JP2021043861A - Driving support control device, determination support control device, driving support system, driving support control method and determination support control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To support a driver of each passing vehicle to make an appropriate decision when multiple vehicles pass each other.SOLUTION: A driving support control device is comprised of: a peripheral situation recognizing unit 53 as an other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information on other vehicles including a following vehicle of a first vehicle and a second vehicle that is an oncoming vehicle of the first vehicle; a passing determination unit 55 that determines whether or not the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other in a presence of the following vehicle based on the other vehicle information recognized by the peripheral situation recognizing unit 53; a bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 as an information generation unit that generates the passing information including information indicating a relative positional relationship between the first vehicle and a driving road when it is determined that there is a possibility of passing each other; a first transmission control unit 57 that transmits the passing information generated by the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 to the second vehicle; and a second transmission control unit 58 that transmits oncoming vehicle information indicating that the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other to the following vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a driving support control device, a judgment support control device, a driving support system, a driving support control method, and a judgment support control method.

For example, when vehicles pass each other in a narrow alley, there is known a technique of displaying a place where vehicles can pass each other based on map information or the like (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3). reference).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-086761 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-106945 JP-A-2018-151177

When a plurality of vehicles pass each other, if the driver of each vehicle cannot properly determine the passing point, which is a suitable place for passing, the passing may become difficult. In order to properly pass each other, it is desirable that the driver of each passing vehicle confirms the surrounding conditions and appropriately determines the passing point.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to support an appropriate judgment by a driver of each passing vehicle when a plurality of vehicles pass each other.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the driving support control device according to the present invention is a vehicle following the first vehicle and an oncoming vehicle of the first vehicle located in the vicinity of the first vehicle. In a state where the following vehicle exists based on the other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information of the other vehicle including the second vehicle and the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit, the second vehicle When the passing determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other and the passing determination unit determine that there is a possibility of passing each other, the first vehicle and the first vehicle are traveling. An information generation unit that generates passing information including information indicating a relative positional relationship with a driving road, a first transmission control unit that transmits the passing information generated by the information generation unit to the second vehicle, and a first transmission control unit. It includes a second transmission control unit that transmits oncoming vehicle information indicating that the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other to the following vehicle.

The judgment support control device according to the present invention is located in the vicinity of the second vehicle, from the first vehicle, which is an oncoming vehicle of the second vehicle, to the first vehicle and the traveling road on which the first vehicle is traveling. The passing information including the information indicating the relative positional relationship of the first vehicle is acquired, and the passing information including the information indicating the relative positional relationship between the following vehicle and the driving road is acquired from the following vehicle of the first vehicle. The passing information acquisition unit, the synthesis determination unit that determines that the passing information is synthesized when the passing information acquisition unit acquires the passing information from the first vehicle and the following vehicle of the first vehicle, and the synthesis determination unit. When it is determined that the passing information is synthesized, the synthesis processing unit that synthesizes the passing information to generate the synthesis information and a display control unit that displays the synthesis information generated by the synthesis processing unit on the display unit are provided. ..

The driving support system according to the present invention includes the above-mentioned driving support control device and the above-mentioned judgment support control device.

The driving support control method according to the present invention acquires information on other vehicles of other vehicles including a following vehicle of the first vehicle and a second vehicle which is an oncoming vehicle of the first vehicle located in the vicinity of the first vehicle. Whether or not the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other in the presence of the following vehicle based on the other vehicle information acquisition step and the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition step. Information indicating the relative positional relationship between the first vehicle and the driving road on which the first vehicle is traveling when it is determined by the passing determination step and the passing determination step that there is a possibility of passing each other. An information generation step for generating passing information, a first transmission control step for transmitting the passing information generated by the information generation step to the second vehicle, and the second vehicle and the first vehicle It includes a second transmission control step of transmitting oncoming vehicle information indicating that there is a possibility of passing each other to the following vehicle.

The judgment support control method according to the present invention is located in the vicinity of the second vehicle, from the first vehicle, which is an oncoming vehicle of the second vehicle, to the first vehicle and the traveling road on which the first vehicle is traveling. The passing information including the information indicating the relative positional relationship of the first vehicle is acquired, and the passing information including the information indicating the relative positional relationship between the following vehicle and the driving road is acquired from the following vehicle of the first vehicle. When the passing information is acquired from the first vehicle and the following vehicle of the first vehicle by the passing information acquisition step and the passing information acquisition step, the synthesis determination step of determining that the passing information is synthesized and the synthesis determination are made. When it is determined that the passing information is to be synthesized by the step, a synthesis processing step of synthesizing the passing information to generate the synthesis information and a display control step of displaying the synthesis information generated by the synthesis processing step on the display unit. And include.

According to the present invention, when a plurality of vehicles pass each other, it is possible to support an appropriate judgment by the driver of each passing vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a driving support system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the first apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a bird's-eye view image generated by the first apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a composite bird's-eye view image generated by the second apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the leading vehicle in the first apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the following vehicle in the first apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the second apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the first apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a composite bird's-eye view image generated by the second apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the second apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the first device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the first apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second device according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a composite bird's-eye view image generated by the second apparatus according to the fifth embodiment.

With reference to the accompanying drawings below, the control unit 50 as the driving support control device, the control unit 90 as the judgment support control device, the driving support system 1, the driving support control method, the judgment support control method and the program according to the present invention. The embodiment of the above will be described in detail. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[First Embodiment]
<Driving support system 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of the driving support system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the first device 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second device 80 according to the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the leading vehicle V and the following vehicle VB are traveling in the first direction on the traveling road R having a narrow road width. Further, on the traveling road R, the oncoming vehicle VA is traveling in the second direction opposite to the first direction. The following vehicle VB will be described as, for example, the following vehicle VB ₁ and the following vehicle VB ₂ . When it is not necessary to distinguish between a plurality of following vehicle VBs, it will be described as a following vehicle VB. The width of the traveling road R shall be slightly wider than the width of two ordinary vehicles. Fences F1 and F2 are installed on both sides of the road R. In the present embodiment, the leading vehicle V is the first vehicle and the oncoming vehicle VA is the second vehicle.

In the driving support system 1, when there is a possibility that the leading vehicle V, the following vehicle VB, and the oncoming vehicle VA pass each other (hereinafter, referred to as "when there is a possibility of multiple passing"), information around the leading vehicle V is provided. Is transmitted to the oncoming vehicle VA as passing information. The following vehicle VB may be one or more. In the following description, it is assumed that there are two or more following vehicles VB. Further, the information around the following vehicle VB is also transmitted from the plurality of following vehicle VBs to the oncoming vehicle VA as passing information. In the present embodiment, the driving support system 1 transmits a bird's-eye view image 100 (see FIG. 4) around the leading vehicle V to the oncoming vehicle VA when there is a possibility of multiple passing. In addition, a bird's-eye view image of the vicinity of the following vehicle VB is also transmitted from the plurality of following vehicle VBs to the oncoming vehicle VA. The driving support system 1 includes a first device 10 as a driving support device mounted on the leading vehicle V and the following vehicle VB, and a second device 80 as a judgment support device mounted on the oncoming vehicle VA.

<First device>
Since the first device 10 having the same configuration is mounted on the leading vehicle V and the following vehicle VB, the first device 10 mounted on the leading vehicle V will be described as an example. The first device 10 may be a portable device that can be used in the leading vehicle V, in addition to the device mounted on the leading vehicle V. The first device 10 includes a front bird's-eye view camera (shooting unit) 11, a rear bird's-eye view camera (shooting unit) 12, a left bird's-eye view camera (shooting unit) 13, and a right bird's-eye view camera (shooting unit). ) 14, an interface unit 21, a recognition dictionary storage unit 31, a display unit 41, and a control unit (driving support control device) 50.

