COLLISION PREDICTION APPARATUS AND COLLISION PREDICTION METHOD

• US 20200130683A1
• Filed: 12/26/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: OGURI, Takaharu, ITO, Yosuke, KAMIYA, Kei, TAKAKI, Ryo, BABA, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 11,351,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4048 Field of view, e.g. obstructed view or direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

The collision prediction apparatus is installed in a vehicle and predicts a collision between a moving object and the vehicle. The collision predict apparatus includes a vehicle path estimation section, a moving object path estimation section, an obstruction specifying section, a direction change information acquisition section, a moving object extraction area setting section, and a collision predict section. The moving object extraction area setting section sets, as a moving object extraction area, an area that is in the vicinity of an obstruction and is near an outer periphery of the obstruction facing a path of the vehicle after change of a traveling direction indicated by direction change information.

Claims

1. A collision prediction apparatus that is installed in a vehicle and predicts a collision between a moving object and the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a vehicle path estimation section that estimates a path of the vehicle;

a moving object path estimation section that estimates a path of the moving object based on information obtained from a first sensor in time series and used for recognizing the moving object;

an obstruction specifying section that specifies a position and size of an obstruction present in a traveling direction of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle;

a direction change information acquisition section that acquires direction change information indicating a change of the traveling direction;

a moving object extraction area setting section that sets a moving object extraction area with reference to the position and size of the obstruction by using the position and size of the specified obstruction and the acquired direction change information; and

a collision prediction section that determines whether a collision will occur between the vehicle and the moving object by using the estimated path of the vehicle, the estimated path of the moving object, and the acquired direction change information, when the moving object is recognized in the moving object extraction area based on the information obtained from the first sensor, wherein

the moving object extraction area setting section sets, as the moving object extraction area, an area that is in the vicinity of the obstruction and is near an outer periphery of the obstruction facing the path of the vehicle after the change of the traveling direction indicated by the direction change information.

2. The collision prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the traveling direction indicated by the direction change information does not change, the moving object extraction area setting section sets, as the moving object extraction area, an area having, in plan view, a rectangular shape that has a side extending from a center, which is located in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, of a front side end face of the obstruction to a first point away from the center by a predetermined first distance so as to approach the path of the vehicle in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, and a side extending from the center to a second point away from a rear end of the obstruction in the traveling direction by a second distance.

3. The collision prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the traveling direction indicated by the direction change information changes to the direction in which the vehicle passes through a front side of a front side end face of the obstruction, the moving object extraction area setting section sets, as the moving object extraction area, an area having, in plan view, a rectangular shape that has a side extending from a third point to a fourth point, the third point being away from a center, which is located in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, of the front side end face to a front side by a predetermined third distance in a direction opposite to the traveling direction, the fourth point being away from the third point by a predetermined fourth distance so as to be away from the path of the vehicle in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, and a side extending from a fifth point to the fourth point, the fifth point being away from the fourth point by a predetermined fifth distance in the traveling direction.

4. The collision prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

even when the moving object is recognized in an area different from the moving object extraction area based on the information obtained from the first sensor, the collision prediction section determines whether a collision will occur, and

when the moving object is recognized in the moving object extraction area, the collision prediction section determines whether a collision will occur by using the path of the moving object estimated based on the information obtained from the first sensor during a time period shorter than that when the moving object is recognized in an area different from the moving object extraction area.

5. The collision prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

as the path of the vehicle or a path of the vehicle after the change of the traveling direction indicated by the direction change information is closer to the obstruction, it is determined whether a collision will occur by using the path of the moving object estimated based on the information obtained from the first sensor during a shorter time period.

6. The collision prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle includes a second sensor that detects at least one of a steering wheel angle, a tire steering angle, and a yaw rate, and

the direction change information acquisition section acquires the direction change information based on a value obtained from the second sensor.

7. The collision prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the direction change information acquisition section obtains information indicating an operating state of a direction indicator installed in the vehicle, and acquires the direction change information based on the obtained information.

8. The collision prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle includes map information, and

the direction change information acquisition section specifies a type of a road in which the vehicle runs based on the map information, and acquires the direction change information based on the specifies type of the road.

9. The collision prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle includes an imaging section, and

the direction change information acquisition section acquires the direction change information based on a type of a sign painted on a road in an image obtained by the imaging section installed in the vehicle.

10. A collision prediction method for predicting a collision between a moving object and a vehicle, the method comprising:

estimating a path of the vehicle;

estimating a path of the moving object based on information obtained from a first sensor in time series and used for recognizing the moving object;

specifying a position and size of an obstruction present in a traveling direction of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle;

acquiring direction change information indicating a change of the traveling direction;

setting a moving object extraction area by using the position and size of the obstruction and the acquired direction change information; and

determining whether a collision will occur between the vehicle and the moving object by using the estimated path of the vehicle and the estimated path of the moving object, when the moving object is recognized in the moving object extraction area based on the information obtained from the first sensor, wherein

the setting the moving object extraction area includes setting, as the moving object extraction area, an area that is in the vicinity of the obstruction and is near an outer periphery of the obstruction facing the path of the vehicle after the change of the traveling direction indicated by the direction change information.