JP2020166308A - Driving support device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a driving support device for suppressing the decline of safety of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle controller 100 is applied to a vehicle 90 having a periphery monitoring device 81 for monitoring the peripheral environment of the vehicle. The vehicle controller 100 includes a driving support device 10. The driving support device 10 performs a driving support for supporting the driving of the vehicle 90 based on the input information from the periphery monitoring device 81. The driving support device 10 includes a travel control unit 12 for performing an avoidance processing as the driving support in order to support the driving of the vehicle 90 so that an obstacle can be avoided to occur when the occurrence of the obstacle is anticipated according to the input information from the periphery monitoring device 81 when the vehicle 90 runs. The driving support device 10 also includes a control change unit 14 for not allowing the driving support to end even if the operation of a driver is detected when the avoidance processing can possibly be started to perform or the avoidance processing is in process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle driving support device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a driving support device that determines that the override is invalid even if the override by the driver is detected during the execution of the driving support when the driver of the vehicle is in a loose state, and continues the driving support. ing. In this driving support device, when an override by the driver is detected during the execution of the driving support, the override is judged to be valid when the driver is not in a vague state, the driving support is terminated, and the vehicle control based on the manual operation is performed. I try to do it.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-151815

In the driving support device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the safety of the vehicle is not taken into consideration when determining whether to enable or disable the override. For example, as a result of terminating the driving support with the override enabled during the execution of the driving support, there is a concern that an obstacle may occur in the running of the vehicle.

The driving support device for solving the above problems is applied to a vehicle provided with a peripheral monitoring device that monitors the environment around the vehicle, and driving support that supports the driving of the vehicle based on information input from the peripheral monitoring device. A driving support device that predicts the occurrence of an obstacle in the vehicle traveling based on the information input from the peripheral monitoring device, and an out-of-vehicle condition determination unit that predicts the occurrence of the obstacle. In this case, a driving control unit that executes an avoidance process for assisting the driving of the vehicle so as to avoid the occurrence of the obstacle as the driving support, and an operation for the purpose of changing the vehicle motion state by the driver of the vehicle are detected. The override detection unit to be used, and whether or not the avoidance process may be started, or whether or not the driving support is terminated based on the detection result of the override detection unit is determined according to whether or not the avoidance process is executed. If there is no possibility that the execution of the avoidance process is started, or if the avoidance process is not executed, the driving support is terminated based on the detection of the operation, while the avoidance is performed. When there is a possibility that the execution of the process is started, or when the avoidance process is executed, the control change unit which does not permit the end of the driving support even if the operation is detected is provided. Is the gist.

In a driving support device that executes an avoidance process for avoiding the occurrence of a failure, for example, when the safety around the vehicle is low, the avoidance process is executed. That is, when the safety around the vehicle is low, it is highly probable that the avoidance process will be started. On the other hand, if the safety around the vehicle is high, the avoidance process is not executed. That is, when the safety around the vehicle is high, it is unlikely that the avoidance process will be started. Therefore, in such a driving support device, when the avoidance process intervenes in the control of the vehicle, in other words, when the avoidance process may be started or when the avoidance process is being executed, the driving support is terminated. It can be predicted that the safety of the vehicle is higher when the driving support is continued than when the vehicle is driven based on the operation by the driver. In the above configuration, if there is a possibility that the avoidance process is started, or if the avoidance process is executed, the driving support is not terminated even if the operation by the driver is detected. As a result, it is possible to prevent the safety of the vehicle from being lowered when the operation by the driver is detected during the execution of the driving support. That is, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of obstacles in the running of the vehicle, which may occur as a result of terminating the driving support with the override enabled during the execution of the driving support, by continuing the driving support.

