Drive assist apparatus

A drive assist apparatus comprising:

• an object detection means for detecting an object around an own vehicle;
• a moving direction detection means for detecting a moving direction of the object detected by the object detection means when the object is approaching relative to the own vehicle;
• a position prediction means for predicting a movement prediction position to which the object detected by the object detection means will move;
• a drive assist means for executing drive assist upon the movement prediction position predicted by the position prediction means being a collision prediction position, the collision prediction position being a position where, if the object relatively moves to the movement prediction position, there is a possibility that the object will collide with the own vehicle,
• the drive assist including at least one of:
• a task of avoiding a collision between the object and the own vehicle;
• and
• a task of mitigating a damage due to the collision;
• and
• a determination means for determining an execution timing of the drive assist by the drive assist means as a function of:
• the moving direction detected by the moving direction detection means;
• and
• the collision prediction position,
• wherein, upon the collision prediction position being located at a front of the own vehicle in the travelling direction, the determination means is configured to expand a range of the determined execution timing to cover an outside of a far-side of the front end of the own vehicle in the moving direction, and
• wherein, the determination means is configured such that, the faster a relative lateral speed of the object that is laterally approaching the own vehicle is, the wider the range of the determined execution timing to cover the outside of the far-side of the front end of the own vehicle in the moving direction.

A method for providing drive assist to an own vehicle, the method comprising:

• detecting an object around the own vehicle;
• detecting a moving direction of the object detected when the object is approaching relative to the own vehicle;
• predicting a movement prediction position to which the object detected will move;
• and
• executing drive assist upon the movement prediction position predicted being a collision prediction position, the collision prediction position being a position where, if the object relatively moves to the movement prediction position, there is a possibility that the object will collide with the own vehicle,
• the drive assist including at least one of:
• avoiding a collision between the object and the own vehicle;
• and
• mitigating a damage due to the collision;
• and
• determining an execution timing of the drive assist as a function of:
• the moving direction detected;
• and
• the collision prediction position,
• wherein, upon the collision prediction position being located at a front of the own vehicle in the travelling direction, setting the execution timing at which the collision prediction position is located at a far-side of the front end of the own vehicle in the moving direction to be earlier than the execution timing at which the collision prediction position is located at a near-side of the front end of the own vehicle in the moving direction.