JP2009154735A - Driving support device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving support device for supporting one's own vehicle to travel the optimum traveling lane even when three or more lane markings exist in front of the own vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The driving support device for the vehicle comprises a marking detection means 1a for detecting a lane marking in front of one's own vehicle, a traveling lane recognition means 1b for recognizing a traveling lane on the basis of the lane marking detected by the marking detection means 1a and a support means 1 for supporting the own vehicle to travel a traveling lane recognized by the traveling lane recognition means 1b, and also includes a marking state determination means 1c for determining whether or not three or more lane markings detected by the marking detection means 1a exist and a priority lane marking detection means 1d for detecting a pair of priority lane markings of a plurality of lane markings. The traveling lane recognition means 1b recognizes as the traveling lane a lane demarcated by a pair of priority lane markings detected by the priority lane marking detection means 1d. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device for a vehicle that detects a traveling lane marking ahead of the host vehicle on a road and assists the host vehicle to travel along a traveling lane recognized based on the detected traveling lane marking. Is.

  Conventionally, the front of the host vehicle is imaged with a camera, and from the image data, a running line such as a white line provided on both the left and right sides of the front of the host vehicle on the road is detected, and based on the detected running line There is known a driving support device for a vehicle that assists the host vehicle to travel in the travel lane recognized.

In many cases, this type of vehicle driving support device informs the occupant that traveling control is impossible when a traveling division line ahead of the host vehicle is not recognized. For example, in Patent Document 1, driving assistance by lane keeping control, which is one of the traveling controls, may become impossible due to faint or dirty white lines (traveling division lines) on the road on which the host vehicle travels, and thus cannot be controlled. A history of points or controllable points is accumulated, the current own vehicle position is compared with uncontrollable points or controllable points registered as control history information, and there are uncontrollable points around the host vehicle Then, when it is determined, an uncontrollable point is presented to the passenger of the own vehicle.
JP 2004-126888 A

  By the way, when occupying a road for road construction, etc., an existing white line (for example, one central line) is used to reduce the number of lanes or change the position of the lane while reducing the width. In addition, a new pair of white lines may be drawn as a running line during the construction period. For this reason, three white lines may exist on the road ahead of the host vehicle.

  Also, depending on the region, in order to show the driving lane during road construction, in addition to the existing pair of white lines, a pair of driving division lines of a color different from white (for example, yellow) may be drawn. In some cases, four traveling division lines including a white line and a yellow line exist on the road ahead of the host vehicle.

  As described above, when there are three or more traveling lane markings in front of the host vehicle on the road, the driving assistance device as described above cannot recognize the driving lane marking that should be prioritized. There is a possibility that it cannot be performed. For example, the driving support device does not start normally due to the inability to detect the driving lane, so the passenger is not notified that the driving lane is not recognized, or the driving lane is misrecognized, and traffic is impossible. Travel control is performed so that the vehicle travels in the travel lane, and the vehicle may come in contact with a construction signboard or the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to assist the host vehicle to travel in the traveling lane recognized based on the traveling division line ahead of the host vehicle on the road. In a vehicle driving support device, even when there are three or more traveling division lines in front of the host vehicle, a technology for suppressing the malfunction of the driving support device and causing the host vehicle to travel in an optimal driving lane is provided. It is in.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a lane marking detecting means for detecting a lane marking ahead of the host vehicle on a road, and a lane on which the host vehicle should travel based on the lane marking detected by the lane marking detecting means. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a traveling lane recognizing unit that recognizes; and a supporting unit that assists the host vehicle to travel along the traveling lane recognized by the traveling lane recognizing unit. The lane marking state determining means for determining whether or not there are three or more traveling lane markings detected by the above-mentioned, and when the lane marking state determining means determines that there are three or more traveling lane markings, And a priority lane marking detecting means for detecting a pair of priority lane markings from among the above lane markings, wherein the traveling lane recognition means is configured to detect a pair of priority lane markings by the priority lane marking detecting means. Detected Kiniwa, lane which is defined by the priority traffic lane marking line of the pair is characterized in that it is configured to recognize as the driving lane.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a pair of traveling division lines is drawn in addition to the existing traveling division lines due to road construction, etc., and there are three or more traveling division lines in front of the host vehicle, The priority lane marking detection means detects a pair of priority lane markings from among these three or more travel lane markings, so that the malfunction of the driving support device is suppressed and the host vehicle is allowed to travel within the optimum driving lane. Can do.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the lane marking detection means includes imaging means for imaging the front of the host vehicle, and the traveling classification is based on image data captured by the imaging means. The priority lane marking detecting means is configured to detect a pair of traveling lane lines of a predetermined color as the pair of priority lane markings. Is.

