JPH10283593A - Vehicle collision preventing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately and also quickly evaluate the possibility of colliding with plural vehicles and obstacles which exist in the traveling direction of self-vehicle and to surely prevent collision. SOLUTION: When an image processing part 50 processes a pair of images which are picked up by a stereo optical system 10, calculates three-dimensional distance distribution that covers entire images and fast detects road shapes and the three-dimensional position of a three-dimensional object from the distance distribution information, a collision deciding part 60 sets a travel area of self-vehicle 1 based on the road shapes that are detected by the part 50 and input data from a vehicle speed sensor 4, a yaw rate sensor 5 and a rudder sensor 6, extracts all of vehicles and obstacles that are in the traveling area or are related to the traveling area among plural vehicles and obstacles detected by the part 50, calculates collision risk degree as an evaluation value of collision possibility of the vehicle 1 about all of extracted vehicles and obstacles, and if there is even one that has high collision risk degree, it shows it on a display 9 and emits an alarm to a driver.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for preventing collision of a vehicle, which detects an obstacle present on the traveling path of the vehicle and makes a collision judgment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a TV camera, a laser radar, or the like is mounted on a vehicle to detect a vehicle or an obstacle in front of the vehicle, determine the degree of danger of colliding with the vehicle, and issue a warning to a driver, ASV (Advanced Safety Vehicle) that automatically activates and stops the brakes or automatically increases or decreases the running speed to keep the distance to the preceding vehicle safe
e; advanced safety vehicles) are being actively developed.

By the way, under normal road conditions, there are a plurality of vehicles and obstacles in front of the own vehicle, and there is a possibility that all of the vehicles and obstacles may collide. A driver who drives a car must pay attention not only to the preceding vehicle ahead of the own vehicle but also to all of the above vehicles and obstacles.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-54291 discloses a vehicle which can comprehensively evaluate a plurality of risk factors.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H11-163873 discloses a technique for simultaneously evaluating various danger factors surrounding a vehicle including a collision factor in a rear-end collision with a preceding vehicle and notifying a driver of the most important danger factors.

[0005]

However, in normal road conditions, as described above, there is a possibility that a collision with a plurality of vehicles or obstacles ahead of the host vehicle will occur, as described above. It is not sufficient to set only the collision with the preceding vehicle regarding the collision ahead of the host vehicle. For example, in a running state as shown in FIG.
The driver notices the on-street parked vehicle M0 and travels to the right of the lane, tries to pass by the side of the parked vehicle M0 and moves to the position M1 ', but the driver of the own vehicle 1 does not notice the parked vehicle M0 and , The parking vehicle M0 ahead of the host vehicle M1 is more likely to collide with the preceding vehicle M1. That is, in the conventional example, only the preceding vehicle M1 is set as the target of the collision warning, and the parked vehicle M0 that requires more attention is ignored.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to accurately and quickly evaluate the possibility of collision with a plurality of vehicles or obstacles existing in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and to surely prevent collision. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable vehicle collision prevention device that can be used.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle collision prevention device for detecting a traveling state of a host vehicle, and a driving direction of the host vehicle. A traveling environment detecting means for detecting a road shape and a three-dimensional object, a traveling area setting means for setting a traveling area of the own vehicle based on the traveling state of the own vehicle and a detection result of the road shape, and And a traveling region three-dimensional object extracting means for extracting all three-dimensional objects hanging on the traveling region from the three-dimensional object detected by the traveling environment detecting means, and performing a preset operation on all the extracted three-dimensional objects. A collision possibility evaluation means for evaluating the collision possibility of the own vehicle with respect to each three-dimensional object, and an output means for performing predetermined control output based on the collision possibility with respect to all the three-dimensional objects. It is.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle collision prevention apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the output means includes all of the three-dimensional objects extracted by the traveling area three-dimensional object extraction means. A first control output unit that extracts a three-dimensional object closest to the host vehicle from the three-dimensional object and performs predetermined control output based on information on the possibility of collision obtained for the closest three-dimensional object; And a second control output unit that performs predetermined control output based on the possibility of collision with all the three-dimensional objects in the sex evaluation means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle collision preventing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the traveling environment detecting means includes an image captured by a stereo optical system. To detect the road shape and the three-dimensional object in the traveling direction of the host vehicle.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle collision preventing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the traveling environment detecting means includes a scanning laser radar and a monocular type. In combination with a camera, information obtained from these is processed to detect a road shape and a three-dimensional object in the traveling direction of the host vehicle.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the traveling state detecting means detects a traveling state of the own vehicle, and the traveling environment detecting means detects a road shape and a three-dimensional object in the traveling direction of the own vehicle.
The traveling area setting means sets a traveling area of the own vehicle based on the traveling state of the own vehicle and the detection result of the road shape. Are extracted from the three-dimensional object detected by the traveling environment detecting means. Then, the collision possibility evaluation means performs a preset operation on all the extracted three-dimensional objects, evaluates the collision possibility of the own vehicle with respect to each three-dimensional object, and outputs all the three-dimensional objects by the output means. Control output based on the possibility of collision with the three-dimensional object.

