JP6822323B2 - Lane change support device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lane change support device.

Conventionally, there is known a device that controls acceleration of a vehicle when the vehicle changes lanes from a traveling lane to an adjacent lane. For example, the vehicle travel control device described in Patent Document 1 determines the time from when the driver operates the winker to when the acceleration control of the vehicle is started, based on the type of the adjacent lane on the side indicated by the winker. I'm changing.

JP-A-2010-95033

By the way, in addition to the device that controls the acceleration of the vehicle as described above, a device that controls the steering of the vehicle so as to change lanes is known. In such a device, the steering control of the vehicle is generally started when the time elapsed since the driver operates the winker reaches a preset standby time.

Therefore, when the device that controls the acceleration of the vehicle as described in Patent Document 1 is combined with the device that controls the steering of the vehicle, for example, the acceleration control of the vehicle is started after the driver operates the winker. When the time to wait is shorter than the standby time, the vehicle starts accelerating before it starts to move sideways even though the driver is not operating it. For this reason, the vehicle is too close to the vehicle in front of the driver, which may give the driver a sense of discomfort.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a lane change support device capable of reducing a sense of discomfort given to a driver in lane change support for steering control and acceleration control of a vehicle.

The present invention is a lane change support device that executes lane change support that controls vehicle steering and vehicle acceleration so as to change lanes from a traveling lane to an adjacent lane, and is based on a driver's operation. , A recognition unit that recognizes the driver's intention to receive lane change support, and whether or not the elapsed time, which is the time elapsed since the recognition unit recognizes the intention, has reached a preset waiting time. When the elapsed time determination unit and the elapsed time determination unit determine that the elapsed time has reached the standby time, or before the elapsed time reaches the standby time, the driver steers a preset control start. The steering control unit that starts the steering control of the lane change support when the condition is satisfied, and the acceleration control of the lane change support when the steering control is started, and accelerates before the steering control is started. It includes an acceleration control unit that does not start control, and the acceleration control unit acquires a signal from the steering control unit indicating whether or not steering control has been started .

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the discomfort given to the driver in the lane change support for steering control and acceleration control of the vehicle.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle provided with the lane change support device which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a top view for demonstrating lane change support. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of starting the steering control and acceleration control in the lane change support in one Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle provided with the lane change support device which concerns on a reference form. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of starting steering control and acceleration control in lane change support in a reference form.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle provided with a lane change support device according to an embodiment. The lane change support device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle V such as a passenger car, and assists the driver in changing the lane of the vehicle V. The lane change support device 100 according to the present embodiment executes lane change support that performs steering control and acceleration control of the vehicle V so as to change lanes from the traveling lane toward the adjacent lane. The "traveling lane" is the lane in which the vehicle V is traveling before changing lanes. The "adjacent lane" is a lane adjacent to the traveling lane, and is a lane to which the vehicle V is changed to a lane. "Lane change support" is driving support that automatically changes the lane of a vehicle. Further, the lane change support device 100 may execute lane change support from a state in which the vehicle V is traveling in the traveling lane while performing traveling control such as ACC [Adaptive Cruise Control] and LKA [Lane Keeping Assist]. ..

The lane change support device 100 includes an external sensor 1, an internal sensor 2, a turn signal detector 3, a turn signal lever 4, an HMI [Human Machine Interface] 5, an actuator 6, and an ECU [Electronic Control Unit] 10. ..

The external sensor 1 is a detection device that detects an external situation that is peripheral information of the vehicle V. The external sensor 1 includes, for example, a camera. The camera is provided, for example, on the back side of the windshield of the vehicle V. The camera transmits the imaging information regarding the external condition of the vehicle V to the ECU 10. The camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. A stereo camera has two imaging units arranged to reproduce binocular parallax.

