Method and apparatus for determining traveling condition of vehicle

• US 8,886,364 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Konishi, Teru, Sugiura, Hiroaki, Nakamura, Masaki, Konaka, Daisuke, Takahara, Masatoshi, Hara, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Racic, Milena
• Application Number:
  US12/312,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,552 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/437, 701/532, 701/533, 340/995.2, 340/995.27, 340/988, 340/435
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees

Abstract

A support control unit for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during an exit from a main road to an access road determines whether or not the condition of the host vehicle at a given point in time corresponds to an exit start scene or an exit completion scene for detecting the start of an exit or completion of the exit on the basis of a host vehicle position, route data, map rendering data, or lane information including at least road surface marking positions, and determines that an exit start timing or an exit completion timing of the host vehicle has arrived when the condition is determined to correspond to the exit start scene or the exit completion scene. Hence, during the exit from the main road to the access road, the traveling condition of the host vehicle can be determined accurately. The support control unit also determines the traveling condition of the host vehicle during convergence with the main road from the access road.

Claims

1. A method for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during an exit from a main road to an access road, comprising:

accessing, with a processor, a host vehicle position;

accessing, with the processor, road network data including road types;

accessing, with the processor, road surface marking property data including road surface marking positions;

based on the host vehicle position, the road network data, and the road surface marking property data, determining, with the processor, that a condition of the host vehicle corresponds to an exit start scene when a position of a broken line marking in front of the host vehicle and a position of zebra zone in front of the host vehicle match, the broken line marking indicating an exit section; and

determining, with the processor, an exit start timing of the host vehicle when the condition is determined to correspond to the exit start scene by;

obtaining a relative distance between the host vehicle position and a reference point indicating an end point of the exit section when a length of the broken line marking is equal to or greater than a predetermined length; and

determining that the exit start timing has arrived when the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined length and the host vehicle has crossed the broken line marking.

2. An apparatus for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during an exit from a main road to an access road, comprising:

a memory storing;

road network data including road types; and

road surface marking property data including at least road surface marking positions; and

a processor programmed to;

calculate a host vehicle position;

based on the host vehicle position, the road network data, and the road surface marking property data, determine that a condition of the host vehicle corresponds to an exit start scene when a position of a broken line marking in front of the host vehicle and a position of zebra zone in front of the host vehicle match, the broken line marking indicating an exit section;

determine an exit start timing from the main road to the access road when it is determined that the condition corresponds to the exit start scene;

output a control signal for performing driving support during the start of the exit when the exit start timing is determined; and

when a length of the broken line marking is equal to or greater than a predetermined length, obtain a relative distance between the host vehicle position and a reference point indicating an end point of the exit section, and when the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined length and the host vehicle has crossed the broken line marking, the timing determination unit determines that the exit start timing has arrived.

3. An apparatus for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during an exit from a main road to an access road, comprising:

a memory storing;

road network data including road types; and

road surface marking property data including at least road surface marking positions; and

a processor programmed to;

calculate a host vehicle position;

based on the host vehicle position, the road network data, and the road surface marking property data, determine that a condition of the host vehicle corresponds to an exit start scene when a position of a broken line marking in front of the host vehicle and a position of zebra zone in front of the host vehicle match, the broken line marking indicating an exit section;

determine an exit start timing from the main road to the access road when it is determined that the condition corresponds to the exit start scene;

output a control signal for performing driving support during the start of the exit when the exit start timing has been determined; and

determine that the exit start timing has arrived when a lane along which the host vehicle is traveling is an exit lane connected directly to the access road and a relative distance between the host vehicle position and a reference point indicating an end point of the exit section is shorter than a predetermined length.

