Apparatus, program and method for collision avoidance support
First Claim
1. A collision avoidance support apparatus for providing lane change support for an own vehicle when the own vehicle moves from a currently-traveling lane to an adjacent lane, the apparatus comprising:
- a constant-speed targeting unit for setting as a constant-speed target space a right-beside area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for a constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle at a current speed;
an alt-speed targeting unit for setting as (i) an accelerated-speed target space a forward diagonally-side area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for an accelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle, wherein the forward diagonally-side area includes a forward extension of the right-beside area when the own vehicle is required to accelerate before moving to the target space in the adjacent lane, and as (ii) a decelerated-speed target space a backward diagonally-side area of own vehicle in the adjacent lane, wherein the backward diagonally-side area includes a backward extension of the right-beside area when the own vehicle is required to decelerate before moving to the target space in the adjacent lane;
a vehicle detection unit for detecting a position of an other vehicle that is traveling in the adjacent lane;
a target extraction unit for extracting, from among target spaces set by each of the targeting units, a target space that is free of the other vehicle based on the detected position of the other vehicle from the vehicle detection unit;
a lane change determination unit for determining whether to perform a lane change, wherein the determination of whether to perform the lane change is one of (a) the lane change of the own vehicle is unsafe when each of the right-beside area and the diagonally-side areas in the adjacent lane is occupied by at least one other vehicle, (b) the lane change of the own vehicle to the right-beside area is safe at the current speed when the right-beside area in the adjacent lane is not occupied by the other vehicle, and (c) the lane change of the own vehicle to the diagonally-side area is safe after acceleration or deceleration when the diagonally-side area with the forward extension or with the backward extension in the adjacent lane is not occupied by the other vehicle; and
a relative speed acquisition unit for acquiring a relative speed of the other vehicle in the adjacent lane relative to the own vehicle, wherein,the lane change determination unit performs the constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is not in the constant-speed target space,the lane change determination unit maintains the own vehicle at a current speed such that the constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle is performed after the other vehicle passes the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space and the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold speed,the lane change determination unit performs the decelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space, the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is less than the threshold speed, and the other vehicle is not in the decelerated-speed target space, orthe lane change determination unit performs the accelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space, the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is less than the threshold speed, the other vehicle is in the decelerated-speed target space, and the other vehicle is not in the accelerated-speed target space.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A collision avoidance support apparatus sets a side area right beside an own vehicle in an adjacent lane as a constant-speed target space, which is used for lane change at a constant speed, and also sets a diagonally-front area and a diagonally-rear area as alt-speed target spaces, which are used for lane change at an accelerated speed and at a decelerated speed. Then, a target space that is free of other vehicles is extracted by the apparatus. If there is no target space that is free of the other vehicles, the lane change is determined as unsafe. If there is no other vehicle in the constant-speed target space, the lane change is determined to be safe at the constant speed. If there is no other vehicle in at least one of the alt-speed target spaces, the lane change is determined to be safe at an accelerated speed or a decelerated speed.
11 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A collision avoidance support apparatus for providing lane change support for an own vehicle when the own vehicle moves from a currently-traveling lane to an adjacent lane, the apparatus comprising:
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a constant-speed targeting unit for setting as a constant-speed target space a right-beside area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for a constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle at a current speed; an alt-speed targeting unit for setting as (i) an accelerated-speed target space a forward diagonally-side area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for an accelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle, wherein the forward diagonally-side area includes a forward extension of the right-beside area when the own vehicle is required to accelerate before moving to the target space in the adjacent lane, and as (ii) a decelerated-speed target space a backward diagonally-side area of own vehicle in the adjacent lane, wherein the backward diagonally-side area includes a backward extension of the right-beside area when the own vehicle is required to decelerate before moving to the target space in the adjacent lane; a vehicle detection unit for detecting a position of an other vehicle that is traveling in the adjacent lane; a target extraction unit for extracting, from among target spaces set by each of the targeting units, a target space that is free of the other vehicle based on the detected position of the other vehicle from the vehicle detection unit; a lane change determination unit for determining whether to perform a lane change, wherein the determination of whether to perform the lane change is one of (a) the lane change of the own vehicle is unsafe when each of the right-beside area and the diagonally-side areas in the adjacent lane is occupied by at least one other vehicle, (b) the lane change of the own vehicle to the right-beside area is safe at the current speed when the right-beside area in the adjacent lane is not occupied by the other vehicle, and (c) the lane change of the own vehicle to the diagonally-side area is safe after acceleration or deceleration when the diagonally-side area with the forward extension or with the backward extension in the adjacent lane is not occupied by the other vehicle; and a relative speed acquisition unit for acquiring a relative speed of the other vehicle in the adjacent lane relative to the own vehicle, wherein, the lane change determination unit performs the constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is not in the constant-speed target space, the lane change determination unit maintains the own vehicle at a current speed such that the constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle is performed after the other vehicle passes the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space and the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold speed, the lane change determination unit performs the decelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space, the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is less than the threshold speed, and the other vehicle is not in the decelerated-speed target space, or the lane change determination unit performs the accelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space, the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is less than the threshold speed, the other vehicle is in the decelerated-speed target space, and the other vehicle is not in the accelerated-speed target space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A program product having instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions comprising:
