Patent ID: 9126594
Filing Date: 2015-09-08
Classification: B60W,G08G

Abstract:
1. A driving assistance apparatus comprising: a vehicle speed obtaining unit configured to obtain information indicating a vehicle speed of a vehicle; an assistance condition determining unit configured to determine whether or not an assistance activation condition, which is a condition for providing a driver of the vehicle with driving assistance, is satisfied on the basis of whether or not the vehicle speed obtained by the vehicle speed obtaining unit is equal to or lower than a reference vehicle speed, and on the basis of information relating to an intersection or a preceding vehicle in front of the vehicle; a driving assistance unit configured to execute, as the driving assistance, assistance including at least one of warning issuance to the driver, braking control, and steering control when the assistance condition determining unit determines that the assistance activation condition is satisfied; a traffic light detecting unit configured to detect the traffic light; and a sound collecting unit configured to obtain information relating to sounds on a periphery of the vehicle, including information relating to a sound emitted by the traffic light, wherein: the assistance condition determining unit determines that the assistance activation condition is satisfied when the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the reference vehicle speed, the intersection in front of the vehicle is an unsignalized intersection, which is an intersection at which a traffic light is not disposed, and a travel condition of the vehicle is such that the vehicle is stopped at the unsignalized intersection or about to enter the unsignalized intersection; the assistance condition determining unit prohibits the driving assistance when the traffic light detecting unit detects the traffic light within a predetermined distance of the vehicle, even if the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the reference vehicle speed; and the traffic light detecting unit detects the traffic light on the basis of the information relating to the sound emitted by the traffic light, which is included in the sound information obtained by the sound collecting unit.