[0012] According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the output means outputs all the three-dimensional objects extracted by the traveling area three-dimensional object extracting means from the first control output unit. While extracting a three-dimensional object such as a preceding vehicle closest to the host vehicle from the object and performing predetermined control output based on information on the possibility of collision obtained with respect to the closest object such as the preceding vehicle, The control output unit outputs a predetermined control based on the possibility of collision with all the three-dimensional objects by the possibility of collision evaluation means.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the traveling environment detecting means processes an image picked up by a stereo optical system to execute the traveling direction of the own vehicle. Road shape and three-dimensional object are detected.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the traveling environment detecting means combines a scanning laser radar and a monocular camera, and obtains information obtained therefrom. To detect the road shape and the three-dimensional object in the traveling direction of the host vehicle.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 11 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a collision prevention device, FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of the collision prevention device, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a collision determination process, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another example of the traveling area setting routine, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a map of the relationship between the warning inter-vehicle distance, the host vehicle speed, and the relative speed, and FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the position of the host vehicle, FIG.
9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating detection of a lane change according to the example of FIG. 5, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a traveling area according to the example of FIG. 5, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a case where a parked vehicle and a preceding vehicle are present ahead. It is.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle such as an automobile (own vehicle). The vehicle 1 recognizes an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, or the like existing in a traveling direction, and determines a danger of a collision.
If there is a danger of collision, a collision prevention device 2 that issues a collision avoidance warning and ensures safety is mounted.

The collision prevention device 2 includes a stereo optical system 10 for imaging an object outside the vehicle from different positions, and processes images captured by the stereo optical system 10 to process road shapes, obstacles, preceding vehicles, and the like. An image processing unit 50 as a traveling environment detecting means for recognizing a three-dimensional object, and the image processing unit 5
The collision determination unit 60 determines the possibility of a collision from data of a three-dimensional object such as a road shape, an obstacle, and a preceding vehicle recognized at 0. Then, the image processing unit 50 and the collision determination unit 6
0, sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor 4, a yaw rate sensor 5, and a steering angle sensor 6 as running state detecting means for detecting the current running state of the vehicle are connected to a display 9 installed in front of the driver. A collision warning or the like output from the collision determination unit 60 is displayed.

The stereo optical system 10 includes a pair of left and right cameras as an image pickup system for picking up an object outside the vehicle. The image processing unit 50 obtains a correlation between a pair of images captured by the stereo optical system 10 and obtains a distance based on the principle of triangulation from the parallax of the same object, that is, a three-dimensional distance over the entire image by a so-called stereo method. Calculate the distribution,
From the distance distribution information, a three-dimensional position of a road shape or a three-dimensional object (vehicle, obstacle, etc.) is detected at high speed.

The collision judging section 60 has a function as a traveling area setting means, a traveling area three-dimensional object extracting means, a collision possibility evaluating means, and an output means, and detects the road shape and vehicle speed detected by the image processing section 50. Based on the input data from the sensor 4, the yaw rate sensor 5, and the steering angle sensor 6, the travel route of the own vehicle 1 is estimated to set the travel area of the own vehicle 1, and the travel area of the own vehicle 1 is set in this travel area and this travel area. All the vehicles and obstacles to be hung are extracted from the plurality of vehicles and obstacles detected by the image processing unit 50, and the collision possibility of the own vehicle 1 described later is evaluated for all the extracted vehicles and obstacles. The collision risk is calculated as a value. If there is at least one of those having a high risk of collision, it is displayed on the display 9 to warn the driver to urge the driver to operate a brake (not shown) or to send an operation signal to an automatic brake device (not shown). Output.

