JP7151460B2 - Driving support device and method - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method for assisting driving operation of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, research and development have been made on technologies for assisting vehicle driving operations and technologies for automating vehicle driving operations. As one of such technologies, for example, there is a technology near a toll gate where it is often required to change the vehicle speed or change lanes depending on the situation such as the destination of the vehicle or the movement of other vehicles. , for example, is disclosed in US Pat.

The driving assistance device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a driving assistance device that assists the driving of the own vehicle, and indicates that the trajectory of the own vehicle interferes with the trajectory of another vehicle located around the own vehicle. an interference information acquisition unit that acquires interference information; a trajectory changing unit that changes the trajectory of the own vehicle or the other vehicle. The trajectory is changed so as to avoid a collision with another vehicle by changing the position where the trajectory of the own vehicle intersects the trajectory of the other vehicle and the time at which the own vehicle passes this position (for example, [ 0032] paragraph). More specifically, the speed of the own vehicle and the timing at which the own vehicle starts acceleration/deceleration or steering are changed from those normally set (see paragraph [0043], for example).

2017-84257 publication

The driving support device disclosed in Patent Document 1 changes the trajectory of the own vehicle or the other vehicle so as to suppress a collision between the own vehicle and the other vehicle when the trajectory of the other vehicle interferes with the trajectory of the own vehicle. As a result, vehicle collisions can be suppressed. However, since the trajectory is forcibly changed, it is not possible to take into account the intention of the driver, for example, the intention of the driver to overtake the preceding vehicle whose vehicle speed is slow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and an object thereof is to provide a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method capable of suppressing a vehicle collision while considering the driving operation of the driver. .

As a result of various studies, the inventors of the present invention have found that the above object can be achieved by the present invention described below. That is, the driving support device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an own vehicle destination storage unit that stores the destination of the own vehicle, and an own vehicle destination storage unit that is arranged in a travel area in which the vehicle travels and stores whether or not the vehicle has passed through a gate that divides the travel area. a preceding vehicle destination acquiring unit that acquires the destination of the preceding vehicle preceding the vehicle when the gate passage determining unit determines that the vehicle has passed through the gate; and the own vehicle destination storage unit. an upper limit speed setting unit for setting an upper limit speed based on the destination of the own vehicle stored in and the destination of the preceding vehicle obtained by the preceding vehicle destination obtaining unit; a travel control unit for controlling the travel of the own vehicle, a map information storage unit for storing map information including travel area information representing the shape of the travel area, and the travel of the own vehicle in the travel area a position measuring unit that measures a vehicle position; and a relative position acquisition unit that acquires the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle, wherein the gate position is passed through the travel area in the travel direction of the own vehicle. The post-passing travel area includes one common travel area that continues from the gate position and a plurality of branch travel areas that branch off from the common travel area, and the map information includes each of the plurality of branch travel areas. includes destination information representing a destination to be reached when traveling in the branch travel area, and the upper limit speed setting unit stores the destination of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle destination storage unit and the map information storage unit identifying a branching travel area corresponding to the destination of the vehicle from among the plurality of branching travel areas based on the map information stored in the entrance to enter the specified branch travel area from the common travel area; The upper limit speed is corrected based on the vehicle position of the own vehicle measured by the position measurement unit and the relative position of the preceding vehicle acquired by the relative position acquisition unit . Preferably, in the driving support device described above, the preceding vehicle acquisition unit includes a communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication, and the communication unit receives a communication signal (destination notification communication signal) containing destination information indicating the destination of the vehicle. receive. Preferably, in the driving support device described above, the upper limit speed setting unit sets the upper limit speed to a predetermined first speed when the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the own vehicle are in the same direction, and The upper limit speed setting unit sets the upper limit speed to a predetermined second speed higher than the first speed when the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the own vehicle are in opposite directions. Preferably, the first speed is set such that the own vehicle follows the preceding vehicle. Preferably, in the driving support device described above, the travel area is a road, and the gate is a gate that divides the road into a toll road and a non-toll road. Preferably, in the driving support device described above, the travel area includes a road and a partitioned area, and the gate is a gate provided at a boundary between the road and the partitioned area. Preferably, said zoned area is one of a parking lot, a theme park and a safari park. Preferably, in the driving support device described above, the upper limit speed setting unit projects the vehicle position of the own vehicle and the vehicle position of the preceding vehicle onto a boundary line between the common driving area and the specified branch driving area. and if the projected vehicle position of the own vehicle is closer to the entrance than the projected vehicle position of the preceding vehicle, the upper limit speed is corrected to a value that allows overtaking the preceding vehicle .

Since such a driving support device sets an upper speed limit, the driver's driving operation is permitted within the range of the upper speed limit. Since the driving support device sets the upper limit speed based on the destination of the own vehicle and the destination of the preceding vehicle, the upper limit speed can be set to different values depending on whether the direction of each destination is the same or different. Therefore, the driving support device can suppress the collision of the vehicle while considering the driving operation of the driver. If the direction of the destination of the own vehicle and the direction of the destination of the preceding vehicle are the same direction and the own vehicle is closer to the entrance of the branching travel area than the preceding vehicle, traffic will intersect even if the own vehicle overtakes the preceding vehicle. There are few things . The driving support device corrects the upper limit speed based on the entrance of the branching travel area, the vehicle position of the host vehicle, and the relative position of the preceding vehicle. It is possible to set the upper limit speed accordingly .

In another aspect, the driving assistance device described above further includes a relative distance acquisition unit that acquires a relative distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and the upper limit speed setting unit acquires the relative distance acquired by the relative distance acquisition unit. Modifying the upper speed limit based on the relative distance. Preferably, in the above-described driving assistance device, the upper limit speed setting unit sets the upper limit value of the relative speed of the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle as the relative distance becomes shorter (smaller or closer). , to modify the upper speed limit. Preferably, in the driving support device described above, the upper limit speed setting unit sets the upper limit value of the relative speed to a predetermined first upper limit value when the relative distance is equal to or less than a predetermined first distance. When the upper limit speed is corrected, and the relative distance exceeds the first distance and is equal to or less than a predetermined second distance longer than the first distance, the upper limit value of the relative speed is the first upper limit The upper limit speed is modified so that it becomes a predetermined second upper limit value that is greater than the value.

When the relative distance (the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle) is relatively long, even if the own vehicle accelerates, there is relatively little psychological impact on the passengers of the preceding vehicle. When the distance is relatively short, when the own vehicle accelerates and overtakes the preceding vehicle, the passengers of the preceding vehicle may be psychologically affected by, for example, surprise or fear. Since the driving support device corrects the upper limit speed based on the relative distance acquired by the relative distance acquisition unit, the upper limit speed is set so as to reduce the psychological impact on the passengers of the preceding vehicle. becomes possible.

