JP6793802B1 - Vehicle control device and vehicle control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of appropriately and automatically controlling a turn signal lamp. A vehicle control device controls a turn signal lamp of a vehicle and a notification unit that notifies a driver of the vehicle. The vehicle control device includes a control unit. The control unit determines the turn signal lamp based on the judgment result as to whether or not the vehicle changes lanes, the judgment result as to whether or not the vehicle can change lanes, and the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp. And a control unit that controls the notification unit. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle turn signal lamp and a notification unit that notifies the driver of the vehicle, and a vehicle control method.

Conventionally, the turn signal lamps provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle have a turn signal function in which one of the left and right blinks (blinks blinkers) and a hazard signal function in which both the left and right blinks (blinks hazards). ing. For example, when starting a vehicle that is stopped on the shoulder while blinking the hazard, the driver operates the hazard switch to switch the hazard blinking from on to off, and then operates the turn signal switch to one side to turn the blinker. Turn on blinking. However, there is a problem that these switch operations are troublesome.

Moreover, in a general vehicle, if the hazard switch is not turned off once, that is, if the hazard blinking is kept on, even if the turn signal switch is operated to one side, the hazard blinking is continued without executing the blinker blinking. .. In this case, there is a problem that the following vehicle cannot properly drive because it is not possible to convey the intention to start or change the course to the following vehicle.

In order to solve such a problem, a technique has been proposed in which when the turn signal switch is operated in the hazard blinking state, the hazard blinking is stopped, the turn signal function is executed, and the blinker blinking is started ( For example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-250467

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, for example, when starting a vehicle stopped on the shoulder while blinking the hazard, if the operation of blinking the turn signal lamp on the opposite side of the lane direction is mistakenly performed, the hazard blinks. Is stopped and the blinker blinks incorrectly. In this state, if the driver starts the vehicle in the lane direction, there is a problem that the following vehicle cannot travel properly. In addition, even if the operation of blinking the turn signal lamp is performed correctly, if the following vehicle is approaching the vehicle and the hazard blinking is suddenly stopped and the blinker blinks, the driver of the following vehicle is notified. There was a problem that it could be surprising.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of appropriately and automatically controlling a turn signal lamp.

The vehicle control device according to the present invention is a vehicle control device that controls a turn signal lamp of a vehicle and a notification unit that notifies the driver of the vehicle, and acquires peripheral information for acquiring peripheral information of the vehicle. An information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of a unit, vehicle information related to the running of the vehicle, and driver information indicating the state of the driver, and peripheral information and at least one of the information. Based on the above, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle changes lanes, a second determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle can change lanes based on the peripheral information, and the above. A control unit that controls the turn signal lamp and the notification unit is provided based on the determination result of the first determination unit, the determination result of the second determination unit, and the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp. ..

According to the present invention, a turn is made based on a determination result as to whether or not the vehicle changes lanes, a determination result as to whether or not the vehicle can change lanes, and a state of a hazard signal function of a turn signal lamp. It controls the signal lamp and the notification unit. According to such a configuration, the turn signal lamp can be appropriately and automatically controlled.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle control device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the vehicle control device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the vehicle control device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the vehicle control device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a table which shows the operation of the vehicle control device which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle control device which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the vehicle control device which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware composition of the vehicle control device which concerns on other modification. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware composition of the vehicle control device which concerns on other modification.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the vehicle to be controlled by the vehicle control device 1 may be referred to as "own vehicle". The vehicle control device 1 includes a peripheral information acquisition unit 11, a vehicle information acquisition unit 12, an intention determination unit 13, a lane change determination unit 14, a control determination unit 15, a vehicle control unit 16, and a turn signal lamp 17. , The notification unit 18 is provided. As will be described below, the vehicle control device 1 controls the turn signal lamp 17 of the own vehicle and the notification unit 18 that notifies the driver of the own vehicle.

The peripheral information acquisition unit 11 acquires peripheral information of the own vehicle. Peripheral information includes, for example, the state around the own vehicle such as the position of the own vehicle, the position of another vehicle, the speed of another vehicle, and lane information. Peripheral information acquisition unit 11 includes, for example, a sensor group for acquiring peripheral information or an interface thereof. Examples of the sensor group include a GPS (Global Positioning System) device, an in-vehicle communication device, a peripheral sensor, and a navigation system mounted on the own vehicle.

