JP2002157697A - Controller for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent wrong alarming, etc., as to a controller for vehicles which transmits a detection wave to a range which is specific in height and horizontal directions, detects a body at the periphery of its vehicle V1 according to distance data obtained by areas obtained by dividing the transmission range of the detection wave, and generates an alarm, etc., according to the relative position between its vehicle V1 and a body V2. SOLUTION: Areas wherein the same body V2 is detected are grouped, data removal processing for excluding areas of less than specific height from the grouped areas is performed, and the distance from the vehicle V1 to the body V2 is detected according to data on the shortest distance to the vehicle V1 in the group of the area after the processing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control system for a vehicle which detects an object around a vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as "self-vehicle") and issues a warning to a driver according to a relative position between the vehicle and the object. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as a control device for a vehicle of this type, a laser beam has been radiated over a predetermined range in each of a height direction and a horizontal direction, and based on a reflected wave of the laser beam, a vehicle ahead of the host vehicle has been irradiated. It is known to detect an object, detect a distance from the host vehicle to the object, and perform a driving control such as a warning for a driver or an automatic brake based on the distance (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-38141). In this apparatus, distance data from the host vehicle is obtained for each of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing the irradiation range (detection range) of the laser light into a matrix in the height direction and the vehicle width direction. . Regions adjacent to each other in which the deviation of the distance data is within a predetermined range are grouped as regions where the same object is detected.

When an object is recognized by grouping regions as described above, the distance between the object and the host vehicle is set to distance data having the shortest distance to the host vehicle in the group of regions. It is known that the setting is performed on the basis of the setting (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-106599).

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Incidentally, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
Japanese Patent No. 105891 describes a control device for a vehicle that detects not only a preceding vehicle but also a pedestrian, for example. Here, since the pedestrian has a weak reflected wave unlike a vehicle, in order to accurately detect the pedestrian, the output of the laser beam to be irradiated is increased or the sensitivity of the light receiving element is increased to improve the detection ability. Need to improve.

However, when the detection capability is improved, the detection range includes the traveling road surface, so that the laser beam is reflected by a white line such as a pedestrian crossing existing on the traveling road surface, and a reflected wave is generated. Will be. At this time, detecting the reflected wave due to the white line causes a problem that an alarm, an automatic brake, and the like are erroneously operated.

Referring to FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (c), an example in which a preceding vehicle V2 traveling ahead of the host vehicle V1 passes over a white line will be described.
Is detected as an object, but until only the front portion of the preceding vehicle V2 is positioned on the white line M (FIG. 10A), only the preceding vehicle V2 is irradiated with laser light.
Only the preceding vehicle V2 is detected (see the arrow in the figure).
The arrows indicate the irradiated laser light).

After that, when the preceding vehicle V2 moves to a state where the center of the preceding vehicle V2 is located on the white line M (FIG. 1B), the laser beam is emitted from the preceding vehicle V2.
And the white line M, and the reflected waves from both the preceding vehicle V2 and the white line M are detected. At this time, the area where the preceding vehicle V2 is detected and the area where the white line M is detected are adjacent to each other, and
1 and the distance data are substantially equal. Therefore, the area where the preceding vehicle V2 is detected and the area where the white line M is detected are grouped as areas where the same object is detected.

When the preceding vehicle V2 further moves, and only the rear portion of the preceding vehicle V2 is on the white line M (FIG. 3C), the reflection from both the preceding vehicle V2 and the white line M occurs. Waves are detected. At this time, the distance between the own vehicle V1 and the detected object is determined within the group of regions.
Since the distance to the own vehicle V1 is set to be the shortest, if the area where the preceding vehicle V2 is detected and the area where the white line M is detected are grouped, the object detected as the own vehicle V1 is grouped. Is not the distance between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2 but the distance to the white line M.

As described above, since the preceding vehicle V2 and the white line M are erroneously recognized as being the same object, the distance from the host vehicle V1 to the object V2 is determined by the white line M. For this reason, with the travel of the own vehicle V1,
If the vehicle V1 approaches the white line M, there is a disadvantage that a warning, an automatic brake or the like is erroneously activated.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to reduce the
In a vehicle control device that transmits a detection wave over a predetermined range in each of a height direction and a horizontal direction, detects an object around the own vehicle, and issues an alarm or the like according to a relative position between the own vehicle and the object. To prevent erroneous operations such as alarms and the like.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for detecting a distance between an own vehicle and an object.
Data removal processing for removing data that detects a white line or the like on the road surface is performed.

