Patent Description:
An emergency braking system, such as an Advanced Emergency Brake (AEB) system, determines the risk of a collision with a preceding vehicle and provides a warning, thereby assisting a driver in braking and performing autonomous emergency braking. A Time-To-Collision (TTC), which is a predicted collision time at which a collision between a host vehicle and a preceding vehicle is predicted, may be determined based on the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and the time point of an emergency braking warning and the time points of assistance of braking by the driver and autonomous emergency braking may be determined therethrough.

The advanced emergency brake system may operate on the basis of technology for detecting an object, such as adjacent vehicles and obstacles, through a plurality of radars and stereo cameras located at the front, side, and rear of the vehicle.

Further, lane-keeping control systems, such as a Lane-keeping Assist System (LKAS) and a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), are systems for acquiring lane information by detecting left and right lanes through a front camera and providing assist steering torque calculated to prevent the lane departure of the vehicle or to make the vehicle follow the center of the lane on the basis of the acquired lane information, so as to prevent lane departure and enable lane keeping through control of the transverse direction of the vehicle.

The lane-keeping control system may operate on the basis of technology for acquiring lane information on the basis of a forward image captured by the front camera and detecting the traveling state of the vehicle, such as the traveling speed, or road conditions, such as road curvature and road width.

However, technology used by the conventional autonomous emergency braking system and lane-keeping control system is mostly aimed at preparing for the risk of a collision with an object ahead, traveling in the same lane in which a host vehicle travels, and has a limit in that various avoidance paths of the host vehicle cannot be provided since misrecognition frequently occurs and accuracy deteriorates when a driving assist system detects adjacent vehicles and objects.

Accordingly, an autonomous emergency braking system and a lane-keeping control system that apply a combined sensor system using a radar, a lidar, and a camera sensor have recently been developed, but technology for easily providing a more reliable collision avoidance path is required.

For instance, document <CIT> describes a system and method to avoid collisions on highways, and to minimize the fatalities, injury, and damage when a collision is unavoidable. The system includes sensor means to detect other vehicles, and computing means to evaluate when a collision is imminent and to determine whether the collision is avoidable. If the collision is avoidable by a sequence of controlled accelerations and decelerations and steering, the system implements that sequence of actions automatically. If the collision is unavoidable, a different sequence is implemented to minimize the overall harm of the unavoidable collision. The system further includes indirect mitigation steps such as flashing the brake lights automatically. An optional post-collision strategy is implemented to prevent secondary collisions, particularly if the driver is incapacitated. Adjustment means enable the driver to set the type and timing of automatic interventions.

As a further example, document <CIT> describes a method and a corresponding device for assisting a driver of a vehicle in an evasive maneuver. A control unit is set up to detect an obstacle on a current trajectory of the vehicle and to determine an avoidance trajectory for the vehicle to avoid the obstacle. The control unit is also set up to determine a first indication of the initiation of an evasive maneuver by a driver of the vehicle, and to initiate support for the evasive maneuver as a function of the determined first indication and as a function of the determined evasive trajectory. In addition, the control unit is set up to determine at a second point in time a second indication that no evasive maneuver has been initiated. The second point in time follows the first point in time. The control unit is then set up to terminate the support of the evasive maneuver as a function of the determined second indication.

Moreover, document <CIT> discloses an automatic brake and steering system for a vehicle containing a sensor unit for sensing vehicle state variables and vehicle characteristic variables and ambient conditions. Furthermore, a control unit and actuator devices are provided for setting the vehicle brake system and/or the vehicle steering system. In order to be able to carry out automatic avoidance manoeuvres with maximum safety, an avoidance route is determined if there is an obstacle in the path of the vehicle, in which case, if there is a further obstacle on the avoidance route, the strategy for determining the avoidance route is applied once more. If it is not possible to find a collision-free avoidance route, that route on which the difference between the remaining braking distance and the remaining distance from the obstacle is smallest is selected.

Against this background, the present invention proposes a system including an apparatus and a method for controlling collision avoidance, which provide an avoidance path and an avoidance area by anticipating a collision with vehicles or obstacles ahead or behind during traveling.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited thereto, and other problems which have not been mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Aspects, embodiments and examples which do not fall under the scope of the claims do not form part of the invention and are merely provided for illustrative purposes.

The invention provides a system for controlling collision avoidance. The system includes an image sensor mountable to a host vehicle and configured to capture image data; and a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory memory. The controller is configured to:.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the system for controlling collision avoidance may include an apparatus with: a warning signal receiver configured to receive the emergency braking warning signal for a forward collision of a host vehicle; a traveling environment detector configured to detect the object information, road information, and space information pertaining to areas in front of, to the side of, and in back of the host vehicle if the warning signal is received; an emergency braking determiner configured to determine whether the risk of a forward collision of the host vehicle is larger than or equal to the first threshold value if the warning signal is received; an avoidance area determiner configured to search for the drivable lanes of the host vehicle and the candidate areas in the space according to the determined risk of the forward collision, calculate the score of each of the candidate areas, determine the avoidance area, and set the avoidance path for the avoidance area; and a control signal output unit configured to output the steering and speed control signals for moving the host vehicle to the avoidance area along the avoidance path.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling collision avoidance is provided. The method includes: a warning signal reception step of receiving an emergency braking warning signal for a forward collision of a host vehicle; a traveling environment detection step of detecting object information, road information, and space information pertaining to areas in front of, to the side of, and in back of the host vehicle if the warning signal is received; an emergency braking determination step of determining whether the risk of a forward collision of the host vehicle is larger than or equal to a first threshold value if the warning signal is received; an avoidance area determination step of searching for drivable lanes of the host vehicle and one or more candidate areas in the space according to the determined risk of the forward collision, determining an avoidance area, and setting an avoidance path for the avoidance area; and a control signal output step of outputting steering and speed control signals for moving the host vehicle to the avoidance area along the avoidance path. The searching for drivable lanes and candidate areas in the space comprises:.

