JP2010191517A - Driving support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving support device for a vehicle, suppressing unnecessary braking control, an unnecessary alarm or the like in the vicinity of a traffic signal to reduce trouble imparted to a driver. <P>SOLUTION: A driving support ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 1 adjusts a state of driving support based on a pedestrian signal state related to a pedestrian traffic signal installed adjacently to a vehicular traffic signal. For example, when a lighting color in the vehicular traffic signal is blue and when the pedestrian traffic signal installed adjacently to the vehicular traffic signal is blue or red, normal service wherein an alarm by an alarm device 4 is performed is performed. When the pedestrian traffic signal installed adjacently to the vehicular traffic signal is in a blinking state, the state of the driving support is adjusted according to a driver characteristic of the driver. When the driver characteristic is one of a safely stopping driver, the alarm by the alarm device 4 is stopped. When the driver characteristic is one of a driver not safely stopping, the alarm by the alarm device 4 is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus that supports driving of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a driving support apparatus that performs driving support based on lighting color information of a signal for a vehicle positioned in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle, a vehicle safety device that performs driving support based on lighting color information of a vehicle signal positioned in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle and performs vehicle braking control or the like is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). This driving support device includes a safety device main body for ensuring traffic safety related to braking of the host vehicle, and detects the signal information of the traffic signal device and the safety device main body in a different manner depending on the content of the detected signal information. It is to be operated. More specifically, when the signal information of the traffic signal is a yellow signal or a red signal, an alarm is issued to the vehicle behind, an automatic braking is activated, or an alarm is issued to the driver of the host vehicle. .

JP-A-6-12592

  However, in the vehicle safety device disclosed in Patent Document 1, braking control of the vehicle is performed only based on signal information of the traffic signal for the vehicle, and control for issuing an alarm to the driver or the like is performed. For this reason, for example, even in a situation where the driver predicts a change in the signal light color of the traffic signal in advance, the vehicle will be braked or an alarm will be issued to the driver. On the other hand, there is a problem that it may be bothersome.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle driving support device that can suppress unnecessary braking control, alarms, and the like in the vicinity of a traffic light, thereby reducing troublesomeness given to a driver.

  A driving support apparatus according to the present invention that has solved the above problems is a driving support apparatus that supports driving of a vehicle based on lighting color information of a signal for a vehicle that is located in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle. The aspect of driving assistance is adjusted based on the pedestrian signal information regarding the pedestrian traffic signal provided.

  A driver of a vehicle often predicts a change in a vehicle traffic signal by confirming a lighting color of a pedestrian signal related to the pedestrian traffic signal arranged in parallel with the vehicle traffic signal. For this reason, based on the lighting color of a pedestrian traffic light, the prediction state of the lighting color change of the driver's vehicle signal can be estimated to some extent. Here, in the driving support apparatus according to the present invention, the mode of driving support is adjusted based on the pedestrian signal information related to the pedestrian traffic signal arranged in parallel with the vehicle traffic signal. For this reason, the driving assistance according to the change of the vehicle signal predicted by the driver can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress unnecessary braking control, alarms, and the like in the vicinity of the traffic light, thereby reducing troublesomeness given to the driver.

  When the pedestrian traffic light is in a blinking state, the driving assistance can be performed in a mode different from the case where the pedestrian traffic light is in a lighting state.

  When the pedestrian traffic light is in a blinking state, the driver often predicts that the lighting color of the vehicle traffic light will change from blue to red. For this reason, when the pedestrian traffic light is in the blinking state, driving assistance according to the change in the vehicle signal predicted by the driver is performed by performing driving assistance in a mode different from the case where the pedestrian traffic light is in the lighting state. Furthermore, it can carry out suitably.

  In addition, the driving support mode may be further adjusted based on the driving characteristics of the driver driving the vehicle.

