DRIVE ASSISTANCE APPARATUS

• US 20110245993A1
• Filed: 12/25/2008
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Goto, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Disclosed is a drive assistance apparatus capable of assisting safer driving of a vehicle. The drive assistance apparatus that includes a position detection unit detecting a positional relationship between a preceding vehicle present in front of a subject vehicle and the subject vehicle and executes a drive assistance control assisting the driving of the subject vehicle according to the detected results, wherein the drive assistance apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires signal device information regarding a signal device on a traveling path of the subject vehicle and a setting unit that sets execution conditions for executing the drive assistance control based on the signal device information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Claims

1. A drive assistance apparatus that includes position detection means detecting a positional relationship between obstacles present in front of a subject vehicle and the subject vehicle itself and executes a drive assistance control assisting the driving of the subject vehicle according to the detected results, the drive assistance apparatus comprising:

acquisition means that acquires signal device information regarding signal devices on a traveling path of the subject vehicle; and

setting means that sets execution conditions for executing the drive assistance control based on the signal device information acquired by the acquisition means.

2. The drive assistance apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the signal device information includes switching information regarding a switching of a signal type in regard to the signal devices and

the setting means changes and sets the execution conditions based on the switching information included in the signal device information.

3. The drive assistance apparatus of claim 1, further comprising inattentiveness detection means that detects the inattentiveness of the driver driving the subject vehicle,

wherein the setting means changes and sets the execution conditions when the inattentiveness detection means detects the inattentiveness of the driver.

4. The drive assistance apparatus of any one of claim 1, wherein the setting means changes and sets the execution conditions by changing threshold values corresponding to the setting of the execution conditions