JP2014078056A - Area identification device for vehicle, program thereof and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving support device for identifying a first area in front of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A driving support device 1 includes: a camera device 10 for detecting an obstacle and a traffic line by photographing the front of a vehicle; a radar device 20 for detecting an obstacle by a millimeter wave radar; an area identification part 31 for identifying a first area by using image processing data inputted from the camera device 10, obstacle data inputted from the radar device 20, and a driving state acquisition part 80; an approach property determination part 33 for determining whether the vehicle can approach the first area according to whether the first area satisfies an approach property determination condition; a control and alarm part 35 which does not perform travel control of the vehicle or alarm a driver, when it is determined that the vehicle can approach the first area; and a driving state acquisition part 80 for acquiring driving state information showing a vehicle driving state.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular area identifying apparatus that identifies an area other than an obstacle in front of a vehicle using a camera apparatus and a radar apparatus, a program thereof, and a method thereof.

  Conventionally, a device that detects an obstacle (for example, a preceding vehicle, a shoulder-shoulder parked vehicle, a pedestrian) using a camera device that captures the front of the vehicle and a radar device that scans the front of the vehicle has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). This prior art improves the detection accuracy of an obstacle by narrowing down an object that can be an obstacle by a captured image of a camera device and a scanning result of a radar device.

JP 2007-91208 A

However, the above-described conventional technology focuses on the detection of an obstacle, and does not refer to identifying the first region other than the obstacle in front of the vehicle.
Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the area | region identification device for vehicles which identifies the 1st area | region according to the actual driving | running | working condition, its program, and its method.

  The vehicle area identification device according to the first invention of the present application is a vehicle area identification apparatus that detects an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle and identifies a first area that is an area other than the obstacle in front of the vehicle, An obstacle detection unit, an operation status acquisition unit, and a region identification unit are provided.

  According to such a configuration, the vehicle area identification device detects an obstacle by the obstacle detection unit, and generates distribution information of the detected obstacle. Further, the vehicle area identification device acquires driving status information indicating the driving status of the vehicle by the driving status acquisition unit. Then, the vehicle area identification device recognizes the obstacle distribution area based on the obstacle distribution information generated by the obstacle detection section, generates the obstacle distribution area information, and generates the obstacle distribution area information. Based on the obstacle distribution area information and the driving situation information acquired by the driving situation acquisition unit, the first area in which the actual driving situation is considered is identified.

In addition, the vehicular area identification device according to the second aspect of the present invention further includes a progress determination unit.
According to this configuration, the vehicle area identification device identifies, as the first area, the area sandwiched between the two lanes and the area between the lane and the obstacle by the area identification unit. In addition, the vehicle region identification device determines that the vehicle can travel through the first region when the progress determination unit determines that the first region identified by the region identification unit satisfies a predetermined progress determination criterion, When the first region does not satisfy the condition for determining whether or not to proceed, it is determined that the vehicle cannot travel through the first region.

  Further, in the vehicular area identification device according to the third invention of the present application, the advanceability determining unit indicates that the area width at the position in contact with the obstacle in the first area is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold as the advanceability determination condition. The condition is preset.

  According to such a configuration, the vehicular area identification device correctly determines that the vehicle can travel through the first area when the area width is greater than or equal to the threshold by the advanceability determining unit, and if the area width is less than the threshold, the vehicle It is correctly determined that the first area cannot be advanced.

  In the vehicular area identification device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the advanceability determination unit indicates that the area area in the section in contact with the obstacle in the first area is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold as the advanceability determination condition. The condition is preset.

  According to such a configuration, the vehicular area identification device correctly determines that the vehicle can travel through the first area when the area area is greater than or equal to the threshold by the progress determination unit, and if the area is less than the threshold, It is correctly determined that the first area cannot be advanced.

The vehicular area identification device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention further includes a control / alarm unit.
According to such a configuration, in the vehicle area identification device, when the control / alarm unit determines that the vehicle can travel through the first area by the progress determination unit, at least the vehicle travel control or the warning to the driver is performed. Do not do or suppress one. Therefore, when the vehicle can travel on the road, the vehicle area identification device does not uniformly perform vehicle travel control or warning to the driver.

Moreover, the vehicle area identification device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is a camera in which the obstacle detection unit captures a captured image and performs a predetermined lane detection process on the captured image to detect the position of the lane. And a radar device that detects the position of an obstacle using a radar wave.
According to such a configuration, the vehicle region identification device can be integrated with the camera device and the radar device.

In the vehicular area identification device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the area identification unit narrows the first area stepwise according to preset conditions based on the driving situation information acquired by the driving situation acquisition unit. It is characterized by.
According to such a configuration, the vehicle area identification device narrows the first area according to the driving situation of the vehicle.

