JP2019046136A - Collision avoidance support device - Google Patents

Abstract

To appropriately support collision avoidance in a state in which drivers are hard to visually recognize traffic lights.SOLUTION: At S220, a support device determines whether a driver is hard to visually recognize a traffic light or not. When determined with YES at S220, the support device proceeds to S230 to determine whether the driver visually recognizes the traffic light or not. When determined with NO at S230, the support device proceeds to S240 to determine whether the traffic light permits entrance to a traffic intersection or not. When determined with NO at S240, the support device sets actuation conditions at first conditions as S250. The first condition is a condition for more strongly supporting collision avoidance than an initial condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present disclosure relates to collision avoidance assistance.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preventing unnecessary collision possibility determination processing when it is determined that there is an intersection with a traffic light ahead of the host vehicle.

JP, 2015-76006, A

  In the case of the above-mentioned prior art, it is assumed that the driver has visually recognized the traffic light. However, it may be possible if the driver does not see the traffic light. In such a case, it is preferable to perform the collision avoidance assistance more appropriately. In view of the above, it is an object of the present disclosure to appropriately support collision avoidance when it is difficult for a driver to view a traffic light.

  According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a support unit (S120 to S170) that executes support processing for avoiding the collision according to the degree of possibility of a collision with an obstacle, and a traffic signal that the vehicle should follow (S210, YES), when it is difficult for the driver to view the traffic light (S220, YES), the relationship between the degree of possibility and the support processing is different from the initial condition. It is a collision avoidance assistance device provided with the setting part (S210-S260) set to.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to appropriately execute the collision avoidance support when it is difficult for the driver to visually recognize the traffic light.

The block block diagram which shows a motor vehicle. The flowchart which shows collision avoidance assistance processing. The flowchart which shows condition setting processing. The figure which shows the mode in the intersection in which the signal was installed.

  An automobile 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an information acquisition device group 20, a control device 30, a touch panel 40, and an actuator group 50. The information acquisition device group 20 includes a communication device 21, a GNSS receiver 22, a driver status monitor 23, a camera 24, a millimeter wave sensor 25, a vehicle speed sensor 26, an ultrasonic sensor 27, and a laser sensor 28. And an infrared sensor 29.

  The communication device 21 communicates with the roadside device. Communication between the communication device 21 and the roadside device is performed for road-vehicle communication. The GNSS receiver 22 receives navigation signals to obtain the current location.

  The driver status monitor 23 is a device for detecting the driving state from the face image of the driver. The driver status monitor 23 includes a camera, an ECU, and a speaker. This camera is a near infrared camera.

  The driver status monitor 23 is mounted under the meter visor of the automobile 10. The driver status monitor 23 analyzes the direction of the face, the degree of opening of the eyes, etc. based on the face image taken by the camera, and closes the eyes for a predetermined time, or the state of not facing the front continues. If it does, the warning sound is output from the built-in speaker. The driver status monitor 23 inputs the analysis result of the face orientation described above into the control device 30.

  The camera 24 in the present embodiment is a monocular camera. The camera 24 captures an image in front of the car 10.

  The millimeter wave sensor 25 is configured as a so-called millimeter wave radar of the FMCW system. The millimeter wave sensor 25 can transmit and receive the frequency-modulated millimeter wave band radar wave to detect the presence, the direction, and the distance of a target that has reflected the millimeter wave. The area where the millimeter wave sensor 25 transmits the millimeter wave includes the front of the vehicle 10.

  The vehicle speed sensor 26 detects the vehicle speed of the automobile 10. The ultrasonic sensor 27, the laser sensor 28, and the infrared sensor 29 are sensors having known configurations. Similar to the millimeter wave sensor 25, these sensors can also detect a target present in front of the vehicle 10.

  The touch panel 40 functions as an input / output interface such as a route guidance device or an audio device.

  The actuator group 50 includes a braking device 51, a wiper 53, and a warning device 54. The braking device 51 includes a brake pedal 52. The braking device 51 applies a brake having a strength corresponding to the depression amount of the brake pedal 52.

  The wiper 53 wipes the windshield of the automobile 10. The warning device 54 issues a warning to the driver when there is a possibility of collision with an obstacle or the like. The warning device 54 includes a device for pulling a seat belt (hereinafter, a pulling device) and a speaker. The pulling device warns the driver by pulling the seat belt in a direction to wind up the driver's seat belt. The speaker outputs a warning sound.

