JP2009230701A - Drive assist device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive assist device for reducing the rate that a vehicle waiting to turn right or left interferes with the travel of following vehicles. <P>SOLUTION: The drive assist device 10, which assists one's own vehicle 40 in turning right, includes a passage determining unit 106 for determining whether or not vehicles 42-48 behind the vehicle 40 waiting to turn right pass beside the vehicle 40, and a right/left turn assist unit 110 for assisting the vehicle in turning right at an earlier timing if they are determined to be unable to pass than if they are determined to be able to pass. By advancing the timing that the vehicle turns right if they are determined to be unable to pass, the rate that the vehicle 40 waiting to turn right interferes with the travel of the following vehicles 42-48 is reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device that supports turning left and right of a vehicle.

Conventionally, as a vehicle driving support device, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-163771, a merging vehicle between an earliest behavior curve and a latest behavior curve of a merging vehicle created in advance at a lane junction. It is known that the number of control vehicles on the main line side that needs speed adjustment is calculated when the vehicle is turned on, and that merged vehicle is guided to an inter-vehicle position where the number of vehicles that need speed adjustment is minimized. This driving support device is intended to smoothly maintain the traffic flow by guiding the merged vehicle to the inter-vehicle position where the number of vehicles requiring speed adjustment is minimized.
JP 2002-163771 A

  In lane merging, the influence on the traffic flow changes depending on whether or not a vehicle following the merging vehicle can pass through the merging vehicle. However, in the conventional driving support device, since it is not considered whether or not the following vehicle can pass by the side of the joining vehicle, the subsequent vehicle decelerates or stops when the passing cannot be performed. Will do. As a result, traveling of the following vehicle by the merged vehicle is hindered, and traffic congestion is likely to occur.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device that can reduce the obstacle to the traveling of the following vehicle by the left-right turn waiting vehicle.

  That is, the driving support device according to the present invention is a driving support device that supports turning right and left of a vehicle, and determines whether or not a vehicle following a right and left turn standby vehicle can pass through the right and left turn standby vehicle. And a right / left turn support means for providing a right / left turn support to the left / right turn waiting vehicle according to the determination result of the slipping through determination means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle following the right / left turn waiting vehicle can pass through the right / left turn waiting vehicle or not, and the right / left turn waiting vehicle according to the determination result of the slipping determination means. On the other hand, since the vehicle includes the right / left turn support means for performing right / left turn support, it is possible to perform driving support according to the result of the slip-through determination in consideration of whether or not slip-through is possible. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the hindrance of the following vehicle due to the left / right turn waiting vehicle. Further, not only the support for the left and right turn waiting vehicle but also the burden on the oncoming vehicle can be reduced, so that the entire traffic flow can be further optimized.

  Here, in the driving assistance device, the right / left turn support means turns right / left at an earlier timing when it is determined by the slipping determination means that slipping is impossible than when it is determined that slipping is possible. It is preferable to provide support.

  In this way, when it is determined that it is impossible to pass through, it is possible to reliably reduce the obstruction of the following vehicle due to the right / left turn waiting vehicle by advancing the timing of turning the left / right vehicle.

  The driving support device further includes position adjustment support means for assisting the right / left turn waiting vehicle to adjust the position when it is determined that the subsequent vehicle can pass through by adjusting the position of the right / left turn waiting vehicle. It is suitable to provide.

  In this way, by urging the right / left turn standby vehicle to adjust the position, it is possible to increase the chance of the subsequent vehicle to pass through, and to reduce the obstruction of the subsequent vehicle due to the right / left turn standby vehicle. In addition, in this case, since no burden is imposed on the oncoming vehicle, it is possible to reduce the obstruction of the entire traffic flow caused by the left / right turn waiting vehicle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the driving assistance apparatus which can reduce the driving | running | working obstruction of the following vehicle by the left-right turn waiting vehicle can be provided.

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

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the driving support device 10 according to the present embodiment is a device that is mounted on a vehicle and supports left and right turns of the vehicle. This driving support apparatus 10 includes a GPS 12, a vehicle speed sensor 14, a blinker 16, a steering sensor / actuator 18, a radar 20, a driver monitor 22, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 24, a road-to-vehicle communication device 26, and a display 28. The speaker 30 and the accelerator actuator 32 are connected to each other. The driving assistance driving assistance ECU 100 performs driving assistance control, and includes, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, an input signal circuit, an output signal circuit, a power supply circuit, etc., and various control routines including a driving assistance control routine. Is remembered.