Specifically, the invention according to claim 1 transmits a detection wave from a host vehicle over a predetermined range in each of a height direction and a horizontal direction, and based on a reflected wave of the detection wave, Radar means for acquiring the distance data with respect to the own vehicle for each area obtained by dividing the transmission range of the detection wave into a plurality of matrixes in the height direction and the horizontal direction, based on the distance data acquired by the radar means, A recognition means for recognizing an object around the own vehicle and detecting a distance from the own vehicle to the object; and the own vehicle and the object are closer than a predetermined value based on a recognition result of the recognition means. The present invention is directed to a vehicle control device including an alarm / travel control unit that performs at least one of an alarm for a driver of the host vehicle and running control of the host vehicle.

The recognition means recognizes adjacent areas where the distance data are close to each other as an area where the same object is detected, and furthermore, among the area groups where the same object is detected, The area located at the bottom is subjected to data removal processing excluding the area group from the area group, and the distance from the host vehicle to the object is the shortest distance to the host vehicle in the area group after the data removal processing. It is a specific matter that the detection is performed based on the distance data.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, based on the distance data for each area acquired by the radar means,
The recognizing means recognizes an object around the own vehicle and detects a distance from the own vehicle to the object. At this time, the recognizing unit sets adjacent regions in which the distance data are similar to each other as regions where the same object is detected (region grouping).

Then, a data removal process is performed to remove the lowermost region from the region group from the region group.
That is, the white line on the traveling road surface is detected at a lower position in the transmission range (detection range) of the detection wave. For this reason, assuming that the area group includes an area in which a white line is detected (white line data), the white line data is located below the area group. Therefore, by performing data removal processing for excluding the lowermost region in the region group from the region group, white line data is removed from the region group.

Thus, only the area where the object is detected remains in the area group after the data removal processing, and the distance between the own vehicle and the object is determined based on the distance data having the shortest distance to the own vehicle in the area group. By detecting the distance, the distance to the object can be accurately detected.

As a result, even when a pedestrian or the like can be detected, erroneous recognition of the preceding vehicle or the like and the white line as the same object can be avoided, and a warning or running control or the like is erroneously performed. Is prevented.

When the area located at the lowest position in the height direction is excluded from the area group corresponding to the object recognized in this way, the recognition means may be set to the area where the same object is detected. The lowest area in the group is
When the vehicle is located at a predetermined height or higher, the distance from the own vehicle to the object is detected based on the distance data having the shortest distance from the own vehicle in the region group without performing the data removal process. May be configured.

That is, as described above, the white line on the traveling road surface is detected at the lower position in the detection range.
When the lowermost region in the region group is located at a predetermined height or higher, it is considered that the region does not detect a white line.

Therefore, in this case, the distance from the host vehicle to the object is set to the distance data having the shortest distance from the host vehicle in the area group corresponding to the object without performing the data removal processing. Based on this, it is possible to detect the distance between the host vehicle and the object with high accuracy while avoiding erroneous recognition that the preceding vehicle or the like and the white line are the same object.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a detection wave is transmitted from a host vehicle over a predetermined range in each of a height direction and a horizontal direction, and the detection wave is reflected based on the reflection wave of the detection wave. Radar means for acquiring distance data from the own vehicle for each area obtained by dividing the transmission range into a plurality of matrixes in the height direction and the horizontal direction; and the surroundings of the own vehicle based on the distance data obtained by the radar means. Recognizing means for recognizing the object and detecting the distance from the own vehicle to the object, based on the recognition result of the recognizing means, when the own vehicle and the object are closer than a predetermined, The present invention is directed to a vehicle control device including an alarm / running control unit that performs at least one of an alarm for a driver of the own vehicle and running control of the own vehicle.

The recognition means recognizes adjacent areas where the distance data are close to each other as areas where the same object is detected, and includes a predetermined area in the area group where the same object is detected. When there is an area located below the height, the area is subjected to data removal processing excluding the area from the area group, and the distance from the host vehicle to the object is set within the area group after the data removal processing. It is a specific matter that the configuration is such that the distance to the own vehicle is detected based on the shortest distance data.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, based on the distance data for each area obtained by the radar means, the recognition means groups the areas and recognizes the objects around the own vehicle, and recognizes the objects around the own vehicle from the own vehicle. The method of detecting the distance to the object is the same as that of the first aspect of the invention. However, the content of the data removal processing when detecting the distance from the host vehicle to the object is the same as the first aspect of the invention. And different.

In other words, the data removal processing according to the third aspect of the present invention is a processing for removing a region located below a predetermined height from a group of regions when the region is located below a predetermined height. It is configured. This is based on the fact that, as described above, the white line on the traveling road surface is detected at the lower position in the detection range, and thus, by excluding the region located below the predetermined height from the region group, White line data is removed from the region group.

