JP2009140145A - Vehicle travel-supporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle travel-supporting device which executes measures-to-contact processing with adequate timing, in consideration of the presence or absence of a motionless object between an oncoming vehicle and its own vehicle and the shape of the motionless object, while preventing the execution of measures-to-contact processing, such as the issue of a warning and braking of its own vehicle, in an unnecessarily early stage. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle travel-supporting device includes a between-its-own-vehicle-and-an-oncoming-vehicle motionless object determination means 7 which determines whether a motionless object permits vehicles to pass by it under the condition that the motionless object is detected between an oncoming vehicle and its own vehicle 1. When the result of the determination by the between-its-own-vehicle-and-an-oncoming-vehicle motionless object determination means 7 is positive, a contact possibility determination means 9 prevents the result of the determination whether the possibility of the contact between the oncoming vehicle and its own vehicle 1 exists from being a more positive determination result than in the case that a motionless object is not detected between the oncoming vehicle and its own vehicle 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device for avoiding contact between an own vehicle and a surrounding object and reducing impact during contact.

Conventionally, while detecting an object (oncoming vehicle, forward vehicle, etc.) that is ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle with an imaging camera or radar, it is determined whether there is a possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle. If the determination result is affirmative, a warning is issued to the driver or the vehicle is automatically braked by a brake device, thereby avoiding contact between the vehicle and the object. There is known a driving support device that supports shock reduction at the time of contact. For example, in the technique shown in Patent Document 1, by detecting a white line or the like based on a captured image of an imaging camera, the lane area of the own vehicle is recognized, and obstacles such as other vehicles are placed in the recognized lane area. The obstacle area to be detected is set. Then, in the technique of Patent Document 1, when the object detected by the radar in the set obstacle area is determined as to the possibility of contact with the own vehicle, and it is determined that the possibility of the contact is high In addition, by performing contact countermeasure processing such as automatically braking the vehicle by the brake device, the vehicle avoids contact between the vehicle and an object, and assists in reducing impact.
JP 2004-136785 A

  By the way, in the technique seen in the said patent document 1, in order to prevent that contact countermeasure processing, such as the action | operation of a brake device, is performed excessively, it exists in the outer side of the obstruction area | region set in the lane area of the own vehicle. For objects that do, the possibility of collision with the vehicle is not judged.

  For this reason, the technique found in Patent Document 1 has the following disadvantages. That is, for example, the lane area of the own vehicle and the lane area of the oncoming vehicle are separated by a structure such as a median strip that continuously extends along these lanes and has a certain height. In such a case, there is basically no oncoming vehicle entering the lane area of the vehicle. Therefore, in such a case, there is no problem even if the possibility of a collision between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is not determined.

  On the other hand, the lane area of the own vehicle and the lane area of the oncoming vehicle may be separated by, for example, flexible poles or low protrusions arranged at regular intervals. In such a case, an oncoming vehicle may enter the lane area of the host vehicle by overcoming the pole or protrusion due to a driving error of the driving vehicle.

  However, in the conventional technique shown in Patent Document 1, in such a case, the possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle is determined until the oncoming vehicle enters the lane area of the own vehicle. Therefore, the contact countermeasure process such as the operation of the brake device may be delayed, or contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle may occur before the contact countermeasure process is executed.

  In order to avoid this inconvenience, as in the case where the oncoming vehicle enters the lane area of the own vehicle, when the possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle is judged, the oncoming vehicle is in the opposite lane area. There is an inconvenience that the contact countermeasure process is excessively executed when the vehicle approaches the vehicle due to a change of course.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and in consideration of the presence or absence of a stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle and the form of the stationary object, an alarm is generated earlier than necessary and It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle travel support apparatus that can execute contact countermeasure processing at an appropriate timing while preventing execution of contact countermeasure processing such as braking.

