JP2012208566A - In-vehicle control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To visually notify the situation of approach to a driver, according to a specific display form in the case where another vehicle approaches one's own vehicle.SOLUTION: In a control unit 11 of an in-vehicle control apparatus 10, a sensing area of one's own vehicle is set by a sensing area setting processing section 22, other vehicle sensing area specification information specifying a sensing area of another vehicle is acquired by another vehicle sensing area specification information acquisition processing section 24. The sensing area of the one's own vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle are displayed by a sensing area display processing section 25 and in the case where the sensing area of the one's own vehicle overlaps the sensing area of the other vehicle, a display mode in a portion overlapping the sensing area of the other vehicle in the sensing area of the one's own vehicle is changed by a display mode change processing section 26.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted control device that notifies a driver of an approach situation when another vehicle approaches the host vehicle.

  In recent years, various techniques have been considered for notifying the driver of the approach situation when another vehicle approaches the host vehicle. As this type of conventional technology, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for notifying the driver of the approaching state of another vehicle by changing the sound quality of the notification sound according to the distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle. ing. Further, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for notifying the driver of the approaching state of another vehicle by giving a stimulus such as compression or vibration to the driver according to the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicle.

JP 2008-257636 A JP 2009-129052 A

  The present invention relates to a technical field for notifying a driver of an approach situation when another vehicle approaches the host vehicle, and in particular, an in-vehicle control for visually informing the driver of the approach situation by a display format unique to the present invention. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  According to the in-vehicle control device of the first aspect, the sensing area setting means sets an area within a predetermined range including the current position of the host vehicle as the sensing area. The other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquiring unit acquires information for specifying the sensing area of the other vehicle set by the sensing area setting unit included in the other vehicle as the other vehicle sensing area specifying information. The sensing area display means includes a sensing area set by the sensing area setting means provided in the host vehicle, a sensing area of another vehicle specified based on the other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquired by the other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquiring means, Is displayed. When the current position of the host vehicle and / or the other vehicle moves and the sensing area of the host vehicle displayed by the sensing area display unit overlaps the sensing area of the other vehicle, the display mode changing unit The display mode of the part where the sensing areas of other vehicles overlap in the sensing area is changed.

  As a result, when another vehicle approaches the host vehicle, the approach status is displayed in a display format unique to the present invention, that is, when the sensing area of the host vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle overlap. The driver can be notified visually by a display format of changing the display mode of the portion where the sensing areas of other vehicles overlap.

  According to the vehicle-mounted control device of the second aspect, the sensing area display means is configured to display the sensing area of the own vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle with an annular area display line centering on the vehicle. And a display mode change means changes the area display line in the part which the sensing area of the other vehicle overlapped among the sensing areas of the own vehicle to a wave shape.

  According to the in-vehicle control device of claim 3, when the sensing area of the own vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle do not overlap, the sensing area display means displays the sensing area of the own vehicle and the other vehicle above the vehicle. Is displayed two-dimensionally from the viewpoint. If the sensing area of the host vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle approach as the current position of the host vehicle and / or the other vehicle moves, the sensing area of the other vehicle depends on the degree of the approach. Is displayed three-dimensionally so that

  These on-vehicle control devices according to claims 2 and 3 specifically limit an example of the display format of the approach status of other vehicles. That is, the in-vehicle control device of the present invention can adopt various display formats to visually notify the driver of the approaching state of other vehicles.

The functional block diagram which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention and shows the structure of a vehicle-mounted control apparatus roughly The figure which shows the example of a display in the state where the sensing area of the own vehicle and the sensing area of other vehicles do not overlap Diagram showing an example of steering Flow chart showing control contents by control unit of in-vehicle control device The figure which shows the example of a display in the state in which the sensing area of the own vehicle and the sensing area of other vehicles overlap FIG. 5 equivalent diagram showing different display examples (A), (b), (c) is a figure for demonstrating a different example of a display. The figure for demonstrating a modification