As a result, only the area where the object is detected remains in the area group after the data removal processing, and the own vehicle and the object are determined based on the distance data having the shortest distance to the own vehicle in the area group. , The distance to the object can be accurately detected.

As a result, even when a pedestrian or the like can be detected, erroneous recognition of the preceding vehicle or the like and the white line as the same object is avoided, and a warning or running control is erroneously performed. Is prevented.

When performing the data removal processing for excluding the region located below the predetermined height from the region group, the recognition means may be set to the region where the region group is located below the predetermined height. When only the object group is configured, the object corresponding to the area group may be excluded from the recognition target of the recognition unit.

That is, since the white line data is located below the predetermined height, if the area group is composed only of the areas located below the predetermined height in the detection range, the object detected by the above area group is That is, the white line on the traveling road surface is detected. For this reason, if the object is recognized, the own vehicle and the object (white line) approach each other as the own vehicle travels, and the warning / running control means erroneously activates the warning or the running control. I will. Therefore, by removing the object from the recognition target, a malfunction of the warning or the traveling control is prevented.

A vehicle control device configured to remove such white line data on a traveling road surface may include, for example, a vehicle outside information detecting means for detecting vehicle outside information relating to the traveling environment of the own vehicle. And the recognition means,
Based on the detection result of the outside-of-vehicle information detecting means, only when there is a white line in the travel path of the own vehicle, after performing data removal processing on the area group, the distance between the own vehicle and the object is calculated. You may comprise so that it may detect. Here, the outside-of-vehicle information detecting means may be, for example, GPS or road-to-vehicle communication means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the data removal processing is performed on the area group only when the white line exists on the traveling path of the own vehicle by using the outside-of-vehicle information. The data removal processing is not performed while the vehicle is traveling on a travel path that does not have a possibility of recognizing the white line as the same object, that is, a travel path on which no white line exists.

[0031]

As described above, according to the control apparatus for a vehicle of the present invention, the area where the white line is detected is removed from the group of areas where the same object is detected. The distance between the host vehicle and the object is detected only from the area where the object is detected, and a malfunction such as an alarm caused by erroneously recognizing the object and the white line as the same object is caused. Can be prevented.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle V provided with a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle V is shifted from its own vehicle V1 in the height direction (line direction).
And a laser beam as a detection wave is radiated over a predetermined range in the vehicle width direction (window direction) as a horizontal direction, and the laser light is reflected on the basis of the reflected wave reflected by the preceding vehicle V2 or the pedestrian O. In addition to recognizing an object such as a preceding vehicle V2 or a pedestrian O in a traveling path in front of the own vehicle V1, an alarm is issued to a driver in accordance with a relative position between the own vehicle V1 and the object, or running is performed. It is configured to perform deceleration control as control.

Here, the irradiation range (detection range) R of the laser beam is divided into a plurality of regions in a matrix in the line direction and the window direction as shown in FIGS. The distance data from the own vehicle V1 is acquired for each area. Then, in the scene as shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, each object of the preceding vehicle V2 and the pedestrian O and the white line M which is the pedestrian crossing.
Are detected by a set (region group) of a plurality of regions (the portions V2, O, and M with hatching in FIG. 3). The distance between the host vehicle V1 and each object is detected based on the shortest distance data in the above-described area group, that is, the distance of the shortest distance data from the host vehicle V1 is determined by the object. The distance to it is to be.

In FIG. 5, line LMAX is set to 6
The detection range R is divided into six in the line direction and 51 in the window direction with the window WMAX as 51, but the number of divisions of the detection range R is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle V includes a steering angle sensor 11 for detecting a steering angle and a yaw rate sensor 12 for detecting a yaw rate generated in the vehicle V. These sensors 11 and 12 are used to detect the traveling path of the vehicle V and the like, and to judge the possibility of collision between the detected object and the vehicle V.

The vehicle V has a vehicle speed sensor 13 for detecting the vehicle speed.
It is used to calculate the absolute speed of the preceding vehicle V2 traveling in front of (the own vehicle V1), and to set a threshold value for an alarm or deceleration control.

Further, the vehicle V is provided with a GPS 14 as outside-of-vehicle information detecting means for detecting information relating to the traveling environment of the vehicle V1, such as an intersection or a pedestrian crossing existing in front of the traveling road. The outside-of-vehicle information detecting means is not limited to the GPS 14, but may be other means for detecting information from an infrastructure (for example, a road-to-vehicle communication device or the like).

