CN110103962B

CN110103962B - Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN110103962B
Application number: CN201910071593.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 梅田弹; 户田明祐; 上田雄悟
Original assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-01-31
Filing date: 2019-01-24
Publication date: 2022-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-24
Also published as: JP2019131077A; JP6641583B2; CN110103962A

Abstract

Provided are a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium, which can more smoothly pass a vehicle through an intersection. A vehicle control device (100) is provided with: a recognition unit (130) that recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle; and a drive control unit (140, 160) that controls acceleration, deceleration, and steering of the host vehicle based on a recognition result of the recognition unit, wherein when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, and when a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction that passes through the intersection across a forward road of a vehicle in the opposite direction and a center separation zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, the drive control unit performs travel control according to a behavior of a preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, and causes the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle and pass through the intersection.

Description

Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Technical Field

The invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium.

Background

Conventionally, the following invention of a driving support device for a vehicle is disclosed: this driving support apparatus for a vehicle sets in advance a current vehicle speed maintaining mode for maintaining a current vehicle speed of the vehicle, an acceleration mode for accelerating the vehicle speed of the vehicle to the target speed, and a deceleration mode for decelerating the vehicle speed of the vehicle to the target speed, regards an intersection as an acceleration suppression section, selects any one of the modes according to a distance from the vehicle position to a start point and a tail point of the acceleration suppression section, and controls the vehicle to travel so as to achieve the vehicle speed in the selected mode (see japanese patent application laid-open No. 2010-072772).

Currently, it is sometimes not easy for an autonomous vehicle to control a turn right and left at an intersection. In particular, when the intersection is an irregular intersection having a shape other than a cross shape or a T-shape, or when there are many pedestrians, bicycles, or the like, it may be difficult to generate a target trajectory for passing through the intersection by induction. In the conventional techniques, studies for smoothly passing through an intersection have not been sufficiently made.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium that can more smoothly pass a host vehicle through an intersection.

The vehicle control device, the vehicle control method, and the storage medium according to the present invention have the following configurations.

(1): a vehicle control device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: an identification unit that identifies a peripheral situation of the host vehicle; and a driving control unit that controls acceleration, deceleration, and steering of the host vehicle based on a recognition result recognized by the recognition unit, wherein when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, and when a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction that passes through the intersection across a forward road of a vehicle facing the intersection and a center barrier exists on a road on which the host vehicle travels, the driving control unit performs travel control according to a behavior of a preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, so that the host vehicle passes through the intersection while following the preceding vehicle.

(2): in the aspect of the above (1), when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the driving control unit may start the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle at an earlier timing when the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of an opposing vehicle to pass through the intersection and a center barrier is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, than when the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of an opposing vehicle to pass through the intersection and a center barrier is not present on a road on which the host vehicle travels.

(3): in the aspect of the above (1), when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the driving control unit may cause the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle by shortening the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, in a case where the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of an opposing vehicle and passing through the intersection and a center isolation zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, compared to a case where the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of an opposing vehicle and passing through the intersection and a center isolation zone is not present on a road on which the host vehicle travels.

(4): in the aspect (1) described above, when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the drive control unit causes the host vehicle to continuously follow the preceding vehicle at least up to an end of a center barrier when a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing the intersection while crossing an advancing road of an opposing vehicle and the center barrier is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels.

(5): in the aspect (1) described above, when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the drive control unit may cause the host vehicle to pass through the intersection following a preceding vehicle that is traveling ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction that passes through the intersection across a forward road of an opposing vehicle and no center separation belt is present on a road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and may not cause the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle when a turning start point of the preceding vehicle does not coincide with a turning start point in an expected path through which the host vehicle passes in the predetermined direction at the intersection.

(6): in the aspect of the above (5), the driving control unit does not cause the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle even when the turning angle of the preceding vehicle does not coincide with the turning angle in the expected path.

(7): in the aspect of (1) above, the vehicle control device further includes an estimation unit that estimates an intention of the preceding vehicle with respect to a direction of travel, and the estimation unit estimates that there is an intention of the preceding vehicle to travel in the predetermined direction when the preceding vehicle is on a dedicated traffic lane for traveling in the same direction as the predetermined direction.

(8): in the aspect (1) described above, when the preceding vehicle is present on a dedicated traffic lane provided in the intersection and configured to travel in the same direction as the predetermined direction, the driving control unit determines that the host vehicle passes through the intersection so as to follow the preceding vehicle.

(9): in the aspect (1) described above, when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the driving control unit does not cause the host vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle and estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when the host vehicle passes through the intersection with a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels being a direction of passing through the intersection across a forward road of an opposing vehicle and a center isolation belt being present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, and when a turning angle of the preceding vehicle exceeds a predetermined angle.

