JP4961592B2 - Vehicle travel support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device for avoiding contact between an own vehicle and a surrounding object and reducing impact during contact.

Conventionally, while detecting an object (oncoming vehicle, forward vehicle, etc.) that is ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle with an imaging camera or radar, it is determined whether there is a possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle. If the determination result is affirmative, a warning is issued to the driver, or the vehicle is automatically braked by a brake device, thereby avoiding contact or contact between the vehicle and the object. There is known a travel support device that assists in reducing the impact of time. For example, in the technique shown in Patent Document 1, the traveling position (estimated position) of a host vehicle after a predetermined time has elapsed is within a predetermined range of the traveling lane of the oncoming vehicle, and the detected value of the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle However, it is determined that there is a possibility of contact between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle when the distance is less than the safe inter-vehicle distance set according to the traveling speed of the own vehicle and the traveling speed of the oncoming vehicle. When it is determined that there is a possibility of contact in this way, a warning is issued to the driver, or the host vehicle is automatically braked, thereby avoiding contact and contact between the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. It helps to reduce the impact of time.
Japanese Patent No. 3031119

  By the way, in this kind of conventional driving assistance device, it is general to determine the possibility of contact between the vehicle and an object such as an oncoming vehicle with a sufficient margin. For example, when judging whether there is a possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle as seen in Patent Document 1, the safety inter-vehicle distance is set to a large distance with a sufficient margin, In general, an alarm output is started early when the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle are approaching each other, or automatic braking of the vehicle is started.

  On the other hand, when trying to pass a preceding vehicle on a two-lane road with two-way traffic, or when trying to bypass a stationary object such as a vehicle parked on the road side in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle As described above, there are many situations where the driver is forced to approach the oncoming vehicle to some extent when he / she intentionally runs the vehicle out of the oncoming lane.

  However, in the conventional driving support device as shown in Patent Document 1, the driver intentionally uses the vehicle to pass the preceding vehicle or to detour a stationary object such as a parked vehicle in front of the own vehicle. Regardless of whether or not the host vehicle is temporarily traveling in the oncoming lane, whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is determined. For this reason, an alarm may be generated or the vehicle may be braked automatically during overtaking of the preceding vehicle or during traveling around a stationary object such as a parked vehicle. In such a case, the driver may be bothered.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and in order for the own vehicle to pass the preceding vehicle or to detour a stationary object ahead in the traveling direction, the own vehicle temporarily runs out of the oncoming lane. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle driving support device that can prevent annoying the driver from being subjected to contact countermeasure processing such as generation of an alarm or braking of the host vehicle earlier than necessary. And

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle driving support apparatus of the present invention detects an object existing in a peripheral area including at least a front area in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and is detected by the object detecting means. Object information acquisition means for acquiring object information including relative motion information of the detected object with respect to the vehicle based on the output of the object detection means, and at least the object information acquired based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means Contact possibility determination means for determining whether there is a possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle, and predetermined contact countermeasure processing when the contact possibility determination means determines that there is a possibility of contact the traveling support device of a vehicle equipped with a contact protection process means for executing, of the oncoming vehicle on the basis of the object information about the oncoming vehicle is detected as the object by the object detecting means Means for estimating a road area and means for estimating a course area of the own vehicle based on a movement state of the own vehicle, wherein the oncoming lane is obtained based on the estimated course area of the oncoming vehicle. Lane judging means for judging whether or not the traveling lane of the host vehicle is an opposite lane based on the degree of overlap between the area and the estimated course region of the host vehicle, and the host vehicle overtaking the preceding vehicle Overtaking judgment means for judging whether or not the vehicle is traveling , and means for judging whether or not the traveling form of the host vehicle is a traveling form that temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane , at least by the lane judging means When the vehicle's driving lane is judged to be an oncoming lane, and the overtaking determination means determines that the own vehicle is overtaking the preceding vehicle, the driving form of the own vehicle temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane it is determined that the traveling form A travel form judging means, wherein the contact possibility judging means is more self-reliant when the traveling form judging means is positive than when the traveling form judging means is negative. In order to suppress the determination result of whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the object detected by the object detection means and the own vehicle in a region ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle from being a positive determination result, A means for changing a judgment condition for judging whether or not there is a possibility in accordance with a judgment result of the traveling form judgment means is provided (first invention) .
Alternatively, the driving support apparatus according to the present invention includes an object detection unit that detects an object existing in a peripheral region including at least a region ahead of the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and relative motion information of the object detected by the object detection unit with respect to the own vehicle. Object information acquisition means for acquiring object information including the information based on the output of the object detection means, and possible contact between the detected object and the own vehicle based on at least the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means Contact possibility determining means for determining whether or not there is a possibility, and contact countermeasure processing means for executing predetermined contact countermeasure processing when it is determined that there is a possibility of contact by the contact possibility determining means. Means for estimating a course area of the oncoming vehicle based on the object information about the oncoming vehicle detected as the object by the object detecting means, Means for estimating the course area of the own vehicle based on the movement state of the vehicle, the area of the oncoming lane determined based on the estimated course area of the oncoming vehicle and the estimated own vehicle Based on the degree of overlap with the route area, lane determination means for determining whether the traveling lane of the host vehicle is an opposite lane, and whether the host vehicle is traveling around a stationary object ahead in the traveling direction Detour traveling determination means for determining whether or not, and means for determining whether or not the traveling form of the own vehicle is a traveling form temporarily protruding to the opposite lane, at least the traveling lane of the own vehicle by the lane determining means When the vehicle is determined to be an oncoming lane, and the detour traveling determination means determines that the vehicle is traveling around a stationary object, the traveling form of the own vehicle temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane. Judge that it is a form A travel form judging means, wherein the contact possibility judging means is more self-reliant when the traveling form judging means is positive than when the traveling form judging means is negative. In order to suppress the determination result of whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the object detected by the object detection means and the own vehicle in a region ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle from being a positive determination result, It is characterized by comprising means for changing a judgment condition for judging whether or not there is a possibility in accordance with a judgment result of the traveling form judgment means (second invention).

