JP4954956B2 - Vehicle driving support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention determines a target speed according to the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle, and enables so-called ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) that can follow the preceding vehicle at the target speed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle driving support device that focuses on speed control when passing an intersection using a car navigation system.

  As a vehicle travel control device based on the ACC function, for example, a device described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

In the one described in Patent Document 1, a second target speed is calculated according to road information such as a stop line that is required to be stopped separately from the so-called ACC function, and the vehicle is moved toward the stop line. It has a function of automatic deceleration. And, when the preceding vehicle is not recognized during the follow-up running in ACC, it will shift to the running mode at the second target speed according to the road information as described above. In order to avoid a sudden change in the speed change, the vehicle speed is controlled so that the acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle is within a predetermined range.
JP 2006-347528 A (FIG. 15)

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, even if it is effective as an automatic deceleration function toward the temporary stop point, the preceding vehicle is recognized, for example, while following in ACC and immediately before entering the intersection. In such a case, it is feared that the vehicle will accelerate in the intersection regardless of whether or not it is necessary to temporarily stop, which is not preferable because it gives the driver a feeling of strangeness.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and controls the vehicle speed when passing the intersection in preference to the ACC function, so that the driver can travel more safely without giving the driver a sense of incongruity. The present invention provides a vehicle driving support device that is considered in the above.

  The present invention presupposes a driving support device for a vehicle having an ACC function, in the travel control means, a current vehicle speed maintenance mode for maintaining the current vehicle speed of the host vehicle, an acceleration mode for accelerating the vehicle speed of the host vehicle to the target speed, In addition, a deceleration mode for decelerating the vehicle speed of the host vehicle to the target speed is set in advance. First, when there is an intersection on the estimated course of the vehicle, the target intersection is regarded as an acceleration suppression section, the distance from the vehicle position to the start and end points of the acceleration suppression section is calculated, and according to those distances Then, any one of the modes is selected, and the traveling of the vehicle is controlled so as to achieve the vehicle speed in the selected mode.

  According to the present invention, since the predetermined mode is selected according to the positional relationship between the acceleration suppression section and the host vehicle, it is possible to travel more safely without giving the driver a sense of incongruity particularly when passing the intersection. Become.

  1 to 9 are diagrams showing a more specific first embodiment of a vehicle driving support apparatus according to the present invention. In particular, FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the entire system, and FIG. 2 is a diagram of FIG. The functional block diagram implement | achieved by the system is shown.

  The system shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a cooperative system of a navigation device 1 and a travel control device 2, and roughly includes an image recognition device 3 and a radar device 4 in addition to the navigation device 1 and the travel control device 2. Yes. Each of these devices 1 to 4 constructs a network via a vehicle-control area network (CAN) 5 that is a vehicle communication line, and exchanges necessary signals with each other via the CAN 5. It has become.

  The navigation device 1 is roughly divided into an application unit 6, a communication & sensor unit 7, a map data unit (map database unit) 8, a CAN input / output unit 9 as a driver unit, and an HMI (human-machine-interface) unit 10. Become.

  The HMI unit 10 functions as various operation units including a monitor means such as a liquid crystal display, a microphone, a speaker, and the like, for example. Various operation switches of the navigation device 1, mode switch for ACC function, and ACC setting speed ( This includes a switch for setting the speed limit).

  As an internal configuration of each part described above, the application unit 6 includes a locator unit 11, a preview unit 12, a course estimation unit 13, and an intra-intersection speed suppression unit 14.

  Further, the communication & sensor unit 7 includes a vehicle speed sensor 15, a gyroscope 16, a GPS tuner 17, a communication device 18 between vehicles and between roads and vehicles.

  Similarly, the travel control apparatus 2 includes a target speed calculation unit 20 and a vehicle speed command unit 21 as a vehicle speed control unit 26 in addition to a CAN information reception unit 19 as a driver unit.

  Further, the image recognition device 3 includes a CAN input / output unit 23 as a driver unit in addition to a warning object detection unit 22 as an image recognition unit. The video captured by the arranged single or stereo vision front camera 24 is input.

