Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11891079-B2
Application number	US-202117145443-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2021
Priority date	Jan 17, 2020
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is mounted on a vehicle. The information processing apparatus includes a controller configured to detect whether or not the vehicle and a following vehicle are traveling on a same lane, determine whether or not the following vehicle is approaching at a speed faster than a speed of the vehicle, and output a guidance to change lanes, in a case where the vehicle and the following vehicle are traveling on the same lane, the following vehicle is approaching at a speed faster than the speed of the vehicle, and a guidance target exclusion condition is not satisfied.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus mounted on a vehicle, the information processing apparatus comprising a controller configured to:
detect whether or not the vehicle and a following vehicle are traveling on a same lane,
acquire position information of the vehicle,
transmit an inquiry to an external device together with the position information of the vehicle, and acquire a type of a traveling lane of the vehicle from the external device,
acquire information about the following vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a vehicle-mounted sensor, or a vehicle-mounted camera,
determine whether or not the following vehicle is approaching at a speed faster than a speed of the vehicle with a different method according to which of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the vehicle-mounted sensor, and the vehicle-mounted camera acquires the information about the following vehicle, and
output a guidance to change lanes on a condition that the vehicle being not close to an intersection and that a road where the vehicle is travelling having two or more lanes, in a case where the vehicle and the following vehicle are traveling on the same lane, and the following vehicle is approaching at a speed faster than the speed of the vehicle.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
acquire information about a traveling state of a vehicle on a first lane that is adjacent to the lane where the vehicle is traveling and that is not a passing lane, and
output the guidance to changes lanes to the first lane, in a case where the vehicle is allowed to change lanes to the first lane.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that changing lanes to the first lane is possible, in a case where an image shown in a wing mirror of the vehicle shows no vehicle on the first lane.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the following vehicle is approaching at a speed faster than the speed of the vehicle, based on at least one of a relative speed, an inter-vehicular distance and a inter-vehicular time to the following vehicle.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, in a case where the information about the following vehicle is acquired via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the controller is configured to acquire the relative speed to the following vehicle based on a speed of the following vehicle which is included in the information about the following vehicle.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, in a case where the information about the following vehicle is acquired via the vehicle-mounted sensor,
the controller is configured to acquire the inter-vehicular distance or the inter-vehicular time to the following vehicle based on a detection value of the vehicle-mounted sensor.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to acquire, through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, information about a lane where the following vehicle is traveling from the following vehicle.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to transmit, through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication and at a predetermined timing, the speed of the vehicle to a vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle.

9. An information processing method performed by a computer that is mounted on a vehicle, the information processing method comprising:
detecting whether or not the vehicle and a following vehicle are traveling on a same lane,
acquiring position information of the vehicle,
transmitting an inquiry to an external device together with the position information of the vehicle, and acquiring a type of a traveling lane of the vehicle from the external device,
acquiring information about the following vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a vehicle-mounted sensor, or a vehicle-mounted camera,
determining whether or not the following vehicle is approaching at a speed faster than a speed of the vehicle with a different method according to which of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the vehicle-mounted sensor and the vehicle-mounted camera acquires the information about the following vehicle, and
outputting a guidance to change lanes on a condition that the vehicle being not close to an intersection and that a road where the vehicle is travelling having two or more lanes, in a case where the vehicle and the following vehicle are traveling on the same lane, and the following vehicle is approaching at a speed faster than the speed of the vehicle.

10. The information processing method according to claim 9 , including:
acquiring information about a traveling state of a vehicle on a first lane that is adjacent to the lane where the vehicle is traveling and that is not a passing lane, and
outputting the guidance to changes lanes to the first lane, in a case where the vehicle is allowed to change lanes to the first lane.

11. The information processing method according to claim 10 , including determining changing lanes to the first lane to be possible, in a case where an image shown in a wing mirror of the vehicle shows no vehicle on the first lane.

12. The information processing method according to claim 9 , including determining whether or not the following vehicle is approaching at a speed faster than the speed of the vehicle, based on at least one of a relative speed, an inter-vehicular distance and a inter-vehicular time to the following vehicle.

13. The information processing method according to claim 12 , including, in a case where the information about the following vehicle is acquired via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, acquiring the relative speed to the following vehicle based on a speed of the following vehicle which is included in the information about the following vehicle.

14. The information processing method according to claim 12 , wherein, in a case where the information about the following vehicle is acquired via the vehicle-mounted sensor,
the information processing method including acquiring the inter-vehicular distance or the inter-vehicular time to the following vehicle based on a detection value of the vehicle-mounted sensor.

15. The information processing method according to claim 9 , including acquiring information about a lane where the following vehicle is traveling from the following vehicle through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

16. The information processing method according to claim 9 , including transmitting, through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication and at a predetermined timing, the speed of the vehicle to a vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Uenoyama Naoki
• Yamane Josuke
• Gotoh Hikaru
• Fukunaga Takumi
• Sakurada Shin
• Kaneko Soutaro
• Minagawa Rio

Classifications

• B60W50/14 Primary

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title

• B60W30/16

  Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle · CPC title

• H04W4/46

  for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V] · CPC title

• B60W2552/53

  Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk · CPC title

• B60W2554/4041

  Position · CPC title