The external sensor 1 may include a radar [Radar] or a rider [LIDER: LaserImaging Detection and Ranging]. The radar uses radio waves (for example, millimeter waves) to detect obstacles outside the vehicle V. The radar transmits radio waves around the vehicle V and detects obstacles by receiving radio waves reflected by obstacles. The radar transmits the detected obstacle information to the ECU 10.

The rider uses light to detect obstacles outside the vehicle V. The rider transmits light around the vehicle V and receives the light reflected by the obstacle to measure the distance to the reflection point and detect the obstacle. The rider transmits the detected obstacle information to the ECU 10.

The internal sensor 2 is a detection device that detects the running state of the vehicle V and the driving operation of the driver. The internal sensor 2 includes at least a vehicle speed sensor. The vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the speed of the vehicle V. As the vehicle speed sensor, for example, a wheel speed sensor provided on a wheel of the vehicle V or a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheel or the like and detects the rotation speed of the wheel is used. The vehicle speed sensor transmits the detected vehicle speed information to the ECU 10.

The internal sensor 2 may include a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a yaw rate sensor. The steering angle sensor is provided with respect to the steering shaft of the vehicle V, and detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel by the driver. The steering angle sensor transmits the detected steering angle information to the ECU 10.

The acceleration sensor is a detector that detects the acceleration of the vehicle V. The acceleration sensor includes, for example, a front-rear acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration in the front-rear direction of the vehicle V, and a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration of the vehicle V. The acceleration sensor transmits, for example, the acceleration information of the vehicle V to the ECU 10. The yaw rate sensor is a detector that detects the yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) around the vertical axis of the center of gravity of the vehicle V. As the yaw rate sensor, for example, a gyro sensor can be used. The yaw rate sensor transmits the detected yaw rate information of the vehicle V to the ECU 10.

The direction indicator detection unit 3 detects the operation of the direction indicator lever 4 by the driver. The direction indicator lever 4 is a lever for switching the direction indicator of the vehicle V to the lit state. The direction indicator lever 4 is provided, for example, on the right side of the steering column of the vehicle V. When the direction indicator lever 4 is pushed upward, the left direction indicator is switched to the lit state, and when the direction indicator lever 4 is pushed downward, the direction indicator lever 4 is pushed downward to the right direction. Switch the indicator to the lit state. Here, the turn signal lever 4 in the present embodiment functions as an input device for inputting the intention of the driver to receive lane change support.

Specifically, the turn signal lever 4 can be operated in two stages, upward and downward, respectively. When the turn signal lever 4 is pushed upward by one step and returned, the process of lane change support for the adjacent lane on the left side (recognition of the driver's intention to receive lane change support, which will be described later) is started. When the direction indicator lever 4 is pushed up to the second upper stage, the left direction indicator is switched to the lit state. In this case, the lane change support process is not started.

Similarly, when the turn signal lever 4 is pushed down by one step and returned, the processing of lane change support for the adjacent lane on the right side is started. When the direction indicator lever 4 is pushed down to the second lower step, the right direction indicator is switched to the lit state. In this case, the lane change support process is not started. The direction indicator detection unit 3 transmits the operation result of the direction indicator lever 4 by the driver to the ECU 10 as direction indicator information. The start of the lane change support process using the turn signal lever 4 is not limited to the above method.

The HMI 5 is an interface for outputting and inputting information between the driver and the lane change support device 100. The HMI 5 has, for example, a display panel for displaying image information to a driver or the like, a speaker for audio output, an operation button or a touch panel for the driver to perform an input operation, and the like. The HMI 5 transmits the information input by the driver (for example, ON / OFF of the execution permission of the lane change support) to the ECU 10. The lane change support process is not started even if the driver operates the turn signal lever 4 when the execution permission of the lane change support is OFF.

Further, the HMI 5 displays the image information on the display according to the control signal from the ECU 10 and outputs the sound from the speaker. The lane change support device 100 does not necessarily have to be equipped with the HMI 5.

