JP2006151114A - Driving support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support avoiding action adapted to the degree of a risk by collectively determining the degree of a risk of causing an accident with a pedestrian. <P>SOLUTION: An image processing part 11 performs the image processing of an image around a vehicle photographed by an own-vehicle camera 31, and images received by a road-to-vehicle communication device 35 and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 36, and then an image recognition part 12 recognizes the presence/absence of the pedestrian. If the pedestrian exists as a result, a risk degree computing part 13 computes a possibility (the degree of risk) of contact between the pedestrian and the own vehicle using the output of a navigation system 20, a speed sensor 32, a radar 33, a raindrop sensor 34, and the like, and a vehicle operation control part 14 controls an engine control device 61, a brake control device 62, a shift control device 63, a steering control device 64, an occupant air bag 65 and a pedestrian air bag 66 to carry out support for vehicle operation corresponding to the degree of risk. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device that collects information related to traveling of a vehicle and supports driving of the vehicle based on the collected information, and more particularly to a driving support device that ensures the safety of a pedestrian.

  Conventionally, prevention of vehicle accidents, particularly accidents between vehicles and pedestrians (including bicycles) has been a very important issue. In such an accident, the damage on the pedestrian side is particularly great, so various techniques have been devised to prevent contact with the pedestrian on the vehicle side.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle network system disclosed in which a collision with a pedestrian is avoided by outputting a brake command or a light blinking command when the presence of a pedestrian is recognized.

JP 2003-182474 A

  In the conventional technology described above, the pedestrian is protected by applying the brake when the pedestrian is recognized. However, for example, when the pedestrian recognizes the own vehicle and can avoid it with a margin, the brake is not necessarily applied. There is no need to spend. In addition, depending on the relationship with the following vehicle, unnecessary contact with the following vehicle may occur due to deceleration.

  If contact with a pedestrian cannot be avoided even by deceleration of the host vehicle, the traveling direction of the host vehicle must be changed by steering to avoid contact. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of pedestrian protection, a situation where it is necessary to prevent a collision with a pedestrian may occur when the own vehicle collides with another obstacle.

  As described above, in order to avoid contact with or collision with a pedestrian, there is a case where it is not possible to respond by simply applying a brake, and it is necessary to execute avoidance behavior adapted to the situation. Conventionally, however, such avoidance behavior depends on the driving operation of the driver, and there has been a problem that sufficient support from the vehicle side has not been provided.

  Therefore, the realization of a driving support device that comprehensively determines the risk of accident occurrence and supports avoidance behavior adapted to the situation has been an important issue.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems caused by the prior art and to solve the problems. The present invention comprehensively determines the risk of accidents with pedestrians and adapts to the risk. An object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device that supports the vehicle.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the driving support apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 collects information related to the traveling of the vehicle, and performs driving that supports driving of the vehicle based on the collected information. An own vehicle based on an image recognition means for recognizing a pedestrian from an image around the vehicle acquired by the image acquisition means, and a risk of contact between the pedestrian recognized by the image recognition means and the own vehicle. And an operation control means for performing the operation control.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving support apparatus acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle are in contact with each other, and is calculated. The operation of the host vehicle is controlled based on the risk level.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the driving support apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the operation control means includes a notification device to the outside of the vehicle, an engine control device, a brake control device, a shift control device, a steering control device, and an occupant. Use either a vehicle airbag, a pedestrian airbag, or an alarm device outside the vehicle, an engine control device, a brake control device, a transmission control device, a steering control device, an occupant airbag, or a pedestrian airbag. The operation control is performed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the driving support apparatus acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle come into contact, and is calculated. Based on the degree of danger, control the operation of the vehicle alarm device, engine control device, brake control device, shift control device, steering control device, occupant airbag, pedestrian airbag, or a combination thereof. .

  Further, in the driving support apparatus according to the invention of claim 3, in the invention of claim 2, when the motion control means indicates that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the host vehicle are in contact with each other depending on the degree of risk. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the acceleration of the own vehicle is limited by controlling the operation of the engine control device.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger of contact between the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle, and When it is shown that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the host vehicle are in contact with each other, the acceleration of the host vehicle is limited by the operation control of the engine control device.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving support apparatus according to the second or third aspect, wherein the motion control means may cause a pedestrian and the host vehicle to come into contact with each other depending on the degree of risk. In this case, the engine control device, the brake control device, and the speed change control device are controlled to assist the driver in decelerating operation.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger of contact between the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle, and When it is shown that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the vehicle are in contact with each other, operation control is performed on the engine control device, the brake control device, and the speed change control device to assist the driver in decelerating operation.

