JP2023089428A - Driving support device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a driving support device improved so as to guide a driver's attention to a following vehicle according to a movement of the following vehicle.SOLUTION: In a driving support device comprising: a notification device (display device, inner mirror, head-up display) that notifies a driver of a presence of a following vehicle approaching the own vehicle when the following vehicle approaching from behind the own vehicle is detected by a camera sensor, a radar sensor, or the like as an ambient information detecting device for detecting information about the own vehicle's surroundings (S20); and a vehicle control ECU as a control device that controls the notification device, the vehicle control ECU notifies the driver of a moving direction of the following vehicle using the notification device (S90, S100) when the ambient information detecting device detects that the following vehicle has moved laterally with respect to the own vehicle (S10, S60 to S80) after notification of the approach of the following vehicle to the own vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving support device for a vehicle such as an automobile that displays the status of a following vehicle and notifies the driver of the situation.

As one of the driving support devices for vehicles such as automobiles, it is configured to perform display that guides the driver's attention to the object in a situation where an object such as a following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle from behind. Driving assistance devices are known. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a display unit that, when an object approaching the vehicle from behind is detected, guides the driver's line of sight to the side mirror or rearview mirror corresponding to the direction of the object. An alarm indicator is described.

According to this type of driving support system, in a situation where an object such as a following vehicle approaches the own vehicle from behind, the driver's attention is guided to the object so that the driver can perform appropriate driving in relation to the object. can be encouraged to do

Patent No. 04946661

[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described driving support device, immediately after detecting and displaying a following vehicle approaching the own vehicle from behind, if the following vehicle moves to the side of the own vehicle due to a lane change, etc., the line of sight is guided. Vehicles behind you will no longer appear in the directional mirrors. Therefore, the driver may not pay attention to the following vehicle that has moved to the side of his/her own vehicle due to the fact that the driver determines that the driving support device has malfunctioned or that the following vehicle no longer exists. .

A main object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device that displays the status of a following vehicle and notifies the driver of the following vehicle, even if the following vehicle that is approaching the own vehicle moves laterally with respect to the own vehicle, To provide a driving support device improved so as to guide a driver's attention to a following vehicle according to the movement of a vehicle.

[Means for Solving the Problems and Effect of the Invention]
According to the present invention, the ambient information detection device (camera sensor 12, radar sensor 14) for detecting at least information behind the own vehicle (102) and the following vehicle (104) approaching the own vehicle from behind by the ambient information detection device. ) is detected (S20), a notification device (display 42, inner mirror 24, head-up display 26) that notifies the presence of a following vehicle approaching the own vehicle and a control device (vehicle control A driving assistance device (100) including an ECU 10) is provided.

After notifying that the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle, the control device (vehicle control ECU 10), when the ambient information detection device detects that the following vehicle has moved laterally with respect to the own vehicle (S10, S60 to S80), the notification device is configured to notify the moving direction of the following vehicle (S90, S100).

According to the above configuration, when the ambient information detection device detects that the following vehicle has moved in the lateral direction with respect to the own vehicle after notifying the approach of the following vehicle to the own vehicle, the notifying device detects that the following vehicle has moved. Directions will be given.

Therefore, even if the following vehicle moves in the lateral direction with respect to the own vehicle after the notification of the approach of the following vehicle to the own vehicle is made, the direction of movement of the following vehicle is notified by the notification device, so that the driver is notified that the following vehicle is moving. It can recognize that it is moving laterally and its direction of movement. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk that the driver will not pay attention to the following vehicle that has moved to the side of the own vehicle due to the driver's determination that the driving support device has malfunctioned or that the following vehicle has ceased to exist. can do.

The notification device may be a notification device that gives a visual notification, a notification device that gives an aural notification, or both. In addition, the notification device that gives visual notification or the notification device that gives audible notification may include a plurality of notification devices with different notification modes.

In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, names and/or symbols used in the embodiments are added in parentheses to configurations of the invention corresponding to the embodiments to be described later. However, each component of the present invention is not limited to the component of the embodiment corresponding to the parenthesized names and/or symbols. Other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily understood from the description of embodiments of the present invention described with reference to the following drawings.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a driving support device according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 shows an interior mirror with multiple indicator lights; 4 is a flowchart showing a display control routine for a following approaching vehicle in the embodiment; It shows a situation in which the own vehicle travels at vehicle speed V1 and there is no following vehicle behind the own vehicle. A situation is shown in which the host vehicle travels at a vehicle speed V1 and a following vehicle that travels at a vehicle speed V2 higher than the vehicle speed V1 exists behind the host vehicle. It shows a situation in which the host vehicle is traveling at a vehicle speed V1 and the following vehicle is moving rightward with respect to the host vehicle to change lanes to the right lane. The vehicle is traveling at vehicle speed V1, the following vehicle has completed a lane change to the right lane, and is traveling behind the vehicle on the right side.

A driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, a driving assistance device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle 102 and includes a vehicle control ECU 10. As shown in FIG. Vehicle 102 includes meter ECU 20 . ECU means an electronic control unit having a microcomputer as its main part. In the following description, the vehicle 102 will be referred to as own vehicle 102 as necessary to distinguish it from other vehicles.

A microcomputer of each ECU includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a readable and writable nonvolatile memory (N/M), an interface (I/F), and the like. The CPU implements various functions by executing instructions (programs, routines) stored in the ROM. Further, these ECUs are connected to each other via a CAN (Controller Area Network) 30 so as to be able to exchange data (communicate). Therefore, detected values of sensors (including switches) connected to a specific ECU are transmitted to other ECUs as well.

The vehicle control ECU 10 is connected with a plurality of camera sensors 12F, 12B, 12R and 12L and a plurality of radar sensors 14F, 14B, 14R and 14L. The plurality of camera sensors 12F, 12B, 12R and 12L are referred to as "camera sensors 12" when there is no need to distinguish between them. Similarly, multiple radar sensors 14F, 14B, 14R and 14L are referred to as "radar sensors 14" when there is no need to distinguish between them. The camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 function as a peripheral information acquisition device that acquires information around the vehicle 102 .

The camera sensor 12, although not shown in the figure, comprises a camera unit and a recognition unit that analyzes image data obtained by photographing by the camera unit and recognizes targets such as road white lines and other vehicles. I have. The recognition unit of the camera sensor 12 supplies information about the recognized target to the vehicle control ECU 10 every time a predetermined time elapses. LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) may be used instead of the camera sensor 12 .

The camera sensor 12F is a front camera sensor that captures an image of the front of the vehicle 102, and the camera sensor 12B is a back camera that captures an image of the rear of the vehicle 102. The camera sensor 12R is a right side camera that captures an image of the right side of the vehicle 102, and the camera sensor 12L is a left side camera that captures an image of the left side of the vehicle 102.

The radar sensor 14 includes a radar transmitter/receiver and a signal processor (not shown). It receives millimeter waves (that is, reflected waves) reflected by three-dimensional objects (eg, other vehicles, bicycles, guardrails, etc.) existing in the vehicle. Based on the phase difference between the transmitted millimeter wave and the received reflected wave, the attenuation level of the reflected wave, and the time from when the millimeter wave is transmitted to when the reflected wave is received, the signal processing unit determines whether the vehicle and the three-dimensional object , the relative speed between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object, and the relative position (direction) of the three-dimensional object with respect to the own vehicle (hereinafter referred to as peripheral information). supply to

The radar sensor 14F is provided at the front end of the vehicle 102 and acquires surrounding information in front of the vehicle. The radar sensor 14B is provided at the rear end portion of the vehicle 102 and acquires surrounding information behind the vehicle. The radar sensor 14R is provided on the right side of the vehicle 102 and acquires surrounding information on the right side of the vehicle. The radar sensor 14L is provided on the left side of the vehicle 102 and acquires surrounding information on the left side of the vehicle.

Further, the meter ECU 20 is connected with a display 22 , an inner mirror 24 , a head-up display 26 and a buzzer 28 . In FIG. 1, the head-up display is labeled as HUD. The meter ECU 20 displays various information related to vehicle control including display control of an approaching following vehicle on the display 42, the inner mirror 24 and the head-up display 26 in accordance with display commands from the vehicle control ECU 10. FIG. Therefore, the indicator 42 , the inner mirror 24 , and the head-up display 26 function as a notification device that notifies the presence of a following vehicle approaching the own vehicle 102 .

The display 42 is, for example, a multi-information display that displays meters and various information. Also, the head-up display 26 projects various vehicle information onto the windshield. The meter ECU 20 activates a buzzer 28 to issue an alarm when a following vehicle suddenly approaches.

