JP2004314967A - Steering support device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering support device for a vehicle provided with a control unit making a vehicle run along a reference traffic lane by providing a reference guiding force corresponding to the scale and the direction of the positional eccentricity of own vehicle from a reference target path (zone) to a steering means to make the vehicle run along a traffic lane continuously and to constitute an excellent man-machine interface which allows a system to provide leadership usually and allows a person to receive steering information optimized to run along the current traffic lane from the system by a steering wheel to perform steering based on information by himself/herself. <P>SOLUTION: A second target path (zone) in a second traffic lane on which the vehicle runs after changing a traffic lane is set. A second guiding force provided to the steering means to make the vehicle run along the second traffic lane is set in accordance with the scale and the direction of the positional eccentricity of own vehicle from the second target path (zone). At least either of the reference guiding force and the second guiding force in the second traffic lane when changing the traffic lane is changed so as to change a weakening situation in accordance with the result of the confirmation of traffic lane change. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  According to the present invention, a steering means for operating a steered wheel, a reference lane being traveled is detected based on road information ahead, and a reference target route (band) is set in the reference lane. And a control unit for applying a reference guiding force determined according to the magnitude and direction of the deviation of the own vehicle from the vehicle to the steering means so as to realize vehicle traveling along the reference lane. The present invention relates to a vehicle steering assist device that allows a vehicle to travel along a lane.

The present applicant has previously proposed a technology based on the above-described concept in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-163,976, but this is to automatically drive a vehicle exclusively by a steering assist device. However, on real roads, pylons are lined up when you need to slightly avoid things that you do not want to step down on the road, such as changing lanes, There are many problems that cannot be solved by automatic driving, such as when the vehicle must run, and it is actually necessary for the driver to intervene in the steering assist device. Further, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a concept of performing automatic driving along each of a plurality of lanes.
JP-A-5-197423 JP-A-6-255514

  Assuming that the driver intervenes, it is necessary to solve the problem of inconsistency between the steering angle determined on the control unit side for automatic driving and the steering angle desired by a human. Because, when the steering assist system is active, if the human inputs a different steering angle from the system, in the conventional technology, the system considers the human steering as a disturbance, and the actuator also needs to realize the steering angle determined by the system. In addition, the system revolts against humans in order to work hard. Even if there is no rebellion, once the skirmish occurs once between the system and the human, if the system suddenly stops the rebellion, there is a problem that the human performs excessive steering with force. Furthermore, if the system does not merely stop the rebellion, but instead encourages driving along a new lane, then the system will react once and then drag toward the new lane, In this case, excessive steering becomes more prominent.

  For example, when a lane change is performed based on the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, an inducing force acts to pull the vehicle back to the original lane even after the lane change is completed. The size is also quite strong because of the distance from the original lane. This makes it difficult to drive along the new lane after changing lanes.

  Further, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, a bank made by the potential method is prepared for each lane, and when traveling in the lane, the steering system acts so as to pull the vehicle back to the center of the lane when approaching the white line. Is configured. However, according to the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, if the lane is changed without a turn signal operation, it is necessary to climb up the bank once and get off, and the force to be drawn into the new lane at the time of the next descending operation is not required. As a driver, once repelled, the repulsion suddenly changes to a pull-in force, making it difficult to pass the target course. It's a snowy road with just a wadachi, and it feels like you're moving to another wadachi, and it's hard to say that you can drive at will.

  In actual vehicle operation, there is not enough time to allow a conflict with such a system. Of the conflicts between the above-mentioned humans and the system during automatic driving, lane changes are frequent and the speed is generally high, so there is little time to spare. You need a good man-machine interface that can be shared.

  For example, taking the example of Patent Document 2 above, in normal driving, traveling along a lane can be performed more easily by a bank constructed by the potential method, but when the driver intends to change the lane, the driver's lane change is performed. If the height of the embankment created by the potential method can be reduced or eliminated by recognizing the will of the driver, the lane change will be as easy as before.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is that the system is usually in the initiative, and humans are optimized to drive along the current lane from the system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering assist device for a vehicle, which receives steering angle information through a steering wheel and constructs an excellent man-machine interface capable of performing steering based on the information.

  For the avoidance of doubt, the following terms used herein are defined as follows:

  Reference lane: The lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling.

  Reference target route: A route that is set as a target to be followed in the lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling.

  Second lane: The lane scheduled to travel after the lane change.

  Second target route: A route that is set as a target for following a lane change.

  Bridge route: A traveling route that connects the reference target route and the second target route. When traveling on this route, the system does not substantially provide information on steering.

  Route (band): Since the above three routes generally have a width, they are referred to with a "band".

                However, there are cases where the width is 0 (that is, in the case of a line), so the band is given parentheses.

  Guidance: Information on steering force given to the driver from the system side. The source of this information is the steering angle, but it is difficult to handle the steering angle as it is, so the steering direction and degree are converted to steering force and provided via the steering wheel. From the driver's point of view, it feels as though the system is guiding the direction in which the vehicle should steer, so it is referred to as inductive force.

  Sign of the symbol: The sign of the gain (subsystem sensitivity) or the reference value is positive. As for the steering angle and steering force, the clockwise direction is viewed as positive from the driver's point of view, and the counterclockwise direction is displayed as negative.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a steering means connected to a steering wheel and capable of transmitting torque from a steering handle and connected to the steering handle; A driving means for operating the vehicle, detecting at least a reference lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling based on road information ahead, setting a reference target route (band) in the reference lane, and deviating the vehicle from the reference target route (zone). And a control unit for controlling the operation of the driving means so as to apply a reference guiding force determined according to the magnitude and direction of the position to the steering means so as to realize vehicle running along the reference lane. In the steering assist device, the control unit includes a lane change confirmation unit that confirms execution, non-execution, and completion of lane change, and a second target route (band) in the second lane that travels after the lane change. Means for setting, and the magnitude and direction of the deviation of the vehicle from the second target route (band) by applying a second guiding force to be applied to the steering means in order to realize vehicle traveling along the second lane. Means for setting according to the condition, and at least one of the reference guidance force and the second guidance force in the second lane when the lane is changed, and the state of weakening the guidance force according to the confirmation result of the lane change confirmation means. And means for changing

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit includes a willingness detecting means for detecting a driver's lane change intention, and responds to an output of the willingness detecting means. It is configured to start weakening at least one of the reference guidance force and the second guidance force in the second lane.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit temporarily weakens the reference in response to confirmation of completion or non-execution of the lane change by the lane change confirmation means. It is characterized in that it is configured to recover the guiding force or the second guiding force.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, when the control unit weakens the reference guiding force when changing lanes, the control unit responds to the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band). And changing the reference guide force.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit determines that the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) exceeds a reference value in a region where the deviation exceeds the reference value. The reference guidance force is determined accordingly, and the reference value is increased when the reference guidance force is weakened when changing lanes.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to control the second lane on the reference lane side in response to confirmation of execution or completion of the lane change by the lane change confirmation means. It is characterized in that it is configured to increase the guiding force.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the present invention, the control unit responds to the driver's lane change intention by the intention detecting means, and at least the reference guidance on the second lane side. It is characterized in that it is configured to reduce the force and increase at least the second guiding force on the reference lane side.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit includes a willingness detecting means for detecting a driver's lane changing intention, and the driver's lane changing intention by the intention detecting means. The reference guidance force on at least the second lane side is reduced according to the detection, and the second guidance force on at least the reference lane side is increased according to confirmation of execution or completion of the lane change by the lane change confirmation unit. It is characterized by being configured for.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the third aspect of the present invention, when the control unit recovers the reference guidance force to the value before the lane change, the control unit moves the own vehicle from the reference target route (band). It is characterized in that it is configured to determine the reference guide green according to the deviation.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the third aspect of the present invention, the control unit determines that the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route (band) exceeds the reference value in a region where the deviation exceeds the reference value. The reference guidance force is determined accordingly, and the reference value is reduced when the reference guidance force is restored to the value before the lane change.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the eighth aspect, the control unit executes the reduction of the reference induction force and the increase of the second induction force according to a predetermined time schedule. It is characterized by comprising.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the control unit replaces the second lane with a reference lane in response to confirmation of completion of the lane change by the lane change confirmation means. Alternatively, the second target route (band) is configured to be replaced with the reference target route (band).

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit can degenerate the bridge route (band) according to confirmation of completion of the lane change by the lane change confirmation means. In addition, after completion of the degeneration of the bridging route (band), replacement of the second lane with a reference lane or replacement of the second target route (band) with the reference target route (band) is performed. It is characterized by comprising.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the sixth aspect, the control unit replaces the second lane with a reference lane or increases the second target after the completion of the increase of the second guiding force. It is characterized in that the route (band) is configured to be replaced with the reference target route (band).

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, the criterion of the intention detection means is a turn signal operation of a driver.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, or It is characterized in that the state in which the deviation of the vehicle from the route (band) is equal to or more than the first predetermined value continues for a predetermined time or more is set as a criterion of the intention detection means.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, the presence of at least a part of the vehicle in the second lane is used as a criterion of the intention detection means. It is characterized by.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the invention, a steering force detecting means for detecting a steering force is provided, and a detection value of the steering force detecting means is equal to or more than a predetermined value. Alternatively, it is characterized in that the detection value of the steering force detection means is continuously equal to or more than a predetermined value for a predetermined time or more and is set as a criterion of the intention detection means.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the present invention, a steering speed detecting means for detecting a steering speed is provided, and the detected value of the steering speed detecting means is not less than a predetermined value. The present invention is characterized in that it is used as a criterion for the intention sensing means.