A scanning laser as a radar device for scanning and irradiating the detection range R with laser light and receiving reflected light (reflected waves) of the irradiated laser light is provided on the front end of the vehicle V. A radar 4 is provided.
The laser radar 4 is configured to acquire distance data for each region based on the irradiation angle of laser light and the time difference between irradiation and reception. The radar device is
The object is not limited to the laser radar 4 as long as it can detect an object by transmitting a detection wave within the detection range R.

Here, the scanning structure of the laser beam in the laser radar 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
1 and a motor 4 around a rotation center axis Y extending in the vertical direction.
3 and a polygon mirror 42 configured to be rotatable in one direction by the laser diode 41. The polygon mirror 42 reflects the laser light output from the laser diode 41 through the lens 44 to the polygon mirror 42, so that It is configured to irradiate the laser light.

The polygon mirror 42 includes first to sixth mirrors 42a to 42f each having a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to the number of divisions (six divisions in the illustrated example) of the detection range R in the line direction.
The first to sixth mirrors 42a to 42f are arranged at angles different from each other between the mirror surface and the rotation center axis Y. ing.

With such a configuration, the laser radar 4 rotates the polygon mirror 42 while outputting laser light from the laser diode 41,
The laser light is reflected on the mirrors 42a to 42f in order, and is emitted to the front of the vehicle. For example, the laser light from the laser diode 41
If the polygon mirror 42 is rotated, the reflection position of the laser beam on the sixth mirror 42f is changed to the sixth mirror 42f.
The surface relatively moves from one end to the other end in the long side direction, so that the angle of the reflection surface with respect to the irradiation direction of the laser light changes. Thereby, the sixth mirror 42f
The reflected laser light is scanned at the corresponding height position (the height position of the line 6) from the left side to the right side of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction ahead of the own vehicle (from the small window number to the large window number in the window direction). Become so. When the polygon mirror 42 further rotates, the laser diode 41
Is reflected by the first mirror 42a this time. As a result, the laser beam reflected by the first mirror 42a is scanned from the left side to the right side of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction in front of the vehicle at the corresponding height position (the height position of the line 1). Thus, the polygon mirror 42
Makes one rotation, the laser beam is scanned and irradiated over a predetermined range in the height direction (line 1 to line LMAX) and a predetermined range in the vehicle width direction (window 1 to window WMAX).

The laser radar 4 can change the range in the window direction and the range in the line direction by changing and adjusting the number of mirrors constituting the polygon mirror 42 and the length of each mirror.

The configuration of the laser radar 4 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, but may be any configuration that can irradiate laser light over the detection range R.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle V is further provided with an alarm device 2 for giving an alarm to the driver by sound.
1 and a display device 22 provided on the instrument panel for displaying information, warning, etc. to the driver, and a brake control device 23 for controlling deceleration of the vehicle V by controlling automatic braking. Provided. Therefore, the alarm device 21, the display device 22, and the brake control device 23 constitute an alarm / travel control unit. The deceleration control of the vehicle V is not limited to the automatic brake control, and may be performed by a known method such as a downshift of an automatic transmission. Further, the traveling control of the vehicle V is not limited to the deceleration control, and may be another control.

The alarm device 21, the display device 22 and the brake control device 23 are each provided with an ECU as a recognition means.
The ECU 3 is configured to control the devices 21 to 23 according to the detection results of the various sensors 11 to 13, the laser radar 4, and the GPS 14, and the like. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 3 includes an object identification unit 31 and a speed calculation unit 32.
And a danger determining unit 33. The object identifying unit 31 recognizes an object based on a detection result (distance data for each area) by the laser radar 4, and the object is a vehicle. Or a pedestrian. At this time, the detection result of the GPS 14 is also considered. Further, the speed calculation unit 32 calculates the speed of the vehicle based on the identification result of the object identification unit 31 and the detection results (steering angle, yaw rate, and own vehicle speed) of the steering angle sensor 11, the yaw rate sensor 12, and the vehicle speed sensor 13. The speed between the vehicle V1 and the detected object is calculated. Further, the danger determining unit 33 calculates the result of the calculation by the speed calculating unit 32 and the steering angle sensor 11,
Yaw rate sensor 12, vehicle speed sensor 13, and GPS 14
Is determined based on the detection results (steering angle, yaw rate, vehicle speed, and traveling environment information) of the vehicle V1 and the object (collision risk).

The ECU 3 displays the distance between the host vehicle V1 and the object and the warning to the driver on the display device 22 in accordance with the result of the determination by the danger determining unit 33, and controls the warning device 21 to control the warning. It is configured to activate an alarm sound. Further, when it is necessary to avoid collision between the host vehicle V1 and the object, the brake control device 23
Is configured to perform automatic brake control by the control of.

Next, the ECU in the control device for the vehicle will be described.
3 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. First, in step S11, various sensors 11
The vehicle information is obtained by taking in the detection results of No. to No. 13.