In accordance with an example lying outside the protection scope of the invention, an apparatus for controlling collision avoidance is provided. The apparatus for controlling collision avoidance comprises: an image sensor configured to obtain image data of an exterior of a host vehicle; and a controller comprising a non-transitory memory and a processor, the controller being configured to: receive the image data from the image sensor, detect object information, road information and space information in areas surrounding the host vehicle based on the image data, determine a risk of a forward collision of the host vehicle, determine, if the risk is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, one or more candidate areas in a space surrounding the host vehicle where the risk of forward collision of the host vehicle is lower than the first threshold value, determine an avoidance area where the host vehicle can avoid a forward collision based on the determined risk of collision, determine a path for the host vehicle to reach the avoidance area from a current position, provide steering and speed control signals for moving the host vehicle from the current position to the avoidance area along the determined path.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide safety of driving by controlling the vehicle to avoid a collision with a preceding object.

Further, there is an effect of improving accuracy of the avoidance path and the avoidance area to prevent a collision between vehicles.

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:.

The advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving the same will be apparent by referring to embodiments of the present invention as described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth below, but may be implemented in various different forms. The following embodiments are provided only to completely disclose the present invention and inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the present invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the appended claims.

While the terms "first", "second", and the like may modify various elements, components, and/or sections, it will be apparent that such elements, components, and/or sections are not limited by the above terms. The above terms are used merely for the purpose of distinguishing an element, component, or section from other elements, components, or sections. Accordingly, it will be apparent that a first element, a first component, or a first section as mentioned below may be a second element, a second component, or a second section within the technical spirit of the present invention.

The terms as used herein are merely for the purpose of describing embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, singular forms are intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" as used herein refer to the existence of a disclosed component, step, operation, and/or element, and do not exclude the existence of or a possibility of addition of one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements.

A vehicle in this specification may conceptually include a car, a motorcycle, and the like. Further, the vehicle may conceptually include all of an internal combustion engine car having an engine as a power source, a hybrid car including an engine and an electric motor as a power source, and an electric car having an electric motor as a power source. Hereinafter, a car will be described as a representative of such a vehicle.

In the following description, "front" means a forward driving direction of the vehicle and "rear" means a backward driving direction of the vehicle. Further, the left of the vehicle means the left when facing the forward driving direction and the right of the vehicle means the right when facing the forward driving direction. In addition, the rear side of the vehicle means the left or the right when facing the backward driving direction of the vehicle.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a vehicle according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, the vehicle may include a controller <NUM>, a camera module <NUM>, a non-image sensor module <NUM>, a communication module <NUM>, and an intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM>.

For example, the camera module <NUM> may include an image sensor, configured to have a field of view of an interior or an exterior of the vehicle and to capture image data, and a processor, configured to process the captured image data.

For example, the image sensor may be disposed in the vehicle to have a field of view of an interior or an exterior of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, at least one image sensor is mounted to each part of the vehicle to have a field of view of the front, side, or rear of the vehicle.

Information on an image taken by the image sensor consists of image data, and thus may refer to image data captured by the image sensor. Hereinafter, information on an image taken by the image sensor means image data captured by the image sensor in the present invention. The image data captured by the image sensor may be generated, for example, in one format of AVI, MPEG-<NUM>, H. <NUM>, DivX, and JPEG in a raw form.

The image data captured by the image sensor are processed by a processor. The processor operates to process the image data captured by the image sensor.

With regard to the hardware implementation, the processor may be implemented using at least one of electrical units for processing image data and performing other functions, such as Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, micro-processors.

Meanwhile, the non-image sensor module <NUM> is a sensor module other than the camera module <NUM> configured to capture an image. For example, a plurality of non-image sensor modules <NUM> may be disposed in the vehicle to have a field of view of an interior or an exterior of the vehicle, and may be configured to capture sensing data. The plurality of non-image sensor modules <NUM> may include, for example, radar sensors, lidar sensors, and ultrasonic sensors. The non-image sensor modules <NUM> may be omitted, or may be one or more in number.

The communication module <NUM> performs a function of performing communication between vehicles, communication between a vehicle and infrastructure, communication between a vehicle and a server, and communication inside a vehicle. To this end, the communication module <NUM> may include a transmission module and a reception module. For example, the communication module <NUM> may include a broadcast reception module, a wireless Internet module, a short-range communication module, a location information module, an optical communication module, and a V2X communication module.

The broadcast reception module receives broadcast signals or broadcast-related information from external broadcast management servers through broadcasting channels. Here, a broadcast includes at least one of a radio broadcast and a TV broadcast. The wireless Internet module may be a module for wireless Internet access, and may be mounted inside or outside the vehicle. The short-range communication module is for short-range communication and may support short-range communication through at least one of Bluetooth™, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB).

The location information module is a module for acquiring location information of the vehicle, a representative example thereof being a Global Positioning System (GPS) module. For example, through the use of the GPS module, the vehicle may acquire the location thereof using a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite. Meanwhile, in an embodiment, the location information module may be an element included in the internal sensor module <NUM> of the vehicle rather than an element included in the communication module <NUM>.

The optical communication module may include an optical transmitter and an optical receiver. The optical transmitter and the optical receiver may convert a light signal into an electrical signal to transmit/receive information.

The V2X communication module is a module for wireless communication with a server, another vehicle, or an infrastructure device. The V2X communication module according to the present embodiments refers to the exchange of information between the vehicle and objects, such as another vehicle, a mobile device, and a road through a wired/wireless network, or technology therefor. The V2X communication module may encompass Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle-to-Nomadic Device (V2N), and Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) concepts. The V2X communication module is based on Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC), and may use Wireless Access in Vehicular Environment (WAVE) or IEEE <NUM>. 11p communication technology using a <NUM> band, recently developed by IEEE, but is not limited thereto. It should be understood that V2X communication includes any communication between vehicles that does not exist at present but is to be developed in the future.

The intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM> of the vehicle is a sensor for sensing internal information of the vehicle. For example, the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM> may be a torque sensor for sensing a steering torque, a steering angle sensor for sensing a steering angle, a motor location sensor for sensing information on a steering motor, a vehicle speed sensor, a vehicle motion detection sensor for sensing motion of the vehicle, and a vehicle position detection sensor. Additionally, the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM> may be a sensor for sensing various pieces of data inside the vehicle, and the number thereof may be one or more.