  As described above, by further adjusting the mode of driving assistance based on the driving characteristics of the driver who drives the vehicle, driving assistance considering the driving characteristics of the driver can be performed. For this reason, it is possible to further suppress unnecessary braking control, warnings, and the like in the vicinity of the driver's traffic signal, and thus to reduce the troublesomeness given to the driver.

  On the other hand, a driving support apparatus according to the present invention that solves the above-described problems is a driving support apparatus that supports driving of a vehicle based on lighting color information of a signal for a vehicle that is positioned forward in the traveling direction of the vehicle. It is detected whether the driver has visually recognized the pedestrian traffic lights arranged side by side, and when it is detected that the driver has visually recognized the pedestrian signal, the mode of driving assistance is adjusted.

  In the driving support device according to the present invention, the change in the traffic signal for the vehicle is often predicted by checking the lighting color of the pedestrian signal related to the traffic signal for the pedestrian arranged in parallel with the traffic signal for the vehicle. For this reason, based on the lighting color of a pedestrian traffic light, the prediction state of the lighting color change of the driver's vehicle signal can be estimated to some extent. Here, in the driving assistance apparatus according to the present invention, the mode of driving assistance is adjusted when it is detected that the driver has visually recognized the pedestrian signal. For this reason, the driving assistance according to the change of the vehicle signal predicted by the driver can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress unnecessary braking control, alarms, and the like in the vicinity of the traffic light, thereby reducing troublesomeness given to the driver.

  According to the driving support apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress unnecessary braking control and alarms in the vicinity of the traffic light, thereby reducing the troublesomeness given to the driver.

It is a block block diagram of the driving assistance device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in the driving assistance device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the assistance execution determination process in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the assistance execution determination process in 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. For the convenience of illustration, the dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a driving support apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the driving assistance apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a driving assistance ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 1, and an antenna 2, a vehicle front camera 3, and an alarm device 4 are connected to the driving assistance ECU 1. Has been.

  The driving assistance ECU 1 is a computer of an electronically controlled automobile device, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output interface, and the like. Further, the driving support ECU 1 includes an infrastructure information acquisition unit 11, an image processing unit 12, a vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13, a pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14, a driver characteristic storage unit 15, a service content determination unit 16, and a support execution determination. A portion 17 is provided.

  The antenna 2 transmits and receives information to and from the roadside device 20 outside the vehicle and a base station (not shown). From the roadside device 20, vehicle signal information, signal information for pedestrians, and the like related to the lighting colors in the traffic lights for vehicles and pedestrian traffic lights are transmitted. These pieces of information transmitted from the roadside device 20 are received by the antenna 2 and transmitted to the infrastructure information acquisition unit 11 in the driving support ECU 1.

  The vehicle front camera 3 is disposed at the upper part of the front window in the vehicle interior, for example, inside the room mirror, and images the front of the vehicle. The vehicle front camera 3 captures an image of the front of the vehicle, acquires an image, and transmits image information related to the acquired image to the image processing unit 12 in the driving assistance ECU 1.

  The alarm device 4 includes a speaker that generates a warning sound for the driver. When the warning device 4 receives warning information transmitted from the assistance execution determination unit 17 in the driving assistance ECU 1, the warning device 4 generates a predetermined warning sound from the speaker to the driver. Moreover, the alarm device 4 includes a braking control device. When the warning device 4 receives the warning information transmitted from the assistance execution determination unit 17 in the driving assistance ECU 1, the warning device 4 operates the braking control device to perform braking control for stopping or decelerating the vehicle.

  Also. The infrastructure information acquisition unit 11 in the driving assistance ECU 1 includes the vehicle signal information and the pedestrian related to the lighting color of the vehicle traffic light and the pedestrian traffic light from the signal information transmitted from the roadside device 20 received via the antenna 2. Get signal information. The infrastructure information acquisition unit 11 outputs the acquired vehicle signal information and pedestrian signal information to the vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13 and the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14, respectively.

