Driving intention estimating system, driver assisting system, and vehicle with the system

• US 20060145827A1
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimura, Takeshi, Kuge, Nobuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,809,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/081 using distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/086 using driver related features
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/089 using optical detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/02 Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/02 Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/007 adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode

Abstract

A driving intention estimation, driver assistance and vehicle with the driver assistance for providing a stable estimation of a driver'"'"'s driving intention even if detection of a relationship between an own vehicle and lane markers is lost. A plurality of imaginary drivers of a first type and a second type, each being given a respective driving intention, are provided. When detection of lane markers is reliably kept, a driving intention by a real driver is estimated based on a comparison between an operation of the real driver to operations of the imaginary drivers of the first type that are calculated based on the relative positional relationship of the own vehicle to the detected lane marker. When the detection of lane markers is lost, operations of the plurality of imaginary drivers are calculated based on the relative positional relationship of the own vehicle to a preceding vehicle. In response to the status of detection of the lane marker, either the imaginary drivers of the first type or the second type are selected.

Claims

1. A system for estimating a driving intention, comprising:

a detector configured to obtain a first type of environmental information and a second type of environmental information relating to a driving environment associated with an own vehicle, wherein the first type of environmental information is different from the second type of environmental information;

an operation detector configured to detect an operation of a real driver of the own vehicle;

a first imaginary driver'"'"'s operation calculator configured to calculate a respective imaginary operation of each of a plurality of imaginary drivers of a first type based on the first type of environmental information, wherein the respective imaginary operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the first type is needed to accomplish a respective imaginary driving intention assigned to each of the imaginary drivers of the first type;

a second imaginary driver'"'"'s operation calculator configured to calculate a respective imaginary operation of each of a plurality of imaginary drivers of a second type based on the second type of environmental information, wherein the respective imaginary operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the second type is needed to accomplish a respective imaginary driving intention assigned to each of the imaginary drivers of the second type;

a selector configured to select information related to the imaginary drivers of the first type or the imaginary drivers of the second type; and

a driving intention estimator configured to estimate a driving intention of the real driver based on the detected operation of the real driver and the respective imaginary operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the selected type.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the driving intention estimator estimates the driving intention of the real driver based on a predetermined criterion using a threshold, and

the threshold corresponding to the selected imaginary drivers being the second type is set to be higher relative to the threshold corresponding to the selected imaginary drivers being the first type.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the second imaginary driver'"'"'s operation calculator calculates the respective operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the second type based on an overlapping ratio of a lap between the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle, relative to a width of the preceding vehicle, and

responsive to the imaginary drivers of the second type being selected, the threshold is decreased responding to a decreased overlapping ratio.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second imaginary driver'"'"'s operation calculator calculates the respective operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the second type based on a relative lateral positional relationship of the own vehicle to a preceding vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the relative lateral positional relationship is an overlapping ratio representing a lap between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, relative to a width of the preceding vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising a detector configured to detect lateral acceleration of the own vehicle;

wherein the driver'"'"'s driving intention estimator stops estimating the driving intention of the real driver responsive to the lateral acceleration being no greater than a predetermined acceleration value and a time rate of the overlapping ratio being no less than a predetermined rate value.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the relative lateral positional relationship is a lateral distance between a middle point between lateral ends of a front end of the own vehicle and a middle point between lateral ends of a rear end of the preceding vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a detector configured to detect a behavior of the own vehicle;

wherein the second imaginary driver'"'"'s operation calculator calculates the respective operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the second type based on the detected behavior immediately after a selection by the selector changes from the imaginary drivers of the first type to the imaginary drivers of the second type.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the detected behavior of the own vehicle is lateral acceleration.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the second imaginary driver'"'"'s operation calculator calculates the respective operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the second type based on a relative lateral positional relationship of the own vehicle to a preceding vehicle; and

the relative lateral positional relationship is an overlapping ratio representing a lap between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, relative to a width of the preceding vehicle.

11. A driver assisting system for an own vehicle, comprising:

the system of claim 1;

an obstacle detector configured to detect an obstacle around the own vehicle;

a risk potential calculator configured to calculate risk potential associated with the own vehicle based on a detection result of the obstacle detector;

a reaction force calculator configured to calculate a reaction force applying to an accelerator pedal based on the risk potential and the estimated driving intention of the real driver.

