JP2010030484A - Drive support device, drive support method, and drive support program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem wherein any adequate lane departure suppressing control cannot be performed according to the road situation. <P>SOLUTION: Information on one's own vehicle traveling road on which one's own vehicle travels, and the position of one's own vehicle including a one's own vehicle traveling lane in the one's own vehicle traveling road is acquired. When a connection road connected to the one's own vehicle traveling road before the position of one's own vehicle is present, information on the attribute of the connection road to the one's own vehicle traveling road is acquired. The changing direction of changing the degree of the lane departure suppressing control out of the right-to-left direction with the advancing direction of the one's own vehicle traveling road being a reference is set according to the attribute, and the degree of the lane departure suppressing control in the set changing direction is changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus, method, and program for performing steering control for preventing a vehicle from deviating from a traveling lane.

Conventionally, when a vehicle is about to deviate from the travel lane due to driver's carelessness, a lane departure suppression control technology that controls the vehicle to travel near the center of the lane and suppresses the vehicle from deviating from the travel lane. It has been known. However, in the case of a lane change at the driver's will, if such lane departure suppression control is performed, it is inconvenient for the driver. Patent Document 1 describes that when a road branch point exists in front of a vehicle, the lane departure suppression control is canceled.
JP 2000-149188 A

In the prior art, appropriate lane departure restraint control according to road conditions could not be performed. That is, in the technique of Patent Document 1, if there is a branch point ahead, steering control for suppressing lane departure is canceled even in a direction in which there is a low possibility of changing the lane at the branch point. Therefore, when the branch point is ahead and deviates from the driving lane due to driver's carelessness, it cannot be suppressed. Even if there is a branch point ahead, the lane departure suppression control is activated for the direction where the possibility of changing the lane is low, and the degree of the lane departure suppression control for the direction where the possibility of changing the lane is high It is desirable to relieve or cancel
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of performing appropriate lane departure suppression control according to road conditions.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, lane departure in the own vehicle travel lane out of the left and right directions based on the traveling direction of the own vehicle travel road according to the attribute of the connection road to the own vehicle travel road. A change direction for changing the degree of suppression control is set, and the degree of lane departure suppression control in the set change direction is changed. Here, the change in the degree of lane departure suppression control means a change that weakens at least the degree of lane departure suppression control, and includes releasing the lane departure suppression control. Since the present invention adopts a configuration in which the degree of lane departure suppression control is changed based on the attribute of the connected road with respect to the host vehicle traveling road, it is possible to perform appropriate lane departure suppression control according to the road situation. . That is, based on the attribute, a scene where the lane departure suppression control is likely to hinder the lane change by the driver's will and a direction in which the possibility is high are determined, and the lane departure in the direction in the scene is determined. Change the degree of suppression control. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult to hinder the steering operation for changing the lane according to the driver's will. In the present invention, since the lane departure suppression control is activated in the direction opposite to the direction in which the lane departure suppression control is likely to be hindered, the vehicle moves in the direction opposite to the direction in which the possibility is high. In this case, it is possible to prevent the own vehicle from deviating from the own vehicle traveling lane in the opposite direction.

  In the present invention, the own vehicle position information acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire information indicating the position of the own vehicle including the own vehicle traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling and the own vehicle traveling lane on the own vehicle traveling road. Various configurations can be employed. For example, vehicle position information can be acquired based on signals from GPS, information from various sensors and cameras mounted on the vehicle, and map information. The vehicle position information may be acquired by inter-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, or the like.

  In the present invention, the attribute information acquisition means, when there is a connection road connected to the host vehicle traveling road ahead of the position of the host vehicle acquired as described above, information indicating the attribute of the connection road with respect to the host vehicle traveling road get. “Attribute of connected road with respect to own vehicle traveling road” is information indicating how the connected road is a road connected to the own vehicle traveling road. It can be specified by referring to map information in which information such as road type and traveling direction associated with the link is defined.

  In the present invention, the change direction setting means determines the degree of lane departure suppression control in the own vehicle traveling lane among the left and right directions based on the traveling direction of the own vehicle traveling road according to the attribute of the connection road with respect to the own vehicle traveling road. It suffices if the change direction for changing can be set. That is, in the change direction setting means, either the right side or the left side is set based on the traveling direction of the host vehicle traveling road according to the attribute.

