JP2010282343A - Vehicle traveling support device and vehicle traveling support method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle traveling support device and method for suppressing the deterioration of a traffic flow. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle traveling support method for notifying a driver of traffic light state information showing the lighting state of an object traffic light before a vehicle 11 reaches the object traffic light, includes: a step S11 of acquiring the traffic light state information; a stop detection step S12 of acquiring the traffic light state information, and then detecting the stop of the vehicle 11; and an determination steps S13, S15, S16 and S18 for, when the stop of the vehicle is detected, determining whether the stop of the vehicle is made to correspond to the traffic situations of the periphery of the vehicle. Then, when the stop is made to correspond to the traffic situations of the periphery of the vehicle, the driver is notified of the traffic light state information, and when the stop is not made to correspond to the traffic situations of the periphery of the vehicle, the driver is not notified of the traffic light state information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle travel support device and a vehicle travel support method that support travel of a vehicle, and more particularly to a vehicle travel support device and a vehicle travel support method that support travel in front of a traffic light.

  In general, a driver who travels on a road with a traffic light has a psychological tendency to avoid stopping at the traffic light, and therefore desires to acquire information such as a lighting state and a signal cycle in advance.

  Therefore, in the following Patent Documents 1 to 3 and the like, information on the lighting state and lighting time of the traffic light at the intersection ahead in the traveling direction is received from the infrastructure such as an optical beacon provided on the road side in front of the traffic light, to the driver. A technique for informing is disclosed. These patent documents also disclose a technique for displaying information related to traffic signals received from the infrastructure (lighting state and change timing, estimated stop time, etc.) on an in-vehicle display. Furthermore, even after the information is received, like the general navigation system, the information is not displayed during driving and the information is displayed only after the vehicle is stopped.

JP 2004-171459 A JP 2008-318053 A JP 2004-252718 A

  However, in the above-described prior art, after receiving the information on the traffic light, some drivers try to display the information immediately and try to stop the car regardless of the situation that should not be stopped. sell. Such a stop causes a deterioration in traffic flow.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle travel support device and a vehicle travel support method that suppress deterioration of traffic flow.

  A vehicle travel support apparatus according to the present invention is a vehicle travel support apparatus that notifies a driver of traffic light state information indicating a lighting state of a traffic light before the vehicle reaches the traffic light, and includes information acquisition means for obtaining traffic light state information; , After the information acquisition means obtains the traffic signal state information, when detecting that the vehicle speed detecting means detects that the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed, and that the vehicle speed detecting means is below the predetermined speed And determining means for determining whether or not the speed is below a predetermined speed according to traffic conditions around the vehicle, and determining by the determining means that the speed below the predetermined speed is in accordance with traffic conditions around the vehicle The traffic signal status information is notified to the driver when the vehicle speed is reduced, and the driver is not notified of the traffic signal status information when it is determined that the speed is below the predetermined speed according to the traffic situation around the vehicle. And means. Here, the fact that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed includes stopping at zero speed.

  In this vehicle travel support device, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle falls below a predetermined speed after the traffic light state information is obtained by the information acquisition means, the fact that the vehicle speed falls below the predetermined speed depends on the traffic conditions around the vehicle. If it is determined that there is no notification, the notification by the notification means is not performed, so that the driver cannot obtain the traffic light state information. For this reason, unnecessary low-speed travel and vehicle stop for the purpose of information acquisition do not occur, and deterioration of traffic flow due to such low-speed travel and vehicle stop is suppressed.

  Moreover, the aspect which determines whether the determination means became below predetermined speed according to the traffic condition around a vehicle from the relationship between the stop position of a vehicle and the position of a traffic light may be sufficient. For example, when the determination means becomes a predetermined speed or less at a position away from the traffic light by a predetermined threshold or more, it can be regarded as not a low-speed traveling or a stop depending on the traffic situation.

  Further, the determination means may be an aspect that determines whether or not the speed is below a predetermined speed according to traffic conditions around the vehicle, depending on whether or not the front vehicle exists within a certain range in front of the vehicle. . For example, it can be considered that the determination means does not correspond to the traffic situation when the vehicle speed falls below a predetermined speed when there is no front vehicle in a predetermined range in front of the vehicle.