(10): in the aspect (1) described above, when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, in a state in which the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of an opposing vehicle and passing through the intersection and a center separation belt is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, and the host vehicle is caused to pass through the intersection following a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle and estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, the driving control unit does not cause the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle when a turning angle of the preceding vehicle deviates from a predetermined angle range.

(11): in the aspect (1) described above, when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the drive control unit may cause the host vehicle to pass through the intersection following a preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction of passing through the intersection across a forward road of a facing vehicle and a center separation zone is present on an entry route that is a route across a facing lane to an area outside a road on which the host vehicle travels.

(12): in the aspect (1) described above, the driving control unit performs the travel control for passing through the intersection based on the recognition result recognized by the recognition unit, when the vehicle is not following the preceding vehicle.

(13): a vehicle control method according to another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute: identifying the surrounding condition of the vehicle; controlling acceleration and deceleration and steering of the own vehicle based on a result of the recognition; when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, if the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a vehicle opposite thereto and passing through the intersection and a center isolation zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, the host vehicle is caused to follow a preceding vehicle and pass through the intersection by performing travel control according to a behavior of the preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle and estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction.

(14): a storage medium according to another aspect of the present invention stores a program for causing a computer to execute: identifying the surrounding condition of the vehicle; controlling acceleration and deceleration and steering of the own vehicle based on a result of the recognition; when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, if the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a vehicle opposite thereto and passing through the intersection and a center isolation zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, the host vehicle is caused to follow a preceding vehicle and pass through the intersection by performing travel control according to a behavior of the preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle and estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction.

According to the aspects (1) to (14), the own vehicle can be caused to pass through the intersection more smoothly.

According to the aspects (2) to (4), when the preceding vehicle can be surely followed, the vehicle control suitable for the situation can be performed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160.

Fig. 3 is a diagram (1) for explaining the function of follow-up running control unit 144.

Fig. 4 is a diagram (2) for explaining the function of follow-up running control unit 144.

Fig. 5 is a diagram (fig. 3) for explaining the function of follow-up running control unit 144.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the estimated route generated by the turning pattern prediction unit 148.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the turning pattern prediction unit 148 in the case where the right-turn waiting lane is set.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the intersection passage control unit 142 at the time of a right turn at an intersection.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the intersection passage control unit 142 at the time of a right turn at an intersection.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the automatic driving control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, the case where the right-hand traffic rule is applied will be described, but the right-hand traffic rule may be applied by reading the left-hand side and the right-hand side.

[ integral Structure ]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, four-wheeled vehicle, and the driving source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates using the generated power of the generator connected to the internal combustion engine or the discharge power of the secondary battery or the fuel cell.

The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a probe 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an hmi (human Machine interface)30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an mpu (map Positioning unit)60, a driving operation unit 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and apparatuses are connected to each other by a multiplex communication line such as a can (controller Area network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, and the like. The configuration shown in fig. 1 is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted, or another configuration may be further added.

The camera 10 is a digital camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a ccd (charge Coupled device) or a cmos (complementary Metal Oxide semiconductor). The camera 10 is mounted on an arbitrary portion of a vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as a host vehicle M) on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When photographing forward, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the rear surface of the vehicle interior mirror, or the like. The camera 10 repeatedly captures the periphery of the vehicle M periodically, for example. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to the periphery of the host vehicle M, and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by an object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is mounted on an arbitrary portion of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and velocity of the object by an FM-cw (frequency Modulated Continuous wave) method.

The detector 14 is a LIDAR (light Detection and ranging). The detector 14 irradiates the periphery of the host vehicle M with light, and measures scattered light. The detector 14 detects the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. The light to be irradiated is, for example, a pulsed laser. The probe 14 is attached to an arbitrary portion of the vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on a part or all of the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the probe 14 to recognize the position, the type, the speed, and the like of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the detector 14 directly to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may also be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

The communication device 20 communicates with another vehicle present in the vicinity of the host vehicle M or with various server devices via a wireless base station, for example, using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), dsrc (dedicated Short Range communication), or the like.

The HMI30 presents various information to the passenger of the host vehicle M and accepts input operations by the passenger. The HMI30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, and the like.

The vehicle sensors 40 include a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the own vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular velocity about a vertical axis, an orientation sensor that detects the orientation of the own vehicle M, and the like.