  In FIG. 1, for convenience, in the communication & sensor unit 7, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device and the road-to-vehicle communication device coexist as the vehicle-to-vehicle / road-to-vehicle communication device 18, and the radar device 4 and the image recognition device 3. However, it goes without saying that a specific device can be omitted as long as a function required for each embodiment described later can be realized.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram functionally integrating the system shown in FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 51 denotes a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed of the own vehicle (own vehicle), which corresponds to the vehicle speed sensor 15 in FIG. Reference numeral 52 denotes an inter-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle ahead thereof, which corresponds to the radar device 4 in FIG. The radar apparatus 4 as the inter-vehicle distance detection means 52 may be a single or stereo vision system camera independent of the image recognition apparatus 3 of FIG. 1 in addition to the laser radar and the millimeter wave radar.

  Reference numeral 53 denotes own vehicle position detecting means for acquiring own vehicle position information, which corresponds to a part of the locator unit 11 in addition to the GPS tuner 17 and the gyroscope 16 of FIG. Reference numeral 54 denotes map information acquisition means for acquiring map information including road attribute information and road structure information, which corresponds to the preview section 12 in FIG. In this map information acquisition means 54, when the vehicle position detection means 53 detects the vehicle position information, the map information acquisition means 54 accesses the map database 8 composed of a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD or a hard disk, for example. Map information around the vehicle position is acquired. This map information includes position information of intersections of main roads.

  Reference numeral 55 denotes a course estimation unit that estimates the course of the host vehicle from map information acquired based on the host vehicle position, and corresponds to a part of the preview unit 12 and the course estimation unit 13 in FIG. Details of the course estimation method will be described later. Reference numeral 56 denotes a distance calculation means, which corresponds to the intra-intersection speed suppression unit 14 in FIG. When there is an intersection on the estimated route, the distance calculation means 56 regards the intersection as a speed suppression section as will be described later, and starts and ends the speed suppression section from the vehicle position, that is, a speed suppression start point and It has a function to calculate the distance to the speed suppression end point individually.

  57 is a traveling control means, which corresponds to the traveling control device 2 including the CAN information receiving unit 19 as the driver unit in FIG. 1 and the target speed calculating unit 20 and the vehicle speed command unit 21 as the vehicle speed control unit 26. . The travel control means 57 sends a predetermined vehicle speed command to control the speed of the vehicle based on the outputs from the vehicle speed detection means 51, the inter-vehicle distance detection means 52, the route estimation hand 55, and the distance calculation means 56 described above. This is output to the actuator 25 at the subsequent stage.

  The vehicle speed control unit 26 of FIG. 1 includes the target speed calculation unit 20 and the vehicle speed command unit 21 as described above. In particular, the target speed calculation unit 20 includes the current vehicle speed for maintaining the current vehicle speed as it is. A maintenance mode, an acceleration mode for further accelerating from the current vehicle speed, and a deceleration mode for decelerating from the current vehicle speed are preset, and when any mode is selected as described later, a predetermined vehicle speed corresponding to that mode is selected. The command is output to the actuator 25 at the subsequent stage.

  When actually controlling the speed of the vehicle, any one of the independent actuators is operated for each automatic transmission, brake, and throttle. Here, the actuator 25 is represented by each actuator. It is as.

  Next, the ACC function which is a premise in the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in (a) of FIG. 3, when there is no preceding vehicle that is another vehicle ahead of the course of the host vehicle C <b> 1 (not recognized), the traveling control unit 57 detects the host vehicle C <b> 1 detected by the vehicle speed detection unit 51. The actuator 25 is controlled so that the vehicle speed becomes a speed (for example, 100 km / h) set by the driver's setting operation at the set speed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the preceding vehicle C2 exists ahead of the course of the host vehicle C1, the traveling control unit 57 determines the speed of the preceding vehicle C2 based on the output of the inter-vehicle distance detecting unit 52. The actuator 25 is controlled so as to reduce the traveling speed of the host vehicle C1 according to (for example, 80 km / h). Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the vehicle travels following the preceding vehicle C2 while maintaining an appropriate inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle C1 and the preceding vehicle C2. That is, the vehicle travels while performing the inter-vehicle control so that the inter-vehicle distance corresponding to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle C2 is maintained with the upper limit of the speed (for example, 100 km / h) set by the driver's setting operation at the set speed.

  Thereafter, for example, when the preceding vehicle no longer exists in front of the course of the host vehicle C1 due to, for example, a right or left turn of the preceding vehicle C2, the traveling control unit 57 sets the speed set by the driver's setting operation (for example, 100 km in the previous example). / H), the actuator 25 is controlled so that the vehicle C1 travels at a constant speed.

