Vehicle-exit assist apparatus

A vehicle-exit assist apparatus, comprising:

• a target information acquisition device configured to detect a target existing on a rear side of an own vehicle, and to acquire, as target information, information on the detected target;
• and
• a control unit configured to execute vehicle-exit assist control of assisting an occupant of the own vehicle in safely exiting the own vehicle,
• wherein the control unit is configured to:
• determine, based on the target information, whether an interference target which is liable to interfere with the safe exit of the occupant from the own vehicle during a vehicle stop is detected;
• determine whether a vehicle-exit assist condition is satisfied, the vehicle-exit assist condition being satisfied at least when the interference target is detected;
• determine, when the vehicle-exit assist condition is satisfied, whether a specific condition is satisfied, the specific condition being a condition to be satisfied when at least a part of the interference target exists in a rear-side vehicle width region being a region between a virtual line extending from a left rear corner portion of the own vehicle toward a rear direction in a front-and-rear direction of the own vehicle and a virtual line extending from a right rear corner portion of the own vehicle toward the rear direction;
• execute the vehicle-exit assist control when the specific condition is not satisfied;
• and
• avoid executing the vehicle-exit assist control when the specific condition is satisfied,
• wherein, of a front end portion of the interference target, a portion closest to the own vehicle in a vehicle width direction of the own vehicle is defined as a proximate portion,
• virtual lines that each have a predetermined length, are positioned on a reference axis passing through the left rear corner portion and the right rear corner portion of the own vehicle, and extend toward vehicle width outward directions from the left rear corner portion and the right rear corner portion, respectively, are defined as intersecting determination lines;
• and
• the control unit is further configured to:
• determine that the detected target is an interference target when an intersection between an extension line extending from the proximate portion along a moving direction of the detected target and the reference axis is positioned on one of the intersecting determination lines, and a predicted period predicted to be required for the detected target to reach the intersection is equal to or shorter than a predetermined period threshold value;
• and
• determine that the specific condition is satisfied further when a magnitude of a change amount per unit period of a position of the intersection is equal to or larger than a predetermined change amount threshold value.