Vehicle driving assistance apparatus

• US 10,002,534 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hu, Jian
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/333,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20170116853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 340905, 340907, 340937, 340901, 340902, 340904, 340992-993, 340988, 340439, 340575-576, 340438, 340441, 340466-467
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/168 Target or limit values
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/652 for left- or right-hand drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

In a driving assistance apparatus mounted in a vehicle, a detector detects a lane change of the vehicle, a determiner determines a position of a lane traveled by the vehicle immediately after the lane change detected by the detector relative to a position of a lane traveled by the vehicle immediately before the lane change, and a verifier determines whether or not there is misrecognition of speed limits during travel of the vehicle based on a positional relationship between the lanes traveled by the vehicle immediately before and after the lane change detected by the detector and a comparison between recognized speed limits for the respective lanes traveled by the vehicle immediately before and after the lane change detected by the detector. If it is determined that there is misrecognition of speed limits, a reporter reports the recognized speed limit to a driver of the vehicle in a prescribed manner.

Claims

1. A driving assistance apparatus mounted in a vehicle, comprising:

a maximum speed recognizer configured to, based on a captured image around the vehicle, recognize a maximum speed allowed for a lane in which the vehicle is traveling;

a recognized speed limit reporter configured to report a recognized speed limit that is the maximum speed recognized by the maximum speed recognizer;

a lane change detector configured to detect a lane change of the vehicle;

a lane position determiner configured to determine a position of a lane traveled by the vehicle immediately after the lane change detected by the lane change detector relative to a position of a lane traveled by the vehicle immediately before the lane change; and

a speed limits misrecognition verifier configured to, based on a positional relationship between the lanes traveled by the vehicle immediately before and after the lane change detected by the lane change detector and a comparison between recognized speed limits for the respective lanes traveled by the vehicle immediately before and after the lane change detected by the lane change detector, determine whether or not there is misrecognition of speed limits during travel of the vehicle,

wherein the recognized speed limit reporter is configured to, if determined that there is misrecognition of speed limits, report the recognized speed limit to a driver of the vehicle in a prescribed manner.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recognized speed limit reporter is configured to display the recognized speed limit on a display, and if the lane change is detected by the lane change detector during display of the recognized speed limit and then determined by the speed limits misrecognition verifier that there is misrecognition of speed limits, continue to display on the display the speed limit recognized immediately before the lane change.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recognized speed limit reporter is configured to display the recognized speed limit on a display, and if the lane change is detected by the lane change detector during display of the recognized speed limit and then determined by the speed limits misrecognition verifier that there is misrecognition of speed limits, clear the recognized speed limit displayed on the display.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recognized speed limit reporter is configured to display the recognized speed limit on a display, and if the lane change is detected by the lane change detector during display of the recognized speed limit and then determined by the speed limits misrecognition verifier that there is misrecognition of speed limits, display a message indicating that there is misrecognition of speed limits on the display.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lane position determiner is referred to as a first determiner, and the apparatus further comprises a second determiner configured to determine whether the vehicle follows a right-hand traffic rule or a left-hand traffic rule, and

the speed limits misrecognition verifier is configured to, taking into account a determination made by the second determiner, determine whether or not there is misrecognition of speed limits.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the vehicle is traveling on a road having a one-directional road section with a plurality of lanes, and

the speed limits misrecognition verifier is further configured to, if determined by the second determiner that the vehicle follows the right-hand traffic rule, if a lane change of the vehicle has been detected by the lane change detector, if determined by the first determiner that a lane traveled immediately after the lane change is positioned rightward of a lane traveled immediately before the lane change, and if a speed limit recognized immediately after the lane change is greater than a speed limit recognized immediately before the lane change, determine that there is misrecognition of speed limits.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the vehicle is traveling on a road having a one-directional road section with a plurality of lanes, and

the speed limits misrecognition verifier is further configured to, if determined by the second determiner that the vehicle follows the right-hand traffic rule, if a lane change of the vehicle has been detected by the lane change detector, if determined by the first determiner that a lane traveled immediately after the lane change is positioned leftward of a lane traveled immediately before the lane change, and if a speed limit recognized immediately after the lane change is less than a speed limit recognized immediately before the lane change, determine that there is misrecognition of speed limits.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the vehicle is traveling on a road having a one-directional road section with a plurality of lanes, and

the speed limits misrecognition verifier is further configured to, if determined by the second determiner that the vehicle follows the left-hand traffic rule, if a lane change of the vehicle has been detected by the lane change detector, if determined by the first determiner that a lane traveled immediately after the lane change is positioned rightward of a lane traveled immediately before the lane change, and if a speed limit recognized immediately after the lane change is less than a speed limit recognized immediately before the lane change, determine that there is misrecognition of speed limits.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the vehicle is traveling on a road having a one-directional road section with a plurality of lanes, and

the speed limits misrecognition verifier is further configured to, if determined by the second determiner that the vehicle follows the left-hand traffic rule, if a lane change of the vehicle has been detected by the lane change detector, if determined by the first determiner that a lane traveled immediately after the lane change is positioned leftward of a lane traveled immediately before the lane change, and if a speed limit recognized immediately after the lane change is greater than a speed limit recognized immediately before the lane change, determine that there is misrecognition of speed limits.