  In addition, even if the determination means determines that the front vehicle is a vehicle that turns right or left even when the front vehicle is within a certain range in front of the vehicle, the notification means displays the traffic signal state information. A mode in which the driver is not notified may be used. The determination means can be regarded as a stop according to the traffic situation in such a case because there is a possibility that the following vehicle temporarily stops when the front vehicle turns right or left.

  A vehicle travel support method according to the present invention is a vehicle travel support method for notifying a driver of traffic signal state information indicating a lighting state of a traffic signal before the vehicle reaches the traffic signal, the step of obtaining the traffic signal state information, After obtaining the state information, a vehicle speed detecting step for detecting that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a predetermined speed, and traffic around the vehicle when it is detected that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined speed. A determination step for determining whether or not the vehicle speed has become equal to or lower than a predetermined speed according to the situation, and to notify the driver of traffic signal status information when the vehicle speed has become equal to or lower than the predetermined speed according to traffic conditions around the vehicle. When the vehicle speed is lower than the predetermined speed according to the traffic situation around the vehicle, the traffic light state information is not notified to the driver.

  In this vehicle running support method, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined speed after obtaining the traffic light state information, it is determined that the lower than the predetermined speed does not correspond to the traffic situation around the vehicle. In this case, the driver cannot obtain the traffic signal status information. For this reason, unnecessary low-speed travel and vehicle stop for the purpose of information acquisition do not occur, and deterioration of traffic flow due to such low-speed travel and vehicle stop is suppressed.

  Further, the determination step may be an aspect in which it is determined whether or not the speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed according to the traffic situation around the vehicle, based on the relationship between the position of the vehicle and the position of the traffic light. For example, when the vehicle speed falls below a predetermined speed at a position away from a traffic signal by a predetermined threshold value or more, it can be considered that the vehicle is not running at a low speed or stopped according to traffic conditions.

  Further, the determination step may be an aspect in which it is determined whether or not the speed is below a predetermined speed according to the traffic situation around the vehicle, depending on whether or not the preceding vehicle exists within a certain range in front of the vehicle. . For example, it can be considered that the vehicle speed being less than or equal to a predetermined speed when there is no preceding vehicle within a predetermined range in front of the vehicle is not according to traffic conditions.

  Further, even when the front vehicle is present within a certain range in front of the vehicle, when the front vehicle is a vehicle that makes a right or left turn, it is possible that the traffic signal state information is not notified to the driver. When the front vehicle makes a right or left turn, the following vehicle may be temporarily stopped. In such a case, it can be regarded as a stop according to traffic conditions.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle travel assistance apparatus and vehicle travel assistance method which suppress the deterioration of a traffic flow are provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a display mode of traffic signal state information. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle travel support method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display mode of the traffic signal state information. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display mode of the traffic signal state information.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same or equivalent element, and the description is abbreviate | omitted when description overlaps.

  FIG. 1 shows a host vehicle 11 traveling toward a target traffic light. In the driving support method according to the prior art, when the traffic light state information is received from the optical beacon B before the target traffic light, it is immediately after passing the optical beacon B and stopped at a position considerably before the target traffic light. However, the traffic signal status information is displayed on the monitor (see FIG. 1A).

  Therefore, depending on the driver, after receiving the traffic signal state information from the optical beacon B, it is possible to display the information immediately and to stop or drive at a low speed regardless of the situation that should not be stopped. . Such a stop or low-speed traveling causes a deterioration in traffic flow.

  In view of this, the inventors have conducted extensive research on a technique (see FIG. 1B) that does not display the traffic signal state information of the target traffic signal on the monitor under such circumstances, and as a result, vehicle travel as shown below. The present inventors have found a support device and a vehicle driving support method.

  In FIG. 2, the schematic block diagram of the vehicle travel assistance apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle travel support device 1 according to the present embodiment supports the travel of the vehicle and is mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle travel support device 1 includes an ECU (electronic control unit) 2, a navigation unit 3, a communication unit 4, a sensor unit 5, a travel drive unit 6, a braking unit 7, and a notification unit 8.

  The ECU 2 controls the entire control device, and is composed of, for example, a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. ECU2 expresses various functions based on various information mentioned below.