According to the first invention or the second invention , the traveling form of the host vehicle temporarily changes to the oncoming lane, such as when overtaking the preceding vehicle or bypassing a stationary object such as a parked vehicle in front of the traveling direction. In the case where the traveling form is protruding, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the object detected by the object detecting means in the area ahead of the traveling direction of the own vehicle and the own vehicle. The determination condition for determining whether or not there is the possibility of contact is changed in accordance with the determination result of the travel form determination means so as to suppress the determination result as a positive determination result. For this reason, when the traveling form of the own vehicle is a traveling form that temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane, the contact countermeasure processing by the contact countermeasure processing means is less likely to be executed than when the traveling form is not.

As a result, if the vehicle is temporarily traveling beyond the opposite lane in order to pass the preceding vehicle or bypass a stationary object ahead of the traveling direction, an alarm is generated or the vehicle is Contact countermeasure processing such as braking / deceleration of the vehicle is executed to prevent the driver from being bothered .
More specifically, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle travels in the opposite lane in order to overtake the preceding vehicle, the traveling form determining means causes the vehicle to travel. It is determined that the form is a traveling form that temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the contact countermeasure process from being executed more quickly than necessary when the vehicle is driven to pass the opposite lane in order to pass the preceding vehicle.
In the first aspect of the invention, when the host vehicle overtakes the preceding vehicle without overcoming the opposite lane, such as overtaking the preceding vehicle on one-side multiple lane road, Be negative.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the travel mode determination is performed when travel is performed with the own vehicle protruding from the oncoming lane in order to bypass a stationary object such as a parked or stopped vehicle in the forward direction of the own vehicle. By the means, it is determined that the traveling form of the own vehicle is a traveling form that temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the contact countermeasure process from being performed more quickly than necessary when the vehicle travels in the opposite lane so as to bypass the stationary object.
In the second aspect of the invention, when the host vehicle detours the stationary object without deviating from the oncoming lane, as in the case of detouring the roadside stationary object on one-side multiple lane road, The judgment result is negative.
Furthermore, according to the first invention or the second invention, the lane determining means includes means for estimating a course area of the oncoming vehicle based on the object information about the oncoming vehicle, and the oncoming lane with respect to the own vehicle. Is obtained based on the estimated course area of the oncoming vehicle. Then, the lane determining means estimates the course area of the own vehicle based on the movement state of the own vehicle (for example, the vehicle speed, yaw rate, etc. of the own vehicle). In this case, when the own vehicle is traveling in the oncoming lane, the course area of the own vehicle and the area of the oncoming lane determined based on the course area of the oncoming vehicle are overlapped. Therefore, the lane determination means determines whether the traveling lane in which the vehicle is traveling is on the opposite lane based on the degree of overlap (for example, the overlapping width of both regions in the lateral direction of the vehicle or the distance between the central axes of both regions). It is determined whether or not. Thereby, the judgment can be performed appropriately.

Note that the relative motion information included in the object information includes a relative position, a relative speed, and the like of the object detected by the object detection unit. The object information may include information such as the size, shape, and type of the object in addition to the relative motion information of the object detected by the object detection unit .
Further, the first invention and the second invention may be combined. In that case, when the lane determining means determines that the traveling lane of the host vehicle is an opposite lane, and the determination result of either the overtaking determining means or the detour driving determining means is affirmative, What is necessary is just to judge that the driving | running | working form of a car is the driving | running | working form which protruded to the opposite lane temporarily.

In the first invention or the second invention , the contact possibility determination means is, for example, based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means, the predicted time until the detected object and the vehicle come into contact with each other The means for sequentially predicting the contact time and whether or not the contact time is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold is used as the determination condition, and if the contact time is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold, there is a possibility of the contact And a means for determining that it is present. In this case, the contact possibility determination means further reduces the predetermined threshold when the determination result of the travel form determination means is affirmative than when the determination result of the travel form determination means is negative. As described above, a means for changing the determination condition by changing the predetermined threshold according to the determination result of the traveling form determination means is provided ( third invention ).

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the determination result of the traveling form determination unit is affirmative, the predetermined threshold value is made smaller than when the determination result of the traveling form determination unit is negative. Since the predetermined threshold value is changed according to the determination result of the traveling form determination unit, the contact result is more positive when the determination result of the traveling form determination unit is positive than when the determination result is negative. Until the time reaches a smaller threshold, the contact possibility determination means determines that there is no possibility of contact between the vehicle and the object. Therefore, after the oncoming vehicle as the object is detected by the object detecting means, the contact possibility determining means determines that there is a possibility of contact between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. When the determination result of the traveling form determination means is affirmative, the time until becomes becomes longer than when the determination result is negative. Thereby, when the determination result of the traveling form determination means is affirmative, the timing at which it is determined that there is a possibility of contact with the oncoming vehicle as an object, compared to the case where the determination result is negative. Is delayed, and the judgment is suppressed. Since the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the object is determined based on the contact time, the possibility of contact can be appropriately determined.