The block diagram which shows the vehicle control device provided with the driving support device of 1st Embodiment, and the vehicle which is the control target of the vehicle control device. The schematic diagram which shows the monitoring range set by the driving support device at the time of monitoring the area around a vehicle. A flowchart showing the flow of processing for the driving support device to execute avoidance processing as driving support. The schematic diagram which shows the course of a vehicle about the avoidance processing executed by the driving support device. The schematic diagram which shows the course of a vehicle about the avoidance processing executed by the driving support device. A flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the driving support device during the execution of driving support. The flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by the driving support apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the course of the vehicle created by the driving support device of 2nd Embodiment.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the driving support device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
FIG. 1 shows a vehicle control device 100 provided with a driving support device 10 and a vehicle 90 to be controlled by the vehicle control device 100.

The vehicle 90 includes an internal combustion engine 91 that applies a driving force to the vehicle 90. The vehicle 90 includes a braking device 92 that applies a braking force to the vehicle 90. The vehicle 90 includes a steering device 93 that changes the steering angle of the wheels of the vehicle 90. The steering device 93 includes a steering wheel that can be operated by the driver of the vehicle 90. Further, the vehicle 90 includes an accelerator pedal 94 and a brake pedal 95 as pedals that can be operated by the driver of the vehicle 90.

The vehicle 90 includes a peripheral monitoring device 81 that monitors the environment around the vehicle 90. As the peripheral monitoring device 81, for example, a camera, a radar, or a detection device using a laser beam can be used. The peripheral monitoring device 81 acquires and stores the size and position information of obstacles existing around the vehicle 90. The obstacle referred to here is a size that requires avoidance of contact with the vehicle 90. Examples of such obstacles include other vehicles, pedestrians, guardrails and walls. The peripheral monitoring device 81 also recognizes the shape of the road and the lane. The information acquired by the peripheral monitoring device 81 is input to the vehicle control device 100.

The vehicle 90 includes a driver monitoring device 82 that monitors the driver of the vehicle 90. As the driver monitoring device 82, for example, a camera that photographs the driver can be used. In addition, the driver monitoring device 82 can also use a heart rate sensor that measures the driver's heart rate and a breathing sensor that observes the driver's breathing. The information acquired by the driver monitoring device 82 is input to the vehicle control device 100.

The vehicle 90 includes various sensors. FIG. 1 shows, as examples of various sensors, a steering angle detection sensor 83, an accelerator opening degree sensor 84, a brake operation amount sensor 85, a wheel speed sensor 86, and an acceleration sensor 87.

As shown in FIG. 1, detection signals from various sensors included in the vehicle 90 are input to the vehicle control device 100.
The vehicle control device 100 calculates the steering angle SA as the operating angle of the steering wheel based on the detection signal from the steering angle detection sensor 83. The vehicle control device 100 calculates the accelerator operation amount AC as the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 94 based on the detection signal from the accelerator opening sensor 84. The vehicle control device 100 calculates the brake operation amount BR as the operation amount of the brake pedal 95 based on the detection signal from the brake operation amount sensor 85.

The vehicle control device 100 calculates the wheel speed VW based on the detection signal from the wheel speed sensor 86. The vehicle control device 100 calculates the vehicle speed VS based on the wheel speed VW. The vehicle control device 100 calculates the vehicle acceleration G as the acceleration applied to the vehicle 90 based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor 87.

The vehicle control device 100 includes a drive control device 101 that controls the drive of the internal combustion engine 91. The vehicle control device 100 includes a braking control device 102 that controls the driving of the braking device 92. The vehicle control device 100 includes a steering control device 103 that controls the drive of the steering device 93.

The vehicle control device 100 drives the vehicle 90 based on the operation of the accelerator pedal 94, the brake pedal 95, the steering wheel, and the like by the driver of the vehicle 90. Specifically, the vehicle 90 is controlled via the drive control device 101, the braking control device 102, and the steering control device 103 using parameters such as the accelerator operation amount AC, the brake operation amount BR, and the steering angle SA.

The driving support device 10 included in the vehicle control device 100 executes driving support for supporting the running of the vehicle 90. The driving support includes, for example, an auxiliary process and an avoidance process described later. Examples of the auxiliary processing include running control in which the vehicle 90 travels at a constant vehicle speed VS, and traveling control in which the vehicle 90 is made to follow another vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 90. Then, when the auxiliary process is executed as the driving support, the driving support device 10 assists a part of the operation by the driver who drives the vehicle 90.