  Control device 30 is configured of a plurality of ECUs and a storage medium storing map information 31 and a program. The above program is for realizing the collision avoidance support process and the condition setting process described later.

  The control device 30 controls the display of the touch panel 40 and the actuator group 50 based on the information acquired from the information acquisition device group 20 and the touch panel 40. Hereinafter, control of the braking device 51 and the warning device 54 will be described.

  Control device 30 repeatedly executes the collision avoidance assistance process shown in FIG. The control device 30 first reads the operating condition as S110. The operating condition is a condition that determines the relationship of how to operate the braking device 51 and the warning device 54 to what degree of possibility. Control device 30 changes the operating condition by the condition setting process described later. The default operating conditions are called initial conditions.

  Next, the control device 30 proceeds to S120 and determines whether the possibility of a collision is level 1 or higher. In the present embodiment, four levels 0 to 3 are prepared as the level of the possibility of collision (hereinafter referred to simply as the level). The degree to which each level is likely depends on the operating conditions. In the present embodiment, the possibility is determined based on the information acquired by the camera 24, the millimeter wave sensor 25 and the vehicle speed sensor 26. The possibility is determined, for example, by the distance to the obstacle. As will be described later, as the level rises, the collision avoidance is more strongly supported.

  When the level is 0, the control device 30 determines NO in S120, and repeats the collision avoidance assistance process from S110.

  When the level 1 or higher, the control device 30 determines YES in S120, proceeds to S130, and issues a warning to the driver using the warning device 54.

  After S130, control device 30 proceeds to S140 and determines whether the possibility of a collision is at level 2 or higher.

  In the case where the level is 1, the control device 30 determines NO in S140, and repeats the collision avoidance support process from S110.

  When the level 2 or more, the control device 30 determines YES in S140, proceeds to S150, controls the braking device 51, and starts the operation of the primary brake. The primary brake is an automatic brake whose braking force is weaker than that of the secondary brake described later.

  After continuing with the primary brake after S150, control device 30 proceeds to S160 and determines whether the possibility of a collision is level 3.

  When the level 2 is set, the control device 30 determines NO in S160, and repeats the collision avoidance support process from S110.

  If level 3 is determined, the control device 30 determines YES in S160, proceeds to S170, and controls the braking device 51 to operate the secondary brake. The secondary brake is an automatic brake that is applied with a strong braking force when the possibility of a collision is imminent.

  When S170 is executed, the control device 30 repeats the collision avoidance support process from S110 after the possibility is avoided.

  On the other hand, control device 30 repeatedly executes the condition setting process shown in FIG. The condition setting process is a process for changing the above-described operating condition.

  The control device 30 first determines at S210 whether the vehicle 10 is approaching a traffic light that the vehicle 10 should follow. The traffic lights to be followed by the automobile 10 are traffic lights located on the expected travel route. The control device 30 executes S210 based on the map information 31 and the current location of the automobile 10. The map information 31 includes information indicating the position of the traffic light.

  The installation position of the traffic signal is not limited to the intersection. The traffic signal installed at other than the intersection is, for example, a push button traffic signal. The push-button traffic light changes the display of the traffic light to be followed by the vehicle in response to the pedestrian's crossing request.

  Both the traffic light installed at the intersection and the traffic light installed at other than the intersection allow the crossing of the stop line corresponding to the traffic light by displaying blue, and display the red by displaying red Prohibit crossing the stop line corresponding to. However, in the following, taking a traffic light installed at an intersection as an example, crossing a stop line is expressed as entry into the intersection.

  When the control device 30 satisfies that the vehicle 10 is positioned in a predetermined area based on a traffic light (hereinafter simply referred to as a traffic light) to be followed by the vehicle 10 in S210, the control device 30 determines YES. The predetermined area is an area from when the travel distance to the traffic light is less than the predetermined distance until it passes the stop line corresponding to the traffic light.

  When the controller 30 determines NO in S210, the controller 30 proceeds to S290 and sets the operating condition as the initial condition. If the operating condition is set to the initial condition before S290, the control device 30 does substantially nothing at S290. Thereafter, the control device 30 repeats the execution of the condition setting process again from S210.