A driving assistance method according to another aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance method executed by a computer, comprising: an own vehicle destination storage step of storing a destination of the own vehicle in an own vehicle destination storage unit; a gate passage determining step for determining whether or not the vehicle has passed through a gate disposed in a travel area that divides the travel area; and if the gate passage determining step determines that the vehicle has passed through the gate, the vehicle precedes the own vehicle. a preceding vehicle destination acquiring step of acquiring the destination of the preceding vehicle, the destination of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle destination storage unit, and the destination of the preceding vehicle acquired in the preceding vehicle destination acquiring step, the upper limit an upper limit speed setting step of setting a speed; a travel control step of controlling travel of the own vehicle so that the speed is equal to or lower than the upper limit speed set in the upper limit speed setting step; and a vehicle position of the own vehicle in the travel area. and a relative position acquisition step of acquiring the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle, wherein after passing the gate position in the traveling direction of the own vehicle in the travel area The post-passing travel area includes one common travel area continuing from the gate position and a plurality of branch travel areas branching from the common travel area, and includes travel area information representing the shape of the travel area, and a map. The map information stored in the information storage section includes destination information representing a destination reached when traveling in each of the plurality of branch travel areas, and the upper limit speed setting step includes determining the destination of the vehicle. Based on the destination of the own vehicle stored in the storage unit and the map information stored in the map information storage unit, a branch travel area corresponding to the destination of the own vehicle is selected from among the plurality of branch travel areas. based on the entrance from the common travel area to the specified branch travel area, the vehicle position of the host vehicle measured in the position measurement step, and the relative position of the preceding vehicle acquired in the relative position acquisition step to correct the upper limit speed .

Since such a driving support method sets an upper speed limit, the driver's driving operation is permitted within the range of the upper speed limit. Since the driving support device sets the upper limit speed based on the destination of the own vehicle and the destination of the preceding vehicle, the upper limit speed can be set to different values depending on whether the direction of each destination is the same or different. Therefore, the driving support device can suppress the collision of the vehicle while considering the driving operation of the driver.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION The driving assistance apparatus and the driving assistance method concerning this invention can suppress a collision of a vehicle, considering the driving operation of a turner.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a driving support device according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the radar apparatus and sonar of the said driving assistance device attached to the vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the upper limit speed set with the said driving assistance device. It is a flow chart which shows operation of the above-mentioned driving assistance device.

One or more embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It should be noted that the configurations denoted by the same reference numerals in each figure indicate the same configurations, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. In the present specification, reference numerals with suffixes omitted are used when referring to generically, and reference numerals with suffixes are used when referring to individual configurations.

The driving support device in the embodiment includes an own vehicle destination storage unit that stores the destination of the own vehicle, and a gate passing unit that is provided in a travel area in which the vehicle travels and determines whether or not the vehicle has passed through a gate that divides the travel area. a determination unit, a preceding vehicle destination acquisition unit that acquires a destination of a preceding vehicle that precedes the host vehicle when the gate passage determination unit determines passage through the gate, and a destination vehicle stored in the host vehicle destination storage unit. An upper limit speed setting unit for setting an upper limit speed based on the destination of the vehicle and the destination of the preceding vehicle acquired by the preceding vehicle destination acquisition unit; and a travel control unit that controls travel of the host vehicle. Such a driving support device will be described in more detail below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the radar device and sonar of the driving support device attached to the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the upper limit speed set by the driving assistance device.

The driving support device DS in the embodiment includes, for example, a radar 1-1, a sonar 1-2, a position measurement unit 1-3, a communication unit 1-4, and a control processing unit 2, as shown in FIG. , and a storage unit 3. In the present embodiment, a vehicle speed measuring unit 4 is provided to control traveling, and a power unit 5a, a power transmission unit 5b, a braking unit 6, and a steering unit 7 are provided to make the vehicle travel. and an input unit 8 and a display unit 9 for performing predetermined input and output.

The radar 1-1 is connected to the control processing unit 2, transmits a predetermined transmission wave under the control of the control processing unit 2, and receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by the target, thereby detecting the target. A device for measuring the position of the object (the relative position of the object with respect to the own vehicle) by detecting and measuring the direction of the object and the distance to the object. In this embodiment, the radar 1-1 also obtains the relative velocity of the object with respect to the own vehicle based on the Doppler shift of the reflected wave with respect to the transmitted wave. For convenience of explanation, the vehicles VC will be referred to as "self-vehicles VCs" or "preceding vehicles VCp" when necessary to distinguish them. The radar 1-1, for example, is provided at the front end of the vehicle VC as shown in FIG. 2 in this embodiment, and measures an object in front of the vehicle VC in a predetermined target range. In one example, for example, the radar 1-1 includes a transmitter that transmits a millimeter-wave transmission wave while scanning the target range, a receiver that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by the target, and the a signal processing unit that obtains the position of the object by obtaining the direction of the object and the distance to the object based on the transmitted wave and the reflected wave. The signal processing unit obtains the direction of the object from the transmission direction of the transmission wave in scanning the target range, and determines the direction of the object based on the time difference between the transmission timing of the transmission wave and the reception timing of the reflected wave. (TOF (Time-Of-Flight) method). Note that the radar 1-1 is not limited to such a configuration, and may be an appropriate type of radar. For example, the radar 1-1 may be a laser radar using laser light instead of a millimeter wave band, and the radar 1-1 may include a plurality of receiving antennas, and the reflected light received by the plurality of receiving antennas may be used. It may be a device that determines the direction of the object from the phase difference of waves.

The radar 1 - 1 outputs the position (direction, distance) and relative velocity of the object thus measured to the control processing unit 2 . When the radar 1-1 detects a plurality of objects, the radar 1-1 outputs each position (each direction and each distance) and each relative speed of each of the plurality of objects to the control processing unit 2. FIG.

The sonar 1-2 is connected to the control processing unit 2, and according to the control of the control processing unit 2, detects the presence or absence of an object within a relatively close detection range (for example, within 1.5 m or 1 m) around the vehicle. , a device for measuring the distance from a vehicle to said sensed object. The sonar 1 - 2 outputs the results (detection results and measurement results) to the control processing section 2 . The sonars 1-2 are, for example, active ultrasonic sonars and, for example, in this embodiment comprise four sonars 1-2 arranged at each of the four corners of the vehicle VC, as shown in FIG. . In one example, the active ultrasonic sonar transmits a transmission wave of an ultrasonic wave and receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave. A signal processing unit, etc., that detects the presence or absence of an object by means of the following, and when the object is detected, obtains the distance to the object from the time difference between the transmission timing of the transmission wave and the reception timing of the reflected wave, and the speed of sound of the ultrasonic wave. Prepare. The intensity of the transmission wave is appropriately set according to the detection range.