  The GPS 12 is for receiving a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite signal for detecting the position of the host vehicle and detecting the position of the host vehicle based on the received GPS satellite signal. The GPS 12 is connected to the driving support ECU 100 and outputs position information of the host vehicle to the driving support ECU 100.

  The vehicle speed sensor 14 has a function of detecting the vehicle speed of the host vehicle and outputting the detected vehicle speed to the driving assistance ECU 100 as a vehicle speed signal. The vehicle speed sensor 14 is provided for each of four wheels, for example, and detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle by measuring the rotational speed of each wheel.

  The winker 16 functions as a general direction indicator, and in this embodiment, the direction indicator by the winker 16 is transmitted to the driving support ECU 100 and the driving direction of the vehicle is notified to the driving support ECU 100. The steering sensor / actuator 18 has a function of transmitting the steering angle of the steering to the driving assistance ECU 100 and notifying the driving assistance ECU 100 of the traveling direction of the vehicle. Further, the steering sensor / actuator 18 is for steering the steering based on a command signal from the driving support ECU 100 to control the traveling direction of the vehicle.

  The radar 20 transmits a detection wave such as a millimeter wave band radio wave or a laser beam to the surroundings of the own vehicle while scanning in the horizontal direction, receives a reflected wave reflected on the surface of another vehicle or a pedestrian, and others. This is to detect the distance / direction and approach speed with a vehicle or a pedestrian. The direction of the other vehicle or pedestrian is the angle of the reflected wave, the distance is the time from when the radio wave is emitted until the reflected wave returns, and the speed of the other vehicle or pedestrian uses the frequency change of the reflected wave (Doppler effect) To detect.

  The driver monitor 22 has a function of detecting the state of the driver. For example, the driver monitor 22 is for estimating the traveling direction of the vehicle by detecting the driver's eyes.

  The inter-vehicle communication device 24 is for performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles around the host vehicle, and the road-to-vehicle communication device 26 is a road infrastructure such as an optical beacon transmitter installed on the road and road-to-vehicle communication. Is for doing. The inter-vehicle communication device 24 and the road-to-vehicle communication device 26 are, for example, vehicle information (including a two-wheeled vehicle) of an oncoming vehicle traveling in an oncoming lane and a vehicle following the own vehicle, the number of vehicles, vehicle position, vehicle speed, vehicle shape In order to acquire driver characteristics, acceleration and traveling direction. Note that the inter-vehicle communication device 24 obtains information on other vehicles transmitted from the road-to-vehicle communication devices of other vehicles via a road infrastructure such as an optical beacon transmitter. It may be taken.

  In addition to displaying GPS 12 information, the display 28 instructs the driver whether the driver assist ECU 100 should turn left and right, whether to turn right or left quickly, or adjust the standby position. It is for display. Similar to the display 28, the speaker 30 gives a voice instruction to the driver, such as whether to turn right and left, whether to turn right and left, whether to turn right or left quickly, or to adjust the standby position. Is for. The accelerator actuator 32 is for opening and closing the accelerator based on a command signal from the driving support ECU 100 and controlling the speed of the vehicle.

  The driving support ECU 100 includes a traffic condition acquisition unit 102, a right / left turn required time calculation unit 104, a slip-through determination unit 106, a subsequent vehicle stop prediction unit 108, a right / left turn support unit 110, a position adjustment unit 112, and a driving recorder 114. The traffic condition acquisition unit 102 acquires the traffic conditions of a plurality of vehicles from the GPS 12, the vehicle speed sensor 14, the blinker 16, the steering sensor / actuator 18, the radar 20, the driver monitor 22, the inter-vehicle communication device 24, and the road-vehicle communication device 26. It has a function.

  Based on the traffic situation acquired by the traffic situation acquisition unit 102 and the past right / left turn record of the vehicle recorded in the driving recorder 114, the right / left turn required time calculation unit 104 It has a function to calculate the required time.

  The slippage determination unit 106 has a function of determining whether or not a vehicle following the host vehicle can pass through the host vehicle when the host vehicle is in a right / left turn standby state. For example, the determination is made based on the number of lanes on the side on which the host vehicle travels, the road width, the vehicle width of the following vehicle, and the driver characteristics of the following vehicle acquired by the inter-vehicle communication device 24 and the road-vehicle communication device 26. Driver characteristics include driver skill and psychological state. By using the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 24 and the road-to-vehicle communication device 26 by using the number of lanes on the side on which the host vehicle travels, the road width, the vehicle width of the following vehicle, and the driver characteristics of the following vehicle, Even if expensive equipment such as a radar is not installed, it can be determined whether or not it is possible to pass through.