The actuator 6 is a device that executes traveling control of the vehicle V. The actuator 6 includes at least a throttle actuator, a brake actuator, and a steering actuator. The throttle actuator controls the amount of air supplied to the engine (throttle opening degree) in response to the control signal from the ECU 10, and controls the driving force of the vehicle V. When the vehicle V is a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, the driving force may be controlled by inputting a control signal from the ECU 10 to the motor as a power source without including the throttle actuator.

The brake actuator controls the brake system in response to the control signal from the ECU 10 and controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the vehicle V. As the braking system, for example, a hydraulic braking system can be used. The steering actuator controls the drive of the assist motor that controls the steering torque in the electric power steering system according to the control signal from the ECU 10. As a result, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the vehicle V.

The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit having a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], a CAN [Controller Area Network] communication circuit, and the like as a physical configuration. In the ECU 10, for example, various functions are realized by loading the program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded in the RAM in the CPU. The ECU 10 may be composed of a plurality of electronic control units.

The ECU 10 has a recognition unit 11, an elapsed time determination unit 12, a control start condition determination unit 13, a steering control unit 14, and an acceleration control unit 15 as functional configurations.

The recognition unit 11 recognizes the intention to receive the driver's lane change support based on the driver's operation. The recognition unit 11 receives the direction indicator information corresponding to the operation of the direction indicator lever 4 by the driver from the direction indicator detection unit 3. When the recognition unit 11 receives the direction indicator information including the information that the direction indicator lever 4 has been operated to the right or left up to the first step, the driver supports the lane change by the lane change support device 100. Recognize the intention to receive. The recognition unit 11 also recognizes the lane change direction (right direction or left direction) required by the driver.

The elapsed time determination unit 12 sets the elapsed time, which is the time elapsed since the recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support by the lane change support device 100, as the preset standby time. Determine if it has been reached. The "waiting time" means that the lane change support device 100 does not start the steering control of the lane change support after the recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support by the lane change support device 100. It's time to wait. The standby time is, for example, a time for confirming whether or not the vehicle V can change lanes from the traveling lane to the adjacent lane, and is set to 3 seconds as an example.

The control start condition determination unit 13 determines whether or not the control start condition preset by the driver's steering is satisfied based on the detection result of the external sensor 1 and / or the detection result (steering angle information, etc.) of the internal sensor 2. To judge. The control start condition is a condition for determining the intention of the driver to execute the lane change support at an early stage.

For example, the control start condition determination unit 13 recognizes the intention of the recognition unit 11 to receive the driver's lane change support, and then the driver heads in the direction of the lane change based on the detection result of the internal sensor 2. When the steering wheel is rotated more than a preset angle, it is determined that the control start condition is satisfied by the steering of the driver.

The control start condition determination unit 13 may recognize the lateral position (position in the lane width direction) of the vehicle V in the traveling lane by a well-known method based on the detection result of the external sensor 1. After the recognition unit 11 recognizes the intention to receive the driver's lane change support, the control start condition determination unit 13 presets the lateral position of the vehicle V in the lane change direction by the driver's steering. When the vehicle has moved more than a distance, it is determined that the control start condition is satisfied by the steering of the driver.

The steering control unit 14 determines whether or not the vehicle V can change lanes from the traveling lane to the adjacent lane. For example, in the steering control unit 14, the vehicle V changes lanes based on the detection result of the external sensor 1 (imaging information, obstacle information, etc.) and the detection result of the internal sensor 2 (vehicle speed information, acceleration information, yaw rate information, etc.). Determine if there is a possibility of contact with obstacles such as other vehicles.

Further, when the steering control unit 14 determines that the vehicle V can change lanes from the traveling lane to the adjacent lane, the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines that the elapsed time has reached the standby time. In addition, steering control for lane change support is started. The steering control may be any control as long as the vehicle V is moved from the traveling lane to the adjacent lane, and a well-known control can be adopted.