The GPS device receives GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites and positions its own vehicle. The in-vehicle communication device performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and another vehicle, or road-to-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and the roadside unit. Peripheral sensors are, for example, distance sensing sensors such as millimeter-wave radar and ultrasonic sonar, and detect and detect the positions of other vehicles, pedestrians, buildings, obstacles, and other objects that exist in the vicinity of the own vehicle. When the object is a moving object such as another vehicle or a pedestrian, the moving speed of the moving object is also detected. The navigation system uses the map information and the position information of the own vehicle acquired by the GPS device to display the current position of the own vehicle on the map or guide the route from the current position of the own vehicle to the destination. To do. The map information may be acquired from the outside using, for example, an in-vehicle communication device (not shown) of the vehicle control device 1, or may be stored in a storage device (not shown) of the vehicle control device 1.

The sensor group included in the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 is not limited to the sensors illustrated above, and may be other sensors such as an in-vehicle camera as long as they can recognize the peripheral state of the own vehicle. ..

The vehicle information acquisition unit 12, which is an information acquisition unit, acquires vehicle information related to the traveling of the own vehicle. The vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 12 is information used for the determination of the intention determination unit 13, and includes, for example, the traveling state of the own vehicle. The vehicle information acquisition unit 12 includes, for example, a sensor group for acquiring vehicle information or an interface thereof. Examples of the sensor group include a steering angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a turn signal sensor, a hazard sensor, a light sensor, a shift sensor, and the like mounted on the own vehicle.

The steering angle sensor detects the steering angle of the own vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor detects the traveling speed of the own vehicle. The turn signal sensor detects on and off of the turn signal function in which either the left or right side of the turn signal lamp 17 blinks (blinks blinker). The hazard sensor detects on and off of the hazard signal function in which both the left and right sides of the turn signal lamp 17 blink (hazard blinks). The light sensor detects whether the light of the own vehicle is on or off. The shift sensor detects shift information indicating whether the shift lever of the own vehicle is located in a plurality of ranges such as the D range, the P range, and the B range.

The sensor group constituting the vehicle information acquisition unit 12 is not limited to the sensors illustrated above, and can be used to determine the operating state of the own vehicle, such as a sensor that detects the operating state of a brake, a gear, or a wiper. Other sensors may be used as long as they can be recognized.

The intention determination unit 13, which is the first determination unit, determines whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes based on the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 and the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 12. Is determined. For example, the decision-making unit 13 changes the lane to the driver of the own vehicle based on the peripheral information and the vehicle information such as the detection result of the hazard sensor, the detection result of the turn signal switch, the steering angle, and the shift information. Determine if you have the intention.

The lane change determination unit 14, which is the second determination unit, determines whether or not the own vehicle can change lanes based on the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 11. In the first embodiment, this determination includes a determination as to whether or not a following vehicle of the own vehicle exists and a determination as to whether or not the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle. The following vehicle includes, for example, a person, a motorcycle, an automobile, and the like.

The control determination unit 15 controls the turn signal lamp 17 and the notification unit 18 based on the determination result of the intention determination unit 13, the determination result of the lane change determination unit 14, and the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. Make a judgment to do.

The vehicle control unit 16 controls the turn signal lamp 17 and the notification unit 18 based on the determination result of the control determination unit 15.

The control unit includes the above control determination unit 15 and the vehicle control unit 16. The control unit configured in this way notifies the turn signal lamp 17 and the notification based on the determination result of the intention determination unit 13, the determination result of the lane change determination unit 14, and the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. The unit 18 is controlled. Although the details will be described later, the control unit according to the first embodiment is based on the determination result of the intention determination unit 13 and the determination result of the lane change determination unit 14 when the hazard signal function is on. One of the first to third controls is performed. The first control is a control for causing the notification unit 18 to notify while the hazard signal function is turned on. The second control is a control for switching off the hazard signal function after the own vehicle has traveled for a predetermined time. The third control is a control for switching off the hazard signal function regardless of whether or not the own vehicle has traveled for a predetermined time.