  The image processing unit 12 detects a vehicle traffic light and a pedestrian signal arranged in parallel with the vehicle traffic light from images based on image information transmitted from the vehicle front camera 3. Here, when the vehicle traffic light and the pedestrian traffic light are detected, the lighting colors of the detected vehicle traffic light and pedestrian traffic light are detected.

  The image processing unit 12 outputs the vehicle signal image information related to the detection result of the vehicle traffic signal and the lighting color of the vehicle traffic signal to the vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13. In addition, the image processing unit 12 outputs the pedestrian signal image information related to the detection result of the pedestrian traffic light and the lighting color of the pedestrian traffic signal to the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14.

  The vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13 is based on the vehicle signal information output from the infrastructure information acquisition unit 11 and the vehicle signal image information output from the image processing unit 12. Get state. The state of the vehicle traffic signal here means the lighting color of the vehicle traffic signal, the time until the lighting color of the vehicle traffic signal changes, and the like. The vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13 outputs vehicle signal state information related to the acquired state of the vehicle traffic signal to the service content determination unit 16.

  Based on the pedestrian signal information output from the infrastructure information acquisition unit 11 and the pedestrian signal image information output from the image processing unit 12, the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14 is a vehicle traffic signal located in front of the vehicle. The state of the pedestrian traffic lights installed side by side is acquired. Here, the state of the pedestrian traffic light refers to the lighting color of the pedestrian traffic light, the lighting mode (lighting or flashing), the time until the lighting color of the pedestrian traffic light changes, and the like. The pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14 outputs pedestrian signal state information regarding the acquired state of the pedestrian traffic light to the support execution determination unit 17.

  The driver characteristic storage unit 15 stores driver characteristics determined by a driver characteristic determination unit (not shown). The driver characteristic determination unit acquires driving characteristics related to driving of the driver at a position near the traffic light. The driving characteristics of the driver here are the timing when the brake pedal starts to be depressed when the lighting color of the vehicle traffic light is red, and how many meters before the vehicle traffic light when the lighting color of the vehicle traffic light is yellow. If it ’s in the position, it ’s like stepping on the brake pedal. The driver characteristic determination unit acquires the driving characteristics of these drivers and stores them in the driver characteristic storage unit 15.

  The service content determination unit 16 determines the content of the service to be performed as driving assistance based on the vehicle signal state information output from the vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13. The contents of the service determined here include a service that generates a warning sound from a speaker in the alarm device 4 and a braking control by the brake control device in the alarm device 4. The service content determination unit 16 outputs service content information corresponding to the determined service content to the support execution determination unit 17.

  The support execution determination unit 17 transmits alarm information based on the service corresponding to the service content information transmitted from the service content determination unit 16 to the alarm device 4. In addition, the support execution determination unit 17 adjusts the driving support mode based on the pedestrian signal state information output from the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14, and performs an alarm by the alarm device 4 that performs driving support or Determine non-implementation.

  Furthermore, the support execution determination unit 17 determines whether or not to perform the alarm by the alarm device 4 in consideration of the driver characteristics stored in the driver characteristic storage unit 15. When the support execution determination unit 17 determines that the alarm device 4 performs the alarm, the support execution determination unit 17 transmits the alarm information to the alarm device 4 and determines that the alarm device 4 does not perform the alarm. Transmission of alarm information to the alarm device 4 is stopped.

  Next, the operation of the driving support device will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the driving support apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the driving assistance ECU 1, first, the infrastructure information acquisition unit 11 receives and acquires the infrastructure information transmitted from the roadside device 20 (S1). The infrastructure information acquired here includes vehicle signal information related to the vehicle traffic signal and pedestrian signal information related to the pedestrian traffic signal arranged in parallel with the vehicle signal. Here, the infrastructure information acquisition unit 11 outputs the acquired infrastructure information to the vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13 and the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14.