The controller <NUM> may acquire data from at least one of the camera module <NUM>, the non-image sensor module <NUM>, the communication module <NUM>, and the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM> and control various operations of the vehicle on the basis of the acquired data. Alternatively, the controller <NUM> may acquire image data from the camera module <NUM> and process the image data. Further, the controller <NUM> may receive sensing data from the non-image sensor module <NUM> and process the sensing data. Alternatively, the controller <NUM> may acquire data from the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM> or the communication module <NUM> and process the data. For such processing, the controller <NUM> may include at least one processor and a non-transitory memory.

In addition, the controller <NUM> may control the operation of at least one of the camera module <NUM>, the non-image sensor module <NUM>, the communication module <NUM>, and the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may control the operation of various driver assistance systems installed in the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the radar sensor or the radar system used in the present embodiment may include at least one radar sensor unit, for example, one or more of a front detection radar sensor mounted to the front of the vehicle, a rear radar sensor mounted to the rear of the vehicle, and a side or a rear-side detection radar sensor mounted to each side of the vehicle. The radar sensor or the radar system may process data by analyzing a transmission signal and a reception signal and detect information on an object according to the processed data, and may include an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) or a processor therefor. Data transmission or signal communication from the radar sensor to the ECU may be performed through a communication link such as an appropriate vehicle network bus.

The radar sensor includes one or more transmission antennas for transmitting radar signals and one or more reception antennas for receiving signals reflected from an object.

Meanwhile, the radar sensor according to the present embodiment may adopt a multi-dimensional antenna array and a signal Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) transmission/reception scheme in order to form a virtual antenna aperture larger than an actual antenna aperture.

For example, a two-dimensional antenna array is used to achieve horizontal and vertical angular accuracy and resolution. Through the two-dimensional radar antenna array, signals are transmitted/received by two individual horizontal and vertical scans (temporally multiplied), and MIMO may be used separately from the two-dimensional radar horizontal and vertical scans (temporally multiplied).

More specifically, the radar sensor according to the present embodiment may adopt a two-dimensional antenna array consisting of a transmission antenna unit including a total of <NUM> transmission antennas (Tx) and a reception antenna unit including <NUM> reception antennas (Rx), and as a result, may have a total of <NUM> virtual reception antenna arrangements.

The transmission antenna unit includes <NUM> transmission antenna groups including <NUM> transmission antennas, wherein a first antenna group may be vertically spaced apart from a second transmission antenna group by a predetermined distance and the first or second transmission antenna group may be horizontally spaced apart from a third transmission antenna group by a predetermined distance (D).

Further, the reception antenna unit may include <NUM> reception antenna groups, each of which includes <NUM> reception antennas, wherein the reception antenna groups may be vertically spaced apart from each other, and the reception antenna unit may be disposed between the first transmission antenna group and the third transmission antenna group, which are horizontally spaced apart from each other.

According to another embodiment, the antennas of the radar sensor are disposed in a two-dimensional antenna array. For example, each antenna patch is arranged in the shape of a rhombus, and thus the number of unnecessary side lobes may be reduced.

Alternatively, the two-dimensional antenna array may include a V-shaped antenna array in which a plurality of radial patches is disposed in a V shape, and, more particularly, may include two V-shaped antenna arrays. At this time, signal feeding may be performed at the apex of each V-shaped antenna array.

Alternatively, the two-dimensional antenna array may include an X-shaped antenna array, in which a plurality of radial patches is disposed in an X shape, and, more particularly, may include two X-shaped antenna arrays. At this time, signal feeding may be performed at the center of each X-shaped antenna array.

Further, the radar sensor according to the present embodiment may use a MIMO antenna system in order to implement accurate detection and resolution vertically and horizontally.

More specifically, in the MIMO system, respective transmission antennas may transmit signals having independent waveforms distinguished from each other. That is, each transmission antenna may transmit a signal having an independent waveform distinguished from those of other transmission antennas, and each reception antenna may identify which transmission antenna transmitted a reflected signal which is reflected from an object due to the different waveforms of the signals.

Further, the radar sensor according to the present embodiment may include a radar housing for accommodating a circuit and a substrate including transmission/reception antennas and a radome for configuring the exterior of the radar housing. At this time, the radome is formed with a material which can reduce attenuation of a transmitted/received radar signal, and may constitute a front/rear bumper of the vehicle, a grille, a side frame, or the exterior surface of components of the vehicle.

That is, the radome of the radar sensor may be disposed inside a vehicle grille, a bumper, or a frame. When the radar sensor is disposed as a part of the components constituting the exterior surface of the vehicle, such as the vehicle grille, the bumper, and part of the frame, it is possible to increase the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle and provide convenience in mounting the radar sensor.

The lidar may include a laser transmitter, a receiver, and a processor. The lidar may be implemented in a Time-Of-Flight (TOF) type or a phase-shift type.

The TOF-type lidar radiates a laser pulse signal and receives a reflected pulse signal from an object. The lidar may measure a distance from the object on the basis of the time at which the laser pulse signal is radiated and the time at which the reflected pulse signal is received. Further, the speed relative to the object may be measured on the basis of a change in the distance according to time.

Meanwhile, the phase-shift-type lidar may radiate a laser beam continuously modulated with a particular frequency and measure the time and the distance from the object on the basis of the phase change of the signal reflected and returned from the object. Further, the speed relative to the object may be measured on the basis of a change in the distance according to time.

The lidar may detect the object on the basis of the transmitted laser and detect the distance from the detected object and the relative speed. When the object is a stationary object (for example, street trees, a streetlamp, a traffic light, or a traffic sign), the lidar may detect the driving speed of the vehicle on the basis of the Time Of Flight (TOF) using the object.

The ultrasonic sensor may include an ultrasonic transmitter, a receiver, and a processor.