The image processing section 50 and the collision judging section 6
0 specifically has the hardware configuration shown in FIG. Further, the stereo optical system 10 connected to the image processing unit 50 includes a pair of left and right CCD cameras 10a using a solid-state imaging device such as a charge-coupled device (CCD).
10b.

The image processing section 50 and the collision determination section 60
Processes an image captured by the stereo optical system 10,
An image processor 20 for outputting distance distribution data (distance image) in the form of an image, and processing the distance image from the image processor 20 to detect a road shape and a plurality of three-dimensional objects, and to judge a collision warning And an image processing computer 30 for performing the following.

The image processor 20 searches the two stereo image pairs picked up by the stereo optical system 10 for a portion where the same object is shown for each minute area.
A distance detection circuit 20a for calculating a distance to an object by obtaining a corresponding position shift amount; and a distance image memory 20 for storing distance distribution data output from the distance detection circuit 20a.
b.

The image processing computer 30
A microprocessor 30a that mainly performs a process for detecting a road shape, a microprocessor 30b that mainly performs a process for detecting an individual three-dimensional object, and a traveling region of the vehicle 1, which is mainly set in the traveling region or A system configuration of a multi-microprocessor, in which a microprocessor 30c for calculating a collision risk and performing a collision risk determination process for all vehicles and obstacles involved in the traveling area and connected in parallel via a system bus 31, is provided. Has become.

The system bus 31 has an interface circuit 32 connected to the distance image memory 20b, a ROM 33 for storing a control program, and a RAM 34 for storing various parameters in the middle of calculation processing.
An output memory 35 for storing processing result parameters;
A display controller (DISP.CONT.) 36 for controlling the display (DISP) 9
And an I / O interface circuit 37 for inputting signals from the vehicle speed sensor 4, the yaw rate sensor 5, the steering angle sensor 6, and the like.

In the road detecting process by the microprocessor 30a, only the white line on the actual road is separated and extracted by using the three-dimensional position information based on the distance image stored in the distance image memory 20b. The road shape is recognized by modifying / changing the parameters of the road model to match the actual road shape.

In the above road model, the own lane of the road up to the recognition target range is divided into a plurality of sections according to the set distance, and the left and right white lines are approximated by a three-dimensional linear equation for each section to form a polygonal line. The parameters a and b of the three-dimensional linear equation are obtained, and a linear equation shown in the following equation (1) is obtained. However, the following equation (1) is a horizontal linear equation, and the vertical linear equation is omitted here. X = a · Z + b (1) Actually, the left and right white lines are approximated by the linear expression of the above expression (1), and the straight line parameters aL, bL is determined, and linear parameters aR and bR for the white line on the right side in the traveling direction are determined and stored in the output memory 35.

In the object detection processing by the microprocessor 30b, the distance image is divided at a predetermined interval in a grid pattern, and only data of a three-dimensional object that may interfere with traveling is selected for each area. To calculate the detection distance,
If the difference in the detection distance to the object in the adjacent area is less than the set value, it is regarded as the same object, while if it is more than the set value, it is regarded as a separate object, and the contour image of the detected object is extracted. The generation of a distance image by the image processor 20 and the processing of detecting a road shape and an object from the distance image are described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 5-265546 and 6-177 previously submitted by the present applicant.
No. 236, and the like.

Next, the collision judgment processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the program of FIG. 3 executed by the microprocessor 30c.

In the collision determination processing program, first, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as "S") 101, a travel area is set according to a travel area setting routine described later.

Next, the process proceeds to S102, where the first object is selected from a plurality of objects detected by stereo image processing (object detection processing by the microprocessor 30b) and stored in the output memory 35 (for example, from the host vehicle 1). Of the first object)
That is, the left end position XiL and the right end position Xi of the object at the distance Zi from the host vehicle 1 and the distance Zi from the host vehicle 1
The data of R and the speed Vi of the object are read, and the process proceeds to S103.

