IP Library Granted Patent US 7,487,020
Granted Patent B2
US 7,487,020 · App. 10/871,013 · Granted Feb 3, 2009

Driving assist apparatus and method for vehicle

Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,487,020
App. No.
10/871,013
Granted
Feb 3, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

A driving assist apparatus for a vehicle that guides the vehicle to a target position is provided. On the basis of the present direction of the vehicle and the direction of the vehicle at the target position, a basic path that changes the vehicle direction so as to coincide with the target direction of the vehicle at the target position is computed. A path from the present position to the target position is computed by adding a straight-line path to the basic path under a predetermined condition.

Claims (43)

1. A driving assist apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a detecting portion that detects an initial deflection angle at an initial position of the vehicle, the deflection angle being an angle formed between a direction of the vehicle at a target position and a direction of the vehicle at a present direction of the vehicle;

a setting portion that sets a basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the initial deflection angle to a state of the deflection angle of 0 by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with a running distance, wherein the running distance changes with respect to one of a steering angle and a turning curvature; and

a computing portion that computes a target path that extends from the initial position to the target position by using the basic path as a basis and adding a straight-line path to at least one of a site forward of the basic path and a site rearward of the basic path under a predetermined condition,

wherein the computing portion computes a target path by similarity-enlarging the basic path.

2. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the basic path includes a path in which the vehicle is driven by increasing the steering angle of the vehicle to a predetermined steering angle, a path in which the vehicle is driven by maintaining the predetermined steering angle, and a path in which the vehicle is driven by decreasing the steering angle to 0.

3. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an automatic steering portion that automatically steers so as to drive the vehicle along the set target path.

4. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the computing portion computes a target path if the steering angle at the initial position is substantially 0.

5. A driving assist apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a detecting portion that detects an initial deflection angle at an initial position of the vehicle, the deflection angle being an angle formed between a direction of the vehicle at a target position and a direction of the vehicle at a present direction of the vehicle;

a first setting portion that sets a first basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the initial deflection angle to a predetermined deflection angle by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with a running distance, wherein the running distance changes with respect to one of a steering angle and a turning curvature;

a second setting portion that sets a second basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the predetermined deflection angle to a state of the deflection angle of 0 by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with the running distance, as a change in the running distance with respect to one of the steering angle and the turning curvature; and

a computing portion that computes a target path that extends from the initial position to the target position by using the first basic path and the second basic path as a basis and adding a straight-line path to at least one of a site forward of the first basic path, a site between the first basic path and the second basic path, and a site rearward of the second basic path under a predetermined condition,

wherein the computing portion computes a target path by similarity-enlarging at least one of the first basic path and the second basic path.

6. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the first and second basic paths include a path in which the vehicle is driven by increasing the steering angle of the vehicle to a predetermined steering angle, a path in which the vehicle is driven by maintaining the predetermined steering angle, and a path in which the vehicle is driven by decreasing the steering angle to 0.

7. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising an automatic steering portion that automatically steers so as to drive the vehicle along the set target path.

8. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the computing portion computes a target path if the steering angle at the initial position is substantially 0.

9. A driving assist is performed for a vehicle comprising the steps of:

detecting an initial deflection angle at an initial position of the vehicle, the deflection angle being an angle formed between a direction of the vehicle at a target position and a direction of the vehicle at a present direction of the vehicle;

setting a basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the initial deflection angle to a state of the deflection angle of 0 by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with a running distance, wherein the running distance changes with respect to one of a steering angle and a turning curvature; and

computing a target path that extends from the initial position to the target position by using the basic path as a basis and adding a straight-line path to at least one of a site forward of the basic path and a site rearward of the basic path under a predetermined condition,

wherein the target path is computed by similarity-enlarging the basic path.

10. The driving assist method according to claim 9 , wherein the basic path includes a path in which the vehicle is driven by increasing the steering angle of the vehicle to a predetermined steering angle, a path in which the vehicle is driven by maintaining the predetermined steering angle, and a path in which the vehicle is driven by decreasing the steering angle to 0.

