JP3400088B2 - Vehicle travel path estimation device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traveling road estimating device for an automobile, which estimates a traveling road on which a vehicle is expected to travel in the future.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, information obtained by scanning a wide range of a radar device is provided with a traveling road estimating means for estimating a traveling road on which the own vehicle is predicted to travel from the traveling state such as the steering angle and the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. Among them, there is known one that picks up only the one in the region along the traveling road predicted by the traveling road estimating means and judges the possibility that the own vehicle and the obstacle come into contact with each other.

As a means for estimating such a traveling road, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-137014, image information input from a video camera or the like is used.
It is known that luminance information and dispersion information are extracted, and a white line on the traveling road is detected based on the information to estimate the traveling road. Further, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-7892, there is also known one which estimates a traveling road (running road) based on vehicle state quantities such as a steering angle, a vehicle speed and a yaw rate.

In the case of image processing, usually,
Since the white lines drawn at the left and right ends of the road are detected and the road edge is recognized, the range of the road that can be estimated is wide and there is a possibility that the vehicle will come into contact with the vehicle more than that due to the vehicle state quantity. This is advantageous for setting an area for detecting an obstacle.

[0005]

However, even when such an image processing is used, there is a case where only one white line can be recognized even if the running road can be estimated based on the white line. It may be difficult to estimate (lane width).

[0006] The present invention provides a traveling road estimating device for an automobile capable of reliably estimating the traveling road width.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a traveling road estimating means for detecting a white line on a road surface based on image processing to estimate a traveling road on which the own vehicle is expected to travel in the future. Assuming a device.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traveling road estimating means for estimating a traveling road on which the vehicle is expected to travel in the future based on vehicle state quantities such as a steering angle, a vehicle speed and a yaw rate, and the traveling road estimating means and the traveling road. The output from the road estimating means is used to calculate the lateral deviation between the host vehicle and the left and right white lines based on the estimated values of the left and right white lines by the traveling road estimating means and the estimated values of the traveling road by the traveling road estimating means. And a traveling road width estimating means for estimating the traveling road width based on the lateral deviation, the traveling road width estimating means is provided on the left side of the vehicle and the traveling road.
Deviation from the white line on the right side of the road
When the sum of the difference and the difference is less than a specified value, the lane between the left and right white lines
While the road width is estimated, the sum of both deviations exceeds the specified value.
The vehicle inside the area based on the deviation on the right side of the vehicle.
Judge whether there is a harmful object, and if there is no obstacle, left and right
Constructed between the white lines to estimate the traveling path width and have that configuration.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the steering angle, the vehicle speed, and the yaw rate are set.
It is expected that the vehicle will travel in the future based on the vehicle state quantity such as
Traveling path estimating means for estimating the traveling path, and the traveling path
Receiving outputs from the estimating means and the traveling path estimating means,
Estimated values of the left and right white lines by the estimation means
Based on the estimated value of the traveling path by the fixed means, the vehicle and white on the left and right
Calculate the lateral deviation from the line, and based on that lateral deviation
And a traveling road width estimating means for estimating the traveling road width,
The road width estimation means is used to separate the vehicle from the white line on the left side of the road.
The sum of the deviation and the deviation between the host vehicle and the white line on the right side of the road is
When the value is below a predetermined value, the space between the left and right white lines is estimated as the road width.
On the other hand, when the sum of both deviations exceeds the specified value, the vehicle
Whether there is an obstacle in the area based on the deviation on the right side of
If there is such an obstacle, it is determined on the right side of the vehicle.
It is configured to set the width and estimate the road width.
It

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a traveling road estimating means for estimating a traveling road on which the vehicle is expected to travel in the future based on vehicle state quantities such as a steering angle, a vehicle speed and a yaw rate, and the traveling road estimating means and the traveling road. When the output from the road estimating means is received, the estimated value is obtained by the traveling road estimating means only for one of the left and right white lines, and when the estimated value for the traveling road is equal to the estimated value by the traveling road estimating means, the white line is obtained. And a traveling road width estimating means for estimating the traveling road width using the past history of the recognition .