The turn signal lamp 17 is a general turn signal lamp, and has a turn signal function and a hazard signal function. Although the turn signal lamp 17 is provided in the vehicle control device 1 in FIG. 1, it may be provided outside the vehicle control device 1 as long as it can communicate with the vehicle control device 1.

The notification unit 18 is a device having a function of notifying the driver of various information from the vehicle control unit 16, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display device or a HUD (Head-Up Display), and an audio output such as a speaker. An HMI (Human Machine Interface) that includes at least one of the devices. The vehicle control unit 16 can use the notification unit 18 to notify the driver of the state of the own vehicle, such as information that the driver who intends to change lanes cannot change lanes. Although the notification unit 18 is provided in the vehicle control device 1 in FIG. 1, it may be provided outside the vehicle control device 1 as long as it can communicate with the vehicle control device 1.

<Operation>
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a determination operation performed by the intention determination unit 13 according to the first embodiment using vehicle information. Here, an example in which the vehicle information includes the detection result of the turn signal sensor, the steering angle, and the shift information will be mainly described. The determination operation of the intention determination unit 13 is started, for example, by activating the vehicle control device 1.

First, in step S1, the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 acquires peripheral information, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 12 acquires vehicle information.

In step S2, the intention determination unit 13 determines whether or not the turn signal switch is turned on to the side in which the own vehicle can travel, based on the peripheral information and the vehicle information. The lane in which the own vehicle can travel is a lane obtained from surrounding information. This lane is, for example, the lane on the right side of the lane when the own vehicle is in the leftmost lane, and the right side of the lane when the own vehicle is in the middle lane. Lane and the lane on the left. If it is determined that it has been turned on, the process proceeds to step S3, and if it is not determined that it has been turned on, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S3, the decision-making unit 13 determines whether or not the steering angle is tilted from the traveling lane of the own vehicle to the lane in which the own vehicle can travel by a predetermined threshold value or more based on the peripheral information and the vehicle information. To judge. The threshold value may be a default threshold value or a threshold value changed and set by the user. If it is determined that the steering angle is tilted toward the lane in which the vehicle can travel, the process proceeds to step S4, and if it is not determined that the steering angle is tilted toward the lane in which the vehicle can travel by the threshold or more, the process proceeds. The process proceeds to step S7.

In step S4, the intention determination unit 13 determines whether or not the shift information indicates the D range based on the vehicle information. If it is determined that the shift information indicates the D range, the process proceeds to step S5, and if it is not determined that the shift information indicates the D range, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S5, the intention determination unit 13 determines whether or not the duration of the determination result of steps S2 to S4 from step S2 to step S5 has elapsed a predetermined time. The predetermined time may be the default time or the time changed and set by the user. If it is determined that the process has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S6, and if it is not determined that the process has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S6, the intention determination unit 13 determines that the driver of the own vehicle has an intention to change lanes, that is, the own vehicle changes lanes. After that, the operation of FIG. 2 ends. In addition, while the own vehicle is running, for example, while the drive source of at least one of the engine and the motor of the own vehicle is on, or while the own vehicle has not arrived at the destination, FIG. The operation of may be repeated. This also applies when the operation of FIG. 2 ends in another step.

In step S7, the intention determination unit 13 determines that the driver of the own vehicle has no intention of changing lanes, that is, the own vehicle does not change lanes. After that, the operation of FIG. 2 ends.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the determination operation of the lane change determination unit 14 according to the first embodiment. Here, an example in which the peripheral information includes the information of the following vehicle will be mainly described. The determination operation of the lane change determination unit 14 is started, for example, by activating the vehicle control device 1.

First, in step S11, the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 acquires peripheral information.

In step S12, the lane change determination unit 14 determines whether or not a following vehicle of the own vehicle exists based on the peripheral information. The lane change determination unit 14 determines, for example, that a following vehicle exists when another vehicle exists within a certain distance (for example, a radius of 500 m) from the own vehicle, and determines that the following vehicle does not exist otherwise. .. If it is determined that the following vehicle exists, the process proceeds to step S14, and if it is determined that the following vehicle does not exist, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the lane change determination unit 14 determines that the lane can be changed and that there is no following vehicle. After that, the operation of FIG. 3 ends. The operation of FIG. 3 may be repeated while the own vehicle is traveling. This also applies when the operation of FIG. 3 is completed in another step.

