Collision determination device and collision determination method

• US 9,666,077 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2012
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ouchi, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): DSouza, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US14/425,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20150206435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/723 by using numerical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A collision determination device includes: a radar detection unit that detects an object around a vehicle using a radar wave; an image detection unit that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle and detects the object using the captured image; and a collision determination unit that determines a collision between the vehicle and the object on the basis of a composite target which is generated using a detection result of the radar detection unit and a detection result of the image detection unit. When the object is detected by the radar detection unit and the image detection unit after being detected only by the image detection unit of the radar detection unit and the image detection unit, the collision determination unit performs the collision determination, preferentially using the detection result of the image detection unit over the detection result of the radar detection unit.

Claims

1. A collision determination device that cyclically performs a predetermined process, comprising:

a radar detection unit that detects an object around a vehicle using a radar wave;

an image detection unit that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle and detects the object using the captured image; and

a collision determination unit that predicts a collision between the vehicle and the object on the basis of a composite target which is generated using a detection result of the radar detection unit and a detection result of the image detection unit,

wherein, if the object has been detected by both the radar detection unit and the image detection unit, and if the object has been detected by the image detection unit and not the radar detection unit in an immediately preceding processing cycle, the collision determination unit sets the composite target using the detection result of the image detection unit of the immediately preceding processing cycle.

2. The collision determination device according to claim 1,

wherein, when the object is detected by both the radar detection unit and the image detection unit after the object has been detected by only the image detection unit, the collision determination unit performs the collision determination on the basis of the detection result of the image detection unit, instead of the collision determination based on the composite target.

3. The collision determination device according to claim 1,

wherein the collision determination unit sets a composite target with a low threshold value for the object detected only by the image detection unit and sets a composite target with a high threshold value, which is set to be greater than the low threshold value, for the object detected by the radar detection unit and the image detection unit.

4. The collision determination device according to claim 3,

wherein the collision determination unit performs the collision determination for the composite target with the low threshold value, on the basis of a determination threshold value that is less than a determination threshold value of the composite target with the high threshold value.

5. The collision determination device according to claim 1,

wherein, when a possibility of the collision between the vehicle and the object is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the collision determination unit performs the collision determination, preferentially using the detection result of the image detection unit over the detection result of the radar detection unit.

6. The collision determination device according to claim 1,

wherein a detection range of the radar detection unit and a detection range of the image detection unit are partially different from each other, and

there is an area which is not detected by the radar detection unit and is detected by the image detection unit.

7. The collision determination device according to claim 1,

wherein the radar detection unit detects an object in front of the vehicle using the radar wave, and

the image detection unit captures an image in front of the vehicle and detects the object using the captured image.

8. The collision determination device according to claim 1,

wherein the radar detection unit detects an object in a traveling direction of the vehicle using the radar wave, and

the image detection unit captures an image in the traveling direction of the vehicle and detects the object using the captured image.

9. The collision determination device according to claim 1,

wherein the radar detection unit detects the object around the vehicle using a millimeter wave.

10. A collision determination method that cyclically performs a predetermined process, comprising:

detecting an object around a vehicle using a radar wave and detecting the object using a captured image of the surroundings of the vehicle;

predicting a collision between the vehicle and the object on the basis of a composite target which is generated using a detection result of the radar detection and a detection result of the image detection; and

when the object has been detected by both the radar detection and the image detection after the object has been detected by only the image detection and not the radar detection in an immediately preceding processing cycle, setting the composting target using the detection result of the image detection of the immediately preceding processing cycle.