CN113859227A

CN113859227A - Driving support device, vehicle, portable terminal, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN113859227A
Application number: CN202110552931.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 丹野友哉
Original assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-12
Filing date: 2021-05-20
Publication date: 2021-12-31
Also published as: JP7409974B2; JP2021196827A

Abstract

The invention provides a driving assistance device, a vehicle, a portable terminal, and a storage medium, which are advantageous for realizing smooth intersection passage while ensuring driving safety. A driving assistance device that assists driving includes: an acquisition unit that acquires travel state information of other vehicles at an intersection on a travel scheduled route of a host vehicle; an estimation unit that estimates a lighting state of a traffic light provided at the intersection based on the traveling state information; an evaluation unit that evaluates the estimation result of the estimation unit based on a predetermined condition; and a providing unit that decides recommended driving of the own vehicle based on the estimation result of the estimating unit and the evaluation result of the evaluating unit and provides the driver with the driving recommendation.

Description

Driving support device, vehicle, portable terminal, and storage medium

Technical Field

The invention relates to a driving assistance device, a vehicle, a portable terminal, and a storage medium.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses the following: the lighting state of a traffic light provided at an intersection is estimated based on the result of determining whether or not another vehicle enters the intersection based on the traveling state information of the other vehicle.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2006-323671

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

There are other vehicles that ignore the signal in society, and the reliability of the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light based on the traveling state information of such other vehicles is low. Therefore, if driving is proposed according to the estimation result, it may be difficult to ensure driving safety.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique advantageous for achieving smooth passage through an intersection while ensuring driving safety.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a driving assistance device according to an aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance device for assisting a driver in driving, the driving assistance device including: an acquisition unit that acquires travel state information of other vehicles at an intersection on a travel scheduled route of a host vehicle; an estimation unit that estimates a lighting state of a traffic light provided at the intersection based on the traveling state information; an evaluation unit that evaluates the estimation result of the estimation unit based on a predetermined condition; and a providing unit that decides recommended driving of the own vehicle based on the estimation result of the estimating unit and the evaluation result of the evaluating unit and provides the driver with the driving recommendation.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a technique advantageous for achieving smooth passage through an intersection while ensuring driving safety.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle and a control device thereof.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the driving assistance device.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the conditions of the own vehicle and other vehicles at the intersection.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the driving assistance process.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a method of evaluating the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light.

100: a driving assistance device; 110: a processing unit; 111: an acquisition unit; 112: an estimation unit; 113: an evaluation unit; 114: a supply section; 130: an information output unit; 140: a communication unit.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. The same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

< first embodiment >

A first embodiment according to the present invention will be explained. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle V and a control device 1 thereof according to the present embodiment. In fig. 1, an outline of a vehicle V is shown from a top view and a side view. The vehicle V of the present embodiment is, for example, a sedan-type four-wheeled passenger vehicle, and may be a parallel hybrid vehicle, for example. In this case, the power plant 50 as the travel driving portion that outputs the driving force that rotates the driving wheels of the vehicle V may include an internal combustion engine, a motor, and an automatic transmission. The motor can be used as a drive source for accelerating the vehicle V, and can also be used as a generator (regenerative braking) at the time of deceleration or the like. The vehicle V is not limited to a four-wheeled passenger vehicle, and may be a straddle-type vehicle (two-wheeled motor vehicle, three-wheeled motor vehicle), or may be a large vehicle such as a truck or a bus.

The configuration of the control device 1 as an in-vehicle device of the vehicle V will be described with reference to fig. 1. The control apparatus 1 may include an information processing portion 2 configured of a plurality of ECUs 20 to 28 that are capable of communicating with each other. Each ECU includes a processor typified by a CPU, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, an interface with an external device, and the like. The storage device stores a program executed by the processor, data used by the processor in processing, and the like. Each ECU may be provided with a plurality of processors, storage devices, interfaces, and the like. The number of ECUs and the functions to be assigned to the ECUs may be appropriately designed, or may be further refined or integrated than in the present embodiment. In fig. 1, names of representative functions of ECUs 20 to 28 are denoted. For example, the ECU20 is described as a "driving control ECU".