The position measurement unit 1-3 is a device that is connected to the control processing unit 2 and measures the vehicle position of the vehicle in the travel area in which the vehicle travels according to the control of the control processing unit 2. FIG. The position measurement unit 1-3 is, for example, a device for measuring the vehicle position by a satellite positioning system for measuring the current position on the earth, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, and the positioning result (latitude X , longitude Y, altitude Z) to the control processing unit 2 . The GPS receiver may be a GPS receiver having a correction function for correcting errors, such as DGSP (Differential GPS). Moreover, the satellites of the satellite positioning system include not only so-called GPS satellites that orbit in quasi-synchronous orbits, but also quasi-zenith satellites that apparently stay above one region.

The communication unit 1-4 is a circuit that is connected to the control processing unit 2 and transmits and receives communication signals to and from an external device under the control of the control processing unit 2. For example, the communication unit 1-4 is a communication card that communicates wirelessly. In this embodiment, for example, the communication unit 1-4 transmits and receives communication signals (performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication) with another vehicle (a communication unit mounted on another vehicle), and the communication signal includes , a vehicle identifier (vehicle ID, such as a serial number or a vehicle registration number) for specifying and identifying the vehicle, and a communication signal (destination notification communication signal) containing destination information representing the destination of the vehicle. For example, the communication unit 1-4 of the host vehicle VCs transmits a communication signal (inquiry communication signal) for inquiring the destination of the preceding vehicle VCp, and when the preceding vehicle VCp receives the inquiry communication signal, the destination notification communication signal , and the communication unit 1-4 of the own vehicle VCs acquires the destination of the preceding vehicle VCp by receiving the destination notification communication signal from the preceding vehicle VCp. Further, for example, each vehicle VC (own vehicle VCs, preceding vehicle VCp, etc.) is configured to repeatedly transmit a destination notification communication signal at predetermined time intervals, and the communication unit 1-4 of the own vehicle VCs receives this destination notification. By receiving a communication signal from the preceding vehicle VCp, the destination of the preceding vehicle VCp is obtained.

The vehicle speed measurement unit 4 is a device that is connected to the control processing unit 2 and measures the speed of the vehicle under the control of the control processing unit 2 . The vehicle speed measurement unit 4 is, for example, a wheel speed sensor or the like that includes a rotary encoder and its peripheral circuits and measures the wheel speed (wheel rotation speed) from the rotational displacement amount of the wheel (axle) per unit time. Vehicle speed measurement unit 4 outputs the measured wheel speed to control processing unit 2 . In this embodiment, the control processing unit 2 converts the wheel speed to the vehicle speed based on the wheel size, but the conversion from the wheel speed to the vehicle speed may be performed by the vehicle speed measurement unit 4 having the wheel speed sensor.

The power unit 5 a is a device that is connected to the control processing unit 2 and generates power for driving (moving) the vehicle under the control of the control processing unit 2 . The power unit 5a includes, for example, a prime mover such as an engine, a motor, and a hybrid device thereof, and accessories thereof. The power transmission unit 5b is a mechanism for transmitting the power generated by the power unit 5a to the drive wheels, is connected to the control processing unit 2, and is controlled by the control processing unit 2 to switch the traveling direction of the vehicle, change the gear ratio and Includes a transmission that switches gear ratios. The power generated by the power section 5a in this manner is transmitted to the drive wheels via the power transmission section 5b, thereby rotating the drive wheels.

The braking unit 6 is a device that is connected to the control processing unit 2 and applies braking force to the vehicle according to the control of the control processing unit 2 to decelerate the vehicle. The braking unit 6 can stop the vehicle as a result of decelerating the vehicle, and can also keep the vehicle stopped as a result of continuing to apply braking force while the vehicle is stopped. The braking unit 6 includes, for example, brake devices such as disc brakes and regenerative brakes, and accessories thereof. In addition, the braking portion 6 includes a function of a so-called parking brake device.

The steering unit 7 is a device that is connected to the control processing unit 2 and that steers the vehicle under the control of the control processing unit 2 . The steering unit 7 includes a steering device for changing the direction of the steered wheels of the vehicle and its accessories.

By controlling the power section 5a and the braking section 6 respectively, the acceleration of the vehicle is adjusted, and the wheel speed and the speed of the vehicle (vehicle speed) are adjusted. By controlling the transmission of the power transmission unit 5b, the traveling direction (forward, backward) of the vehicle is adjusted. By controlling the steering section 7, the running direction of the vehicle is adjusted.

The input unit 8 is connected to the control processing unit 2, for example, a command for instructing the start or cancellation of constant speed running, a command for instructing the start or cancellation of driving support, or a command for starting or canceling automatic driving. It is a device that inputs various commands such as a command to instruct, a command to start or cancel car navigation, and various data such as a set speed for constant speed driving and a destination (destination) to the driving support device DS. There are, for example, a plurality of switches to which functions are assigned in advance. The display unit 9 is connected to the control processing unit 2, and according to the control of the control processing unit 2, displays commands and data input from the input unit 8, information related to car navigation (for example, maps, routes, cautions and guidance on driving, , current position, etc.), and is a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL display.

In this embodiment, a part of the input unit 8 and the display unit 9 constitute a touch panel. When constructing this touch panel, the input unit 8 includes, as a part thereof, a position input device that detects and inputs an operation position, such as a resistive film system or a capacitance system. In this touch panel, the position input device is provided on the display surface of the display unit 9, one or a plurality of input content candidates that can be input are displayed on the display unit 9, and the input content that the user wants to input is displayed. When a position is touched, the position is detected by the position input device, and the display content displayed at the detected position is input to the driving support device DS as the user's operation input content. With such a touch panel, it is easy for the user to intuitively understand the input operation, so that the driving assistance device DS that is easy for the user to handle is provided.

The storage unit 3 is a circuit that is connected to the control processing unit 2 and stores various predetermined programs and various predetermined data under the control of the control processing unit 2 . The various predetermined programs include, for example, a control program for controlling each part 1-1 to 1-4 and 3 to 9 of the driving support device DS according to the function of each part, and a predetermined control program regarding the destination of the own vehicle. Based on the own vehicle destination processing program to be processed, the vehicle position of the own vehicle measured by the position measuring unit 1-3, and the gate position represented by the position information stored in the map information storage unit 31, the gate is determined. A gate passage determination processing program for determining whether or not the gate has passed, a preceding vehicle processing program for performing predetermined processing regarding the preceding vehicle, an upper limit speed setting program for setting the upper limit speed by predetermined processing, and the upper limit speed setting program. It includes a control processing program such as a travel control program for controlling the travel of the own vehicle VCs so that the speed is equal to or lower than the set upper limit speed. The various kinds of predetermined data include data necessary for executing each program, such as map information representing a map including a travel area and the destination of the own vehicle. The storage unit 3 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that is a nonvolatile memory element, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) that is a rewritable nonvolatile memory element, and the like. The storage unit 3 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like that serves as a so-called working memory of the control processing unit 2 that stores data generated during execution of the predetermined program. The storage unit 3 may include a hard disk device having a relatively large storage capacity, or a drive device for reading data from a recording medium such as a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory). The storage unit 3 functionally includes a map information storage unit 31 and an own vehicle destination storage unit 32 .

