JP6712447B2 - Driving support device, program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to driving assistance technology.

Conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, when a plurality of traffic signals in the same intersection are time difference signals, the traveling of a moving body is restricted with respect to a vehicle traveling in the intersection. In addition to the light color of the front signal, there is known a driving support device that images the light color of a rear traffic light that regulates another moving body traveling in an oncoming lane and notifies the car of the light color of the rear traffic light. There is. Further, in Patent Document 2, in the same intersection, the light color of a side traffic light that regulates another moving body that travels in a direction intersecting with the traveling direction of the moving body is acquired, and the acquired side traffic light is acquired. The technology of signal recognition for predicting the light color of a traffic signal in front of the traffic light is described. However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of traffic signals within the same intersection
Only when the signal is a differential signal, the information based on the light color of the rear traffic light can be used for traveling of the vehicle. However, when the signal is not the time difference signal, the light color of the rear traffic light cannot be used for traveling of the vehicle. Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the light color of the front traffic light is predicted by the light color of the side traffic light, but the light color of the side traffic light and the light color of the front traffic light have a rule. It is a prerequisite that there is a relationship. Therefore, if the intersection is different from a simple crossroads, and five or more roads with different traveling directions intersect, if there is no regularity in the traffic light of the intersection or the traffic lights inside the intersection, In some cases, the color of the light in front of the traffic light cannot be predicted even by using. for that reason
However, there is a problem in that it is necessary to more accurately predict the change in the light color of the traffic light located in the traveling direction by using the information based on the light color of the traffic light arranged at a position different from the traffic light located in the traveling direction. In addition, there is a problem that it is desired to assist the driving of a moving body traveling on a road by using the predicted change in the light color in the traveling direction.

JP, 2006-155319, A Japanese Patent No. 4926182

An object of the present invention is to support driving of a moving body that is traveling on a road.

The present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and can be realized as the following modes.

(1) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving assistance device that assists driving of a moving body by predicting a lighting state of a first traffic light. This driving assistance device is based on the current position of the vehicle and includes lane data including position information provided corresponding to each of a plurality of lanes on the road, and lane data related to the lighting condition of the first traffic light. The control unit includes a control unit that performs a process of acquiring stop position information regarding a stop position that regulates the stop of the vehicle and a process of specifying the stop position , and the control unit is the first traffic light of which the lighting situation cannot be acquired . The traffic light position information related to the position of the second traffic light, which is the traffic light for the vehicle, and the related information indicating that the first traffic light and the second traffic light are related traffic lights are acquired in association with the lighting state. Depending on the processing and the lighting condition of the second traffic light using the traffic signal position information and the related information , the vehicle can be stopped before the stop position according to the lighting condition of the second traffic light. A control unit that performs processing for controlling the speed is provided.

(2) In the driving support device of the above-described mode, the second traffic light is a traffic light installed in front of the first traffic light in the traveling direction.

(3) According to another aspect of the present invention, the map data stored in the storage unit is included in the control unit, and the driving state of the first traffic signal is predicted to assist the driving of the mobile body. A program for realizing an acquisition function to be acquired by a computer is provided. This program is related to the lane data including map data, the lane data including position information provided corresponding to each of a plurality of lanes on the road, and stopping the vehicle according to the lighting status of the first traffic light. and a stop position information on the stop position to regulate, the acquisition function, based on the current position of the vehicle to the control unit, and the lane data, and processing for obtaining the stop position information associated with the lane data, the control unit, stop The processing for identifying the position and the control unit are linked with the lighting status of the first traffic light whose lighting status cannot be acquired, and the traffic signal position information regarding the position of the second traffic light that is the vehicle traffic light and the first traffic light a process of acquiring the related information indicating that the traffic and the second traffic light is related signals, the control unit, the processing determines the status of the lighting of the second traffic light with a traffic location information and related information And a process of controlling the speed of the vehicle so that the vehicle can be stopped before the stop position according to the lighting state of the second traffic light.

The present invention can be implemented in various modes. For example, a driving support device, a driving support system, a mobile body equipped with the driving support device, network information including the driving support system, a data structure, and data are stored. It can be implemented in the form of a storage device for storing and a computer program for implementing these devices or systems. Further, these computer programs may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium (for example, flexible disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, magneto-optical disk, memory card, hard disk, etc.).

It is a schematic diagram of composition of a driving support system as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a data structure of map DB and light color DB. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of vehicle control processing. It is the schematic showing the image which the image pick-up part with which a vehicle equips images a 1st traffic light and a related traffic light. It is an example of the prediction data showing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light. It is an example of the prediction data showing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light. It is an example of the prediction data showing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light in the second embodiment. It is an example of the prediction data showing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light in the second embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing the image which the image pick-up part with which the vehicle in a 3rd embodiment is provided picturizes the 1st traffic light and a related traffic light. It is a schematic diagram showing the width of the time until the light color of the 1st traffic light predicted from each of a plurality of related traffic lights changes. It is an example of the prediction data showing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light in the modified example. It is an example of the prediction data showing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light in the modified example.

A. First embodiment:
A-1. Configuration of driving support system:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a driving support system 10 as an embodiment of the present invention. The driving support system 10 is a system that supports driving of a vehicle 30 as a moving body that travels on a road or the like. The driving support system 10 includes a server 50 as a storage device, and a vehicle 30 capable of communicating various information with the server 50 via the communication carrier BS and the Internet INT and capable of traveling. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, only one vehicle 30 and one server 50 are shown, but the driving support system 10 may include a plurality of vehicles 30 and servers 50. .. The communication carrier BS includes a transmitting/receiving antenna, a wireless base station, and a switching center.

