Vehicular control object determination system

• US 7,103,478 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sawamoto, Kiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US11/256,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 701/93, 701/96, 701/301, 342/455, 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 180/170, 180/179
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Whether or not a radar device detects an object is determined by a detection state determinator. Whether or not a time during which the object is not detected and which is measured by a clocking device becomes a determination threshold value or more, is determined by a non-detection determinator. Based on the determination results, an informing device informs an occupant that the object is not detected for a predetermined time or more. Therefore, a state in which the radar device does not detect an object due to absence of the object on a road in a desert or the like is prevented from being erroneously determined as a state caused by contamination of the radar device. Also, the occupant can easily determine whether the operation of the informing device is actually caused by absence of an object or contamination of the radar device, based on the environment around the road on which the own vehicle is traveling. Especially because a reflected wave from a road surface, of which intensity changes in accordance with the condition, is not used for determination, it becomes unnecessary to change the setting of the determination threshold value and determination frequency region, and thus the structure and operation are simplified.

Claims

1. A vehicular control object determination system comprising:

an object detector for detecting an object that is present in the direction of travel of a vehicle;

a travel locus estimator for estimating a future travel locus of the vehicle;

a certainty calculator for calculating, based on a detection result obtained by the object detector, a travel locus estimated by the travel locus estimator, and predetermined certainty calculation conditions, a certainty with which the object becomes a control object;

a control object determiner for determining the object, as a control object for a subject vehicle, according to a cumulative value of the certainty;

a sideways relative speed detector for detecting a sideways relative speed (A) at which the object detected by the object detector approaches the travel locus of the subject vehicle; and

a direction-of-travel relative speed detector for detecting a direction-of-travel relative speed (B) at which the object approaches the subject vehicle;

the certainty calculator modifying the certainty calculation conditions based on the sideways relative speed (A) and the direction-of-travel relative speed (B).

2. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 1, wherein the certainty calculator modifies the certainty calculation conditions so as to increase the certainty when the sideways relative speed (A) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

3. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 1, wherein the certainty calculator modifies the certainty calculation conditions so as to increase the certainty when the direction-of-travel relative speed (B) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

4. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 1, wherein the travel locus estimator sets a control object determination region having a predetermined width with respect to the estimated travel locus and modifies the width of the control object determination region according to the magnitude of at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), the direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and a deceleration intention (P), and wherein the certainty calculator calculates the certainty of the object that is present within the control object determination region.

5. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 1, wherein the certainty calculator calculates a sideways distance between the object and the travel locus estimated by the travel locus estimator, and calculates the certainty by subtracting from a predetermined initial value a value obtained by multiplying the sideways distance by a proportionality constant.

6. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 1, wherein the certainty calculator carries out a map lookup for a certainty based on at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), the direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and a deceleration intention (P).

7. A vehicular control object determination system comprising:

an object detector for detecting an object that is present in the direction of travel of a vehicle;

a travel locus estimator for estimating a future travel locus of the vehicle;

a certainty calculator for calculating, based on a detection result obtained by the object detector, a travel locus estimated by the travel locus estimator, and predetermined certainty calculation conditions, a certainty with which the object becomes a control object;

a control object determiner for determining the object, as a control object for a subject vehicle, according to a cumulative value of the certainty;

a sideways relative speed detector for detecting a sideways relative speed (A) at which the object detected by the object detector approaches the travel locus of the subject vehicle; and

a deceleration intention detector for detecting a driver'"'"'s deceleration intention (P);

the certainty calculator modifying the certainty calculation conditions based on the sideways relative speed (A) and the deceleration intention (P).

8. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 7, wherein the certainty calculator modifies the certainty calculation conditions so as to increase the certainty when the sideways relative speed (A) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

9. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 7, wherein the certainty calculator modifies the certainty calculation conditions so as to increase the certainty when the magnitude of the deceleration intention (P) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

10. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 7, wherein the travel locus estimator sets a control object determination region having a predetermined width with respect to the estimated travel locus and modifies the width of the control object determination region according to the magnitude of at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), a direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and the deceleration intention (P), and wherein the certainty calculator calculates the certainty of the object that is present within the control object determination region.

11. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 10, wherein the travel locus estimator enlarges the width of the control object determination region in response to an increase in at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), the direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and the deceleration intention (P).

12. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 11, wherein the certainty calculator calculates a sideways distance between the object and the travel locus estimated by the travel locus estimator, and calculates the certainty by subtracting from a predetermined initial value a value obtained by multiplying the sideways distance by a proportionality constant.

13. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 12, wherein the certainty calculator decreases the proportionality constant in response to an increase in at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), the direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and the deceleration intention (P).

14. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 12, wherein the certainty calculator increases the certainty evenly over the whole region in the width direction of the control object determination region in response to an increase in at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), the direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and the deceleration intention (P).

15. The vehicular control object determination system according to claim 14, wherein the certainty calculator carries out a map lookup for the certainty based on at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), the direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and the deceleration intention (P).

16. A method for determining a vehicular control object comprising:

detecting an object that is present in the direction of travel of a vehicle;

estimating a future travel locus of the vehicle;

calculating, based on the detection result, the estimates travel locus, and predetermined certainty calculation conditions, a certainty with which the object becomes a control object;

determining the object, as a control object for a subject vehicle, according to a cumulative value of the certainty;

detecting a sideways relative speed (A) at which the detected object approaches the travel locus of the subject vehicle;

detecting a direction-of-travel relative speed (B) at which the object approaches the subject vehicle; and

modifying the certainty calculation conditions based on the sideways relative speed (A) and the direction-of-travel relative speed (B).

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising modifying the certainty calculation conditions so as to increase the certainty when the sideways relative speed (A) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising modifying the certainty calculation conditions so as to increase the certainty when the direction-of-travel relative speed (B) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising setting a control object determination region having a predetermined width with respect to the estimated travel locus and modifying the width of the control object determination region according to the magnitude of at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), the direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and a deceleration intention (P), and calculating the certainty of the object that is present within the control object determination region.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising calculating a sideways distance between the object and the estimated travel locus, and calculating the certainty by subtracting from a predetermined initial value a value obtained by multiplying the sideways distance by a proportionality constant.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising carrying out a map lookup for the certainty based on at least one of the sideways relative speed (A), the direction-of-travel relative speed (B), and a deceleration intention (P).