US-12617395-B2 - Driving assistance apparatus

US12617395B2US 12617395 B2US12617395 B2US 12617395B2US-12617395-B2

Abstract

A driving assistance apparatus includes a crosswalk detection unit configured to detect a crosswalk in front of a host vehicle, an area setting unit configured to set, on an adjacent lane, an obstacle detection area for detecting an obstacle on the adjacent lane on a near side of the crosswalk, an obstacle detection unit configured to detect a presence or absence of the obstacle in the obstacle detection area, and a driving assistance unit configured to perform a driving assistance when the obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection area.

Inventors

Masakazu Nishijima

Assignees

TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240612
Priority Date: 20230619

Claims (17)

1 . A driving assistance apparatus configured to perform a driving assistance for a host vehicle, the driving assistance apparatus comprising: a crosswalk detection unit configured to detect a crosswalk in front of the host vehicle; an area setting unit configured to set, on an adjacent lane that is adjacent to an own lane, an obstacle detection area for detecting an obstacle on the adjacent lane on a near side of the crosswalk that has been detected; an obstacle detection unit configured to detect a presence or absence of the obstacle in the obstacle detection area that has been set; a driving assistance unit configured to perform the driving assistance including at least one of steering control of the host vehicle, or deceleration control of the host vehicle when the obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection area; and a congestion information acquisition unit configured to acquire congestion information of the adjacent lane, wherein the area setting unit is configured to determine whether the adjacent lane is congested based on the congestion information that has been acquired, and the area setting unit is configured to set a length of the obstacle detection area along an extending direction of the adjacent lane to be longer when the adjacent lane is congested as compared to a case where the adjacent lane is not congested, wherein the area setting unit is configured to set the length of the obstacle detection area along the extending direction of the adjacent lane to be longer as a vehicle speed of the host vehicle is faster.
2 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the area setting unit is configured to set an area having a length equal to or longer than two other vehicles along an extending direction of the adjacent lane as the obstacle detection area.
3 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the area setting unit is configured to set the length of the obstacle detection area along the extending direction of the adjacent lane to be longer as a distance to the crosswalk is longer.
4 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the obstacle detection unit is configured to detect, as a presence or absence of the obstacle, a presence or absence of another vehicle whose speed is equal to or less than a predetermined vehicle speed threshold in the obstacle detection area, and the driving assistance unit is configured to perform the driving assistance when the other vehicle whose speed is equal to or less than the vehicle speed threshold is detected in the obstacle detection area.
5 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the driving assistance unit is further configured to perform notification to an occupant of the host vehicle.
6 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the crosswalk detection unit is configured to detect, as the crosswalk, a crosswalk on which no traffic light is installed.
7 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the area setting unit is configured to set a far-side boundary line of the obstacle detection area at a position of a near-side edge of the crosswalk, the far-side boundary line being on a side farther from the host vehicle.
8 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the driving assistance unit is configured to perform the driving assistance when a predetermined assist timing condition based on an arrival time for the host vehicle to reach the crosswalk is satisfied.
9 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the area setting unit is configured to set a width of the obstacle detection area based on a lane width of the adjacent lane.
10 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the driving assistance unit is configured to perform steering control to steer the host vehicle away from the adjacent lane when the obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection area.
11 . A driving assistance apparatus configured to perform a driving assistance for a host vehicle, the driving assistance apparatus comprising: a crosswalk detection unit configured to detect a crosswalk in front of the host vehicle; an area setting unit configured to set, on an adjacent lane that is adjacent to an own lane, an obstacle detection area for detecting an obstacle on the adjacent lane on a near side of the crosswalk that has been detected; an obstacle detection unit configured to detect a presence or absence of the obstacle in the obstacle detection area that has been set; and a driving assistance unit configured to perform the driving assistance including at least one of steering control of the host vehicle, or deceleration control of the host vehicle when the obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection area, wherein the area setting unit is configured to set an area having a length equal to or longer than two other vehicles along an extending direction of the adjacent lane as the obstacle detection area, wherein the area setting unit is configured to set the length of the obstacle detection area along the extending direction of the adjacent lane to be longer as a vehicle speed of the host vehicle is faster.
12 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the driving assistance unit is further configured to perform notification to an occupant of the host vehicle.