The own vehicle destination storage unit 32 stores the destination of the own vehicle.

The map information storage unit 31 stores map information. In this embodiment, the map information includes position information indicating the gate position of a gate that is arranged in a travel area where the vehicle travels and divides the travel area, travel area information that indicates the shape of the travel area, and the travel area information that indicates the shape of the travel area. Includes destination information that indicates the destination (direction) to be reached when traveling through the area. The map information includes, for example, lanes, signs, various types of information related to travel attached to the travel area such as the destination, and various types of information related to car navigation such as place names and their positions, building names and their positions, and the like. Known map information may be used for such map information, and map information called so-called ADAS map, high-precision map, or the like is preferable. ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System, advanced driving support system) is a measure for realizing automatic driving, ADAS map (high precision map) is data that can be used for this ADAS, for example, roads, road signs , lanes, road signs, outdoor lights, utility poles, bridges, tunnels, buildings, and other major objects that can be observed from vehicles traveling on the road.

For example, the driving area is a road, and the gate is a gate that divides the road into a toll road and a non-toll road. Further, for example, the travel area includes a road and a partitioned area, and the gate is a gate arranged at the boundary between the road and the partitioned area. The demarcated areas are, for example, parking lots, theme parks, safari parks, and the like. In the following, as an example, the driving area is a road, and the gate is a toll gate that separates an expressway, which is an example of the toll road, from a general road, which is an example of the non-toll road. , the travel area and the gate are described in the same way. In addition, the driving support device DS in the embodiment is applied not only when passing through a gate to enter a toll road, but also when passing through a gate to exit a toll road. This applies not only when passing through a gate to get out of a confined area, but also when passing through a gate to exit a confined area.

The control processing unit 2 controls each unit 1-1 to 1-4, 3 to 9 of the driving support device DS according to the function of each unit, and sets the upper limit speed within a predetermined range after passing through the gate. This is a circuit for assisting the user's driving operation. The control processing unit 2 is configured including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits. By executing the control processing program, the control processing unit 2 includes a control unit 21, an own vehicle destination processing unit 22, a gate passage determination unit 23, a preceding vehicle processing unit 24, an upper limit speed setting unit 25, and a travel control unit 26. functionally.

The control unit 21 controls the units 1-1 to 1-4 and 3 to 9 of the driving assistance device DS according to the functions of the respective units, and controls the entire driving assistance device DS. In this embodiment, the control unit 21 displays information related to car navigation on the display unit 9 using a known processing method.

The own vehicle destination processing unit 22 performs predetermined processing regarding the destination of the own vehicle. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the own vehicle destination processing unit 22 receives the destination of the own vehicle through the input unit 8 and stores the received destination of the own vehicle in the own vehicle destination storage unit 32 of the storage unit 3. do. The input of the destination of the own vehicle may be performed by the user who is prompted by displaying a message prompting the user to input the destination on the display unit 9 for the main driving support, or for example, when the vehicle is traveling by car navigation. It can be done by the user to cause route guidance.

The gate passage determination processing unit 23 is based on the vehicle position of the own vehicle measured by the position measurement unit 1-3 and the gate position represented by the position information stored in the map information storage unit 31, and whether the gate has passed through. or not. The gate passage determination processing unit 23 determines that the vehicle has passed through the gate when the vehicle position has passed the gate position in the running direction of the own vehicle.

The preceding vehicle processing unit 24 performs predetermined processing regarding the preceding vehicle. More specifically, in this embodiment, when the gate passage determination processing unit 23 determines that the vehicle passes through the gate, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 uses the communication unit 1-4 to determine the preceding vehicle that precedes the own vehicle. get a destination. For example, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 causes the communication unit 1-4 to transmit the inquiry communication signal, receives the destination notification communication signal from the preceding vehicle in the communication unit 1-4, and incorporates it into the received destination notification communication signal. Retrieve and acquire the destination of the preceding vehicle. The preceding vehicle processing unit 24 calculates the relative distance (inter-vehicle distance) between the subject vehicle and the preceding vehicle from the measurement results of the radar 1-1 and the measurement results of the sonar 1-2 (not only in the front-rear direction but also in the oblique direction and the left-right direction). including)). More specifically, when the sonar 1-2 detects an object in the detection range, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 sets the distance measured by the sonar 1-2 as the relative distance, and the sonar 1-2 detects the object. If no object is detected within the range, the distance measured by the radar 1-1 is used as the relative distance.

The relative position of the own vehicle with respect to the preceding vehicle is acquired by the radar 1-1. may be obtained. In this case, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 acquires the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle from the measurement result of the radar 1-1 and the measurement result of the sonar 1-2. More specifically, when the sonar 1-2 detects an object in the detection range, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 acquires the relative position from the measurement result of the sonar 1-2, and the sonar 1-2 detects the object. If no object is detected within the range, the position measured by the radar 1-1 is used as the relative position. When the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 detects an object with the sonar 1-2 arranged at the front right of the own vehicle, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 detects the position of the distance measured by the sonar 1-2 on the right side of the own vehicle. When the object is detected by the sonar 1-2 arranged at the left front end of the own vehicle, the position of the distance measured by the sonar 1-2 on the left side of the own vehicle is the relative position. position.

The upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit speed. More specifically, in this embodiment, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the speed based on the destination of the own vehicle stored in the destination storage unit 32 of the own vehicle and the destination of the preceding vehicle acquired by the preceding vehicle processing unit 24. , to set the upper limit speed. More specifically, for example, when the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the host vehicle are in the same direction (same direction), the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit speed to a predetermined first speed. , the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit speed to a predetermined second speed higher than the first speed when the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the own vehicle are in different directions (different directions). do. In the branching of the travel area after passing through the gate, even if the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the own vehicle are different, the direction (region) corresponding to the destination of the preceding vehicle and the direction corresponding to the destination of the own vehicle. If the (direction) is the same direction (same direction), the vehicle heads for the same branch travel area, so in this embodiment, the direction (direction) is used for determination. Said first speed is preferably set such that said own vehicle follows said preceding vehicle.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the driving area DA is a first driving section having three first through third lanes LN1, LN2, and LN3 indicated by four first through fourth marking lines LM1 through LM4. DA1, a second travel section DA2 that is wider than the road width of the first travel section DA1 without lane markings LM, and a second travel section DA2 following the first travel section DA1, and from the second travel section DA2. Consists of two third and fourth travel sections DA3 and DA4 following the second travel section DA2 branching and extending in directions different from each other (for example, direction A and direction B), and one end of the second travel section DA2. Driving assistance for a vehicle (self-vehicle) VCs that has passed through a third gate GT3 when five first to fifth gates GT1 to GT5 are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel. In the device DS, the destination direction (direction) of the own vehicle VCs and the destination direction (direction) of the vehicle VCp1 are different, and the destination direction (direction) of the own vehicle VCs and the destination direction (direction) of the vehicle VCp2 are different. In the same case, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit speed to the first speed when the preceding vehicle VCp is the vehicle VCp2, and sets the upper limit speed to the second speed when the preceding vehicle VCp is the vehicle VCp1. do. Here, the preceding vehicle VCp is the vehicle VC that precedes the own vehicle VCs and is closest to the own vehicle VCs when it passes through the gate (immediately after passing through the gate). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle VCp1 is the preceding vehicle VCp.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, there may be cases where a plurality of vehicles are running ahead after passing through the gate. In this case, although a plurality of destination notification communication signals are received, the vehicle registration number is used as the vehicle ID, and the imaging unit 1-5 that generates a front image by imaging the front of the vehicle indicated by the dashed line in FIG. Further provided, the vehicle registration number written on the license plate of the preceding vehicle VCp1 is extracted from the forward image, and by selecting the destination notification communication signal containing the extracted vehicle registration number, the destination of the preceding vehicle VCp1 is determined. can be obtained. Note that the imaging unit 1-5 will be further described later in another modification.

The upper limit speed setting unit 25 corrects the upper limit speed based on the relative distance (inter-vehicle distance) acquired by the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 . More specifically, for example, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit value of the relative speed of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle so that the shorter the relative distance (the smaller the distance is, the closer the relative distance is). Modify upper speed limit. More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the relative distance is equal to or less than a predetermined first distance RA1, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit value of the relative speed to a predetermined first upper limit value. The upper limit speed is corrected to be Ths1, and when the relative distance exceeds the first distance RA1 and is equal to or less than a predetermined second distance RA2 longer than the first distance RA1, the relative speed is adjusted to a predetermined second upper limit Ths2 larger than the first upper limit Ths1 (0<RA1<RA2, 0<Ths1<Ths2). In this correction of the upper limit speed, the speed of the preceding vehicle is obtained from the speed of the own vehicle and the relative speed. The corrected upper limit speed is obtained from the speed of the preceding vehicle and the second upper limit value Ths2, and the corrected upper limit speed at which the upper limit value of the relative speed becomes the second upper limit value Ths2 is obtained. The first and second distances RA1, RA2 and the first and second upper limit values Ths1, Ths2 are set to appropriate values in advance from a plurality of samples. For example, the first distance RA1 is set to 0.5 m, 1 m, 1.5 m, etc., the second distance RA2 is set to 1 m, 1.5 m, 2 m, etc., and the first upper limit value Ths1 is set to 15 km/h. , 20 km/h, 25 km/h, or the like, and the first upper limit value Ths1 is set to 35 km/h, 40 km/h, 45 km/h, or the like.

Based on the destination of the vehicle stored in the destination storage unit 32 and the map information stored in the map information storage unit 31, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 selects the above-mentioned A branch travel area corresponding to the destination of the own vehicle is specified, an entrance to the specified branch travel area from the common travel area, the vehicle position of the own vehicle measured by the position measuring unit 1-3, and the radar 1-1. The upper limit speed is corrected based on the relative position of the preceding vehicle acquired in . More specifically, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 determines the destination of each of the plurality of branch travel areas following the common travel area following the gate through which the host vehicle has passed, from the map information stored in the map information storage unit 31. A plurality of branch travel areas are extracted in association with each other, and the destination of the branch travel area corresponding to the destination of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle destination storage unit 32 is selected from among the destinations of the extracted branch travel areas. By making the selection, the branch travel area corresponding to the destination of the own vehicle is specified from among the plurality of branch travel areas. The upper limit speed setting unit 25 projects the vehicle position of the own vehicle and the vehicle position of the preceding vehicle onto the boundary line between the common travel area and the specified branch travel area, and calculates the projected vehicle position of the own vehicle. is closer to the entrance than the projected vehicle position of the preceding vehicle, the upper limit speed is corrected to a value that allows overtaking the preceding vehicle. The distance to the entrance is, for example, the distance from the center position of the entrance on the boundary line to the projected vehicle position of the own vehicle (vehicle distance), and the distance from the center position of the entrance on the boundary line. , and the projected distance to the vehicle position of the preceding vehicle (preceding vehicle distance). When the own vehicle distance is smaller (shorter) than the preceding vehicle distance, it is determined that the own vehicle is closer to the entrance than the preceding vehicle. It is determined that the vehicle is no closer to the entrance than the preceding vehicle. The value for overtaking the preceding vehicle is obtained by obtaining the speed of the preceding vehicle from the speed of the own vehicle measured by the vehicle speed measurement unit 4 and the relative speed obtained by the preceding vehicle processing unit 24, and then calculating the speed of the preceding vehicle. , is obtained by adding a preset predetermined value (additional value, for example, 20 km/h or 30 km/h).

The travel control unit 26 controls travel of the own vehicle so that the speed is equal to or lower than the upper limit speed set by the upper limit speed setting unit 25 . More specifically, the travel control unit 26 monitors the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed measurement unit 4, and when the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed measurement unit 4 reaches the upper limit speed, for example, the driver depresses the accelerator pedal. The power section 5a, the power transmission section 5b, and the braking section 6 are controlled so as to maintain the upper limit speed without accelerating even if driving operation such as acceleration is performed. For example, when the driver performs a deceleration driving operation such as releasing the accelerator pedal, releasing the accelerator pedal, or depressing the brake pedal, the operation is performed as it is (deceleration is allowed). .

In this embodiment, the position measurement unit 1-3, the map information storage unit 31, and the gate passage determination processing unit 23 are arranged in a travel area in which the vehicle travels, and determine whether or not the vehicle has passed through a gate that divides the travel area. It corresponds to an example of a gate passage determination unit that determines whether or not. The communication unit 1-4 and the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 correspond to an example of a preceding vehicle destination acquisition unit that acquires the destination of the preceding vehicle preceding the own vehicle when the gate passage determination unit determines passage through the gate. do. The radar 1-1, the sonar 1-2, and the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 correspond to an example of a relative distance acquisition unit that acquires the relative distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The map information storage unit 31 corresponds to an example of a map information storage unit that stores map information including travel area information representing the shape of the travel area. The radar 1-1 corresponds to an example of a relative position acquisition unit that acquires the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the driving assistance device.