The driving support device 10 includes an out-of-vehicle situation determination unit 11, a driving control unit 12, an override detection unit 13, a control change unit 14, and a driver status determination unit 15 as functional units for executing driving support. ing.

The vehicle outside situation determination unit 11 determines whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 90 are safe based on the information input from the peripheral monitoring device 81. The vehicle outside condition determination unit 11 calculates the safety level as an index for determining whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 90 are safe. The safety level is an index that the occurrence of a failure is predicted when the safety level falls below a predetermined allowable value. That is, the vehicle-outside condition determination unit 11 predicts the occurrence of an obstacle in traveling the vehicle 90 based on the information input from the peripheral monitoring device 81.

As an example of the case where the safety level calculated by the vehicle outside condition determination unit 11 is lowered, for example, the case where an obstacle exists in the course of the vehicle 90 can be mentioned. Further, for example, when a plurality of obstacles are detected by the peripheral monitoring device 81, a second obstacle such as a pedestrian or another vehicle is placed in the blind spot of the first obstacle as seen from the driver of the vehicle 90. Even if it is located, the degree of safety is reduced. Further, the safety level is also lowered when the course of the vehicle 90 changes so as to cross the boundary line of the lane in which the vehicle 90 is traveling.

An example of calculating the safety level will be described with reference to FIG. The vehicle outside situation determination unit 11 sets a monitoring range starting from the vehicle 90. FIG. 2 illustrates the first monitoring range W1, the second monitoring range W2, and the third monitoring range W3 in ascending order of distance from the vehicle 90. The vehicle outside condition determination unit 11 calculates the safety level based on the set monitoring range and the information input from the peripheral monitoring device 81. The first monitoring range W1 to the third monitoring range W3 are examples of the monitoring range, and the number of monitoring ranges set by the vehicle outside situation determination unit 11 is not limited to three.

For example, the monitoring range in which the obstacle exists is specified based on the position information of the obstacle detected by the peripheral monitoring device 81. Then, the closer the monitoring range in which the obstacle exists to the vehicle 90, the lower the safety level is calculated. In the example shown in FIG. 2, when the obstacle is located within the first monitoring range W1, the safety level is calculated to be the lowest. That is, the safety level when the obstacle is located in the first monitoring range W1 is lower than the safety level when the obstacle is outside the first monitoring range W1 and located in the second monitoring range W2. Further, the safety level when the obstacle is located outside the first monitoring range W1 and within the second monitoring range W2 is when the obstacle is located outside the second monitoring range W2 and within the third monitoring range W3. Lower than safety.

The size and shape of each monitoring range are corrected based on the vehicle speed VS, the vehicle acceleration G, and the steering angle. For example, the larger the vehicle speed VS, the larger the monitoring range. Further, the larger the vehicle acceleration G, the larger the monitoring range. Furthermore, the monitoring range is increased in the direction in which the rudder angle faces. Therefore, when the distance between the vehicle 90 and the obstacle is a predetermined distance, for example, the safety level is calculated to be lower when the vehicle speed VS is large than when the vehicle speed VS is small. In other words, the safety level is calculated based on the estimated time until the vehicle 90 reaches the obstacle.

Further, the size and shape of each monitoring range can be corrected based on the accelerator operation amount AC, the brake operation amount BR, the steer angle SA, and the like.
When the vehicle 90 is driven through the execution of driving support, the travel control unit 12 outputs an instruction to the drive control device 101, the braking control device 102, and the steering control device 103. When the travel control unit 12 executes the auxiliary process as driving support, the drive control device 101, the braking control device 102, and the steering control device 103 are instructed to assist a part of the operation by the driver who drives the vehicle 90. Output. Further, the traveling control unit 12 executes an avoidance process as driving support when the occurrence of a failure is predicted by the vehicle outside situation determination unit 11. The avoidance process is a process of supporting the traveling of the vehicle 90 so as to avoid the occurrence of the obstacle. For example, when the travel control unit 12 executes the avoidance process because an obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle 90, the travel control unit 12 creates a course of the vehicle 90 that avoids the obstacle and travels the vehicle 90 based on the course. Instructions for causing the steering are output to the drive control device 101, the braking control device 102, and the steering control device 103.