  Further, in the driving support device according to the invention of claim 5, in the invention of claim 2, 3 or 4, the motion control means may cause the pedestrian and the host vehicle to come into contact with each other depending on the degree of risk. When indicated, the engine control device, the brake control device, and the shift control device are controlled to automatically execute a deceleration operation of the host vehicle.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger of contact between the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle, and When it is shown that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the host vehicle are in contact with each other, the host vehicle is automatically decelerated by performing operation control on the engine control device, the brake control device, and the shift control device.

  Moreover, the driving support device according to the invention of claim 6 is the driving support device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the motion control means may cause a pedestrian and the host vehicle to come into contact with each other depending on the degree of risk. If this is indicated, the avoidance operation by the driver is supported by the operation control on the steering control device.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger of contact between the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle, and When it is shown that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the own vehicle are in contact with each other, the operation control for the steering control device is performed to assist the avoidance operation by the driver.

  Further, in the driving support device according to the invention of claim 7, in any one of the inventions of claims 2 to 6, the motion control means may cause the pedestrian and the host vehicle to come into contact with each other depending on the degree of risk. Is displayed, the avoidance operation of the own vehicle is automatically executed by the operation control on the steering device.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger of contact between the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle, and When it is shown that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the host vehicle are in contact with each other, operation control is performed on the steering control device to autonomously avoid the pedestrian.

  In addition, in the driving support apparatus according to the invention of claim 8, in the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 7, it is indicated that the operation control means inevitably causes a collision of the own vehicle depending on the degree of risk. In this case, the engine control device, the brake control device, the speed change control device, and the steering control device are controlled so as to automatically execute travel control that minimizes damage.

  According to the invention of claim 8, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle contact, When it is shown that the collision of the host vehicle is unavoidable, operation control is performed on the engine control device, the brake control device, the transmission control device, and the steering control device to automatically execute traveling control that minimizes damage.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the driving support apparatus according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, the operation control means indicates that the collision of the host vehicle is inevitable depending on the degree of risk. In this case, the occupant airbag is deployed.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian and the vehicle contact, When it is shown that the collision of the host vehicle is inevitable, the passenger airbag is deployed.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the driving support apparatus according to any one of the second to ninth aspects, wherein the operation control means inevitably contacts the pedestrian of the own vehicle depending on the degree of risk. When indicated, the pedestrian airbag is deployed.

  According to the invention of claim 10, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian and the vehicle contact, A pedestrian airbag is deployed when it is shown that contact of the vehicle with a pedestrian is inevitable.

  The driving support device according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the driving support device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the risk level is a road shape, a state of the pedestrian, and a relative relationship between the pedestrian and the host vehicle. It is calculated using distance and relative velocity.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle and recognizes the pedestrian, recognizes the road shape, the state of the pedestrian, the relative distance between the pedestrian and the host vehicle, and the relative The degree of risk of contact between the pedestrian and the host vehicle is calculated using the speed, and the operation of the host vehicle is controlled based on the calculated degree of risk.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the driving support device according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the risk level is at least one of a state of surrounding vehicles, map information of the surrounding area, time information, and weather information. Furthermore, it is calculated using.

  According to the invention of claim 12, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle and recognizes the pedestrian, and uses the state of the surrounding vehicle, the surrounding map information, time information, weather information, etc. The degree of risk of contact between the vehicle and the host vehicle is calculated, and the operation of the host vehicle is controlled based on the calculated risk level.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving support apparatus according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, wherein at least one of the road shape, the pedestrian state, the relative distance and relative speed, the state of surrounding vehicles, and weather information. One of them is acquired by image processing.

  According to the invention of claim 13, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle and the presence or absence of the pedestrian, the state of the pedestrian, the road shape, the relative distance and the relative speed between the pedestrian and the own vehicle, the surrounding vehicle The degree of danger of contact between the pedestrian and the own vehicle is calculated by recognizing the situation, weather, etc., and the operation of the own vehicle is controlled based on the calculated degree of danger.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the driving support apparatus according to the twelfth aspect, at least one of the road shape, the surrounding map information, and the time information is acquired from a navigation device. Features.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the driving assistance device recognizes a pedestrian by acquiring an image around the vehicle and acquires a road shape, surrounding map information, time information and the like from the navigation device and The degree of danger of contact with the vehicle is calculated, and the operation of the host vehicle is controlled based on the calculated degree of danger.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the driving support apparatus according to any one of the eleventh to fourteenth aspects, the risk degree calculation unit acquires the state of the surrounding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication with the surrounding vehicle. It is characterized by that.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle to recognize the pedestrian, and acquires the state of the surrounding vehicle through inter-vehicle communication with the surrounding vehicle to acquire the pedestrian and the host vehicle. The degree of danger of contact with the vehicle is calculated, and the operation of the host vehicle is controlled based on the calculated degree of danger.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the driving support apparatus according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, the image acquisition means acquires an image around the vehicle from an in-vehicle imaging device mounted on the host vehicle. It is characterized by that.