  Next, the image processing unit 12 acquires image information obtained by imaging the front of the vehicle with the vehicle front camera 3 (S2). This image information includes vehicle signal signals relating to vehicle signals in front of the vehicle and vehicle state signal information and pedestrian signal state information relating to the state of pedestrian traffic lights arranged in parallel to the vehicle signal device. The image processing unit 12 outputs the acquired image information to the vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13 and the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14.

  Subsequently, the vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13 extracts the vehicle signal information included in the infrastructure information and the vehicle signal information included in the image information to acquire the vehicle signal information (S3). The vehicle signal information acquired here includes the distance from the vehicle to the vehicle signal, the lighting color of the vehicle signal, and the time until the lighting color of the vehicle signal changes. The vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13 outputs the acquired vehicle signal information to the service content determination unit 16.

  Thereafter, the service content determination unit 16 determines the normal service content based on the vehicle signal information (S4). The normal service content here is determined by the lighting color of the vehicular traffic signal, the time until the lighting color of the vehicular signal changes, the distance of the vehicle to the vehicular traffic signal, and the like.

  For example, in the case where the lighting color of the vehicle traffic light is blue, the time until the lighting color of the vehicle traffic light changes is long, and the vehicle traffic signal is taken into account by taking into account the distance to the current vehicle traffic signal. There are times when the vehicle can sufficiently pass through the intersection provided. At this time, a service for which the alarm by the alarm device 4 is not performed is determined as the service content.

  Further, when the lighting color of the vehicular traffic signal is blue, the time until the lighting color of the vehicular traffic signal changes is short, and the current traffic signal to the vehicular traffic signal is taken into account. There are times when the vehicle cannot pass through the intersection provided. At this time, as a service content, a service for performing an alarm by the alarm device 4 is determined.

  Furthermore, when the lighting color of the vehicle traffic signal is yellow or red, in principle, a service for performing an alarm by the alarm device 4 is determined. The service content determination unit 16 outputs service content information corresponding to the determined service content to the support execution determination unit 17.

  When the normal service content is determined in this way, the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14 extracts the pedestrian signal information included in the infrastructure information and the pedestrian signal information included in the image information to acquire the pedestrian signal information (S5). ). The pedestrian signal information acquired here includes the lighting color of the pedestrian traffic light, the lighting state of the pedestrian traffic light, and the time until the lighting color of the pedestrian traffic light changes. The pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14 outputs the acquired pedestrian signal information to the support execution determination unit 17.

  Subsequently, the support execution determination unit 17 performs a support execution determination process (S6). The support execution determination process is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the support execution determination process.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the support execution determination process, first, it is determined whether or not a pedestrian traffic signal is juxtaposed to the vehicle traffic signal (S11). The determination as to whether or not pedestrian traffic lights are juxtaposed to the vehicle traffic lights is made based on whether or not pedestrian signal information is output from the pedestrian signal status acquisition unit 14.

  As a result, when the pedestrian signal information is not output and it is determined that the pedestrian traffic signal is not provided in parallel with the vehicle traffic signal, the normal service determined by the service content determination unit 16 is performed (S17). ). Therefore, the support execution determination unit 17 transmits an alarm signal corresponding to the service content information output from the service content determination unit 16 to the alarm device 4. Thus, the process ends.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that a pedestrian traffic signal is provided in parallel with the vehicle traffic signal, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian traffic signal has a blue display in which the lighting color is blue (S12). The determination as to whether or not the pedestrian traffic light is displayed in blue is made based on the pedestrian signal state information output from the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14.

  As a result, when it is determined that the pedestrian traffic light is displayed in blue, the normal service determined by the service content determination unit 16 is performed (S17). Therefore, the support execution determination unit 17 transmits an alarm signal corresponding to the service content information output from the service content determination unit 16 to the alarm device 4. Thus, the process ends.

  Further, when it is determined that the pedestrian traffic light is not blue display but flashing display or red display in which blue blinks, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian traffic light is blinking display (S13). The determination as to whether or not the pedestrian traffic light is blinking is made based on the pedestrian signal status information output from the pedestrian signal status acquisition unit 14.