The vehicle 30 includes a main control unit 20, a vehicle-side communication unit 31, a display unit 32, a voice output unit 33, a GPS receiver 34, and an imaging unit 35. The vehicle-side communication unit 31 transmits and receives various information to and from the server 50 by wireless communication via the Internet INT. The display unit 32 displays the map data and the like transmitted from the server 50 as an image. The voice output unit 33 executes voice guidance or the like for route guidance under the control of the main control unit 20 described later. A GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 34 receives signals transmitted by artificial satellites that orbit the earth. The imaging unit 35 as an acquisition unit is a camera that images a traffic signal outside the vehicle 30. The imaging unit 35 is configured by a plurality of cameras so that the traffic signals located in the traveling direction, rearward, and lateral sides of the vehicle 30 can be captured. The image capturing section 35 may be configured by a single camera capable of capturing images in a plurality of directions around the vehicle. Further, as the acquisition unit, a configuration other than the camera may be adopted as long as it can acquire the light color information of the traffic light. For example, it is conceivable that the information acquisition unit 21 of the vehicle 30 acquires the light color information of the traffic light from an external server, communication equipment installed on the road, or the like.

The main control unit 20 includes a CPU 25, a ROM 28, and a RAM 29. The CPU 25 executes various programs by reading various programs stored in the ROM 28, expanding the programs in the RAM 29, and reading and writing the programs. The CPU 25 executes an information acquisition process by the information acquisition unit 21, a prediction process by the prediction unit 23, and a vehicle control process by the vehicle control unit 24. The information acquisition unit 21 as a reception unit transmits/receives information necessary for the process executed by the CPU 25 to/from the server 50 via the vehicle-side communication unit 31. The vehicle-side communication unit 31 as a reception unit transmits/receives various kinds of information to/from the communication unit 51 of the server 50 via the Internet INT.

The predicting unit 23 determines that the vehicle 30 is based on the light color of one or more traffic signals captured by the image capturing unit 35, the data included in the map DB 56 and the data included in the light color DB 57 received from the server 50. The timing at which the light color of the first traffic light that first passes from the current position of the vehicle 30 in the traveling direction on the traveling road changes is predicted. In addition, the prediction unit 23 identifies the position of the first stop line that is the stop line that first passes in the traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle 30 on the road on which the vehicle 30 is traveling. The details of the method of predicting the change in the traffic light color and the method of identifying the position of the first stop line will be described later. The vehicle control unit 24 as a control unit controls the traveling speed of the vehicle 30 in accordance with the timing at which the lighting color of the first traffic light predicted by the prediction unit 23 changes. As the control of the traveling speed, for example, when it is predicted that the light color of the first traffic light will soon change to "red", the vehicle control unit 24 determines that the light color of the first traffic light is "blue" at the present time. Even if there is, control such as decelerating the traveling speed can be mentioned. In addition, when it is predicted that the light color of the first traffic light will soon change to “blue”, the vehicle control unit 24 may control the voice output unit 33 to perform voice guidance that prompts preparations for starting.

The server 50 includes a communication unit 51 as a transmission unit, a control unit 52 as a transmission unit, a position specifying unit 53, and a storage unit 55. Controlled by the control unit 52, the communication unit 51 transmits and receives various information to and from the vehicle-side communication unit 31 of the vehicle 30 via the Internet INT. Like the main control unit 20 of the vehicle 30, the control unit 52 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown) and executes various programs. The control unit 52 includes a position specifying unit 53, and specifies the position of the vehicle 30 using the position information received from the vehicle 30 and the data included in the map DB 56. The control unit 52 uses the communication unit 51 to transmit the various data stored in the storage unit 55 to the vehicle 30. The storage unit 55 is a database that stores various data, and is configured by a hard disk. The storage unit 55 includes a map database 56 (map DB 56) and a light color database 57 (light color DB 57). Data used by the prediction unit 23 of the vehicle 30 is stored in the map DB 56 and the light color DB 57.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the data structure of the map DB 56 and the lamp color DB 57. The map DB 56 stores road information including link data representing roads and node data representing intersections where roads intersect. As shown in FIG. 2, the map DB 56 includes logical network (logical NW) data, lane network (lane NW) data associated with the logical NW data, and a plurality of traffic signal data associated with the lane NW data. And stop line data. The logical NW data is composed of a plurality of link data representing roads and a plurality of node data representing intersections where roads intersect. The link data is associated with the lane data that is the data about the lane included in the road corresponding to the link, and the link data includes the ID of the associated lane data. The lane NW data includes one or more lane data included in the road corresponding to the link data. For example, when the road corresponding to one predetermined link has three lanes, three lane data are associated with the link data. As shown in FIG. 2, the link data 10000 with the ID 10000 is associated with the lane data with the IDs 1000 and 2000.

The lane data includes an ID of link data associated with the lane data, an ID of traffic signal data associated with the lane data, and an ID of stop line data. The details of the traffic signal data and the stop line data will be described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the lane data 1000 with the ID 1000 is associated with the link data 10000, the traffic signal data with the IDs SA and SB, and the stop line data with the IDs LA and LB.

The traffic light data includes position coordinates (latitude, longitude, height) for identifying the position of the traffic light, and the ID of the traffic light and the related traffic light whose light color changes in association with the change in the light color of the traffic light. Contains. As shown in FIG. 2, the traffic signal data SA whose ID is SA includes the position coordinates (XX1, YY1, ZZ1) of the traffic signal and the traffic signal ID of the traffic signal SD which is a related traffic signal of the traffic signal SA. Similarly, the traffic light data SB includes the position coordinates (XX2, YY2, ZZ2) of the traffic light and the traffic light ID of the traffic light SD that is a related traffic light of the traffic light SA. The “height” here may be the altitude of the portion of the traffic light that displays the light color, or the height from the ground contact surface.

The stop line data includes position coordinates (latitude, longitude) for specifying the position of the stop line. In this embodiment, since the stop line is formed on the road surface, the position coordinates included in the stop line data do not include height data, but in other embodiments, the height data is not included. May be included. As shown in FIG. 2, the stop line data LA whose ID is LA includes position coordinates (XX3, YY3) of the stop line. Similarly, the stop line data LB includes the position coordinates (XX4, YY4) of the stop line.