In step S103, a comparison is made between the left end XL and the right end XR at the distance Zi of the traveling area set in the above S101 and the left end position XiL and the right end position XiR of the object. Then, the process proceeds to S104, and it is determined whether or not the object is an object in the running area or on the running area based on the comparison result in S103.

If it is determined in step S104 that the object is within the running area or is hung on the running area, the process proceeds to step S104.
While the process proceeds to 105, if it is determined that the object is not the object within the running area or the running area, the process jumps to S106.

When it is determined in S104 that the object is an object in or within the running area and the process proceeds to S105, a collision risk Ki is calculated as an evaluation value of the possibility of collision of the object with the vehicle 1. The collision risk Ki is calculated, for example, by the following equation (2). Ki = 1.0 + (Dwi−Zi) / Dwi (2) In the above equation (2), Dwi is a warning inter-vehicle distance, a warning inter-vehicle distance Dwi, a host vehicle speed Ve, and a relative speed Vri shown in FIG.
This is obtained by referring to a map indicating the relationship of (= Ve−Vi), and may be obtained by calculation using a preset experimental formula or the like without using any other map. In the map of FIG. 6, the warning inter-vehicle distance Dwi is set to a larger value as the relative speed Vri with respect to the target object increases and as the host vehicle speed Ve increases. The braking distance is set in consideration of a braking distance such that the own vehicle 1 can apply a sufficient brake when the brake is applied.

When the three-dimensional object is farther than the warning inter-vehicle distance Dwi, the term of (Dwi-Zi) / Dwi becomes negative, and the collision risk Ki calculated by the above equation (2) is 1.0. But the three-dimensional object is the warning distance D
When approaching within wi, the term of (Dwi-Zi) / Dwi changes in the range of 0 to +1.0, and thus increases from 1.0 to a maximum of 2.0.

When it is determined in step S104 that the object is not an object in or within the traveling area, or in step S105, the collision risk Ki is calculated and the processing proceeds to step S1.
In step 06, whether the object processed so far is the final three-dimensional object (the last of a plurality of objects stored in the output memory 35, for example, the object having the longest distance Zi from the host vehicle 1) It is determined whether or not the object is not the final three-dimensional object. If the object is not the final three-dimensional object, the process proceeds to S107, and the next object from the plurality of objects stored in the output memory 35 (for example, the object having the next smallest distance Zi from the vehicle 1) Is selected, the data of this object is read, the process returns to S103, and the process is repeated for this new object.

If it is determined in step S106 that the object is a final three-dimensional object, the process proceeds to step S108, and the number of three-dimensional objects having a collision risk Ki of 1.0 or more is obtained from the data processed so far.

Then, the process proceeds to S109, in which the number of three-dimensional objects having the collision risk level Ki of 1.0 or more is determined and there is at least one, that is, there is at least one object that has a high possibility of collision and requires attention. In this case, the process proceeds to S110, in which a collision warning is displayed on the display 9 to urge the driver to pay attention, and the driver is urged to perform a brake operation or the like. And exit the routine.

On the other hand, in S109, the collision risk Ki
If it is determined that there is no three-dimensional object having a value of 1.0 or more, that is, if it is determined that there is no object having a high risk of collision, the process proceeds to S111, where a collision warning has already been issued, and When the danger of the collision has disappeared, the collision warning is released, and if the automatic brake device is operating, the operation is released and the routine exits.

The setting of the running area performed in S101 is performed, for example, according to a flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step S201, the steering angle based on the signal from the steering angle sensor 6 and the vehicle speed based on the signal from the vehicle speed sensor 4 are read, and the travel route of the own vehicle is estimated assuming that the current steering angle and vehicle speed are maintained. . The traveling route is based on the signal from the yaw rate sensor 5 and the signal from the vehicle speed sensor 4 and indicates the current traveling state of the vehicle (vehicle speed and yaw rate).
May be assumed, and may be estimated.