In the first invention , the overtaking determination means moves in a direction in which the own vehicle approaches the oncoming lane in a situation where the preceding vehicle as the object is detected in front of the own vehicle by the object detecting means. And that the relative speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle has a speed component in the lateral direction toward the opposite side of the opposite lane, and the speed component of the relative speed in the traveling direction of the host vehicle It is preferable to determine that the own vehicle has started overtaking the preceding vehicle when it is detected that the vehicle has a size greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a direction in which the preceding vehicle approaches the own vehicle. ( 4th invention ).

  As a result, the start of overtaking of the preceding vehicle can be accurately recognized.

Similarly, in the second aspect of the invention , the detour traveling determination unit is configured such that the host vehicle approaches the oncoming lane in a situation where the stationary object as the object is detected forward by the object detection unit. That the relative speed of the stationary object with respect to the host vehicle has a speed component in the lateral direction toward the opposite side of the opposite lane, and the relative speed in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. When it is detected that the speed component has a magnitude equal to or greater than a predetermined value in a direction in which the stationary object is brought closer to the own vehicle, it is determined that the own vehicle has started traveling around the stationary object. Is preferable ( 5th invention ).

  As a result, it is possible to accurately recognize the start of traveling that detours the stationary object ahead of the traveling direction of the host vehicle.

In addition, the first to fifth inventions are particularly suitable when the contact countermeasure process includes at least a braking process of the own vehicle ( sixth invention ).

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention , when the vehicle temporarily runs out of the oncoming lane in order to pass the preceding vehicle or to detour a stationary object ahead in the traveling direction, it is earlier than necessary. In addition, automatic braking of the host vehicle can be prevented, and overtaking and detouring can be quickly performed by the driver operating the host vehicle.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the apparatus of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing of a controller provided in the apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of processing of STEP 5 in FIG. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle (own vehicle) 1 according to this embodiment includes a radar device 2 that detects an object such as another vehicle existing in a region ahead of the traveling direction, and an object detected by the radar device 2. The controller 3 that determines whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the vehicle 1 and the host vehicle 1 and appropriately operates the alarm device 4 and the brake device 5 provided in the vehicle 1 according to the determination result of the driving support device. It is provided as a component. The vehicle 1 may be any of a normal automobile using an engine as a driving power source, a hybrid vehicle using an engine and an electric motor as a driving power source, and an electric vehicle using an electric motor as a driving power source. Good.

  The radar device 2 is mounted on a front portion such as a front grille of the own vehicle 1. For example, the radar device 2 has a millimeter in an area A (an area ahead in the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1) as shown in FIGS. An electromagnetic wave such as a wave or a laser beam is emitted, and an object such as another vehicle existing in the area A (hereinafter referred to as a monitoring area A) is detected from the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave.

  In the present embodiment, the radar device 2 is provided as the object detection means. However, an imaging camera may be used instead of the radar device 2, or both the radar device 2 and the imaging camera are detected. You may use together as a means. In addition, a plurality of radar devices or a plurality of imaging cameras are mounted on the own vehicle 1, and the surroundings of the own vehicle 1 including not only the area in front of the own vehicle 1 in the traveling direction but also the rear and side areas of the own vehicle 1 are included. An object existing in the region may be detected.

  The controller 3 is an electronic circuit unit including a microcomputer, an interface circuit, and the like. The output of the radar device 2 is input, and the motion state of the vehicle 1 such as the vehicle speed and yaw rate of the vehicle 1 is detected from a sensor (not shown). A value is entered.

  And the controller 3 is provided with the object information acquisition means 6, the travel form judgment means 7, the contact possibility judgment means 8, and the contact countermeasure process means 9 as a function implement | achieved by the program mounted in this.

  The object information acquisition means 6 is means for acquiring object information relating to individual objects (objects detected by the radar apparatus 2) existing in the monitoring area A based on the output of the radar apparatus 2. The object information includes information on relative motion of the object including the relative position (or the distance between the object and the vehicle 1) and the relative velocity of each object, and information on the size, shape, and type of the object. Etc. are included.

  Further, the travel mode determination unit 7 is a travel mode in which the travel mode of the host vehicle 1 temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit 6 and the motion state of the host vehicle 1. It is means for determining whether or not there is. The travel form determination means 7 includes an opposite lane recognition means 10 for recognizing the position of the opposite lane with respect to the own vehicle 1 and a travel lane in which the own vehicle 1 is traveling in order to determine the travel form of the own vehicle 1. Lane determining means 11 for determining whether or not the vehicle is an oncoming lane, overtaking determining means 12 for determining whether or not the host vehicle 1 is overtaking the preceding vehicle, and a stationary object in which the host vehicle 1 is ahead in the traveling direction As a processing function of the travel form determination means 7, there is provided a bypass travel determination means 13 for determining whether or not the travel is bypassing (other vehicles being parked and stopped).

  Basically, the contact possibility determination means 8 is based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means 6 and the motion state of the own vehicle 1 and the individual objects and the own vehicle existing in the monitoring area A. It is a means for judging the possibility of contact with 1. However, in this determination, the contact possibility determination unit 8 changes the determination condition of the possibility of contact according to the determination result of the travel form determination unit 7.

  The contact countermeasure processing unit 9 avoids the contact and reduces the impact at the time of contact when there is an object whose determination result of the contact possibility determination unit 8 is a determination result that there is a possibility of contact. Means for executing a predetermined contact countermeasure process. In the present embodiment, the contact countermeasure processing means 9 performs a process of operating the alarm device 4 to make the driver recognize that there is a possibility of contact between the host vehicle 1 and an object, and a brake device 5 of the host vehicle 1. And the process of braking (decelerating) the vehicle 1 by operating the vehicle is executed as the contact countermeasure process.

