JP2011192177A - Forward situation prediction device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a forward situation prediction device capable of predicting the traffic flow situation of a forward signal intersection without using signal cycle information. <P>SOLUTION: A forward situation prediction device 80 of one embodiment is provided with: an information acquiring means 81 to acquire traveling state information on peripheral vehicles; a storage means 83 which previously stores a speed change pattern of a vehicle for a signal intersection; and a deceleration/stop factor prediction means 84 which predicts the forward traffic flow situation by comparing traveling state information on at least one forward vehicle acquired by the information acquiring means 81 with the speed change pattern stored in the storage means 83, and predicting the deceleration factor or stop factor of the forward traffic flow situation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a forward situation prediction apparatus for predicting a traffic flow situation at a signal intersection ahead.

  It is widely known that a vehicle sensor is used to recognize the immediately preceding preceding vehicle and to support driving of the host vehicle according to the movement of the preceding vehicle. However, according to Patent Literature 1, if the sudden braking operation is performed only when the preceding preceding vehicle is recognized, for example, when the inter-vehicle distance is short, the braking operation of the host vehicle is delayed and dangerous. Regarding this problem, Patent Document 1 acquires information such as the speed and position of one or a plurality of surrounding vehicles using road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the information of the surrounding vehicle from the information on the surrounding vehicles. It is disclosed that a stop position is predicted and driving assistance of the host vehicle is performed based on the prediction. That is, according to Patent Document 1, by grasping information on not only the preceding preceding vehicle but also surrounding vehicles existing in the vicinity, a signal is generated from the position of the own vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection before the stop line at the intersection. Since the situation of the vehicle up to the end of the waiting train is known, the stop position of the host vehicle can be predicted by a signal.

  Further, according to Patent Document 1, by using information such as a signal switching parameter, it is possible to predict a situation in which a vehicle waiting for a signal with a green light will be eliminated, and arrive at the end of the vehicle waiting for a signal. It is said that smooth running can be realized by preventing the waste of fuel consumption such as stopping and accelerating immediately after that.

JP 2009-69907 A

  By the way, as described above, even when the preceding vehicle decelerates and stops with respect to the front signalized intersection, the driving assistance of the own vehicle may not be necessary depending on the signal light color. For example, when the preceding vehicle decelerates and stops with a red signal, the preceding vehicle is likely to stop for a relatively long time, and the host vehicle is also likely to need to decelerate and stop. When decelerating and stopping, the vehicle ahead may turn left or right without stopping, or even if it stops, it may be a temporary stop, and the host vehicle may not necessarily require deceleration or stop. Even in such a case, if driving assistance of the host vehicle is performed in accordance with the deceleration or stop of the preceding vehicle, unnecessary acceleration / deceleration results in poor fuel consumption and smooth driving cannot be realized. End up.

  In this regard, as described in Patent Document 1, if signal switching parameter information, that is, signal cycle information is used, whether the cause of the vehicle decelerating or stopping is a red signal or a right / left turn of a blue signal Can be predicted.

  However, at signalized intersections where infrastructure equipment for supplying signal cycle information is not installed, signal cycle information cannot be obtained, and the cause of the vehicle decelerating and stopping is either a red signal or a green signal It cannot be predicted whether it is.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the front condition prediction apparatus which can predict the traffic flow condition of a front signal intersection, without using signal cycle information.

  The forward situation prediction apparatus according to the present invention includes information acquisition means for acquiring driving state information of surrounding vehicles, storage means for storing in advance a vehicle speed change pattern for a signalized intersection, and at least one acquired by the information acquisition means. A deceleration stop factor predicting means for predicting the traffic flow situation ahead by comparing the traveling state information of the preceding vehicle with the speed change pattern stored in the storage means and predicting the deceleration factor or stop factor of the preceding vehicle; Is provided.

  As a result of intensive studies, the inventors of the present application have found that when a vehicle that performs a dependent run decelerates and stops at a signalized intersection, it has different characteristics depending on the signal lamp color. For example, if the signalized intersection is a red signal, each vehicle recognizes the red signal and decelerates, so there is a tendency that it is difficult to be dragged by the deceleration of the preceding vehicle. Therefore, there is a tendency that deceleration action, for example, accelerator OFF timing, brake ON timing, and the like are accelerated. And it tends to decelerate and stop at a smaller deceleration as it becomes a succeeding vehicle. That is, the speed change pattern (for example, deceleration pattern) of the vehicle that performs the dependent traveling has different characteristics.

  On the other hand, when turning right and left when the signalized intersection is a green light, it is not always necessary to stop, so there is a tendency to decelerate according to the deceleration of the preceding vehicle. That is, since the vehicle is easily dragged by the deceleration of the preceding vehicle, the deceleration behavior, for example, the accelerator-off timing, the brake-on timing, and the deceleration tend to be similar, unlike the deceleration behavior for the red signal. That is, the speed change pattern of the vehicle that performs the dependent traveling has similar characteristics.