The light color DB 57 includes related data associated with the traffic light data of the map DB 56 and prediction data associated with the related data. One piece of related data has a correspondence with at least two or more pieces of traffic signal data. The related data is related to the prediction data including the pattern data that represents the timing of the change in the light color of the two or more traffic lights that are associated with each other. Note that, hereinafter, the information regarding the pattern of the change in the light color is also simply referred to as the light color pattern. As shown in FIG. 2, the related data 250 having an ID of 250 is associated with the prediction data 100 including the light color pattern of the traffic light data SA and the traffic light data SD. The prediction data 100 has PTN100 as pattern data representing a light color pattern of the traffic light data SA and the traffic light data SD. Similarly, the prediction data 101 has the PTN 101 as pattern data. Although details of the PTN 100 will be described later, the PTN 100 is, for example, data that determines the time until the light color of the traffic light specified by the traffic light data SA becomes red, based on the light color of the traffic light specified by the traffic light data SD. is there. Further, the PTN 101 is, for example, data that determines the time until the light color of the traffic light specified by the traffic light data SA becomes yellow based on the light color of the traffic light specified by the traffic light data SD. The prediction data 100 may be associated with related data other than the related data 250 in addition to the related data 250. By associating a plurality of related data with one prediction data by associating with another related data, the data amount of the prediction data stored in the light color DB 57 can be reduced.

A-2. Vehicle control processing:
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of vehicle control processing. In the vehicle control process, the traveling speed of the vehicle 30 traveling on the road is controlled by the vehicle control unit 24 based on the current position information of the vehicle 30 and the predicted light color information of the traffic signal through which the vehicle 30 passes. It The traveling vehicle 30 in the present embodiment includes a case where the vehicle 30 is traveling on a road or an intersection or a case where the vehicle 30 is temporarily stopped.

In the vehicle control process, first, the position specifying unit 53 of the server 50, based on the current position information acquired by the GPS receiver 34 of the vehicle 30 traveling on the road and the data included in the map DB 56, the vehicle 30. The road on which the vehicle is traveling is specified (step S11). After that, the position identifying unit 53 identifies the traveling lane on which the vehicle 30 is traveling based on the lane data (step S13). First, the vehicle 30 uses the GPS receiver 34 to receive the signal transmitted by the artificial satellite, thereby identifying the current position of the vehicle 30. The information acquisition unit 21 of the vehicle 30 transmits the current position information to the server 50 via the vehicle-side communication unit 31. The position specifying unit 53 of the server 50 compares the position indicated by the acquired current position information with the position indicated by the position information included in the logical NW data, and determines the link data of the position closest to the position indicated by the current position information as the vehicle. It is specified as link data corresponding to the road on which 30 is traveling. The position specifying unit 53 also reads out from the map DB 56 lane data associated with the link data corresponding to the road specified as the current position of the vehicle 30. The position specifying unit 53 compares the position indicated by the position information included in the lane data read from the map DB 56 with the position indicated by the current position information acquired by the GPS receiver 34, and determines the lane data having the closest position as the vehicle. It is specified as the traveling lane where 30 is traveling.

When the traveling lane is specified, the control unit 52 reads the stop line data and the traffic signal data associated with the lane data corresponding to the traveling lane from the map DB 56 in response to the data acquisition request from the vehicle 30, and It transmits via the communication part 51. The prediction unit 23 identifies the position of the first stop line, which is the stop line that the vehicle 30 first passes from the current position in the traveling direction, based on the stop line data acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 (step). S15). The prediction unit 23 compares the position indicated by the position coordinate information of the stop line included in the stop line data with the position indicated by the current position information acquired by the GPS receiver 34, and detects the position in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction and in the vehicle. The stop line closest to the present position is specified as the position of the first stop line in the vehicle 30. The first stop line is a stop line to be stopped when the light color of the first traffic light changes to red or yellow. In addition, when the position of the first stop line cannot be specified, the prediction unit 23 executes the position specifying process (step S17) of the first traffic light described below, and the position information included in the traffic light data of the first traffic light is calculated. The subsequent prediction process may be executed with the position of the first stop line located a predetermined distance before the position shown.

The prediction unit 23 identifies the position of the first traffic light, which is the traffic light that the vehicle 30 first passes through in the traveling direction from the current position, based on the traffic light data acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 (step S17). The predicting unit 23 compares the position indicated by the position coordinate information included in the traffic signal data with the position indicated by the current position information acquired by the GPS receiver 34, and detects the position in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle and from the current position of the vehicle. The closest traffic light is identified as the location of the first traffic light on vehicle 30.

When the position of the first traffic light is specified, the prediction unit 23 specifies the related traffic light whose change in the light color is linked with the first traffic light, based on the data included in the map DB 56 acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. .. The prediction unit 23 identifies the related traffic light by using the information of the ID of the related traffic light included in the traffic light data of the first traffic light. Then, the prediction unit 23 transmits the ID information of the first traffic light and the ID information of the related traffic light to the server 50. The control unit 52 of the server 50 reads the traffic signal data indicated by the ID of the related traffic signal received from the vehicle 30, from the map DB 56. In addition, the control unit 52 reads the related data including the ID of the first traffic light and the ID of the related traffic light received from the vehicle 30, from the light color DB 57. Further, the control unit 52 reads the prediction data associated with the read related data from the light color DB 57. The traffic signal data and the prediction data of the read related traffic signals are transmitted to the vehicle 30 by the control unit 52. The prediction unit 23 identifies the position of the related traffic light that is the traffic light associated with the first traffic light from the traffic light data of the related traffic light received from the server 50 (step S19). The prediction unit 23 acquires the position coordinates of the related traffic light from the position information included in the traffic light data of the related traffic light acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. The related traffic light may be a plurality of traffic lights. If there is no related traffic light associated with the first traffic light, the prediction unit 23 does not specify the position of the related traffic light and performs the process described below.

