JP2017056784A - Vehicle control device, and vehicle control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control device capable of improving precision in selecting an object that is present in an adjoining lane.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes a partition line detecting part 11 which detects a partition line which is drawn on a road surface around an own car, for acquiring a distance between the own car and the partition line, and a selection part 15 which selects an adjoining lane object, based on the detection result of the partition line, that is present in a lane adjoining the own lane where the own car travels from among objects present around the own car. The selection part 15, when selecting an adjoining lane object that is present in an adjoining lane, performs a process in which, if a distance acquired by the partition line detection part 11 is larger than a predetermined value, an object positioned farther than the partition line is not assumed to be a selection object for an adjoining lane object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method for detecting an object existing in a lane adjacent to a lane in which the vehicle travels.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) has been realized in which a preceding vehicle is selected from other vehicles around the own vehicle in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and the preceding vehicle follows the preceding vehicle. In ACC, acceleration / deceleration control is performed so that the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is constant so that the vehicle follows the selected preceding vehicle. Further, when there is no preceding vehicle, control is performed to keep the speed of the host vehicle constant so that the speed set by the driver, the speed limit of the road, and the like are obtained.

  There exists a vehicle control apparatus of patent document 1 regarding this ACC. In the vehicle control device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is determined whether or not another vehicle is present on the own lane using the own lane probability map indicating the own lane probability that is the probability that the other vehicle exists on the own lane. In this own lane probability map, the highest value of the own lane probability is set in a region in the vicinity of the vertical axis passing through the center of the own vehicle, and the value of the own lane probability is set smaller in the lateral direction. In addition, the lane width is estimated based on the front image from the image processing apparatus, the own lane probability map is offset according to the lane width, and the left lane probability map and the right lane probability map are provided. By using these left lane probability map and right lane probability map, it is possible to obtain the probability that another vehicle exists in the left lane and the probability that the other vehicle exists in the right lane.

  In the vehicle control device described in Patent Literature 1, after determining whether or not another vehicle exists in the adjacent lane, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle straddles the lane line. And when it determines with having straddled the lane marking, the other vehicle located in an adjacent lane is made into the object of follow-up control.

JP 2001-93098 A

  When detecting a lane marking, detection may be difficult under conditions such as nighttime, rainy weather, and backlight. In addition, when blurring or the like occurs on the lane marking, it may be difficult to detect similarly. Further, when the lane marking is drawn with a broken line, it may be erroneously determined that the lane marking does not exist. In such a case, the movement of the vehicle in the lateral direction cannot be accurately detected, and when selecting a preceding vehicle that is subject to follow-up control at the time of lane change, not the lane to which the lane is changed but a far lane There is a possibility that the other vehicle existing in the vehicle or the other vehicle stopped on the shoulder is erroneously selected as the preceding vehicle.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method capable of improving the accuracy of selecting an object existing in an adjacent lane. is there.

  The present invention is a vehicle control device, detects a lane line drawn on a road surface around the own vehicle, and obtains a distance between the own vehicle and the lane line; A selection unit that selects, as an adjacent lane object, an object existing in an adjacent lane from objects existing in the surroundings, and the selection unit selects the adjacent lane object existing in the adjacent lane; If the distance acquired by the lane line detection unit is greater than a predetermined value, an object located farther than the lane line is not selected as the selection target of the adjacent lane object.

  In the case where the lane is changed from the own lane to the adjacent lane, various controls are performed according to the position of the object existing in the adjacent lane. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately determine the object existing in the adjacent lane. However, if the lane marking that divides the own lane and the adjacent lane cannot be detected, and if a further lane marking is detected, it may be erroneously determined that the lane is separated from the adjacent lane by the far lane. . In this case, an object that does not exist in the adjacent lane may be erroneously determined to exist in the adjacent lane, and various controls in the own vehicle may be performed based on the erroneous determination result. In the above configuration, when the distance between the vehicle and the lane line is larger than a predetermined value, an object farther than the lane line is not selected as the adjacent lane object. For this reason, when the lane marking which divides the own lane and the adjacent lane cannot be detected, it is possible to suppress erroneous selection of an object that does not exist in the adjacent lane as an adjacent lane object.