The Navigation device 50 includes, for example, a gnss (global Navigation Satellite system) receiver 51, a Navigation HMI52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds first map information 54 in a storage device such as an hdd (hard Disk drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 determines the position of the own vehicle M based on the signals received from the GNSS satellites. The position of the host vehicle M may also be determined or supplemented by an ins (inertial Navigation system) that utilizes the output of the vehicle sensors 40. The navigation HMI52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI52 may also be shared in part or in whole with the aforementioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53 determines, for example, a route (hereinafter referred to as an on-map route) from the position of the own vehicle M (or an arbitrary input position) specified by the GNSS receiver 51 to the destination input by the passenger using the navigation HMI52, with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is information representing a road shape by, for example, a line representing a road and nodes connected by the line. The first map information 54 may include curvature Of a road, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like. The on-map route is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may also perform route guidance using the navigation HMI52 based on the on-map route. The navigation device 50 may be realized by a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal that is held by a passenger. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20, and acquire a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

The MPU60 includes, for example, the recommended lane determining unit 61, and holds the second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determining unit 61 divides the on-map route provided from the navigation device 50 into a plurality of segments (for example, 100[ m ] in the vehicle traveling direction), and determines the recommended lane for each segment by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determining unit 61 determines to travel in the second lane counted from the left. The recommended lane determining unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route for traveling to the branch destination when there is a branch point on the route on the map.

The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of a lane, information on the boundary of a lane, and the like. The second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address/zip code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 can also be updated at any time by communicating with other devices through the communication device 20.

The driving operation member 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel with a different shape, a lever, and other operation members. A sensor for detecting the operation amount or the presence or absence of operation is attached to the driving operation element 80, and the detection result is output to some or all of the automatic driving control device 100, the running driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The automatic driving control apparatus 100 is an example of a "vehicle control apparatus". The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are each realized by a hardware processor such as a cpu (central Processing unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuit units) such as lsi (large Scale integration), asic (application Specific Integrated circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), gpu (graphics Processing unit), or the like, or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automatic drive control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and attached to the HDD or the flash memory of the automatic drive control device 100 by being attached to the drive device via the storage medium.

Fig. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. The first control unit 120 realizes, for example, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) function and a model function in parallel. For example, the "identify an intersection" function may be implemented as follows: intersection recognition by deep learning or the like and recognition by a condition given in advance (presence of a signal, a road sign, or the like that can be pattern-matched) are executed in parallel, and both are scored and comprehensively evaluated. This ensures the reliability of automatic driving.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the state of an object present in the periphery of the host vehicle M, such as the position, velocity, and acceleration, based on information input from the camera 10, radar device 12, and probe 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is recognized as a position on absolute coordinates with the origin at the representative point (center of gravity, center of drive axis, etc.) of the host vehicle M, for example, and used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity and a corner of the object, or may be represented by a region represented by the representative point. The "state" of the object may include acceleration, jerk, or "behavior state" of the object (for example, whether a lane change is being made or a lane change is to be made).

The recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, a lane (traveling lane) in which the host vehicle M is traveling. For example, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the traveling lane by comparing the pattern of road dividing lines (e.g., the arrangement of solid lines and broken lines) obtained from the second map information 62 with the pattern of road dividing lines around the host vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the lane by recognizing a traveling road boundary (road boundary) including a road dividing line, a shoulder, a curb, a center barrier, a guardrail, and the like, instead of the road dividing line. In this recognition, the position of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by the INS may be added. The recognition unit 130 recognizes a stop line, an obstacle, a red light, a toll booth, and other road items.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the travel lane when recognizing the travel lane. The recognition unit 130 may recognize, for example, the deviation of the reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M with respect to the line connecting the lane centers as the relative position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. Instead, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to any one side end portion (road dividing line or road boundary) of the travel lane as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the travel lane.

The recognition unit 130 includes, for example, a preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132. This will be described later.

The action plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory on which the host vehicle M will automatically travel in the future (without depending on the operation of the driver), so that the host vehicle M can travel on the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determining unit 61 in principle, and can cope with the surrounding situation of the host vehicle M. The target track contains, for example, a velocity element. For example, the target track is represented by a track in which the points (track points) to which the vehicle M should arrive are arranged in order. The track point is a point to which the host vehicle M should arrive at every predetermined travel distance (for example, several [ M ]) in terms of a distance along the way, and a target speed and a target acceleration at every predetermined sampling time (for example, several zero-point [ sec ]) are generated as a part of the target track. The track point may be a position to which the vehicle M should arrive at a predetermined sampling time at the sampling time. In this case, the information on the target velocity and the target acceleration is expressed by the interval between the track points.

The action plan generating unit 140 may set an event of the autonomous driving when the target trajectory is generated. Examples of the event of the automatic driving include a constant speed driving event, a low speed follow-up driving event, a lane change event, an intersection passing event, a branch event, a junction event, and a take-over event. The action plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the event to be started.

The second control unit 160 controls the running driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes through the target trajectory generated by the action plan generating unit 140 at a predetermined timing.

The second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires information on the target trajectory (trajectory point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores the information in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the running drive force output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on the speed element associated with the target track stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the curve of the target track stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized by, for example, a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. For example, the steering control unit 166 performs a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road ahead of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on deviation from the target trajectory.

Running drive force output device 200 outputs running drive force (torque) for running the vehicle to the drive wheels. The travel driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, a motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU that controls these. The ECU controls the above configuration in accordance with information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operation element 80.

