IP Library Granted Patent US 12673671
Granted Patent B2
US 12673671 · App. 18/929,633 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Driver assistance device for vehicle

Inventors: Naoki Iguchi (Toyota, JP); Toshiki Kinoshita (Toyota, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60W30/09B60W30/0953B60W30/0956B60W30/146B60W50/0097G08G1/166B60W2555/60
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12673671
App. No.
18/929,633
Granted
Jul 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A driver assist ECU executes a collision avoidance assist operation for avoiding a collision between a host vehicle and an object when a collision determination condition that is satisfied when the host vehicle is predicted to collide with the object is satisfied. The driver assist ECU recognizes a speed limit applied on a lane on which the host vehicle is traveling, and when a current speed limit that is newly recognized at a current point in time is lower than a past speed limit that had been recognized until immediately before the current point in time, changes the collision determination condition to a condition that is easily satisfied, in order for the collision avoidance assist operation to be performed at an earlier timing than when the current speed limit is not lower than the past speed limit.

Claims (19)

1 . A driver assistance device for a vehicle, the driver assistance device comprising:

a controller configured to perform a collision avoidance assist operation when a collision determination condition is satisfied, the collision avoidance assist operation being an operation for avoiding a collision between a host vehicle and an object, and the collision determination condition being a condition that is satisfied when the host vehicle is predicted to collide with the object; and

a setting input device that is operated by an occupant of the host vehicle, wherein

the controller is configured to

recognize a speed limit applied to a lane on which the host vehicle is traveling,

when a current speed limit is lower than a past speed limit, change the collision determination condition to a condition that is easily satisfied, in order for the collision avoidance assist operation to be performed at an earlier timing than when the current speed limit is not lower than the past speed limit, the current speed limit being a speed limit newly recognized at a current point in time, and the past speed limit being a speed limit that had been recognized until immediately before the current point in time,

calculate a time to collision that is a time remaining until the host vehicle collides with the object,

determine that the collision determination condition is satisfied when the time to collision becomes equal to or less than a collision determination time threshold,

change, based on an input to the setting input device, the collision determination time threshold as a reference threshold between a first value and a second value smaller than the first value, the collision determination time threshold being a threshold used to determine whether the collision determination condition is satisfied when the collision determination condition is not changed,

change the collision determination condition to the condition that is easily satisfied, by changing the collision determination time threshold to a value obtained by adding a timing correction time to the reference threshold, and

change the timing correction time based on the input to the setting input device, and

the timing correction time is set to a value equal to or less than a difference value obtained by subtracting the reference threshold from the first value.

2 . The driver assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the controller is configured to when the current speed limit is lower than the past speed limit by a speed limit decrease threshold or more, change the collision determination condition to the condition that is easily satisfied; and

the controller is further configured to change the speed limit decrease threshold based on the input to the setting input device.

3 . The driver assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the controller is configured to when an elapsed time from a point in time when the collision determination condition was changed to the condition that is easily satisfied reaches a change time threshold, return the collision determination condition to the condition before the change; and

the controller is further configured to change the change time threshold based on the input to the setting input device.

4 . The driver assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to change how easily the condition that is easily satisfied is satisfied, based on the input to the setting input device.