  In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle driving support apparatus of the present invention detects an object existing in a peripheral area including at least a front area in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and is detected by the object detecting means. Object information acquisition means for acquiring object information including relative motion information of the detected object with respect to the vehicle based on the output of the object detection means, and at least the object information acquired based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means Contact possibility determination means for determining whether there is a possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle, and predetermined contact countermeasure processing when the contact possibility determination means determines that there is a possibility of contact In the vehicle travel support device comprising the contact countermeasure processing means for executing the above-mentioned, an oncoming vehicle as the object is detected by the object detecting means, and a stationary object is present between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. The vehicle and the oncoming vehicle stationary object judging means for judging whether the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle can pass in the situation where the vehicle is passing, and the contact possibility judgment The means detects the oncoming vehicle by the object detecting means when the determination result of the stationary object determining means between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is affirmative, and the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle are detected by the object detecting means. In order to suppress the determination result of whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle from being a positive determination result, compared to a case where no stationary object is detected between A means for changing a determination condition for determining whether or not there is a contact possibility is provided (first invention).

  According to the first invention, when the oncoming vehicle as the object is detected by the object detecting means, and the stationary object is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle, the stationary object is If the vehicle is an object through which the vehicle can pass, it is detected by the object detection means in a region ahead of the traveling direction of the own vehicle, compared to a case where no stationary object is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. Whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle so as to prevent the judgment result of whether or not the object is in contact with the own vehicle from being a positive judgment result. The judgment condition for judging whether or not there is the possibility of contact is changed so as to suppress the judgment result from being a positive judgment result.

  Here, when a stationary object is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle and the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle can pass, the oncoming vehicle may come toward the own vehicle. Even in the situation, the oncoming vehicle contacts with the stationary object and decelerates, so that the timing of contacting the own vehicle is delayed as compared with the case where there is no stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. Therefore, as described above, the determination condition is changed between a case where a stationary object capable of passing the vehicle is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle and a case where the stationary object is not detected. Thus, it is possible to determine that there is a possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle at a timing suitable for each case, and to execute the contact countermeasure process. In addition, when a stationary object capable of passing the vehicle is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle, the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle can be contacted more than when the stationary object is not detected. Therefore, the contact countermeasure process is prevented from being performed excessively early in the former case because it is difficult to determine the possibility of contact.

  Therefore, according to the first invention, in consideration of the presence or absence of a stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle and the form of the stationary object, contact countermeasure processing such as generation of an alarm or braking of the own vehicle earlier than necessary. The contact countermeasure process can be executed at an appropriate timing while preventing the process from being executed.

  Note that the relative motion information included in the object information includes a relative position, a relative speed, and the like of the object detected by the object detection unit. The object information may include information such as the size, shape, and type of the object in addition to the relative motion information of the object detected by the object detection unit.

  In the first invention, the contact possibility determination means is a contact time that is an estimated time until the detected object comes into contact with the own vehicle based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means, for example. And determining whether or not the contact time is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold and determining that there is a possibility of contact when the contact time is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold Means. In this case, the contact possibility determining means further detects the oncoming vehicle by the object detecting means when the determination result of the stationary object determining means between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is affirmative, and the object Means for changing the determination condition by changing the predetermined threshold so as to make the predetermined threshold smaller than when a stationary object is not detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle by the detecting means; Provided (second invention).

  According to the second aspect of the invention, when the determination result of the stationary object determination unit between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is affirmative, the oncoming vehicle is detected by the object detecting unit, and the oncoming vehicle is detected by the object detecting unit. Since the predetermined threshold value is changed so that the predetermined threshold value is made smaller than when no stationary object is detected between the vehicle and the own vehicle, the vehicle passes between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. When there is a stationary object that can be touched, the contact possibility determination means determines whether the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle are in contact with each other until the contact time reaches a smaller threshold than when the stationary object does not exist. It will be judged that there is no possibility of contact. Therefore, after the oncoming vehicle as the object is detected by the object detecting means, the contact possibility determining means determines that there is a possibility of contact between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. The time until the vehicle becomes longer is longer when there is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle than when there is no stationary object. Thus, there is a possibility of contact with the oncoming vehicle when there is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle, rather than when there is no stationary object. Is determined later, and the determination is suppressed. Since the possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle is determined based on the contact time, the possibility of contact can be appropriately determined.

  In the first invention or the second invention, the contact possibility judging means detects the oncoming vehicle by the object detecting means, and a stationary object is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. Thus, it is preferable to determine that there is no possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle when the determination result of the vehicle / oncoming vehicle stationary object determining means is negative (third invention).

  According to the third aspect of the invention, when a stationary object is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle and the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle cannot pass, that is, the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. When the contact with the vehicle is blocked by the stationary object, it is determined that there is no possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle. As a result, it is possible to prevent the contact countermeasure process from being performed in a situation in which the contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle cannot come into contact, and to effectively perform the contact countermeasure process more than necessary. Can be prevented.

