Driving support apparatus

• US 10,696,297 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2018
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen Van, Quy Hung, Hayasaka, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US16/124,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20190001971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 701 26
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4026 Cycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/24 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/10 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/162 Speed limiting therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/723 by using numerical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 : of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 : Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 : on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/40 : Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 : ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 : using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• 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 support apparatus according to the invention estimates the position of a moving body by controlling a position estimation unit when the tracking-target moving body leaves a first area or a second area to enter a blind spot area and detects the position of the moving body by controlling a position detection unit when the moving body leaves the blind spot area to enter the first area or the second area. In this manner, the trajectory of the tracking-target moving body is calculated so that the trajectory of the moving body detected in the first area or the second area and the trajectory of the moving body estimated in the blind spot area are continuous to each other and driving support is executed based on the calculated trajectory of the tracking-target moving body.

Claims

1. A driving support apparatus comprising:

a first sensor provided at a front side of a subject vehicle and configured to detect a situation of a first area on a front side of the subject vehicle;

a second sensor provided at a rear side of the subject vehicle and configured to detect a situation of a second area on a rear side of the subject vehicle, the second area being an area different from the first area;

a position detection unit configured to detect a position of a tracking-target moving body moving in the first area and the second area;

a position estimation unit configured to estimate a position of the tracking-target moving body moving in a blind spot area based on the position of the tracking-target moving body detected in any one of the first area and the second area by the position detection unit, the blind spot area being an area on a side of the subject vehicle and being an area other than the first area and the second area;

a trajectory calculation unit configured to

calculate a trajectory of the tracking-target moving body, so that a trajectory of the tracking-target moving body detected in at least one of the first area and the second area and a trajectory of the tracking-target moving body estimated in the blind spot area are continuous to each other, by estimating the position of the tracking-target moving body by controlling the position estimation unit when the tracking-target moving body leaves one of the first area and the second area and enters the blind spot area and by detecting the position of the tracking-target moving body by controlling the position detection unit when the tracking-target moving body leaves the blind spot area and enters the other one of the first area and the second area, and

determine that the tracking-target moving body leaves the second area and enters the blind spot area using a blind spot entrance confirmation area, the blind spot entrance confirmation area being set in advance, being set to have a predetermined range, and being situated on the rear side of the subject vehicle with respect to the blind spot area; and

a support execution unit configured to execute driving support based on the trajectory of the tracking-target moving body calculated by the trajectory calculation unit.

2. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support execution unit is configured to change a content of the support for the driving support in accordance with an estimation accuracy of the position of the tracking-target moving body estimated by the position estimation unit.

3. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the support execution unit is configured to execute the driving support by executing vehicle control in a case where the estimation accuracy is higher than a case where the driving support is executed by providing notification.

4. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to decrease as a relative speed between the subject vehicle and the tracking-target moving body decreases and to increase as the relative speed increases.

5. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation accuracy is set in accordance with an attribute of the tracking-target moving body.

6. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to increase as an acceleration and deceleration of a moving body other than the tracking-target moving body present around the subject vehicle at which the moving body approaches the tracking-target moving body decreases and to decrease as the acceleration and deceleration increases.

7. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to increase as a distance from the subject vehicle to an intersection increases and to decrease as the distance decreases.

8. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to increase as a humidity around the subject vehicle decreases and to decrease as the humidity increases.

9. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to increase as a rainfall around the subject vehicle decreases and to decrease as the rainfall increases.

10. A driving support apparatus comprising:

a first sensor provided at a front side of a subject vehicle and configured to detect a situation of a first area on a front side of the subject vehicle;

a second sensor provided at a rear side of the subject vehicle and configured to detect a situation of a second area on a rear side of the subject vehicle, the second area being an area different from the first area; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to;

detect a position of a tracking-target moving body moving in the first area and the second area;

estimate a position of the tracking-target moving body moving in a blind spot area based on the position of the tracking-target moving body detected in any one of the first area and the second area, the blind spot area being an area on a side of the subject vehicle and being an area other than the first area and the second area;

calculate a trajectory of the tracking-target moving body, so that a trajectory of the tracking-target moving body detected in at least one of the first area and the second area and a trajectory of the tracking-target moving body estimated in the blind spot area are continuous to each other, by estimating the position of the tracking-target moving body when the tracking-target moving body leaves one of the first area and the second area and enters the blind spot area and by detecting the position of the tracking-target moving body when the tracking-target moving body leaves the blind spot area and enters the other one of the first area and the second area;

determine that the tracking-target moving body leaves the second area and enters the blind spot area using a blind spot entrance confirmation area, the blind spot entrance confirmation area being set in advance, being set to have a predetermined range, and being situated on the rear side of the subject vehicle with respect to the blind spot area; and

execute driving support based on the calculated trajectory of the tracking-target moving body.

11. The driving support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the ECU is configured to change a content of the support for the driving support in accordance with an estimation accuracy of the estimated position of the tracking-target moving body.

12. The driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the ECU is configured to execute the driving support by executing vehicle control in a case where the estimation accuracy is higher than a case where the driving support is executed by providing notification.

13. The driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to decrease as a relative speed between the subject vehicle and the tracking-target moving body decreases and to increase as the relative speed increases.

14. The driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the estimation accuracy is set in accordance with an attribute of the tracking-target moving body.

15. The driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to increase as an acceleration and deceleration of a moving body other than the tracking-target moving body present around the subject vehicle at which the moving body approaches the tracking-target moving body decreases and to decrease as the acceleration and deceleration increases.

16. The driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to increase as a distance from the subject vehicle to an intersection increases and to decrease as the distance decreases.

17. The driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to increase as a humidity around the subject vehicle decreases and to decrease as the humidity increases.

18. The driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the estimation accuracy is set to increase as a rainfall around the subject vehicle decreases and to decrease as the rainfall increases.