11. The driving assist method according to claim 9 , further comprising the step of automatically steering so as to drive the vehicle along the set target path.

12. The driving assist method according to claim 9 , wherein the target path is computed if the steering angle at the initial position is substantially 0.

13. A driving assist method for a vehicle comprising the steps of:

detecting an initial deflection angle at an initial position of the vehicle, the deflection angle being an angle formed between a direction of the vehicle at a target position and a direction of the vehicle at a present direction of the vehicle;

setting a first basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the initial deflection angle to a predetermined deflection angle by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with a running distance, wherein the running distance changes with respect to one of a steering angle and a turning curvature;

setting a second basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the predetermined deflection angle to a state of the deflection angle of 0 by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with the running distance, as a change in the running distance with respect to one of the steering angle and the turning curvature; and

computing a target path that extends from the initial position to the target position by using the first basic path and the second basic path as a basis and adding a straight-line path to at least one of a site forward of the first basic path, a site between the first basic path and the second basic path, and a site rearward of the second basic path under a predetermined condition,

wherein the target path is computed by similarity-enlarging at least on of the first basic path and the second basic path.

14. The driving assist method according to claim 13 , wherein the first and second basic path includes a path in which the vehicle is driven by increasing the steering angle of the vehicle to a predetermined steering angle, a path in which the vehicle is driven by maintaining the predetermined steering angle, and a path in which the vehicle is driven by decreasing the steering angle to 0.

15. The driving assist method according to claim 13 , further comprising the step of automatically steering so as to drive the vehicle along the set target path.

16. The driving assist method according to claim 13 , wherein the target path is computed if the steering angle at the initial position is substantially 0.

17. A driving assist apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

detecting means for detecting an initial deflection angle at an initial position of the vehicle, the deflection angle being an angle formed between a direction of the vehicle at a target position and a direction of the vehicle at a present direction of the vehicle;

setting means for setting a basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the initial deflection angle to a state of the deflection angle of 0 by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with a running distance, wherein the running distance changes with respect to one of a steering angle and a turning curvature; and

computing means for computing a target path that extends from the initial position to the target position by using the basic path as a basis and adding a straight-line path to at least one of a site forward of the basic path and a site rearward of the basic path under a predetermined condition, the computing means computing the target path by similarity-enlarging the basic path.

18. A driving assist apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

detecting means for detecting an initial deflection angle at an initial position of the vehicle, the deflection angle being an angle formed between a direction of the vehicle at a target position and a direction of the vehicle at a present direction of the vehicle;

first setting means for setting a first basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the initial deflection angle to a predetermined deflection angle by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with a running distance, wherein the running distance changes with respect to one of a steering angle and a turning curvature;

second setting means for setting a second basic path along which the deflection angle is changed from the predetermined deflection angle to a state of the deflection angle of 0 by steering under a predetermined condition in accordance with the running distance, as a change in the running distance with respect to one of the steering angle and the turning curvature; and

computing means for computing a target path that extends from the initial position to the target position by using the first basic path and the second basic path as a basis and adding a straight-line path to at least one of a site forward of the first basic path, a site between the first basic path and the second basic path, and a site rearward of the second basic path under a predetermined condition, the computing means computing the target path by similarity-enlarging at least one of the first basic path and the second basic path.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 6, 2004
From: IWAZAKI, KATSUHIKO; SATONAKA, HISASHI; KUBOTA, YUICHI; ENDO, TOMOHIKO; MATSUI, AKIRA; IWAKIRI, HIDEYUKI; SUGIYAMA. TORU; KAWAKAMI, SEIJI; KATAOKA, HIROAKI; TAKAHASHI, ARATA; NINOMIYA, YOSHIKI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 015224/0191 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2003-183043 · Jun 26, 2003 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20050021203A1 · Jan 27, 2005