  As a result, in order to show the driving lane during road construction, a pair of driving dividing lines with a color different from the existing white line is drawn, and even when three or more driving dividing lines are mixed, the priority driving dividing line Can be easily detected.

  A third invention is a distance for detecting a distance in the road width direction between the traveling lane markings when the lane marking state determining means determines that there are three or more lane markings in the first invention. The priority lane marking detection means is further configured to detect the pair of priority lane markings based on the distance between the lane markings detected by the distance detection means. It is characterized by this.

  As a result, even when three or more traveling division lines are mixed in addition to the existing traveling division line in order to show the traveling lane during road construction, the traveling division line Based on the distance between each other in the road width direction, a pair of priority traveling lane markings can be easily detected.

  In a fourth aspect based on the first to third aspects, the support means detects that the own vehicle has deviated from the travel lane recognized by the travel lane recognition means, or predicts that it is likely to deviate. And a travel control unit that performs travel control so that the host vehicle travels in the travel lane when a departure from the host vehicle is detected or predicted by the departure detection unit. It is characterized by.

  Thus, even when there are three or more traveling division lines ahead of the host vehicle, the host vehicle can be controlled to travel in the traveling lane recognized by the traveling lane recognition means.

  According to a fifth invention, in the first to third inventions, the support means detects that the own vehicle has deviated from the travel lane recognized by the travel lane recognition means, or predicts that it is likely to deviate. And a warning control means for activating the warning means when the deviation of the host vehicle is detected or predicted by the deviation detection means.

  Thereby, even when there are three or more traveling division lines ahead of the own vehicle, the occupant recognizes that the own vehicle has deviated from or is likely to deviate from the traveling lane recognized by the traveling lane recognition means, It is possible to encourage traveling in a traveling lane to travel.

  According to a sixth invention, in the fifth invention, the alarm control means is configured to activate the alarm means even when the priority travel line is not detected by the priority line detection means. It is what.

  Thereby, since a priority travel division line cannot be detected, a passenger | crew can be made to recognize that a driving | running | working lane recognition means has not recognized the driving lane, and a passenger | crew's attention can be called.

  A seventh invention is characterized in that, in the first to sixth inventions, the support means is configured not to operate when a priority travel lane marking is not detected by the priority lane marking detection means. is there.

  By the way, the driving assistance device assists the host vehicle to travel in the travel lane recognized based on the detected travel lane marking, but there are three or more travel lane markings and cannot detect the travel lane marking. Sometimes, there is a risk of misrecognizing the driving lane.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the priority travel division line is not detected, the operation of the support means is stopped, so that travel control is performed so that the vehicle travels in a lane where travel is impossible due to erroneous recognition of the travel lane. Can be reliably prevented and fail-safe can be achieved.

  According to the present invention, even when a new pair of traveling division lines is drawn in addition to the existing traveling division line due to road construction, etc., and there are three or more traveling division lines in front of the host vehicle, the priority division Since the line detection means detects the paired priority travel division lines, erroneous recognition of the travel lane can be suppressed, and the host vehicle can travel within the optimum travel lane.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle 5 (corresponding to the host vehicle, which is an automobile in the present embodiment) equipped with the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a control unit for controlling the driving support apparatus, and reference numeral 3 denotes a CCD camera as an imaging means for imaging the front of the vehicle 5. The CCD camera 3 is connected to the control unit 1 and outputs the information to the control unit 1.

  A steering wheel 9 that is operated by an occupant (driver) of the vehicle 5 is integrally provided with a steering shaft 9, and a connecting shaft 11 is connected to the steering shaft 9 via a universal joint (not shown). The connecting shaft 11 and a rack shaft 13 extending in the vehicle width direction are connected via a rack and pinion mechanism (not shown), and the rotational motion input from the steering wheel 7 by the occupant's operation is the steering shaft. 9. Two steerings converted to reciprocating movement of the rack shaft 13 through the universal joint, the connecting shaft 11 and the rack and pinion mechanism, and thereby connected to both ends of the rack shaft 13 through tie rods (not shown). The wheels (front wheels 15, 15) are steered.