  As a result, when it is determined that the pedestrian traffic light is not blinking and is displayed in red, the normal service determined by the service content determination unit 16 is performed (S17). Therefore, the support execution determination unit 17 transmits an alarm signal corresponding to the service content information output from the service content determination unit 16 to the alarm device 4. Thus, the process ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the pedestrian traffic light is blinking, it is determined whether or not the driver is a driver that performs a safety stop at the intersection where the vehicle traffic signal is installed (S14). In determining whether or not the driver performs a safety stop at the intersection where the vehicle traffic signal is installed, the support execution determination unit 17 reads the driver characteristics stored in the driver characteristic storage unit 15.

  Based on the read driver characteristics, the support execution determination unit 17 determines whether or not the driver performs a safe stop at the intersection where the vehicle traffic signal is installed. Based on the driver characteristics stored in the driver characteristic storage unit 15, whether or not the driver performs a safe stop is determined based on the driver characteristics and the time at which the driver starts deceleration at the intersection where the vehicle traffic signal is installed. This is done by taking into account the vehicle speed and further deceleration.

  As a result, when it is determined that the driver is a driver that performs a safety stop, it is determined that alarm processing by the alarm device 4 is performed (S15). For this reason, regardless of the service content information transmitted from the service content determination unit 16, the alarm information is transmitted to the alarm device 4, and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the driver is a driver who performs a safe stop, it is determined that the alarm by the alarm device 4 is not performed (S16). For this reason, the process ends without transmitting the alarm information to the alarm device 4 regardless of the service content information transmitted from the service content determination unit 16.

  When pedestrian traffic lights are arranged side by side with respect to vehicle traffic lights, the driver of the vehicle often predicts a change in the lighting color of the vehicle traffic lights based on a change in the lighting color or lighting color of the pedestrian traffic light. For example, when the pedestrian traffic light is in a blinking state, the driver can easily predict that the lighting color of the vehicle traffic light is blue but changes from yellow to red. Under such circumstances, when an alarm is issued by the alarm device 4 based only on the lighting color of the vehicle traffic signal, for example, the driver predicts that the vehicle traffic signal will change from yellow to red. An alarm by the alarm device 4 may occur. Such an alarm by the alarm device 4 is an extra alarm for the driver.

  In this regard, in the driving support device according to the present embodiment, the support execution determination is performed based on the pedestrian signal information regarding the pedestrian traffic light. Specifically, when the pedestrian traffic light is blinking, a service different from the normal service determined by the service content determination unit 16 is performed. For this reason, the driving assistance according to the change of the vehicle signal predicted by the driver can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress unnecessary braking control, alarms, and the like in the vicinity of the traffic light, thereby reducing troublesomeness given to the driver.

  Further, in the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment, driver characteristics are taken into consideration when performing driving support according to changes in the vehicle signal predicted by the driver. Specifically, when the driver characteristic is a driver characteristic that performs a safety stop, the alarm process by the alarm device 4 is stopped, and when the driver characteristic is a driver characteristic that does not perform a safety stop, the alarm device 4 always Alarm processing is performed. For this reason, it is possible to perform driving support in consideration of the driving characteristics of the driver. For this reason, it is possible to further suppress unnecessary braking control, warnings, and the like in the vicinity of the driver's traffic signal, and thus to reduce the troublesomeness given to the driver.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. Further, in the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment, the procedure of the support execution determination process is mainly different from that in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the driving assistance apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the assistance execution determination process in the driving assistance apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment, the process proceeds to the support execution determination process through the same procedure as the flow shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the driving support device according to the present embodiment, in performing the support execution determination process, the pedestrian signal state acquisition unit 14 relates to the presence / absence of a pedestrian traffic light and the presence / absence of time display in the pedestrian traffic light. Information is acquired (S21). Next, the support execution determination unit 17 determines whether or not a pedestrian traffic signal is provided in parallel with the vehicle traffic signal (S22). This determination is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  As a result, when it is determined that the pedestrian traffic signal is juxtaposed with the vehicle traffic signal, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian traffic signal is visible from the driver (S23). The determination as to whether or not the pedestrian traffic light is visible from the driver is made based on the position of the pedestrian traffic light in the image based on the image information acquired by the image processing unit 12. Since the vehicle front camera 3 is fixed at a predetermined position of the vehicle, it can be determined whether or not an arbitrary position in the image is visible from the driver.

