In a driving assistance apparatus, an image acquiring unit acquires a captured image captured by an onboard camera. Based on the captured image acquired by the image acquiring unit, a boundary line recognizing unit recognizes a boundary line that demarcates a traffic lane in which an own vehicle is driving. A road information acquiring unit acquires road information related to a road on which the own vehicle is driving. Based on the road information acquired by the road information acquiring unit, a degree-of-reliability setting unit sets a degree of reliability of the boundary line recognized by the boundary line recognizing unit. Based on the boundary line recognized by the boundary line recognizing unit, a driving assisting unit performs driving assistance of the own vehicle and varies control content of the driving assistance based on the degree of reliability.

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to controlling an autonomous vehicle in a variety of unique circumstances. These include adapting control strategies of the vehicle based on discrepancies between map data and sensor data obtained by the vehicle. These further include adapting position and routing strategies for the vehicle based on changes in the environment and traffic conditions. Other aspects of the disclosure relate to using vehicular sensor data to update hazard information on a centralized map database. Other aspects of the disclosure relate to using sensors independent of the vehicle to compensate for blind spots in the field of view of the vehicular sensors. Other aspects of the disclosure involve communication with other vehicles to indicate that the autonomous vehicle is not under human control, or to give signals to other vehicles about the intended behavior of the autonomous vehicle.

An information processing device (20) includes a route acquisition unit (202) and an automatic driving section determination unit (204). The route acquisition unit (202) acquires route information indicating a moving route of a mobile body. The automatic driving section determination unit (204) acquires adaptation coefficients for a plurality of sections included in the moving route indicated by the route information, with reference to an adaptation coefficient storage unit (206) that stores automatic driving adaptation coefficients set for the respective sections. Further, the automatic driving section determination unit (204) determines the automatic driving sections of the mobile body in the moving route, based on the acquired adaptation coefficients.

A driving support system includes: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire traveling characteristic information on a vehicle; a storage unit in which a dynamic map is stored, the dynamic map being a map in which static base map information, dynamic environmental information, and the traveling characteristic information acquired by the information acquisition unit are associated with each other; a collision determination unit configured to determine whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle has a collision, based on the dynamic map stored in the storage unit; and a control unit configured to, in a case where the collision determination unit determines that there is a possibility that the vehicle has a collision, control the vehicle such that the vehicle avoids the collision.

A method for performing an at least partially automatic vehicle function of a vehicle depending on a travel route to be assessed by means of a driver assistance system is disclosed. The method comprises providing a plurality of clusters from route data with respect to at least one known travel route, wherein the clusters group the route data sectionwise according to predefined geometric parameters. The method comprises providing recorded course data that indicate a course of the travel route to be assessed and applying the clusters to the course data in order to divide the travel route to be assessed into route sections corresponding to the clusters. The method comprises determining at least one uncertainty quantity which is characteristic of an uncertainty with respect to the assignment made and determining a control quantity as a function of the uncertainty quantity and providing the control quantity for performing the vehicle function.

A navigational system for a host vehicle may comprise at least one processing device. The processing device may be programmed to receive a first output and a second output associated with the host vehicle; identify a representation of a target object in the first output; and determine whether a characteristic of the target object triggers a navigational constraint. If the navigational constraint is not triggered, the processing device may verify the identification of the representation of the target object based on a combination of the first output and the second output. If the navigational constraint is triggered, the processing device may verify the identification of the representation of the target object based on the first output; and in response to the verification, cause at least one navigational change to the host vehicle.

A method for determining the reliability of detected and/or tracked objects for use in the driver assistance or the at least semiautomated driving of a vehicle. The method includes: a) receiving sensor data for the detected objects from a plurality of sensors, b) associating pieces of object existence information with each object, c) checking, considering, or representing redundancy of pieces of object existence information.

Example implementations may relate to sun-aware vehicle routing. In particular, a computing system of a vehicle may determine an expected position of the sun relative to a geographic area. Based on the expected position, the computing system may make a determination that travel of the vehicle through certain location(s) within the geographic area is expected to result in the sun being proximate to an object within a field of view of the vehicle's image capture device. Responsively, the computing system may generate a route for the vehicle in the geographic area based at least on the route avoiding travel of the vehicle through these certain location(s), and may then operate the vehicle to travel in accordance with the generated route. Ultimately, this may help reduce or prevent situations where quality of image(s) degrades due to sunlight, which may allow for use of these image(s) as basis for operating the vehicle.

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for identifying the reliability of objects within a mapped region for localization and facilitating autonomous control of a vehicle. Methods may include: receiving an indication of an event having event data; assigning at least one object at a location of the event an impact score based on an estimated impact of the event; and providing an indication of a reduction in autonomous vehicle capability in response to the impact score failing to satisfy a predetermined value. The impact score may include a probability that the corresponding object is reliable for localization or autonomous vehicle control. Methods may include providing the indication of a reduction in autonomous vehicle capability to at least one device associated with a vehicle in response to the at least one device associated with the vehicle having a travel path including the at least one road link.

To provide a vehicle control system that is capable of planning a trajectory that can ensure more visibility and enables safe traveling when an invisible range of a sensor exists.

A vehicle control system that plans a target trajectory of a vehicle based on recognition information from an external environment sensor, the vehicle control system including a recognizing unit that recognizes an object at a periphery of the vehicle based on the recognition information; and a trajectory planning unit that plans the target trajectory such that an actual detection range of the external environment sensor becomes wide when the recognizing unit recognizes the object.