# US 11,308,801 B2 · Driving assistance apparatus and driving assistance method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,308,801 B2 - Document ID: US11308801B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/141,009 - Filed: 2018-09-25 - Published: 2019-03-28 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-09-28 - Assignees: Denso Corporation; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Denso Corporation; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Naoto Yoshitomi; Hajime Nagae - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11308801B2 ## CPC - G08G 1/0967: Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits (transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) - G06V 20/582: {of traffic signs} - G08G 1/09623: {Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle (G08G1/0967 takes precedence)} - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract In an apparatus for assisting a driver of a vehicle in driving the vehicle, a road sign recognizer is configured to recognize a road sign from an image captured by a vehicle-mounted imager. A turn detector is configured to detect a turning action of the vehicle. A notifier is configured to notify the driver of the vehicle of road sign information representing the road sign recognized by the road sign recognizer. The notifier is further configured to, if the turning action of the vehicle is detected by the turn detector, withhold notifying the driver of the vehicle of the road sign information representing the road sign recognized by the road sign recognizer within a predetermined period of time during the turning action. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for assisting a driver of a vehicle in driving the vehicle, comprising: a non-transitory memory storing one or more computer programs; and a processor executing the one or more computer programs to: recognize a road sign from an image captured by a vehicle-mounted imager; notify the driver of the vehicle of road sign information representing the road sign recognized; determine whether a turn indicator has been activated; determine whether a speed of the vehicle has decreased to below a predetermined speed; determine a presence of a turning action of the vehicle solely in response to determining that both the turn indicator has been activated and the speed of the vehicle has decreased to below a predetermined speed; and in response to determining the presence of the turning action of the vehicle, withhold notifying the driver of the vehicle of the road sign information representing the road sign recognized within a period of time from when the presence of the turning action of the vehicle is determined, the period of time determined based on a steering angle of the vehicle in which the steering angle of the vehicle is equal to or less than a threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the threshold is set based on an angle of view of the vehicle-mounted imager. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steering angle of the vehicle is determined based on an integrated value of yaw rate detected by a yaw rate sensor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the road sign that is recognized is a speed limit sign. ### Claim 5 A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle in driving the vehicle, comprising: recognizing a road sign from an image captured by a vehicle-mounted imager; notifying the driver of the vehicle of road sign information representing the road sign recognized; determining whether a turn indicator has been activated; determining whether a speed of the vehicle has decreased to below a predetermined speed; determining a presence of a turning action of the vehicle solely in response to determining that both the turn indicator has been activated and the speed of the vehicle has decreased to below a predetermined speed; and in response to determining the presence of the turning action of the vehicle, withholding notifying the driver of the vehicle of the road sign information representing the road sign recognized within a period of time from when the presence of the turning action of the vehicle is determined, the period of time determined based on a steering angle of the vehicle in which the steering angle of the vehicle is equal to or less than a threshold. ### Claim 6 An apparatus for assisting a driver of a vehicle in driving the vehicle, comprising: a processor; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium that cause the processor to implement: obtaining a road sign signal representing a road sign recognized from an image captured by a vehicle-mounted imager; outputting a notifying signal to a notifier for notifying the driver of the vehicle of the road sign represented by the road sign signal; determining whether a turn indicator has been activated; determining whether a speed of the vehicle has decreased to below a predetermined speed; determine a presence of a turning action of the vehicle solely in response to both determining that both the turn indicator has been activated and the speed of the vehicle has decreased to below a predetermined speed; and wherein the processor withholds notifying the driver of the vehicle of the road sign represented by the road sign signal within a period of time from when the presence of the turning action of the vehicle is determined, the period of time determined based on a steering angle of the vehicle in which a steering angle of the vehicle is equal to or less than a threshold.