The override detection unit 13 detects an operation aimed at changing the vehicle motion state by the driver of the vehicle 90. For example, the operation by the driver is detected based on fluctuations in the accelerator operation amount AC, the brake operation amount BR, the steer angle SA, and the like. The accelerator operation amount AC, the brake operation amount BR, the steering angle SA, and the like are operation amounts input to the operation unit by the driver in order to change the vehicle motion. For example, when the fluctuation amount of the steer angle SA is equal to or larger than the determination fluctuation amount, the override detection unit 13 detects the operation by the driver.

The control change unit 14 selects whether to continuously execute the driving support or to end the driving support and perform the running control of the vehicle 90 based on the operation by the driver during the execution of the driving support. Specifically, the control change unit 14 determines whether or not the driving support can be terminated based on the detection result of the override detection unit depending on whether or not the execution of the avoidance process may be started or whether or not the avoidance process is executed. .. Details of the process executed by the control change unit 14 will be described later.

The driver situation determination unit 15 determines whether or not the driver is in a vague state based on the information input from the driver monitoring device 82. For example, when the driver's line of sight does not face the traveling direction of the vehicle 90, it is determined that the vehicle is in a vague state. Further, for example, when the time when the driver closes his eyes exceeds the permissible time, it is determined that the driver is in a vague state. Further, when the heart rate sensor or the respiration sensor is used as the driver monitoring device 82, if it cannot be confirmed that the driver is awake, it is determined that the driver is in a vague state.

The avoidance process executed by the driving support device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.
FIG. 3 shows the flow of processing when the traveling control unit 12 executes the avoidance processing. This processing routine is executed by the driving support device 10. This processing routine is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals.

When this processing routine is started, first, in step S11, the vehicle outside situation determination unit 11 calculates the safety level. After that, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the out-of-vehicle condition determination unit 11 determines whether or not an obstacle in running the vehicle 90 has been detected based on the safety level calculated in step S11. If no failure is detected (S12: NO), this processing routine is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, when a failure is detected (S12: YES), the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the travel control unit 12 starts executing the avoidance process as driving support. By executing the avoidance process, the course of the vehicle 90 is changed to the avoidance course created by the avoidance process. When the execution of the avoidance process is started, this process routine is terminated.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the course of the vehicle 90 when the avoidance process is executed while the vehicle 90 is traveling in the first lane L1. In FIG. 4, the changed forward path RT1 is indicated by a broken line arrow as the course of the vehicle 90 before the avoidance process is executed. Further, in FIG. 4, the avoidance path RT11 created by the avoidance process is shown by a solid arrow. This avoidance course RT11 is a course for avoiding a collision between the obstacle OB existing on the first lane L1 and the vehicle 90. The vehicle outside condition determination unit 11 calculates the safety level low based on the obstacle OB. Therefore, the occurrence of failure is predicted.

When the vehicle 90 travels according to the modified forward road RT1 shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle 90 may come into contact with the obstacle OB. When the vehicle 90 is driven according to the avoidance path RT11, the contact between the vehicle 90 and the obstacle OB can be avoided. That is, the occurrence of a failure can be avoided by the avoidance process executed as driving support.

FIG. 5 shows another example of the course of the vehicle 90 when the avoidance process is executed while the vehicle 90 is traveling in the first lane L1. In FIG. 5, the changed forward path RT2 is shown by a broken line arrow as the course of the vehicle 90 before the avoidance process is executed. Further, in FIG. 5, the avoidance path RT12 created by the avoidance process is shown by a solid arrow. This avoidance course RT12 is a course for avoiding crossing the boundary line of the first lane L1. The vehicle outside condition determination unit 11 predicts that when the vehicle 90 travels according to the changed forward road RT2, it will cross the boundary line of the first lane L1, and calculates the safety level to be low. That is, the occurrence of a failure is predicted.