  The connecting shaft 11 is provided with a torque sensor 17 for detecting a steering torque input by an occupant's operation of the steering wheel 7, and the torque sensor 17 uses the detected steering torque information as a control unit. 1 is output.

  Further, a steering actuator 19 is disposed on the rack shaft 13, and the rack shaft 13 can be reciprocated by the steering actuator 19. The driving of the steering actuator 19 is controlled by the control unit 1.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes an alarm device (corresponding to an alarm means, which is a speaker in the present embodiment) for notifying passengers of various types of information by voice. The alarm control section (corresponding to alarm control means) 1h in the inside controls the operation thereof.

  For example, the CCD camera 3 captures a range corresponding to two lanes in the vehicle width direction in front of the vehicle 5, and the image data captured by the CCD camera 3 is as shown in FIG. Input to the lane marking detection unit 1a in the control unit 1, and the lane marking detection unit 1a detects a travel lane marking such as a white line provided in front of the vehicle 5 on the road based on the image data. It is configured. That is, the lane marking detection unit 1a detects a line that divides a traveling lane, a center line, a boundary line between a roadway and a sidewalk, and the like by image processing. In the example of FIG. 1, white lines 27a and 27a provided on both the left and right sides are recognized. Note that the lane marking detection means in the present invention corresponds to the lane marking detector 1a and the CCD camera 3.

  The lane marking detection result in the lane marking detection unit 1a is transmitted to the lane marking state determination unit (corresponding to the lane marking state determination unit) 1c in the control unit 1, and the lane marking state determination unit 1c It is determined whether there are three or more traveling lane markings detected by 1a.

  When the lane marking state determination unit 1c determines that the number of lane markings is two or less, the determination result is transmitted to the lane recognition unit (corresponding to the lane recognition means) 1b in the control unit 1, and this The travel lane recognition unit 1b recognizes the travel lane that the vehicle 5 should travel based on the travel lane marking detected by the lane marking detection unit 1a.

  When there are two travel lane markings in front of the vehicle 5, the travel lane recognition unit 1 b recognizes the detected two travel lane lines as the travel lane of the vehicle 5. In the example of FIG. 1, when the white line 27a, 27a on the left and right sides in front of the vehicle 5 is detected by the lane marking detection unit 1a, the traveling lane recognition unit 1b Is recognized as the travel lane 37 of the vehicle 5.

  Further, when at least one of the traveling division lines on the left and right sides of the vehicle 5 is not detected, that is, when the number of traveling division lines in front of the vehicle 5 is one or less, the road on which the vehicle 5 is currently traveling is The travel lane 37 to be traveled is recognized based on the travel position (travel trajectory) of the vehicle 5 corresponding to the road on which the vehicle 5 is currently traveling, stored in a storage device (not shown).

  On the other hand, when it is determined by the lane marking state determination unit 1c that there are three or more traveling lane markings, this determination result is transmitted to the priority lane marking detection unit (equivalent to priority lane marking detection means) 1d in the control unit 1. Is done. The priority lane marking detection unit 1d is configured to detect a pair of priority lane markings from the three or more traveling lane markings. Specifically, the priority lane marking detector 1d is configured to detect a travel lane line of a predetermined color (in this embodiment, yellow) as a pair of priority lane markings. When the priority lane marking detection unit 1d detects a pair of priority travel lane markings, the travel lane recognition unit 1b recognizes a lane that is partitioned by the pair of priority travel lane markings as a travel lane.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a private band 29 is provided for road construction, and yellow lines (yellow traveling division lines) 27b and 27b are drawn to indicate the traveling lane 37 during the construction period, and the front of the vehicle 5 When there are four traveling division lines 27, 27,... Including the existing white lines 27a, 27a and yellow lines 27b, 27b, the lane marking state determination unit 1c It is determined that there are three or more of 27, 27,. When this determination result is input, the priority lane marking detector 1d detects the yellow lines 27b and 27b as a pair of priority travel lane markings. Then, the traveling lane recognition unit 1 b recognizes the lane partitioned by the pair of priority traveling division lines 27 b and 27 b as the traveling lane 37.