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an in-vehicle control device 10 (in-vehicle robot) mounted on a vehicle. In addition, this vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 is arrange | positioned inside the instrument panel of the vehicle which is not shown in figure, for example.
The in-vehicle control device 10 has a current position specifying unit 12, a display unit 13, an operation unit 14, a map data acquisition unit 15, a communication unit, centering on a control unit 11 mainly including a CPU and a ROM and RAM, for example. 16 etc. are provided. Further, the in-vehicle control device 10 executes a control program in the CPU of the control unit 11, thereby transmitting a vehicle surrounding situation monitoring processing unit 21, a sensing area setting processing unit 22 (corresponding to a sensing area setting unit), and sensing area specifying information transmission. Processing unit 23, other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquisition processing unit 24 (corresponding to other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquisition means), sensing area display processing unit 25 (corresponding to sensing area display means), display mode change processing unit 26 (display) The tactile sensation presentation processing unit 27, the collision avoidance operation suggestion processing unit 28, and the collision avoidance intervention operation execution unit 29 are virtually realized by software.

  The current position specifying unit 12 detects and specifies the current position of a vehicle (own vehicle) on which the in-vehicle control device 10 is mounted. The current position specifying unit 12 includes an orientation sensor, a gyro sensor, a distance sensor, a GPS receiver, and the like (not shown). The direction sensor detects the direction of the vehicle. The gyro sensor detects the rotation angle of the vehicle. The distance sensor detects the travel distance of the vehicle. The GPS receiver receives radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites in order to determine the current position of the vehicle by GPS (Global Positioning System).

The display unit 13 includes, for example, a color display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL, and is disposed at a position where the driver of the vehicle can easily see (for example, a position in front of the driver's seat on the instrument panel of the vehicle). . The control unit 11 displays various screens for assisting driving such as a vehicle surrounding state display screen and a vehicle route guidance screen described later on the display unit 13.
The operation unit 14 is separated from a mechanical switch provided in the vicinity of the screen of the display unit 13, a touch panel switch (for example, a capacitive touch panel switch) provided on the screen of the display unit 13, and the in-vehicle control device 10. It is composed of various operation means such as a remote control switch or a haptic device provided at the position (for example, the side of the driver's seat), a sound recognition operation device that inputs an operation signal based on the recognized voice. The user can input various commands for operating the in-vehicle control device 10 using the operation unit 14.

  The map data acquisition unit 15 acquires map data from a map data storage unit (not shown). The map data stored in the map data storage unit is road data, road data, background data, landmark data, map matching data, destination data, and traffic information formed by a plurality of nodes and links connecting the nodes. It contains various data such as table data for conversion. This map data includes information such as the name of the place, the name of the facility, and the location of each point or facility. The map data stored in the map data storage unit is read by the map data acquisition unit 15 by a drive device (not shown). As the map data storage unit, for example, a large-capacity storage medium such as a DVD or a CD, or a storage medium such as a memory card or a hard disk drive is used.

The communication unit 16 performs data communication with the in-vehicle control device 10 mounted on another vehicle, for example, via a wireless communication line. That is, the communication unit 16 has various data transmission functions and reception functions.
The vehicle surrounding situation monitoring processing unit 21 uses a monitoring device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle (for example, an in-vehicle camera, a laser device, an infrared device, etc.), and other vehicles existing around the vehicle (within a predetermined monitoring area). Is detected. In addition, the range of the monitoring area | region by this vehicle surrounding condition monitoring process part 21 can be changed and set suitably.

  The sensing area setting processing unit 22 sets an area within a predetermined range including the current position of the host vehicle specified by the current position specifying unit 12 as a sensing area. In this case, the sensing area setting processing unit 22 is configured to set a plurality of sensing areas around the current position of the host vehicle. That is, in this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the sensing area setting processing unit 22 performs a large sensing area A1 in which the predetermined range including the current position of the host vehicle is “large”, and a middle sensing in which the predetermined range is “medium”. Three sensing areas having different predetermined ranges are set as area A2 and small sensing area A3 where the predetermined range is “small”. The sensing area set by the sensing area setting processing unit 22 is a concept different from the monitoring area by the vehicle surrounding state monitoring processing unit 21 described above, and does not necessarily match the monitoring area by the vehicle surrounding state monitoring processing unit 21. This is not a limited area. In addition, the range of the sensing area can be changed and set as appropriate.

The sensing area specifying information transmission processing unit 23 transmits information for specifying the sensing area of the host vehicle set by the sensing area setting processing unit 22 via the communication unit 16 as sensing area specifying information.
The other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquisition processing unit 24 is set by the sensing area setting processing unit 22 included in the other vehicle and transmitted by the sensing area specifying information transmission processing unit 23 included in the other vehicle (sensing of other vehicle). Information for specifying the area) is acquired as the other vehicle sensing area specifying information via the communication unit 16.