When the vehicle 90 travels according to the modified forward road RT2 shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle 90 may cross the boundary line of the first lane L1. When the vehicle 90 is driven according to the avoidance path RT12, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 90 from crossing the boundary line of the first lane L1. That is, the occurrence of a failure can be avoided by the avoidance process executed as driving support.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the flow of processing executed by the driving support device 10 during the execution of driving support will be described. This processing routine is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals during the execution of driving assistance.

When this processing routine is started, first, in step S101, the control change unit 14 determines whether or not the avoidance processing is being executed as driving assistance. If the avoidance process is being executed (S101: YES), the process proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the control change unit 14 determines whether or not the override is detected by the override detection unit 13. If no override is detected (S108: NO), processing proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, if an override is detected (S108: YES), the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, the control change unit 14 invalidates the override. After that, the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the control change unit 14 issues a command to the travel control unit 12 to continuously execute the driving support. After that, this processing routine is terminated. That is, when the avoidance process is executed, the control change unit 14 does not allow the end of the driving support even if the override is detected.

In the process of step S101, if the avoidance process is not being executed (S101: NO), the process is shifted to step S103. In step S103, the control change unit 14 determines whether or not the override is detected by the override detection unit 13. If no override is detected (S103: NO), processing proceeds to step S102. When the control changing unit 14 issues a command to the traveling control unit 12 to continuously execute the driving support in step S102, this processing routine is terminated.

If an override is detected in the process of step S103 (S103: YES), the process shifts to step S104. In step S104, the driver status determination unit 15 determines whether or not the driver of the vehicle 90 is in a loose state. When the driver is in a loose state (S104: YES), the process shifts to step S105. In step S105, the control change unit 14 invalidates the override. After that, the process proceeds to step S102. When the control changing unit 14 issues a command to the traveling control unit 12 to continuously execute the driving support in step S102, this processing routine is terminated.

On the other hand, in the process of step S104, when the driver is not in a loose state (S104: NO), the process shifts to step S106. In step S106, the control change unit 14 enables the override. After that, the process proceeds to step S107. In step S107, the control change unit 14 issues a command to the travel control unit 12 to end the driving support. That is, the traveling control of the vehicle 90 is performed by the operation by the driver. After that, this processing routine is terminated. That is, when the avoidance process is not executed, the control change unit 14 permits the end of the driving support based on the detection of the override and ends the driving support.

The operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.
When the driving support device 10 executes the auxiliary processing as the driving support, it is determined that the avoidance processing is not being executed (S101: NO). That is, the avoidance process does not intervene in the control of the vehicle 90. In this case, when the override is detected (S103: YES), if the driver is not in a vague state (S104: NO), the override is enabled by the control change unit 14 and the driving support is terminated (S107). .. That is, in a situation where the avoidance process does not intervene in the control of the vehicle 90, the driving assistance is terminated when an operation by the driver is detected during the execution of the driving assistance. On the other hand, when the avoidance process is being executed as the driving support (S101: YES), the control change unit 14 continues the execution of the driving support (S102). That is, the control change unit 14 does not allow the end of the driving support when the avoidance process intervenes in the control of the vehicle 90.

For example, consider the case where the driving support, that is, the avoidance process is terminated when the avoidance process intervenes in the control of the vehicle 90 in the example shown in FIG. In this case, if the overriding is enabled and the driving support is terminated, the vehicle 90 may head toward the obstacle OB depending on the operation of the driver. In this regard, according to the driving support device 10, when the avoidance process is executed as the driving support and the vehicle 90 is traveling according to the avoidance course RT11, the execution of the driving support is continued. That is, when the vehicle 90 is traveling according to the avoidance route RT11, the override is not enabled even if there is an operation by the driver, and the vehicle 90 following the avoidance route RT11 continues to travel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 90 from heading toward the obstacle OB.

