Running support system for vehicle

• US 7,689,359 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Koji, Abe, Kyoichi, Tokoro, Setsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/587,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/41, 701/96, 340/435, 340/932.2, 348/148, 348/135
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• 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

Abstract

There is provided a running support system for a vehicle, which supports running of a vehicle by using a radar and image recognition means as obstacle detecting means, and in which appropriate support control based on a result of detection performed by each control means is set. A result of obstacle detection performed by a millimeter wave radar (21) is checked against a result of obstacle detection performed by image recognition means (22). Then, a starting condition for the running support control is changed depending on whether an obstacle has been detected by both the millimeter wave radar (21) and the image recognition means (22), or an obstacle has been detected by only one of the millimeter wave radar (21) and the image recognition means (22). Thus, the control support is performed based on an inattentive condition of a driver.

Claims

1. A running support system for a vehicle, comprising:

a first object detecting portion that detects an object near the vehicle using a radar;

a second object detecting portion that detects the object near the vehicle by performing image recognition based on an obtained image of an area near the vehicle; and

a running support portion that supports running of the vehicle,

wherein a control condition for running support control performed by the running support portion is changed on the basis of an evaluation whether the same object has been detected by

(i) only the first object detecting portion,

(ii) only the second object detecting portion, or

(iii) both the first object detecting portion and the second object detecting portion; and

wherein a probability that the object exists is calculated to be the highest when both the first object detecting portion and the second object detecting portion detect the object, the next highest when only one of the first object detecting portion or the second object detecting portion detects the object, and the lowest when neither the first object detecting portion nor the second object detecting portion detects the object, and the control condition is changed in accordance with the calculated probability.

2. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a starting condition for the running support control performed by the running support portion is shifted to a suppression side in the order of (i) a case where an object has been detected by only the first object detecting portion, and (ii) a case where an object has been detected by only the second object detecting portion, as compared to a case where an object has been detected by both the first object detecting portion and the second object detecting portion.

3. A running support system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an inattentive condition detecting portion that detects whether a driver is performing inattentive driving, wherein a control condition for running support control performed by the running support portion is changed also based on an inattentive condition of the driver detected by the inattentive condition detecting portion.

4. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein, when the same obstacle has been detected by both the first object detecting portion and the second object detecting portion, and the inattentive condition detecting portion has determined that the driver is performing inattentive driving, a starting condition for the running support control performed by the running support portion is shifted to a promotion side, as compared to a case where the driver is not performing inattentive driving.

5. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the running support portion performs at least one of follow-up running control, adaptive cruise control, obstacle alarm control, and collision shock reducing control.

6. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein, when an obstacle, which has been detected by the first object detecting portion, cannot be detected by the second object detecting portion, and the inattentive condition detecting portion has determined that the driver is performing inattentive driving, a starting condition for the running support control performed by the running support portion is shifted to a promotion side, as compared to a case where the driver is not performing inattentive driving and the same obstacle has been detected by both the first object detecting portion and the second object detecting portion.

7. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein shifting of the starting condition of the running support control, which is performed by the running support portion, to the promotion side is performed by making an amount of shift of a starting condition for running support control, in which there is less necessity for high accuracy in detection of an obstacle in the lateral direction, larger than an amount of shift of a starting condition for running support control, in which there is greater necessity for high accuracy in detection of an obstacle in the lateral direction.

8. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the running support control, in which there is less necessity for high accuracy in the detection of an obstacle in the lateral direction, is one of follow-up running control and adaptive cruise control, and the running support control, in which there is greater necessity for high accuracy in the detection of an obstacle in the lateral direction, is one of obstacle alarm control and collision shock reducing control.

9. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein, when an obstacle, which has been detected by the first object detecting portion, cannot be detected by the second object detecting portion, and the inattentive condition detecting portion has determined that the driver is not performing inattentive driving, from among starting conditions for various types of running support control performed by the running support portion, a starting condition for running support control, in which there is greater necessity for high accuracy in detection of an obstacle in the lateral direction, is shifted to a suppression side.

10. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the running support control, in which there is less necessity for high accuracy in the detection of an obstacle in the lateral direction, is one of follow-up running control and adaptive cruise control, and the running support control, in which there is greater necessity for high accuracy in the detection of an obstacle in the lateral direction, is one of obstacle alarm control and collision shock reducing control.

11. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the running support portion is one of a follow-up running control device and an adaptive cruise control device, and when an obstacle, which has been detected by the second object detecting portion, has not been detected by the first object detecting portion, one of prohibition and interruption of one of the follow-up running control and the adaptive cruise control is performed.

12. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the running support portion is a collision shock reducing control device, and when an obstacle, which has been detected by the second object detecting portion, has not been detected by the first object detecting portion, start time for collision shock reducing control is retarded as compared to a normal state.

13. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein, when the inattentive condition detecting portion has determined that the driver is performing inattentive driving, the start time for the collision shock reducing control is retarded by a smaller amount than that in a case where it has been determined that the driver is not performing inattentive driving.

14. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the running support portion is a collision shock reducing control device, and when an obstacle, which has been detected by the second object detecting portion, has not been detected by the first object detecting portion, contents of collision shock reducing control are changed to those of control for a case where a shock due to a collision is small as compared to a normal state.

15. The running support system for a vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the collision shock reducing control is performed by one of a portion that minimizes an amount of deformation of the vehicle, a portion that secures restraint of a passenger, and a portion that changes a damping force of suspension portion.

16. A running support system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an inattentive condition detecting portion that detects whether a driver is driving in an inattentive condition based on detection of an orientation of the driver'"'"'s face, wherein a control condition for running support control performed by the running support portion is changed based on the inattentive condition of the driver detected by the inattentive condition detecting portion.

17. A running support system for a vehicle, comprising:

a radar that detects an object near the vehicle;

a camera that detects the object near the vehicle; and

a vehicle control system that supports running of the vehicle,

wherein a control condition for running support control performed by the vehicle control system is changed on the basis of an evaluation whether the same object has been detected by

(i) only the radar,

(ii) only the camera, or

(iii) both the radar and the camera; and

wherein a probability that the object exists is calculated to be the highest when both the radar and the camera detect the object, the next highest when only one of the radar or the camera detects the object, and the lowest when neither the radar nor the camera detects the object, and the control condition is changed in accordance with the calculated probability.

18. A running support system for a vehicle, comprising:

a first object detecting portion that detects an object near the vehicle using a radar;

a second object detecting portion that detects the object near the vehicle by performing image recognition based on an obtained image of an area near the vehicle;

a running support portion that supports running of the vehicle; and

an inattentive condition detecting portion that detects whether a driver is driving in an inattentive condition based on detection of an orientation of the driver'"'"'s face;

wherein a control condition for running support control performed by the running support portion changes based on an evaluation of whether the object is detected by

(i) only the first object detecting portion,

(ii) only the second object detecting portion, or

(iii) both the first object detecting portion and the second object detecting portion; and

wherein the control condition for running support control performed by the running support portion changes based on the inattentive condition of the driver detected by the inattentive condition detecting portion.