It is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle control apparatus. It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of a lane probability map. It is a figure which shows an adjacent lane map when the own vehicle changes lanes. It is a flowchart which shows a series of processes which a vehicle control apparatus performs. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, parts that are the same or equivalent to each other are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description of the same reference numerals is used.

<First Embodiment>
A vehicle control apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle control device has an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) function, and causes the host vehicle to follow the vehicle so that the detected distance to the other vehicle becomes a target value of the inter-vehicle distance according to the vehicle speed. If no other vehicle is detected, control is performed so that the vehicle speed set as the target value is obtained.

  In FIG. 1, the vehicle control device 10 is a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and the like. In the vehicle control device 10, these functions are realized by the CPU executing a program installed in the ROM.

  The vehicle is provided with an imaging device 21 and a radar device 22 as object detection devices. The imaging device 21 is an in-vehicle camera, and includes a CCD camera, a CMOS image sensor, a near infrared camera, and the like. The imaging device 21 captures the surrounding environment including the traveling road of the host vehicle, generates image data representing the captured image, and sequentially outputs the image data to the vehicle control device 10. The imaging device 21 is installed, for example, in the vicinity of the upper end of the windshield of the host vehicle, and captures an area that extends in a range of a predetermined angle from the imaging axis toward the front of the vehicle. Note that the imaging device 21 may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera.

  The radar device 22 used as a distance measuring device is a detection device that detects an object by transmitting an electromagnetic wave as a transmission wave and receiving the reflected wave, and is configured by a millimeter wave radar in this embodiment. The radar device 22 is attached to the front portion of the host vehicle, and scans a region extending over a range of a predetermined angle from the front of the vehicle with the optical axis as a center by using a radar signal. In this scanning, an object existing in a range from the own vehicle to about 200 m is detected. Then, ranging data is created based on the time from when an electromagnetic wave is transmitted toward the front of the host vehicle until the reflected wave is received, and the created ranging data is sequentially output to the vehicle control device 10. The distance measurement data includes information on the direction in which the object exists, the distance to the object, and the relative speed.

  The lane marking detection unit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 detects a lane marking drawn on the road surface around the host vehicle based on the image acquired from the imaging device 21. Specifically, in order to extract feature points indicating the presence of lane markings in the image acquired from the imaging device 21, edge points are extracted based on the luminance information of the captured image, and Hough transform is performed on the extracted edge points. I do. In the Hough transform, for example, points on a straight line in which a plurality of edge points are continuously arranged are extracted as feature points. Then, the shape of the lane marking is obtained by connecting the feature points. In addition, the lane marking detection unit 11 obtains the distance between the own vehicle and the lane marking. This distance is calculated based on the distance from the center in the left-right direction to the lane marking in the image, assuming that the imaging device 21 is provided in the center in the left-right direction of the host vehicle. Note that this is not the case when the imaging device 21 is not provided at the center in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

  The object detection unit 12 detects the position and type of an object around the host vehicle based on distance measurement data acquired from the radar device 22 and an image acquired from the imaging device 21. Specifically, the position of the object is acquired based on the distance measurement data, and the type of the object and the position of the object in the image are acquired based on the image. If a position based on the distance measurement data and a position based on the image exist in the vicinity, they are associated with each other as being based on the same object. When the position based on the distance measurement data and the position based on the image exist in the vicinity, it is highly possible that the object is present at the position based on the distance measurement data, and it can be said that the position of the object can be obtained with high accuracy. For distance measurement data, the distance in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is acquired as a vertical distance, and the distance in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the host vehicle is acquired as a lateral distance. Note that examples of types of objects include vehicles, passers-by, road structures, and the like, and the types are specified by pattern matching or the like.