  Here, when it is determined that the pedestrian traffic light is not visible from the driver, the normal service determined by the service content determination unit 16 is performed (S31). Therefore, the support execution determination unit 17 transmits an alarm signal corresponding to the service content information output from the service content determination unit 16 to the alarm device 4. Thus, the process ends.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the pedestrian traffic light is visible from the driver, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian traffic signal is a pedestrian traffic signal that displays the remaining seconds (S24). The remaining seconds display here indicates the number of seconds until the color of the signal light changes from red to blue or from red to blue, as well as a predetermined display corresponding to this number of seconds, for example, a meter bar display. This includes

  As a result, when it is determined that the pedestrian traffic light is not a pedestrian traffic light displaying the remaining seconds, the normal service determined by the service content determination unit 16 is performed (S31). Therefore, the support execution determination unit 17 transmits an alarm signal corresponding to the service content information output from the service content determination unit 16 to the alarm device 4. Thus, the process ends.

  When it is determined that the pedestrian traffic light is a pedestrian traffic light that displays the remaining seconds, it is determined whether or not the vehicle traffic light is displayed in blue (S25). In the present embodiment, the vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13 outputs the vehicle signal state information to the support execution determination unit 17 together with the service content determination unit 16. Based on the vehicle signal state information output from the vehicle signal state acquisition unit 13, the support execution determination unit 17 determines whether the vehicle traffic signal is displayed in blue.

  As a result, when it is determined that the vehicle traffic signal is not blue display but yellow display or red display, the normal service determined by the service content determination unit 16 is performed (S31). Therefore, the support execution determination unit 17 transmits an alarm signal corresponding to the service content information output from the service content determination unit 16 to the alarm device 4. Thus, the process ends.

  Furthermore, when it is determined that the vehicle traffic signal is displayed in blue, it is determined whether the pedestrian traffic signal is displayed in blue so that the lighting color is blue (S26). This determination is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian traffic light is blinking in the same procedure as in the first embodiment (S27). Further, it is determined whether or not the driver is a driver who performs a safety stop at the intersection where the vehicle traffic signal is installed (S28). Then, according to the same procedure as in the first embodiment, the alarm processing (S29) or the processing for disabling the alarm by the alarm device 4 (S30) is performed and the processing is terminated.

  As described above, in the driving support device according to the present embodiment, the support execution determination is performed based on the pedestrian signal information regarding the pedestrian traffic light, as in the first embodiment. For this reason, the driving assistance according to the change of the vehicle signal predicted by the driver can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress unnecessary braking control, alarms, and the like in the vicinity of the traffic light, thereby reducing troublesomeness given to the driver. In addition, driver characteristics are taken into consideration when performing driving support according to changes in vehicle signals predicted by the driver. For this reason, it is possible to perform driving support in consideration of the driving characteristics of the driver. For this reason, it is possible to further suppress unnecessary braking control, warnings, and the like in the vicinity of the driver's traffic signal, and thus to reduce the troublesomeness given to the driver.