  In the first to third aspects of the invention, when a stationary object is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle, for example, the stationary object can pass through the vehicle as follows. It can be determined whether or not the object is a stationary object. That is, the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle includes information on the shape and size of the object detected by the object detecting unit, and the stationary object between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle A determination unit configured to determine whether a height of a stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value based on the object information regarding the stationary object; and the stationary object Continuity determining means for determining whether or not the structure is a structure continuous for a predetermined length or more in the traveling direction of the own vehicle based on the object information regarding the stationary object, and determining by the height determining means When either one of a positive result and a negative determination result of the continuity determination means is established, it is determined that the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle can pass. (4th invention).

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the height of the stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value, that is, the height of the stationary object is such that the oncoming vehicle can get over the stationary object. Or when the stationary object is not a structure that is longer than a predetermined length in the traveling direction of the host vehicle (for example, the stationary object is located between the traveling lane of the host vehicle and the opposite lane. If the object is a pole-like object arranged in a line at regular intervals along the lane, the stationary object is determined to be an object through which the vehicle can pass. In addition, the height of the stationary object exceeds a predetermined value (a height at which the vehicle cannot get over), and the stationary object continues for a predetermined length or more in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. When the structure is a structure (for example, a structure such as a central separator continuously extending along the lane between the traveling lane of the host vehicle and the opposite lane), the stationary object is It is determined that the object cannot be passed.

  As a result, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle can pass.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the apparatus of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing of a controller provided in the apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of processing of STEP 6 in FIG. And FIG. 5 is a figure for demonstrating the action | operation of the apparatus of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle (own vehicle) 1 according to this embodiment includes a radar device 2 that detects an object such as another vehicle existing in a region ahead of the traveling direction, and an object detected by the radar device 2. The controller 3 that determines whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the vehicle 1 and the host vehicle 1 and appropriately operates the alarm device 4 and the brake device 5 provided in the vehicle 1 according to the determination result of the driving support device. It is provided as a component. The vehicle 1 may be any of a normal automobile using an engine as a driving power source, a hybrid vehicle using an engine and an electric motor as a driving power source, and an electric vehicle using an electric motor as a driving power source. Good.

  The radar device 2 is mounted on the front portion of the vehicle 1 such as a front grille. For example, the radar device 2 is located in an area A (an area ahead of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction) as shown in FIG. 4 (a or 5a). An electromagnetic wave such as a millimeter wave or a laser beam is emitted, and an object such as another vehicle existing in the area A (hereinafter referred to as a monitoring area A) is detected from the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave.

  In the present embodiment, the radar device 2 is provided as the object detection means. However, an imaging camera may be used instead of the radar device 2, or both the radar device 2 and the imaging camera are detected. You may use together as a means. In addition, a plurality of radar devices or a plurality of imaging cameras are mounted on the own vehicle 1, and the surroundings of the own vehicle 1 including not only the area in front of the own vehicle 1 in the traveling direction but also the rear and side areas of the own vehicle 1 are included. An object existing in the region may be detected.

  The controller 3 is an electronic circuit unit including a microcomputer, an interface circuit, and the like. The output of the radar device 2 is input, and the motion state of the vehicle 1 such as the vehicle speed and yaw rate of the vehicle 1 is detected from a sensor (not shown). A value is entered.

  The controller 3 includes object information acquisition means 6, oncoming / in-vehicle stationary object determination means 7, contact possibility determination means 8, and contact countermeasure processing means 9 as functions realized by the program installed therein. ing.

  The object information acquisition means 6 is means for acquiring object information relating to individual objects (objects detected by the radar apparatus 2) existing in the monitoring area A based on the output of the radar apparatus 2. The object information includes information on relative motion of the object including the relative position (or the distance between the object and the vehicle 1) and the relative velocity of each object, and information on the size, shape, and type of the object. Etc. are included.

  The oncoming vehicle-to-vehicle stationary object judging means 7 recognizes from the object information acquired by the object information acquiring means 6 that the radar apparatus 2 has detected an oncoming vehicle, and When it is recognized that a stationary object is detected between the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1, it is a means for determining whether or not the stationary object is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass. The oncoming vehicle-to-vehicle stationary object determination means 7 determines whether the height of the stationary object is a predetermined value or less in order to determine whether or not the stationary object is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass. Height determining means for determining whether or not, and continuity determining means 11 for determining whether or not the stationary object is a structure continuous in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a continuous structure). It has.