Further, when it is determined that the vehicle V can change lanes from the traveling lane to the adjacent lane, the steering control unit 14 is a control start condition determination unit even before the elapsed time reaches the standby time. When it is determined by 13 that the control start condition is satisfied by the steering of the driver, the steering control of the lane change support is started.

The acceleration control unit 15 starts the acceleration control of the lane change support when the steering control is started by the steering control unit 14. On the other hand, the acceleration control unit 15 does not start the acceleration control of the lane change support before the steering control is started. The acceleration control may be any control that accelerates the speed of the vehicle V to a suitable speed for the vehicle V to move from the traveling lane to the adjacent lane, and a well-known control can be adopted.

It should be noted that "when the steering control is started by the steering control unit 14" is not necessarily strictly limited to the time when the steering control is started by the steering control unit 14, and the steering control is controlled by the steering control unit 14. It may be slightly off from the start. The "when the steering control is started by the steering control unit 14" includes a time within a certain period of time after the steering actuator of the vehicle V is driven by the steering control. The fixed time may be 1 second, 3 seconds, or 5 seconds. That is, the acceleration control unit 15 may start the acceleration control within a certain period of time after the steering actuator of the vehicle V is driven by the steering control.

Subsequently, the processing of the lane change support device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining lane change support. In FIG. 2, T1 to T4 show changes in the state until the vehicle V traveling in the traveling lane R1 executes lane change support and changes lanes to the adjacent lane R2. T1 indicates a state in which the vehicle V is traveling in the traveling lane R1. T2 indicates a state before the elapsed time reaches the waiting time. T3 indicates a state in which steering control and acceleration control are performed after the elapsed time reaches the standby time. T4 indicates a state in which the vehicle V has completed the lane change and is traveling in the adjacent lane R2.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process when starting steering control and acceleration control in the lane change support in one embodiment. The lane change support device 100 starts the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, for example, at the timing when the driver turns on the ignition of the vehicle V or when the driver turns on the execution permission of the lane change support by the HMI 5. .. Here, a case where the driver does not perform a special driving operation after showing the intention to receive the lane change support (when the driving operation that satisfies the control start condition is not performed) will be described.

In step S10, the lane change support device 100 determines whether or not the recognition unit 11 has recognized the driver's intention to receive the lane change support. Specifically, the direction indicator detection unit 3 is a driver in order to change the lane of the vehicle V from the traveling lane R1 to the adjacent lane R2 in the vehicle V traveling in the traveling lane R1 (T1 in FIG. 2). Pushes up (or pushes down) the turn signal lever 4 by one step, and transmits the turn signal information related to the operation to the recognition unit 11 of the ECU 10. The recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support by the lane change support device 100 based on the direction indicator information.

When the recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support (S10: YES), the lane change support device 100 shifts to the process of S11. When the recognition unit 11 does not recognize the driver's intention to receive the lane change support (S10: NO), the lane change support device 100 repeats the determination process of S10 again.

In step S11, the recognition unit 11 transmits a steering control signal for causing the steering control unit 14 to perform steering control of the vehicle V. When the steering control unit 14 receives the steering control signal from the recognition unit 11, the steering control unit 14 is in a standby state of waiting without starting the steering control. When the steering control unit 14 receives the steering control signal from the recognition unit 11, the steering control unit 14 turns on the acceleration suppression signal for suppressing the acceleration control of the vehicle V to the acceleration control unit 15 to perform the acceleration control of the vehicle V. Sends an acceleration control signal. In the present embodiment, "suppressing the acceleration control" means not starting the acceleration control of the vehicle V.

When the acceleration control unit 15 receives the acceleration control signal with the acceleration suppression signal turned on from the steering control unit 14, the acceleration control unit 15 stands by without starting the acceleration control (T2 in FIG. 2). In this case, vehicle V maintains its current speed, for example. Further, the vehicle V may continue the traveling control during standby when the traveling control such as ACC is performed, or may travel according to the driving operation of acceleration / deceleration of the driver.