When the position of the related traffic light is specified, the prediction unit 23 uses the imaging unit 35 to acquire the light color of the first traffic light (step S21). FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an image in which the imaging unit 35 included in the vehicle 30 images the first traffic light and the related traffic light. In FIG. 4, among the plurality of image pickup units 35 provided in the vehicle 30, one image pickup area IA1 includes a first traffic signal SG1 and another one image pickup area IA2 is a related traffic signal. The state in which SG2 is included is shown. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the prediction unit 23 acquires the light color of the traffic signal SG1 as the first traffic signal included in the imaging range IA1. The prediction unit 23 calculates the distance and direction from the current position of the vehicle to the first traffic signal by using the position information of the first traffic signal and the current position information of the vehicle acquired in the current position identification processing (step S11), Set the imaging range. Here, the imaging range is a range including a portion for displaying the light color of the first traffic light. Then, the image capturing unit 35 captures an image for acquiring the light color state of the first traffic signal in the set image capturing range. After that, the prediction unit 23 acquires the light color of the first traffic light by extracting it from the captured image by image processing.

Next, the prediction unit 23 determines whether or not the acquired light color of the traffic light SG1 that is the first traffic light is the “red” color that prompts the vehicle 30 to stop (step S23). When it is determined that the acquired traffic light of the traffic signal SG1 is red (step S23: YES), the position identifying unit 53 again sets the GPS receiver to improve the accuracy of the timing of execution of the speed control. The current position coordinates of the vehicle 30 are specified by performing the current position acquisition processing by 34 (step S27). When the light color of the traffic light SG1 cannot be acquired, the same processing as that when the light color of the traffic light SG1 is not red is performed. That is, in this case, the flow proceeds to step S25.

The prediction unit 23 determines whether or not the distance from the identified current position of the vehicle 30 to the identified position of the first stop line is zero or less (step S29). In other words, the predicting unit 23 has already passed the first stop line specified by the first stop line position specifying process of step S15 by the current position of the vehicle 30 specified by the current position acquisition process of step S27. It is determined whether the distance from the current position of the vehicle 30 to the first stop line is zero or less. When it is determined that the distance from the current position of the vehicle 30 to the first stop line is greater than zero (step S29: NO), the vehicle control unit 24 determines that the vehicle 30 is in front of the first stop line. In order to stop the vehicle, speed control of the vehicle 30 is executed based on the distance from the current position to the first stop line and the traveling speed of the vehicle 30 (step S31). As the speed control to be executed, the vehicle control unit 24 calculates the time to reach the first stop line when the vehicle 30 travels at the current traveling speed so that the vehicle 30 can be decelerated at a constant acceleration, for example. After that, the vehicle control unit 24 executes speed control by using a value obtained by dividing the current traveling speed by the calculated time as an acceleration for reducing the traveling speed of the vehicle 30. When the speed control is executed, the CPU 25 ends the vehicle control process.

In the light color determination process of the first traffic light in step S23, when it is determined that the light color of the traffic light SG1 as the first traffic light acquired by the imaging unit 35 is not red (step S23: NO), The prediction unit 23 acquires the light color of the traffic light SG2 by capturing an image of the traffic light SG2 that is a related traffic light of the first traffic light (step S25). The light color acquisition process of the traffic light SG2, which is the related traffic light, is the same as the light color acquisition process of the first traffic light (step S21). When the lamp color of the traffic signal SG2, which is the related traffic signal, cannot be acquired (step S25: NO), the CPU 25 and the control unit 52 repeat the processing from step S11. In addition, in the present embodiment, even when the related data of the light color DB 57 does not include the related traffic light associated with the first traffic light, the processing is performed assuming that the light color of the related traffic light cannot be acquired. ..

When the lamp color of the traffic signal SG2, which is the related traffic light, is acquired in the lamp color determination process of the related traffic light of step S25 (step S25: YES), the prediction unit 23 performs the traffic light color prediction process described below ( Step S40). When the traffic light color prediction process is performed, the position identifying unit 53 again identifies the current position of the vehicle 30 (step S27), and the estimating unit 23 determines the first stop line from the identified current position of the vehicle 30. It is determined whether the distance to the position is smaller than zero (step S29). When it is determined that the distance from the current position of the identified vehicle 30 to the position of the first stop line is greater than zero (step S29: NO), the vehicle control unit 24 performs the traffic light color prediction process. The speed control of the vehicle 30 is executed based on the predicted light color pattern of the first traffic light (step S31).

For example, when it is predicted that the traffic light color of the first traffic light will change to red after 4 seconds from the current blue color by the traffic light color prediction processing described later, the vehicle control unit 24 changes to the predicted red color. The speed control of the vehicle 30 is executed based on the time until, the current traveling speed of the vehicle 30, and the distance to the first stop line associated with the first traffic light. When the vehicle control unit 24 determines that the current traveling speed can pass the first stop line within 4 seconds, the vehicle control unit 24 executes speed control for maintaining the current traveling speed. On the other hand, if the vehicle control unit 24 determines that the current traveling speed cannot pass the first stop line within 4 seconds, the vehicle control unit 24 accelerates or decelerates the traveling speed. In this case, the vehicle control unit 24 calculates the acceleration required for deceleration when executing the control of decelerating at a constant acceleration and stopping at the position of the first stop line. When the calculated acceleration is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value, the vehicle control unit 24 accelerates the traveling speed to pass the first stop line before the light color of the first traffic light changes to red. Perform speed control. In other words, when it is necessary to apply a sudden brake to stop at the position of the first stop line, the vehicle accelerates and passes through the first stop line. On the other hand, when the calculated acceleration is less than the threshold value, the vehicle control unit 24 decelerates the traveling speed to stop the vehicle at the position of the first stop line. The speed control of the vehicle 30 executed by the vehicle control unit 24 described above is an example, and different speed control may be performed in other embodiments. In the processing of step 31 in FIG. 3, after the speed control of the vehicle 30 is executed, the CPU 25 ends the vehicle control processing.

