US 12,249,160 B2
Object assessment device, storage medium storing computer program for object assessment, and object assessment method
Suzuka Kondo, Nishitokyo (JP); Eiki Kitagawa, Tokyo-to (JP); Shota Fujii, Tokyo-to (JP); Yu Okada, Ichikawa (JP); Soichi Yoshino, Ichikawa (JP); and Takuo Kaneko, Tokyo-to (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Nov. 2, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/979,413.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-198577 (JP), filed on Dec. 7, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0177843 A1, Jun. 8, 2023
Int. Cl. G06V 20/58 (2022.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01)
CPC G06V 20/58 (2022.01) [G01S 17/89 (2013.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automatic control system for a host vehicle, the system comprising:
a communication interface operatively connectable to at least one of a positional sensor, the positional sensor including at least one of a camera, a LiDAR sensor, and a radar sensor; and
a processor operatively connected to the communication interface and programmed to:
receive a signal from the positional sensor via the communication interface;
at a first timing, analyze the received signal to determine whether an adjacent vehicle is present in a predetermined detection area around the host vehicle, the predetermined detection area having been determined based on a detection range of the positional sensor;
upon a determination that the adjacent vehicle is present in the predetermined detection area at the first timing, assigning object identification information to the adjacent vehicle;
at a second timing, analyze the received signal to determine if an adjacent vehicle is present in the predetermined detection area around the host vehicle;
upon a determination that the adjacent vehicle is present in the predetermined detection area at the second timing, refer to the assigned object identification information to determine whether the adjacent vehicle present in the predetermined detection area at the second timing is the same as the adjacent vehicle present in the predetermined detection area at the first timing;
upon a determination that the adjacent vehicle present in the predetermined detection area at the second timing is the same as the adjacent vehicle present in the predetermined detection area at the second timing, outputting an instruction via the communication interface to delay an automatic lane change operation due to the presence of the adjacent vehicle;
upon a determination that no adjacent vehicle is present in the predetermined detection area at the second timing:
access, via the communication interface, a memory storing map data;
based on the accessed map data, determine whether the predetermined detection area includes a road feature that would allow the adjacent vehicle that was present in the predetermined detection area at the first timing to have moved outside of the detection area;
upon a determination that the predetermined detection area does not include the road feature that would allow the adjacent vehicle that was present in the predetermined detection area at the first timing to have moved outside of the detection area, outputting the instruction via the communication interface to delay an automatic lane change operation due to the possible presence of the adjacent vehicle; and
upon a determination that the predetermined detection area includes the road feature that would allow the adjacent vehicle that was present in the predetermined detection area at the first timing to have moved outside of the detection area, outputting an instruction via the communication interface permitting an automatic lane change operation due to the absence of the adjacent vehicle.