In step S14, the lane change determination unit 14 determines whether or not the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle. The lane change determination unit 14 determines, for example, when the following vehicle exists within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle, or when the arrival time of the following vehicle to reach the own vehicle is within a predetermined time. It is determined that the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle, and if not, the following vehicle is determined not to be approaching the own vehicle. The predetermined distance and the predetermined time used in this determination may be changed depending on the traveling environment.

For example, considering the case where the own vehicle travels on a motorway (expressway), there is little branching of the traveling lane on the expressway, so there is a high possibility that the own vehicle will also travel in the lane in which the vehicle is scheduled to travel. Also, consider that the distance between the own vehicle and the vehicle behind the expressway tends to be longer than that of the general road, and the difference between the speed of the own vehicle and the speed of other vehicles tends to be large. For example, the time for other vehicles to arrive at the own vehicle is relatively short. Therefore, the predetermined distance of the expressway may be set to a longer distance (for example, 200 m) than the distance of the general road, and the predetermined time of the expressway may be set to the distance of the general road. The time may be set shorter than the time (for example, 6 seconds).

On the other hand, considering the case where the own vehicle travels on a general road, since there are many branches of the traveling lane on the general road, it is unlikely that the own vehicle will also travel in the lane in which the vehicle is scheduled to travel. Also, on general roads, the distance between the own vehicle and the vehicle behind tends to be shorter than on the expressway, and the difference between the speed of the own vehicle and the speed of other vehicles tends to be small. For example, the time it takes for another vehicle to arrive at the own vehicle is relatively long. Therefore, the predetermined distance of the general road may be set to a shorter distance (for example, 60 m) than the distance of the expressway, and the predetermined time of the expressway is the relevant distance of the general road. It may be set to a longer time (for example, 10 seconds) than the time.

If it is determined in step S14 that the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle, the process proceeds to step S15, and if it is not determined that the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle, the process proceeds to step S16. Proceed to.

In step S15, the lane change determination unit 14 determines that the lane cannot be changed and that there is a following vehicle. After that, the operation of FIG. 3 ends.

In step S16, the lane change determination unit 14 determines that the lane can be changed and that there is a following vehicle. After that, the operation of FIG. 3 ends.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control determination unit 15 and the vehicle control unit 16 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a table summarizing the results of the operation of FIG. The operation of the control determination unit 15 and the vehicle control unit 16 is performed after the operation of FIG. 2 and the operation of FIG.

First, in step S21, the control determination unit 15 acquires the determination result of the intention determination unit 13 and the determination result of the lane change determination unit 14.

In step S22, the control determination unit 15 acquires the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. If the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 12 includes the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17, the control determination unit 15 may acquire the state from the vehicle information.

In step S23, the control determination unit 15 determines whether or not the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17 is on, based on the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. If it is determined to be on, the process proceeds to step S24, and if it is not determined to be on, the operation of FIG. 4 ends. The operation of FIG. 4 may be repeated while the own vehicle is traveling. This also applies when the operation of FIG. 4 ends in another step.

In step S24, the control determination unit 15 determines whether or not the driver of the own vehicle intends to change lanes (whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes) from the determination result of the intention determination unit 13. .. If it is determined that there is an intention to change lanes, the process proceeds to step S25, and if it is not determined that there is an intention to change lanes, the process proceeds to step S28.

In step S25, the control determination unit 15 determines whether or not the lane can be changed from the determination result of the lane change determination unit 14. If it is determined that the lane can be changed, the process proceeds to step S26, and if it is not determined that the lane can be changed, the process proceeds to step S27.

In step S26, the vehicle control unit 16 turns off the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17, and turns on the turn signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. After that, the operation of FIG. 4 ends.

In step S27, the vehicle control unit 16 notifies the driver from the notification unit 18 of the state of the own vehicle such as the fact that the own vehicle cannot change lanes while the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17 is turned on. .. After that, the operation of FIG. 4 ends.

