Collision avoidance device for vehicle, collision avoidance method, and non-transitory storage medium storing program

• US 10,446,035 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US16/036,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20190073905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 340902, 340903, 340905, 340435, 340463, 340467, 340665
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

A collision avoidance device for a vehicle includes a driver action detection device configured to detect an action of a driver of the vehicle and an electronic control unit configured to determine whether to provide a notification to a driver of a following vehicle based on the action of the driver of the vehicle, detected by the driver action detection device. The notification is a notification about a sign of a behavior of the vehicle, which possibly causes a rear-end collision of the following vehicle. The electronic control unit is configured to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on a result determined by the electronic control unit.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance device for a vehicle, the collision avoidance device comprising:

a driver action detection device configured to detect an action of a driver of the vehicle; and

an electronic control unit configured to determine whether to provide a notification to a driver of a following vehicle based on the action of the driver of the vehicle, detected by the driver action detection device, the notification being a notification about a sign of a behavior of the vehicle, which possibly causes a rear-end collision of the following vehicle,

the electronic control unit being configured to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on a result determined by the electronic control unit,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on an extent to which the vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than a predetermined reference speed, and

wherein the predetermined reference speed is defined in advance based on a standard deviation of a difference between a reference vehicle speed and a vehicle speed of the vehicle for each of a plurality of roads through which the vehicle has passed.

2. The collision avoidance device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on whether there is a deceleration factor of the vehicle.

3. The collision avoidance device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on a frequency of occurrence of a rear-end accident near a current location of the vehicle.

4. The collision avoidance device according to claim 1, wherein:

the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on whether a first predetermined direction detected by the driver action detection device and a second predetermined direction coincide with each other;

the first predetermined direction is any one of a direction of a face of the driver and a direction of a line of sight of the driver; and

the second predetermined direction is any one of a direction in which a route set by a navigation system of the vehicle branches off at a nearest intersection ahead of the vehicle and a direction in which a facility is present when viewed from the vehicle that has reached around a destination, the destination is set by the navigation system, the facility corresponds to the destination.

5. The collision avoidance device according to claim 4, wherein:

the electronic control unit is configured to assign a score in accordance with each of the following i) to v),

i) a frequency of movement of a detected object, the frequency of movement being detected by the driver action detection device,

ii) an amount of movement of the detected object, the amount of movement being detected by the driver action detection device,

iii) whether there is a deceleration factor of the vehicle,

iv) a frequency of occurrence of a rear-end accident near a current location of the vehicle, and

v) an extent to which the vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than a predetermined reference speed;

the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on a sum of the scores; and

the detected object is any one of the face of the driver and the line of sight of the driver.

6. The collision avoidance device according to claim 1, further comprising

a following vehicle detection device configured to detect the following vehicle, wherein

the electronic control unit being configured to, when the following vehicle has been detected by the following vehicle detection device, determine to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle.

7. The collision avoidance device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver action detection device includes at least one of a camera provided in a cabin of the vehicle and a line-of-sight sensor.

8. The collision avoidance device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

9. The collision avoidance device according to claim 1, wherein:

the electronic control unit is configured to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle with the use of a lamp device provided at a rear of the vehicle; and

the lamp device includes at least one of a hazard flasher and a turn signal lamp.

10. The collision avoidance device according to claim 1, wherein

the notification has a content that the vehicle possibly suddenly decelerates.

11. A collision avoidance method that is executed by a collision avoidance device,

the collision avoidance device including a driver action detection device and an electronic control unit,

the collision avoidance method comprising:

a driver action detection step of detecting, by the driver action detection device, an action of a driver of a vehicle;

a determination step of determining, by the electronic control unit, whether to provide a notification about a sign of a behavior of the vehicle, which possibly causes a rear-end collision of a following vehicle, to a driver of the following vehicle based on the action of the driver of the vehicle, detected in the driver action detection step; and

a notification step of providing, by the electronic control unit, the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on a result determined in the determination step,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on an extent to which the vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than a predetermined reference speed, and

wherein the predetermined reference speed is defined in advance based on a standard deviation of a difference between a reference vehicle speed and a vehicle speed of the vehicle for each of a plurality of roads through which the vehicle has passed.

12. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program, wherein

the program being executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle to implement a determination step and a notification step,

the determination step being a step of determining whether to provide a notification about a sign of a behavior of the vehicle, which possibly causes a rear-end collision of a following vehicle, to a driver of the following vehicle based on the action of the driver of the vehicle, detected by a driver action detection device mounted on the vehicle, and

the notification step being a step of providing the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on a result determined in the determination step,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to provide the notification to the driver of the following vehicle based on an extent to which the vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than a predetermined reference speed, and

wherein the predetermined reference speed is defined in advance based on a standard deviation of a difference between a reference vehicle speed and a vehicle speed of the vehicle for each of a plurality of roads through which the vehicle has passed.