The inner mirror 24 is arranged above the center of the front end of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 102, and as shown in FIG. It is Indicator lights 24BC, 24BL, 24BR, 24SL and 24SR may be LEDs. Indicator light 24BC is located at the center of the lower edge of mirror surface 24A, indicator lights 24BL and 24BR are located at the lower edge of mirror surface 24A on the left and right sides, respectively, of indicator light 24BC, and indicator lights 24SL and 24SR. are located at the left and right side edges of the mirror surface 24A. The mirror surface 24A in the area where each indicator lamp is provided is a polarizing mirror, and when the indicator lamp is not lit, it functions as a reflecting mirror in the same way as the mirror surface 24A in the area where the indicator lamp is not provided. ing.

In the embodiment, the ROM of the vehicle control ECU 10 stores a program for controlling the display of the following approaching vehicle corresponding to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, and the CPU executes the display control of the following approaching vehicle according to the program. do. Note that the vehicle control ECU 10 may perform various driving support controls known in the art, such as lane departure prevention control and constant speed running control, while the vehicle 102 is running.

<Display control routine for following approaching vehicle>
Next, the display control routine for the following approaching vehicle in the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The display control of the following approaching vehicle according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is started by the CPU of the vehicle control ECU 10 when the ignition switch (not shown) is on, and is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control cycle. In the following description, display control of the following approaching vehicle is simply referred to as "control." A flag F, which will be described later, is reset to 0 at the start of control.

First, in step S10, the CPU determines whether or not the flag F is 1, that is, executes steps S40 and S50, which will be described later, so that tracking of the following vehicle and notification of the approach of the following vehicle have already started. determine whether or not there is When the CPU makes an affirmative determination, it advances the control to step S60, and when it makes a negative judgment, it advances the control to step S20.

In step S<b>20 , the CPU calculates a collision prediction time TTC, which is the prediction time until the following vehicle collides with host vehicle 102 . The estimated collision time TTC is calculated according to the following formula (1) based on the distance Dr between the own vehicle and the following vehicle and the relative speed Vr of the following vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. The collision prediction time TTC is an index representing the degree of possibility that the following vehicle will collide with the own vehicle 102, and the smaller the value, the higher the possibility (risk) of the following vehicle colliding with the own vehicle.
TTC=Dr/Vr (1)

Further, the CPU determines whether or not the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle 102 by determining whether or not the collision prediction time TTC is decreasing. When the CPU makes a negative determination, it once ends the control, and when it makes an affirmative determination, it sets the flag F to 1 in step S30, and then advances the control to step S40.

Note that the distance Dr between the own vehicle and the following vehicle and the relative speed Vr of the following vehicle with respect to the own vehicle may be estimated based on the detection results of at least one of the camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 . Further, the determination as to whether or not the following vehicle is approaching the host vehicle 102 may be made based on the change in the distance Dr between the host vehicle and the following vehicle.

In step S40, the CPU starts detecting the movement of the following vehicle relative to the host vehicle 102 by starting tracking the following vehicle.

In step S50, the CPU uses the indicator 22, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up display 26 to start notifying that the following vehicle is behind the own vehicle 102 and is approaching the own vehicle. . In particular, the indicator 22 and the head-up display 26 display a short sentence such as "Following vehicle approaching", and the inner mirror 24 lights the indicator lamp 24BC in the center. When the estimated collision time TTC becomes equal to or less than the warning reference value TTCw (positive constant), the buzzer 28 may be actuated to issue a warning.

In step S60, the CPU determines whether or not the following vehicle being tracked has moved in the lateral direction behind the own vehicle 102 relative to the own vehicle. When the CPU makes a negative determination, it advances the control to step S140, and when it makes an affirmative judgment, it advances the control to step S70.

In step S<b>70 , the CPU determines whether or not the following vehicle being tracked has moved to the side (including obliquely behind) of own vehicle 102 . When the CPU makes an affirmative determination, the control proceeds to step S110, and when it makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S80.

In step S<b>80 , the CPU determines whether or not the following vehicle has moved to the left with respect to the own vehicle 102 . When the CPU makes a negative determination, it advances the control to step S100, and when it makes an affirmative judgment, it advances the control to step S90.

In step S90, the CPU uses the indicator 22, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up display 26 to notify the subject vehicle 102 that the following vehicle being tracked has moved leftward. In particular, the indicator 22 and the head-up display 26 display a short sentence such as "Following vehicle moves to the left", and the inner mirror 24 lights the indicator lamp 24BL on the left side.