  Basically, the contact possibility determination means 8 is based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means 6 and the motion state of the own vehicle 1 and the individual objects and the own vehicle existing in the monitoring area A. It is a means for judging the possibility of contact with 1. However, in this determination, the contact possibility determination unit 8 changes the determination condition for the possibility of contact according to the determination result of the continuity determination unit 11.

  The contact countermeasure processing unit 9 avoids the contact and reduces the impact at the time of contact when there is an object whose determination result of the contact possibility determination unit 8 is a determination result that there is a possibility of contact. Means for executing a predetermined contact countermeasure process. In the present embodiment, the contact countermeasure processing means 9 performs a process of operating the alarm device 4 to make the driver recognize that there is a possibility of contact between the host vehicle 1 and an object, and a brake device 5 of the host vehicle 1. And the process of braking (decelerating) the vehicle 1 by operating the vehicle is executed as the contact countermeasure process.

  Supplementally, as the alarm device 4, for example, an audible alarm device by a buzzer sound or voice, a visual alarm device by flashing display in the driver's visual field, or vibration or driving of the driver's seat A sensible alarm device due to a change in the tension of a seat belt for a person or a combination of these alarm devices is used. Further, as the contact countermeasure process, the vehicle 1 may be braked by changing the transmission gear ratio of the vehicle 1 to the low-speed gear ratio side instead of operating the brake device 5. Alternatively, in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle provided with an electric motor as a driving power source, the host vehicle 1 may be braked by a regenerative operation of the electric motor. Furthermore, as the contact countermeasure processing, only one of the operation of the alarm device 4 and the braking of the host vehicle 1 by the operation of the brake device 5 or the like may be performed.

  Next, the overall processing of the controller 3 will be described in detail, including more specific processing of the oncoming vehicle / own vehicle stationary object determination means 7 and the contact possibility determination means 8.

  While the host vehicle 1 is traveling, the controller 3 sequentially executes the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 at a predetermined calculation processing cycle.

  First, the controller 3 detects the state of the vehicle including the state of motion such as the vehicle speed and yaw rate of the vehicle 1 from the outputs of various sensors (not shown) (STEP 1). In addition to the vehicle speed and yaw rate, this vehicle state includes detection data of the operation state of the steering device of the vehicle 1 such as the winker of the vehicle 1, the steering angle of the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal, and GPS or inertial navigation. The position information of the own vehicle 1 by the system and the road information around the own vehicle 1 by the navigation system may be included.

  Next, the controller 3 acquires object information related to individual objects existing in the monitoring area A by the object information acquisition means 6 based on the output of the radar device 2 (STEP 2). That is, the relative position of each object detected by the radar device 2 with respect to the own vehicle 1 (or the distance between the object and the own vehicle 1), the relative motion information such as the relative speed, and the size, shape, and type of the object. Information is acquired.

  Next, the controller 3 determines the contact possibility T for each object detected by the radar device 2 (existing in the monitoring area A), which is a predicted time until the object contacts the host vehicle 1. 8 (STEP 3). In this case, the contact time T is calculated as follows, for example. That is, the contact possibility determination means 8 is based on the detected value of the vehicle speed and yaw rate as the current movement state of the own vehicle 1 and the size (vehicle width, etc.) of the own vehicle 1 after a predetermined time. Is predicted based on the current relative position and relative speed of the detected individual object with respect to the own vehicle 1 and the size of the object 1. The course area (passage area of the object) until after time is predicted. Then, when the course area of the host vehicle 1 and the course area of the object intersect at the same time in the future (the overlapping of these course areas occurs), the difference between the time at which the intersection occurs and the current time is Calculated as the contact time T for the object.

  Further, when the course area of the own vehicle 1 and the course area of the object do not intersect at the same time (for example, when the relative velocity vector of the object is a vector moving away from the own vehicle 1, In the case where the magnitude is 0), the contact time T related to the object is set to a predetermined value that is always larger than a threshold value Tai described later.

