Driver assistance apparatus and recording medium containing computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12283190-B2
Application number	US-202117928421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2021
Priority date	Sep 28, 2021
Publication date	Apr 22, 2025
Grant date	Apr 22, 2025

Abstract

A driver assistance apparatus is configured to carry out processing including: detecting a moving body and surrounding environment around the vehicle; predicting driving actions of the moving body detected; calculating collision risks between the moving body and the vehicle after a predetermined period of time, for the respective driving actions predicted of the moving body, on the basis of distances between the moving body and the vehicle after the predetermined period of time and probabilities that the moving body takes the respective driving actions; and setting a driving condition of the vehicle that provides a smallest one of the collision risks.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A driver assistance apparatus configured to set a driving condition of a vehicle based on a collision risk of the vehicle with a moving body around the vehicle, the driver assistance apparatus comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more memories communicably coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to carry out processing including
detecting the moving body and surrounding environment around the vehicle,
obtaining a speed and a current yaw rate of the moving body detected,
predicting multiple driving actions of the moving body, based on acceleration rates and steering angular speeds of the moving body assumed from the current yaw rate and the speed of the moving body detected, and obtaining, assuming that the moving body takes each of the multiple driving actions, multiple positions that the moving body reaches after a predetermined period of time, the multiple positions of the moving body corresponding to the respective multiple driving actions,
setting multiple driving conditions based on a current yaw rate and a speed of the vehicle, and obtaining, assuming that the vehicle travels under each of the multiple driving conditions, multiple positions that the vehicle reaches after the predetermined period of time, the multiple positions of the vehicle corresponding to the respective driving conditions,
calculating multiple collision risks between the moving body and the vehicle after the predetermined period of time, each of the multiple collision risks corresponding to one of the multiple driving conditions of the vehicle based on distances between the moving body and the vehicle, obtained from the positions of the moving body and the positions of the vehicle, after the predetermined period of time, probabilities of performing operations at the respective acceleration rates by the moving body, and probabilities of performing operations at the respective steering angular speeds by the moving body, and
selecting one of the driving conditions corresponding to one of the multiple collision risks, and setting the one of the driving conditions of the vehicle; and

a vehicle controller configured to, using the one of the driving conditions, control the vehicle to avoid collision with the moving body.

2. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processors are configured to calculate the collision risks after the predetermined period of time for the respective driving actions of the moving body, further based on at least one of a relative speed between the vehicle and the moving body, or an angle formed by a direction of the vehicle and a direction of the moving body.

3. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processors are configured to calculate the collision risks after the predetermined period of time for the respective driving actions of the moving body, further based on a collision position of the vehicle with respect to the moving body.

4. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a driving action database are configured to hold previous driving actions taken by multiple moving bodies, in association with traveling states and surrounding environment, wherein
the processors are configured to calculate, based on the driving action database, the probabilities of the moving body taking the respective driving actions in a traveling state of the moving body detected and the surrounding environment.

5. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the driving action database holds data regarding a driving characteristic of each of the moving bodies and the previous driving actions of the moving bodies, in association with the traveling states and the surrounding environment, and
the processors calculate, on the basis of the driving action database, the probabilities of the moving body taking the respective driving actions in the traveling state of the moving body detected and the surrounding environment.

6. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, on a condition that the moving body includes a vehicle in automated driving, the processors acquire data regarding a driving action of the vehicle in automated driving, calculate the collision risks of the vehicle further with use of the acquired data regarding the driving action, and set the driving condition of the vehicle.

7. A non-transitory recording medium containing a computer program applicable to a driver assistance apparatus configured to set a driving condition of a vehicle based on a collision risk of the vehicle with a moving body around the vehicle, wherein the computer program causes one or more processors to carry out processing comprising:
detecting the moving body and surrounding environment around the vehicle;
obtaining a speed and a current yaw rate of the moving body detected;
predicting multiple driving actions of the moving body, based on acceleration rates and steering angular speeds of the moving body assumed from the current yaw rate and the speed of the moving body detected, and obtaining, assuming that the moving body takes each of the multiple driving actions, multiple positions that the moving body reaches after a predetermined period of time, the multiple positions of the moving body corresponding to the respective multiple driving actions;
calculating multiple collision risks between the moving body and the vehicle after the predetermined period of time, each of the multiple collision risks corresponding to tone of the multiple driving conditions of the vehicle based on distances between the moving body and the vehicle, obtained from the positions of the moving body and the positions of the vehicle, after the predetermined period of time, probabilities of performing operations at the respective acceleration rates by the moving body, and probabilities of performing operations at the respective steering angular speeds by the moving body,
selecting one of the driving conditions corresponding to one of the multiple collision risks, and setting the one of the driving conditions of the vehicle; and
using the one of the driving conditions, controlling the vehicle to avoid collision with the moving body.

Assignees

• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Takebayashi Yosuke
• Yoshida Yu
• Kato Riku
• Takao Hideyuki
• Sumikawa Ryuichi

Classifications

• B60W30/0956

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

• B60W2554/802

  Longitudinal distance · CPC title

• B60W2554/4044

  Direction of movement, e.g. backwards · CPC title

• B60W30/095

  Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision · CPC title

• B60W30/0953

  the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters · CPC title