System, method, and computer-readable storage medium for traffic intersection navigation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10974732-B2
Application number	US-201916240053-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2019
Priority date	Jan 4, 2019
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A host vehicle includes a plurality of sensors communicably coupled to the host vehicle. Additionally, the host vehicle includes processing circuitry configured to map-match a location of the host vehicle in response to approaching a traffic intersection, receive traffic intersection information from the plurality of sensors in response to approaching the traffic intersection, the plurality of sensors having a predetermined field of view corresponding to a host vehicle field of view, estimate a driver field of view based on the host vehicle field of view, determine whether navigating through the traffic intersection is safe based on the driver field of view, and modify driver operation in response to a determination that navigation through the traffic intersection is not safe based on the driver field of view.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A host vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of sensors communicably coupled to the host vehicle, and
processing circuitry configured to:
map-match a location of the host vehicle in response to approaching a traffic intersection,
receive traffic intersection information from the plurality of sensors in response to approaching the traffic intersection, the plurality of sensors having a predetermined field of view corresponding to a field of view of the host vehicle,
estimate a driver field of view based on the field of view of the host vehicle,
determine whether or not the host vehicle has priority at the traffic intersection,
when it is determined that the host vehicle does have the priority at the traffic intersection, determine whether or not navigating through the traffic intersection is safe based on the driver field of view,
when it is determined that the host vehicle does not have the priority, determine whether or not the host vehicle has the priority at the traffic intersection until it is determined that the host vehicle has the priority at the traffic intersection, and
when it is determined that navigating through the traffic intersection is not safe, automatically modify a driving speed of the host vehicle, wherein

determine whether or not navigating through the traffic intersection is safe includes determining whether or not any vehicles could be hidden, and
when it is determined that any vehicles could be hidden, the processing circuitry is configured to automatically modify the driving speed of the host vehicle.

2. The host vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine whether or not the host vehicle has the priority at the traffic intersection based on the traffic intersection information.

3. The host vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
identify traffic light priority based on the traffic intersection information,
identify stop sign priority based on the traffic intersection information, and
determine whether or not the host vehicle has the priority at the traffic intersection based on one or more of the traffic light priority and the stop sign priority.

4. The host vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
control the plurality of sensors to scan the traffic intersection,
identify all intersecting lanes in the traffic intersection based on the scan, and
identify all oncoming lanes in the traffic intersection based on the scan.

5. The host vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
compare one or more of the intersecting lanes with a map of the traffic intersection from the location of the host vehicle,
compare one or more of the oncoming lanes with the map of the traffic intersection, and
map one or more of the intersecting lanes and the oncoming lanes in the field of view of the host vehicle.

6. The host vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
identify any preceding traffic,
identify any traffic behind the host vehicle,
identify vehicles in each of one or more intersecting lanes and one or more oncoming lanes, and
determine if any of the one or more intersecting lanes and the one or more oncoming lanes in an unblocked lane,
wherein determine whether or not navigating through the traffic intersection is safe includes determining whether or not the vehicles that could be hidden are in an unblocked lane.

7. The host vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
alert the driver when it is determined that any vehicles could be hidden.

8. The host vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
when it is determined that the vehicles that could be hidden are in the unblocked lane, automatically modify the driving speed of the host vehicle, and
when it is determined that the vehicles that could be hidden are not in the unblocked lane, not automatically modify the driving speed of the host vehicle.

9. A method for traffic intersection navigation for a host vehicle, comprising:
map-matching, by processing circuitry, a location of the host vehicle in response to approaching a traffic intersection;
receiving, by the processing circuitry, traffic intersection information from a plurality of sensors in response to approaching the traffic intersection, the plurality of sensors having a predetermined field of view corresponding to a field of view of the host vehicle;
estimating, by the processing circuitry, a driver field of view based on the field of view of the host vehicle;
determining, by the processing circuitry, whether or not the host vehicle has priority at the traffic intersection;
determining, by the processing circuitry, whether or not navigating through the traffic intersection is safe based on the driver field of view when it is determined that the host vehicle does have the priority at the traffic intersection;
determining, by the processing circuitry, whether or not the host vehicle has the priority at the traffic intersection until it is determined that the host vehicle has the priority at the traffic intersection when it is determined that the host vehicle does not have the priority; and
automatically modifying, by the processing circuitry, a driving speed of the host vehicle when it is determined that navigating through the traffic intersection is not safe, wherein
determining whether or not navigating through the traffic intersection is safe includes determining whether or not any vehicles could be hidden, and
the method includes automatically modify the driving speed of the host vehicle when it is determined that any vehicles could be hidden.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining whether or not the host vehicle has the priority at the traffic intersection based on the traffic intersection information.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining intersection priority further comprises:
identifying traffic light priority based on the traffic intersection information;
identifying stop sign priority based on the traffic intersection information; and
determining whether or not the host vehicle has the priority at the traffic intersection based on one or more of the traffic light priority and the stop sign priority.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
scanning the traffic intersection;
identifying all intersecting lanes in the traffic intersection based on the scanning; and
identifying all oncoming lanes in the traffic intersection based on the scanning.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
comparing one or more of the intersecting lanes with a map of the traffic intersection from the location of the host vehicle;
comparing one or more of the oncoming lanes with the map of the traffic intersection; and
mapping one or more of the intersecting lanes and the oncoming lanes in the field of view of the host vehicle.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
identifying any preceding traffic;
identifying any traffic behind the host vehicle;
identifying vehicles in each of one or more intersecting lanes and one or more oncoming lanes; and
determining if any of the one or more intersecting lanes and the one or more oncoming lanes in an unblocked lane,
wherein determining whether or not navigating through the traffic intersection is safe includes determining whether or not the vehicles that could be hidden are in an unblocked lane.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
automatically modifying the driving speed of the host ve

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Vladimerou Vladimeros

Classifications

• G01C21/3819

  Road shape data, e.g. outline of a route · CPC title

• G01C21/3841

  Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles · CPC title

• G06V20/588 Primary

  Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road · CPC title

• G06V20/584

  of vehicle lights or traffic lights · CPC title

• G06V20/582

  of traffic signs · CPC title