The ECU20 executes control related to travel assist including drive control of the vehicle V. In the case of the present embodiment, the ECU20 controls driving (acceleration of the vehicle V by the power plant 50, etc.), steering, and braking of the vehicle V. If ECU20 is configured to be able to control automatic driving of vehicle V, ECU20 automatically drives, steers, and brakes vehicle V without requiring an operation by the driver. The ECU20 can execute travel assist control such as collision reduction braking and lane departure suppression during manual driving. When the possibility of collision with an obstacle ahead is high, the collision-reduction brake instructs the operation of the brake device 51 to assist in avoiding the collision. In the case where the possibility that the vehicle V is out of the traveling lane is high, the lane escape suppression instructs the operation of the electric power steering device 41 to assist in avoiding the lane escape.

The ECU21 is an environment recognition unit that recognizes the running environment of the vehicle V based on the detection results of the

detection units

31A, 31B, 32A, 32B that detect the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V. In the case of the present embodiment, the ECU21 can detect the position of an object (e.g., another vehicle) around the vehicle V based on the detection result of at least one of the

detection units

31A, 31B, 32A, 32B.

The

detection units

31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B are sensors capable of detecting a target object in the periphery of the vehicle V (own vehicle). The

detection units

31A and 31B are cameras (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a camera 31A and a camera 31B) that capture images of the front of the vehicle V, and are attached to the inside of the vehicle cabin of the front window at the front roof of the vehicle V. By analyzing the images captured by the

cameras

31A and 31B, the outline of the target object and the lane lines (white lines, etc.) on the road can be extracted.

The Detection unit 32A is a Light Detection and Ranging (hereinafter, may be referred to as an optical radar 32A) and detects a target object around the vehicle V, and detects (measures) a distance to the target object and a direction (azimuth) of the target object. In the example shown in fig. 1, five optical radars 32A are provided, one at each corner of the front portion of the vehicle V, one at the center of the rear portion, and one at each side of the rear portion. The detection unit 32B is a millimeter wave radar (hereinafter, may be referred to as a radar 32B), detects a target object around the vehicle V using radio waves, and detects (measures) a distance to the target object and a direction (azimuth) of the target object. In the example shown in fig. 1, five radars 32B are provided, one at the center of the front portion of the vehicle V, one at each corner portion of the front portion, and one at each corner portion of the rear portion.

The ECU22 is a steering control unit that controls the electric power steering device 41. The electric power steering device 41 includes a mechanism for steering the front wheels in accordance with a driving operation (steering operation) of the steering wheel ST by the driver. The electric power steering device 41 includes: the steering system includes a drive unit 41a including a motor that generates a driving force (sometimes referred to as a steering assist torque) for assisting a steering operation or automatically steering front wheels, a steering angle sensor 41b, a torque sensor 41c that detects a steering torque (referred to as a steering load torque, which is different from the steering assist torque) applied to a driver, and the like.

The ECU23 is a brake control unit that controls the hydraulic device 42. The braking operation of the brake pedal BP by the driver is converted into a hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder BM and transmitted to the hydraulic device 42. The hydraulic device 42 is an actuator capable of controlling the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic oil supplied to the brake devices (for example, disc brake devices) 51 provided on the four wheels, respectively, based on the hydraulic pressure transmitted from the master cylinder BM, and the ECU23 performs drive control of the solenoid valves and the like provided in the hydraulic device 42. In addition, the ECU23 can turn on the brake lamp 43B during braking. This can improve the attention of the rear vehicle to the vehicle V.

The ECU23 and the hydraulic device 42 can constitute an electric servo brake. The ECU23 can control, for example, the distribution of the braking force generated by the four brake devices 51 and the braking force generated by the regenerative braking of the motor provided in the power plant 50. The ECU23 can also realize the ABS function, the traction control function, and the posture control function of the vehicle V based on the detection results of the wheel speed sensors 38, the yaw rate sensors (not shown), and the pressure sensor 35 that detects the pressure in the master cylinder BM, which are provided for the four wheels, respectively.

The ECU24 is a stop maintaining control unit that controls the electric parking brake device 52 provided on the rear wheel. The electric parking brake device 52 includes a mechanism for locking the rear wheel. The ECU24 can control locking and unlocking of the rear wheels by the electric parking brake device 52.

The ECU25 is an in-vehicle report control unit that controls the information output device 43A that reports information to the inside of the vehicle. The information output device 43A includes, for example, a head-up display, a display device provided on an instrument panel, or an audio output device. Further, a vibration device may be included. The ECU25 causes the information output device 43A to output various information such as vehicle speed and outside air temperature, information such as route guidance, and information relating to the state of the vehicle V, for example.

