Driving assistance device and driving assistance method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9852632-B2
Application number	US-201214370432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2012
Priority date	Feb 10, 2012
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

Herein provided are an object detection section 2 that detects an object existing in a periphery of an own vehicle from a periphery image acquired by a video sensor 1 ; a risk degree calculation section 4 that calculates a degree of risk that the own vehicle collides with the object detected by the object detection section 2 ; and a collision-risk target setting section 5 that sets the object detected by the object detection section 2 as a collision-risk target on the basis of the degree of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation section 4 , and a warning image determination section 6 determines a size of a rectangle that encompasses the collision-risk target set by the collision-risk target setting section 5 , according to the degree of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation section 4.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A driving assistance device, comprising:
an image acquisition unit that acquires a periphery image of an own vehicle;
an object detection unit that detects an object existing in a periphery of the own vehicle from the periphery image acquired by the image acquisition unit;
a risk degree calculation unit that calculates a degree of risk that the own vehicle collides with the object detected by the object detection unit;
a collision-risk target setting unit that sets the object detected by the object detection unit as a collision-risk target on the basis of the degree of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit;
a warning image determination unit that determines a size of a warning image that is an image for marking the collision-risk target set by the collision-risk target setting unit, according to the degree of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit; and
an image display unit that displays the warning image having the size determined by the warning image determination unit at a position where the collision-risk target set by the collision-risk target setting unit exists,
wherein when a plurality of the collision-risk targets are set by the collision-risk target setting unit and warning images for marking the plurality of collision-risk targets are to be displayed at positions where said warning images overlap with each other, the warning image determination unit modifies an overlapped portion of the warning image for marking the collision-risk target that is lower than the other target in the degree of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the warning image determination unit makes the size of the warning image larger as the degree of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit becomes higher.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the warning image determination unit makes a contour line of the warning image thicker as the degree of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit becomes higher.

4. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein when a plurality of the collision-risk targets are set by the collision-risk target setting unit, the warning image determination unit commonizes shapes of the warning images for marking the plurality of collision-risk targets, and determines each size of the warning images commonized in shape for every collision-risk target, according to the degree of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit.

5. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , where the warning image determination unit translucently displays the overlapped portion of the warning image to be modified.

6. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein when a plurality of the collision-risk targets are set by the collision-risk target setting unit, the warning image determination unit assigns priorities for the plurality of the collision-risk targets in consideration of their degrees of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit, and enlarges an image of the collision-risk target that is higher in priority than the other target, or enlarges the warning image for marking said collision-risk target.

7. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the risk degree calculation unit calculates from a distance and a relative speed between the object detected by the object detection unit and the own vehicle, a collision prediction time up to the collision of the own vehicle with the object, to thereby calculate the degree of risk on the basis of the collision prediction time.

8. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the risk degree calculation unit predicts moving directions of the object detected by the object detection unit and the own vehicle, and calculates from the moving directions a possibility that the object and the own vehicle collide with each other, to thereby calculate the degree of risk on the basis of the possibility.

9. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the risk degree calculation unit predicts moving directions of the object detected by the object detection unit and the own vehicle in consideration of a road configuration stored in a map database, and calculates from the moving directions a possibility that the object and the own vehicle collide with each other, to thereby calculate the degree of risk on the basis of the possibility.

10. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the risk degree calculation unit calculates the degree of risk on the basis of one or more of a location of the object detected by the object detection unit, a location of the own vehicle, a speed of the object detected by the object detection unit, a speed of the own vehicle, a moving direction of the object detected by the object detection unit, a moving direction of the own vehicle, and a map data stored in a map database.

11. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein when a plurality of the collision-risk targets are set by the collision-risk target setting unit, the image display unit assigns priorities for the plurality of the collision-risk targets in consideration of their degrees of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit, and modifies an image of the collision-risk target in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, or the warning image for marking said collision-risk target, according to the priority.

12. The driving assistance device according to claim 11 , wherein when a plurality of the collision-risk targets are set by the collision-risk target setting unit, the image display unit assigns priorities for the plurality of the collision-risk targets in consideration of their degrees of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit, and enlarges the image of the collision-risk target that is higher in priority than the other target, or enlarges the warning image for marking said collision-risk target.

13. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein when a plurality of the collision-risk targets are set by the collision-risk target setting unit, the image display unit assigns priorities for the plurality of the collision-risk targets in consideration of their degrees of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit, and modifies an image other than an image of the collision-risk target in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, according to the priority.

14. The driving assistance device according to claim 13 , wherein when a plurality of the collision-risk targets are set by the collision-risk target setting unit, the image display unit assigns priorities for the plurality of the collision-risk targets in consideration of their degrees of risk calculated by the risk degree calculation unit, and performs on the image other than the image of the collision-risk target that is higher in priority than the other target, color-contrast reduction processing or blur processing.

15. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the warning image determination unit is configured to cut out the overlapped portion of the warning image to be modified.

16. A driving assistance method, comprising:
an image acquisition processing step in which an image acquisition unit acquires a periphery image of an own vehicle;
an object detection processing step in which an object detection unit detects an object existing in a periphery of the own vehicle from the periphery image acquired by the image acquisition processing step;
a risk degree

Assignees

• Sempuku Tsuyoshi
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Sempuku Tsuyoshi

Classifications

• H04N7/183

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• G08G1/165 Primary

  for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees · CPC title

• G08G1/166

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

• G08G1/16 Primary

  Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08) · CPC title

• G06K9/00805

  Physics · mapped topic