In step S28, the control determination unit 15 determines whether or not there is a following vehicle from the determination result of the lane change determination unit 14. If it is determined that the following vehicle exists, the process proceeds to step S29, and if it is not determined that the following vehicle exists, the process proceeds to step S31.

In step S29, the control determination unit 15 determines whether or not the own vehicle has traveled for a predetermined time with the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17 turned on. If it is determined that the vehicle has traveled, the process proceeds to step S30, and if it is not determined that the vehicle has traveled, the operation of FIG. 4 ends with the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17 turned on.

In step S30, the vehicle control unit 16 turns off the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. After that, the operation of FIG. 4 ends. According to the operation of step S30 as described above, even if the driver of the own vehicle forgets to turn off the hazard signal function, the hazard signal function can be automatically turned off, so that the following vehicle or the like can be turned off. The inconvenience can be suppressed.

In step S31 and step S32, the same operation as in step S29 and step S30 is performed. Specifically, in step S31, the control determination unit 15 determines whether or not the own vehicle has traveled for a predetermined time with the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17 turned on. If it is determined that the vehicle has traveled, the process proceeds to step S32, and if it is not determined that the vehicle has traveled, the operation of FIG. 4 ends with the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17 turned on.

In step S32, the vehicle control unit 16 turns off the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. As a result, even if the driver of the own vehicle forgets to turn off the hazard signal function, the hazard signal function can be automatically turned off. However, in step S32, since there is no following vehicle, even if the hazard signal function of the own vehicle continues to be turned on, there is substantially no effect on the vicinity of the own vehicle. Therefore, the predetermined time in step S31 is set to 10 seconds, the predetermined time in step S31 is set to 20 seconds, and the predetermined time in step S31 is set to be relatively long. Alternatively, it may be set to infinity and the hazard signal function may be kept on. Of course, the predetermined time in step S29 and the predetermined time in step S31 may be the same.

<Summary of Embodiment 1>
According to the vehicle control device 1 according to the first embodiment as described above, when the own vehicle starts from the state where the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17 is turned on, the vehicle information and the surrounding information are taken into consideration. Then, the turn signal lamp 17 and the notification unit 18 are controlled. According to such a configuration, in the automatic control of the turn signal lamp, it is possible to perform appropriate automatic control capable of suppressing inconvenience to the vicinity of the own vehicle such as the following vehicle.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle control device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, among the components according to the second embodiment, the components that are the same as or similar to the above-mentioned components are designated by the same or similar reference numerals, and different components will be mainly described.

The configuration of the vehicle control device 1 of FIG. 6 is the same as the configuration in which the driver information acquisition unit 21 is added to the configuration of the vehicle control device 1 according to the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

The driver information acquisition unit 21, which is an information acquisition unit, acquires driver information indicating the state of the driver of the own vehicle. The driver information includes, for example, the direction of the driver's face and eyes. The driver information acquisition unit 21 includes, for example, a sensor group for acquiring driver information or an interface thereof. The sensor of the driver information acquisition unit 21 is, for example, an in-vehicle camera that captures the driver, detects the movement of the driver's eyeball or face by image analysis of the image captured by the camera, and looks at the driver's line of sight. The driver's condition is determined from the direction, the direction of the face, and the like.

The sensor of the driver information acquisition unit 21 is not limited to the camera. If the sensor can detect the behavior of the driver, for example, it is equipped with an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and an electro-oculography sensor, and is a wearable device such as "JINS MEME" that detects blinking, eye movement, and body movement. There may be. The driver information acquired by the driver information acquisition unit 21 is used for the determination of the intention determination unit 13 in the same manner as the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 12.

The decision-making unit 13 is based on the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 11, the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 12, and the driver information acquired by the driver information acquisition unit 21. Determines whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes.

<Operation>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a determination operation performed by the intention determination unit 13 according to the second embodiment using the driver information. The determination operation of the intention determination unit 13 is started, for example, by activating the vehicle control device 1.

First, in step S41, the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 acquires peripheral information, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 12 acquires vehicle information.

In step S42, the intention determination unit 13 determines whether or not the driver's line of sight is facing the rearview mirror or the side mirror on the lane side where the vehicle can travel, based on the peripheral information and the vehicle information. If it is determined that the mirror is suitable for the rearview mirror or the side mirror, the process proceeds to step S43, and if it is not determined that the mirror is suitable for the rearview mirror or the side mirror, the process proceeds to step S45.

