Driving intention estimation system, vehicle operation assistance system, and vehicle equipped therewith

• US 20060178789A1
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kuge, Nobuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0255 Automatic changing of lane, e.g. for passing another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A system for estimating a driving intention of a vehicle driver comprises a vehicle surroundings detection device for detecting the vehicle surroundings, an operational input detection device for detecting operational input by the real driver, a first imaginary driver operational input calculation device for calculating the required operational input by a first method based on the vehicle surroundings in order to execute the driving intention of each imaginary driver for multiple differing imaginary drivers, a second imaginary driver operational input calculation device for calculating the required operational input by a second method that differs from the first method based on information differing from said vehicle surroundings in order to execute the driving intention of each imaginary driver, an imaginary driver operational input selection device for selecting either the operational input of the multiple imaginary drivers computed by the first driver operational input calculation device or the operational input of multiple imaginary drivers computed by the second driver operational input calculation device, based on the running condition, an operational input degree of similarity calculation device for calculating each degree of similarity between the operational input of multiple imaginary drivers and the operational input for the real driver, and a driving intention estimation device for estimating the driving intention of said real driver based on the multiple operational input degree of similarity.

Claims

1. A system for estimating a driver intention comprising:

an information detector that detects information necessary to operate a vehicle;

an operational input detection device for detecting an operational input by a real driver;

first and second imaginary driver operational input calculation devices configured to respectively calculate imaginary operational inputs of multiple imaginary drivers, wherein the first and second imaginary driver operational input calculation devices calculate the imaginary operational inputs of the multiple imaginary drivers based on different methods or different information;

an imaginary driver operational input selection device configured to select one of the multiple imaginary drivers based on the imaginary operation inputs calculated by the first and second imaginary driver operational input calculation devices; and

a driving intention estimator configured to estimate an intention of the real driver based on the operational input of the real driver detected by the operational input detection device and the one of the multiple imaginary drivers, selected by the imaginary driver operational input selection device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the different methods comprising a first method and a second method that differs from the first method, and the different information comprising first information and second information that is different from the first information, in which the second imaginary driver operational input calculation device calculates the imaginary operation by the second method based on the second information.

3. The system for estimating a driver intention according to claim 2, further comprising a running condition detection device for detecting at least one running condition.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the imaginary driver operational input selection device selectively chooses the operational input of the multiple imaginary drivers based on the degree of similarity for a preceding vehicle detected by a running condition detection device.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the imaginary driver operational input selection device selectively chooses the operational input of the multiple imaginary drivers based on the turning curvature of a roadway detected by the running condition detection device.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein the driver operational input selection device selectively chooses the operational input of the multiple imaginary drivers based on vehicle speed detected by the running conditions detection device.

7. The system according to claim 3, further comprising a driving intention estimation standard modification device for modifying, based on a turning curvature of a roadway detected by the running conditions detection device, the driving intention estimation standard used at the time of estimation of the driving intention by the driving intention estimation device.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the driving intention estimation standard modification device selectively increases the driving intention estimation standard to the extent that the turning curvature becomes larger.

9. The vehicle operation assistance system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an obstacle detection device for detecting obstacle conditions in the surroundings of the vehicle;

a risk potential calculation device for calculating risk potential of the vehicle surroundings based on detection results from the obstacle detection device;

an operation reaction force calculation device for calculating an operation reaction force to be transmitted to an accelerator pedal based on a risk potential computed by the risk potential calculation device;

an operation reaction force generation device for transmitting the operation reaction force to the accelerator pedal; and

a correction device for correcting the operation reaction force to be transmitted to the accelerator pedal based on estimation results of the driving intention from the driving intention estimation system.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the correction device selectively corrects the risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device based on the driving intention estimation results, and also selectively corrects the risk potential based on the duplication rate of a preceding vehicle when the driving intention estimation results of the driving intention estimation device are based on calculation results of the second imaginary driver operational input calculation device.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the correction device selectively corrects in a manner such that the risk potential becomes smaller when the estimation result of the driving intention estimation device is for lane changing as compared to when the estimation result is not for lane changing, and it also further corrects so that the risk potential becomes smaller to the extent that the duplication rate is below a predetermined threshold.

12. The system according to claim 9 wherein the correction device selectively corrects the operation reaction force computed by the operation reaction force calculation device based on the driving intention estimation results, and also further selectively corrects the operation reaction force based on the duplication ratio for a preceding vehicle when the driving intention estimation results from the driving intention estimation device are based on the calculation results of the second imaginary driver operational input calculation device.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the assistance device selectively corrects in a manner such that the operation reaction force becomes smaller when the estimation result of the driving intention estimation device is for lane changing as compared to when the estimation result is not for lane changing, and it also further selectively corrects so that the operation reaction force becomes smaller to the extent that the duplication rate is below a predetermined threshold.

