JP2009042834A - Lane change processor and lane change processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support a lane changing operation safely. <P>SOLUTION: A lane change processor confirms whether or not an emitted electromagnetic wave or sound wave is received by reflection, and when it is detected, the lane change processor decides that other vehicle is moving on a target lane, and prohibits the lane change. Then, the lane change processor notifies a user of the result of determining that the lane change is prohibited through a monitor or a warning lamp preliminarily loaded on its own vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lane change processing device and a lane change processing method for performing processing relating to lane change.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a technique for operating a turn signal to turn on a direction indicator is well known for the purpose of causing other vehicles, pedestrians, and the like to recognize the movement of the host vehicle according to the lane change. Among such conventional techniques, there is a technique for causing other low-speed moving bodies (for example, bicycles and pedestrians) to appropriately recognize the movement of the host vehicle.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, when a pedestrian or another vehicle is detected in an area including the traveling locus of the own vehicle, the laser light is on or near the traveling locus of the own vehicle and is a low-speed moving body. By irradiating a pedestrian or other vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle and informing the pedestrian or other vehicle of the planned movement direction of the own vehicle, the pedestrian or other vehicle can recognize the movement of the own vehicle. Techniques to do this are disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-161977

  However, the above-described conventional technology has a problem in that it may not be possible to make other vehicles recognize the movement of the host vehicle related to the lane change. In other words, the above-described conventional technique is to make the other vehicle recognize the movement of the host vehicle in response to the lane change by irradiating the radar (electromagnetic wave) to notify the other vehicle or the like of the planned moving direction of the host vehicle. Therefore, in daylight and bright places, it is difficult for other vehicles to visually recognize the radar (electromagnetic waves) emitted from the own vehicle, and it is possible for other vehicles to recognize the movement of the own vehicle when changing lanes. There was a problem that it was not possible.

  In addition, the above-described conventional technology is intended to cause other vehicles to recognize the movement of the own vehicle related to the lane change, and allows the own vehicle to recognize the movement of the other vehicle related to the lane change. Therefore, there is a case in which it is not possible to deal with the movement of another vehicle related to the lane change, and it is impossible to avoid danger such as collision and contact.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and allows the other vehicle to reliably recognize the movement of the host vehicle for the lane change, and also changes the lane. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lane change processing device and a lane change processing method capable of making the host vehicle recognize the movement of another vehicle.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an irradiating means for irradiating electromagnetic waves or sound waves with respect to a planned moving direction for lane change, and reflection input of the electromagnetic waves or sound waves irradiated by the irradiating means. And a lane change enable / disable determining means for determining whether or not the lane change is possible according to whether or not the reflection input is received by the reflection input accepting means.

  In addition, the present invention provides an irradiation step of irradiating an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave with respect to a planned moving direction according to a lane change, a reflection input receiving step of receiving a reflection input of the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave irradiated by the irradiation step, and the reflection input And a lane change possibility determination step for determining whether or not the lane change is possible depending on whether or not the reflection input is accepted in the acceptance step.

  According to the present invention, an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave is irradiated to a planned movement direction (for example, a range that needs to be visually observed by the user when changing the lane) according to the lane change. Whether or not the lane can be changed is determined according to the presence or absence of the vehicle, so even in daylight or a bright place, electromagnetic waves or sound waves are emitted and received by other vehicles so that the movement of the host vehicle can be reliably recognized by other vehicles. It is possible to make it. In addition, by receiving the reflected input of the irradiated electromagnetic wave or sound wave, it is possible to reliably recognize the movement of the other vehicle related to the lane change with respect to the own vehicle.

  Exemplary embodiments of a lane change processing device and a lane change assisting method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, below, after describing Example 1 as one embodiment of the lane change processing device according to the present invention, examples of other embodiments included in the present invention will be described.

  In the following first embodiment, the outline and characteristics of the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment, the configuration and processing of the lane change processing device will be described in order, and finally the effects of the first embodiment will be described.

[Outline and Features of Lane Change Processing Device (Example 1)]
First, the outline and characteristics of the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining the outline and features of the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment.

