Drive assist apparatus

• US 9,123,252 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2011
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagata, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US14/237,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/70, 701/79, 701/301, 340435-437, 340901-905, 340/906
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/34 Blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• 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 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/93 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A drive assist apparatus includes: a dead zone recognition unit that recognizes a dead zone not visible to a driver in an advancement direction of a host vehicle; a moving body information setting unit that sets, as information relating to a moving body that may jump out from the dead zone, moving body information including at least an assumed speed of the moving body; a speed region calculation unit that calculates, on the basis of the moving body information set by the moving body information setting unit, a speed region of the host vehicle, the speed region being a region in which the host vehicle may contact the moving body if the host vehicle advances in the advancement direction; and a target speed calculation unit that calculates a target speed of the host vehicle on the basis of the speed region.

Claims

1. A drive assist apparatus comprising:

a dead zone recognition unit that recognizes a dead zone not visible to a driver in an advancement direction of a host vehicle;

a moving body information setting unit that sets, as information relating to a moving body that may jump out from the dead zone, the moving body information including at least an assumed speed of the moving body;

a speed region calculation unit that calculates, on the basis of the moving body information set by the moving body information setting unit, a speed region of the host vehicle, the speed region being a region in which the host vehicle may contact the moving body when the host vehicle advances in the advancement direction; and

a target speed calculation unit that calculates a target speed of the host vehicle on the basis of the speed region,

wherein the speed region calculation unit calculates the speed region by calculating at least a condition on which the moving body can pass before the host vehicle on the basis of the assumed speed of the moving body, and the drive assist apparatus is configured to adjust the speed of the host vehicle based on the target speed.

2. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the speed region is determined from a relationship between a speed of the host vehicle and a distance of the host vehicle to a reference position in a location constituting the dead zone.

3. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a target lateral position calculation unit that calculates a target lateral position of the host vehicle on the basis of the speed region calculated by the speed region calculation unit.

4. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving body information setting unit sets the moving body information on the basis of a shape of a road constituting the dead zone.

5. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the moving body information setting unit sets the moving body information on the basis of a ratio between a moving body-side lane width and a host vehicle-side lane width.

6. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the moving body information setting unit sets the moving body information on the basis of a peripheral environment of the dead zone.

7. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a traffic information acquisition unit that obtains traffic information relating to the road constituting the dead zone,

wherein the moving body information setting unit sets the moving body information on the basis of the traffic information obtained by the traffic information acquisition unit.

8. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an experience information acquisition unit that obtains experience information indicating past experience of the driver,

wherein the moving body information setting unit sets the moving body information on the basis of the experience information obtained by the experience information acquisition unit.

9. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an object information acquisition unit that obtains object information relating to behavior of an object existing on a periphery of the host vehicle,

wherein the moving body information setting unit sets the moving body information on the basis of the object information obtained by the object information acquisition unit.

10. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a warning issuance control unit that issues a warning to the driver to alert the driver to the dead zone,

wherein, when the dead zone exists in a plurality of directions, the warning issuance control unit determines a dangerous direction in which great danger exists on the basis of a shape of the speed region calculated by the speed region calculation unit, and controls warning issuance so that the driver looks toward the dangerous direction.

11. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a gaze direction detection unit that detects a gaze direction of the driver,

wherein the warning issuance control unit controls warning issuance on the basis of the dangerous direction and the gaze direction.

12. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving body information includes an assumed size of the moving body.

13. The drive assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the speed region calculation unit calculates the speed region by calculating a condition on which a front corner portion of the host vehicle and a rear corner portion of the moving body overlap.