Apparatus for judging probability of collision between vehicle and object surrounding the vehicle

A collision avoidance apparatus comprising:

• a distance detecting unit that detects distance between a vehicle and an object surrounding the vehicle;
• a relative speed detecting unit that detects a relative speed between the vehicle and the object;
• a margin time calculation unit that calculates a margin time which is a time to collision between the vehicle and the object, based on the distance detected by the distance detecting unit and the relative speed detected by the relative speed detecting unit;
• an angle detecting unit that detects an angle of the object with respect to a running direction of the vehicle;
• a variation calculation unit that calculates a variation of the angle over time, the angle being detected by the angle detecting unit;
• a judgment value setting unit that sets a judgment value such that the shorter the margin time, the larger the judgment value;
• a judgment unit that judges that the vehicle is likely to collide with the object when the variation of the angle calculated by the variation calculation unit is lower than the judgment value set by the judgment value setting unit;
• and
• an avoidance operation unit that operates an avoidance operation so as to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the object, when the judgment unit judges that the vehicle is likely to collide with the object.