  The vehicle area identification program according to the eighth invention of the present application detects an obstacle in order to detect an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle and identify a first area that is an area other than the obstacle in front of the vehicle. A computer comprising an obstacle detection unit that generates distribution information of the detected obstacle and a driving state acquisition unit that acquires driving state information indicating a driving state of the vehicle is caused to function as a region identification unit. And

  According to this configuration, the vehicle area identification program recognizes the obstacle distribution area and generates the obstacle distribution area information based on the obstacle distribution information generated by the obstacle detection unit by the area identification unit. Then, based on the generated obstacle distribution area information and the driving situation information acquired by the driving situation acquisition unit, the first area taking into account the actual driving situation is identified.

  The vehicle region identification method according to the ninth aspect of the present invention is a vehicle region identification method that detects an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle and identifies a first region that is a region other than the obstacle in front of the vehicle. The obstacle detection step, the driving situation acquisition step, the same obstacle determination step, and the region identification step are sequentially provided.

  According to this configuration, in the vehicle region identification method, in the obstacle detection step, the camera device captures a captured image, detects the obstacle from the captured image, and the radar device detects the obstacle using the radar wave. Is detected. In the vehicle region identification method, in the driving status acquisition step, the driving status acquisition unit acquires driving status information indicating the driving status of the vehicle.

  In the vehicle region identification method, in the same obstacle determination step, the region identification unit determines whether the obstacle detected by the camera device and the radar device is the same, and the obstacle is determined to be the same. The obstacle distribution area information indicating the area of the same obstacle is generated. In the vehicle area identification method, in the area identification step, the area identification unit identifies the first area in which the actual driving situation is added based on the obstacle distribution area information and the driving situation information.

According to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained.
According to the first, eighth, and ninth inventions of the present application, the vehicle area identification device, the program thereof, and the method thereof are adapted to the actual driving situation by taking into account the actual driving situation based on the detection result of the obstacle. The first region can be identified.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the vehicle area identification device can determine whether or not the vehicle can proceed, the determination result can be used for vehicle travel control and warning to the driver.
According to the third and fourth inventions of the present application, since the vehicle area identification device can correctly determine whether or not the vehicle can travel in the first area, more accurate vehicle driving control and warning to the driver are possible. Become.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the vehicular area identification device obstructs smooth traffic without uniformly performing vehicle travel control or warning to the driver until the vehicle can travel on the road. There is nothing.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle area identification device can be integrated with the camera device and the radar device to simplify the configuration.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the vehicle area identification device narrows the first area according to the driving situation of the vehicle, it is possible to reduce a situation in which the vehicle contacts an obstacle.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the radar apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a first region identification method in the region identification unit of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing explaining the 1st example of the method of narrowing a 1st area | region in the area | region identification part of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the 2nd example of the method of narrowing a 1st area | region in the area | region identification part of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the 1st example of the progress determination method by the progress determination part of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the 2nd example of the propriety determination method by the propriety determination part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance device which concerns on the modification 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on the modification 2 of this invention.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
In the embodiment and each modified example, means having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

[Configuration of driving support device]
With reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the driving assistance device 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, a driving assistance device (vehicle area identification device) 1 is mounted on a vehicle and performs driving assistance such as driving control of the vehicle, warning to a driver, and the like. A radar device 20 and an arithmetic device 30 are provided.
The camera device 10 and the radar device 20 correspond to an obstacle detection unit described in the claims.

  FIG. 1 also shows an ENG (engine) 41, TM (transmission) 43, steering actuator 50, brake actuator 60, alarm device 70, driving situation, as a vehicle configuration related to the driving support device 1. The acquisition unit 80 is illustrated.

The alarm device 70 warns the driver that there is a possibility of collision, and details will be described later.
The driving status acquisition unit 80 acquires driving status information indicating the driving status of the vehicle and outputs the driving status information to the arithmetic device 30. For example, the driving status acquisition unit 80 includes a speed sensor, a raindrop sensor (weather sensor), and an inclination sensor (not shown), and acquires detection results of various sensors as driving status information. In addition, for example, the driving status acquisition unit 80 acquires road surface state information indicating a road surface state as driving status information by road-to-vehicle communication.

The camera apparatus 10 detects an obstacle or a lane by photographing the front of the vehicle, and includes one camera C and an image processing unit 11.
The camera C is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera that is arranged in a vehicle interior and can capture images in the visible light region or the infrared region. Then, the camera C outputs a captured image obtained by capturing the front of the vehicle to the image processing unit 11.