The ultrasonic sensor may detect an object on the basis of the transmitted ultrasonic wave and detect a distance from the detected object and a speed relative thereto. When the object is a stationary object (for example, street trees, a streetlamp, a traffic light, or a traffic sign), the ultrasonic sensor may detect the driving speed of the vehicle on the basis of the Time Of Flight (TOF) using the object.

The term of each element described above and an example of each element described above are only for convenience of understanding, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Hereinafter, in order to more accurately described embodiments according to the present invention, the above-described terms may be modified. Further, the elements included in the vehicle described in <FIG> are only examples, and thus the elements may be modified or omitted, or other elements may be added in order to more accurately described the technical idea of the present invention.

<FIG> illustrates a driving support system including an apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance according to embodiments of the present invention.

An autonomous driving support integrated system may include an Advanced Emergency Brake (AEB) system, a Smart Parking Assisting System (SPAS), a Lane-Keeping Assist System (LKAS), a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), a Blind-Spot Detection (BSD) system, an Electric Power Steering (EPS or motor-driven power steering) module, an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) module, a driving system (an accelerator and a brake), a domain control unit, a camera module, a non-image sensor module, and an intra-vehicle sensor module.

Referring to <FIG>, the exemplary vehicle includes a camera module <NUM>, and may further include at least one of a non-image sensor module <NUM>, and an intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM>. Since the description thereof has been made with reference to <FIG>, the description will be omitted.

Further, the vehicle may include a domain control unit <NUM>.

The Domain Control Unit (DCU) <NUM> may be configured to receive image data captured by at least one image sensor, receive sensing data captured by a plurality of non-image sensors, and process at least one piece of the image data and the sensing data. For such processing, the DCU <NUM> may include at least one processor.

Alternatively, the domain control unit <NUM> may transmit and receive data to and from at least one of the camera module <NUM>, the non-image sensor module <NUM>, the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM>, and driver assistance system modules <NUM>, and process the data received therethrough. That is, the DCU <NUM> may be located within the vehicle and communicate with at least one module mounted within the vehicle. To this end, the DCU <NUM> may further include an appropriate data link or communication link such as a vehicle network bus for data transmission or signal communication.

The DCU <NUM> may operate to control one or more of various driver assistance systems (DAS) used by the vehicle. For example, the domain control unit <NUM> may determine a particular situation, a condition, event occurrence, and performance of a control operation on the basis of data acquired from at least one of the modules <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

The DCU <NUM> may transmit a signal for controlling the operation of the various driver assistance system modules <NUM> included in the vehicle on the basis of the determined information. For example, the driver assistance system modules <NUM> may include an SPAS module <NUM>, an LDWS module <NUM>, an LKAS module <NUM>, a BSD module <NUM>, an EPS module <NUM>, and an AEB module <NUM>. In addition, the driver assistance system modules <NUM> included in the vehicle may be one of various systems, such as an ASCC, a system module, and an LCAS. The terms and names of the driver assistance systems described herein are only examples, and are not limiting. The driver assistance system modules <NUM> may include an autonomous driving module for autonomous driving. Alternatively, the domain control unit may control the vehicle to perform autonomous driving by controlling individual systems included in the driver assistance system modules <NUM>.

At this time, the SPAS module <NUM> may be called an Intelligent Parking Assist System (IPAS) or an Advanced Parking Guidance System (APAS), which is a system for performing autonomous steering control to park the vehicle in or take the vehicle out of a parking spot by measuring the lengths of obstacles and the parking spot using an ultrasonic sensor or cameras located in the front, rear, and side of the vehicle and recognizing a space in which the parking is possible.

The LKAS module <NUM> and the LDWS module <NUM> are driving support systems included in the vehicle, which correspond to systems for performing transverse direction of the vehicle to prevent lane departure and enable lane keeping by acquiring lane information by detecting left and right lanes through a front camera and providing calculated assist steering torque to a steering device of the vehicle in order to prevent lane departure of the vehicle or make the vehicle follow the center of the lane on the basis of the acquired lane information.

The BSD module <NUM> may include a sensor on the side surface of the vehicle to detect a rear blind spot. For example, the BSD system may recognize whether there is an object in a blind spot through a radar sensor installed on the side surface of the vehicle and, if it is determined that there is an object in the blind spot, provide a warning to the driver, and transmit a predetermined command to a control device of the vehicle, thereby performing driving control for safe vehicle driving.

Further, the EPS module <NUM> is a device for controlling the driving direction of the vehicle by controlling the front wheels or all four wheels of the vehicle to have appropriate angles and may generate assist steering torque according to the rotation of the steering wheel of the vehicle due to manipulation by the driver.

A brake <NUM> of the vehicle is a device for reducing the driving speed of the vehicle, stopping the vehicle, or maintaining a stopped state, and may uniformly distribute the braking power to respective wheels or selectively control the braking power of a particular wheel so as to generate braking power of the vehicle if the vehicle is braked. An accelerator <NUM> of the vehicle, conceptually opposite the brake, is a device for increasing the driving speed of the vehicle, and may generate the driving power of the vehicle by increasing the engine RPM and the engine power.

The AEB module <NUM> includes a radar sensor, and if there is an object in front of the moving vehicle, performs emergency braking regardless of whether the driver brakes the vehicle on the basis of the relative speeds of the object and the vehicle and the separation distance therebetween. Specifically, a detector <NUM> may include at least one of the camera module <NUM> and the non-image sensor module <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. In general, the detector <NUM> may be a radar disposed on the front of the host vehicle, but is not limited thereto, and the radar may be a lidar. Further, the detector <NUM> may receive required information from various sensors included in the autonomous driving support integrated system through a communication unit <NUM>.

A controller <NUM> determines a front or rear object through various pieces of driving information and object information received from the detector <NUM> and determines whether the vehicle will collide with the object. If a collision situation is determined, the controller <NUM> determines whether collision avoidance is possible. At this time, the vehicle generates a command signal for controlling the vehicle to avoid the collision and transmit the command signal to an output unit <NUM>. The controller <NUM> transmits the command signal to various systems for driving the vehicle through the communication unit <NUM> so as to generate steering assist torque of the EPS or generate braking power or driving power in each wheel of the vehicle through the brake <NUM> and the accelerator <NUM>.