[0011] invention 請 Motomeko 4, steering angle, vehicle speed, the traveling path estimating means for vehicle based on the vehicle state quantity of the yaw rate or the like to estimate the traveling passage is expected to travel next, the running path estimation means and Received the output from the traveling road estimating means, the estimated values for the left and right white lines by the traveling road estimating means are different,
When one of the estimated values of the left and right white lines is equal to the estimated value by the traveling road estimation means, the scan range is changed so that the vicinity of the own vehicle is viewed, and the left and right white lines are approximated by a straight line to determine the running road width. And a traveling road width estimating means for estimating.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the output from the traveling road estimating means and the traveling road width estimating means is further received, and the estimated values of the left and right white lines, which are equal to the estimated values by the traveling road estimating means, are used as a reference, A travel area estimation means for estimating the travel area using the width is provided.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the estimated value of the white lines on the left and right of the traveling road by the traveling road estimating means (the radius of curvature of the white line) and the estimated value of the traveling road by the traveling road estimating means (the curvature of the traveling road) Based on the (radius), the lateral deviation between the host vehicle and the left and right white lines is calculated, and based on the lateral deviation,
The traveling road width estimation means estimates the traveling road width of the traveling road on which the vehicle is traveling. At this time, the vehicle and the road
Deviation from the white line on the left side of the vehicle and the white line on the right side of the vehicle and the road
When the sum of the deviation of
Estimated to be the road width of the own lane, and the sum of both deviations is a predetermined value
When passing over, the area based on the deviation on the right side of the vehicle
If there is no obstacle inside, and there is no obstacle
It is estimated that the distance between the left and right white lines is the road width.

According to the invention of claim 2, the traveling road estimating means
Estimated values for the white lines on the left and right of the road according to
Radius estimation), estimation of the traveling route by the traveling route estimating means
Based on the value (radius of curvature of the road), the vehicle and the left and right white lines
The horizontal deviation of the
The vehicle is traveling by the traveling road width estimation means.
The road width of the road is estimated. At this time, run with your vehicle
Deviation from the white line on the left side of the road, and
When the sum of the deviation from the white line is less than a specified value, the left and right white lines
Is estimated as the road width, while the sum of both deviations exceeds the specified value.
When you get into the area based on the deviation on the right side of your vehicle
If there is an obstacle, determine if there is
Sets the specified width on the right side of the vehicle and estimates the road width.
It

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the estimated value (the radius of curvature of the white line) of only one of the left and right white lines is obtained by the traveling road estimating means, and the estimated value for the traveling road is estimated as the traveling road. when equal to the estimated value by (the radius of curvature of the traveling path) means, by the running path width estimator, the travel path width using past history of the recognition of the white line due to the travel path estimating means Ru is estimated.

According to the invention of 請 Motomeko 4, unlike estimate for the left and right white line by the traveling path estimating means (the radius of curvature of the left and right white lines) it is one of the estimated values of the left and right white line, When it is equal to the estimated value (curvature radius of the traveling road) by the traveling road estimating means, the traveling road width estimating means causes the scan range to be changed so as to look in the vicinity of the own vehicle, whereby the left and right white lines are approximated by straight lines. The road width is estimated by

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the traveling area estimating means uses the traveling road width to calculate the traveling area based on the estimated values (radius of curvature) of the left and right white lines which are equal to the estimated values by the traveling road estimating means. Is estimated.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This example is an example in which the vehicle travel path estimation device according to the present invention is applied to an obstacle detection device for a vehicle. Embodiment 1 In FIG. 1 showing the whole of an automobile, reference numeral 1 is an automobile, and a distance sensor 3 is provided in a front portion of a vehicle body 2. The distance sensor 3 measures the distance to an obstacle on the traveling road. The distance sensor 3 emits pulsed laser light as a radar wave toward the front of the host vehicle from the transmitter and also detects the presence of a preceding vehicle in front of the host vehicle. The radar head unit is configured to receive a reflected wave reflected by an obstacle at a receiver.
Further, the distance sensor 3 is of a scan type which is emitted from its emission part and is made to scan a pulse laser beam (beam) which is thin in the vertical direction and spread in a vertical direction in a fan shape at a relatively wide angle in the horizontal direction.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a CCD camera arranged in the upper part of the passenger compartment, which captures a scene (running road) in front of the vehicle within a predetermined range. The scene in front of the vehicle captured by the camera 4 is: The image is input to the image processing unit 5 and subjected to image processing, and the control unit 6 estimates the travel route based on the white line of the road.

