VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20170232964A1
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: MORITANI, Takayuki, KOJIMA, Kouichi, YAMASHITA, Takeharu
• Granted Patent: US 10,220,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/32 Vehicle surroundings
• 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: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering

Abstract

When an own vehicle V1 crosses an opposite traffic lane R2 at an intersection to make a right turn, an ECU 20 such as a vehicle control device detects a presence of a crossing person P crossing a crosswalk CW existing near the intersection on a road R3 which the vehicle V1 is directed to enter by making the right turn, detects a size of a space between the crosswalk SP on which the detected crossing person P crosses and the opposite traffic lane, and when performing a control for braking the vehicle V1 so as to avoid a collision of at least the vehicle V1 with the crossing person P, changes a timing to perform the control for braking the vehicle V1 based on the detected size of the space SP up to the crosswalk CW.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, comprising:

a crossing person detecting unit configured to, when a vehicle crosses an opposite traffic lane at an intersection to make a right or left turn, detect a presence of a crossing person crossing a crosswalk existing near the intersection and on a road to which the vehicle is directed to enter by making the right or left turn;

a space detecting unit configured to, when the presence of the crossing person crossing the crosswalk is detected by the crossing person detecting unit, detect a size of a space between the crosswalk and the opposite traffic lane; and

a braking controlling unit configured to perform a control for braking the vehicle in order to avoid a collision of the vehicle with the crossing person,

wherein the braking controlling unit is configured to change a timing for performing the control for braking the vehicle, based on the size of the space detected by the space detecting unit.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,

wherein the space detecting unit is configured to detect a length of the space along the road to which the vehicle is directed to enter by making the right or left turn, as the size of the space, and

wherein the braking controlling unit is configured to change the timing for performing the control for braking the vehicle in accordance with a magnitude relationship between the length of the space detected by the space detecting unit and a longitudinal length of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein, when the length of the space is shorter than the longitudinal length, the braking controlling unit is configured to make a timing for starting the control for braking the vehicle earlier than when the length of the space is longer than the longitudinal length.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3,

wherein the braking controlling unit is configured to determine a Time to Collision of the vehicle with respect to the crossing person, based on a distance from the vehicle to the crossing person and a relative speed of the vehicle with respect to the crossing person, in order to start the control for braking the vehicle when the Time to Collision becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value, and

wherein, when the length of the space is shorter than the longitudinal length, the braking controlling unit is configured to set the threshold value larger than when the length of the space is longer than the longitudinal length, in order to make the timing for starting the control earlier.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 2,

wherein, when the length of the space is shorter than the longitudinal length, the braking controlling unit is configured to set the timing for performing the control for braking the vehicle so that the vehicle can be stopped within an own lane before reaching the opposite traffic lane by performing the control for braking the vehicle, and

wherein, when the length of the space is longer than the longitudinal length, the braking controlling unit is configured to set the timing for performing the control for braking the vehicle so that the vehicle can be stopped within the space by performing the control for braking the vehicle.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm controlling unit configured to provide an alarm to a driver,

wherein, when the vehicle crosses the opposite traffic lane to make the right or left turn, the alarm controlling unit is configured to determine a possibility of the vehicle colliding with another vehicle approaching on the opposite traffic lane, and

wherein, when it is determined that there is no possibility of the vehicle colliding with another vehicle, the alarm controlling unit is configured to inhibit execution of the control for braking the vehicle by the braking controlling unit, and to provide the alarm to the driver.