In step S43, the intention determination unit 13 determines whether or not the duration of the determination result in step S42 from step S42 to step S43 has elapsed a predetermined time, and the number of times of the determination result. , Determine whether or not the predetermined number of times has been exceeded. The predetermined time and number of times may be the default time and number of times, respectively, or may be the time and number of times changed and set by the user. If it is determined that the elapsed or exceeded, the process proceeds to step S44, and if it is not determined that the elapsed or exceeded, the process proceeds to step S45.

In step S44, the intention determination unit 13 determines that the driver of the own vehicle has an intention to change lanes, that is, the own vehicle changes lanes. After that, the operation of FIG. 7 ends. The operation of FIG. 7 may be repeated while the own vehicle is traveling. This also applies when the operation of FIG. 7 ends in another step.

In step S45, the intention determination unit 13 determines that the driver of the own vehicle has no intention of changing lanes, that is, the own vehicle does not change lanes. After that, the operation of FIG. 7 ends.

The intention determination unit 13 determines whether or not the driver of the own vehicle has an intention to change lanes based on the determination result obtained by the operation of FIG. 2 and the determination result obtained by the operation of FIG. 7. Whether or not the vehicle changes lanes) is determined. That is, the own vehicle is in the lane based on the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 11, the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 12, and the driver information acquired by the driver information acquisition unit 21. Determine if you want to make changes.

<Summary of Embodiment 2>
According to the vehicle control device 1 according to the second embodiment as described above, the decision-making unit 13 determines whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes based on the peripheral information, the vehicle information, and the driver information. To judge. According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy of determining whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes.

<Modification example>
In the second embodiment, the intention determination unit 13 determines whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes based on the peripheral information, the vehicle information, and the driver information. However, if the determination can be sufficiently made using the driver information without using the vehicle information, the intention determination unit 13 determines that the own vehicle is in the lane based on the peripheral information and the driver information. It may be determined whether or not to make a change. In this case, the vehicle information acquisition unit 12 is not essential in the vehicle control device 1.

Summarizing the above, the intention determination unit 13 may determine whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes based on the peripheral information and at least one of the vehicle information and the driver information. ..

<Other variants>
The peripheral information acquisition unit 11 of FIG. 1, the vehicle information acquisition unit 12, the intention determination unit 13, the lane change determination unit 14, the control determination unit 15, the vehicle control unit 16, and the driver information acquisition unit 21 of FIG. 2 described above. Is hereinafter referred to as "peripheral information acquisition unit 11 etc." The peripheral information acquisition unit 11 and the like are realized by the processing circuit 81 shown in FIG. That is, the processing circuit 81 includes a peripheral information acquisition unit 11 that acquires peripheral information, a vehicle information acquisition unit 12 that acquires at least one of vehicle information and driver information, and a driver information acquisition unit 21. The intention determination unit 13 that determines whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes based on the peripheral information and at least one of the above information, and determines whether or not the own vehicle can change lanes based on the peripheral information. The turn signal lamp 17 and the notification unit 18 are set based on the determination results of the lane change determination unit 14, the intention determination unit 13, the determination result of the lane change determination unit 14, and the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. A control determination unit 15 and a vehicle control unit 16 for controlling are provided. Dedicated hardware may be applied to the processing circuit 81, or a processor that executes a program stored in the memory may be applied. Examples of the processor include a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and the like.

When the processing circuit 81 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 81 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate). Array), or a combination of these. Each of the functions of each part such as the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 may be realized by a circuit in which processing circuits are dispersed, or the functions of each part may be collectively realized by one processing circuit.