  If the direction of the vector of the current relative speed of the object is substantially the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 and the direction of the vector is a direction approaching the host vehicle 1, the object and the host vehicle 1 You may make it calculate the contact time T about this object by dividing the distance of this object and the own vehicle 1 by the magnitude | size of the relative speed of this object, without estimating a course area | region. Further, when the vector of the current relative speed of the object with respect to the own vehicle 1 is a vector in a direction away from the own vehicle 1 or when the magnitude of the relative speed is 0, the own vehicle 1 and the object You may make it set the contact time T about this object to the said predetermined value, without predicting a course area. Furthermore, when predicting the course area of the host vehicle 1, in addition to the current vehicle speed and yaw rate of the host vehicle 1, the past history of the vehicle speed and yaw rate, and the operation state of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal of the host vehicle 1 are considered. Or a target route registered in the navigation system may be taken into consideration. Also, when predicting the path area of an object, not only the current relative position and relative speed of the object but also the past history of the relative position and relative speed may be considered.

  Next, the determination processing in STEPs 4 to 6 is executed by the oncoming vehicle / own vehicle stationary object determination means 7. That is, the oncoming vehicle / self-vehicle stationary object judging means 7 first judges whether or not each object detected by the radar device 2 is an oncoming vehicle based on the object information (STEP 4). In this case, whether or not the detected object is an oncoming vehicle is, for example, that the object has a size equivalent to a general vehicle, and the direction of the relative speed vector of the object is the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1. Judgment is made based on whether or not the conditions that the direction is substantially opposite and that the relative speed of the object is larger than the vehicle speed of the subject vehicle 1 are satisfied.

  Further, when the determination result in STEP 4 is affirmative, the oncoming vehicle / own vehicle stationary object judging means 7 determines whether or not a stationary object exists between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1. (STEP 5). In this case, for example, an object other than the oncoming vehicle between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle on a region parallel to a straight line connecting the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle and having a width substantially equal to the width of the oncoming vehicle. And whether or not a stationary object exists between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 is determined based on whether or not the object is a stationary object. Whether or not the object between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 is a stationary object is determined by, for example, the direction of the relative speed vector of the object being substantially opposite to the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 and The determination is made based on whether or not the condition that the magnitude of the relative speed is substantially equal to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 is satisfied.

  If the determination result in STEP 5 is affirmative, the oncoming vehicle / own vehicle stationary object judging means 7 determines whether the stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass. It is determined whether or not (STEP 6).

  The determination process in STEP 6 is specifically executed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, first, the oncoming vehicle / own vehicle stationary object determination means 7 determines whether or not the stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 is the continuous structure by the continuity determination means 11 ( (STEP 61). In this case, when the shape of the stationary object recognized from the object information is a continuous shape of a predetermined length or more in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1, it is determined that the stationary object is a continuous structure. The In other cases, it is determined that the stationary object is not a continuous structure.

  If the determination result in STEP 61 is affirmative, the oncoming vehicle-to-vehicle stationary object determination means 7 further determines the height (road surface) of the stationary object determined by the height determination means 10 as a continuous structure. It is determined whether or not (height from) is below a predetermined value (STEP 62). In this case, the height of the stationary object (continuous structure) is estimated from the object information relating to the size of the stationary object, and it is determined whether or not the estimated height is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Here, the height of the stationary object (continuous structure) being a predetermined value or less means that the height of the stationary object is low and the oncoming vehicle gets over the stationary object and enters the lane of the own vehicle 1. Means that it is possible. Moreover, that the height of the stationary object exceeds a predetermined value means that the height of the stationary object is high and it is impossible for an oncoming vehicle to get over the stationary object.

  Then, the oncoming vehicle / own vehicle stationary object judging means 7 determines whether the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 are stationary when the determination result of STEP 61 is negative or when the determination result of STEP 62 is positive. It is determined that the object is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass (STEP 63). On the other hand, when the determination result of STEP 61 is positive and the determination result of STEP 62 is negative, the stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 The vehicle is determined to be a stationary object that cannot pass through (STEP 64).