  Supplementally, as the alarm device 4, for example, an audible alarm device using a buzzer sound or voice, a visual alarm device using a blinking display in the driver's visual field, or the vibration or driving of the driver's seat A sensible alarm device due to a change in the tension of a seat belt for a person or a combination of these alarm devices is used. Further, as the contact countermeasure process, the vehicle 1 may be braked by changing the transmission gear ratio of the vehicle 1 to the low-speed gear ratio side instead of operating the brake device 5. Alternatively, in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle provided with an electric motor as a driving power source, the host vehicle 1 may be braked by a regenerative operation of the electric motor. Furthermore, as the contact countermeasure processing, only one of the operation of the alarm device 4 and the braking of the host vehicle 1 by the operation of the brake device 5 or the like may be performed.

  Next, the entire process of the controller 3 will be described in detail, including more specific processes of the travel mode determination means 7 and the contact possibility determination means 8.

  While the host vehicle 1 is traveling, the controller 3 sequentially executes the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 at a predetermined calculation processing cycle.

  First, the controller 3 detects the state of the vehicle including the state of motion such as the vehicle speed and yaw rate of the vehicle 1 from the outputs of various sensors (not shown) (STEP 1). In addition to the vehicle speed and yaw rate, this vehicle state includes detection data of the operation state of the steering device of the vehicle 1 such as the winker of the vehicle 1, the steering angle of the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal, and GPS or inertial navigation. The position information of the own vehicle 1 by the system and the road information around the own vehicle 1 by the navigation system may be included.

  Next, the controller 3 acquires object information related to individual objects existing in the monitoring area A by the object information acquisition means 6 based on the output of the radar device 2 (STEP 2). That is, the relative position of each object detected by the radar device 2 with respect to the own vehicle 1 (or the distance between the object and the own vehicle 1), the relative motion information such as the relative speed, and the size, shape, and type of the object. Information is acquired.

  Next, the controller 3 determines the contact possibility T for each object detected by the radar device 2 (existing in the monitoring area A), which is a predicted time until the object contacts the host vehicle 1. 8 (STEP 3). In this case, the contact time T is calculated as follows, for example. That is, the contact possibility determination means 8 is based on the detected value of the vehicle speed and yaw rate as the current movement state of the own vehicle 1 and the size (vehicle width, etc.) of the own vehicle 1 after a predetermined time. Is predicted based on the current relative position and relative speed of the detected individual object with respect to the own vehicle 1 and the size of the object 1. The course area (passage area of the object) until after time is predicted. Then, when the course area of the host vehicle 1 and the course area of the object intersect at the same time in the future (the overlapping of these course areas occurs), the difference between the time at which the intersection occurs and the current time is Calculated as the contact time T for the object.

  Further, when the course area of the own vehicle 1 and the course area of the object do not intersect at the same time (for example, when the relative velocity vector of the object is a vector moving away from the own vehicle 1, In the case where the magnitude is 0), the contact time T related to the object is set to a predetermined value that is always larger than a threshold value Tai described later.

  If the direction of the vector of the current relative speed of the object is substantially the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 and the direction of the vector is a direction approaching the host vehicle 1, the object and the host vehicle 1 You may make it calculate the contact time T about this object by dividing the distance of this object and the own vehicle 1 by the magnitude | size of the relative speed of this object, without estimating a course area | region. Further, when the vector of the current relative speed of the object with respect to the own vehicle 1 is a vector in a direction away from the own vehicle 1 or when the magnitude of the relative speed is 0, the own vehicle 1 and the object You may make it set the contact time T about this object to the said predetermined value, without predicting a course area. Furthermore, when predicting the course area of the host vehicle 1, in addition to the current vehicle speed and yaw rate of the host vehicle 1, the past history of the vehicle speed and yaw rate, and the operation state of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal of the host vehicle 1 are considered. Or a target route registered in the navigation system may be taken into consideration. Also, when predicting the path area of an object, not only the current relative position and relative speed of the object but also the past history of the relative position and relative speed may be considered.

  Next, the controller 3 performs a process for recognizing the position of the oncoming lane relative to the host vehicle 1 based on the object information on the oncoming vehicle among the objects detected by the radar device 2. 10 (STEP 4). In this process, the oncoming lane recognition unit 10 determines whether the oncoming vehicle is present among the objects detected by the radar device 2 based on the relative position, the relative speed, and the size of each oncoming vehicle. The course area of the oncoming vehicle is predicted by the same method as described above. Whether or not the object detected by the radar apparatus 2 is an oncoming vehicle is determined, for example, by whether the object has a size equivalent to a general vehicle and the direction of the relative speed vector of the object is that of the own vehicle 1. Judgment is made based on whether or not the condition that the direction is substantially opposite to the traveling direction and that the relative speed of the object is larger than the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 is satisfied.

  The oncoming lane recognition means 10 recognizes the position of the oncoming lane relative to the host vehicle 1 by synthesizing the route area predicted as described above for each oncoming vehicle detected by the radar device 2. In this way, the traveling form determination means 7 sequentially recognizes the position of the oncoming lane. In this case, for example, the region B with the stippling in FIG. 4A is recognized as the oncoming lane region. Here, Fig.4 (a) has shown the condition where the own vehicle 1 is drive | working the predetermined driving | running | working lane of a two-lane road (two-lane facing road). However, FIG. 4A illustrates a case where the predetermined travel lane of the vehicle on the facing road is the left lane toward the front in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1. The same applies to FIGS. 4B and 4C and the examples shown in FIGS.