In step S100, the CPU uses the indicator 22, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up display 26 to notify the subject vehicle 102 that the following vehicle being tracked has moved to the right. In particular, the indicator 22 and the head-up display 26 display a short sentence such as "Following vehicle moves right", and the inner mirror 24 lights the right indicator lamp 24BR.

In step S<b>110 , the CPU determines whether or not the following vehicle being tracked has moved to the left with respect to the own vehicle 102 . When the CPU makes a negative determination, it advances the control to step S130, and when it makes an affirmative judgment, it advances the control to step S120.

In step S120, the CPU uses the display 22, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up display 26 to notify that the following vehicle being tracked has moved to the left of the host vehicle 102. FIG. In particular, the indicator 22 and the head-up display 26 display a short sentence such as "Following vehicle moves to the left", and the inner mirror 24 lights the indicator lamp 24SL on the left edge.

In step S130, the CPU uses the display 22, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up display 26 to notify that the following vehicle being tracked has moved to the right side of the host vehicle 102. FIG. In particular, the indicator 22 and the head-up display 26 display a short sentence such as "Following vehicle moves to the right", and the inner mirror 24 lights the indicator lamp 24SR on the right edge.

In step S<b>140 , the CPU determines whether or not the following vehicle being tracked is approaching host vehicle 102 . When the CPU makes a negative determination, it temporarily terminates the control to continue tracking the following vehicle and displaying the approach of the following vehicle, and when making an affirmative determination, advances the control to step S150. In this case, it may be determined that the following vehicle is not approaching the host vehicle 102 when E1 or E2 below is satisfied.
E1: Due to the following vehicle decelerating or stopping, the estimated collision time TTC has become equal to or greater than the end reference value TTCe (positive constant greater than the reference value TTCw).
E2: The following vehicle is no longer behind the vehicle 102 because it has moved to a side road or the like.

In step S150, the CPU resets the flag F to 0 and terminates tracking of the following vehicle and notification of the following vehicle. Therefore, regarding the inner mirror 24, none of the indicator lamps is lit.

<Example of operation of the embodiment>
Next, operation of the embodiment will be described for various positional relationships between host vehicle 102 and following vehicle 104 with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 shows a situation where the own vehicle 102 is traveling on the lane 106 at the vehicle speed V1 and there is no following vehicle behind the own vehicle 102 . In this situation, negative determinations are made in steps S10 and S20, so the following vehicle is not notified by the indicator 22, the inner mirror 24 and the head-up display 26. FIG. Therefore, none of the indicator lamps for the inner mirror 24 are lit.

FIG. 5 shows a situation where the own vehicle 102 is traveling on the lane 106 at the vehicle speed V1 and the following vehicle 104 is behind the own vehicle 102 and is traveling on the lane 106 at the vehicle speed V2 higher than the vehicle speed V1. In this situation, a negative determination and an affirmative determination are first made in steps S10 and S20, respectively, so tracking of the following vehicle 104 is started in step S40, and in step S50, the indicator 22, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up control are started. A notification to the effect that the following vehicle 104 is approaching the own vehicle 102 from behind is started on the display 26 .

Thereafter, an affirmative determination is made in step S10, and negative determinations are made in steps S60 and S140, respectively, so that following vehicle 104 is tracked and notification that the following vehicle is approaching host vehicle 102 from behind is continued. . As shown in FIG. 5, for the inner mirror 24, the central indicator lamp 24BC is lit.

Even if the following vehicle 104 exists behind the host vehicle 102, if the vehicle speed V2 of the following vehicle is equal to or lower than the vehicle speed V1 of the host vehicle, negative determinations are made in steps S10 and S20. Therefore, as in the case of FIG. 4, the following vehicle is not notified by the indicator 22, the inner mirror 24 and the head-up display 26. FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a situation in which the own vehicle 102 is traveling in the lane 106 at the vehicle speed V1, and the following vehicle 104 is moving to the right with respect to the own vehicle in order to change lanes from the lane 106 to the lane 108 on the right side. there is In this situation, affirmative determinations are made in steps S10 and S60, respectively, and negative determinations are made in steps S70 and S80, respectively. Therefore, in step S100, the following vehicle 104 is notified to the host vehicle 102 that it is moving to the right. As shown in FIG. 6, for the inner mirror 24, the right indicator lamp 24BR is lit.