The brake device 210 includes, for example, a caliper, a hydraulic cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor in accordance with information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operation element 80, and outputs a braking torque corresponding to a braking operation to each wheel. The brake device 210 may be provided with a mechanism for transmitting the hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the driving operation element 80 to the hydraulic cylinder via the master cylinder as a backup. The brake device 210 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that transmits the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the hydraulic cylinder by controlling the actuator in accordance with information input from the second control unit 160.

The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor changes the orientation of the steering wheel by applying a force to a rack-and-pinion mechanism, for example. The steering ECU drives the electric motor to change the direction of the steered wheels in accordance with information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operation element 80.

[ intersection passing control ]

The following describes each part of the action plan generating unit 140. The action plan generating unit 140 includes, for example, an intersection passage control unit 142. The intersection passage control unit 142 includes, for example, a follow-up running control unit 144 and a self passage control unit 156. The follow-up running control unit 144 includes, for example, a follow-up object specifying unit 146, a turning form prediction unit 148, and a turning coincidence determination unit 150.

The intersection passage control unit 142 operates when an intersection passage event is started. The intersection passage control unit 142 switches between a follow-up running mode in which the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle and passes through the intersection and a self-passing mode in which the vehicle recognizes the traveling front and passes through the intersection when passing through the intersection, and controls the intersection.

The follow-up running control unit 144 operates when the intersection passage control unit 142 selects the follow-up running mode. Fig. 3 is a diagram (1) for explaining the function of follow-up running control unit 144. The vehicle M intends to travel to the right at the intersection CR in accordance with the recommended route to the destination described above and turn to the right (a). The right turn is an example of an operation of "passing through an intersection while crossing a forward road of a vehicle in a left-side passing area or country". On the other hand, the left turn is an example of the operation of "passing through an intersection while crossing the forward road of the opposite vehicle" in the right-hand traffic region or country. In the scene shown in fig. 3, for example, when the right turn intention is estimated by the preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 by the preceding vehicle m1 operating the right turn lamp, the follow-up running control unit 144 determines to pass through the intersection following the preceding vehicle m 1. The follow-up running control unit 144 generates a target trajectory so that the lateral position is matched with the preceding vehicle m1 while maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance. That is, the follow-up running control unit 144 performs running control in accordance with the behavior of the preceding vehicle M1, thereby causing the host vehicle M to run following the preceding vehicle M1.

However, it is not necessary that the preceding vehicle goes to the destination of the own vehicle M. Fig. 4 is a diagram (2) for explaining the function of follow-up running control unit 144. In the illustrated scene, the preceding vehicle m2 is not intended to turn right at the intersection CR, but is intended to enter the off-road area HA located in the vicinity of the intersection CR. When traveling following the preceding vehicle M2 in such a scene, the host vehicle M also enters the off-road area HA. Therefore, the follow-up running control unit 144 stops the running of the host vehicle M following the preceding vehicle M2, and requests the control unit 156 to control the host vehicle M. In addition, since there is such a situation, it is preferable to follow the preceding vehicle with a certain degree of space in the scenes shown in fig. 3 and 4, for example. Then, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 performs control to improve the certainty factor of following at a specific right turn point by the function described below. This enables the follow-up running at the time of the right turn to be more appropriately realized.

The functions of the functional units when the vehicle M turns right will be described in order below. The preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 estimates the intention of the preceding vehicle to turn right. The preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 is an example of the "estimation unit". For example, the preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 estimates the intention of the preceding vehicle to turn right based on the traveling lane of the preceding vehicle and the operation state of the turn signal lamp. The preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 performs the above-described intention estimation based on, for example, the type of each traveling lane (right-turn lane, left-turn lane, etc.) and the position of the preceding vehicle included in the second map information 62, the contents of the road sign drawn on the road and/or the contents of the road sign on the road side obtained from the captured image of the camera 10, the operating state of the turn signal obtained from the captured image of the camera 10, and the like.

The preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 then recognizes whether or not the preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle M has a turn, a turn start point, a turning angle, and the like. The preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 recognizes the situation relating to the turning based on, for example, the inclination of the contour of the vehicle body in the captured image of the camera 10, the angle of the wheel, the distribution of the object target points detected by the radar device 12 and the probe 14, and the like.

The following object determination unit 146 determines the preceding vehicle of the following object. For example, when both of (a) a condition that the vehicle is traveling ahead of the host vehicle M in a state where no other vehicle is present with the host vehicle M and (B) a condition that the preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 estimates the intention of the preceding vehicle to turn right are satisfied, the following object specifying unit 146 specifies the preceding vehicle as the preceding vehicle that is the following object at the time of the right turn. The following object specifying unit 146 may specify the preceding vehicle of the following object based on a condition different from the above conditions (a) and (B) when the host vehicle M is moving straight or turning left.

