This paper describes the vision model which consider with a gaze direction and optical flows while vehicle cornering. For developing a cornering assist system of automatically controlled vehicle, we focus on a relationship between gaze direction and optical flow based on a human visual perception. In this paper, we propose the visual model considering with a gaze direction and an optical flow as visual information using a spherical camera. An optical flow based on a spherical image is corresponding to a flow of light on the human retina. To verify the relationship between a spherical optical flow and gaze direction, we simulate the optical flow when a driver looks at the end of the curve. After that, we perform the actual driving experiment that human driving case and autonomous driving case using our prototype ultra-compact electric vehicle “TORiCLE”. According to the experimental results, we discuss about the explanation of the vehicle cornering by optical flow and the feasibility of a vehicle control system.