  The subsequent vehicle stop prediction unit 108 has a function of predicting that the vehicle after the subsequent vehicle will stop when it is determined by the through determination unit 106 that the subsequent vehicle cannot pass through.

  The right / left turn support unit 110 supports the right / left turn of the host vehicle at a timing earlier than the case where the pass-through determination unit 106 determines that the pass-through vehicle cannot be passed. Has the function to perform. This right / left turn support unit 110 drives the steering sensor / actuator 18 and the accelerator actuator 32 at an earlier timing than when it is determined that slip-through is possible, and performs right / left turn support. At that time, an image is displayed on the display 28 so as to quickly turn the vehicle right and left, and an instruction is given to the driver. Further, it is preferable to display an image on the display 28 and to be notified to the driver by voice guidance such as “Please turn right (turn left) quickly” via the speaker 30.

  The position adjustment unit 112 has a function of prompting the host vehicle to adjust the position when the pass-through determination unit 106 determines that the subsequent vehicle can pass through the position adjustment of the left / right turn waiting host vehicle. . Specifically, the position adjustment unit 112 adjusts the vehicle position by driving the steering sensor / actuator 18 and the accelerator actuator 32 to move the host vehicle forward or to the right side, for example. At that time, an image is displayed on the display 28 so as to adjust the standby position of the host vehicle, and an instruction is given to the driver. In addition, it is preferable to display an image on the display 28 and to be notified to the driver by voice guidance such as “please put it a little ahead” via a speaker. The driving recorder 114 is for recording a running record including past left and right turns of the host vehicle.

  Next, the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 2, when the own vehicle 40 is waiting for a right turn at an intersection, and there are a plurality of other vehicles 42 to 62 in the traveling lane and the opposite lane of the own vehicle 40. An explanation will be given assuming this. The following operation is repeatedly executed at a frequency of about several ms to several hundred ms per cycle.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, when the host vehicle 40 starts a right turn action, the traffic condition acquisition unit 102 of the driving assistance ECU 100 performs the guidance route by the GPS 12 and the current travel lane detected by the GPS 12, the vehicle speed sensor 14, the blinker 16. Based on the information from the steering sensor / actuator 18 and the driver's eyes detected by the driver monitor 22, it is determined that the host vehicle 40 makes a right turn (S11).

  The traffic condition acquisition unit 102 receives information about the vehicles 50 to 62 in the opposite lane, information about the following vehicles 42 to 48 of the host vehicle 40, and road information after the right turn from the radar 20, the inter-vehicle communication device 24, and the road-to-vehicle communication device 26. Then, the traveling state of the host vehicle 40 such as signal signal information, road alignment information, and pedestrian information is acquired (S12). A wide range of information can be obtained with high accuracy by using communication by the inter-vehicle communication device 24 and the road-vehicle communication device 26 in addition to the autonomous sensor such as the radar 20.

  The information on the vehicles 50 to 62 in the oncoming lane and the information on the following vehicles 42 to 48 of the host vehicle 40 are, for example, the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane, vehicle position, vehicle speed, vehicle shape, acceleration, traveling direction, etc. The number of vehicles following the host vehicle 40, the vehicle position, the vehicle width, the vehicle speed, and the like, all of which include the case where the other vehicle is a two-wheeled vehicle. Moreover, when the other vehicles 42-62 which drive | work the driving lane of the oncoming lane or the own vehicle 40 are carrying the driving assistance device 10 of this embodiment, the driving | running | working recorded on the driving recorder 114 of the driving assistance device 10 is carried out. Information on the driver characteristics of the driver (beginner, expert, right turn early, right turn late, etc.) may be acquired from the record. As will be described later, when the right / left turn required time calculation unit 104 calculates the time required for the right turn of the host vehicle 40 (S13), the following vehicles 42 to 48 can pass through the side of the host vehicle 40. It is used when determining whether or not the vehicle position is changed (S14), and when the transition of the vehicle position is predicted (S16).

  The road information after the right turn is the number of vehicles, the vehicle position, the vehicle speed, the vehicle shape, the acceleration, the traveling direction, the driver characteristics of the driver, etc. on the road on which the host vehicle 40 travels after the right turn. This includes the case where the vehicle is a motorcycle. These pieces of information are used when the right / left turn required time calculation unit 104 calculates the time required for the vehicle 40 to turn right (S13).

  The signal information of the above traffic lights is information on the signal cycle of the traffic lights at the intersection and the presence / absence of a right-turnable timing depending on whether the traffic lights are signal lights with arrow lamps or time difference type traffic lights.

