Granted Patent B2

US 12,351,237 · App. 18/369,861 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Inventor: Kumiko Miyano (Susono, JP)

Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

B62D15/0265G08G1/16

Abstract

Claims (29)

1. A driving assistance device comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a moving object ahead of a target vehicle and obstacles including a first obstacle and a second obstacle; and

a control device configured to:

determine whether the second obstacle is present, the second obstacle being located opposite to a traveling lane of the target vehicle with respect to the first obstacle in a lateral direction and forcing the moving object to move in the lateral direction toward the traveling lane due to collaborative action with the first obstacle, the first obstacle hindering the moving object from moving in a longitudinal direction, the longitudinal direction being a direction along the traveling lane of the target vehicle, and the lateral direction being a width direction of the traveling lane of the target vehicle; and

relax an execution condition of steering assistance for detouring around the moving object in a case where the second obstacle is present rather than in a case where the second obstacle is not present.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to relax the execution condition of the steering assistance by at least:

performing the steering assistance when the moving object is located in an assistance execution area extending from the first obstacle toward the moving object in the longitudinal direction; and

expanding the assistance execution area in the case where the second obstacle is present rather than in the case where the second obstacle is not present.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 2 , wherein the control device is configured to expand the assistance execution area by at least expanding the assistance execution area from a near side to a far side of the traveling lane in the lateral direction.

4. The driving assistance device according to claim 3 , wherein the control device is configured to expand the assistance execution area by at least:

setting, when the second obstacle is not present, a first area near the traveling lane with respect to the first obstacle in the lateral direction as the assistance execution area; and

setting, when the second obstacle is present, the first area and a second area opposite to the traveling lane with respect to the first obstacle in the lateral direction as the assistance execution area.

5. The driving assistance device according to claim 2 , wherein the control device is configured to expand the assistance execution area by at least:

not providing the assistance execution area when the second obstacle is not present; and

providing the assistance execution area when the second obstacle is present.

6. The driving assistance device according to claim 5 , wherein the control device is configured to provide the assistance execution area by at least setting an area opposite to the traveling lane with respect to the first obstacle in the lateral direction as at least a part of the assistance execution area.

7. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to relax the execution condition of the steering assistance by at least:

performing the steering assistance when a predicted range of a future position of the moving object overlaps a trajectory of the target vehicle; and

setting the predicted range closer to the traveling lane in the lateral direction in the case where the second obstacle is present than in the case where the second obstacle is not present.

8. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the second obstacle is an object in which a distance from the first obstacle in the lateral direction is smaller than a lower limit value.

9. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the second obstacle is an obstacle that forces the moving object to move in the lateral direction toward the traveling lane due to action caused by combination and coordination of action of the second obstacle on the moving object and action of the first obstacle on the moving object.

10. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the second obstacle is an obstacle expected to increase a probability of movement of the moving object in the lateral direction toward the traveling lane due to a physical constraint on the moving object from a positional relationship among three elements including the second obstacle, the first obstacle, and the moving object.

11. A driving assistance method comprising:

detecting, by a sensor, a moving object ahead of a target vehicle and obstacles including a first obstacle and a second obstacle;

determining, by a control device, whether the second obstacle is present, the second obstacle being located opposite to a traveling lane of the target vehicle with respect to the first obstacle in a lateral direction and forcing the moving object to move in the lateral direction toward the traveling lane due to collaborative action with the first obstacle, the first obstacle hindering the moving object from moving in a longitudinal direction, the longitudinal direction being a direction along the traveling lane of the target vehicle, and the lateral direction being a width direction of the traveling lane of the target vehicle; and

relaxing, by the control device, an execution condition of steering assistance for detouring around the moving object in a case where the second obstacle is present rather than in a case where the second obstacle is not present.

12. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors and that cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising:

determining whether a second obstacle is present, the second obstacle being located opposite to a traveling lane of a target vehicle with respect to a first obstacle in a lateral direction and forcing a moving object ahead of the target vehicle to move in the lateral direction toward the traveling lane due to collaborative action with the first obstacle, the first obstacle hindering the moving object from moving in a longitudinal direction, the moving object, the first obstacle, and the second obstacle being detected by a sensor, the longitudinal direction being a direction along the traveling lane of the target vehicle, and the lateral direction being a width direction of the traveling lane of the target vehicle; and

relaxing an execution condition of steering assistance for detouring around the moving object in a case where the second obstacle is present rather than in a case where the second obstacle is not present.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (19)