Driving assistance device

• US 9,499,169 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Obuchi, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US14/489,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• 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 driving assistance device including: a preceding vehicle detection portion; a speed control portion controlling the speed adjustment to the host vehicle to obtain a target inter-vehicle distance; a preceding vehicle travel trajectory acquisition portion; an entering vehicle detection portion; an entering vehicle travel trajectory acquisition portion; a target trajectory setting portion setting the target travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on at least the travel trajectory of the preceding or the entering vehicle; a steer control portion controlling the adjustment of the steer amount calculated based on the target travel trajectory; and a location determination portion determining the location where the deviation amount between the travel trajectories of the entering and preceding vehicles becomes the predetermined value or below. The target trajectory setting portion sets the target travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle, after the determined location.

Claims

1. A driving assistance device, comprising:

a preceding vehicle detection portion that detects a preceding vehicle in front of a host vehicle in which the driving assistance device is disposed;

a speed control portion that controls a speed adjustment of the host vehicle to make an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle become a target inter-vehicle distance;

a preceding vehicle travel trajectory acquisition portion that acquires a travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle;

an entering vehicle detection portion that detects an entering vehicle that enters between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;

an entering vehicle travel trajectory acquisition portion that acquires a travel trajectory of the entering vehicle detected by the entering vehicle detection portion;

a target trajectory setting portion that sets a target travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on at least one of the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle or the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle;

a steering control portion that controls an adjustment of a steer amount of the host vehicle based on the target travel trajectory; and

a location determination portion that determines a location where a deviation amount between the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle and the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined value or below,

wherein the speed control portion is configured to set the entering vehicle as the preceding vehicle of the speed control portion when the entering vehicle is detected by the entering vehicle detection portion, and

wherein the target trajectory setting portion is configured to set the target travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle before entering of the entering vehicle at least until reaching the location determined by the location determination portion after the speed control portion sets the entering vehicle as the preceding vehicle, and sets the target travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle after the location determined by the location determination portion.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein

the entering vehicle detection portion is configured to detect the entering vehicle, at least based on an event that an interval between the target travel trajectory of the host vehicle and a vehicle body of the entering vehicle in a direction perpendicular to a travel direction of the host vehicle becomes a predetermined interval or below, and

the predetermined value is a value smaller than the predetermined interval in the direction perpendicular to the travel direction of the host vehicle.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein

the location determination portion is configured to obtain the deviation amount as a distance in a straight line which intersects with the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle and the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle.

4. The driving assistance device according to claim 3, wherein

the location determination portion uses the intersecting straight line that is perpendicular to any one of the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle and the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle.

5. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising a travel trajectory presuming portion that obtains a presuming travel trajectory that is presumed as the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle,

wherein the location determination portion uses the presuming travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle as the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle further after the location where the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle cannot be acquired.

6. The driving assistance device according to claim 5, wherein

the travel trajectory presuming portion is configured to obtain the travel trajectory approaching ratio of the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle with respect to the travel trajectory that can be acquired as the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle, and obtains the presuming travel trajectory based on the obtained approaching ratio and the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle.

7. The driving assistance device according to claim 6, wherein

the travel trajectory presuming portion is configured to obtain a distance from the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle and the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle as an inter-trajectory distance at a position where the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle is acquired, and calculates the presuming travel trajectory by reducing the obtained inter-trajectory distance based on the approaching ratio of the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle.

8. The driving assistance device according to claim 5, wherein

the travel trajectory presuming portion is configured to obtain the presuming travel trajectory based on at least one of the travel trajectory of an adjacent vehicle travels on a lane adjacent to the lane where the host vehicle travels, or a shape of a travel route where the host vehicle travels.

9. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein

the steering control portion is configured to assist the host vehicle to move to a lane width direction opposite to an entering direction of the entering vehicle when it is determined that it is difficult to acquire the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle due to an effect of the entering vehicle.

10. The driving assistance device according to claim 9, wherein

the steering control portion is configured to determine that it is difficult to acquire the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle due to the effect of the entering vehicle when the entering vehicle enters the width occupied by the host vehicle when travelling in a direction perpendicular to a travel direction of the host vehicle.

11. The driving assistance device according to claim 9, wherein

the steering control portion is configured to end assisting the host vehicle to move to the lane width direction opposite to the entering direction of the entering vehicle when the location determination portion determines the location where the deviation amount becomes the predetermined value or below.

12. A driving assistance device, comprising:

a preceding vehicle detection portion that detects a preceding vehicle in front of a host vehicle in which the driving assistance device is disposed;

a speed control portion that controls a speed adjustment of the host vehicle to make an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle becomes a target inter-vehicle distance;

a preceding vehicle travel trajectory acquisition portion that acquires a travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle;

an entering vehicle detection portion that detects an entering vehicle which enters between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;

an entering vehicle travel trajectory acquisition portion that acquires a travel trajectory of the entering vehicle detected by the entering vehicle detection portion;

a target trajectory setting portion that sets a target travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on at least one of the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle or the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle;

a steering control portion that controls an adjustment of a steer amount of the host vehicle based on the target travel trajectory; and

a location determination portion that determines a location where a deviation amount between the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle and the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined value or below,

wherein the speed control portion is configured to set the entering vehicle as the preceding vehicle of the speed control portion when the entering vehicle is detected by the entering vehicle detection portion,

wherein the location determination portion is configured to set a value smaller than the deviation amount between the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle and the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle at the location where the speed control portion sets the entering vehicle as the preceding vehicle as the predetermined value, and

wherein the target trajectory setting portion is configured to set the target travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle before entering of the entering vehicle until reaching the location determined by the location determination portion, and sets the target travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle after the location determined by the location determination portion.

13. A driving assistance device that performs a driving assistance of a host vehicle in which the driving assistance device is disposed based on a travelling state of other vehicle detected at surroundings of the host vehicle, comprising:

a speed control portion configured to set any one of a preceding vehicle which travels in front of the host vehicle, and an entering vehicle which enters between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle as an adjustment object vehicle, and controls a speed adjustment of the host vehicle, to make an inter-vehicle distance between the set adjustment object vehicle and the host vehicle become a predetermined distance;

a target trajectory setting portion configured to acquire a travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle and the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle respectively, sets any one travel trajectory of the acquired travel trajectories as an object trajectory, and sets a target travel trajectory as the travel target of the host vehicle based on the set object trajectory;

a steering control portion configured to control an adjustment of a steer amount of the host vehicle based on the target travel trajectory set by the target trajectory setting portion; and

a location determination portion that determines a location where a deviation amount between the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle and the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined value or below,

wherein the target trajectory setting portion is configured to take an event of setting the adjustment object vehicle as the entering vehicle and an event of setting the object trajectory as the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle as conditions, and switches the setting of the object trajectory from the travel trajectory of the preceding vehicle to the travel trajectory of the entering vehicle at the location determined by the location determination portion.

14. The driving assistance device according to claim 13, wherein

the speed control portion is configured to switch the adjustment object vehicle from the preceding vehicle to the entering vehicle, at least based on an event that an interval between the target travel trajectory of the host vehicle and a vehicle body of the entering vehicle in a direction perpendicular to a travel direction of the host vehicle becomes a predetermined interval or below, and

the predetermined value is a value smaller than the predetermined interval in a direction perpendicular to the travel direction of the host vehicle.