A-3. Traffic light color prediction processing:
In the traffic light color prediction process (step S40), the prediction unit 23 uses the prediction data acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 from the server 50 to predict the time until the traffic light color changes. The predicting unit 23 is associated with the related data of the traffic signal SG1 that is the first traffic light and the traffic signal SG2 that is the related traffic light after the position identification processing of the first traffic light (step S17), and the light color of the traffic light SG1. The prediction data including the light color pattern indicating the timing of the change is acquired from the light color DB 57.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are examples of prediction data representing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light. In FIG. 5, when the light color of the related traffic light as the second traffic light is red, yellow, blue, and four unknown colors cannot be acquired, the light color of the first traffic light changes to red. The pattern data is shown as the period data indicating the time width up to. Specifically, for example, when the acquired first traffic light color is yellow and the related traffic light color is blue, the first traffic light color changes from the current yellow to red. It is shown in the pattern data of FIG. 5 that it is a period from 0 second (s) to 3 seconds (s) before changing to. Further, even when the light color of the first traffic light cannot be acquired, if the light color of the related traffic light can be acquired, the period until the first traffic light becomes red may be predicted. For example, in FIG. 5, when the light color of the first traffic light is “unknown” and the light color of the related traffic light is “red”, it takes 0 seconds (s) until the first traffic light becomes red. It can be expected to be 28 seconds (s). The period until the light color of the first traffic light changes to red cannot be specified as the predetermined time because the duration of the light color of the first traffic light is the same light color and the light color of the related traffic light is the same. This is because the duration of the light color has a certain time width. In the traffic light color, yellow is a color that calls attention until it changes to red, and blue is a color that indicates that a running vehicle may proceed as it is. "-" shown in FIG. 5 indicates that the change in the light color of the first traffic light cannot be predicted and that the light color of the first traffic light is already red.

FIG. 6 shows an arrow representing pattern data representing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light shown in FIG. 5 along the time axis. FIG. 6 shows the correspondence between the change in the light color of the first traffic light and the change in the light color of the related traffic light with the horizontal axis as the time axis. In FIG. 6, the start position at the left end and the end position at the right end are connected and repeated, and the wavy line indicates omission of the time axis. Note that FIG. 6 shows a change in the lamp color for a predetermined 53 seconds. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the light color of the first traffic light is blue BL for 30 seconds from the left end start position, then yellow YL for 3 seconds, and then red RD for 20 seconds. is there. That is, the light color of the first traffic light changes in a cycle of 53 seconds as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 6, the period of change of the light color of the related traffic light is 53 seconds, which is the same as the light color of the first traffic light. The light color of the related traffic light changes in the order of yellow YL for 3 seconds, red RD for 20 seconds, and blue BL for 30 seconds. At the timing of the change of the light color of the first traffic light and the light color of the related traffic light, as shown in FIG. 6, the timing when the light color of the first traffic light changes from blue BL to yellow YL is the light color of the related traffic light. Is the timing when 25 seconds have passed after the change to blue BL. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, during the period in which the light color of the first traffic light is yellow YL and the light color of the related traffic light is blue BL, as shown in FIG. Seconds. Therefore, in the pattern data of FIG. 5, when the light color of the first traffic light is yellow YL and the light color of the related traffic light is blue BL, until the light color of the first traffic light changes to red RD. The period is from 0 to 3 seconds. As described above, in the pattern data shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the timing of changing the light color of the first traffic light is associated with the timing of changing the light color of the related traffic light.

When the predicting unit 23 acquires pattern data, which is a correspondence between the light color pattern of the traffic light SG1 that is the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the traffic light SG2 that is the related traffic light, from the server 50, the prediction unit 23 refers to the pattern data to capture an image. Using the light color information of the first traffic light and the light color information of the related traffic light imaged by the unit 35, the time until the light color of the traffic light SG1 changes to red is specified, and the CPU 25 causes the traffic light color prediction process. To finish.

As described above, in the driving support system 10 of the present embodiment, the light color DB 57 of the server 50 includes related data that associates the traffic light data of the traffic light SG1 and the traffic light data of the traffic light SG2. Further, the related data of the light color DB 57 is related to the prediction data having the pattern data in which the light color pattern of the traffic light SG1 and the light color pattern of the traffic light SG2 are associated with each other. The vehicle control unit 24 of the vehicle 30 controls the speed of the vehicle 30 based on the light color of the traffic signal SG2 that is the related traffic light acquired by the imaging unit 35 and the prediction data acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. Therefore, in the driving support system 10 of the present embodiment, even when the current light color of the first traffic light is not red, based on the period until the light color of the first traffic light predicted by the prediction unit 23 changes. The vehicle control unit 24 provides driving assistance such as deceleration of the vehicle 30. As a result, dangerous traveling such as sudden acceleration or sudden braking of the vehicle 30 during traveling can be suppressed.

Further, in the driving support system 10 of the present embodiment, the imaging unit 35 images the light color of the traffic light SG1 that is the first traffic light and the light color of the traffic light SG2 that is the related traffic light. The prediction unit 23 predicts the change in the light color of the traffic light SG1 based on the light color of the traffic light SG1 and the light color of the traffic light SG2 and the pattern data included in the prediction data. Therefore, in the driving support system 10 of the present embodiment, since the light color of the first traffic light is also used, the period until the light color of the first traffic light changes is predicted in a narrower range, so that the vehicle is traveling. The speed control of the vehicle 30 can be performed at a more appropriate timing, and the sudden acceleration and the sudden braking can be further suppressed.