The front bird's-eye view image camera 11 is a bird's-eye view image camera. The front bird's-eye view image camera 11 is arranged in front of the leading vehicle V, and photographs the surroundings centered on the front of the leading vehicle V. The front bird's-eye view image camera 11 captures, for example, a shooting range of about 180 °. The shooting range includes a wider range in front of the leading vehicle V than the display range of the bird's-eye view image 100. The front bird's-eye view image camera 11 outputs the captured peripheral image data to the image data acquisition unit 51 of the control unit 50.

The rear bird's-eye view image camera 12 is a bird's-eye view image camera. The rear view image camera 12 is arranged behind the leading vehicle V and photographs the surroundings centered on the rear of the leading vehicle V. The rear view image camera 12 captures, for example, a shooting range of about 180 °. The shooting range includes a wider range behind the leading vehicle V than the display range of the bird's-eye view image 100. The rear view image camera 12 outputs the captured peripheral image data to the image data acquisition unit 51 of the control unit 50.

The left bird's-eye view image camera 13 is a bird's-eye view image camera. The left bird's-eye view image camera 13 is arranged on the left side of the leading vehicle V, and photographs the surroundings centered on the left side of the leading vehicle V. The left bird's-eye view image camera 13 captures, for example, a shooting range of about 180 °. The shooting range includes a wider range on the left side of the leading vehicle V than the display range of the bird's-eye view image 100. The left bird's-eye view image camera 13 outputs the captured peripheral image data to the image data acquisition unit 51 of the control unit 50.

The right bird's-eye view image camera 14 is a bird's-eye view image camera. The right bird's-eye view image camera 14 is arranged on the right side of the leading vehicle V, and photographs the surroundings centered on the right side of the leading vehicle V. The right bird's-eye view image camera 14 captures, for example, a shooting range of about 180 °. The shooting range includes a wider range on the right side of the leading vehicle V than the display range of the bird's-eye view image 100. The right bird's-eye view image camera 14 outputs the captured peripheral image data to the image data acquisition unit 51 of the control unit 50.

The front bird's-eye view image camera 11, the rear bird's-eye view image camera 12, the left bird's-eye view image camera 13, and the right bird's-eye view image camera 14 capture all directions of the leading vehicle V. The camera 11 for the front bird's-eye view image, the camera 12 for the rear bird's-eye view image, the camera 13 for the left bird's-eye view image, and the camera 14 for the right bird's-eye view image are not limited to this, and may be an all-sky camera that captures the periphery of the leading vehicle V.

The interface unit 21 is an interface for transmitting and receiving information between the first device 10 mounted on the following vehicle VB and the second device 80 mounted on the oncoming vehicle VA. The interface unit 21 connects to, for example, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or a communication line such as a telephone. The interface unit 21 transmits oncoming vehicle information indicating that the vehicle passes the oncoming vehicle VA to the first device 10 mounted on the following vehicle VB. In the present embodiment, the interface unit 21 faces the first device 10 _{2 mounted on the following vehicle VB 1} and the first device 10 ₃ mounted on the following vehicle VB ₂ to pass the oncoming vehicle VA. Send vehicle information. The interface unit 21 transmits the generated bird's-eye view image 100 to the second device 80 mounted on the oncoming vehicle VA.

The recognition dictionary storage unit 31 stores, for example, a recognition dictionary capable of collating patterns such as shapes, sizes, and colors of various vehicles in each direction. The recognition dictionary storage unit 31 is, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM, ROM, or flash memory, or a storage device such as an external storage device via a hard disk, an optical disk, or a network.

As an example, the display unit 41 is a display device shared with other systems including a navigation system. The display unit 41 is a monitor for confirming the periphery of the leading vehicle V at a required timing. The display unit 41 can take various forms as long as the periphery of the leading vehicle V can be confirmed. As an example of the display panel, it is also possible to use an electronic rear-view mirror or to function as an instrument panel. The display unit 41 is a display including, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Organic Electro-Luminence) display. The display unit 41 is arranged at a position that is easily visible to the driver. In the present embodiment, the display unit 41 is arranged on the dashboard, the instrument panel, the center console, or the like in front of the driver of the leading vehicle V. The display unit 41 displays a bird's-eye view image 100 of the leading vehicle V based on the image signal output from the display control unit 59 of the control unit 50.

When there is a possibility of multiple passing, the control unit 50 generates a bird's-eye view image 100 for confirming the periphery of the leading vehicle V and provides it to the second device 80 of the oncoming vehicle VA. Further, the control unit 50 provides oncoming vehicle information to the first device 10 of the following vehicle VB when there is a possibility of multiple passing. The control unit 50 is an arithmetic processing unit (control unit) composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a video processing processor. The control unit 50 loads a program stored in a storage unit (not shown) into the memory and executes an instruction included in the program. The control unit 50 includes a video data acquisition unit 51, a vehicle information acquisition unit 52, a surrounding situation recognition unit (other vehicle information acquisition unit) 53, an oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 54, a passing determination unit 55, and a bird's-eye view image generation. A unit (information generation unit) 56, a first transmission control unit 57, a second transmission control unit 58, a display control unit 59, and a storage unit which is an internal memory are included. The control unit 50 may be composed of one or a plurality of devices.

The video data acquisition unit 51 acquires peripheral video data obtained by photographing the periphery of the leading vehicle V. More specifically, the video data acquisition unit 51 acquires peripheral video data output by the front bird's-eye view image camera 11, the rear bird's-eye view image camera 12, the left bird's-eye view image camera 13, and the right bird's-eye view image camera 14. The video data acquisition unit 51 outputs the acquired peripheral video data to the bird's-eye view video generation unit 56.

The vehicle information acquisition unit 52 acquires vehicle information including vehicle speed information of the leading vehicle V from CAN (Control Area Network) or various sensors that sense the state of the leading vehicle V. The vehicle information acquisition unit 52 acquires information on the traveling direction of the leading vehicle V acquired from the CAN or various sensors as vehicle information. The vehicle information acquisition unit 52 outputs the acquired vehicle information to the passing determination unit 55.

The peripheral situation recognition unit 53 functions as another vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information of other vehicles including the following vehicle VB and the oncoming vehicle VA around the leading vehicle V. In the present embodiment, the peripheral situational awareness unit 53 functions as another vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information of other vehicles including _{the following vehicle VB 1} , the following vehicle VB _{2, and the oncoming vehicle VA around the leading vehicle V.} .. The surrounding situation recognition unit 53 recognizes the situation around the leading vehicle V. In the present embodiment, the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 recognizes another vehicle from the peripheral image data obtained by photographing the vicinity of the leading vehicle V, and acquires the other vehicle information. More specifically, the peripheral situation recognition unit 53 performs pattern matching using the recognition dictionary stored in the recognition dictionary storage unit 31 with respect to the peripheral video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 51, and performs pattern matching on the traveling road R. , The following vehicle VB located behind the leading vehicle V, and the oncoming vehicle VA located in front of the leading vehicle V are recognized. The surrounding situation recognition unit 53 outputs the recognition result as other vehicle information to the passing determination unit 55.

The surrounding situation recognition unit 53 reads the characters, numbers, and symbols on the license plate of the recognized following vehicle VB, and recognizes the following vehicle identification information that identifies the following vehicle VB. The surrounding situation recognition unit 53 reads the characters, numbers, and symbols on the license plate of the recognized oncoming vehicle VA, and recognizes other vehicle identification information that identifies the oncoming vehicle VA.

The surrounding situation recognition unit 53 performs image processing on the peripheral video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 51 to acquire the road width of the traveling road R on which the leading vehicle V is traveling.

When the oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 54 determines that there is a possibility of multiple passing in the first device 10 mounted on the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle, the oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 54 is transmitted from the first device 10 of the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle. Get vehicle information.