  The navigation unit 3 is a part that detects position information of the position of the host vehicle. For example, the navigation unit 3 includes a GPS function or a map database including road information, and uses a destination search or a travel guide route. Can do.

  The communication unit 4 transmits / receives various information to / from infrastructure vehicles (beacons, traffic monitoring systems, etc.) provided on the roadside of surrounding vehicles and roads traveling around the vehicle, and the traffic information center ( This is a part that receives traffic information from a VICS center or the like. The communication unit 4 can acquire traffic signal state information from the infrastructure. The traffic signal status information is information indicating the lighting status of the target traffic signal, and includes information such as the current lighting color, lighting cycle, and approximate stop time, for example. Moreover, the communication part 4 receives the information regarding the position (for example, relative position) and a running direction from surrounding vehicles by vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

  The sensor unit 5 includes a plurality of sensors mounted on the vehicle, and includes, for example, a wheel speed sensor, a radar distance sensor, an in-vehicle camera, and the like. In this sensor unit 5 as well, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle, and the traveling direction can be detected. Further, the sensor unit 5 can detect the lane in which the preceding vehicle is traveling.

  The travel drive unit 6 is a part that drives the travel of the vehicle, and includes, for example, an engine ECU, a throttle motor, an injector, and the like. The travel drive unit 6 operates upon receiving a travel drive signal from the ECU 2 and executes vehicle travel drive in accordance with the travel drive signal. Further, the travel drive unit 6 acquires information on the accelerator opening by the throttle sensor, and the information is sent to the ECU 2.

  The braking unit 7 is a part that brakes the vehicle, and includes, for example, a brake ECU, an electromagnetic valve that adjusts the brake hydraulic pressure, and a pump motor that generates the brake hydraulic pressure. The braking unit 7 operates in response to a braking command signal from the ECU 2 and executes vehicle braking according to the braking command signal.

  The notification unit 8 includes a display device such as a monitor that transmits various messages to the driver, and an audio device such as a speaker. The notification unit 8 operates in response to a control signal from the ECU 2 and displays the signal state information on a monitor or the like.

  Since the vehicle travel support device 1 is configured as described above, the ECU 2 can realize the following functions independently or in cooperation with the units 3 to 8. That is, the function as information acquisition means for obtaining the traffic light state information indicating the lighting state of the traffic light, the function as the stop detection means for detecting the stop of the vehicle after the information acquisition means obtains the traffic light state information, and the stop detection means are stopped. When it is determined by the function as a determination means that determines whether or not the stop is a stop according to the traffic situation around the vehicle, the determination means determines that the stop is according to the traffic situation around the vehicle. A function as notifying means for notifying the driver of the traffic signal status information is realized when the traffic signal status information is notified to the driver and it is determined that the stop does not correspond to the traffic situation around the vehicle.

  Next, a vehicle travel support method executed mainly by the ECU 2 of the vehicle travel support device 1 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, at step S11, the traffic light state information is received from the infrastructure such as the optical beacon B, and thereafter, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 11 has stopped (step S12).

  When the stop of the vehicle is detected, it is determined in subsequent step S13 whether the distance from the stop position to the stop line of the target traffic light is within a certain distance (that is, whether or not it is less than a predetermined threshold). If this distance is within a certain distance (below the threshold), the stop is a stop corresponding to the traffic light, and the stop is a stop corresponding to the traffic situation around the vehicle. (Step S14).

  On the other hand, if the distance from the stop position to the stop line of the target traffic light is not within a certain distance (greater than the threshold value), the process proceeds to step S15, and it is determined whether or not the front vehicle exists within a predetermined distance ahead. The method for detecting the front vehicle may be a method using image analysis such as a camera or inter-vehicle communication in addition to the radar. In this way, after determining the distance from the stop position to the stop line of the target traffic light, the vehicle that has been forced to stop due to traffic congestion etc. at a point far from the intersection of the target traffic light by checking the situation ahead Can deal with. Note that if you just check the situation ahead without judging the distance from the stop position to the stop line of the target traffic light, you will not be able to deal with the leading vehicle of the signal. In order to avoid such a situation, it is necessary to determine the distance from the stop position to the stop line of the target traffic light.

