JP4911106B2 - Driving assistance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus that performs stop support based on signal cycle information.

When a vehicle enters an intersection with a traffic light, it is predicted that a red signal (or a yellow signal) will appear. There are those that provide various types of stop support. In the device described in Patent Document 1, signal cycle information is acquired from an optical beacon or the like, and if the predicted signal state when the own vehicle predicted based on this signal cycle information reaches the intersection is a red signal, a voice signal is obtained. Call attention by such means.
JP 2002-373396 A JP 2004-252718 A

  The signal cycle information (cycle of the signal to be lit, current lighting signal, lighting time of each signal, etc.) can usually be obtained by using a light beacon, etc., until the second cycle, but a sensitive signal In such cases, only confirmed information up to the first cycle can be acquired. In the case of a sensitive signal, the first cycle is fixed, but from the second cycle, the number of seconds of the green light and the number of red signals changes according to the traffic flow on the road, so the second cycle is undefined. It is. In particular, in the case of a secondary road that intersects the main road (usually a road that is narrower than the main road), the cycle changes according to the cycle of the main road. The cycle is not fixed. For example, when there is a lot of traffic on the main road, the display time of the green light on the main road becomes longer, so the display time of the red light on the secondary road becomes longer. If various types of stop support are performed based on cycle information that has not been determined in this way, erroneous support (for example, an alarm is output when the actual traffic light is green) or support is lost (for example, the actual traffic signal is red. In this case, alarm output is not performed).

  Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the driving assistance device which performs suitable stop assistance according to signal cycle information.

  The driving support apparatus according to the present invention is a driving support apparatus that performs stop support based on signal cycle information, and indeterminate cycle information in which time until switching from a stop signal to a progress permission signal is not determined in the signal cycle information. Indeterminate cycle information specifying means for specifying the stop and support suppression means for suppressing stop support based on the indeterminate cycle information specified by the indeterminate cycle information specifying means.

  In this driving assistance device, usually, based on the signal cycle information, when the predicted signal state when the vehicle enters the intersection is a stop signal, stop assistance is performed, and when the predicted signal state is a progress permission signal, Stop support is not provided. In particular, in the driving support device, the indeterminate cycle information for which the time until switching from the stop signal to the progress permission signal in the signal cycle information is not determined is specified by the indeterminate signal cycle information specifying unit. And in a driving assistance device, stop assistance is controlled based on indeterminate cycle information by support control means. As described above, in the driving support device, appropriate stop support can be performed by performing stop support based on the determined signal cycle information and suppressing stop support based on the undefined signal cycle information. As a result, it is possible to prevent as much as possible false support that provides unnecessary stop support even though it is not actually a stop signal, and support leakage that does not provide stop support even though it is actually a stop signal. The uncomfortable feeling experienced by the driver can be reduced.

  The stop signal may include at least a red signal and a yellow signal may be included in the stop signal. The progress permission signal includes at least a blue signal and an arrow lamp signal indicating each traveling direction, and a yellow signal may be included in the progress permission signal. Stop support includes, for example, provision of information such as a prediction signal state when the vehicle enters an intersection by voice or display, alarm output by alarm, voice or display, stop control by automatic brake or assist brake, etc. . There are various ways to suppress stop support in addition to not providing all stop support. For example, it is possible to stop information completely without stopping control or alarm output, and stop completely in stop control. Therefore, there is a suppression of applying a braking force as small as an assist brake.

  In the driving support device according to the present invention, the indeterminate cycle information specifying means determines that information indicating that the stop signal lighting time is indeterminate or / and that the next signal after the stop signal is not a stop signal in the signal cycle information. It is preferable to specify the fixed cycle information.

  If the lighting time of the stop signal is not fixed, the lighting time of the stop signal becomes long or short, so the time until switching from the stop signal to the progress permission signal is not fixed. Further, if it is not determined that the signal next to the stop signal is not a stop signal in the signal cycle information, there is a possibility that the stop signal may continue, and the time until switching from the stop signal to the progress permission signal is not determined. Appropriate stop support cannot be performed with uncertain cycle information in which the time until switching from the stop signal to the progress permission signal is not fixed.