Further, consider the case where the driving support, that is, the avoidance process is terminated when the avoidance process intervenes in the control of the vehicle 90 in the example shown in FIG. In this case, when the driving support is terminated with the override enabled, the vehicle 90 may cross the boundary line of the first lane L1. In this regard, according to the driving support device 10, when the avoidance process is executed as the driving support and the vehicle 90 is traveling according to the avoidance course RT12, the execution of the driving support is continued. That is, when the vehicle 90 is traveling according to the avoidance route RT12, the override is not enabled even if there is an operation by the driver, and the vehicle 90 following the avoidance route RT12 continues to travel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 90 from crossing the boundary line of the first lane L1 and maintain the state in which the vehicle 90 travels in the first lane L1.

Therefore, according to the driving support device 10, it is possible to prevent the safety of the vehicle 90 from being lowered when the operation by the driver is detected during the execution of the driving support. That is, the occurrence of obstacles in the running of the vehicle 90, which may occur as a result of terminating the driving support with the override enabled during the execution of the driving support, can be avoided by continuing the driving support.

In addition, in this embodiment, the following effects can be further obtained.
Even if the override is detected when the avoidance process is not executed, the override is invalidated by the control change unit 14 when the driver is in a vague state. That is, the operation by the driver is effective only when it is determined that the driver is intentionally performing the operation. As a result, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 90 from being controlled to travel based on the driver's unconscious operation.

This embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows. The present embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
In the first embodiment, in the process of step S101 in the process flow shown in FIG. 6, when the avoidance process is being executed, the process is shifted to step S102 and the driving support is continued.

In the process of step S101, it may be determined whether or not the occurrence of a failure is predicted. In this case, when the occurrence of a failure is not predicted, the process proceeds to step S103. If the occurrence of the failure is not predicted, the avoidance process does not intervene in the control of the vehicle 90. On the other hand, when the occurrence of a failure is predicted, the process shifts to step S102. If the occurrence of a failure is predicted, the avoidance process may intervene in the control of the vehicle 90.

According to this configuration, the driving support is continued even when the occurrence of the failure is predicted but the execution of the avoidance process has not been started yet, and the override is not enabled. That is, although the occurrence of a failure is predicted, the driving support is continued even if the safety level is not lowered enough to start the execution of the avoidance process at the time when the process of step S101 is executed. As a result, it is possible to suppress that the traveling control of the vehicle 90 is performed based on the operation of the driver, and when the traveling is continued and the safety level is lowered, the execution of the avoidance process can be promptly started.

(Second Embodiment)
The driving support device of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7.
The driving support device of the second embodiment executes the processing routine shown in FIG. 7 during the execution of the driving support. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate. FIG. 7 shows the flow of processing executed by the driving support device 10 during the execution of driving support. This processing routine is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals during the execution of driving assistance.

When this processing routine is started, first, in step S201, the control change unit 14 determines whether or not the override is detected by the override detection unit 13. If no override is detected (S201: NO), processing proceeds to step S206. In step S206, the control change unit 14 issues a command to the travel control unit 12 to continuously execute the driving support. After that, this processing routine is terminated.

If an override is detected in the process of step S201 (S201: YES), the process shifts to step S202. In step S202, the travel control unit 12 creates a virtual course assuming that the vehicle 90 travels based on the detected override. For example, when the driver's steering is detected, a virtual course is created based on the amount of change in the steering angle SA and the steering direction. After that, the process shifts to step S203. In step S203, based on the virtual course created in step S202, the vehicle outside situation determination unit 11 calculates the safety level when the vehicle 90 is assumed to travel on the virtual course, and the process shifts to step S204. For example, when there is an obstacle in the virtual course, the safety level is calculated to be lower than when there is no obstacle in the virtual course. In addition, the closer the virtual course is to the obstacle, the lower the safety level is calculated.