Further, the control unit 6 has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, in addition to the signal from the CCD camera 4, a signal from the laser unit 3 is also detected, a vehicle speed sensor 7 for detecting the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, a steering angle sensor 8 for detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel 8a, and an own vehicle. Signals from a yaw rate sensor 9 for detecting the yaw rate generated by the vehicle are also input, the traveling road condition is displayed on the head-up display 10 based on these signals, and when an obstacle in front of the vehicle is detected, an alarm means 11 is issued. Is activated, the vehicle control device 12 activates the brake 12a to activate each wheel 1
The braking force is automatically applied to 3, ...

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the signal of the distance sensor 3 is input to the arithmetic unit 22 through the signal processing unit 21 of the control unit 6, and the arithmetic unit 22 emits the laser receiving light. The distance between each obstacle existing in the scanning range and the own vehicle, the relative speed, and the direction of the obstacle with respect to the own vehicle are calculated based on the delay time from the time point.

The signal processing section 21 and the computing section 23 constitute an obstacle detecting means 6A for detecting an obstacle existing in a predetermined area in front of the host vehicle.

The detection signals of the sensors 7, 8 and 9 are input to a traveling road estimating means 6B which estimates a traveling road (specifically, its radius of curvature) based on vehicle state quantities such as a steering angle, a vehicle speed and a yaw rate. The first traveling path estimating means 23 of the traveling path estimating means 6B estimates a predicted traveling path on which the own vehicle will travel from the steering rudder angle and the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, while the second traveling path means Reference numeral 24 is adapted to estimate a predicted traveling route of the vehicle from the future based on the steering angle, the vehicle speed and the yaw rate of the vehicle.

The signal from the image processing unit 5 is
The road on which the vehicle runs from the scene in front of the vehicle (runway)
Are input to the left white line estimating means 25 and the right white line estimating means 26 which estimate the left and right white lines and estimate the left white line and the right white line (specifically, their radius of curvature).

The left white line and right white line estimating means 25, 26 constitute a traveling road estimating means 6C for estimating a traveling road based on image processing. When estimating the white line, each of the estimating means 25 and 26 of the traveling road estimating means 6C, if necessary,
In addition to the white line candidate points from the image processing unit 5, the left and right white lines are estimated based on at least two virtual white line candidate points initially set for one white line behind the vehicle. .

Then, the traveling area estimating means 29 receives the outputs of the traveling road estimating means 6B and the traveling road estimating means 6C, and in the traveling area estimating means 29, the traveling area (corresponding to an obstacle judging area for making an obstacle judgment). ) Is set. At the time of estimating the traveling area, the traveling road estimating means 6C calculates the left and right white lines, that is, the curvature radii RL and RR about the white lines, and the traveling road estimation means, that is, the curvature radius R11 of the traveling road. The lateral deviation between the vehicle and the left and right white lines is calculated, and the traveling road width estimation unit 29a estimates the traveling road width based on the lateral deviation.

Further, the obstacle information from the arithmetic unit 22 and the obstacle judgment area information from the traveling area setting means are input to the obstacle judgment means 30, and in the obstacle judgment means 30, the distance sensor 3 detects them. The need to avoid obstacles
If obstacle judgment is performed in the obstacle judgment area set by the traveling area setting means 29 and it is judged that it is necessary to avoid the obstacle, it is displayed on the head-up display 10 and an alarm is issued by the alarm device 11. After that, the brake device 12a of the vehicle control device 12 is automatically operated. -Basic Control of Obstacle Detection by Obstacle Detection Device-Hereinafter, basic control of obstacle detection by the obstacle detection device using the above-described travel path estimation device will be described.

In FIG. 4, when starting, first, in step S1, the traveling route estimating means 6B estimates the traveling route, and in step S2, the left white line and right white line estimating means 25, 26 by image processing are performed. The left and right white lines are estimated, and the traveling path is estimated based on the left and right white lines.
After that, in step S3, the front of the host vehicle is recognized by the distance sensor 3, and an obstacle (obstacle information) estimated to be an obstacle is detected.

Subsequently, in step S4, the first traveling area in which it is necessary to detect an obstacle based on the traveling route estimated in step S1 is set, and the second traveling region is estimated based on the traveling route estimated in step S2. Regions are set, and the traveling region setting means 29 is based on both traveling regions.
Thus, an obstacle determination area (running area) for determining whether or not it becomes an obstacle is determined.

Then, in step S5, obstacle information is masked based on the obstacle judgment area, and in step S6, obstacle judgment is performed. The obstacle determining means 30 executes the above steps S4 to S6.

