Driving intention estimation system, vehicle operation assistance system, and vehicle equipped therewith

• US 7,634,331 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kuge, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Algahaim; Helal A
• Application Number:
  US11/348,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/35
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0255 Automatic changing of lane, e.g. for passing another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A system for estimating a driving intention of a vehicle driver comprises a vehicle surroundings detection device for detecting the vehicle surroundings, an operational input detection device for detecting operational input by the real driver, a first imaginary driver operational input calculation device for calculating the required operational input by a first method based on the vehicle surroundings in order to execute the driving intention of each imaginary driver for multiple differing imaginary drivers, a second imaginary driver operational input calculation device for calculating the required operational input by a second method that differs from the first method based on information differing from said vehicle surroundings in order to execute the driving intention of each imaginary driver, an imaginary driver operational input selection device for selecting either the operational input of the multiple imaginary drivers computed by the first driver operational input calculation device or the operational input of multiple imaginary drivers computed by the second driver operational input calculation device, based on the running condition, an operational input degree of similarity calculation device for calculating each degree of similarity between the operational input of multiple imaginary drivers and the operational input for the real driver, and a driving intention estimation device for estimating the driving intention of said real driver based on the multiple operational input degree of similarity.

Claims

1. A system for estimating a driving intention of an operator of a vehicle comprising:

an information detector that detects information necessary to operate the vehicle;

an operational input detection device for detecting an operational input by the operator;

first and second imaginary driver operational input calculation devices configured to respectively calculate imaginary operational inputs of multiple imaginary drivers, wherein the first and second imaginary driver operational input calculation devices incorporate different methods for formulating the multiple imaginary drivers and calculating the imaginary operational inputs, each of the multiple imaginary drivers representing a reference model target position of the vehicle different from its current position and a respective imaginary operational input associated with an action needed by that imaginary driver to attain its respective reference model target position of the vehicle;

an imaginary driver operational input selection device configured to select one of the multiple imaginary drivers based on the imaginary operational inputs calculated by the first and second imaginary driver operational input calculation devices; and

a driving intention estimator configured to estimate an intention of the operator based on the operational input of the operator detected by the operational input detection device and the one of the multiple imaginary drivers selected by the imaginary driver operational input selection device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the different methods comprise a first method and a second method that differs from the first method, wherein the first imaginary driver operational input calculation device is configured to calculate the imaginary operational input by the first method based on first information and the second imaginary driver operational input calculation device is configured to calculate the imaginary operational input by the second method based on second information, the second information being different from the first information.

3. The system for estimating a driver intention according to claim 1, further comprising:

a running condition detection device for detecting at least one running condition of the vehicle or external of the vehicle.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the imaginary driver operational input selection device is configured to selectively choose the one of the multiple imaginary drivers based on a degree of similarity of the vehicle to a preceding vehicle detected by the running condition detection device.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the imaginary driver operational input selection device is configured to selectively choose the one of the multiple imaginary drivers based on a turning curvature of a roadway detected by the running condition detection device.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein the imaginary driver operational input selection device is configured to selectively choose the one of the multiple imaginary drivers based on vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by the running condition detection device.

7. The system according to claim 3, wherein the driving intention estimator is configured to modify, based on a turning curvature of a roadway detected by the running condition detection device a driving intention estimation standard used to estimate the intention by the operator.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the driving intention estimator is configured to modify the driving intention estimation standard by increasing the driving intention estimation standard as the turning curvature becomes larger.

9. The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an obstacle detection device for detecting obstacle conditions in the surroundings of the vehicle;

a risk potential calculation device configured to calculate a risk potential of the vehicle surroundings based on detection results from the obstacle detection device;

an operation reaction force calculation device configured to calculate an operation reaction force to be transmitted to an accelerator pedal based on the risk potential computed by the risk potential calculation device;

an operation reaction force generation device configured to transmit the operation reaction force to the accelerator pedal; and

a correction device configured to correct the operation reaction force to be transmitted to the accelerator pedal based on the intention of the operator from the driving intention estimator.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the correction device is further configured to selectively correct the risk potential based on a duplication rate of a preceding vehicle when the intention from the driving intention estimator is based on calculation results of the second imaginary driver operational input calculation device.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the correction device is configured to selectively correct the risk potential such that the risk potential becomes smaller when the intention from the driving intention estimator indicates lane changing as compared to when the intention is not for lane changing, and so that the risk potential becomes smaller when the duplication rate is below a predetermined threshold.