  Therefore, in this forward situation prediction device, the speed change pattern of the vehicle for the signalized intersection, for example, the speed change pattern when the signalized intersection is a red signal (for example, the deceleration pattern) or the signalized intersection is stored by the storage means. A speed change pattern (for example, a deceleration pattern) when turning right or left when the signal is green is stored in advance. Then, the deceleration stop factor predicting means determines whether or not the deceleration factor or stop factor of the preceding vehicle depends on whether or not the traveling state information (for example, speed or acceleration / deceleration) of the preceding vehicle acquired by the information acquiring unit matches the speed change pattern. Based on this prediction, the traffic flow situation at the front signalized intersection (that is, the other vehicle is decelerated and stopped at the front signalized intersection, and whether or not the own vehicle needs to be decelerated and stopped as a result. Can be predicted.

  By using the prediction result by the forward situation prediction device, it becomes possible to suppress driving support other than the red signal that does not necessarily require deceleration and stop, so that unnecessary acceleration / deceleration is suppressed, and fuel efficient running and smoothness are suppressed. It is possible to realize a simple traffic flow.

  In addition, this forward situation prediction apparatus has an advantage that it is not necessary to install infrastructure equipment for supplying signal cycle information.

  The storage means preliminarily uses at least one of a vehicle red signal speed change pattern for a red signal at a signalized intersection and a vehicle right / left turn speed change pattern for a green light left / right turn at a signalized intersection as a speed change pattern. It is preferable to memorize.

  According to this, in addition to the matching by the speed change pattern for the red signal, it is possible to predict the deceleration factor or the stop factor of the preceding vehicle by performing the matching by the speed change pattern for the green signal right / left turn. It is possible to improve the prediction accuracy of the traffic flow situation at the signal intersection ahead.

  In addition, the information acquisition unit described above may acquire speed information, acceleration information, position information, direction information, route guidance information, turn signal information, road alignment information, and hazard information as the traveling state information of surrounding vehicles. Preferably, the deceleration stop factor prediction means described above further performs stop position prediction based on speed information, acceleration information, and position information of at least one preceding vehicle acquired by the information acquisition means, and predicts a stop position of the preceding vehicle. It is preferable to predict a deceleration factor or a stop factor of the preceding vehicle based on at least one of position information, direction information, route guidance information, turn signal information, road alignment information, and hazard information.

  According to this, in addition to the matching by the speed change pattern for the red signal and the speed change pattern for the green light left / right turn, the stop position prediction of the preceding vehicle, the position information, the direction information, the route guidance information, the blinker information, the road Based on the linear information and the hazard information, the deceleration factor or the stop factor of the preceding vehicle is predicted, so that the prediction accuracy of the traffic flow situation at the front signalized intersection can be improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to predict a traffic flow situation at a signal intersection ahead without using signal cycle information. By using this prediction result, it is possible to suppress driving support other than red signals that do not necessarily require deceleration and stop, so it is possible to suppress unnecessary acceleration / deceleration, and achieve good fuel efficiency and smooth traffic flow. It becomes possible to do.

It is a figure which shows the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and the front condition prediction apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the speed change pattern of a vehicle when a signalized intersection is a red signal. It is a flowchart which shows the front condition prediction process by the front condition prediction apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and the front condition prediction apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the front condition prediction process by the front condition prediction apparatus of 2nd Embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[First Embodiment]

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the driving support apparatus according to the first embodiment. A driving assistance apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a surrounding monitoring sensor 10, a vehicle sensor 20, a navigation system 30, a communication device 40, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as a forward situation prediction ECU: Electronic Control Unit) 50. And various actuators 60 and an audio-visual display device 70.

  The surrounding monitoring sensor 10 is for recognizing surrounding vehicles existing around the own vehicle, and for measuring an inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle and the own vehicle. The periphery monitoring sensor 10 is for recognizing an obstacle existing around the host vehicle and measuring a distance between the host vehicle and the obstacle. Specifically, the periphery monitoring sensor 10 includes a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a stereo camera, and the like.

  The vehicle sensor 20 is for detecting the speed, acceleration (deceleration), yaw rate, steering angle, brake pedal depression amount, accelerator pedal depression amount, and the like of the host vehicle. Specifically, the vehicle sensor 20 includes a sensor that detects each value, such as a vehicle speed sensor.

  The navigation system 30 is for performing route guidance of the host vehicle.

  The communication device 40 includes a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 41, a road-to-vehicle communication device 42, and a GPS device 43.

  The inter-vehicle communication device 41 is for receiving driving state information of surrounding vehicles from surrounding vehicles located around the own vehicle capable of wireless communication. The traveling state information includes speed, acceleration / deceleration, position, and the like.