  The lane change processing device according to the first embodiment is mounted on a vehicle, and is a process related to lane change (for example, the lane change by causing other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. to recognize the movement of the host vehicle related to the lane change). The process of assisting the operation) is outlined, but the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave is irradiated to the planned movement direction (for example, the range where the user needs to visually check the lane change) for the lane change. The main feature is that it is determined whether or not the lane can be changed in accordance with the presence or absence of a reflected input of the irradiated electromagnetic wave or sound wave. By doing in this way, the movement concerning a lane change can be reliably recognized with respect to the own vehicle and each other vehicle.

  Specifically explaining the main features, the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment is directed to the planned movement direction for lane change (for example, a range where visual inspection by the user is required at the time of lane change). An electromagnetic wave or a sound wave is irradiated from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter (see (1) in FIG. 1 or (1) in FIG. 2).

  More specifically, the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment acquires the operating state of the winker at all times and monitors the presence / absence of the winker operation from the user. When there is a turn signal operation from the user, the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment acquires travel lane information via a navigation system that is mounted in advance on the host vehicle.

  And the lane change processing apparatus which concerns on Example 1 determines whether turn signal operation is for performing lane change based on the acquired traveling lane information. Specifically, based on the acquired traveling lane information, if it is found that the traveling vehicle is approaching the intersection soon, it is determined that the operation is a turn signal operation for turning left and right at the intersection. On the other hand, when it is found that there is no intersection around the traveling vehicle, it is determined that the turn signal operation is for changing the lane.

  As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the operation of the turn signal is for executing the lane change, the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment recognizes the line recognition from the image recognition system previously installed in the own vehicle. Get information. Then, based on the acquired line recognition information, the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment checks whether the traveling lane line is a dotted line that can be changed. As a result of the confirmation, when the lane line is a dotted line, the lane change processing device irradiates the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter to a predetermined range related to the lane change.

  Thus, after irradiating electromagnetic waves or a sound wave, the lane change processing apparatus which concerns on Example 1 determines the possibility of a lane change (refer (2) of FIG. 1, or (2) of FIG. 2). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment confirms whether or not there is a reflected reception input of the irradiated electromagnetic wave or sound wave, and as a result, there is no reflected reception input. In this case, it is determined that there is no movement of the other vehicle in the lane to be changed, and the lane change is permitted. And a lane change processing apparatus notifies a user of the determination result to the effect of permitting a lane change via the monitor previously mounted in the own vehicle, for example (refer (3) of FIG. 1).

  On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 2, the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment confirms whether or not there is a reflected reception input of the irradiated electromagnetic wave or sound wave, and there is a reflected reception input. Is determined to prohibit the lane change by determining that there is a movement of another vehicle in the lane to be changed. And a lane change processing apparatus notifies a user of the determination result to prohibit a lane change via the monitor and warning light which were previously mounted in the own vehicle, for example (refer (3) of FIG. 2).

  For this reason, the lane change processing apparatus according to the first embodiment irradiates an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave to a predetermined range related to the lane change as described above, and reflects the irradiated electromagnetic wave or the sound wave. Since it is determined whether or not the lane change is possible depending on whether or not there is an input, it is possible to assist the vehicle to execute the lane change safely.

[Configuration of Lane Change Processing Device (Example 1)]
Next, the configuration of the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the lane change processing device 12 according to the first embodiment includes a turn signal 1, a navigation system 4, an image recognition system 7, a warning light 9, a steering angle sensor 10, and a stop lamp 11 that are mounted in advance in the vehicle. Connected to.

  The turn signal 1 is a device for receiving a user operation and turning on the direction indicator 2 in advance when a lane change or a left / right turn is performed.

  The navigation system 4 is connected to the GPS receiver 3, the monitor 5, and the speaker 6, and is a device for managing the planned travel route of the host vehicle. For example, the navigation system 4 includes information on the current position of the host vehicle received from the GPS receiver 3 having a function of calculating the position of the host vehicle by communication with a GPS artificial satellite, map data stored in advance, The travel schedule route of the host vehicle is calculated based on the input from the vehicle, the calculated travel route is displayed on the monitor 5, and the route is guided by sound output from the speaker 6.

