JP6614018B2 - Driving support device and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for assisting driving when changing a lane in a target vehicle, with the target vehicle as a target vehicle.

  Conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, when a driver's intention to change lanes is recognized, the target vehicle depends on the traveling speed of the vehicle in the lane adjacent to the lane in which the target vehicle is traveling (hereinafter referred to as the adjacent lane). Thus, a technique for adjusting the traveling speed of the target vehicle has been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-25868

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, for example, when the vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane is not detected, when the travel speed of the vehicle in the adjacent lane is not acquired at the time when the intention to change the lane is displayed, I don't know how fast to adjust the traveling speed of the target vehicle. Of course, as long as the vehicle is not traveling at all over the entire length of the adjacent lane, no problem arises even if the traveling speed of the target vehicle is adjusted. However, even when the vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane outside the detection range such as a position that is a blind spot from the target vehicle or a sensor provided in the target vehicle, the vehicle may be processed as no vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for appropriately setting the traveling speed of a target vehicle even when a vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane is not detected. Yes.

The driving support device of the present invention includes a vehicle detection unit (8), a distribution acquisition unit (3, S2), and a speed setting unit (3, S7).
The vehicle detection unit is configured to detect a rear vehicle that travels behind the target vehicle in the adjacent lane with the lane adjacent to the lane in which the target vehicle to be processed is traveling as the adjacent lane. The distribution acquisition unit is configured to acquire a speed distribution of a vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane when no lane change is instructed in the target vehicle. When the lane change is instructed in the target vehicle, the speed setting unit is configured to change the lane according to the speed distribution acquired by the distribution acquisition unit when the vehicle detection unit does not detect a rear vehicle. A target speed in the target vehicle to be targeted is set.

  According to such a configuration, when the lane change is not instructed in the target vehicle, the distribution acquisition unit acquires the speed distribution of the vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane. And even if it is a case where the vehicle detection part has not detected the back vehicle when the lane change is instructed in the target vehicle, the speed setting part is set according to the speed distribution acquired by the distribution acquisition part. The target speed in the target vehicle can be set.

  Since the target speed set in this way corresponds to the speed distribution of the vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane, even if there is a rear vehicle that could not be detected by the vehicle detection unit, the travel of the rear vehicle It is an appropriate speed that does not deviate significantly from the speed. The target speed is a target speed when changing lanes.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the parenthesis described in this column and a claim shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later as one aspect, Comprising: The technical scope of this invention is shown. It is not limited.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance device to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the driving assistance process in the driving assistance device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detection range of the surrounding vehicle in the driving assistance device. It is a graph which shows an example of the speed distribution which the driving assistance device detected.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. First Embodiment]
[1-1. Constitution]
The driving support device 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a vehicle control ECU 3, a vehicle position information acquisition unit 5, a map / route information acquisition unit 6, a lane recognition sensor 7, and a surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8. And a control device 9. The driving support device 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile. Hereinafter, a vehicle equipped with the driving support device 1 may be referred to as a host vehicle.

  The operation control ECU 3 is configured around a known microcomputer having a CPU and a semiconductor memory (hereinafter referred to as a memory) such as a RAM, a ROM, and a flash memory. The CPU of the vehicle control ECU 3 executes various processes such as a driving support process, which will be described later, based on a program stored in the non-transitional physical recording medium. In this example, the memory corresponds to a non-transitional tangible recording medium that stores a program. Further, by executing this program, a method corresponding to the program is executed. The number of CPUs constituting the vehicle control ECU 3 may be one or more. Further, the method of realizing the function of the vehicle control ECU 3 is not limited to software, and some or all of the elements may be realized using hardware that combines a logic circuit, an analog circuit, and the like.

  The own vehicle position information acquisition unit 5 receives radio waves from the navigation satellites constituting the GNSS, and acquires the own vehicle absolute position, which is the absolute position of the own vehicle. The GNSS is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System (that is, Global Navigation Satellite System). In addition, the host vehicle position information acquisition unit 5 may acquire host vehicle position information including error variance indicating the host vehicle absolute position and the error range of the host vehicle absolute position. The vehicle position information acquisition unit 5 may acquire the vehicle absolute position by other methods such as a method using a gyro sensor, a method using map matching, and a method using communication with a roadside device.