  In the driving support device of the present invention, it is preferable that the support suppression unit does not perform alarm output and / or vehicle stop control for the indeterminate cycle information.

  In this way, the driving support device ensures that unnecessary alarms and stop control can be performed even if they are not actually stop signals by not performing alarm output and / or vehicle stop control for indeterminate cycle information. Can be prevented.

  The present invention can provide appropriate stop support by performing stop support based on the determined signal cycle information and suppressing stop support based on the undefined signal cycle information.

  Embodiments of a driving assistance apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the driving support device according to the present invention is applied to a driving support device mounted on a vehicle. In order to prevent the vehicle from passing through the intersection with a red signal (stop signal), the driving support device according to the present embodiment warns when the vehicle predicts a red signal when entering the intersection. To implement. In the present embodiment, the red signal (stop signal) is a signal with a red signal on and an arrow lamp, and all the arrow lamps are turned off. It is a permission signal. When the vehicle is traveling on either the main road or the secondary road, driving assistance by the driving assistance apparatus according to the present embodiment can be applied.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the driving assistance apparatus 1 which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an example of signal cycle information of the main road and the secondary road. FIG. 3 is a display example of the time when the alarm is guaranteed.

  The driving support device 1 calculates the remaining time (warning guarantee time) until the end of the last red signal in the signal cycle information acquired from the optical beacon, and performs warning processing within this warning guarantee time. In particular, in order to prevent false alarms, the driving support device 1 uses a red signal in which the lighting time of the red signal is determined in the signal cycle information and the signal next to the red signal is guaranteed not to be a red signal. The alarm guarantee time is calculated as the last red light. For this purpose, the driving support device 1 includes an optical beacon receiver 10, a vehicle speed sensor 11, a GPS [Global Positioning System] receiver 12, an alarm device 20, and an ECU [Electronic Control Unit] 30.

  In the present embodiment, each process in the ECU 30 corresponds to an indeterminate cycle information specifying unit and a support suppressing unit described in the claims.

  The optical beacon receiver 10 includes an optical beacon antenna, a processing device, and the like, and receives information from an optical beacon installed at a predetermined position before an intersection using near infrared rays. The optical beacon receiver 10 receives a signal from the optical beacon in the downlink area with the optical beacon antenna. In the optical beacon receiver 10, the received signal is demodulated by the processing device, downlink information is extracted, and the downlink information is transmitted to the ECU 30. In addition, the optical beacon transmitter / receiver which can transmit / receive information between optical beacons may be sufficient.

  Downlink information includes VICS [Vehicle Information Communication System] information and infrastructure information. VICS information is road traffic information common to all lanes. Road traffic information includes traffic jam information, traffic regulation information, and parking lot information. Infrastructure information includes road shape conditions, intersection information, signal cycle information for each lane, and the like.

  Signal cycle information includes the lighting cycle of the blue, yellow, and red signals (in the case of a traffic light equipped with an arrow lamp, the lighting cycle including the arrow lamp), the lighting time (seconds) of each signal, And the elapsed time after the signal is turned on. The signal cycle information that can be acquired from the optical beacon includes information up to the second cycle of the signal cycle. However, since the main road is a sensitive signal, the information up to the first cycle is determined and the second cycle is information that is not determined.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the signal cycle information. The upper signal cycle information MC is information on the traffic signal on the main road, the lower signal cycle information SC is information on the traffic signal on the secondary road, and the broken line D The information surrounded by is the information determined in the first cycle. In the signal cycle information MC of the main road, the lighting order of the blue signal BM1, the yellow signal YM1, and the red signal RM1 in the first cycle and the number of lighting seconds are determined. The lighting of the blue signal BM2 after the red signal RM1 is turned off Is fixed, but its lighting time is undecided. In the signal cycle information SC of the secondary road, the lighting order and the number of lighting seconds of the red signal RS1, the blue signal BS1, and the yellow signal YS1 in the first cycle are determined. However, the red signal RS2 after the yellow signal YS1 is turned off is determined. Although the lighting is determined, the lighting time is not determined, and the signal state US after the red signal RS2 is turned off is not determined for both the lighting color and the lighting time.