The image processing unit 11 detects the position and distance of an obstacle existing in front of the vehicle from the image captured by the camera C.
For example, the image processing unit 11 performs obstacle detection processing such as edge region detection and color region detection on the captured image, and detects the position of the obstacle in the captured image. Further, for example, the image processing unit 11 calculates the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle by applying a motion stereo method to two captured images taken at different times.
The motion stereo method is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-52884 (incorporated into the present invention by this citation), and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

The image processing unit 11 detects the position of the lane in the captured image by performing a lane detection process on the captured image. For example, as the lane detection process, the image processing unit 11 performs pattern matching using the vanishing point direction pattern and the edge, and detects the position of the lane from the captured image.
Note that the lane detection processing is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-89005 (incorporated into the present invention by this citation), and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Then, the image processing unit 11 generates image processing data indicating the position of the obstacle in the captured image, the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle (obstacle distribution information), and the position of the lane. Thereafter, the image processing unit 11 outputs the generated image processing data together with the input captured image to the region identification unit 31 and the control / alarm unit 35.

The radar apparatus 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 (see FIG. 1 as appropriate).
The radar apparatus 20 detects the position of the obstacle 91 using a millimeter wave radar. For example, the radar device 20 is mounted in front of the vehicle 2 and detects an obstacle 91 (for example, a roadside parking vehicle) included in the detection range α.

The radar apparatus 20 includes a radar 21 and a signal processing unit 23.
The radar 21 includes a transmission antenna that irradiates an obstacle using a millimeter wave radar as a transmission wave, and a reception antenna that receives a reception wave reflected by the obstacle by the millimeter wave radar (not shown). The radar 21 generates a beat signal by mixing the transmission wave and the reception wave, and outputs the beat signal to the signal processing unit 23.

The signal processing unit 23 detects the position of the obstacle 91 based on the beat signal input from the radar 21. For example, the signal processing unit 23 performs frequency analysis on the beat signal by FFT (Fast Fourier Transform), and performs peak detection on the frequency axis. Here, when there is a relative speed difference between the vehicle 2 and the obstacle 91, the signal processing unit 23 can determine the position of the obstacle 91 because the frequency of the received wave is shifted by the Doppler effect. Thereafter, the signal processing unit 23 generates obstacle data (obstacle distribution information) indicating the position of the obstacle 91 and outputs the obstacle data to the area identification unit 31 and the control / alarm unit 35.
The radar device 20 is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-26791 (incorporated into the present invention by this citation), and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the configuration of the driving support device 1 will be continued.
The calculation device 30 performs various calculations necessary for driving support, and includes a region identification unit 31, a progress determination unit 33, and a control / alarm unit 35.

  The area identifying unit 31 recognizes an obstacle distribution area using the image processing data input from the image processing unit 11 and the obstacle data input from the signal processing unit 23. Then, the area identifying unit 31 generates obstacle distribution area information indicating the identified obstacle distribution area, and based on the obstacle distribution area information and the driving situation information acquired by the driving situation obtaining unit 80, the vehicle A first area that is an area other than the obstacle 91 is identified in front of 2.

<Identification of the first area>
With reference to FIGS. 3-5, the identification method of the 1st area | region by the area | region identification part 31 is demonstrated concretely (refer FIG. 1, FIG. 2 suitably).
In FIG. 3, the vehicle as the obstacle 91 will be described as an example in which the vehicle stops in a state of protruding from the road shoulder to the traveling lane.

First, the area identification unit 31 determines whether or not the obstacle 91 (FIG. 3) detected by the camera device 10 and the obstacle 91 (FIG. 2) detected by the radar device 20 are the same obstacle. judge. Specifically, the region identifying unit 31 determines that both obstacles are the same obstacle when the position of the obstacle 91 included in the image processing data and the obstacle data is less than a preset distance threshold. To do. And when it determines with it being the same obstacle, the area | region identification part 31 recognizes the area | region where the obstacle exists as an obstacle distribution area, and produces | generates the obstacle distribution area information which shows this obstacle distribution area .
On the other hand, when the position of the obstacle 91 included in the image processing data and the obstacle data is equal to or greater than the distance threshold, the area identification unit 31 determines that the obstacles are different obstacles.

  Hereinafter, in order to simplify the description, it is assumed that there is one obstacle 91 and the obstacle 91 is detected by the camera device 10 and the radar device 20 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the area identification unit 31 determines that both obstacles are the same obstacle.