When the recognition unit 130 recognizes that a center barrier extending from the vicinity of the host vehicle M to the intersection without interruption is present on the road on which the host vehicle M travels, more specifically, in front of the intersection making a right turn, the following object specifying unit 146 increases the certainty of following the preceding vehicle. More specifically, when the out-of-road region HA exists on the front side of the intersection where the host vehicle M is traveling and on the opposite side of the road where the host vehicle M is expected to cross the opposite lane, the following object specifying unit 146 increases the certainty factor of following the preceding vehicle when there is a center barrier on the entrance path to the out-of-road region HA that crosses the opposite lane. When such an off-road area HA is not present, the certainty of following the preceding vehicle may be improved even if the center isolation zone is not present. This is because, in these cases, the possibility of the preceding vehicle entering the off-road region HA can be excluded. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the presence of the center barrier based on the output of the camera 10 or the like, or may recognize the presence of the center barrier by comparing the second map information 62 with the position of the host vehicle M.

Fig. 5 is a diagram (fig. 3) for explaining the function of follow-up running control unit 144. In the illustrated scene, the preceding vehicle m3 is traveling in the lane L2, which is a right-turn exclusive lane, and therefore the intention to turn right is estimated. Further, a center separator CD extends in front of the intersection CR. Therefore, the following object specifying unit 146 increases the certainty of the following of the preceding vehicle m 3.

The follow-up running control unit 144 causes the subject vehicle M to pass through the intersection CR while following at least the preceding vehicle M3 whose certainty factor of following is high, which is determined by the following object determination unit 146. The "passing intersection CR with following" includes one or both of start following and continuation following. The follow-up running control unit 144 executes at least one of the following controls (1), (2), and (3) for the preceding vehicle m3 for which the certainty factor of following is high by the following object specifying unit 146, for example, (1) to advance the timing of start of following as compared with the case where the certainty factor of following is not high (for example, the case of the preceding vehicle m1 shown in fig. 3); (2) the inter-vehicle distance to the following preceding vehicle m3 is shortened as compared with the case where the certainty of following is not high; (3) at least to the vicinity of the end CD1 of the central separator CD.

The turning pattern prediction unit 148 predicts a turning start point of the preceding vehicle to be followed in an expected path through which the intersection CR passes in a predetermined direction. The turning pattern prediction unit 148 performs, for example, matching between the second map information 62 and the current position of the host vehicle M, and generates an expected route on the road shape model based on the second map information 62. Then, the turning pattern prediction unit 148 predicts the turning start point and the turning angle in the predicted path.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the estimated route generated by the turning pattern prediction unit 148. In the figure, PR is an expected path, SP is a turning start point, and θ is a turning angle. The turning pattern prediction unit 148 virtually sets the center lines of the lane L2 and the lane L3, for example, and sets a path in which the center lines are connected by arcs inscribed in both the center lines as an expected path. Although a plurality of sets of arcs inscribed on both sides of the center line can be set, the turning pattern prediction unit 148 generates the predicted path on the premise that the turning starts from the boundary between the lane L2 and the intersection CR, for example. The boundary between the lane L2 and the intersection CR is set based on the position of the end CD1 of the center separator CD, the position of a break or stop line (not shown) of a road marking line, the position of the corner CN of the road, and the like. The turning pattern prediction unit 148 predicts a connection point between the center line of the lane L2 and the arc as a turning start point SP, and predicts an angle formed by the center line of the lane L2 and the center line of the lane L3 as a turning angle θ. When a crossroad having a general shape is known with reference to the second map information 62, the generation of the predicted route may be omitted and the turning angle θ may be set to 90 degrees.

In addition, when a right-turn waiting lane (an example of an exclusive lane provided in the intersection) is set in the intersection CR, the turning pattern prediction unit 148 may determine the predicted route based on the position of the right-turn waiting lane. Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the turning pattern prediction unit 148 in the case where the right-turn waiting lane is set. As shown in the drawing, a right-turn lane to be turned RWL divided by a road dividing line DL is sometimes set (drawn on the road) in the intersection CR. The presence and position of the right-turn waiting lane RWL are recognized by the recognition portion 130 recognizing the road dividing line DL. When the right-turn waiting lane RWL is present, the turning pattern prediction unit 148 generates the predicted path PR so as to pass through the inside of the right-turn waiting lane RWL and connect from the end RWL1 of the right-turn waiting lane RWL to the center line of the lane L3.

The curve matching determination unit 150 determines whether or not the curve start point of the preceding vehicle recognized by the preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 matches the curve start point SP in the predicted path. The coincidence means that the distance between the turning start point of the preceding vehicle and the turning start point SP falls within a predetermined distance range.