Next, in step S12, the G
From the detection result of PS14, a traveling environment such as road information such as the presence of a pedestrian crossing ahead of the traveling path of the vehicle V1 is acquired.

In step S13, the travel path of the host vehicle V1 is estimated based on the detection result of the steering angle sensor 11 and the like.

In step S14, an object is detected by the laser radar 4, and in step S15, based on the detection result of the object, an object is identified as to whether the object is a vehicle or a pedestrian.

In step S16, a danger judgment such as a possibility of collision between the vehicle V1 and the object is performed based on the result of the object identification, and the display device 2 is selected according to the result of the danger judgment.
1 (step S17), the alarm device 22 controls the alarm sound (step S18), and the brake controller 23 controls the automatic brake (step S19).

Next, the object identification in step S15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7. First, in step S21, a grouping process for grouping regions where the same object is detected is performed. I do.
This is because an area where the positions in the line direction and the window direction are adjacent to each other and the distance data from the own vehicle V1 are close to each other is an area where the same object is detected, and these are grouped. This is a process of assigning an object number to the object.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, in step S31, the object number N to be registered (recognized) is 1,
Data is initialized by setting both window i and line j to 1.

Next, in step S32, dis
It is determined whether or not t (i, j)> DISTMIN. This is the distance data dist (i, j) of the area of window i, line j (hereinafter simply referred to as (i, j)).
Is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined value DISTMIN, and an area having a distance greater than the predetermined value DISTMIN is set as a grouping target. And dist
If (i, j)> DISTMIN is YES, the process proceeds to step S33, while dist (i, j) ≦ DISTM
If the answer is NO, the process proceeds to step S311.

In step S33, dist
It is determined whether (i, j) <DISTMAX.
This is to determine whether or not the distance data dist (i, j) of (i, j) is smaller than a predetermined value DISTMAX, and an area smaller than the predetermined value DISTMAX is to be grouped. And dist (i, j) <
If DISTMAX is YES, the process proceeds to a step S34, while if dist (i, j) ≧ DISTMIN is NO, the process proceeds to a step S311.

In step S34, the Object
It is determined whether or not ctNo (i, j) = 0. Here, ObjectNo (i, j) means the object number to which (i, j) belongs, and ObjectNo (i, j)
When = 0, it means that no object number is assigned. If ObjectNo (i, j) = 0 is YES, the process proceeds to step S35, while if the object number has already been assigned, ObjectNo (i, j) ≠ N of 0
It proceeds to step S37 as O.

In step S35, (i,
j) belongs to the object number ObjectNo (i,
j) = N, and the object number N is increased by one in step S36.

In step S37, | dis
It is determined whether or not t (i + 1, j) -dist (i, j) | <d1. That is, whether the difference between the distance data of (i, j) and the distance data of (i + 1, j) adjacent to this (i, j) in the window direction is smaller than a predetermined value d1, ie, ( It is determined whether or not the distance data of (i, j) and the distance data of (i + 1, j) are close to each other. And | dist (i +
(1, j) -dist (i, j) | <d1 YES
In the case of, the process proceeds to step S38, and ObjectNo (i
(I, j) = N, (i + 1, j) becomes (i, j)
Is considered to belong to the object to which it belongs. On the other hand, in the above step S37, | dist (i + 1, j) -dist
If (i, j) | ≧ d1 is NO, step S
The process proceeds to step S39 without proceeding to.

In step S39, | dis
It is determined whether or not t (i, j + 1) -dist (i, j) | <d2. This is because the difference between the distance data of (i, j) and the distance data of (i, j + 1) adjacent to the window (i, j) in the line direction is a predetermined value d.
It is determined whether the distance data is smaller than 2, that is, whether the distance data of (i, j) and the distance data of (i, j + 1) are close to each other. And | dist
If (i, j + 1) -dist (i, j) | <d2, that is, if YES, the process proceeds to step S310, and the Object
Assuming that No (i, j + 1) = N, (i, j + 1) becomes
It is considered that the object belongs to the object to which (i, j) belongs. On the other hand, in the above step S39, | dist (i, j + 1)-
When dist (i, j) | ≧ d2 is NO, the process proceeds to step S311 without proceeding to step S310.