When the processing circuit 81 is a processor, the functions of the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 and the like are realized by combining with software and the like. The software and the like correspond to, for example, software, firmware, or software and firmware. Software and the like are described as programs and stored in memory. As shown in FIG. 9, the processor 82 applied to the processing circuit 81 realizes the functions of each part by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 83. That is, when the vehicle control device 1 is executed by the processing circuit 81, a step of acquiring peripheral information, a step of acquiring at least one of vehicle information and driver information, peripheral information, and the above The first step of determining whether or not the own vehicle changes lanes based on at least one of the information, and the second determination of whether or not the own vehicle can change lanes based on the surrounding information. A step of controlling the turn signal lamp 17 and the notification unit 18 based on the step of performing the determination, the determination result of the first determination, the determination result of the second determination, and the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp 17. A memory 83 is provided for storing a program that will be executed as a result. In other words, it can be said that this program causes the computer to execute the procedure or method of the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 or the like. Here, the memory 83 is a non-volatile or non-volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). Volatile semiconductor memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), its drive device, etc., or any storage medium that will be used in the future. You may.

The configuration in which each function of the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 and the like is realized by either hardware or software has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration may be configured in which a part of the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 or the like is realized by dedicated hardware and another part is realized by software or the like. For example, the peripheral information acquisition unit 11 realizes its function by a processing circuit 81 as dedicated hardware, an interface, a receiver, and the like, and other than that, the processing circuit 81 as a processor 82 is a program stored in the memory 83. It is possible to realize the function by reading and executing it.

As described above, the processing circuit 81 can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

Further, the vehicle control device 1 described above includes a vehicle device such as a PND (Portable Navigation Device), a navigation device and a DMS (Driver Monitoring System) device, and a communication terminal including a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, a smartphone and a tablet. It can also be applied to a vehicle control system constructed as a system by appropriately combining a server and an application function installed in at least one of a vehicle device and a communication terminal. In this case, each function or each component of the vehicle control device 1 described above may be dispersedly arranged in each device for constructing the system, or may be centrally arranged in any of the devices. Good.

In the present invention, each embodiment and each modification can be freely combined, and each embodiment and each modification can be appropriately modified or omitted within the scope of the invention.

1 Vehicle control device, 11 Peripheral information acquisition unit, 12 Vehicle information acquisition unit, 13 Intention judgment unit, 14 Lane change judgment unit, 15 Control judgment unit, 16 Vehicle control unit, 17 Turn signal lamp, 18 Notification unit, 21 Driver Information acquisition department.

Claims (7)

It is a vehicle control device that controls a turn signal lamp of a vehicle and a notification unit that notifies the driver of the vehicle.
Peripheral information acquisition unit that acquires peripheral information of the vehicle,
An information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of vehicle information related to the running of the vehicle and driver information indicating the state of the driver.
A first determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle changes lanes based on the peripheral information and at least one of the above information.
A second determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle can change lanes based on the peripheral information.
The control unit that controls the turn signal lamp and the notification unit is based on the determination result of the first determination unit, the determination result of the second determination unit, and the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp. A vehicle control device to be equipped. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
The information acquisition unit includes a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle information.
The vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit is a vehicle control device used for determination of the first determination unit. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.
The information acquisition unit includes a driver information acquisition unit that acquires the driver information.
The driver information acquired by the driver information acquisition unit is a vehicle control device used for determination of the first determination unit. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The determination of the second determination unit is a vehicle control device including a determination as to whether or not a vehicle following the vehicle exists. The vehicle control device according to claim 4.
The determination of the second determination unit is a vehicle control device including a determination as to whether or not the following vehicle is approaching the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The control unit
Control to notify the notification unit with the hazard signal function turned on based on the determination result of the first determination unit and the determination result of the second determination unit when the hazard signal function is on. And the control to switch off the hazard signal function after the vehicle has traveled for a predetermined time, and the control to switch off the hazard signal function regardless of whether or not the vehicle has traveled for a predetermined time. A vehicle control device that performs any one of the above. It is a vehicle control method that controls a turn signal lamp of a vehicle and a notification unit that notifies the driver of the vehicle.
Obtain information around the vehicle and
At least one of the vehicle information related to the running of the vehicle and the driver information indicating the state of the driver is acquired, and the information is obtained.
A first determination is made to determine whether or not the vehicle changes lanes based on the peripheral information and at least one of the above information.
A second determination is made to determine whether or not the vehicle can change lanes based on the peripheral information.
A vehicle control method for controlling the turn signal lamp and the notification unit based on the determination result of the first determination, the determination result of the second determination, and the state of the hazard signal function of the turn signal lamp.

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