The steering control unit 14 determines whether or not the vehicle V can change lanes from the traveling lane R1 to the adjacent lane R2 in the standby state. When the steering control unit 14 determines that the vehicle V is in a lane changeable situation, the lane change support device 100 shifts to the process of S12. On the other hand, when the steering control unit 14 determines that the vehicle V is not in a lane changeable state, the lane change support device 100 ends the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 and restarts the flowchart from the beginning. The steering control unit 14 does not have to determine whether or not the vehicle V is in a lane changeable state in the standby state. In this case, whether or not the vehicle V is in a lane changeable situation. The driver may decide whether or not.

In step S12, the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines whether or not the elapsed time has reached the waiting time. When the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines that the elapsed time has reached the standby time (S12: YES), the elapsed time determination unit 12 transmits a steering control start signal for starting the steering control to the steering control unit 14. In this case, the lane change support device 100 shifts to the process of S13. On the other hand, when the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines that the elapsed time has not reached the standby time (S12: NO), the lane change support device 100 repeats the process of S12.

In step S13, when the steering control unit 14 receives the steering control start signal from the elapsed time determination unit 12, the steering control unit 14 starts the steering control and enters the steering support execution state. That is, the vehicle V starts to move from the traveling lane R1 toward the adjacent lane R2. Further, when the steering control unit 14 receives the steering control start signal from the elapsed time determination unit 12, the steering control unit 14 turns off the acceleration suppression signal for suppressing the acceleration control of the vehicle V to the acceleration control unit 15 to control the acceleration of the vehicle V. Sends an acceleration control signal that causes When the acceleration control unit 15 receives the acceleration control signal from the steering control unit 14 with the acceleration suppression signal turned off, the acceleration control unit 15 starts acceleration control (T3 in FIG. 2).

When the steering control unit 14 starts the steering control of the vehicle V and the acceleration control unit 15 starts the acceleration control of the vehicle V, the lane change support is executed according to a well-known procedure. When the vehicle V completes the lane change (T4 in FIG. 2), the lane change support device 100 ends the lane change support this time and restarts the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 from the beginning.

In step S12, when the lane change support device 100 determines that the control start condition is satisfied by the driver's steering even before the elapsed time reaches the standby time, the control start condition determination unit 13 determines. , Step S13 may proceed.

As described above, according to the lane change support device 100 according to the present embodiment, when the driver intends to change the lane of the vehicle V, the vehicle V is accelerated until the steering control of the vehicle V is started. Control does not start. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from getting too close to the vehicle in front. Further, when the steering control of the vehicle V is started, the acceleration control of the vehicle V is started. Therefore, it is suppressed that the vehicle V accelerates before starting to move from the traveling lane R1 toward the adjacent lane R2. Therefore, according to the lane change support device 100, it is possible to reduce the discomfort given to the driver in the lane change support.

[Reference form]
Subsequently, the lane change support device 200 according to the reference form will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle V provided with the lane change support device 200 according to the reference embodiment. In FIG. 4, the same components as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

Compared to the above embodiment, the lane change support device 200 according to the reference embodiment controls the acceleration of the lane change support at the first acceleration when the recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support. The difference is that when the steering control is started and the steering control is started, the acceleration control is executed at a second acceleration larger than the first acceleration.

The first acceleration is, for example, an acceleration that does not cause a great discomfort to the driver even before the vehicle V starts to move from the traveling lane R1 to the adjacent lane R2 by steering control. The first acceleration can be a slight acceleration. The second acceleration is an acceleration larger than the first acceleration. The second acceleration can be an acceleration of an appropriate magnitude for executing the lane change support together with the steering control.

When the recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support, the acceleration control unit 21 in the ECU 20 of the lane change support device 200 starts the acceleration control of the lane change support at the first acceleration. When the steering control unit 14 starts the steering control, the acceleration control unit 21 executes the acceleration control at a second acceleration larger than the first acceleration.