In step S311, the window i is increased by one, and in step S312, it is determined whether or not i ≦ WMAX. If i ≦ WMAX is YES, the process proceeds to step S313, while if i> WMAX is NO, the process returns to step S32. Also, the above step S3
In step 13, line j is increased by one, and step S31
At 4, it is determined whether or not j ≦ LMAX. j ≦ LMA
When X is YES, the process ends, while j> LMAX NO
In the case of, the process returns to step S32. As a result, step S3 is performed for all the areas in the detection range R.
When the grouping process for each area is performed,
As shown in FIG. 7, in step S22, calculation of an object position and white line removal processing are performed. Here, the relative position in the vehicle width direction of the object consisting of the group of areas grouped in step S21 with respect to the own vehicle V1 is calculated, and the distance between the object and the own vehicle V1 is calculated.

Then, in step S23, the object size is calculated. That is, the width (vehicle width direction), length (vehicle front-rear direction), and height of the object including the grouped regions are calculated. Here, the width is calculated by subtracting a region located at the right end in the window direction and a region located at the left end in the region group. On the other hand, the length is calculated by subtracting the distance data at the longest distance from the host vehicle V1 in the region group and the closest distance data. In addition, the height is the highest region in the region group,
It is calculated by subtraction from the lowest region.

When the object size is calculated, the moving speed of the object is calculated in step S24 based on the moving amount of the object. This step S2
In No. 4, filter processing is also performed.

In step S25, it is determined whether or not the detected object is a vehicle. This means that, of the objects whose width and length are within a predetermined range based on the calculation result of the object size in step S23 and whose moving speed is within a predetermined range based on the moving speed calculation result in step S24, This is performed by determining an object existing in the traveling path of the own vehicle V1 as a vehicle.

Next, in step S26, it is determined whether or not the detected object is a pedestrian. this is,
Of the objects whose width and length are within a predetermined range based on the result of calculating the object size in step S23 and whose moving speed is within a predetermined range based on the result of calculating the moving speed in step S24, the host vehicle V1 Is determined by determining that the object existing in the travel path of the pedestrian is the pedestrian O.
Also, among the objects whose width and length are within the predetermined range and whose moving speed is within the predetermined range, the object moving toward the traveling path of the own vehicle V1 is also determined to be the pedestrian O. Done by

Next, step S22 of this object identification processing
Of the object position calculation and white line removal processing in FIG.
This will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
47 is a step of white line removal processing, whereas steps S48 to S414 are steps of calculating an object position (calculating the distance between the host vehicle and the object). Steps S49 to S413 are performed as follows:
This is a step of a data removal process of removing data detecting a white line, which is the same object as the object to be recognized, such as the preceding vehicle V2.

The above-described white line removal processing is performed according to FIGS.
As shown in (c), when a white line M such as a pedestrian crossing exists on the road surface in front of the host vehicle V1, it is prevented from being recognized as an object of alarm and automatic brake control. This is the processing to be performed. Here, the white line M is
As shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, since the detection is performed in the area of the line 1 or the line 2 in the detection range R, the white line removal processing includes only the area of the line 1 or the line 2. When the object (region group) satisfies a predetermined condition, the region group is detected as detecting the white line M and is removed. In the figure, the number of divisions of the detection region R in the window direction is smaller than that of the detection region R shown in FIG. 5 for easy understanding. The numbers shown in the respective areas indicate distance data.

On the other hand, the data removal processing at the time of calculating the object position is performed in the manner shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C and FIGS.
As shown in (c), the preceding vehicle V2 ahead of the own vehicle V1.
However, when passing on the white line M, the preceding vehicle V2 and the white line M are recognized as the same object (FIG. 13).
(See V2 and M1 in (b)), the distance between the host vehicle V1 and the detected object is set not to the distance between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2 but to the distance between the host vehicle V1 and the white line M (M1). This is a process for preventing such a situation from being performed. here,
Using the fact that the white line M is detected in the area of the line 1 or the line 2 as described above, the data removal processing is performed when the area of the line 1 or the line 2 is included in the area group. The region of line 1 or line 2 is excluded from the region group.

More specifically, first, in step S41, initialization is performed to set the object number k to 1, and in step S4
In 2, it is determined whether or not the region group corresponding to the object k extends over a plurality of lines. If the answer is YES for a plurality of lines, the process proceeds to step S48. If the answer is NO for a single line, the process proceeds to step S43 because the white line M may be detected.

In step S43, it is determined whether or not the area is line 1. If the answer is YES in the line 1, the process proceeds to step S44, whereas if the answer is NO in the line 1, the process proceeds to step S45.

In step S44, it is determined whether or not the distance data satisfies D1 <distance <D2.
Here, D1 and D2 correspond to line 1 as shown in FIG.
Are the lower limit distance and the upper limit distance between the own vehicle V1 and the road surface when the area is detecting the road surface, and are calculated by Expressions 1 and 2, respectively.

