Vehicle control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020247318-A1
Application number	US-202016733440-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 3, 2020
Priority date	Feb 4, 2019
Publication date	Aug 6, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle control device comprises a sensing section that senses a vehicle that is a candidate for alerting, and alert control section that, in a case in which the sensing section senses plural vehicles that are candidates for alerting, determines a recognition situation with respect to the plural candidates of alert sensed by the sensing section, by a recognition situation computing section and from a state of a driver that is detected by a state detecting section that detects a state of the driver, and carries out alert control with respect to a target of alert, which is a candidate having a highest priority among the plural candidates of alert for the determined recognition situation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle control device comprising:
a memory; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: sense a candidate of alert, and in a case in which a plurality of candidates of alert are sensed, determine a recognition situation with respect to the plurality of candidates of alert from a detected state of a driver, and carry out alert control with respect to a target of alert, which is a candidate having a highest priority among the plurality of candidates of alert for the determined recognition situation.

2 . The vehicle control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the recognition situation from a sightline direction or a facing direction of the driver that serves as a state of the driver, and carry out alert control while prioritizing, among the plurality of candidates of alert, a target of alert that is farthest from the sightline direction of the driver.

3 . The vehicle control device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to:
respectively sense, as the plurality of candidates of alert, a first vehicle that is approaching the driver's vehicle from a lateral direction at an intersection, and a second vehicle that is approaching from a front side, and in a case in which the first vehicle and the second vehicle are respectively sensed, carry out alert control while prioritizing, as a target of alert and among the first vehicle and the second vehicle, a vehicle that is further from the sightline direction of the driver.

4 . The vehicle control device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to, by using evaluation values, which are computed from directions of the plurality of candidates of alert with respect to the sightline direction or the facing direction of the driver and times to collision with the plurality of candidates of alert, specify a target of alert that is to be given priority in alerting, and carry out alert control with respect to the target of alert that has been specified.

5 . The vehicle control device of claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to, by using a first evaluation value, which is determined from a direction of the first vehicle with respect to the sightline direction or the facing direction of the driver and a time to collision with the first vehicle, and a second evaluation value, which is determined from a direction of the second vehicle with respect to the sightline direction or the facing direction of the driver and a time to collision with the second vehicle, specify a vehicle that is to be given priority in alerting, and carry out alert control with respect to the vehicle that has been specified.

6 . The vehicle control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to acquire information relating to the plurality of candidates of alert by wireless communication, and sense the plurality of candidates of alert by using the acquired information.

7 . A vehicle control method comprising, by a processor:
sensing a candidate of alert, and in a case in which a plurality of candidates of alert are sensed, determining a recognition situation with respect to the plurality of candidates of alert from a detected state of a driver, and carrying out alert control with respect to a target of alert, which is a candidate having a highest priority among the plurality of candidates of alert for the determined recognition situation.

8 . The vehicle control method of claim 7 , wherein the processor determines the recognition situation from a sightline direction or a facing direction of the driver that serves as a state of the driver, and carries out alert control while prioritizing, among the plurality of candidates of alert, a target of alert that is farthest from the sightline direction of the driver.

9 . The vehicle control method of claim 8 , wherein the processor:
respectively senses, as the plurality of candidates of alert, a first vehicle that is approaching the driver's vehicle from a lateral direction at an intersection, and a second vehicle that is approaching from a front side, and in a case in which the first vehicle and the second vehicle are respectively sensed, carries out alert control while prioritizing, as a target of alert and among the first vehicle and the second vehicle, a vehicle that is further from the sightline direction of the driver.

10 . The vehicle control method of claim 8 , wherein, by using evaluation values, which are computed from directions of the plurality of candidates of alert with respect to the sightline direction or the facing direction of the driver and times to collision with the plurality of candidates of alert, the processor specifies a target of alert that is to be given priority in alerting, and carries out alert control with respect to the target of alert that has been specified.

11 . The vehicle control method of claim 9 , wherein, by using a first evaluation value, which is determined from a direction of the first vehicle with respect to the sightline direction or the facing direction of the driver and a time to collision with the first vehicle, and a second evaluation value, which is determined from a direction of the second vehicle with respect to the sightline direction or the facing direction of the driver and a time to collision with the second vehicle, the processor specifies a vehicle that is to be given priority in alerting, and carries out alert control with respect to the vehicle that has been specified.

12 . The vehicle control method of claim 7 , wherein the processor acquires information relating to the plurality of candidates of alert by wireless communication, and senses the plurality of candidates of alert by using the acquired information.

13 . A non-transitory storage medium that stores a program for causing a processor to execute vehicle control processing comprising:
sensing a candidate of alert; and in a case in which a plurality of candidates of alert are sensed, determining a recognition situation with respect to the plurality of candidates of alert from a detected state of a driver, and carrying out alert control with respect to a target of alert, which is a candidate having a highest priority among the plurality of candidates of alert for the determined recognition situation.

14 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the vehicle control processing includes determining the recognition situation from a sightline direction or a facing direction of the driver that serves as a state of the driver, and alert control is carried out while prioritizing, among the plurality of candidates of alert, a target of alert that is farthest from the sightline direction of the driver.

15 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14 , wherein:
a first vehicle that is approaching the driver's vehicle from a lateral direction at an intersection, and a second vehicle that is approaching from a front side, are respectively sensed as the plurality of candidates of alert, and in a case in which the first vehicle and the second vehicle are respectively sensed, alert control is carried out while prioritizing, as a target of alert and among the first vehicle and the second vehicle, a vehicle that is further from the sightline direction of the driver.

16 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14 , wherein a target of alert that is to be given priority in alerting is specified by using evaluation values, which are computed from directions of the plurality of candidates of alert with respect to the sightline direction or the facing direction of the driver and times to collision wit

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• YAMAMURO Akihiko

Classifications

• B60W2050/143

  Alarm means · CPC title

• G08G1/166

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

• B60W2050/146

  Display means · CPC title

• B60W30/08 Primary

  Active safety systems} predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision {or attempting to minimise its consequences · CPC title

• B60W50/14

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