  The information on the travel lane recognized by the travel lane recognition unit 1b is transmitted to a departure detection unit (equivalent to departure detection means) 1e in the control unit 1, and the departure detection unit 1e recognizes that the vehicle 5 is recognized. It is configured to detect that the vehicle has deviated from the driving lane or to predict that the vehicle is likely to deviate. In addition to the information on the traveling lane, the departure detection unit 1e includes information from the torque sensor 17, a steering angle sensor 31 that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel 7, and a yaw rate sensor 33 that detects the yaw rate generated in the vehicle 5. , A vehicle speed sensor 35 for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle 5, a wheel speed sensor 39 for detecting the rotational speeds of the two front wheels 15, 15 and the two rear wheels 25, 25, and a brake pedal depression operation of a passenger of the vehicle 5 Each information from the brake sensor 41 etc. is input. And based on these input information, the width direction position with respect to the said travel lane of the vehicle 5 is estimated, it detects that the vehicle 5 deviated from the said travel lane, or predicts that it is likely to deviate.

  When a departure from the vehicle 5 is detected or predicted by the departure detection unit 1e, the departure information regarding the departure from the vehicle 5 is transmitted to a steering control unit (corresponding to a travel control unit) 1f in the control unit 1. When the deviation information is input, the steering control unit 1f performs traveling control (in this embodiment, steering control) of the vehicle 5 so that the vehicle 5 travels on the traveling lane recognized by the traveling lane recognition unit 1b. Do. Specifically, the driving of the steering actuator 19 is controlled so that the vehicle 5 does not deviate from the recognized travel lane. In addition to the steering control, for example, each of the two front wheels 15 and 15 and the two rear wheels 25 and 25 may be used as the travel control for controlling the vehicle 5 to travel along the travel lane recognized by the travel lane recognition unit 1b. The brake control (brake control) for controlling the braking force may be used, or the steering control and the brake control may be used in combination.

  Further, when a departure from the vehicle 5 is detected or predicted by the departure detection unit 1e, the departure information is transmitted to the alarm control unit 1h. When the deviation information is input, the alarm control unit 1h activates the alarm device 21 to indicate that the vehicle 5 has deviated from or is likely to deviate from the travel lane recognized by the travel lane recognition unit 1b. Is notified by voice (first alarm sound). The support means in the present invention for assisting the vehicle 5 to travel on the travel lane recognized by the travel lane recognition unit 1b includes the deviation detection unit 1e, the steering control unit 1f, the alarm control unit 1h, the steering. It corresponds to the actuator 19 and the alarm device 21.

  As described above, when there are three or more traveling lanes ahead of the vehicle 5, the priority lane marking detector 1d detects a pair of priority lane markings. When the priority lane line detection unit 1d cannot detect which line is complicated and confused and which is a pair of priority lane markings, the lane recognition unit 1b determines that the lane is not recognized by the occupant. It is desirable to notify. For this reason, the warning control unit 1h is configured to operate the warning device 21 even when the priority lane marking is not detected by the priority lane marking detector 1d. Specifically, the alarm control unit 1h operates the alarm device 21 to notify the occupant that the traveling lane is not recognized by a sound (second alarm sound) different from the first alarm sound.

  Similarly, in a state in which the priority traveling lane line is not detected, it is desirable to stop the control by the steering control unit 1f in order to prevent erroneous steering due to erroneous recognition of the traveling lane. When the priority traveling division line is not detected by the detection unit 1d, the detection unit 1d is configured not to operate. Specifically, when the priority lane marking is not detected by the priority lane marking detector 1d, the departure detector 1e is configured not to operate. At this time, it is more desirable to stop the operation of the departure detection unit 1e after the operation of the warning device 21, and thereby the steering control unit is made to recognize that the traveling lane is not recognized by the second warning sound. The control by 1f can be stopped. Then, for example, after passing through a section in which the priority traveling lane marking is not detected because a plurality of traveling lane markings are disturbed in the construction section, the system is restarted by the occupant's intention.

-Control unit operation-
Here, the processing operation of the control unit 1 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S1, the lane marking detector 1a detects a travel lane marking such as a white line provided in front of the vehicle 5 on the road based on the image data captured by the CCD camera 3 as described above.