Hereinafter, the processing of the lane change support device 200 according to the reference embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process when starting steering control and acceleration control in the lane change support in the reference mode. The lane change support device 200 starts the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, for example, at the timing when the driver turns on the ignition of the vehicle V or when the driver turns on the execution permission of the lane change support by the HMI 5. .. Here, a case where the driver does not perform a special driving operation after showing the intention to receive the lane change support (when the driving operation that satisfies the control start condition is not performed) will be described.

In step S20, the lane change support device 200 determines whether or not the recognition unit 11 has recognized the driver's intention to receive the lane change support. The recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support by the lane change support device 200 based on the direction indicator information.

When the recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support (S20: YES), the lane change support device 200 shifts to the process of S21. When the recognition unit 11 does not recognize the driver's intention to receive the lane change support (S20: NO), the lane change support device 200 repeats the determination process of S20 again.

In step S21, the recognition unit 11 transmits a steering control signal for causing the steering control unit 14 to perform steering control of the vehicle V. When the steering control unit 14 receives the steering control signal from the recognition unit 11, the steering control unit 14 is in a standby state of waiting without starting the steering control. When the steering control unit 14 receives the steering control signal from the recognition unit 11, the steering control unit 14 turns on the acceleration suppression signal for suppressing the acceleration control of the vehicle V to the acceleration control unit 21 to perform the acceleration control of the vehicle V. Sends an acceleration control signal. In addition, in this reference embodiment, "suppressing acceleration control" means that the acceleration applied to the vehicle V in the acceleration control is the first acceleration which is smaller than the second acceleration.

When the acceleration control unit 21 receives the acceleration control signal with the acceleration suppression signal turned ON from the steering control unit 14, the acceleration control unit 21 starts the acceleration control at the first acceleration. That is, the acceleration control unit 21 starts the acceleration control at the first acceleration when the recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support.

The steering control unit 14 determines whether or not the vehicle V can change lanes from the traveling lane R1 to the adjacent lane R2 in the standby state. When the steering control unit 14 determines that the vehicle V is in a state where the vehicle V can change lanes, the lane change support device 200 shifts to the process of S22. On the other hand, when the steering control unit 14 determines that the vehicle V is not in a lane changeable state, the lane change support device 200 ends the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 and restarts the flowchart from the beginning. The steering control unit 14 does not have to determine whether or not the vehicle V is in a lane changeable state in the standby state. In this case, whether or not the vehicle V is in a lane changeable situation. The driver may decide whether or not.

In step S22, the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines whether or not the elapsed time has reached the waiting time. When the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines that the elapsed time has reached the standby time (S22: YES), the elapsed time determination unit 12 transmits a steering control start signal for starting the steering control to the steering control unit 14. In this case, the lane change support device 200 shifts to the process of S23. On the other hand, when the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines that the elapsed time has not reached the standby time (S22: NO), the lane change support device 200 repeats the process of S22.

In step S23, when the steering control unit 14 receives the steering control start signal from the elapsed time determination unit 12, the steering control unit 14 starts the steering control and enters the steering support execution state. That is, the vehicle V starts to move from the traveling lane R1 toward the adjacent lane R2. Further, when the steering control unit 14 receives the steering control start signal from the elapsed time determination unit 12, the steering control unit 14 turns off the acceleration suppression signal for suppressing the acceleration control of the vehicle V to the acceleration control unit 21 to control the acceleration of the vehicle V. Sends an acceleration control signal that causes When the acceleration control unit 21 receives the acceleration control signal from the steering control unit 14 with the acceleration suppression signal turned off, the acceleration control unit 21 starts the acceleration control at the second acceleration. That is, the acceleration control unit 21 executes the acceleration control at the second acceleration when the steering control is started.

When the steering control unit 14 starts the steering control of the vehicle V and the acceleration control unit 15 executes the acceleration control of the vehicle V, the lane change support is executed according to a well-known procedure. When the vehicle V completes the lane change, the lane change support device 200 ends the lane change support this time, and restarts the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 from the beginning.