  The road-to-vehicle communication device 42 is an optical beacon receiver, for example, for receiving various information related to signalized intersections and information related to traffic conditions such as traffic jams from roadside optical beacon transmitters and information centers. is there. The information related to the signalized intersection includes the position of the signalized intersection, the position of the stop line, road alignment information in the vicinity of the signalized intersection (lane information such as going straight, turning right, and turning left).

  The GPS device 43 is for measuring a position where the host vehicle is traveling using GPS (Global Positioning System).

  The ECU 50 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs calculations, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs for causing the CPU to execute each process, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores various data such as calculation results, and the like. It is configured. With such a configuration, the ECU 50 is configured with a forward situation prediction ECU 80 and a driving assistance ECU 90. In this embodiment, an example in which the forward situation prediction ECU 80 and the driving assistance ECU 90 are configured by one ECU 50 is shown, but the forward situation prediction ECU 80 and the driving assistance ECU 90 may be configured by separate ECUs.

  The forward situation prediction ECU 80 determines whether the forward vehicle decelerates or stops the forward signal intersection based on the traveling state information of at least one forward vehicle acquired by the inter-vehicle communication device 41. Predict the factors (red light, green light left / right turn, traffic jams, etc.). Based on this prediction, the forward situation prediction ECU 80 causes the traffic flow at the front signal intersection (that is, the other vehicle is decelerated and stopped at the front signal intersection, and the own vehicle is decelerated and stopped as a result. Predict whether or not it is necessary.

  The driving assistance ECU 90 controls various actuators 60 such as a throttle actuator and a brake actuator based on the prediction of the forward situation prediction ECU 80 to perform ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) travel control. Alternatively, the driving support ECU 90 controls the audiovisual display device 70 such as an image display by a display or an audio display by a speaker or a buzzer based on the prediction of the forward situation prediction ECU 80 to guide a safe driving operation to the driver. .

  Next, the front situation prediction ECU (forward situation prediction apparatus) 80 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The forward situation prediction ECU 80 includes a surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81, a signalized intersection information acquisition unit 82, a storage unit 83, and a deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84.

  The surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81 acquires, for example, speed, acceleration / deceleration, position, and the like as travel state information of at least one preceding vehicle using the inter-vehicle communication device 41, for example.

  The signalized intersection information acquisition unit 82 acquires, for example, the position of the signalized intersection, the position of the stop line, and the like as the signalized intersection information ahead by using the road-to-vehicle communication device 42, for example. The signalized intersection information acquisition unit 82 may acquire signaled intersection information ahead from information recorded in the navigation system 30 instead of the road-to-vehicle communication device 42.

  Here, even when the preceding vehicle decelerates and stops with respect to the front signalized intersection, the driving assistance of the host vehicle may not be necessary depending on the signal light color. For example, when the preceding vehicle decelerates and stops due to a red signal, the preceding vehicle is likely to stop for a relatively long time, and the host vehicle is also likely to require deceleration and stop. When the vehicle decelerates and stops for this reason, the vehicle ahead may turn left or right without stopping, or even if it stops, it may be a temporary stop, and the vehicle may not necessarily decelerate and stop . Even in such a case, if driving assistance of the host vehicle is performed according to the deceleration or stop of the preceding vehicle, unnecessary acceleration / deceleration may result in poor fuel consumption and a smooth traffic flow. It becomes impossible.

  Therefore, the inventors of the present application have devised predicting the signal lamp color of the target intersection from real-time information of the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a speed change pattern of the vehicle when the signalized intersection is a red signal. FIG. 2A shows a speed change pattern with respect to time, and shows a speed change pattern of vehicles A to C that sequentially travel toward the signalized intersection. FIG. A speed change pattern of the vehicles A to C is shown.

  According to FIG. 2, in the traffic flow in which the subordinate vehicles A to C recognize the red signal and decelerate and stop, the vehicles A to C recognize the red signal and decelerate, respectively. There is a tendency not to be dragged. In addition, since there is no difference in travel time even if the vehicle arrives early at the intersection, there is a tendency that the deceleration action, for example, the accelerator OFF timing, the brake ON timing, etc. is accelerated. And it tends to decelerate and stop at a smaller deceleration as it becomes a succeeding vehicle. That is, the deceleration patterns (speed change patterns) of the vehicles A to C that are traveling dependently have different characteristics.

  On the other hand, in a traffic flow in which the subordinate vehicles A to C make a right / left turn with a green light, it is not always necessary to stop, so there is a tendency to decelerate according to the deceleration of the immediately preceding vehicle. That is, since the vehicle is easily dragged by the deceleration of the preceding vehicle, the deceleration behavior, for example, the accelerator-off timing, the brake-on timing, and the deceleration tend to be similar, unlike the deceleration behavior for the red signal. In other words, the deceleration patterns of the vehicles A to C that travel in a dependent manner have similar characteristics.