  The lane probability acquisition unit 13 acquires a lane probability that is a probability indicating whether or not another vehicle exists in the lane. In addition, an adjacent lane probability that is a probability indicating whether or not another vehicle exists in the adjacent lane is acquired. The own lane probability and the adjacent lane probability are obtained from the own lane probability map and the adjacent lane probability map set by the lane probability acquisition unit 13 and the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. The own lane probability map and the adjacent lane probability map are regions provided in front of the own vehicle in the traveling direction based on the position of the own vehicle. The own lane probability map and the adjacent lane probability map will be described with reference to FIG.

  The own lane probability map 50 uses the course of the own vehicle 40 as a central axis (x-axis), and it is determined that the left-right direction (y-axis direction) orthogonal to the central axis exists in the own lane as the distance from the central axis increases. It is provided so that the value becomes difficult. The width in the left-right direction of the own lane probability map 50 is determined as conforming to the lane width of the road on which the own vehicle 40 travels. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the width of the own lane probability map 50 is set to the same value as the lane width (for example, 3.5 m). The lane width may be acquired based on an image acquired from the imaging device 21, or may be acquired from map information included in a car navigation device or the like included in the host vehicle 40.

  The adjacent lane probability map is provided by shifting the own lane probability map 50 in the left-right direction by the lane width with respect to the position of the own lane probability map 50. At this time, a left lane probability map 51 is provided on the left side of the own lane probability map 50, and a right lane probability map 52 is provided on the right side of the own lane probability map 50. In the left lane probability map 51, similarly to the own lane probability map 50, the highest probability value is set in the vicinity of the center line 51a, and the probability value is set to be smaller toward the end. Yes. Also in the right lane probability map 52, the highest probability value is set in the vicinity of the center line 52a, and the probability value is set to be smaller toward the end.

  The vehicle selection unit 15 includes an own vehicle preceding vehicle that is a preceding vehicle in the lane (own vehicle lane) on which the vehicle is traveling, a right vehicle preceding vehicle that is a preceding vehicle in the right lane (right lane) of the own vehicle, and the own vehicle lane. The left lane preceding vehicle that is the preceding vehicle in the left lane (left lane) is selected. At this time, among the other vehicles having the own lane probability acquired from the own lane probability map 50 that is greater than a predetermined value, the one having the smallest relative distance to the own vehicle is selected as the own lane preceding vehicle. Similarly, among other vehicles having a right lane probability greater than a predetermined value acquired from the right lane probability map 52, the vehicle having the smallest relative distance to the host vehicle is selected as the right lane preceding vehicle, and the left lane probability map 51 Of the other vehicles having the left lane probability larger than the predetermined value, the vehicle having the smallest relative distance to the host vehicle is selected as the left lane preceding vehicle.

  If the vehicle is traveling in the leftmost lane, the left lane preceding vehicle is not selected, and if the vehicle is traveling in the rightmost lane, the right lane preceding vehicle is not selected. . Further, when the host vehicle is traveling on a one-lane road, neither the left lane preceding vehicle nor the right lane preceding vehicle is selected. The left lane preceding vehicle and the right lane preceding vehicle may be collectively referred to as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle.

  The follow-up control unit 16 transmits a control command to the engine 31 and the brake 32 in order to keep the distance from the vehicle ahead of the own lane constant. Specifically, when the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle becomes small, a command to reduce the output is transmitted to the engine 31 to decelerate. When the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle becomes large, a command for increasing the output is transmitted to the engine 31 to perform acceleration. In addition, when the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is rapidly reduced, a command to make the fuel injection amount zero is transmitted to the engine 31 and a command to operate the brake 32 is issued. When the road is a curved section, a control command is transmitted to the steering 33 so as to follow the movement locus of the preceding vehicle to be followed.

  When the lane change detection unit 14 receives a lane change instruction from the driver via the turn signal 23, the lane change detection unit 14 specifies one of the left and right sides of the host vehicle as the lane change destination, and transmits a control command to the steering 33 to perform steering control . At this time, if the distance between the adjacent vehicle in the adjacent lane and the own vehicle is less than the predetermined value, or if the relative speed in the approaching direction exceeds the predetermined value, the lane change is not performed or sufficient deceleration is performed in the own vehicle. The lane is changed after it is done. And when the position of the lane line which the lane line detection part 11 detected shows that the own vehicle straddled the lane line, it determines with the lane change having been complete | finished.