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the driving support device takes an image around the host vehicle, recognizes the pedestrian, recognizes the pedestrian, and calculates the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian contacts the host vehicle. The operation of the host vehicle is controlled based on the risk level.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the driving support device according to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects, the image acquisition means acquires an image of the vehicle periphery through communication with the outside. To do.

  According to the invention of claim 17, the driving support device acquires an image around the own vehicle by communicating with the outside, recognizes the pedestrian, and determines the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian and the own vehicle come into contact with each other. Calculate and control the operation of the host vehicle based on the calculated risk.

  A driving support apparatus according to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention is a driving support apparatus that collects information related to traveling of a vehicle and supports driving of the vehicle based on the collected information, and is acquired by the image acquisition means. Based on the image recognition means for recognizing the pedestrian from the surrounding image of the vehicle, the travel environment detection means for detecting the travel environment on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, the image recognition means and the travel environment detection means And an operation control means for controlling the operation of the host vehicle.

  According to the invention of claim 18, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle to recognize a pedestrian and detects the traveling environment of the host vehicle to control the vehicle operation.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian contacts the host vehicle, and calculates the calculated risk. Since the operation of the vehicle is controlled based on the degree of the vehicle, it is possible to obtain a driving assistance device that comprehensively determines the risk of an accident with a pedestrian and supports avoidance behavior adapted to the risk. Play.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 2, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian and the own vehicle come into contact, and is calculated. Controls the operation of a vehicle alarm system, engine control device, brake control device, shift control device, steering control device, occupant airbag, pedestrian airbag, or a combination thereof based on the degree of danger Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to comprehensively determine the risk of occurrence of an accident with a pedestrian and to obtain a driving support device that controls various in-vehicle devices in accordance with the risk.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian and the own vehicle come into contact with each other, When it is shown that there is a possibility of contact between the pedestrian and the host vehicle, the acceleration of the host vehicle is limited by the operation control of the engine control device, so that the traveling speed is suppressed and thus the pedestrian is protected. There exists an effect that a driving assistance device can be obtained.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 4, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian and the vehicle contact, When it is shown that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the host vehicle are in contact with each other, the operation control for the engine control device, the brake control device, and the speed change control device is performed to support the driver's deceleration operation. It is possible to obtain a driving support device that protects pedestrians by supporting driving operations adapted to the above.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian and the own vehicle come into contact with each other, When it is shown that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the vehicle will come into contact with each other, the vehicle is automatically decelerated by controlling the operation of the engine control device, brake control device, and shift control device. It is possible to obtain a driving assistance device that automatically decelerates to protect the pedestrian and thus protects the pedestrian.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 6, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the pedestrian, recognizes a pedestrian, and calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian contacts the own vehicle. When it is shown that there is a possibility of contact between the pedestrian and the host vehicle, the driver controls the steering control device and assists the avoidance operation by the driver. The driving support device that protects the person can be obtained.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 7, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian and the vehicle contact, When it is shown that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the vehicle are in contact with each other, the operation control for the steering control device is performed to avoid the pedestrian autonomously. There exists an effect that the driving assistance device which avoids a pedestrian can be obtained.

  According to the invention of claim 8, the driving support apparatus acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian and the host vehicle contact, When it is shown that the collision of the host vehicle is unavoidable, the operation control for the engine control device, brake control device, shift control device, and steering control device is performed to automatically execute the travel control that minimizes the damage. In addition, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain a driving assistance device that protects a pedestrian even under a situation where a collision of the host vehicle is inevitable.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the pedestrian, recognizes the pedestrian, and calculates the degree of risk that the recognized pedestrian contacts the own vehicle. Since the airbag for the occupant is deployed when it is shown that the collision of the host vehicle is unavoidable, it is possible to obtain a driving support device that protects the occupant in a situation where the collision of the host vehicle is unavoidable. Play.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 10, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian and the own vehicle contact, Because the pedestrian airbag is deployed when it is shown that the contact of the vehicle with the pedestrian is unavoidable, driving to shock the pedestrian when contact with the pedestrian is unavoidable There exists an effect that a support device can be obtained.