  The above is the details of the determination process in STEP6. As a result of the determination process in STEP 6, when the stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 is a continuous structure and its height is higher than a predetermined value, the stationary object does not pass the vehicle. It is determined that it is a possible object. In addition, if the stationary object is not a continuous structure, or if it is a continuous structure and its height is less than or equal to a predetermined value, it is determined that the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle can pass. The

  Here, a specific example will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), a central separator B as a continuous structure extending continuously in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 is provided between the oncoming lane and the traveling lane of the host vehicle 1. A road or the like is shown in a plan view and a side view, respectively. In this case, in the situation where the oncoming vehicle is detected by the radar device 2 of the own vehicle 1, the center separator B as a stationary object is detected by the radar device 2 between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1. In such a situation, the determination result in STEP 61 is affirmative, and it is determined that the central separator B is a continuous structure. When the height H of the central separator B is higher than a predetermined value, that is, the central separator B cannot travel over a general vehicle including an oncoming vehicle detected by the radar device 2. In the case of having the height of the above, the determination result of STEP 62 is negative. In this case, the central separator B is determined to be a stationary object that cannot pass through the vehicle. Further, when the height H of the central separator B is not more than a predetermined value, that is, when the central separator B is low enough to allow the vehicle to get over, the determination result of STEP 62 is affirmative. It becomes the target. In this case, it is determined that the center separation pair B is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass.

  5 (a) and 5 (b), poles C arranged in a line at regular intervals in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 are provided between the oncoming lane and the traveling lane of the host vehicle 1. Roads and the like are shown in a plan view and a side view, respectively. In this case, in a situation where an oncoming vehicle is detected by the radar device 2 of the own vehicle 1, the pole C as a stationary object is detected by the radar device 2 between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1. In such a situation, since the pole C is intermittently arranged in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1, the determination result of STEP 61 is negative and it is determined that the pole C is not a continuous structure. The pole C has a space between adjacent ones and is generally soft (having flexibility), so that an oncoming vehicle or the like gets over the pole C. Is possible. Therefore, when such a pole C is detected as a stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 (when the determination result in STEP 61 is negative), the pole C as the stationary object is The vehicle is determined to be a stationary object that can pass through.

  Supplementally, there may be a case where hook-shaped projections having a low height are arranged at regular intervals between the oncoming lane and the traveling lane of the host vehicle 1. Even in such a case, basically, the determination result in STEP 61 is negative, and it is determined that the protrusion is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass. In addition, when the arrangement interval of the projections is relatively small, the projection is recognized as a continuous structure due to the influence of the resolution of the radar device 2 (the determination result of STEP 61 is In some cases, it may be positive). However, even in this case, since the height of the protrusion is generally low, the determination result in STEP 62 is positive, and as a result, it is determined that the protrusion is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the determination results of STEPs 4 to 6 executed as described above by the oncoming vehicle / own vehicle stationary object determination unit 7 are given to the contact possibility determination unit 8. And the contact possibility determination means 8 performs the process of STEP9 after performing the process of STEP7 or 8 according to the determination result of STEP4-6 except the case where the determination result of STEP6 becomes negative. Thus, the possibility of contact between each object detected by the radar device 2 and the host vehicle 1 is determined.

  In this embodiment, the contact possibility determination means 8 basically determines the possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle 1 by comparing the contact time T calculated in STEP 3 with a predetermined threshold value Tai. .

  In this case, the contact possibility determination means 8 sets the threshold value Tai in STEPs 7 and 8 in accordance with the determination results in STEPs 4 to 6.

  More specifically, an object in which the determination results in STEP 4 to 6 are all positive, that is, a stationary object exists between the vehicle 1 and the stationary object is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass. For an oncoming vehicle, the contact possibility determination means 8 sets the threshold value Tai to the first predetermined value TL (STEP 7). Further, an object for which the determination result of STEP 4 or STEP 5 is negative, that is, an object that is not an oncoming vehicle, or an oncoming vehicle in which no stationary object exists between the own vehicle 1 (for example, facing the traveling lane of the own vehicle 1). For the oncoming vehicle detected by the radar device 2 when the lane is simply separated by a white line or the like, the threshold value Tai is set to the second predetermined value TH (STEP 8). Here, the first predetermined value TL is a value smaller than the second predetermined value TH.

  By the processing of STEPs 7 and 8, the determination condition for determining the possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle 1 is changed (the threshold value Tai is changed in the present embodiment). In this case, in particular, when the object is an oncoming vehicle, a situation where the radar device 2 detects a stationary object that can pass through the vehicle with the own vehicle 1 (the determination results of STEPs 4 to 6 are all positive) In a situation where the stationary object is not detected by the radar device 2 between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 (a situation where the determination results in STEPs 4 and 5 are positive and negative respectively). The threshold value Tai is set to a smaller predetermined value TL.