12. The driver assisting system of claim 11, wherein the reaction force calculator corrects the risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculator based on the estimated driving intention, and generates the reaction force based on the corrected risk potential.

13. The driver assisting system of claim 12, wherein the risk potential is corrected in a way that the risk potential corresponding to the estimated driving intention being a driving intention to change lanes is lower than the risk potential corresponding to the estimated driving intention not being a driving intention to change lanes.

14. The driver assisting system of claim 13, wherein the risk potential is corrected in a way that the risk potential corresponding to the estimated driving intention to change lanes that is estimated based on the imaginary drivers of the second type is set to be smaller relative to the risk potential corresponding to the estimated driving intention to change lanes that is estimated based on the imaginary drivers of the first type.

15. The driver assisting system of claim 11, wherein the reaction force calculator calculates a value of the reaction force based on the risk potential, and corrects the calculated value of the reaction force based on the estimated driving intention of the real driver.

16. The driver assisting system of claim 15, wherein the value of the reaction force is corrected in a way that the value of the reaction force corresponding to the estimated driving intention being a driving intention to change lanes is set to be smaller than the value of the reaction force corresponding to the estimated driving intention not being a driving intention to change lanes.

17. The driver assisting system of claim 16, wherein the value of the reaction force is corrected in a way that the value of the reaction force corresponding to the estimated driving intention to change lanes that is estimated based on the imaginary drivers of the second type is set to be lower relative to the value of the reaction force corresponding to the estimated driving intention to change lanes that is estimated based on the imaginary drivers of the first type.

18. A vehicle comprising the system of claim 11.

19. A system for estimating a driving intention, comprising:

detection means for obtaining a first type of environmental information and a second type of environmental information relating to a driving environment associated with an own vehicle, wherein the first type of environmental information is different from the second type of environmental information;

operation detection means for detecting an operation of a real driver of the own vehicle;

first means for calculating a respective imaginary operation of each of a plurality of imaginary drivers of a first type based on the first type of environmental information, wherein the respective imaginary operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the first type is needed to accomplish a respective imaginary driving intention assigned to each of the imaginary drivers of the first type;

second calculation means for calculating a respective imaginary operation of each of a plurality of imaginary drivers of a second type based on the second type of environmental information, wherein the respective imaginary operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the second type is needed to accomplish a respective imaginary driving intention assigned to each of the imaginary drivers of the second type;

selection means for selecting information related to the imaginary drivers of the first type or the imaginary drivers of the second type; and

intention estimation means for estimating a driving intention of the real driver based on the detected operation of the real driver and the respective imaginary operation of each of the plurality of imaginary drivers of the selected type.

20. A driver assisting system for an own vehicle, comprising:

the system of claim 19;

detection means for detecting an obstacle around the own vehicle;

calculation means for calculating risk potential associated with the own vehicle based on a detection result of the detection means;

reaction force calculation means for calculating a reaction force applied to an accelerator pedal based on the risk potential and the estimated driving intention of the real driver.

21. A method for estimating a driving intention, comprising:

obtaining a first type of environmental information and a second type of environmental information relating to a driving environment associated with an own vehicle, wherein the first type of environmental information is different from the second type of environmental information;

detecting an operation of a real driver of the own vehicle;

calculating a respective imaginary operation of each of a plurality of imaginary drivers of a first type based on the first type of environmental information, wherein the respective imaginary operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the first type is needed to accomplish a respective imaginary driving intention assigned to each of the imaginary drivers of the first type;

calculating a respective imaginary operation of each of a plurality of imaginary drivers of a second type based on the second type of environmental information, wherein the respective imaginary operation of each of the imaginary drivers of the second type is needed to accomplish a respective imaginary driving intention assigned to each of the imaginary drivers of the second type;

selecting information related to the imaginary drivers of the first type or the imaginary drivers of the second type; and

estimating a driving intention of the real driver based on the detected operation of the real driver and the respective imaginary operation of each of the plurality of imaginary drivers of the selected type.

22. A driver assisting method for an own vehicle, comprising the steps of:

the steps as described in claim 21;

detecting an obstacle around the own vehicle;

calculating risk potential associated with the own vehicle based on a result of the step of detecting the obstacle;

calculating a reaction force applied to an accelerator pedal based on the risk potential and the estimated driving intention.