In step S204, the vehicle exterior condition determination unit compares the safety level when the vehicle 90 is controlled to travel according to the current course and the safety level when the vehicle 90 is controlled to travel according to the virtual course created in step S202. 11 does. Based on the comparison, the vehicle-outside condition determination unit 11 determines whether or not the safety level is reduced when traveling on the virtual course. When the safety level is lowered when the vehicle 90 is driven according to the virtual course (S204: YES), the process shifts to step S205. When the safety level is lowered when the vehicle 90 is driven according to the virtual course, the start of the avoidance process is predicted when the vehicle 90 is driven according to the virtual course. That is, there is a possibility that the avoidance process intervenes in the control of the vehicle 90. In such a case, in this processing routine, the processing is shifted to step S205.

On the other hand, in the process of step S204, if the safety level does not decrease even if the vehicle 90 is driven according to the virtual course (S204: NO), the process is shifted to step S207. If the safety level does not decrease even if the vehicle 90 is assumed to travel according to the virtual course, the avoidance process does not intervene in the control of the vehicle 90. In step S207, the driver status determination unit 15 determines whether or not the driver of the vehicle 90 is in a loose state. When the driver is in a loose state (S207: YES), the process shifts to step S205.

In the process of step S205, the control change unit 14 invalidates the override. After that, the process proceeds to step S206. When the control changing unit 14 issues a command to the traveling control unit 12 to continuously execute the driving support in step S206, this processing routine is terminated.

In the driving support device, when the safety level as an index for determining whether or not the periphery of the vehicle 90 is safe is equal to or less than the allowable value, the avoidance process is executed. That is, when the degree of safety is low, it is highly probable that the execution of the avoidance process will be started. The control change unit 14 does not allow the end of the driving support even if the override is detected when the safety level is low and there is a possibility that the execution of the avoidance process is started.

Further, in the process of step S207, when the driver is not in a loose state (S207: NO), the process shifts to step S208. In step S208, the control change unit 14 enables the override. After that, the process proceeds to step S209. In step S209, the control change unit 14 issues a command to the travel control unit 12 to end the driving support. That is, the traveling control of the vehicle 90 is performed by the operation by the driver. After that, this processing routine is terminated.

In the driving support device, if the safety level as an index for determining whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 90 are safe is higher than the permissible value, the avoidance process is not executed. That is, when the degree of safety is high, it is unlikely that the avoidance process will be started. The control change unit 14 terminates the driving support based on the detection of the override when the safety level is high and there is no possibility that the execution of the avoidance process is started.

According to the driving support device that executes the processing flow shown in FIG. 7, when an operation by the driver is detected during the execution of the driving support (S201: YES), the vehicle 90 is driven based on the operation. When the start of the avoidance process is predicted on the assumption (S204: YES), the end of the driving support is not permitted and the driving support is continued (S206).

The operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 shows an example of the course of the vehicle 90 when the auxiliary process is executed as driving support while the vehicle 90 is traveling in the first lane L1.

In FIG. 8, the support path RT13 created by the driving support is shown by a solid arrow. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the obstacle OB exists outside the first lane L1 in which the vehicle 90 is traveling. When the vehicle 90 is driven according to the support path RT13, the vehicle 90 does not collide with the obstacle OB. Therefore, the safety level calculated by the vehicle outside condition determination unit 11 is higher than the permissible value.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 8, when an override is detected, the virtual course RT21 assuming that the vehicle 90 is driven based on the detected override is illustrated by a chain double-dashed line. In the example shown in FIG. 8, when the vehicle 90 is driven according to the virtual course RT21, the vehicle 90 crosses the boundary line of the first lane L1 and advances toward the obstacle OB. That is, the vehicle-outside situation determination unit 11 determines that the safety level is lower when the vehicle 90 travels on the virtual route RT21 as compared with the case where the vehicle 90 travels on the support route RT13. As a result, the process of step S205 is executed and the override is invalidated, the process of step S206 is executed, and the driving support is continued.

That is, according to the above configuration, when the avoidance process may intervene in the control of the vehicle 90, the driving support is not terminated even if the operation by the driver is detected. As a result, it is possible to prevent the safety of the vehicle 90 from being lowered when the operation by the driver is detected during the execution of the driving support. That is, the occurrence of obstacles in the running of the vehicle 90, which may occur as a result of terminating the driving support with the override enabled during the execution of the driving support, can be avoided by continuing the driving support.