Then, in step S7, obstacle avoidance control is performed if necessary, and the process returns. Obstacle avoidance control
For example, although the warning is given by the warning device 11 and the brake 12a of the vehicle control device 12, although not specifically shown, it may be given by an automatic steering device or the like. -Traveling Road Estimation Control by Traveling Road Estimating Means 6B-The traveling road is estimated in step S1 according to the subroutine shown in FIG. That is, in step S11, the signals from the steering angle sensor 5, the vehicle speed sensor 6, and the yaw rate sensor 7 are read, and then in step S12, the first prediction method based on the steering steering angle θH and the vehicle speed V0 Predict the path of travel. Specifically, the estimated value for the traveling road, that is, the radius of curvature R11 of the traveling road and the side slip angle β11 of the host vehicle are calculated by the following formulas.

[0032]

[Equation 1]

Subsequently, in step S13, the traveling path of the host vehicle is predicted by the second prediction method based on the yaw rate γ and the vehicle speed V0. Specifically, the estimated value of the traveling road, that is, the radius of curvature R12 and the side slip angle β12 of the host vehicle are calculated by the following formulas.

[0034]

[Equation 2]

Then, in step S14, it is determined whether or not the absolute value of the steering angle θH is smaller than the predetermined angle θc. If this determination is YES, the traveling path predicted by the second prediction method is selected in step S16, the estimated value R12 is set to the curvature radius R1 of the traveling path, and the estimated value β12 is set to the vehicle side slip angle β1. Set and return.

On the other hand, when the determination in step S14 is NO, that is, when the steering angle θH is larger than the predetermined angle θc, the absolute value of the estimated value R11 for the traveling path predicted by the first prediction method is further calculated in step S15. The value is compared with the absolute value of the estimated value R12 for the traveling path predicted by the second prediction method. When the estimated value R11 for the traveling road predicted by the first prediction method is smaller, the process proceeds to step S17, the estimated value R11 is set to the curvature radius R1 of the traveling road, and the side slip angle of the vehicle is set. While the estimated value β11 is set in β1, when the estimated value R12 for the traveling route predicted by the second prediction method is smaller, the process proceeds to step S16, and the estimated radius R1 of the traveling route is set to the estimated value R12. At the same time as setting, the estimated value β12 is set to the side slip angle β1 of the vehicle. That is, the smaller radius of curvature is selected as the traveling path.

Further, the traveling route estimating means 6B performs both the estimation of the traveling route based on the steering steering angle θH and the vehicle speed V0 and the estimation of the traveling route based on the yaw rate γ and the vehicle speed V0 to determine the own vehicle. Since either one of the estimations is used according to the traveling state, it is possible to appropriately perform the traveling path estimation. That is, when the host vehicle turns on a curved road having a cant, the host vehicle makes a turning motion by the cant even if the steering wheel is not steered greatly. The estimated value R12 (radius of curvature) becomes smaller than the estimated value R11 (radius of curvature) for the traveling path predicted based on the steering angle θH. At this time, since the traveling route estimating means 6B adopts the estimated value R12 for the traveling route predicted based on the yaw rate γ, the traveling route can be appropriately estimated without being influenced by the cant. Further, when the host vehicle makes a sharp turn, the traveling path estimation means 6B causes the steering steering angle θ to have a large value.
Corresponding to H, the traveling path is estimated to have a small estimated value R11, and the traveling path can be appropriately estimated in a sufficient response to a sudden turning operation. -Basic control of roadway estimation by left and right white line estimating means-Estimation of the roadway in step S2 is performed in the left and right white line estimating means 25, 26 according to the subroutine shown in FIG. still,
As a precondition, it is considered that a side slip angle does not occur on a straight road, a vehicle body posture angle with respect to a white line is small on a straight road, and a running locus is a parallel movement of the lane on a curved road. The coordinates are assumed to have the vehicle on the road surface as the origin, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as the y-axis, and the lateral direction as the x-axis.

Specifically, in FIG. 6, when starting, image data is first captured (step S21),
A threshold for binarization is set (step S22), and then binarization processing of 1 or 0 is performed depending on whether or not the brightness of each pixel exceeds the threshold (step S23).

Then, the left and right scan windows are set so as to correspond to the left and right white lines (step S24),
Subsequently, the scan pitch in the front-rear direction of the automobile is set (step S25), the scan window is scanned in accordance with the scan pitch, and the white line candidate points (that is, the points which are set to 1 by the binarization processing) are detected (step S26). ), And is converted into plane coordinates by inverse perspective transformation (step S27).