  In the present invention, the lane departure suppression control means only needs to change the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the change direction set by the change direction setting means. That is, in the lane departure suppression control means, the degree of lane departure suppression control on either the right side or the left side is changed. Here, the lane departure suppression control refers to performing a steering control that applies a steering torque in the opposite direction to the steering in the direction of departure, for example, when the vehicle tries to depart from the own vehicle traveling lane. In this case, changing the degree of lane departure suppression control means changing the magnitude of the steering torque.

  Furthermore, in this invention, a change direction setting means sets the direction by the side of a connection road as a change direction, when the said attribute is an exit route for leaving the own vehicle travel road. That is, when there is a branch point with the exit road for exiting from the traveling road in front of the host vehicle, the degree of lane departure suppression control on the exit path side of the host vehicle is changed. Therefore, compared with the case where the degree is not changed, the steering operation by the driver for changing the lane toward the exit path can be made difficult to be hindered.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the change direction setting means sets a direction opposite to the connection road as the change direction when the attribute is a junction for joining the own vehicle traveling road. That is, when there is a merge point with the merge path for merging with the traveling road in front of the host vehicle, the degree of lane departure suppression control on the side opposite to the merge path of the host vehicle is changed. Therefore, compared with the case where the degree is not changed, steering by the driver to change the lane to the lane opposite to the merging path in order to avoid other vehicles merging to the own vehicle traveling road near the merging point. Operation can be made difficult to disturb.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the lane departure suppression control means is the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the change direction when the host vehicle traveling lane is the lane closest to the connecting road side (the nearest lane). May be changed. Among the multiple lanes of the own vehicle traveling road, when the own vehicle is traveling in the nearest lane of the connecting road, there is a possibility that the lane may be changed to the change direction side in connection with the connection with the connecting road. It may be higher than when driving on a lane that is not a side lane. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to more accurately determine a scene with a high possibility of changing lanes and change the degree of lane departure suppression control.

  Further, in the present invention, section setting means for setting a predetermined section on the basis of a branch point between the own vehicle traveling road and the exit road when the attribute is an exit road for exiting the own vehicle traveling road. May be provided. In this configuration, the lane departure suppression control means changes the lane from the lane that is not closest to the exit road to the lane that is closest to the exit road among the plurality of lanes of the own vehicle traveling road in the predetermined section. In such a case, the degree of lane departure suppression control in the change direction may be changed to be further weaker than in the case where the lane has not been changed. If you have moved from a lane that is not the nearest lane of the exit route to the nearest lane in a predetermined section that is set with the branch point as a reference, go to the exit route compared to the case where you have not made such a move. The possibility of changing lanes is high. Therefore, in such a situation, by making a change that further weakens the degree of lane departure suppression control compared to the case where such movement is not performed, it may be further difficult to prevent the lane change to the exit route. it can.

  Further, in the present invention, the own vehicle position information acquisition means acquires the position of the own vehicle in the left-right direction within the own vehicle travel lane, and the lane departure suppression control means includes the own vehicle in the left-right direction within the own vehicle travel lane. When moving to the change direction side, the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the change direction may be changed. That is, when moving to the change direction side, it is highly possible that the lane change in the direction is performed. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to more accurately determine a scene with a high possibility of changing lanes and change the degree of lane departure suppression control.

  Further, as in the present invention, the degree of lane departure suppression control in the own vehicle traveling lane in the left-right direction based on the traveling direction of the own vehicle traveling road according to the attribute of the connection road with respect to the own vehicle traveling road. The method of setting the change direction to be changed and changing the degree of lane departure suppression control in the set change direction can also be applied as a program or method. In addition, the above-described driving support device, program, and method may be realized as a single driving support device, or may be realized by using parts shared with each part provided in the vehicle. The embodiment is included. For example, it is possible to provide a navigation device, a method, and a program that include the driving support device as described above. Further, some changes may be made as appropriate, such as a part of software and a part of hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program for controlling the driving support device. Of course, the software recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium to be developed in the future.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of navigation device:
(2) Driving support processing:
(3) Other embodiments:

(1) Configuration of navigation device:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device 10 including a driving support device according to the present invention. The navigation device 10 includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like and a recording medium 30, and the control unit 20 can execute a program stored in the recording medium 30 or the ROM. In this embodiment, the navigation program 21 can be implemented as one of the programs, and the navigation program 21 has a change function for changing the degree of lane departure suppression control as one of the functions. In this embodiment, the lane departure suppression control is performed when the vehicle is about to depart from the traveling lane due to driver's carelessness, and the vehicle deviates from the traveling lane by applying a steering torque in the opposite direction to the steering in the deviating direction. This means control that suppresses this. Further, the change in the level of lane departure suppression control means a change that weakens at least the level of lane departure suppression control, and includes releasing lane departure suppression control.

