JP6115043B2 - Driving assistance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device that supports driving when a vehicle is being brought close.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for drawing on a road using visible light such as laser light and notifying other vehicles of the traveling direction of the host vehicle is known. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique for calculating a predicted travel locus from the steering wheel steering angle of a vehicle and forward / backward information output from a shift position switch, and drawing the predicted travel locus on the ground surface.

JP 2006-36005 A

  In Patent Document 1 described above, since the predicted travel locus of the host vehicle can be drawn, it is considered that effective driving support can be performed during parking or the like. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to know how much width adjustment is possible, for example, when passing with width adjustment on a road. In addition, when the technology of Patent Document 1 described above is applied to driving assistance when passing vehicles, oncoming vehicles may hit oncoming vehicles on narrow roads and the like, which may dazzle drivers of oncoming vehicles.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device that can appropriately support driving when narrowing down on a road.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a driving support apparatus according to the present invention includes a vehicle end portion that is an end portion in the vehicle width direction of the host vehicle, and an end in the width direction of a road on which the host vehicle passes. Measuring means for measuring an end-to-end distance with a road end that is the closest point from the vehicle end, and between the end in the road width direction on the road in the traveling direction of the host vehicle Drawing means for drawing, by visible light, a band-shaped figure indicating a width-adjustable area extending in the advancing direction of the host vehicle from the vicinity of the vehicle end in an area up to a distance, and the band-shaped figure is in the road width direction and the end has a width of the inter-end distance leading to the region to the vehicle body end, characterized by and this.

According to the present invention, the distance between the end portions of the host vehicle from the vehicle end portion to the road end portion is measured, and the width-adjustable area having the width between the end portions as a width is drawn on the road. As a result, the driver of the host vehicle can directly check how far the width can be adjusted in the direction of the shoulder of the road, and can smoothly drive when the width is adjusted.
According to the present invention, the portion to be the vehicle end is changed based on the presence or absence of a three-dimensional obstacle on the road shoulder. As a result, for example, when there is a three-dimensional obstacle, the side mirror or the like is used as the vehicle end, so that the driver can move the side mirror within a range in which the side mirror or the like of the own vehicle does not contact the three-dimensional obstacle. Further, when there is no three-dimensional obstacle, the side portion of the tire is the vehicle end, so that the driver can further increase the width to just before the road shoulder than when there is a three-dimensional obstacle.
According to the present invention, when the oncoming vehicle is detected, the distance between the end portions is measured (and the drawing of the width-adjustable area) is performed, so that the drawing on the road can be performed only when it is necessary to perform the drawing. This can reduce the processing load of the driving support device.
According to the present invention, when the operation state becomes a predetermined state, the distance between the end portions is measured (and drawing of the width-adjustable region), so that the drawing on the road is performed only when the drawing needs to be performed. This can be done, and the processing load of the driving support device can be reduced.
According to the present invention, since drawing is performed only when the distance between the end portions is less than the predetermined distance, there is sufficient width adjustment area, and when driving support is not required, drawing of the width adjustment possible area is not performed and driving is performed. The processing load of the support device can be reduced. In addition, the influence of visible light irradiation on vehicles and pedestrians passing around can be reduced.

The block diagram which shows the functional structure of the driving assistance apparatus 10 concerning embodiment. The block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the driving assistance apparatus 10. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the figure drawn by the drawing means. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing by the driving support device 10.

  Exemplary embodiments of a driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the driving support device 10 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the functional configuration of the driving support apparatus 10 according to the embodiment includes a measurement unit 102, a drawing unit 104, an obstacle detection unit 106, an oncoming vehicle detection unit 108, and an operation state detection unit 110. The

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the driving support device 10. The hardware configuration of the driving support device 10 includes a side sensor 202 such as a camera or a radar provided on a side portion (surface in the vehicle width direction) of the own vehicle (a vehicle on which the driving support device 10 is mounted), The front sensor 204 such as a camera or radar provided at the front, the traveling speed of the host vehicle, the steering angle of the steering wheel, the shift position, the amount of depression of the brake or accelerator, the presence / absence of blinker lighting, the presence / absence of hazard lamp lighting, etc. are detected. In-vehicle sensor 206, visible light generating unit 208 that generates visible light and enables drawing on the road, CPU, ROM that stores and stores a control program, RAM as an operation area of the control program, various data An ECU (process) that includes an rewritable EEPROM, an interface unit that interfaces with peripheral circuits, etc. Part) constituted by 210. The functional configuration of the driving support apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is realized by the hardware configuration illustrated in FIG.