  According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, a route maintenance steering angle calculation means for calculating a steering angle required to maintain a relative positional relationship between the reference lane and the own vehicle, And a steering angle detecting means for detecting a current steering angle, and a difference between outputs of the route maintaining steering angle calculating means and the steering angle detecting means is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, or the path maintaining steering angle calculating means and It is characterized in that the difference between the outputs of the steering angle detecting means is continuously equal to or more than a predetermined value for a predetermined time or more and is set as a criterion of the intention sensing means.

  According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, the fact that the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) is increasing or not decreasing is The present invention is characterized in that it is used as a criterion for the intention sensing means.

  According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, a turn signal canceling operation is used as a reference for execution by the lane change confirmation means.

  According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the lane change may be such that the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route (band) is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value. It is characterized in that it is used as a reference for execution by the execution confirmation means.

  According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the fact that the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route (band) is increasing or not decreasing is determined. It is characterized in that it is used as a reference for checking by the lane change checking means.

  According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the deviation of the vehicle from the second target route is equal to or less than a predetermined value, or the deviation from the reference target route (band). The deviation of the own vehicle being equal to or greater than a predetermined value is used as a reference for confirming completion by the lane change confirmation means.

  According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a route maintaining steering angle calculating means for calculating a steering angle required to maintain a relative positional relationship between the second lane and the own vehicle. And a steering angle detection means for detecting the current steering angle, and that the difference between the outputs of the route maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means is less than a predetermined value, and the completion of the lane change confirmation means is determined by the lane change confirmation means. It is characterized as a confirmation criterion.

  According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route (band) at the time of the cancel operation of the turn signal is less than a predetermined value, or The fact that the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route after the cancellation operation is reduced is set as a non-implementation reference by the lane change confirmation unit.

  According to a twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the predetermined value is interrupted after a deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) exceeds a predetermined value. Alternatively, after the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route (band) exceeds a predetermined value, another predetermined value smaller than the predetermined value is interrupted. It is characterized by doing.

  According to a twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a route maintaining steering angle calculating means for calculating a steering angle necessary to maintain a relative positional relationship between the reference lane and the own vehicle, A steering angle detecting means for detecting a current steering angle, and the predetermined value is interrupted after a difference between outputs of the route maintaining steering angle calculating means and the steering angle detecting means exceeds a predetermined value; or After the difference between the outputs of the maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means exceeds a predetermined value, interrupting another predetermined value smaller than the predetermined value is regarded as a non-confirmation reference by the lane change confirmation means. It is characterized by the following.

  According to a thirtieth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a route maintenance steering angle calculation means for calculating a steering angle required to maintain a relative positional relationship between the reference lane and the own vehicle, A steering angle detection means for detecting the current steering angle, and that the difference between the outputs of the path maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means is less than or equal to a predetermined value at the time of the turn signal cancel operation. The lane change confirmation means is used as a non-confirmation reference.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the vehicle can automatically travel along the reference lane, and at the time of lane change, at least one of the reference guide force and the second guide force is weakened to change the lane by driver intervention. In addition to being able to perform easily, it is possible to appropriately cope with the next lane following control by changing the bridging route according to the degree of progress of the lane change.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to appropriately respond to the driver's intention to change lanes.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, when the lane change is completed, it is possible to naturally shift to the automatic traveling of the vehicle along the second lane, and when the lane change is not executed, the vehicle automatically shifts to the original reference lane to automatically perform the tank automatic steering. can do.

  According to the fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to simplify the method of weakening the reference guiding force.

  According to the invention as set forth in any one of claims 6 to 8, it is possible to receive the guiding force for traveling along the second target route (zone) in accordance with the progress of the lane change due to the driver's intervention. Can be.

  According to the ninth or tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to simplify the method of restoring the reference guide force.

  According to the eleventh aspect, the transition from lane change to automatic steering can be performed smoothly.

  According to any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, the time required for image processing can be shortened as much as possible to improve the responsiveness.

  According to the invention described in any one of claims 15 to 21, it is possible to reliably and easily detect the indication of the driver's intention to change lanes.

  According to the invention described in any one of claims 22 to 24, it is possible to easily and surely recognize that the lane change is actually performed.

  According to the invention described in claim 25 or 26, it is possible to easily and reliably recognize that the lane change has been substantially completed.

  According to the invention described in any one of claims 27 to 30, it is possible to easily and reliably recognize that the lane change has been stopped halfway.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 11 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle steering assist device, FIG. 2 is a control block diagram, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a part of a control algorithm. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a part of the control algorithm, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the rest of the control algorithm, FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining processing in the control algorithm, and FIG. 8 and FIG. 8 are cross-sectional views of the road to supplement the explanation of the operation when changing lanes. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the distribution of the steering force on the road in FIG. 5 in a normal state. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a change in the steering force on the reference target route after the change, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a change in the steering force on the second target route after the determination of the lane change is determined.

  First, in FIG. 1, the vehicle steering assist device operates a steering handle 1 that is rotated by a driver, a steering shaft 2 that is rotated in accordance with the operation of the steering handle 1, and a front wheel 5 as a steered wheel. The vehicle includes a steering unit 3, a driving unit 4 for operating the steering unit 3, and a CPU 15 as a control unit for controlling the driving unit 4.

  The steering shaft 2 is formed by connecting the other end of a transmission shaft 2a having one end connected to the steering handle 1 and one end of a transmission shaft 2c via a torsion bar 2b. It is connected to the steering means 3. The steering means 3 comprises a pinion 8 provided at the other end of the transmission shaft 2c, and a rack 9 meshed with the pinion 8, and is formed in a rack-and-pinion type. 10 are connected to the left and right front wheels 5, respectively. Thus, the rack 9 is driven up and down in FIG. 1 by the rotation of the pinion 8, and the front wheels 5 are turned around their rotation axes in accordance with the operation of the rack 9, whereby desired steering can be obtained. .

  The driving means 4 is connected to one end of the transmission shaft 2c of the steering shaft 2, and is configured to drive the motor 11 and a worm gear mechanism for boosting the output of the motor 11 and inputting the output to the transmission shaft 2c of the steering shaft 2. The worm gear mechanism 12 includes a screw gear 13 connected to the output of the motor 11 and a worm gear 14 provided on the transmission shaft 2c.

  The operation of the motor 11 in the driving means 4 is controlled by a CPU 15. The CPU 15 includes a steering force sensor 16 as a steering force detecting means for detecting a steering force on the steering shaft 2, A steering angle sensor 17 serving as a steering angle detecting means which is an encoder for detecting a rotation angle, a vehicle speed sensor 18 for electrically detecting the speed of the vehicle, a yaw rate sensor 19 for electrically detecting a rotation speed around a vertical axis of the vehicle, In addition, information obtained by the CCD camera 20 for capturing an image of a road ahead of the vehicle is input. In addition, an SAS (Steer Assist System) switch 21 that can be switched at the driver's seat to execute lane guidance control, an indicator light 22 that indicates that the lane guidance function is in operation, and a driver's lane change command. A turn signal (direction indicator) 40 for confirming the intention is connected to the CPU 15.

  Referring to the driving means 4 exemplified here, an actuator provided with the worm gear mechanism 12 on the steering shaft 2 is a publicly-known and mainly used power steering for a lightweight vehicle. In such a type of power steering, a steering force sensor 16 for detecting a steering force is provided near the worm gear mechanism 12 and on the steering handle 1 side. In the first reference example, the driving means 4 and the steering Both force sensors 16 are shared with the lane guidance control system. The principle of the steering force sensor 16 is that the torsion bar 2b is twisted by the steering force, is converted into a linear displacement in the axial direction by a mechanism such as a cam, and is converted into an electric signal by a potentiometer or the like. It is provided for public use.

  In FIG. 2, an image captured by the CCD camera 20 is subjected to processing such as feature point extraction and Hough transformation in an image processing unit 23, and a travelable area is determined based on the image after image processing in the image processing unit 23. The recognizable unit 24 searches for a drivable area, and based on the search result, the target route setting unit 25 formulates a plan for a course to be run from now on, and inputs it to the CPU 15.

  The output of the steering angle sensor 17 in the form of an encoder is directly input to the CPU 15, and the output of the steering force sensor 16 is an analog signal. Therefore, the output is input to the CPU 15 via the A / D converter 26, and the vehicle speed sensor 18 and the yaw rate sensor 19 Is also directly input to the CPU 15.

  A digital signal corresponding to the operation amount calculation result of the motor 11 by the CPU 15 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 27, and the weak analog signal is converted into a current value by the motor amplifier 28 and given to the motor 11. Can be

  The CPU 15 includes a storage device (ROM) 29 for storing various gains, constants, and the like necessary for calculation, and reads information from the ROM 29 as needed.

  The CPU 15 operates the motor 11 in accordance with an algorithm described later to generate a steering force that follows the lane to guide the driver, and also controls the front wheels 5 according to the driver's steering force applied to the steering wheel 1. The driver is deflected by an appropriate amount from the guidance course, and the driver receives a reaction force corresponding to the amount of deflection as road surface information.