When the vehicle starts to operate, such a driving support device DS initializes necessary parts and starts to operate. By executing the control processing program, the control processing unit 2 includes a control unit 21, an own vehicle processing unit 22, a gate passage determination processing unit 23, a preceding vehicle processing unit 24, an upper limit speed setting unit 25, and a travel control unit 26. configured

First, the passenger inputs the destination of the own vehicle from the input unit 8 and starts running the own vehicle. During driving, the driving support device DS controls the driving of the own vehicle by the driving control unit 26 of the control processing unit 2 so that the speed is equal to or lower than the upper limit speed set by the upper limit speed setting unit 25 . During this running, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit speed used by the running control unit 26 as follows.

In FIG. 4 , when a destination is input from the input unit 8 , the driving support device DS causes the own vehicle destination processing unit 22 of the control processing unit 2 to store the destination input from the input unit 8 as the destination of the own vehicle in the storage unit 3 . It is stored in the storage unit 32 (S11). Based on the map information stored in the map information storage unit 31 of the storage unit 3 by the control unit 21 of the control processing unit 2, the driving assistance device DS uses a known processing method to perform car navigation. Such information may be displayed on the display unit 9 .

Next, the driving support device DS causes the gate passage determination processing unit 23 of the control processing unit 2 to store the vehicle position of the host vehicle measured by the position measurement unit 1-3 and map information storage. Based on the gate position represented by the position information stored in the unit 31, it is determined whether or not the gate has been passed (S12). More specifically, the gate passage determination processing unit 23 first determines whether or not there is a gate nearby. More specifically, the gate passage determination processing unit 23 acquires the measured vehicle position of the host vehicle from the position measurement unit 1-3, and determines the gate position of the gate closest to the acquired vehicle position. Selection (search) is performed from the position information stored in the map information storage unit 31, the selected gate position is compared with the acquired vehicle position, and the acquired vehicle position is shifted from the selected gate position to the predetermined position. It is determined whether it is within a distance (for example, 50 m or 30 m). As a result of this determination, if the vehicle position is not within the predetermined distance from the gate position, the driving support device DS determines that there is no gate nearby and that the vehicle has not passed through the gate. (No), then process S24 is executed. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the vehicle position is within the predetermined distance from the gate position, the gate passage determination processing unit 23 repeats until the vehicle passes through the gate, and the position measurement unit 1-3 outputs the The measured vehicle position of the own vehicle is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the acquired vehicle position has passed the gate position in the traveling direction of the own vehicle. Then, when the gate passage determination processing unit 23 determines that the gate has been passed through this repeated processing (Yes), next, processing S13 is performed.

In this process S<b>13 , the driving support device DS determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle by means of the preceding vehicle processing section 24 of the control processing section 2 . The preceding vehicle processing unit 24 determines whether or not a preceding vehicle exists, for example, by determining whether or not the radar 1-1 has detected a preceding vehicle. In this case, among the objects detected by the radar 1-1, an object having a relative speed to the own vehicle is selected as the preceding vehicle, and the existence of the preceding vehicle is determined. Further, for example, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle by transmitting the inquiry communication signal and determining whether or not a destination notification communication signal as a reply to the inquiry communication signal has been received. In this case, the presence of the preceding vehicle is determined when the destination notification communication signal corresponding to the inquiry communication signal is received. If the result of this determination is that there is no preceding vehicle (No), the driving support device DS returns the process to step S11. In this case, since there is no preceding vehicle, there is little danger of traffic crossing after passing through the gate, and the own vehicle travels without setting an upper limit value for speed. On the other hand, if the result of determination is that there is a preceding vehicle (Yes), the driving support device DS acquires the destination of the preceding vehicle by means of the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 (S14). More specifically, for example, as described above, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 causes the communication unit 1-4 to transmit the inquiry communication signal, and the communication unit 1-4 receives the destination notification communication signal from the preceding vehicle. Then, the destination of the preceding vehicle contained in the received destination notification communication signal is extracted and acquired. When the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle is determined by the presence or absence of reception of the destination notification communication signal as a reply to the inquiry communication signal, the processing S13 and the processing S14 can be performed simultaneously.

Subsequently, the driving support device DS uses the upper limit speed setting unit 25 of the control processing unit 2 to determine the destination of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle destination storage unit 32 and the preceding vehicle acquired by the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 in step S14. It is determined whether or not the destination is in the same direction (same direction) (S15). As a result of this determination, if the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the own vehicle are in different directions (different directions) (No), the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets a predetermined second speed higher than the first speed. The speed is set to the upper limit speed (S16), and then the process S21 is executed. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the own vehicle are in the same direction (same direction) (Yes), the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit speed to the predetermined first speed. A speed is set (S17), and then processing S18 is executed.

As described above, through each of the processes S15, S16, and S17, the driving support device DS stores the destination of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle destination storage unit 32 and the Set the upper speed limit based on the destination of the preceding vehicle.

In the process S18 following the process S17, the driving support device DS acquires the respective driving conditions of the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle by the control processing unit 2 in order to recognize the current driving conditions. More specifically, the control processing unit 2 acquires the measured vehicle position of the host vehicle from the position measuring unit 1-3, and acquires the measured position (the relative position) from the radar 1-1. .

In a process S19 following the process S17, the driving support device DS sets the destination of the vehicle stored in the vehicle destination storage unit 32 and the map information stored in the map information storage unit 31 by the upper limit speed setting unit 25. , from among a plurality of branching travel areas following the common travel area following the gate through which the vehicle has passed in step S12, a branch travel area corresponding to the destination of the vehicle is specified, and the branch travel area corresponding to the destination of the vehicle is identified from the common travel area. Based on the entrance into the specified branching travel area, the vehicle position of the own vehicle measured by the position measuring unit 1-3, and the relative position of the preceding vehicle acquired by the radar 1-1, the own vehicle moves to the branch. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is close to the entrance of the travel area. As a result of this determination, if the host vehicle is close to the entrance of the branch travel area (Yes), the upper limit speed setting unit 25 corrects the upper limit speed to a value that allows overtaking the preceding vehicle (S20). , then the process S21 is executed. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the own vehicle is not close to the entrance of the branch travel area (No), the upper limit speed setting unit 25 does not correct the upper limit speed, and then executes processing S21. do.