  Therefore, the storage unit 83 stores in advance at least one speed change pattern as shown in FIG. That is, the storage unit 83 stores in advance a deceleration pattern (speed change pattern) when a red signal is recognized. It is preferable that the memory | storage part 83 memorize | stores the several deceleration pattern from which the timing of the deceleration action as shown in FIG. 2 differs, ie, the deceleration pattern of several subordinate traveling vehicles. In this case, each deceleration pattern is preferably stored in association with a deceleration action start position or the like. The deceleration pattern is obtained in advance by simulation or experiment, for example. The deceleration pattern may be obtained as a history when actually passing through a signalized intersection, for example.

  The deceleration / stop factor predicting unit 84 is a factor of deceleration when at least one preceding vehicle acquired by the surrounding vehicle information acquiring unit 81 decelerates and stops with respect to the signalized intersection acquired by the signalized intersection information acquiring unit 82. The stop factor is predicted, and based on this prediction, the traffic flow situation at the signal intersection ahead is predicted. Specifically, the deceleration stop factor predicting unit 84 is a deceleration pattern for a red signal at the signalized intersection acquired by the signalized intersection information acquiring unit 82, and the deceleration pattern stored in advance in the storage unit 83; Compared with the deceleration pattern based on the traveling state information (speed, acceleration / deceleration) of the preceding vehicle acquired by the surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81, and based on the matching of these deceleration patterns, the deceleration factor and the stopping factor of the preceding vehicle Predicts whether it is due to a red light, a green light left or right turn, or other factors. Then, based on this prediction, the deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84 predicts the traffic flow situation at the front signalized intersection.

  In addition, when the traveling state information of a plurality of front vehicles can be acquired, the deceleration stop factor predicting unit 84, as shown in FIG. 2, based on the corresponding relationship, for example, the dependent traveling position, the deceleration action starting position, and the like. Depending on whether there is a significant difference in deceleration pattern, the factor of deceleration and stop of the preceding vehicle is predicted.

  Next, the operation of the forward situation prediction ECU 80 of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a forward situation prediction process performed by the forward situation prediction ECU 80 according to the first embodiment.

  First, the peripheral vehicle information acquisition unit 81 acquires speed, acceleration / deceleration, and position as travel state information of at least one preceding vehicle (S01). Next, the signal intersection information acquisition unit 82 acquires the position of the intersection and the position of the stop line as the signal intersection information ahead (S02). Next, the deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is decelerating based on the acquired speed or acceleration / deceleration (S03).

  When the preceding vehicle is decelerating, it is determined whether or not the deceleration pattern of the preceding vehicle based on the speed or acceleration / deceleration matches the deceleration pattern for the red signal of the target intersection stored in the storage unit 83. When the speed or acceleration / deceleration of a plurality of front vehicles is obtained, each of a plurality of speed patterns based on the speed or acceleration / deceleration is stored in the storage unit 83 based on the subordinate travel position, the deceleration action start position, or the like. It is determined whether or not each of the plurality of deceleration patterns is matched (S04).

  When the deceleration patterns match, the deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84 predicts that the deceleration factor of the preceding vehicle and the stop factor are due to a red signal. Based on this prediction, the deceleration of the host vehicle is determined in the traffic flow at the front signal intersection. It is predicted that there is a high possibility that the stop is necessary (S05).

  On the other hand, if the deceleration patterns do not match, the deceleration / stop factor predicting unit 84 predicts that the vehicle ahead is decelerating and that the stop factor is due to the green light turning left / right. The deceleration factor and the stop factor are likely to be resolved immediately, and it is predicted that the host vehicle does not necessarily need to be decelerated or stopped (S06).

  In step 03, when the preceding vehicle is not decelerating, the deceleration stop factor predicting unit 84 determines whether or not the target intersection is passed (S07). A thing is predicted (S08). On the other hand, if the vehicle does not pass through the intersection, the process returns to step 03.

  The driving assistance ECU 90 performs driving assistance control when the preceding vehicle decelerates and stops due to a red signal according to the prediction of the forward situation prediction ECU 80, and controls the deceleration and stop of the own vehicle. On the other hand, in the case of other predictions, the driving assistance ECU 90 temporarily suspends execution of driving assistance control.

  Thus, according to the forward situation prediction ECU 80 of the first embodiment, the storage unit 83 stores in advance a deceleration pattern (speed change pattern) when the signalized intersection is a red signal. Then, the deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84 determines whether or not the deceleration factor of the preceding vehicle depends on whether or not the traveling state information (for example, speed or acceleration / deceleration) of the preceding vehicle acquired by the surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81 matches the deceleration pattern. Alternatively, a stop factor can be predicted, and based on this prediction, the traffic flow situation at the front signalized intersection can be predicted.