  The configuration of FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrated here is basically common to a second reference example to a second embodiment described later, and if there is a slight difference, it will be described each time.

  FIGS. 3 to 5 show the control algorithm set by the CPU 15. In each of the following reference examples and embodiments, the case where the starting cycle of this system is all 5 milliseconds is described. The system is started when a predetermined condition such as running of the engine is satisfied, and reads information from various sensors in step S111 in FIG. In the next step S112, it is determined whether or not the flag Flag-SAS is “1”, that is, whether or not the conditions for exhibiting the lane guidance function are met and the vehicle is being started. It is determined whether or not the SAS switch 21 has been pressed, and if not, the process proceeds to step S114 (FIG. 5), and the output torque to the motor 11 is determined to be “0”. That is, the motor 11 performs normal steering by the driver without generating any torque.

  If it is determined in step S113 that the SAS switch 21 has been pressed, the flow advances to step S115 to set the flag Flag-SAS indicating that the system is being activated to "1" and turn on the indicator lamp 22, and then to step S118. Proceed to. If the flag Flag-SAS has already been set to "1" in the previous step S112, the process proceeds to step S116. In this step S116, it is determined whether or not the SAS switch 21 has been turned off. Then, the flag Flag-SAS is set to "0", the indicator lamp 22 is turned off, and the process proceeds to step S114. If it is determined in step S116 that the SAS switch 21 has not been turned off, the process proceeds to step S118.

In step S118, the signs of the symbols used in the following calculation formula are determined. That is, when the steering force τs is positive (clockwise), the constant E is set to “+1”, and when the steering force τs is negative (counterclockwise), the constant E is set to “−1”. Constant E changes sign by sign of the thus steering force, but instead by a constant E, the following flow constant denoted by the constant E as a subscript, for example the gain K _E and the like shall be in accordance with this arrangement.

  In steps S119 to S123 following step S118, the same processing as that described in the previous application (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-197423) is executed, and a target point Pi for guiding the vehicle is set. , A correction coefficient Kmi to be used later is obtained. The details are described in the above-mentioned publication, and are therefore briefly described here.

That is, in the XY fixed coordinate system shown in FIG. 6, xy relative coordinates are set, with the vehicle W as the origin, the front-rear direction of the vehicle W as the x-axis, and the width direction of the vehicle W as the y-axis. 20, a target path M based on image information from the image processing unit 23, the steerable area recognition unit 24, and the target path setting unit 25 is set on the xy relative coordinate system, and in step S119, the inclination angle of the vehicle W is set. seeking theta _W, the current position of the X-Y fixed position on the coordinate system (X _W, Y _W) of the vehicle W in step S120 is calculated, and further sets a target point Pi on the target course in step S121 M.

  In parallel with the processing of steps S119 to S121, the interruption processing of steps S122 and S123 is performed. In step S122, the travelable route Ai of the vehicle is obtained from the image information, and the curvature ρi of the travelable route Ai is calculated. , And the lane width Li. In step S123, a correction coefficient Kmi is obtained from the curvature ρi, the lane width Li, and the current vehicle speed V by fuzzy inference. In view of the fact that it is difficult to smoothly converge to the target route M depending on the curvature of the traveling route, the correction coefficient Kmi is determined according to the state quantities such as the curvature ρi and the lane width Li. It is.

  Here, the suffix i represents a case where there are a plurality of front lanes, and represents a numerical value for each of the lanes. For example, i = 0 when the vehicle is currently traveling, i = + 1 for the numerical value for the right lane, and i = −1 for the numerical value for the left lane. If the constant E defined above is used, the left and right sides can be treated uniformly by placing i = E in the numerical value related to the adjacent lane. A so-called double lane change, in which two lanes are changed at a stretch when changing lanes, is not treated here. Therefore, even on a road with four or more lanes, i is only two, "0" or "E".

  After the processing in steps S121 and S123, the process proceeds to step S130 shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, a flow portion surrounded by a dashed line is a flow characterizing the first reference example. Reference Examples and Examples are illustrated, and the portion surrounded by the dashed line is different from each other in each Reference Example and Example.

In step S130, it is determined whether or not the flag Flag-L / C is "1". If the flag is not "1", the process proceeds to step S131. In step S131, it is determined whether or not the flag Flag-D is "1". judge. If this is also not the case, the process proceeds to step S132, in which it is determined whether or not the deviation ΔLo from the current traveling lane center exceeds 40% of the lane width L. If the deviation ΔLo is within 40% of the lane width L, it is determined that the driver has no intention to change lanes, and the process proceeds to step S133, where the first timer Ct is set to “0” and the process proceeds to step S133. Proceeding to S134, the gain K _O for the own lane (reference lane) is set to a predetermined magnitude gain K, and the gain K _E for the adjacent lane (second lane) is set to 0.

Here the gain K _E is so that the constant E is K _E also two from taking two "-1" and "+1", the want to discuss only the gain K _E with respect to the direction of the steering force τs In this example, the gain K _E in the direction opposite to the steering force τs is always set to “0”.

If it is determined in step S132 that the deviation ΔLo exceeds 40% of the lane width L, in step S135, the flag Flag-D for discriminating the lane change intention is set to “1”. In step S136, the second timer Dt is set to 200 (the discrimination time of 1 second is provided because the cycle time is 5 milliseconds). Further, in step S137, gains K _O and K _E are set in the same manner as in step S134 described above, and the flow advances to step S138. In this step S138, it is determined whether or not the second timer Dt has become "0". However, since Dt = 200 was set in step S136, the determination result in step S138 is initially negative, and the process proceeds to step S133. I will return. Also, if the second timer Dt becomes "0" after one second as will be described later, the driver's intention to change lanes can be confirmed. In step S139, the flag Flag-D is set to "0". , The flag Flag-L / C is set to "1", and then in step S140, the first timer Ct is set to "1000". This number "1000" corresponds to 5 seconds for the same reason as the above-mentioned second timer Dt.

In step S141, the gain Ko, the K _E modified as follows according to the count value of the first timer Ct. That is, in the first two seconds (600 <count value ≦ 1000), Ko is reduced by a small amount δK from the previous number and is newly set as Ko every time the cycle is performed. The magnitude of δK is selected so that it becomes “0” just after 400 cycles. During this time, K _E is consistently “0”. The next second the first timer Ct in (400 <counted value ≦ 600) 2 two gains Ko, any of K _E keep a "0". In the last two seconds (0 <count value ≦ 400), the gain Ko is consistently “0”, but the gain K _E updates each previous cycle by a number larger by δK ′ than the previous amount. . And this .delta.K 'is also selected in an amount such that K _E is exactly K when turned 400 cycles. In this example, δK = δK ′ = K / 400 happens to occur, but in general, the time when the gain Ko changes from K to “0” is different from the time when the gain K _E changes from “0” to K. Since it is assumed, the algorithm is set so that a number different from δK and δK ′ can be selected.

7 are thus two gains Ko upon definition, a state of temporal changes in the K _E are expressly as an example when the lane change to the right. That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, after the second timer Dt has counted 200, the gain Ko starts to decrease in response to the start of the count of the first timer Ct, and the gain Ko becomes "1". When it reaches 600, that is, after 400 cycles, it becomes 0. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, the gain K _E is set to “400” until the count value of the first timer Ct becomes “400” after the count value of the second timer Dt becomes “0”. 0 ", but will increase thereafter. As apparent from FIG. 7, two gains Ko, K _E is shown a increased continuously reduced, and dressed alternates protagonist each other. In this case, the gain K- ₁ when changing lanes to the left is fixed to "0".

If the flag Flag-D is "1" in the previous step S131, the process proceeds to step S142, and it is again verified whether or not the deviation ΔLo exceeds 40% of the lane width L. This is because one attempt was made to change lanes, but it may have been canceled for some reason. If it is determined in step S142 that the vehicle is below 40%, the flag Flag-D is set to "0" in step S143, and the process proceeds to step S133, even while the intention to change lanes is being confirmed. return of the timer Ct in step S134 in the "0" gain Ko, the K _E the initial settings. Conversely, as a result of the verification in step S142, if the state in which the deviation ΔLo exceeds 40% of the lane width L continues, the second timer Dt required for the determination in step S144 is set to “1”. Then, the process proceeds to step S138. As a result of decrementing the second timer Dt in step S144, Dt = 0 occurs sometime as described above.

  If the flag Flag-L / C has already been set to "1" in the previous step S130, the process proceeds to step S145 to perform an operation of reducing the first timer Ct by "1". Thus, the first timer Ct is decremented by one every cycle.

After the gain Ko, is K _E are all defined in this manner, the process proceeds to step S170 in FIG. The processing from step S170 to step S172 is described in detail in the earlier application (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-197423). Hereinafter, in a simple manner, in step S170, the target yaw rate γmi is calculated. In calculating the target yaw rate γmi, first, the vehicle W travels along the virtual route Sp (see FIG. 6) until reaching the target point Pi. The resulting target point reaching yaw rate γpi is first obtained, and when the yaw rate γpi reaches the target point Pi, the angular deviation Δθpi between the vehicle W and the target route Mi at the target point Pi is calculated, and the yaw rate of the yaw rate for eliminating the angular deviation Δθpi is calculated. The correction amount Δγpi is obtained, the yaw rate γpi previously obtained with the correction amount Δγpi is corrected based on the following equation, and the corrected yaw rate is used as the target yaw rate γmi.