The ECU26 includes a communication device 26a that performs wireless communication. The communication device 26a can exchange information by wireless communication with an object having a communication function. Examples of the object having the communication function include a vehicle (vehicle-to-vehicle communication), a signal lamp, a fixed device such as a traffic monitoring device (road-to-vehicle communication), and a person (pedestrian or bicycle) carrying a portable terminal such as a smartphone. The ECU26 can access a server or the like on the internet via the communication device 26a and acquire various information such as weather information.

The ECU27 is a drive control unit that controls the power unit 50. In the present embodiment, the power unit 50 is assigned one ECU27, but an ECU may be assigned to each of the internal combustion engine, the motor, and the automatic transmission. The ECU27 controls the output of the internal combustion engine and the motor, or switches the shift speed of the automatic transmission, for example, based on the driving operation of the driver, the vehicle speed, and the like detected by the operation detection sensor 34a provided on the accelerator pedal AP and the operation detection sensor 34b provided on the brake pedal BP. Further, the automatic transmission is provided with a rotation speed sensor 39 that detects the rotation speed of the output shaft of the automatic transmission as a sensor that detects the running state of the vehicle V. The vehicle speed of the vehicle V can be calculated based on the detection result of the rotation speed sensor 39.

The ECU28 is a position recognition unit that recognizes the current position and the travel route of the vehicle V. The ECU28 performs control of the gyro sensor 33, the GPS sensor 28b, and the communication device 28c, and information processing of the detection result or the communication result. The gyro sensor 33 detects a rotational movement (yaw rate) of the vehicle V. The course of the vehicle V can be determined based on the detection result of the gyro sensor 33 and the like. The GPS sensor 28b detects the current position of the vehicle V. The communication device 28c wirelessly communicates with a server that provides map information and traffic information, and acquires these pieces of information. The database 28a can store highly accurate map information, and the ECU28 can specify the position of the vehicle V on the lane more accurately based on the map information and the like. The vehicle V may be provided with a speed sensor for detecting a speed of the vehicle V, an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration of the vehicle V, and a lateral acceleration sensor (lateral G sensor) for detecting a lateral acceleration of the vehicle V.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the driving assistance device 100 according to the present embodiment. The driving assistance device 100 is a device for assisting the driver of the vehicle V in driving to smoothly pass through an intersection, and may include, for example, a processing unit 110, a storage unit 120, an information output unit 130, and a communication unit 140. The processing unit 110, the storage unit 120, the information output unit 130, and the communication unit 140 are connected to be able to communicate with each other via a system bus 150.

The processing unit 110 is configured by a computer including a processor typified by a CPU, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, an interface with an external device, and the like, and can function as a part of the ECU of the information processing unit 2 shown in fig. 1. The storage unit 120 stores a program (driving assistance program) for assisting the driving of the driver of the vehicle V, and the processing unit 110 can read out and execute the driving assistance program stored in the storage unit 120 to a storage device such as a memory.

The processing unit 110 of the present embodiment may be provided with an acquisition unit 111, an estimation unit 112, an evaluation unit 113, and a supply unit 114. The acquisition unit 111 acquires the own vehicle V₁And acquires other vehicles V at the intersection on the predetermined route₂The running state information of (1). The estimation unit 112 estimates the lighting state of a traffic light provided at an intersection on the scheduled travel route, based on the travel state information. The evaluation unit 113 evaluates the estimation result of the estimation unit 112 based on a predetermined condition. The providing unit 114 (determining unit) determines the vehicle V based on the estimation result of the estimating unit 112 and the evaluation result of the evaluating unit 113₁The recommended driving content (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "recommended driving") is provided (reported) to the driver via the information output unit 130.

The information output unit 130 is, for example, the information output device 43A shown in fig. 1, and reports information on the recommended driving determined by the processing unit 110 (providing unit 114) to the inside of the vehicle. The information output unit 130 may be a display of a car navigation system, a head-up display, or a display device provided on an instrument panel for displaying information on a planned travel route, or may be an audio output device for reporting information to a driver by sound or the like. The communication unit 140 is, for example, the communication device 26a shown in fig. 1, and acquires another vehicle V₂And the other vehicle V₂And carrying out vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The communication unit 140 is not limited to the other vehicle V₂The communication may be performed directly or via a network to another vehicle V₂The communication is performed indirectly.