  Further, the navigation system 4 manages information on the planned travel route in real time simultaneously with the activation of the device, and outputs the travel route information in response to a request from the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 of the lane change processing device 12 described later. To do.

  The image recognition system 7 is an apparatus that performs image recognition on video data captured by a camera 8 mounted on a vehicle. Further, the image recognition system 7 continuously performs the image recognition process simultaneously with the activation of the apparatus, and in response to a request from the lane change availability determination unit 20 of the lane change processing apparatus 12 described later, the lane line image recognition result. (The result of whether it is a solid line or a dotted line) is output.

  The warning light 9 notifies the user of some warning. Further, the warning light 9 turns on itself based on control from the lane change availability notification unit 21 of the lane change processing device 12 described later, and notifies the user that the lane change is prohibited.

  The steering angle sensor 10 is a sensor for detecting the steering angle of the steering. Further, the steering angle sensor 10 outputs information related to the steering angle of the steering in response to a request from the lane change execution presence / absence determining unit 22 of the lane change processing device 12 described later.

  The stop lamp 11 notifies the subsequent vehicle that a brake operation has been performed. Further, the stop lamp 11 lights itself based on control from a stop lamp lighting control unit 23 of the lane change processing device 12 described later, and alerts the user of the following vehicle.

  The lane change processing device 12 connected to each device as described above includes an electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter 13, an electromagnetic wave / sound wave receiver 14, and a lane change auxiliary control unit 15, as shown in FIG. Is done.

  The electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter 13 is a device that irradiates electromagnetic waves or sound waves in the planned movement direction for the lane change based on the control of the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 of the lane change auxiliary control unit 15 described later. The direction of movement is, for example, a range that requires visual inspection by the user when changing lanes, and the range of 60 degrees on both wings of the horizontal irradiation line from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter 13 is set as the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave or sound wave. Can be set.

  The electromagnetic wave / sound wave receiver 14 is a device that receives the reflection of the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave irradiated by the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter 13. When receiving the reflection of the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave, the electromagnetic wave / sound wave receiver 14 performs a reflection reception input to the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19 of the lane change auxiliary control unit 15 described later.

  The lane change auxiliary control unit 15 is a control unit that controls various processes in the lane change processing device 12, a blinker state acquisition unit 16, a lane change / left / right turn determination unit 17, an electromagnetic wave / sonic wave transmission control unit 18, It comprises an electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19, a lane change availability determination unit 20, a lane change availability notification unit 21, a lane change execution presence / absence determination unit 22, and a stop lamp lighting control unit 23.

  The electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 corresponds to the “electromagnetic wave / sound wave irradiation unit” described in the claims, and the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19 also includes the “reflection input reception” described in the claims. Corresponding to "means", the lane change permission determination unit 20 corresponds to "lane change permission determination means" described in the claims, and the lane change permission notification unit 21 is also described in the claims. Corresponds to “determination result notification means”.

  The turn signal state acquisition unit 16 always acquires the operation state of the turn signal and monitors the presence or absence of the turn signal operation from the user. Then, when there is a turn signal operation from the user, the turn signal state acquisition unit 16 requests the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 to execute the process.

  When the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 receives a processing request from the turn signal state acquisition unit 16, the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 requests and acquires travel route information from the navigation system 4. Then, the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 determines whether or not the winker operation is for executing the lane change based on the acquired travel route information.

  More specifically, the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 determines whether the traveling vehicle is about to approach the intersection based on the acquired travel lane information. It is determined that this is a winker operation. On the other hand, when it is found that there is no intersection around the traveling vehicle, it is determined that the turn signal operation is for changing the lane. When the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 determines that the winker operation is for executing the lane change, the electromagnetic wave / sonic wave transmission control unit 18 is irradiated with electromagnetic waves or sound waves. Request.

  When the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 receives a request from the lane change / left / right turn determination unit 17, the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 inquires of the lane change possibility determination unit 20 about whether to execute irradiation of electromagnetic waves or sound waves. When an irradiation instruction is received from the lane change possibility determination unit 20, an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave is emitted from the electromagnetic wave / sonic wave transmitter 13.

