CN110053610B

CN110053610B - Travel control device and travel control method

Info

Publication number: CN110053610B
Application number: CN201910045104.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 仓桥幸慎; 鲤渊宏之
Original assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-01-17
Filing date: 2019-01-17
Publication date: 2022-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-17
Also published as: JP2019125174A; CN110053610A; JP6630375B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a travel control device and a travel control method. An external situation acquisition means (170) of a travel control device (12) detects a side obstacle (602) that is present on the side of the vehicle (10). When a side obstacle (602) overlapping the vehicle (10) in the width direction of the vehicle lane (612b) performs a predetermined approaching motion to the vehicle lane (612b), the external situation acquisition means (170) determines that the side obstacle (602) has started to jam the vehicle lane (612 b). This makes it possible to appropriately and effectively cope with a situation in which another vehicle present in the vicinity of the host vehicle and on the side of the host vehicle jams the host vehicle lane.

Description

Travel control device and travel control method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a travel control device and a travel control method.

Background

Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2016-. To achieve this object, the travel control device 10 of japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-134093 (abstract) is applied to a vehicle having an imaging device 21 mounted thereon. The travel control device 10 includes a white line recognition unit 11 and another vehicle jam distance determination unit 12.

The white line recognition unit 11 recognizes a white line as a travel lane dividing line that divides a travel lane of the host vehicle from the image acquired by the imaging device 21. The other-vehicle jammed exit determination unit 12 performs other-vehicle jammed exit determination. In the other-vehicle stuck-off determination, a preceding vehicle traveling on an adjacent lane is determined as a stuck vehicle that is stuck to the own lane, based on the relative position of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction with respect to the white line. Further, the preceding vehicle traveling on the own lane is determined as a departing vehicle departing from the own lane.

The other-vehicle stuck-departure determination unit 12 that determines a stuck vehicle or the like that sticks to the own lane and a departing vehicle that departs from the own lane (other-vehicle stuck-departure determination) from the objects (target objects) detected by the object detection means ([0018 ]). The object detection means here is composed of an imaging device 21 and a radar device 22 ([0012], fig. 1).

The imaging device 21 is provided in the vicinity of the upper end of a front windshield of the vehicle, for example, and images a range ([0013]) that extends toward the front of the vehicle at a predetermined imaging angle δ 1 around the imaging axis. The radar device 22 is attached to the front portion of the host vehicle, and scans a range that extends from the optical axis toward the front of the vehicle over a predetermined radar angle δ 2(δ 2 < δ 1) by a radar signal ([0014 ]). Then, the distance measurement data is created based on the time from the transmission of the electromagnetic wave to the front of the vehicle to the reception of the reflected wave, and the created distance measurement data is sequentially output to the travel control device 10.

The other-vehicle jam-and-separation determination unit 12 includes a 1 st determination means and a 2 nd determination means ([0021 ]). When the preceding vehicle 51 is present within the range of the recognition distance of the white line 61 recognized by the imaging device 21 mounted on the host vehicle 50 (yes in S103 in fig. 4), the 1 st determination means determines that the other vehicle is jammed and separated ([0022], [0036], S104 in fig. 4). Specifically, the 1 st determination means determines that another vehicle is jammed and separated ([0021], [0024], [0037] - [0041], fig. 5) based on the relative position of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction with respect to the white line (recognition dividing line) recognized by the imaging device 21.

When the preceding vehicle 51 is out of the range of the recognition distance of the white line 61 by the imaging device 21 (no in S103 in fig. 4) and the white line 61 cannot be used, the 2 nd determination means determines that another vehicle is jammed and separated ([0028], [0035], S105 in fig. 4). Here, "outside the range of the recognition distance to the white line 61 by the imaging device 21" assumes that the preceding vehicle 51 is present at a position farther than the position of the white line recognition processing ([0057 ]). Specifically, the 2 nd determination means determines that the other vehicle is jammed and separated ([0021], [0028] to [0031], fig. 3) based on the relative position of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction with respect to the host vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

As described above, in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-. It is found that it does not explain what value the photographing angle δ 1 is here. Further, the 2 nd determination means of japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-134093 is used in a case where the preceding vehicle 51 is present at a position farther than the position of the white line recognition processing ([0057 ]). Therefore, it is explained that the 1 st and 2 nd determination means of japanese patent laid-open publication 2016-134093 do not assume that another vehicle (or a side obstacle) present in the vicinity of the host vehicle and beside the host vehicle is jammed in the host vehicle lane (particularly, that the host vehicle and another vehicle are traveling at a low speed).

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a travel control device and a travel control method that can reasonably and effectively cope with a situation where an obstacle is stuck in a lane of a vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle.

The travel control device according to the present invention includes an external situation acquisition means and a travel control means, wherein,

the external situation acquisition means acquires an external situation of the own vehicle;

the running control means performs running control of the host vehicle in accordance with the external situation acquired by the external situation acquisition means,

the running control apparatus is characterized in that,

the external situation acquisition means detects a side obstacle present on a side of the host vehicle,

the external situation acquisition means may determine that the side obstacle has started to jam in the own vehicle lane when the side obstacle overlapping the own vehicle in the width direction of the own vehicle lane on which the own vehicle is traveling performs a predetermined approaching operation to the own vehicle lane.

According to the present invention, when a side obstacle overlapping with the host vehicle in the width direction of the host vehicle lane performs a predetermined approaching motion to the host vehicle lane, it is determined that the side obstacle has started to jam the host vehicle lane. Accordingly, even when a side obstacle located in an adjacent lane or the like is located in the vicinity of the host vehicle on the side of the host vehicle, the travel control means can perform travel control corresponding to a case where the side obstacle has started to jam in the host vehicle lane.

The predetermined approach operation can be performed, for example, by at least 1 of the following operations.

A lane marking line that a part of the side obstacle overlapping the host vehicle in the width direction of the host vehicle lane crosses or is about to cross the host vehicle lane

The distance of the side obstacle from the reference position in the width direction of the own vehicle lane is less than the threshold value of the distance in the width direction

The speed of the side obstacle in the width direction of the host vehicle lane exceeds the width direction speed threshold

The acceleration of the side obstacle in the width direction of the own vehicle lane exceeds the width direction acceleration threshold

The external situation acquisition means may recognize the side obstacle and a lane marker defining the own vehicle lane. In addition, it may be: the external situation acquisition means determines that the side obstacle has started to jam in the host vehicle lane when a part of the side obstacle in a state of overlapping with the host vehicle in the width direction of the host vehicle lane has crossed or is about to cross the lane marking line of the host vehicle lane.

According to the present invention, when a part of the side obstacle overlapping the host vehicle in the width direction of the host vehicle lane crosses or is about to cross the lane marking of the host vehicle lane, it is determined that the side obstacle has jammed in the host vehicle lane. Accordingly, even when a side obstacle located in an adjacent lane or the like is located in the vicinity of the host vehicle on the side of the host vehicle, the travel control means can perform travel control corresponding to the case where the side obstacle is stuck in the host vehicle lane.

The external situation acquisition means may include side recognition means for recognizing a side of the host vehicle. The external situation acquisition means may monitor a moving state of the side obstacle when the side obstacle is recognized by the side recognition means. The travel control means may perform the travel control in accordance with the side obstacle in the monitored state.

Accordingly, the state of the side obstacle can be reflected in the travel control before it is determined that the side obstacle has started to jam the own vehicle lane. Therefore, the congestion of the side obstacle can be promptly dealt with, as compared with a case where the state of the side obstacle is not reflected in the travel control until it is determined that the side obstacle has started to congestion the own vehicle lane.

The running control means may change the mode of the running control before the side obstacle starts to be jammed and after the side obstacle starts to be jammed. Accordingly, the running control based on the side obstacle can be reasonably and effectively performed.

The travel control device may also have a target proximity setting mechanism that sets a target proximity with respect to a surrounding obstacle. The travel control means may set a target vehicle speed or a target acceleration/deceleration in accordance with the target proximity to the side obstacle during the travel control. The travel control means may set the target vehicle speed after the side obstacle starts to be jammed to be smaller than the target vehicle speed before the side obstacle starts to be jammed, or may set the target acceleration/deceleration after the side obstacle starts to be jammed to be larger than the target acceleration/deceleration before the side obstacle starts to be jammed. This makes it possible to perform appropriate deceleration corresponding to the presence or absence of the clogging.

