COURSE DETERMINATION SYSTEM AND DRIVING ASSIST SYSTEM OF VEHICLE

• US 20130218369A1
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshihama, Yuki, Akiyama, Tomonori, Igarashi, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 9,208,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/20 Direction indicator values
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• 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 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00

Abstract

A course determining system of a vehicle determines, when two or more objects that are present around the vehicle are detected, whether a passable road which the vehicle can enter is present between the two or more objects, recognizes the two or more objects as a single object when it is determined that there is no passable road between the two or more objects, and determines a running course based on at least one road including the passable road when it is determined that the passable road is present between the objects.

Claims

1. A course determining system of a vehicle for determining a running course as a path along which the vehicle can run, comprising:

detecting means for detecting an object that is present around the vehicle;

determining means for determining, when a plurality of the objects are detected by the detecting means, whether a passable road which the vehicle can enter is present between said plurality of the objects; and

course determining means for determining the running course based on at least one road including the passable road between the objects, wherein,

if it is determined by determining means that there is no road which the vehicle can enter, between the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects is determined as a single object;

if it is determined by the determining means that a road which the vehicle can enter is present between the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects are not determined as a single object, and the course determining means determines the running course of the vehicle based on roads including the passable road located between the plurality of objects; and

if the vehicle is going to proceed into space between the plurality of objects when no road which the vehicle can enter is present between the plurality of objects, a driving assisting process is carried our, and if the vehicle is going to proceed into space between the plurality of objects when a road which the vehicle can enter is present between the plurality of objects, the driving assisting process is not carried out.

2. The course determining system according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines that the passable road is present between said plurality of the objects, when a distance between the objects is larger than a width of a road through which the vehicle can pass.

3. The course determining system according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines that the passable road is present between said plurality of the objects, when the road located between the objects is registered in map information of a navigation system.

4. The course determining system according to claim 1, wherein the determining means specifies a trace of another vehicle, and determines that the passable road is present between said plurality of the objects when the specified trace extends through between said plurality of the objects.

5. The course determining system according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines, when a road is present between said plurality of the objects detected by the detecting means, that there is no passable road between the objects if the road is a no-entry road which the vehicle is inhibited from entering.

6. A vehicle driving assist system, comprising:

detecting means for detecting an object that is present around the vehicle;

determining means for determining, when a plurality of the objects are detected by the detecting means, whether a passable road which the vehicle can enter is present between said plurality of the objects; and

control means for executing a driving assisting process, wherein,

if it is determined by determining means that there is no road which the vehicle can enter, between the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects is determined as a single object;

if it is determined by the determining means that a road which the vehicle can enter is present between the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects are not determined as a single object, and the course determining means determines the running course of the vehicle based on roads including the passable road located between the plurality of objects; and

the driving assisting process is executed in response to the motion of the vehicle that is going to pass through between said plurality of the objects when the determining means determines that there is no passable road between the objects, and restricts execution of the driving assisting process responsive to the motion of the vehicle that is going to pass through between said plurality of the objects when the determining means determines that the passable road is present between the objects.

7. A course determining system of a vehicle for determining a running course as a path along which the vehicle can run, comprising:

a detector that detects an object that is present around the vehicle; and

a controller configured to determine, when a plurality of the objects are detected by the detector, whether a passable road which the vehicle can enter is present between said plurality of the objects, and determine the running course based on at least one road including the passable road between the objects, wherein,

the controller is configured to determine, if it is determined that there is no road which the vehicle can enter, between the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects as a single object;

the controller is configured not to determine, if it is determined that a road which the vehicle can enter is present between the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects as a single object, and determine the running course of the vehicle based on roads including the passable road located between the plurality of objects; and

if the vehicle is going to proceed into space between the plurality of objects when no road which the vehicle can enter is present between the plurality of objects, the controller is configured to carry out a driving assisting process, and if the vehicle is going to proceed into space between the plurality of objects when a road which the vehicle can enter is present between the plurality of objects, the controller is configured not to carry out the driving assisting process.

8. The course determining system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the passable road is present between said plurality of the objects, when a distance between the objects is larger than a width of a road through which the vehicle can pass.

9. The course determining system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the passable road is present between said plurality of the objects, when the road located between the objects is registered in map information of a navigation system.

10. The course determining system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to specify a trace of another vehicle, and determine that the passable road is present between said plurality of the objects when the specified trace extends through between said plurality of the objects.

11. The course determining system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to determines, when a road is present between said plurality of the objects detected by the detector, that there is no passable road between the objects if the road is a no-entry road which the vehicle is inhibited from entering.

12. A vehicle driving assist system, comprising:

a detector that detects an object that is present around the vehicle;

a controller configured to determine, when a plurality of the objects are detected by the detector, whether a passable road which the vehicle can enter is present between said plurality of the objects; and

executes a driving assisting process, wherein,

the controller is configured to determine, if it is determined by determining means that there is no road which the vehicle can enter, between the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects as a single object;

the controller is configured not to determine, if it is determined by the determining means that a road which the vehicle can enter is present between the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects as a single object, and determine the running course of the vehicle based on roads including the passable road located between the plurality of objects; and

the controller is configured to execute the driving assisting process in response to the motion of the vehicle that is going to pass through between said plurality of the objects when it is determined that there is no passable road between the objects, and restrict execution of the driving assisting process responsive to the motion of the vehicle that is going to pass through between said plurality of the objects when it is determined that the passable road is present between the objects.