APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING COLLISION AVOIDANCE OF VEHICLE

• US 20180182246A1
• Filed: 12/27/2017
• Published: 06/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: BABA, Takahiro, OGURI, Takaharu, ITO, Yosuke, KAMIYA, Kei
• Granted Patent: US 11,004,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/32 Vehicle surroundings
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17 Using electrical or electronic regulation means to control braking detecting or indicating faulty operation B60T8/885
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24133 Distances to prototypes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/764 using classification, e.g. of video objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/82 using neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• 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 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus may include a situation determination unit configured to determine whether it is a situation that there exists no moving object proceeding in a direction crossing a traveling direction of the vehicle; a first sensor and configured to detect an object ahead of the vehicle; and an avoidance operation controller configured to cause the vehicle to perform a predetermined avoidance operation for avoiding a collision in accordance with a detection result of the first sensor in a determination region ahead of the vehicle. The avoidance operation controller uses a region which is narrower in a direction perpendicular to the travelling direction and parallel to a horizontal direction as the determination region when it is the situation that there exists no moving object than when it is not the situation that there exists no moving object.

Claims

1. A vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus, comprising:

a situation determination unit configured to determine whether it is a situation that there exists no moving object proceeding in a direction crossing a traveling direction of a vehicle;

a first sensor configured to detect an object ahead of the vehicle; and

an avoidance operation controller configured to cause the vehicle to perform a predetermined avoidance operation for avoiding a collision in accordance with a detection result of the first sensor in a determination region ahead of the vehicle,

wherein the avoidance operation controller uses a region which is narrower in a direction perpendicular to the travelling direction and parallel to a horizontal direction as the determination region when it is the situation that there exists no moving object than when it is not the situation that there exists no moving object.

2. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first sensor comprises an image sensor,

wherein the situation determination unit identifies whether a traffic light of a color phase allowing forward movement is present in front of the vehicle on a road on which the vehicle is traveling, in an image for an area ahead of the vehicle acquired by the image sensor, and determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when the traffic light of the color phase is identified to be present.

3. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the situation determination unit determines whether at least one wall body is detected from a verge of a road on which the vehicle is traveling or from a space between the vehicle and an opposite lane vehicle, in the detection result of the first sensor, and determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when the wall body is detected from the verge of the road on which the vehicle is traveling or from the space between the vehicle and the opposite lane vehicle.

4. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the situation determination unit determines whether a road on which the vehicle is traveling is a major road, based on the detection result of the first sensor, and determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when the road on which the vehicle is traveling is determined the major road.

5. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the situation determination unit determines that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is the major road when a width of the road on which the vehicle is traveling that is estimated by use of the detection result of the first sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold or when an intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle by use of the detection result of the first sensor and there is no stop sign near the intersection on the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

6. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

an accelerator opening level sensor configured to detect an accelerator opening level of the vehicle,

wherein the situation determination unit determines that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is the major road when the intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle by use of the detection result of the first sensor and the accelerator opening level detected by the accelerator opening level sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined size.

7. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the situation determination unit determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when an intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle by use of the detection result of the first sensor and another vehicle heading toward the intersection from right as viewed in the travelling direction and being predicted to be scheduled to turn left is detected.

8. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the situation determination unit detects the other vehicle being predicted to be scheduled to turn left when a direction indicator of a vehicle heading toward the intersection from the right indicates a left turn in the detection result of the first sensor.

9. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the situation determination unit determines whether there is any moving object in the detection result of the first sensor, and determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when there is not any moving object in the detection result of the first sensor.

10. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the situation determination unit determines whether at least one wall body is detected from a verge of a road on which the vehicle is traveling or from a space between the vehicle and an opposite lane vehicle, in the detection result of the first sensor, and determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when the wall body is detected from the verge of the road on which the vehicle is traveling or from the space between the vehicle and the opposite lane vehicle.

11. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the situation determination unit determines whether a road on which the vehicle is traveling is a major road, based on the detection result of the first sensor, and determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when the road on which the vehicle is traveling is determined the major road.

12. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the situation determination unit determines that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is the major road when a width of the road on which the vehicle is traveling that is estimated by use of the detection result of the first sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold or when an intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle by use of the detection result of the first sensor and there is no stop sign near the intersection on the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

13. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

an accelerator opening level sensor configured to detect an accelerator opening level of the vehicle,

wherein the situation determination unit determines that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is the major road when the intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle by use of the detection result of the first sensor and the accelerator opening level detected by the accelerator opening level sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined size.

14. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

an accelerator opening level sensor configured to detect an accelerator opening level of the vehicle,

wherein the situation determination unit determines that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is the major road when the intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle by use of the detection result of the first sensor and the accelerator opening level detected by the accelerator opening level sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined size.

15. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the situation determination unit determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when an intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle by use of the detection result of the first sensor and another vehicle heading toward the intersection from right as viewed from the travelling direction and being predicted to be scheduled to turn left is detected.

16. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the situation determination unit detects the other vehicle being predicted to be scheduled to turn left when a direction indicator of a vehicle heading toward the intersection from the right indicates a left turn in the detection result of the first sensor.

17. The vehicle collision avoidance supporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the situation determination unit determines whether there is any moving object in the detection result of the first sensor, and determines that it is the situation that there exists no moving object when there is not any moving object in the detection result of the first sensor.

18. A vehicle collision avoidance supporting method, comprising operations of:

(a) determining whether it is a situation that there exists no moving object proceeding in a direction crossing a traveling direction of a vehicle;

(b) detecting an object ahead of the vehicle; and

(c) performing a predetermined avoidance operation in the vehicle for avoiding a collision in accordance with a detection result of the operation (b) in a determination region ahead of the vehicle,

wherein the operation (c) comprises;

when it is determined in the operation (a) that it is the situation that there exists no moving object, using a region which is narrower in a direction perpendicular to the travelling direction and parallel to a horizontal direction as the determination region compared with a case where it is not the situation that there exists no moving object.