  The basic function and operation of the travel control means 57 based on such an ACC function will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6 in addition to FIG. 2, the vehicle position detection means 53 calculates the current vehicle position at a predetermined cycle set by the periodic cycle timer (steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 4). Based on the vehicle position information, the map information acquisition means 54 accesses the map database 8 in the next step S3 to collect and acquire map information including roads around the vehicle (hereinafter, this function is referred to as “ Called "Preview").

  Next, the course estimating means 55 estimates the course of the own vehicle from the map information including the road obtained by the preview (step S4). When the destination is set in the navigation device 1 of FIG. 1, the route estimation method is that the guidance route 27 is drawn from the vehicle position to the destination as shown in FIG. The route 27 is set as the estimated route.

  On the other hand, when the destination is not set in the navigation device 1, as shown in FIG. 5, the road type (for example, national road or prefectural road) or the link type before and after the junction is compared, and the same road A link of a type or link type is preferentially selected. If there is no difference in the road type or link type between the front and rear links of the branch point, a link (route) having a small link angle θ is selected and set as the estimated course.

  In the example of FIG. 5, when the road L1 up to the branch point a1 is a national road and branches at the branch point a1 into the national road L2 and the prefectural road L3, the national road L2 is selected at the branch point a1. Further, when the national road L2 ends at the branch point a2 and branches to the prefectural road L5 as well as the prefectural road L4, the prefectural road L5 having the smaller link angle θ with respect to the extension line of the national road L2 is selected.

  Next, the presence / absence of an intersection on the estimated route is determined (step S5), and if there is an intersection on the estimated route, the intersection information is set to “with intersection (1)” (step S6). Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the intersection is regarded as a speed suppression section, and the distance calculation means 56 in FIG. 2 shows the distance from the vehicle position to the target intersection that is the speed suppression section, and the start and end points of the speed suppression section. In addition to the respective distances to the speed suppression start point and the speed suppression end point, the distance of the speed suppression section (the road width on the escape link side that is the road intersecting the estimated course) is calculated (steps S7 to S9). And step S10 in FIG. In step S5, if there is no intersection on the estimated route, the process proceeds to step S14 in FIG.

  Further, in step S11 of FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not “distance to acceleration suppression end point> 0”. If “distance to acceleration suppression end point> 0”, the target intersection is still passed. Since there is nothing else, it is determined in next step S12 whether or not the vehicle is in the acceleration suppression zone, that is, in the target intersection. And when the own vehicle exists in the object intersection which is an acceleration suppression area, the determination result is output via CAN5 (step S13).

  That is, since the processing up to this point is mainly executed as processing on the navigation device 1 side shown in FIG. 1, when the host vehicle is in the target intersection that is the acceleration suppression section, the previously calculated speed suppression is performed. Information on the distance between the speed suppression start point and the speed suppression end point that is the start and end points of the section, along with information on whether or not the target intersection that is the speed suppression section is going straight on the estimated course (whether going straight or turning left or right) Then, the data is output to the traveling control device 2 side of FIG.

  On the other hand, if there is no intersection on the estimated route, or if there is an intersection on the estimated route but outside the acceleration suppression section, it is determined as “NO” in the previous steps S11 and S12. Proceed to step S14 of FIG. In step S14, the distance between the speed suppression start point and the speed suppression end point, which are the start and end points of the speed suppression section, is set to an invalid value, and “no intersection (0)” is set to the intersection presence / absence information. In the same manner as described above, the information is output via CAN 5 together with information regarding whether or not the intersection is going straight on the estimated route (step S15).

  In addition, when the distance calculated at the time of calculating the series of distances is equal to or less than “0 (zero)”, it is handled as “0 (zero)”. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the acceleration suppression section refers to a predetermined distance range of the target intersection (corresponding to the intersection node of the map database), and here, the road width of the exit link that is the road intersecting the estimated course It is the range which added (alpha) to. Furthermore, when the determination result whether or not to go straight on the target intersection on the estimated route is “right turn or left turn”, the same processing as in steps S14 to S15 is executed.

  The subsequent processing is mainly executed as processing on the side of the traveling control device 2 that is the traveling control means 57, and as shown in FIG. 9, the above-mentioned processing from the navigation device 1 is performed at a predetermined cycle set by the periodic cycle timer. After receiving the information via CAN 5 (steps S1 and S2), it is determined whether or not the vehicle is in the acceleration suppression zone (step S3).