  When the threshold value Tai is set in STEP 7 or STEP 8, the contact possibility determination means 8 determines whether the contact time T related to the object is equal to or less than the threshold value Tai for each object for which the threshold value Tai is set. Judgment is made (STEP 9).

  At this time, if the determination result in STEP 9 is positive for any object for which the determination process in STEP 9 has been performed, the contact possibility determination means 8 has a possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle 1. Judge that there is. In this case, the controller 3 executes the processing of the contact countermeasure processing means 9 (STEP 10). As a result, the alarm device 4 is actuated to alert the driver, and the brake device 5 is actuated to brake (decelerate) the host vehicle 1.

  In addition, for any object detected by the radar device 2, if the determination result in STEP 6 is negative (that is, the object is an oncoming vehicle and the vehicle is stationary between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1. If there is an object and the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle cannot pass), or if the determination result in STEP 9 is negative, the contact possibility determination means 8 It is determined that there is no possibility of contact with the own vehicle 1 for any detected object. In this case, the controller 3 ends the process of FIG. 2 in the current calculation processing cycle without executing the process of the contact countermeasure processing means 9.

  When the oncoming vehicle is detected by the radar device 2 by the processing of the controller 3 described above, in a situation where there is no stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1, the threshold Tai is set to a larger first value. 2 A predetermined value TH is set. For this reason, for example, in a situation where the oncoming vehicle protrudes from the traveling lane of the own vehicle 1 toward the own vehicle 1, the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 can be contacted at an early timing with a margin. The contact countermeasure process is executed when it is determined that there is a characteristic.

  On the other hand, when a stationary object exists between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 and the stationary object is a stationary object that can pass through the vehicle, such as the pole C, the threshold value Tai is set to be small. The first predetermined value TL is set. For this reason, for example, in a situation where the oncoming vehicle comes toward the own vehicle 1 on the opposite lane side (for example, the situation shown in FIG. 5A), the stationary vehicle is stationary between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1. It is determined that there is a possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 as compared with the case where no object is present, and the timing at which the contact countermeasure process is executed is delayed. In other words, it is determined that there is a possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 as compared with a case where no stationary object exists between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1.

  Here, when there is a stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 and the stationary object is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass, the driver of the oncoming vehicle may make a mistake. Even when the oncoming vehicle comes toward the own vehicle 1 and the oncoming vehicle gets over a stationary object, before the oncoming vehicle contacts the own vehicle 1, By contacting a stationary object, the oncoming vehicle is decelerated. For this reason, the contact timing between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 is delayed as compared with the case where no stationary object exists between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1. Therefore, when a stationary object exists between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 and the stationary object is a stationary object that can pass through the vehicle, such as the pole C, the threshold value Tai is set to be small. Even if the first predetermined value TL is set, the execution of the contact countermeasure process does not become too slow. Further, it is determined that there is a possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 as compared with the case where no stationary object exists between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1, and the contact countermeasure processing is executed. Since the timing is delayed, a situation where a stationary object such as the pole C exists between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1, that is, the oncoming vehicle is allowed to enter the traveling lane of the own vehicle 1 originally. In such a situation, when the oncoming vehicle changes its course on the oncoming lane toward the traveling lane of the own vehicle 1, it is possible to prevent the contact countermeasure process from being executed too frequently.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, a stationary object exists between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle 1 detected by the radar apparatus 2 and the stationary object cannot pass through the vehicle (for example, FIG. 4). In the case of the central separator B) shown in (a) and (b), it is determined that the oncoming vehicle has no possibility of contact with the own vehicle 1 regardless of the contact time T. . For this reason, it is determined that there is a possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 in a situation where the oncoming vehicle does not enter the travel lane of the host vehicle 1, and the contact countermeasure process is executed. Can be prevented.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the contact countermeasure process from being executed when it is determined that there is a possibility of contact between the host vehicle 1 and the oncoming vehicle more than necessary. . As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver from being bothered.

  In the embodiment described above, based on the object information recognized from the output of the radar apparatus 2, whether or not the stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle 1 is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass. However, the shape and type of the stationary object are determined from the captured image of the imaging camera mounted on the host vehicle 1, and it is determined whether the stationary object is a stationary object through which the vehicle can pass. You may do it.

