Driving assist apparatus and driving assist method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9796382-B2
Application number	US-201615208718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2016
Priority date	Jul 16, 2015
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A driving assist apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a curve detection unit that detects a curve ahead of a vehicle, a driving operation assistance unit that, based on the curve detection result, provides driving operation assistance to enable the vehicle to properly pass through the curve, a diversion determination unit that determines whether the vehicle position is diverted from the curve during curve passage, a diversion-confirmed curve storage unit that, when the vehicle position is diverted from the curve, memorizes the curve as a diversion-confirmed curve, and an assistance suppression unit that, when the curve detected by the curve detection unit is the diversion-confirmed curve, suppresses the driving operation assistance by the driving operation assistance unit. When the vehicle position returns to the curve after diverting from the curve, the diversion determination unit determines that the vehicle position is not diverted from the curve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driving assist apparatus for detecting a curve of a road ahead of a vehicle from map data and providing assistance for a driving operation for passing through the curve, the driving assist apparatus comprising:
a vehicle position detection unit that detects a vehicle position where the vehicle exists;
a curve detection unit that detects the curve ahead of the vehicle by reading the map data covering a range including the vehicle position;
a driving operation assistance unit that, based on a result of the detection of the curve, provides the assistance for the driving operation in order to enable the vehicle to properly pass through the curve;
a diversion determination unit that determines whether the vehicle position is diverted from the curve during passage along the curve;
a diversion-confirmed curve storage unit that, when the vehicle position is diverted from the curve, memorizes the curve as a diversion-confirmed curve; and
an assistance suppression unit that, when the curve detected by the curve detection unit is the diversion-confirmed curve, suppresses the assistance to be provided for the driving operation by the driving operation assistance unit,
wherein
when the vehicle position returns to the curve after diverting from the curve, the diversion determination unit determines that the vehicle position is not diverted from the curve.

2. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when a deviation between a diversion position and a return position is equal to or smaller than a threshold distance, the diversion determination unit determines that the vehicle is not diverted from the curve,
the diversion position being a position at which the vehicle position diverts from the curve,
the return position being a position where the vehicle position returns to the curve.

3. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when vehicle speed of the vehicle during an interval between diversion of the vehicle position from the curve and return of the vehicle position to the curve is not higher than a predetermined threshold speed, the diversion determination unit determines that the vehicle position is not diverted from the curve.

4. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a travel path generation unit that generates an actual travel path of the vehicle in accordance with the vehicle position;
a travel curvature detection unit that detects a curvature of the actual travel path as a travel curvature;
a bend counting unit that measures a bend count during an interval between diversion of the vehicle from the curve and return of the vehicle to the curve, the bend count being the number of times the travel curvature exceeds a predetermined threshold curvature; and
a diversion travel distance detection unit that detects a diversion travel distance, the diversion travel distance being a distance traveled by the vehicle during the interval between the diversion of the vehicle from the curve and the return of the vehicle to the curve,
wherein
when a ratio of the bend count to the diversion travel distance measured during the interval between the diversion of the vehicle from the curve and the return of the vehicle to the curve is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the diversion determination unit determines that the vehicle is not diverted from the curve.

5. A driving assist method for detecting a curve of a road ahead of a vehicle from map data and providing assistance for a driving operation for passing through the curve, the driving assist method comprising:
a vehicle position detection step of detecting a vehicle position where the vehicle exists;
a curve detection step of detecting a curve ahead of the vehicle by reading the map data covering a range including the vehicle position;
a driving operation assistance step of, based on a result of the detection of the curve, providing the assistance for the driving operation in order to enable the vehicle to properly pass through the curve;
a diversion determination step of determining whether the vehicle position is diverted from the curve during passage along the curve;
a diversion-confirmed curve memorizing step of memorizing the curve as a diversion-confirmed curve when the vehicle position is diverted from the curve; and
an assistance suppression step of suppressing the assistance to be provided for the driving operation by the driving operation assistance unit when the curve detected by the curve detection unit is the diversion-confirmed curve,
wherein
when the vehicle returns to the curve after diverting from the curve, the diversion-confirmed curve memorizing step determines that the vehicle is not diverted from the curve.

Assignees

• Denso Corp
• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sekine Hiroshi
• Mochizuki Yutaka
• Harayama Takuji
• Takiguchi Hirotaka
• Kondo Daisuke
• Tsurumi Kiyoshi

Classifications

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B60W2520/16

  Pitch · CPC title

• B60W2520/14

  Yaw · CPC title

• B60W2552/30

  Road curve radius · CPC title

• G01C21/30

  Map- or contour-matching · CPC title