  Supplementally, when an imaging camera is mounted on the host vehicle 1, the area of the opposite lane with respect to the host vehicle 1 may be recognized based on a lane marker such as a white line captured in the captured image.

  Next, the controller 3 determines whether or not the current travel mode of the host vehicle 1 is a travel mode that temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane by the travel mode determination means 7 (STEP 5).

  More specifically, this determination is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, first, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle 1 is overtaking the preceding vehicle by the overtaking determining unit 12 of the traveling form determining unit 7 (STEP 51).

  This determination process is executed as follows, for example. In other words, the overtaking determination unit 12 is configured to detect that the own vehicle 1 is moving in a direction approaching the oncoming lane in a situation where the preceding vehicle is detected in front of the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 by the radar device 2. A vector of the relative speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle 1 has a speed component in a lateral direction (horizontal direction orthogonal to the vehicle width direction of the own vehicle 1 or the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1) toward the opposite side of the opposite lane. And that the speed component of the relative speed vector in the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 has a magnitude greater than a predetermined value in a direction in which the preceding vehicle approaches the own vehicle 1. When it is determined that the vehicle 1 has started overtaking the preceding vehicle.

  In this case, whether or not the object detected by the radar apparatus 2 in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 is a preceding vehicle, for example, is that the object has a size corresponding to a general vehicle, The direction of the speed vector is substantially parallel to the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 (including the reverse direction), or the relative speed is substantially zero, and the relative speed vector is In the case of the approaching vector, the determination is made based on whether or not the condition that the magnitude of the relative speed is smaller than the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 is satisfied. Whether or not the host vehicle 1 is moving in a direction approaching the oncoming lane is determined by, for example, reducing the lateral distance between the oncoming lane recognized by the oncoming lane recognition means 10 in STEP 4 and the own vehicle 1. It is judged by whether or not.

  When an imaging camera is mounted on the own vehicle 1, whether or not the object ahead in the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 is a preceding vehicle in consideration of the outer shape of the object captured in the captured image. May be determined. Furthermore, when the winker is operated to the opposite lane side, it may be determined that the host vehicle 1 is moving in a direction approaching the opposite lane. Further, in a situation in which a preceding vehicle is detected in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1, the winker is operated to the opposite lane side, and the steering angle of the steering handle immediately before and after that is a predetermined amount on the opposite lane side. It may be determined that the overtaking of the preceding vehicle has started when the amount of change changes as follows. Further, when the navigation system recognizes that the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is a road that cannot turn right or left, in a situation where a preceding vehicle is detected in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 When the winker is operated on the opposite lane side, it may be determined that the overtaking of the preceding vehicle has started.

  Then, the overtaking determination means 12 determines that the preceding vehicle is overtaking in a period from when it is determined that the host vehicle 1 has started overtaking the preceding vehicle as described above until a predetermined time has elapsed. . In this case, the predetermined time is set according to the relative speed of the preceding vehicle immediately before or immediately after the overtaking, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1, the operation state of the accelerator pedal of the host vehicle 1, and the like. In addition, when the travel lane of the host vehicle 1 is recognized by the captured image of the imaging camera mounted on the host vehicle 1, the host vehicle 1 approaches the original lane that was traveling immediately before the start of overtaking. You may make it judge that the own vehicle 1 is overtaking by the time recognized to go.

  After the determination by the overtaking determination unit 12 as described above, if the determination result is affirmative (in the case of overtaking), the traveling mode determination unit 7 uses the lane determination unit 11 to determine the vehicle 1 It is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling in the oncoming lane (STEP 53). This determination process is performed as follows. That is, the lane judgment unit 11 predicts the course area of the host vehicle 1 by the same method as that described in STEP 3. The lane determining means 11 then travels in the opposite lane based on the degree of overlap between the predicted course area of the own vehicle 1 and the opposite lane area recognized by the opposite lane recognition means 10 in STEP 4. Determine if it is in the middle. For example, referring to FIG. 5, when the area of the oncoming lane recognized by the oncoming lane recognition means 10 is the area B with the stippling, it is assumed that the traveling area of the host vehicle 1 is the area C indicated by diagonal lines. In this case, when the overlap width d in the lateral direction of the own vehicle 1 between the area B of the oncoming lane and the traveling area C of the own vehicle 1 is a predetermined value or more, the own vehicle 1 is traveling on the oncoming lane. It is judged that there is. When the overlap width d is smaller than a predetermined value (including the case where the areas B and C do not overlap), it is determined that the host vehicle 1 is not traveling in the oncoming lane.

  If the distance between the center line of the width of the area B of the opposite lane and the center line of the width of the traveling area C of the host vehicle 1 (the distance in the lateral direction of the host vehicle 1) is equal to or less than a predetermined value, It may be determined that 1 is traveling in the oncoming lane. Further, when the travel lane of the host vehicle 1 is recognized by the captured image of the camera mounted on the host vehicle 1, the positional relationship between the lane marker (white line, etc.) in the captured image and the host vehicle 1 is determined. Based on this, it may be determined whether the vehicle 1 is traveling in the oncoming lane.

  If the determination result in STEP 53 is affirmative, the traveling mode determination means 7 determines that the host vehicle 1 is currently traveling out of the oncoming lane (STEP 54). If the determination result in STEP 53 is negative, the traveling mode determination means 7 determines that the host vehicle 1 is not traveling in a state where it temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane (STEP 55).

  Further, when the determination result of STEP 51 is negative (when the own vehicle 1 is not overtaking the preceding vehicle), the detour traveling determination unit 13 of the traveling form determination unit 7 causes the own vehicle 1 to move forward in the traveling direction. It is determined whether the vehicle is traveling around a stationary object such as a parked vehicle (STEP 52).

