JP2012098872A - Drive support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive support device capable of suppressing disorder of a traffic flow when one's own vehicle is stopped before a pedestrian.SOLUTION: A drive support device 1 includes: a pedestrian information receiver 2 for receiving information of a crossing pedestrian existing in front of one's own vehicle; a subsequent vehicle information acquisition part 10 for acquiring information of a subsequent vehicle traveling in the rear of one's own vehicle; a system control ECU 5; and an information providing device 6. The system control ECU 5 calculates necessary deceleration for stopping one's own vehicle before the pedestrian based on crossing pedestrian information and the like, and determines that the information providing device 6 notifies a driver of one's own vehicle of the crossing pedestrian information when it is determined that deceleration amplification transmission to the subsequent vehicle is not generated in the case where one's own vehicle is stopped before the crossing pedestrian based on the subsequent vehicle information when the necessary deceleration is not larger than stipulated deceleration.

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle.

  As a conventional driving assistance device, for example, a device described in Patent Document 1 is known. When the driving support device described in Patent Literature 1 estimates the behavior of the pedestrian by the mobile terminal device that the pedestrian has, and determines that the behavior of the pedestrian needs attention for a vehicle traveling in the vicinity of the pedestrian, By transmitting the current position information (pedestrian information) of the mobile terminal device to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle, the vehicle occupant is notified in advance that attention is required.

JP 2009-123105 A

  However, in the prior art described above, no consideration is given to the influence on surrounding vehicles traveling around the host vehicle. Specifically, when there is a subsequent vehicle that travels behind the host vehicle, the mobile terminal device is notified of the pedestrian information from the mobile terminal device, so that the host vehicle tries to stop in front of the pedestrian, The traffic flow may be disturbed, for example, the deceleration propagation to the following vehicle is amplified and a traffic jam occurs.

  The objective of this invention is providing the driving assistance apparatus which can suppress disorder of the traffic flow at the time of the own vehicle stopping in front of a pedestrian.

  The driving support device of the present invention includes a pedestrian information acquisition unit that acquires information of a pedestrian existing in front of the host vehicle, a subsequent vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information of a subsequent vehicle that travels behind the host vehicle, Based on the deceleration calculation means for calculating the necessary deceleration for stopping the host vehicle before the pedestrian and the subsequent vehicle information acquired by the subsequent vehicle information acquisition means, the necessary deceleration is decelerated and amplified to the subsequent vehicle. Deceleration / amplification propagation determination means for determining whether or not to propagate, and the deceleration / amplification propagation determination means determines that the own vehicle is to be stopped in front of the pedestrian when it is determined that the required deceleration is not to be amplified and propagated to the following vehicle. And a stop determination means.

  Thus, in the driving assistance device of the present invention, when calculating the necessary deceleration for stopping the host vehicle in front of the pedestrian, when it is determined that the necessary deceleration is not to be propagated by deceleration to the following vehicle, By determining that the host vehicle is stopped before the pedestrian, when the host vehicle stops before the pedestrian, the subsequent vehicle is prevented from repeating acceleration and deceleration by deceleration amplification propagation. Thereby, disturbance of traffic flow can be suppressed.

  Preferably, when it is determined by the stop determination means that the host vehicle is stopped before the pedestrian, the driver of the host vehicle is notified of pedestrian information, or the host vehicle is stopped before the pedestrian. Supporting means for controlling is further provided. When it is not determined by the stop determination means that the host vehicle is stopped before the pedestrian, the driver of the host vehicle is notified of the information of the pedestrian, or the host vehicle is controlled to stop before the pedestrian. Therefore, excessive driving assistance can be prevented.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, disturbance of the traffic flow at the time of the own vehicle stopping before a pedestrian can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of traffic jams and improve the fuel consumption of each vehicle.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of one Embodiment of the driving assistance device concerning this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a mode that the own vehicle performs communication between steps and communication between road vehicles. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the process sequence performed by system control ECU shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of other embodiment of the driving assistance device concerning this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a mode that the own vehicle performs communication between steps, communication between road vehicles, etc., and a mode that the own vehicle acquires subsequent vehicle information. 5 is a flowchart showing details of a processing procedure executed by the system control ECU shown in FIG. 4. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the positional relationship of a preceding vehicle and a following vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of other embodiment of the driving assistance device concerning this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a mode that the own vehicle performs communication between steps, communication between road vehicles, etc. and a mode that the own vehicle acquires subsequent vehicle information and oncoming vehicle information. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the process sequence performed by system control ECU shown in FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a driving support apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, the driving support device 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle. The driving support device 1 includes a pedestrian information receiver 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, navigation 4, a system control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 5, and an information providing device 6. The pedestrian information receiver 2, the vehicle speed sensor 3, the navigation 4, and the information providing device 6 are connected to the system control ECU 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pedestrian information receiver 2 receives information (crossing pedestrian information) of a pedestrian (crossing pedestrian) Q trying to cross a pedestrian crossing located in front of the host vehicle P. It is. The pedestrian information receiver 2 receives crossing pedestrian information transmitted from the mobile terminal 7 possessed by the crossing pedestrian Q, infrastructure equipment 8 such as an optical beacon installed on the road, and the center 9.