  When receiving the reflection reception input from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave receiver 14 that has received the reflection of the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave, the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19 notifies the lane change possibility determination unit 20 that the reflection reception input has been received.

  When the lane change possibility determination unit 20 receives an inquiry from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 about whether or not to execute an irradiation instruction of electromagnetic waves or sound waves, the line recognition information is requested from the image recognition system 7 and acquired. And the lane change possibility determination part 20 confirms whether the running lane line is a dotted line which can change lanes based on the acquired line recognition information. If the lane line is a dotted line as a result of the confirmation, the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 is instructed to irradiate the electromagnetic wave or sound wave. On the contrary, when the lane line is not a dotted line (when it is a solid line), the lane change permission determination unit 20 notifies the lane change permission notification unit 21 that the lane change is prohibited. To instruct.

  Further, the lane change possibility determination unit 20 instructs the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 to irradiate the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave, and then determines whether the lane change is possible. More specifically, if the lane change permission determination unit 20 does not receive a notification indicating that there is a reflection reception input from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19, the movement of the other vehicle is in the lane to be changed. It is determined that the lane change is permitted as it is not present. Then, it instructs the lane change permission notification unit 21 to notify the user (user or passenger) that the lane change is permitted.

  On the other hand, if the lane change possibility determination unit 20 receives a notification indicating that there has been a reflection reception input from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19, the lane change is performed assuming that the lane to be changed has movement of another vehicle. Judgment to prohibit is made. Then, it instructs the lane change availability notification unit 21 to notify that the lane change is prohibited.

  When the lane change permission notification unit 21 receives an instruction from the lane change permission determination unit 20 to notify that the lane change is permitted, the lane change permission notification unit 21 monitors a message regarding the lane change permission notification via the navigation system 4. And a voice message prompting the user to change the lane is output from the speaker 6 to notify the user of permission to change the lane.

  On the other hand, when receiving an instruction from the lane change enable / disable determining unit 20 to notify that the lane change is prohibited, the lane change enable / disable notification unit 21 sends a message regarding the lane change prohibition notification via the navigation system 4. While being displayed on the monitor 5, a voice message prohibiting lane change is output from the speaker 6 to notify the user of the lane change prohibition. Note that the lane change permission notification unit 21 may notify the user that the lane change is prohibited by turning on the warning light 9 without using the navigation system 4.

  The lane change execution presence / absence determination unit 22 requests and acquires information on the steering angle of the steering from the steering angle sensor 10 after the lane change permission notification unit 21 notifies the user that the lane change is prohibited, and changes the lane. It is determined whether or not is executed. As a result of the determination, the lane change execution presence / absence determination unit 22 ends the process as it is when the lane change is performed, and turns on the stop lamp so that the stop lamp 11 is turned on when the lane change is not performed. The control unit 23 is instructed.

  The stop lamp lighting control unit 23 turns on the stop lamp 11 when an instruction to turn on the stop lamp 11 is received from the lane change execution determination unit 22. That is, in order to urge the user of the succeeding vehicle who predicts that the lane change will be performed because the direction indicator 2 is lit, to alert the user that the lane change has been canceled suddenly. is there.

[Processing of Lane Change Processing Device (Example 1)]
Then, the process of the lane change processing apparatus which concerns on Example 1 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow of the lane change auxiliary control unit according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, when there is a turn signal operation from the user (step S401), the turn signal state acquisition unit 16 requests the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 to execute processing. When the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 receives a request for processing from the turn signal state acquisition unit 16, the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 requests and acquires travel route information from the navigation system 4 (step S402).

  Then, the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 determines whether the winker operation is for executing the lane change based on the acquired travel route information (step S403). More specifically, the lane change / left / right turn determination unit 17 determines whether the traveling vehicle is approaching the intersection or not based on the acquired travel lane information. It is determined that this is a winker operation. On the other hand, when it is found that there is no intersection around the traveling vehicle, it is determined that the turn signal operation is for changing the lane.