  When the controller 30 determines YES in S210, the controller 30 proceeds to S220 and determines whether it is difficult for the driver to visually recognize the traffic signal. The determination of S220 in the present embodiment is performed based on the image captured by the camera 24. As shown in FIG. 4, when the large-sized truck 200 travels in front of the automobile 10, there are cases where a traffic light may not appear in the image captured by the camera 24. As described above, when the traffic signal is not displayed, the control device 30 determines that it is difficult for the driver to visually recognize the traffic signal. On the other hand, when the traffic light appears in the image captured by the camera 24, the control device 30 determines that it is difficult for the driver to visually recognize the traffic light.

  When the controller 30 determines NO in S220, the controller 30 proceeds to S290. When the controller 30 determines YES in S220, the controller 30 proceeds to S230 and determines whether the driver visually recognizes the traffic light. The determination of S230 in the present embodiment is performed based on the face image captured by the driver status monitor 23. Specifically, when the control device 30 determines based on the face image that the driver is looking forward, the control device 30 determines that the driver visually recognizes the traffic light, and in other cases, the driver operates the traffic light It determines that it has not visually recognized.

  When the controller 30 determines YES in S230, the controller 30 proceeds to S290. If the controller 30 determines NO in S230, the controller 30 proceeds to S240 and determines whether the traffic signal permits entry to the intersection. The information acquired by road-vehicle communication is used for determination of S240. The information acquired by road-to-vehicle communication includes information indicating the lighting condition of the traffic light. FIG. 4 shows the roadside device 310 that transmits the lighting status of the traffic light 300.

  Permits by traffic lights are based on the law. For example, in the case of Japan, if the green light of the traffic light is on, entry to the intersection is permitted. Furthermore, when the arrow of the traffic light is on, if the vehicle 10 travels in the lane corresponding to the route according to the arrow, entry to the intersection is permitted.

  When the entrance to the intersection is prohibited, the control device 30 determines NO in S240, and proceeds to S250. Control device 30 sets the operating condition as the first condition as S250. The first condition is a condition to support collision avoidance more strongly than the initial condition. For example, in the case of the initial condition, the situation determined to be level 2 is determined to be level 3 in the case of the first condition.

  When the approach to the intersection is permitted, the control device 30 determines YES in S240, and proceeds to S260. Control device 30 sets the operating condition as the second condition as S260. The second condition is a condition for weakly assisting collision avoidance compared to the initial condition. For example, in the case of the initial condition, the situation determined to be level 2 is determined to be level 1 in the case of the second condition.

  After executing S250 or S260, the control device 30 repeats the condition setting process from S210.

  According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to appropriately execute the collision avoidance support in a situation where it is difficult for the driver to visually recognize the traffic light. For example, in the situation illustrated in FIG. 4, the driver may determine that the vehicle ahead may be followed and the vehicle may enter the intersection despite the fact that the traffic signal is not viewed. In this case, when the traffic light indicates red, the possibility of collision increases in the intersection. In preparation for such a situation, in the present embodiment, by setting the first condition, the security is enhanced.

  On the other hand, when the traffic signal displays blue in the situation shown in FIG. 4, the safety may be enhanced if the operation of the automatic brake is suppressed, in consideration of the possibility of a rear-end collision or the like. In addition, when the vehicle ahead is trying to turn, the application of the automatic brake may not be necessary. Assuming such a situation, in the present embodiment, when the traffic light displays blue, the safety is enhanced by setting the second condition.

  Furthermore, setting any of the first condition and the second condition requires that the driver does not view the display of the traffic light as a necessary condition, and thus, the driver sees the display of the traffic light. The initial conditions are maintained. This prevents the condition from being changed more than necessary.

  The correspondence between the embodiment and the claims will be described. The collision avoidance support processing corresponds to the support unit, the condition setting processing corresponds to the setting unit, and the control device 30 corresponds to the collision avoidance support apparatus.

  The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments of the present specification, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in the respective forms described in the section of the summary of the invention can be used to solve some or all of the problems described above, or one of the effects described above. Replacements and combinations can be made as appropriate to achieve part or all. If the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. For example, the following are exemplified.

1. Determination of Possibility of Collision In the determination of the possibility of collision, at least one of the ultrasonic sensor 27 and the laser sensor 28 may be used. Or you may use the camera 24 changed into the stereo camera.

2. It may be executed based on the information acquired from the road-to-vehicle communication.
When a pedestrian crossing is detected by the camera 24, it may be determined to be located near an intersection.
It may be determined from the front image information that it is located near an intersection by a technique such as deep learning or pixel segmentation.