  When the lane change detection unit 14 performs lane change control, the tracking control unit 16 changes the tracking target to a preceding vehicle in the adjacent lane, and the engine 31 so that the distance from the changed tracking target becomes constant. And a control command is transmitted to the brake 32. At this time, the lane may be changed by an operation of the steering wheel 33 by the driver. In this case as well, as in the case of automatic steering, the engine 31 and the brake are set so that the distance from the changed tracking target is constant. A control command is transmitted to 32.

  With the movement of the host vehicle, the relative position of the preceding vehicle selected as the adjacent lane leading vehicle is determined as being located in the own lane by the own lane probability map. Then, the follow-up control unit 16 sets the preceding vehicle selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle as the own lane preceding vehicle, and performs follow-up control on the own lane preceding vehicle.

  The follow-up control unit 16 controls the vehicle speed based on the vehicle speed set by the driver, the speed limit of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, or the like when there is no preceding vehicle in the own lane. . Similarly, even when there is no preceding vehicle in the adjacent lane when the lane change is performed, the vehicle speed is similarly controlled.

  As described above, when selecting the adjacent lane preceding vehicle subject to the follow-up control at the time of lane change, if the end of the lane change of the own vehicle cannot be accurately determined, an erroneous selection of the adjacent lane leading vehicle may occur. . In other words, there is a risk that another vehicle located on the far side of the lane line farther than the lane line that the host vehicle crosses when changing the lane is erroneously determined as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle.

  An example in the case where an erroneous determination of the adjacent lane preceding vehicle occurs will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3A, the lane in which the host vehicle 40 travels is defined as the host lane 60, and the left lane of the host lane 60 is defined as the adjacent lane 61. Further, it is assumed that a road shoulder 62 is provided farther from the adjacent lane 61. At this time, the other vehicle 41 is traveling on the adjacent lane 61, and the stop vehicle 42 exists on the road shoulder 62. The right side of the own lane 60 is demarcated by a lane marking 70 (center line) which is a solid line, and the own lane 60 and the adjacent lane 61 are demarcated by a lane marking 71 which is a broken line. The adjacent lane 61 and the road shoulder 62 are demarcated by a demarcation line 72 that is a solid line. At this time, the left lane probability map 51 is set for the adjacent lane 61. Therefore, the other vehicle 41 is selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle, and the follow-up control is performed on the other vehicle 41 when the lane is changed.

  When the lane change is started in the own vehicle 40 from the state shown in FIG. 3A, the road of the left lane probability map 51 is accompanied by the movement of the own vehicle 40 in the left direction as shown in FIG. The relative positional relationship with respect to also moves to the left. At this time, if the lane line 71 that divides the own lane 60 and the adjacent lane 61 can be detected, it is selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle based on the fact that the own vehicle 40 has straddled the lane line 71. The follow-up control is continued with the other vehicle 41 as the preceding vehicle in the own lane.

  However, when the lane marking 71 is a broken line, it may not be detected that the lane marking 71 has been crossed, or a detection delay may occur. Further, depending on the environment such as nighttime, rainy weather, backlight, etc., it may be difficult to detect the lane marking 71, and even when the lane marking 71 is rubbed, it may be difficult to detect the lane marking 71. is there. In such a case, it is not possible to switch the other vehicle 41 selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle as the own lane leading vehicle, and as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the left lane probability map 51 continues to move in the left direction. And the adjacent lane probability about the stop vehicle 42 of the road shoulder 62 exceeds a threshold value, and the stop vehicle 42 is extracted as a candidate of an adjacent lane preceding vehicle. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3C, if the stop vehicle 42 is smaller than the other vehicle 41 with respect to the longitudinal distance from the own vehicle 40, the selection as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle is made from the other vehicle 41. It switches to the stop vehicle 42. Then, the follow-up control for the stopped vehicle 42 is performed.