  According to the invention of claim 11, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle and recognizes the pedestrian, recognizes the road shape, the state of the pedestrian, the relative distance between the pedestrian and the host vehicle, and The relative speed is used to calculate the degree of risk that the pedestrian and the vehicle come into contact with each other, and the behavior of the vehicle is controlled based on the calculated risk. Thus, it is possible to obtain a driving support device that can prevent accidents and reduce damage by operation control adapted to the degree of danger.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle, recognizes a pedestrian, and walks using the state of the surrounding vehicle, map information around the vehicle, time information, weather information, and the like. The degree of risk of contact between the vehicle and the vehicle is calculated, and the operation of the vehicle is controlled based on the calculated risk. There is an effect that it is possible to obtain a driving support device that performs accident prevention and damage reduction by the adaptive operation control.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle and the presence / absence of a pedestrian, the state of the pedestrian, the road shape, the relative distance and relative speed between the pedestrian and the vehicle, Recognize the situation of the vehicle, weather, etc., calculate the degree of danger that the pedestrian and the vehicle are in contact with each other, and control the operation of the vehicle based on the calculated risk. Thus, it is possible to obtain a driving support device that determines the risk of occurrence of an accident and prevents accidents and reduces damage by operation control adapted to the risk.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle and recognizes a pedestrian, and also acquires the road shape, surrounding map information, time information, and the like from the navigation device, Since the degree of danger of contact with the vehicle is calculated and the operation of the vehicle is controlled based on the calculated risk, the risk of accident occurrence is determined in cooperation with the navigation device, and the action is adapted to the risk. There is an effect that it is possible to obtain a driving support device that prevents accidents and reduces damage through control.

  According to the invention of claim 15, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle to recognize the pedestrian, and acquires the state of the surrounding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication with the surrounding vehicle to acquire the state of the pedestrian and the vehicle. The degree of risk of contact with the vehicle is calculated, and the operation of the vehicle is controlled based on the calculated risk. Therefore, the risk of accident occurrence is determined in cooperation with surrounding vehicles, and the risk is adjusted accordingly. There is an effect that it is possible to obtain a driving support device that prevents accidents and reduces damage by operation control.

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the driving support device captures an image of the vicinity of the own vehicle, recognizes a pedestrian, calculates the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian contacts the own vehicle, and calculates Since the operation of the host vehicle is controlled based on the determined risk level, it is possible to determine the risk level of the accident occurrence by the host vehicle alone, and to obtain a driving support device that prevents accidents and reduces damage by operation control adapted to the risk level. There is an effect that can be.

  In addition, according to the invention of claim 17, the driving assistance device acquires an image around the own vehicle by communicating with the outside, recognizes the image of the pedestrian, and the degree of danger that the recognized pedestrian contacts the own vehicle. And control the operation of the vehicle based on the calculated risk level, so use the images taken by surrounding vehicles and roadside equipment to determine the risk level of an accident and to control the operation according to the risk level. As a result, it is possible to obtain a driving support device that prevents accidents and reduces damage.

  According to the invention of claim 18, the driving support device acquires an image around the vehicle to recognize the pedestrian and detects the traveling environment of the own vehicle to control the vehicle operation. There exists an effect that the driving assistance device which performs suitable pedestrian protection control can be obtained.

  Exemplary embodiments of a driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a driving support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the driving support device 10 includes a navigation device 20, a host vehicle camera 31, a speed sensor 32, a radar 33, a raindrop sensor 34, a road-to-vehicle communication device 35, an inter-vehicle communication device 36, an in-vehicle notification system 40, and an outside of the vehicle. It connects with the notification system 50, the traveling control system 60, and the like.

  The navigation device 20 is a device that sets and guides the travel route of the host vehicle. Specifically, the navigation device 20 acquires the current position of the host vehicle by GPS (Global Positioning System), specifies the road on which the host vehicle is traveling using the map data 21, and uses the in-vehicle notification system 40. To perform route guidance. In addition, the navigation device 20 transmits the position information of the host vehicle, the road shape, the surrounding map information, and the time information to the driving support device 10.

  The own vehicle camera 31 is a vehicle-mounted photographing means for photographing the periphery of the own vehicle, and the speed sensor 32 is a sensor that measures the traveling speed of the own vehicle. The radar 33 is a sensor that detects an object around the host vehicle by radio waves or the like, and the raindrop sensor 34 is a sensor that detects a rainfall state. Further, the road-to-vehicle communication device 35 is a communication unit that communicates with a roadside communication terminal installed on the road, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 36 is a communication unit that performs communication with other vehicles.

  The in-vehicle notification system 40 includes a display 41, a speaker 42, and the like, and performs notification and information provision to passengers. The in-vehicle notification system 40 is shared by a plurality of in-vehicle devices such as the driving support device 10, the navigation device 20, and an audio device (not shown).

  The outside notification system 50 includes a horn 51, a headlight 52, a blinker lamp 53, a brake lamp 54, and the like, and performs notification and information provision to the vicinity of the host vehicle. Specifically, the horn 51 is a horn that notifies the presence of the host vehicle around the vehicle. The headlight 52, the blinker lamp 53, and the brake lamp 54 are on-vehicle lamps that respectively perform illumination in front of the host vehicle, notification of turning left and right, notification of deceleration, and the like. The driving assistance device 10 uses these in-vehicle lamps for danger notification to the periphery of the vehicle. Furthermore, the driving assistance device 10 uses inter-vehicle communication by the inter-vehicle communication device 36 for notification to other nearby vehicles.