  Although not specifically illustrated, the mobile terminal 7 includes a GPS receiving unit that acquires the current position of the mobile terminal 7, a memory unit that stores map information, and a communication unit that communicates with the vehicle and the center 9. The intention of the pedestrian to cross the pedestrian crossing can be notified through communication automatically or manually.

  The vehicle speed sensor 3 is a sensor that detects the speed (vehicle speed) of the host vehicle. The navigation 4 includes a GPS receiver and a map information storage unit (not shown), and acquires information such as the current position of the host vehicle and the position of a pedestrian crossing. The information providing device 6 is a device that provides crossing pedestrian information to the driver of the host vehicle by screen display or voice.

  The system control ECU 5 includes a CPU, a memory such as a ROM and a RAM, an input / output circuit, and the like. The system control ECU 5 inputs the crossing pedestrian information received by the pedestrian information receiver 2, the vehicle speed data value detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3, and the information (navigation information) acquired by the navigation 4, performs a predetermined process, The providing device 6 determines whether to notify crossing pedestrian information.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of a processing procedure executed by the system control ECU 5 shown in FIG. In the figure, crossing pedestrian information received by the pedestrian information receiver 2 is first acquired (step S101).

  Subsequently, based on the crossing pedestrian information, the vehicle speed data value, and the navigation information, a necessary deceleration for stopping the host vehicle in front of the pedestrian is calculated (step S102). The necessary deceleration is calculated from the distance from the current position of the host vehicle to the pedestrian (pedestrian crossing) and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the required deceleration is larger than the specified deceleration (step S103). The specified deceleration is a deceleration for appropriately and smoothly stopping the host vehicle in front of the crossing pedestrian, and is determined in advance from distance data to the crossing pedestrian and vehicle speed data of the host vehicle.

  If the required deceleration is greater than the specified deceleration, it is determined that it is difficult to stop the vehicle properly and smoothly in front of the crossing pedestrian, and the crossing pedestrian information is not notified to the driver of the own vehicle. (Procedure S104).

  When the required deceleration is not greater than the specified deceleration, the crossing pedestrian information is requested to request the stop of the own vehicle as it is possible to stop the own vehicle appropriately and smoothly before the crossing pedestrian. Is transmitted to the information providing apparatus 6 (step S105).

  As described above, in this embodiment, only when it is determined that the host vehicle can be stopped appropriately and smoothly before the crossing pedestrian, the crossing pedestrian information is given to the driver of the own vehicle. Since the notification is given, the driver can perform a calm deceleration operation. It is also advantageous for improving the fuel consumption of the host vehicle.

  In addition, when it is not determined that the host vehicle can be stopped appropriately and smoothly before the crossing pedestrian, the crossing pedestrian information is not notified to the driver of the own vehicle. Thus, the troublesomeness felt by the driver can be reduced.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the driving support apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the driving support device 1 of the present embodiment further includes a subsequent vehicle information acquisition unit 10 connected to the system control ECU 5.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the subsequent vehicle information acquisition unit 10 acquires information (following vehicle information) of the subsequent vehicle R that travels behind the host vehicle P. The following vehicle information includes information such as the presence / absence of the following vehicle R, the speed of the following vehicle R, the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle P and the following vehicle R, and the like. The succeeding vehicle information acquisition unit 10 may be a sensor such as a rear millimeter wave radar or a receiver that receives information from the following vehicle R, the infrastructure facility 8, and the center 9.

  The system control ECU 5 inputs the above-mentioned crossing pedestrian information, vehicle speed data value and navigation information, and the following vehicle information acquired by the following vehicle information acquisition unit 10, performs a predetermined process, and the information providing device 6 performs the crossing pedestrian. Determine whether to notify information.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of a processing procedure executed by the system control ECU 5 shown in FIG. In the figure, first, the above steps S101 to S103 are executed, and if it is determined in step S103 that the required deceleration is not greater than the specified deceleration, the following vehicle is located behind the host vehicle based on the following vehicle information. It is determined whether it exists (step S111).