  The map / route information acquisition unit 6 includes a map database that records map information in which latitude and longitude are associated with each other, and when a destination or the like is instructed from a driver of the host vehicle, the map / route information acquisition unit 6 reaches the destination or the like. Get the travel route of. The map database records, as map information, information indicating a position where the lane of the host vehicle needs to be changed, such as a road branch or merge. The map / route information acquisition unit 6 may be provided in a commercially available navigation device. Further, the map / route information acquisition unit 6 may acquire the travel route by communication via the Internet.

  The lane recognition sensor 7 includes a CCD camera arranged so as to photograph a road surface ahead of the vehicle, and performs processing such as edge detection on an analog image signal output from the CCD camera, thereby lane boundary line Is detected.

  The surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 is a part that detects vehicles existing around the host vehicle. Specifically, the position of the vehicle existing around the host vehicle, the distance from the host vehicle, and the like are recognized. The surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 may have a camera for photographing the periphery of the own vehicle. The surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 may include a distance measuring sensor that detects a vehicle by transmitting a radio wave or a laser beam toward a detection area around the own vehicle and receiving the reflected wave.

  The control device 9 includes a steering control device that controls the steering (steering angle), a drive control device that controls the driving force of the host vehicle, and a braking control device that controls the braking force of the host vehicle. The drive control device may be an internal combustion engine control device that controls the rotation speed and torque of the internal combustion engine as long as the drive control device is a vehicle having an internal combustion engine as an engine that generates the driving force of the host vehicle. If the host vehicle is a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, the drive control device may include a mission control device that controls the transmission of the host vehicle. Further, if the vehicle has an electric motor as an engine that generates the driving force of the host vehicle, the drive control device may be an electric motor control device that controls the rotation speed of the electric motor. Further, the control device 9 may include a display unit that displays various types of information and a voice output unit that outputs various types of information as voices.

[1-2. processing]
Next, the driving support process executed by the vehicle control ECU 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This driving support process is repeatedly executed by the CPU while driving assistance is instructed by the driver while the host vehicle is traveling.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the process is started, normal driving support control is executed in S1. The technology related to automatic driving is classified into level 1 (safe driving support system), level 2 and 3 (semi-automatic driving system), and level 4 (fully automatic driving system) according to the level of automation. This content is described in, for example, “Strategic Innovation Creation Program Automated Driving System” announced in May 2015 by the Cabinet Office. The driving support control executed in S1 may be driving support control corresponding to any one of levels 1 to 4, and the driving support control according to the driver's selection may be executed.

  In subsequent S2, the speed distribution of the vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane (hereinafter also referred to as the speed distribution of the adjacent lane) is created. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, when the host vehicle 51 travels in the left lane 50L of the road divided into the left lane 50L and the right lane 50R by the lane boundary line 50C, the surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 detects the detection range 52. It is assumed that the presence / absence of the other vehicle 53 and its traveling speed can be detected. The detection range 52 includes the side and the rear of the host vehicle 51 in the left lane 50L as the adjacent lane. In S <b> 2, a distribution of the traveling speed of the other vehicle 53 detected in the detection range 52 (that is, the speed distribution of the adjacent lane) while the host vehicle 51 is traveling is created.

  When the host vehicle 51 is traveling in the right lane 50R, the surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 detects a similar detection range in the left lane 50L as an adjacent lane, and in S2, a speed distribution in the left lane 50L is created. The In addition, when the host vehicle 51 is traveling in the central lane of a road with three lanes on one side, the same detection is made for the left and right lanes adjacent to the lane, and speed distributions are created for the left and right lanes. The

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the speed distribution can be represented as a graph in which the speed V of a vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane is associated with the number of vehicles traveling at each speed. Note that such a speed distribution may represent the distribution of the latest predetermined time (for example, the past 10 minutes), or may be reset when the road changes.

  In subsequent S3, it is determined whether or not a lane change is necessary. For example, it is determined whether or not the driver has indicated the intention to change lanes by referring to the operation state of the blinker lever and switches in the vehicle compartment (not shown). In addition, when the driving assistance control of level 4 (that is, automatic driving) is performed in S1, whether or not it is necessary to change the lane may be determined in S3 according to the algorithm of the automatic driving.