The turning match determination unit 150 determines whether or not the turning angle of the preceding vehicle recognized by the preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 matches the turning angle θ in the predicted path. The coincidence is that the difference between the turning angle of the preceding vehicle and the turning angle θ falls within a predetermined angular range.

When the curve matching determination unit 150 determines that at least one of the curve start point and the curve angle does not match the curve pattern of the preceding vehicle under a predetermined condition (described later), the follow-up running control unit 144 stops the follow-up preceding vehicle and passes through the intersection.

When the following of the preceding vehicle is stopped or the vehicle passes through the intersection without following the preceding vehicle, the control unit 156 starts the vehicle to generate a target trajectory for passing through the intersection. The control unit 156 generates the target trajectory of the host vehicle M by itself, for example, in the same manner as the expected path generation by the turning pattern prediction unit 148. The control unit 156 performs matching between the arrangement of the peripheral objects (traffic signals, stop lines, road signs, etc.) of the map background and the arrangement of the actual peripheral objects by itself using information acquired via the camera 10 or the like, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the target track.

Fig. 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the intersection passage control unit 142 when turning right at an intersection. The processing in this flowchart starts when the action plan generating unit 140 determines that the vehicle M has reached a point a predetermined distance away from a predetermined intersection where the vehicle M turns right, based on the on-map route and the current position of the vehicle M.

First, the following object specifying unit 146 specifies the preceding vehicle of the following object (step S100). The intersection passage control unit 142 determines whether or not a preceding vehicle of the following object is present (identified) (step S102), and if no preceding vehicle of the following object is present (not identified), activates the passage control unit 156 by itself to perform control for turning right at the intersection by itself (step S104).

When there is a preceding vehicle to be followed, the follow-up running control unit 144 determines whether or not there is a center barrier that extends from the vicinity of the host vehicle M to the intersection without interruption, on the near side of the intersection where the right turn is made (step S106).

When the center isolation zone as described above exists, the follow-up running control unit 144 starts following the preceding vehicle with high certainty (step S108). Specifically, as described above.

Next, the follow-up running control unit 144 determines whether the preceding vehicle identified as the follow-up object is stopped in the right-turn lane or stopped in the past (step S110). When the preceding vehicle identified as the following object stops in the right-turn lane or has stopped in the past, the follow-up running control unit 144 identifies the preceding vehicle to turn right following the preceding vehicle, and causes the host vehicle to run to pass through the intersection following the preceding vehicle (step S112).

When the preceding vehicle determined as the following object has not stopped in the right-turn waiting lane and has not stopped in the right-turn waiting lane in the past, the preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 identifies the turning angle of the preceding vehicle (step S114). Then, the curve matching determination unit 150 determines whether or not the turning angle of the preceding vehicle deviates from the turning angle θ in the predicted path (step S116).

As a specific content of the determination processing in step S116, there is a possibility that a plurality of patterns are generated as follows according to the shape of the intersection.

(1) Case where there is only one road ahead of the right turn

The curve matching determination unit 150 determines that the vehicle is deviated from the curve angle θ in the expected path when the curve angle of the preceding vehicle exceeds the curve angle θ plus a predetermined angle (for example, about 10 degrees). This determination is exclusively used to suspend following when the preceding vehicle makes a U-turn.

(2) When there are a plurality of roads in a predetermined direction on the road ahead of the right turn, the road having the minimum turning angle is required

The curve matching determination unit 150 performs the same processing as in (1). This determination is used to stop following when the preceding vehicle makes a U-turn or travels on a road having a turning angle larger than a road in a predetermined direction.

(3) When there are a plurality of roads in a predetermined direction on the right-turn front road, the road with the smallest turning angle is not necessarily the road with the smallest turning angle

The curve matching determination unit 150 determines that the vehicle deviates from the turning angle θ in the predicted path when the turning angle of the preceding vehicle exceeds the turning angle θ in the predicted path plus a predetermined angle (for example, about 10 degrees), or when the turning angle of the preceding vehicle is smaller than the turning angle θ in the predicted path minus a predetermined angle (for example, about 10 degrees), the speed of the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold Th1, and the turning angle speed is smaller than a threshold Th 2. The former determination is used to stop the following when the preceding vehicle makes a U-turn, and the latter determination is used to stop the following when the preceding vehicle travels on a road having a turning angle smaller than a predetermined direction.

When it is determined that the turning angle of the preceding vehicle is deviated from the turning angle θ in the expected path, the intersection passage control unit 142 advances the process to step S104.

When it is not determined that the turning angle of the preceding vehicle is deviated from the turning angle θ in the expected route, the intersection passage control unit 142 determines whether or not the host vehicle M has passed through the intersection (step S118). When it is determined that the vehicle M has passed through the intersection, the intersection passage control unit 142 ends the processing of the flowchart, and when it is determined that the vehicle M has not passed through the intersection, the intersection passage control unit 142 returns the processing to step S110.

