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Collision mitigation apparatus

  • US 9,650,040 B2
  • Filed: 05/12/2014
  • Issued: 05/16/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A collision mitigation apparatus comprising:

  • a collision mitigation controller including a central processing unit (CPU) that;

    detects a collision object present in front of an own vehicle on which the collision mitigation apparatus is mounted and determines a type of the collision object from a plurality of prescribed types of collision objects;

    actuates a control object to perform drive assist for avoiding a collision between the collision object detected by the collision mitigation controller and the own vehicle or mitigating damage to the own vehicle due to the collision;

    determines which of prescribed operation states the own vehicle is in;

    sets a start timing to start the drive assist by the collision mitigation controller in accordance with the operation state detected by the collision mitigation controller; and

    map data including a base table provided corresponding to each of the plurality of prescribed types of collision objects, in which a base threshold for setting the start timing for each of the plurality of prescribed types of collision objects is stored, and a correction table provided corresponding to each of the prescribed operation states, in which a correction value for setting the start timing for each of the prescribed operation states is stored;

    a camera sensor for taking an image ahead of the own vehicle and a radar sensor configured to emit electromagnetic waves ahead of the own vehicle and receive a reflected version of the electromagnetic waves,the collision mitigation controller being configured to set an area centered around a position of the collision object obtained by the camera sensor as a camera detection area and to set a predetermined area centered around a position of the collision object obtained by the radar sensor as a radar detection area;

    the collision mitigation controller being configured to detect the collision object and determine the type of the collision object using both the camera sensor and the radar sensor when an area of an overlapped portion between the camera detection area and the radar detection area exceeds a predetermined value, and otherwise detect the collision object and determine the type of the collision object using one of the camera sensor and the radar sensor;

    wherein the collision mitigation controller sets the start timing based on the base threshold read from the base table corresponding to the determined type of the collision object, and the correction value read from the correction table corresponding to the determined operation state;

    and wherein, when the collision mitigation controller detects the collision object and determines the type of the collision object using both the camera sensor and the radar sensor, the collision mitigation controller determines the position of the collision object based on a direction to the collision object from the own vehicle detected by the camera sensor and a distance to the collision object from the own vehicle in a front-back direction of the own vehicle detected by the radar sensor.

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