  The case where the host vehicle is in the acceleration suppression zone is the case when “distance to acceleration suppression start point = 0” and “distance to acceleration suppression end point ≧ 0”, so in the next step S4 Set “Acceleration suppression flag = 1”. In response to this, the target speed calculation unit 20 on the traveling control device 2 side selects the “current vehicle speed maintenance mode” described above, and outputs a speed command corresponding to the mode from the vehicle speed command unit 26 to the actuator 25. . As a result, the vehicle controls to suppress (prohibit) acceleration up to the ACC set speed (the speed set by the driver's setting operation, which is 100 km / h in the previous example) and maintain the current vehicle speed. (Step S5).

  The process of step S5 is executed in preference to the ACC function described above. For example, during the follow-up traveling with respect to the preceding vehicle C2 as shown in FIG. 3, immediately before entering the intersection which is the speed suppression section. Even when the vehicle C2 is no longer recognized (when the state shown in FIG. 3 (c) is changed to the state shown in FIG. 3 (d)), the same current vehicle speed as that during the follow-up traveling with respect to the preceding vehicle C2 is maintained as it is. Will do.

  On the other hand, since the “current vehicle speed maintenance mode” is not selected if the conventional ACC function is maintained, during the follow-up traveling with respect to the preceding vehicle C2, for example, when the preceding vehicle C2 turns right or left from the front of the course of the own vehicle C1. If the preceding vehicle C2 no longer exists, the vehicle will accelerate to the speed set by the driver's setting operation (100 km / h in the previous example) regardless of whether or not the passing point is an intersection. This is not preferable for safety.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S3 of FIG. 9 that the vehicle is not in the acceleration suppression section, “distance to acceleration suppression start point> 0” and “distance to acceleration suppression end point> 0”. Or “If the distance to the acceleration suppression start point and the acceleration suppression end point are both invalid values”, “Acceleration suppression flag = 0” is set in the next step S6.

  In step S7, the current vehicle speed is compared with the ACC set speed (100 km / h in the previous example). If “current vehicle speed <ACC set speed”, the travel control device 2 side of FIG. In the target speed calculation unit 20, the “acceleration mode” described above is selected (step S8), and a speed command corresponding to the mode is output from the vehicle speed command unit 26 to the actuator 25. As a result, the vehicle travels at the ACC setting speed while allowing acceleration up to the ACC setting speed (the speed set by the driver's setting operation, which is 100 km / h in the previous example), which is the set speed limit. Control to do.

  In other words, as described above, this “acceleration mode” is selected on the condition that the vehicle is not in the acceleration suppression section, so that there is no problem even if acceleration is allowed.

  In step S7, if “current vehicle speed> ACC set speed”, the target speed calculation unit 20 on the traveling control device 2 side selects the “deceleration mode” described above (step S9). Is output from the vehicle speed command unit 21 to the actuator 25. As a result, the host vehicle is controlled to decelerate to the ACC set speed and travel at the ACC set speed.

  It goes without saying that these processes are also executed in preference to the above-described original functions of the ACC as in the case of the “current vehicle speed maintenance mode” described above.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, during the follow-up traveling with respect to the preceding vehicle C2 under the ACC function, the preceding vehicle C2 exists from the front of the own vehicle C1 due to, for example, a right or left turn of the preceding vehicle C2. If it disappears, it will not accelerate to the speed set by the ACC function regardless of whether the passing point is an intersection, and it will not give the driver a sense of incongruity. The above is also preferable.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the ACC set speed is set as the set speed limit, but as the ISA (intelligent speed adaptation) control, information on the speed limit for each road as a part of the road information in the map database 8 of the navigation device 1. In the case where the speed limit information is transmitted from the navigation device 1 side to the travel control device 2 side and the vehicle speed is suppressed so as not to exceed the speed limit, the so-called ISA speed limit is It will play the same role as the set speed.

  10 to 14 are diagrams showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In particular, in FIG. 10, the same reference numerals are given to the portions common to FIG. 2 shown as the first embodiment previously. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the second embodiment is characterized in that a warning object detection means 58 is provided in addition to the elements 51 to 57 etc. common to FIG. The image recognition device 3 corresponds to the warning object detection means 58. The image recognition device 3 as the warning object detection means 58 includes the single or stereo vision camera (front camera) 24 as described above, and as shown in FIG. It has a function of detecting a warning object in the target intersection, such as a pedestrian M or an oncoming vehicle C3, and identifying whether the warning object is a pedestrian M or an oncoming vehicle C3 by image processing. is doing.

