Driving assistance device and driving assistance method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11288964-B2
Application number	US-201816237460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2018
Priority date	Jan 18, 2018
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

A driving assistance device that detects an object in a traveling direction of a vehicle and to assist avoiding a collision of the vehicle with the object, including: a decision unit that decides whether there is a possibility of the own vehicle colliding with the detected object; a creation unit that creates an action plan for the own vehicle to avoid colliding with the detected object; a transmission unit that transmits the action plan to another vehicle; a receiving unit that receives, from the other vehicle that received the action plan, a response including information on whether it is possible for the other vehicle to take an action to avoid colliding with the own vehicle; a determination unit that determines an action based on the action plan and the response from the other vehicle; and an execution unit that executes the action determined by the determination unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driving assistance device that detects an object in a traveling direction of a vehicle and that assists avoiding a collision of the vehicle with the object, comprising:
a transmitter;
a receiver; and
an electronic control unit that is configured to:
decide whether there is a possibility of an own vehicle colliding with the object;
create an action plan for the own vehicle to avoid colliding with the object when it is decided that there is the possibility of the own vehicle colliding with the object;
transmit via the transmitter the action plan to another vehicle within a prescribed area from the own vehicle, wherein the own vehicle is traveling in a first lane and in a first direction and the another vehicle is traveling in a second lane different than the first lane and in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
receive via the receiver, from the another vehicle that received the action plan, a binary response whether it is possible for the another vehicle to take an action to avoid colliding with the own vehicle;
determine an action to be taken by the own vehicle to avoid colliding with the object based on the action plan and the binary response from the another vehicle; and
execute the action that is determined, wherein:
the own vehicle determines the action plan for the own vehicle when the another vehicle can execute the action to avoid colliding with the own vehicle, and
the own vehicle determines a new action plan in which the action plan is modified so that a possibility of the own vehicle avoiding a collision with the object and the another vehicle is increased, when the another vehicle cannot execute the action to avoid colliding with the own vehicle.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to:
create a first action plan that involves moving to a different lane other than the first lane on which the own vehicle is traveling and a second action plan that does not involve moving to the different lane other than the first lane on which the own vehicle is traveling;
transmit via the transmitter the first action plan to the another vehicle within the prescribed area from the own vehicle;
receive via the receiver, from the another vehicle that received the first action plan, information on whether it is possible for the another vehicle to take a collision avoidance action to avoid a collision with the own vehicle, as the binary response; and
determine, based on the binary response from the another vehicle, the first action plan as the action to be taken by the own vehicle when other vehicles are able to take the collision avoidance action, and the second action plan as the action to be taken by the own vehicle when at least one of the other vehicles are not able to take the collision avoidance action.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to:
create an own vehicle action plan that involves moving to a different lane other than the first lane on which the own vehicle is traveling;
transmit via the transmitter, the own vehicle action plan to the another vehicle within a prescribed area from the own vehicle;
receive via the receiver, from the another vehicle that received the own vehicle action plan, information on whether it is possible for the another vehicle to take a collision avoidance action to avoid a collision with the own vehicle and an other-vehicle action plan for avoiding the collision of the another vehicle with the own vehicle when it is possible, as the binary response; and
determine, based on the binary response from the another vehicle, the own vehicle action plan as the action to be taken by the own vehicle when other vehicles are able to take the collision avoidance action and there is no interference in other-vehicle action plans, and determine an action plan in which the own vehicle action plan is modified and which is for avoiding a collision with the object and all of the other vehicles as the action to be taken by the own vehicle when otherwise.

4. The driving assistance device according to claim 2 , wherein the different lane is one of a lane in which a traveling direction is the same as that of the own vehicle and an opposite lane in which a traveling direction is the opposite of that of the own vehicle.

5. The driving assistance device according to claim 3 , wherein the different lane is one of a lane in which a traveling direction is the same as that of the own vehicle and an opposite lane in which a traveling direction is the opposite of that of the own vehicle.

6. A driving assistance method executed by a computer device installed in a vehicle to assist avoiding a collision of the vehicle with an object, comprising the steps of:
detecting the object in a traveling direction of the vehicle;
deciding whether there is a possibility of an own vehicle colliding with the object;
creating an action plan for the own vehicle to avoid colliding with the object when it is decided that there is the possibility of the own vehicle colliding with the object;
transmitting the action plan to another vehicle within a prescribed area from the own vehicle, wherein the own vehicle is traveling in a first lane and in a first direction and the another vehicle is traveling in a second lane different than the first lane and in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
receiving, from the another vehicle that received the action plan, a binary response whether it is possible for the another vehicle to take an action to avoid colliding with the own vehicle;
determining an action to be taken by the own vehicle to avoid colliding with the object based on the action plan and the binary response from the another vehicle; and
executing the action that is determined, wherein:
the own vehicle determines the action plan for the own vehicle when the another vehicle can execute the action to avoid colliding with the own vehicle, and
the own vehicle determines a new action plan in which the action plan is modified so that a possibility of the own vehicle avoiding a collision with the object and the another vehicle is increased, when the another vehicle cannot execute the action to avoid colliding with the own vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kato Satoshi
• Tomatsu Nobuyuki
• Ito Yu

Classifications

• G06V20/58

  Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads · CPC title

• B60W30/095

  Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision · CPC title

• G08G1/162 Primary

  event-triggered · CPC title

• B60W30/0956

  the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters · CPC title

• G08G1/166

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