  If the lane change is not necessary, it is determined No in S3, and the process proceeds to S1 described above. On the other hand, if it is determined in S3 that a lane change is necessary (that is, Yes), the process proceeds to S4, and it is determined whether or not another vehicle is detected in the target lane (that is, the lane to which the lane is changed). . That is, in S4, for example, it is determined whether or not the other vehicle 53 is detected in the detection range 52 described above. When another vehicle is detected, it is judged as Yes in S4 and processing shifts to S5. In S5, normal lane change control for setting a target speed that is targeted in the host vehicle at the time of lane change is performed according to the detected traveling speed of the other vehicle, and the process is temporarily ended.

  In the lane change control executed in S5, the target speed may be presented to the driver by display or voice, and steering and speed adjustment may be left to the driving operation of the driver. In this lane change control, the traveling speed of the host vehicle may be adjusted via the drive control device of the control device 9 so as to coincide with the target speed, and steering may be left to the driver's driving operation. Further, in this driving support control, the traveling speed of the host vehicle is adjusted through the drive control device of the control device 9 so as to coincide with the target speed, and steering is performed through the steering control device of the control device 9. Thus, the lane change may be completed even if the driver does nothing. When the target speed is presented to the driver, a specific speed may be presented, or the relationship between the current traveling speed and the target speed may be presented, such as earlier or later. . Then, when such normal lane change control in S5 is completed, the process is once ended, and the process is restarted from S1 again.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S4 that no other vehicle has been detected in the target lane (that is, No), the process proceeds to S6. In S6, an allowable relative speed allowed for the own vehicle with respect to another vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as a following vehicle) traveling behind the own vehicle in the target lane is calculated by the following equation.

Permissible relative speed = sensor detection distance / (collision time + lane change time)
Here, the sensor detection distance is a distance at which the surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 can detect other vehicles behind the host vehicle in the target lane. This sensor detection distance may be set in consideration of a blind spot in sensor specifications, a map, or the like. The collision time is a time according to the inter-vehicle distance that should be left with the following vehicle after the lane change is completed. The collision time may be a time necessary for avoiding a rear-end collision by an automatic driving by the vehicle control ECU 3 or a driving operation of the driver. The lane change time is the time required for the host vehicle to change lanes. Note that the collision time and the lane change time may be predetermined values or may be set according to the driver's preference. For example, the collision time may be zero.

  In subsequent S7, a value obtained by subtracting the allowable relative speed calculated in S6 from the traveling speed of the vehicle in the target lane (hereinafter also referred to as lane speed) is calculated as the target speed in the host vehicle. The lane speed corresponds to the setting in the driving support device 1 or the preference of the driver among the mode value, median value, average value, maximum value, or percentile in the speed distribution created in S2. May be. In this case, for example, when the mode is the lane speed, the speed VA is the lane speed in the example of FIG. 4, and when the maximum value is the lane speed, the speed VB is the lane speed in the example of FIG. The Further, the lane speed may be an appropriate combination of the mode, median, average, maximum, or percentile.

  Note that the percentile means the percentage of the counting from the smaller side. For example, the 10th percentile refers to a numerical value corresponding to one-tenth from the smaller side. In S7, the target speed may be calculated with the legal speed as the upper limit.

  When the target speed is calculated in S7 as described above, in subsequent S8, the lane change control similar to S5 is performed according to the target speed calculated (that is, set) in S7, and the process is temporarily ended. . In the lane change control, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle is adjusted by the vehicle control ECU 3, when the lane speed value is smaller than the allowable relative speed value, the target speed is not calculated in S7, and the acceleration / deceleration is performed in S8. Without changing the lane, the lane change control is executed.

[1-3. effect]
According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1A) When the lane change is not instructed in the own vehicle, the speed distribution of the vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane is acquired by the process of S2. Even when the vehicle is instructed to change the lane, even if the vehicle is not detected in the target lane, the process of S6 and S7 corresponding to the speed distribution causes the vehicle to be targeted when changing the lane. A target speed in the vehicle can be set.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the other vehicle 53 travels behind the detection range 52 of the surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 in the own vehicle 51 and both vehicles travel in the direction of arrow F. To do. At this time, the lane change control is executed on the assumption that no vehicle is traveling over the entire length of the right lane 50R as the target lane when there is no other vehicle 53 in the detection range 52 of the surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8. It is not preferable. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by setting a target speed according to the speed distribution in the adjacent lane, even if the other vehicle 53 exists behind the detection range 52, the traveling speed of the other vehicle 53 An appropriate target speed that does not greatly deviate from the above is set. Therefore, in this embodiment, the safety | security of the lane change control in the own vehicle 51 can be improved.