                            γmi = γpi−Kmi · Δγpi In the above equation, the correction coefficient Kmi obtained in step S123 is used.

Subsequently, in step S171, a target steering angle δmi of the front wheels 5 necessary for generating the target yaw rate γmi obtained in step S170 is obtained, and in step S172, the steering angles of the front wheels 5 are made to match the target steering angles δmi. The target value θdi of the deviation angle of the motor 11 is calculated based on the gear ratio of the steering means 3 and the drive means 4. In step S173, the difference between the current motor deviation angle θt and the target deviation angle θdi multiplied by the previously determined gains Ko and K _E so that the deviation angle of the motor 11 is realized. Calculate as the motor torque command value. Here, there are two formulas. It is appropriate to use the motor torque T _O calculated assuming Ko = K in the above formula in order to continuously drive along the currently running lane. There, if continuously travels along the target path adjacent lane in the opposite, it means that can use a motor torque T _E calculated believe K _E = K is suitable.

  By the way, in FIG. 5, step S173 is surrounded by a dotted line and displayed in the first embodiment to be described later in order to calculate the motor torque for the same purpose as in step S173, but the motor torque calculation in the first embodiment is performed. This is to indicate that the part corresponds to the processing, and has no meaning in the first reference example.

The motor torque command values T _O and T _E obtained in step S173 are arithmetically added in the next step S174 to determine the motor torque, and the determined amounts are output to the motor amplifier 28 in step S175. However, as defined in step S141, at least one of the gains Ko and K _E is “0”, that is, at least one of the motor torque command values T _O and T _E is “0”. One point needs to be noted.

  After the output to the motor amplifier 28, it is determined in step S176 whether or not the first timer Ct has become "0". If not, the process returns to the original state and executes the same cycle of processing. If it is "0", the flag Flag-L / C is set to "0" in step S177, and then a process of updating the lane is performed in step S178. That is, the lane after the lane change is registered and updated as the currently traveling lane. As a result, "0" is assigned to the new lane, and "E" is assigned to the adjacent lane. After performing this measure, the flow returns to the original flow, and the same is repeated thereafter.

  Next, the operation of the first reference example will be described. Before that, the structure of the traveling road will be briefly described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows three lanes, and it is assumed that the current vehicle is traveling in the center lane. A target route is set for each lane by the method disclosed in the previous application (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-197423). This target route may be constructed not only by using the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned publication but also by another method, or may be a hardware route prepared on the road facility side. Known examples of such road facilities include magnetic lines of force buried in the ground. However, the description is continued here assuming that the setting is made by the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned publication.

  On the road shown in FIG. 8, the steering force τs before changing lanes is set as shown in FIG. That is, the steering force τs is “0” when traveling on the target route of the current traveling lane, but when the vehicle deviates from the target route, the steering force τs returns the vehicle to the central target route according to the deviation. Work in different directions. The relationship between the steering force τs and the deviation from the route at this time is a complicated curve depending on the underbody geometry (geometric configuration) of the vehicle, but is simplified below for simplicity of explanation. As shown in FIG. Since the upper limit of the steering force τs is physically determined by the capacity of the motor 11, the steering force τs does not increase linearly as it is far from the target path, but does not increase to a predetermined value or more. Further, even when the motor 11 has a margin, as the present applicant has filed a separate application (Japanese Patent Application No. 8-21322), the rate of increase of the steering force τs is reduced as the distance from the target path increases, so that it is relatively easy. It is also possible to change lanes at the same time. However, these are not mentioned here because they are not directly related to the present invention. In any case, the steering force τs is a reference guidance force described below.

  This reference guide force changes as shown in FIG. 10 by the gain Ko defined in step S141 in the control algorithm of FIGS. 3 to 5, and after the count of the second timer Cd ends, the first timer As the count value of Ct decreases (time elapses), the reference inductive force continues to decrease, and eventually disappears. As a result of the disappearance of the induced force, the driver can steer with the same feeling as a normal vehicle. In addition, even during the disappearance, the induced force increased by the steering of the lane change decreases with the passage of time, so that a natural feeling can be restored.

  FIG. 11 shows how the guidance force increases again as the count value of the first timer Ct decreases (the time elapses) when the vehicle moves to the right lane, for example. At this time, the origin of the vehicle is not in the original lane (reference lane) but is located on the second target route in the second lane. Therefore, in this case, the direction of the steering force felt by the driver over time is toward the second target path. If the vehicle is on the second target route, this guidance force will be “0”. The guiding force increases in proportion to the distance from the second target path. This is the second induction force.

  As described above, the steering force perceived by the driver is continuously switched from maintaining the original lane naturally to maintaining the second lane before and after the lane change, so that a natural lane change can be promised.

  Also, even if the lane change is canceled for any reason, the system will detect this and restore the reference guidance force suitable for traveling along the original lane, so the driver does not need troublesome operation, The vehicle can follow the original lane continuously.

  In the first reference example, it has been described that the lane change is not stopped after the flag Flag-L / C is once set to “1”. However, even when the flag Flag-L / C is “1”, the lane change is not performed. If it is desired to cope with a situation in which the change is aborted, the result of the determination in step S130 is affirmative, and the process does not immediately proceed to step S145. Instead, the same determination process as in step S142 is provided. What is necessary is just to reconfigure so that -L / C is returned to "0" and then the process proceeds to step S143.

  12 and 13 show a second reference example of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a main part of a control algorithm, and FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a state of movement of a steering force on a road in FIG. is there.

  The control algorithm of the second reference example is different from the control algorithm of the above-described first reference example in that the portion shown by the dashed line in FIG. 4 is replaced by the portion surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. It is configured by substitution, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first reference example.

In FIG. 12, it is determined whether or not the flag Flag-L / C is "1" in step S230. If not, in step S231, the deviation .DELTA.Lo of the currently traveling lane from the target route is determined. It is determined whether or not it exceeds 50% of the lane width L. Here, 50% of the lane width L substantially corresponds to the case where the vehicle is traveling on a white line. Also in this case, when | ΔLo | ≦ 0.5 L, the timer Ct is set to “0” in step S232, and then the gain Ko is set to K and the gain K _E is set to “0” in step S232. I do.

If it is determined in step S231 that the value exceeds 50%, the process proceeds to step S234, in which the flag Flag-L / C is set to "1", and in step S235, the timer Ct is set to "1000" (5 seconds). Set. The step S236, defines the gain Ko, K _E between the timer Ct is decreased. I.e. amounts of newly Ko minus a small amount δK from the previous figures with respect to the gain Ko, update by adding a small amount δK to the previous numerical Conversely the new K _E with respect to the gain K _E. That is, the decrease of the gain Ko and the increase of the gain K _E proceed in parallel. Here, the minute amount δK is set so that the gain Ko becomes exactly “0” 5 seconds after the timer Ct expires, in other words, δK = 0.001K. K _E after 5 seconds is K on the contrary.

If the flag Flag-L / C is "1" in the previous step S230, the process proceeds to step S237, and it is verified whether or not the current deviation ΔLo is smaller than the previous criterion by 40%. . This is a test of the possibility of a lane change suspension. If it still exceeds 40%, a measure is taken to reduce the timer Ct by "1" in step S238. Thus, if the flag Flag-L / C is "1" and the deviation .DELTA.Lo does not fall below the second reference value (40%), the timer Ct continues decreasing toward "0". If the deviation ΔLo falls below the second reference value of 40% in step S237, the process proceeds to step S239, in which the timer Ct is increased by “1”, and the initially set initial value “1000” is set. To increase. And verify whether reached the "1000" in step S240, for less than "1000" is the gain Ko, is contrary to the previous step S236 the change in K _E. That is, the gain Ko is increased by δK for each cycle, and the gain K _E is reduced by the same amount. When the count value of the timer Ct reaches 1000, the process proceeds from step S240 to step S242, sets the flag Flag-L / C to “0”, and then proceeds to step S114 of the first reference example (see FIG. 5). To set the motor torque command value to 0.

  Thus, the processing in steps S233, S236, and S241 is the same as the flow from step S170 in the first reference example (see FIG. 5).

  The difference between the second reference example and the first reference example is that the first reference value (50%) and the second reference value (50%) are used for the deviation ΔLo without using a timer for confirming the driver's intention to change lanes. 40%), it is determined that there is an intention to change lanes when the value exceeds the first reference value, and it is determined that the lane change has been stopped when a second reference value smaller than this value is interrupted. That's what we did. As a result, the time required for the determination can be saved, and the responsiveness of the system is improved as compared with the first reference example.

The two gains Ko, has increased at the same rate simultaneously gain of the second induction force and reduce the gain of the reference induction force in changing the K _E. As a result, Speaking what happens while the sum τs of the calculated values To and T _E of the torque command value are the same inclination as shown in FIG. 13, parallel to the movement from the reference lane toward the second lane Will do. Since the guiding force is “0” at the point where the lines indicating the steering forces intersect the horizon, a point where the guiding force is almost “0” from the driver's point of view is seen from the reference target route to the second target route. Feel like moving toward. During the movement, the vehicle is also moving forward, so that the bridge path having the guiding force of approximately “0” is linearly extended from the reference target path diagonally right forward toward the second target path and bridged. Should look like. When the vehicle deviates from the bridge route, the guiding force according to the distance from the bridge route acts in a direction to return the vehicle to the bridge route side. Then, unlike the first reference example, once the flag Flag-L / C once becomes “1”, the lane can be changed to the second target route along this bridge route, so that the system and the human There can be less flexibility in giving the system less flexibility.