  When there is a following vehicle behind the own vehicle, it is determined based on the following vehicle information whether or not deceleration amplification propagation occurs in the following vehicle when the own vehicle stops before the crossing pedestrian (step S112). ). Here, the determination of the occurrence of deceleration amplification propagation is performed, for example, as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the positions of the preceding vehicle (own vehicle) P and the following vehicle (following vehicle) R are set to x ₀ (t) and x ₁ (t), respectively. Since the following vehicle R is affected by the movement of the preceding vehicle P, the movement of the following vehicle R can be expressed by the speed of the preceding vehicle P and the own vehicle speed (the speed of the following vehicle R). However, since the following vehicle R moves after seeing the movement of the preceding vehicle P, a slight delay occurs. Let T be the delay time. In addition, how sensitively it reacts to the movement of the preceding vehicle P depends on the driver of the following vehicle R. If the driver sensitivity is α, the following relational expression holds. In addition, the left side of the following formula represents acceleration, and the parentheses in the right side of the following formula represent speed.

At this time, it is said that the condition in which the deceleration propagation is amplified and the traffic flow is disturbed is expressed by the following equation.
αT <1/2

  Therefore, it is possible to determine the occurrence of deceleration propagation amplification by determining α and T from the subsequent vehicle information acquired by the subsequent vehicle information acquisition unit 10 and applying the above conditional expression.

  Returning to FIG. 6, when it is determined in step S112 that deceleration amplification propagation occurs in the following vehicle when the own vehicle stops before the crossing pedestrian, it is determined not to notify the driver of the own vehicle of the crossing pedestrian information. (Procedure S104).

  When it is determined in step S111 that there is no subsequent vehicle behind the host vehicle, and it is determined in step S112 that deceleration amplification propagation does not occur in the subsequent vehicle when the host vehicle stops before the crossing pedestrian. In order to request the stop of the host vehicle, it is determined that the driver of the host vehicle is notified of the crossing pedestrian information, and the crossing pedestrian information is sent to the information providing device 6 (step S105).

  In the above, said pedestrian information receiver 2 and said procedure S101 of system control ECU5 comprise the pedestrian information acquisition means which acquires the information of the pedestrian who exists ahead of the own vehicle. The subsequent vehicle information acquisition unit 10 constitutes a subsequent vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information of a subsequent vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 3 and the navigation 4 and the procedure S102 of the system control ECU 5 constitute a deceleration calculation means for calculating a necessary deceleration for stopping the host vehicle in front of the pedestrian. Steps S111 and S112 of the system control ECU 5 constitute deceleration amplification propagation determination means for determining whether the necessary deceleration is to be propagated by deceleration to the subsequent vehicle based on the information on the subsequent vehicle acquired by the subsequent vehicle information acquisition means. To do. The step S105 of the system control ECU 5 includes stop determination means for determining that the own vehicle is to be stopped before the pedestrian when it is determined by the deceleration amplification propagation determination means that the required deceleration is not to be reduced and propagated to the following vehicle. Constitute.

  Moreover, said information provision apparatus 6 comprises the support means which notifies a pedestrian's information to the driver of the own vehicle, when it is judged by the stop judgment means that the own vehicle is stopped in front of the pedestrian.

  By the way, if amplification of deceleration propagation from the own vehicle to the following vehicle occurs, the following vehicle frequently repeats acceleration and deceleration, which causes a traffic jam and consequently disturbs the traffic flow.

  In contrast, in the present embodiment, when there is a subsequent vehicle behind the host vehicle, it is determined that the host vehicle can be stopped appropriately and smoothly before the crossing pedestrian, and When the vehicle stops in front of the crossing pedestrian, the crossing pedestrian information is notified to the driver of the own vehicle only when it is judged that the deceleration amplification propagation does not occur in the following vehicle. Frequent deceleration is prevented and congestion is less likely to occur. Thereby, disturbance of traffic flow can be suppressed. As a result, the fuel efficiency of the vehicle in the entire traffic flow can be improved.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of still another embodiment of the driving support apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, the driving support apparatus 1 of the present embodiment further includes an oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 11 and an inter-vehicle communication device 12 connected to the system control ECU 5 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 11 acquires information on the oncoming vehicle S existing in front of the host vehicle P (oncoming vehicle information). The oncoming vehicle information includes information such as the presence / absence of the oncoming vehicle S, the position and speed of the oncoming vehicle S, the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle P and the oncoming vehicle S, and the presence / absence of the following vehicle traveling behind the oncoming vehicle S. The oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 11 may be a sensor such as a forward millimeter wave radar, or a receiver that receives information from the oncoming vehicle S, the infrastructure facility 8, and the center 9. The inter-vehicle communication device 12 is a device that performs inter-vehicle communication between the host vehicle P and another vehicle.

  The system control ECU 5 inputs the above-mentioned crossing pedestrian information, vehicle speed data value, navigation information, and subsequent vehicle information, and the oncoming vehicle information acquired by the oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 11, performs a predetermined process, and provides the information providing device 6 To determine whether to notify crossing pedestrian information.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of a processing procedure executed by the system control ECU 5 shown in FIG. In the figure, first, the above steps S101 to S103, S111, and S112 are executed. When it is determined in step S111 that there is no subsequent vehicle behind the host vehicle, the host vehicle is in front of the crossing pedestrian in step S112. When it is determined that deceleration amplification propagation does not occur in the following vehicle when stopping, it is determined whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle ahead of the host vehicle based on the oncoming vehicle information (step S121).