  The sensing area display processing unit 25 is specified based on the sensing area set by the sensing area setting processing unit 22 included in the host vehicle and the other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquired by the other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquisition processing unit 24. A vehicle surrounding situation display screen (see FIG. 2) including a sensing area of another vehicle is displayed on the display unit 13. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the sensing area display processing unit 25 uses the annular area display lines a 1, a 2, and a 3 with the sensing areas A 1, A 2, and A 3 of the host vehicle centered on the current position of the host vehicle. The sensing area B of the other vehicle is displayed with an annular area display line b centered on the current position of the other vehicle.

  The sensing area setting processing unit 22 may be configured to set one sensing area for the own vehicle, and the sensing area display processing unit 25 may display one sensing area for the own vehicle. In addition, the sensing area setting processing unit 22 included in the other vehicle sets a plurality of sensing areas for the other vehicle, and the sensing area display processing unit 25 of the own vehicle displays the plurality of sensing areas for the other vehicle. May be.

  When the current position of the host vehicle and / or the other vehicle moves, the display mode change processing unit 26 overlaps the sensing area of the host vehicle displayed by the sensing area display processing unit 25 with the sensing area of the other vehicle. The display mode of the part where the sensing areas of other vehicles overlap in the sensing area of the own vehicle is changed. The contents of the display mode change processing by the display mode change processing unit 26 will be described later.

The tactile sensation presentation processing unit 27 performs a tactile sensation presentation process, which will be described in detail later, by generating vibrations in the vehicle steering 31 shown in FIG. In this case, the steering 31 includes left and right grips 31a and 31b, and each of the left and right grips 31a and 31b includes a plurality of vibrators 31c.
The collision avoidance operation proposal processing unit 28 executes a collision avoidance operation proposal process, which will be described in detail later.
The collision avoidance intervention operation execution unit 29 executes a collision avoidance intervention operation described later in detail.

Next, the operation content of the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
The control part 11 of the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 is sensing the other vehicle which exists in the circumference | surroundings of the own vehicle by the vehicle surrounding condition monitoring process part 21 (step F1). And if the control part 11 detects the other vehicle which exists in the circumference | surroundings (within the monitoring area | region of the vehicle periphery condition monitoring process part 21) of the own vehicle, it will communicate with the detected other vehicle via the communication part 16, for example. Car-to-vehicle communication is executed (step F2). In this communication, the control unit 11 transmits information related to the own vehicle (current position, traveling direction, traveling speed, traveling acceleration, vehicle type, etc. of the own vehicle) to the in-vehicle control device 10 of the other vehicle and also controls the other vehicle. Information related to the other vehicle transmitted by the device 10 (current position, traveling direction, traveling speed, traveling acceleration, vehicle type, etc. of the other vehicle) is received. That is, the control part 11 of the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 mounted in each vehicle exchanges the information regarding a vehicle mutually.

  When the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 receives information related to the vehicle from other vehicles existing around the own vehicle, the control unit 11 is dangerous based on information related to the vehicle of each vehicle (information related to the own vehicle and information related to the other vehicle). A degree information generation process is executed (step F3). In this risk information generation processing, the control unit 11 may collide with another vehicle existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle based on information about the vehicle of each vehicle (possibility of collision). The collision position (estimated collision position), the magnitude of impact (estimated impact value) in the event of a collision, etc. are predicted (simulated). And the control part 11 produces | generates risk information based on the simulation result.

  When the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 ends the risk information generation process, the control unit 11 determines whether or not another vehicle existing around the host vehicle is a dangerous vehicle (step F4). Here, the vehicle having a risk of collision with the own vehicle such as a vehicle approaching from the rear of the own vehicle or a vehicle braked suddenly in front of the own vehicle on the same road on which the own vehicle is traveling. It is a highly likely vehicle. Non-hazardous vehicles can collide with the host vehicle, such as a vehicle traveling in the opposite lane of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, or a vehicle existing in front of or behind the host vehicle in a traffic jam. This is a low-priced vehicle. The control unit 11 determines the presence / absence of danger with respect to other vehicles existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle based on various information such as information about the own vehicle, information about the other vehicle, and map data input from the map data acquisition unit 15. To do.