  Furthermore, when the lane change was stopped, the first reference example directly returned to the original reference guide force. However, in the second reference example, the bridge itself was set to the reference target force so as to return to the original reference guide force with time. It will degenerate toward the route. Since the degeneration has a chronological characteristic, the driving can be continued with a more natural feeling even in the case of such a suspension.

  In the first and second reference examples, since the lane change is not determined until the deviation ΔLo from the reference target route becomes a considerable amount, the driver is likely to return to the reference lane side with a large guiding force. Therefore, a third reference example for improving such inconvenience will be described with reference to FIG.

Also in the third reference example, the portion surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 14 is drawn so as to be compatible with the portion surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 4 in the first reference example. In the third reference example, as a means for confirming a driver's intention to change lanes, the difference between the deviation angle θdo of the motor 11 suitable for traveling along the reference target route and the current steering angle θt is used. First, it is necessary to first calculate the deviation angle θdo, and only one cycle immediately after the SAS switch 21 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is depressed directly to the lane following flow without considering the lane change. Must be. Therefore, in step S324, it is determined whether or not the flag Flag-ini is “1”. If the flag is not “1” (if this time is the first cycle), the process proceeds to step S325, and the flag Flag-ini is set to “1”. After "1", the timer Ct is set to "0" in step S332, the gain Ko of the reference inductive force is set to "K", and the gain K _E of the second inductive force is set to "0" in step S333. Then, the process proceeds to step S170 (see FIG. 5) in the first reference example. For the first time, the target deviation angle θdo of the motor suitable for traveling along the reference target route is calculated.

From the next time, since the flag Flag-ini is "1" in step S324, it is determined whether or not the flag Flag-L / C is "1" in step S330. It is verified whether the difference between the deviation angle θdo of the motor suitable for traveling along the target route and the current steering angle θt is larger than the reference value θ1. Here, since the deviation angle θdo uses a numerical value calculated one cycle ago, if written accurately, θdo becomes θdo (t−1), but is simply displayed as θdo in order to avoid complexity. When the difference is large, the driver has entered a value different from the value determined by the system, so it is assumed that there is a will to change lanes, and when the difference is less than the reference value, it is considered that there is no will. That is, when it is determined that there is no intention to change lanes, the process proceeds to step S332 to set the timer Ct to "0". In step S333, the gain Ko of the reference induction force is set to "K", and the gain K _{E of} the second induction force is set. Is set to "0", and the process proceeds to step S170 (see FIG. 5).

  If it is determined in step S331 that there is an intention to change lanes, the process proceeds to step S334, and a timer Dt for determination is set to 100 (0.5 seconds) in step S335 to increase the certainty of the intention. That is, unless the affirmative state in step S331 lasts at least 0.5 seconds, it is not determined that the lane change is actually performed. This is because the front wheels happen to be taken due to unevenness of the road surface, and the difference between the deviation angle θdo of the motor suitable for traveling along the reference target route and the current steering angle θt is the reference value. This is because even if the value becomes larger than θ1, the phenomenon is transient and the lane change is not performed. This 0.5 second is used for the confirmation. For this purpose, the process proceeds to step S336 to set the flag Flag-D to "1", and then proceeds to step S332 to give the same gain as the previous time. In the next cycle, since the flag Flag-D is "1", the process proceeds from step S334 to step S337.

In step S337, the amount obtained by subtracting the amount of the timer Dt by "1" is replaced with the timer Dt. In the next step S338, it is verified whether or not the timer Dt has become "0". Proceeding to step S332, the same gain as in the previous time is selected, but when it becomes "0", it is determined that the driver's will has been confirmed, and the process proceeds to step S339, where the flag Flag-D is set to "0" and the flag L / C is set to "1", and then a timer Ct for performing crosslinking in step S340 is set to "1000". Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S341 to perform a task of decreasing the gain Ko of the reference induction force by δK and increasing the gain K _E of the second induction force by δK at the same time as in the second reference example.

  After the flag Flag-L / C becomes “1” in this manner, the process proceeds from step S330 to step S342, where the deviation angle θdo of the motor suitable for traveling along the reference target route is set. It is verified whether the difference between the current steering angle θt and the current steering angle θt is larger than the second reference value θ2. Here, for the same reason, the place to be written as θdo (t-1) is simply displayed as θdo. The second reference value θ2 is a numerical value smaller than the reference value θ1. That is, it is verified whether the driver is continuously steering toward the second target route or returning to the reference target route.

Still rudder in step S342 is when it is determined that what is cut toward the second target course, the process proceeds to step S343, the vehicle deviation [Delta] L _E from the second target course is a small amount sufficient 0.1L Verify that: In other words, it verifies whether the lane change has been completed. If the value has not become sufficiently small, the timer Ct is decreased by "1" in step S344, and the process returns to step S341 to further increase or decrease the gain. However, if it is determined in step S343 that the vehicle is approaching the second target route by a sufficient distance, the process proceeds to step S345, where the flag Flag-L / C is set to “0”. Substitute "0" for "E" to replace the reference lane for recognition, and return to the beginning of the flow.

If it is determined in step S342 that the difference between the deviation angle θdo of the motor suitable for traveling along the reference target route and the current steering angle θt is smaller than the second reference value θ2, the lane change is performed. Is determined to have been stopped, the process proceeds to step S347, the flag Flag-L / C is set to "0", the timer Ct is set to "0" in step S348, and the gain Ko of the basic inductive force is set to "0" in step S349. K, and the gain K _E of the second induction force is set to “0”, and the process proceeds to step S170 (see FIG. 5).

  In the third reference example, when the current steering angle shows a deviation equal to or more than the reference value with respect to the steering angle optimized for continuously traveling along the reference target route, the driver changes the lane to the lane. Therefore, the responsiveness of the system can be further improved as compared with the first and second reference examples. This is because the steering angle is the first trigger for changing lanes, and corresponds to the differential term in control. It is considered common knowledge in the art that the use of this derivative term as a trigger enables control with a further advanced phase. In the third reference example, a confirmation period of 0.5 seconds is provided even after a deviation equal to or more than the above-described reference value is performed. However, this is not an essential condition, and can be omitted if the responsiveness is to be further improved. Needless to say. If the reference value at this time is set slightly larger, no practical problem will occur.

  Further, in the third reference example, the detection of the stop of the lane change is also configured to use the divergence state between the steering angle optimized for running continuously along the reference target route and the current steering angle. Therefore, the responsiveness of the system is enhanced for the same reason.

  Moreover, since the completion of the lane change is determined based on the fact that the deviation of the vehicle position from the second target route has become small, the completion of the lane change can be confirmed with certainty.

  When the lane change is completed, regardless of whether the timer Ct is set to "0" or not, the driver is renewed to recognize the current running lane as the basic lane again. At the same time, there is an effect that the guidance force along the new lane can be enjoyed.

  FIG. 15 shows a fourth reference example of the present invention. Also in this fourth reference example, the portion surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 15 is compatible with the portion surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 4 in the first reference example. It is drawn in.

In the fourth embodiment, a steering angular velocity whose phase is further advanced than the steering angle is detected to further improve the responsiveness of the system. In FIG. 15, the steering angle θd is obtained in steps S424 and S425. After passing through the initial routine for determining whether the flag Flag-L / C is "1" in step S430, if the result is negative, the process proceeds to step S431, in which the current steering angle θt and the previous steering angle θ (t -1) is obtained, and it is verified whether this difference is larger than a predetermined steering speed Δθ. Since the difference {θt−θ (t−1)} has the same effect as a kind of differentiation based on the fact that the flow is started at a constant speed, the difference may be considered as the speed. Since there are two types of steering, right and left, if they are compared by absolute values, they can be handled uniformly. When a negative result comes out at step S431, as in the third reference example described above, the timer Ct to "0" the process proceeds to step S432, defines the gain Ko, K _E at step S433, the next process (FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S170).

  If a positive result is obtained in step S431, the flag Flag-L / C is set to "1" in step S434, the timer Ct is set to 1000 (5 seconds) in step S435, and the gain is decreased and increased in step S436. .

  When a positive result is obtained in step S430, the process proceeds to step S437, in which the current steering angle is smaller than the steering angle optimized for continuously traveling along the reference target route as in the third reference example. Verify that it is larger than the reference value θ2. If the result of the verification is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S438, and it is verified whether or not the vehicle position deviation ΔLo from the reference target route has exceeded 90% of the lane width L. As a result of verification, if it has not exceeded, the process proceeds to step S439, in which the timer Ct is reduced by "1", and the process returns to step S436.

  If it is determined in step S438 that the vehicle position deviation ΔLo has exceeded 90% of the lane width L, it is recognized that the lane change has been completed, and the flow advances to step S443 to set the flag Flag-L / C to “0”. After that, in step S444, an operation of registering and updating the currently traveling lane as a new reference lane is performed.