  In addition to the distance to the target intersection that is the speed suppression section, the procedure for calculating the distance to the speed suppression start point and the speed suppression end point is basically the same as that shown in FIGS.

  In the image recognition device 3 that is the warning object detection means 58, on the condition that the vehicle has approached the target intersection that is the speed suppression section, as shown in FIG. 12, at a predetermined cycle set by the periodic cycle timer. Presence / absence of warning object and its recognition / extraction are executed (step S1). This image recognition is performed by, for example, a known method such as pattern matching. For example, the warning object is identified by dividing it into several types of oncoming vehicle C3, person M, and other warning objects (steps S2 to S4). And when a warning target object is recognized, those information is output via CAN5 (step S5).

  On the other hand, in the travel control device 2 of FIG. 1 which is the travel control means 57, the process is executed according to the procedure of FIG.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 13, after receiving the above information from the navigation device 1 and the image recognition device 3 via the CAN 5 at a predetermined cycle set by the periodic cycle timer (steps S1, S2), It is determined whether or not the own vehicle is in a target intersection that is a speed suppression section (step S3).

  When the host vehicle is in the target intersection that is an acceleration suppression section, as in the case of the first embodiment, “distance to acceleration suppression start point = 0” and “to the acceleration suppression end point” In the next step S4, an oncoming vehicle, a person, or other warning target is located in the target intersection that is the acceleration suppression section based on the information from the previous image recognition device 3 in the next step S4. Determine if there is an object.

  Then, in the next step S5, “acceleration suppression flag = 1” is set. In response to this, in the target speed calculation unit 20 on the side of the travel control device 2 in FIG. 1 which is the travel control means 57, the “current vehicle speed maintenance mode” described above is selected, and a speed command corresponding to that mode is sent to the vehicle speed command. Output from the unit 21 to the actuator 25. As a result, the vehicle controls to suppress (prohibit) acceleration up to the ACC set speed (the speed set by the driver's setting operation, which is 100 km / h in the previous example) and maintain the current vehicle speed. (Step S6).

  The process of step S6 is executed in preference to the ACC function described above, and as described above, for example, while the vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the vehicle temporarily enters an intersection that is a speed suppression zone. Even if the preceding vehicle is not recognized immediately before, the same current vehicle speed as that during the follow-up traveling with respect to the preceding vehicle is maintained as it is.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S3 of FIG. 13 that the vehicle is not within the target intersection that is the acceleration suppression section, “distance to acceleration suppression start point> 0” and “acceleration suppression end” If the distance to the point> 0 ”or“ the distance to the acceleration suppression start point and the acceleration suppression end point are both invalid values ”, the“ acceleration suppression flag ”is set in the next step S7. = 0 ".

  Similarly, in step S4 of FIG. 13, if there is no on-coming vehicle or person, such as an oncoming vehicle, in the target intersection that is the acceleration suppression section, similarly, in the next step S8, “acceleration suppression flag = 0” is set. set.

  In step S9 of FIG. 14, the current vehicle speed is compared with the ACC set speed (100 km / h in the previous example). If “current vehicle speed <ACC set speed”, the travel control device 2 side The target speed calculation unit 20 selects the “acceleration mode” described above (step S10), and outputs a speed command corresponding to the mode from the vehicle speed command unit 21 to the actuator 25. This allows the vehicle to accelerate up to the ACC set speed (the speed set by the driver's setting operation, which is 100 km / h in the previous example), which is the set speed limit, and at the ACC set speed. Control is performed so as to travel (step S10 in FIG. 14).

  In other words, as described above, this “acceleration mode” is selected on the condition that the vehicle is not in the acceleration suppression section, so that there is no problem even if acceleration is allowed.

  Further, if “current vehicle speed> ACC set speed” in step S9 of FIG. 14, the target speed calculation unit 20 on the traveling control device 2 side selects the “deceleration mode” described above (step S11). A speed command corresponding to the mode is output from the vehicle speed command unit 21 to the actuator 25. As a result, the host vehicle is controlled to decelerate to the ACC set speed and travel at the ACC set speed.

  It goes without saying that these processes are also executed in preference to the above-described original functions of the ACC as in the case of the “current vehicle speed maintenance mode” described above.

As described above, in the second embodiment that adopts the technology for detecting a warning object such as an oncoming vehicle or a person in the target intersection by image recognition, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, it will be possible to further contribute to the improvement of safety when passing through intersections.