  The control part 11 of the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 complete | finishes this control, when the other vehicle which exists in the circumference | surroundings of the own vehicle is a vehicle without danger (step F4: NO). On the other hand, when the other vehicle existing around the host vehicle is a dangerous vehicle (step F4: YES), the control unit 11 uses the sensing area display processing unit 25 and the display mode change processing unit 26 to control the host vehicle. A surrounding state display process and a tactile sense presenting process linked to the own vehicle surrounding state display process are executed (step F5).

Here, the host vehicle surrounding state display process and the tactile sense presentation process will be described in more detail.
First, the host vehicle surrounding state display process will be described. In this own vehicle surrounding state display process, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 displays the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle on the vehicle surrounding state display screen of the display unit 13 (see FIG. 2). While displaying in association with the current position, the sensing area B of the other vehicle is displayed in association with the current position of the other vehicle. As the current position of the host vehicle and / or the other vehicle moves, the display position of the sensing areas A1, A2, A3 of the host vehicle and / or the display position of the sensing area B of the other vehicle And / or moving the vehicle while being associated with the current position of the other vehicle.

  If the sensing areas A1, A2, A3 of the own vehicle and the sensing area B of the other vehicle overlap with the movement of the current position of the own vehicle and / or the other vehicle, the control unit 11 Of the sensing areas A1, A2 and A3, the display mode of the portion where the sensing area B of another vehicle overlaps is changed.

Here, the example of a change of this display mode is demonstrated, referring FIGS.
First, FIG. 5 shows a display format in which the area display lines a1, a2, and a3 in a portion where the sensing area B of the other vehicle overlaps among the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle are changed to a wave shape (ripple shape). ing. In this case, the more the sensing area B of the other vehicle enters the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle, that is, the closer the other vehicle is to the own vehicle, the more the amplitude of the wave shapes of the area display lines a1, a2, and a3. Is displayed larger.

  In this case, the sensing area B of the other vehicle does not overlap with the sensing area A3 of the own vehicle, but the sensing area B of the other vehicle is moved along with the movement of the current position of the own vehicle and / or the other vehicle thereafter. And the sensing area A3 of the host vehicle are predicted to overlap, the control unit 11 displays the area display line a3 of the sensing area A3 with a slight wave shape (at least a wave shape having an amplitude smaller than that of the sensing area A2). is doing.

  FIG. 6 shows a display format in which a two-dimensional display mode (two-dimensional display mode) and a three-dimensional display mode (three-dimensional display mode) are combined. That is, when the sensing areas A1, A2, A3 of the own vehicle and the sensing area B of the other vehicle do not overlap with each other, the sensing area display processing unit 25 senses these own vehicles as shown in FIG. The areas A1, A2, A3 and the sensing area B of other vehicles are displayed in the two-dimensional display mode. That is, the sensing area display processing unit 25 displays the sensing areas A1, A2, A3 of the own vehicle and the sensing area B of the other vehicle in a two-dimensional manner with the upper side of the vehicle as a viewpoint.

  Then, when the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle approach the sensing area B of the other vehicle as the current position of the own vehicle and / or the other vehicle moves, as shown in FIG. The sensing areas A1, A2 and A3 of the own vehicle and the sensing area B of the other vehicle are displayed in the three-dimensional display mode. That is, the sensing area display processing unit 25 displays the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle in the back of the screen according to the degree of proximity between the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle and the sensing area B of the other vehicle. The sensing area B of the other vehicle is displayed in a three-dimensional manner so that the sensing area B of the other vehicle is enlarged on the front side of the screen. That is, the control unit 11 performs an operation of inclining a virtual axis lowered vertically from the viewpoint set above the vehicle in the two-dimensional display mode according to the degree of approach between the host vehicle and the other vehicle. Display in the three-dimensional display mode is realized.

  FIG. 7 shows the area display lines a1, a2, and a3 in the area where the sensing area B of the other vehicle overlaps in the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle (the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3). The display format to be deformed is shown inside. In this case, as shown in the order of FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, the sensing area B (not shown in FIG. 7) of the other vehicle deeply enters the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle. In other words, as the other vehicle approaches the host vehicle, the area display lines a1, a2, and a3 are displayed with a greater deformation toward the current position of the host vehicle (the centers of the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3).