  The road alignment information is information regarding the number of lanes, the lane width, the presence / absence of a right turn dedicated lane, the position of the right turn dedicated lane, and the like of the opposite lane and the traveling lane of the host vehicle 40. These pieces of information indicate whether or not the following vehicles 42 to 48 can pass through the own vehicle 40 when the right / left turn required time calculation unit 104 calculates the time required for the host vehicle 40 to turn right (S13). Is used (S14), and when the transition of the vehicle position is predicted (S16).

  The above pedestrian information refers to the position, speed, acceleration, and state of the pedestrian (the pedestrian ’s line of sight estimated from information from the radar 20, the drunk state, whether or not the vehicle 40 is aware, etc. ). These pieces of information indicate whether or not the following vehicles 42 to 48 can pass through the own vehicle 40 when the right / left turn required time calculation unit 104 calculates the time required for the host vehicle 40 to turn right (S13). Is used (S14), and when the transition of the vehicle position is predicted (S16).

  The process of S13 is a process that is executed by the right / left turn required time calculation unit 104 and calculates the time required for the host vehicle 40 to make a right turn based on the information acquired as described above. When the process of S13 ends, the process proceeds to a determination process for determining whether or not a slip-through is possible (S14).

  The process of S14 is a process that is executed by the slippage determination unit 106 and determines whether or not the succeeding vehicles 42 to 48 can pass by the side of the host vehicle 40 based on the information acquired as described above. . For example, based on the number of lanes and road width of the traveling lane of the own vehicle 40, the vehicle width and driver characteristics of the following vehicles 42 to 48, and the right turn standby position of the own vehicle 40, can the subsequent vehicles 42 to 48 pass through? Determine whether or not. If it is determined in the process of S14 that the subsequent vehicles 42 to 48 can pass through, the process proceeds to a vehicle position transition prediction process (S16). On the other hand, when it is determined that it is impossible to pass through, the process proceeds to a process of predicting a vehicle stop (S15).

  The process of S15 is executed by the subsequent vehicle stop prediction unit 108, and when the leading vehicle 42 cannot pass through the side of the own vehicle 40 among the subsequent vehicles 42 to 48, the vehicles 44 to 48 subsequent to that vehicle are This is a process for predicting to stop. When the process of S15 ends, the process proceeds to a vehicle position transition prediction process (S16).

  The process of S16 is executed by the right / left turn support unit 110 and based on the information acquired as described above, the vehicles 50 to 62 in the opposite lane and the subsequent vehicles 42 to 48 of the host vehicle 40 in the period up to N seconds later. This is a process for predicting the transition of the vehicle position and the transition of the vehicle speed. When the process of S16 ends, the process proceeds to a left / right turn support process (S17).

  The process of S17 is executed by the right / left turn support unit 110, and guides the host vehicle 40 so as to make a right turn at the timing when the average vehicle speed of the host vehicle 40 and the vehicles 50 to 62 reaches a maximum after a predetermined time, and adjusts the control. It is processing. In S17, when it is determined in step S14 that it is impossible to pass through the following vehicle, right turn support of the host vehicle 40 is performed at an earlier timing than when it is determined that the vehicle can pass through.

  In the situation shown in FIG. 2, when it is determined that the succeeding vehicle 42 can pass through the side of the host vehicle 40, the right / left turn assist unit 110 determines that the speed reduction of the following vehicles 42 to 48 is small. Then, right turn support is performed after the vehicle 62 traveling on the opposite lane (that is, at timing A). On the other hand, if it is determined that the following vehicle 42 cannot pass through the side of the host vehicle 40, the right / left turn assist unit 110 determines that the speed reduction of the following vehicles 42 to 48 is large and travels in front of the vehicle 62. The right turn support is performed after the vehicle 58 (that is, timing B). This timing B is earlier than the timing A. In this way, by making the right turn timing of the host vehicle 40 faster, it is possible to reduce the obstacles to traveling of the following vehicles 42 to 48 due to the standby of the host vehicle 40. When turning right at the timing B, the right / left turn assisting unit 110 causes the headlight to blink for the oncoming vehicle 60 traveling behind the oncoming vehicle 58 or transmits a communication message by the inter-vehicle communication device 24. This prompts the oncoming vehicle 60 to decelerate. When the process of S17 ends, the process proceeds to a right turn process (S18).

  The process of S12-S17 mentioned above is repeated until a right turn is completed (S18). When the right turn is completed (S18), the right turn traveling of the host vehicle 40 and the traffic situation at that time are recorded in the driving recorder 114.