3. It may be determined that the traffic light is difficult to see when sunlight is incident from the front of the driver's seat. The incidence of sunlight from the front of the driver's seat may be determined using the camera 24.

  It may be determined that it is difficult to see a traffic light during bad weather such as rain or snow. The bad weather condition may be determined based on the operation of the wiper 53.

  When another light source is present near the traffic light, it may be determined that the traffic light is difficult to see. The camera 24 may be used to determine whether another light source is present near the traffic light. Examples of other light sources include streetlights and pedestrian signals.

  At least one of "height, distance of leading vehicle", "position, width, height information of traffic light" and "information whether the driver's seat is to the right or left of the center of the car" is acquired, and the traffic light is The accuracy in geometrically determining whether to be in the visual field may be improved. The “height, distance of the preceding vehicle” may be acquired by inter-vehicle communication. The “position, width, height information of traffic light” may be acquired by road-vehicle communication. The control device 30 may store in advance “information on whether the driver's seat is on the right or left of the center of the car”.

4. Determination of Whether the Driver Visualizes the Display of the Traffic Signal When an accident vehicle or an emergency vehicle travels in the vicinity of the automobile 10, it may be determined that the traffic signal has been missed by judging that he has looked away. The emergency car is, for example, a police car, an ambulance, a fire engine or the like.

  When the operation of the touch panel 40 is detected, it may be determined that the user has looked away and may have missed the traffic light. The operation of the touch panel 40 is executed, for example, for the operation of the route guidance function and the audio function.

  Based on the relationship between the display of the traffic light and the behavior of the automobile 10, it may be determined whether the display of the traffic light can be viewed. For example, when decelerating in the case of a green light, it may be determined that the driver has not visually recognized the display of the traffic light. Alternatively, when accelerating or maintaining the speed in the case of a red light, it may be determined that the driver has not visually recognized the display of the traffic light.

5. Condition setting The content of the support for changing the condition from the initial condition may be at least one of a warning and an automatic brake.
In the case of changing both the warning and the automatic brake, unlike the embodiment, how much the strength of the support is to be changed may be set individually.

  The degree of mitigation of the collision determination and the possibility of mitigation may be changed based on the information indicating the timing at which the display of the signal switches. For example, if the time taken for the display of the traffic light to switch from red to blue is short, no warning or braking may be performed. The above information may be acquired by road-to-vehicle communication.

  The conditions may be set according to the consistency between the display of the traffic light and the behavior of the vehicle. For example, when decelerating in the case of a green light, an initial condition may be set. Alternatively, when the speed is maintained in the case of the red light, the second condition may be set.

  The display of the traffic signal may be detected by the camera 24, may be detected using road-to-vehicle communication, or may be detected using inter-vehicle communication.

  Depending on how the display of the traffic light is determined, it may be determined how much the level of assistance is to be changed. For example, in the case of the camera 24, the possibility of an erroneous determination is higher than that in the case of communication, so the degree of change in support may be suppressed.

  In the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes implemented by software may be implemented by hardware. Also, some or all of the functions and processes implemented by hardware may be implemented by software. As hardware, for example, various circuits such as integrated circuits, discrete circuits, or circuit modules combining those circuits may be used.

30 control unit

Claims (5)

A support unit (S120 to S170) that executes support processing for avoiding the collision according to the degree of possibility of the collision with an obstacle;
When the driver is approaching a traffic signal to be followed (S210, YES), and when it is difficult for the driver to view the traffic light (S220, YES), the relationship between the degree of possibility and the support processing Setting unit (S210 to S260) which sets the condition different from the initial condition,
Collision avoidance support device comprising: The collision avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the condition different from the initial condition as a necessary condition that the driver does not visually recognize the display of the traffic light (S 230, YES). The support unit executes a first support process when the degree of possibility is a predetermined degree when the initial condition is set,
When the traffic signal prohibits the user from entering an intersection (S240, NO), the setting unit may support stronger than the first support processing when the degree of the possibility is the predetermined degree. The collision avoidance assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the condition is set so that the second support process is executed. The support unit executes a first support process when the degree of possibility is a predetermined degree when the initial condition is set,
When the traffic signal permits entering the intersection (S240, YES), the setting unit may support weaker than the first support processing when the degree of the possibility is the predetermined degree. The collision avoidance assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the condition is set so that the second support process is executed. The collision avoidance assistance device according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein the setting unit acquires, by road-vehicle communication, whether the traffic signal permits or prohibits entry into an intersection. .

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