  In addition, although not shown, various display modes are conceivable as examples of changing the display mode. For example, it is good also as a display format which changes the thickness of area display line a1, a2, a3 in the part which sensing area B of the other vehicle overlapped among sensing areas A1, A2, A3 of the own vehicle. In this case, the thicker the area display lines a1, a2, and a3 are, the deeper the sensing area B of the other vehicle enters the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle, that is, the closer the other vehicle is to the own vehicle. And display it.

  Moreover, it is good also as a display format which changes the color of the area display line a1, a2, a3 in the part in which the sensing area B of the other vehicle overlapped among sensing areas A1, A2, A3 of the own vehicle. In this case, when the sensing areas A1, A2, and A3 of the own vehicle do not overlap the sensing area B of the other vehicle, the area display lines a1, a2, and a3 have colors that indicate a safe state (for example, green or blue When the sensing areas A1, A2, A3 of the host vehicle overlap with the sensing area B of the other vehicle, the colors of the area display lines a1, a2, a3 in the overlapping portion are dangerous. It is preferable to display in a color indicating the state (for example, red or yellow).

  Next, the tactile sense presentation process will be described. In this tactile sense presenting process, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 vibrates the left and right grips 31a and 31b of the steering wheel 31 so that the driver is in a surrounding situation (an approach situation of another vehicle or an other vehicle). Tactile communication).

  Various vibration modes are conceivable as the vibration mode of the steering 31. For example, the following vibration modes can be used. First, the left and right grips 31a and 31b of the steering 31 are similarly vibrated for a predetermined time (for example, several seconds). This is because when the driver is operating the steering wheel 31 with one hand, that is, even when the driver is holding only one of the grip portions 31a and 31b, the vibration of the steering wheel 31 is driven. It is to tell the person. Thereafter, the control unit 11 controls the vibrations of the plurality of vibrators 31c to cause the steering 31 to generate vibrations according to the approaching state of the other vehicle.

  Specifically, when the other vehicle is approaching from the left side of the host vehicle, only the vibrator 31c disposed on the left grip 31a (the part corresponding to the left side of the vehicle) is vibrated. When the other vehicle is approaching from the right side of the host vehicle, only the vibrator 31c disposed on the right grip 31b (the part corresponding to the right side of the vehicle) is vibrated. Further, when the other vehicle is approaching from the front of the host vehicle, only the vibrator 31c disposed on the upper part (the part corresponding to the front of the vehicle) of the left and right grips 31a and 31b is vibrated. Further, when the other vehicle is approaching from the rear of the host vehicle, only the vibrator 31c disposed at the lower part (the part corresponding to the rear of the vehicle) of the left and right grips 31a and 31b is vibrated.

  Further, the control unit 11 can cause the steering 31 to generate a directional vibration corresponding to the approaching state of the other vehicle. That is, for example, when the other vehicle is approaching from the left rear side of the own vehicle in a direction in which the left side portion of the own vehicle is scratched, the control unit 11 is disposed below the left holding portion 31a. The vibrator 31c, the vibrator 31c disposed in the middle, and the vibrator 31c disposed in the upper part are continuously vibrated in order, or the vibration intensity of the lower vibrator 31c is gradually decreased. By gradually increasing the vibration intensity of the vibrator 31c on the upper side, the grip part 31a on the left side of the steering 31 is changed from the lower part (the part corresponding to the left rear of the vehicle) to the upper part (the part corresponding to the left front of the vehicle). Generates continuously moving vibrations.

  When the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 executes the host vehicle surrounding state display process and the tactile sense presentation process as described above, the risk level information generated in the risk level information generation process (step F3) is predetermined. It is determined whether or not the condition is satisfied (step F6). As this predetermined condition, for example, the possibility of collision included in the generated risk level information is equal to or higher than a predetermined level (in this case, a level of “almost surely collides”), and the generated risk level information The estimated collision position included in the vehicle is a predetermined dangerous position (in this case, the front portion of the vehicle, etc.), and the estimated impact value included in the generated risk information is a predetermined value (in this case, “the vehicle is severely damaged”). It is possible to set a value that is greater than or equal to a certain value. When there are a plurality of predetermined conditions that have been set, the control unit 11 determines that “the generated risk information satisfies a predetermined condition (step F6: YES) on the condition that all of the plurality of conditions are satisfied. Or the generated risk information satisfies a predetermined condition (step F6: YES), provided that at least one of a plurality of conditions is satisfied. ) ”May be determined.