The passing determination unit 55 determines whether or not there is a possibility of multiple passing. The passing determination unit 55 includes a first determination unit 551 and a second determination unit 552.

The first determination unit 551 determines the possibility of multiple passing when the own vehicle is the leading vehicle V. Based on the other vehicle information, the first determination unit 551 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V may pass each other in a state where the following vehicle VB exists in the leading vehicle V. In the present embodiment, the first determination unit 551 may pass the leading vehicle V with the oncoming vehicle VA in a state where the following vehicle VB exists in the leading vehicle V based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53. Judge whether or not. More specifically, the first determination unit 551 determines that the oncoming vehicle VA is in a state where the road width of the traveling road R is equal to or less than the threshold value and the following vehicle VB exists in the leading vehicle V based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53. If is recognized, it is determined that there is a possibility of multiple passing. The threshold value of the road width is set to be slightly wider than the width of two ordinary vehicles, for example, about 3.8 m.

The second determination unit 552 determines the possibility of multiple passing when the own vehicle is not the head, for example, when the own vehicle is the following vehicle VB. When the oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 54 acquires the oncoming vehicle information from the leading vehicle V, the second determination unit 552 determines that there is a possibility of multiple passing. In the present embodiment, the second determination unit 552 determines that there is a possibility of multiple passing each other when the oncoming vehicle information transmitted from the first device 10 of the leading vehicle V is acquired.

The bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 has a function as an information generation unit that generates passing information including information indicating a relative positional relationship between the leading vehicle V and the traveling road R. In the present embodiment, the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 performs viewpoint conversion processing and composition processing on the peripheral image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 51, and passes the bird's-eye view image 100 that displays a predetermined display range from the leading vehicle V. Generate as information. The bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 outputs the generated bird's-eye view image 100 to the first transmission control unit 57, the second transmission control unit 58, and the display control unit 59. The bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 includes a viewpoint conversion processing unit 561, a cutting processing unit 562, and a composition processing unit 563.

The passing information includes information indicating the width of the leading vehicle V and the width of the traveling road R. The passing information may include information indicating obstacles such as utility poles, signs, and gutters installed on the road R.

The viewpoint conversion processing unit 561 performs the viewpoint conversion processing on the peripheral video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 51 so as to look down from above the leading vehicle V. More specifically, the viewpoint conversion processing unit 561 is based on the peripheral image data captured by the front bird's-eye view image camera 11, the rear bird's-eye view image camera 12, the left bird's-eye view image camera 13, and the right bird's-eye view image camera 14. Generate the converted video. The method of the viewpoint conversion process may be any known method and is not limited. The viewpoint conversion processing unit 561 outputs the peripheral video data that has undergone the viewpoint conversion processing to the cutout processing unit 562.

The cutout processing unit 562 performs a cutout process for cutting out a predetermined range of video from the peripheral video data that has undergone the viewpoint conversion process. Which range is to be the cutout range is registered and stored in advance. In the present embodiment, the cutting range is a range in which the road width can be confirmed when the leading vehicle V is traveling on a road of about 3.8 m. The cutting range includes, for example, a range of about 2 m from the leading vehicle V. The cutout processing unit 562 outputs the video data of the cutout processed video to the synthesis processing unit 563.

The compositing processing unit 563 performs a compositing process for synthesizing the cutout processed video data. The compositing processing unit 563 generates a bird's-eye view video 100 in which the vehicle icon 110 is displayed on the composited video.

The bird's-eye view image 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a bird's-eye view image 100 generated by the first apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. The bird's-eye view image 100 displays a range of about 2 m from the leading vehicle V. As a result, when the leading vehicle V is traveling in a narrow alley with a road width of 3.8 m or less, the bird's-eye view image 100 displays a fence F1, a fence F2, a gutter, etc. installed at the boundary of the road R. .. The bird's-eye view image 100 includes a vehicle icon 110 located at the center. The vehicle icon 110 indicates the relative relationship between the vehicle width of the leading vehicle V and the road width of the traveling road R, and the position and orientation of the leading vehicle V. The vehicle icon 110 is arranged in the central portion so that the front-rear direction is parallel to the front-rear direction of the bird's-eye view image 100.

The first transmission control unit 57 transmits the passing information, which is the information supporting the judgment of the passing, to the oncoming vehicle VA, which is the partner vehicle of the passing. In the present embodiment, the first transmission control unit 57 recognizes the bird's-eye view image 100 generated by the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53, and the oncoming vehicle VA corresponding to the other vehicle identification information recognized. It transmits to the second device 80 mounted on the.

The second transmission control unit 58 transmits oncoming vehicle information indicating that the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V may pass each other to the following vehicle VB. The second transmission control unit 58 transmits oncoming vehicle information indicating that an oncoming vehicle VA, which is an oncoming vehicle passing by, exists in the following vehicle VB. In the present embodiment, the second transmission control unit 58 mounts _{oncoming vehicle information on the following vehicle VB 1} and the following vehicle VB ₂ corresponding to the recognized other vehicle identification information based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53. the first device 10 ₂ is, transmitted to the first device 10 _3.

In the present embodiment, the oncoming vehicle information is the relative positional relationship between the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V included in the recognition result of the bird's-eye view image 100 generated by the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 and the surrounding situation recognition unit 53. Includes information to indicate. The oncoming vehicle information may include information requesting the following vehicle VB not to close the inter-vehicle distance, for example, textual information such as "Please do not close the inter-vehicle distance and wait at that position". The oncoming vehicle information includes other vehicle identification information indicating the oncoming vehicle VA.

The display control unit 59 causes the display unit 41 to display the passing information. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 59 causes the display unit 41 to display the bird's-eye view image 100 generated by the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56. When the bird's-eye view image 100 generated by the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 is displayed by the display control unit 59, there is a possibility of multiple passing through a speaker (not shown) or the like, and the bird's-eye view image 100 is displayed. It is preferable to notify this by voice.

When the oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 54 acquires the oncoming vehicle information, the display control unit 59 may display the oncoming vehicle information on the display unit 41. When the oncoming vehicle information is displayed by the display control unit 59, it is possible to notify by voice that there is a possibility of multiple passing and that the bird's-eye view image 100 is being displayed via a speaker (not shown) or the like. preferable.

<Second device>
The second device 80 may be a portable device that can be used in the oncoming vehicle VA, in addition to the device mounted on the oncoming vehicle VA. The second device 80 includes an interface unit 81, a display unit 82, and a control unit 90.

The interface unit 81 is an interface for transmitting and receiving information to and from the first device 10. The interface unit 81 connects to, for example, a communication line such as Wi-Fi or a telephone, and receives the bird's-eye view image 100 generated from the first device 10.

As an example, the display unit 82 is a display device shared with other systems including a navigation system. The display unit 82 displays the composite bird's-eye view image 200 generated from the bird's-eye view image 100 received from the plurality of first devices 10 based on the video signal output from the display control unit 99 of the control unit 90.

The control unit 90 is an arithmetic processing unit (control unit) composed of, for example, a CPU or a video processing processor. The control unit 90 loads a program stored in a storage unit (not shown) into the memory and executes an instruction included in the program. The control unit 90 includes a passing information acquisition unit 91, a synthesis determination unit 92, a synthesis processing unit 93, a display control unit 99, and a storage unit (not shown) which is an internal memory. The control unit 90 may be composed of one or a plurality of devices.

The passing information acquisition unit 91 acquires the passing information from the passing partner vehicle. More specifically, the passing information acquisition unit 91 acquires passing information from other vehicles located in the vicinity, including information indicating the relative positional relationship between the other vehicle and the traveling road R on which the other vehicle is traveling. .. In this embodiment, passing information acquisition unit 91, first device 10 ₁ of the leading vehicle V, the first device 10 _{and second} following vehicle VB _1, and, from the first device ₁₀₃ of the following vehicle VB _2, as passing information Each of the bird's-eye view images 100 is acquired. The passing information acquisition unit 91 outputs the acquired bird's-eye view image 100 to the composition determination unit 92 and the composition processing unit 93.