  FIGS. 15 to 23 are diagrams showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In particular, in FIG. 15, instead of the warning object detection means 58 of FIG. 10 in the second embodiment, as infrastructure means The second embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication means 59 is provided. Note that the vehicle-to-vehicle / road-vehicle communication device 18 in FIG.

  In FIG. 16, as in the previous example, C1 is the host vehicle, C2 is the preceding vehicle that the host vehicle C1 has been following, and C4 is the oncoming vehicle in the target intersection. S is a traffic light.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the oncoming vehicle C4 includes a wireless transmitter 29 such as a DSRC method as an inter-vehicle communication device in addition to an image recognition device 28 for recognizing a vehicle ahead in the same manner as the own vehicle C1. ing. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the oncoming vehicle C4 calculates and obtains the position and traveling direction of the oncoming vehicle C4 at a predetermined cycle set by the periodic cycle timer, and transmits information on the position and traveling direction. Will do.

  On the other hand, the own vehicle C1 includes the vehicle-to-vehicle / road-to-vehicle communication device (receiver) 18 of FIG. 1 as the vehicle-to-vehicle communication means 59 of FIG. The navigation apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 can refer to the content received by the vehicle-to-vehicle / road-vehicle communication device 18 of FIG.

  FIGS. 19 to 21 show the processing procedure on the navigation device 1 side of the host vehicle C1 as in FIGS. 6 to 8, and as shown in FIG. 19, the process is preceded by a predetermined cycle set by the periodic cycle timer. The communication result of the inter-vehicle communication with the oncoming vehicle C4 described above, that is, the information on the position and the course direction of the oncoming vehicle C4 is received (steps S1 and S2). The processing from the next step S3 to step S8 is the same as that shown in FIG.

  In step S9 of FIG. 19, the inter-vehicle distance from the oncoming vehicle C4 is calculated while referring to the position information on the own vehicle C1 based on the information on the position and the direction of the oncoming vehicle C4 received earlier. The processes from step S10 to step S14 in FIG. 20 following step S9 and the processes in steps S20 and S21 in FIG. 21 are the same as the processes in steps S8 to S15 in FIGS.

  In step S15 of FIG. 20, based on the inter-vehicle distance information between the host vehicle C1 and the oncoming vehicle C4 obtained previously, whether or not the oncoming vehicle C4 is within the target intersection that is a speed suppression section as a warning object. In any case, the determination result is output via CAN 5 (steps S16 to S19).

  While the processing so far is mainly executed as processing on the navigation device 1 side, the subsequent processing is shown as processing on the side of the traveling control device 2 in FIG. 1, which is the traveling control hand 57 in FIG. The process is executed in 23 steps.

  The processing procedures of FIGS. 22 and 23 are substantially the same as those of the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, and the navigation device is routed via CAN 5 at a predetermined cycle set by a periodic cycle timer. After receiving the information from 1, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is in an intersection that is a speed suppression section (steps S1 to S3 in FIG. 22). When the own vehicle is in the intersection that is the speed suppression section, the process proceeds to the next step S4, and as shown in FIG. 16, based on the inter-vehicle distance with the oncoming vehicle C4 that has been obtained previously, It is determined whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle C4 as a warning object in a certain intersection.

  When it is determined that there is an oncoming vehicle C4 in the intersection that is the speed suppression section, the acceleration suppression flag is set to 1 in the next step S5. In response to this, the target speed calculation unit 20 on the traveling control device 2 side selects the “current vehicle speed maintenance mode” described above, and outputs a speed command corresponding to the mode from the vehicle speed command unit 21 to the actuator 25. . Thereby, the own vehicle is controlled to maintain the current vehicle speed by suppressing acceleration up to the set speed of ACC (speed set by the driver's setting operation, 100 km / h in the previous example) (step S6). ).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 that the vehicle is not in the intersection that is the speed suppression section, and if it is determined in step S4 that there is no oncoming vehicle as an alert object in the intersection that is the speed suppression section. In Steps S7 and S8, the “acceleration suppression flag = 0” is set, and the processing after Step S9 in FIG.

  Thus, according to the third embodiment adopting inter-vehicle communication as infrastructure means, acceleration suppression is performed according to the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle in an intersection that is a speed suppression section. In addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, it is possible to further contribute to the improvement of safety when passing an intersection.