Then, the virtual candidate points are added to the white line candidate points to estimate the travel path based on the left and right white lines, and the obstacle determination area is set based on the travel path (step S2).
8), return.

The obstacle determination area is set by using an approximate curve (y = ax ² + bx + c) by the method of least squares for the left and right white lines using the white line candidate points and the virtual candidate points, specifically, a quadratic curve for the left white line. AL, bL, cL, and the quadratic curve coefficients aR, bR, cR for the right white line are calculated. In order to detect an obstacle on the road, the quadratic curve (y = ax
² + bx + c) and the coefficients aL, aR
Is the radius of curvature of the quadratic approximation curve, RL (RR)
a = 1 / 2RL (1 / 2RR) and the coefficients bL, bR
Is the body posture angle or sideslip angle with respect to the white line, and the coefficient c
L and cR represent the lateral deviation amount from the vehicle center to the white line.

Next, the control for estimating the road width will be described. It is to be noted that the traveling road is estimated by determining whether or not the vehicle is on the opposite lane from the traveling road between the left and right white lines in the image and the position of the traveling road depending on the vehicle state amount.

In FIG. 7, when starting, it is first determined whether or not the estimated values RL, RR, R1 are all equal (step S31). If YES, the process proceeds to step S32, while if NO. If so, return as it is. Here, that the estimated values (radius of curvature) are equal means that they are equal within a certain threshold value, and does not mean that they are completely equal. The same applies hereinafter in the specification.

In step S32, lateral deviations BL and BR (hereinafter referred to as present deviations) between the current vehicle and the left and right white lines on the traveling path are calculated based on the result of the image obtained by the traveling path estimating means 6C. It is determined whether or not the current deviation BL for the left white line and the current deviation BR for the right white line are equal (step S33).

If the current deviations BL and BR are equal, it is considered that the vehicle is traveling in the approximate center of the traveling road.
It is determined whether or not the sum of these is 4 m or less (step S34), and if it is 4 m or less, it is estimated that the distance between the left and right white lines having the estimated values RL and RR is the road width (step S3).
5), return. If the distance is less than 4 m, it cannot be determined that the road between the white lines on the left and right is a running road, and the process returns.

On the other hand, in step S33, the current deviations BL and B
Even if R and R are not equal to each other, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the road, so it is determined whether or not the sum of these is 4 m or less (step S36). Similar to the case where BL and BR are equal, the process proceeds to step S35 and returns. If it is not less than 4 m in step S36, the process proceeds to step S37, and in order to judge the range of the road, it is considered that the oncoming vehicle is a fixed object in the area based on the current deviation BR on the right side of the own vehicle. It is determined whether or not laser radar data (that is, obstacle data obtained by the distance sensor 3) is present.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a laser radar which seems to be an oncoming vehicle V2 (or a fixed object) in front of the host vehicle V1. If there is data, it cannot be estimated that the white line on the right is the white line on the right of the own lane. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG.
The width B corresponding to the current deviation BL from the center of the own vehicle is distributed to the right side of the own vehicle as the traveling road width (step S38), the oncoming vehicle is not judged as an obstacle, and the process returns. In this case, instead of allocating the current deviation BL, it is also possible to allocate a predetermined width (for example, 1 m) from the center of the host vehicle to the right side to obtain the road width.

On the other hand, a laser radar that seems to be an oncoming vehicle or a fixed object. If there is no data, the process proceeds to step S35, it is estimated that the distance between the left and right white lines is the road width, and the process returns.

In addition to the above, the road width estimation used for controlling the travel area estimation can be performed as follows. Example 2 In this example, when one of the estimated values from the left and right white lines in the image becomes undetectable and the other is approximately equal to the estimated value based on the vehicle state quantity, the past history of the white line recognition is used to determine the travel route. It is an estimate. In this example, the case where the right white line cannot be detected will be described.

The control system is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the traveling road estimating means 6B and the traveling road estimating means 6
Receiving the signal C, the traveling area estimating means 29A obtains an estimated value of only one of the left and right white lines by the traveling road estimating means 6V, and the estimated value for the traveling road is estimated by the traveling road estimating means 6B. When it is equal to the value, the road width is estimated by using the past history of white line recognition. The rest of the configuration is similar to that shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, when starting, it is first determined whether or not the estimated value RL by the left white line estimating means 25 and the estimated value R1 by the traveling path estimating means 6B are equal (step S41). If YES, the process proceeds to step S42, while if NO, the process directly returns.