The external situation acquisition means may detect a front obstacle existing in front of the host vehicle. The travel control means may set a temporary target vehicle speed or a temporary target acceleration/deceleration with respect to the front obstacle and the side obstacle using the target proximity in the travel control. Further, the running control means may select, as the target vehicle speed or the target acceleration/deceleration, a value that most suppresses the approaching of the front obstacle and the side obstacle, from among the provisional target vehicle speed or the provisional target acceleration/deceleration. The travel control means may control acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle in accordance with the target vehicle speed or the target acceleration and deceleration.

According to the present invention, when there is a front obstacle and a side obstacle, acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle is controlled based on the value that most suppresses the approaching of the front obstacle and the side obstacle, out of the temporary target vehicle speed and the temporary target acceleration and deceleration with respect to the front obstacle and the side obstacle, respectively. For example, when deceleration is required according to the relationship with each of the front obstacle and the side obstacle, the host vehicle is decelerated according to the value at which the deceleration is the largest. When acceleration is required according to the relationship with each of the front obstacle and the side obstacle, the own vehicle is accelerated according to the value at which the acceleration is minimum. Accordingly, when a front obstacle and a side obstacle are present around the host vehicle, acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle can be controlled reasonably and effectively.

The travel control means may start deceleration of the host vehicle when it is determined that the side obstacle has started to jam the host vehicle lane in a state where the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is lower than a 1 st vehicle speed threshold value. This enables the vehicle to cope with a side obstacle jam even when the vehicle speed of the vehicle is relatively low.

The external situation acquisition means may detect an obstacle existing in front of a lane adjacent to the own vehicle lane in front of the own vehicle. The travel control means may determine that the vehicle has started a lane change to the host vehicle lane when an offset distance between the front obstacle existing in the adjacent lane and a lane marking of the host vehicle lane is less than a distance threshold in a state where the vehicle speed of the host vehicle exceeds a 2 nd vehicle speed threshold. The travel control means may control acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle in relation to the preceding obstacle from which the lane change has been started. Accordingly, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is relatively high, the degree of proximity to the obstacle ahead of the adjacent lane can be adjusted before the obstacle ahead crosses the lane marking of the host vehicle lane.

The driving control method according to the present invention includes an external situation acquisition step and a driving control step, wherein,

in the external situation acquisition step, an external situation of the own vehicle is acquired by an external situation acquisition mechanism;

in the running control step, the running control means performs running control of the own vehicle in accordance with the external situation detected by the external situation acquisition means,

the running control method is characterized in that,

in the external-condition acquisition step, it is preferable that,

detecting a side obstacle present on a side of the host vehicle,

when the side obstacle in a state of overlapping with the host vehicle in a width direction of a host vehicle lane in which the host vehicle is traveling performs a predetermined approaching operation to the host vehicle lane, it is determined that the side obstacle has jammed in the host vehicle lane.

According to the present invention, it is possible to cope with a situation in which another vehicle present in the vicinity of the host vehicle and on the side of the host vehicle jams the host vehicle lane.

The above objects, features and advantages should be readily understood from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle including a travel control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the detection range of the external sensor according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing each part of the arithmetic device of the travel control device according to the above embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the own vehicle and the 1 st preceding vehicle as a preceding obstacle are traveling in the above embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the host vehicle, the 2 nd preceding vehicle and the 3 rd preceding vehicle as the preceding obstacles are traveling in the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a situation in which the host vehicle, the 4 th preceding vehicle as the preceding obstacle, and the side vehicle as the side obstacle are traveling in the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) in the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the lane change determination process according to the embodiment (details of S1111 in fig. 7).

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of the clogging determination process according to the embodiment (details of S1112 in fig. 7).

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of calculating a temporary target acceleration/deceleration for each peripheral obstacle in the above-described embodiment (details of S17 in fig. 7).

Detailed Description

A. One embodiment of the invention

< A-1. Structure >

[ A-1-1. Overall Structure ]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 10 including a travel control device 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The travel control device 12 has a navigation device 20, an external sensor 22, a vehicle body behavior sensor 24, a driving operation sensor 26, a communication device 28, a human-machine interface 30 (hereinafter referred to as "HMI 30"), a driving force generation device 32, a brake device 34, a steering device 36, and a travel electronic control device 38 (hereinafter referred to as "travel ECU 38" or "ECU 38").

[ A-1-2. navigation device 20]

The navigation device 20 performs route guidance along a predetermined route Rv to a target point Pgoal of a vehicle 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "own vehicle 10"). The navigation device 20 has a global positioning system sensor 40 (hereinafter referred to as "GPS sensor 40") and a map database 42 (hereinafter referred to as "map DB 42"). The GPS sensor 40 detects the current position Pgps of the vehicle 10. The map DB42 stores information on road maps (map information Imap).

[ A-1-3. external sensor 22]

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the detection range of the external sensor 22 according to the present embodiment. The outside sensor 22 detects information (hereinafter also referred to as "outside information Ie") relating to the outside (outside situation) of the vehicle 10. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the external sensor 22 includes a plurality of external cameras 50 (imaging units), a laser radar 52, and a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 54. In fig. 1, only 1

vehicle exterior camera

50 and 1 ultrasonic sensor 54 are shown.

The plurality of vehicle exterior cameras 50 (hereinafter also referred to as "cameras 50") include a front camera 50a and a rear camera 50b (see fig. 2) that photographs the rear of the vehicle 10. The front camera 50a is used to photograph the front of the vehicle 10, and has a detection range 500. The front camera 50a is disposed near the upper end of the front windshield or around the front grille, for example. The rear camera 50b is for imaging the rear of the vehicle 10, and has a detection range 502. The rear camera 50b is disposed on a rear bumper or a hatchback door, for example. The

cameras

50a and 50b output image information Iimage relating to a peripheral image F (hereinafter also referred to as "camera image F" or "image F") obtained by capturing an image of the periphery of the vehicle 10.

The laser radar 52 outputs radar information Iradar representing a reflected wave with respect to an electromagnetic wave transmitted to the front of the vehicle 10. Lidar 52 has a detection range 510.

The ultrasonic sensor 54 outputs ultrasonic information Isonar representing reflected waves with respect to ultrasonic waves transmitted to the periphery (left oblique front, right oblique front, left oblique rear, and right oblique rear) of the vehicle 10. The ultrasonic sensor 54a of the ultrasonic sensors 54 has a detection range 520fl diagonally to the front on the left. The ultrasonic sensor 54b has a detection range 520fr diagonally forward to the right. The ultrasonic sensor 54c has a detection range 520rl obliquely to the rear left. The ultrasonic sensor 54d has a detection range 520rr obliquely to the right and to the rear.

In addition to the camera 50, the laser radar 52 And the ultrasonic sensor 54, LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) may be provided. The LIDAR continuously emits laser light in all directions of the vehicle 10, and measures the three-dimensional position of the reflection point from the reflected wave thereof to output as three-dimensional information.

[ A-1-4. vehicle body behavior sensor 24]

The vehicle body behavior sensor 24 detects information (vehicle body behavior information Ib) relating to the behavior of the vehicle 10 (particularly, the vehicle body). The vehicle body behavior sensor 24 includes a vehicle speed sensor 60, an acceleration sensor 62, and a yaw rate sensor 64. The vehicle speed sensor 60 detects the vehicle speed V [ km/h ] of the vehicle 10]And a direction of travel. The acceleration sensor 62 detects the acceleration G [ m/s ] of the vehicle 10 ² ]. The acceleration G includes a front-rear acceleration a, a lateral acceleration Glat, and an up-down acceleration Gv (which may be only an acceleration G in a part of directions). Yaw rate sensor 64 detects the yaw rate Yr rad/s of vehicle 10]。

[ A-1-5. Driving operation sensor 26]

The driving operation sensor 26 detects information (driving operation information Ido) relating to a driving operation performed by the driver. The driving operation sensors 26 include an accelerator pedal sensor 70, a brake pedal sensor 72, a steering angle sensor 74, and a steering torque sensor 76. The accelerator pedal sensor 70 detects an operation amount θ ap [% ] of an accelerator pedal 80. The brake pedal sensor 72 detects the operation amount θ bp [% ] of the brake pedal 82. The rudder angle sensor 74 detects a rudder angle θ st [ deg ] of the steering wheel 84. The steering torque sensor 76 detects a torque Tst N · m applied to the steering wheel 84.

