Vehicle active drive assist device and vehicle provided with the same

• US 6,697,720 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/153,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20020183906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 701/28, 701/36, 701/207, 701/211, 701/301, 348/118, 348/119, 342/70, 340/435, 340/436
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3819 Road shape data, e.g. outline of a route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle active drive assist device includes an environmental position information forming device for forming position information of the environment in the periphery of a vehicle including the travelling direction of the vehicle, a guide for guiding the vehicle in passing through a narrow road in the travelling direction based on the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle, a guide narrow-road re-passing detector for detecting that the vehicle is returned to the narrow road which the vehicle has been guided on and passed through, and the guide being applicable to guide the vehicle so as to reach the narrow road by either or both of the movement including turning of the vehicle and the backing of the vehicle, based on the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle formed by the environmental position information forming device, when the vehicle is returned to the narrow road again which the vehicle has been guided on and so as to pass through the narrow road.

Claims

1. A vehicle active drive assist device comprising:

environmental position information forming means for forming position information of the environment in the periphery of a vehicle including the traveling direction of the vehicle;

guide means for guiding the vehicle in passing through a narrow road in the traveling direction based on the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle and

guide narrow-road re-passing detection means for detecting that the vehicle is returned to the narrow road which the vehicle has been guided on and passed through;

the guide means being applicable to guide the vehicle so as to reach the narrow road by at least one of a movement including turning of the vehicle and the backing of the vehicle, based on the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle formed by the environmental position information forming means, when the vehicle is returned to the narrow road again which the vehicle has been guided on and so as to pass through the narrow road.

2. A vehicle active drive assist according to claim 1, wherein the environmental position information forming means updates the environmental position information at any time, prepared in the past based on a movement state of the vehicle and a relative position information of the vehicle with respect to the road-geometry and a barrier existing forward of the vehicle, whereby the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle including the traveling direction of the vehicle is formed.

3. A vehicle active drive device according to claim 2, wherein the movement state of the vehicle is determined based on at least one of the steering wheel angle of the vehicle and the speed thereof.

4. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 2, wherein the relative position information of the vehicle with respect to the road-geometry and a barrier existing forward of the vehicle is determined based on an image picking-up by means of a pair of cameras mounted onto the vehicle.

5. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 2, wherein the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle including the traveling direction of the vehicle formed by the environmental position information forming means is obtained in the form of a two-dimensional map.

6. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 2, wherein the environmental position information forming means corrects the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle including the traveling direction of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle, based on the position information of the practically detected solid, when the vehicle is guided again by the guide means to the narrow road on which the vehicle has been guided.

7. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 6, wherein the position information of the practically detected solid is detected by a laser radar mounted onto the vehicle.

8. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the guide narrow-road re-passing detection means decides that if the vehicle is backed in set-time after stopping of the vehicle, the vehicle will be returned to the narrow road which the vehicle has been guided on and passed through.

9. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the guide means decides whether an area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned exists or not, based on the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle formed by the environmental position information forming means, when the vehicle is returned to the narrow road which the vehicle has been guided on and passed through, and if the area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned exists, the guide means guides the vehicle so that the vehicle is backed to the area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned, and guides the vehicle when the vehicle is turned in the area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned.

10. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 9, wherein the area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned is one of quadrangular areas of several types previously set correspondingly to specifications of the vehicle.

11. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the guide means decides whether an area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned exists or not, based on the position information of the environment in the periphery of the vehicle formed by the environmental position information forming means, when the vehicle is returned to the narrow road which the vehicle has been guided on and passed through, and if no area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned exists, the guide means guides the vehicle so that the vehicle reaches the area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned only by backing.

12. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 11, wherein the area where the direction of the vehicle can be turned is one of quadrangular areas of several types previously set correspondingly to specifications of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle active drive assist device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a monitor for displaying the position relation between the vehicle and a barrier;

an anticipatory position which the vehicle will reach set-time later with the same drive-condition being maintained; and

an ideal drive-route for the vehicle traveling on a narrow road on a two-dimensional map viewed form the vertical direction.

14. A vehicle including the vehicle active drive assist device defined in claim 1 in which the driving is guided by the vehicle active drive assist device.