  This determination process is executed as follows, for example. In other words, the detour travel determination means 13 indicates that the own vehicle 1 is moving in a direction approaching the oncoming lane in a situation where a stationary object is detected in front of the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 by the radar device 2, The vector of the relative speed of the stationary object with respect to the vehicle 1 has a speed component in the lateral direction (substantially the vehicle width direction) toward the opposite side of the oncoming lane, and the relative speed in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 When it is detected that the speed component has a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a direction in which the stationary object is brought closer to the own vehicle 1 (or that the vehicle speed of the own vehicle 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value). Then, it is determined that the vehicle 1 has started traveling around the stationary object. The stationary object is not limited to a parked vehicle, and includes, for example, an installation for road construction.

  In this case, whether or not the object detected by the radar apparatus 2 in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 is a stationary object is determined by, for example, the direction of the relative velocity vector of the object being opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1. In addition, it is determined whether or not a condition that the magnitude of the relative speed is substantially equal to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 is satisfied. Further, whether or not the own vehicle 1 is moving in a direction approaching the oncoming lane is determined in the same manner as in the determination process of STEP 51.

  Similar to the determination processing in STEP 51, when the winker is operated to the opposite lane, it may be determined that the host vehicle 1 is moving in a direction approaching the opposite lane. Further, in a situation where a stationary object is detected in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1, the winker is operated on the opposite lane side, and the steering angle of the steering handle immediately before and after that is less than a predetermined amount on the opposite lane side. It may be determined that traveling around the stationary object has started when the amount of change has changed. Further, when the navigation system recognizes that the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is a road that cannot turn right or left, in a situation where a stationary object is detected in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, When the winker is operated on the opposite lane side, it may be determined that traveling around the stationary object is started.

  Then, the detour travel determination means 13 is traveling while detouring the stationary object from the time when it is determined that the host vehicle 1 has started traveling around the stationary object as described above until a predetermined time elapses. Judge. In this case, the predetermined time is set according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle 1 immediately before or immediately after the start of the detouring or the relative speed of the stationary object, the operation state of the accelerator pedal of the own vehicle 1, and the like. Further, when the travel lane of the host vehicle 1 is recognized by the captured image of the imaging camera mounted on the host vehicle 1, the host vehicle 1 approaches the original lane that was traveling immediately before the start of the detour travel. It may be determined that the vehicle 1 is traveling around a stationary object until the time when it is recognized that the vehicle is going.

  After the determination by the detour traveling determination unit 13 as described above, if the determination result is affirmative (when the vehicle is traveling to detour a stationary object), the traveling form determination unit 7 is a lane determination unit. 11 is executed in STEP 53. Then, according to the determination result of STEP 53, as described above, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle 1 is traveling while temporarily protruding to the oncoming lane.

  When the traveling form determination means 7 determines that the own vehicle 1 is overtaking the preceding vehicle by the processing of FIG. 3 described above (determination processing of STEP 5), or the own vehicle 1 is stationary in front of the traveling direction. When it is determined that the vehicle 1 is traveling around the object and it is determined that the host vehicle 1 is traveling in the oncoming lane, it is determined that the host vehicle 1 is temporarily running out of the oncoming lane. . In other cases, the traveling mode determination means 7 determines that the host vehicle 1 is not traveling while temporarily protruding to the oncoming lane.

  Therefore, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, in a situation where the host vehicle 1 protrudes from the opposite lane and overtakes the preceding vehicle on a two-lane facing road, It is determined that the host vehicle 1 is traveling while temporarily protruding from the oncoming lane. Also, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, on a two-lane facing road, the vehicle 1 protrudes a stationary object (a parked vehicle in the illustrated example) ahead in the traveling direction to the oncoming lane. In the situation of detouring, the traveling mode determination means 7 determines that the host vehicle 1 is traveling while temporarily protruding to the oncoming lane.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the determination result of STEP 5 is given to the contact possibility determination means 8. Then, the contact possibility determination means 8 executes the processing of STEP 6 or 7 according to the determination result of STEP 5, and then executes the processing of STEP 8, whereby each object detected by the radar device 2 and the subject vehicle 1. Judging the possibility of contact with.

  In the present embodiment, the contact possibility determination unit 8 determines the possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle 1 by comparing the contact time T calculated in STEP 3 with a predetermined threshold value Tai.

  In this case, the contact possibility determination means 8 sets the threshold value Tai in STEPs 6 and 7 according to the determination result in STEP5.

  That is, when the determination result of STEP 5 is affirmative (when it is determined by the traveling form determination means 7 that the host vehicle 1 is temporarily traveling on the opposite lane), the contact possibility determination means. 8 sets the threshold value Tai to the first predetermined value TL in STEP6. Further, when the determination result in STEP 5 is negative (when it is determined by the traveling form determination means 7 that the vehicle 1 is not traveling in a state where the vehicle 1 temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane), the contact possibility determination means 8 In STEP 7, the threshold value Tai is set to the second predetermined value TH. Here, the first predetermined value TL is a value smaller than the second predetermined value TH.

  By the processing in STEPs 6 and 7, the determination condition for determining the possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle 1 is changed (in this embodiment, the threshold value Tai is changed).

  Next, in STEP 8, the contact possibility determination means 8 determines whether or not the contact time T related to the object is equal to or less than the threshold value Tai for each object detected by the radar device 2.