When the passing information acquisition unit 91 acquires the passing information from a plurality of other vehicles, the synthesis determination unit 92 determines that the passing information is combined. In the present embodiment, when the passing information acquisition unit 91 acquires the bird's-eye view image 100 as the passing information from the leading vehicle V and the following vehicle VB of the leading vehicle V, the composite determination unit 92 synthesizes the bird's-eye view image 100 which is the passing information. Then it is determined.

The synthesis processing unit 93 synthesizes the passing information to generate the synthesis information. In the present embodiment, the synthesis processing unit 93 synthesizes the bird's-eye view video 100 acquired from each vehicle and generates the composite bird's-eye view video 200 as the composite information. For example, the compositing processing unit 93 may synthesize a plurality of bird's-eye view images 100 with reference to the vehicles before and after reflected in the bird's-eye view image 100. For example, the composition processing unit 93 may synthesize a plurality of bird's-eye view images 100 based on the feature points of the traveling road R reflected in the bird's-eye view image 100. For example, the compositing processing unit 93 may synthesize a plurality of bird's-eye view images 100 based on a photographed object such as a curb or a signboard reflected in the bird's-eye view image 100.

The composite bird's-eye view image 200 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a composite bird's-eye view image 200 generated by the second apparatus 80 according to the first embodiment. The composite bird's-eye view image 200 is an image obtained by synthesizing the bird's-eye view image 100 ₁ acquired from the leading vehicle V, the bird's-eye view image 100 ₂ acquired from the following vehicle VB ₁ , and the bird's-eye view image 100 ₃ acquired from the following vehicle VB ₂ . The bird's-eye view image 100 ₁ and the bird's-eye view image 100 ₂ and the bird's-eye view image 100 ₃ are combined with respect to the lane. Overhead image 100 ₁ and the bird's-eye view image 100 ₂ has a following vehicle VB ₁ that reflected on the overhead image 100 _1, based on the leading vehicle V that reflected on the overhead image 100 _2, have been synthesized. A bird's-eye view image 100 ₂ and bird's-eye view image 100 _3, the following vehicle VB ₂ that reflected on the overhead image 100 _2, based on the following vehicle VB ₁ that reflected on the overhead image 100 _3, have been synthesized. Synthesis overhead image 200 includes leading vehicle icon 110 ₁ of a vehicle V, the vehicle icon 110B ₁ showing a following vehicle VB _1, a vehicle icon 110B ₂ showing the following vehicle VB _2. The vehicle icon 110 ₁ , the vehicle icon 110B _1, and the vehicle icon 110B ₂ are arranged in the central portion so that the front-rear direction is parallel to the front-rear direction of the composite bird's-eye view image 200.

The display control unit 99 causes the display unit 82 to display the composite information synthesized by the synthesis processing unit 93. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 99 causes the display unit 82 to display the composite bird's-eye view image 200 synthesized by the synthesis processing unit 93. When the composite bird's-eye view image 200 is displayed by the display control unit 99, it is notified by voice that there is a possibility of multiple passing through a speaker (not shown) and that the composite bird's-eye view image 200 is being displayed. Is preferable.

<Information processing in the first device>
Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a description is given of the flow of processing in the first device 10 ₁ of the control unit 50 of the leading vehicle V. 6, the first device 10 ₁ according to the first embodiment, is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing flow at the leading vehicle V.

When the driving support system 1 is activated, and surrounding the first device 10 ₁ of the front bird's-eye-view video camera 11 and the rear bird's-eye-view video camera 12 and the left bird's-eye-view video camera 13 and the right bird's-eye-view video camera 14 of the leading vehicle V To shoot. First device 10 ₁ of the control unit 50 obtains the peripheral image data by the image data acquiring unit 51 recognizes the situation around the lead vehicle V by the peripheral situation recognition unit 53. The control unit 50 acquires vehicle information by the vehicle information acquisition unit 52.

The control unit 50 determines whether or not the road width of the traveling road R is narrow by the passing determination unit 55 (step S101). More specifically, the passing determination unit 55 determines whether or not the road width of the traveling road R is equal to or less than the threshold value based on the recognition result of the surrounding situational awareness unit 53. When the passing determination unit 55 determines that the road width of the traveling road R is equal to or less than the threshold value (Yes in step S101), the process proceeds to step S102. When the passing determination unit 55 does not determine that the road width of the traveling road R is equal to or less than the threshold value (No in step S101), the process of step S101 is executed again.

When it is determined that the road width of the traveling road R is equal to or less than the threshold value (Yes in step S101), the control unit 50 determines whether or not the following vehicle VB exists in the leading vehicle V by the passing determination unit 55 (step). S102). More specifically, when the passing vehicle VB located behind the leading vehicle V is recognized by the passing determination unit 55 based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 (Yes in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103. If the passing vehicle VB located behind the leading vehicle V is not recognized by the passing determination unit 55 based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 (No in step S102), the process of step S101 is executed again.

When the following vehicle VB located behind the leading vehicle V is recognized (Yes in step S102), the control unit 50 determines by the passing determination unit 55 whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle VA that may pass each other (step). S103). More specifically, when the passing vehicle VA located in front of the driving road R is recognized by the passing determination unit 55 based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 (Yes in step S103), there is a possibility of multiple passing. It is determined that there is, and the process proceeds to step S104. When the oncoming vehicle VA located in front of the traveling road R is not recognized by the passing determination unit 55 based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 (No in step S103), the process of step S101 is executed again.

When it is determined that there is a possibility of multiple passing (Yes in step S103), the control unit 50 generates the bird's-eye view image 100 ₁ of the leading vehicle V by the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 (step S104). The control unit 50 proceeds to step S105.

The control unit 50 transmits the bird's-eye view image 100 ₁ as passing information to the second device 80 of the oncoming vehicle VA by the first transmission control unit 57 (step S105). The control unit 50 proceeds to step S106.

The control unit 50 uses the second transmission control unit 58 _{to provide the oncoming vehicle information including the bird's-eye view image 100 1} and the information indicating the relative positional relationship between the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V as the first device 10 of the following vehicle VB. _It is transmitted to 2 (step S106). The control unit 50 proceeds to step S107.

The control unit 50 causes the display control unit 59 _{to display the bird's-eye view image 100 1} on the display unit 41 (step S107). The control unit 50 notifies by voice that there is a possibility of multiple passing and that the bird's-eye view image 100 _{1 is being displayed via the speaker.} The driver of the leading vehicle V confirms the _{bird's-eye view image 100 1 displayed on the display unit 41.} Then, the driver of the leading vehicle V, when performing oncoming vehicle VA and passing, to check the road width and the obstacle near the leading vehicle V from bird's-eye view image 100 _1, it is determined passing point. The control unit 50 proceeds to step S108.

The control unit 50 determines whether or not to end the bird's-eye view video display (step S108). More specifically, the control unit 50 determines that the bird's-eye view image display is terminated when the oncoming vehicle VA is no longer recognized based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 (Yes in step S108), and ends the process. To do. For example, when the leading vehicle V has passed the oncoming vehicle VA, or when the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA _{confirms the bird's-eye view image 100 1} displayed on the second device 80 and abandons the passing and detours. Will not recognize the oncoming vehicle VA. Based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53, the control unit 50 determines that the bird's-eye view image display is not terminated when the oncoming vehicle VA is recognized (No in step S108), and repeats the process of step S104. Execute.