At this time, the exemplary apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance is linked to the controller <NUM>, and determines an avoidance area and an avoidance path to avoid the collision of the vehicle and output a control signal to the controller <NUM>.

The output unit <NUM> is a device for providing a warning to the driver of the vehicle and may provide various warnings in visual, acoustic, and tactile manners according to the collision risk. Further, the output unit <NUM> may output an emergency braking warning according to the collision risk of the vehicle. That is, the emergency braking warning may be output in various manners according to the range of the collision risk calculated by the controller <NUM>.

The communication unit <NUM> may transmit and receive various pieces of information and command signals as described above through communication with the autonomous driving support integrated system.

The communication unit <NUM> may include mobile communication networks including an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), a Local Area Network (LAN), an Ethernet, a Controller Area Network (CAN), a TCP/IP-based communication network, an optical communication network, CDMA, and WCDMA, and short-range communication networks, such as ZigBee and Bluetooth.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance according to embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a warning signal receiver <NUM> configured to receive an emergency braking warning signal for a forward collision of a host vehicle; a traveling environment detector <NUM> configured to detect object information, road information, and space information pertaining to areas in front of, to the side of, and in back of the host vehicle if the warning signal is received; an emergency braking determiner <NUM> configured to determine whether the risk of a forward collision of the host vehicle is larger than or equal to a first threshold value if the warning signal is received; an avoidance area determiner <NUM> configured to search for drivable lanes of the host vehicle and one or more candidate areas in the space according to the determined risk of the forward collision, calculate a score of each of the candidate areas, determine an avoidance area, and set an avoidance path for the avoidance area; and a control signal output unit <NUM> configured to output steering and speed control signals for moving the host vehicle to the avoidance area along the avoidance path.

Specifically, the warning signal receiver <NUM> may receive an emergency braking warning signal from the output unit <NUM> of the AEB system, and the emergency braking warning signal may be a phased warning signal. For example, the emergency braking warning signal may have a plurality of risk levels, and may particularly have two level.

For example, if the emergency braking warning signal is a primary warning, the steering wheel of the host vehicle is vibrated and a warning sound is output, so that the driver of the host vehicle may recognize the risk of collision. If the emergency braking warning signal is a secondary warning, the collision may be prevented by controlling the brake of the host vehicle to decrease the speed.

If the warning signal receiver <NUM> receives the emergency braking warning signal, a driving environment detector <NUM> and an emergency braking determiner <NUM> of the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance may be activated.

If the warning signal receiver <NUM> receives the warning signal, the driving environment detector <NUM> detects at least one of object information, road information, and space information or may receive at least one piece of the object information, the road information, and the space information from the autonomous driving support integrated system within the host vehicle. The object information, the road information, and the space information are information detected by the camera module <NUM>, the non-image sensor module <NUM>, and the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, information extracted by the detector <NUM> of <FIG> from data captured by the camera module <NUM>, the non-image sensor module <NUM>, and the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM>, or information directly extracted by the driving environment detector <NUM>.

For example, the object information, the road information, and the space information in front of the vehicle may be detected by a camera and a radar mounted to the front of the host vehicle and radars mounted to both front-side surfaces, and the object information, the road information, and the space information in back of the vehicle may be detected by a camera mounted to the rear of the host vehicle and radars mounted to both rear-side surfaces.

Accordingly, the driving environment detector <NUM> may include the driving assistance system and a Controller Area Network (CAN), a Local Interconnect Network (LIN), and FlexRay for communication with various sensors, but is not limited thereto, and any communication schemes used by vehicle networks may be included in the scope of the present invention.

That is, the term "detection" in this specification should be understood to mean acquiring corresponding information and includes not only direct detection by the driving environment detector <NUM> but also acquisition of information detected from an external device.

The emergency braking determiner <NUM> may calculate the forward collision risk on the basis of information received from the AEB system. If the forward collision risk is higher than or equal to a first threshold value, the emergency braking determiner <NUM> may determine that the forward collision is generated when the host vehicle performs a full-braking operation.

The forward collision risk may be calculated on the basis of a Time-To-Collision (TTC), which is a value generated by dividing a separation distance between the host vehicle and a preceding object, that is, another vehicle, by a relative speed.

A braking limit may be calculated when the forward collision risk is calculated. The braking limit means the risk of a forward collision, even though the host vehicle performs the full-braking operation, is non-zero. That is, if the collision risk is the braking limit, it may be determined that there is a high collision possibility since the forward TTC of the host vehicle is shorter even though the host vehicle performs full braking.

If the forward collision risk calculated by the emergency braking determiner <NUM> is higher than or equal to the first threshold value, the avoidance area determiner <NUM> searches for a drivable way and a candidate area on the basis of at least one piece of the detected object information, road information, and space information.

The candidate area is located behind or beside the host vehicle to make the vehicle avoid the forward collision, and the number of candidate areas may be one or more. The avoidance area may be selected from among the candidate areas. The first threshold value may be a value indicating the braking limit.

The object information may include object type information for identifying whether the front, rear, or side object is an obstacle, a road structure, a pedestrian, or another vehicle and object size information, the road information may include information on a lane of a road on which the host vehicle travels and the road type, and the space information may include information on an empty space other than the object, that is, location information and the lane width of a space through which the host vehicle can travel on the basis of the vehicle width and a vehicle length of the host vehicle.

For example, the object information may determine the type of the object, indicating a pedestrian or a vehicle, and determine whether the road adjacent to the road on which the host vehicle travels is a sidewalk, a shoulder, or a roadway, so as to determine a drivable way that can be selected as the candidate area.

The exemplary avoidance area determiner <NUM> converts and calculate scores on the basis of at least one piece of information on the drivable way, the information on objects located in front of and in back of the candidate area, the candidate area, and the space information of the host vehicle.