  And when the front vehicle exists within the predetermined distance ahead, it progresses to step S16, and when a front vehicle does not exist, it progresses to step S18.

  In step S16, it is further determined whether or not the host vehicle immediately restarts from the situation of the left or right turn of the preceding vehicle. In other words, even if there is a front vehicle, if the front vehicle is not immediately available due to a left or right turn or the like, it is determined that the vehicle is temporarily stopped and the traffic signal state information is not displayed. For this reason, when the vehicle is in a situation where the vehicle can be restarted immediately, the process proceeds to step S17 where the traffic signal state information is not displayed. On the other hand, when the vehicle cannot be restarted immediately, the signal state information is displayed. Proceed to When it progresses to step S17, when the own vehicle moves forward and stops again, the traffic signal state information will be displayed.

  For example, if it is a specification that can only be displayed once for one target traffic signal, the traffic signal status information will be displayed at that timing when the host vehicle stops due to a left or right turn of the previous vehicle in front of the target traffic signal. That is, when the target traffic signal is actually reached, it is not displayed. Therefore, by providing the step S16, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the traffic signal state information is displayed at an unnecessary timing.

  Note that the right / left turn behavior of the front vehicle can be detected by detecting a blinker or acquiring a guidance route for a destination set by navigation through inter-vehicle communication. Further, the right / left turn behavior of the front vehicle may be detected by receiving information such as the steering angle and yaw rate of the front vehicle.

  In step S18, even if the distance from the stop position to the stop line of the target traffic signal is not within a certain distance and there is no front vehicle within a predetermined distance ahead, the vehicle stops for other reasons. Determine if there is a reason. As the reason for the stop, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, there is a situation where there is a stop prohibition portion between the own vehicle and the target traffic signal, and the front vehicle 21 is located in the front vehicle detection range A at a position away from the traffic signal. , 22 may occur in a position where the host vehicle 11 stops. Such a situation can be determined from road map information obtained via an infrastructure or a navigation system, or can be determined by image recognition with an in-vehicle camera. When it is determined in step S18 that there is a reasonable reason for stopping, the process proceeds to step S14 for displaying the traffic light state information, and conversely, when it is determined that there is no reasonable reason for stopping. Then, the process proceeds to step S17 where the signal status information is not displayed.

  Similarly, even in a situation where there is a side road between the host vehicle and the target traffic light as shown in FIG. 5, the driver considers the traffic flow related to the side road and is located at a position away from the traffic light in front of the side road and the front vehicle detection range A. It may happen that the host vehicle 11 stops at a position where the front wheels 21, 22, 23 do not exist. At this time, the traffic signal state information is displayed in the same manner as in the situation shown in FIG. Such a situation can be determined by obtaining road map information and a travel route of another vehicle via an infrastructure or a navigation system, or by recognizing an image with an in-vehicle camera.

  Other reasons in step S18 include a case in which no vehicle exists behind the host vehicle 11, and when it is considered that there are few safety / environmental problems, the traffic signal state information is displayed. Good.

  As described above, the vehicle travel support method according to the embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle travel support method for notifying the driver of traffic signal state information indicating the lighting state of the target traffic signal before the vehicle 11 reaches the target traffic signal. Then, step S11 for obtaining traffic light state information, stop detection step S12 for detecting stop of the vehicle 11 after obtaining the traffic light state information, and when the stop is detected, the stop depends on traffic conditions around the vehicle. Determination steps S13, S15, S16, and S18 are included. When the stop is in accordance with the traffic situation around the vehicle, the traffic light state information is notified to the driver. On the other hand, when the stop is not in accordance with the traffic situation around the vehicle, the signal state information is not notified to the driver.