[ A-1-6. communication device 28]

The communication device 28 performs wireless communication with an external apparatus. The external device here includes, for example, an external server not shown. Note that the communication device 28 of the present embodiment is a device mounted on (or always fixed to) the vehicle 10, but may be a device that can be carried outside the vehicle 10, such as a mobile phone or a smartphone, for example.

[A-1-7.HMI30]

The HMI30 accepts operation inputs from the occupant, and presents various information to the occupant visually, audibly, and tactilely. An ACC switch 100 (hereinafter also referred to as "ACC SW 100") is included in the HMI30, a speaker 102, a touch screen 104, and a microphone 106.

The ACC SW100 is a switch for instructing the start and end of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and setting the vehicle speed Vset by an operation of an occupant. It is also possible to instruct the start or end of the ACC or set the vehicle speed Vset by another method (voice input via the microphone 106, etc.) in addition to the ACC SW100 or instead of the ACC SW 100. The touch panel 104 includes, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel.

[ A-1-8. Driving force generating device 32]

The driving force generation device 32 has an engine 110 as a travel driving source, and generates travel driving force of the vehicle 10. The travel drive source may be a traction motor or the like. The driving force generation device 32 is controlled by the drive control unit 174 (fig. 3) of the travel ECU 38.

[ A-1-9. brake device 34]

The brake device 34 includes a brake actuator 120 (or a hydraulic mechanism), a brake pad, and the like, and generates a braking force of the vehicle 10. The braking device 34 may also control engine braking by the engine 110 and/or regenerative braking by the traction motors. The brake device 34 is controlled by a brake control unit 176 (fig. 3) of the travel ECU 38.

[ A-1-10. steering gear 36]

The steering device 36 includes an electric power steering motor (EPS MOT)130 and the like, and controls the steering angle θ st. The steering device 36 is controlled by the steering control unit 178 (fig. 3) of the travel ECU 38.

[ A-1-11. traveling ECU38]

(A-1-11-1. outline of travel ECU 38)

When the driver performs a driving operation without driving assistance such as ACC, the driving ECU38 controls the driving force generating device 32, the braking device 34, and the steering device 36 based on the detection values from the vehicle body behavior sensor 24 and the driving operation sensor 26. In addition, when the ACC switch 100 is turned on to perform driving operation by the driver while performing ACC, the travel ECU38 controls the driving force generation device 32 and the brake device 34 in accordance with the detection values of the external sensor 22 in addition to the vehicle body behavior sensor 24 and the driving operation sensor 26.

As shown in fig. 1, the travel ECU38 has an input/output device 150, an arithmetic device 152, and a storage device 154. The input/output device 150 performs input/output with devices (the navigation device 20, the

sensors

22, 24, 26, and the like) other than the travel ECU 38.

The arithmetic unit 152 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and performs arithmetic operations based on signals from the navigation device 20, the

sensors

22, 24, and 26, the communication device 28, the HMI30, and the like. The arithmetic device 152 generates signals to the communication device 28, the HMI30, the driving force generation device 32, the brake device 34, and the steering device 36 based on the arithmetic result. The details of the arithmetic device 152 will be described later with reference to fig. 3.

The storage device 154 stores programs and data used by the arithmetic device 152. The storage 154 has, for example, a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as "RAM"). As the RAM, a volatile memory such as a register and a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory can be used. In addition, the storage 154 may have a read only memory (hereinafter referred to as "ROM") in addition to the RAM.

(A-1-11-2. arithmetic unit 152)

(A-1-11-2-1. overview of arithmetic device 152)

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing each part of arithmetic device 152 of travel ECU38 according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 3, the arithmetic device 152 of the travel ECU38 includes an external recognition unit 170, an adaptive cruise control unit 172 (hereinafter referred to as "ACC unit 172"), a drive control unit 174, a brake control unit 176, and a steering control unit 178.

In fig. 3, 1 arithmetic device 152 has a plurality of units, but an input/output device 150, an arithmetic device 152, and a storage device 154 may be provided for each unit included in the arithmetic device 152. In other words, an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may be provided for each unit included in the arithmetic unit 152.

(A-1-11-2-2. external recognition part 170)

The environment recognizing unit 170 recognizes a surrounding obstacle or lane (or lane marking) from the environment information Ie (particularly, the surrounding image F) from the environment sensor 22. As shown in fig. 3, the external world recognizing unit 170 includes a lane recognizing unit 180, a lane estimating unit 182, a front obstacle recognizing unit 184, a side obstacle recognizing unit 186, a rear obstacle recognizing unit 188, an obstacle position calculating unit 190, a lane change determining unit 192, and a jam determining unit 194.

The lane recognition unit 180 recognizes the lane marking 620 (fig. 4 to 6) from the camera image F. The lane recognition unit 180 recognizes the lane 612 (fig. 4 to 6) from the recognized lane marker 620.

The lane estimation unit 182 estimates the near side (the portion close to the vehicle 10) of the lane marker 620 from the lane marker 620 recognized by the lane recognition unit 180. As can be seen from fig. 2, the detection range 500 of the front camera 50a does not include the lateral side (or oblique lateral side) of the vehicle 10. Therefore, in the image F of the front camera 50a at the current time point, a portion of the lane marking 620 that is close to the vehicle 10 cannot be detected. Therefore, the lane estimation unit 182 estimates the portion of the lane marking 620 that is close to the vehicle 10 from the past image F. Alternatively, the lane estimation unit 182 may estimate the portion of the lane marking 620 that is close to the vehicle 10 from the image F at the current time point and the yaw rate Yr of the vehicle 10.

The front obstacle recognition unit 184 recognizes the front obstacle 600 (for example, the 1 st to 4 th front vehicles 600a to 600d (fig. 4 to 6)) from the image information iirange of the front camera 50a and the radar information Iradar. The side obstacle recognition unit 186 recognizes the side obstacle 602 (for example, the side vehicle 602a (fig. 6)) from the ultrasonic information Isonar. As will be described later, the side obstacle 602 may be identified based on information other than the ultrasonic information Isonar. The rear obstacle recognition unit 188 recognizes a rear obstacle (not shown) from the image information iirange of the rear camera 50b and the ultrasonic information Isonar of the rear

ultrasonic sensors

54c and 54 d. The front obstacle 600, the side obstacle 602, and the rear obstacle include, for example, a 1 st to a 4 th front vehicle 600a to 600d, a side vehicle 602a, a pedestrian, a bicycle, a wall, and a utility pole of fig. 4 to 6.

The obstacle position calculation unit 190 calculates a relative position Prel1 between the lane marking 620 recognized by the lane recognition unit 180 and the front obstacle 600. The obstacle position calculation unit 190 calculates the relative position Prel2 between the lane marking 620 estimated by the lane estimation unit 182 and the side obstacle 602.

The lane change determination unit 192 determines a lane change of the front obstacle 600 (the front vehicles 600a to 600d, etc.). The jam determination unit 194 determines the jam of the side obstacle 602 (the side vehicle 602a and the like). Here, "jamming" is a kind of lane change. That is, the jam is a lane change in which the other vehicle is forced to decelerate by making a lane change directly ahead of the other vehicle.

(A-1-11-2-3.ACC 172)

The ACC portion 172 executes ACC. In the ACC, when there is no front obstacle 600 (front vehicles 600a to 600d) from the host vehicle 10 to the front of a predetermined distance, acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 10 are controlled with a fixed vehicle speed as a target vehicle speed Vtar. In the ACC, when there is a front obstacle 600 from the host vehicle 10 to the front of the predetermined distance, acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 10 is controlled so as to maintain a target distance Dtar from the front obstacle 600 according to the vehicle speed V. When controlling acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 10, the driving force generation device 32 and the brake device 34 are controlled by the drive control unit 174 and the brake control unit 176 in the ACC.

As shown in fig. 3, the ACC unit 172 includes a target distance setting unit 200 and a travel control unit 202. The target distance setting unit 200 (target proximity setting means) sets a target distance Dtar (target proximity) with respect to peripheral obstacles (in particular, the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602). The travel control unit 202 causes the host vehicle 10 to travel following the preceding vehicle 600b or the like detected by the external world recognition unit 170, in accordance with the target distance Dtar.