[0072]

(Equation 1)

[0073]

(Equation 2)

Here, H is the height from the road surface to the mounting position of the laser radar 4, and θ is the scanning angle of the laser beam with respect to the line direction. Note that LMAX is the number of divisions in the detection direction R in the line direction as described above.

Then, in step S44, D1 <
If the determination is YES, that is, if the distance is less than D2, the process proceeds to step S47, and the region group detects the white line M and removes it. On the other hand, when D1 ≧ distance or distance ≧ D2 is NO, the region group does not detect the white line M, and the process proceeds to step S414 without proceeding to step S47.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S43 that the area is not the line 1, the process proceeds to step S45.
In this step S45, it is determined whether or not the area is line 2. If the answer is YES in the line 2, the process proceeds to step S <b> 46, whereas if the answer is NO in the NO line 2, it is determined that the white line M is not detected in the region group and the process proceeds to step S <b> 46
Proceed to 414.

In step S46, it is determined whether or not the distance data satisfies D2 <distance <D3.
Here, D3 is the upper limit distance between the vehicle V1 and the road surface when the area of the line 2 detects the road surface (FIG. 14).
), Calculated by Equation 3.

[0078]

(Equation 3)

When the area of the line 2 detects the road surface, the lower limit distance between the vehicle V1 and the road surface is D2.

Then, in step S46, D2 <
If the determination is YES, that is, if the distance is less than D3, the process proceeds to step S47, where the region group detects the white line M and removes it. On the other hand, if D2 ≧ distance or distance ≧ D3, N
In the case of O, the region group determines that the white line M has not been detected, and the process proceeds to step S414.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S42 that the area group extends over a plurality of lines and the process proceeds to step S48, the flow proceeds to step S48. It is determined whether there is a pedestrian crossing ahead. If there is a pedestrian crossing, the process proceeds to step S49, while if there is no pedestrian crossing, the process proceeds to step S414.
That is, when there is no pedestrian crossing in front of the traveling road, the white line M is not detected. Therefore, it is determined that there is no need to perform the data removal processing,
49 to Step S413 are not performed.

Then, in step S49,
It is determined whether or not the region of the bottom line in the region group is line 1. If the answer is NO in the line 1, the process proceeds to step S411. If the answer is YES in the line 1, the process proceeds to step S410.

In step S410, D1 <
It is determined whether or not [distance data of line 1 area] <D2. If YES in D1 <[distance data of line 1 area] <D2, the process proceeds to step S413, assuming that the white line M is detected in the region of line 1, and the process proceeds to step S414. On the other hand, D1 ≧ [distance data of line 1 area] or [distance data of line 1 area] ≧ D
If NO in step S2, the process proceeds to step S414.

In step S 411,
It is determined whether or not the area of the bottom line in the area group is line 2. When the answer is NO in the line 2, the process proceeds to step S414, and when the answer is YES in the line 2, the process proceeds to step S412.

In step S412, D2 <
It is determined whether or not [distance data of line 2 area] <D3. If YES in D2 <[distance data of line 2 area] <D3, the process proceeds to step S413, assuming that the white line M is detected in the region of line 2, and the process proceeds to step S414. On the other hand, D2 ≧ [line 2
When [Distance data of area] or [Distance data of line 2 area] ≧ D3 is NO, the process proceeds to step S414 without proceeding to step S413.

Then, in step S414,
The shortest distance data in the group of regions is set as the distance to the object. In the following step S415, the object number k is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to step S416, where k
<N (maximum object number), that is, whether or not the processing has been completed for all objects. If not, the process returns to step S42 to perform the process for the next object.

As described above, in the present embodiment, based on the fact that the white line M on the traveling road surface is detected at the lower position in the detection area R, it is determined that the same object is detected as a group of areas. When there is an area below the line 2 as a predetermined height (the area of the lines 1 and 2), the distance data of the area falls within a predetermined range (D1 to D1).
3), the area is, for example, the preceding vehicle V2.
It is determined that this is the area where the white line M, which is determined to be the same object, is detected, and this area is removed (steps S49 to S413).

As a result, only the area where the object (for example, the preceding vehicle V2) is detected remains in the area group after the data removal processing. Then, of the area group after this processing,
Based on the distance data with the shortest distance to the vehicle V1,
By detecting the distance between the host vehicle V1 and the object, the distance to the object can be accurately detected.

As a result, even when the detection capability of the laser radar 4 is improved so that the pedestrian O and the like can be detected, the preceding vehicle V2 and the like and the white line M are erroneously recognized as the same object. Can be avoided, and an alarm or an automatic brake control can be prevented from being erroneously performed.

When the area group is constituted only by the area of the line 1 or the line 2, it is determined that the area group detects the white line M on the traveling road surface, and the area group is removed. (Steps S43 to S4
7) It is possible to prevent a malfunction of the alarm or the automatic brake control.

