Intersection visibility determination device, vehicle with intersection visibility determination device, and method for determining intersection visibility

• US 8,451,141 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Kazuya, Kobana, Masumi, Kokubun, Mitsuteru, Uechi, Masaaki, Higuchi, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): CROSLAND, DONNIE L
• Application Number:
  US12/935,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20110025529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An intersection visibility determination device includes an ECU that determines visibility at an intersection. When a host vehicle approaches an intersection with a stop sign, the ECU calculates conflict points at which a trajectory vector of the host vehicle intersects with virtual trajectory vectors of intersecting objects, which are presumed to come from the right side and the left side of the intersection, respectively. The conflict points are calculated based on information on types and traveling positions of the intersecting objects. The ECU sets visibility determination areas at the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle based on the positions of the conflict points, the right-side and the left-side visibility target distances, and the current location of the host vehicle, and calculates, based on the visibility determination areas, visibility distances that are used as visibility parameters indicating whether the visibility at the intersection is good or poor.

Claims

1. A method for determining visibility at an intersection before a host vehicle, comprising:

obtaining information regarding the intersection before the host vehicle, the information including a type and a traveling position of an intersecting object that is traveling on a road, which intersects with a road on which the host vehicle is present, and that is presumed to cross the intersection; and

setting, based on the information regarding the intersection, a visibility determination area at the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle; and

determining, based on the visibility determination area, a visibility parameter that indicates whether the visibility at the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle is good or poor.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein determining the visibility parameter includes:

calculating, based on the intersection information including the type and the traveling position of the intersecting object, a conflict point at which a trajectory vector of the host vehicle intersects with a virtual trajectory vector of the intersecting object that is traveling on the road, which intersects with the road on which the host vehicle is present, and that is presumed to cross the intersection,

setting a visibility determination area at the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle based on a position of the conflict point, a visibility target distance that is a virtual braking distance for the intersecting object, and a current location of the host vehicle; and

calculating, based on the visibility determination area, a visibility distance that is used as the visibility parameter indicating whether the visibility at the intersection is good or poor.

3. An intersection visibility determination device that determines visibility at an intersection before a host vehicle, comprising:

an intersection information obtaining unit that obtains information regarding the intersection before the host vehicle, the information including a type and a traveling position of an intersecting object that is traveling on a road, which intersects with a road on which the host vehicle is present, and that is presumed to cross the intersection; and

a visibility parameter determination unit that sets, based on the information regarding the intersection, a visibility determination area at the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle, and that determines, based on the visibility determination area, a visibility parameter that indicates whether the visibility at the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle is good or poor.

4. The intersection visibility determination device according to claim 3, wherein the visibility parameter determination unit sets the visibility determination area at the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle based on a conflict point at which a trajectory vector of the host vehicle intersects with a virtual trajectory vector of the intersecting object, a virtual braking distance for the intersecting object, and positional information regarding the host vehicle.

5. The intersection visibility determination device according to claim 3, further comprising:

obstacle detection means for determining whether an obstacle is present in the visibility determination area, wherein

the visibility parameter determination unit determines whether a ratio of an angle of a driver'"'"'s field of view obstructed by the obstacle to an angle of a driver'"'"'s entire field of view in the visibility determination area is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on a detection signal from the obstacle detection means, and determines the visibility parameter based on the visibility determination area when the ratio of the angle of the driver'"'"'s field of view obstructed by the obstacle to the angle of the driver'"'"'s entire field of view in the visibility determination area is equal to or lower than the predetermined value.

6. The intersection visibility determination device according to claim 3, wherein:

the visibility determination area includes a right-side visibility determination area that is on a right side of the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle and a left-side visibility determination area that is on a left side of the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle; and

when the intersection is present in an area where vehicles need to keep to the left, the visibility parameter determination unit sets the right-side visibility determination area to an area larger than the left-side visibility determination area.

7. A vehicle comprising the intersection visibility determination unit according to claim 3.