  As a result of the determination, when the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 determines that the winker operation is for executing the lane change (Yes in step S403), the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 outputs an electromagnetic wave to the electromagnetic wave / sonic wave transmission control unit 18. Or request to irradiate sound waves. On the other hand, when the lane change / right / left turn determination unit 17 determines that the winker operation is not for executing the lane change (No at Step S403), the process is ended as it is.

  When the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 receives a request from the lane change / left / right turn determination unit 17, the lane change enable / disable determination unit 20 is inquired as to whether to perform irradiation of electromagnetic waves or sound waves, and whether or not the lane change is possible. When the determination unit 20 receives an inquiry from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 as to whether or not to execute an electromagnetic wave or sound wave irradiation instruction, the determination unit 20 requests and acquires line recognition information from the image recognition system 7 (step S404). . And the lane change possibility determination part 20 confirms whether the driving | running | working lane line is a dotted line which can change a lane based on the acquired line recognition information (step S405). As a result of the confirmation, if the lane line is a dotted line (Yes at Step S405), the lane change possibility determination unit 20 instructs the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 to irradiate the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave. When the irradiation instruction is received from the lane change permission determination unit 20, the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 causes the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter 13 to emit the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave (step S406).

  After instructing the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 to irradiate electromagnetic waves or sound waves, the lane change permission determination unit 20 determines whether the lane change is possible (step S407). More specifically, if the lane change permission determination unit 20 does not receive a notification indicating that there is a reflection reception input from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19, the movement of the other vehicle is in the lane to be changed. It is determined that the lane change is permitted as it is not present. On the other hand, if the lane change possibility determination unit 20 receives a notification indicating that there has been a reflection reception input from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19, the lane change is performed assuming that the lane to be changed has movement of another vehicle. Judgment to prohibit is made.

  As a result of the determination, if the lane change permission determination unit 20 determines that the lane change is permitted (Yes in step S407), the lane change permission notification unit 21 is permitted to change the lane to the user. Instruct to inform. When the lane change permission notification unit 21 receives an instruction from the lane change permission determination unit 20 to notify the user that lane change is permitted, the lane change permission notification unit 21 sends a message regarding the lane change permission notification via the navigation system 4. While displaying on the monitor 5 and outputting a voice message prompting the lane change from the speaker 6, the user is notified of permission to change the lane (step S408).

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if the lane change permission determination unit 20 does not permit the lane change, that is, determines that the lane change is prohibited (No in step S407), the lane change permission notification unit 21 changes the lane. The user is instructed to notify the user of the prohibition. When the lane change permission / inhibition notification unit 21 receives an instruction from the lane change permission / inhibition determination unit 20 to notify the user that the lane change is prohibited, the lane change permission / notification notification unit 21 sends a message regarding the lane change prohibition notification via the navigation system 4. While being displayed on the monitor 5, a voice message prohibiting lane change is output from the speaker 6, thereby notifying the user that the lane change is prohibited (step S409).

  The lane change execution presence / absence determination unit 22 requests and acquires information on the steering angle of the steering from the steering angle sensor 10 after the lane change permission notification unit 21 notifies the user that the lane change is prohibited (step S410). ). Then, the lane change execution presence / absence determination unit 22 determines whether or not a lane change has been executed based on the acquired information regarding the steering angle of the steering (step S411). The lane change execution presence / absence determination unit 22 ends the process as it is when the lane change is performed as a result of the determination (Yes in step S411). On the other hand, when the lane change is not performed (No at step S411), the lane change execution presence / absence determination unit 22 lights the stop lamp 11 to call attention to the following vehicle (step S412). ).

  Here, returning to the description of step S405, the lane change possibility determination unit 20 confirms whether or not the traveling lane line is a dotted line whose lane can be changed based on the acquired line recognition information. When the line is not a dotted line (when it is a solid line) (No at Step S405), the lane change permission / notification unit 21 is instructed to notify the user that the lane change is prohibited. When the lane change possibility notification unit 21 receives an instruction from the lane change possibility determination unit 20 to notify that the lane change is prohibited, the lane change prohibition notification unit 21 prohibits the lane change, as described in step S409 described above. Is notified to the user (step S409).