Further, in the driving support system 10 of the present embodiment, the prediction unit 23 acquires the light colors of the first traffic light and the second traffic light by using the position information included in the traffic light data stored in advance in the server 50. Therefore, the imaging range to be imaged can be set. By narrowing down the imaging range to the periphery of the imaging target, it is possible to reduce the processing load when the prediction unit 23 performs image processing for acquiring the light color state of the traffic light from the captured image.

B. Second embodiment:
In the second embodiment, as compared with the first embodiment, the image capturing unit 35 captures an image of the moment when the lamp color of the related traffic light changes, and the prediction data is different, and the other configurations and processes are the same. is there. Therefore, in the second embodiment, description of the same configurations and processes as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are examples of prediction data representing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light in the second embodiment. FIG. 7 shows pattern data indicating how many seconds after the light color of the related traffic light changes, the light color of the first traffic light changes to red. FIG. 8 shows an arrow representing pattern data representing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light along the time axis. Similar to the table of FIG. 6 of the first embodiment, FIG. 8 shows that the start position at the left end and the end position at the right end are connected and repeated.

In the second embodiment, the imaging unit 35 identifies the time when the light color of the related traffic light changes, so the prediction unit 23 changes the light color of the first traffic light to red based on the pattern data of FIG. 7. The time until it can be specified as the predetermined time, not the time width shown in the first embodiment. The predicting unit 23 causes the RAM 29 to temporarily store the light color of the related traffic signal captured in the previous vehicle control process. Then, the prediction unit 23 compares the light color of the related traffic light in the previous vehicle control process stored in the RAM 29 with the light color of the related traffic light imaged in the current vehicle control process, and when the light color has changed. The time when the light color of the related traffic light is acquired in this vehicle control process is specified as the time when the light color of the related traffic light changes. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the time when the light color of the related traffic light changes from yellow YL to red RD is specified, the prediction unit 23 refers to the pattern data of FIG. Using the light color information of the related traffic light imaged by the imaging unit 35 in the process, the light color of the first traffic light changes to red RD from the time when the light color of the related traffic light changes from yellow YL to red RD. The time to time can be specified as 60 seconds. In this case, it is stored in the RAM 29 that the light color of the related traffic light imaged in the previous vehicle control process is yellow YL, and that the light color of the related traffic light is red RD in the current prediction process. When the image is captured by 35, the predicting unit 23 stores the color of the related traffic light (yellow YL) captured in the previous vehicle control process stored in the RAM 29 and the color of the related traffic light captured in the current vehicle control process. (Red RD) is compared to identify that the lamp color of the related traffic light has changed from yellow YL to red RD. Then, the prediction unit 23 regards the time when the light color (red RD) of the related traffic light is acquired in this prediction process as the time when the light color of the related traffic light is changed, and the prediction unit 23 determines the pattern data and the light color information (red RD) of the related traffic light. ) Is used to specify that the time from the time when the light color of the related traffic light changes to the time when the light color of the first traffic light changes is 60 seconds (s).

As described above, in the driving support system 10 of the second embodiment, when the prediction unit 23 captures the change in the light color of the related traffic light by the imaging unit 35, the prediction unit 23 uses the pattern data of FIG. The time from the time when the change in the state of the lamp color is captured to the time when the lamp color of the first traffic light changes to red RD is specified. Therefore, in the driving support system 10 of the second embodiment, it is possible to specify a narrow time from the time when the change in the light color state of the related traffic light is imaged to the time when the light color of the first traffic light changes, and the traveling Acceleration for decelerating the inside vehicle 30 can be controlled more accurately.

C. Third embodiment:
The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that there are two or more related traffic signals, and other configurations and processes are the same as those in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an image in which the image capturing unit 35 included in the vehicle 30 according to the third embodiment captures an image of the first traffic light and the related traffic light. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the image capturing unit 35 images the traffic signal SG1 as the first traffic signal, the traffic signals SG2, the traffic signals SG3, and the traffic signal SG4 as the related traffic signals. As shown in FIG. 9, the imaging range IA1 includes the traffic light SG1, the imaging range IA2 includes the traffic light SG2, the imaging range IA3 includes the traffic light SG3, and the imaging range IA4 includes the traffic light SG4. ing. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the prediction unit 23 includes the second prediction data P2 based on the first traffic light and the traffic light SG2, the third prediction data P3 based on the first traffic light and the traffic light SG3, and the third prediction data P3. The fourth prediction data P4 based on the first traffic light and the traffic light SG4 is acquired from the lamp color DB 57.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a width of a period until the lamp color of the first traffic light predicted from each of the plurality of related traffic lights is changed. In FIG. 10, the period until the light color of the first traffic light and/or the light color of the first traffic light predicted using the light color of the traffic light SG2 and the second prediction data P2 changes to red is shown. , Width t2 from time T21 to time T22. Similarly, the period until the light color of the first traffic light and/or the light color of the traffic light SG3 and the light color of the first traffic light predicted using the third prediction data P3 changes to red is: It is represented by a width t3 from time T31 to time T32. The period until the light color of the first traffic light and/or the light color of the first traffic light predicted by using the light color of the traffic light SG4 and the fourth prediction data P4 changes to red is from time T41 to time T41. It is represented by a width t4 up to T42. The prediction unit 23 determines the width of the period from time T41 to time T22 when the widths of the plurality of periods overlap as the width of the period until the light color of the first traffic light changes to red. The driving support system 10 performs the processes of the first embodiment and the second embodiment for each related traffic light, calculates the period until the light color of the first traffic light changes to red, and the calculation result Is temporarily stored in the RAM 29. Then, the prediction unit 23 reads the calculation result of each related traffic light stored in the RAM 29, and determines the period in which the periods of the calculation results overlap as the period until the light color of the first traffic light changes to red.

As described above, in the driving support system 10 of the third embodiment, the prediction unit 23 uses a plurality of pieces of prediction data that represent the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color patterns of the plurality of related traffic lights. Based on this, the period until the light color of the first traffic light changes is determined. Therefore, in the driving support system 10 of the third embodiment, the period until the light color of the first traffic light changes to red is predicted in a narrower range, and thus the speed control of the running vehicle 30 is more appropriate. It becomes possible to perform it at the timing, and it is possible to further suppress sudden acceleration and sudden braking.