With reference to FIG. 7, a description is given of the flow of processing in the first device 10 _{and second} control unit 50 of the following vehicle VB _1. Figure 7 is the first device 10 ₂ according to the first embodiment, is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the following vehicles VB _1. Here, the case where the following vehicle VB is the following vehicle VB ₁ will be described. The first device 10 ₂ mounted on the following vehicle VB ₁ from the first device 10 ₁ mounted on the head car V, the oncoming vehicle information indicating that the oncoming vehicle VA and leading vehicle V is likely to pass by When acquired, the bird's-eye view image 100 ₂ is transmitted to the second device 80 mounted on the oncoming vehicle VA _{as the passing information of the following vehicle VB 1.} First device ₁₀₃ also being performed the same processing that is mounted on the following vehicle VB _2, and transmits the overhead image 100 ₃ as passing information for the following vehicle VB _2.

The control unit 50 determines whether or not the surrounding situational awareness unit 53 has acquired other vehicle information by the passing determination unit 55 (step S201). When the passing determination unit 55 determines that the surrounding situational awareness unit 53 has acquired other vehicle information (Yes in step S201), the process proceeds to step S202. If the passing determination unit 55 does not determine that the surrounding situational awareness unit 53 has acquired other vehicle information (No in step S201), the process of step S201 is executed again.

When it is determined that the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 has acquired other vehicle information (Yes in step S201), the control unit 50 generates the bird's-eye view image 100 _{2 of the following vehicle VB 1} by the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 (step). S202). The control unit 50 proceeds to step S203.

The control unit 50 transmits the bird's-eye view image 100 _{2 of the following vehicle VB 1} to the second device 80 of the oncoming vehicle VA as passing information by the first transmission control unit 57 (step S203). The control unit 50 proceeds to step S204.

The control unit 50 _{determines whether or not the following vehicle VB 2} exists (step S204). More specifically, the control unit 50 proceeds to step S205 when the following vehicle VB _{2 located behind the following vehicle VB 1} is recognized based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 (Yes in step S204). .. _{The control unit 50 proceeds to step S206 when the following vehicle VB 2} is not recognized (No in step S204) based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53.

When the following vehicle VB ₂ located behind the following vehicle VB ₁ is recognized (Yes in step S204), the control unit 50 receives the bird's-eye view image 100 _{2 of the following vehicle VB 1} and the oncoming vehicle by the second transmission control unit 58. and information is transmitted to the first device 10 _{and second} following vehicle VB ₂ of the following vehicle VB ₁ (step S205). The control unit 50 proceeds to step S206.

The control unit 50 causes the display control unit 59 to display the bird's-eye view image 100 _{2 of the following vehicle VB 1 on} the display unit 41 (step S206). The control unit 50 notifies by voice that there is a possibility of multiple passing and that the bird's-eye view image 100 _{2 is being displayed via the speaker.} The driver of the following vehicle VB ₁ confirms the bird's-eye view image 100 _{2 displayed on the display unit 41.} Then, when the driver of the following vehicle VB ₁ passes by the oncoming vehicle VA, the driver confirms the road width and obstacles around the following vehicle VB _{1 from the bird's-eye view image 100 2 and determines the passing point.} The control unit 50 proceeds to step S207.

The control unit 50 determines whether or not to end the bird's-eye view video display (step S207). More specifically, the control unit 50 determines that the bird's-eye view image display is terminated when the oncoming vehicle VA is no longer recognized based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 (Yes in step S207), and ends the process. To do. For example, when the following vehicle VB ₁ has passed the oncoming vehicle VA, or when the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA _{confirms the bird's-eye view image 100 2} displayed on the second device 80 and abandons the passing and detours. Will not recognize the oncoming vehicle VA. Based on the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition unit 53, the control unit 50 determines that the bird's-eye view image display is not terminated when the oncoming vehicle VA is recognized (No in step S207), and repeats the process of step S202. Execute.

<Information processing in the second device>
Next, the flow of processing in the control unit 90 of the second device 80 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the second apparatus 80 according to the first embodiment.

The control unit 90 acquires the passing information by the passing information acquisition unit 91 (step S301). In the present embodiment, by passing information acquiring unit 91, from the leading vehicle first device 10 ₁ and V, the first device 10 ₂ and the first device ₁₀₃ of the following vehicle VB ₂ of the following vehicle VB _1, the overhead image as passing information 100 ₁ , bird's-eye view image 100 _2, and bird's-eye view image 100 ₃ are acquired, respectively. The control unit 90 proceeds to step S302.

The control unit 90 determines whether or not the composite determination unit 92 has acquired the bird's-eye view video 100 as a plurality of passing information (step S302). In the present embodiment, when the synthesis determination unit 92 determines that the passing information acquisition unit 91 has acquired the bird's-eye view image 100 from a plurality of other vehicles (Yes in step S302), the process proceeds to step S303. If the synthesis determination unit 92 does not determine that the passing information acquisition unit 91 has acquired the bird's-eye view image 100 from a plurality of other vehicles (No in step S302), the process proceeds to step S305.

When it is determined that the bird's-eye view video 100 as a plurality of passing information has been acquired (Yes in step S302), the control unit 90 synthesizes the bird's-eye view video 100 acquired from each vehicle by the synthesis processing unit 93 and synthesizes the bird's-eye view video 200. Is generated (step S303). In the present embodiment, the composition processing unit 93 synthesizes the bird's-eye view image 100 ₁ , the bird's-eye view image 100 ₂ and the bird's-eye view image 100 ₃ to generate the composite bird's-eye view image 200. The control unit 90 proceeds to step S304.

The control unit 90 causes the display control unit 99 to display the combined bird's-eye view image 200 on the display unit 82 (step S304). The control unit 90 proceeds to step S306.

When the passing information acquisition unit 91 does not determine that the bird's-eye view image 100 has been acquired from a plurality of other vehicles (No in step S302), the control unit 90 causes the display control unit 99 to display the bird's-eye view image 100 on the display unit 82 (No). Step S305). The control unit 90 proceeds to step S306.

The control unit 90 determines whether or not to end the bird's-eye view video display (step S306). More specifically, if the passing information acquisition unit 91 has not acquired the passing information for a predetermined period or more, the control unit 90 determines that the bird's-eye view video display is finished (Yes in step S306), and ends the process. When the passing information acquisition unit 91 has acquired the passing information, the control unit 90 determines that the bird's-eye view image display is not finished (No in step S306), and executes the process of step S301 again.

<Effect>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when there is a possibility of multiple passing, the first device 10 mounted on the leading vehicle V mounts the generated bird's-eye view image 100 on the oncoming vehicle VA as passing information. It is transmitted to the second device 80. The first device 10 mounted on the leading vehicle V transmits other vehicle information indicating that the oncoming vehicle VA exists to the first device 10 mounted on the following vehicle VB of the leading vehicle V. The driver of the leading vehicle V can check the bird's-eye view image 100 and determine the passing point.

The first device 10 mounted on the following vehicle VB of the leading vehicle V transmits the generated bird's-eye view image 100 to the second device 80 mounted on the oncoming vehicle VA as information around the following vehicle VB. The driver of the following vehicle VB can determine the passing point by confirming that there is a possibility of multiple passing by the oncoming vehicle information.

The oncoming vehicle VA can synthesize the bird's-eye view images 100 acquired from a plurality of passing opponent vehicles to generate a composite bird's-eye view image 200 and display it on the display unit 82. The driver of the oncoming vehicle VA can check the composite bird's-eye view image 200 to determine whether or not to pass each other, and when passing each other, determine the passing point. The driver of the oncoming vehicle VA can appropriately confirm the situation around the leading vehicle V, which is difficult to see from the oncoming vehicle VA, and the situation around the following vehicle VB of the leading vehicle V, by the composite bird's-eye view image 200. For example, the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA can confirm from the composite bird's-eye view image 200 which of the leading vehicle V and the following vehicle VB, which perform multiple passing, has the widest vehicle width and is difficult to pass. In this way, according to the present embodiment, when there is a possibility of multiple passing, it is possible to support the judgment of the driver of each vehicle and support the driving. According to this embodiment, smooth traffic can be supported.