  Below, the timing of processing and establishment of conditions of the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining processing timing and establishment of conditions of the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in (1) of the figure, after the blinker operation is performed, it is confirmed from the travel route information that the vehicle is not an intersection, and the line recognition information confirms that the lane line is a dotted line. Irradiation with electromagnetic waves or sound waves. When an electromagnetic wave or sound wave reflection reception input is accepted, as described above (see step S409 in FIG. 4), the user is notified of the lane change prohibition.

  Further, as shown in (2) of the figure, when it is confirmed that the vehicle is near the intersection from the travel route information after the turn signal operation, as described above (see step S403 in FIG. 4), It is determined that the lane is not changed, and the process is terminated as it is.

  Further, as shown in (3) of the figure, after the blinker operation, it is confirmed from the travel route information that it is other than an intersection, while the line recognition information confirms that the lane line is a solid line. Then, as described above (see step S409 in FIG. 4), the user is notified of the lane change prohibition.

[Effects of Example 1]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave is applied to a predetermined range for changing the lane (for example, a range that needs to be visually checked when changing the lane), and the irradiated electromagnetic wave or Since whether or not to change lanes is determined according to the presence or absence of sound wave reflection input, the movement of the vehicle involved in lane changes can be achieved by irradiating other vehicles with electromagnetic waves or sound waves even during daytime or in bright places. Can be reliably recognized by other vehicles. In addition, by receiving the reflected input of the irradiated electromagnetic wave or sound wave, it is possible to reliably recognize the movement of the other vehicle related to the lane change with respect to the own vehicle. For this reason, it is possible to cause the host vehicle and the other vehicles to safely change lanes, and to avoid dangers such as collision and contact.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, for example, when it is determined that the lane change is not permitted, the user is notified that the lane change is prohibited, and when it is determined that the lane change is permitted. Since the user is notified that the lane change is permitted, it is possible to call the user's attention so as to avoid collision or contact with other vehicles.

  In the first embodiment, it may be possible to receive electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from other vehicles, and determine whether or not to change lanes in consideration of reception of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from other vehicles. . Therefore, in the following second embodiment, after describing the configuration and processing of the lane change processing device according to the second embodiment, the effects of the second embodiment will be described.

[Configuration of Lane Change Processing Device (Example 2)]
First, the configuration of the lane change processing device according to the second embodiment will be described. The lane change processing device according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as that of the lane change processing device according to the first embodiment, but the processing function is partially different.

  That is, the electromagnetic wave / sound wave receiver 14 receives not only the electromagnetic wave or the reflection of the sound wave irradiated by the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter 13 but also the electromagnetic wave or sound wave irradiated from another vehicle. And reception of the electromagnetic wave or sound wave irradiated from other vehicles and reception of the reflection of the electromagnetic wave or sound wave irradiated by the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter 13 are distinguished, and a reception input is performed to the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19.

  The electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19 receives input from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave receiver 14 for reception of electromagnetic waves or sound waves irradiated from other vehicles or reception of electromagnetic waves or sound waves irradiated by the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmitter 13. Is received, the lane change permission determination unit 20 is distinguished and notified that there has been a reception input.

  When the lane line is a dotted line as a result of checking whether or not the traveling lane line is a dotted line that can be changed, based on the line recognition information acquired from the image recognition system 7 In addition, it is confirmed whether or not a notification indicating that there has been a reception input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves irradiated from other vehicles has been received from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19. As a result of confirmation, if a notification indicating that there has been a reception input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from other vehicles has already been received, the lane change is prohibited on the assumption that there is movement of other vehicles in the lane to be changed Judgment is made. Then, it instructs the lane change availability notification unit 21 to notify the user that the lane change is prohibited.

  The lane change possibility determination unit 20 confirms whether or not the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19 has already received a notification indicating reception of electromagnetic waves or sound waves irradiated from other vehicles, If a notification indicating that there has been a reception input of an electromagnetic wave or sound wave emitted from another vehicle has not been received yet, the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 is instructed to emit the electromagnetic wave or sound wave.

  Note that the lane change permission determination unit 20 receives a notification regarding reception of electromagnetic waves or sound waves received from other vehicles in a state where there is no turn signal operation. You may instruct | indicate to notify a user to call attention.