Referring to fig. 9, if it is determined in step S106 that the center isolation zone as described above is not present, the follow-up running control unit 144 also starts following the preceding vehicle (step S130). In the follow-up control in this case, the timing to start follow-up becomes later than in the control in step S108, or the inter-vehicle distance to the following preceding vehicle becomes longer.

Next, the follow-up running control unit 144 determines whether the preceding vehicle identified as the follow-up object is stopped on the right-turn waiting lane or stopped in the past (step S132). When the preceding vehicle identified as the following object stops on the right-turn lane or has stopped in the past, the follow-up running control unit 144 identifies the preceding vehicle to turn right following the preceding vehicle, and causes the host vehicle to run to pass through the intersection following the preceding vehicle (step S134).

When the preceding vehicle determined as the following object has not stopped on the right-turn waiting lane and has not stopped on the right-turn waiting lane in the past, the preceding vehicle monitoring unit 132 identifies the turning start point and the turning angle of the preceding vehicle (step S136). Then, the curve matching determination unit 150 determines whether or not the curve start position of the preceding vehicle is deviated from the curve start position SP on the predicted path (step S138). When the negative determination is obtained in step S138, the curve matching determination unit 150 determines whether or not the turning angle of the preceding vehicle is deviated from the turning angle θ in the expected path (step S140). When either one of step S138 and step S140 is determined to be affirmative, the process proceeds to step S104, and the intersection passage control unit 142 activates the self passage control unit 156 to perform control for turning right at the intersection by itself. In this way, when the turning start position of the preceding vehicle deviates from the turning start position SP on the expected path, the following to the preceding vehicle is stopped, and thus, for example, the preceding vehicle m4 shown in fig. 4 can be quickly stopped to follow the preceding vehicle traveling to the off-road area HA in front of the intersection CR, and the vehicle can smoothly pass through the intersection.

When both of step S138 and step S140 have been subjected to the negative determination, the intersection passage control unit 142 determines whether or not the own vehicle M has passed through the intersection (step S142). The intersection passage control unit 142 ends the processing of the flowchart when it is determined that the host vehicle M has passed through the intersection, and returns the processing to step S132 when it is determined that the host vehicle M has not passed through the intersection.

When the host vehicle M travels while following the preceding vehicle as the processing of steps S108, S112, S130, S134, and the like in the above-described flowchart, the following may be canceled in accordance with a change in the surrounding environment. The change in the surrounding environment includes a state in which a pedestrian crosses between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle M, and the traffic signal becomes traffic-prohibited (for example, red light) after the preceding vehicle passes through the intersection. After the cancellation of the pursuit, the intersection passage control unit 142 may cause the host vehicle M to pass through the intersection by itself, or may track the travel locus of the preceding vehicle in advance, and cause the host vehicle M to travel based on the tracked travel locus when the change in the surrounding environment is eliminated (for example, when the pedestrian has finished crossing or the traffic signal is in a state of allowing passage).

According to the automatic driving control device 100 of the embodiment described above, when the host vehicle passes through the intersection, if the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is the direction crossing the intersection across the forward road of the opposing vehicle and the center separation zone is present on the road on which the host vehicle travels, the host vehicle is caused to pass through the intersection following the preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have the intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, so that the host vehicle M can more smoothly pass through the intersection.

In the above description, although it is not mentioned about the time of left turn, it is also possible to pass through the intersection following a preceding vehicle, for which the intention of left turn is estimated as in the case of the own vehicle, even at the time of left turn. In this case, similar processing to the processing in steps S136 to S140 in the flowchart of fig. 9 may be performed, and the following may be stopped when the vehicle deviates from the turning start position or the turning angle.

In the above description, the case where the preceding vehicle to be followed passes through the intersection following the preceding vehicle without any special condition is assumed, but the preceding vehicle may pass through the intersection following the preceding vehicle only at night or only in bad weather. This is because, in such a case, the inductive capacity of the camera 10 or the like is lower than that in daytime or in good weather.

[ hardware configuration ]

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the automatic driving control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 is configured such that a communication controller 100-1, a CPU100-2, a ram (random Access memory)100-3 used as a work memory, a rom (read Only memory)100-4 storing a boot program and the like, a flash memory, a storage apparatus 100-5 such as an hdd (hard Disk drive) and the like, and a drive apparatus 100-6 are connected to each other via an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller 100-1 performs communication with components other than the automatic driving control apparatus 100. The storage device 100-5 stores a program 100-5a executed by the CPU 100-2. The program is developed into the RAM100-3 by a dma (direct Memory access) controller (not shown) or the like, and executed by the CPU 100-2. In this way, a part or all of the recognition unit 130, the action plan generation unit 140, and the second control unit 160 are realized.

The above-described embodiments can be expressed as follows.