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controlling a computer to be serving as respective units that constitute a collision avoidance support apparatus for providing lane change support for an own vehicle when the own vehicle moves from a currently-traveling lane to an adjacent lane, the apparatus comprising; a constant-speed targeting unit for setting as a constant-speed target space a right-beside area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for a constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle at a current speed; an alt-speed targeting unit for setting as (i) an accelerated-speed target space a forward diagonally-side area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for an accelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle, wherein the forward diagonally-side area includes a forward extension of the right-beside area when the own vehicle is required to accelerate before moving to the target space in the adjacent lane, and as (ii) a decelerated-speed target space a backward diagonally-side area of own vehicle in the adjacent lane, wherein the backward diagonally-side area includes a backward extension of the right-beside area when the own vehicle is required to decelerate before moving to the target space in the adjacent lane; a vehicle detection unit for detecting a position of an other vehicle that is traveling in the adjacent lane; a target extraction unit for extracting, from among target spaces set by each of the targeting units, a target space that is free of the other vehicle based on the detected position of the other vehicle from the vehicle detection unit; a lane change determination unit for determining whether to perform a lane change, wherein the determination of whether to perform the lane change is one of (a) the lane change of the own vehicle is unsafe when each of the right-beside area and the diagonally-side areas in the adjacent lane is occupied by at least one other vehicle, (b) the lane change of the own vehicle to the right-beside area is safe at the current speed when the right-beside area in the adjacent lane is not occupied by the other vehicle, and (c) the lane change of the own vehicle to the diagonally-side area is safe after acceleration or deceleration when the diagonally-side area with the forward extension or with the backward extension in the adjacent lane is not occupied by the other vehicle; and a relative speed acquisition unit for acquiring a relative speed of the other vehicle in the adjacent lane relative to the own vehicle, wherein, the lane change determination unit performs the constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is not in the constant-speed target space, the lane change determination unit maintains the own vehicle at a current speed such that the constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle is performed after the other vehicle passes the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space and the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold speed, the lane change determination unit performs the decelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space, the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is less than the threshold speed, and the other vehicle is not in the decelerated-speed target space, or the lane change determination unit performs the accelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space, the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is less than the threshold speed, the other vehicle is in the decelerated-speed target space, and the other vehicle is not in the accelerated-speed target space.
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13. A method of avoiding collision of an own vehicle that is moving from a currently-traveling lane to an adjacent lane in traffic, the method comprising:
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detecting a position of an other vehicle in the adjacent lane; detecting a travel speed of the own vehicle; calculating a relative speed of the other vehicle; defining a lane change target space in the adjacent lane, the target space defined as at least one of; (i) a constant-speed target space at a right-beside area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for a constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle at a current speed, (ii) an accelerated-speed target space at a forward diagonally-side area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for an accelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle, wherein the forward diagonally-side area includes a forward extension of the right-beside area when the own vehicle is required to accelerate before moving to the target space in the adjacent lane, and (iii) a decelerated-speed target space at a backward diagonally-side area of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane for an decelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle, wherein the backward diagonally-side area includes a backward extension of the right-beside area when the own vehicle is required to decelerate before moving to the target space in the adjacent lane; determining lane-changeability based on the defined lane change target space and the detected position of the other vehicle; providing a lane change instruction that instructs either (a) to move to the adjacent lane when the determined lane-changeability is positive, or (b) to maintain the own vehicle at a current speed in the currently-traveling lane when the determined lane-changeability is not positive; providing a restricted lane change instruction when at least one of the accelerated target space and the decelerated target space is free of the vehicle, wherein the restricted lane change instruction to maintain the own vehicle at a current speed in the currently-traveling lane until the other vehicle passes is provided when the relative speed of approach of the other is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; performing the constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is not in the constant-speed target space, maintaining the own vehicle at a current speed such that the constant-speed lane change of the own vehicle is performed after the other vehicle passes the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space and the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold speed, performing the decelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space, the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is less than the threshold speed, and the other vehicle is not in the decelerated-speed target space, or performing the accelerated-speed lane change of the own vehicle when the other vehicle is in the constant-speed target space, the relative speed of approach of the other vehicle is less than the threshold speed, the other vehicle is in the decelerated-speed target space, and the other vehicle is not in the accelerated-speed target space. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification