IP Library Granted Patent US 12,258,015
Granted Patent B2
US 12,258,015 · App. 18/098,431 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Driving support apparatus, driving support method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

Inventors: Hiroshi Toyoda (Numazu, JP); Yuta Ikezawa (Susono, JP); Kohei Tochigi (Shizuoka-ken, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60W30/146B60W10/18B60W30/18154B60W50/16B60W2050/143B60W2540/18B60W2552/53B60W2710/18
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,258,015
App. No.
18/098,431
Granted
Mar 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A driving support apparatus includes a surrounding information acquisition device which acquires surrounding information, a steering information acquisition device which acquires steering information, a control unit which executes driving support control including at least one of pre-right/left-turn deceleration assist control or pre-right/left-turn warning control when a predetermined first execution condition is satisfied. When a precondition which is satisfied in a case in which an intersection is detected based on the surrounding information and steering operation is being performed by a driver based on the steering information is satisfied, the control unit determines whether or not the first execution condition is satisfied based on the steering operation being performed and traveling lane arrow information which is road arrow information of a traveling lane or adjacent lane arrow information which is road arrow information of an adjacent lane, both of which being stored in a storage device.

Claims (32)

1. A driving support apparatus, comprising:

a surrounding information acquisition device configured to acquire information relating to a road marking and an intersection present in a front area, which is an area including a road surface in front of a vehicle, as surrounding information;

a steering information acquisition device configured to acquire information including whether or not steering operation is being performed by a driver of the vehicle as steering information; and

a control unit including a storage device, the control unit being configured to:

store, in a case in which an intersection is detected based on the surrounding information, when a road arrow marking is detected on a traveling lane which is a lane on which the vehicle is traveling or on an adjacent lane which is a lane adjacent to the traveling lane, road arrow information which is information including the road arrow marking and permitted travel directions of a lane indicated by the road arrow marking, in the storage device in association with the detected intersection for each lane;

execute, when a predetermined first execution condition including an intersection being detected based on the surrounding information is satisfied, driving support control including at least one of pre-right/left-turn deceleration assist control of automatically applying a braking force to the vehicle so that a deceleration of the vehicle matches a target deceleration and thereby assisting in deceleration of the vehicle to a predetermined target vehicle speed before the vehicle performs one of a right turn or a left turn at the detected intersection, or pre-right/left-turn warning control of warning the driver and thereby prompting the driver to perform a deceleration operation before the vehicle performs one of a right turn or a left turn at the detected intersection; and

determine, when a precondition is satisfied, the precondition being satisfied in a case in which it is determined that an intersection is detected based on the surrounding information and that steering operation is being performed by the driver based on the steering information, whether or not the first execution condition is satisfied based on the steering operation being performed and traveling lane arrow information which is the road arrow information of the traveling lane or adjacent lane arrow information which is the road arrow information of the adjacent lane, each of the traveling lane arrow information and the adjacent lane arrow information being stored in the storage device.

2. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to:

determine, in a first case in which the precondition is satisfied and the traveling lane arrow information is stored in the storage device, that the first execution condition is satisfied when a first direction condition is satisfied, the first direction condition being satisfied in a case in which a direction corresponding to the steering operation being performed is included in permitted travel directions of the traveling lane indicated by the traveling lane arrow information;

determine, in a second case in which the precondition is satisfied, either the traveling lane arrow information is not stored in the storage device or the first direction condition is not satisfied, and the adjacent lane arrow information is stored in the storage device, that the first execution condition is satisfied when a second direction condition is satisfied, the second direction condition being satisfied when a direction corresponding to the steering operation being performed is included in permitted travel directions of the adjacent lane indicated by the adjacent lane arrow information and a straight direction is not included in the permitted travel directions; and

determine, in the second case, that the first execution condition is not satisfied when the second direction condition is not satisfied.

3. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to:

further execute, when a predetermined second execution condition including an intersection being detected based on the surrounding information is satisfied, light driving support control including at least one of pre-right/left-turn light deceleration assist control, a degree thereof at which the vehicle decelerates to the target vehicle speed being lightened compared with the pre-right/left-turn deceleration assist control, or pre-right/left-turn light warning control, a degree thereof of warning the driver being lightened compared with the pre-right/left-turn warning control; and

determine, in the second case, that the second execution condition is satisfied when the second direction condition is not satisfied due to a direction corresponding to the steering operation being performed being included in permitted travel directions of the adjacent lane indicated by the adjacent lane arrow information and a straight direction being included in the permitted travel directions.

4. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to:

further execute, when a predetermined second execution condition including an intersection being detected based on the surrounding information is satisfied, light driving support control including at least one of pre-right/left-turn light deceleration assist control, a degree thereof at which the vehicle decelerates to the target vehicle speed being lightened compared with the pre-right/left-turn deceleration assist control, or pre-right/left-turn light warning control, a degree thereof of warning the driver being lightened compared with the pre-right/left-turn warning control; and

determine, in a third case in which the precondition is satisfied, and neither the traveling lane arrow information nor the adjacent lane arrow information is stored in the storage device, that the second execution condition is satisfied.

5. The driving support apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to:

determine, in a fourth case in which the precondition is satisfied, the first direction condition is not satisfied, and the adjacent lane arrow information is not stored in the storage device, that neither the first execution condition nor the second execution condition is satisfied.

6. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the steering information acquisition device is a direction indicator switch configured to detect an operation state of an operation device to be operated by the driver in order to operate a direction indicator, and is configured to acquire, as the steering information, whether or not the operation device is under a state of being operated by the driver.

7. A driving support method, comprising:

causing a surrounding information acquisition device to acquire information relating to a road marking and an intersection present in a front area, which is an area including a road surface in front of a vehicle, as surrounding information;

causing a steering information acquisition device to acquire information including whether or not steering operation is being performed by a driver of the vehicle as steering information;

storing, in a case in which an intersection is detected based on the surrounding information, when a road arrow marking is detected on a traveling lane which is a lane on which the vehicle is traveling or on an adjacent lane which is a lane adjacent to the traveling lane, road arrow information which is information including the road arrow marking and permitted travel directions of a lane indicated by the road arrow marking, in a storage device in association with the detected intersection for each lane;

executing, when a predetermined first execution condition including an intersection being detected based on the surrounding information is satisfied, driving support control including at least one of pre-right/left-turn deceleration assist control of automatically applying a braking force to the vehicle so that a deceleration of the vehicle matches a target deceleration and thereby assisting in deceleration of the vehicle to a predetermined target vehicle speed before the vehicle performs one of a right turn or a left turn at the detected intersection, or pre-right/left-turn warning control of warning the driver and thereby prompting the driver to perform a deceleration operation before the vehicle performs one of a right turn or a left turn at the detected intersection; and

determining, when a precondition is satisfied, the precondition being satisfied in a case in which it is determined that an intersection is detected based on the surrounding information and that steering operation is being performed by the driver based on the steering information, whether or not the first execution condition is satisfied based on the steering operation being performed and traveling lane arrow information which is the road arrow information of the traveling lane or adjacent lane arrow information which is the road arrow information of the adjacent lane, each of the traveling lane arrow information and the adjacent lane arrow information being stored in the storage device.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a driving support program for causing a computer to execute processing comprising:

causing a surrounding information acquisition device to acquire information relating to a road marking and an intersection present in a front area, which is an area including a road surface in front of a vehicle, as surrounding information;

causing a steering information acquisition device to acquire information including whether or not steering operation is being performed by a driver of the vehicle as steering information;

storing, in a case in which an intersection is detected based on the surrounding information, when a road arrow marking is detected on a traveling lane which is a lane on which the vehicle is traveling or on an adjacent lane which is a lane adjacent to the traveling lane, road arrow information which is information including the road arrow marking and permitted travel directions of a lane indicated by the road arrow marking, in a storage device in association with the detected intersection for each lane;

executing, when a predetermined first execution condition including an intersection being detected based on the surrounding information is satisfied, driving support control including at least one of pre-right/left-turn deceleration assist control of automatically applying a braking force to the vehicle so that a deceleration of the vehicle matches a target deceleration and thereby assisting in deceleration of the vehicle to a predetermined target vehicle speed before the vehicle performs one of a right turn or a left turn at the detected intersection, or pre-right/left-turn warning control of warning the driver and thereby prompting the driver to perform a deceleration operation before the vehicle performs one of a right turn or a left turn at the detected intersection; and

determining, when a precondition is satisfied, the precondition being satisfied in a case in which it is determined that an intersection is detected based on the surrounding information and that steering operation is being performed by the driver based on the steering information, whether or not the first execution condition is satisfied based on the steering operation being performed and traveling lane arrow information which is the road arrow information of the traveling lane or adjacent lane arrow information which is the road arrow information of the adjacent lane, each of the traveling lane arrow information and the adjacent lane arrow information being stored in the storage device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 18, 2023
From: TOYODA, HIROSHI; IKEZAWA, YUTA; TOCHIGI, KOHEI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 062412/0350 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-007351 · Jan 20, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230227036A1 · Jul 20, 2023
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