A vehicle control device is provided with:

a storage device storing a program; and

a hardware processor for executing a program of a program,

the hardware processor is configured to execute a program stored in the storage device to perform:

identifying a surrounding situation of the vehicle;

controlling acceleration and deceleration and steering of the own vehicle based on a result of the recognition; and

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, if the predetermined direction of travel of the host vehicle is a direction of passing through the intersection across a forward road of a vehicle in opposite directions and a center separation zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, the host vehicle is caused to follow the preceding vehicle and to pass through the intersection by performing travel control in accordance with a behavior of a preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a vehicle, in which,

the vehicle control device includes:

an identification unit that identifies a peripheral situation of the host vehicle; and

a driving control unit that controls acceleration/deceleration and steering of the host vehicle based on the recognition result recognized by the recognition unit,

the driving control unit performs, when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the following processing when a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction passing through the intersection across an advancing road of a vehicle facing the intersection and a center barrier exists on a road on which the host vehicle travels:

causing the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle and pass through the intersection by performing travel control according to a behavior of the preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction,

the following of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle is started at an earlier timing than when the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing the forward road of the opposing vehicle and passing through the intersection and no center separation zone is present on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

the vehicle control device further includes an estimation unit that estimates an intention of the preceding vehicle with respect to a direction of travel,

the estimation portion estimates that there is an intention of the preceding vehicle to travel in the predetermined direction, in a case where the preceding vehicle is on a dedicated traffic lane for traveling in the same direction as the predetermined direction.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

when the preceding vehicle is present on an exclusive traffic lane provided in the intersection and configured to travel in the same direction as the predetermined direction, the driving control unit determines that the host vehicle passes through the intersection so as to follow the preceding vehicle.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the drive control unit causes the host vehicle to pass through the intersection following a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle and estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a vehicle traveling opposite to the intersection and a center separation zone is present on an entry route crossing a lane traveling opposite to the road on which the host vehicle travels.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

the driving control unit performs travel control for passing through the intersection based on the recognition result recognized by the recognition unit, when not following the preceding vehicle.

6. A control apparatus for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control device includes:

the following of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle is performed with a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle shortened, as compared with a case where the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing the intersection across the advancing road of the opposing vehicle and no center separation zone is present on the road on which the host vehicle travels.

7. A control apparatus for a vehicle, in which,

the vehicle control device includes:

an identification unit that identifies a surrounding situation of the host vehicle; and

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the driving control unit causes the host vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle and pass through the intersection by performing travel control according to behavior of the preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a oncoming vehicle and passes through the intersection and a center separation zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels,

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the drive control unit causes the host vehicle to continuously follow the preceding vehicle at least until an end of a center isolation zone when a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing a forward road of a vehicle opposite to the direction passing through the intersection and the center isolation zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels.

8. A control apparatus for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control device includes:

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the drive control unit causes the host vehicle to pass through the intersection following a preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a oncoming vehicle and passes through the intersection and there is no center separation zone on a road on which the host vehicle travels, and does not cause the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle when a turning start point of the preceding vehicle does not coincide with a turning start point in an expected path for the host vehicle to pass through in the predetermined direction at the intersection.

9. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8,

the driving control unit does not cause the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle even when the turning angle of the preceding vehicle does not coincide with the turning angle in the predicted path.

10. A control apparatus for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control device includes:

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the drive control unit causes the host vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle and pass through the intersection by performing travel control in accordance with a behavior of the preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the host vehicle and is estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing a forward road of an opposing vehicle and passes through the intersection and a center barrier zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels,

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the driving control unit does not cause the host vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle and estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when the host vehicle passes through the intersection while a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a oncoming vehicle and passes through the intersection and a center isolation belt is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, and when a turning angle of the preceding vehicle exceeds a predetermined angle.

11. A control apparatus for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control device includes:

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, the driving control unit does not cause the host vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle and estimated to have an intention of traveling in the predetermined direction, when the host vehicle passes through the intersection while a predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a oncoming vehicle and passes through the intersection and a center isolation belt is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, and when a turning angle of the preceding vehicle deviates from a predetermined angle range.

12. A control method for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control method causes a computer to execute:

identifying the surrounding condition of the vehicle;

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, if the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a vehicle opposite thereto and passing through the intersection and if a center isolation zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, the following processing is performed:

13. A storage medium, wherein,

the storage medium stores a program for causing a computer to execute:

identifying the surrounding condition of the vehicle;

when the host vehicle passes through an intersection, if the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing an advancing road of a vehicle opposite to the intersection and passing through the intersection and if a center barrier zone is present on a road on which the host vehicle travels, the following processing is performed:

the following of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle is started at an earlier timing than when the predetermined direction in which the host vehicle travels is a direction crossing the forward road of the opposing vehicle and passing through the intersection and there is no center separation zone on the road on which the host vehicle travels.