Driving support apparatus

A driving support apparatus comprising:

• object information acquisition means for acquiring object information including a position of an object existing around an own vehicle with respect to said own vehicle, a moving direction of said object, and a moving speed of said object, using a first sensor apparatus mounted in said own vehicle;
• own vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring own vehicle information including an own vehicle speed which is a vehicle speed of said own vehicle, a yaw rate of said own vehicle, and a direction indicator signal showing a state of a direction indicator of said own vehicle, using a second sensor apparatus mounted in said own vehicle;
• turning-right-or-left-start-determination-means for determining whether or not said own vehicle is trying to start turning left or right based on said own vehicle information;
• expected route estimation means for estimating an expected route of said own vehicle at a current point in time based on said own vehicle speed and said yaw rate upon determining that said own vehicle is trying to start turning left or right;
• alert request means for generating a request signal to alert a driver of said own vehicle based on said object information and said expected route;
• and
• alerting means for conducting an operation to alert said driver in response to said request signal, wherein:
• said expected route estimation means is configured to use a formula of a circle as an expected route formula expressing said expected route,
• a center of said circle is positioned at a position shifted from a current position of said own vehicle in a direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of said own vehicle at a current point in time by a length of an estimated turning radius estimated using at least said yaw rate at said current point in time to a left side with respect to said traveling direction when said own vehicle is turning left and to a right side with respect to said traveling direction when said own vehicle is turning right,
• a radius of said circle is said estimated turning radius, and
• said alert request means is configured to:
• calculate a turning angle of said own vehicle from a point in time upon determining that said own vehicle is trying to start turning left or right by said turning-right-or-left-start-determination-means to said current point in time, using at least said yaw rate;
• calculate a value based on a product of said estimated turning radius and a remaining turning angle, which is an angle obtained by subtracting said calculated turning angle from a predetermined angle, as an effective length of said expected route;
• determine whether or not a target object of alerting exists, which is an object that crosses a part within said effective length of said expected route within a predetermined time, using said object information;
• and
• generate said request signal upon determining that said target object of alerting exists.