  The vehicle according to the present embodiment (the vehicle on which the navigation device 10 is mounted) has a GPS receiver 41, a vehicle speed sensor 42, a gyro sensor 43, a front camera 44, and a driver camera 45 in order to realize the above-described changing function by the navigation program 21. And the steering control unit 46, and the change function of the navigation program 21 is realized by the cooperation of these units and the control unit 20.

  The GPS receiver 41 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs information for calculating the current position of the vehicle via an interface (not shown). The control unit 20 acquires this signal and acquires the current position of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 42 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels provided in the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the speed of the vehicle. The gyro sensor 43 outputs a signal corresponding to the direction of the host vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 42 and the gyro sensor 43 are used for correcting the current position of the host vehicle specified from the output signal of the GPS receiver 41. Further, the current position of the host vehicle is corrected as appropriate based on the travel locus of the host vehicle. Various other configurations can be adopted for acquiring information indicating the operation of the vehicle, such as a configuration in which the current position of the host vehicle is specified by a sensor or camera, a signal from GPS, or on a map. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which information indicating the position of the host vehicle is acquired by vehicle trajectory, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, etc.

  The front camera 44 is attached to the host vehicle so that the front of the host vehicle is included in the field of view, and outputs captured image data. The control unit 20 acquires this image data via an interface (not shown). The image data includes an image of the road surface ahead of the host vehicle, and is used in the processing of the host vehicle position information acquisition unit 21a described later. The driver camera 45 is mounted in the vehicle so as to include the driver's face in the field of view, and outputs captured image data. The control unit 20 acquires this image data via an interface (not shown), and determines the driver's arousal state. The steering control unit 46 includes a controller unit that calculates a steering torque to be applied to the steering based on information acquired from the lane departure suppression control unit 21e, a steering actuator that applies the steering torque, and the like.

  Since the control unit 20 executes the navigation program 21 to execute control for changing the degree of the above-described lane departure suppression control, the navigation program 21 is changed from the vehicle position information acquisition unit 21a and the attribute information acquisition unit 21b. A direction setting unit 21c, a section setting unit 21d, and a lane departure suppression control unit 21e are provided.

  In addition, map information 30 a is stored in the recording medium 30 in order to implement the above-described changing function by the navigation program 21. The map information 30a includes node data indicating nodes set on the road on which the vehicle travels, shape interpolation point data for specifying the shape of the road between the nodes, link data indicating the connection between the nodes, the road and its surroundings Is used for specifying the current position of the host vehicle, guiding the destination, and the like. The node data of the node corresponding to the connection point (branch point, merge point) with the road attached for the purpose of joining or leaving the main road includes information indicating the position of the connection point. Moreover, in order to set the change object area mentioned later regarding a connection point, and a predetermined area, the information which shows the position of these areas is contained in the map information 30a. Further, the link data includes information indicating the number of lanes included in the road, the line type pattern of the lane markings, information indicating the lane width, road type, road traveling direction, and the like.

  The own vehicle position information acquisition unit 21a realizes in the control unit 20 a function of acquiring information indicating the own vehicle traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling and the position of the own vehicle including the own vehicle traveling lane on the own vehicle traveling road. The current position of the own vehicle and the own vehicle traveling road are specified based on the signal acquired from the GPS receiver 41, the vehicle speed sensor 42, the gyro sensor 43, and the like and the map information 30a. Furthermore, the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 21a analyzes the image data acquired from the front camera 44, and specifies the own vehicle traveling lane in which the own vehicle is traveling.

  A specific method for specifying the own vehicle traveling lane is, for example, as follows. The map information 30a includes the number of lanes included in each link as link data for each link, and information indicating the line type pattern of the lane markings marked on the road surface for partitioning each lane. . For example, if three lanes are partitioned on a certain road and the lane markings that divide the lanes are a solid line, a broken line, a broken line, and a solid line from the left, the link data of the link corresponding to the road includes the number of lanes “3 ”And an image corresponding to the line type pattern are stored in association with each other. The own vehicle position information acquisition unit 21a pattern-matches the lane markings included in the image acquired from the front camera 44 with the line type pattern image, and specifies the own vehicle travel lane. In addition, the host vehicle position information acquisition unit 21a specifies the position of the host vehicle in the left-right direction (width direction) in the host vehicle lane based on the image acquired from the front camera 44, the vehicle width information of the host vehicle, and the like. .