4. A method for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during convergence with a main road from an access road, comprising:

accessing, with a processor, a host vehicle position;

accessing, with the processor, road network data including road types;

accessing, with the processor, road surface marking property data including road surface marking positions;

based on the host vehicle position, the road network data, and the road surface marking property data, determining, with the processor, that a condition of the host vehicle corresponds to a convergence completion scene when the host vehicle position is included in a subject section which is set so as to center on a start point of a broken line marking in front of the host vehicle and corresponds to a length of the broken line marking, the broken line marking indicating a convergence section; and

determining, with the processor, a convergence completion timing of the host vehicle when the condition is determined to correspond to the convergence completion scene by;

obtaining a relative distance between the host vehicle position and a reference point indicating a start point of the convergence when the length of the broken line marking is equal to or greater than a predetermined length; and

determining that the convergence completion timing has arrived when the relative distance is greater than a predetermined length and the host vehicle has crossed the broken line marking.

5. An apparatus for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during convergence with a main road from an access road, comprising:

a memory storing;

road network data including road types; and

road surface marking property data including at least road surface marking positions; and

a processor programmed to;

calculate a host vehicle position;

based on the host vehicle position, the road network data, and the road surface marking property data, determine that condition of the host vehicle corresponds to a convergence completion scene when the host vehicle position is included in a subject section which is set so as to center on a start point of a broken line marking in front of the host vehicle and corresponds to a length of the broken line marking, the broken line marking indicating a convergence section;

determine a convergence completion timing when it is determined that the condition corresponds to the convergence completion scene; and

output a control signal for performing driving support during convergence completion when the convergence completion timing is determined;

when the length of the broken line marking is equal to or greater than a predetermined length, obtain a relative distance between the host vehicle position and a reference point indicating a start point of the convergence; and

when the relative distance is greater than a predetermined length and the host vehicle has crossed the broken line marking, determine that the convergence completion timing has arrived.

6. A method for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during an exit from a main road to an access road, comprising:

accessing, with a processor, a host vehicle position;

accessing, with the processor, road network data including road types;

accessing, with the processor, road surface marking property data including road surface marking positions;

based on the host vehicle position, the road network data, and the road surface marking property data, determining, with the processor, that a condition of the host vehicle corresponds to an exit start scene when a position of a broken line marking in front of the host vehicle and a position of zebra zone in front of the host vehicle match, the broken line marking indicating an exit section; and

determining, with the processor, an exit start timing of the host vehicle when the condition is determined to correspond to the exit start scene by determining that the exit start timing has arrived when a lane along which the host vehicle is traveling is an exit lane connected directly to the access road and a relative distance between the host vehicle position and the reference point indicating the end point of the exit section is shorter than a predetermined length.

7. A method for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during convergence with a main road from an access road, comprising:

accessing, with a processor, a host vehicle position;

accessing, with the processor, road network data including road types;

accessing, with the processor, road surface marking property data including road surface marking positions;

based on the host vehicle position, the road network data, and the road surface marking property data, determining, with the processor, that a condition of the host vehicle corresponds to a convergence completion scene when the host vehicle position is included in a subject section which is set so as to center on a start point of a broken line marking in front of the host vehicle and corresponds to a length of the broken line marking, the broken line marking indicating a convergence section; and

determining, with the processor, a convergence completion timing of the host vehicle when the condition is determined to correspond to the convergence completion scene by determining that the convergence completion timing has arrived when the host vehicle is traveling the access road that is directly connected to a lane of the main road and a relative distance between the host vehicle position and the reference point indicating the start point of the convergence is greater than a predetermined length.

8. An apparatus for determining a traveling condition of a host vehicle during convergence with a main road from an access road, comprising:

a memory storing;

road network data including road types; and

road surface marking property data including at least road surface marking positions;

a processor programmed to;

calculate a host vehicle position;

based on the host vehicle position, the road network data, and the road surface marking property data, determines that condition of the host vehicle corresponds to a convergence completion scene when the host vehicle position is included in a subject section which is set so as to center on a start point of a broken line marking in front of the host vehicle and corresponds to a length of the broken line marking, the broken line marking indicating a convergence section;

determine a convergence completion timing when it is determined that the condition corresponds to the convergence completion scene;

output a control signal for performing driving support during convergence completion when the convergence completion timing is determined;

determines that the convergence completion timing has arrived when the host vehicle is traveling the access road that is directly connected to a lane of the main road and a relative distance between the host vehicle position and a reference point indicating the start point of the convergence is greater than a predetermined length.