[Second Embodiment]
The driving support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the first device 10A according to the second embodiment. The basic configuration of the driving support system 1 is the same as that of the driving support system 1 of the first embodiment. The first device 10A is different from the first embodiment in that it has a peripheral situation information acquisition unit (other vehicle information acquisition unit) 53A instead of the peripheral situation recognition unit 53, and the interface unit 21A and the passing determination unit 55A.

The interface unit 21A is an interface in which the peripheral situation information acquisition unit 53A connects to an information source existing around the leading vehicle V for acquiring peripheral situation information including information on the following vehicle VB and the oncoming vehicle VA. The interface unit 21A is used for vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the first device 10A installed in the following vehicle VB, vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the second device 80 installed in the oncoming vehicle VA, or a road device (not shown) installed on the road. It is an interface for road-to-vehicle communication with. In this embodiment, the interface unit 21A from the first device 10A ₂ installed in the following vehicles VB _1, to obtain the peripheral status information including information on the following vehicle VB _1. Interface unit 21A from the first device 10A ₃ installed in following vehicles VB _2, acquires the peripheral status information including information on the following vehicle VB _2. The interface unit 21A acquires peripheral situation information including information on the oncoming vehicle VA from the second device 80 mounted on the oncoming vehicle VA.

The surrounding situation information acquisition unit 53A functions as another vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information of the following vehicle VB and the oncoming vehicle VA around the leading vehicle V. The peripheral situation information acquisition unit 53A acquires peripheral situation information including information on the following vehicle VB and the oncoming vehicle VA existing in the vicinity of the leading vehicle V. The information of the following vehicle VB acquired by the peripheral situation information acquisition unit 53A includes information indicating the current position information of the following vehicle VB. The information on the oncoming vehicle VA acquired by the peripheral situation information acquisition unit 53A includes the current position information of the oncoming vehicle VA and the information indicating the shape and size of the oncoming vehicle VA. In the present embodiment, the peripheral situation information acquisition unit 53A communicates between vehicles with the first device 10A _{2 installed in the following vehicle VB 1} and between vehicles with the first device 10A _{3 installed in the following vehicle VB 2.} , The surrounding situation information is acquired by vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the second device 80 installed in the oncoming vehicle VA, or road-to-vehicle communication with the road device.

The passing determination unit 55A determines whether or not there is a possibility of multiple passing based on the peripheral situation information acquired by the peripheral situation information acquisition unit 53A.

The first determination unit 551A has the oncoming vehicle VA in a state where the road width of the traveling road R is equal to or less than the threshold value and the following vehicle VB exists in the leading vehicle V based on the peripheral situation information acquired by the peripheral situation information acquisition unit 53A. If is recognized, it is determined that there is a possibility of multiple passing.

<Effect>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is acquired by vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the first device 10A installed in the following vehicle VB, vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the second device 80, or road-to-vehicle communication with the road device. It is possible to determine whether or not there is a possibility of multiple passing based on the surrounding situation information. According to the present embodiment, for example, even when the visibility is poor and the oncoming vehicle VA cannot be seen from the leading vehicle V, it is possible to appropriately acquire other vehicle information of the oncoming vehicle VA.

[Third Embodiment]
The driving support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second device 80B according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a composite bird's-eye view image 200 generated by the second apparatus 80B according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the second apparatus 80B according to the third embodiment. The second device 80B is further different from the first embodiment in that it has a passing point determination unit 94B and the synthesis processing unit 93B.

The passing point determination unit 94B determines a point suitable for the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V to pass each other based on the passing information acquired by the passing information acquisition unit 91. When the combination determination unit 92 determines that the passing information is to be combined, the passing point determination unit 94B may determine a point suitable for passing the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V based on the combined information. For example, the passing point determination unit 94B determines a place where the road width of the traveling road R is wider than the total of the width of the oncoming vehicle VA and the width of the leading vehicle V as the passing point. For example, the passing point determination unit 94B determines a place where the road width of the traveling road R is wider than the others as a passing point. For example, the passing point determination unit 94B acquires the vehicle width and the minimum ground clearance corresponding to the vehicle type of the oncoming vehicle VA from the vehicle information storage unit (not shown), and determines the passing point. For example, when the traveling road R has a step D, the passing point determination unit 94B determines the minimum ground clearance of the oncoming vehicle VA acquired from the vehicle information storage unit (not shown) or the minimum ground clearance of the leading vehicle V included in the passing information. Then, if it is possible to ride on the step D, the place including the step D is determined as a passing point. For example, the passing point determination unit 94B determines a place where there is no obstacle on the traveling road R as a passing point. When there are a plurality of determined passing points, the passing point determination unit 94B determines the degree of difficulty of passing according to the difference between the road width of the driving road R and the total of the width of the oncoming vehicle VA and the width of the leading vehicle V. Prioritize. Then, the passing point determination unit 94B prioritizes the passing points having a high priority and determines the passing points.

The passing point determination unit 94B may determine the stop point between the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V at the passing point. Further, the passing point determination unit 94B may determine the stop point of the following vehicle VB when passing the leading vehicle V. The stop point of the following vehicle VB is a point avoiding the passing point and the stop point between the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V. The stop point of the following vehicle VB is a point that does not hinder the operation of either vehicle moving backward or avoiding aside to give way when the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V pass each other.

The passing point determination unit 94B acquires, for example, the proficiency level of the driving technique between the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA and the driver of the leading vehicle V from a driving history information storage unit (not shown), and the driving proficiency level is low. The passing point may be determined so that the vehicle driven by the driver stops and the vehicle driven by the driver with high driving proficiency passes each other. The passing point determination unit 94B acquires, for example, accident history information between the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA and the driver of the leading vehicle V from an accident history information storage unit (not shown), and has an accident history. The passing point may be determined so that the vehicle driven by the driver stops and the vehicle driven by the driver having no accident history passes each other.

In the above, the passing point determination unit 94B has been described as determining the passing point with the leading vehicle V, but the present invention is not limited to this. The passing point determination unit 94B may determine the passing points as described above for the target vehicle, which is predicted to be the most difficult to pass among the leading vehicle V and the following vehicle VB. The target vehicle is, for example, the largest vehicle, the widest vehicle, or the driver's vehicle with the lowest level of proficiency in driving skills.

As shown in FIG. 11, the compositing processing unit 93B synthesizes the passing points determined by the passing point determination unit 94B into the composite bird's-eye view image 200. The compositing processing unit 93B synthesizes a composite bird's-eye view image 200 in which the passing points are colored. In FIG. 11, the passing points are shown in a wide shaded area. The passing point includes a range excluding the step D of the traveling road R. When the minimum ground clearance of the oncoming vehicle VA is lower than the height of the step D, the step D deviates from the passing point.

The compositing processing unit 93B may synthesize the stop points of the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V at the passing points determined by the passing point determination unit 94B into the bird's-eye view image 100.

The compositing processing unit 93B may synthesize the bird's-eye view image 100 in which the passing points are colored according to the difficulty level of the passing points determined by the passing point determination unit 94B.

Next, the flow of processing in the control unit 90B will be described with reference to FIG. The processes of steps S311 to S313, step S316, step S319, and step S320 are the same as those of steps S301 to S303, step S304, step S305, and step S306 of the flowchart shown in FIG. As an example, a case where the passing point between the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V is determined will be described.

The control unit 90B determines a point suitable for the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V to pass each other when performing multiple passing by the passing point determination unit 94B (step S314). The control unit 90B proceeds to step S315.