  When it is determined that the generated risk information does not satisfy the predetermined condition (step F6: NO), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 ends this control. On the other hand, when it is determined that the generated risk information satisfies the predetermined condition (step F6: YES), the control unit 11 executes the collision avoidance operation suggestion process and / or the collision avoidance intervention operation (step S6). F7).

  In the collision avoidance operation suggestion process, the control unit 11 displays the driving operation content for avoiding a collision between the host vehicle and another vehicle by displaying the display unit 13 and / or outputting a sound from an in-vehicle speaker (not shown). Propose to the driver. Specifically, for example, when another vehicle is approaching from the left side of the host vehicle, the host vehicle is stopped by operating the steering 31 in the right direction or operating the brake as the operation content. Propose things. In this case, the control unit 11 may cause the driver to recognize the proposed direction by slightly rotating the steering 31 in the proposed direction (in this case, the right direction). In addition, you may comprise the control part 11 of the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 so that the driving operation content for avoiding a collision may be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 of another vehicle. That is, for example, when the other vehicle is approaching from the left side of the host vehicle, the driving operation suggested to the other vehicle is operated by operating the steering 31 of the other vehicle in the left direction or operating the brake. For example, the driver of the other vehicle is suggested to stop the other vehicle.

  In the collision avoidance intervention operation, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 forcibly executes the driving operation content for avoiding a collision between the host vehicle and another vehicle in the automatic driving mode or the semi-automatic driving mode. That is, the control unit 11 automatically executes a driving operation (such as an operation of the steering wheel 31 or a brake) for avoiding a collision without a driving operation by the driver. In addition, the control part 11 of the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 transmits the command signal for forcibly performing the driving operation content for avoiding a collision by the automatic driving mode or the semi-automatic driving mode to the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 of the other vehicle. You may comprise as follows. That is, the driving operation for avoiding the collision is forcibly executed by the other vehicle.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when another vehicle approaches the host vehicle, the approach status is displayed in a display format unique to the present embodiment, that is, the sensing area of the host vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle. Can be visually notified to the driver by a display format of changing the display mode of the portion where the sensing area of the other vehicle overlaps in the sensing area of the own vehicle.

In addition, this invention is not limited only to one Embodiment mentioned above, For example, it can deform | transform or expand as follows.
The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 is not limited to the display format shown in the above-described embodiment, and can adopt various display formats to visually notify the driver of the approaching state of other vehicles. .
For example, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 can change the display mode of the sensing area in consideration of the traveling direction and speed of the host vehicle. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A, when another vehicle is approaching from the left rear of the host vehicle to the host vehicle that is traveling straight, the other vehicle is then moved to the left rear of the host vehicle. There is a high possibility of colliding with the part. Therefore, the control part 11 changes the display mode of the left rear part estimated that the sensing areas of other vehicles overlap among the sensing areas of the own vehicle.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, for example, when another vehicle approaches the host vehicle that is about to turn left from the left rear of the host vehicle (the host vehicle before turning left). After that (after the left turn of the host vehicle), there is a higher possibility that the other vehicle will collide with the left part of the host vehicle instead of the left rear part. Therefore, in the future, the control unit 11 estimates a portion (in this case, a portion corresponding to the left side of the own vehicle) where the sensing areas of other vehicles overlap in the sensing area of the own vehicle, and sets the display mode of the estimated portion. change. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8B, the display mode of the inferred portion may be changed while the traveling direction of the host vehicle is directed upward of the screen, or FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the traveling direction and the estimated portion of the host vehicle may be moved (rotated) and displayed in accordance with the traveling direction of the host vehicle (the steering angle of the steering wheel 31).

  In FIG. 8, a block indicating the host vehicle is shown for convenience in the center of the sensing area in order to indicate the traveling direction of the host vehicle. In the embodiment of the present invention, the block indicating the own vehicle may be configured to be displayed on the vehicle surrounding state display screen together with the sensing area. For example, as illustrated in FIG. You may comprise so that it may not display.

