Vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10861337-B2
Application number	US-201615562225-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus activates a safety device for avoiding a collision of an own vehicle with a target or reducing damage caused by the collision. The vehicle control apparatus sets an activation condition for the safety device. The vehicle control apparatus determines whether each of a plurality of correction conditions for the activation condition is satisfied. The vehicle control apparatus determines whether to activate the safety device on the basis of the activation condition. The vehicle control apparatus sets the activation condition by correcting a reference condition on the basis of a correction value for a satisfied correction condition, and correcting the corrected reference condition on the basis of a correction value (destination correction value) for each destination.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle control apparatus which activates a safety device for avoiding a collision of an own vehicle with a target that is present around the own vehicle or reducing damage caused by the collision, in a case where there is a probability that the own vehicle will collide with the target, the vehicle control apparatus comprising:
a condition setting means for setting an activation condition for activating the safety device;
a correction determination means for determining whether each of a plurality of correction conditions for the activation condition is satisfied; and
an activation determination means for determining whether to activate the safety device, based on the activation condition, wherein:
the condition setting means sets the activation condition by:
(1) correcting a reference condition, which is predetermined, based on a correction value for a correction condition which has been determined by the correction determination means as being satisfied, and
(2) correcting the reference condition corrected by (1) based on of a destination correction value determined for each destination corresponding to a country or region where the own vehicle is used,
wherein the destination correction value is a predetermined coefficient, and
wherein the correcting of the reference condition corrected by (1) based on a destination correction value comprises multiplying the reference condition corrected by (1) by a coefficient specific to each destination.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a type determination means for determining a target type, wherein:
the destination correction value is set for each target type determined by the type determination means, and the destination correction value for each type is set for each destination.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the safety device has a plurality of functions; and
the destination correction value is set for each of the plurality of functions, and the destination correction value for each of the plurality of functions is set for each destination.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the destination correction value is the predetermined coefficient by which the reference condition corrected according to the correction condition is multiplied; and
in a case where the safety device is not to be activated, the destination correction value is set to zero.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the condition setting means sets a determination region having a width, that is predetermined, ahead of the own vehicle in a traveling direction, as the activation condition; and
the activation determination means activates the safety device on condition that the target is located in the determination region.

6. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein in a case where one of the plurality of correction conditions is satisfied, the condition setting means changes a setting of the activation condition by correcting the width of the determination region based on the one of the plurality of correction conditions that satisfied.

7. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the condition setting means sets activation timing for activating the safety device, as the activation condition; and
the activation determination means activates the safety device based on a position of the target relative to the own vehicle, and the activation timing.

8. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein in a case where one of the plurality of correction conditions is satisfied, the condition setting means changes a setting of the activation condition by correcting the activation timing based on the satisfied correction conditions.

9. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction condition includes at least one of a condition based on a traveling state of the own vehicle and a condition based on a positional relationship between the own vehicle and the target.

10. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction condition includes at least one of a condition based on a traveling state of the own vehicle and a condition based on a positional relationship between the own vehicle and the target.

11. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the destination correction value is set to zero to ensure that the safety device is not activated in the respective destination.

12. A vehicle control method performed by a vehicle control apparatus that activates a safety device for avoiding a collision of an own vehicle with a target present around the own vehicle or reducing damage caused by the collision, in a case where there is a probability that the own vehicle will collide with the target, wherein the vehicle control apparatus performs:
a condition setting step of setting an activation condition for activating the safety device;
a correction determination step of determining whether each of a plurality of correction conditions for the activation condition is satisfied; and
an activation determination step of determining whether to activate the safety device based on the activation condition, wherein
in the condition setting step, the activation condition is set by:
(1) correcting a reference condition, which is predetermined, based on a correction value for the correction condition that has been determined to be satisfied in the correction determination step, and
(2) correcting the reference condition corrected by (1) based on a destination correction value, the destination correction value being determined for each destination corresponding to a country or region where the own vehicle is used,
wherein the destination correction value is a predetermined coefficient, and
wherein correcting the reference condition corrected by (1) based on a destination correction value comprises multiplying the reference condition corrected by (1) by a coefficient specific to each destination.

13. A vehicle control apparatus which activates a safety device for avoiding a collision of an own vehicle with a target that is present around the own vehicle or reducing damage caused by the collision, in a case where there is a probability that the own vehicle will collide with the target, the vehicle control apparatus comprising:
a memory;
a processor communicable to the memory; and
a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the memory that cause the processor to implement:
setting an activation condition for activating the safety device;
determining whether each of a plurality of correction conditions for the activation condition is satisfied; and
determining whether to activate the safety device, based activation condition, wherein:

the processor sets the activation condition by:
(1) correcting a reference condition, which is predetermined, based on a correction value for a correction condition which has been determined as being satisfied, and
(2) correcting the reference condition corrected by (1) based on a destination correction value determined for each destination corresponding to a country or region where the own vehicle is used,
wherein the destination correction value is a predetermined coefficient, and
wherein correcting the reference condition corrected by (1) based on a destination correction value comprises multiplying the reference condition corrected by (1) by a coefficient specific to each destination.

Assignees

• Denso Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Minemura Akitoshi
• Tsuchida Jun
• Shimizu Masayuki

Classifications

• G08G1/166 Primary

  for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes · CPC title

• G08G1/165

  for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees · CPC title

• B60T2201/022

  Collision avoidance systems · CPC title

• G01S13/867

  Combination of radar systems with cameras · CPC title

• B60W30/09

  Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering · CPC title