Hereinafter, the functional configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail.
The measuring means 102 has an end portion between a vehicle end portion that is an end portion in the vehicle width direction of the host vehicle and a road end portion that is the closest point from the vehicle end portion among the end portions in the road width direction of the road on which the host vehicle passes. Measure the distance between the parts. The vehicle end is a point on the side of the vehicle, for example, a position on the side mirror or the vehicle body that is closest to the end of the road (located on the outside of the road) or on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle. This is a vehicle width side portion of a tire to be used (a front wheel tire when traveling forward, a rear tire when traveling backward). As will be described later, the position of the vehicle end is determined by, for example, a detection result by the obstacle detection means 106.

  Moreover, the edge part of the road width direction of a road is what is called a road shoulder, and is an edge part of the area | region where the vehicle can drive | work on the road where the own vehicle is drive | working. For example, when a walking road separation block is provided on a road on which the host vehicle is traveling, an end portion in the road width direction of the road is a boundary between the road and the walking road separation block. Further, the road end portion that measures the distance to the vehicle end portion in the measuring means 102 is a point closest to the vehicle end portion among the end portions in the road width direction of the road.

  Specifically, the measuring unit 102 is realized by, for example, the side sensor 202 and the processing unit 210 (see FIG. 1). More specifically, the measurement unit 102 is realized by the CPU of the processing unit 210 executing the analysis program stored in the ROM on the sensing result of the side sensor 202. When the side sensor 202 is a camera, the processing unit 210 includes a camera and each part of the vehicle (for example, a position that can be the end of the vehicle such as the width side end of the side mirror, the left and right ends of the vehicle body, the positions of the left and right front and rear wheels) Are stored, and the position of the road shoulder is extracted from the captured image of the camera, and the distance between the road shoulder and each part of the vehicle is calculated. In addition, when a camera is used as the side sensor 202, it is desirable to use an infrared camera or the like that can shoot at night.

  The drawing unit 104 draws, with visible light, a band-shaped figure indicating the width-adjustable region of the host vehicle in the region from the end in the road width direction to the end-to-end distance on the road in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Specifically, the drawing unit 104 is realized by the processing unit 210 and the visible light generation unit 208, for example. More specifically, the rendering unit 104 is realized by controlling the visible light generation timing, the irradiation direction, the visible light color, the irradiation range, and the like from the visible light generation unit 208 by the processing unit 210. Visible light is, for example, laser light.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a graphic drawn by the drawing unit 104. 3A is a drawing figure when the vehicle end is the end S of the side mirror, and FIG. 3B is a drawing figure when the vehicle end is the tire end T located in the traveling direction. Show. More specifically, in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the oncoming vehicle C exists on the road R on which the host vehicle M travels. The road R is a left-handed road, and an end E1 exists on the left side and an end E2 exists on the right side with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. In this embodiment, when there is an oncoming vehicle or the like on the same road as described above, a scene is assumed in which the own vehicle is brought closer to each other and can pass each other smoothly.

  In FIG. 3A, the end L of the side mirror is used as the end S of the side mirror, and a distance L1 (end-to-end distance) from this point to the road end e1 that is the closest point on the end E1 is measured. If the left end of the front part of the vehicle body is closer to the end part E1 than the side mirror, such as when the host vehicle M has a steering wheel on the left side, the left end of the front part of the vehicle body is set as the vehicle body end part. Then, the drawing unit 104 draws a band-like figure indicating the width-adjustable region of the host vehicle in the region F1 from the end E1 to the distance L1 on the road R in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. As a result, the driver of the host vehicle M can know the range that can be widened to avoid the oncoming vehicle C (the range in which the vehicle body (side mirror) does not contact the end E1 of the road R), and can pass smoothly. Can be done.

  In FIG.3 (b), let the vehicle edge part be the vehicle width side part T of the tire of the advancing direction, and distance L2 (distance between edge parts) to the road edge part e2 which is the point on the edge part E1 nearest from here. Measuring. In the case of a general road, it is considered that a three-dimensional obstacle such as a wall or a guard rail is provided on the shoulder, and in this case, as shown in FIG. It is necessary to measure the end-to-end distance as a reference. On the other hand, for example, there is a possibility that these three-dimensional obstacles may not be provided on the field roads or paddy fields, and if the tires do not protrude from the road, further width adjustment may be possible. The form of FIG. 2B is effective in such a case, and the drawing means 104 is placed on the road R in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M in the area F2 from the end E1 to the distance L2. Draw a band-like figure indicating the width-adjustable area. Accordingly, the driver of the host vehicle M can know the range that can be widened to avoid the oncoming vehicle C (the range in which the tire does not derail from the end E1 of the road R), and smoothly pass each other. Can do.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the obstacle detection means 106 detects the presence or absence of a three-dimensional obstacle at an end portion (road shoulder) in the road width direction of the road. The three-dimensional obstacle is, for example, a wall, a guardrail, or a utility pole. Specifically, the obstacle detection means 106 is realized by, for example, the side sensor 202 and the processing unit 210 (see FIG. 1).

