# US 2016/0355181 A1 · Collision avoidance assistance device for a vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0355181 A1 - Document ID: US20160355181A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/171,005 - Filed: 2016-06-02 - Published: 2016-12-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-05 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Edgar Yoshio MORALES TERAOKA; Shin TANAKA; Yoshitaka OIKAWA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160355181A1 ## CPC - B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters} - B60Q 1/04: the devices being headlights - B60Q 5/006: {indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians} - B60W 10/184: with wheel brakes - B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems - B60W 30/14: {Adaptive} cruise control - 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 - G06V 40/103: {Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition} - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - B60W 2520/06: Direction of travel - B60W 2554/00: Input parameters relating to objects - B60W 2554/40: Dynamic objects, e.g. animals, windblown objects - 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 - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - 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 collision avoidance assistance device for a vehicle is provided. The collision avoidance assistance device includes a camera configured to acquire an image of an area around the vehicle and a controller. The controller is configured to: detect an image of an animal in the image of the area around the vehicle; determine a type of the animal detected in the image; retrieve behavior characteristics index values representing behavior characteristics of the determined type of the animal; calculate a future presence area of the animal based on the behavior characteristics index values; determine a probability of a collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the calculated future presence area of the animal; and perform a collision avoidance assistance function based on the determined probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A collision avoidance assistance device for a vehicle comprising: a camera configured to acquire an image of an area around the vehicle; and a controller configured to: detect an image of an animal in the image of the area around the vehicle; determine a type of the animal detected in the image; retrieve behavior characteristics index values representing behavior characteristics of the determined type of the animal; calculate a future presence area of the animal based on the behavior characteristics index values; determine a probability of a collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the calculated future presence area of the animal; and perform a collision avoidance assistance function based on the determined probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to detect an image of a tetrapod in the image of the area around the vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: select a mode of the collision avoidance assistance function based on the determined type of the animal, and perform the collision avoidance assistance function according to the selected mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: determine a direction, position and movement speed of the animal based on a plurality of images acquired from the camera; and calculate a distribution of future presence probabilities of the animal in a planar area around the vehicle using the behavior characteristics index values of the determined type of the animal and the determined direction, position, and movement speed of the animal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to: calculate a future presence area of the vehicle; and determine the probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the calculated future presence area of the animal and the calculated future presence area of the vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 5 wherein the controller is further configured to: calculate a distribution of future presence probabilities of the vehicle in the planar area around the vehicle , and determine the probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the distribution of future presence probabilities of the animal and the distribution of future presence probabilities of the vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: the collision avoidance assistance device further comprises a memory, and the controller is further configured to retrieve the behavior characteristics index values of the determined type of the animal from the memory. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the behavior characteristics index values of the determined type of the animal comprise a movement direction and a movement speed of the animal corresponding to a behavior pattern and a generation probability of the behavior pattern, the behavior pattern being a pattern of behavior that may be expected for the determined type of the animal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: calculate a future presence area of the vehicle; and determine the probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the calculated future presence area of the animal and the calculated future presence area of the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The collision avoidance assistance device for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: determine, based on the image of the area around the vehicle, whether the animal is part of a group of animals; and in response to the determining that the animal is part of the group of animals, calculate the future presence area of the animal based on group behavior characteristics index values of the animal. ### Claim 11 A vehicle comprising a collision avoidance assistance device, the collision avoidance assistance device comprising: a camera configured to acquire an image of an area around the vehicle; and an electronic control device configured to: detect an image of an animal in the image of the area around the vehicle, determine a type of the animal detected in the image, retrieve behavior characteristics index values representing behavior characteristics of the determined type of the animal, calculate a future presence area of the animal based on the behavior characteristics index values, determine a probability of a collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the calculated future presence area of the animal, and perform a collision avoidance assistance function based on the determined probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle. ### Claim 12 A collision avoidance method for a vehicle, the collision avoidance method comprising: acquiring an image of an area around the vehicle; detecting an image of an animal in the image of the area around the vehicle; determining a type of the animal detected in the image; retrieving behavior characteristics index values representing behavior characteristics of the determined type of the animal; calculating a future presence area of the animal based on the behavior characteristics index values; determining a probability of a collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the calculated future presence area of the animal; and performing a collision avoidance assistance function based on the determined probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The collision avoidance method of claim 12, wherein the detecting the image of the animal in the image of the area around the vehicle comprising detecting an image of a tetrapod in the image of the area around the vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The collision avoidance method of claim 12, further comprising: selecting a mode of the collision avoidance assistance function based on the determined type of the animal, and performing the collision avoidance assistance function according to the selected mode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The collision avoidance method of claim 12, further comprising: acquiring a plurality of images of the area around the vehicle; determining a direction, position and movement speed of the animal based on the plurality of images acquired from the camera; and calculating a distribution of future presence probabilities of the animal in a planar area around the vehicle using the behavior characteristics index values of the determined type of the animal and the determined direction, position, and movement speed of the animal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The collision avoidance method of claim 15, further comprising: calculating a future presence area of the vehicle; and determining the probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the calculated future presence area of the animal and the calculated future presence area of the vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The collision avoidance method of claim 16, further comprising: calculating a distribution of future presence probabilities of the vehicle in the planar area around the vehicle, and determining the probability of the collision between the animal and the vehicle based on the distribution of future presence probabilities of the animal and the distribution of future presence probabilities of the vehicle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The collision avoidance method of claim 12, further comprising pre-storing the behavior characteristics index values in a memory, wherein the retrieving the behavior characteristics index values comprises retrieving the behavior characteristics index values from the memory; ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The collision avoidance method of claim 12, wherein the behavior characteristics index values comprise a movement direction and a movement speed of the animal corresponding to a behavior pattern and a generation probability of the behavior pattern, the behavior pattern being a pattern of behavior that may be expected for the determined type of the animal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The collision avoidance method of claim 12, further comprising: determining, based on the image of the area around the vehicle, whether the animal is part of a group of animals; and in response to the determining that the animal is part of the group of animals, calculating the future presence area of the animal based on group behavior characteristics index values of the animal.