  Furthermore, in the driving assistance device according to the present embodiment, whether or not to provide an alarm service by the alarm device 4 depending on whether or not there is a remaining second display as a state that is visible from the driver of the pedestrian traffic light or a characteristic of the pedestrian traffic light. Judging. For this reason, the driving assistance according to the change of the vehicle signal predicted by the driver can be more suitably performed.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, signal information is received from the roadside device 20, but information by a road traffic information system such as VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication Systems) that provides road traffic information to a transfer person or the like in real time is used. It can also be set as the aspect received.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when determining whether to perform support, when the normal service is not performed, the process is changed depending on whether the driver is a driver that performs a safe stop as a driver characteristic, but the process is performed regardless of the driver characteristic. It can also be set as a constant mode. In this case, when the pedestrian traffic light is displayed blinking, it is possible to always stop the service for issuing an alarm by the alarm device 4. Alternatively, when the pedestrian traffic light is blinking, if the driver does not perform a safe stop, the warning can be made early or stronger.

  Furthermore, in the said 2nd Embodiment, the aspect of the driving assistance was adjusted by whether there is a pedestrian traffic light in the position which a driver | operator can visually recognize. On the other hand, it can be set as the aspect which stops a service, when detecting whether the driver visually recognized the pedestrian traffic light and detecting that the driver visually recognized the pedestrian traffic light. At this time, when the driver is not visually recognizing the pedestrian traffic light, even when the pedestrian traffic light is present at a position where the driver can visually recognize, a normal service can be performed. When detecting whether or not the driver has visually recognized the pedestrian traffic light, for example, the driver's face direction is detected, and when the driver is facing the pedestrian traffic light, it is determined that the pedestrian traffic signal has been detected. can do.

  Further, whether or not there is a pedestrian traffic light at a position where the driver can visually recognize is determined based on a screen imaged by the vehicle front camera 3. On the other hand, the road shape of the road on which the vehicle travels, the driver's eye position, and the forward traffic situation can be taken into consideration. The road shape can be determined using road shape information transmitted by the roadside device 20 or VICS, or a separate navigation device can be provided to obtain road shape information from the navigation device.

  Further, the driver's eye position can be calculated by detecting the front and rear positions and heights of the seat position, and the height (sitting height) of the driver, and using these pieces of information. Further, as the forward information, when a large truck is reflected on the screen imaged by the vehicle front camera 3, it can be determined that the pedestrian traffic light is difficult to see, and other vehicle-to-vehicle communication, millimeter wave radar, etc. It is also possible to detect the distance to the vehicle ahead and use this distance. Furthermore, it is possible to determine whether or not the pedestrian traffic light can be visually recognized in consideration of the height of the vehicle traveling ahead.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the mode of driving support is adjusted according to the display state of the vehicle traffic signal, etc., for example, taking into account the distance to the vehicle traffic signal and the estimated arrival time to reach the vehicle traffic signal. It is also possible to adjust the driving assistance mode. For example, even when a pedestrian traffic signal arranged in parallel with a traffic signal for a vehicle is in a blinking state, if the predicted arrival time is a long time exceeding a predetermined threshold value, a normal service may be performed. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving assistance ECU, 2 ... Antenna, 3 ... Vehicle front camera, 4 ... Alarm apparatus, 11 ... Infrastructure information acquisition part, 12 ... Image processing part, 13 ... Signal state acquisition part for vehicles, 14 ... Acquisition of pedestrian signal state 15, driver characteristic storage unit, 16 service content determination unit, 17 support execution determination unit, 20 roadside device.

Claims (4)

A driving support device for supporting driving of the vehicle based on lighting color information of a vehicle signal located in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle,
A driving support device that adjusts the mode of driving support based on pedestrian signal information relating to a pedestrian traffic signal arranged in parallel with the vehicle traffic signal.   The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein when the pedestrian traffic light is in a blinking state, driving assistance is performed in a manner different from that when the pedestrian traffic light is in a lighting state.   The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the driving support mode is further adjusted based on driving characteristics of a driver driving the vehicle. A driving support device for supporting driving of the vehicle based on lighting color information of a vehicle signal located in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle,
Detecting whether or not the driver visually recognizes the pedestrian traffic signal arranged in parallel with the vehicle traffic signal,
The driving assistance apparatus, wherein the driving assistance mode is adjusted when the driver detects that the pedestrian signal is visually recognized.

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