(A-1-11-2-4. drive control section 174, brake control section 176, and steering control section 178)

The drive control unit 174 controls the engine 110 in accordance with the operation amount θ ap of the accelerator pedal 80 or a command from another part of the travel ECU38 to adjust the travel driving force of the vehicle 10. The brake control unit 176 controls the braking force of the vehicle 10 by operating the brake actuator 120 and the like in accordance with the operation amount θ bp of the brake pedal 82 or a command from another part of the travel ECU 38.

The steering control unit 178 controls the EPS motor 130 in accordance with the operation of the steering wheel 84 by the driver or a command from another part of the travel ECU38, and controls the steering angle θ st or steering of the vehicle 10.

< A-2 > ACC of the present embodiment

[ A-2-1. outline of ACC ]

Next, the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) of the present embodiment will be described. As described above, in the ACC, the host vehicle 10 is caused to travel following the front obstacle 600 (the front vehicle 600b of fig. 5, etc.) detected by the external world recognition unit 170, in accordance with the target distance Dtar.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a situation in which the own vehicle 10 and the 1 st preceding vehicle 600a as the preceding obstacle 600 are traveling in the present embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a situation in which the own vehicle 10, and the 2 nd preceding vehicle 600b and the 3 rd preceding vehicle 600c as the preceding obstacles 600 are traveling in the present embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a situation in which the own vehicle 10, the 4 th preceding vehicle 600d as the preceding obstacle 600, and the side vehicle 602a as the side obstacle 602 are traveling in the present embodiment.

In fig. 4 to 6, a road 610 on which the host vehicle 10 and the like are traveling is 3 lanes on one side, and includes 3 lanes 612(612a, 612b, and 612 c). Hereinafter, the lane 612b in which the host vehicle 10 travels is also referred to as a host vehicle lane 612b, and the

lanes

612a and 612c adjacent to the host vehicle lane 612b are also referred to as

adjacent lanes

612a and 612 c.

Each

lane

612a, 612b, 612c is defined by 2 lane markings 620(620a to 620 d). That is, lane 612a is defined by

lane markings

620a, 620 b. The lane 612b is defined by

lane markings

620b, 620 c. The lane 612c is defined by

lane markings

620c, 620 d.

In fig. 4, the 1 st preceding vehicle 600a is about to move forward of the host vehicle 10 just before (is) making a lane change (or congestion) from the adjacent lane 612c to the host vehicle lane 612 b. In fig. 5, the 3 rd preceding vehicle 600c is about to move forward of the own vehicle 10 and the 2 nd preceding vehicle 600b by making a lane change (or congestion) from the adjacent lane 612a to the own vehicle lane 612 b. In fig. 6, the side vehicle 602a is about to change lanes from the adjacent lane 612a to the own vehicle lane 612b and jam between the own vehicle 10 and the 4 th preceding vehicle 600 d.

In fig. 4, the 1 st preceding vehicle 600a is included in the detection range 500 of the front camera 50 a. Therefore, the travel ECU38 can determine the lane change of the 1 st preceding vehicle 600a from the camera image F. Also, in fig. 5, the 2 nd and 3

rd front vehicles

600b and 600c are included in the detection range 500 of the front camera 50 a. Therefore, the travel ECU38 can determine the lane change of the 3 rd preceding vehicle 600c from the camera image F.

On the other hand, in fig. 6, the side vehicle 602a is not included in the detection range 500 of the front camera 50 a. Therefore, the travel ECU38 cannot determine the jamming of the side vehicle 602a from the camera image F. Instead, the side vehicle 602a is included in the detection range 520fl of the ultrasonic sensor 54. That is, even in a state where the side vehicle 602a overlaps the host vehicle 10 in the width direction of the host vehicle lane 612b, the ultrasonic sensor 54 can detect the side vehicle 602 a. Therefore, the travel ECU38 can determine the jam of the side vehicle 602a from the ultrasonic information Isonar.

Therefore, in the ACC of the present embodiment, when any one of the

front vehicles

600a, 600c and the side vehicle 602a makes a lane change (or a jam) to the own vehicle lane 612b, if this is recognized, the acceleration and deceleration of the own vehicle 10 is controlled based on the recognition result. However, in the case of the example of fig. 5, since the 2 nd preceding vehicle 600b is present in the vicinity of the host vehicle 10 than the 3 rd preceding vehicle 600c, the deceleration of the 2 nd preceding vehicle 600b accompanying the lane change of the 3 rd preceding vehicle 600c affects the acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 10 more than the lane change of the 3 rd preceding vehicle 600 c.

Here, for easy understanding, the relationship between the front vehicles 600a to 600d, the side vehicle 602a, and the detection range 500 of the front camera 50a will be described. Note, however, that the movement of the front vehicles 600a to 600d and the side vehicle 602a can be determined from the relationship with the detection range 502 of the laser radar 52, in addition to the detection range 500 of the front camera 50 a.

[ A-2. Overall Process for ACC ]

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of ACC in the present embodiment. In step S11, the ACC portion 172 determines whether the ACC switch 100 is on. If the ACC switch 100 is turned ON (S11: true), the flow proceeds to step S12. If the ACC switch 100 is turned off (S11: false), step S11 is repeated.

In step S12, the ACC portion 172 determines whether the lane marking 620 of the own-vehicle lane 612b or the like is recognized by the lane recognition portion 180. If the lane marking 620 is recognized (S12: true), the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the ACC unit 172 determines whether the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 10 is equal to or less than a vehicle speed threshold THv. The vehicle speed threshold THv is a threshold for determining whether or not to perform a side obstacle recognition process described later, and is set to a fixed value of, for example, 10 to 30km/h per hour. If the vehicle speed V is equal to or less than the vehicle speed threshold THv (S13: true), the routine proceeds to step S14.

In step S14, the ACC unit 172 performs low-speed peripheral obstacle recognition processing (hereinafter also referred to as "low-speed recognition processing"). The low-speed recognition processing is processing for recognizing peripheral obstacles (particularly, the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602) when the host vehicle 10 is traveling at a low speed. As shown in fig. 7, the low-speed recognition processing includes a front obstacle recognition processing (S111) and a side obstacle recognition processing (S112). The front obstacle recognition processing (S111) includes lane change determination processing (S1111). The side obstacle recognition processing (S112) includes a jamming determination processing (S1112). The details of the low-speed recognition processing will be described later.

If the vehicle speed V is not equal to or less than the vehicle speed threshold value THv (S13: false), the routine proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the ACC unit 172 performs high-speed peripheral obstacle recognition processing (hereinafter also referred to as "high-speed recognition processing"). The high-speed recognition processing is processing for recognizing a peripheral obstacle (particularly, a front obstacle 600) when the host vehicle 10 is traveling at a high speed. As shown in fig. 7, the high-speed recognition processing includes a front obstacle recognition processing (S121) similar to the front obstacle recognition processing (S111) of the low-speed recognition processing. The front obstacle recognition processing (S121) includes lane change determination processing (S1211). The details of the high-speed recognition processing will be described later.

In step S16, the ACC unit 172 determines whether or not there is a peripheral obstacle (particularly, the front obstacle 600, the side obstacle 602, or the like) as a result of step S14 or S15. If there are peripheral obstacles (S16: true), the ACC unit 172 calculates a temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp for each peripheral obstacle in step S17. Details of step S17 will be described later with reference to fig. 10.

In step S18, the ACC unit 172 selects the minimum value among the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp calculated in step S17 as the target acceleration/deceleration atar. If there are only 1 temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp calculated in step S17, the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp is directly selected as the target acceleration/deceleration atar.

Returning to step S16, if there is no peripheral obstacle (S16: false), the flow proceeds to step S19. In step S19, the ACC portion 172 calculates a target acceleration/deceleration atar from a deviation Δ V between the set vehicle speed Vset input via the ACC switch 100 and the vehicle speed V (actual vehicle speed V) detected by the vehicle speed sensor 60. When the deviation Δ V is a positive value, the ACC unit 172 decreases the target acceleration/deceleration atar. When the deviation Δ V is a negative value, the ACC unit 172 increases the target acceleration/deceleration atar.