Next, the operation of the driving assistance device 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 3 shows a vehicle V at an intersection 200₁And other vehicles V₂The situation of (2). In fig. 3, the own vehicle V₁The intersection 200 on the predetermined route to be traveled next (i.e., on the predetermined travel route) and the other vehicles V existing around it_2-1Other vehicles V_2-6The vehicle V is provided at the intersection 200₁ Traffic lights 201 to 202 indicating traveling permission or stop instruction in the traveling lane, and the host vehicle V₁Traffic lights 203 to 204 for allowing travel or giving stop instructions in the lane crossing the driving lane.

The driving assistance device 100 of the present embodiment is based on the assistance from another vehicle V present at (and around) the intersection 200_2-1Other vehicles V_2-6The vehicle V is estimated from the acquired running state information₁The lighting states of the traffic lights 201 to 204 when arriving at the intersection 200. The running state information may include, for example, information related to each of the other vehicles V₂Information on whether the vehicle is passing through the intersection 200 or has stopped, and information on the other vehicles V₂Velocity (acceleration) of the vehicle, and the like. Then, the driving assistance apparatus 100 avoids the own vehicle V₁Determine the mode of stopping at the intersection 200 to the vehicle V₁Recommended driving content (recommended driving), and provides (reports) the determined recommended driving to the host vehicle V₁To the driver of (1). The recommended driving includes, for example, a vehicle V up to the intersection 200₁Speed of, own vehicle V₁Acceleration and/or deceleration (i.e., accelerator opening), etc.

Next, the driving assistance process of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the driving assistance process according to the present embodiment. The flowchart of fig. 4 can be executed by the processing unit 110 when the driving assistance program is executed by the driving assistance device 100.

In step S11, the processing unit 110 (acquisition unit 111) acquires the own vehicle V₁To travel the predetermined route. For example, the processing unit 110 may calculate the destination from the map information based on the destination set by the driverThe planned travel route to the destination may be acquired from a car navigation system or the like and installed in the host vehicle V₁The car navigation system, etc. determined by the vehicle navigation system. In this step, the processing unit 110 may acquire position information of a plurality of intersections existing on the scheduled travel route and information on whether or not a traffic light is set at each intersection, in addition to the information on the scheduled travel route. Further, not only information on a scheduled travel route but also information on the position of an intersection or the information on a traffic light in a route that is likely to travel before reaching the destination may be acquired. The "route that is likely to be traveled" may be, for example, a route included in a range of a prescribed distance from a predetermined route to be traveled.

In step S12, the processing unit 110 (acquisition unit 111) targets the host vehicle V₁The intersection of the object to be passed next (object intersection) is driven by another vehicle V₂The other vehicle V existing at (and around) the target intersection is acquired₂The running state information of (1). For example, the processing unit 110 can acquire another vehicle V existing within a predetermined range from the target intersection₂The running state information of (1). Here, the target intersection may include only the own vehicle V₁The predetermined intersection (next intersection) to be passed next may include the own vehicle V in addition to the next intersection₁A predetermined plurality of intersections of the second and third … … to be traversed. In the latter case, the processing of steps S13 to S16 described later can be performed in parallel for a plurality of intersections.

In step S13, the processing unit 110 (estimation unit 112) bases on each of the other vehicles V acquired in step S12₂The lighting state of the traffic lights provided at the target intersection is estimated from the running state information of (2). At this time, the processing unit 110 may estimate the own vehicle V₁The lighting state of the signal lamp when reaching the target intersection. For example, the processing unit 110 acquires each of the other vehicles V within a predetermined period₂Can grasp the target intersection (the own vehicle V)₁Row ofDriving lane), the lighting cycle of the green, yellow, and red lights, the lighting timing of the green light, the lighting time of the green light, and the like of the traffic lights are the lighting state of the traffic lights. That is, the processing unit 110 can estimate the own vehicle V when traveling at the current speed₁The lighting state of the signal lamp when reaching the target intersection. In addition, the estimation of the lighting state of the traffic light may be performed using the vehicle V itself₁Speed and acceleration of the vehicle V₁The running state information of (1).

In step S14, the processing unit 110 (evaluation unit 113) evaluates the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light in step S13. There may be other vehicles V in society that ignore the signal₂Based on such other vehicles V₂The reliability of the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light of the running state information (2) is low. Therefore, if the driver is provided with the recommended driving determined based on the estimation result, it may be difficult to ensure driving safety. Therefore, in this step, the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light in step S13 is evaluated based on a predetermined condition.