  Therefore, in the vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the distance from the lane marking 72 detected by the lane marking detection unit 11 is greater than a predetermined value, the lane marking 72 is defined as the own lane 60 and the adjacent lane 61. Is excluded from the candidates for the adjacent lane preceding vehicle for those located outside the lane line 72 (on the side opposite to the side where the host vehicle 40 is located). That is, the stopped vehicle 42 shown in FIG. 3C is excluded from the candidates for the adjacent lane preceding vehicle.

  At this time, since it is assumed that the lane line 71 that divides the own lane 60 and the adjacent lane 61 cannot be detected, the determination that the lane change of the own vehicle 40 has ended is, for example, the own vehicle 40 and the other vehicle What is necessary is just to perform when the deviation of the horizontal position of 41 becomes smaller than a predetermined value. Further, when the distance between the host vehicle 40 and the lane marking 72 is less than a predetermined value, it may be determined that the lane change has ended. However, since the lane line 71 that divides the own lane 60 and the adjacent lane 61 is a broken line, the lane line 71 may transition from an undetectable state to a detectable state. The lane change end determination may be made on condition that the vehicle has crossed 71.

  A series of processes executed by the vehicle control device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The process according to the flowchart of FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed every predetermined control cycle.

  First, detection information is acquired from the radar device 22 and the imaging device 21 (S101), and it is determined whether or not an instruction to change lanes is issued from the driver (S102). If there is no instruction to change lanes (S102: NO), it is determined whether there is a preceding vehicle in the own lane (S103). If there is a preceding vehicle in the own lane (S103: YES), follow-up control is performed to keep the distance from the preceding vehicle constant (S104). If there is no preceding vehicle in the own lane (S103: NO), control is performed with the vehicle speed as a set value (S105).

  If an instruction to change lanes has been given (S102: YES), it is determined whether or not the distance from the lane line to which the lane is changed is greater than or equal to a threshold (S106). If the distance from the lane line is equal to or greater than the threshold (S106: YES), it can be considered that the lane line does not divide the own lane and the adjacent lane. In other words, the lane line is considered to divide the adjacent lane from the shoulder, to divide the adjacent lane from the opposite lane, or from the adjacent lane to the far lane. Can do. Therefore, other vehicles beyond the lane marking are excluded from the adjacent lane preceding vehicle candidates (S107). On the other hand, if the distance to the lane line is smaller than the threshold (S106: NO), it can be said that the lane line divides the own lane and the adjacent lane. Therefore, other vehicles located beyond the lane marking can be used as candidates for adjacent lane preceding vehicles.

  In this way, after the candidate for the adjacent lane preceding vehicle is extracted, the adjacent lane preceding vehicle selection process is performed (S108). At this time, the other vehicle having the smallest distance (vertical distance) in the traveling direction from the own vehicle is selected as the preceding vehicle among the other vehicles having the adjacent lane probability equal to or higher than the predetermined value. If there is no other vehicle having an adjacent lane probability equal to or higher than a predetermined value in the process of S108, the processing is performed assuming that there is no adjacent lane preceding vehicle candidate.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not an adjacent lane preceding vehicle has been selected by the processing of S108 (S109). If the adjacent lane preceding vehicle is selected (S109: YES), the steering angle and the vehicle speed are controlled to follow the adjacent lane preceding vehicle (S110). If there is no adjacent lane preceding vehicle (S109: NO), the steering wheel 33 is operated to change the lane (S111), and the vehicle speed is set as the set value (S112). After the lane change control is performed in this way, it is determined whether or not the lane change is completed (S113). If the lane change is not completed (S113: NO), the processing of S108 to S112 is continued. If the lane change has been completed (S113: YES), a series of processing is terminated. In addition, after a series of processes about a lane change are complete | finished, the follow-up control of S104 will be performed by making an adjacent lane preceding vehicle into an own lane preceding vehicle.

  With the above configuration, the vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment has the following effects.

  -When the distance between the vehicle and the lane marking exceeds a predetermined value, the other vehicle farther than the lane marking is not selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle. For this reason, when the lane marking which divides the own lane and an adjacent lane cannot be detected, it can suppress selecting the other vehicle which is not drive | working an adjacent lane as an adjacent lane preceding vehicle.