  The travel control system 60 includes an engine control device 61, a brake control device 62, a transmission control device 63, a steering control device 64, an occupant airbag 65, and a pedestrian airbag 66.

  The engine control device 61 is a control device that controls the engine speed and the like based on an operation of an accelerator pedal by a driver. The brake control device 62 is a control device that performs deceleration control of the host vehicle based on a brake pedal operation by the driver.

  Similarly, the shift control device 63 is a control device that performs a gear change of the drive system based on the operation state of the shift lever by the driver and the engine speed, and the steering control device 64 is based on the steering operation of the driver. And a control device for controlling the steering angle of the vehicle.

  The occupant airbag 65 is an occupant protection mechanism that is deployed when an impact occurs on the host vehicle due to a collision or the like and protects the occupant. The pedestrian airbag 66 is a pedestrian protection mechanism that is deployed when the host vehicle and the pedestrian come into contact with each other and protects the pedestrian.

  The driving support apparatus 10 includes an image processing unit 11, an image recognition unit 12, a risk level calculation unit 13, and a vehicle operation control unit 14 therein. The image processing unit 11 performs image processing on an image around the host vehicle and outputs the image to the image recognition unit 12. In addition, the imaging | photography result of the own vehicle camera 31 may be used for the image around the own vehicle, and the surrounding image which the road-vehicle communication apparatus 35 received from the roadside communication terminal may be used. In addition, an image captured by another vehicle can be received and used by the inter-vehicle communication device 36.

  The image recognition part 12 determines the presence or absence of a pedestrian by the image recognition with respect to this image. If the presence of a pedestrian is detected, the risk level calculation unit 13 calculates the possibility (risk level) that the pedestrian and the vehicle are in contact with each other. The vehicle operation control unit 14 controls the outside notification system 50, the inter-vehicle communication device 36, and the travel control system 60 based on the degree of risk, and executes notification control for pedestrians and surrounding vehicles and operation control for the host vehicle.

  Here, the risk level calculation unit 13 calculates the risk level using various types of information indicating the state of the host vehicle and the surrounding conditions. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining information used by the risk calculation unit 13 for calculating the risk and a method for acquiring the information.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the risk level calculation unit 13 includes the “presence / absence of pedestrians”, “position of pedestrians”, “state of pedestrians”, “characteristics of pedestrians”, “position of own vehicle”, “ Calculate the degree of risk using information such as the speed of the host vehicle, the presence / absence of surrounding vehicles, the state of surrounding vehicles, the road shape, the map information of the surroundings, the time, and the weather. To do.

  Here, “presence / absence of pedestrian” can be acquired by image recognition as described above, and can also be detected by the radar 33. “Position of pedestrian” is information indicating the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the pedestrian, and can be acquired by image recognition by the image recognition unit 12 or the radar 33.

  “Pedestrian status” is information indicating the status of the pedestrian in the moving state and orientation, the pedestrian is aware of the vehicle, is riding a bicycle, is using a mobile phone, is holding an umbrella, etc. And can be obtained by image recognition by the image recognition unit 12. Further, the moving direction of the pedestrian can be acquired by the radar 33.

  The “pedestrian characteristic” is information indicating a rough age of the pedestrian, for example, a child or an elderly person, and can be acquired by image recognition by the image recognition unit 12.

  Information indicating “the position of the host vehicle” can be acquired from the navigation device 20, and “the speed of the host vehicle” can be acquired from the speed sensor 32.

  “Presence / absence of surrounding vehicle” is information indicating whether or not another vehicle, for example, an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle exists in the vicinity of the host vehicle. In addition to image recognition by the image recognition unit 12 and detection by the radar 33, the vehicle It can be obtained by inter-vehicle communication by the inter-communication device 36.

  “Neighboring vehicle state” is information indicating the moving direction, moving speed, planned travel route, and the like of other vehicles, and includes image recognition by the image recognition unit 12, inter-vehicle communication by the inter-vehicle communication device 36, and detection by the radar 33. Can be obtained by:

  Information indicating the “road shape” can be obtained by acquiring the map data 21 from the navigation device 20 or image recognition by the image recognition unit 12. Further, the position of the white line on the road, the road surface state, and the like can also be acquired by image recognition.

  “Nearby map information” is information indicating what kind of building (house, store, school, etc.) is in the vicinity of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and acquires map data 21 from the navigation device 20. Can be obtained. Further, information indicating “time” can be obtained by acquiring time information used by the navigation device 20 in GPS.