12. The system according to claim 9 wherein the correction device is configured to selectively correct the operation reaction force based on a duplication ratio for a preceding vehicle when the intention from the driving intention estimator is based on calculation results of the second imaginary driver operational input calculation device.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the correction device is configured to correct the operation reaction force such that the operation reaction force becomes smaller when the intention from the driving intention estimator is for lane changing as compared to when the intention is not for lane changing, and to correct the operation reaction force so that the operation reaction force becomes smaller when the duplication rate is below a predetermined threshold.

14. A method of estimating a driving intention of an operator of a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting information necessary to operate the vehicle;

detecting an operation of the operator;

calculating imaginary operations of a plurality of imaginary drivers based on the information necessary to operate the vehicle, wherein each of the plurality of imaginary drivers represents a reference model target position of the vehicle different from its current position and a respective imaginary operation is associated an action needed by that imaginary driver to attain its respective reference model target position; and

wherein at least some of the imaginary operations are calculated according to a different method for formulating an imaginary driver and calculating the imaginary operations from others of the imaginary operations;

selecting one of the plurality of imaginary drivers based on the calculated imaginary operations;

estimating an intention of the operator based on the detected operation of the operator and the selected one of the plurality of imaginary drivers; and

providing the intention to a driving assistance device that assists the operator based on the intention.

15. A system for estimating a driving intention of an operator of a vehicle comprising:

information detecting means that detects information necessary to operate the vehicle;

a real driver operation detecting means that detects an operation of the operator;

at least two imaginary driver operation calculating means for respectively calculating imaginary operations of a plurality of imaginary drivers based on the information from the information detecting means, wherein each of the at least two imaginary driver operation calculating means calculate the imaginary operations of the plurality of imaginary drivers based on a different method for formulating an imaginary driver and calculating the imaginary operations, each of the plurality of imaginary drivers representing a reference model target position of the vehicle different from its current position and a respective imaginary operation associated with an action needed by that imaginary driver to attain its respective reference model target position of the vehicle;

selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of imaginary drivers based on the imaginary operations calculated by the at least two imaginary driver operation calculating means; and

intention estimating means for estimating an intention of the operator based on the operation of the operator detected by the real driver operation detecting means and the one of the plurality of imaginary drivers selected by the selecting means.

16. A system for estimating an intention of a vehicle driver comprising:

a vehicle surroundings detection device for detecting vehicle surroundings;

an operational input detection device for detecting operational input by the driver;

a first imaginary driver operational input calculation device configured to calculate a respective operational input by a first method based on the vehicle surroundings detected by the vehicle surroundings detection device in order to realize the driving intention of each imaginary driver of multiple differing imaginary drivers provided with different driving intentions;

a second imaginary driver operational input calculation device configured to calculate a respective operational input by a second method based on information differing from the vehicle surroundings in order to realize the driving intention of each imaginary driver of multiple differing imaginary drivers provided with different driving intentions, the second method different from the first method;

a running condition detection device for detecting at least one running condition of the vehicle or external of the vehicle;

an imaginary driver operational input selection device configured to select either the operational inputs of the multiple differing imaginary drivers calculated by the first imaginary driver operation calculation device or the operational inputs of multiple differing imaginary drivers calculated by the second driver operational input calculation device based on the at least one running condition detected by the running condition detection device;

an operational input degree of similarity calculation device for calculating each degree of similarity between the operational inputs of the multiple differing imaginary drivers selected by the imaginary driver operational input selection device and the operational input of the operator detected by the operational input detection device; and

a driving intention estimation device configured to estimate a driving intention of the operator based on the multiple degrees of similarity computed by the operational input similarity calculation device.