  When there is no oncoming vehicle in front of the host vehicle, it is determined to notify the driver of the host vehicle of crossing pedestrian information to request the stop of the host vehicle, and the crossing pedestrian information is sent to the information providing device 6. (Procedure S105).

  When there is an oncoming vehicle in front of the host vehicle, a necessary deceleration for stopping the oncoming vehicle in front of the crossing pedestrian is calculated based on the crossing pedestrian information, the navigation information, and the oncoming vehicle information (step S122). ). The required deceleration of the oncoming vehicle is calculated from the distance from the current position of the oncoming vehicle to the pedestrian (pedestrian crossing) and the vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether the required deceleration of the oncoming vehicle is larger than the specified deceleration (step S123). When the necessary deceleration of the oncoming vehicle is larger than the specified deceleration, it is determined that the crossing pedestrian information is not notified to the driver of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle (step S104).

  When the necessary deceleration of the oncoming vehicle is not greater than the specified deceleration, it is determined whether there is a subsequent vehicle behind the oncoming vehicle based on the oncoming vehicle information (step S124). When there is a subsequent vehicle behind the oncoming vehicle, it is determined whether deceleration amplification propagation occurs in the subsequent vehicle behind the oncoming vehicle when the oncoming vehicle stops in front of the crossing pedestrian (step S125). When the oncoming vehicle stops in front of the crossing pedestrian and the deceleration amplification propagation occurs in the following vehicle behind the oncoming vehicle, it is determined that the crossing pedestrian information is not notified to the driver of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle (procedure) S104).

  When it is determined in step S124 that there is no subsequent vehicle behind the oncoming vehicle, if the oncoming vehicle stops in front of the crossing pedestrian in step S125, deceleration amplification and propagation will not occur in the subsequent vehicle behind the oncoming vehicle. When the determination is made, it is determined to notify the driver of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle of the crossing pedestrian information to request the stop of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, and the crossing pedestrian information is sent to the information providing device 6. The crossing pedestrian information is transmitted to the oncoming vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication device 12 (step S126).

  In the present embodiment, when there is an oncoming vehicle in front of the host vehicle, it is determined that the oncoming vehicle can be stopped appropriately and smoothly before the crossing pedestrian, and the oncoming vehicle is Only when it is judged that deceleration amplification propagation does not occur in the following vehicle traveling behind the oncoming vehicle when stopping before the crossing pedestrian, the crossing pedestrian information is notified to the driver of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. Therefore, the disturbance of the traffic flow can be suppressed not only in the lane in which the host vehicle travels but also in the lane in which the oncoming vehicle travels. As a result, the occurrence of traffic congestion can be further suppressed, and the fuel efficiency of the vehicle in the entire traffic flow can be further improved.

  At this time, since the drivers of the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can mutually know that the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle stop before the crossing pedestrian, it is possible to perform a calm deceleration operation.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, when stopping the own vehicle in front of the crossing pedestrian, the crossing pedestrian information is notified to the driver of the own vehicle. However, the driving support method is not particularly limited thereto, and the own vehicle The brake of the host vehicle may be automatically controlled so that the vehicle is automatically stopped before the crossing pedestrian.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving assistance device, 2 ... Pedestrian information receiver (pedestrian information acquisition means), 3 ... Vehicle speed sensor (deceleration calculation means), 4 ... Navigation (deceleration calculation means), 5 ... System control ECU (pedestrian) Information acquisition means, deceleration calculation means, deceleration amplification propagation determination means, stop determination means), 6 ... information providing device (support means), 10 ... subsequent vehicle information acquisition unit (subsequent vehicle information acquisition means), P ... own vehicle, Q: Pedestrian, R: Subsequent vehicle.

Claims (2)

Pedestrian information acquisition means for acquiring information of a pedestrian existing in front of the host vehicle;
Subsequent vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring information of a subsequent vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle;
Deceleration calculation means for calculating a necessary deceleration for stopping the host vehicle before the pedestrian;
Deceleration amplification propagation determination means for determining whether the required deceleration is to be reduced and propagated to the subsequent vehicle based on the information on the subsequent vehicle acquired by the subsequent vehicle information acquisition means;
Stop determining means for determining that the host vehicle is to be stopped before the pedestrian when it is determined by the deceleration amplification propagation determining means that the required deceleration is not to be amplified and propagated to the succeeding vehicle. A featured driving support device.   When it is determined by the stop determining means that the host vehicle is stopped before the pedestrian, the driver of the host vehicle is notified of the pedestrian information or the host vehicle is positioned before the pedestrian. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising support means for controlling to stop.

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