Here, an example of the evaluation method in step S14 will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a method of evaluating the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light. In the present embodiment, the condition regarding whether the time when the lighting state of the traffic light is estimated is daytime or nighttime and the condition regarding the other vehicle V present at the target intersection are used₂The following describes an example in which the reliability of the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light is evaluated as a predetermined condition.

Steps S21 to S22 are steps of evaluating the reliability of the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light based on whether the time when the lighting state of the traffic light is estimated is daytime or nighttime. For example, it is likely that an overlooking signal occurs at night rather than at day time. Therefore, in this step, the reliability is evaluated so that the reliability of the estimation result is higher when the time when the lighting state of the traffic light is estimated is daytime than when it is nighttime.

In step S21, the processing unit 110 determines whether the time when the lighting state of the traffic light is estimated is daytime or nighttime. When it is determined that the time is nighttime, the process proceeds to step S22, and the reliability of the estimation result is lowered, and then the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if it is determined that the time is in the daytime, the process proceeds to step S23 without reducing the reliability of the estimation result. In addition, the amount of reduction in reliability and the reduction method can be set arbitrarily.

Steps S23 to S24 are performed based on another vehicle V present at the target intersection₂Number of other vehicles V that acquire running state information during a prescribed period₂Number of traffic lights) is less than a predetermined number, and the reliability of the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light is evaluated. For example, there is a tendency that the fewer vehicles present at an intersection, the more easily the signal is ignored (as an example, when there is only one vehicle at the intersection, there is a tendency that the signal is highly likely to be ignored by the vehicle). Therefore, in this step, another vehicle V existing at the target intersection is present₂When the number of (d) is less than the predetermined number, the reliability of the estimation result is evaluated so as to be lower than that in the case of the predetermined number or more.

In step 23, the processing unit 110 determines that another vehicle V is present at the target intersection₂Number of (other vehicles V acquiring running state information)₂The number) is less than the prescribed number. If the number is smaller than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S24, and after the reliability of the estimation result is lowered, the process proceeds to step S15 in fig. 4. On the other hand, if the number is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S15 in fig. 4 without lowering the reliability of the estimation result. Here, in the present embodiment, another vehicle V existing at the target intersection₂When the number of (c) is less than the predetermined number, the reliability of the estimation result is lowered, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the estimation result may be determined by another vehicle V present at the target intersection₂The number of the estimated results decreases (or increases) in reliability. That is, another vehicle present at the target intersection may be usedVehicle V₂The more the reliability of the estimation result increases, or another vehicle V existing at the target intersection is₂The smaller the number, the lower the reliability of the estimation result.

Returning to the flowchart of fig. 4, in step S15, the processing unit 110 determines whether or not the reliability evaluated in step S14 is equal to or greater than a threshold value. If the reliability is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the process proceeds to steps S16-S17, where the host vehicle V is determined₁And provided to the driver, and then proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the reliability is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S18 without performing steps S16 to S17. In this way, in the present embodiment, the number of times of providing the driver with the recommended driving is changed based on whether or not the reliability evaluated in step S14 is equal to or greater than the threshold.

In step S16, the processing unit 110 (providing unit 114) determines the own vehicle V based on the estimation result in step S13₁Recommended driving of (1). For example, the processing unit 110 avoids the host vehicle V based on the lighting state of the traffic light estimated in step S13₁Determining the vehicle V to stop at the target intersection₁Recommended driving (e.g., speed, acceleration deceleration). In step S17, the processing unit 110 (providing unit 114) provides the recommended driving determined in step S16 to the host vehicle V₁To the driver of (1). For example, the processing unit 110 reports the information related to the recommended driving determined in step S16, such as display on the display or audio output, to the driver from the information output unit 130.

In step S18, the processing unit 110 determines whether or not the destination is reached. If the destination has not been reached, the process returns to step S12, and steps S12 to S17 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, the process ends when the destination is reached.

As described above, the driving assistance device 100 according to the present embodiment can be based on the other vehicle V₂The lighting state of the traffic signal estimated from the running state information of (2) provides the driver with recommended driving for smoothly passing through the intersection. In addition, for example, it is possible to avoid another vehicle V to be based on the disregard signal₂Running state ofThe driver is provided with the recommended driving determined by the information with low reliability such as the lighting state of the traffic light estimated by the information estimation, thereby ensuring the driving safety. Therefore, the driving assistance device 100 according to the present embodiment can realize smooth passage through an intersection while ensuring driving safety.