In step S42, the end of the road on the left side of the own lane of the road is set by the estimated value RL based on the left white line,
Then, it is determined whether or not there is data before the estimated value RR of the right white line for a predetermined time (step S4).
3) If there is data for a predetermined time before the estimated value RR for the right white line, the left and right white lines were detected until the predetermined time before, so the estimated values RL, R for the left and right white lines are detected.
The lane width B is calculated from R (step S44). On the other hand, if there is no data of the estimated value RR of the right white line before the predetermined time, the past history of the left and right white lines cannot be used. Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment, A predetermined width (for example, 1 m) from the center is set on the right side (step S45) to set the traveling road width, and the process returns.

After calculating the lane width B from the estimated values RL and RR in step S44, the estimated value R for the left white line is calculated.
A road is set with the lane width B based on L (step S46), and then it is determined whether or not a region on the right side of the current vehicle center by a predetermined width is included in the set road ( Step S47).

If it is included in the above running path, the above running path is used as it is (step S48). If it is not included in the above running path, the running path with the right side expanded is set (step S49) and the process returns. Example 3 This example, only one of the estimates by the left and right of the white line is the handling of the case consistent with the estimated value by the traveling path estimation.

Since the basic structure of the control system is the same as that shown in FIG. 3, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0056] Specific control flow is as shown in FIG. 1 2. In this example, only the estimated value RL for the left white line is equal to the estimated value R1 for the traveling road.

When the vehicle starts, first, the traveling road estimating means 6
Only one estimated value RL of the estimated values by C is equal to the estimated value R1 by the traveling path estimating means 6B, and the other estimated value R
It is determined whether or not the state is not equal to R (step S61). If YES, move to step S62, NO
If so, return as is.

At step S62, since the estimated values RL and RR are different ahead of the own vehicle,
Both estimates RL, because it is not possible to estimate simply travel path width than the RR, narrow scanning range, as shown in FIG. 1 3, by narrowing the original scan range W1, scan only with the immediately preceding vehicle W2 Then, the left and right white lines are linearly approximated to obtain the lane width, and then the traveling road is estimated based on the estimated values RL and R1 and the lane width obtained by the linear approximation (step S63), and the process returns.

[0059]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, as described above, the host vehicle and the left and right white lines are estimated based on the estimated values of the left and right white lines by the traveling road estimating means and the estimated values of the traveling road by the traveling road estimating means. Is calculated in the lateral direction, and the traveling road width estimation means estimates the traveling road width based on the lateral deviation. Therefore, when estimating the traveling region, It is possible to make a good estimate.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the estimated value for only one of the left and right white lines can be obtained by the traveling road estimating means, and the estimated value for the traveling road is estimated by the traveling road estimating means. When it is equal to, the traveling road width estimating means estimates the traveling road width by using the past history of recognition of the white line. Therefore, if one of the left and right white lines can be detected, the traveling road width is estimated. can the <br/> ing.

[0061] invention 請 Motomeko 4 have different estimates for the left and right white line by the traveling path estimating means, when either one of the estimated values of the left and right white line is equal to the estimated value by the traveling path estimation means, The road width estimation means changes the scan range so that the vicinity of the own vehicle is viewed, and the road width is estimated by linear approximation, so that when the estimated values of the left and right white lines do not match. Even if there is, the road width can be accurately estimated.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the traveling area is estimated by the traveling area estimating means using the estimated traveling road width with reference to the estimated values of the left and right white lines which are equal to the estimated values by the traveling road estimating means. Therefore, it is possible to accurately estimate the traveling area by using the highly reliable traveling road width.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of an obstacle detection process.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a subroutine of traveling path estimation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of travel route estimation.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for estimating a traveling path.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of road width estimation.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of road width estimation.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a control unit according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for estimating a traveling path.