In step S22, when the lane change support device 200 determines that the control start condition is satisfied by the driver's steering even before the elapsed time reaches the standby time, the control start condition determination unit 13 determines. , Step S23 may proceed.

As described above, the lane change support device 200 according to the reference embodiment executes lane change support for steering control of the vehicle V and acceleration control of the vehicle V so as to change lanes from the traveling lane R1 to the adjacent lane R2. The lane change support device 200 is a recognition unit 11 that recognizes the driver's intention to receive lane change support based on the driver's operation, and a time elapsed since the recognition unit 11 recognizes the intention. When the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines whether or not the elapsed time has reached the preset waiting time and the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines that the elapsed time has reached the standby time, or the elapsed time When the steering control unit 14 that starts the steering control of the lane change support and the recognition unit 11 recognize the intention when the preset control start condition is satisfied by the driver's steering before reaching the standby time. It also includes an acceleration control unit 21 that starts the acceleration control of the lane change support at the first acceleration and executes the acceleration control at the second acceleration larger than the first acceleration when the steering control is started.

According to the lane change support device 200, when the driver intends to change the lane of the vehicle V, the vehicle V starts the acceleration control at the first acceleration until the steering control of the vehicle V is started. To do. Therefore, as compared with the case where the vehicle accelerates at the second acceleration before the steering control of the vehicle V is started, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from getting too close to the vehicle in front. Further, when the steering control of the vehicle V is started, the acceleration control of the vehicle V by the second acceleration is started. Therefore, it is suppressed that the vehicle V does not accelerate sufficiently and starts moving from the traveling lane R1 toward the adjacent lane R2. Therefore, according to the lane change support device 200, it is possible to reduce the discomfort given to the driver in the lane change support.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and may be modified without changing the gist described in the claims.

In the above-described embodiment and the reference embodiment, the vehicle V may be provided with a dedicated switch or the like for inputting the intention of the driver who intends to receive the lane change support by the lane change support devices 100 and 200. In this case, the recognition unit 11 may recognize the driver's intention to receive the lane change support by the lane change support devices 100 and 200 based on the operation of the switch by the driver. In addition, the recognition unit 11 recognizes the driver's intention to receive lane change support when the driving state or external condition of the vehicle V satisfies the setting conditions based on the setting operation input in advance by the driver. You may. In addition, the recognition unit 11 may recognize the driver's intention to receive lane change support based on the voice operation (voice input) by the driver.

Further, in the above-described embodiment and reference embodiment, it is not always necessary to include the control start condition determination unit 13. The lane change support devices 100 and 200 do not have to start steering control until the elapsed time determination unit 12 determines that the elapsed time has reached the standby time, regardless of whether or not the driver is steering.

11 ... recognition unit, 12 ... elapsed time determination unit, 13 ... control start condition determination unit, 14 ... steering control unit, 15 ... acceleration control unit, 100 ... lane change support device, R1 ... traveling lane, R2 ... adjacent lane, V …vehicle.

Claims (1)

A lane change support device that executes lane change support that controls the steering of a vehicle and controls the acceleration of the vehicle so as to change lanes from the traveling lane to an adjacent lane.
A recognition unit that recognizes the driver's intention to receive the lane change support based on the driver's operation.
An elapsed time determination unit that determines whether or not an elapsed time, which is an elapsed time since the recognition unit recognizes the intention, has reached a preset standby time,
When the elapsed time determination unit determines that the elapsed time has reached the standby time, or before the elapsed time reaches the standby time, the control start condition preset by the steering of the driver is set. A steering control unit that starts the steering control of the lane change support when the condition is satisfied.
An acceleration control unit that starts the acceleration control of the lane change support when the steering control is started and does not start the acceleration control before the steering control is started is provided.
The acceleration control unit is a lane change support device that acquires a signal indicating whether or not the steering control has been started from the steering control unit.

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