DRIVING SUPPORT APPARATUS

• US 20190084572A1
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Published: 03/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: OISHI, Masayoshi, FUJIKI, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 10,850,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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 receiving a command which is either a leftward lane change command or a rightward lane change command from an input device, the command being inputted by an occupant of a vehicle;

a traveling control unit controlling the lane change based on the lane change command which is received from the input device by the reception unit;

a lighting control unit turning on a lane change side direction indicator, based on the lane change command; and

a command determination unit cancelling the control of both the leftward and the rightward lane changes performed by the traveling control unit and causing the lighting control unit to turn off the direction indicator, in spite of the reception unit receiving a command of a first lane change to either leftward or rightward as the lane change, and the traveling control unit starting a control of the first lane change, if a command of a second lane change which is to 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, from the traveling lane where the vehicle travels, wherein

the command determination unit prohibits from controlling both the leftward and the rightward lane changes performed by the traveling control unit, and prohibits the lighting control unit from lighting the direction indicator, if a number of times of the reception unit receiving the command of the second lane change while the traveling control unit controls the first lane change is not less than a predetermined number of times with which the input device is determined to be defective.

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, if a command period of the second lane change received by the reception unit is not less than a predetermined period with which a command is determined to be given by the occupant, and if at least part of the vehicle has 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 the second lane change side direction indicator, if the command period of the second lane change received by the reception unit is not less than the predetermined period with which a command is determined to be given by the occupant, and if at least part of the vehicle has entered the adjacent lane.

4. (canceled)