In step S20, the ACC part 172 controls the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 10 according to the target acceleration and deceleration atar selected or calculated in step S18 or S19. For example, the ACC unit 172 calculates a deviation Δ a between the target acceleration/deceleration atar and the longitudinal acceleration a detected by the acceleration sensor 62. If the deviation Δ a is positive, the ACC unit 172 increases the acceleration/deceleration a of the vehicle 10 by the drive force generation device 32. In addition, when the deviation Δ a is negative, the ACC portion 172 reduces the acceleration/deceleration a (or increases the deceleration) of the vehicle 10 by the driving force generation device 32 and/or the brake device 34. In order to reduce the acceleration/deceleration a, for example, the output of the engine 110 can be reduced or the engine brake can be activated. The acceleration/deceleration a may be reduced by operating the brake device 34 in addition to the above method, or may be reduced by operating the brake device 34 instead of the above method.

In step S21, the ACC unit 172 determines whether an ACC end condition, which is a condition for ending ACC, is satisfied. As the ACC end condition, for example, the turning off of the ACC switch 100 is used. If the ACC termination condition is not satisfied (S21: false), the process returns to step S12. If the ACC termination condition is satisfied (S21: true), the process ends.

Returning to step S12, if no lane marker 620 is recognized (S12: false), the ACC unit 172 outputs an error and ends the current ACC at step S22. As the erroneous output, for example, the ACC unit 172 outputs a voice indicating that ACC is not possible from the microphone 106. The ACC unit 172 displays information indicating that ACC is not possible on the touch panel 104 in addition to the above method, or displays information indicating that ACC is not possible on the touch panel 104 instead of the above method. Alternatively, if the lane marking 620 is not recognized, the ACC may be continued based on the information of the preceding vehicle 600b or the like.

[ A-2-3. identification of peripheral obstacles at Low speed ]

(A-2-3-1. outline of peripheral obstacle recognition processing at Low speed)

In the low speed recognition processing (S14 in fig. 7), a front obstacle recognition processing (S111) and a side obstacle recognition processing (S112) are performed, in which the front obstacle 600 is recognized from the detection results of the front camera 50a and the laser radar 52 in the front obstacle recognition processing (S111); in the side obstacle recognition processing (S112), the side obstacle 602 is recognized based on the detection result of the ultrasonic sensor 54.

The following processing is performed in the front obstacle recognition processing. That is, the lane recognition unit 180 recognizes the lane marking 620 from the camera image F. The lane 612 is then identified from the lane markings 620. The front obstacle recognition unit 184 recognizes the front obstacle 600 from the image information Iimage and the radar information Iradar (including a case where the front obstacle 600 is recognized only from the image information Iimage or the radar information Iradar). In the front obstacle recognition processing, lane change determination processing is performed to determine that the front obstacle 600 in the

adjacent lane

612a or 612c has changed lanes to the host vehicle lane 612 b. Information on the positions of the lane 612 and the front obstacle 600, the lane change, and the like (hereinafter also referred to as "front information If") recognized in the front obstacle recognition processing is used in steps S16 and S17 of fig. 7.

The following process is performed in the side obstacle recognition process. That is, the lane estimation unit 182 estimates the lane marking 620 near the host vehicle 10 from the lane marking 620 recognized by the lane recognition unit 180 in the past, and the moving direction and the moving distance of the host vehicle 10. The estimated lane marking 620 (hereinafter referred to as "estimated lane marking 620 e") is a lane marking existing outside the detection range 500 of the front camera 50 a. Alternatively, the lane estimation unit 182 may estimate the portion of the lane marking 620 that is close to the vehicle 10 from the image F at the current time point and the yaw rate Yr of the vehicle 10.

The side obstacle recognition unit 186 recognizes the side obstacle 602 from the ultrasonic information Isonar. In addition, in the side obstacle recognition processing, the side obstacle determination processing for determining that the side obstacle 602 in the

adjacent lane

612a or 612c is jammed in the own-vehicle lane 612b is performed. Information (hereinafter, also referred to as "side information Is") such as the position and jamming of the side obstacle 602 identified in the side obstacle identification processing Is used in steps S16 and S17 of fig. 7.

(A-2-3-2. Lane Change judging Process)

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the lane change determination process according to the present embodiment (details of S1111 in fig. 7). The lane change determination process may be executed in parallel as a plurality of steps. That is, when there are no 1

adjacent lane

612a, 612c or when there is no front obstacle 600 even if there are at least 1

adjacent lane

612a, 612c, the lane change determination process is executed as 1 step. When the front obstacle 600 is present in at least 1 of the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c, the process for the front obstacle 600 is executed (step 1). In addition, the lane change determination process, which is a process (the 2 nd process) for the next newly detected front obstacle 600, is executed in parallel with the 1 st process. Therefore, the lane change determination unit 192 performs the step of performing the lane change determination process by adding 1 to the number of the front obstacles 600 existing in the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612 c.

In step S31 of fig. 8, the lane change determination unit 192 acquires the front information If from the obstacle position calculation unit 190. As described above, the front information If includes the information of the relative position Prel1 of the front obstacle 600 and the lane marking 620. The front information If is calculated from the image information Iimage and the radar information Iradar.

In step S32, the lane change determination unit 192 determines whether or not a new front obstacle 600 is present in the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c based on the front information If. The case where the result of step S32 is FALSE (FALSE) includes, for example, a case where the lane recognition unit 180 cannot recognize the lane 612, a case where there are no

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c having the same traveling direction as the host vehicle lane 612b, and a case where there is no front obstacle 600 in all the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612 c. When the new front obstacle 600 is present (S32: true), the lane change determination unit 192 sets the lane change flag FLG1 to 0 in step S33.

The lane change flag FLG1 (hereinafter also referred to as "flag FLG 1") indicates whether the obstacle 600 ahead of the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c is making a lane change. When the flag FLG1 is 0, it indicates that no lane change is made, and when the flag FLG1 is 1, it indicates that a lane change is being made. The flag FLG1 is used in step S17 of fig. 7 and the like in a prescribed cycle.

In step S34, the lane change determination unit 192 acquires new front information If from the obstacle position calculation unit 190 and updates the front information If. In step S35, the lane change determination unit 192 determines whether or not the lane change flag FLG1 is 0. If the lane change flag FLG1 is 0 (S35: true), the process proceeds to step S36. If the lane change flag FLG1 is not 0 (S35: false), that is, if the lane change flag FLG1 is 1 and a lane change is being made, the process proceeds to step S39.

In step S36, the lane change determination unit 192 determines whether or not the front obstacle 600 of the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c has started a lane change. The start of the lane change is determined, for example, based on whether or not the offset distance Do between the portion of the front obstacle 600 closest to the host vehicle lane 612b and the portion of the lane marking 620 of the host vehicle lane 612b closer to the front obstacle 600 is equal to or less than the distance threshold THdo.

If the lane change is not started by the obstacle 600 ahead of the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c (S36: false), the lane change determination unit 192 determines whether or not the obstacle 600 ahead of the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c has disappeared in step S37. The case where the "front obstacle 600 disappears" here means that the front obstacle 600 has deviated from the front monitoring target range. The front monitoring target range may be a range in which the detection range 500 of the front camera 50a and the detection range 502 of the laser radar 52 are combined, for example.

If the obstacle 600 in front of the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c is still present (S37: false), the process returns to step S34. When the front obstacle 600 in the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c disappears (S37: true), the lane change determination process (step) ends.

Returning to step S36, if the front obstacle 600 in the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c has already started a lane change (S36: true), the lane change determination unit 192 sets the lane change flag FLG1 to 1 in step S38. The lane change flag FLG1 after the setting change is used in step S17 of fig. 7 and the like.

In step S39, the lane change determination unit 192 determines whether or not the lane change of the front obstacle 600 is completed. When the lane change is completed (S39: true), the lane change determination process (step) is completed. If the lane change has not been completed (S39: false), the process returns to step S34.

The "end" of the lane change here includes completion of the movement of the front obstacle 600 to the host vehicle lane 612b and interruption of the lane change (in other words, continuation of the travel in the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c) without completion of the movement of the front obstacle 600 to the host vehicle lane 612 b.

The completion of the movement of the front obstacle 600 to the host vehicle lane 612b is performed, for example, by determining that the entire front obstacle 600 has completed crossing the

lane markings

620b and 620c of the host vehicle lane 612 b. Further, the interruption of the lane change by the front obstacle 600 is determined by, for example, the presence of the front obstacle 600 in the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c even if the time from the start of the lane change exceeds the 1 st time threshold.

