# US 11,993,237 B2 · Drive assistance device

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- Number: US 11,993,237 B2
- Document ID: US11993237B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/862,590
- Filed: 2022-07-12
- Published: 2022-10-27
- Granted: 2024-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2019-08-09
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Mafune Kakeshita; Toshifumi Kawasaki; Kohei Morotomi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11993237B2

## CPC

- B60T 7/12: for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger {(limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00)}
- B60T 7/22: initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle}
- B60T 7/122: {for locking of reverse movement}
- B60T 17/18: Safety devices; Monitoring
- B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
- B60W 30/18027: {Drive off, accelerating from standstill}
- B60W 30/18054: {at stand still, e.g. engine in idling state (hill holding B60W30/18118)}
- B60T 2201/06: Hill holder; Start aid systems on inclined road
- B60T 2201/10: Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
- B60T 2220/02: Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
- B60T 2220/06: Adjustment of accelerator pedal reaction forces
- B60T 2250/03: Vehicle yaw rate
- B60W 2552/45: Pedestrian sidewalk
- B60W 2552/50: Barriers
- B60W 2554/20: Static objects
- B60W 2554/802: Longitudinal distance
- B60W 2554/804: Relative longitudinal speed
- B60W 2555/60: Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
- B60W 2556/40: High definition maps
- B60W 2556/50: of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
- B60W 2710/182: Brake pressure, e.g. of fluid or between pad and disc
- B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
- 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

## Abstract

A drive assistance device includes an automatic brake unit configured to perform automatic brake control, a brake hold unit configured to perform a brake hold control keeping the vehicle stopped, a brake hold cancel unit configured to cancel the brake hold control when it is determined that a predetermined cancel condition is satisfied, a surroundings information obtaining unit configured to obtain surroundings information indicating a situation around the vehicle, a maneuver information obtaining unit configured to obtain maneuver information about a driving maneuver performed by a driver of the vehicle, a maneuver determination unit configured to determine, based on the surroundings information and the maneuver information whether the driving maneuver performed during the brake hold control is appropriate for the situation around the vehicle, and a prohibition unit configured to prohibit cancelling the brake hold control as long as it is determined that the driving maneuver is inappropriate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A drive assistance device comprising:
an automatic brake unit configured to perform automatic brake control of a vehicle to automatically stop the vehicle;
a brake hold unit configured to perform brake hold control of the vehicle to keep the vehicle stopped after the automatic brake control is performed;
an exterior vehicle sensor configured to surroundings information of the vehicle;
an operation state sensor configured to detect at least one driving maneuver performed by a driver of the vehicle;
a brake hold cancel unit configured to cancel the brake hold control of the vehicle when a cancel condition is satisfied;
a prohibition unit configured to prohibit cancelation of the brake hold control, even when the cancel condition is satisfied, based upon a predetermined situation of the vehicle being satisfied,
wherein the predetermined situation includes: (i) a situation around the vehicle indicates that a predetermined surroundings information is satisfied and (ii) a predetermined driving maneuver is performed by the driver.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A drive assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
when (i) the predetermined surroundings information indicates that a traffic light ahead of the vehicle is red and (ii) the predetermined driving maneuver being performed by the driver does not include depression of a brake pedal, the predetermined situation is satisfied.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A drive assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
when (i) the predetermined surroundings information indicates that an obstacle is a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle and (ii) the predetermined driving maneuver being performed by the driver does not include depression of a brake pedal, the predetermined situation is satisfied.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A drive assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
when (i) the predetermined surroundings information indicates that a traffic light ahead of the vehicle is red and (ii) the predetermined driving maneuver being performed by the driver includes depressing of an accelerator pedal, the predetermined situation is satisfied.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A drive assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
when (i) the predetermined surroundings information indicates that an obstacle is a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle and (ii) the predetermined driving maneuver being performed by the driver includes depressing of an accelerator pedal, the predetermined situation is satisfied.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A drive assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
when (i) the predetermined surroundings information indicate that a moving object is predicted to cross in front of the vehicle and (ii) the predetermined driving maneuver being performed by the driver includes depressing of an accelerator pedal, the predetermined situation is satisfied.

### Claim 7

A non-transitory storage medium in which a program is recorded, when the program is executed by a processor of a drive assistance device, the program causes the processor of the drive assistance device to execute:
performing automatic brake control of a vehicle to automatically stop the vehicle;
performing brake hold control of the vehicle to keep the vehicle stopped after the automatic brake control is performed;
obtaining surroundings information of the vehicle from an exterior sensor;
detecting, using an operation state sensor, at least one driving maneuver performed by a driver of the vehicle;
canceling the brake hold control of the vehicle when a cancel condition is satisfied; and
prohibiting canceling of the brake hold control, even when the cancel condition is satisfied, based upon a predetermined situation of the vehicle being satisfied,
wherein the predetermined situation includes: (i) a situation around the vehicle indicates that a predetermined surroundings information is satisfied and (ii) a predetermined driving maneuver is performed by the driver.

### Claim 8

A drive assistance method comprising:
performing automatic brake control of a vehicle to automatically stop the vehicle;
performing brake hold control of the vehicle to keep the vehicle stopped after the automatic brake control is performed;
obtaining surroundings information of the vehicle from an exterior sensor;
detecting, using an operation state sensor, at least one driving maneuver performed by a driver of the vehicle;
canceling the brake hold control of the vehicle when a cancel condition is satisfied; and
prohibiting canceling of the brake hold control, even when the cancel condition is satisfied, based upon a predetermined situation of the vehicle being satisfied,
wherein the predetermined situation includes: (i) a situation around the vehicle indicates that a predetermined surroundings information is satisfied and (ii) a predetermined driving maneuver is performed by the driver.