  When the obstacle detection means 106 determines that there is a three-dimensional obstacle, the measurement means 102 determines the distance between the end parts with the vehicle end as the position closest to the end in the road width direction of the side mirror or the vehicle body of the host vehicle. taking measurement. That is, measurement and drawing as shown in FIG. When the obstacle detecting unit 106 determines that there is no three-dimensional obstacle, the measuring unit 102 measures the distance between the end portions using the tire located on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle as the vehicle end portion. That is, measurement and drawing as shown in FIG. 3B are performed.

  The oncoming vehicle detection means 108 detects the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle on the road in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The oncoming vehicle detection means 108 is specifically realized by the front sensor 204 and the processing unit 210, for example. The oncoming vehicle detection means 108 detects not only the oncoming vehicle, but also, for example, a parked vehicle with the same traveling direction as the own vehicle, an obstacle placed on the road shoulder, etc. In order to do so, it may be an object that needs to be aligned.

  The operation state detection means 110 detects whether or not the operation state for the host vehicle has reached a predetermined state. Specifically, the operation state detection unit 110 is realized by, for example, the in-vehicle sensor 206 and the processing unit 210 (see FIG. 1). The predetermined state is, for example, a case where an operation that is considered to cause the host vehicle to perform width adjustment or parking on the road shoulder is performed, such as a steering wheel operation in the road shoulder direction or a deceleration operation for slow driving.

  When the oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle detection means 108 or when the operation state detection means 110 detects that the operation state has become a predetermined state, the measuring means 102 measures the distance between the end portions. (Start). Thereby, compared with the case where the distance between end parts is always measured by the measurement means 102, the processing load of the driving assistance device 10 can be reduced. Note that the distance between the end portions is always measured by the measuring unit 102 without providing the oncoming vehicle detecting unit 108 and the operation state detecting unit 110, or only one of the oncoming vehicle detecting unit 108 and the operation state detecting unit 110 is provided. It may be.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure performed by the driving support device 10. The driving support device 10 turns on the front sensor 204 and the in-vehicle sensor 206 while the host vehicle is traveling (step S401). The driving support device 10 determines whether or not an oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle detection means 108 (step S402), and an operation (predetermined operation) for performing width adjustment, parking on the road shoulder, or the like by the operation state detection means 110. It is determined whether or not this has been done (step S403).

  When an oncoming vehicle is detected (step S402: Yes), or when an operation (predetermined operation) for performing width adjustment, parking on the shoulder of the road, or the like is performed (step S403: Yes), the driving support device 10 Turns on the side sensor 202 (step S404). On the other hand, when neither an oncoming vehicle nor a predetermined operation is detected (steps S402 and S403: No), the process returns to step S401, and sensing by the front sensor 204 and the in-vehicle sensor 206 is continued.

  When the side sensor 202 is turned on in step S404, the obstacle detection unit 106 determines whether there is a three-dimensional obstacle on the road shoulder (step S405). When there is a three-dimensional obstacle on the road shoulder (step S405: Yes), the measuring means 102 sets the side mirror of the own vehicle or the front end of the vehicle body to the vehicle end (step S406). On the other hand, when there is no three-dimensional obstacle on the road shoulder (step S405: No), the measuring means 102 sets the side portion of the tire on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle as the vehicle end portion (step S407).

  Subsequently, the measuring means 102 identifies the road edge based on the sensing result of the side sensor 202 (step S408), and measures the distance between the edges, which is the distance between the road edge and the vehicle edge (step S408). S409). Then, the drawing means 104 draws a band-like figure indicating the width-adjustable area on the road (step S410), and the processing according to this flowchart is terminated.

  For example, in the road traffic law, when a road shoulder range where a vehicle should not enter is set to protect the road shoulder, etc., the drawing may be performed except the road shoulder area where entry is prohibited.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which the driving support device 10 is mainly applied when passing the oncoming vehicle has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the driving support device 10 may be applied when parking on the road shoulder or when parallel parking. Can do. In this case, for example, when the operation state detection unit 110 detects the lighting or deceleration of the hazard lamp or the steering operation in the road shoulder direction, the distance between the end portions may be measured by the measurement unit 102.