The control unit 90B generates a composite bird's-eye view image 200 in which multiple passing points are combined by the synthesis processing unit 93B (step S315). The control unit 90B proceeds to step S316.

The control unit 90B determines a point suitable for the oncoming vehicle VA and the leading vehicle V to pass each other by the passing point determination unit 94B (step S317). The control unit 90B proceeds to step S318.

The control unit 90B generates a bird's-eye view image 100 in which the passing points are combined by the composition processing unit 93B (step S318). The control unit 90B proceeds to step S319.

The driver of the oncoming vehicle VA confirms the passing point shown in the composite bird's-eye view image 200 displayed on the display unit 82 of the second device 80B. Then, the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA determines whether to pass the leading vehicle V, wait for the leading vehicle V to pass, or detour. When the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA passes by the leading vehicle V, the driver confirms the passing points shown in the composite bird's-eye view image 200 and determines the place where the passing is actually performed.

<Effect>
As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to determine a passing point suitable for passing in multiple passing based on the vehicle information of the leading vehicle V, the following vehicle VB, and the oncoming vehicle VA. In the present embodiment, when there is a possibility of multiple passing, the driver's judgment can be supported and the driving can be supported by showing the passing points in the composite bird's-eye view image 200.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The driving support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the first device 10C according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second device 80C according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the first apparatus 10C according to the fourth embodiment. In the driving support system 1, the first device 10C and the second device 80C are different from the third embodiment.

The control unit 50C of the first device 10C further includes a notification acquisition unit 60C. The notification acquisition unit 60C acquires a passing notification, which is information indicating that the passing information is to be performed, from the second device 80C, which is the transmission destination of the passing information by the first transmission control unit 57.

When the synthesis processing unit 563C of the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56C acquires the passing notification including the information of the passing points from the second device 80C by the notification acquisition unit 60C, the synthesis processing unit 563C synthesizes the notified passing points with the bird's-eye view image 100.

The interface unit 81C of the second device 80C transmits a passing notification to the first device 10C. The interface unit 81C of the second device 80C transmits a passing notification to all the first devices 10C of the transmission source of the passing information acquired by the passing information acquisition unit 91.

The operation unit 83C can accept a notification operation for notifying the first device 10C that the passing is performed. More specifically, for example, when the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA confirms the composite bird's-eye view image 200 displayed on the display unit 82 and determines that the vehicle passes each other, the driver performs a notification operation via the operation unit 83C. .. The operation unit 83C outputs the operation information indicating the received notification operation to the operation reception unit 95C of the control unit 90C. Further, the operation unit 83C can accept a selection operation in which the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA selects a stop point at which the oncoming vehicle VA is stopped or a point at which the oncoming vehicle VA is desired to be passed when passing each other. For example, the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA may check the passing points displayed on the composite bird's-eye view image 200 and select the same place as the passing points, or may select the passing points where the passing points are easier to pass. .. For example, the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA may check the stop point displayed on the composite bird's-eye view image 200 and select the same place as the stop point, or may select another stop point. The operation unit 83C outputs operation information indicating an operation such as a received notification operation to the operation reception unit 95C of the control unit 90C.

The operation reception unit 95C of the control unit 90C acquires the operation information of the operation such as the notification operation received by the operation unit 83C. For example, the operation reception unit 95C acquires operation information indicating a notification operation and a selection operation and outputs a control signal.

The transmission control unit 96C transmits the operation information acquired by the operation reception unit 95C to the first device 10C. In the present embodiment, the transmission control unit 96C transmits a passing notification, which is information indicating that the passing is performed, to the first device 10C. The passing notification may include information selected by the driver indicating a stop point at which the oncoming vehicle VA is stopped or a point at which the passing vehicle is desired to be stopped.

Next, the flow of processing in the control unit 50C will be described with reference to FIG. The processes of steps S111 to S117 and S122 are the same as those of steps S101 to 107 and S108 shown in FIG.

The control unit 50C determines whether or not there has been a passing notification from the second device 80C (step S118). When the notification acquisition unit 60C has acquired the information indicating the passing notification (Yes in step S118), the process proceeds to step S119. If the notification acquisition unit 60C has not acquired the information indicating the passing notification (No in step S118), the process proceeds to step S122.

The control unit 50C determines whether or not the second device 80C has notified the passing point (step S119). When the notification acquisition unit 60C acquires the information indicating the notification of the passing point (Yes in step S119), the process proceeds to step S120. If the notification acquisition unit 60C has not acquired the information indicating the notification of the passing point (No in step S119), the process proceeds to step S122.

The control unit 50C generates a bird's-eye view image 100 by synthesizing the passing points notified by the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56C (step S120). The control unit 50C proceeds to step S121.

The control unit 50C displays the bird's-eye view image 100 in which the passing points are combined by the display control unit 59 (step S121). The control unit 50C proceeds to step S122.

<Effect>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when there is a possibility of multiple passing, the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA confirms the composite bird's-eye view image 200 in which the passing points are combined, and determines that the passing points are to be passed. If so, it is possible to notify the first device 10C mounted on the leading vehicle V and the following vehicle VB that they are passing each other. Further, in the present embodiment, the first device 10C can be notified of the stop point or the point at which the driver of the oncoming vehicle VA wants to pass each other, which is determined by the driver. As a result, the drivers of each vehicle can have a common understanding of the points at which they pass each other. In this way, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to support the judgment of the driver of each vehicle and support the driving in a state where there is a possibility of multiple passing.

[Fifth Embodiment]
The driving support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second device 80D according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a composite bird's-eye view image 200 generated by the second apparatus 80D according to the fifth embodiment. The second device 80D is different from the first embodiment in that it further has a map information storage unit 83D and a map information acquisition unit 97D, and the synthesis processing unit 93D.

The map information storage unit 83D stores map information including the shape and width of the road. The map information storage unit 83D may store a detailed aerial photograph to the extent that the road width of the traveling road R can be recognized. The map information storage unit 83D outputs the stored map information to the map information acquisition unit 97D. The map information storage unit 83D may be a storage device such as an external server that acquires map information via a communication function (not shown).

The map information acquisition unit 97D acquires map information from the map information storage unit 83D.

The synthesis processing unit 93D synthesizes a plurality of passing information and the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 97D to generate composite information. In the present embodiment, the synthesis processing unit 93D synthesizes the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 97D and the bird's-eye view image 100 acquired from each vehicle to generate the composite bird's-eye view image 200. For example, the composition processing unit 93D may generate the composite bird's-eye view image 200 by synthesizing the bird's-eye view image 100 acquired from each vehicle based on the map information. For example, the composition processing unit 93D may generate the composite bird's-eye view image 200 by complementing the insufficient range with the map information based on the bird's-eye view image 100 acquired from each vehicle.

The composite bird's-eye view image 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The composite bird's-eye view image 200 includes a bird's-eye view image 100 ₁ acquired from the leading vehicle V, a bird's-eye view image 100 ₂ acquired from the following vehicle VB _{1, a bird's-eye view image 100 3} acquired from the following vehicle VB ₂ , and a bird's-eye view image acquired from the following vehicle VB _3. This _{is a composite image of 100 4} and the image 120 based on the map information. In the composite bird's-eye view image 200, _{the insufficient range between the bird's-eye view image 100 3} and the bird's-eye view image 100 ₄ is complemented by the image 120.

<Effect>
As described above, in the present embodiment, even when the display range of the bird's-eye view image 100 acquired from another vehicle is not continuous and there is an interrupted range, the composite bird's-eye view image 200 is generated by using the map information. can do.

Each component of the illustrated driving support system 1 is a functional concept and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. That is, the specific form of each device is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or part of each device is functionally or physically dispersed or integrated in an arbitrary unit according to the processing load or usage status of each device. You may.