  Then, if the determination result in STEP 8 is positive for any object detected by the radar device 2, the controller 3 determines that there is a possibility of contact between the object and the host vehicle 1. The processing of the processing means 9 is executed (STEP 9). As a result, the alarm device 4 is actuated to alert the driver, and the brake device 5 is actuated to brake (decelerate) the host vehicle 1.

  In addition, the controller 3 determines that there is no possibility of contact between the object and the vehicle 1 if the determination result in STEP 8 is negative for any object detected by the radar device 2. Without executing the processing of the countermeasure processing means 9, the processing of FIG.

  In this case, the threshold value Tai (= TL) set in STEP 6 when the determination result in STEP 5 is affirmative is higher than the threshold value Tai (= TH) set in STEP 7 when the determination result in STEP 5 is negative. Is also small. Then, when the contact time T for an object detected by the radar device 2 is T ≦ TL, that is, the contact time T is sufficiently short to avoid contact between the vehicle 1 and the object by the driver himself / herself. When there is a high possibility that the operation (steering operation or the like) is not in time, the determination result in STEP 8 becomes affirmative and the process of the contact countermeasure processing means 9 is executed regardless of the determination result in STEP 5.

  On the other hand, in the situation where TL <T ≦ TH, when the own vehicle 1 is not traveling temporarily on the opposite lane due to overtaking of the preceding vehicle or detouring of a stationary object ahead in the traveling direction (STEP 5 If the determination result is negative), the determination result of STEP 8 is positive and the processing of the contact countermeasure processing means 9 is executed.

  On the other hand, in a situation where TL <T ≦ TH, when the host vehicle 1 is temporarily traveling out of the oncoming lane (when the determination result in STEP 5 is affirmative), the contact countermeasure processing means 9 Processing is not executed.

  That is, in the situation where TL <T ≦ TH, although the contact time T is not sufficiently large, the vehicle 1 may overtake the preceding vehicle or detour the stationary object ahead in the traveling direction depending on the driver's intention. For this reason, when the vehicle is temporarily running out of the oncoming lane, the driver can perform an avoiding operation (steering operation, etc.) between the vehicle 1 and the object within the contact time T. It is. Therefore, in the situation where TL <T ≦ TH, when the vehicle 1 is temporarily running out of the oncoming lane in order to pass the preceding vehicle or bypass a stationary object in front of the traveling direction Unlike the other cases, the processing of the contact countermeasure processing means 9 is not executed. Therefore, when the determination result of STEP 5 is affirmative, the determination result of STEP 8 is suppressed from being affirmative than when the determination result is negative. It becomes difficult to execute.

  For this reason, when the driver himself / herself decides to overtake the preceding vehicle or to detour a stationary object ahead in the traveling direction, the processing of the contact countermeasure countermeasure processing means 9 is performed during the overtaking or during the detouring. It is possible to avoid such a situation that an alarm is issued and the brake device 5 of the host vehicle 1 is activated. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, even if the oncoming vehicle travels while the host vehicle 1 is overtaking the preceding vehicle while traveling in the oncoming lane, the contact time T with respect to the oncoming vehicle is The processing of the contact countermeasure processing means 9 is not executed unless it is equal to or lower than the first threshold TL. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6B, even if the oncoming vehicle travels while the host vehicle 1 is running out of the oncoming lane in order to bypass a stationary object (parking and stopping vehicle in the illustrated example), Unless the contact time T with respect to the oncoming vehicle is less than or equal to the first threshold TL, the processing of the contact countermeasure processing means 9 is not executed.

  Therefore, when the own vehicle 1 passes the preceding vehicle or detours a stationary object ahead in the traveling direction, the processing of the contact countermeasure processing means 9 is executed earlier than necessary, which causes trouble for the driver. Can be prevented.

  In the embodiment described above, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is used to determine whether or not the host vehicle 1 is temporarily running out of the oncoming lane. When it can be recognized that the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is a two-lane facing road, the winker is operated on the opposite lane side, and the steering angle of the steering handle immediately before and after is When the vehicle 1 changes to the oncoming lane side by a change amount equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the vehicle 1 temporarily moves without determining whether the vehicle 1 is overtaking or traveling around a stationary object. Therefore, it may be determined that the vehicle is running out of the oncoming lane.

  In the embodiment, the possibility of contact between the object and the host vehicle 1 is determined by comparing the contact time T with the threshold value Tai. For example, the course area of the host vehicle 1 and the course area of the object are determined in the future. When the distance between the object and the vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a value obtained by multiplying the relative speed of the object by a predetermined time, the object contacts the vehicle 1 It may be determined that there is a possibility of this.

  Further, in a situation where TL <T ≦ TH, when the determination result of STEP 5 is negative, only the alarm device 4 may be operated without operating the brake device 5. Further, when the determination result of STEP 5 is negative, the braking force of the vehicle 1 by the brake device 5 is made different between the situation where T ≦ TL and the situation where TL <T ≦ TH (the latter). The braking force may be greater in the former situation than in the situation).

  Further, the execution order of the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 2 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the execution order of the processing of STEP1 and STEP2 may be changed, or the processing of STEP4 may be performed immediately before the processing of STEP8. In the process of the flowchart of FIG. 3, the determination process of STEP 53 may be executed before the processes of STEPs 51 and 52, or the determination process of STEP 52 may be executed before the determination process of STEP 51.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process of the controller with which the apparatus of FIG. 1 was equipped. The flowchart which shows the detail of the process of STEP5 of FIG. 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the apparatus of the present embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the action | operation of the apparatus of embodiment. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the apparatus according to the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle (own vehicle), 2 ... Radar apparatus (object detection means), 6 ... Object information acquisition means, 7 ... Traveling form judgment means, 8 ... Contact possibility judgment means, 9 ... Contact countermeasure processing means, 11 ... Lane Judgment means, 12 ... overtaking judgment means, 13 ... detour traveling judgment means.