  -When the vehicle changes lanes, the end of the lane change may not be accurately determined when the lane marking is a broken line. At this time, with the movement of the host vehicle in the lateral direction, there is a possibility that the other vehicle traveling in the farther lane is selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle instead of the other vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane of the lane change destination. In this embodiment, when changing the lane, when the distance to the lane is larger than a predetermined value, other vehicles beyond the lane are excluded from the candidates for the adjacent lane preceding vehicle. More accurate determination can be made.

Second Embodiment
In the present embodiment, the processing when the distance from the lane marking exceeds a predetermined value is partially different. Specifically, with respect to the left lane probability map 51 and the right lane probability map 52 shown in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment, the edge of the outside of the region (the side away from the own vehicle 40) is detected from the lane line 72 detected. It shall be provided along. The adjacent lane probability map setting process in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 5A, the lane in which the host vehicle 40 travels is the host lane 60, and the left lane of the host lane 60 is the adjacent lane 61. Further, it is assumed that a road shoulder 62 is provided farther from the adjacent lane 61. At this time, the other vehicle 41 is traveling on the adjacent lane 61, and the stop vehicle 42 exists on the road shoulder 62. The right side of the own lane 60 is demarcated by a solid demarcation line 70 (center line), and the own lane 60 and the adjacent lane 61 are demarcated by a demarcation line 71 that is a broken line. The adjacent lane 61 and the road shoulder 62 are demarcated by a demarcation line 72 that is a solid line. At this time, the left lane probability map 51 is set for the adjacent lane 61. Therefore, the other vehicle 41 is selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle, and when the lane is changed from the own lane 60 to the adjacent lane 61, the follow-up control is performed on the other vehicle 41.

  When the lane change is started in the own vehicle 40 from the state shown in FIG. 5A, the own vehicle 40 moves to the left as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, but the left lane The left end of the probability map 51 is set at a position determined with reference to the lane marking 72. That is, the relative positional relationship between the left lane probability map 51 and the road does not change, and the positional relationship between the host vehicle 40 and the left lane probability map 51 changes. Therefore, while the lane change is being performed, the other vehicle 41 traveling in the adjacent lane 61 is selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle.

  In addition, although the left end part of the left lane probability map 51 is assumed to be along the lane marking 72, the distance between the center line 51a of the left lane map 51 and the lane marking 72 may be constant.

  With the above configuration, the vehicle control apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment has the following effects in addition to the effects similar to those of the vehicle control apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

  -If the adjacent lane probability map is also moved along with the lane change of the vehicle, the adjacent lane probability for other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane of the lane change destination becomes a small value and may not be selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle. In the present embodiment, when the vehicle changes lanes, if the distance to the lane is greater than a predetermined value, the adjacent lane probability map is moved to be closer to the vehicle than the lane, It is possible to suppress a situation in which the other vehicle located in the adjacent lane is not selected as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle.

<Modification>
-In 1st Embodiment, the process which excludes the other vehicle which exists far from a distant division line from the candidate of a preceding vehicle is performed. In this regard, the value of the adjacent lane probability in the adjacent lane map may be set to zero for a far lane line and beyond. Moreover, it is good also as a probability smaller than the threshold value which determines that the value of an adjacent lane probability exists in an adjacent lane. Also by this process, an effect similar to the process of excluding the adjacent lane preceding vehicle candidate in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In each embodiment, when the lane change in the own vehicle is performed, if the distance between the own vehicle and the lane marking is equal to or greater than the threshold, another vehicle farther from the lane line is selected from the selection target as the adjacent lane preceding vehicle. It is supposed to be excluded. In this regard, the processing is not limited to the case where the lane change is performed, and other vehicles far from the lane marking may be excluded from selection targets as adjacent lane preceding vehicles. In this way, when the vehicle is traveling near the end of its lane, other vehicles that are parked on the shoulder can be excluded in advance, and control can be performed more quickly. It becomes.