  In the next step S2, the lane marking state determination unit 1c determines whether there are three or more traveling lane markings ahead of the vehicle 5. When the determination in step S2 is NO, that is, when there are two or less travel lane markings in front of the vehicle 5, the process proceeds to step S3, where the travel lane recognition unit 1b It recognizes the driving lane based on the lane marking, and then returns. Then, the vehicle 5 travels in the recognized travel lane, and when the departure detection unit 1e detects or predicts the departure of the vehicle 5, the alarm control unit 1h activates the alarm device 21 to drive the travel lane. The first warning sound is used to notify the occupant that the vehicle 5 has deviated from or is likely to deviate from the travel lane recognized by the recognition unit 1b, and the steering control unit 1f travels the travel lane. Thus, the traveling control of the vehicle 5 is performed. During this time, the lane marking state determination unit 1c repeatedly determines whether there are three or more traveling lane markings ahead of the vehicle 5.

  On the other hand, when the determination in step S2 is YES, the process proceeds to step S4, where the priority lane marking detector 1d detects yellow from three or more traveling lane markings based on the image data captured by the CCD camera 3. The line is detected as a pair of priority travel division lines. When the determination in step S4 is YES, that is, when the priority lane marking detection unit 1d detects a yellow line, the process proceeds to step S5, where the traveling lane recognition unit 1b is detected by the priority lane marking detection unit 1d. The lane divided by the pair of priority traveling division lines thus recognized is recognized as a traveling lane, and then the process returns. Then, the vehicle 5 travels in the recognized travel lane, and when the departure detection unit 1e detects or predicts the departure of the vehicle 5, the alarm control unit 1h activates the alarm device 21 and the travel lane recognition unit 1b. The vehicle 5 deviates from or is likely to deviate from the travel lane recognized by the first warning sound to the occupant, and the steering control unit 1f causes the vehicle 5 to travel along the travel lane. The travel control is performed.

  On the other hand, when the determination in step S4 is NO, the process proceeds to step S6, where the warning device 21 cannot detect the yellow line by the priority lane marking detection unit 1d, so that the travel lane recognition unit 1b determines the travel lane. The fact that the vehicle is not recognized is notified to the occupant by the second warning sound, and then the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, the departure detection unit 1e stops operating, whereby the steering control of the steering control unit 1f is stopped, and then the system is terminated. And if a system is restarted by a passenger | crew's intention, the processing operation of the control unit 1 will be performed again.

-Effect-
In this embodiment, when the lane marking state determination unit 1c determines that there are three or more traveling lane markings 27, 27,... On the road, priority is given to the four lane markings 27, 27,. The priority lane markings 27b and 27b to be detected are detected, and the lane defined by the pair of priority lane markings 27b and 27b detected by the priority lane marking detection unit 1d is recognized as the driving lane 37. Is configured to do. As a result, a new pair of yellow lines 27b and 27b are drawn in addition to the existing white lines 27a and 27a due to road construction, and there are four traveling division lines 27 in front of the vehicle 5 as well. Since the line detection unit 1d detects a pair of priority traveling division lines 27b, 27b from these four traveling division lines 27, 27,..., The malfunction of the driving support device is suppressed, and the vehicle 5 is optimized. The vehicle can travel in the travel lane 37.

  Further, since the priority lane marking detection unit 1d is configured to detect the yellow lines 27b and 27b as a pair of priority travel lane markings, a pair of yellow lines is shown to indicate the travel lane 37 during road construction. Even when 27b and 27b are drawn and four traveling division lines 27a, 27a, 27b, and 27b are mixed, the pair of priority traveling division lines 27b and 27b can be easily detected.

  Furthermore, the departure detection unit 1e detects that the vehicle 5 has deviated from the traveling lane 37 recognized by the traveling lane recognition unit 1b, or predicts that the vehicle 5 is likely to deviate. Since the vehicle 5 includes a steering control unit 1 f that performs steering control so that the vehicle 5 travels in the travel lane when detected or predicted, even when there are three or more travel division lines in front of the vehicle 5 Thus, the travel control of the vehicle 5 can be performed so that the vehicle 5 travels on the travel lane 37 recognized by the travel lane recognition unit 1b.

  In addition, since the alarm control unit 1h that activates the alarm device 21 when a deviation of the vehicle 5 is detected or predicted is provided, even when there are four traveling division lines 27, 27,. The first warning sound is used to cause the occupant to recognize that the vehicle 5 has deviated from or is likely to deviate from the travel lane 37 recognized by the travel lane recognizing unit 1b, and to encourage travel in the travel lane 37 to be traveled. it can.