Claims (6)

Object detection means for detecting an object existing in a peripheral area including at least a front area in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and object information including information on relative motion of the object detected by the object detection means with respect to the own vehicle. Object information acquisition means acquired based on the output of the vehicle, and at least whether there is a possibility of contact between the detected object and the vehicle based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means In a vehicle travel support device comprising: a contact possibility determination unit; and a contact countermeasure processing unit that executes a predetermined contact countermeasure process when the contact possibility determination unit determines that there is a possibility of contact ;
Means for estimating the course area of the oncoming vehicle based on the object information of the oncoming vehicle detected as the object by the object detection means, and means for estimating the course area of the own vehicle based on the motion state of the own vehicle The vehicle travels while the vehicle is traveling based on the degree of overlap between the oncoming lane region calculated based on the estimated oncoming vehicle route region and the estimated own vehicle route region. Lane determination means for determining whether the lane is an oncoming lane,
An overtaking judging means for judging whether or not the own vehicle is overtaking the preceding vehicle,
It is means for determining whether or not the traveling form of the own vehicle is a traveling form that temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane , and at least the lane judging means determines that the traveling lane of the own vehicle is an oncoming lane, and When the overtaking determination means determines that the host vehicle is overtaking the preceding vehicle, the driving form determination means determines that the driving form of the own vehicle temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane. ,
When the determination result of the travel mode determination unit is affirmative, the contact possibility determination unit is more in the area ahead of the traveling direction of the host vehicle than when the determination result of the travel mode determination unit is negative. Whether or not the object detected by the object detection means has the possibility of contact so as to suppress the determination result of whether or not the object is likely to contact the vehicle and a positive determination result. A vehicle travel support apparatus comprising means for changing a judgment condition for judgment according to a judgment result of the travel form judgment means. Object detection means for detecting an object existing in a peripheral area including at least a front area in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and object information including information on relative motion of the object detected by the object detection means with respect to the own vehicle. Object information acquisition means acquired based on the output of the vehicle, and at least whether there is a possibility of contact between the detected object and the vehicle based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means In a vehicle travel support device comprising: a contact possibility determination unit; and a contact countermeasure processing unit that executes a predetermined contact countermeasure process when the contact possibility determination unit determines that there is a possibility of contact ;
Means for estimating the course area of the oncoming vehicle based on the object information of the oncoming vehicle detected as the object by the object detection means, and means for estimating the course area of the own vehicle based on the motion state of the own vehicle The vehicle travels while the vehicle is traveling based on the degree of overlap between the oncoming lane region calculated based on the estimated oncoming vehicle route region and the estimated own vehicle route region. Lane determination means for determining whether the lane is an oncoming lane,
Detour travel determination means for determining whether or not the host vehicle is traveling around a stationary object ahead of the traveling direction;
It is means for determining whether or not the traveling form of the own vehicle is a traveling form that temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane , and at least the lane judging means determines that the traveling lane of the own vehicle is an oncoming lane, and Travel mode determination means for determining that the travel mode of the vehicle is a travel mode that temporarily protrudes from the oncoming lane when it is determined by the bypass travel determination unit that the vehicle is traveling around a stationary object ; With
When the determination result of the travel mode determination unit is affirmative, the contact possibility determination unit is more in the area ahead of the traveling direction of the host vehicle than when the determination result of the travel mode determination unit is negative. Whether or not the object detected by the object detection means has the possibility of contact so as to suppress the determination result of whether or not the object is likely to contact the vehicle and a positive determination result. A vehicle travel support apparatus comprising means for changing a judgment condition for judgment according to a judgment result of the travel form judgment means. In the vehicle travel support device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The contact possibility determination means sequentially predicts a contact time that is a prediction time until the detected object and the vehicle come into contact based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means; Whether the contact time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value is used as the determination condition, and the means for determining that there is a possibility of contact when the contact time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value; When the determination result of the means is affirmative, the predetermined threshold is set in accordance with the determination result of the travel form determination means so as to make the predetermined threshold value smaller than when the determination result of the travel form determination means is negative. Means for changing the determination condition by changing the threshold value of the vehicle. The vehicle travel support device according to claim 1 , wherein the overtaking determination unit is opposed to the host vehicle in a situation in which the preceding vehicle as the object is detected forward in the traveling direction of the host vehicle by the object detection unit. The vehicle is moving in a direction approaching the lane, the relative speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle has a lateral speed component toward the opposite side of the oncoming lane, and the traveling direction of the own vehicle When it is detected that the speed component of the relative speed has a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined value in a direction to bring the preceding vehicle closer to the own vehicle, the own vehicle has started to overtake the preceding vehicle It is determined that the vehicle travel support device. The vehicle travel support device according to claim 2 , wherein the detour travel determination unit is opposed to the host vehicle in a situation where the object detection unit detects the stationary object as the object forward in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The vehicle is moving in a direction approaching the lane, the relative speed of the stationary object with respect to the own vehicle has a lateral speed component toward the opposite side of the oncoming lane, and the traveling direction of the own vehicle. When it is detected that the speed component of the relative speed has a magnitude equal to or greater than a predetermined value in a direction in which the stationary object is brought closer to the own vehicle, the own vehicle starts traveling around the stationary object. A vehicle driving support device characterized by determining. 6. The vehicle travel support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the contact countermeasure process includes at least a braking process of the host vehicle.

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