  According to the driving support device 1 of the first embodiment that uses the prediction by the forward situation prediction ECU 80, driving support can be suppressed except for a red signal that does not necessarily require deceleration and stop, so unnecessary acceleration / deceleration is suppressed. In addition, fuel efficient driving and smooth traffic flow can be realized.

  By the way, conventionally, in order for the driver to acquire the information of the red signal, there is a method in which the driver himself visually observes, predicts the red signal from the experience of traveling many times, or acquires the signal cycle information from the infrastructure equipment. Has been devised.

  However, there was a situation that could not be recognized by direct visual observation of the driver or prediction based on experience. For example, in a situation where the driver cannot visually see a red signal, such as an intersection with a poor visibility such as a curve, or a truck traveling just before, the signal light color cannot be confirmed. In such a situation, even an autonomous sensor that monitors the periphery of the vehicle using a sensor, a camera, or the like cannot be recognized.

  In this way, even if the driver can not see directly, it is possible to predict that it will turn red on the road that runs on a daily basis, but the red signal timing is predicted on the road that runs for the first time or the road that does not pass very much Difficult to do.

  Currently, for example, a system that acquires signal cycle information from roadside infrastructure facilities has been devised, but it is difficult to install infrastructure facilities at all intersections. Moreover, even if the infrastructure equipment is arranged, there are problems such as that information on a plurality of intersections cannot be acquired due to communication restrictions, and information cannot be acquired unless the communicable distance is reached. For example, even if this kind of infrastructure facility can be installed, the infrastructure facility only provides information on one intersection with respect to one facility, so information on a plurality of intersections cannot be acquired. Further, since communication is spot-like or the communication distance is limited, information on distant intersections cannot be obtained, and information cannot be obtained until communication is established.

However, according to the forward situation prediction ECU 80, all the above problems can be solved. In particular, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to install infrastructure equipment for supplying signal cycle information.
[Second Embodiment]

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a driving support apparatus according to the second embodiment. A driving support device 1A shown in FIG. 4 is different from the first embodiment in that the driving support device 1 includes an ECU 50A instead of the ECU 50. The other configuration of the driving support device 1A is the same as that of the driving support device 1.

  The ECU 50A is different from the first embodiment in that the ECU 50 includes a forward situation prediction ECU 80A instead of the forward situation prediction ECU 80. The other configuration of the ECU 50A is the same as that of the ECU 50.

  The forward situation prediction ECU 80A replaces the surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81, the signal intersection information acquisition unit 82, the storage unit 83, and the deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84 in the forward situation prediction ECU 80, and includes a surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81A and a signal intersection information acquisition unit. 82A, the memory | storage part 83A, and the structure provided with the deceleration stop factor prediction part 84A differ from 1st Embodiment. Further, the forward situation prediction ECU 80A further includes a probability calculation unit 85, and is different from the first embodiment. The other configuration of the forward situation prediction ECU 80A is the same as that of the forward situation prediction ECU 80.

  The storage unit 83A previously stores a deceleration pattern (speed change pattern) for turning right and left of the green signal in addition to the deceleration pattern for the red signal described above. As described above, the deceleration pattern for the right and left turn of the green signal is different from the deceleration pattern for the red signal that has different characteristics of the dependent traveling vehicles, and the deceleration pattern of the dependent traveling vehicles is similar. Have. The storage unit 83A preferably stores a plurality of deceleration patterns having similar timings of deceleration actions, that is, deceleration patterns of a plurality of subordinate traveling vehicles. In this case, each deceleration pattern is preferably stored in association with a deceleration action start position or the like. The deceleration pattern is obtained in advance by simulation or experiment, for example. The deceleration pattern may be obtained as a history when actually passing through a signalized intersection, for example.

  The deceleration stop factor predicting unit 84A performs not only matching between the acquired traveling state information of the preceding vehicle and the deceleration pattern for the red signal, but also by matching the traveling state information of the preceding vehicle and the deceleration pattern for turning the green light right and left. A deceleration factor or a stop factor is predicted, and a traffic flow situation at a signal intersection ahead is predicted based on the prediction.

  With this configuration, the forward situation prediction ECU 80A can improve the prediction accuracy of the traffic flow situation at the front signalized intersection.

  Further, the forward situation prediction ECU 80A further increases the prediction accuracy of the traffic flow situation at the signalized intersection ahead by using the stop position prediction of the preceding vehicle, route guidance information, turn signal information, road alignment information, hazard information, and the like. Can do. This will be described in detail below.

  The surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81A uses, for example, the inter-vehicle communication device 41, in addition to the speed, acceleration / deceleration, and position as the traveling state information of the preceding vehicle, for example, route guidance information of the navigation device, turn signal information, and Get hazard information.