[Processing of Lane Change Processing Device (Example 2)]
Next, processing of the lane change processing device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow of the lane change auxiliary control unit according to the second embodiment. The processing of the lane change processing device according to the second embodiment is the same as the processing from step S601 to step S605 and step S607 to step S613 shown in FIG. 6 up to step S401 to step S412 shown in FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment. The process is the same as that of step S606, but the process of step S606 is different.

  That is, the lane change possibility determination unit 20 confirms whether or not the traveling lane line is a dotted line that can be changed based on the acquired line recognition information, and when the lane line is a dotted line ( Further, it is confirmed whether or not a notification indicating that there has been an input of reception of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from other vehicles has been received from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19 (step S606). As a result of confirmation, when a notification indicating that there has been a reception input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from another vehicle has already been received (Yes in step S606), it is assumed that there is movement of the other vehicle in the lane to be changed Judgment to prohibit lane change. Then, it instructs the lane change availability notification unit 21 to notify the user that the lane change is prohibited.

  On the other hand, as a result of confirming whether or not the lane change possibility determination unit 20 has already received a notification from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19 that there has been a reception input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves irradiated from other vehicles, If a notification indicating that there has been an input of reception of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from another vehicle has not been received yet (No in step S606), the electromagnetic wave / sonic wave transmission control unit 18 is instructed to emit electromagnetic waves or sound waves.

  Hereinafter, the processing timing and establishment of the conditions of the lane change processing device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining processing timing and establishment of conditions of the lane change processing device according to the seventh embodiment.

  As shown in (1) of the figure, after the blinker operation, it is confirmed from the travel route information that it is other than an intersection, and the line recognition information confirms that the lane line is a dotted line. Alternatively, when a notification indicating that there has been a reception input of an electromagnetic wave or sound wave emitted from another vehicle at the time of irradiating the sound wave is received, the user is notified of the lane change prohibition.

  In addition, as shown in (2) of the figure, after the blinker operation, it is confirmed from the travel route information that it is other than an intersection, and the line recognition information confirms that the lane line is a dotted line. When a notification indicating that there has been a reception input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from other vehicles at the time of applying the electromagnetic waves or sound waves has not been received yet, the electromagnetic waves or sound waves are emitted.

[Effects of Example 2]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from other vehicles can be received. For example, when the electromagnetic waves or sound waves are emitted from the own vehicle, irradiation from other vehicles is performed. If the received input of the received electromagnetic wave or sound wave has already been received, it is determined that the lane change is not permitted. Therefore, priority is given to the movement of the other vehicle, and the collision or contact with the other vehicle is actively performed. It is possible to avoid it.

  Although the first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the above-described embodiments. Therefore, another embodiment included in the present invention will be described below.

(1) Measuring time until reception of reflection reception input In the above embodiment, the time until reception of reflection reception of electromagnetic waves or sound waves irradiated from the host vehicle is measured, and reflection reception input from the lane to be changed is scheduled. It may be determined whether or not.

  Specifically, for example, the lane change permission determination unit 20 instructs the electromagnetic wave / sound wave transmission control unit 18 to irradiate the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave, and then starts an internally provided timer. When a notification indicating that there is a reflection reception input from the electromagnetic wave / sound wave reception processing unit 19 is received, the reflection reception input from the planned lane to be changed with reference to the time measured by the timer until the reception is received. It is determined whether or not. As a result of referring to the time measured by the timer, if it is within the time normally considered as the time until the reflection reception input from the planned change lane is accepted, it is the reflection reception input from the planned change lane, and the planned change lane It is determined that there is a movement of another vehicle, and a determination to prohibit lane change is performed.

  For this reason, for example, when receiving the reflected reception input of the irradiated electromagnetic wave or sound wave, the input reception time of the electromagnetic wave reflected by the other vehicle located in the lane scheduled to be changed in the time until the reception of the reflected reception is received. It is possible to accurately determine whether or not the lane can be changed, such as prohibiting lane change if it is within the range assumed as, and permitting lane change if it is not within the range assumed as input acceptance time. It is. That is, for example, the determination is made more accurately by eliminating a reflection reception input from another vehicle located in the oncoming lane.

