Driving support apparatus

• US 10,850,738 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Issued: 12/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Oishi, Masayoshi, Fujiki, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US16/088,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20190084572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/34 for indicating change of drive direction B60Q1/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/346 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/40 having mechanical, electric or electronic automatic return to inoperative position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/00 Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function for propulsion of purely electrically-propelled vehicles with power supplied within the vehicle B60L50/00 - B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0255 Automatic changing of lane, e.g. for passing another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08

Abstract

A reception unit receives a command which is either a leftward lane change command or a rightward lane change command. A traveling control unit controls the lane change, based on the lane change command. A lighting control unit turns on a direction indicator. A command determination unit causes the traveling control unit to cancel control of both the leftward and rightward lane changes and causes the lighting control unit to turn off the direction indicator, in spite of the reception unit receiving a first lane change command to either leftward or rightward direction as a lane change, and the traveling control unit starting first lane change control, if a second lane change command, which is in a direction opposite to the first lane change, is received before part of the vehicle enters an adjacent lane which is adjacent to a traveling lane where the vehicle travels.

Claims

1. A driving support apparatus, comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive a lane change command which is either a leftward lane change command or a rightward lane change command from an input device, the lane change command being inputted by an occupant of a vehicle;

a traveling control unit configured to control a lane change based on the lane change command received from the input device by the reception unit;

a lighting control unit configured to turn on and off a lane change side direction indicator, based on the lane change command; and

a command determination unit configured to cancel control of the lane change performed by the traveling control unit and cause the lighting control unit to turn off the lane change side direction indicator, in spite of the reception unit receiving a command for a first lane change and the traveling control unit starting a control of the first lane change, in response to a command of a second lane change in a direction opposite to the first lane change being received before part of the vehicle enters an adjacent lane from a traveling lane where the vehicle travels,

wherein the adjacent lane is positioned adjacent to the traveling lane,

wherein the command determination unit is configured to prohibit controlling both the leftward and the rightward lane changes performed by the traveling control unit, and prohibit the lighting control unit from lighting the lane change side direction indicator, in response to a number of times that the reception unit receives the command of the second lane change while the traveling control unit controls the first lane change not being less than a predetermined number of times, and

wherein the predetermined number of times is set as a number of times that indicates that an abnormality of the input device is a cause for cancelling the first lane change and commanding the second lane change during control of the first lane change.

2. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the command determination unit causes the traveling control unit to control the second lane change, and causes the lighting control unit to turn on a second lane change side direction indicator, in response to a command period of the second lane change received by the reception unit not being less than a predetermined period with which a command is determined to be given by the occupant, and in response to at least part of the vehicle having not entered the adjacent lane.

3. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the command determination unit causes the traveling control unit to control the second lane change to return to the traveling lane where the vehicle was travelling when the reception unit received the first lane change, and causes the lighting control unit to turn on a second lane change side direction indicator, in response to a command period of the second lane change received by the reception unit not being less than a predetermined period with which a command is determined to be given by the occupant, and in response to at least part of the vehicle having entered the adjacent lane.

4. A method for providing driving support to an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a lane change command from an input device, the lane change command comprising either a leftward lane change command or a rightward lane change command, the lane change command being inputted by the occupant of the vehicle;

controlling a lane change based on the lane change command received from the input device;

turning on and off a lane change side direction indicator, based on the lane change command;

canceling control of the lane change and causing the lane change side direction indicator to be turned off, in spite of receiving a command for a first lane change and starting a control of the first lane change, in response to a command of a second lane change in a direction opposite to the first lane change being received before part of the vehicle enters an adjacent lane from a traveling lane where the vehicle travels, the adjacent lane being positioned adjacent to the traveling lane; and

prohibiting control of the lane change and lighting of the lane change side direction indicator, in response to a number of times that the command of the second lane change is received while controlling the first lane change not being less than a predetermined number of times,

wherein the predetermined number of times is set as a number of times that indicates that an abnormality of the input device is a cause for cancelling the first lane change and commanding the second lane change during control of the first lane change.