  If it is determined in step S437 that the current steering angle is smaller than the reference value θ2 which is smaller than the optimized steering angle, the flow proceeds to step S440 assuming that the lane change has been stopped, and the process proceeds to step S440. Is set to "0", the timer Ct is set to "0" in step S441, and the gain is defined again in step S442.

  According to the fourth reference example, the intention of the lane change is confirmed based on the information having advanced phase called the steering angular velocity, so that the responsiveness of the system is remarkably improved. In addition, the determination criterion used in step S438 indicates that the deviation from the reference target route may be used as alternative information of the deviation from the second target route in the third reference example.

  FIG. 16 shows a fifth reference example. Also in this fifth reference example, a portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 16 is drawn so as to be compatible with a portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 4 in the first reference example. ing.

  This fifth reference example shows that the intention of the lane change can be confirmed by the steering force τs instead of the steering angular velocity. It is determined in step S531 whether the steering force τs has exceeded a predetermined τo. If the result is affirmative, it is considered that there is an intention to change lanes. In this example, the result of step S531 does not immediately determine that there is an intention to change lanes, but the steering force exceeds the reference value for a predetermined time (0.5 seconds) as in the third reference example. Sometimes, the first time, the will was confirmed. The reason for this is that if the steering effort reaches a significant amount and continues for a significant amount of time, it is only because the driver is willing to change lanes. It is a matter of course that holding the judgment for the predetermined time is not an essential condition of the invention, and that this process can be omitted if the responsiveness is desired as in the third reference example.

In addition, in order to confirm the completion of the lane change, in the fifth reference example, the deviation between the steering angle θd _E optimized to continue traveling along the second target route in step S543 and the current steering angle θt is extremely small. Is smaller than the smaller angle reference value θ3. The reason for this can be easily understood from the description of the earlier application filed by the present applicant (JP-A-5-197423).

  As for the other processing procedures, steps S530, S532 to S542, and S544 to S549 are the same as steps S330, S332 to S342, and S344 to S349 of the third reference example shown in FIG.

  According to the fifth reference example, since the steering force τs that can be directly measured is used as a criterion, the processing time for calculation can be saved, and there are effects such as fewer errors. When changing lanes, it is not necessary to first find the steering angle θdo optimized for continuous running along the reference lane, so the processing steps corresponding to steps S324 and S325 required by the third reference example are required. Can be omitted, resulting in a simple algorithm.

  According to the technology disclosed herein, the steering force value reaches a considerable amount, and when the steering force value continues for a predetermined time, it is considered that the driver intends to change lanes, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is not necessary, and if the reference value of the steering force is large, it is easy to understand that it is not necessary to wait for the determination for a predetermined time, and it may be immediately determined that there is an intention to change lanes.

  Although the responsiveness of the system has been considerably improved by the above-described fourth and fifth reference examples, a technique for further improving the responsiveness and a technique for allowing the driver to easily change lanes are described in the following first embodiment. Will be described.

  17 to 20 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a control algorithm corresponding to FIG. 3, and FIG. 18 is a part of a control algorithm corresponding to the control algorithm of FIG. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the rest of the control algorithm corresponding to the control algorithm of FIG. 4, and FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a temporal change of the guiding force.

  First, in FIG. 17, steps S611 to S613 and S615 to S623 correspond to steps S111 to S113 and S115 to S123 shown in FIG. 3, but a process of defining a constant E in step S118 surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. In the step, the definition is changed for the reason described later, and the processing is also moved to a later step (step S626 in FIG. 18).

  In FIGS. 18 and 19, in a step S624 following the steps S621 and 623 in FIG. 17, it is verified whether or not the flag Flag-ini is “1”. Since the flag Flag-ini is not initially “1”, the process proceeds to step S625. In step S625, the flag Flag-ini is set to “1”, and the process proceeds to step S632 to define various gains. The process proceeds to step S170 (see FIG. 5) and subsequent steps in one reference example, and the target deviation angle θdo of the motor suitable for traveling along the reference target route is calculated.

  In the next cycle, since the flag Flag-ini is "1", the result of step S624 is affirmed, and the process can proceed to step S626. Here, the target deviation angle θdo of the motor calculated in the previous cycle is used. That is, strictly speaking, the target deviation angle θdo in step S626 is θdo (t −1), but is simply displayed as θdo for the same reason as in the previous embodiment. In this process, a constant E is newly defined. That is, if the current motor deviation angle θt is larger than the target deviation angle θdo including the sign, E = + 1, and if smaller, E = −1. The case where E is “+1” indicates that the current motor deviation angle θt has a clockwise deviation with respect to the motor deviation angle θdo required to travel along the reference target route. ing. This indicates a state in which the vehicle is going to deviate rightward from the reference target route. Conversely, when E is "-1", it indicates a state in which the vehicle is going to deviate leftward from the reference target route.

  The reason why the definition of the constant E is bothersome is that the lane change bridge path has a width in this embodiment, and no guiding force is basically generated in this bridge path zone. This is because the driver's steering direction cannot be simply determined. For example, assuming that a lane change is performed to the right on a road that curves to the left, the lane can be changed even if the steering wheel is slightly steered to the left (in this case, τs is minus). Cannot identify the direction of the driver's lane change. The reason why the process of defining the constant E is shifted here is that E cannot be defined until the target deviation angle θdo of the motor is calculated.

In a step S630 following the step S626, it is verified whether or not the flag Flag-L / C is "1". If not, the process proceeds to a step S631 to verify whether or not the turn signal is operating. At this time, the direction of the turn signal is also read at the same time. If the turn signal is also in the non-operation state, the process proceeds to step S632, where the left and right gains _E Ko and _-E Ko related to the reference induction force are both set to K, and the left and right gains oK _E and _E K _E related to the second induction force are both set to 0. After each setting, the process proceeds to step S170 (see FIG. 5) and subsequent steps in the first reference example. Here, these gains _{E Ko, -E Ko, oK E} , Briefly about _E K _E, the gain to the fifth reference example was against one gain respectively with respect to the reference target course and the second target course However, in this embodiment, the left and right sides of each target path are separately managed, and independent gains are applied. For example, the gains ₊₁ Ko and _-1 Ko represent the right and left gains with respect to the reference target path, respectively, and the rightward steering is based on the gain ₊₁ Ko. Similarly manage gain oK _E gain also reference target course side with respect to the second target course, the same gain on the opposite side as _E K _E.

When the blinker is operating in step S631, the process proceeds to step S633 to set the flag Flag-L / C to "1", and in the next step S634, the coordinate movement amount δXo of the target point on the reference target route and the second target route. , ΔX _E are each set to “0”.

  Since the flag Flag-L / C has become "1", the result of step S630 changes to affirmative from the next time, and the process proceeds from step S630 to step S635. In step S635, it is verified whether or not the turn signal has been cancelled. If it has been canceled, in step S636, it is further verified whether or not the deviation ΔLo of the own vehicle from the current reference target route exceeds 20% of the lane width. I do. If it exceeds, it is verified in step S637 whether or not the temporal change of the deviation is increasing, and if it is increasing, the flow proceeds to step S638 to verify whether or not the flag Flag-Ro is “1”. Here, simply describing the flag Flag-Ro, the flag Flag-Ro is set to "1" when the bridge route is starting to degenerate from the reference target route to the second target route.

  At first, since the flag Flag-Ro is not “1”, the process proceeds from step S638 to step S639, and it is verified whether or not the deviation ΔLo exceeds 60% of the lane width L. If it does not exceed, the process directly proceeds to step S649. If it does, the operation of shifting the lateral coordinate δXo of the target point on the reference target route by 50% of the lane width L is performed in step S640, and the direction is changed to E. To match the direction.

  Here, the reason why step S637 is provided will be further supplementarily described. To describe how the turn signals are used while traveling on a highway, the turn signals are usually issued when the lane is changed, but the turn signals are often canceled even during the lane change. This is because, on a highway, even if the steering angle is small, a large route change can be made, so the mechanism provided on the turn signal and automatically canceling the turn signal hardly operates, and cancellation is generally performed manually. is there. In other words, the driver cancels arbitrarily according to the judgment at the time, so that some people cancel while changing lanes. Therefore, by providing the step S637, even in such a case, if the deviation ΔLo from the reference target route is still increasing by a significant amount δL, the control is performed by considering that the intention of the lane change is maintained. Can be continued.

  Returning to FIG. 18 again, in a step S641 following the step S640, the flag Flag-Ro is set to “1”, and thereafter, the process proceeds to a step S649. Since Flag-Ro = 1, the result of step S638 is affirmative from the next time, and the process can proceed to step S642 in FIG.

  In step S642, an operation of further shifting the X coordinate deviation amount δXo of the target point on the reference target path by a minute amount δL from the previous deviation amount is performed. The direction of the displacement coincides with the direction of E. Next, the process proceeds to step S643, and it is verified whether or not the accumulated amount of deviation of the target point as a result of the displacement exceeds 95% of the lane width. If not, the process proceeds to step S649 with the deviation amount.