12 is a flow diagram showing a sub-routine of the traveling path estimation.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 car 6 control unit 6A Obstacle detection means 6B Traveling route estimation means 6C driving route estimation means 7 vehicle speed sensor 8 Rudder angle sensor 9 Yaw rate sensor 27 Virtual straight line setting means 28 Deviation calculation means 29 Travel area setting means 29A traveling area setting means 29a Running road width estimating means 29B Travel area setting means 29b Lane marking means

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI G05D 1/02 G01S 17/88 A (72) Inventor Tomohiko Adachi 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Nakaue 3-1, Shinchi Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-2-302900 (JP, A) JP-A-5-205198 (JP, A) ) JP 62-221800 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G08G 1/16 B60R 21/00 G01S 17/93 G05D 1/02

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vehicle traveling path estimating device having a traveling path estimating means for detecting a white line on a road surface based on image processing and estimating a traveling path in which the host vehicle is expected to travel in the future. The traveling road estimating means for estimating the traveling road on which the vehicle is expected to travel in the future based on the vehicle state amount such as the yaw rate and the outputs from the traveling road estimating means and the traveling road estimating means, and estimate for white line, and calculates the lateral deviation between the vehicle and the left and right white lines on the basis of the estimate of the goodness Ru proceeds path in the traveling path estimating means, estimates the travel path width on the basis of the deviation in the transverse direction A traveling road width estimating means , wherein the traveling road width estimating means is a white line on the left side of the vehicle and the traveling road.
And the deviation between the vehicle and the white line on the right side of the road
When the sum is less than a specified value, drive in your own lane between the left and right white lines
When the sum of both deviations exceeds a predetermined value while estimating the road width
Has an obstacle in the area based on the deviation on the right side of the vehicle.
It is determined whether there is an obstacle, and if there is no obstacle, the white lines on the left and right
A traveling path estimation device for an automobile, characterized in that it is configured to estimate the distance as a traveling path width . 2. A white line on a road surface is detected based on image processing.
Estimate the road on which your vehicle is expected to travel in the future.
In a vehicle traveling path estimating device having a traveling path estimating means
There are, vehicle based on the steering angle, vehicle speed, vehicle state quantities such as the yaw rate
Roadway Estimate to estimate the roadway expected to travel in the future
A constant section, receiving the output than the running path estimation means and the traveling path estimating means
Estimate about the left and right white lines
Value based on the estimated value of the travel route by the travel route estimation means
Calculate the horizontal deviation between both lines and the left and right white lines, and calculate the horizontal direction.
And a road width estimation means for estimating the road width based on the deviation of
The road width estimating means is a white line on the left side of the vehicle and the road.
And the deviation between the vehicle and the white line on the right side of the road
When the sum is less than a predetermined value, the path width and estimated run between left and right white lines
On the other hand, if the sum of both deviations exceeds the specified value,
Whether there is an obstacle in the area based on the deviation on the right side of the vehicle
If there is such an obstacle, it will be on the right side of the vehicle.
It is configured to set a predetermined width and estimate the road width.
A traveling path estimation device for an automobile, which is characterized in that 3. A vehicle traveling path estimating device having a traveling path estimating means for detecting a white line on a road surface based on image processing and estimating a traveling path in which the vehicle is expected to travel in the future, comprising a steering angle, a vehicle speed, The traveling road estimating means for estimating the traveling road on which the vehicle is expected to travel in the future based on the vehicle state amount such as the yaw rate and the outputs from the traveling road estimating means and the traveling road estimating means, When the estimated value is obtained only for one of the white lines of the white line and the estimated value for the running road is equal to the estimated value by the running road estimating means, the running road width is estimated using the past history of recognition of the white line. A travel path estimation device for an automobile, comprising: travel path width estimation means. 4. A vehicle traveling path estimating device having a traveling path estimating means for detecting a white line on a road surface based on image processing and estimating a traveling path for which the own vehicle is expected to travel, comprising: steering angle, vehicle speed, The traveling road estimating means for estimating the traveling road on which the vehicle is expected to travel in the future based on the vehicle state amount such as the yaw rate and the outputs from the traveling road estimating means and the traveling road estimating means, and When the estimated values of the white lines of the left and right are different and one of the estimated values of the left and right white lines is equal to the estimated value by the traveling path estimation means, the scanning range is changed so that the vicinity of the own vehicle is viewed, and the left and right white lines are changed. Is approximated by a straight line to estimate a travel road width, and a travel road estimation device for an automobile. 5. The vehicle further travels using the travel road width with reference to the estimated values of the left and right white lines, which are equal to the estimated values by the travel road estimation means and receive the outputs from the travel road estimation means and the travel road width estimation means. The traveling path estimation device for an automobile according to claim 4, further comprising traveling area estimation means for estimating an area.