Next, the area identifying unit 31 identifies an obstacle 91 contained in the obstacle distribution area information, lane 93a included in the image processing data, based on the 93 b, the first region β1 photographed image P _R.
For example, area identifying unit 31, as the curve portion Rw of a road in the photographed image P _R, in the portion where the obstacle 91 is not present, the right and left two lanes 93a, a region between the 93 b, the first region β1 Recognize as
Further, for example, area identifying unit 31, as the linear portion Rs of a road in the photographed image P _R, in the portion where the obstacle 91 is present, a region interposed between the obstacle 91 and lane 93 b, the first region Recognized as β1. Specifically, the area identification unit 31 sets the traffic direction information in advance according to the country of use of the vehicle 2 (for example, the traffic direction information is left because Japan is a left-side traffic). And the area | region identification part 31 makes the 1st the area | region pinched | interposed into the right lane 93b in the opposite direction of traffic direction information among the detected two right and left lanes 93a and 93b, and the obstruction 91. Recognized as region β1.

This first region β1 is a front region of the vehicle 2 and is a region between the two left and right lanes 93a and 93b, in which the vehicle 2 can travel without the obstacle 91. As shown, it may be referred to as a “blank area” or a “progressable area”.
In the example of FIG. 3, in the first region β <b> 1, the portion where the obstacle 91 does not exist is wider than the portion where the obstacle 91 exists.
In FIG. 3, the first region β1 is shown separated from the lane 93b to make the drawing easier to see, but the first region β1 may be in contact with the lane 93b (the same applies to FIGS. 6 and 7).

Here, it is preferable that the region identification unit 31 narrows the first region β in a stepwise manner according to preset conditions according to the driving state information indicating the driving state of the vehicle 2.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the region identification unit 31 is a road surface in which the raindrop sensor of the driving status acquisition unit 80 detects a rain amount that is greater than a preset threshold value or the road surface condition information is slippery. , The first region β2 is narrowed stepwise. That is, in the case of rain, the area identifying unit 31 makes the first area β2 in FIG. 4 narrower than the first area β1 in FIG. 3 because the road surface condition is bad and the braking distance becomes long.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the speed sensor of the driving condition acquisition unit 80 detects a speed higher than a preset threshold, the area identification unit 31 steps the first area β3 according to this speed. May be narrow. That is, since the braking distance becomes longer as the speed of the vehicle 2 is higher, the area identification unit 31 narrows the first area β3 in FIG. 5 compared to the first area β1 in FIG.
Further, the area identifying unit 31 may narrow the first area β in a stepwise manner (not shown) even when the road is determined to be a downward slope by the inclination sensor of the driving condition obtaining unit 80.

Note that the area identification unit 31 may use any method such as narrowing the entire first area β at the same rate, or narrowing only the periphery of the obstacle 91 in the first area β.
In addition, the region identifying unit 31 may arbitrarily set conditions and ratios (steps) for narrowing the first area β, such as narrowing the first area β by a certain ratio every time a preset speed exceeds a certain amount. For example, the area identifying unit 31 narrows the first area β by 10% every time the speed exceeds 100 km / h by 20 km.

  Thereafter, the region identifying unit 31 generates first region data indicating the first region β. Furthermore, the area identifying unit 31 outputs the generated first area data together with the input captured image to the progress determination unit 33.

Incidentally, in the lower part of FIG. 5, since the vehicle 2 will be described that the high speed (e.g., 100km per hour), but illustrating the speedometer, not in the actual photographed image P _R are photographed speedometer Needless to say.

The progress determination unit 33 determines that the vehicle 2 can travel through the first region β when the first region β indicated by the first region data input from the region identification unit 31 satisfies the progress determination criterion. is there. On the other hand, the progress determination unit 33 determines that the vehicle 2 cannot travel through the first region β when the first region β does not satisfy the travel determination criterion.
The progress determination condition is a condition set in advance to determine whether or not the vehicle 2 can travel on the road.

<First example of progress determination method>
The progress determination unit 33 can use two types of progress determination methods.
First, with reference to FIG. 6, the 1st example of the propriety determination method is demonstrated (refer FIG. 1 suitably).

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, a condition indicating that the region width W, which will be described later, is greater than or equal to a threshold Th _W is set in advance as the progress determination condition.
This threshold value Th _W is set manually or automatically on the production line in consideration of the width of the vehicle, for example.

First, the progress determination unit 33 obtains a reference position γ of the region width W among the positions where the first region β and the obstacle 91 are in contact with each other. In the example of FIG. 6, the captured image P _R, a right front wheel and the right rear wheel of the obstacle 91 (the vehicle) is in contact with the first region beta. Here, the captured image P _R, enough to become lower, close to the vehicle 2, as the facing upward, the distance from the vehicle 2. Therefore, it is preferable to determine whether or not the vehicle 2 can travel based on the position where the obstacle 91 is closest to the vehicle 2 (that is, the lower side in the captured image). For this reason, the progress determination unit 33 determines the position where the right rear wheel of the obstacle 91 is in contact with the first region β as the reference position γ.