(A-2-3-3. stoppering judgment processing)

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of the jam determination processing according to the present embodiment (details of S1112 in fig. 7). The clogging determination process may be executed in parallel as a plurality of steps. That is, the jam determination process is executed as 1 step even when 1

adjacent lane

612a, 612c does not exist or when the side obstacle 602 does not exist even when at least 1

adjacent lane

612a, 612c exists. When the side obstacle 602 is present in at least 1 of the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c, the step for the side obstacle 602 (step 1) is executed. In addition, the jam determination process as a step (2 nd step) for the next newly detected side obstacle 602 is executed in parallel with the 1 st step. Therefore, the jam determination unit 194 performs the process of the jam determination process by adding 1 to the number of the side obstacles 602 existing in the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612 c.

In step S51 of fig. 9, the jam determination unit 194 acquires the side information Is from the obstacle position calculation unit 190. As described above, the side information Is includes information of the estimated lane marking 620e and the relative position Prel2 of the side obstacle 602. The side information Is calculated from the image information Iimage and the ultrasound information Isonar.

In step S52, the jam determination unit 194 determines whether or not a new side obstacle 602 Is present in the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c based on the side information Is. The case where the FALSE (FALSE) at step S52 includes, for example, a case where the lane recognition unit 180 cannot recognize the lane 612, a case where the estimated lane marking 620e on the front side cannot be estimated from the lane marking 620 recognized by the lane recognition unit 180, a case where there are no

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c having the same traveling direction as the own-vehicle lane 612b, and a case where there is no side obstacle 602 in all the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612 c. When there is a new side obstacle 602 (S52: true), in step S53, the jam determination unit 194 sets the jam flag FLG2 to 0.

The jam flag FLG2 (hereinafter also referred to as "flag FLG 2") indicates whether the side obstacle 602 of the

adjacent lane

612a, 612c is being jammed. When flag FLG2 is 0, it indicates that no blocking is performed, and when flag FLG2 is 1, it indicates that blocking is performed. The flag FLG2 is used in step S17 of fig. 7 and the like in a prescribed cycle.

In step S54, the clogging determination unit 194 acquires new side information Is from the obstacle position calculation unit 190 and updates the side information Is. In step S55, the jam determination unit 194 determines whether or not the jam flag FLG2 is 0. If the jam flag FLG2 is 0 (S55: true), the flow proceeds to step S56. If the jam flag FLG2 is not 0 (S55: false), that is, if the jam flag FLG2 is 1 and jamming is being performed, the process proceeds to step S59.

In step S56, the jam determination unit 194 determines whether or not the side obstacle 602 of the

adjacent lane

612a, 612c has started to jam. The start of the jam can be conditioned on the

lane markings

620b and 620c of the own-vehicle lane 612b being crossed or just crossed by a part of the side obstacle 602 that overlaps the own vehicle 10 in the width direction of the own-vehicle lane 612b, for example.

The case where a part of the side obstacle 602 has crossed or is about to cross the

lane marking lines

620b, 620c of the own-vehicle lane 612b is performed by comparing the position of the side obstacle 602 based on the ultrasonic information Iradar with the position of the estimated lane marking line 620e (in other words, according to the relative position Prel 2). In addition, the speed or acceleration of the side obstacle 602 in the direction approaching the estimated lane marking 620e may be used.

If the side obstacle 602 of the

adjacent lane

612a, 612c has not started to be jammed (S56: false), the process proceeds to step S57. In step S57, the jam determination unit 194 determines whether or not the side obstacle 602 of the

adjacent lane

612a, 612c has disappeared. Here, the case where the "side obstacle 602 disappears" means that the side obstacle 602 has deviated from the side monitoring target range. The side monitoring target range may be a range in which the detection ranges 520fl and 520fr of the

ultrasonic sensors

54a and 54b are combined, for example.

If the side obstacle 602 of the

adjacent lane

612a, 612c is still present (S57: false), the process returns to step S54. When the side obstacle 602 in the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c has disappeared (S57: true), the congestion determination process (step) ends.

Returning to step S56, if the side obstacle 602 in the

adjacent lane

612a, 612c has already started to jam (S56: true), the jam determination unit 194 sets the jam flag FLG2 to 1 in step S58. The set changed jam flag FLG2 is used in step S17 of fig. 7, for example.

In step S59, the jam determination unit 194 determines whether or not the jamming of the side obstacle 602 is completed. When the clogging is completed (S59: true), the present clogging determination process (step) is completed. If the plugging is not completed (S59: false), the process returns to step S54.

The "end" of the jam includes completion of the movement of the side obstacle 602 to the host vehicle lane 612b and interruption of the jam (in other words, continuation of the travel in the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c) without completion of the movement of the side obstacle 602 to the host vehicle lane 612 b.

The completion of the movement of the side obstacle 602 to the host vehicle lane 612b is performed, for example, by determining that the entire side obstacle 602 has completed crossing the

lane markings

620b and 620c of the host vehicle lane 612 b. The interruption of the jamming by the side obstacle 602 is determined, for example, by the presence of the side obstacle 602 in the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c even if the time from the start of the jamming exceeds the 2 nd time threshold.

[ A-2-4. identification of peripheral obstacles at high speed ]

The forward obstacle recognition processing (S121) is performed in the high-speed recognition processing (S15 in fig. 7), in which the forward obstacle recognition processing (S121) is processing for recognizing the forward obstacle 600 based on the detection results of the forward camera 50a and the laser radar 52. The front obstacle recognition processing (S121) of the high-speed recognition processing is the same as the front obstacle recognition processing (S111) of the low-speed recognition processing. However, the start determination (S36 in fig. 8), the end determination (S39), and the like of the lane change may be performed under different conditions from the low-speed recognition processing.

[ A-2-5 ] calculation of temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp for each peripheral obstacle (S17 in FIG. 7) ]

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of calculating the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp for each peripheral obstacle in the present embodiment (details of S17 in fig. 7). In step S71, the ACC unit 172 sets a target distance Dtar between the host vehicle 10 and each of the peripheral obstacles (the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602).

For example, the ACC unit 172 sets the target distance Dtar in accordance with the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 10. Specifically, the target distance Dtar is made longer as the vehicle speed V is faster, and the target distance Dtar is made shorter as the vehicle speed V is slower. The ACC unit 172 changes the target distance Dtar in accordance with the difference between the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602. Specifically, the target distance Dtar of the side obstacle 602 is set shorter than the front obstacle 600. This makes it possible to decelerate the vehicle in accordance with the actual traveling condition.

Further, even in the front obstacles 600 located in the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c, the target distance Dtar of the front obstacle 600 undergoing a lane change is set longer than the front obstacle 600 not undergoing a lane change. This makes it possible to decelerate early with respect to the front obstacle 600 that is making a lane change. Similarly, in the side obstacle 602, the target distance Dtar of the side obstacle 602 that is being jammed is set longer than the side obstacle 602 that is not jammed. This makes it possible to decelerate early with respect to the side obstacle 602 that is being jammed.

In step S72, the ACC unit 172 obtains the actual distance D and the relative speed Vrel between the host vehicle 10 and each peripheral obstacle from the external world recognition unit 170. The relative speed Vrel is positive in a direction in which the host vehicle 10 approaches a peripheral obstacle, and negative in a direction in which the host vehicle 10 moves away from the peripheral obstacle. In step S73, the ACC unit 172 calculates a deviation Δ D between the target distance Dtar and the actual distance D (Δ D — D).

In step S74, the ACC unit 172 calculates a provisional target acceleration/deceleration atarp from the deviation Δ D (S73) and the relative speed Vrel (S72). Specifically, the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp is increased (the acceleration is increased) as the positive deviation Δ D is increased. The larger the absolute value of the negative deviation Δ D, the smaller the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp (the larger the deceleration).

The temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp is decreased as the relative speed Vrel is increased (the acceleration is decreased or the deceleration is increased). The temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp is increased (the acceleration is increased or the deceleration is decreased) as the relative speed Vrel is decreased.

In the present embodiment, a map defining the relationship between the combination of the deviation Δ D and the relative speed Vrel and the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp is stored in the storage device 154 in advance. Then, the ACC unit 172 reads out and uses a temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp corresponding to a combination of the deviation Δ D and the relative speed Vrel from the map.