<Other Embodiments> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various other embodiments. That is, in the above-described embodiment, in the object position calculation step, the data removal processing (steps S49 to S413) is performed according to the determination of the traveling environment by the GPS 14, but this determination may be omitted. . That is, step S48 may be omitted.

[0092] The data removal processing in the present embodiment is as follows.
When the region of the line 1 or the line 2 exists in the region group, the region is removed. However, the region located at the bottom of the region group is simply removed from the region group. May be performed. Even in this case, the white line data can be removed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle control device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser radar.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a control device of the vehicle detects the front of the vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of detection data.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a vehicle control device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an object identification process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a grouping process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an object position calculation / white line removal process.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a white line is detected.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of detection data in the state illustrated in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10, showing a state in which a preceding vehicle and a white line are detected.

13 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 11, showing an example of the detection data in the state shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an upper limit distance and a lower limit distance when lines 1 and 2 detect a road surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 3 ECU (recognition means) 4 Laser radar (radar means) 14 GPS (outside information detection means) 21 Display device (warning / travel control means) 22 Warning device (warning / travel control means) 23 Brake control device (warning / travel control) Means) M white line O pedestrian (object) R detection range (transmission range of detection wave) V, V1 vehicle (own vehicle) V2 preceding vehicle (object)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B60R 21/00 628 B60R 21/00 628C G01S 17/93 G08B 21/00 H G08B 21/00 G01S 17/88 A F term (reference) 5C086 AA54 BA22 CA25 CB27 DA01 5H180 AA01 AA21 CC03 CC12 CC14 DD03 FF05 FF27 LL01 LL04 LL07 LL08 LL09 5J084 AA05 AB01 AB17 AC02 BA04 BA50 BB26 CA22 DA01 EA20 EA22 EA29

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A detection wave is transmitted from a host vehicle over a predetermined range in a height direction and a predetermined range in a horizontal direction, and the transmission range of the detection wave is increased in a height direction based on a reflected wave of the detection wave. And radar means for acquiring distance data with respect to the own vehicle for each of a plurality of regions divided in a horizontal matrix, based on the distance data obtained by the radar means, recognizing an object around the own vehicle; and Recognition means for detecting the distance from the host vehicle to the object, based on the recognition result of the recognition means, when the host vehicle and the object are closer than a predetermined, to the driver of the host vehicle A control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a warning and a warning / travel control unit that performs at least one of a travel control of the own vehicle, wherein the recognition unit is configured to detect an area in which the distance data are close to each other. Is recognized as a region where the same object is detected, and a region located at the bottom of the group of regions where the same object is detected is subjected to data removal processing for removing the region from the region group. A vehicle control device configured to detect a distance to the object based on distance data having a shortest distance from the host vehicle in an area group after the data removal processing. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recognition unit performs a data removal process without performing a data removal process when an area located at a lowermost position in the area group in which the same object is detected is located at a predetermined height or higher. A vehicle control device configured to detect a distance from a host vehicle to the object based on distance data having a shortest distance from the host vehicle in the region group. 3. A detection wave is transmitted from the own vehicle over a predetermined range in a height direction and a predetermined range in a horizontal direction, and the transmission range of the detection wave is set in the height direction based on a reflected wave of the detection wave. And radar means for acquiring distance data with respect to the own vehicle for each of a plurality of regions divided in a horizontal matrix, based on the distance data obtained by the radar means, recognizing an object around the own vehicle; and Recognition means for detecting the distance from the host vehicle to the object, based on the recognition result of the recognition means, when the host vehicle and the object are closer than a predetermined, to the driver of the host vehicle A control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a warning and a warning / travel control unit that performs at least one of a travel control of the own vehicle, wherein the recognition unit includes: Is recognized as a region where the same object is detected, and when there is a region located at a predetermined height or less in the region group where the same object is detected, a data removal process for excluding the region from the region group And the distance from the host vehicle to the object is detected based on the shortest distance data from the host vehicle in the area group after the data removal processing. A control device for a vehicle. 4. The recognition means according to claim 3, wherein the recognition unit detects the object corresponding to the region group when the region group in which the same object is detected is formed only of the region located at a predetermined height or less. A control device for a vehicle, wherein the control device is configured to be excluded from recognition targets in the means. 5. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an outside information detecting means for detecting outside information relating to a traveling environment of the own vehicle, wherein the recognizing means detects the own information based on a detection result of the outside information detecting means. Only when a white line exists in the traveling path of the vehicle, the distance between the host vehicle and the object is detected after performing data removal processing on the region group. Vehicle control device.