  Information relating to “weather” such as the presence or absence of rain, the presence or absence of fog, and the like can be acquired by the raindrop sensor 34. Further, the presence or absence of rain or fog may be determined from the operation state of the wiper or the lighting state of the fog lamp.

  FIG. 3 shows a specific example of the risk determination between the host vehicle and the pedestrian. In the figure, the host vehicle C10 is traveling on the road R10. The road R10 is divided into a sidewalk R11 and a roadway R12, and a pedestrian H10 is moving in the direction of the host vehicle along the sidewalk R11. The oncoming vehicle C11 is approaching from the front of the host vehicle C10, and the subsequent vehicle C12 follows the rear of the host vehicle C10.

  The presence, relative distance, and relative speed of the pedestrian H10 are recognized by image recognition by the image recognition unit 12 and the radar 33, and the state and characteristics thereof are determined by image recognition. And the risk level increases as the relative distance decreases and the relative speed increases. In addition, the degree of risk may be obtained based on the probability that a future pedestrian and the host vehicle will collide from the relative distance and the relative speed.

  Also, if the pedestrian is not aware of the vehicle, the degree of danger is greater than if the pedestrian is aware, and if the pedestrian is walking on the roadway or if there is no sidewalk, the pedestrian The risk is greater than if you are in

  Further, when the road width of the road R10 acquired by the map data 21 or the image processing is narrow, the degree of danger is higher than when the road width is wide. Further, the road width affects the avoidance action that the host vehicle C10 can take to avoid the pedestrian H10.

  In addition, as a result of determining the road surface state from the image recognition and the output of the raindrop sensor 34, etc., when the road surface is wet due to rain, snowfall, etc., the braking distance required for deceleration / stop of the host vehicle C10 increases. Increased risk.

  The presence of the preceding vehicle C11 also limits the avoidance behavior of the host vehicle C10. More specifically, the limit of avoidance behavior by the preceding vehicle C11 varies depending on the size, position, speed, travel schedule, and the like of the oncoming vehicle C11.

  Similarly, the presence of the following vehicle C12 also limits the avoidance behavior of the host vehicle C10. This is because the following vehicle C12 may collide with the own vehicle C10 when the own vehicle C10 performs operation control for avoiding contact with the pedestrian H10 depending on the position and speed of the following vehicle C12. .

  Next, the operation control by the vehicle operation control unit 14 will be further described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a correspondence relationship between the risk level calculated by the risk level calculation unit 13 and the motion control by the vehicle motion control unit 14.

  In FIG. 4, the risk level calculation unit 13 calculates the risk level in seven stages from “risk level 1” having the lowest risk to “risk level 7” having the highest risk. “Danger level 1” is a state in which there is a pedestrian but the risk level is relatively low, and the vehicle operation control unit 14 executes only the notification control by the vehicle outside notification system 50 and the inter-vehicle communication device 36.

  In the “risk level 2”, the vehicle operation control unit 13 controls the engine control device 61 to limit the acceleration of the vehicle. In addition, in “risk level 3”, deceleration support and steering support are performed in addition to acceleration limitation. Specifically, the deceleration support is to assist the driver in driving operation for preventing accidents such as reducing play of the brake pedal by controlling the brake control device 62. Similarly, the steering assistance is for assisting the driver in driving such as increasing the steering amount with respect to the turning angle of the steering wheel by controlling the steering control device 64.

  Further, in the “risk level 4”, the vehicle operation control unit 14 performs automatic deceleration and steering assistance. The automatic deceleration is a process of automatically decelerating the host vehicle by controlling the engine control device 61, the brake control device 62, and the shift control device 63. In addition, steering operation is also supported to assist the driver in steering the steering wheel.

  In the “risk level 5”, the vehicle operation control unit 14 executes automatic avoidance. This automatic avoidance avoids a collision with a pedestrian by performing automatic steering by controlling the steering control device 64 in addition to the automatic control of the vehicle speed by the engine control unit 61, the brake control device 62, and the shift control device 63. It is an avoidance action.

  “Danger level 6” is a situation in which an accident is unavoidable, and the vehicle operation control unit 14 executes automatic avoidance in a direction in which damage is minimized and deployment of the passenger airbag 65. Specifically, by avoiding contact with a pedestrian and causing the host vehicle to collide with a wall or the like, the pedestrian is protected and the occupant airbag 65 is deployed to reduce the impact on the occupant.

  Furthermore, “risk level 7” is a situation in which contact with a pedestrian is unavoidable, and the vehicle operation control unit 14 deploys a pedestrian airbag 65 to protect the pedestrian.

  As described above, by changing the vehicle operation control and the combination thereof according to the degree of risk, it is possible to support avoidance behavior adapted to the situation.

  Next, the state transition will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 3, when it is detected that the pedestrian is trying to walk in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the collision probability at this stage is low, but there is a danger, and the danger level is 1. Notification is given to pedestrians.

