In-vehicle control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9751528-B2
Application number	US-201414915115-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2014
Priority date	Aug 26, 2013
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

An in-vehicle control device includes a first sensor that acquires obstacle information in a first detection range, a second sensor that acquires obstacle information in a second detection range, the second detection range is nearer to a host vehicle than the first detection range, and a processor configured to perform predetermined control for preventing collision with an obstacle or for reducing damage at collision time based on the obstacle information received from the first sensor and the second sensor and, when the obstacle is not detected by the first sensor and the second sensor after starting the predetermined control based on the obstacle information received from the first sensor, uses positional relation information to determine whether the predetermined control is to be continued wherein the positional relation information indicates a height-direction positional relation between a predetermined part of the obstacle and the first detection range or the second detection range.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An in-vehicle control device comprising:
a first sensor that acquires obstacle information in a first detection range;
a second sensor that acquires obstacle information in a second detection range, the second detection range being more downward than the first detection range with respect to a host vehicle; and
a processor configured to perform predetermined control for preventing collision with an obstacle or for reducing damage at collision time based on the obstacle information received from the first sensor and the second sensor and, when the obstacle is subsequently not detected by the first sensor and the second sensor after starting the predetermined control based on the obstacle information received from the first sensor, the processor determines whether the predetermined control is to be continued based on positional relation information that indicates a height-direction positional relation between a predetermined part of the obstacle and the first detection range or the second detection range.

2. The in-vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the positional relation information is information representing a height of the predetermined part of the obstacle, information representing a pitch angle of the host vehicle, or information representing a difference between a road slope at a position of the obstacle and a road slope at a position of the host vehicle.

3. The in-vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor cancels the predetermined control when a state, in which the obstacle is not detected by the first sensor and the second sensor, continues for a predetermined time during the predetermined control, the predetermined time being made variable based on the positional relation information.

4. The in-vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor cancels the predetermined control when a state, in which the obstacle is not detected by the first sensor and the second sensor, continues for a predetermined time during the predetermined control, the predetermined time being made variable based on the positional relation information.

5. The in-vehicle control device according to claim 4 , wherein
the predetermined time is made variable in such a way that the predetermined time is made shorter as the pitch angle becomes larger wherein a direction in which a front of the vehicle sinks is a positive direction for the pitch angle of the host vehicle.

6. The in-vehicle control device according to claim 4 , wherein
the predetermined time is made variable in such a way that the predetermined time becomes shorter as the predetermined part of the obstacle is higher.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Uechi Masaaki
• Mizoguchi Yoji
• Harada Hiroshi
• Kondo Kumiko
• Taki Naoki

Classifications

• B60W2554/00

  Input parameters relating to objects · CPC title

• B60W2552/15

  Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction · CPC title

• G08G1/166

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

• B60W2520/10

  Longitudinal speed · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title