The configuration of the driving support system 1 is realized, for example, by a program loaded in a memory as software. In the above embodiment, it has been described as a functional block realized by cooperation of these hardware or software. That is, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

The components described above include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Further, the configurations described above can be combined as appropriate. Further, various omissions, substitutions or changes of the configuration can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

<Modification example>
In the above, the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 has been described as an example of the information generation unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of the bird's-eye view image 100, the information generation unit may generate an image showing the road width of the driving road R and the position of the leading vehicle V on the driving road R in a diagram and transmit it to the second device 80 as passing information. .. Alternatively, the information generation unit generates information indicating the road width of the traveling road R and the position of the leading vehicle V on the traveling road R as the passing information instead of the bird's-eye view image 100 or the image, and transmits the information to the second device 80. May be good. The second device 80 may generate and display an image showing a relative positional relationship based on the acquired passing information. As a result, the amount of data transmitted and received between the first device 10 and the second device 80 can be reduced.

In the above description, the first device 10 has been described as having a front bird's-eye view image camera 11, a rear bird's-eye view image camera 12, a left bird's-eye view image camera 13, and a right bird's-eye view image camera 14 as a shooting unit. , The existing cameras of other systems including the navigation system may be shared, and the first device 10 may not have a photographing unit. Further, although the first device 10 has been described as having the display unit 41, for example, the existing display unit may be shared with other systems including the navigation system, and the first device 10 may not be provided with the display unit. ..

A bird's-eye view image 100 that emphasizes the part that cannot be passed when there is a possibility of multiple passing, and there is a range where a part of the road R cannot be passed due to a vehicle stopped on the road R or construction work. May be generated and transmitted. For example, when the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 recognizes another vehicle stopped on the driving road R from the peripheral image data, the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 generates a bird's-eye view image 100 emphasizing the other stopped vehicle. To do. For example, when the surrounding situation recognition unit 53 recognizes a range in which a part of the traveling road R cannot pass due to construction work or the like from the peripheral video data, the bird's-eye view image generation unit 56 generates a bird's-eye view image 100 emphasizing the impassable range. ..

1 Driving support system 10 First device (driving support device)
11 Front bird's-eye view camera (shooting section)
12 Rear bird's-eye view camera (shooting section)
13 Left bird's-eye view camera (shooting section)
14 Right bird's-eye view camera (shooting section)
21 Interface unit 31 Recognition dictionary storage unit 41 Display unit 50 Control unit (driving support control device)
51 Video data acquisition unit 52 Vehicle information acquisition unit 53 Peripheral situational awareness unit (other vehicle information acquisition unit)
54 Oncoming vehicle information acquisition unit 55 Passing judgment unit 551 First judgment unit 552 Second judgment unit 56 Bird's-eye view image generation unit (information generation unit)
57 1st transmission control unit 58 2nd transmission control unit 59 Display control unit 80 2nd device (judgment support device)
90 Control unit (judgment support control device)
91 Passing information acquisition unit 92 Synthesis judgment unit 93 Synthesis processing unit 99 Display control unit 100 Bird's-eye view video V Leading vehicle (first vehicle)
VA Oncoming vehicle (second vehicle)
VB following vehicle

Claims (10)

Other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information of other vehicles including the following vehicle of the first vehicle and the second vehicle that is an oncoming vehicle of the first vehicle located in the vicinity of the first vehicle.
Based on the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit, a passing determination unit that determines whether or not the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other in the presence of the following vehicle, and a passing determination unit.
Information that generates passing information, including information indicating the relative positional relationship between the first vehicle and the road on which the first vehicle is traveling when the passing determination unit determines that there is a possibility of passing each other. Generator and
A first transmission control unit that transmits the passing information generated by the information generation unit to the second vehicle, and
A second transmission control unit that transmits oncoming vehicle information indicating that the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other to the following vehicle.
A driving support control device equipped with. The information generation unit performs viewpoint conversion processing and composition processing on peripheral video data captured by a plurality of photographing units that photograph the periphery of the first vehicle as the passing information, and obtains a predetermined display range from the first vehicle. Generate a bird's-eye view image to display,
The driving support control device according to claim 1. The other vehicle information acquisition unit recognizes the other vehicle from the peripheral image data obtained by photographing the periphery of the first vehicle, and acquires the other vehicle information.
The driving support control device according to claim 1 or 2. Information indicating the relative positional relationship between the first vehicle and the driving road on which the first vehicle is traveling from the first vehicle, which is located in the vicinity of the second vehicle and is an oncoming vehicle of the second vehicle. A passing information acquisition unit that acquires passing information including information including information indicating a relative positional relationship between the following vehicle and the traveling road from the following vehicle of the first vehicle.
When the passing information acquisition unit acquires the passing information from the first vehicle and the following vehicle of the first vehicle, a synthesis determination unit that determines that the passing information is synthesized, and a synthesis determination unit.
When the synthesis determination unit determines that the passing information is to be synthesized, the synthesis processing unit that synthesizes the passing information to generate the synthesis information and the synthesis processing unit.
A display control unit that displays the composite information generated by the synthesis processing unit on the display unit,
Judgment support control device equipped with. When the synthesis determination unit determines that the passing information is to be synthesized, the passing point for determining a point suitable for passing between the second vehicle and the first vehicle based on the synthesis information synthesized by the synthesis processing unit. Judgment unit,
With
The synthesis processing unit synthesizes points suitable for passing, which are determined by the passing point determination unit, to generate synthetic information.
The judgment support control device according to claim 4. Map information acquisition unit that acquires map information including information on the road on which the first vehicle is traveling,
With
The synthesis processing unit synthesizes the passing information and the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit to generate synthetic information.
The judgment support control device according to claim 4 or 5. The driving support control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and
The judgment support control device according to any one of claims 4 to 6.
A driving support system characterized by being equipped with. The driving support control device is mounted on the first vehicle and a vehicle following the first vehicle.
The judgment support control device is mounted on the second vehicle and is mounted on the second vehicle.
The driving support control device mounted on the following vehicle is an oncoming vehicle indicating that the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other from the driving support control device mounted on the first vehicle. When the information is acquired, the passing information of the following vehicle is transmitted to the judgment support control device mounted on the second vehicle.
The driving support system according to claim 7. Other vehicle information acquisition step for acquiring other vehicle information of other vehicles including the following vehicle of the first vehicle and the second vehicle which is an oncoming vehicle of the first vehicle located in the vicinity of the first vehicle.
Based on the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition step, the passing determination step of determining whether or not the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other in the presence of the following vehicle. ,
When it is determined by the passing determination step that there is a possibility of passing each other, the passing information including the information indicating the relative positional relationship between the first vehicle and the traveling road on which the first vehicle is traveling is generated. Information generation steps and
A first transmission control step for transmitting the passing information generated by the information generation step to the second vehicle, and
A second transmission control step for transmitting oncoming vehicle information indicating that the second vehicle and the first vehicle may pass each other to the following vehicle, and
Driving support control methods including. Information indicating the relative positional relationship between the first vehicle and the driving road on which the first vehicle is traveling from the first vehicle, which is located in the vicinity of the second vehicle and is an oncoming vehicle of the second vehicle. The passing information acquisition step of acquiring the passing information including the passing information including the information indicating the relative positional relationship between the following vehicle and the traveling road from the following vehicle of the first vehicle.
When the passing information is acquired from the first vehicle and the following vehicle of the first vehicle by the passing information acquisition step, a synthesis determination step of determining that the passing information is synthesized and a synthesis determination step.
When it is determined by the synthesis determination step that the passing information is to be synthesized, the synthesis processing step of synthesizing the passing information to generate the synthesis information and the synthesis processing step.
A display control step for displaying the synthetic information generated by the synthetic processing step on the display unit, and
Judgment support control method including.

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