  (1B) Moreover, in the process of S7, the speed lower by the allowable relative speed than the lane speed selected from the speed distribution is calculated as the target speed. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the host vehicle from being accelerated more than necessary when the lane change control is executed, and as a result, the fuel consumption of the host vehicle can be improved.

  (1C) In S7, the target speed is set using the mode, median, average, maximum, or percentile in the speed distribution. Since these parameters favorably reflect the running state of the vehicle in the adjacent lane, in this embodiment, it is possible to set an appropriate target speed that can safely change the lane.

  (1D) Further, when the mode value, median value, average value, maximum value, or percentile according to the driver's preference is used, for example, how much margin should be given to the lane change control It is possible to favorably reflect the driver's preference such as. If the setting according to the driver's preference is also reflected in the allowable relative speed, the driver's preference such as how much margin should be given to the lane change control can be reflected better. it can.

  (1E) The allowable relative speed takes a smaller value as the sensor detection distance is shorter. For this reason, the target speed can be set to a higher value as the sensor detection distance is shorter, and as a result, it is possible to satisfactorily suppress contact between the following vehicle that has traveled from outside the detection range and the host vehicle at the time of lane change. it can.

  (1F) When the traveling speed of the host vehicle is adjusted by the vehicle control ECU 3 in the lane change control in S8, the speed can be changed safely as described above without the driver adjusting the speed of the host vehicle. You can adjust your vehicle.

[1-4. Correspondence with Claimed Elements]
In the embodiment, the surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 corresponds to the vehicle detection unit. The vehicle control ECU 3 corresponds to a distribution acquisition unit, a speed setting unit, a relative acquisition unit, and a computer. Of the processes in the vehicle control ECU, S2 corresponds to the distribution acquisition unit, S6 corresponds to the relative acquisition unit, and S7 corresponds to the speed setting unit. Further, the control device 9 when the traveling speed of the host vehicle is adjusted by the vehicle control ECU 3 in the lane change control of S8 corresponds to the speed control unit.

[2. Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although the form for implementing this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, It can implement in various deformation | transformation.

  (2A) In the above embodiment, the control device 9 includes the steering control device, the drive control device, and the braking control device, but is not limited to this. For example, the control device 9 may include a drive control device and a braking control device, but may not include a steering control device. Further, the control device 9 may be configured to include only a display unit or a voice output unit for presenting the relationship between the current traveling speed and the target speed or the target speed to the driver.

  (2B) In the above embodiment, the velocity distribution is created according to the detection result of the surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in the embodiment, the distribution acquisition unit acquires the speed distribution according to the detection result by the vehicle detection unit, but the speed distribution is communicated with a center such as a traffic information center, It may be acquired by inter-vehicle communication or communication with the cloud via the Internet.

  (2C) In the embodiment, the value obtained by subtracting the allowable relative speed from the lane speed is set as the target speed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lane speed itself may be set as the target speed.

  (2D) Further, when the lane change control in S5 and S8 is a process of merely presenting the relationship between the current traveling speed and the target speed or the target speed to the driver, the driving support device of the present invention is fixed to the vehicle. It does not have to be installed. For example, the driving support device may be configured by a smartphone or a drive recorder. Further, in that case, most of the processing may be performed outside the vehicle, such as a cloud.

  (2E) Although the detection range 52 of the surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 8 as a vehicle detection part includes the side and back of the own vehicle in an adjacent lane, it is not limited to this. The vehicle detection part should just detect the vehicle which drive | works back rather than the own vehicle (namely, object vehicle) in an adjacent lane.

  (2F) A plurality of functions of one constituent element in the embodiment may be realized by a plurality of constituent elements, or a single function of one constituent element may be realized by a plurality of constituent elements. . Further, a plurality of functions possessed by a plurality of constituent elements may be realized by one constituent element, or one function realized by a plurality of constituent elements may be realized by one constituent element. Moreover, you may abbreviate | omit a part of structure of the said embodiment. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of the embodiment may be added to or replaced with the configuration of the other embodiment. In addition, all the aspects included in the technical idea specified only by the wording described in the claim are embodiment of this invention.