  In addition, when the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 determines in the process of step F4 that there are a plurality of vehicles having a risk in the vicinity of the host vehicle, the control unit 11 determines the vehicle having the highest risk as the vehicle peripheral condition. You may comprise so that it may select preferentially as another vehicle which displays a sensing area on a display screen. Alternatively, priority may be set for each vehicle in descending order of risk, and the display color of the sensing area of each vehicle may be changed according to the priority and displayed on the vehicle surroundings status display screen. That is, for example, the sensing color of the sensing area of the most dangerous vehicle is the most dangerous color (for example, red), the sensing area of the next most dangerous vehicle is a warning color (for example, orange), and the second most dangerous is, for example. The sensing area of the vehicle is set to a caution color (for example, yellow) and displayed. According to such a display format, for example, other vehicles that are closest to the host vehicle but have a low speed and a relatively low risk are displayed in a warning color or a caution color, and are separated from the host vehicle but are in a speed range. Other vehicles that are fast and relatively high in danger are displayed in the most dangerous color, and it is possible to appropriately display other vehicles that are most dangerous for the host vehicle.

  The vehicle surrounding state monitoring processing unit 21 may be configured to detect an obstacle (for example, a building or a pedestrian) other than other vehicles existing around the vehicle. In this case, the obstacle is a sensing area setting processing unit that sets an area within a predetermined range including the current position of the obstacle as a sensing area, and a sensing area that specifies the sensing area set by the sensing area setting processing unit It is a premise that a sensing area specific information transmission processing unit that transmits specific information to the in-vehicle control device 10 is provided. Further, the in-vehicle control device 10 includes a sensing area specifying information acquisition processing unit configured to acquire the sensing area specifying information transmitted by the sensing area specifying information transmission processing unit set by the sensing area setting processing unit included in the obstacle and also provided in the obstacle. It is set as the structure provided.

The steering is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 3, and various types of steering such as an annular steering can be employed.
In the above embodiment, the control example in which information such as the sensing areas of the host vehicle and other vehicles is shared by inter-vehicle communication via the communication unit 16 has been described. Not only this but the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 10 of each vehicle can also be comprised so that information may be shared by communication with the information center which is not shown in figure. In this case, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle control device 10 transmits various information such as a sensing area and a vehicle speed from the communication unit 16 to the information center, and collectively manages the transmitted information in the information center. Then, the information center may calculate based on the information and notify the vehicle-mounted control device 10 of each vehicle whether there is a dangerous vehicle in the vicinity. Alternatively, the information center simply notifies the in-vehicle control device 10 of each vehicle of the data of the surrounding vehicles (data indicating the position, traveling direction, speed, etc. of the surrounding vehicles), and the in-vehicle of each vehicle is based on the notification data. What is necessary is just to calculate the control apparatus 10 and to judge the danger of the surrounding vehicle.

  In the drawing, 10 is an in-vehicle control device, 22 is a sensing area setting processing unit (sensing area setting means), 24 is another vehicle sensing area specifying information acquisition processing unit (other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquiring means), and 25 is a sensing area display. A processing unit (sensing area display unit) and 26 indicate a display mode change processing unit (display mode change unit).

Claims (3)

Sensing area setting means for setting a region within a predetermined range including the current position of the host vehicle as a sensing area;
Other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquiring means for acquiring, as other vehicle sensing area specifying information, information specifying the sensing area of the other vehicle set by the sensing area setting means included in the other vehicle;
The sensing area set by the sensing area setting means included in the host vehicle and the sensing area of another vehicle specified based on the other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquired by the other vehicle sensing area specifying information acquiring means. Sensing area display means for displaying;
When the sensing area of the host vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle overlap with each other when the current position of the host vehicle and / or the other vehicle moves, the sensing area of the host vehicle overlaps. Display mode changing means for changing the display mode of the portion where the sensing areas of other vehicles overlap,
A vehicle-mounted control device comprising: The sensing area display means is configured to display the sensing area of the host vehicle and the sensing area of another vehicle with an annular area display line centered on the vehicle,
The in-vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the display mode changing unit changes the area display line in a portion of the sensing area of the host vehicle where the sensing areas of other vehicles overlap with each other. The sensing area display means
When the sensing area of the host vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle do not overlap, the sensing area of the host vehicle and the other vehicle is displayed two-dimensionally with the upper side of the vehicle as a viewpoint,
When the sensing area of the host vehicle and the sensing area of the other vehicle approach each other as the current position of the host vehicle and / or the other vehicle moves, the sensing of the other vehicle depends on the degree of approach. The in-vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle control device displays the area in a three-dimensional manner so as to make it appear large.

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