Risk degree calculation device

• US 9,135,825 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2010
• 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): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): INGRAM, THOMAS P
• Application Number:
  US13/580,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,031 Days
• Field of Search: 701/300, 701/301, 701/302
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30248 Vehicle exterior or interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• 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

A risk degree estimation device of a driving assistance device calculates the potential risk degree at a plurality of intersection points in a mesh set around a host vehicle. The risk degree estimation device changes the amount of information relating to the potential risk degree calculated for the entire region of the mesh in which the intersection points are set in accordance with at least one of the environment and state of the host vehicle. For this reason, it becomes possible to calculate the potential risk degree around the host vehicle depending on the situation.

Claims

1. A host vehicle comprising:

a driving assistance device including a risk degree calculation unit, the driving assistance device further comprising at least one of the following;

an obstacle detection device;

a white line detection device;

a road shape detection device;

a driver state detection device;

a host vehicle traveling situation detection device;

a host vehicle position detection device;

a surroundings database;

a driver operation state detection device;

a control mode selector;

a target route generation device,

a driving assistance ECU,

a display device; and

a speech device,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit calculates the risk degree at a plurality of points in a mesh set according to a surface area of a region around the host vehicle,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit changes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated for the entire region in which a number of the points is set in accordance with at least one of the environment and state of the host vehicle, and

the risk degree calculation unit varies the number of the points within the mesh set according to the surface area of the region around the host vehicle to decrease when the speed of the host vehicle increases.

2. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit changes the region in which the points are set in accordance with at least one of the environment and state of the host vehicle to change the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated for the entire region in which the points are set.

3. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit changes the spacing between the points in accordance with at least one of the environment and state of the host vehicle to change the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated for the entire region in which the points are set.

4. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit changes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated at each point in accordance with at least one of the environment and state of the host vehicle to change the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated for the entire region in which the points are set.

5. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit makes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in the traveling direction of the host vehicle greater than the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in a direction other than the traveling direction of the host vehicle.

6. The host vehicle according to claim 5,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit makes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in the steering direction of the host vehicle greater than the amount of information relating to the risk degree in a direction other than the steering direction of the host vehicle.

7. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein, when a direction indicator of the host vehicle is operated, the risk degree calculation unit makes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in the indication direction of the direction indicator of the host vehicle greater than the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in an opposite direction to the indication direction of the direction indicator of the host vehicle.

8. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit makes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in a blind spot when viewed from the host vehicle greater than the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in a region other than the blind spot when viewed from the host vehicle.

9. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit makes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in either the face direction or the eye direction of the driver of the host vehicle greater than the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in a direction other than either the face direction or the eye direction of the driver of the host vehicle.

10. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit makes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in a direction other than either the face direction or the eye direction of the driver of the host vehicle greater than the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated in either the face direction or the eye direction of the driver of the host vehicle.

11. The host vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit makes the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated when the driver of the host vehicle has low vigilance greater than the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated when the driver of the host vehicle has high vigilance.

12. The host vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a target route generation unit which generates a target route of the host vehicle on the basis of the risk degree at a plurality of points calculated by the risk degree calculation unit.

13. A host vehicle comprising:

a driving assistance device including a risk degree calculation unit, the driving assistance device further comprising at least two of the following;

an obstacle detection device;

a white line detection device;

a road shape detection device;

a driver state detection device;

a host vehicle traveling situation detection device;

a host vehicle position detection device;

a surroundings database;

a driver operation state detection device;

a control mode selector;

a target route generation device,

a driving assistance ECU,

a display device; and

a speech device,

wherein the risk degree calculation unit is programmed to;

calculate the risk degree at a plurality of points in a mesh set according to a surface area of a region around the host vehicle,

change the amount of information relating to the risk degree calculated for the entire region in which a number of the points is set in accordance with at least one of the environment and state of the host vehicle, and

vary the number of the points within the mesh set according to the surface area of the region around the host vehicle to decrease when the speed of the host vehicle increases.