(2) Device Configuration The components of the lane change processing device shown in FIG. 3 are functionally conceptual and need not be physically configured as illustrated. That is, the specific form of distribution / integration of the lane change processing device is not limited to the one shown in the figure. For example, the lane change availability determination unit 20, the lane change availability notification unit 21, and the lane change execution determination unit 22 are integrated. For example, all or a part thereof can be configured to be functionally or physically distributed / integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. Further, each processing function (for example, see FIG. 4 or FIG. 6) performed in the lane change processing device is realized by a CPU and a program that is analyzed and executed by the CPU. Alternatively, it can be realized as hardware by wired logic.

  As described above, the lane change processing device and the lane change processing method according to the present invention are processing related to lane change (for example, lane change operation by causing other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. to recognize the movement of the host vehicle related to the lane change). Is particularly useful for assisting the other vehicle to reliably recognize the movement of the host vehicle and safely executing the lane change.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary and the characteristic of a lane change processing apparatus which concern on Example 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary and the characteristic of a lane change processing apparatus which concern on Example 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the lane change processing apparatus which concerns on Example 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow of a lane change auxiliary control unit according to the first embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating establishment of the timing and conditions of a process of the lane change processing apparatus which concerns on Example 1. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow of a lane change auxiliary control unit according to the second embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating establishment of the timing and conditions of a process of the lane change processing apparatus which concerns on Example 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Winker 2 Direction indicator 3 GPS receiver 4 Navigation system 5 Monitor 6 Speaker 7 Image recognition system 8 Camera 9 Warning light 10 Steering angle sensor 11 Stop lamp 12 Lane change processing device 13 Electromagnetic wave / acoustic wave transmitter 14 Electromagnetic wave / acoustic wave receiver 15 Lane Change Auxiliary Control Unit 16 Blinker State Acquisition Unit 17 Lane Change / Left / Right Judgment Unit 18 Electromagnetic Wave / Sound Wave Transmission Control Unit 19 Electromagnetic Wave / Sound Wave Reception Processing Unit 20 Lane Change Change Determination Unit 21 Lane Change Change Notification Unit 22 Judgment unit 23 Stop lamp lighting control unit

Claims (6)

Irradiation means for irradiating electromagnetic waves or sound waves with respect to the planned moving direction for lane change;
Reflection input reception means for receiving a reflection input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves irradiated by the irradiation means;
A lane change permission determination unit that determines whether or not a lane change is possible according to whether or not the reflection input is received by the reflection input reception unit;
A lane change processing device characterized by comprising: It further comprises input receiving means for receiving an input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from other vehicles,
2. The lane change permission / inhibition determining means determines that lane change is not permitted when an input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from another vehicle is received by the input receiving means. The lane change processing device described in 1. A time measuring unit for measuring an input reception time until the reflection input is received by the reflection input receiving unit;
The lane change permission determination means is from another vehicle in which the reflection input received by the reflection input reception means is located in the lane to be changed based on the input reception time measured by the time measurement means. The lane change processing device according to claim 1, wherein whether or not a lane change is possible is determined while considering whether or not there is. An irradiation process for irradiating electromagnetic waves or sound waves to the planned direction of movement for lane change,
A reflection input reception step of receiving a reflection input of the electromagnetic wave or sound wave irradiated by the irradiation step;
A lane change permission determination step of determining whether or not a lane change is possible depending on whether or not the reflection input is received by the reflection input reception step;
A lane change processing method characterized by comprising: An input receiving step of receiving an input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from another vehicle;
The lane change possibility determination step determines that lane change is not permitted when an input of electromagnetic waves or sound waves emitted from another vehicle is received in the input reception step. The described lane change processing method. A time measurement step of measuring an input reception time until the reflection input is received by the reflection input reception step;
The lane change possibility determination step is based on the input reception time measured by the time measurement step, and the reflection input received by the reflection input reception step is from another vehicle located in the lane to be changed. The lane change processing method according to claim 4, wherein whether or not a lane change is possible is determined while considering whether or not there is a lane change.

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