Host vehicle moving area acquisition device and acquisition method

• US 20080303696A1
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Aso, Kazuaki, Harada, Masahiro, Kindo, Toshiki
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A movable area acquisition ECU 1 compares a possible path for a host vehicle and a predicted path of another vehicle in a travel area of the host vehicle with each other to obtain a possibility of collision between the two vehicles, thus computing a degree of danger to the host vehicle. If the degree of danger to the host vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold, the travel area is extended and then a degree of danger to the host vehicle is computed and acquired.

Claims

1. A host vehicle moving area acquisition device comprising:

a moving area setting portion that sets a moving area in which a host vehicle can move; and

a traffic condition acquisition portion that acquires a traffic condition around the host vehicle,

wherein the moving area setting portion adjusts the moving area on the basis of the traffic condition.

2. The host vehicle moving area acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein:

the traffic condition acquisition portion includes a host vehicle path acquisition portion that acquires a plurality of paths of the host vehicle in the moving area, an obstacle path acquisition portion that acquires a path of an obstacle in the vicinity of the host vehicle, and a safety degree acquisition portion that acquires a safety degree, which represents a probability of no collision between the host vehicle and the obstacle, on the basis of each of the paths of the host vehicle and the path of the obstacle;

the traffic condition includes the safety degree acquired by the safety degree acquisition portion; and

the moving area setting portion acquires an extended area in which the moving area of the host vehicle is extended, if the safety degree is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold.

3. The host vehicle moving area acquisition device according to claim 2, wherein the safety degree acquisition portion includes a path selecting portion that acquires a safety degree in each of the plurality of paths of the host vehicle by computing a probability of collision between the host vehicle and the obstacle in each of the plurality of paths of the host vehicle, and selects a path with the highest safety degree.

4. The host vehicle moving area acquisition device according to claim 3, wherein the moving area setting portion determines whether or not a safety degree with respect to the path with the highest safety degree exceeds the threshold, and determines the path with the lowest probability of collision as a host vehicle path if the safety degree exceeds the threshold.

5. The host vehicle moving area acquisition device according to claim 2, wherein:

the traffic condition acquisition portion further includes an obstacle information acquisition portion that acquires information of the obstacle in the vicinity of the host vehicle, a host vehicle information acquisition portion that acquires a position and travel state of the host vehicle, and a map database;

the moving area setting portion sets the moving area of the host vehicle on the basis of the position of the host vehicle and information in the map database;

the obstacle path acquisition portion acquires the path of the obstacle on the basis of the obstacle information and the moving area; and

the host vehicle path acquisition portion acquires each of the paths of the host vehicle on the basis of the travel state and the moving area of the host vehicle.

6. The host vehicle moving area acquisition device according to claim 5, wherein the moving area setting portion sets the acquired extended area as the moving area in which the host vehicle can move, if the safety degree is equal to or lower than the threshold.

7. The host vehicle moving area acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the moving area setting portion switches between a steady-state moving area under a steady state condition and a non-steady state moving area under a non-steady state condition on the basis of the traffic condition.

8. The host vehicle moving area acquisition device according to claim 2, wherein the moving area setting portion switches between a steady-state moving area under a steady-state condition and a non-steady state moving area under a non-steady state condition if the safety degree is equal to or lower than the threshold.

9. The host vehicle moving area acquisition device according to claim 8, wherein:

the steady-state moving area is an area in which traffic rules are followed and which includes a travel lane in which the host vehicle travels, a lane that is adjacent to the travel lane and runs in the same direction as a travel direction of the host vehicle, and a lane that crosses the travel lane and into which the host vehicle can make a right turn or a left turn; and

the non-steady state moving area is an extended area in which the steady-state moving area is extended to include at least one of a road shoulder of an expressway, a broad sidewalk or vacant lot, a zebra zone, and an opposing lane.

10. A host vehicle moving area acquisition method comprising:

setting a moving area in which the host vehicle can move;

predicting a path of an obstacle in the moving area;

predicting a path of the host vehicle in the moving area on the basis of a travel state of the host vehicle;

computing a safety degree with respect to the path of the host vehicle, on the basis of the path of the obstacle and the path of the host vehicle;

determining whether or not the safety degree exceeds a threshold; and

switching the moving area from a steady-state moving area to a non-steady state moving area if the safety degree is equal to or lower than the threshold.

11. The host vehicle moving area acquisition method according to claim 10, wherein the non-steady state moving area is an extended area of the steady-state moving area.