Furthermore, if the deviation ΔLo of the own vehicle at the time of the turn signal cancellation is less than 20% of the lane width L in the previous step S636 (FIG. 18), it is considered that the lane change has been canceled and the step of FIG. Proceed to S644. In step S644, but the flag Flag-R _E is to verify whether or not "1", is a Flag-R _E = 0 because it is the first time. Stated here briefly for the flag Flag-R _E, a Flag-R _E = 1 when crosslinked path from the second target course side to the reference target course side is started degeneracy. Here, it is "1" flag Flag-R _E proceeds from step 644 because I was Flag-R _E = 0 in step S645. In step S646, it sets the reference target course on the shift amount of the X coordinate of the target point on the second target course DerutaXo, both [delta] X _E to "0", the flow proceeds to step S649. Since the flag Flag-R _E is "1" from the next time, the result of step S644 is affirmative, the process proceeds from step S644 to step S647. In this step S647, an operation of shifting the deviation amount δX _E of the X coordinate of the target point on the second target path laterally by δL from the previous amount is performed, and the direction is set to a direction opposite to the direction of E. In the next step S648, it is verified whether or not the accumulated amount of the shift amount as a result of the shift exceeds 95% of the lane width. If the accumulated amount does not reach 95%, the process proceeds to step S649.

In step S649, the gain _E Ko in the E direction is set to “0” and the gain _−E Ko in the direction opposite to E is set to “K” for the left and right gains of the reference induction force. As for the left and right gains of the second induction force at the same time, the E direction of the gain _E K _E is "K", put "0" and E in the opposite direction of the gain _-E K _E. Next, the process proceeds to step S650 to perform the work of adding the above-mentioned deviation amount δXo to the coordinates Xpo of the target point on the reference target route, and thereafter, the process proceeds to steps after step S170 (see FIG. 5) in the first reference example.

If the determination in step S648 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S651 on the assumption that the return to the original lane has been substantially completed after the lane change has been stopped, and the process proceeds to the second target route that has been moved so far. Is returned to the original second target path. At the same time, the flags Flag-R _E and Flag-L / C are both set to “0”. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S652, where the gains _E Ko and _-E Ko of the reference inductive force are returned to “K” for both the left and right, and the gains _E K _E and _-E Ko of the second inductive force are set to “0”. Returning the coordinates of the target point on the second target path to the original second target path by the operation in step S652 does not cause any harm, and the vehicle moves along the reference target path. Running can be continued.

Further, when the result in step S643 is affirmative, the lane change has been practically completed, and the flow advances to step S653 to return the coordinates of the target point on the reference target route that has been moved so far to the original reference target route and to set the flag. Both Flag-Ro and Flag-L / C are set to “0”, and the process proceeds to step S654. In step S654, the gains _E Ko and _−E Ko of the reference inductive force are set to “0” for both the left and right, and the second inductive force is set. gain _E K _E, the _-E Ko is referred to as "K". By this operation, the reference guiding force disappears, and the second guiding force is established on both the left and right sides.

By the way, in the first embodiment, the motor torques To and _TE are calculated by the following calculation method instead of the process of step S173 in the control algorithm shown in FIG. 5 of the first reference example.

That is, when the difference between the current motor deviation angle θt and the target deviation angle θdo optimized for traveling along the reference lane is multiplied by E, the motor torque To is calculated. use _E Ko gain, the calculation of the motor torque T _E to the use of gain oK _E. On the other hand, when the difference between the current deviation angle θt of the motor and the target deviation angle θdo optimized for traveling along the reference lane is multiplied by E, the motor torque To is calculated. use _-E Ko in gain, the calculation of the motor torque T _E to the use of gain _E K _E. When using this formula, the two induced forces are defined as follows.

  When E = +1 (that is, when changing lanes to the right): The right half of the reference guidance force disappears and only the left half becomes effective. Conversely, the second guidance force becomes effective in the right half and disappears in the left half. I do.

  When E = -1 (that is, when changing lanes to the left): The left half of the reference guidance force disappears and only the right half becomes effective. Conversely, the second guidance force is effective in the left half and the right half is effective. Disappear.

As a result, a bridging route zone having a guiding force of “0” appears between the reference target route and the second target route, and the driver does not receive any guiding force from the system when traveling in this region. (However, the road surface reaction force resulting from the alignment of the front wheels naturally occurs according to the steering angle.)
By the way, the degeneration starts in response to the output of step S637 for confirming that the lane change has been substantially performed, and the state of the degeneration is shown in FIG. FIG. 20 exemplifies degeneration at the time of turning right, and FIG. 20 (a) shows the induced force immediately before the turn signal is operated on the reference target route, and FIG. 20 (b) FIG. 20C shows the guiding force immediately after the turn signal is operated, and FIG. 20C shows the guiding force after the deviation ΔLo from the reference target route of the own vehicle exceeds 60%. As shown in FIG. 20B, immediately after the turn signal operation, the right half of the reference guiding force disappears, and the right half of the second guiding force is established instead. From the driver's point of view, the driver feels that the right half of the reference guidance force has instantaneously moved to the right by the lane width L, and the driver can steer freely without the guidance force by the moved lane width. The area has expanded. Further, as shown in FIG. 20 (c), when the deviation ΔLo of the own vehicle from the reference target route exceeds 60%, the position of the own vehicle exceeds the white line. By shifting to the right to half the lane width, first, the left half of the reference guide force moves right by 0.5L, and then moves right by δL every cycle. The second guide force is completely established on the left and right by satisfying the condition of S643.

  According to the first embodiment, the bridge route (band) is instantaneously widened from the reference target route and bridged to the second target route by operating the turn signal 40. Since the blinker operation is a means for indicating a driver's clear lane change intention, the responsiveness of the system is improved as compared with the technology disclosed in the first to fifth reference examples, and the bridge construction is completed instantaneously. This has the advantage that the driver can easily change lanes without substantially experiencing steering force opposition.

  In addition, it is confirmed that the lane change has been substantially performed when the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route exceeds 60% of the lane width. The band is suddenly reduced by half the lane width, and thereafter, in step S642, the small amount δL is reduced. As a result, the second guiding force to be enjoyed by the driver can be obtained in a short time. In other words, it is desired to quickly reduce the width of the bridge route to the second lane side. However, if the entire route is coarsely and quickly reduced, the guiding force increases at a speed faster than the driver's lane change, and the vehicle is forced to approach the second target route. Although it has disadvantages, if the whole is degraded slowly, the inductive force will not recover for a long time, and it will have the disadvantage of not being able to take advantage of the system. However, by controlling as described above, it is possible to quickly degenerate even if there is no harm even if it is degraded quickly, and it is possible to degenerate slowly in a range where harm is expected, after the lane change without showing the above disadvantages Can promptly enjoy the guidance force for traveling along the second target route.

  In addition, even when the turn signal is canceled, a step S637 is provided for determining whether the result is the stop of the lane change or whether the driver has canceled earlier while the lane change is being continuously executed. This makes the system more intelligent and significantly enhances practical convenience.

  Further, even when the lane change is stopped, the bridge route is degraded with time from the second target route side to the reference target route side. The reference guiding force for traveling along the target route gradually increases in width and increases. By the steps S648, S651, and S652, when the width of the bridging path substantially coincides with the original reference target path, the original reference guiding force is restored. As a result, the driver feels as if the steering force that was initially free is gradually tightened to the desired target path, and can smoothly benefit from the reference guidance force again. In this case, the speed of the degeneration is fixed. However, when the lane change is stopped, the deviation from the own vehicle position to the reference target route is generally performed in a state where the deviation is not so large. This is because there is no need to change the speed. Of course, the speed may be changed in two steps or in multiple steps.

  In addition to the above-described first embodiment, the width of the cross-linking path can be reduced at first initially and then slowly, and the following second embodiment is prepared to show that fact. is there.

  21 and 22 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a part of a control algorithm corresponding to the control algorithm of FIG. 4, and FIG. 22 corresponds to the control algorithm of FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the rest of the control algorithm obtained.

  By the way, most of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, and step numbers are assigned only to different portions to simplify the description. It should be understood that steps shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 and without step numbers are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In step S739 instead of step S639 of the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the deviation ΔLo between the own vehicle position and the reference target route has exceeded 95% of the lane width L, and degeneration is performed only when the deviation ΔLo has exceeded 95%. I have to. In other words, the timing of the degeneration is not limited to the first reference example, and the same effect can be obtained even when the lane change is substantially completed and the degeneration is performed by detecting this.

  In the method of degeneration, the method of the first embodiment is to degenerate by a predetermined large amount first, and thereafter degenerate in small increments. However, in the second embodiment, the degeneration speed is represented by an exponential curve. It is proposed to do. That is, first, in step S740, 10% of the lane width L is contracted, and then in step S742 in FIG. 22, the contraction speed is set to be a predetermined ratio (represented by α in the disclosed technology) of the remaining bridge route width. I have. Although the width of the cross-linking path is reduced by this operation, the width is substantially vanished at the end since the degeneracy is always continued by α of the remaining width. The speed gradually decreases as the cross-link width decreases, and mathematically exhibits exponential properties. Here, an example in which α can be set differently from the initial speed of 10% has been exemplified. However, if α is set to 0.1, degeneration is performed from the beginning with the same ratio of exponential characteristics.

  According to the second embodiment, it is possible to freely set the timing of starting the degeneration either when the lane change is confirmed or when the completion of the lane change is confirmed. In addition, the timing of the confirmation can be freely set simply by replacing a predetermined reference value without being particular about the case.

  Further, it has been clarified that the degeneration speed can be freely set by the second embodiment. The desired degeneration mode can be realized only by changing the mathematical formula.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. It is possible.