In this process S21, in order to recognize the current driving conditions, the driving support device DS acquires the respective driving conditions of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle by the control processing unit 2. FIG. More specifically, the control processing unit 2 acquires the measured vehicle position of the own vehicle from the position measuring unit 1-3, acquires the measured speed of the own vehicle from the vehicle speed measuring unit 4, and uses the radar 1-1, the measured relative velocity is obtained, and the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 obtains the relative distance from the measurement result of the radar 1-1 and the measurement result of the sonar 1-2.

In the process S22 following the process S21, the driving support device DS determines whether or not the host vehicle has passed through the entrance of the specified branch travel area by the upper limit speed setting unit 25 . As a result of this determination, the vehicle position of the own vehicle obtained from the position measuring unit 1-3 in the process S21 passes through the entrance into the specified branch travel area specified in the process S19 in the running direction of the own vehicle. If yes (Yes), the upper limit speed setting unit 25 cancels the upper limit speed set as described above (S23), and then executes processing S24.

In this process S24, the driving support device DS determines whether or not the vehicle position of the host vehicle has arrived at the destination by the control unit 21 of the control processing unit 2. FIG. If the result of this determination is that the vehicle position of the own vehicle has arrived at the destination (Yes), the driving support device DS terminates this process. has not arrived at the destination (No), the driving support device DS returns the process to step S12.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in the process S22 is that the vehicle position of the own vehicle has not passed through the entrance (No), the driving support device DS next executes the process S25.

In this process S25, the driving assistance device DS determines whether or not the upper limit speed needs to be corrected based on the relative distance obtained in the process S21 by the upper limit speed setting unit 25. FIG. More specifically, in this embodiment, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 determines whether or not the relative distance acquired in process S21 is equal to or less than the second distance RA2. If the obtained relative distance is equal to or less than the second distance RA2, it is determined that the upper limit speed needs to be corrected (Yes), and then processing S26 is executed. If the acquired relative distance is not equal to or less than the second distance RA2, it is determined that the upper limit speed does not need to be corrected (No), and the process returns to process S21. In this case, if the result of determination in step S25 is that the upper limit speed has been corrected in step S26, the upper limit speed is restored (recorrected) to the upper limit speed before correction, and then the process proceeds to step S21. preferred to return.

In this process S26, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 corrects the upper limit speed based on the relative distance acquired in process S21, and then returns the process to process S21. More specifically, in this embodiment, when the relative distance is equal to or less than the first distance RA1, the upper limit speed setting unit 25 sets the upper limit value of the relative speed to the first upper limit value Ths1. When the relative distance exceeds the first distance RA1 and is equal to or less than the second distance RA2, the upper limit value of the relative speed becomes the second upper limit value Ths2. (0<RA1<RA2, 0<Ths1<Ths2).

As described above, the driving assistance device DS and the parking assistance method implemented in the driving assistance device DS in the embodiment set the upper speed limit, so the driver's driving operation is permitted within the range of the upper speed limit. The driving assistance device DS and the driving assistance method set the upper limit speed based on the destination of the own vehicle and the destination of the preceding vehicle. You can set the speed to different values. Therefore, the driving assistance device DS and the driving assistance method described above can suppress the collision of the vehicle while considering the driving operation of the driver. For example, when the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the own vehicle are in the same direction (same direction), the upper limit speed is set to a predetermined first speed, and the destination of the preceding vehicle and the destination of the own vehicle are set. is in the opposite direction (different plane), the upper limit speed is set to a predetermined second speed higher than the first speed. When the vehicle is traveling in the same direction, setting the upper limit speed to the first speed, which is relatively slow, allows the own vehicle to run so as to follow the preceding vehicle, thereby reducing crossing of traffic. On the other hand, in the case of the opposite direction, the possibility of traffic intersecting is low, and by setting the upper limit speed at a relatively high second speed, the preceding vehicle can be controlled while increasing the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle in the left and right direction. It is also possible for the own vehicle to overtake.

When the relative distance (the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle) is relatively long, even if the own vehicle accelerates, there is relatively little psychological impact on the passengers of the preceding vehicle. When the distance is relatively short, when the own vehicle accelerates and overtakes the preceding vehicle, the passengers of the preceding vehicle may be psychologically affected by, for example, surprise or fear. Since the driving support device DS and the driving support method correct the upper limit speed based on the relative distance, the upper limit speed can be set so as to reduce the psychological impact on passengers of the preceding vehicle. becomes.

If the direction of the destination of the own vehicle and the direction of the destination of the preceding vehicle are the same direction and the own vehicle is closer to the entrance of the branching travel area than the preceding vehicle, traffic will intersect even if the own vehicle overtakes the preceding vehicle. There are few things. The driving support device DS and the driving support method correct the upper limit speed based on the entrance of the diverging travel area, the vehicle position of the own vehicle, and the relative position of the preceding vehicle, so that the traffic does not intersect. It is possible to set the upper limit speed according to the case where the

In the above-described embodiment, the gate passage determination unit for determining whether or not the gate has been passed is configured with the position measurement unit 1-3, the map information storage unit 31, and the gate passage determination processing unit 23. , but not limited to. For example, the gate passage determination section may include an imaging section 1-5 and a gate passage determination processing section 23 indicated by broken lines in FIG. The imaging unit 1-5 is a device that is connected to the control processing unit 2 and generates a front image by capturing an image of the front of the vehicle according to the control of the control processing unit 2. FIG. The imaging unit 1-5 is, for example, an imaging optical system that forms an optical image of a subject on a predetermined imaging plane. The digital camera includes an area image sensor that converts an image into a digital signal, and an image processing unit that performs image processing on the output of the area image sensor to generate image data representing the image of the subject. The imaging unit 1-5 is mounted on the vehicle so as to capture an image in front of the vehicle, including the road surface. For example, as indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2, the image capturing unit 1-5 captures an image of the front of the vehicle VC so that the ceiling surface (roof inner surface) near the windshield includes the road surface within the vehicle VC. , the imaging direction (optical axis direction) is directed obliquely downward. As a result, the imaging unit 1-5 generates a front image (front image data) by imaging the front of the vehicle VC so as to include the road surface, and outputs the front image (front image data) to the control processing unit 2. . Then, the gate passage determination processing section 23 in this case determines whether or not the vehicle has passed through the gate based on the forward image generated by the imaging section 1-5. More specifically, for example, the gate passage determination processing unit 23 detects the presence or absence of a gate (gate image) for each of a plurality of time-series forward images generated by the imaging unit 1-5 at different times. , to determine whether or not the gate has been passed. The gate passage determination processing unit 23 determines that the gate has been passed when it detects that there is no gate after detecting that there is a gate. Further, for example, the gate passage determination processing unit 23 detects a sign permitting passage through the gate (for example, an "OK" sign displayed when the gate is an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection system)) from the forward image. , to determine whether or not the gate has been passed. A gate passage determination processing unit 23 determines that the gate has been passed when the sign is detected from the forward image.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the relative distance acquisition unit that acquires the relative distance (inter-vehicle distance) between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle includes the radar 1-1, the sonar 1-2, and the preceding vehicle processing unit 24. configured, but not limited to. For example, the relative distance acquisition unit may be configured including the position measurement unit 1-3, the communication unit 1-4, and the preceding vehicle processing unit . In this case, the destination notification communication signal further includes the vehicle position (eg, GPS positioning results (latitude X, longitude Y, altitude Z)) of the vehicle (preceding vehicle). Then, the preceding vehicle processing unit 24 determines the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle based on the vehicle position of the own vehicle measured by the position measuring unit 1-3 and the vehicle position of the preceding vehicle contained in the destination notification communication signal. Calculate the distance (inter-vehicle distance).