  The signal intersection information acquisition unit 82A uses, for example, the road-to-vehicle communication device 42, as the signal intersection information ahead, in addition to the signal intersection position and the stop line position, for example, road linear information (straight, Lane information such as right turn and left turn).

  The probability calculation unit 85 performs weighted probability calculation using the forward vehicle stop position prediction, route guidance information, turn signal information, road alignment information, and hazard information obtained from the speed, deceleration, and position of the preceding vehicle, The probability of deceleration and stop for red traffic light and the probability of deceleration and stop for green traffic light turn left and right are obtained. Note that the probability calculation unit 85 may always obtain the probability using all of these pieces of information, or may obtain the probability by selecting these pieces of information according to the situation.

  For example, when the stop position prediction of the preceding vehicle is before the intersection, there is a high probability of deceleration due to a red signal, and when the stop position prediction is a position beyond the stop line (for example, near the intersection center) There is a high probability of slowing down for a green light. In addition, when the vehicle ahead is stopped in a direction to turn left or right at the intersection, there is a high probability of waiting for a green light.

  Also, for example, when the route guidance of the vehicle ahead shows straight ahead at the intersection, there is a high probability of deceleration due to a red light, and when the route guidance indicates an intersection right or left turn, the probability of deceleration due to a green light right / left turn Is expensive.

  For example, when the blinker of the vehicle ahead does not come out, there is a high probability of deceleration due to a red signal, and when there is a blinker, there is a high probability of deceleration due to a green light turning left or right.

  Also, for example, when the vehicle ahead is traveling in a straight lane, there is a high probability of deceleration due to a red signal, and when there are stopped vehicles in multiple lanes, the vehicle is stopped due to a red signal. Probability is high. On the other hand, if the vehicle ahead is driving in a right / left turn lane, there is a high probability of deceleration for a green light left / right turn. There is a high probability.

  In addition, for example, when the vehicle ahead is decelerating and stopping due to a hazard, there is a low probability of a deceleration or a stop due to a red light stop or a green light left or right turn, for example, a deceleration or stop due to a traffic jam Is likely.

  The deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84A predicts a deceleration factor or a stop factor based on the probability obtained by the probability calculation unit 85 in addition to the deceleration pattern matching stored in advance as described above. Predict traffic flow conditions at signalized intersections.

  Next, the operation of the forward situation prediction ECU 80A of the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a forward situation prediction process performed by the second forward situation prediction ECU 80A.

  First, the surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81A acquires route guidance information, turn signal information, and hazard information as traveling state information of at least one preceding vehicle, in addition to the speed, acceleration / deceleration, and position of the preceding vehicle ( S01A). Next, in addition to the position of the intersection and the position of the stop line, the signal intersection information acquisition unit 82 acquires road alignment information (lane information such as straight, right and left turns) in addition to the position of the intersection and the position of the stop line. (S02A). Next, the deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84A determines whether the preceding vehicle is decelerating based on the acquired speed or acceleration / deceleration (S03).

  When the preceding vehicle is decelerating, it is determined whether or not the deceleration pattern of the preceding vehicle based on the speed or acceleration / deceleration matches the deceleration pattern in the red signal of the target intersection stored in the storage unit 83A. When the speed or acceleration / deceleration of a plurality of front vehicles is obtained, each of a plurality of speed patterns based on the speed or acceleration / deceleration is stored in the storage unit 83A based on the subordinate travel position or the deceleration action start position. It is determined whether or not each of the plurality of deceleration patterns is matched (S04).

  When matching the deceleration pattern for the red signal, the probability calculation unit 85 predicts the stop position of the preceding vehicle obtained from the speed, deceleration, and position of the preceding vehicle, route guidance information, turn signal information, road alignment information, Then, a weighted probability calculation using the hazard information is performed to obtain a red signal probability (S11). Thereafter, the deceleration stop factor predicting unit 84A determines whether or not the obtained red signal probability is equal to or higher than a threshold value (S12). The predicting unit 84A predicts that the deceleration factor and stop factor of the preceding vehicle are due to a red signal, and based on this prediction, there is a high possibility that the host vehicle needs to decelerate and stop in the traffic flow at the front signalized intersection. (S13). On the other hand, if the obtained red signal probability is less than the threshold value, the process returns to step 04.

  In step 04, if the deceleration pattern for the red signal is not matched, the deceleration pattern of the preceding vehicle based on the speed or acceleration / deceleration is matched with the deceleration pattern for the left / right turn at the target intersection stored in the storage unit 83A. It is determined whether or not to do so. When the speed or acceleration / deceleration of a plurality of front vehicles is obtained, each of a plurality of speed patterns based on the speed or acceleration / deceleration is stored in the storage unit 83A based on the subordinate travel position or the deceleration action start position. It is determined whether or not each of the plurality of deceleration patterns is matched (S14).

