Own-vehicle-path determining method and own-vehicle-path determining apparatus

1. An own-vehicle-path determining method comprising:

detecting a position and an internal condition of an object, including other vehicles present within a predetermined surrounding range, by a sensor unit mounted on an own vehicle;

generating a track representing a possible positional change of at least two objects based on the detected results within a predetermined time in a time-space configured with time and space, the at least two objects including at least the own vehicle and one of the other vehicles;

predicting a path of the at least two objects using the generated track;

calculating a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the first evaluation value indicating an evaluation of safety of the own vehicle obtained by calculating a possibility of interference such as collision between the other vehicle and each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

calculating a second evaluation value of each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the second evaluation value indicating an evaluation of driving efficiency of the own vehicle;

first selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

second selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values as appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates; and

selecting any one of the appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates as an own-vehicle path.

2. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 1 , wherein own-vehicle-path candidates with the first evaluation values higher than a predetermined value are selected in the first selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates.

3. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 1 , wherein

own-vehicle-path candidates with the second evaluation value higher than a predetermined value are selected in the second selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates.

4. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 2 , further comprising inputting and setting the predetermined value.

5. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 4 , wherein the predetermined value is set variably in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

6. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 5 , wherein the predetermined value is set variably so as to increase according to a travel amount of an accelerator pedal in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

7. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 5 , wherein the predetermined value is set variably so as to decrease according to a travel amount of a brake pedal in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

8. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 5 , wherein the predetermined value is set variably according to an operation of a mode-selecting switch related with a driving mode in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

9. An own-vehicle-path determining method comprising:

detecting a position and an internal condition of an object, including other vehicles present within a predetermined surrounding range, by a sensor unit mounted on an own vehicle;

generating a track representing a possible positional change of at least two objects based on the detected results within a predetermined time in a time-space configured with time and space, the at least two objects including at least the own vehicle and one of the other vehicles;

predicting a path of the at least two objects using the generated track;

calculating a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the first evaluation value indicating an evaluation of safety of the own vehicle obtained by calculating a possibility of interference such as collision between the other vehicle and each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

calculating a second evaluation value of each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the second evaluation value indicating an evaluation of driving efficiency of the own vehicle;

first selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates; and

second selecting an own-vehicle-path candidate with a highest second evaluation value as a drivable path of an own vehicle from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates.

10. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 9 , wherein

own-vehicle-path candidates with the first evaluation values higher than a predetermined value are selected in the first selecting own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates.

11. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 10 , further comprising inputting and setting the predetermined value.

12. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 11 , wherein the predetermined value is set variably in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

13. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 12 , wherein the predetermined value is set variably to increase according to a travel amount of an accelerator pedal in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

14. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 12 , wherein the predetermined value is set variably to decrease according to a travel amount of a brake pedal in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

15. The own-vehicle-path determining method according to claim 12 , wherein the predetermined value is set variably according to an operation of a mode-selecting switch related with a driving mode in the inputting and setting the predetermined value.

16. An own-vehicle-path determining apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a position and an internal condition of an object, including other vehicles present within a predetermined surrounding range, by a sensor unit mounted on an own vehicle;

a track generator that generates a track representing a possible positional change of at least two objects based on detected results of the detecting unit within a predetermined time in a time-space configured with time and space, the at least two objects including at least the own vehicle and one of the other vehicles;

a predicting unit that predicts a path of the at least two objects using the generated track;

a first calculator that calculates a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the first evaluation value indicating an evaluation of safety of the own vehicle; obtained by calculating a possibility of interference such as collision between the other vehicle and each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

a second calculator that calculates a second evaluation value of each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the second evaluation value indicating an evaluation of driving efficiency of the own vehicle; and

a selector that first selects own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, second selects own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values as appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates, and third selects any one of the appropriate own-vehicle-path candidates as an own-vehicle path.

17. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the selector selects, when selecting the own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, own-vehicle-path candidates with the first evaluation values higher than a predetermined value.

18. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the selector selects, when second selecting the own-vehicle-path candidates with high second evaluation values from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates, own-vehicle-path candidates with the second evaluation values higher than a predetermined value.

19. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising a predetermined value input unit that inputs and sets the predetermined value.

20. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably.

21. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably so that the predetermined value increases according to a travel amount of an accelerator pedal.

22. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably so that the predetermined value decreases according to a travel amount of a brake pedal.

23. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably according to an operation of a mode-selecting switch related with a driving mode.

24. An own-vehicle-path determining apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a position and an internal condition of an object, including other vehicles present within a predetermined surrounding range, by a sensor unit mounted on an own vehicle;

a track generator that generates a track representing a possible positional change of at least two objects based on detected results of the detecting unit within a predetermined time in a time-space configured with time and space, the at least two objects including at least the own vehicle and one of the other vehicles;

a predicting unit that predicts a path of the at least two objects using the generated track;

a first calculator that calculates a first evaluation value of each of plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the first evaluation value indicating an evaluation of safety of the own vehicle obtained by calculating a possibility of interference such as collision between the other vehicle and each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates;

a second calculator that calculates a second evaluation value of each of the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, the second evaluation value indicating an evaluation of driving efficiency of the own vehicle; and

a selector that first selects own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, and second selects an own-vehicle-path candidate with a highest second evaluation value as a drivable path of the own vehicle from the first selected own-vehicle-path candidates.

25. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein the selector selects, when selecting the own-vehicle-path candidates with high first evaluation values from the plural predicted own-vehicle-path candidates, own-vehicle-path candidates with the first evaluation values higher than a predetermined value.

26. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 25 , further comprising a predetermined value input unit that inputs and sets the predetermined value.

27. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 26 , wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably.

28. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably so that the predetermined value increases according to a travel amount of an accelerator pedal.

29. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably so that the predetermined value decreases according to a travel amount of a brake pedal.

30. The own-vehicle-path determining apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the predetermined value input unit sets the predetermined value variably according to an operation of a mode-selecting switch related with a driving mode.