D. Modification:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the invention, and for example, the following modifications are possible.

D1. Modification 1:
FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are examples of prediction data representing the correspondence between the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light in the modified example. In this modified example, the light color pattern of the first traffic light and the light color pattern of the related traffic light are different from those in the first embodiment, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, in the modified example, the timing of the change of the light color in the first traffic light is the same as the timing of the change of the light color in the first traffic light shown in FIG. In the modification, the timing of the change of the light color in the related traffic light is the same as the timing of the change of the light color in the first traffic light. Therefore, the prediction unit 23 uses the prediction data of this modified example until the light color of the first traffic light or the light color of the related traffic light is imaged until the light color of the first traffic light changes to red. You can specify the time.

In addition, the traffic signal data or the related data is preliminarily included with information indicating that the change timings of the first traffic signal and the related traffic signals are substantially the same and the patterns are the same, and the prediction data is not used for the first signal. The change in the light color may be predicted for one traffic light. It should be noted that the term "substantially the same" as used herein also includes the one in which the timing of the first traffic light and the timing of change are shifted by several seconds. In this case, when the prediction unit 23 identifies the first traffic light and the related traffic light and acquires the light color of the related traffic light by the imaging unit 35, the timings of the changes in the light colors of the first traffic light and the related traffic light are substantially the same. Yes, whether the patterns are the same or not is determined by referring to information indicating that the timings of changes of the first traffic light and the related traffic lights included in the traffic light data or the related data are substantially the same, and the patterns are the same. To judge. When it is determined that the timings at which the light colors of the first traffic light and the related traffic light change are substantially the same and the patterns are the same, the prediction unit 23 determines that the current light color of the first traffic light is the related traffic light. The vehicle control unit 24 executes speed control and the like in accordance with the prediction result. If the traffic light data or the related data includes information indicating that the timings of changes of the first traffic light and the related traffic light are substantially the same and the patterns are the same, for example, the light of the first traffic light can be used. When the color cannot be acquired, the current light color of the first traffic light can be specified using the light color information of the current related traffic light.

D2. Modification 2:
In the first and second embodiments, the lamp color DB 57 has the pattern data shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, but instead of the pattern data, the first traffic light shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. It may have only the data in which the lamp color change pattern and the lamp color change pattern of the related traffic light are associated with each other. Using this data, the prediction unit 23 can predict not only the period until the light color of the first traffic light changes to red, but also the period until the color other than red changes to blue or yellow. In addition, even if both the pattern data shown in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment and the pattern data shown in FIG. 7 of the second embodiment are not included in the lamp color DB 57, the prediction unit 23 is The period until the light color of the first traffic light changes can be specified based on the data of the patterns shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. For example, when the timing at which the light color of the first traffic light or the related traffic light changes is imaged, the prediction unit 23 determines that the light of the first traffic light changes from the time when the light color of the first traffic light or the related traffic light changes. If the time until the color changes to a specific color can be specified and the change timing is not imaged, the time until the light color of the first traffic light changes to a specific color has a range. It can be specified as the period. Further, when the traffic light color prediction processing is performed using the pattern data shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, pattern data for predicting each light color of the traffic light is required. That is, in associating one traffic light with a related traffic light, three types of pattern data are lit: pattern data for predicting a red signal, pattern data for predicting a yellow signal, and pattern data for predicting a blue signal. It needs to be stored in the color DB 57. When storing the data of the pattern shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 8 in the lamp color DB 57 instead of the pattern data, it is not necessary to store the data corresponding to the lamp color to be predicted, and therefore the prediction data stored in the lamp color DB 57 The amount of data can be reduced. The data of the patterns shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 are stored in the light color DB 57, and the prediction unit 23 and the data of this pattern and the light color of the first traffic light and/or the light of the related traffic light acquired by the imaging unit 35. Using the color and the time or period until the state of the light color of the first traffic light changes to a specific color is calculated.

That is, in this modification, the driving assistance device assists the driving of the mobile body; the position of the first traffic light located in front of the travel direction of the mobile body and the position of the second traffic light in which the change of the light color is interlocked. A storage unit having second position information and data of a light color pattern that associates the light color change pattern of the first traffic light with the light color change pattern of the second traffic light; An acquisition unit that acquires second light color information, which is information about the current light color in the second traffic light whose position is specified based on the position information of the second traffic light; and the data of the light color pattern and the second traffic light. And a prediction unit that predicts a period until the light color of the first traffic light changes to the specific light color, based on the second light color information in; And a control unit that performs control for driving support of the moving body.

D3. Modification 3:
In the first to third embodiments described above, the light color DB 57 may include data that specifies the time until the light color of the first traffic light changes to blue or yellow.

In the above-described first embodiment, the vehicle-side communication unit 31 of the vehicle 30 acquires the data stored in the storage unit 55 of the server 50 by transmitting and receiving information to and from the server 50 via the Internet INT. The vehicle 30 does not necessarily need to acquire the information from the server 50. For example, the vehicle 30 may include a storage unit that corresponds to the storage unit 55 that stores the map DB 56 and the light color DB 57. Further, the vehicle 30 may include a device capable of reading information from a recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) that records the data stored in the storage unit 55, and may acquire various data from the recording medium.

In the first to third embodiments, the prediction unit 23 changes the light color of the first traffic light to red based on the light color information of the first traffic light and the light color information of the related traffic light. Although the time until it is specified is specified, it is not always necessary to use the light color information of the first traffic light. For example, the prediction unit 23 may specify the time until the light color of the first traffic light changes to a specific color based on only the light color information of the related traffic light. The prediction unit 23 changes the light color of the first traffic light to a specific color based on the light color information of the plurality of related traffic lights associated with the first traffic light in the related data included in the light color DB 57. May be specified. In this case, even if the light color of the first traffic light is not imaged, the light color of the related traffic light is imaged, so that the prediction unit 23 can predict the light color of the first traffic light.