  In each embodiment, an adjacent lane preceding vehicle is selected, but among objects around the own vehicle, an object existing in the adjacent lane is detected, and when the own vehicle changes the lane, the adjacent lane It can also be applied to a system that initiates contact with an object. In this case, when the own vehicle changes lanes, if there is an adjacent lane object, processing such as prohibiting the operation of the steering 33 or giving a warning to the driver may be performed.

  In each embodiment, the preceding vehicle in the adjacent lane is selected, but the following vehicle in the adjacent lane may be determined. Specifically, the imaging device 21 and the radar device 22 are also provided at the rear part of the own vehicle, and the lane probability acquisition unit 13 sets a lane probability map also behind the own vehicle. Then, when the own vehicle changes lanes, the subsequent vehicle in the adjacent lane is selected in the same manner as when the preceding vehicle is selected. In this way, if the following vehicle is approaching at the time of the lane change, the lane change is temporarily prohibited, and the lane change should be performed after the subsequent vehicle has moved to the front of the host vehicle. it can. The lane marking may be detected by the imaging device 21 provided in front of the own vehicle while the position of the other vehicle existing behind the own vehicle is acquired by the radar device 22 provided at the rear of the own vehicle. .

  In each embodiment, an example in which a lane change is performed from a right lane to a left lane on a two-lane road on one side has been described, but the present invention can be similarly applied even when a lane change is performed from a left lane to a right lane. In a two-lane road on one side, the right lane and the opposite lane are demarcated by a lane marking that is a solid line. Therefore, when changing the lane from the left lane to the right lane, a target far from the lane line is excluded from the candidates for the preceding vehicle on the condition that the distance from the lane line that is a solid line is larger than the threshold. Thus, it is possible to suppress a situation in which another vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane is erroneously selected as the preceding vehicle. When a median strip is provided on the road, generally, a lane marking that is a solid line is drawn between the right lane and the median strip. Therefore, when changing the lane from the left lane to the right lane, a target far from the lane line is excluded from the candidates for the preceding vehicle on the condition that the distance from the lane line that is a solid line is larger than the threshold. Thus, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the center separation band or the road structure associated with the center separation band is erroneously selected as the preceding vehicle. In addition, when there are multiple lanes on one side, the lanes in the same direction are divided by broken lines, and the lane lines and center lines that divide from the shoulders are solid lines, so the exclusion process in each of the above embodiments is a solid line This may be done only in certain cases.

  In each embodiment, the own lane probability map and the adjacent lane map are set in a range that does not overlap each other, but each width may be set to be larger than the lane width so that a part of each other overlaps. Good.

  In each embodiment, the description is made on the assumption that the road is a left-handed country road, but the present invention can be similarly applied to a right-handed country.

  In the embodiment, the radar device 22 is used as the distance measuring device. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and any configuration such as a locator or a lidar can be used. Further, the radar device 22 may not be provided, and the imaging device 21 may have a function as a distance measuring device. In this case, the imaging device 21 may be a compound eye camera such as a stereo camera.

  In the embodiment, the vehicle control device 10 is caused to execute the function of ACC, but the function of the vehicle control device is not limited to ACC. LCS (Lane Change Support) that warns the driver or restricts lane changes when the lane of the vehicle is changed, TJA (Traffic Jam Assist) that automates low-speed driving in traffic jams, and the distance between the vehicles ahead is reduced. In such a case, a function such as PCS (Pre Crush Safety) that activates a brake or the like to avoid collision or reduce collision damage may be executed. A selection process such as a lane preceding vehicle may be used. In the embodiment, the driver drives a vehicle on which the vehicle control device 10 is mounted. However, the vehicle control device 10 has an automatic driving function or a vehicle having an automatic driving function according to the embodiment. A vehicle control device may be mounted.

  -In each embodiment, although the engine 31 is provided as a drive source of the own vehicle, it also applies to a hybrid vehicle that includes a travel motor in addition to the engine 31 and an electric vehicle that includes only a travel motor as a drive source. The same can be applied.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle control apparatus, 11 ... Lane marking detection part, 13 ... Lane probability acquisition part, 14 ... Lane change detection part, 15 ... Vehicle selection part, 16 ... Tracking control part.