  In the present embodiment, the drawing is performed regardless of the distance between the end portions. However, the drawing unit 104 performs the drawing only when the distance between the end portions measured by the measuring unit 102 is less than the predetermined distance. You may do it. This is because even when an oncoming vehicle is detected or a predetermined operation state is detected and the distance between the end portions is measured by the measuring means 102, the distance between the end portions is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, that is, the vehicle and the shoulder. When there is a sufficient distance, it is determined that the possibility of contact or wheel removal is low, and drawing is not performed, but driving based on the visual observation of the driver is continued. Further, for example, when the distance between the end portions is always measured by the measuring means 102, the drawing may be started when the distance between the end portions becomes less than a predetermined distance.

  As described above, according to the driving assistance apparatus 10 according to the embodiment, the distance between the end portions of the host vehicle from the vehicle end portion to the road end portion is measured, and the end-to-end distance is defined as the width on the road. Draw an area that can be justified. As a result, the driver of the host vehicle can directly check how far the width can be adjusted in the direction of the shoulder of the road, and can smoothly drive when the width is adjusted.

  Moreover, according to the driving assistance apparatus 10, the part used as a vehicle end part is changed based on the presence or absence of the three-dimensional obstacle in a road shoulder. As a result, for example, when there is a three-dimensional obstacle, the side mirror or the like is used as the vehicle end, so that the driver can move the side mirror within a range in which the side mirror or the like of the own vehicle does not contact the three-dimensional obstacle. Further, when there is no three-dimensional obstacle, the side portion of the tire is the vehicle end, so that the driver can further increase the width to just before the road shoulder than when there is a three-dimensional obstacle.

  Moreover, according to the driving assistance apparatus 10, when an oncoming vehicle is detected, when the operation state becomes a predetermined state, the distance between the end portions is measured (and the width-adjustable region is drawn). Drawing on the road can be performed only when necessary, and the processing load of the driving support device can be reduced. In addition, if the driving support device 10 performs the drawing only when the distance between the end portions is less than the predetermined distance, there is a sufficient width adjustment region, and when the driving support is not required, the drawing of the width adjustment possible region is performed. The processing load of the driving support device can be reduced without performing the operation. Moreover, in this case, the influence of visible light irradiation on vehicles and pedestrians passing around can be reduced.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Driving assistance device, 102 ... Measuring means, 104 ... Drawing means, 106 ... Obstacle detection means, 108 ... Oncoming vehicle detection means, 110 ... Operation state detection means, 202 ... Side sensor, 204 …… Front sensor, 206 …… In-vehicle sensor, 208 …… Visible light generator, 210 …… Processor.

Claims (5)

The distance between the ends of the vehicle that is the end of the host vehicle in the vehicle width direction and the end of the road that is the closest to the end of the vehicle among the ends in the width direction of the road on which the host vehicle passes. Measuring means for measuring,
A band-like figure indicating a width-adjustable region extending from the vicinity of the vehicle end portion in the traveling direction of the host vehicle in the region from the end portion in the road width direction to the distance between the end portions on the road in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Drawing means for drawing with visible light ,
The strip-shaped figure has a width of the end-to-end distance reaching an area from the end in the road width direction to the end of the vehicle.
Driving support device comprising a call.   The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing unit performs the drawing only when the distance between the end portions measured by the measuring unit is less than a predetermined distance. Further comprising obstacle detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a three-dimensional obstacle at the end in the road width direction;
When the obstacle detecting unit determines that there is the three-dimensional obstacle, the measuring means uses the side mirror or the vehicle body closest to the end in the road width direction as the end of the vehicle. When the distance between the end portions is measured and it is determined that there is no three-dimensional obstacle, the distance between the end portions is defined as a vehicle width side portion of the tire located on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle as the vehicle end portion. The driving support device according to claim 1 , wherein the driving assistance device is measured. Further comprising oncoming vehicle detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle on the road in the traveling direction of the host vehicle,
The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the measuring unit measures the distance between the end portions when the oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle detecting unit. . An operation state detecting means for detecting whether or not the operation state of the host vehicle has reached a predetermined state;
Said measuring means, any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the measurement of the inter-end distance when said operational state by said operating state detecting means becomes a predetermined state is detected The driving support device according to claim 1.

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