Then, the program proceeds to S202, in which a predetermined travel time T0 s is set along the travel route determined in S201.
The position P of the own vehicle when the vehicle travels ec (for example, 1 sec) is obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the radius R of the curve of the traveling route calculated from the steering angle or the yaw rate
And the coordinates (Z) of the point P (the position P of the center point of the vehicle).
p, Xp) is obtained by the following equations (3) and (4). Zp = R · sin (Ve · T0 / R) (3) Xp = R · (1−cos (Ve · T0 / R)) (4) where T0 is a running time set value (for example, 1 sec).

In the following S203, the X-coordinates XL and XR of the positions SL and SR of the left and right white lines at the distance Zp, that is, the positions of the left and right white lines of the own vehicle after running T0 sec, are obtained, and the flow proceeds to S204. Since the left and right white lines are obtained by the above-described equation (1), the parameters aL, bL, and the straight line equation of the left and right white lines in the section of the road including the distance Zp.
aR and bR are read from the memory, and the following (5),
According to equation (6), the position S of the left and right white lines at the distance Zp
The X and XL coordinates of L and SR are calculated. XL = aL · Zp + bL (5) XR = aR · Zp + bR (6) In S204, as shown by the following equation (7), the distance DL between the point P and the position SL of the left white line is expressed by the point P and the white line. It is obtained as a relative positional relationship with. Here, when the left white line is not detected or when the detection is unstable, the distance DR from the position SR of the right white line is obtained. DL = Xp-XL (7) Then, the process proceeds from S204 to S205, and T
The travel route up to 0 sec later is defined as the first route section, and T0 s
After setting the driving area where the driving route after ec is set as the second route section, the process exits this subroutine. As described above, it is assumed that the current traveling state continues as it is from the present to after T0 sec. As shown in FIG. 8, the own vehicle at each time calculated based on the radius R of the curve of the traveling route, as shown in FIG. , A range obtained by adding 1/2 of the lateral width of the own vehicle and a slight margin α / 2 (for example, 0.2 m to 0.8 m) to the left and right with respect to the center point of It is a running area. Also, after T0 sec, the relative positional relationship D between the white line on the left and the host vehicle remains the width of the first route section.
An area where L (or the relative positional relationship DR between the white line on the right side and the vehicle) is constant is set as the second route section.

By setting the traveling area in this way, for example, when avoiding an obstacle (parking vehicle A) at the left end of the road as shown in FIG. 8, the driver travels rightward on the road, It is common to pass by the side of the obstacle, and if the driver operates the steering wheel so as to avoid the parked vehicle A,
The parked vehicle A does not enter the travel area used for collision determination, and an excessive warning can be suppressed.

Conventionally, in response to such a steering wheel operation, the travel route of the own vehicle is extended with the curve radius R, and the vehicle B enters the travel area of the own vehicle.
In which the relative speed with the vehicle is negative (vehicle B is approaching)
Then, it is determined that there is a danger of collision. However, in the present invention, since it is assumed that the vehicle runs parallel to the lane after T0 sec., The vehicle B moves to the travel area of the own vehicle in response to the actual steering operation. It is determined that there is no danger of collision in the vehicle B without entering, and it is possible to avoid unnecessary alarm generation, automatic brake operation, and the like.

Further, when the driver avoids the parked vehicle A and operates the steering wheel excessively without noticing the existence of the vehicle B traveling in the lane on the right side, the curve radius R becomes smaller and the traveling route becomes smaller as shown in FIG. , And the vehicle B comes into the traveling area, so that it is determined that the vehicle B has a risk of collision, and the excessive steering operation of the driver can be accurately detected.

In other words, by setting the running area as described above, it is possible to accurately reflect the driver's steering operation and to predict the course of the host vehicle, and to appropriately detect obstacles and preceding vehicles. Thus, it is possible to accurately judge the danger of a collision without issuing an unnecessary alarm.

In the above example, the travel area is set by setting the length of the first route section to the travel time T0 set in advance.
The travel time T is the travel speed V
The length of the first route section may be changed by changing the length in accordance with e.