  Further, since the alarm control unit 1h is configured to activate the alarm device 21 even when the priority traveling line 27b, 27b is not detected by the priority line detecting unit 1d, the priority traveling line 27b, 27b Since it cannot be detected, the occupant can be alerted by causing the occupant to recognize by the second alarm sound that the lane recognition unit 1b does not recognize the lane 37.

  Further, since the departure detection unit 1e is configured not to operate when the priority travel line 27b, 27b is not detected by the priority line detection unit 1d, the steering control unit 1f performs travel control in a lane where travel is impossible. Therefore, fail safe can be achieved.

(Embodiment 2)
In the present embodiment, the priority lane marking detection processing by the priority lane marking detector 1d is different from that in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described.

  When the lane marking state determination unit 1c determines that there are three or more traveling lane markings, the determination result is a distance detection unit (corresponding to distance detection means) 1g in the control unit 1, as shown in FIG. Sent to. The distance detection unit 1g is configured to detect the distance in the road width direction between the three or more travel lane markings, and the priority lane marking detection unit 1d detects the travel lane detected by the distance detection unit 1g. Based on the distance between the lines, a pair of priority travel lane markings are detected. Specifically, the distance detection unit 1g sequentially selects two traveling division lines from among the three or more traveling division lines imaged by the CCD camera 3, and the road width direction between these two traveling division lines. Detect the distance. Then, the priority lane marking detector 1d compares the distance in the road width direction between the travel lane markings with the input value input to the control unit 1 as the road width, and in the road width direction closest to the input value. Two traveling lane markings that are separated by a distance and whose difference between the distance in the road width direction and the input value is within an allowable value are detected as a pair of priority traveling lane markings. In other words, the priority lane marking detector 1d detects two travel lane lines separated by a distance in the road width direction that approximates the input value as a pair of priority lane markings.

  In the example of FIG. 6, an occupation band 29 is provided for road construction, new white lines 27 c and 27 c are drawn to show the driving lane 37 during the road occupation period, and the existing white lines 27 a ′, When 27a and new white lines 27c and 27c are mixed, the distance detection unit 1g first excludes the white line 27a ′ disappearing from the occupied band 29 from the options, and the remaining traveling division lines 27a, 27c and 27c. , And the distances B1, B2, and B3 in the road width direction are detected. Then, the priority lane marking detector 1d compares the distances B1, B2, B3 in the road width direction between the travel lane markings with the input values input to the control unit 1, and eliminates the short distances B1 and B3. The two white lines 27c and 27c that are separated by a distance B2 that approximates the input value are detected as a pair of priority traveling division lines.

  On the other hand, when the difference between the distance B2 and the input value is not within the allowable value and the priority lane marking detection unit 1d does not detect which is a pair of priority travel lane markings, the alarm device 21 is activated. The departure detecting unit 1e stops operating.

-Control unit operation-
Here, the processing operation of the control unit 1 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. Steps other than steps S4 and S5 in FIG. 7 are the same as those in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the determination in step S3 is YES, the process proceeds to step S4, where the distance detection unit 1g detects the distance in the road width direction between the traveling division lines based on the image data captured by the CCD camera 3, and the priority division The line detection unit 1d compares these distances with the input values input to the control unit 1, and sets a pair of priority travelings on two traveling division lines separated by a distance in the road width direction that approximates the input values. Detect as a dividing line. When the determination in step S4 is YES, that is, when the priority lane marking detector 1d detects a pair of priority lane markings, the process proceeds to step S5, where the traveling lane recognition unit 1b determines the priority lane marking. The lane divided by the pair of priority traveling division lines detected by the detection unit 1d is recognized as a traveling lane, and then the process returns.

  On the other hand, when the determination in step S4 is NO, the process proceeds to step S6, where the alarm control unit 1h activates the alarm device 21, and the priority lane marking detector 1d detects a pair of priority lane markings. Therefore, the lane recognition unit 1b notifies the occupant that the lane is not recognized by the second warning sound, and then proceeds to step S7.

-Effect-
In the present embodiment, a distance detection unit 1g that detects a distance in the road width direction between the travel lane markings 27, 27,... Is provided, and the priority lane marking detection unit 1d travels detected by the distance detection unit 1g. Since it is configured to detect a pair of priority travel division lines 27c, 27c based on the distance between the division lines 27, 27,..., An existing travel division line is used to indicate a travel lane during road construction. In addition to 27a ′ and 27a, new traveling division lines 27c and 27c are drawn, and even when four traveling division lines 27a ′, 27a, 27c and 27c exist, a pair of priority traveling division lines 27c and 27c can be easily detected.

