Collision avoidance apparatus

• US 8,736,483 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2009
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US13/508,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20120235853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 342 70- 72
• US Class Current: 342/71
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/106 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0953 the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A collision avoidance apparatus capable of executing an appropriate vehicle control in order to avoid a collision between an own vehicle and a movable object is provided. A collision avoidance apparatus for avoiding a collision between an own vehicle and a movable object includes: a laterally-existing movable object detector for detecting for a movable object that approaches from a direction lateral to the own vehicle; a side collision determination section for determining whether or not a risk that the own vehicle and the movable object collide with each other is high, when the laterally-existing movable object detector has detected the movable object that approaches from the direction lateral to the own vehicle; a passage and avoidance determination section for determining, when the risk that the own vehicle and the movable object collide with each other is determined to be high, whether or not a possibility that a collision between the own vehicle and the movable object can be avoided by the own vehicle passing in front of the movable object, is high; and an accelerated state/decelerated state controller for controlling the own vehicle to be in one of an accelerated state and a decelerated state, according to a determination result of the passage and avoidance determination section.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance apparatus for avoiding a collision between an own vehicle and a movable object, the collision avoidance apparatus comprising:

a laterally-existing movable object detector configured to detect a movable object that approaches from a direction lateral to the own vehicle; and

an electronic control unit including;

a side collision determination section configured to determine whether or not a risk that the own vehicle and the movable object collide with each other is high, when the laterally-existing movable object detector detects that the movable object approaches from the direction lateral to the own vehicle;

an automatic deceleration section configured to start a deceleration control for automatically decelerating the own vehicle, when the side collision determination section determines that the risk that the own vehicle and the movable object collide with each other, is high;

a passage and avoidance determination section configured to determine, while the deceleration control for the own vehicle is being executed by the automatic deceleration section, whether or not a possibility that the own vehicle passes in front of the movable object and a collision between the own vehicle and the movable object can be avoided if an accelerated state or a decelerated state of the own vehicle is changed, is high;

a driving force controller configured to control a driving force for the own vehicle; and

an accelerated state/decelerated state controller configured to control the automatic deceleration section to stop the deceleration control and control the driving force controller to enhance the driving force for the own vehicle to accelerate the own vehicle when the passage and avoidance determination section determines that a possibility that a collision between the own vehicle and the movable object can be avoided by the accelerated state or the decelerated state of the own vehicle being changed, is high.

2. The collision avoidance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the passage and avoidance determination section is configured to determine whether or not a risk that the movable object collides with the own vehicle in a rear lateral end portion of the own vehicle is high, and

the passage and avoidance determination section is configured to determine, when determining that the risk that the movable object collides with the own vehicle in the rear lateral end portion of the own vehicle is high, that a possibility that the collision between the own vehicle and the movable object can be avoided by the own vehicle passing in front of the movable object, is high.

3. The collision avoidance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the laterally-existing movable object detector includes:

a front-lateral side radar device configured to detect an object that exists front-lateral to the own vehicle; and

a rear-lateral side radar device configured to detect an object that exists rear-lateral to the own vehicle, and

the side collision determination section is configured to determine whether or not a risk that the own vehicle and the movable object collide with each other is high, based on an object detection result obtained by the front-lateral side radar device and the rear-lateral side radar device.

4. The collision avoidance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the passage and avoidance determination section includes:

a rear-lateral side radar detection determination section configured to determine whether or not the movable object has been detected by the rear-lateral side radar device;

a time determination section configured to calculate a predicted time that is to elapse before the movable object collides with the own vehicle, and configured to determine whether or not the predicted time indicates a value less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value;

a predicted position determination section configured to calculate a predicted position of the own vehicle and a predicted position of the movable object which are to be obtained when the predicted time has elapsed, and configured to determine whether or not the predicted position of the movable object is within a range defined relative to the predicted position of the own vehicle; and

an overall determination section configured to determine that a risk that the movable object collides with the own vehicle in a rear lateral end portion of the own vehicle, is high, when the rear-lateral side radar device has detected the movable object, the predicted time indicates a value less than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, and the predicted position of the movable object is within the range defined relative to the predicted position of the own vehicle.