The object information used for calculating the scores may include at least one of the object type, the location, the speed, and the risk of collision with the host vehicle, the drivable way information may include the type and location of the driving way adjacent to the driving way in which the host vehicle travels, and the candidate area and the space information of the host vehicle may include the lane width of the candidate area and the vehicle width of the host vehicle.

That is, if the drivable way is a roadway, it may be determined whether the roadway is a first lane, a third lane, or a fourth lane, and scores are calculated. For example, assuming that a reference score is <NUM>, the reference score may be reduced if the roadway is the first lane or is adjacent to the centerline.

If the object is a vehicle, the location of the vehicle, the speed, the driving direction, and the risk of collision with the host vehicle may be calculated and converted into scores. For example, if it is assumed that the reference score is <NUM>, the reference score may be further reduced as the risk of collision with the host vehicle is higher.

The lane width of the candidate area may be detected on the basis of data captured by the camera module or the non-image sensor module, the vehicle width of the host vehicle may be identified, and they may be converted into scores. For example, if it is assumed that the reference score is <NUM>, the reference score may be reduced if a value generated by subtracting the vehicle width of the host vehicle from the lane width of the candidate area is larger than <NUM> and smaller than a vehicle width threshold value.

Accordingly, it is possible to calculate the score of the candidate area by summing up the score of each of the drivable ways, the space score of the candidate area, and the score of the object.

The avoidance area determiner <NUM> determines that the candidate area having the largest score is an avoidance area if the calculated score is larger than or equal to a second threshold value, and search for a drivable way and the candidate area again if the score is smaller than the second threshold value.

According to an embodiment, if the calculated score is larger than or equal to the second threshold value and the number of candidate areas having the largest score is plural, the avoidance area determiner <NUM> may determine that the candidate area farthest from the centerline is an avoidance area.

The control signal output unit <NUM> outputs the steering and speed control signals according to the avoidance path set by the avoidance area determiner <NUM> to move the host vehicle to the avoidance area.

The steering control signal is a signal for controlling the driving direction of the host vehicle along the avoidance path by adjusting the direction of front wheels or rear wheels of the host vehicle to appropriate angles, and may be transmitted to the EPS.

The speed control signal is a signal for decreasing the speed of the host vehicle by operating the brake for applying a frictional force to disks of the front wheels or the rear wheels of the host vehicle or increasing the speed of the host vehicle by accelerating the engine rotation, and may be transmitted to the electronic control brake or the accelerator.

The electronic control brake may adopt an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system, an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), an Automatic Stability Control (ASC) system, and a Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system.

As described above, the present invention may provide safety of driving by easily controlling the host vehicle to avoid a collision with a forward object.

The function performed by each element of the apparatus for controlling collision avoidance may be performed by the controller illustrated in <FIG> or the domain control unit itself illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate examples in which a vehicle including the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance avoids a forward collision according to embodiments of the present invention.

<FIG> illustrates the case in which the risk of a collision with a first preceding vehicle <NUM>, located ahead in a traveling lane <NUM> in which a host vehicle <NUM> travels, and a second preceding vehicle <NUM>, located in a first adjacent lane <NUM> adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM>, is detected.

At this time, since the host vehicle <NUM> includes the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance, the host vehicle <NUM> can search for an avoidance area and set an avoidance path so as to prevent the forward collision. That is, a second adjacent lane <NUM>, which is adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM> and in which no other vehicle is detected, is decided on as an optimal avoidance area in consideration of at least one piece of object information, space information, and road information around the host vehicle <NUM>, and thus the host vehicle <NUM> can move to the avoidance area (the rectangular area illustrated in <FIG>) in the second adjacent lane <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the case in which the risk of a forward collision with the preceding vehicle <NUM> located ahead in the traveling lane <NUM> in which the host vehicle <NUM> travels is detected.

One of the two lanes <NUM> and <NUM> adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM> is detected as a roadway <NUM> and the other one is detected as a pedestrian walkway <NUM> in consideration of at least one piece of object information, space information, and road information around the host vehicle <NUM>. The lane adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM> is referred to as a first adjacent lane <NUM> and the pedestrian walkway is referred to as a sidewalk <NUM>.

At this time, since the first adjacent lane <NUM>, in which no other vehicle is detected, is the optimal avoidance area, the host vehicle <NUM> moves to the avoidance area (the rectangular area illustrated in <FIG>) in the first adjacent lane <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrate other examples in which the vehicle including the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance avoids the forward collision according to embodiments of the present invention.

<FIG> illustrates the case in which the risk of a forward collision with a first preceding vehicle <NUM>, located ahead in a traveling lane <NUM> in which the host vehicle <NUM> travels, is detected.

At this time, since the host vehicle <NUM> includes the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance, the host vehicle <NUM> can search for an avoidance area and set an avoidance path so as to prevent a forward collision. That is, since no other vehicle is detected in the first adjacent lane <NUM> and the second adjacent lane <NUM>, which are adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM>, in consideration of at least one piece of object information, space information, and road information around the host vehicle <NUM>, a first avoidance area and a second avoidance area are selected as candidate areas, as illustrated in <FIG>.

However, if the first adjacent lane <NUM> is a first lane adjacent to the centerline, the reference score of the first avoidance area is set to be reduced, so that the second avoidance area located in the second adjacent lane <NUM> may be the optimal avoidance area. Accordingly, the host vehicle <NUM> may move to the second avoidance area in the second adjacent lane <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the case in which the risk of a forward collision with the first preceding vehicle <NUM>, located ahead in the traveling lane <NUM> in which the host vehicle <NUM> travels, is detected, a second preceding vehicle <NUM> travels in the first adjacent lane <NUM>, which is adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM>, and a third preceding vehicle <NUM> travels in the second adjacent lane <NUM>.

