IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,620,314
Granted Patent B2
US 12,620,314 · App. 18/029,464 · Granted May 5, 2026

Wrong-way driving determination apparatus and wrong-way driving determination method

Inventors: Takumi Kashihara (Tokyo, JP); Kosei Uchino (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
G08G1/166G08G1/0112G08G1/0133
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,620,314
App. No.
18/029,464
Granted
May 5, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a wrong-way driving determination apparatus, a road information generation unit generates, based on surroundings information acquired by a surroundings monitoring sensor of a subject vehicle, road information including information on a location and a proper direction of travel of each lane of a road on which the subject vehicle is traveling. A travel state information calculation unit calculates, based on the surroundings information, travel state information including information on a location and a direction of travel of the subject vehicle on the road on which the subject vehicle is traveling. A wrong-way driving determination unit calculates a wrong-way driving possibility of the subject vehicle based on the road information and the travel state information, and determines whether the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way based on a value of the wrong-way driving possibility.

Claims (50)

1 . A wrong-way driving determination apparatus comprising:

a GPS-based satellite positioning system disposed inside a subject vehicle including a receiver to receive GPS signals providing information of a location of the subject vehicle and a storage device to store map information including information on a proper direction of travel of each lane on a road;

a surroundings monitoring sensor system comprising at least one of

a camera mounted on an exterior of a subject vehicle with a field of view configured to capture a road surface, vehicles, and obstacles in front of the subject vehicle,

a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor mounted on the exterior of the subject vehicle to irradiate laser to and receive reflected signals from vehicles and obstacles in front of the subject vehicle;

a user interface operably disposed inside the subject vehicle including at least one of a display and a speaker;

a processor operably disposed inside the subject vehicle to execute a program; and

a memory operably disposed inside the subject vehicle to store the program which, when executed by the processor, performs processes of:

determining an accuracy of satellite positioning by the GPS-based satellite positioning system,

in response to the determined accuracy of satellite positioning being above a predetermined threshold, calculating a wrong-way driving possibility of the subject vehicle by comparing the information of the location of the subject vehicle indicated by the GPS signals to the stored map information, and determining whether the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way based on a value of the wrong-way driving possibility, and

in response to the determined accuracy of satellite positioning being below the predetermined threshold,

generating, based on surroundings information acquired by the surroundings monitoring sensor system, road information including information on a location and a proper direction of travel of each lane of a road on which the subject vehicle is traveling;

calculating, based on the surroundings information, travel state information including information on a location and a direction of travel of the subject vehicle on the road on which the subject vehicle is traveling; and

calculating a wrong-way driving possibility of the subject vehicle based on the road information and the travel state information, and determining whether the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way based on a value of the wrong-way driving possibility; and

in response to determining that the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way, controlling the user interface to generate a visual and/or audio output to inform a driver of the subject vehicle that the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way.

2 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processor calculates the wrong-way driving possibility based on a difference between a proper direction of travel of a lane in which the subject vehicle is traveling and the direction of travel of the subject vehicle.

3 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

when the location and the direction of travel of the subject vehicle cannot be calculated from the surroundings information, the processor calculates the location and the direction of travel of the subject vehicle from behavioral information being information acquired by a vehicle behavioral sensor of the subject vehicle.

4 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processor calculates a turning direction and a turning radius of the subject vehicle from the travel state information, and calculates the wrong-way driving possibility based on a lane in which the subject vehicle was traveling before turning, the turning direction and the turning radius of the subject vehicle, and the amount of change in direction of travel of the subject vehicle.

5 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

when the turning direction and the turning radius of the subject vehicle cannot be calculated from the travel state information, the processor calculates the turning direction and the turning radius of the subject vehicle from behavioral information being information acquired by a vehicle behavioral sensor of the subject vehicle.

6 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

when the amount of change in direction of travel of the subject vehicle cannot be calculated from the travel state information, the processor calculates the amount of change in direction of travel of the subject vehicle from behavioral information being information acquired by a vehicle behavioral sensor of the subject vehicle.

7 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processor calculates a first wrong-way driving possibility based on a difference between a proper direction of travel of a lane in which the subject vehicle is traveling and the direction of travel of the subject vehicle, calculates a turning direction and a turning radius of the subject vehicle from the travel state information, calculates a second wrong-way driving possibility based on a lane in which the subject vehicle was traveling before turning, the turning direction and the turning radius of the subject vehicle, and the amount of change in direction of travel of the subject vehicle, and calculates a weighted average of the first wrong-way driving possibility and the second wrong-way driving possibility as the wrong-way driving possibility.

8 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

weighting of the first wrong-way driving possibility and the second wrong-way driving possibility in the weighted average is set based on reliability of the first wrong-way driving possibility and reliability of the second wrong-way driving possibility.

9 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

when the turning direction and the turning radius of the subject vehicle cannot be calculated from the travel state information, the processor calculates the turning direction and the turning radius of the subject vehicle from behavioral information being information acquired by a vehicle behavioral sensor of the subject vehicle.

10 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

when the amount of change in direction of travel of the subject vehicle cannot be calculated from the travel state information, the processor calculates the amount of change in direction of travel of the subject vehicle from behavioral information being information acquired by a vehicle behavioral sensor of the subject vehicle.

11 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processor determines that the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way when the wrong-way driving possibility exceeds another predetermined threshold.

12 . The wrong-way driving determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the road information further includes information on a width and a location of a centerline of each lane.

13 . A wrong-way driving determination method comprising:

receiving, via a receiver of a GPS-based satellite positioning system disposed inside a subject vehicle, GPS signals providing information of a location of the subject vehicle, and acquiring map information from a storage device of the GPS-based satellite positioning system, said map information including information on a proper direction of travel of each lane on a road;

acquiring surroundings information via a surroundings monitoring sensor system comprising at least one of

a camera mounted on an exterior of a subject vehicle with a field of view configured to capture a road surface, vehicles, and obstacles in front of the subject vehicle, and

a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor mounted on the exterior of the subject vehicle to irradiate laser to and receive reflected signals from vehicles and obstacles in front of the subject vehicle;

determining, by a processor operably disposed in the subject vehicle, an accuracy of satellite positioning by the GPS-based satellite positioning system,

in response to the determined accuracy of satellite positioning being above a predetermined threshold,

calculating by the processor a wrong-way driving possibility of the subject vehicle by comparing the information of the location of the subject vehicle indicated by the GPS signals to the stored map information, and determining whether the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way based on a value of the wrong-way driving possibility; and

in response to the determined accuracy of satellite positioning being below the predetermined threshold,

generating, by the processor, road information including information on a location and a proper direction of travel of each lane of a road on which a subject vehicle is traveling based on surroundings information acquired by the surroundings monitoring sensor system,

calculating, by the processor, travel state information including information on a location and a direction of travel of the subject vehicle on the road on which the subject vehicle is traveling based on the surroundings information, and

calculating a wrong-way driving possibility of the subject vehicle based on the road information and the travel state information, and determining whether the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way based on a value of the wrong-way driving possibility; and

in response to determining that the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way, controlling a user interface, which is operably disposed inside the subject vehicle and includes at least one of a speaker and a display, to generate a visual and/or audio output to inform a driver of the subject vehicle that the subject vehicle is traveling the wrong way.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 31, 2023
From: KASHIHARA, TAKUMI; UCHINO, KOSEI
To: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063195/0025 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230360533A1 · Nov 9, 2023
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