APPARATUS FOR ESTIMATING TRAVEL PATH OF A VEHICLE

• US 20130110391A1
• Filed: 06/15/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Obi, Masakazu
• Granted Patent: US 9,043,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/400
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/24 Curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2250/03 Vehicle yaw rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17551 determining control parameters related to vehicle stability used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees

Abstract

An apparatus for estimating a travel path of a vehicle is mounted on the vehicle; and includes: an object detection device that detects an object lying ahead of the vehicle; a stationary object detection device that determines whether a detected object is a stationary object; a device that calculates an approximate straight line indicating a path of the stationary object from the temporal positional data for the stationary object projected on two-dimensional coordinates using a vehicle position as a starting point; a device that calculates a orthogonal line which passes through a midpoint in the temporal positional data for the stationary object and goes straight with respect to the approximate straight line on the two-dimensional coordinates; and a device that calculates a vehicle turning radius from an intersection point where the orthogonal line intersects with a x axis.

Claims

1. An apparatus for estimating a travel path of a vehicle comprising:

means for detecting an object lying ahead of the vehicle;

means for determining whether the detected object is a stationary object;

means for calculating an approximate straight line indicating a path of the stationary object based on temporal positional data of the stationary object projected on two-dimensional coordinates, the origin of the coordinates being the position of the vehicle;

means for calculating a straight line that passes through a midpoint of the temporal positions of the stationary object and is orthogonal to the approximate line on the two-dimensional coordinates; and

means for calculating a turning radius of the vehicle from an intersection point where the orthogonal line intersects the X axis.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising;

means for calculating a yaw rate of the vehicle from the turning radius obtained for each stationary object when multiple stationary objects exist, for estimating a travel path of the vehicle from an average value of the calculated yaw rate.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for calculating a yaw rate of the vehicle per each stationary object from the turning radius obtained for each stationary object and a vehicle speed; and

means for calculating an average value of the yaw rate per each obtained stationary object when multiple stationary objects exist.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for calculating a difference between a yaw rate value detected by a yaw rate sensor arranged in the vehicle and the average value of the yaw rate, wherein the obtained yaw rate is used for correction of a detected value of the yaw rate sensor.

5. An apparatus for calculating a travel path of a vehicle having a control unit including a processor and a memory, the control unit being configured to:

detect an object lying ahead of the vehicle;

determine whether the detected object is stationary;

calculate an approximate straight line indicating a path of the stationary object based on temporal positional data of the stationary object projected on two-dimensional coordinates, the origin of the coordinates being the position of the vehicle;

calculate a straight line that passes through a midpoint of the temporal positions of the stationary object and is orthogonal to the approximate line; and

calculate a turning radius of the vehicle from the point on the X axis at which the orthogonal line intersects the X axis, the curve (T) drawn with the turning radius forming a part of the estimated path of the vehicle.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, said control unit further configured to;

calculate a yaw rate of the vehicle from the turning radius obtained for each stationary object when multiple stationary objects exist, for estimating a travel path of the vehicle from an average value of the calculated yaw rate.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, said control unit further configured to:

calculate a yaw rate of the vehicle per each stationary object from the turning radius obtained for each stationary object and a vehicle speed; and

calculate an average value of the yaw rate per each obtained stationary object when multiple stationary objects exist.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, said control unit further configured to:

calculate a difference between a yaw rate value detected by a yaw rate sensor arranged in the vehicle and the average value of the yaw rate, wherein the obtained yaw rate is used for correction of a detected value of the yaw rate sensor.

9. A method for calculating a travel path of a vehicle, comprising:

detecting an object lying ahead of the vehicle;

determining whether the detected object is stationary;

calculating an approximate straight line indicating a path of the stationary object based on temporal positional data of the stationary object projected on two-dimensional coordinates, the origin of the coordinates being the position of the vehicle;

calculating a straight line that passes through a midpoint of the temporal positions of the stationary object and is orthogonal to the approximate line; and

calculating a turning radius of the vehicle from the point on the X axis at which the orthogonal line intersects the X axis, the curve (T) drawn with the turning radius forming a part of the estimated path of the vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising;

calculating a yaw rate of the vehicle from the turning radius obtained for each stationary object when multiple stationary objects exist, for estimating a travel path of the vehicle from an average value of the calculated yaw rate.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

calculating a yaw rate of the vehicle per each stationary object from the turning radius obtained for each stationary object and a vehicle speed; and

calculating an average value of the yaw rate per each obtained stationary object when multiple stationary objects exist.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

calculating a difference between a yaw rate value detected by a yaw rate sensor arranged in the vehicle and the average value of the yaw rate, wherein the obtained yaw rate is used for correction of a detected value of the yaw rate sensor.