a travel road recognition result receiving unit that receives a recognition result of a travel road on which a vehicle is traveling;

a traveling state acquiring unit that acquires a traveling state of the vehicle;

a deviation determining unit that determines whether or not the vehicle will deviate from the travel road based on at least the recognition result of the travel road received by the travel road recognition result receiving unit, of the recognition result and the traveling state acquired by the traveling state acquiring unit;

a method determining unit that determines whether to perform, as a prevention method for deviation prevention control to prevent deviation of the vehicle from the travel road in response to the deviation determining unit determining that the vehicle will deviate from the travel road, a method in which either of steering control and brake control of the vehicle is performed, or a method in which a period over which either of the steering control and the brake control is performed and a period over which both of the steering control and the brake control are performed are set, based on the recognition result and the traveling state; and

a traveling control unit that sets a steering amount for the steering control and a brake amount for the brake control in response to the deviation prevention control being performed based on the prevention method determined by the method determining unit, based on the recognition result and the traveling state.

18. The traveling assistance apparatus according to claim 17, wherein:

the method determining unit determines whether to perform, as the prevention method for deviation prevention control to prevent deviation of the vehicle from the travel road in response to the deviation determining unit determining that the vehicle will deviate from the travel road, the method in which either of steering control and brake control of the vehicle is performed, a method in which both of the steering control and the brake control are performed, or the method in which a period over which either of the steering control and the brake control is performed and a period over which both of the steering control and the brake control are performed are set, based on the recognition result and the traveling state.

19. A traveling assistance method for suppressing deviation from a travel road, the traveling assistance method comprising:

a step of recognizing a travel road on which a vehicle is traveling;

a step of acquiring a traveling state of the vehicle;

a step of determining whether or not the vehicle will deviate from the travel road based on at least a recognition result of the travel road, of the recognition result and the traveling state;

a step of determining whether to perform, as a prevention method for deviation prevention control to prevent deviation of the vehicle from the travel road in response to the vehicle being determined to deviate from the travel road, a method in which either of steering control and brake control of the vehicle is performed, or a method in which a period over which either of the steering control and the brake control is performed and a period over which both of the steering control and the brake control are performed are set, based on the recognition result and the traveling state; and

a step of setting a steering amount for the steering control and a brake amount for the brake control in response to the deviation prevention control being performed based on the prevention method that has been determined.