  The vehicle speed sensor 11 is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed. The vehicle speed sensor 11 detects the vehicle speed and transmits the detected vehicle speed information to the ECU 30.

  The GPS receiver 12 includes a GPS antenna and a processing device, and estimates the current position of the host vehicle. The GPS receiver 12 receives GPS signals from GPS satellites with a GPS antenna. In the GPS receiver 12, the GPS signal is demodulated by the processing device, and the current position (latitude, longitude) of the host vehicle is calculated based on the demodulated information from each GPS satellite. Then, the GPS receiver 12 transmits the current position information of the own vehicle to the ECU 30. In addition, when a navigation system is mounted on a vehicle, the GPS receiver of the navigation system is shared or the current position is acquired from the navigation system.

  The warning device 20 is a device that outputs a warning to notify that when the vehicle is predicted to be a red signal when approaching an intersection, and a speaker or a display (for example, a voice output or an image display as a warning output) Navigation display, display in meter) and the like. When the alarm device 20 receives an alarm signal from the ECU 30, the alarm device 20 outputs a sound or displays an image according to the alarm signal.

  The ECU 30 is an electronic control unit including a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], and the like, and comprehensively controls the driving support device 1. The ECU 30 receives each piece of information from the optical beacon receiver 10, the vehicle speed sensor 11, and the GPS receiver 12 at regular time intervals, executes each process based on these pieces of information, and issues a warning when it is determined that a warning is necessary. An alarm signal is transmitted to the device 20.

  When the signal cycle information from the optical beacon receiver 10 is acquired, the ECU 30 counts the total number N of red signals included in the signal cycle information. In the ECU 30, for each red signal included in the signal cycle information, the lighting time (seconds) of the red signal is determined in the signal cycle information, and the signal to be lit next to the red signal is other than the red signal ( It is determined whether or not it is determined that any one of a green signal, a yellow signal, and an arrow lamp is turned on). Here, the cycle information until the end of the red signal that the lighting time of the red signal is fixed and the signal that lights up next to the red signal is determined to be other than the red signal is the signal cycle information that is determined, The cycle information after the red signal ends is indeterminate cycle information.

  In the ECU 30, based on the signal cycle information, a red signal in which the lighting time is determined from the time when the signal from the optical beacon is received by the optical beacon receiver 10 and that the next signal to be lit is other than the red signal. The total time (warning guarantee time) M until the determined lighting time of the red signal to be turned on last among the red signals determined as “I” is calculated.

  In the case of the example shown in FIG. 2, the signal cycle information MC of the main road has the lighting time determined up to the red signal RM1, and the next signal to be lit is determined to be other than the red signal (blue signal BM2). The time from the time point to the end point TC of the red signal RM1 is the alarm guarantee time. In addition, in the signal cycle information SC of the secondary road, the lighting time is determined up to the red signal RS1, and the signal to be lit next is determined to be other than the red signal (blue signal BS1). The time until the end point TS is the alarm guarantee time M.

  When the warning guaranteed time M is obtained, the ECU 30 counts the elapsed time from the time when the signal from the optical beacon is received by the optical beacon receiver 10 at regular intervals, and whether the elapsed time is greater than the warning guaranteed time M. Determine whether or not. When the elapsed time becomes longer than the warning guarantee time M, the ECU 30 ends the warning process because it is an indefinite information area in the signal cycle information. In the case of performing sound output with an alarm, assuming that the output time of the alarm sound is L seconds, it is preferable to determine whether or not the elapsed time is longer than (alarm guarantee time ML) in consideration of the output time L.

  When the elapsed time is within the warning guarantee time M, the ECU 30 performs warning processing based on the determined signal cycle information because it is within the determined information area in the signal cycle information. At this time, in order to notify the driver whether or not the alarm is within the guaranteed time M (that is, whether or not the alarm processing is performed), the time during which the alarm is guaranteed may be displayed on the disc play. .

