Collision possibility acquiring device, and collision possibility acquiring method

• US 8,515,659 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kindo, Toshiki, Aso, Kazuaki, Harada, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): FADOK, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US12/514,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20100030472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,973 Days
• Field of Search: 701/300
• US Class Current: 701/300
• 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 risk acquiring ECU 1 acquires a predicted track of an own vehicle and calculates and acquires a plurality of tracks of the other vehicle about the own vehicle. According to the predicted track of the own vehicle and the plurality of tracks of the other vehicle, a collision probability of the own vehicle is calculated as a collision possibility.

Claims

1. A collision possibility acquiring apparatus for use with a host vehicle, comprising:

a controller that;

acquires at least one track of the host vehicle until the lapse of a predetermined moving time according to a host vehicle predicted behavior selected based on a predetermined behavior selection probability associated with the host vehicle predicted behavior;

acquires a plurality of tracks of an obstacle about the host vehicle until the lapse of the predetermined moving time, each of the plurality of tracks of the obstacle being determined according to an obstacle predicted behavior selected based on a predetermined behavior selection probability associated with the obstacle predicted behavior; and

determines a collision possibility between the host vehicle and the obstacle based on the track of the host vehicle and the plurality of tracks of the obstacle.

2. The collision possibility acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output device for outputting the collision possibility as a risk.

3. The collision possibility acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller acquires a predicted track of the host vehicle as the track of the host vehicle.

4. The collision possibility acquiring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller acquires a plurality of predicted tracks of the obstacle as the plurality of tracks of the obstacle.

5. The collision possibility acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each predetermined behavior selection probability is defined by correlating the associated predicted behavior with a predetermined random number.

6. A collision possibility acquiring method, comprising:

acquiring at least one track of a host vehicle until the lapse of a predetermined moving time according to a host vehicle predicted behavior selected based on a predetermined behavior selection probability associated with the host vehicle predicted behavior;

detecting an obstacle with an obstacle sensor;

acquiring a plurality of tracks of the obstacle about the host vehicle until the lapse of the predetermined moving time, each of the plurality of tracks of the obstacle being determined according to an obstacle predicted behavior selected based on a predetermined behavior selection probability associated with the predicted behavior; and

determining with a controller a collision possibility between the host vehicle and the obstacle according to the track of the host vehicle and the plurality of tracks of the obstacle; and

outputting with an output device the determined collision possibility in a manner perceivable by a driver of the host vehicle.

7. The collision possibility acquiring method according to claim 6, further comprising outputting the determined collision possibility as a risk.

8. The collision possibility acquiring method according to claim 6, further comprising acquiring a predicted track of the host vehicle as the track of the host vehicle.

9. The collision possibility acquiring method according to claim 7, further comprising acquiring a plurality of predicted tracks of the obstacle as the plurality of tracks of the obstacle.

10. The collision possibility acquiring method according to claim 6, wherein each predetermined behavior selection probability is defined by correlating the associated predicted behavior with a predetermined random number.