Collision Avoidance System and Collision Avoidance Method

• US 20170309179A1
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Kodama, Yuji, Nakatani, Koji, Saegusa, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,192,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A host vehicle is provided with a detection device that detects the behavior of an object in the surroundings of the host vehicle in a non-contact manner. The host vehicle is also provided with the following: a warning device that performs a warning operation pertaining to a warning directed at a following vehicle that is traveling behind the host vehicle; and a control device that controls the warning device on the basis of the result of detection by the detection device. The control device controls the warning device so as to perform the warning operation in a case where the result of detection by the detection device indicates that the behavior of an object in the surroundings of the host vehicle corresponds to an unnatural behavioral pattern.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance system comprising:

a detection device that is provided in a host vehicle and detects behavior of an object in surroundings of the host vehicle in a non-contact manner;

a warning device that carries out a warning operation pertaining to a warning directed at a following vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle; and

a control device that controls the warning device on a basis of a detection result from the detection device,

the control device controlling the warning device to carry out the warning operation in a case where the behavior of the object indicated by the detection result corresponds to an unnatural behavioral pattern.

2. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the control device includes:

a storage unit that stores behavior data pertaining to the unnatural behavioral pattern;

a behavior analysis unit that analyzes the behavior of the object on the basis of the detection result; and

a comparison unit that compares the behavior data stored in the storage unit with analysis result data corresponding to an analysis result from the behavior analysis unit, and

the control device controls the warning device in a case where a result of comparison made by the comparison unit indicates that the analysis result data and the behavior data match.

3. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the object in the surroundings of the host vehicle is another vehicle aside from the host vehicle;

the unnatural behavioral pattern includes at least one of a behavioral pattern indicating it is possible that a driver has fallen asleep while driving, a behavioral pattern indicating it is possible that a driver is intoxicated, and a behavioral pattern corresponding to dangerous driving; and

a storage unit stores data pertaining to the unnatural behavioral pattern exhibited by the another vehicle as behavior data.

4. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the detection device includes a radar unit that outputs, as the detection result, a measurement signal based on reflection waves received after emitting electromagnetic waves toward the object in the surroundings of the host vehicle;

and

a behavior analysis unit carries out predetermined computational processing on a basis of the measurement signal and outputs a result of the computational processing as analysis result data.

5. The collision avoidance system according to claim 4,

wherein the behavior analysis unit carries out a computation for finding a change or a rate of change in a value indicated by the measurement signal.

6. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the detection device includes an imaging unit that captures an image of the object in the surroundings of the host vehicle, and outputs, as the detection result, an image signal based on the image captured by the imaging unit;

and

a behavior analysis unit carries out predetermined image processing on an image based on the image signal and outputs a result of the image processing as analysis result data.

7. The collision avoidance system according to claim 6,

wherein the behavior analysis unit carries out a computation for finding a change or a rate of change in a value found from the image based on the image signal.

8. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the object includes a following vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle.

9. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the object includes a leading vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle.

10. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the warning operation includes at least one of an operation of making a predetermined display directed at the following vehicle and an operation of outputting a predetermined sound directed at the following vehicle.

11. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the warning operation includes an operation of transmitting, to the following vehicle, a signal for causing another warning device provided in the following vehicle to operate.

12. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the control device further includes a cancellation unit that stops execution of the warning operation on the basis of a detection result for behavior of the host vehicle.

14. The collision avoidance system according to claim 2,

wherein the object in the surroundings of the host vehicle is another vehicle aside from the host vehicle;

the unnatural behavioral pattern includes at least one of a behavioral pattern indicating it is possible that a driver has fallen asleep while driving, a behavioral pattern indicating it is possible that a driver is intoxicated, and a behavioral pattern corresponding to dangerous driving; and

the storage unit stores data pertaining to the unnatural behavioral pattern exhibited by the another vehicle as the behavior data.

15. The collision avoidance system according to claim 14,

wherein the detection device includes a radar unit that outputs, as the detection result, a measurement signal based on reflection waves received after emitting electromagnetic waves toward the object in the surroundings of the host vehicle;

and

the behavior analysis unit carries out predetermined computational processing on a basis of the measurement signal and outputs a result of the computational processing as the analysis result data.

16. The collision avoidance system according to claim 15,

wherein the behavior analysis unit carries out a computation for finding a change or a rate of change in a value indicated by the measurement signal.

17. The collision avoidance system according to claim 14,

wherein the detection device includes an imaging unit that captures an image of the object in the surroundings of the host vehicle, and outputs, as the detection result, an image signal based on the image captured by the imaging unit;

and

the behavior analysis unit carries out predetermined image processing on an image based on the image signal and outputs a result of the image processing as the analysis result data.

18. The collision avoidance system according to claim 17,

wherein the behavior analysis unit carries out a computation for finding a change or a rate of change in a value found from the image based on the image signal.

19. The collision avoidance system according to claim 18,

wherein the object includes a following vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle.

20. The collision avoidance system according to claim 18,

wherein the object includes a leading vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle;

and

wherein the warning operation includes at least one of an operation of making a predetermined display directed at the following vehicle and an operation of outputting a predetermined sound directed at the following vehicle.

13. A collision avoidance method comprising:

a first step of detecting behavior of an object in surroundings of a vehicle in a non-contact manner by a detection device provided in the vehicle;

a second step of determining whether or not the behavior of the object indicated by a detection result from the first step corresponds to an unnatural behavioral pattern by a control device; and

a third step of carrying out a warning operation pertaining to a warning for a following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle on a basis of a determination result from the second step by a warning device.