DRIVING ASSISTANCE DEVICE

• US 20110115647A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mukaiyama, Yoshio
• Granted Patent: US 8,917,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/907
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

Provided is a driving assistance device capable of assisting safer driving of a vehicle. A driving assistance device 1 assists the driving in a case where a subject-vehicle C is advancing in the right-turn direction at an intersection where a traffic light S is installed which has a right arrow-indicating green lamplight signal BA and a green lamplight signal B. The driving assistance device includes a road-to-vehicle communicator 10 which acquires the traffic light information on lighting of the traffic light S, a course change determination section 33 which determines whether or not the subject-vehicle C is advancing in the right-turn direction when the traffic light information indicates that the green lamplight signal B is lit, a signal schedule determination section 34 which determines whether or not the required time until the lighting of the right arrow-indicating green lamplight signal BA is equal to or more than a predetermined time when it is determined that the subject-vehicle C is advancing in the right-turn direction, and an HMI control section 35 which assists driving such that the subject-vehicle advances in the right-turn direction during the lighting of the right arrow-indicating green lamplight signal BA when it is determined that the required time is less than a predetermined time.

Claims

1. A driving assistance device which assists the driving in a case where a subject-vehicle is advancing in a first course direction at an intersection where a traffic light is installed which has a first signal indicating permission to advance in the first course direction through lighting and a second signal indicating permission to advance in a second course direction including the first course direction through lighting, the driving assistance device comprising:

an acquisition means which acquires traffic light information on lighting of the traffic light;

a first determination means which determines whether or not the subject-vehicle is advancing in the first course direction when the traffic light information acquired by the acquisition means indicates that the second signal is lit;

a second determination means which determines whether or not the required time until the lighting of the first signal indicated by the traffic light information acquired by the acquisition means is equal to or more than a predetermined time when the first determination means has determined that the subject-vehicle is advancing in the first course direction; and

an assisting means which assists driving such that the subject-vehicle advances in the first course direction during the lighting of the first signal when the second determination means has determined that the required time is less than a predetermined time.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1,

wherein when the second determination means has determined that the required time is equal to or more than the predetermined time, the assisting means assists driving so as to advance in the first course direction during the lighting of the second signal.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the first course direction is a right-turn direction, the first signal is a right arrow-indicating green lamplight signal, and the second signal is a green lamplight signal.