  Therefore, when the vehicle 11 stops after obtaining the traffic light state information, if it is determined that the stop does not correspond to the traffic conditions around the vehicle, the driver cannot obtain the traffic light state information. Unnecessary stop for the purpose does not occur, and the deterioration of traffic flow due to such stop is suppressed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, as a method of informing the driver of the traffic signal status information, only the mode of displaying on the monitor has been shown. However, the method may be appropriately changed to various notification methods such as turning on a notification lamp or sounding from a speaker. Good. Further, the traffic signal state information to be notified is not limited to the approximate stop time, but can be replaced with the current lighting color, lighting cycle, or the like, and may be a combination of these appropriately.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle stops, it is determined whether or not it is a stop according to the traffic situation, and when the stop does not correspond to the traffic situation around the vehicle, the traffic light status information is not notified to the driver. Although described, the present invention may be applied when the vehicle speed of the vehicle becomes a predetermined speed or less.
That is, when the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a predetermined speed, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed according to traffic conditions. The traffic light status information is not notified to the driver when the traffic condition is not met. Even in such a case, similarly to the vehicle travel support apparatus and method described above, unnecessary low speed travel for information acquisition does not occur, and deterioration of traffic flow due to such low speed travel is suppressed. be able to.
At this time, the ECU 2 is a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a predetermined speed. When the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined speed, whether or not the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined speed according to traffic conditions around the vehicle. It is functioning as a determination means for determining whether or not it is determined that the speed is less than or equal to the predetermined speed according to the traffic situation around the vehicle, and the traffic signal state information is notified to the notification unit 8 and the speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed. Functions as a notification control means for not causing the notification unit 8 to notify the traffic signal state information.
The predetermined speed is a set value set in advance in the ECU 2, and a speed value that can detect a very low speed is set, for example, 1 to 10 km / h.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle travel assistance apparatus, 2 ... ECU, 11 ... Own vehicle, 21, 22, 23 ... Front vehicle, S11-S18 ... Step, A ... Front vehicle detection range, B ... Beacon.

Claims (8)

A vehicle travel support device that informs a driver of traffic light state information indicating a lighting state of a traffic light before the vehicle reaches the traffic light,
Information acquisition means for obtaining the traffic signal state information;
Vehicle speed detection means for detecting that the vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed after the information acquisition means obtains the traffic light state information;
Determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle speed detecting means has become the predetermined speed or less according to a traffic situation around the vehicle when detecting that the vehicle speed detecting means has become the predetermined speed or less;
When it is determined by the determination means that the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed according to traffic conditions around the vehicle, the traffic light state information is notified to the driver, and the vehicle is detected to be below the predetermined speed. A vehicle travel support device, comprising: a notifying unit that does not notify the driver of the traffic signal state information when it is determined that the traffic condition is not in accordance with surrounding traffic conditions.   The vehicle travel support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed according to a traffic situation around the vehicle, based on a relationship between a vehicle position and a traffic light position.   2. The determination unit according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the speed is equal to or less than the predetermined speed according to traffic conditions around the vehicle, based on whether or not a preceding vehicle exists within a certain range in front of the vehicle. Vehicle travel support device.   Even if the determination means determines that the front vehicle is a vehicle that turns right or left, even if the front vehicle exists within a certain range in front of the vehicle, the notification means provides the traffic signal state information. The vehicle travel support device according to claim 3, wherein the driver is not notified of the vehicle. A vehicle driving support method for notifying a driver of traffic light state information indicating a lighting state of a traffic light before the vehicle reaches the traffic light,
Obtaining the traffic signal status information;
A vehicle speed detecting step for detecting that the vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed after obtaining the traffic signal state information;
A determination step of determining whether or not the vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed according to traffic conditions around the vehicle when it is detected that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed;
Including
When it is in response to traffic conditions around the vehicle that the speed is below the predetermined speed, the traffic signal status information is notified to the driver, and when it is not in response to traffic conditions around the vehicle that the speed is below the predetermined speed Do not notify the driver status information to the driver,
Vehicle running support method.   The vehicle travel support method according to claim 5, wherein in the determination step, it is determined whether or not the speed is equal to or less than the predetermined speed according to a traffic situation around the vehicle based on a relationship between the position of the vehicle and the position of the traffic light.   6. The determination step according to claim 5, wherein it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed has become equal to or lower than the predetermined speed according to traffic conditions around the vehicle, depending on whether or not a preceding vehicle exists within a certain range in front of the vehicle. Vehicle running support method.   The vehicle travel according to claim 7, wherein even when a front vehicle exists within a certain range in front of the vehicle, the traffic signal state information is not notified to the driver when the front vehicle is a vehicle that turns right or left. Support method.

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