IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,351,178
Granted Patent B2
US 12,351,178 · App. 18/130,273 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Driving assistance device, driving assistance method, and driving assistance program

Inventor: Tomoyuki Doi (Toyota, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60W30/18154B60W40/105G06V20/584B60W2420/403
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,351,178
App. No.
18/130,273
Granted
Jul 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a driving assistance device ( 1 ) including: a traffic light recognition device configured to recognize a lighting mode of a traffic light existing in front of an own vehicle; and a control device configured to determine a predetermined position in a periphery of the traffic light as a target position, execute deceleration control of decelerating the own vehicle until the own vehicle reaches the target position, calculate a predicted speed being a speed of the own vehicle at a time point at which the own vehicle reaches the target position in a case in which the own vehicle is decelerated from a current time point in a predetermined deceleration mode, execute the deceleration control in a first situation in which the predicted speed is equal to or lower than a threshold value determined based on the lighting mode of the traffic light, and to avoid executing the deceleration control in a second situation in which the predicted speed is higher than the threshold value. The threshold value at a time when a light color of the traffic light is yellow is smaller than the threshold value at a time when the light color of the traffic light is red.

Claims (17)

1. A driving assistance device which is mounted to an own vehicle, comprising:

a traffic light recognition device configured to recognize a lighting mode of a traffic light existing in front of the own vehicle; and

a control device configured to determine a predetermined position in a periphery of the traffic light as a target position when the lighting mode of the traffic light recognized by the traffic light recognition device is a predetermined mode, execute deceleration control of decelerating the own vehicle until the own vehicle reaches the target position, calculate a predicted speed being a speed of the own vehicle at a time point at which the own vehicle reaches the target position in a case in which the own vehicle is decelerated from a current time point in a predetermined deceleration mode, execute the deceleration control in a first situation in which the predicted speed is lower than a threshold value determined based on the lighting mode of the traffic light, and to perform one of avoiding executing the deceleration control or executing slow deceleration control of decelerating the own vehicle more slowly than in the first situation in a second situation in which the predicted speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value,

wherein the threshold value at a time when a light color of the traffic light is yellow is smaller than the threshold value at a time when the light color of the traffic light is red.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to increase the threshold value as an elapsed time since the traffic light recognition device recognizes that the light color is yellow increases.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 2 , wherein the control device is configured to increase the threshold value when the light color of the traffic light is yellow, a direction indicator of the own vehicle is operating, and the own vehicle has entered a dedicated lane for turning toward a direction indicated by the direction indicator.

4. The driving assistance device according to claim 2 , wherein the control device is configured to increase the threshold value when the light color of the traffic light is yellow, a direction indicator of the own vehicle is operating, and the own vehicle is positioned in, of both end portions in a width direction of a road on which the own vehicle is traveling, an end portion which is located in a direction indicated by the direction indicator.

5. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to increase the threshold value when the light color of the traffic light is yellow, a direction indicator of the own vehicle is operating, and the own vehicle has entered a dedicated lane for turning toward a direction indicated by the direction indicator.

6. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to increase the threshold value when the light color of the traffic light is yellow, a direction indicator of the own vehicle is operating, and the own vehicle is positioned in, of both end portions in a width direction of a road on which the own vehicle is traveling, an end portion which is located in a direction indicated by the direction indicator.

7. A driving assistance method which is applied to an own vehicle, comprising:

a traffic light recognition step of recognizing a lighting mode of a traffic light existing in front of the own vehicle; and

a control step of determining a predetermined position in a periphery of the traffic light as a target position when the lighting mode of the traffic light recognized in the traffic light recognition step is a predetermined mode, executing deceleration control of decelerating the own vehicle until the own vehicle reaches the target position, calculating a predicted speed being a speed of the own vehicle at a time point at which the own vehicle reaches the target position in a case in which the own vehicle is decelerated from a current time point in a predetermined deceleration mode, executing the deceleration control in a first situation in which the predicted speed is lower than a threshold value determined based on the lighting mode of the traffic light, and performing one of avoiding executing the deceleration control or executing slow deceleration control of decelerating the own vehicle more slowly than in the first situation in a second situation in which the predicted speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value,

wherein the threshold value at a time when a light color of the traffic light is yellow is smaller than the threshold value at a time when the light color of the traffic light is red.

8. A non-transitory storage medium storing a driving assistance program for causing a computer included in an own vehicle to execute:

a traffic light recognition step of recognizing a lighting mode of a traffic light existing in front of the own vehicle; and

a control step of determining a predetermined position in a periphery of the traffic light as a target position when the lighting mode of the traffic light recognized in the traffic light recognition step is a predetermined mode, executing deceleration control of decelerating the own vehicle until the own vehicle reaches the target position, calculating a predicted speed being a speed of the own vehicle at a time point at which the own vehicle reaches the target position in a case in which the own vehicle is decelerated from a current time point in a predetermined deceleration mode, executing the deceleration control in a first situation in which the predicted speed is lower than a threshold value determined based on the lighting mode of the traffic light, and performing one of avoiding executing the deceleration control or executing slow deceleration control of decelerating the own vehicle more slowly than in the first situation in a second situation in which the predicted speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value,

wherein the threshold value at a time when a light color of the traffic light is yellow is smaller than the threshold value at a time when the light color of the traffic light is red.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 4, 2023
From: DOI, TOMOYUKI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 063221/0841 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-062865 · Apr 5, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230311885A1 · Oct 5, 2023
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