In addition, there are the following elements that can be changed in common with each of the above embodiments.
-In each of the above embodiments, the safety level is used to determine whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 90 are safe. The method of calculating the safety level calculated by the vehicle outside condition determination unit 11 can be changed.

The safety level is an example of an index for determining whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 90 are safe. Therefore, it is not an essential configuration to use the safety level to determine whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 90 are safe. For example, it is possible to determine whether or not the vicinity of the vehicle 90 is safe based only on the distance between the vehicle 90 and the obstacle.

-In each of the above embodiments, a vehicle 90 including an internal combustion engine 91 is illustrated. The drive source of the vehicle 90 is not limited to the internal combustion engine 91. For example, the vehicle 90 may be a vehicle whose drive source is a motor generator.

The accelerator pedal 94 in each of the above embodiments is an example of an accelerator operation unit for the driver to perform an operation for accelerating the vehicle 90. The accelerator operation unit is not limited to the accelerator pedal 94, and may be any one that can reflect the driver's intention in driving. For example, as the accelerator operation unit, a switch or lever that can be operated by the driver can be adopted. Further, as the accelerator operation unit, an ACC setting switch for starting traveling that maintains the vehicle speed VS at the specified vehicle speed or traveling that maintains the inter-vehicle distance with another vehicle traveling in front at the specified distance is adopted. You can also.

The brake pedal 95 in each of the above embodiments is an example of a brake operation unit for the driver to perform an operation of decelerating the vehicle 90. The brake operation unit is not limited to the brake pedal 95, and may be any one that can reflect the driver's intention in driving. For example, as the brake operation unit, a switch or lever that can be operated by the driver may be adopted.

10 ... Driving support device, 11 ... Outside situation judgment unit, 12 ... Driving control unit, 13 ... Override detection unit, 14 ... Control change unit, 15 ... Driver situation judgment unit, 81 ... Peripheral monitoring device, 82 ... Driver monitoring Device, 83 ... Steering angle detection sensor, 84 ... Accelerator opening sensor, 85 ... Brake operation amount sensor, 86 ... Wheel speed sensor, 87 ... Acceleration sensor, 90 ... Vehicle, 91 ... Internal engine, 92 ... Braking device, 93 ... Steering device, 94 ... Accelerator pedal, 95 ... Brake pedal, 100 ... Vehicle control device, 101 ... Drive control device, 102 ... Braking control device, 103 ... Steering control device.

Claims (4)

A driving support device that is applied to a vehicle equipped with a peripheral monitoring device that monitors the environment around the vehicle and that executes driving support that supports the running of the vehicle based on information input from the peripheral monitoring device.
An out-of-vehicle condition determination unit that predicts the occurrence of an obstacle in the vehicle traveling based on the information input from the peripheral monitoring device, and
When the occurrence of the obstacle is predicted, the traveling control unit that executes the avoidance process for assisting the traveling of the vehicle so as to avoid the occurrence of the obstacle as the driving support
An override detection unit that detects an operation for the purpose of changing the vehicle motion state by the driver of the vehicle,
It is determined whether or not the driving support can be terminated based on the detection result of the override detection unit depending on whether or not the avoidance process may be started or whether or not the avoidance process is executed.
If there is no possibility that the execution of the avoidance process is started, or if the avoidance process is not executed, the driving support is terminated based on the detection of the operation, while the driving support is terminated.
When there is a possibility that the execution of the avoidance process is started, or when the avoidance process is executed, the control change unit which does not permit the end of the driving support even if the operation is detected. Equipped with a driving support device. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the control changing unit does not permit the end of the driving support when the occurrence of the failure is predicted during the execution of the driving support. The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control changing unit does not permit the end of the driving support when the avoidance process is executed as the driving support. When the operation is detected during the execution of the driving support, and when the start of the avoidance process is predicted on the assumption that the vehicle is driven based on the operation, the control changing unit of the driving support The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the termination is not permitted.