In the first embodiment, the vehicle control unit 24 executes the speed control of the vehicle 30 based on the period until the first traffic light changes to the specific light color and the distance to the first stop line. However, the speed control may be executed in consideration of other information. For example, when the vehicle 30 has a configuration for detecting a moving body traveling in the front, the vehicle control unit 24 changes the light color of the first traffic light predicted by the traffic light color prediction processing (step S40). The speed control of the vehicle 30 may be executed based on the information of the period up to and the distance to the moving body traveling in the front and/or the relative speed between the vehicle 30 and the moving body in the front. Further, when the information acquisition unit 21 can acquire the information about the change in the light color of the first traffic light via an external server or road communication equipment, the information is acquired from the external server or road communication equipment. Even if the vehicle control unit 24 executes the speed control by using the information and the information of the period until the light color of the first traffic light calculated by the traffic light color prediction process (step S40) is used together. Good. For example, when the vehicle control unit 24 determines that the change in the light color indicated by the information acquired from the external server or the communication facility on the road is different from the change in the light color predicted by the prediction unit 23, The speed control may be performed based on the change in the light color indicated by the information acquired from. The prediction result may be calculated by the same method as in the third embodiment. That is, a period overlapping the period predicted by the prediction unit 23 and the period acquired from outside may be used as the prediction result. Further, when it is not possible to acquire any of the information, the vehicle control unit 24 may perform speed control according to the change prediction result of the state of the light color indicated by the other information.

The prediction unit 23 may identify the related traffic light by using the related traffic light ID included in the related data. In this case, the ID of the related traffic light may not be stored as the traffic light data. The vehicle 30 transmits the information of the traffic signal ID of the first traffic light to the server 50 after the position identification processing of the first traffic light (step S17). The control unit 52 reads out the related data including the first traffic light ID from the light color DB 57 and transmits it to the vehicle 30. When the vehicle 30 acquires the related data including the first traffic light ID, the prediction unit 23 reads the ID of the related traffic light included in the related data and transmits an acquisition request for the traffic light data of the related traffic light to the server 50. Then, the control unit 52 reads out the traffic signal data of the related traffic signal requested to be acquired by the vehicle 30 from the map DB 56 and transmits it to the vehicle 30. In addition, after the traveling lane identification process (step S13), the server 50 may transmit the relevant data to the vehicle 30 together with the lane data, the traffic signal data, and the stop line data corresponding to the traveling lane.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the technical features in the embodiments and modifications corresponding to the technical features in each mode described in the section of the summary of the invention are to solve some or all of the above problems, or In order to achieve some or all of the effects, it is possible to appropriately replace or combine them. If the technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate.

10... Driving support system 20... Main control unit 21... Information acquisition unit 23... Prediction unit 24... Vehicle control unit 25... CPU
28... ROM
29... RAM
30... Vehicle 31... Vehicle side communication part 32... Display part 33... Voice output part 34... GPS receiver 35... Imaging part 50... Server 51... Communication part 52... Control part 53... Position specifying part 55... Storage part 56... Map DB
57...Light color DB
100, 101... Predicted data 250... Related data 1000... Lane data 10000... Link data BL... Blue RD... Red YL... Yellow BS... Communication carrier IA1, IA2, IA3, IA4... Imaging range INT... Internet LA, LB... Stop line Data P2... Second prediction data P3... Third prediction data P4... Fourth prediction data SA, SB, SD, SF... Traffic light data SG1, SG2, SG3, SG4... Traffic light T21, T22, T31, T32, T41 , T42... Time point t2, t3, t4... Width

Claims (3)

A driving support device for supporting driving of a vehicle by predicting a lighting state of a first traffic light,
Lane data including position information provided corresponding to each of a plurality of lanes on a road based on the current position of the vehicle , and the vehicle according to the lighting state of the first traffic light that is related to the lane data. A control unit that performs a process of acquiring stop position information regarding a stop position that regulates the stop of the, and a process of specifying the stop position,
The control unit is linked with the lighting status of the first traffic light whose lighting status cannot be acquired, and has traffic signal position information regarding the position of the second traffic light that is the vehicle traffic light, the first traffic light and the first traffic light. A process of obtaining related information indicating that the second traffic signal is a related traffic signal; a process of determining a lighting state of the second traffic signal using the traffic signal position information and the related information; The driving support device including a control unit that performs a process of controlling the speed of the vehicle so that the vehicle can be stopped before the stop position according to the lighting state of the traffic signal No. 2. The driving support device according to claim 1,
The said 2nd traffic light is a driving assistance apparatus which is a traffic light installed ahead of the said 1st traffic light in the advancing direction. A program that realizes an acquisition function that causes a computer that has a control unit and supports the driving of a vehicle by predicting the lighting state of the first traffic light to store the map data stored in the storage unit,
The map data is related to the lane data including position information provided corresponding to each of a plurality of lanes on the road, and is related to the lane data, and the vehicle is stopped according to the lighting status of the first traffic signal. Including stop position information regarding the stop position to be regulated,
The acquisition function is a process of causing the control unit to acquire the lane data and the stop position information related to the lane data based on the current position of the vehicle ,
To the control unit, and the process of identifying the stop position,
The control unit is linked with the lighting status of the first traffic light whose lighting status cannot be acquired, and has traffic signal position information regarding the position of the second traffic light which is a vehicle traffic light, the first traffic light and the first traffic light. A process of obtaining related information indicating that the second traffic light is a related traffic light ;
In the control unit , a process of determining the lighting state of the second traffic signal using the traffic signal position information and the related information, and in front of the stop position according to the lighting state of the second traffic signal. And a process for controlling the speed of the vehicle so that the vehicle can be stopped.

Images