Vehicle driving assist control method and control device

• US 10,576,972 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Gokan, Toshimichi, Inoue, Takuya, Suzuki, Tatsuya, Tamaki, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ismail, Mahmoud S
• Application Number:
  US16/071,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20190071074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 701301
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• 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 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/723 by using numerical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/41 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A host vehicle has an automatic brake control that is executed for avoiding contact between the host vehicle and a pedestrian upon detecting a pedestrian is present in a forward position of the host vehicle using a front camera and a radar. In a driving assist control method, upon detecting an object in front of the host vehicle to be a pedestrian candidate based on an image signal from the front camera, execution of an automatic brake control is permitted with the detected pedestrian candidate as the control target. Thereafter, whether or not the pedestrian candidate detected by the front camera matches an object detected by the reflected waves from the millimeter wave radar is determined by comparison. Execution of the automatic brake control is continued or stopped based on the result of the comparison determination.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving assist control method, provided with external environment recognition sensors that obtain forward information of a host vehicle, for executing a driving assist control for avoiding contact between the host vehicle and a pedestrian, when a pedestrian is detected by the external environment recognition sensors, the vehicle driving assist control method comprising:

providing a camera and a radar as the external environment recognition sensors;

starting the vehicle driving assist control with a detected pedestrian candidate as a control target, upon detecting an object that is present in front of the host vehicle to be the pedestrian candidate based on an image signal from the camera; and

determining by comparison thereafter whether or not the pedestrian candidate detected by the camera matches an object detected by the reflected waves from the radar, and continuing the vehicle driving assist control if matching is established and canceling the vehicle driving assist control if matching is not established.

2. The vehicle driving assist control method according to claim 1, wherein

in the determining by comparison step, setting an allowable error region with position information in accordance with direction or distance of the pedestrian candidate detected by the camera as a center point, and

when the position information in accordance with the direction or distance of an object that is closest to the pedestrian candidate from among a plurality of objects detected by the reflected waves from the radar matches within the allowable error region for a predetermined time, the pedestrian candidate detected by the camera is determined to be a pedestrian as the control target.

3. The vehicle driving assist control method according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle driving assist control executes an alarm and automatic brake control when execution of the vehicle driving assist control is permitted, and

starts an alarm that occurs in a first stage upon determining a possibility of contact with a pedestrian,

starts preliminary braking with slow braking in addition to the alarm that occurs in a second stage in which the possibility of contact with a pedestrian is determined to be greater than in the first stage, and

starts main braking with sudden braking in addition to the alarm that occurs in a third stage in which the possibility of contact with a pedestrian is determined to be greater than in the second stage.

4. The vehicle driving assist control method according to claim 3, wherein

the alarm and automatic brake control is configured such that, when shifting from determination of the pedestrian candidate using the camera to determination of a pedestrian using a comparison determination that includes the radar, a permitted deceleration G of the alarm and automatic brake control is set to be greater than the permitted deceleration G while the pedestrian candidate is being detected.

5. A vehicle driving assist control device comprising:

external environment recognition sensors that acquire forward information of a host vehicle; and

a driving assist controller that executes a vehicle driving assist control for avoiding contact between the host vehicle and a pedestrian, when the pedestrian is determined by the external environment recognition sensors;

the external environment recognition sensors including a camera and a radar,

the driving assist controller being configured to permit execution of the vehicle driving assist control, with a determined pedestrian candidate as a control target, when an object that is present in front of the host vehicle is determined to be the pedestrian candidate based on an image signal from the camera, and

a control process being carried out thereafter to determine using comparison whether or not the pedestrian candidate detected by the camera matches an object detected by the reflected waves from the radar, and the driving assist control is continued if matching is established and the driving assist control is canceled if matching is not established.