At this time, since the driving speed υ12 of the second preceding vehicle <NUM> is faster than the driving speed of the third preceding vehicle <NUM> in consideration of at least one piece of object information, space information, and road information around the host vehicle <NUM>, the optimal avoidance area may be an avoidance area (a rectangular area illustrated in <FIG>) located in the first adjacent lane <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the case in which the risk of a forward collision with the first preceding vehicle <NUM>, located ahead in the traveling lane <NUM> in which the host vehicle <NUM> travels, is detected, wherein the second preceding vehicle <NUM> travels in the first adjacent lane <NUM>, which is adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM>, and the third preceding vehicle <NUM> travels in the second adjacent lane <NUM>, but the driving speed of the second preceding vehicle <NUM> and the driving speed of the third preceding vehicle <NUM> are slow, so that the risk of a forward collision with the host vehicle <NUM> is detected.

At this time, since an avoidance area for the host vehicle <NUM> cannot be found, the speed of the host vehicle <NUM> may be reduced, the object information, the space information, and the road information around the host vehicle <NUM> may be detected in real time, and a candidate area may be immediately searched for again.

<FIG> illustrate other examples in which the vehicle including the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance avoids a forward collision according to embodiments of the present invention.

<FIG> illustrates the case in which the risk of forward collision with the first preceding vehicle <NUM>, located ahead in the traveling lane <NUM> in which the host vehicle <NUM> travels, is detected. A fourth following vehicle <NUM> travels in the first adjacent lane <NUM>, which is adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM>, at a traveling speed υ14, and a third following vehicle <NUM> travels in the second adjacent lane <NUM> at a traveling speed u13.

At this time, since the host vehicle <NUM> includes the apparatus <NUM> for controlling collision avoidance, the host <NUM> can search for an avoidance area and set an avoidance path so as to prevent a forward collision. That is, since spaces are detected in the first adjacent lane <NUM> and the second adjacent lane <NUM>, which are adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM>, in consideration of at least one piece of object information, space information, and road information around the host vehicle <NUM>, a first avoidance area and a second avoidance area may be selected as candidate areas, as illustrated in <FIG>.

However, if the traveling speed υ14 of the fourth following vehicle <NUM> traveling in the first adjacent lane <NUM> is fast enough to cause a rear-end collision with the host vehicle <NUM>, the reference score of the first avoidance area is set to be reduced, and the optimal avoidance area may be the second avoidance area, which is located in the second adjacent lane <NUM>. Accordingly, the host vehicle <NUM> may move to the second avoidance area in the second adjacent lane <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the case in which the risk of a forward collision with the first preceding vehicle <NUM>, located ahead in the traveling lane <NUM> in which the host vehicle <NUM> travels, is detected, wherein the fourth following vehicle <NUM> travels in the first adjacent lane <NUM>, which is adjacent to the traveling lane <NUM> at a traveling speed u14 and the third preceding vehicle <NUM> travels in the second adjacent lane <NUM>.

At this time, since there is the risk of a forward collision between the host vehicle <NUM> and the third preceding vehicle <NUM> and the traveling speed υ14 of the fourth following vehicle <NUM> is slow enough not to cause a rear-end collision with the host vehicle <NUM> in consideration of at least one piece of object information, space information, and road information around the host vehicle <NUM>, the optimal avoidance area may be an avoidance area (a rectangular area illustrated in <FIG>) located in the first adjacent lane <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a case which is the same as the case of <FIG>, but there is the risk of a forward collision between the host vehicle <NUM> and the third preceding vehicle <NUM> and the traveling speed υ14 of the fourth following vehicle <NUM> is fast enough to generate a rear-end collision with the host vehicle <NUM>.

At this time, since the avoidance area of the host vehicle <NUM> cannot be determined, the speed of the host vehicle <NUM> may be reduced, the object information, the space information, and the road information around the host vehicle <NUM> may be detected in real time, and a candidate area may be immediately searched for again.

Accordingly, there is an effect of more accurately detecting an avoidance path and an avoidance area to prevent a forward collision with the host vehicle <NUM> by detecting the traveling environment of the host vehicle <NUM>, such as the object information, the space information, and the road information, and using the traveling environment for determining the avoidance area.

<FIG> is a flowchart briefly illustrating a method of controlling collision avoidance according to embodiments of the present invention.

A method of controlling collision avoidance in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes: a warning signal reception step S600 of receiving an emergency braking warning signal for a forward collision of a host vehicle; a traveling environment detection step S610 of detecting object information, road information, and space information pertaining to areas in front of, to the side of, and in back of the host vehicle if the warning signal is received; an emergency braking determination step S620 of determining whether the risk of a forward collision of the host vehicle is larger than or equal to a first threshold value if the warning signal is received; an avoidance area determination step S630 of searching for drivable lanes of the host vehicle and one or more candidate areas in the space according to the determined risk of the forward collision, calculating a score of each of the candidate areas, determining an avoidance area, and setting an avoidance path for the avoidance area; and a control signal output step S640 of outputting steering and speed control signals for moving the host vehicle to the avoidance area along the avoidance path.

Specifically, in a warning signal reception step S600, an emergency braking warning signal is received from the output unit <NUM> of the AEB system and the emergency braking warning signal may be a phased warning signal. For example, the emergency braking warning signal may have a plurality of risk levels and, particularly, a two-step level.

If the emergency braking information signal is received in the warning signal reception step S600, a traveling environment detection step S610 and an emergency braking determination step S620 may be performed.

If the warning signal is received in the warning signal reception step S600, at least one piece of object information, road information, and space information is detected, or at least one piece of object information, road information, and space information is received from the autonomous driving support integrated system within the host vehicle in the warning signal reception step S610. The object information, the road information, and the space information are information detected by the camera module <NUM>, the non-image sensor module <NUM>, and the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, information extracted by the detector <NUM> of <FIG> from data captured by the camera module <NUM>, the non-image sensor module <NUM>, and the intra-vehicle sensor module <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, or information directly extracted by the driving environment detector <NUM>.

For example, the object information, the road information, and the space information in front of the vehicle is detected by a camera and a radar mounted to the front of the host vehicle and radars mounted to both front-side surfaces, and the object information, the road information, and the space information in back of the vehicle is detected by a camera mounted to the rear of the host vehicle and radars mounted to both rear-side surfaces.