  (2G) In addition to the above-described driving support device, a system including the driving support device as a constituent element, a program for causing a computer to function as the driving support device, and a non-transitional actual record such as a semiconductor memory storing the program The present invention can also be realized in various forms such as a medium and a driving support method.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving assistance device 3 ... Vehicle control ECU 5 ... Own vehicle position information acquisition part 7 ... Lane recognition sensor 8 ... Surrounding vehicle recognition sensor 9 ... Control device 11 ... Surrounding monitoring sensor 51 ... Own vehicle 52 ... Detection range

Claims (7)

A vehicle detection unit (8) configured to detect a rear vehicle traveling behind the target vehicle in the adjacent lane with a lane adjacent to the lane in which the target vehicle to be processed is running as an adjacent lane; ,
A distribution acquisition unit (3, S2) configured to acquire a speed distribution of a vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane when a lane change is not instructed in the target vehicle;
When the lane change is instructed in the subject vehicle, when the vehicle detecting unit does not detect the following vehicle, depending on the velocity distribution is acquired by the distribution acquiring unit, it is targeted to the lane change A speed setting unit (3, S7) configured to set a target speed in the target vehicle;
Equipped with a,
A relative acquisition unit (3, S6) configured to acquire a relative speed allowed for the target vehicle with respect to the rear vehicle;
In addition,
The speed setting unit selects one of the speeds from the speed distribution, sets a speed that is lower than the selected speed by the relative speed as the target speed,
The relative speed is the sum of the time required for the target vehicle to change lanes and the collision time, which is the time corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance to be left with the rear vehicle when the lane change of the target vehicle is completed. The driving support device calculated by dividing the distance that the vehicle detection unit can detect the rear vehicle by time . The driving support device according to claim 1 ,
The speed setting unit is a driving support device that sets the target speed using a mode value, a median value, an average value, a maximum value, or a percentile in the speed distribution. A vehicle detection unit (8) configured to detect a rear vehicle traveling behind the target vehicle in the adjacent lane with a lane adjacent to the lane in which the target vehicle to be processed is running as an adjacent lane; ,
A distribution acquisition unit (3, S2) configured to acquire a speed distribution of a vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane when a lane change is not instructed in the target vehicle;
When the lane change is instructed in the subject vehicle, when the vehicle detecting unit does not detect the following vehicle, depending on the velocity distribution is acquired by the distribution acquiring unit, it is targeted to the lane change A speed setting unit (3, S7) configured to set a target speed in the target vehicle;
Equipped with a,
The speed setting unit is a driving support device that uses a mode value, a median value, an average value, or a percentile in the speed distribution for setting the target speed . The driving support device according to claim 3 ,
A relative acquisition unit (3, S6) configured to acquire a relative speed allowed for the target vehicle with respect to the rear vehicle;
In addition,
The speed setting unit selects one of the speeds from the speed distribution, and sets the target speed as a speed lower than the selected speed by the relative speed. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A speed control unit (9) configured to control the speed of the target vehicle so as to match the target speed set by the speed setting unit;
A driving support apparatus further provided. The lane adjacent to the lane in which the target vehicle to be processed is running is defined as the adjacent lane.
When the lane change is not instructed in the target vehicle, the computer (3) is made to acquire the speed distribution of the vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane (S2),
When a lane change is instructed in the target vehicle, if the rear vehicle traveling behind the target vehicle in the adjacent lane is not detected, the target vehicle is allowed to the target vehicle relative to the rear vehicle. Relative time, and the time required for the target vehicle to change lanes and the collision time, which is the time according to the inter-vehicle distance to be left with the rear vehicle when the lane change of the target vehicle is completed, In the combined time, the target vehicle acquires a relative speed calculated by dividing the distance at which the target vehicle can be detected (S6),
A program for causing the computer to set a speed that is lower than any of the speeds selected from the speed distribution by the relative speed as a target speed in the target vehicle that is targeted when changing lanes (S7). The lane adjacent to the lane in which the target vehicle to be processed is running is defined as the adjacent lane.
When the lane change is not instructed in the target vehicle, the computer (3) is made to acquire the speed distribution of the vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane (S2),
When the lane change is instructed in the subject vehicle, wherein if the rear vehicle traveling behind the subject vehicle in the adjacent lane is not detected, the computer, definitive the velocity distribution is the acquisition mode value A program for setting a target speed in the target vehicle that is a target at the time of lane change using a median value, an average value, or a percentile (S7).

Images