  In S14, when it is determined that the succeeding vehicle 42 can be slipped through by adjusting the standby position of the host vehicle 40, the position adjustment unit 112 provides support for prompting the host vehicle 40 to adjust the position. For example, the position adjustment unit 112 compares the amount of change in vehicle speed required for the oncoming vehicles 56 to 62 when the host vehicle 40 makes a right turn with the advance distance necessary for the host vehicle 40 to pass the following vehicle 42, and the amount of change in vehicle speed. The vehicle 40 is urged to move forward only when the product of the change time and the change time is larger than the forward distance, that is, when the burden due to the forward movement is less. At that time, it is necessary to promote the advance in consideration of the risk of contact with the oncoming vehicles 56 to 62 as the host vehicle 40 moves forward. For example, the permissible value until the contact between the host vehicle 40 and the oncoming vehicles 56 to 62 or the permissible distance to the oncoming lane is calculated, and only when the forward distance is equal to or less than the calculated permissible value or the permissible distance, It is preferable to encourage forward movement.

  As described above, according to the driving support device 10 according to the present embodiment, the slippage determination unit 106 that determines whether or not the succeeding vehicles 42 to 48 of the right turn waiting host vehicle 40 can pass by the side of the host vehicle 40, and the slipping through. Since the vehicle includes the right / left turn support unit 110 that performs right / left turn support for the host vehicle 40 according to the determination result of the determination unit 106, it is possible to perform right turn support according to the result of the slip-through determination, and the right turn waiting host vehicle Thus, it is possible to reduce the hindrance of the following vehicles 42 to 48 due to 40. In addition, since not only the support for the left and right turn waiting host vehicle 40 but also the burden on the vehicles 56 to 62 on the opposite lane can be reduced, the entire traffic flow can be further optimized.

  Further, the right / left turn assisting unit 110 automatically determines that the slippage determining unit 106 determines that the passing of the following vehicles 42 to 48 is impossible when compared with the case where it is determined that the slipping is possible. Assist the vehicle 40 to turn right. Thus, when it is determined that it is impossible to pass through, the right turn timing is advanced, so that it is possible to surely reduce the obstacle to the traveling of the following vehicles 42 to 48 caused by the right turn waiting own vehicle 40.

  Furthermore, the position adjustment unit 112 provides support for prompting the host vehicle 40 to adjust the position when it is determined that the subsequent vehicles 42 to 48 can be passed through by the position adjustment of the right turn waiting host vehicle 40. It is possible to increase the chance of passing of the following vehicles 42 to 48, and to reliably reduce the obstacle to the traveling of the following vehicles 42 to 48 by the right turn waiting own vehicle 40. In addition, in this case, since the position adjustment is performed in consideration of the risk of contact with the oncoming vehicles 56 to 62 due to the forward movement of the host vehicle 40, the vehicle waits for a right turn without imposing a burden on the oncoming vehicles 56 to 62. The obstruction of the entire traffic flow by the host vehicle 40 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, optimization of traffic flow (average vehicle speed of the host vehicle and oncoming lane vehicles) is a condition when calculating the right turn timing. However, the total CO ₂ emission amount, the waiting time of the right turn vehicle, and the like are used as conditions. It may be.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above shows an example of the driving assistance apparatus 10 which concerns on this invention. The driving support device 10 according to the present invention is not limited to the driving support device 10 according to this embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, a right turn has been described, but the present invention is also applicable to a case where a left turn from a non-priority road joins a priority road. In addition, the driving support device according to the present invention is not limited to road conditions such as an intersection and a signal, and is also applied to an intersection without a traffic light.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance device which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view which shows the condition where the driving assistance device which concerns on embodiment is applied in an intersection. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Driving assistance device, 40 ... Own vehicle, 42, 44, 46, 48 ... Subsequent vehicle, 100 ... Driving assistance ECU, 106 ... Pass-through determination part, 110 ... Right / left turn assistance part, 112 ... Position adjustment part.

Claims (3)

In a driving support device that supports turning left and right of a vehicle,
Slip-through determination means for determining whether a vehicle following the vehicle waiting for right / left turn can pass through the vehicle waiting for right / left turn; and
Right and left turn support means for performing right and left turn support for the right and left turn waiting vehicle according to the determination result of the slipping determination means;
A driving support apparatus comprising:   The right / left turn support means performs right / left turn support at an earlier timing when it is determined that slip-through is impossible by the slip-through determination means than when it is determined that slip-through is possible. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1. When it is determined that the following vehicle can pass through the position adjustment of the right / left turn waiting vehicle, the vehicle further comprises a position adjustment support means for assisting the right / left turn waiting vehicle to adjust the position. The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2.

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