  The attribute information acquisition unit 21b is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of acquiring information indicating the attribute of the connection road with respect to the host vehicle traveling road when there is a connection road connected to the host vehicle traveling road in front of the host vehicle. It is. Here, the “attribute of the connected road with respect to the own vehicle traveling road” is information indicating how the connected road is connected to the own vehicle traveling road. For example, refer to the map information 30a. The link relationship between the links, the road type corresponding to the link, the traveling direction, and the like can be specified. In the present embodiment, the “attribute” here refers to an exit path for exiting from the own vehicle traveling road or a joining path for joining the own vehicle traveling road.

  The change direction setting unit 21c sets a change direction for changing the degree of lane departure suppression control among the left and right directions based on the traveling direction of the own vehicle traveling road according to the attribute of the connection road with respect to the own vehicle traveling road. This is a module for causing the control unit 20 to realize the function. That is, by the process of the change direction setting unit 21c, either the right side or the left side is set based on the traveling direction of the host vehicle traveling road according to the attribute.

The section setting unit 21d is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize the function of setting the change target section on the own vehicle traveling road in response to the connection with the connection road. The change target section means a section that is a target for changing the degree of lane departure suppression control by processing of the lane departure suppression control unit 21e described later. Information indicating the position of the change target section is included in the map information 30a in advance. In addition, the section setting unit 21d has a function of setting a predetermined section on the basis of a branch point between the own vehicle traveling road and the exit road when the attribute of the connection road with respect to the own vehicle traveling road is the exit road. . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example in which the attribute of the connecting road with respect to the traveling road of the own vehicle is an exit road. In the present embodiment, the change target section in the case of the exit route is a section from the point where the lane starts to increase to the zebra zone as shown in FIG. 2A (start point: branch point P ₁ , end point: point P ₃ , distance : Y [m]) is set. And the predetermined section includes the start point P ₁ of the change target section and the section before the zebra zone (start point: point P ₂ , end point: point P ₃ , distance: X [m] (X> Y)) is a predetermined section The following description will be given on the assumption that it is set as. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which the attribute of the connecting road with respect to the traveling road of the own vehicle is a joint path. As shown in FIG. 3, the change target section in the case of the combined flow path is set to a section including the confluence point P ₄ (start point P ₅ , end point P ₆ , distance Zm). This is composed of, for example, a section where the merging lanes are connected (merging point P ₄ to point P ₆ ) and a previous section (merging point P ₄ to point P ₅ ).

  The lane departure suppression control unit 21e is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of changing the degree of lane departure suppression control in the change direction set by the process of the change direction setting unit 21c. That is, the degree of the lane departure suppression control in either the right side or the left side is changed by the processing of the lane departure suppression control unit 21e. In the present embodiment, changing the degree of the lane departure suppression control means changing the magnitude of the steering torque.

(2) Driving support processing:
Next, the driving assistance process which the navigation apparatus 10 implements in the above structure is demonstrated. When the navigation program 21 is executed by the navigation device 10, each unit included in the navigation program 21 executes the process shown in FIG. In the process shown in FIG. 4, step S100 and step S105 are repeatedly executed while it is determined in step S105 that there is no connection point. In addition, after it is determined in step S105 that a connection point exists, the processes in steps S110 to S185 are repeated until it is determined in step S185 that the end point of the end of the change target section has been passed. Executed. After it is determined in step S185 that the connection point has been passed, the processing of each step is executed in the same manner as described above from step S100. In this driving support process, the following three types of flags (Flg1, Flg2, and Flg3) are used, and these flags are all initialized to 0 when it is determined in step S105 that a connection point exists. . When the driving support process of the navigation program 21 is being executed, the control unit 20 acquires the current position of the host vehicle at predetermined timings by the process of the host vehicle position information acquisition unit 21a.

  First, the control unit 20 acquires road information ahead of the host vehicle (step S100). Specifically, the control unit 20 acquires road information ahead in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle on the traveling road of the host vehicle by the processing of the attribute information acquisition unit 21b with reference to the map information 30a.

  Next, the control unit 20 determines whether or not there is a connection point where the host vehicle traveling road and another road are connected in front of the host vehicle (step S105). That is, this determination corresponds to the determination as to whether or not there is a connecting road connected to the own vehicle traveling road. Specifically, it is determined whether or not a branch point or a merge point exists in front of the host vehicle. If it is determined in step S105 that there is a connection, the control unit 20 determines whether the attribute of the connection road with respect to the traveling road of the host vehicle is an exit path or a combined path (steps S110 and S135).