  When matching with a deceleration pattern for a green light left / right turn, the probability calculation unit 85 performs a weighted probability calculation using the stop position prediction of the preceding vehicle, route guidance information, turn signal information, road linear information, and hazard information, The probability of a green light left / right turn is determined (S15). Thereafter, the deceleration stop factor predicting unit 84A determines whether or not the obtained green signal right / left turn probability is equal to or higher than a threshold value (S16). The stop factor predicting unit 84A predicts that the deceleration factor and stop factor of the preceding vehicle are due to the green light turning left and right. Based on this prediction, the deceleration factor and the stop factor may be resolved immediately in the traffic flow at the traffic signal ahead. Therefore, it is predicted that deceleration and stop of the own vehicle are not necessarily required (S17). On the other hand, if the obtained probability of turning right and left of the green light is less than the threshold, the process returns to step 04.

  In step 14, when it does not match the deceleration pattern for the green light right / left turn, the deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84A determines whether the preceding vehicle stops at the intersection (S18) and stops. Therefore, it is predicted that the deceleration factor and stop factor of the vehicle ahead will be due to other factors (such as traffic jams). Based on this prediction, the deceleration factor and the stop factor may be resolved immediately in the traffic flow at the front signalized intersection. Therefore, it is predicted that deceleration and stop of the own vehicle are not necessarily required (S19). On the other hand, when not stopping, it transfers to step 15.

  In step 03, when the preceding vehicle is not decelerating, the processes of steps 07 to 08 described above are performed.

  The driving assistance ECU 90 performs driving assistance control when the preceding vehicle decelerates and stops due to a red signal according to the prediction of the forward situation prediction ECU 80A, and controls deceleration and stop of the own vehicle. On the other hand, in the case of other predictions, the driving assistance ECU 90 temporarily suspends execution of driving assistance control.

  As described above, the forward situation prediction ECU 80A and the driving assistance device 1A of the second embodiment have the same configurations as the forward situation prediction ECU 80 and the driving assistance device 1 of the first embodiment, respectively. Benefits can be gained.

  Furthermore, according to the forward situation prediction ECU 80A of the second embodiment, in addition to the deceleration pattern for the red signal, the deceleration pattern for the right and left turn of the green signal is stored in advance by the storage unit 83A. Since the predicting unit 84A predicts the deceleration factor or stop factor of the preceding vehicle based on the matching by the deceleration pattern for the green light right / left turn in addition to the matching by the deceleration pattern for the red signal, the traffic at the signal intersection ahead The prediction accuracy of the flow situation can be increased.

  Furthermore, according to the forward situation prediction ECU 80A of the second embodiment, the probability calculation unit 85 predicts the stop position of the forward vehicle obtained from the speed, deceleration, and position of the forward vehicle, route guidance information, turn signal information, road The weighted probability calculation is performed using the linear information and the hazard information, and the probability of deceleration and stop for the red signal and the probability of deceleration and stop for the green light left and right turn are obtained. Then, the deceleration / stop factor prediction unit 84A predicts the deceleration factor or stop factor of the preceding vehicle based on the obtained red signal probability and green signal right / left turn probability in addition to the deceleration pattern matching described above. The prediction accuracy of the traffic flow situation at the signalized intersection can be improved.

  Thus, by predicting a red traffic light intersection, it is possible to grasp the bottleneck of the host vehicle travel route, and it is possible to obtain not only information on the next intersection but also information on a plurality of intersections. As a result, since it can be used for generating a speed pattern of the host vehicle, it is possible to suppress useless acceleration / deceleration, to perform driving with good fuel efficiency, and to provide smooth driving support.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the present embodiment, the storage units 83 and 83A for storing the speed change pattern in advance are provided in the host vehicle. However, the storage units 83 and 83A may be provided in an external information center or the like. In this case, the forward situation prediction ECUs 80 and 80A and the information center storage units 83 and 83A constitute a forward situation prediction apparatus. And forward situation prediction ECU80, 80A should just acquire a speed change pattern from the memory | storage parts 83,83A using the communication devices 40. FIG.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the traffic flow state of the front signal intersection is predicted based on the traveling state information of the surrounding vehicle in which the host vehicle directly performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The traffic flow state at the front signalized intersection may be predicted based on the running state of surrounding vehicles.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the traffic flow state at the front signal intersection is predicted by matching with the speed change pattern for the red signal, but the speed change pattern for the red signal and the speed for the right and left turn of the green signal The traffic flow state at the front signalized intersection may be predicted by matching with at least one of the change patterns.