< A-3. Effect of the present embodiment >

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the side obstacle 602 in a state of overlapping the host vehicle 10 in the width direction of the host vehicle lane 612b performs a predetermined approaching motion to the host vehicle lane 612b (a motion in which a part of the side obstacle 602 crosses or is about to cross the

lane markings

620b, 620c of the host vehicle lane 612b) (S56: true in fig. 9), it is determined that the side obstacle 602 has started to jam the host vehicle lane 612b (S58). Accordingly, even when the side obstacle 602 located in the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c, or the like is located in the vicinity of the host vehicle 10 on the side of the host vehicle 10, the travel ECU38 (travel control means) can perform ACC (travel control) corresponding to the case where the side obstacle 602 has started to jam in the host vehicle lane 612 b.

In the present embodiment, the external world recognizing unit 170 (external situation acquiring means) includes a side obstacle recognizing unit 186 (side recognizing means) for recognizing the side of the vehicle 10 (fig. 3). When the side obstacle 602 is recognized by the side obstacle recognition unit 186 (S52: true in fig. 9), the external world recognition unit 170 monitors the moving state of the side obstacle 602 (S54 to S59 in fig. 9). Then, the travel ECU38 (travel control means) performs ACC (travel control) according to the monitored state of the side obstacle 602 (S20 in fig. 7).

With this, the state of the side obstacle 602 can be reflected on the ACC before it is determined that the side obstacle 602 has started to jam the own-vehicle lane 612 b. Therefore, it is possible to promptly cope with the jamming of the side obstacle 602, as compared with the case where the state of the side obstacle 602 is not reflected on the ACC until it is determined that the side obstacle 602 starts jamming the own-vehicle lane 612 b.

In the present embodiment, the travel ECU38 (travel control means) changes the ACC (travel control) mode before and after the start of jamming of the side obstacle 602 (fig. 7 to 9). Accordingly, ACC by the side obstacle 602 can be performed reasonably and efficiently.

The travel ECU38 has a target distance setting portion 200 (target proximity setting means), and this target distance setting portion 200 sets a target distance Dtar (target proximity) with respect to a peripheral obstacle detected by the external sensor 22 (peripheral vehicle detection means) (fig. 3). The travel ECU38 (travel control means) sets a target acceleration/deceleration atar in accordance with the target distance Dtar to the side obstacle 602 in ACC (travel control) (S17, S18, fig. 10 in fig. 7). The travel ECU38 sets the provisional target acceleration/deceleration atarp after the start of jamming to be greater than that before the start of jamming of the side obstacle 602 (S17 in fig. 7). This makes it possible to perform appropriate deceleration corresponding to the presence or absence of the clogging.

In the present embodiment, the external world recognizing unit 170 (external situation acquiring means) detects a front obstacle 600 (the front obstacle recognizing unit 184 in fig. 3) existing in front of the host vehicle 10. The travel ECU38 (travel control means) sets temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp for the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602 using the target distance Dtar (target approach) in ACC (travel control) (S17 in fig. 7). Further, the travel ECU38 selects, as the target acceleration/deceleration atar, the value that most suppresses the approaching front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602, out of the provisional target acceleration/deceleration atarp (S18). Then, the travel ECU38 controls acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 10 in accordance with the target acceleration and deceleration atar (S20).

According to the present embodiment, when there are the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602, the acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 10 is controlled based on the value that most suppresses the approach to the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602, of the temporary target acceleration and deceleration atarp with respect to the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602, respectively. For example, when deceleration is required according to the relationship with each of the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602, the host vehicle 10 is decelerated according to the value at which the deceleration is the largest. When acceleration is required according to the relationship with each of the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602, the host vehicle 10 is accelerated according to the value at which the acceleration is the smallest. Accordingly, when the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602 are present around the host vehicle 10, acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 10 can be controlled reasonably and effectively.

In the present embodiment, when it is determined that the side obstacle 602 has started to jam the host-vehicle lane 612b (S56 of fig. 9: true) in a state where the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 10 is lower than the vehicle speed threshold THv (1 st vehicle speed threshold) (S13: true in fig. 7), the travel ECU38 (travel control means) decreases the provisional target acceleration/deceleration atarp by increasing the target distance Dtar with respect to the side obstacle 602 (S17 of fig. 7, fig. 10).

As a result, when the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp of the jammed side obstacle 602 is minimum, the vehicle 10 starts decelerating (S18, S20 in fig. 7). Accordingly, when the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 10 is relatively low, the host vehicle can cope with the jamming of the side obstacle 602.

In the present embodiment, the travel ECU38 (travel control means) determines that the lane change of the front obstacle 600 to the host vehicle lane 612b has been started (S38 in fig. 8) when the offset distance Do between the front obstacle 600 and the lane marking 620 is less than the distance threshold THdo (S36 in fig. 8: true) in a state where the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 10 exceeds the vehicle speed threshold THv (the 2 nd vehicle speed threshold) (S13 in fig. 7: false). When the travel ECU38 determines that the lane change to the host vehicle lane 612b has been started by the front obstacle 600 (S36: true in fig. 8), the travel ECU38 (travel control means) decreases the provisional target acceleration/deceleration atarp by increasing the target distance Dtar with respect to the front obstacle 600 (S17 and fig. 10 in fig. 7).

As a result, when the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp of the preceding obstacle 600 that is performing the lane change is minimum, the vehicle 10 starts decelerating (S18, S20 in fig. 7). In other words, the acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 10 is controlled in accordance with the relationship with the front obstacle 600, which has started the lane change. Accordingly, when the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 10 is relatively high, the degree of proximity to the front obstacle 600 can be adjusted before the front obstacle 600 crosses the lane marks 620b and 620c of the host vehicle lane 612 b.

B. Modification example

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is needless to say that various configurations can be adopted according to the contents described in the present specification. For example, the following configuration can be adopted.

< B-1. Structure of vehicle 10 >

In the above embodiment, the software used by the arithmetic device 152 is recorded in the storage device 154 in advance, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the software may be downloaded from the outside (for example, an external server capable of communicating via a public network), or may be executed in a so-called ASP (Application Service Provider) type without accompanying the download.

In the above embodiment, the ultrasonic sensor 54 is used as the external sensor 22 (fig. 1 and 2) for detecting the side (or oblique front) of the host vehicle 10. However, for example, from the viewpoint of detecting the side (or oblique front) of the host vehicle 10, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a side camera, a side laser radar, or a LIDAR that detects the side of the vehicle 10 may be provided for use.

< B-2. control >

[ B-2-1. target proximity ]

In the above embodiment, the acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 10 is controlled using the deviation Δ D between the target distance Dtar and the actual distance D (S17 in fig. 7, S74 in fig. 10). However, for example, from the viewpoint of controlling acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 10 using the target proximity to the peripheral obstacle, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, ttc (time To collision) can be used instead of the deviation Δ D.

[ B-2-2. target value for controlling acceleration/deceleration of host vehicle 10 ]

In the ACC of the above embodiment, the target acceleration/deceleration atar is used as the target value for controlling the acceleration/deceleration of the host vehicle 10 (S18 in fig. 7). However, for example, the target value for controlling acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 10 is not limited to this. For example, the acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 10 can be controlled using the target vehicle speed Vtar. In this case, if there are a plurality of peripheral obstacles (the front obstacle 600 and the side obstacle 602), the travel ECU38 calculates the temporary target vehicle speed Vtarp for each peripheral obstacle. Then, the travel ECU38 selects, as the target vehicle speed Vtar, the value that most suppresses the approaching of a peripheral obstacle from among the plurality of temporary target vehicle speeds Vtarp.

[ B-2-3. switching between the recognition processing at low speed and the recognition processing at high speed ]

In the above embodiment, the low speed recognition processing and the high speed recognition processing (S13 to S15 in fig. 7) are switched depending on whether or not the vehicle speed V is the vehicle speed threshold THv. However, for example, if the hysteresis characteristic is considered, the 1 st vehicle speed threshold THv1 and the 2 nd vehicle speed threshold THv2 may be made different, where the 1 st vehicle speed threshold THv1 is a speed threshold for switching from the high-speed recognition processing to the low-speed recognition processing; the 2 nd vehicle speed threshold THv2 is a speed threshold for switching from the low speed recognition processing to the high speed recognition processing. In this case, the 1 st vehicle speed threshold THv1 is set to a value lower than the 2 nd vehicle speed threshold THv 2.