  When it is determined in step S110 that the attribute is the exit path, the control unit 20 executes a change determination process in the case of exit (step S115). The change determination process in the case of leaving is a process of determining a condition for changing the degree of lane departure suppression control in the case of connection to a leaving road, and setting Flg1 to 1 when the condition is satisfied. In the present embodiment, when Flg1 is set, the degree of lane departure suppression control on the exit road side is weakened. In the present embodiment, when neither Flg1 nor Flg3 is set to 1, the degree of lane departure suppression control is set to a normal value. When the vehicle is likely to deviate, the steering control unit 46 applies a steering torque having a normal magnitude.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the change determination process in the case of leaving. First, the control unit 20 calculates the remaining distance to the end point _{P 3} changes target section (step S200). Note Here, if the calculated remaining distance is within X [m] to the end point P ₃ of the change target interval, the control unit 20 temporarily holds the traveling locus of the vehicle to the RAM. The travel history held here may be in any format as long as it can be determined whether the vehicle has changed lanes while traveling in the section. For example, the distance to the end point P ₃ of the change target section may be held by the host vehicle travel lane is correlated at that position. Next, the control unit 20 determines whether the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the end point P ₃ of the change target segment is less than 0 [m] or more Y [m] (step S205), 0 [ When it is not less than m] and not more than Y [m], the control unit 20 specifies the own vehicle travel lane through the process of the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 21a (step S210). Specifically, as described above, the control unit 20 specifies the vehicle lane based on the image data captured by the front camera 44.

Next, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the own vehicle traveling lane is the closest lane to the exit path (step S215), and if the own vehicle traveling lane is the closest lane, the own vehicle in the width direction within the own vehicle traveling lane is determined. Information indicating the position of is acquired (step S220). Specifically, for example, the distance between the lane marking line on the exit road side and the host vehicle in the host vehicle lane is calculated from an image captured by the front camera 44 and information indicating the vehicle body width of the host vehicle. Next, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the host vehicle is approaching the exit road side based on the position in the host vehicle travel lane acquired in step S220 (step S225). If it determines with the own vehicle approaching the exit road side in step S225, the control part 20 will set Flg1 to 1 by the process of the change direction setting part 21c (step S230). Referring to FIG. 2A as an example, Flg1 is set to 1 when the host vehicle is traveling in the nearest lane on the exit road and approaches the lane marking on the exit road side.
The change determination process in the case of leaving has been described above. Returning to the description of the driving support process of FIG.

Subsequently, the control unit 20 determines whether or not Flg1 is set to 1 (step S120). If Flg1 is set to 1, the control unit 20 determines the lane closest to the exit route in the predetermined section. It is determined whether or not the lane has been changed from a different lane to the lane closest to the exit route (step S125). If the lane has been changed from a lane that is not the closest lane to the closest lane, Flg2 is set to 1. (Step S130). As described above, based on the travel history of the vehicle that is temporarily held in the RAM when the distance to the end point P ₃ is within X [m], the vehicle is closest lane exit road It is possible to determine whether or not the lane has been changed from another lane immediately before the current situation of traveling. To explain with reference to FIG. 2B, before reaching the traveling nearest lane of the vehicle exit road, Flg2 when lane change closest to the lane recent than neighbor lane lane at the point P ₂ after 1 Is set.

  Next, when it is determined in step S135 that the attribute of the connection road with respect to the traveling road of the host vehicle is a merge path, the control unit 20 executes a change determination process in the case of merge (step S140). FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the change determination process in the case of merging. This process is a process for determining a condition for changing the degree of the lane departure suppression control when the connection is to the combined flow path, and setting Flg3 to 1 when the condition is satisfied. In the present embodiment, when Flg3 is set to 1, the lane departure suppression control on the side opposite to the combined flow path is released.

First control unit 20 calculates the remaining distance from the end point P ₆ being modified section to the current position of the vehicle (step S300), whether the remaining distance is less than or equal to 0 [m] or more Z [m] (Step S305), and when it is determined that it is 0 [m] or more and Z [m] or less, the control unit 20 acquires the position of the own vehicle travel lane (step S310). The specific processing content is the same as in step S210 described above. Next, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the own vehicle traveling lane is the closest lane to the combined flow path (step S315), and if it is determined that the own vehicle traveling lane is the closest lane to the combined flow path, The unit 20 acquires the position of the host vehicle in the width direction of the host vehicle traveling lane (step S320). The specific processing contents are the same as those in step S220 described above. Then, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the host vehicle has approached the opposite side of the combined flow path (step S325). If it is determined in step S325 that the host vehicle has approached the opposite side of the combined flow path, the control unit 20 sets Flg3 to 1 by the process of the change direction setting unit 21c (step S330).
The change determination process in the case of merging has been described above. Returning to the description of the driving support process of FIG.