In the above-described embodiment, the map information storage unit 31 is used as an example of the map information storage unit that stores the map information. may be in the form of For example, the map information storage unit includes a recording medium, such as a DVD-ROM or USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, for storing the map information by recording it, and a recording medium, such as a DVD drive device or a USB interface, for storing the map information. A reading device for reading the map information from a medium may be provided. Further, for example, the map information storage unit stores map information received by a receiving unit, such as a communication card, from a server device that manages the map information via a network, and stores the map information received by the receiving unit. A storage unit may be provided.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle is determined based on the measurement result of the radar 1-1 as an example. Consideration may be given. For example, an object having a relative speed to the own vehicle is selected from among the objects detected by the radar 1-1, and the position of the selected object in the image generated by the imaging unit 1-5 is It is determined by known image processing whether or not a vehicle is reflected in an image area of a predetermined size corresponding to the selection. The selected object is defined as the preceding vehicle, and the position (direction and distance of the object) of the selected object measured by the radar 1-1 is defined as the position of the preceding vehicle.

Although the present invention has been adequately and fully described above through embodiments with reference to the drawings in order to express the present invention, modifications and/or improvements to the above-described embodiments can easily be made by those skilled in the art. It should be recognized that it is possible. Therefore, to the extent that modifications or improvements made by those skilled in the art do not depart from the scope of the claims set forth in the claims, such modifications or improvements do not fall within the scope of the claims. is interpreted to be subsumed by

DS driving support device 1-1 radar 1-2 sonar 1-3 position measurement unit 1-4 communication unit 1-5 imaging unit 2 control processing unit 3 storage unit 4 vehicle speed measurement unit 5a power unit 6b power transmission unit 6 braking unit 7 Steering unit 8 Input unit 9 Display unit 21 Control unit 22 Own vehicle processing unit 23 Gate passage determination processing unit 24 Leading vehicle processing unit 25 Upper limit speed setting unit 26 Driving control unit 31 Map information storage unit 32 Own vehicle destination storage unit

Claims (4)

an own vehicle destination storage unit that stores the destination of the own vehicle;
a gate passage determination unit that is disposed in a travel area in which the vehicle travels and determines whether or not the vehicle has passed through a gate that divides the travel area;
a preceding vehicle destination obtaining unit that obtains a destination of a preceding vehicle that precedes the subject vehicle when the gate passage determining unit determines passage through the gate;
an upper limit speed setting unit that sets an upper limit speed based on the destination of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle destination storage unit and the destination of the preceding vehicle acquired by the preceding vehicle destination acquisition unit;
a travel control unit that controls travel of the own vehicle so that the speed is equal to or lower than the upper limit speed set by the upper limit speed setting unit;
a map information storage unit for storing map information including travel area information representing the shape of the travel area ;
a position measuring unit that measures the vehicle position of the host vehicle in the travel area ;
A relative position acquisition unit that acquires the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle ,
Among the travel areas, the travel areas after passing the gate position in the travel direction of the vehicle include one common travel area continuing from the gate position and a plurality of travel areas branching from the common travel area. and a branched running region ,
The map information includes, for each of the plurality of branch travel areas, destination information representing a destination to be reached when traveling through the branch travel area ,
The upper limit speed setting unit selects the above-mentioned speed limit from among the plurality of branch travel areas based on the destination of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle destination storage unit and the map information stored in the map information storage unit. A branch travel area corresponding to the destination of the own vehicle is specified, an entrance entering the specified branch travel area from the common travel area, a vehicle position of the own vehicle measured by the position measurement unit, and the relative position acquisition unit. correcting the upper limit speed based on the relative position of the preceding vehicle obtained in
Driving assistance device. further comprising a relative distance acquisition unit that acquires a relative distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle,
The upper limit speed setting unit corrects the upper limit speed based on the relative distance acquired by the relative distance acquisition unit.
The driving support device according to claim 1. A computer-implemented driving assistance method comprising :
an own vehicle destination storage step of storing the destination of the own vehicle in an own vehicle destination storage unit;
a gate passage determination step of determining whether or not the vehicle has passed through a gate disposed in a travel area that divides the travel area;
a preceding vehicle destination acquiring step of acquiring a destination of a preceding vehicle preceding the host vehicle when the gate passage determining step determines passage through the gate;
an upper limit speed setting step of setting an upper limit speed based on the destination of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle destination storage unit and the destination of the preceding vehicle obtained in the preceding vehicle destination obtaining step;
a travel control step of controlling travel of the own vehicle so that the speed is equal to or lower than the upper limit speed set in the upper limit speed setting step;
a position measuring step of measuring a vehicle position of the own vehicle in the travel area ;
a relative position acquisition step of acquiring the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle ;
Among the travel areas, the travel areas after passing the gate position in the travel direction of the vehicle include one common travel area continuing from the gate position and a plurality of travel areas branching from the common travel area. and a branched running region ,
The map information stored in the map information storage unit includes travel area information representing the shape of the travel area, and is destination information representing a destination reached when traveling through the branch travel area for each of the plurality of branch travel areas. including
In the upper limit speed setting step, based on the destination of the vehicle stored in the vehicle destination storage section and the map information stored in the map information storage section, the Identifying a branch travel area corresponding to the destination of the own vehicle, an entrance from the common travel area to the identified branch travel area, the vehicle position of the own vehicle measured in the position measurement step, and the relative position acquisition step. correcting the upper limit speed based on the relative position of the preceding vehicle obtained in
Driving assistance method. Further comprising a relative distance acquisition step of acquiring a relative distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle ,
The upper limit speed setting step corrects the upper limit speed based on the relative distance obtained in the relative distance obtaining step .
The driving support method according to claim 3 .

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