  In the embodiment, the possibility of contact between the object and the host vehicle 1 is determined by comparing the contact time T with the threshold value Tai. For example, the course area of the host vehicle 1 and the course area of the object are determined in the future. When the distance between the object and the vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a value obtained by multiplying the relative speed of the object by a predetermined time, the object contacts the vehicle 1 It may be determined that there is a possibility of this.

  In a situation where TL <T ≦ TH, when the determination result in STEP 9 is affirmative, only the alarm device 4 may be operated without operating the brake device 5. Further, when the determination result of STEP 9 is affirmative, the braking force of the vehicle 1 by the brake device 5 is made different between the situation where T ≦ TL and the situation where TL <T ≦ TH (the latter). The braking force may be greater in the former situation than in the situation).

  Further, the execution order of the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 2 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the execution order of the processing of STEP1 and STEP2 may be changed, or the processing of STEP3 may be performed immediately before the processing of STEP9. Also in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the determination process in STEP 62 may be executed before the determination process in STEP 61.

  In addition to the generation of an alarm and braking of the host vehicle 1, the contact countermeasure processing may include steering control of the host vehicle 1, control of the steering handle operating force, control of the brake pedal depression force, and the like.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process of the controller with which the apparatus of FIG. 1 was equipped. The flowchart which shows the detail of the process of STEP6 of FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the apparatus of the embodiment. 5A and 5B are views for explaining the operation of the apparatus of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle (own vehicle), 2 ... Radar apparatus (object detection means), 6 ... Object information acquisition means, 7 ... Oncoming vehicle / own vehicle stationary object judgment means, 8 ... Contact possibility judgment means, 9 ... Contact countermeasure processing Means, 10 height judging means, 11... Continuity judging means.

Claims (4)

Object detection means for detecting an object existing in a peripheral area including at least a front area in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and object information including information on relative motion of the object detected by the object detection means with respect to the own vehicle. Object information acquisition means acquired based on the output of the vehicle, and at least whether there is a possibility of contact between the detected object and the vehicle based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means In a vehicle travel support device comprising: a contact possibility determination unit; and a contact countermeasure processing unit that executes predetermined contact countermeasure processing when the contact possibility determination unit determines that there is a possibility of contact;
In the situation where an oncoming vehicle as the object is detected by the object detection means and a stationary object is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle, the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle can pass. A self-vehicle / oncoming vehicle stationary object determination means for determining whether or not there is based on the object information;
The contact possibility determination means detects the oncoming vehicle by the object detection means when the determination result of the stationary object determination means between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is affirmative, and the object detection means Suppresses that the determination result of whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle becomes a positive determination result, compared to the case where a stationary object is not detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. As described above, the vehicle driving support apparatus includes means for changing a determination condition for determining whether or not the contact possibility exists. The vehicle travel support device according to claim 1,
The contact possibility determination means sequentially predicts a contact time that is a prediction time until the detected object and the vehicle come into contact based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means; Means for determining whether or not the contact time is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and determining that there is a possibility of contact when the contact time is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold; and at least the vehicle When the determination result of the oncoming inter-vehicle stationary object determination means is affirmative, the oncoming vehicle is detected by the object detecting means, and a stationary object is detected between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle by the object detecting means. And a means for changing the determination condition by changing the predetermined threshold so as to make the predetermined threshold smaller than a case where the predetermined threshold is not detected.   3. The vehicle travel support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact possibility determination means detects the oncoming vehicle by the object detection means and detects a stationary object between the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. A vehicle that determines that there is no possibility of contact between the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle when the determination result of the stationary object determining unit between the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is negative. Driving support device. The vehicle travel support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit includes information on the shape and size of the object detected by the object detection unit, and the vehicle / oncoming vehicle stationary object determination unit includes the oncoming vehicle and the own vehicle. A height judging means for judging whether or not the height of the stationary object between the vehicle and the vehicle is less than a predetermined value based on the object information relating to the stationary object; Continuity determining means for determining whether or not the structure is more continuous based on the object information about the stationary object, the determination result of the height determining means being positive, A vehicle travel support device that determines that the stationary object is an object through which the vehicle can pass when either one of the determination result of the continuity determination means becomes negative. .

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