  FIG. 3 shows a display example of the time when the alarm is guaranteed (the time until the last red signal ends). In this display example, there are a band-shaped display area and time markings of 0 seconds, 30 seconds, and 60 seconds, a portion corresponding to (alarm guarantee time M-elapsed time) is displayed (blacked portion), and the elapsed time is long. Accordingly, the display portion becomes shorter, and when (alarm guarantee time M−elapsed time) = 0 seconds, the display portion disappears. The driver recognizes that the alarm process is performed until the display time becomes zero, and that the alarm process is not performed when the display time becomes zero.

  When the process moves to the alarm process, the ECU 30 at each predetermined time position of the intersection included in the current position information of the vehicle from the GPS receiver 12, the vehicle speed information from the vehicle speed sensor 11, and the infrastructure information from the optical beacon receiver 10. Based on the information, the remaining time required until the vehicle reaches the intersection is calculated. Here, the calculation may be performed in consideration of other information such as the acceleration of the own vehicle and the gradient of the road. Based on the predicted remaining time and the signal cycle information within the warning guarantee time M, the ECU 30 determines whether or not the vehicle can pass through the intersection when it is a travel permission signal (whether or not it enters when it is a red signal). )). When it is determined that the vehicle can pass through the intersection, the ECU 30 determines that the alarm output is unnecessary. On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle cannot pass through the intersection (when the vehicle determines a red signal when entering the intersection), the ECU 30 determines that an alarm output is necessary. Then, the ECU 30 generates a warning sound and a warning image for a red signal when entering the intersection, and transmits the warning sound and a warning image to the warning device 20 as a warning signal.

  With reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2, the operation | movement in the driving assistance apparatus 1 is demonstrated. In particular, the processing in the ECU 30 will be described along the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the ECU of FIG.

  The vehicle speed sensor 11 detects the vehicle speed of the own vehicle and transmits the vehicle speed to the ECU 30 at regular intervals. The GPS receiver 12 receives GPS information from each GPS satellite, calculates the current position based on the GPS information, and transmits the current position to the ECU 30.

  When the own vehicle enters the downlink area before the intersection, the optical beacon receiver 10 receives infrastructure information and the like from the optical beacon and transmits the infrastructure information to the ECU 30. The ECU 30 acquires infrastructure information (particularly signal cycle information) from the optical beacon receiver 10 (S1). When the signal cycle information is acquired, the ECU 30 counts the total number N of red signals included in the signal cycle information (S2).

  The ECU 30 determines whether or not the total number N is greater than 0 (that is, whether or not a red signal is included in the signal cycle information) (S3). When the total number N is determined to be 0 in S3, the ECU 30 ends the alarm process (S13).

  If it is determined in S3 that the total number N is larger than 0, the ECU 30 initializes the counter N ′ for searching for the last red signal to 1 and initializes the counter i for loop to 1 (S4). .

  The ECU 30 determines whether or not the number of seconds of lighting of the i-th red signal in the acquired signal cycle information is fixed (S5). If it is determined in S5 that the number of lighting seconds of the i-th red signal is not fixed, the ECU 30 does not update the search counter N 'because the i-th red signal is indefinite information.

  When it is determined in S5 that the number of seconds for which the i-th red signal has been lit has been determined, the ECU 30 determines whether any other than the red signal has been determined next to the i-th red signal (S6). . If it is determined in S6 that the i-th red signal is not confirmed after the i-th red signal, the ECU 30 does not update the search counter N 'because the i-th red signal is indefinite information.

  If it is determined in S6 that the signal other than the red signal is confirmed after the i-th red signal, the ECU 30 increments the search counter N ′ because the i-th red signal is the confirmed information. (S7).

  When the determination process for the i-th red signal is completed, the ECU 30 increments the loop counter i (S8), and whether or not the counter i has reached (N + 1) (whether the determination process for all red signals has been completed). (S9). When it is determined in S9 that the counter i is smaller than (N + 1), the ECU 30 returns to the process of S5 in order to perform a determination process for the next red signal.

  When it is determined in S9 that the counter i has reached (N + 1), the ECU 30 based on the acquired signal cycle information, the total number of remaining seconds (alarm) until the (N′−1) -th red signal ends. (Guaranteed time) M is calculated (S10).