Claims (8)

A lane line detector (11) for detecting a lane line drawn on the road surface around the host vehicle and obtaining a distance between the host vehicle and the lane line;
A selection unit (15) that selects an object existing in an adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane on which the own vehicle is traveling as an adjacent lane object based on a detection result of the lane marking from objects existing around the own vehicle. ) And
When the selection unit selects the adjacent lane object existing in the adjacent lane, if the distance acquired by the lane marking detection unit is larger than a predetermined value, an object located far from the lane line is selected. A vehicle control apparatus that does not select the adjacent lane object. A lane change detection unit (14) that detects that the lane change of the host vehicle has been performed and identifies one of the left and right as the lane change destination,
The selection unit selects the adjacent lane object existing in the adjacent lane of the lane change destination, and if the distance acquired by the lane line detection unit is larger than a predetermined value, the selection unit is located farther than the lane line. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein an object to be selected is not a selection target of the adjacent lane object. A lane probability acquisition unit (13) that acquires a lane probability that is a value for determining whether or not the object exists in the adjacent lane based on a relative position between the vehicle and the object;
The selection unit selects the adjacent lane object based on the lane probability,
If the distance acquired by the lane marking detection unit is greater than a predetermined value, the lane probability acquisition unit sets the lane probability far from the lane as a value that is determined not to exist in the adjacent lane. The vehicle control device according to claim 1. A lane line detector (11) for detecting a lane line drawn on the road surface around the host vehicle and obtaining a distance between the host vehicle and the lane line;
An area for determining whether or not an object exists in an adjacent lane is set based on the position of the own vehicle, and the width is set based on the width of the lane, and based on the position of the object in the area, A lane probability acquisition unit (13) for obtaining a lane probability which is a value for determining whether or not an object is present in an adjacent lane;
A vehicle selection unit (15) for selecting, as an adjacent lane object, an object existing in the adjacent lane from the objects existing around the own vehicle; and
The lane probability acquisition unit is a vehicle control device that moves an end of the region on the lane line side to a position based on the lane line if the distance from the lane line is greater than a predetermined value.   When moving the area, the lane probability acquisition unit moves the area based on the distance between the center of the area and the lane line if the distance to the lane line is larger than a predetermined value. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein an end on the lane line side is moved to a position based on the lane line. A tracking control unit that causes the vehicle to follow the object selected as the tracking target among the objects around the vehicle further includes:
The said selection part further selects the thing located in the advancing direction of the own vehicle among the said adjacent lane objects as said tracking object, when the lane change of the said own vehicle is performed. The vehicle control device according to claim 1. A vehicle control method executed by a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle,
A lane line detection step of detecting a lane line drawn on the road surface around the host vehicle and obtaining a distance between the host vehicle and the lane line;
A selection step of selecting, as an adjacent lane object, an object existing in an adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane on which the own vehicle travels from among objects existing around the own vehicle; and Run
In the selection step, in selecting the adjacent lane object existing in the adjacent lane, if the distance acquired in the lane marking detection step is larger than a predetermined value, an object located far from the lane line is selected. A vehicle control method that does not select the adjacent lane object. A vehicle control method executed by a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle,
A lane line detection step of detecting a lane line drawn on the road surface around the host vehicle and obtaining a distance between the host vehicle and the lane line;
An area for determining whether or not an object exists in an adjacent lane is set based on the position of the own vehicle, and the width is set based on the width of the lane, and based on the position of the object in the area, A lane probability acquisition step for obtaining a lane probability which is a value for determining whether or not an object is present in an adjacent lane;
A vehicle selection step of selecting, as an adjacent lane object, an object existing in an adjacent lane from the objects existing around the own vehicle; and
In the lane probability acquisition step, if the distance to the lane line is larger than a predetermined value, the vehicle control method of moving an end of the area on the lane line side to a position based on the lane line.

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