# US 11,305,762 B2 · Driving assistance apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,762 B2 - Document ID: US11305762B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/822,235 - Filed: 2020-03-18 - Published: 2020-09-24 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-20 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Tetsuya Ikuta; Yuma Hoshikawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305762B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering - G01S 13/931: of land vehicles - B60R 11/04: Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle - B60R 21/013: including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over - B60W 30/08: {Active safety systems} predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision {or attempting to minimise its consequences} - B60W 40/02: related to ambient conditions - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - G01S 13/862: {Combination of radar systems with sonar systems} - G01S 13/867: {Combination of radar systems with cameras} - G01S 15/876: {Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector (G01S15/872 takes precedence)} - G01S 15/931: of land vehicles - G05D 1/0214: {in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas (monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13)} - G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W 2554/4042: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - G01S 2013/93185: {Controlling the brakes} - G01S 2013/93271: {in the front of the vehicles} - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract A driving assistance apparatus comprising a first object detecting sensor device, a second object detecting sensor device, and a control unit. The first object detecting sensor device detects an object and obtains the position and a certainty value of the object. The second object detecting sensor device detects an object and obtains the position and an object type for the object. The control unit executes collision avoidance control to avoid collision between a vehicle and a monitoring target object which is detected by the first object detecting sensor device when the certainty value of the monitoring target object is higher than a certainty threshold. If the monitoring target object is also detected by the second object detecting sensor device and its object type is a specific type, the certainty threshold is made larger. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A driving assistance apparatus comprising: a first object detecting sensor device for detecting an object present in a travelling direction of a vehicle as a first object, and obtaining a position and a certainty value of said first object such that said certainty value increases as reliability of said obtained position increases; a second object detecting sensor device for detecting an object present in said travelling direction as a second object, and obtaining a position of said second object and information on a type of said second object; and a control unit which is implemented by at least one programmed processor and configured to: determine whether or not a monitoring target object satisfies a predetermined executing condition on the basis of at least said position obtained by said first object detecting sensor device, said monitoring target object being said first object whose certainty value is determined to be higher than a certainty threshold; and execute collision avoidance control in order to avoid collision between said monitoring target object and said vehicle when it is determined that said monitoring target object satisfies said executing condition, said control unit further configured to: obtain determination result as to whether or not said type of said second object is a specific type; determine whether or not said second object is also detected as said first object on the basis of said obtained position of said first object and said obtained position of said second object; determine whether or not a threshold application condition is satisfied, said threshold application condition including a condition which is satisfied when it is determined that said second object is also detected as said first object and that said type of said second object is said specific type; set said certainty threshold to a predetermined first certainty threshold when it is determined that said threshold application condition is not satisfied; and set said certainty threshold to a predetermined second certainty threshold which is smaller than said first certainty threshold when it is determined that said threshold application condition is satisfied. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is configured to determine whether or not said second object has continuously been detected by said second object detecting sensor device for a time period longer than a predetermined time threshold in order to determine whether or not said threshold application condition is satisfied. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said first object detecting sensor device comprises: a transmission section which transmits an electromagnetic wave or a sonic wave as a transmission wave to a predetermined object detecting region; and a reception section which receives a reflection wave generated by reflection of said transmission wave at said first object, and said first object detecting sensor device is configured to obtain said certainty value on the basis of at least strength of said reflection wave. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second object detecting sensor device comprises an image obtaining section which obtains an image of a region in said travelling direction as a travelling direction image, and is configured to determine whether or not said type of said second object is said specific type by using said travelling direction image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first object detecting sensor device comprises: a transmission section which transmits an electromagnetic wave or a sonic wave as a transmission wave to a predetermined object detecting region; and a reception section which receives a reflection wave generated by reflection of said transmission wave at said first object, and said first object detecting sensor device is configured to obtain said certainty value on the basis of at least strength of said reflection wave. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said second object detecting sensor device comprises an image obtaining section which obtains an image of a region in said travelling direction as a travelling direction image, and is configured to determine whether or not said type of said second object is said specific type by using said travelling direction image.