  Then, the ECU 30 determines whether or not the elapsed time from the reception time point from the optical beacon becomes longer than the alarm guarantee time M at regular time intervals (S11).

  If it is determined in S11 that the elapsed time is equal to or less than the alarm guarantee time M, the ECU 30 performs an alarm process because the signal cycle information is confirmed (S12). When the process proceeds to the alarm process, the ECU 30 determines that the own vehicle is based on the current position of the own vehicle from the GPS receiver 12, the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 11, and the intersection position information included in the infrastructure information from the optical beacon receiver 10. The remaining time required to reach the intersection is calculated, and based on the remaining time and the signal cycle information within the warning guarantee time M, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can pass through the intersection when it is a travel permission signal. If it is determined that it is impossible to pass through the intersection, it is determined that an alarm output is necessary, and the ECU 30 generates an alarm sound and an alarm image for a red signal when entering the intersection, and transmits the alarm signal to the alarm device 20 as an alarm signal. When this alarm signal is received, the alarm device 20 outputs an alarm sound or displays an alarm image.

  When it is determined in S11 that the elapsed time has become longer than the warning guarantee time M, the signal cycle information becomes indeterminate, so the ECU 30 ends the warning process (S13).

  According to the driving support device 1, the alarm process is terminated when the signal cycle information becomes indeterminate in the signal cycle information, so that an erroneous alarm based on the indeterminate signal cycle information can be prevented. . Furthermore, according to the driving assistance apparatus 1, since warning processing is performed during the signal cycle information determined in the signal cycle information, it is possible to perform an appropriate warning based on the guaranteed signal cycle information.

  Further, in the driving support device 1, the signal cycle information is determined until the end of the red signal in which the number of lighting seconds is fixed and the next signal state is determined to be other than the red signal, and the subsequent signal is indefinite. By determining that the signal cycle information is correct, the determined signal cycle information and the indeterminate signal cycle information can be determined with high accuracy.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment which concerns on this invention was described, this invention is implemented in various forms, without being limited to the said embodiment.

  For example, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle is predicted to enter the intersection with a red signal, a warning output is made by voice output or image display to the driver. It is also possible to provide information such as a predicted signal state when the host vehicle enters the intersection, or to perform stop control such as automatic braking and assist braking.

  In the present embodiment, the signal cycle information is acquired by receiving information from the optical beacon, but may be acquired by other methods.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the alarm output is not performed for the indeterminate signal cycle information, but for the indeterminate signal cycle information, a predicted signal state when the vehicle enters the intersection is provided. It is good also as a structure which suppresses stop assistance, such as performing only information provision.

  In this embodiment, the red signal (red signal is turned on and all the arrow lamps are extinguished) is used as the stop signal, and the other signals are used as the progress permission signal. However, the stop signal may include a yellow signal.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when at least one of the condition that the number of seconds of the red signal is not fixed and the condition that the signal next to the red signal is not determined to be a red signal is not satisfied. Although it is determined as indeterminate signal cycle information, the indeterminate signal cycle information may be determined according to this partial condition or other conditions.

It is a block diagram of the driving assistance device which concerns on this Embodiment. It is an example of the signal cycle information of a main road and a secondary road. It is a display example of the time when the alarm is guaranteed. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in ECU of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving assistance device, 10 ... Optical beacon receiver, 11 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 12 ... GPS receiver, 20 ... Alarm device, 30 ... ECU

Claims (3)

A driving support device that performs stop support based on signal cycle information,
Uncertain cycle information specifying means for specifying uncertain cycle information in which the time until switching from the stop signal to the progress permission signal is not fixed in the signal cycle information;
A driving support device comprising: a support suppressing unit that suppresses stop support based on the indeterminate cycle information specified by the indeterminate cycle information specifying unit.   The indeterminate cycle information specifying means specifies indeterminate cycle information as information that is uncertain that the lighting time of the stop signal is indeterminate in the signal cycle information or that the signal next to the stop signal is not a stop signal. The driving support device according to claim 1.   The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the support suppression unit does not perform alarm output and / or vehicle stop control for indeterminate cycle information.