Traveling-path estimation apparatus for vehicle

• US 20010053955A1
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Published: 12/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Morikawa, Katsuhiro, Shirai, Noriaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,466,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0066 responsive to vehicle path curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/09 Complex systems; Conjoint control of two or more vehicle active control systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons

Abstract

An object in front of a vehicle is detected. At least one of a steering angle of the vehicle and a yaw rate thereof is detected. First curvature data are generated on the basis of at least one of the detected steering angle and the detected yaw rate. The first curvature data represent a course along which the vehicle will travel. A determination is made as to whether or not the detected object is a stationary object. In cases where the detected object is a stationary object, second curvature data are generated on the basis of the stationary object. The second curvature data represent a course along which the vehicle will travel. The first curvature data and the second curvature data are averaged. Third curvature data are generated in response to a result of the averaging. The third curvature data represent a course along which the vehicle will travel.

Claims

1. A course estimation apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

object detecting means for detecting an object in front of the vehicle;

sensor means including at least one of steering angle detecting means for detecting a steering angle of the vehicle and yaw rate detecting means for detecting a yaw rate of the vehicle;

first course estimating means for generating first curvature data on the basis of at least one of the steering angle and the yaw rate detected by the sensor means, the first curvature data representing a course along which the vehicle will travel;

relative speed calculating means for calculating a relative speed between the object detected by the object detecting means and the vehicle;

stationary-object determining means for determining whether or not the object detected by the object detecting means is a stationary object on the basis of the relative speed calculated by the relative speed calculating means;

second course estimating means for, in cases where the stationary-object determining means determines that the object detected by the object detecting means is a stationary object, generating second curvature data on the basis of the stationary object, the second curvature data representing a course along which the vehicle will travel; and

third course estimating means for averaging the first curvature data generated by the first course estimating means and the second curvature data generated by the second course estimating means, and generating third curvature data in response to a result of said averaging, the third curvature data representing a course along which the vehicle will travel.

2. A course estimation apparatus as recited in

claim 1

, wherein the third course estimating means comprises:

means for detecting a distance to the stationary object from the vehicle;

means for implementing weighted average between the first curvature data and the second curvature data in response to the detected distance;

means for generating the third curvature data in response to a result of said weighted average; and

means for making great a weight for the first curvature data in the weighted average and making small a weight for the second curvature data in the weighted average when the detected distance is small.

3. A course estimation apparatus as recited in

claim 1

, wherein the third course estimating means comprises:

means for detecting a distance to the stationary object from the vehicle;

means for implementing weighted average between the first curvature data and the second curvature data in response to the detected distance;

means for generating the third curvature data in response to a result of said weighted average; and

means for making small a weight for the first curvature data in the weighted average and making great a weight for the second curvature data in the weighted average when the detected distance is great.

5. A preceding-vehicle recognition apparatus for a subject vehicle, comprising:

the course estimation apparatus of

claim 1

;

relative position detecting means for detecting positions of objects detected by the object detecting means in the course estimation apparatus relative to the subject vehicle;

lane-sameness probability calculating means for calculating a probability for each of the objects that the object and the subject vehicle are on a same lane on the basis of the third curvature data generated by the third course estimating means in the course estimation apparatus and the relative position detected by the relative position detecting means; and

preceding-vehicle detecting means for detecting a preceding vehicle with respect to the subject vehicle among the objects in response to the probabilities calculated by the lane-sameness probability calculating means.

6. A course estimation apparatus as recited in

claim 1

, wherein the third course estimating means comprises:

means for detecting a distance to the stationary object from the vehicle;

means for setting a weight for the first curvature data and a weight for the second curvature data in response to the detected distance;

means for implementing weighted average between the first curvature data and the second curvature data in response to the weight for the first curvature data and the weight for the second curvature data; and

means for generating the third curvature data in response to a result of said weighted average;

wherein the weight for the first curvature data decreases and the weight for the second curvature data increases as the detected distance increases.

4. A recording medium storing a computer program comprising the steps of:

generating first curvature data on the basis of at least one of a signal representing a steering angle of a vehicle and a signal representing a yaw rate of the vehicle, the first curvature data representing a course along which the vehicle will travel;

generating second curvature data on the basis of a signal corresponding to a stationary object, the second curvature data representing a course along which the vehicle will travel;

averaging the first curvature data and the second curvature data; and

generating third curvature data in response to a result of said averaging, the third curvature data representing a course along which the vehicle will travel.

7. An apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

first means for detecting a speed of the vehicle;

second means for detecting a steering angle of the vehicle;

third means for estimating a curvature radius of a course, along which the vehicle will travel, from the vehicle speed detected by the first means and the steering angle detected by the second means;

fourth means for detecting a stationary object in front of the vehicle;

fifth means for detecting a position of the stationary object detected by the fourth means relative to the vehicle;

sixth means for detecting a speed of the stationary object detected by the fourth means relative to the vehicle;

seventh means for estimating the curvature radius of the course from the stationary-object position detected by the fifth means and the stationary-object relative speed detected by the sixth means;

eighth means for averaging a reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the third means and a reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the seventh means; and

ninth means for estimating the curvature radius of the course in response to a result of the averaging by the eighth means.

8. An apparatus as recited in

claim 7

, wherein the eighth means comprises:

means for detecting a distance to the stationary object from the vehicle;

means for setting a first weight for the reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the third means and a second weight for the reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the seventh means in response to the detected distance to the stationary object from the vehicle;

means for implementing weighted average between the reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the third means and the reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the seventh means in response to the first and second weights; and

means for setting a result of the weighted average as the result of the averaging by the eighth means;

wherein the first weight decreases and the second weight increases as the detected distance to the stationary object from the vehicle increases.

9. An apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

first means for detecting a speed of the vehicle;

second means for detecting a yaw rate of the vehicle;

third means for estimating a curvature radius of a course, along which the vehicle will travel, from the vehicle speed detected by the first means and the yaw rate detected by the second means;

fourth means for detecting a stationary object in front of the vehicle;

fifth means for detecting a position of the stationary object detected by the fourth means relative to the vehicle;

sixth means for detecting a speed of the stationary object detected by the fourth means relative to the vehicle;

seventh means for estimating the curvature radius of the course from the stationary-object position detected by the fifth means and the stationary-object relative speed detected by the sixth means;

eighth means for averaging a reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the third means and a reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the seventh means; and

ninth means for estimating the curvature radius of the course in response to a result of the averaging by the eighth means.

10. An apparatus as recited in

claim 9

, wherein the eighth means comprises:

means for detecting a distance to the stationary object from the vehicle;

means for setting a first weight for the reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the third means and a second weight for the reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the seventh means in response to the detected distance to the stationary object from the vehicle;

means for implementing weighted average between the reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the third means and the reciprocal of the curvature radius estimated by the seventh means in response to the first and second weights; and

means for setting a result of the weighted average as the result of the averaging by the eighth means;

wherein the first weight decreases and the second weight increases as the detected distance to the stationary object from the vehicle increases.