FIG. 7 shows a situation in which the own vehicle 102 is traveling in the lane 106 at the vehicle speed V1, and the following vehicle 104 has completed the lane change from the lane 106 to the right lane 108 and is traveling on the right side of the own vehicle. there is In this situation, affirmative determinations are made in steps S10 and S60, respectively, and affirmative and negative determinations are made in steps S70 and S110, respectively. Therefore, in step S130, the following vehicle 104 is notified that the vehicle 102 is traveling on the right side. As shown in FIG. 7, for the inner mirror 24, the indicator lamp 24SR on the right edge is lit.

4 to 7 except that the left and right are reversed even when the following vehicle 104 moves to the left with respect to the own vehicle 102 and moves to the left lane. works similarly. In this case, the indicator lamp 24BL is lit instead of the indicator lamp 24BR, and the indicator lamp 24SL is lit instead of the indicator lamp 24SR.

As can be seen from the above description, according to the embodiment, even if the following vehicle moves laterally with respect to the own vehicle after notifying that the following vehicle 104 is approaching the own vehicle 102, the inner mirror 24 or the like is notified. The device makes it possible to report the lateral movement and the direction of movement of the following vehicle. Therefore, the driver can recognize that the following vehicle is moving in the lateral direction and its moving direction. Therefore, there is a risk that the driver will not pay attention to the following vehicle that has moved to the side of the own vehicle due to the driver's determination that the driving support device 100 has malfunctioned or that the following vehicle has ceased to exist. can be reduced.

Specifically, according to the embodiment, the notification device includes an inner mirror 24 having indicator lights 24BC, 24BL, 24BR, 24SL and 24SR mounted behind the periphery of the mirror surface 24A. Therefore, by directing the driver's line of sight to the inner mirror 24, the driver can recognize the approach of the following vehicle 104 to the own vehicle 102 by the lighting of the indicator lamp, and the following vehicle can be reflected on the mirror surface 24A without changing the line of sight. can be visually recognized.

Further, the mirror surface 24A in the area where each indicator lamp is provided is a polarizing mirror, and when the indicator lamp is not lit, it functions as a reflecting mirror like the mirror surface 24A in the area where the indicator lamp is not provided. It has become. Therefore, the size of the inner mirror 24 is unnecessarily increased compared to the case where the indicator lamp is provided in the frame portion around the mirror surface 24A. can be avoided. Furthermore, the area of the mirror surface 24A that reflects the rear of the vehicle 102 is smaller than when each indicator lamp is provided on the surface of the mirror surface 24A. It is possible to avoid adversely affecting the rearward viewing that takes place.

At least part of the indicator lamps, for example the indicator lamps 24SL and 24SR, may be provided on the frame portion around the mirror surface 24A, or may be provided on the peripheral surface of the mirror surface 24A.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to particular embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. will be clear to those skilled in the art.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the indicator 42, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up display 26 are provided, and these function as a notification device for notifying the presence of a following vehicle approaching the own vehicle 102. . However, at least one of the indicator 42, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up display 26, for example, the head-up display 26 may be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the display 42, the inner mirror 24, and the head-up display 26 are all visual notification devices that visually notify the information of the following vehicle. However, the notification device may be an audible notification device that audibly notifies information of the following vehicle, such as a speaker, or may be a combination of a visual notification device and an audible notification device. Note that the speaker may be a speaker of an audio device.

In the above-described embodiment, the camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 are used as the surrounding information detection device for detecting the surrounding information of the vehicle 102. However, one of the camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 may be omitted. good.

In the above-described embodiment, the inner mirror 24 is provided with a plurality of indicator lamps 24BC, 24BL, 24BR, 24SL and 24SR, and the indicator lamps are sequentially turned on as the following vehicle moves laterally. It can be switched. However, the indicator lamp may include a plurality of lighting regions, and the lighting region may be sequentially changed according to the lateral movement of the following vehicle.

10... vehicle control EC, 12... camera sensor, 14... radar sensor, 20... meter ECU, 22... indicator, 24... inner mirror, 24BC, 24BL, 24BR, 24SL and 24SR... indicator light, 26... head-up display ( HUD), 28... Buzzer, 100... Driving support device, 102... Vehicle (own vehicle), 104... Following vehicle

Claims (1)

A surrounding information detecting device for detecting information at least behind the own vehicle, and when the surrounding information detecting device detects a following vehicle approaching the own vehicle from behind, the existence of the following vehicle approaching the own vehicle is notified. In a driving support device including a notification device and a control device that controls the notification device,
When the ambient information detection device detects that the following vehicle has moved in a lateral direction relative to the own vehicle after notifying that the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle, the control device causes A driving assistance device configured to notify the direction of movement of the following vehicle.

Images