[ B-2-4. side obstacle identification treatment ]

In the above embodiment, the side obstacle recognition processing (S112 in fig. 7) of recognizing the side obstacle 602 based on the detection result of the ultrasonic sensor 54 (side recognition means) is performed only when the vehicle speed V is equal to or less than the vehicle speed threshold THv (S13: true). However, depending on the specification of the side recognition means for recognizing the side obstacle 602, the side obstacle recognition processing can be performed without the limitation of the vehicle speed V. However, basically, it can be said that the occurrence probability of jamming from the side of the host vehicle 10 is low at the time of high-speed traveling. On the other hand, during low-speed running, there may be cases where: the necessity arises of the side vehicle 602a or the like avoiding an obstacle (stopped vehicle or the like) stopped in the adjacent lane 612a, or the necessity arises of the side vehicle 602a or the like avoiding a jam from the side of the host vehicle 10 at the merging point of the lanes 612. Therefore, it is preferable to apply the side obstacle recognition processing only when the own vehicle 10 is at a low speed.

[ B-2-5. determination of Lane Change of obstacle 600 ahead of

Adjacent Lanes

612a, 612c ]

In the above embodiment, the offset distance Do is used to determine the start of a lane change of the obstacle 600 present in front of the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c (S36 in fig. 8). However, for example, from the viewpoint of determining the start of a lane change, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the start of the lane change may be determined by the same method as the determination of the start of jamming (S56 in fig. 9).

Alternatively, for example, if the acceleration/deceleration of the host vehicle 10 is controlled in accordance with the relationship with a plurality of peripheral obstacles, the peripheral obstacles present in the peripheral obstacles of the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c for which the provisional target vehicle speed Vtarp or the provisional target acceleration/deceleration atarp is calculated are not limited to the peripheral obstacles for which the lane change to the host vehicle lane 612b has been started.

That is, the ACC unit 172 performs a lane change determination process of determining whether or not the peripheral obstacles existing in the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c start to change lanes to the own vehicle lane 612 b. Further, the calculation of the temporary target vehicle speed Vtarp or the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp may be started for the peripheral obstacle of the

adjacent lanes

612a and 612c, for which the lane change has been started. The determination as to whether or not the lane change has been started can be made using, for example, at least 1 of the traveling direction of the peripheral obstacle, the offset distance Do, and the amount of change in the offset distance Do per unit time.

When the lane change determination process is used, the comparison of the temporary target vehicle speed Vtarp or the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp with respect to the peripheral obstacles of the host vehicle lane 612b and the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c may be limited to a period during which the peripheral obstacles of the

adjacent lanes

612a, 612c are making a lane change. In this case, the condition for determining the end of the lane change may be, for example, a case where the peripheral obstacle (e.g., the 1 st preceding vehicle 600a in fig. 4) that has performed the lane change does not move any more in the lateral direction, a case where the 1 st predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle no more moved in the lateral direction, a case where the 2 nd predetermined time has elapsed since the comparison of the temporary target vehicle speed Vtarp and the like has started, or a case where the host vehicle 10 or the peripheral obstacle has moved a predetermined distance since the vehicle no more moved in the lateral direction.

[ B-2-6. start of deceleration of the vehicle 10 ]

In the above embodiment, when the side obstacle 602 has started to jam (S56: true in fig. 9), the deceleration of the vehicle 10 can be started by lowering the target acceleration/deceleration atar of the side obstacle 602 (S20). However, for example, from the viewpoint of decelerating the vehicle 10 in accordance with the start of the jamming of the side obstacle 602, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the side obstacle 602 starts to jam, the vehicle 10 may start to decelerate without comparing the temporary target acceleration/deceleration atarp.

< B-3. other >)

In the above embodiment, the flow shown in fig. 7 to 10 is used. However, for example, when the effects of the present invention can be obtained, the contents of the flow (the order of the steps) are not limited thereto. For example, the order of step S71 and step S72 in fig. 10 can be reversed.

In the above embodiment, there are a case where the equal sign is included and a case where the equal sign is not included in the comparison of the numerical values (S13 of fig. 7 and the like). However, for example, as long as a special meaning of including or excluding an equal sign is not included (in other words, in a case where the effect of the present invention can be obtained), whether to include or not to include the equal sign in comparison of numerical values can be arbitrarily set.

In this sense, for example, the determination (V ≦ THv) of whether the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 10 is equal to or less than the vehicle speed threshold THv in step S13 of fig. 7 may be replaced with the determination (V < THv) of whether the vehicle speed V is lower than the vehicle speed threshold THv.

Claims

1.A travel control device having an external situation acquisition means and a travel control means, wherein,

the running control apparatus is characterized in that,

the external situation acquisition means detects a front obstacle present in front of the host vehicle and a side obstacle present on a side of the host vehicle,

the external situation acquisition means may determine that the side obstacle has started to jam the own-vehicle lane when the side obstacle overlapping the own vehicle in the width direction of the own-vehicle lane in which the own vehicle is traveling performs a predetermined approaching operation to the own-vehicle lane,

the running control means changes the mode of the running control before the side obstacle starts to be jammed and after the side obstacle starts to be jammed,

the travel control device has a target proximity setting mechanism that sets a target proximity with respect to a peripheral obstacle,

the running control means sets a target vehicle speed or a target acceleration/deceleration in accordance with the target proximity to the side obstacle during the running control,

the travel control means sets the target vehicle speed after the side obstacle starts to be jammed smaller than the target vehicle speed before the side obstacle starts to be jammed, or sets the target acceleration/deceleration after the side obstacle starts to be jammed larger than the target acceleration/deceleration before the side obstacle starts to be jammed,

the travel control means further performs the following control:

setting a provisional target vehicle speed or a provisional target acceleration/deceleration for each peripheral obstacle including the front obstacle and the side obstacle using the target proximity during the travel control,

selecting, as the target vehicle speed or the target acceleration/deceleration, a value that most suppresses the proximity to the front obstacle and the side obstacle, from among the provisional target vehicle speed or the provisional target acceleration/deceleration;

and controlling the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle according to the target vehicle speed or the target acceleration and deceleration.

2. The running control apparatus according to claim 1,

the external situation acquisition means recognizes the side obstacle and a lane marking line that defines the own vehicle lane,

the external situation acquisition means may determine that the side obstacle has started to jam the own-vehicle lane when a part of the side obstacle overlapping the own vehicle in the width direction of the own-vehicle lane crosses or is about to cross the lane marking line of the own-vehicle lane.

3. The running control apparatus according to claim 1,

the external situation acquisition means has side recognition means for recognizing a side of the host vehicle,

the external situation acquisition means monitors a moving state of the side obstacle when the side obstacle is recognized by the side recognition means,

the travel control means performs the travel control in accordance with the side obstacle in a monitored state.

4. The running control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the travel control means starts deceleration of the host vehicle when it is determined that the side obstacle has started to jam the host vehicle lane in a state where the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is lower than a 1 st vehicle speed threshold value.

5. The running control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the external situation acquisition means detects an obstacle existing in front of a lane adjacent to the own vehicle lane in front of the own vehicle,

the travel control means performs the following control:

determining that the preceding obstacle has started a lane change to the host vehicle lane when an offset distance between the preceding obstacle existing in the adjacent lane and a lane marking of the host vehicle lane is less than a distance threshold in a state where the vehicle speed of the host vehicle exceeds a 2 nd vehicle speed threshold;

controlling acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle in relation to the preceding obstacle that has started the lane change.

6. A running control method having an external situation acquisition step and a running control step, wherein,

the running control method is characterized in that,

in the external condition acquisition step:

detecting a front obstacle existing in front of the host vehicle and a side obstacle existing in a side of the host vehicle,

determining that the side obstacle has jammed in the own vehicle lane when the side obstacle in a state of overlapping with the own vehicle in a width direction of the own vehicle lane on which the own vehicle is traveling performs a predetermined approaching operation to the own vehicle lane,

in the running control step, the mode of the running control is changed before the side obstacle starts to be jammed and after the side obstacle starts to be jammed,

the running control method further has a target proximity setting step of setting a target proximity with respect to a peripheral obstacle,

setting a target vehicle speed or a target acceleration/deceleration according to the target proximity to the side obstacle, the target vehicle speed after the side obstacle starts to be jammed being set smaller than the target vehicle speed before the side obstacle starts to be jammed, or the target acceleration/deceleration after the side obstacle starts to be jammed being set larger than the target acceleration/deceleration before the side obstacle starts to be jammed,

in the running control step, the running control means further performs the following control:

setting a provisional target vehicle speed or a provisional target acceleration/deceleration for each peripheral obstacle including the front obstacle and the side obstacle using the target proximity,