  Subsequently, the control unit 20 determines whether or not Flg3 is set to 1 (step S145). When it is determined in step S120 that Flg1 is set to 1, and when it is determined in step S145 that Flg3 is set to 1, control unit 20 indicates the driver's arousal state. Information is acquired (step S150). As the information indicating the driver's arousal state, information detected by various known methods can be employed. In this embodiment, the driver's face is photographed by the driver camera 45, the photographed image data is analyzed, and information indicating whether or not the driver is awake is obtained from the number of blinks of the driver and the eye-opening situation. .

Next, it is determined whether or not the driver is awake (step S155). If it is determined that the driver is awake, the control unit 20 determines whether or not Flg1 is set to 1. Determination is made (step S160). That is, it is determined whether or not a direction on the exit road side is set as the change direction. If it is determined in step S160 that Flg1 is set to 1, that is, if the attribute of the connected road is an exit road, the control unit 20 determines whether Flg2 is set to 1 ( Step S165). That is, in step S165, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle from the lane is not the closest lane exit road closest to the lane during at the point P ₂ and subsequent to the current position of the vehicle was moving. If step S165 in Flg2 is not determined to have been set to 1, i.e., if it has traveled the most exit road lane from the point P ₂ before, the control unit 20 uses the processing of the lane departure prevention control section 21e, The degree of lane departure suppression to the exit road side is weakened (step S170). Specifically, for example, the control unit 20 issues a notification that the lane departure suppression control is weakened to a level (level 1) weaker than usual, and the steering control unit 46 notifies the notification. Accordingly, the steering torque applied by the steering actuator is set to a magnitude corresponding to level 1. This means that, as the steering torque that is applied by the steering control unit 46 and works in the direction of preventing the lane departure, a torque smaller than the steering torque when the normal lane departure suppression control is performed is added. Yes. Therefore, the driver can easily change the lane.

  If it is determined in step S165 that Flg2 is set to 1, the degree of lane departure suppression is further reduced as compared to the case where Flg2 is not set to 1 (step S175). Specifically, for example, the steering torque applied by the steering actuator is made smaller than when Flg2 is not set to 1. More specifically, for example, the control unit 20 issues a notification to the steering control unit 46 that the lane departure suppression control is weakened to about level 2 where the degree of relaxation is higher than the level 1 described above. In accordance with the notification, the steering torque applied by the steering actuator is set to a magnitude corresponding to level 2. This is a torque that is applied by the steering control unit 46 and works in the direction of preventing lane departure, which is smaller than the steering torque when normal lane departure suppression is performed, and corresponds to level 1. This means that a torque smaller than the torque is applied. Therefore, the driver can change the lane more easily.

  Further, if it is determined in step S160 that Flg1 is not set to 1, it means that Flg3 is set to 1 in the driving support process of the present embodiment. Therefore, when Flg3 is set to 1, that is, when the change direction is set in the direction opposite to the combined flow path, the lane departure suppression control on the reverse side of the combined flow path is canceled (step S180). Next, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the host vehicle has passed the end point of the change target section (step S185). The control unit 20 repeats the processing from step S110 until the host vehicle passes the end point of the change target section. In addition, when it determines with having passed the end point of the change object area, it returns to the process of step S100 and prepares for the control corresponding to the next connection point.

  By repeating the processes from step S110 to S185 until the end point of the change target section is passed, the steering operation for changing the lane according to the driver's will can be prevented. In other words, in a scene where lane departure suppression control is highly likely to be hindered, the lane departure suppression control is reduced or canceled only in the direction in which the possibility is high, thereby changing the lane at the driver's will. The steering operation can be prevented from being hindered. Further, in the present embodiment, the lane departure suppression control is activated for the direction opposite to the direction in which the lane departure suppression control is likely to be hindered. Therefore, the vehicle is moving in the direction opposite to the direction in which the possibility is high. In this case, it is possible to prevent the own vehicle from deviating from the own vehicle traveling lane in the opposite direction.