In addition, the progress determination unit 33 obtains a region width W (for example, a width between the obstacle 91 and the right lane 93b) of the first region β at the reference position γ. Then, the progress determination unit 33 determines whether or not the obtained region width W is equal to or greater than a threshold value Th _W.
In FIG. 6, the right end of the region width W is illustrated away from the lane 93 b in accordance with the first region β, but the right end of the region width W may be in contact with the lane 93 b.

Here, when the region width W is equal to or larger than the threshold Th _W , the progress determination criterion 33 satisfies the progress determination criterion, so the progress determination unit 33 determines that the vehicle 2 can travel through the first region β (hereinafter “progress”). .
On the other hand, when the region width W is less than the threshold Th _W , the travel propriety determination condition is not satisfied, and therefore the travel propriety determination unit 33 determines that the vehicle 2 cannot travel in the first region β (hereinafter, “cannot proceed”). To do.
Thereafter, the progress determination unit 33 outputs to the control / warning unit 35, together with the first region data, progress determination information indicating whether or not the vehicle 2 can travel through the first region β.

<Second example of progress determination method>
Next, a second example of the progress determination method will be described with reference to FIG. 7 (see FIG. 1 as appropriate).
Here, as shown in FIG. 7, a condition indicating that a region area S to be described later is equal to or greater than a threshold Th _S is set in advance as the progress determination condition.
This threshold value Th _S is set automatically, for example, manually or on the production line in consideration of the space required for the passage of the vehicle.

First, the progress determination unit 33 obtains a section H where the first region β and the obstacle 91 are in contact with each other. In the example of FIG. 7, in the captured image P _R, the position gamma ₁ of the right front wheel of the obstacle 91 (the vehicle) becomes the uppermost obstacle 91 between the first region β are in contact position. Further, the position γ ₂ of the right rear wheel of the obstacle 91 is at the lowest side at the position where the obstacle 91 and the first region β are in contact. Therefore, the progress determination unit 33 obtains a section H between the right front wheel position γ ₁ of the obstacle 91 and the right rear wheel position γ ₂ of the obstacle 91.

Further, the progress determination unit 33 obtains a region area S of the section H (the area of the hatched portion in FIG. 7) in the first region β. Then, the progress determination unit 33 determines whether or not the obtained area S is equal to or greater than the threshold Th _S.

Here, when the area S is equal to or greater than the threshold Th _S , the progress permission determination unit 33 determines that the progress is possible because the progress permission determination condition is satisfied.
On the other hand, when the region area S is less than the threshold Th _S , the progress propriety determination unit 33 does not satisfy the progress propriety determination condition.
Thereafter, the progress determination unit 33 outputs progress determination information indicating whether the travel is possible or impossible to proceed to the control / warning unit 35.

Thus, since the 1st area | region (beta) is identified by the area | region identification part 31, the progress possibility determination part 33 can determine correctly whether the vehicle 2 can advance.
It is set in advance whether the progress determination unit 33 uses the first example or the second example as the progress determination method.

Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the configuration of the driving support device 1 will be continued.
The control / alarm unit 35 uses the image processing data input from the image processing unit 11 and the obstacle data input from the signal processing unit 23 to perform driving control of the vehicle 2 and alarm to the driver. It is. At this time, the control / warning unit 35 does not perform the traveling control of the vehicle 2 and the warning to the driver when the progress determination information input from the progress determination unit 33 can proceed.

<Vehicle travel control / alarm to driver>
Hereinafter, an example of vehicle travel control and a warning technique for the driver will be described.
For example, the control / alarm unit 35 determines whether or not the obstacle 91 included in the image processing data and the obstacle data is the same obstacle by the same method as the region identification unit 31. Further, the control / alarm unit 35 calculates the speed of the obstacle 91 and the moving direction of the obstacle 91 according to the time change of the position of the obstacle 91 for the obstacle 91 determined as the same obstacle, The estimated course of the obstacle 91 is obtained. The control / alarm unit 35 measures the speed and yaw rate of the vehicle 2 with a vehicle state sensor (not shown), and calculates the estimated course of the vehicle 2 based on the measured speed and yaw rate of the vehicle 2. Further, the control / warning unit 35 determines the possibility of collision between the obstacle 91 and the vehicle 2 based on the amount of overlap between the estimated course of the obstacle 91 and the estimated course of the vehicle 2.

When it is determined that there is no possibility of collision, the control / alarm unit 35 does not perform any processing.
If it is determined that there is a possibility of collision, the control / warning unit 35 determines whether the progress determination information input from the progress determination unit 33 is incapable of progressing or can proceed.