(Other embodiments)
In each of the embodiments described above, the driving support device for the vehicle 5 includes a steering control unit 1f that performs traveling control so that the vehicle 5 travels in the travel lane in which the vehicle 5 is recognized, and an alarm device that detects or predicts a deviation of the vehicle 5 The alarm control unit 1h that activates the motor 21 is provided, but only one of them may be provided.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where four traveling division lines 27, 27,... Exist in front of the vehicle 5 has been described, but, for example, when there are three traveling lanes 37 in front of the vehicle 5, Even when the vehicle exists as described above, the traveling control of the vehicle 5 can be appropriately performed so that the vehicle 5 travels in the traveling lane recognized based on the priority traveling division line.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof.

  As described above, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the present invention detects a travel lane marking ahead of the vehicle on the road, and assists the vehicle to travel in the travel lane recognized based on the detected travel lane marking. It is useful for a vehicle driving support device, and particularly useful when there are three or more traveling lanes ahead of the vehicle due to road construction or the like.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle equipped with a driving support apparatus according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a driving assistance device. It is a figure which shows the state of the road under road construction. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing of the control unit of a driving assistance device. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a driving assistance device. It is a figure which shows the state of the road under road construction. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing of the control unit of a driving assistance device.

Explanation of symbols

1 Control Unit 1a Marking Line Detection Unit (Marking Line Detection Means)
1b Traveling lane recognition unit (traveling lane recognition means)
1c Marking line state determination unit (marking line condition determination means)
1d Priority line detection unit (priority line detection means)
1e Deviation detection unit (deviation detection means)
1f Steering control unit (running control means)
1g Distance detection unit (distance detection means)
1h Alarm control unit (alarm control means)
3 CCD camera (imaging means)
5 Vehicle 19 Steering actuator (supporting means)
21 Alarm device (alarm means)
27 Travel line 27a, 27c White line 27b Yellow line 37 Travel lane

Claims (7)

A lane marking detecting means for detecting a lane marking ahead of the vehicle on the road, and a lane recognition means for recognizing a lane on which the host vehicle should travel based on the lane marking detected by the lane marking detecting means. And a driving support device for a vehicle comprising: support means for supporting the host vehicle to travel along the travel lane recognized by the travel lane recognition means,
A lane marking state determination unit that determines whether or not there are three or more traveling lane markings detected by the lane marking detection unit;
Priority lane marking detecting means for detecting a pair of priority lane markings from among the three or more lane markings when the lane marking state determining means determines that there are three or more lane markings; Has
The travel lane recognition means is configured to recognize a lane defined by the pair of priority travel lane lines as the travel lane when the priority lane marking is detected by the priority lane marking detection means. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle characterized by comprising: The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1,
The lane marking detection means has an imaging means for imaging the front of the host vehicle, and is configured to detect the traveling lane marking based on image data captured by the imaging means.
The vehicle driving support device, wherein the priority lane marking detection means is configured to detect a pair of traveling lane markings of a predetermined color as the pair of priority traveling lane markings. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1,
When it is determined by the lane marking state determination means that there are three or more lane markings, the lane marking state determination unit further includes distance detection means for detecting a distance in the road width direction between the lane markings.
The priority lane marking detector is configured to detect the pair of priority lane markings based on the distance between the lane markings detected by the distance detector. Support device. The vehicle driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The support means detects that the own vehicle has deviated from the traveling lane recognized by the traveling lane recognition means, or deviates detection means for predicting that the own vehicle is likely to deviate, and the deviation detecting means A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a traveling control unit that performs traveling control so that the host vehicle travels in the traveling lane when a deviation is detected or predicted. The vehicle driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The support means detects that the own vehicle has deviated from the traveling lane recognized by the traveling lane recognition means, or deviates detection means for predicting that the own vehicle is likely to deviate, and the deviation detecting means A vehicle driving support device, comprising: an alarm control unit that activates an alarm unit when a deviation is detected or predicted. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 5,
The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the warning control means is configured to activate the warning means even when the priority travel lane marking is not detected by the priority lane marking detection means. In the vehicle driving support device according to claim 1,
The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the support means is configured not to operate when the priority lane marking is not detected by the priority lane marking detection means.

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