# US 11,993,278 B2 · Driving assistance method, and driving assistance device and driving assistance system using said method

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- Number: US 11,993,278 B2
- Document ID: US11993278B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/199,203
- Filed: 2023-05-18
- Published: 2023-09-14
- Granted: 2024-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2017-03-02
- Assignees: Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Koichi Emura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11993278B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/18154: {Approaching an intersection}
- B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
- B60R 21/00: Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks (safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19)
- B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
- B60W 30/095: Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
- B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters}
- B60W 30/18159: {Traversing an intersection}
- B60W 50/10: Interpretation of driver requests or demands
- B60W 60/00276: {for two or more other traffic participants}
- G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00)
- G05D 1/617: Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80)
- G08G 1/00: Traffic control systems for road vehicles (arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 {; automatic vehicle control B62D})
- G08G 1/16: Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08)
- B60W 2050/146: {Display means}
- B60W 2540/00: Input parameters relating to occupants
- B60W 2540/215: Selection or confirmation of options
- B60W 2554/4041: Position
- B60W 2554/4042: Longitudinal speed
- B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance
- 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
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- 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})

## Abstract

A driving assistance device to be installed on a vehicle is provided. The driving assistance device receives stop-behavior information of the vehicle from an automatic-driving control device. Inquiry information for notifying an occupant on whether a possibility of collision between the vehicle and a person is to be excluded from decision-making of the automatic-driving control device is output when a distance between the person and a point at which the person is predicted to end crossing is greater than or equal to a first threshold and a speed of the person is less than or equal to a second threshold. A command to exclude the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person from the decision-making is output to the automatic-driving control device when a response signal of a response operation is performed by the occupant.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A driving assistance device to be installed on a vehicle, the driving assistance device comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including at least one program that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform functions, the functions including:
automatically controlling the vehicle in accordance with various pieces of driving information, the various pieces of driving information being collected from at least one of sensors or algorithms;
calculating a possibility of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle that is detected when the vehicle is to perform a left turn, the left turn to be performed between a person that crosses a road onto which the left turn is to be performed and a point at which the person exists and an end of the road, the at least one processor being configured to stop the vehicle when the possibility of collision is greater than a predetermined value;
receiving stop-behavior information of the vehicle;
outputting inquiry information for notifying an occupant of the vehicle of an inquiry on whether the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person is to be excluded from the various pieces of the driving information in the automatically controlling of the vehicle when a distance between the person and the point at which the person exists and the end of the road is greater than or equal to a first threshold and a speed of the person is less than or equal to a second threshold in a case where the at least one processor receives the stop-behavior information of the vehicle;
receiving a response signal of a response operation performed by the occupant with respect to the inquiry of which the occupant is notified, the response signal indicating exclusion of the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person from the various pieces of the driving information; and
outputting a command to exclude the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person from the various pieces of the driving information when the at least one processor receives the response signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor outputs a second command to include the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person in the various pieces of the driving information when the distance between the person and the end of the road is below the first threshold, or when the speed of the person exceeds the second threshold, after outputting the command to exclude the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person from the various pieces of the driving information.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The driving assistance device according to claim 1,
wherein the at least one processor receives the stop-behavior information of the vehicle when the possibility of collision with a plurality of persons is increased to greater than the predetermined value,
the at least one processor outputs second inquiry information for notifying the occupant of a collective inquiry on whether the possibility of collision with the plurality of persons is to be excluded from the various pieces of the driving information in the automatically controlling of the vehicle, when all distances between the plurality of persons and the end of the road are greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the speed of each of the plurality of persons is less than or equal to the second threshold, in a case where the at least one processor receives the stop-behavior information of the vehicle,
the at least one processor receives a second response signal of a second response operation with respect to the collective inquiry of which the occupant is notified, the second response signal indicating collective exclusion of the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the plurality of persons from the various pieces of the driving information, and
the at least one processor outputs a second command to exclude the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the plurality of persons from the various pieces of the driving information when the operation signal input receives the second response signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The driving assistance device according to claim 3, wherein the at least one processor outputs a third command to include the possibility of collision with a person satisfying a condition in the various pieces of the driving information, when at least one of the distances between the plurality of persons and the end of the road is below the first threshold, or when the speed of at least one of the plurality of persons exceeds the second threshold, after outputting the second command to exclude the possibility of collision with the plurality of persons from the various pieces of the driving information.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
the inquiry information, for notifying the occupant of the vehicle of the inquiry on whether the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person is to be excluded from the various pieces of the driving information, is output to at least one of a navigation system, a display, a diode, a speaker, or a vibrator.

### Claim 6

A method for driving assistance in a driving assistance device to be installed on a vehicle, the method comprising:
automatically controlling, by at least one processor, the vehicle in accordance with various pieces of the driving information, the various pieces of driving information being collected from at least one of sensors or algorithms;
calculating, by the at least one processor, a possibility of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle that is detected when the vehicle is to perform a left turn, the left turn to be performed between a person that crosses a road onto which the left turn is to be performed and a point at which the person exists and an end of the road, the at least one processor being configured to stop the vehicle when the possibility of collision is greater than a predetermined value;
receiving, by the at least one processor, stop-behavior information of the vehicle;
outputting, by the at least one processor, inquiry information for notifying an occupant of the vehicle of an inquiry on whether the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person is to be excluded from the various pieces of the driving information in the automatically controlling of the vehicle when a distance between the person and the point at which the person exists and the end of the road is greater than or equal to a first threshold and a speed of the person is less than or equal to a second threshold in response to the at least one processor receiving the stop-behavior information of the vehicle;
receiving, by the at least one processor, a response signal of a response operation performed by the occupant with respect to the inquiry of which the occupant is notified, the response signal indicating exclusion of the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person from the various pieces of the driving information; and
outputting, by the at least one processor, a command to exclude the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person from the various pieces of the driving information in response to the at least one processor receiving the response signal.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method for driving assistance according to claim 6, wherein
the inquiry information, for notifying the occupant of the vehicle of the inquiry on whether the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person is to be excluded from the various pieces of the driving information, is output to at least one of a navigation system, a display, a diode, a speaker, or a vibrator.

### Claim 8

A driving assistance system to be installed on a vehicle, the driving assistance system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including at least one program that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform functions, the functions including:
automatically controlling the vehicle in accordance with various pieces of the driving information, the various pieces of driving information being collected from at least one of sensors or algorithms;
calculating a possibility of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle that is detected when the vehicle is to perform a left turn, the left turn to be performed between a person that crosses a road onto which the left turn is to be performed and a point at which the person exists and an end of the road, the at least one processor being configured to stop the vehicle when the possibility of collision is greater than a predetermined value;
receiving stop-behavior information of the vehicle;
making a notification of inquiry information for notifying an occupant of the vehicle of an inquiry on whether the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person is to be excluded from the various pieces of the driving information in the automatically controlling of the vehicle when a distance between the person and the point at which the person exists and the end of the road is greater than or equal to a first threshold and a speed of the person is less than or equal to a second threshold in a case where the at least one processor receives the stop-behavior information of the vehicle;
receiving a response signal of a response operation performed by the occupant with respect to the inquiry of which the occupant is notified, the response signal indicating exclusion of the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person from the various pieces of the driving information; and
outputting a command to exclude the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person from the various pieces of the driving information when the at least one processor receives the response signal.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The driving assistance system according to claim 8, wherein
the inquiry information, for notifying the occupant of the vehicle of the inquiry on whether the possibility of collision between the vehicle and the person is to be excluded from the various pieces of the driving information, is output to at least one of a navigation system, a display, a diode, a speaker, or a vibrator.