  24 to 26 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, road-to-vehicle communication is employed instead of vehicle-to-vehicle communication as infrastructure means in the previous third embodiment. That is, in FIG. 24, road-to-vehicle communication means 60 is provided instead of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication means 59 in FIG. 15 in the third embodiment. Note that the vehicle-to-vehicle / road-vehicle communication device 18 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, roadside devices 30 such as fixed point cameras are installed at several intersections, and there are vehicles or people in the target intersection that is a vehicle speed suppression section, or an attempt is made to enter the intersection. The vehicle is monitored. Then, when there is a vehicle that is about to enter the target intersection, the roadside machine 30 tries to enter the intersection as in the case of the other vehicle-to-vehicle communication in the intersection, particularly in the case of the previous inter-vehicle communication. Information on the position and direction of the oncoming vehicle C4 with respect to the host vehicle C1 is transmitted by a wireless transmitter 31 such as the DSRC method.

  And the own vehicle C1 acquires the information transmitted from the transmitter 31 side, that is, the information on the position and direction of the oncoming vehicle C4 in the target intersection by the road-to-vehicle communication means 60 in FIG. Thus, it is possible to suppress the speed when the host vehicle C1 passes the intersection in exactly the same processing procedure as that of No. 23.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of the vehicle driving assistance device which concerns on this invention, Comprising: Structure explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the whole system. The block circuit diagram which paid its attention to the function performed with the system of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the driving | running | working state by an ACC function. Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between an object intersection, a speed suppression area, and an escape link. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the method of course estimation. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a block circuit diagram focusing on functions executed in the system of FIG. 1. Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the own vehicle in a target intersection, a preceding vehicle, and an oncoming vehicle. 11 is a flowchart of a processing procedure executed in the block diagram of FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a processing procedure executed in the block diagram of FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a processing procedure executed in the block diagram of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a block circuit diagram focusing on functions executed in the system of FIG. 1. Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the own vehicle in a target intersection, a preceding vehicle, and an oncoming vehicle. The block circuit diagram which shows schematic structure of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. The flowchart of the process sequence performed with the block diagram of FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a block circuit diagram focusing on functions executed in the system of FIG. 1. Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the own vehicle in a target intersection, a preceding vehicle, and an oncoming vehicle. The block circuit diagram which shows schematic structure of vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation apparatus 2 ... Traveling control apparatus 3 ... Image recognition apparatus 4 ... Radar apparatus 8 ... Map database 25 ... Actuator 51 ... Vehicle speed detection means 52 ... Inter-vehicle distance detection means 53 ... Own vehicle position detection means 54 ... Map information acquisition means 55 ... route estimation means 56 ... distance calculation means 57 ... travel control means 58 ... warning object detection means 59 ... vehicle-to-vehicle communication means 60 ... road-to-vehicle communication means

Claims (2)

The vehicle has a vehicle speed detection means and an inter-vehicle distance detection means, and determines a target speed with the set speed as an upper limit according to the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle, and is capable of following the preceding vehicle at the target speed. A vehicle driving support device capable of constant speed traveling at a set speed when no preceding vehicle is detected,
Own vehicle position detecting means for detecting the own vehicle position;
Map information acquisition means for acquiring road information including intersection information around the vehicle position according to the vehicle position detection result;
A route estimation unit that estimates the route of the vehicle based on the road information and the vehicle position information acquired by the map information acquisition unit;
When an intersection exists on the estimated course of the host vehicle, the target intersection is regarded as an acceleration suppression section, and distance calculation means for calculating the distance from the own vehicle position to the start and end points of the acceleration suppression section,
A current vehicle speed maintenance mode for maintaining the current vehicle speed of the host vehicle, an acceleration mode for accelerating the vehicle speed of the host vehicle to the target speed, and a deceleration mode for decelerating the vehicle speed of the host vehicle to the target speed are preset, respectively. A travel control means for selecting one of the modes according to the distance from the vehicle position to the start and end points of the acceleration suppression section, and controlling the travel of the vehicle so that the vehicle speed is in the selected mode;
Warning object detection means for detecting pedestrians and oncoming vehicles in the target intersection,
The vehicle driving support device , wherein the travel control means selects the current vehicle speed maintenance mode when a pedestrian is present in the target intersection . The travel control means selects an acceleration mode when the own vehicle is not in the target intersection and the current vehicle speed is lower than a preset ACC set vehicle speed. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1.

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