In steps S170 and S175, if there is a branch point between the own vehicle traveling road and the exit road for exiting from the own vehicle traveling road in front of the own vehicle, the lane departure suppression control on the exit road side of the own vehicle. The degree of change. Therefore, compared with the case where the degree is not changed, the steering operation by the driver for changing the lane toward the exit path can be made difficult to be hindered. In addition, when moving from the lane that is not the nearest lane of the exit route to the nearest lane after the point P ₂ , the lane is changed toward the exit route as compared to the case where such movement is not performed. It is conceivable that this is likely to occur (see FIG. 2). Therefore, by making the degree of lane departure suppression control in such a scene even weaker than that in the case of not moving as described above, it is possible to further prevent the lane change for exit from being hindered.

  On the other hand, in step S180, if there is a merge point between the own vehicle traveling road and the merge path for merging with the own vehicle travel road in front of the own vehicle, the lane departure on the side opposite to the merge path of the own vehicle The degree of suppression control is changed (released in the case of this embodiment). Therefore, compared with the case where the degree is not changed, the steering operation by the driver to change the lane to the lane opposite to the merging path in order to avoid other vehicles merging with the own vehicle traveling road near the merging point. Can be made difficult to disturb.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the own vehicle traveling lane is the lane closest to the connecting road on the own vehicle traveling road, the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the change direction is changed (see steps S215 and S315). . When the host vehicle is traveling in the nearest lane of the connecting road among the plurality of lanes of the own vehicle driving road, there is a possibility that the lane change to the change direction side related to the connection with the connecting road may be performed. It may be higher than when driving on a non-lane lane. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to more accurately determine a scene with a high possibility of changing the lane and change the degree of the lane departure suppression control.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the position of the host vehicle in the width direction in the host vehicle travel lane is acquired, and when the host vehicle moves to the change direction side in the width direction in the host vehicle travel lane, The degree of lane departure suppression control is changed (see steps S225 and S325). When moving in the direction of change, there is a high possibility of changing the lane in that direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to more accurately determine a scene with a high possibility of changing the lane and change the degree of the lane departure suppression control.

  It is also effective to adopt a technology that cancels the lane departure suppression control so that the lane change is made at the driver's will when the winker is operated. Some people forget to manipulate the winker or the blinker. Therefore, when the winker is not operated, a torque for suppressing lane departure acts, which gives the driver a feeling of strangeness. According to the present embodiment, the above-described effects can be exhibited even when the winker is not operated.

  In addition, a technique for canceling the lane departure suppression control when the driver's steering amount (steering torque or steering angular velocity) is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount is also known. For example, when exiting from a main road on an expressway, Since the vehicle is traveling at a high speed, a gentle steering operation is often performed without suddenly operating the steering wheel. Alternatively, the main road may be curved so that it is not necessary to operate the steering wheel at all in order to proceed to the exit road. In such a situation, since the amount of steering by the driver is small, the lane departure suppression control is not released, resulting in hindering the driver's steering operation. However, according to the present embodiment, the above-described effects can be exhibited even in such a scene.

  In addition, for example, there is also known a technique for canceling the lane departure suppression control in a scene where a route is being guided by a navigation device and a lane change is necessary based on a recommended route. However, for example, when a route is being routed on an expressway and stops at an SA or PA that is not included in the recommended route, the lane change suppression control is not performed because the lane change is not required on the recommended route. Cannot be released, which results in hindering the driver's steering operation. In this embodiment, the lane is based on the relationship between the own vehicle traveling road and the connection road, the position of the own vehicle traveling lane, the position in the own vehicle traveling lane, and the traveling history of the own vehicle before traveling. Since the degree of departure suppression control is changed, the above-described effects can be exhibited regardless of whether route guidance is being performed.

(3) Other embodiments:
The embodiment described above is an example for carrying out the present invention, and in the own vehicle traveling lane among the left and right directions based on the traveling direction of the own vehicle traveling road according to the attribute of the connection road to the own vehicle traveling road. As long as the change direction for changing the degree of lane departure suppression control can be set and the degree of lane departure suppression control in the set change direction can be changed, various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the attributes of the connection road with respect to the traveling road of the own vehicle are “exit road” and “junction path”, but the attribute may be “merge road”. That is, the present invention may be applied to the case where the host vehicle traveling road is a junction and the connecting road is a main road that is a junction. In this case, the direction on the road side of the merge destination is set as the change direction, and the degree of the lane departure suppression control on the road side of the merge destination is changed.

