ALERTING APPARATUS

• US 20160140847A1
• Filed: 11/12/2015
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: KAWAMATA, Shinya, HANITA, Kiyoto
• Granted Patent: US 9,514,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0953 the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An alerting apparatus issues an alert regarding a moving obstacle to a driver of a host vehicle when the host vehicle enters an intersection of a crossroad that is connected to a traveling road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the traveling road, in a left-hand traffic jurisdiction. This alerting apparatus includes an ECU. The ECU is configured to issue the alert regarding the moving obstacle when it is determined that a path of the moving obstacle intersects with an intersect determination range, and set the intersect determination range to be shorter in length in a front-rear direction of the host vehicle when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a left turn than when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a right turn.

Claims

1. An alerting apparatus that issues an alert regarding a moving obstacle to a driver of a host vehicle, when the host vehicle enters an intersection of a crossroad that is connected to a traveling road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the traveling road, in a left-hand traffic jurisdiction, the alerting apparatus comprising:

an ECU configured to

determine a traveling direction of the host vehicle entering the intersection;

set an intersect determination range that extends out in front of the host vehicle from the host vehicle, based on a result of the determination;

obtain position information of the moving obstacle;

estimate a path of the moving obstacle, based on the position information of the moving obstacle;

determine whether the path of the moving obstacle intersects with the intersect determination range;

issue the alert regarding the moving obstacle to the driver when it is determined that the path of the moving obstacle intersects with the intersect determination range; and

set the intersect determination range to be shorter in length in a front-rear direction of the host vehicle when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a left turn than when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a right turn.

2. The alerting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the ECU is configured to set the intersect determination range to have a length in the front-rear direction that is equal to or less than one-half of a road width of the crossroad when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a left turn.

5. The alerting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the ECU is configured to

set a timing of the alert regarding the moving obstacle to an earlier timing when the moving obstacle is positioned on a left side of the host vehicle than when the moving obstacle is positioned on a right side of the host vehicle, when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a left turn;

and

set the timing of the alert regarding the moving obstacle to an earlier timing when the moving obstacle is positioned on the right side of the host vehicle than when the moving obstacle is positioned on the left side of the host vehicle, when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a right turn.

3. An alerting apparatus that issues an alert regarding a moving obstacle to a driver of a host vehicle, when the host vehicle enters an intersection of a crossroad that is connected to a traveling road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the traveling road, in a right-hand traffic jurisdiction, the alerting apparatus comprising:

an ECU configured to

determine a traveling direction of the host vehicle entering the intersection;

set an intersect determination range that extends out in front of the host vehicle from the host vehicle, based on a result of the determination;

obtain position information of the moving obstacle;

estimate a path of the moving obstacle, based on the position information of the moving obstacle;

determine whether the path of the moving obstacle intersects with the intersect determination range;

issue the alert regarding the moving obstacle to the driver when it is determined that the path of the moving obstacle intersects with the intersect determination range; and

set the intersect determination range shorter in length in a front-rear direction of the host vehicle when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a right turn than when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a left turn.

4. The alerting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the ECU is configured to set the intersect determination range to have a length in the front-rear direction that is equal to or less than one-half of a road width of the crossroad when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a right turn.

6. An alerting apparatus that issues an alert regarding a moving obstacle to a driver of a host vehicle, when the host vehicle enters an intersection of a crossroad that is connected to a traveling road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the traveling road, the alerting apparatus comprising:

an ECU configured to

determine a traveling direction of the host vehicle entering the intersection;

obtain position information of the moving obstacle;

estimate a path of the moving obstacle, based on the position information of the moving obstacle;

determine whether the path of the moving obstacle intersects with a preset intersect determination range that extends out in front of the host vehicle from the host vehicle;

issue the alert regarding the moving obstacle to the driver when it is determined that the path of the moving obstacle intersects with the intersect determination range;

set a timing of the alert regarding the moving obstacle to an earlier timing when the moving obstacle is positioned on a left side of the host vehicle than when the moving obstacle is positioned on a right side of the host vehicle, when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a left turn; and

set the timing of the alert regarding the moving obstacle to an earlier timing when the moving obstacle is positioned on the right side of the host vehicle than when the moving obstacle is positioned on the left side of the host vehicle, when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a right turn.