13 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the crosswalk detection unit is configured to detect, as the crosswalk, a crosswalk on which no traffic light is installed.
14 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the area setting unit is configured to set a far-side boundary line of the obstacle detection area at a position of a near-side edge of the crosswalk, the far-side boundary line being on a side farther from the host vehicle.
15 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the driving assistance unit is configured to perform the driving assistance when a predetermined assist timing condition based on an arrival time for the host vehicle to reach the crosswalk is satisfied.
16 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the area setting unit is configured to set a width of the obstacle detection area based on a lane width of the adjacent lane.
17 . The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the driving assistance unit is configured to perform steering control to steer the host vehicle away from the adjacent lane when the obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection area.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-099876, filed on Jun. 19, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Field The present disclosure relates to a driving assistance apparatus that performs driving assistance for a host vehicle. A driving assistance apparatus in a vehicle has conventionally performed driving assistance such as deceleration when detecting a pedestrian or the like who is about to cross a crosswalk. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2022-148428 discloses that the presence or absence of a pedestrian near a crosswalk is determined by using not only a captured image of a camera mounted on a host vehicle but also a captured image of an external camera, and driving assistance such as notification is performed. SUMMARY When another vehicle is present in an adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane, a blind spot is generated by the other vehicle, and it may be difficult to detect a pedestrian or the like who is about to cross a crosswalk. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2022-148428 describes that a captured image of an external camera is used, but it may be difficult to acquire such a captured image of the external camera. The present disclosure describes a driving assistance apparatus capable of more appropriately performing driving assistance for a host vehicle in front of a crosswalk. A driving assistance apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure is [1] “a driving assistance apparatus configured to perform a driving assistance for a host vehicle, the driving assistance apparatus including a crosswalk detection unit configured to detect a crosswalk in front of the host vehicle, an area setting unit configured to set, on an adjacent lane adjacent to an own lane, an obstacle detection area for detecting an obstacle on the adjacent lane on a near side of the crosswalk that has been detected, an obstacle detection unit configured to detect a presence or absence of the obstacle in the obstacle detection area that has been set, and a driving assistance unit configured to perform the driving assistance including at least one of notification to an occupant of the host vehicle, steering control of the host vehicle, and deceleration control of the host vehicle when the obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection area”. This driving assistance apparatus performs driving assistance when an obstacle is detected in an obstacle detection area set in front of a crosswalk on an adjacent lane. That is, the driving assistance apparatus performs driving assistance in advance in preparation for a case where a pedestrian or the like who is about to cross a crosswalk is present in a situation where a blind spot is generated by an obstacle in the obstacle detection area. The driving assistance apparatus thus can more appropriately performs driving assistance for the host vehicle in front of a crosswalk. The driving assistance apparatus may be [2] “the driving assistance apparatus according to [1], wherein the area setting unit is configured to set an area having a length equal to or longer than two other vehicles along an extending direction of the adjacent lane as the obstacle detection area”. For example, a plurality of other vehicles may form a row as obstacles in front of a crosswalk on an adjacent lane. In this case, another vehicle closer to the far side (the side closer to the crosswalk) as viewed from the host vehicle has a larger area hidden by another vehicle immediately in front of the other vehicle as viewed from the host vehicle. Thus, it is more difficult to detect the other vehicle as the other vehicle is on the far side. In other words, when another vehicle on an adjacent lane is detected, it is easier to detect another vehicle as the other vehicle is closer to the host vehicle. Thus, the driving assistance apparatus sets an area having a length equal to or longer than two other vehicles as the obstacle detection area for detecting another vehicle. This allows the driving assistance apparatus to easily detect another vehicle located on the near side even when other vehicles form a row on an adjacent lane and it is difficult to detect another vehicle on the far side, for example. In this manner, the driving assistance apparatus can more appropriately detect an obstacle (for example, another vehicle) located in front of the crosswalk on an adjacent lane. The driving assistance apparatus can perform driving assistance based on the detected obstacle. The driving assistance apparatus may be [3] “the driving assistance apparatus according to [1] or [2], the driving assistance apparatus further including a congestion information acquisition unit configured to acquire congestion information of the adjacent lane, wherein the area setting unit is configured to determine whether the adjacent lane is congested based o