  Moreover, although the example which specifies the attribute of the connection road with respect to the own vehicle traveling road from the advancing direction of the road or the link relation of the link has been described in the above embodiment, of course, other configurations may be adopted. For example, in the map information 30a, the attribute itself may be included in advance in the link data such as “joining path”, “joining destination road”, “exit road”, and the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, the example in which the map information 30a includes information defining the change target section and the position of the predetermined section in advance has been described. However, these sections are, for example, before and after the position of the connection point. It may be set as a section of a predetermined distance. Further, the predetermined section may be a section set on the basis of the branch point, and may be set before the branch point P ₁ or may be set including a part of the change target section.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, when the connection road is a leaving road, the example which weakens the grade of lane deviation | damage suppression control was demonstrated, However, You may make it cancel | release simply. Further, when Flg1 is 1 and Flg2 is 0, the degree of lane departure suppression control may be weakened, and when Flg1 and Flg2 are both set to 1, they may be released.

It is a block diagram of the navigation apparatus containing a driving assistance device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the behavior of the vehicle near the exit path. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a behavior of the vehicle of the joint path vicinity. It is a flowchart of a driving assistance process. It is a flowchart of the change determination process in the case of leaving. It is a flowchart of the change determination process in the case of merging.

Explanation of symbols

  10: navigation device, 20: control unit, 21: navigation program, 21a: own vehicle position information acquisition unit, 21b: attribute information acquisition unit, 21c: change direction setting unit, 21d: section setting unit, 21e: lane departure suppression control 30: Recording medium, 30a: Map information, 41: GPS receiving unit, 42: Vehicle speed sensor, 43: Gyro sensor, 44: Front camera, 45: Driver camera, 46: Steering control unit.

Claims (8)

Own vehicle position information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the position of the own vehicle including the own vehicle traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling and the own vehicle traveling lane on the own vehicle traveling road;
Attribute information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an attribute of the connection road with respect to the host vehicle traveling road when there is a connection road connected to the host vehicle traveling road ahead of the position of the host vehicle;
According to the attribute, a change direction setting means for setting a change direction for changing the degree of lane deviation suppression control among the left and right directions based on the traveling direction of the host vehicle traveling road,
Lane departure suppression control means for changing the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the set change direction;
A driving support apparatus comprising: The change direction setting means sets the direction on the connection road side as the change direction when the attribute is an exit road for exiting the own vehicle traveling road.
The driving support device according to claim 1. The change direction setting means sets a direction opposite to the connection road as the change direction when the attribute is a merge channel for merging with the own vehicle traveling road.
The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2. The lane departure suppression control means changes the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the change direction when the host vehicle traveling lane is the lane closest to the connecting road side in the host vehicle traveling road.
The driving assistance apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3. In the case where the attribute is an exit road for exiting from the own vehicle traveling road, comprising a section setting means for setting a predetermined section on the basis of a branch point between the own vehicle traveling road and the exit road,
In the predetermined section, the lane departure suppression control unit changes the lane of the host vehicle from a lane that is not closest to the exit path to a lane that is closest to the exit path among a plurality of lanes of the own vehicle traveling road. If so, compared to the case where the lane was not changed, the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the change direction is changed to be further weakened,
The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The own vehicle position information acquisition means acquires the position of the own vehicle in the left-right direction in the own vehicle traveling lane,
The lane departure suppression control means changes the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the change direction when the host vehicle moves to the change direction side in the left-right direction in the host vehicle lane.
The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A host vehicle position information acquisition step of acquiring information indicating a position of the host vehicle including a host vehicle traveling road on which the host vehicle is traveling and a host vehicle traveling lane on the host vehicle traveling road;
An attribute information acquisition step of acquiring information indicating an attribute of the connection road with respect to the host vehicle traveling road when there is a connection road connected to the host vehicle traveling road ahead of the position of the host vehicle;
According to the attribute, a change direction setting step of setting a change direction for changing the degree of lane departure suppression control among the left and right directions based on the traveling direction of the host vehicle traveling road,
A lane departure suppression control step for changing the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the set change direction;
Driving support method including. A host vehicle position information acquisition function for acquiring information indicating a position of the host vehicle including a host vehicle traveling road on which the host vehicle is traveling and a host vehicle traveling lane on the host vehicle traveling road;
An attribute information acquisition function for acquiring information indicating an attribute of the connection road with respect to the host vehicle traveling road when there is a connection road connected to the host vehicle traveling road ahead of the position of the host vehicle;
A change direction setting function for setting a change direction for changing the degree of lane departure suppression control among the left and right directions based on the traveling direction of the host vehicle driving road according to the attribute,
A lane departure suppression control function for changing the degree of the lane departure suppression control in the set change direction;
Driving support program that realizes the computer.

Images