In the emergency braking determination step S620, the forward collision risk is calculated on the basis of information received from the AEB system. If the forward collision risk is higher than or equal to a first threshold value, it is determined that the forward collision will occur if the host vehicle performs a full-braking operation.

If the forward collision risk calculated in the emergency braking determination step S620 is higher than or equal to the first threshold value, drivable lanes and candidate areas are searched for on the basis of at least one piece of the detected object information, road information, and space information in the avoidance area determination step S630.

The candidate area is located behind or beside the host vehicle to make the vehicle avoid the forward collision, and the number of candidate areas may be one or more. The avoidance area may be selected from among the candidate areas.

In the avoidance area determination step S630, the score is converted and calculated on the basis of information on the drivable lanes, information on objects located in front of or in back of the candidate areas, and space information of the candidate areas and the host vehicle.

The object information used for calculating the scores may include at least one of the object type, the location, the speed, and the risk of collision with the host vehicle, information on the drivable way may include the type and location of the way adjacent to the traveling lane in which the host vehicle travels, and the candidate area and the space information of the host vehicle may include the lane width of the candidate area and the vehicle width of the host vehicle.

The candidate area having the largest score is determined as the avoidance area if the calculated score is larger than or equal to a second threshold value, and the drivable lanes and the candidate areas are searched for again if the score is smaller than the second threshold value in the avoidance area determination step S630.

According to an embodiment, if the calculated score is larger than or equal to the second threshold value and the number of candidate areas having the largest score is plural, the avoidance area determiner <NUM> may determine that the candidate area farthest from the centerline is the avoidance area.

In the control signal output step S640, steering and speed control signals according to the avoidance path set in the avoidance area determination step S630 are output, and allow the host vehicle to move the avoidance area.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating in detail the method of controlling collision avoidance according to embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, if an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system is executed in the host vehicle in S700, the AEB system determines whether an emergency braking warning signal, output if the risk of the forward collision of the host vehicle is detected, is received in S710 in the warning signal reception step <NUM>. At this time, the emergency braking warning signal may include a plurality of risk levels and, particularly, a two-step level.

Simultaneously with the reception of the emergency braking warning signal, at least one piece of the object information, the road information, and the space information pertaining to the front, rear, and side of the host vehicle is detected in S720 in the traveling environment detection step S610.

In the emergency braking determination step S620, the risk of the forward collision may be calculated through the detected information in S730. At this time, the risk of the forward collision may be calculated on the basis of a Time-To-Collision (TTC), which is a value generated by dividing a separation distance between the host vehicle and a preceding object, that is, another vehicle, by a relative speed.

It is determined whether the calculated risk of the forward collision is larger than or equal to a first threshold value in S740. The first threshold value is a braking limit indicating the risk of the forward collision even though the host vehicle performs the full-braking operation. That is, if the collision risk is the braking limit, it may be determined that there is a very high collision possibility since the forward TTC of the host vehicle is short even though the host vehicle performs full braking.

Accordingly, if the risk of the forward collision is smaller than the first threshold value, the traveling environment detection step <NUM> is continuously performed. That is, at least one piece of the object information, the road information, and the space information pertaining to the front, rear, and side of the host vehicle is detected in S720.

If the risk of the forward collision is larger than or equal to the first threshold value, it is determined whether there is a drivable lane among the traveling lane and adjacent lanes on the basis of the object information and the road information in S750 in the avoidance area determination step S630.

For example, it is determined whether the object information corresponds to a pedestrian or a vehicle and whether a road adjacent to the road on which the host vehicle travels is a sidewalk, a shoulder, or a roadway, so as to determine the drivable way that can be selected as the candidate area.

Simultaneously with the determination of the drivable way, candidate areas are searched for and selected in <NUM>. The candidate areas may be searched for on the basis of at least one piece of the object information, the road information, and the space information.

At this time, scores are converted and calculated on the basis of information on the drivable way and information on objects located in front of and in back of the candidate area in S770.

The object information used for calculating the scores may include at least one of the type of the object, the location, the speed, and the risk of collision with the host vehicle, and the information on the drivable way may include the type and the location of the way adjacent to the traveling lane in which the host vehicle travels.

In the avoidance area determination step S630, it is determined whether the calculated score is larger than or equal to a second threshold value in S780.

If the score is smaller than the second threshold value, the drivable way and the avoidance area are searched for again in S750.

If the calculated score is larger than or equal to the second threshold value, the candidate area having the largest score is determined as the avoidance area in S790. Simultaneously with the determination of the avoidance area, an avoidance path along which the host vehicle moves to the avoidance area is set in S800.

The host vehicle is moved by outputting steering and speed control signals to make the host vehicle move to the avoidance area along the avoidance path set in the control signal output step S640 in S810.

The steering and speed control signals may be transmitted to at least one of the EPS, the brake, and the accelerator of the host vehicle.

As described above, the apparatus and the method for controlling collision avoidance have an effect of providing safety of traveling, preventing a collision between vehicles, and improving accuracy of the avoidance path and the avoidance area by controlling a vehicle to avoid a collision with a preceding object.

Claim 1:
A system for controlling collision avoidance, the system comprising:
an image sensor (<NUM>) mountable to a host vehicle and configured to capture image data; and
a controller (<NUM>) comprising a processor and a non-transitory memory, the controller (<NUM>) being configured to:
receive an emergency braking warning signal for a forward collision of the host vehicle;
detect object information, road information, and space information pertaining to areas in front of, to a side of, or in back of the host vehicle, based on processed image data if the warning signal is received;
determine whether a risk of the forward collision of the host vehicle is larger than or equal to a first threshold value if the warning signal is received;
search for drivable lanes and candidate areas in the space according to the determined risk of the forward collision, determine an avoidance area based on the determined risk, and set an avoidance path for the avoidance area, convert and determine a score for each of the candidate areas based on information on objects in front and in back of the candidate areas, determine that the candidate area having the largest score is an avoidance area if the calculated score is larger than or equal to a second threshold value, and search for the drivable lanes and the candidate areas again if the score is smaller than the second threshold value; and
output steering and speed control signals for moving the host vehicle to the avoidance area along the avoidance path.