  Next, in spite of notifying the pedestrian, for example, if the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle and further approaches the traveling direction, the distance between the pedestrian and the own vehicle is reduced. The degree becomes 2 and the acceleration of the own vehicle is limited (the execution of the notification process is continued at this time). That is, if the degree of danger increases even with the notification control, the vehicle motion system is controlled.

  Further, when the distance between the pedestrian and the host vehicle is reduced and the future collision probability is further increased, the risk becomes 3, and operation support for the driver such as deceleration support and steering support is provided.

  Thereafter, when the distance further decreases and the future collision probability further increases, it is determined that the driver cannot handle it, and the risk becomes 4 and automatic deceleration is performed.

  When the collision probability further increases, the risk level becomes 5, and it is assumed that the driver cannot handle the operation, and avoidance control in which the own vehicle automatically avoids the pedestrian, for example, control such as automatically controlling the steering, is performed.

  When the degree of risk 6 is such that a collision with a pedestrian cannot be avoided, the host vehicle is automatically controlled so that the collision damage to the pedestrian is minimized.

  Furthermore, when a collision with a pedestrian is just before, an airbag for the pedestrian is deployed to minimize damage.

  In addition, the pedestrian is notified even in the risk levels 1 to 7, and the pedestrian continues to be evacuated. Further, in this explanation, the states from the risk level 1 to the risk level 7 have been described sequentially, but if the host vehicle is running, a pedestrian has jumped out at a shorter distance than the relative distance shown in FIG. In this case, the degree of risk starts from 4 or the like, for example.

  Also, at night or when the pedestrian is a child or an elderly person, the degree of danger is further increased even with the same collision probability.

  Further, when the vehicle automatically avoids traveling to protect pedestrians, it also affects the surrounding vehicles. Therefore, when this avoiding traveling is performed, the surrounding vehicles are automatically controlled. Information is notified by data transmission by inter-vehicle communication or by flashing a hazard lamp of the host vehicle.

  The correspondence relationship between the risk level and the operation control shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example, and the risk level can be set to an arbitrary number of stages. Further, the contents of the corresponding operation control can be changed as appropriate.

  Next, the processing operation of the driving support device 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of the driving support device 10. The processing flow shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed when the driving support device 10 is turned on.

  First, the driving assistance apparatus 10 acquires an image around the own vehicle from the own vehicle camera 31, the road-vehicle communication device 35, or the inter-vehicle communication device 36 (step S101). Then, after performing image processing by the image processing unit 11 on the acquired image, the image recognition unit 12 recognizes a pedestrian (step S102).

  As a result, if the presence of a pedestrian is recognized (step S103, Yes), the risk calculation unit 13 collects information around the vehicle to calculate the risk (step S104), and the vehicle operation control unit 14 detects the danger. Operation control corresponding to the degree is executed (step S105).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the danger is avoided by the operation control. If the danger is not avoided (No in Step S106), an image around the own vehicle is acquired again (Step S101).

  On the other hand, when danger is avoided (step S106, Yes) or when it is determined that there is no pedestrian (step S103, No), the driving assistance device 10 ends the process.

  As described above, the driving support device according to the present embodiment recognizes the presence of a pedestrian from an image around the vehicle, and based on the state and characteristics of the pedestrian, the state of the own vehicle, and the surrounding situation, By calculating the possibility (risk level) of pedestrian contact and executing motion control according to the risk level, it is possible to support avoidance behavior adapted to the situation and prevent contact accidents with pedestrians. .

  In addition, by acquiring images from other vehicles and roadside communication terminals, it is possible to protect pedestrians at positions that cannot be captured from the host vehicle, and to transmit images captured by the host vehicle to nearby vehicles. By doing so, pedestrian protection in surrounding vehicles can be supported.

  In addition to this embodiment, the following pedestrian protection can be achieved. That is, in the above embodiment, the notification control and the vehicle travel control are selected step by step according to the risk level with the pedestrian, but the travel environment on the road of the vehicle, for example, the own vehicle When a pedestrian is recognized in the image while running or trying to run, by limiting the throttle opening of the vehicle and thus limiting the speed of the vehicle, safety against collisions with the pedestrian is increased. You may make it improve. In addition to the intersection, the driving environment can be controlled according to the environment such as an urban area, a pedestrian crossing, a signal, a school, or the like.

  Furthermore, a supplementary explanation will be given of the difference between pedestrians and other obstacles. Pedestrians must be controlled to avoid collisions. For this reason, when the possibility of a collision increases, the vehicle is subjected to steering control to avoid the collision.

  Also, the degree of danger needs to be controlled according to the state of the pedestrian (such as body orientation and age), and in this respect, there is a difference from a simple obstacle. Furthermore, since collision must be avoided, the threshold for pedestrians is set lower than the threshold for determining collision with a normal obstacle to increase sensitivity.

