Own-vehicle-path determining method and own-vehicle-path determining apparatus

• US 8,457,892 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2007
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Aso, Kazuaki, Kindo, Toshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): TISSOT, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/083,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20090012703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,287 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/422, 701/439, 701/519
• US Class Current: 701/519
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

An own-vehicle-path determining method includes calculating a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, calculating a second evaluation value of each of the plural own-vehicle-path candidates, selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural own-vehicle-path candidates, selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values as appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates from the selected own-vehicle-path candidates, and selecting any one of the appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates as an own-vehicle path.

Claims

1. An own-vehicle-path determining method comprising:

detecting a position and an internal condition of an object, including other vehicles present within a predetermined surrounding range, by a sensor unit mounted on an own vehicle;

generating a track representing a possible positional change of at least two objects based on the detected results within a predetermined time in a time-space configured with time and space, the at least two objects including at least the own vehicle and one of the other vehicles;

predicting a path of the at least two objects using the generated track;

calculating a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the first evaluation value indicating an evaluation of safety of the own vehicle obtained by calculating a possibility of interference such as collision between the other vehicle and each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

calculating a second evaluation value of each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the second evaluation value indicating an evaluation of driving efficiency of the own vehicle;

first selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

second selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values as appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates; and

selecting any one of the appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates as an own-vehicle path.

2. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 1, wherein own-vehicle-path candidates with the first evaluation values higher than a predetermined value are selected in the first selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates.

3. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 1, wherein

own-vehicle-path candidates with the second evaluation value higher than a predetermined value are selected in the second selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates.

4. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 2, further comprising inputting and setting the predetermined value.

5. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined value is set variably in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

6. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined value is set variably so as to increase according to a travel amount of an accelerator pedal in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

7. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined value is set variably so as to decrease according to a travel amount of a brake pedal in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

8. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined value is set variably according to an operation of a mode-selecting switch related with a driving mode in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

9. An own-vehicle-path determining method comprising:

detecting a position and an internal condition of an object, including other vehicles present within a predetermined surrounding range, by a sensor unit mounted on an own vehicle;

generating a track representing a possible positional change of at least two objects based on the detected results within a predetermined time in a time-space configured with time and space, the at least two objects including at least the own vehicle and one of the other vehicles;

predicting a path of the at least two objects using the generated track;

calculating a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the first evaluation value indicating an evaluation of safety of the own vehicle obtained by calculating a possibility of interference such as collision between the other vehicle and each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

calculating a second evaluation value of each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the second evaluation value indicating an evaluation of driving efficiency of the own vehicle;

first selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates; and

second selecting an own-vehicle-path candidate with a highest second evaluation value as a drivable path of an own vehicle from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates.

10. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 9, wherein

own-vehicle-path candidates with the first evaluation values higher than a predetermined value are selected in the first selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates.

11. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 10, further comprising inputting and setting the predetermined value.

12. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined value is set variably in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

13. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined value is set variably to increase according to a travel amount of an accelerator pedal in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

14. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined value is set variably to decrease according to a travel amount of a brake pedal in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

15. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined value is set variably according to an operation of a mode-selecting switch related with a driving mode in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

16. An own-vehicle-path determining apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a position and an internal condition of an object, including other vehicles present within a predetermined surrounding range, by a sensor unit mounted on an own vehicle;

a track generator that generates a track representing a possible positional change of at least two objects based on detected results of the detecting unit within a predetermined time in a time-space configured with time and space, the at least two objects including at least the own vehicle and one of the other vehicles;

a predicting unit that predicts a path of the at least two objects using the generated track;

a first calculator that calculates a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the first evaluation value indicating an evaluation of safety of the own vehicle;

obtained by calculating a possibility of interference such as collision between the other vehicle and each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

a second calculator that calculates a second evaluation value of each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the second evaluation value indicating an evaluation of driving efficiency of the own vehicle; and

a selector that first selects own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, second selects own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values as appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates, and third selects any one of the appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates as an own-vehicle path.

17. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the selector selects, when selecting the own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, own-vehicle-path candidates with the first evaluation values higher than a predetermined value.

18. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the selector selects, when second selecting the own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates, own-vehicle-path candidates with the second evaluation values higher than a predetermined value.

19. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a predetermined value input unit that inputs and sets the predetermined value.

20. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably.

21. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably so that the predetermined value increases according to a travel amount of an accelerator pedal.

22. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably so that the predetermined value decreases according to a travel amount of a brake pedal.

23. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably according to an operation of a mode-selecting switch related with a driving mode.

24. An own-vehicle-path determining apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a position and an internal condition of an object, including other vehicles present within a predetermined surrounding range, by a sensor unit mounted on an own vehicle;

a track generator that generates a track representing a possible positional change of at least two objects based on detected results of the detecting unit within a predetermined time in a time-space configured with time and space, the at least two objects including at least the own vehicle and one of the other vehicles;

a predicting unit that predicts a path of the at least two objects using the generated track;

a first calculator that calculates a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the first evaluation value indicating an evaluation of safety of the own vehicle obtained by calculating a possibility of interference such as collision between the other vehicle and each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

a second calculator that calculates a second evaluation value of each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the second evaluation value indicating an evaluation of driving efficiency of the own vehicle; and

a selector that first selects own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, and second selects an own-vehicle-path candidate with a highest second evaluation value as a drivable path of the own vehicle from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates.

25. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the selector selects, when selecting the own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, own-vehicle-path candidates with the first evaluation values higher than a predetermined value.

26. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a predetermined value input unit that inputs and sets the predetermined value.

27. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably.

28. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably so that the predetermined value increases according to a travel amount of an accelerator pedal.

29. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably so that the predetermined value decreases according to a travel amount of a brake pedal.

30. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably according to an operation of a mode-selecting switch related with a driving mode.