  For example, when predicting the traffic flow state at the front signal intersection by matching with the speed change pattern for the green light right / left turn, the storage unit 83 replaces the speed change pattern for the red light with the speed change pattern for the green light left / right turn. The speed change pattern is stored in advance, and the deceleration stop factor prediction unit 84 stores the speed change pattern for the green light left / right turn stored in the storage unit 83 and the traveling state information of the preceding vehicle acquired by the surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 81. These deceleration patterns are matched with the deceleration pattern based on (S04 in FIG. 3). If the deceleration pattern matches, the deceleration / stop factor prediction unit 84 predicts that the deceleration factor of the preceding vehicle and the stop factor are due to a green light left / right turn (S06 in FIG. 3), and if the deceleration pattern does not match, The deceleration stop factor predicting unit 84 predicts that the deceleration factor and stop factor of the preceding vehicle are due to a red signal (S05 in FIG. 3). Even in this case, the same advantages as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  On the other hand, the form of predicting the traffic flow state at the front signalized intersection by matching with both the speed change pattern for the red light and the speed change pattern for the right and left turn of the green light is considered as in the second embodiment. Good. For example, when matching with a speed change pattern for a red signal (S04 in FIG. 5), it is predicted that a deceleration factor and a stop factor of the preceding vehicle are due to a red signal (S13 in FIG. 5). If it does not match the speed change pattern and matches the speed change pattern for the green light right / left turn (S14 in FIG. 5), it is predicted that the deceleration factor and stop factor of the preceding vehicle are due to the green light right / left turn (FIG. 5). S17), if it does not match the speed change pattern for the green light right / left turn, it is predicted that the deceleration factor and stop factor of the preceding vehicle are other (congestion etc.) (S19 in FIG. 5). In this case, the prediction accuracy can be increased.

  In the present embodiment, the traffic flow state at the front signal intersection is predicted by matching the speed change pattern for red traffic light and the speed change pattern for green traffic light left and right turn. The prediction accuracy may be increased using a pattern. For example, it is possible to use matching with a speed change pattern for a traffic jam.

  In the present embodiment, matching based on the speed change pattern is used. However, matching based on the acceleration change pattern may be used.

  Further, in this embodiment, the front vehicle stop position prediction, route guidance information, turn signal information, road alignment information, and hazard information obtained from the speed, deceleration, and position of the preceding vehicle are used to determine the signal intersection ahead. Although the prediction accuracy of the traffic flow state has been improved, other information may be used. For example, as other information, it is possible to use information such as a stop lamp lighting timing and an accelerator OFF timing.

  In the present embodiment, the stop position of the preceding vehicle is predicted from the speed, deceleration, and position of the preceding vehicle. However, as a stop action with a red light, information on a place where there is a possibility of stopping is displayed as time. The accuracy may be improved by obtaining the characteristics of the belt and the characteristics of the target intersection using an information center or road-to-vehicle communication.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1A ... Driving assistance device, 10 ... Perimeter monitoring sensor, 20 ... Vehicle sensor, 30 ... Navigation system, 40 ... Communication equipment, 41 ... Inter-vehicle communication device, 42 ... Road-to-vehicle communication device, 43 ... GPS device, 60 ... various actuators, 70 ... audiovisual display device, 80, 80A ... forward situation prediction ECU (forward situation prediction device), 81, 81A ... peripheral vehicle information acquisition unit (information acquisition means), 82, 82A ... signal intersection information acquisition unit, 83, 83A ... Storage unit (storage unit), 84, 84A ... Deceleration stop factor prediction unit (deceleration stop factor prediction unit), 85 ... Probability calculation unit, 90 ... Driving support ECU.

Claims (3)

Information acquisition means for acquiring driving state information of surrounding vehicles;
Storage means for storing in advance a vehicle speed change pattern for a signalized intersection;
By comparing the traveling state information of at least one forward vehicle acquired by the information acquisition means with the speed change pattern stored in the storage means, and predicting a deceleration factor or a stop factor of the forward vehicle, A deceleration stop factor predicting means for predicting traffic flow conditions;
A forward situation prediction device comprising: The storage means stores at least one of a vehicle red signal speed change pattern for a red signal at a signalized intersection and a vehicle right / left turn speed change pattern for a green light left / right turn at the signalized intersection. Pre-store as
The forward situation prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The information acquisition means acquires speed information, acceleration information, position information, direction information, route guidance information, turn signal information, road linear information, and hazard information as the driving state information of the surrounding vehicles,
The deceleration stop factor prediction means further performs stop position prediction based on speed information, acceleration information, and position information of at least one preceding vehicle acquired by the information acquisition means, and predicts the stop position of the preceding vehicle, Predicting a deceleration factor or a stop factor of the preceding vehicle based on at least one of position information, direction information, route guidance information, turn signal information, road alignment information, and hazard information;
The forward situation prediction apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above-mentioned.

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