  For example, in the first and second embodiments, a technique based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-197423 filed by the present applicant was disclosed as a technique for realizing traveling along a lane. Needless to say, it is obvious that the vehicle may be driven along the lane by the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-255514, which is cited as the prior art. When using the latter technique, in addition to the technique of reducing or eliminating the height of the bank constructed by the potential method when changing lanes, the technique of moving the bank to another lane can also be easily performed from the technique disclosed herein. Things.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle steering assist device according to a first reference example. It is a control block diagram. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a part of a control algorithm according to a first reference example. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a part of a control algorithm according to a first reference example. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the rest of the control algorithm of the first reference example. FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing processing in a control algorithm. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a temporal change of a gain. It is sectional drawing of the road for supplementing the operation | movement explanation at the time of a lane change. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a distribution of a steering force at a normal time on the road in FIG. 5. It is a figure which shows the change of the steering force on the reference | standard reference route after the intention of the lane change was determined. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a change in a steering force on a second target route after an intention to change lanes is determined. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a main part of a control algorithm according to a second reference example. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a situation of movement of a steering force on the road in FIG. 5. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a main part of a control algorithm according to a third reference example. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a main part of a control algorithm according to a fourth reference example. It is a flowchart which shows the principal part of the control algorithm of a 5th reference example. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control algorithm corresponding to FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a part of a control algorithm corresponding to FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the rest of the control algorithm corresponding to FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the temporal change of an induction force. 5 is a flowchart showing a part of a control algorithm corresponding to FIG. 4 of the second embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the remaining part of the control algorithm corresponding to FIG. 4 of the second embodiment.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering handle 3 ... Steering means 4 ... Driving means 5 ... Front wheel 15 as a steering wheel ... CPU as a control unit
16 ... steering force sensor as steering force detecting means 17 ... steering angle sensor as steering angle detecting means

Claims (30)

  A steering means (3) connected to the steering wheel (5) and capable of transmitting torque from the steering handle (1), and operating the steering means (3); A driving means (4) for detecting and detecting at least a reference lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling on the basis of road information to set a reference target route (band) in the reference lane and a vehicle from the reference target route (zone). Control operation of the driving means (4) to apply the reference guiding force determined according to the magnitude and direction of the deviation to the steering means (3) so as to realize vehicle running along the reference lane. And a control unit (15) that performs lane change confirmation means for confirming execution, non-execution, and completion of lane change, and a second lane traveling after the lane change. No. Means for setting a target route (band); and a second guiding force applied to the steering means (3) for realizing vehicle traveling along the second lane. Means for setting according to the magnitude and direction of the deviation of the vehicle, weakening at least one of the reference guidance force and the second guidance force in the second lane when changing lanes, and checking the result of the lane change confirmation means Means for changing the state of weakening of the guidance force in response thereto.   The control unit (15) includes intention sensing means for sensing a driver's intention to change lanes, and weakens at least one of the reference guidance force and the second guidance force in the second lane according to the output of the intention sensing means. The steering assist device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle steering assist device is configured to start the steering.   The control unit (15) is configured to recover the weakened reference guide force or the second guide force once the lane change confirmation unit confirms completion or non-execution of the lane change. The vehicle steering assist device according to claim 1.   The control unit (15) is configured to change the reference guidance force according to the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) when weakening the reference guidance force when changing lanes. 2. The vehicle steering assist device according to claim 1.   The control unit (15) determines the reference guidance force in a region where the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) exceeds the reference value according to the deviation, and weakens the reference guidance force when changing lanes. 2. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to increase the reference value.   The control unit (15) is configured to increase the second guiding force on the reference lane side in response to confirmation of execution or completion of lane change by the lane change confirmation means. Vehicle steering assist device.   A control unit (15) reduces at least the reference guidance force on the second lane side and increases at least the second guidance force on the reference lane side in response to the driver's lane change intention sensed by the intention sense means. The vehicle steering assist device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle steering assist device is configured to be configured as follows.   The control unit (15) includes intention sensing means for sensing a driver's lane change intention, and reduces the reference guiding force at least on the second lane side according to the driver's lane change intention by the intention sensing means. 2. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 1, wherein the second guidance force at least on the reference lane side is increased in accordance with confirmation of execution or completion of the lane change by the lane change confirmation unit. apparatus.   When the control unit (15) restores the reference guidance force to the value before the lane change, the control unit (15) is configured to determine the reference guidance force according to the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band). The vehicle steering assist device according to claim 3.   The control unit (15) determines the reference guiding force in a region where the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) exceeds the reference value in accordance with the deviation, and determines the reference guiding force before the lane change. 4. The vehicle steering assist device according to claim 3, wherein the reference value is reduced when the value is restored to a reference value.   The vehicle steering assist device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit (15) is configured to execute the reduction of the reference guidance force and the increase of the second guidance force according to a predetermined time schedule. .   The control unit (15) replaces the second lane with a reference lane or replaces the second target route (band) with the reference target route (band) in response to confirmation of completion of the lane change by the lane change confirmation unit. 2. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle steering assist system is configured to be replaced with:   The control unit (15) enables the reduction of the bridge route (band) in response to the confirmation of the completion of the lane change by the lane change confirmation means, and after the completion of the reduction of the bridge route (band), 2. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 1, wherein replacement of the lane with a reference lane or replacement of the second target route (band) with the reference target route (band) is performed. .   The control unit (15) is configured to replace the second lane with a reference lane or replace the second target route (strip) with the reference target route (strip) after the completion of the increase of the second guiding force. 7. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 6, wherein:   3. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 2, wherein a criterion of said intention detection means is a turn signal operation of a driver.   A state in which the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (zone) is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, or a condition in which the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (zone) is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value. 3. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 2, wherein the determination that the intention detection means determines that the vehicle continues for a predetermined time or more.   3. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 2, wherein the presence of at least a part of the own vehicle in the second lane is used as a criterion of the intention detection means.   A steering force detecting means (16) for detecting a steering force, wherein a detected value of the steering force detecting means (16) is equal to or more than a predetermined value, or a detected value of the steering force detecting means (16) is set to a predetermined time. 3. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 2, wherein the condition that the value is continuously equal to or greater than a predetermined value is determined as a criterion of the intention detection means.   3. The vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a steering speed detecting means for detecting a steering speed, wherein the detection value of the steering speed detecting means being equal to or more than a predetermined value is used as a criterion of the intention sensing means. Steering support device.   A route maintaining steering angle calculating unit that calculates a steering angle required to maintain a relative positional relationship between the reference lane and the own vehicle; and a steering angle detecting unit (17) that detects a current steering angle. The difference between the outputs of the route maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means (17) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or the difference between the outputs of the route maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means (17) is equal to or greater than a predetermined time 3. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 2, wherein a continuation of a predetermined value or more is used as a criterion of said intention detection means.   3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein whether the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) is increasing or not decreasing is used as a criterion of the intention detection means. Steering support device.   The steering assist system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the cancellation operation of the turn signal (40) is used as a reference for checking by the lane change checking means.   2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value, which is used as a reference for execution by the lane change execution confirmation unit. Steering assist device.   The lane change execution confirming means determines that the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) is increasing or not decreasing as an execution reference. The vehicle steering assist device according to any one of the preceding claims.   The lane change confirmation means determines that the deviation of the vehicle from the second target route is equal to or less than a predetermined value, or that the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) is equal to or more than a predetermined value. 2. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 1, wherein the completion is used as a confirmation standard.   Route maintaining steering angle calculating means for calculating a steering angle required to maintain the relative positional relationship between the second lane and the vehicle, and a steering angle detecting means (17) for detecting a current steering angle; 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the difference between the outputs of the route maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means (17) is less than a predetermined value, which is used as a reference for confirming completion by the lane change confirmation means. Steering assist device.   The deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route (band) during the cancel operation of the turn signal (40) is less than a predetermined value, or the deviation of the vehicle from the reference target route after the cancellation operation of the turn signal (40) 2. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 1, wherein the decrease is used as a non-confirmation reference by the lane change confirmation unit.   If the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route (zone) exceeds a predetermined value, the predetermined value is interrupted, or the deviation of the own vehicle from the reference target route (zone) exceeds the predetermined value. 2. The vehicle steering assist system according to claim 1, wherein a later interruption of another predetermined value smaller than the predetermined value is used as a reference for the non-implementation by the lane change confirmation unit.   A route maintaining steering angle calculating unit that calculates a steering angle required to maintain a relative positional relationship between the reference lane and the own vehicle; and a steering angle detecting unit (17) that detects a current steering angle. The predetermined value is interrupted after the difference between the outputs of the route maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means (17) exceeds the predetermined value, or the route maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means (17) 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an interruption of another predetermined value smaller than the predetermined value after the output difference exceeds a predetermined value is used as a reference for non-execution by the lane change confirmation unit. Steering assist device.   A route maintaining steering angle calculating unit that calculates a steering angle required to maintain a relative positional relationship between the reference lane and the own vehicle; and a steering angle detecting unit (17) that detects a current steering angle. The difference between the outputs of the route maintenance steering angle calculation means and the steering angle detection means (17) is equal to or less than a predetermined value when the turn signal (40) is canceled. The vehicle steering assist device according to claim 1, wherein

Images