  Here, when it is determined that there is a possibility of collision and the progress determination information cannot be advanced, the control / warning unit 35 controls the vehicle to avoid collision or reduce collision damage. For example, the control / alarm unit 35 outputs the control signals (1) to (4) in a state where the vehicle cannot travel in a preset combination to control the traveling of the vehicle 2 so as to avoid collision or reduce collision damage. I do.

(1) A control signal for controlling the ENG 41 so as to have a preset driving force (2) A control signal for controlling the shifting operation of the TM 43 (3) A control signal for controlling the steering operation of the steering actuator 50 (4) A control signal for controlling the brake actuator 60 so that the set speed is obtained.

  Here, it is preferable that the control / warning unit 35 performs traveling control of the vehicle 2 based on the first region data input from the progress determination unit 33 so that the vehicle 2 can travel in the first region β. . For example, the control / alarm unit 35 outputs the control signal (3) so that the vehicle 2 travels a predetermined distance away from the left end of the first region β. Thereby, the control / alarm unit 35 can advance the vehicle 2 while maintaining a sufficient distance between the vehicle 2 and the obstacle 91.

  In addition, the control / alarm unit 35 presets alarms (A) to (D) in a state in which progress is not possible when it is determined that there is a possibility of collision and the progress determination information cannot be advanced. Do it in combination and let the driver recognize that there is a possibility of a collision.

(A) Tighten the seat belt with a predetermined tension (B) Vibrate the steering wheel (C) Flash the warning light (D) Output an alarm sound to the speaker

  On the other hand, the control / warning unit 35 does not perform any processing when it is determined that there is a possibility of a collision and the progress determination information can proceed. That is, the control / warning unit 35 does not perform the traveling control of the vehicle 2 and the warning to the driver when there is a sufficient space to avoid the obstacle 91.

In addition, the driving | running | working control of the vehicle 2 and the warning method to a driver are described in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2007-91208 (it incorporates into this invention by this quotation), for example.
In addition, the control / alarm unit 35, when there is sufficient space for avoiding the obstacle 91, does not perform the travel control of the vehicle 2 and the warning to the driver, except for the travel control of the vehicle 2 and No further explanation is given to alert the driver.

[Operation of driving support device]
The operation of the driving support device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 (see FIG. 1 as appropriate).
The driving support device 1 captures a captured image by the camera device 10, performs obstacle detection processing on the captured image, detects the position of the obstacle 91, and uses a motion stereo technique to move from the vehicle to the obstacle. The distance is calculated (step S1: first obstacle detection step).

The driving support device 1 performs the lane detection process on the captured image by the camera device 10, thereby detecting the positions of the lanes 93a and 93b in the captured image and generating image processing data (step S2).
The driving support device 1 detects the position of the obstacle 91 using the transmission wave irradiated on the obstacle 91 by the radar apparatus 20 and the received wave reflected by the obstacle 91, and the obstacle data. (Step S3: second obstacle detection step).
The first obstacle detection step S1 and the second obstacle detection step S3 correspond to the obstacle detection step recited in the claims.

The driving support device 1 acquires driving status information indicating the driving status of the vehicle 2 by the driving status acquisition unit 80 (step S4: driving status acquisition step).
The driving assistance apparatus 1 uses the region identification unit 31 to determine whether the obstacle is the same obstacle depending on whether the position of the obstacle 91 included in both the image processing data and the obstacle data is less than the distance threshold or more than the distance threshold. It is determined whether it is a thing. Then, the driving assistance device 1 recognizes the region where the same obstacle exists as the obstacle distribution region by the region identification unit 31, and generates obstacle distribution region information indicating the obstacle distribution region (step S5: same) Obstacle determination step).

  In the driving assistance device 1, the region identification unit 31 identifies the first region β based on the obstacle 91 included in the obstacle distribution region information and the lanes 93 a and 93 b included in the image processing data. At this time, the driving assistance device 1 causes the region identification unit 31 to narrow the first region β stepwise in accordance with the driving state information (step S6: region identification step).

  The driving support device 1 determines whether the progress is possible or not by the progress determination unit 33 depending on whether the first region β satisfies the progress determination condition. Then, the driving support device 1 determines that the travel is possible when the progress determination unit 33 determines that the first region β satisfies the travel determination criterion. On the other hand, when the first region β does not satisfy the condition for determining whether to proceed or not, the driving support device 1 determines that the progress is impossible (step S7).

  The driving support device 1 controls the driving of the vehicle 2 and issues a warning to the driver by the control / alarm unit 35. Further, when it is determined in step S6 that the vehicle can proceed, the driving support device 1 does not perform driving control of the vehicle 2 and warning to the driver by the control / alarm unit 35 (step S8).

  As described above, the driving support device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention does not perform the traveling control of the vehicle 2 and the warning to the driver when there is a sufficient space to avoid the obstacle 91, and thus smooth. It is possible to prevent traffic from being interrupted.