  As described above, the driving support device according to the present invention is suitable for preventing vehicle accidents, particularly for preventing contact accidents with pedestrians.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a driving support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the information used for calculation of a risk, and its acquisition method by the risk calculation part shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the specific example of the risk calculation by the risk calculation part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the corresponding | compatible relationship between a risk level and action control. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation of the driving assistance apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Driving assistance apparatus 11 Image processing part 12 Image recognition part 13 Risk calculation part 14 Vehicle operation control part 20 Navigation apparatus 21 Map data 31 Own vehicle camera 32 Speed sensor 33 Radar 34 Raindrop sensor 35 Road-to-vehicle communication apparatus 36 Inter-vehicle communication apparatus 40 In-car notification system 41 Display 42 Speaker 50 Out-of-car notification system 51 Horn 52 Headlight 53 Blinker lamp 54 Brake lamp 60 Travel control system 61 Engine control device 62 Brake control device 63 Shift control device 64 Steering control device 65 Crew airbag 66 Walking Airbag

Claims (18)

A driving support device that collects information related to traveling of a vehicle and supports driving of the vehicle based on the collected information,
Image recognition means for recognizing a pedestrian from an image around the vehicle acquired by the image acquisition means;
An operation control means for controlling the operation of the own vehicle based on the degree of risk that the pedestrian recognized by the image recognition means contacts the own vehicle;
A driving support apparatus comprising:   The operation control means is either a vehicle outside notification device, an engine control device, a brake control device, a transmission control device, a steering control device, a passenger airbag, a pedestrian airbag, or a vehicle outside notification device, engine. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein operation control is performed using a combination of a control device, a brake control device, a transmission control device, a steering control device, an occupant airbag, and a pedestrian airbag.   The operation control means performs an operation control on the engine control device to limit acceleration of the own vehicle when it is indicated that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the own vehicle come into contact with each other according to the degree of risk. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving support apparatus is characterized.   The motion control means performs motion control on the engine control device, the brake control device, and the speed change control device when it is indicated that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the host vehicle come into contact with each other according to the degree of risk. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driver supports a deceleration operation.   The motion control means performs motion control on the engine control device, the brake control device, and the speed change control device when it is indicated that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the host vehicle come into contact with each other according to the degree of risk. The driving support device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the deceleration operation of the host vehicle is automatically executed.   The operation control means assists an avoidance operation by a driver through operation control on the steering control device when it is indicated that there is a possibility that a pedestrian and the host vehicle come into contact with each other according to the degree of risk. The driving support device according to any one of claims 2 to 5.   The motion control means automatically executes an avoidance operation of the host vehicle by the motion control on the steering device when it is indicated that there is a possibility that the pedestrian and the host vehicle are in contact with each other according to the degree of risk. The driving support device according to any one of claims 2 to 6.   The operation control means performs operation control on the engine control device, the brake control device, the shift control device, and the steering control device when it is indicated that the collision of the host vehicle is unavoidable due to the degree of risk. The driving support device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the driving control that minimizes damage is automatically executed.   The said operation control means expand | deploys the said passenger | crew airbag, when it is shown that the collision of the own vehicle is unavoidable by the said danger degree, The passenger | crew airbag is characterized by the above-mentioned. The driving assistance apparatus as described.   The said operation control means expand | deploys the said pedestrian airbag, when it is shown that the contact with respect to the pedestrian of the own vehicle is unavoidable by the said risk degree. The driving assistance apparatus as described in any one.   The risk level is calculated by using a road shape, a state of the pedestrian, a relative distance and a relative speed between the pedestrian and the host vehicle. Driving assistance device.   The driving support device according to claim 11, wherein the risk level is calculated by further using at least one of a state of a surrounding vehicle, map information of the surrounding area, time information, and weather information.   The driving according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the road shape, the pedestrian state, the relative distance and speed, the state of surrounding vehicles, and weather information is acquired by image processing. Support device.   The driving support device according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the road shape, the surrounding map information, and the time information is acquired from a navigation device.   The driving assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the risk degree calculation unit acquires the state of the surrounding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication with the surrounding vehicle.   The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the image acquisition unit acquires an image around the vehicle from an in-vehicle imaging device mounted on the host vehicle.   The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition unit acquires an image around the vehicle by communication with the outside. A driving support device that collects information related to traveling of a vehicle and supports driving of the vehicle based on the collected information,
Image recognition means for recognizing a pedestrian from an image around the vehicle acquired by the image acquisition means;
Traveling environment detection means for detecting a traveling environment on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling;
Operation control means for controlling the operation of the host vehicle based on the image recognition means and the traveling environment detection means;
A driving support apparatus comprising:

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