< second embodiment >

A second embodiment according to the present invention will be explained. In the first embodiment, the example in which the driving assistance device 100 is provided in the vehicle V is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the driving assistance device 100 may be provided in a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal.

< summary of the embodiments >

1. The driving assistance device of the above-described embodiment is a driving assistance device (e.g., 100) that performs driving assistance for a driver, in which,

the driving assistance device includes:

an acquisition unit (e.g., 111) that acquires a host vehicle (e.g., V)₁) Is driven by another vehicle (e.g., V) at an intersection (e.g., 200) on the predetermined route₂) The running state information of (2);

an estimation means (e.g., 112) for estimating the lighting state of a traffic light (e.g., 201 to 204) provided at the intersection based on the travel state information;

an evaluation unit (e.g., 113) that evaluates the estimation result of the estimation unit based on a predetermined condition; and

and a provision unit (e.g., 114) that decides the recommended driving of the own vehicle based on the estimation result of the estimation unit and the evaluation result of the evaluation unit and provides the driver with the driving recommendation.

With this configuration, it is possible to avoid providing the driver with recommended driving determined based on information with low reliability such as the lighting state of the traffic light estimated from the traveling state information of the other vehicle with which the signal is ignored. Therefore, smooth passage of the intersection can be realized while ensuring driving safety.

2. In the above-described embodiments of the present invention,

the providing unit changes the number of times of providing the recommended driving to the driver according to the evaluation result of the evaluation unit.

According to this configuration, it is possible to avoid frequent provision of recommended driving determined based on information with low reliability to the driver.

3. In the above-described embodiments of the present invention,

the evaluation means evaluates the reliability of the lighting state estimated by the estimation means based on the predetermined condition.

According to this configuration, it is possible to avoid providing the driver with recommended driving determined based on information with low reliability, and to ensure driving safety.

4. In the above-described embodiments of the present invention,

the predetermined condition includes a time when the lighting state is estimated by the estimating unit.

With this configuration, the reliability of the estimation result of the lighting state can be evaluated from the time when the lighting state of the traffic light is estimated.

5. In the above-described embodiments of the present invention,

the evaluation unit evaluates the reliability so that the reliability is higher when the time is day than when the time is night.

According to this configuration, the reliability of the estimation result can be made different between daytime and nighttime when the degree of easiness of signal disregard is different, and therefore the reliability can be evaluated more accurately.

6. In the above-described embodiments of the present invention,

the prescribed condition includes the number of other vehicles present at the intersection.

With this configuration, the reliability of the estimation result of the lighting state of the traffic light can be evaluated based on the number of other vehicles present at the intersection.

7. In the above-described embodiments of the present invention,

the evaluation unit evaluates the reliability so that the reliability is higher as the number of other vehicles present at the intersection is larger.

According to this configuration, the reliability of the estimation result can be made different according to the number of other vehicles present at the intersection, and therefore the reliability can be evaluated more accurately.

8. In the above-described embodiments of the present invention,

the estimation unit estimates a lighting state of the traffic light when the host vehicle reaches the intersection.

According to this configuration, it is possible to provide the driver with recommended driving for smoothly passing through the intersection.

9. In the above-described embodiments of the present invention,

the providing unit determines the recommended driving so as to avoid a stop at the intersection based on the estimation result of the estimating unit and provides the recommended driving to the driver.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A driving assistance device for assisting a driver in driving, characterized in that,

the driving assistance device includes:

an acquisition unit that acquires travel state information of other vehicles at an intersection on a travel scheduled route of a host vehicle;

an estimation unit that estimates a lighting state of a traffic light provided at the intersection based on the traveling state information;

an evaluation unit that evaluates the estimation result of the estimation unit based on a predetermined condition; and

and a providing unit that decides recommended driving of the own vehicle based on the estimation result of the estimating unit and the evaluation result of the evaluating unit and provides the driver with the driving recommendation.

2. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

4. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 3,

5. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 4,

6. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 3,

7. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 6,

8. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

9. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

10. A vehicle provided with the driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A mobile terminal, characterized in that the mobile terminal is provided with the driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each means of the driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.