  Furthermore, even when the roadside parking vehicle suddenly opens the door, for example, the driving support device 1 uses the various determination conditions to narrow the first region β stepwise, even when the door suddenly opens. A situation where the vehicle is in contact with the roadside parking vehicle can be reduced.

(Modifications 1 and 2)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Hereinafter, the modification of this invention is demonstrated concretely.

In the above-described embodiment, the camera device 10, the radar device 20, and the arithmetic device 30 have been described as having different configurations, but the present invention is not limited to this.
As shown in FIG. 9, the driving support device 1 </ b> A according to the first modification of the present invention has a simplified configuration by integrating the camera device 10 (FIG. 1) with the arithmetic device 30 </ b> A.
As shown in FIG. 10, the driving support device 1B according to the second modification of the present invention is configured by integrating the radar device (FIG. 1) with the arithmetic device 30B to simplify the configuration.

(Modification 3)
In the above-described embodiment, the control / alarm unit 35 has been described as not performing the driving control of the vehicle 2 and the alarm to the driver when there is sufficient space to avoid the obstacle 91. Is not limited to this.
That is, when there is sufficient space to avoid the obstacle 91, the control / alarm unit 35 does not perform the driving control of the vehicle 2 and the warning to the driver, but suppresses the driving control and the warning. May be.

  Specifically, the control / alarm unit 35 is a combination of preset control signals (1 ′) to (4 ′) in an advanceable state instead of the control signals (1) to (4). It may be output.

(1 ′) Control signal (2 ′) in which the amount of decrease in driving force of ENG 41 is less than that of control signal (1) Control signal (3 ′) in which the shifting operation of TM43 is suppressed more than control signal (2) Control signal ( 3) Control signal (4 ′) in which the steering operation of the steering actuator 50 is less than that in 3) Control signal in which the deceleration operation of the brake actuator 60 is less than in the control signal (4)

  Furthermore, for example, the control / alarm unit 35 may perform the alarms (A ′) to (D ′) in a state where they can proceed in a preset combination instead of the alarms (A) to (D) described above. Good.

(A ') Tighten the seat belt with a lower tension than the alarm (A) (B') Vibrate the steering wheel at a lower frequency than the alarm (B) (C ') Alarm at longer intervals than the alarm (C) Flashes the light (D ') Outputs an alarm sound to the speaker at a lower volume than the alarm (D)

(Modification 4)
In the above-described embodiment, the first region β is narrowed according to the driving condition such as speed, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the driving situation acquisition unit 80 acquires a road type (general road or highway type) from a car navigation device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 2 and outputs the road type to the region identification unit 31. And when the type of road is a highway, the area | region identification part 31 may narrow the 1st area | region (beta) since the vehicle 2 becomes a higher speed than a general road. Further, the region identification unit 31 may output first region data indicating the first region β to the car navigation device, and cause the car navigation device to guide the route of the vehicle 2 based on the first region data.

  Moreover, the area | region identification part 31 is good also as setting the ratio which narrows 1st area | region (beta) according to a driver | operator's intention. Thus, the driving support device 1 allows the driver to change the number and strength of the driving control of the vehicle 2 and the warning to the driver in consideration of the driver's own physical condition and driving skill.

  Further, the region identifying unit 31 may narrow the first region β of the curve portion Rw compared to the straight portion Rs because the vehicle 2 travels along the curve portion Rw (FIG. 3) of the road. For example, the region identification unit 31 receives the curvature of the lanes 93a and 93b detected by the image processing unit 11, and narrows the first region β as the curvature increases.

(Other variations)
In the above-described embodiment, the camera apparatus 10 has been described as including one camera C, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the camera apparatus 10 may include a pair of cameras (stereo cameras) and calculate the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle based on the principle of triangulation.
Furthermore, the camera apparatus 10 may include two different types of cameras, such as a camera that captures images in the visible light region and a camera that captures images in the infrared region.

In the above-described embodiment, the region identification unit 31 has been described as identifying the first region β by the method of FIG. 3, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the area identifying unit 31 may recognize the first area β by excluding the area of the obstacle 91 from the area sandwiched between the two left and right lanes 93a and 93b.

In the above-described embodiment, the obstacle detected by the camera apparatus 10 and the radar apparatus 20 is described as the same obstacle. However, different obstacles may be detected.
In this case, the driving assistance device 1 may determine whether or not the vehicle 2 is allowed to travel based on the nearest obstacle 91, and may perform driving control of the vehicle 2 or a warning to the driver.