14. A driving intention estimation system comprising:

a vehicle surroundings detection device for detecting the vehicle surroundings;

an operational input detection device for detecting the operational input by a real driver;

a first operational input calculation device for calculating by a first method the operational input for each of multiple imaginary drivers provided with a driving intention to enable execution of the driving intention based on vehicle surroundings detected by the vehicle surroundings detection device;

a second operational input calculation device for calculating by a second method that differs from the first method, based on information that differs from the vehicle surroundings being used by the first operational input calculation device;

a first operational input degree of similarity calculation device for calculating each degree of similarity between the operational input of the multiple imaginary drivers calculated by the first operational input calculation device and the operational input of the real driver detected by the operational input detection device;

a second operation degree of similarity calculation device for calculating each degree of similarity between the operational input of multiple imaginary drivers calculated by the second operational input calculation device and the operational input of the real driver; and

a driving intention estimation device for estimating the driving intention of the real driver by using both a first operational input degree of similarity for multiple instances calculated by the first operational input degree of similarity calculating device and the multiple instances of a second operating amount degree of similarity calculated by the second operational input degree of similarity calculating device.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein:

the first operational input calculation device selectively calculates the operational inputs using as a standard a target position set in a forward direction of the vehicle corresponding to the driving intention; and

the second operational input calculation device selectively calculates the operational input based on a relative positional relationship between the vehicle and an obstacle existing in front of the vehicle.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the second operational input calculation device selectively calculates the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle, and selectively computes the operational input based on a duplication ratio showing a degree of overlap between a width of the vehicle and a width of a preceding vehicle.

17. The vehicle operation assistance system according to claim 16, further comprising:

an obstacle detection device for detecting obstacle conditions within the vehicle surroundings;

a risk potential calculation device for detecting the risk potential of the vehicle surroundings based on detection results from the obstacle detection device;

an operation of reaction force calculation device for calculating an operation reaction force to be transmitted to an accelerator pedal based on a risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device;

an operation reaction force generation device for transmitting the operation reaction force to the acceleration pedal; and

a correction device for correcting the operation reaction force to be transmitted to the accelerator pedal based on estimation results of the driving intention from the driving intention estimation system.

18. A vehicle comprising the vehicle operation assistance device according to claim 17.

19. A method of estimating a driver intention comprising the following steps of:

detecting information necessary to operate a vehicle;

detecting an operation of a real driver;

calculating imaginary operations of a plurality of imaginary drivers based on the information from the information detecting means, based on different methods or different information;

selecting one of the multiple imaginary drivers based on the calculated imaginary operations; and

estimating an intention of the real driver based on the operation of the real driver and the selected one of the plurality of imaginary drivers.

20. A system for estimating a driver intention comprising:

an information detecting means that detects information necessary to operate a vehicle;

a real driver operation detecting means that detects an operation of a real driver;

at least two imaginary driver operation calculating means configured to respectively calculate imaginary operations of a plurality of imaginary drivers based on the information from the information detecting means, wherein the at least two imaginary driver operation calculating means calculate the imaginary operations of the plurality of imaginary drivers based on different methods or different information;

a selecting means configured to select one of the plurality of imaginary drivers based on the imaginary operations calculated by the at least two imaginary driver operation calculating means; and

an intention estimating means configured to estimate an intention of the real driver based on the operation of the real driver detected by the real driver operation detecting means and one of the plurality of imaginary drivers, selected by the selecting means.

21. A system for estimating an intention of a vehicle driver comprising:

a vehicle surroundings detection device for detecting a vehicle surroundings;

an operational input detection device for detecting operational input by a real driver;

a first imaginary driver operational input calculation device for calculating the operational input by a first method based on the vehicle surroundings detected by the vehicle surroundings detection device in order to realize the driving intention of each imaginary driver for multiple differing imaginary drivers provided with driving intentions;

a second imaginary driver operational input calculation device for calculating the operational input by a second method that differs from the first method based on information differing from the vehicle surroundings being detected by the vehicle surroundings detection device in order to realize the driving intention of each imaginary driver for multiple differing imaginary drivers provided with driving intentions;

a running condition detection device for detecting at least one running condition;

an imaginary driver operational input selection device for selecting either the operational input of the multiple differing imaginary drivers computed according to the first imaginary driver operation calculation device or the operational input of multiple imaginary drivers computed by the second driver operational input calculation device, based on the running condition detected by the running condition detection device;

an operational input degree of similarity calculation device for calculating each degree of similarity between the operational input of multiple imaginary drivers selected by the imaginary driver operational input selection device and the operational input for the real driver detected by the operational input detection device; and

a driving intention estimation device for estimating the driving intention of the real driver based on the multiple operational input degree of similarity computed by the operational input similarity calculation device.