In the embodiment and the modification described above, when there is sufficient space to avoid the obstacle 91, it has been described that both the driving control of the vehicle 2 and the warning to the driver are not performed or suppressed. The present invention is not limited to this.
In other words, the present invention may not perform or suppress only one of the travel control of the vehicle 2 and the warning to the driver when there is a sufficient space to avoid the obstacle 91.

  In the above-described embodiment, the driving support device 1 has been described as independent hardware, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the driving support device 1 can also be realized by a vehicle area identification program that causes hardware resources such as a CPU, a memory, and a hard disk included in a computer to operate cooperatively as the area identification unit 31. This program may be distributed through a communication line, or may be distributed by writing in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a flash memory.

1,1A, 1B Driving support device (vehicle area identification device)
2 Vehicle 10 Camera device (obstacle detection unit)
C Camera 11 Image processing unit 20 Radar device (obstacle detection unit)
21 Radar 23 Signal processing unit 30 Arithmetic unit 31 Area identification unit 33 Progression determination unit 35 Control / warning unit 80 Driving condition acquisition unit 91 Obstacles 93a, 93b Lane

Claims (9)

An area identification device for a vehicle that detects an obstacle in a traveling direction of a vehicle and identifies a first area that is an area other than the obstacle in front of the vehicle,
An obstacle detection unit that detects the obstacle and generates distribution information of the detected obstacle;
A driving status acquisition unit that acquires driving status information indicating the driving status of the vehicle;
Based on the obstacle distribution information generated by the obstacle detector, the obstacle distribution area information is generated by recognizing the obstacle distribution area, and the generated obstacle distribution area information and the driving status acquisition are generated. A region identifying unit for identifying the first region based on the driving situation information acquired by the unit;
A vehicle region identification device comprising: The area identification unit identifies an area between two lanes and an area between the lane and the obstacle as the first area,
When the first region identified by the region identifying unit satisfies a predetermined advanceability determination condition, the vehicle determines that the vehicle can travel through the first region, and the first region satisfies the advanceability determination condition. If not, a progress determination unit that determines that the vehicle cannot travel in the first region;
The vehicle region identification device according to claim 1, further comprising: The progress determination unit is
A condition indicating that the region width at the position in contact with the obstacle in the first region is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is set in advance as the progress determination condition.
If the area width is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is determined that the vehicle can travel through the first area;
The vehicle area identification device according to claim 2, wherein when the area width is less than the threshold, it is determined that the vehicle cannot travel in the first area. The progress determination unit is
As the condition for determining whether or not to proceed, a condition indicating that a region area in a section in contact with the obstacle in the first region is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is set in advance.
If the area is equal to or greater than the threshold, it is determined that the vehicle can travel through the first area;
3. The vehicle region identification device according to claim 2, wherein when the region area is less than the threshold value, it is determined that the vehicle cannot travel in the first region. A control / alarm unit that does not perform or suppresses at least one of travel control of the vehicle or an alarm to a driver when the vehicle propriety determination unit determines that the vehicle can travel in the first region;
The vehicle region identification device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: The obstacle detection unit is
A camera device that detects a position of the lane by capturing a captured image and applying a predetermined lane detection process to the captured image;
A radar device for detecting the position of the obstacle by a radar wave;
The vehicle region identification device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:   The said area | region identification part narrows said 1st area | region in steps according to the preset conditions based on the driving condition information which the said driving condition acquisition part acquired, The Claim 1 to Claim 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The vehicle area identification device according to any one of the preceding claims. In order to detect an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle and identify a first area that is an area other than the obstacle in front of the vehicle, the obstacle is detected, and the distribution information of the detected obstacle is A computer comprising an obstacle detection unit to generate and a driving status acquisition unit that acquires driving status information indicating the driving status of the vehicle,
Based on the obstacle distribution information generated by the obstacle detector, the obstacle distribution area information is generated by recognizing the obstacle distribution area, and the generated obstacle distribution area information and the driving status acquisition are generated. A region identifying unit for identifying the first region based on the driving situation information acquired by the unit;
Vehicle area identification program for functioning as An area identification method for a vehicle that detects an obstacle in a traveling direction of a vehicle and identifies a first area that is an area other than the obstacle in front of the vehicle,
An obstacle detection step in which a camera device captures a captured image, detects the obstacle from the captured image, and a radar device detects the obstacle by a radar wave;
A driving status acquisition step in which the driving status acquisition unit acquires driving status information indicating the driving status of the vehicle;
The area identification unit determines whether the obstacles detected by the camera device and the radar device are the same, and when the obstacles are determined to be the same, the obstacle distribution area information indicating the area of the same obstacle The same obstacle determination step for generating
An area identifying step in which the area identifying unit identifies the first area based on the obstacle distribution area information and the driving situation information;
In order. The vehicle area | region identification method characterized by the above-mentioned.

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