That is, in ordinary traveling, the driver usually tends to perform a slow steering operation when the traveling speed Ve is high, and perform a quick steering operation when the traveling speed Ve is low. Therefore, in order to reflect such general characteristics of the driver, the length of the first route section is changed according to the traveling speed Ve. Here, the running time T can be set, for example, by multiplying the running speed Ve by a coefficient K. In this case, the coefficient K is
For example, the value is about 0.05 to 0.1, and the lower limit value (for example, 0.8
c), an upper limit (for example, 2.0 sec) may be set.

In this manner, the general characteristics of the driver depending on the traveling speed can be more accurately reflected in the region of the traveling route, and the judgment of the natural collision danger more suited to the ordinary driving. Becomes possible.

The setting of the running area may be set, for example, according to a flowchart shown in FIG. In this method, the lane change is detected at an earlier stage based on information such as the position of the left and right white lines detected by the stereo image processing, the positional relationship of the own vehicle, and the operating state of the driver's steering wheel, and the travel area can be set. Is to do so. First, in S301 and S302, similarly to S201 and S202 in the flowchart of FIG. 4 described above, the travel route of the own vehicle is estimated on the assumption that the current travel state of the vehicle is maintained for T0 sec. Along T0
The coordinates (Zp,
Xp) is obtained by the aforementioned equations (3) and (4). Then, in S303, the X coordinates XL and XR of the positions SL and SR of the left and right white lines at the distance Zp are obtained by the above-described equations (5) and (6), similarly to the above-described S203. The above S3
In steps 01 and S302, the traveling route may be estimated based on the traveling time T that changes according to the traveling speed V.

Then, the process proceeds to S304, in which the lane change is determined from the positional relationship of the position P of the own vehicle with respect to the left and right white lines after T0 sec.
At 06, the same running area as described above is set, the subroutine is exited, and when it is determined that the lane has been changed, the flow branches to lane change processing at S307 and S308.

If the point P is on the left side of the point SL corresponding to the left white line, it is determined that the lane change to the left has started, and as shown in FIG. If it is on the right side of the point SR corresponding to the white line, it is determined that the lane change to the right has started. In addition, the end of the lane change is determined by analyzing the positional relationship between the detected left and right white lines and the own vehicle, and when it is determined that all the own vehicles have moved to the left or right lane, the traveling area is determined. Is set in S305 and S306.
Return to normal setting by.

At the time of lane change, in S307, the relative positional relationship between the point P and the white line on the side opposite to the lane change side is determined. In S308, a travel area for the lane change is set, and the process exits the subroutine. For example, when it is detected that the lane has changed to the right lane, as shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that the current driving state continues from the present until T0 sec, and the radius R of the curve of the driving route is determined. The center point of the vehicle at each time calculated on the basis of
2 and some margin α / 2 (for example, 0.2 m to 0.8 m)
And the left boundary of the second path section is determined such that the distance DL between the point P and the position SL of the left white line is constant. Furthermore, the boundary on the lane changing side (right side) is set to include the entire right lane from the first route section to the second route section.

In this case, the length of the first route section is T0 se
It is set as the mileage between c and c. When the lane is changed, generally, the steering is continuously performed in the order of right turn → left turn or left turn → right turn. It is not very accurate to assume that the driving state continues. Therefore, in consideration of such an uncertain factor in the operation of the steering wheel by the driver, the travel area is expanded to the entire right or left lane where the lane is changed.

By setting the running area in this way, FIG.
In contrast to the lane change for avoiding the parked vehicle A as shown in (1), the parked vehicle A is excluded as a target, and the execution of the lane change can be detected at an earlier time. In addition, since the traveling area is expanded to the entire lane on the lane change side, the vehicle B and other obstacles on the lane on the lane change side can be accurately detected.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG.
Therefore, even if the driver of the vehicle 1 does not pay sufficient attention to the parked vehicle M0 and the traveling area is set to extend in a straight line as it is, the parked vehicle M0 However, since the possibility of contact is determined, a warning can be reliably issued to the driver, and the reliability is high.

That is, in the situation shown in FIG.
Assuming that the preceding vehicle M1 is traveling at a speed of 40 km / h, the warning inter-vehicle distance DwM1
Is about 3 km with reference to FIG. 6 because the relative speed is 0 km / h.
m, on the other hand, the warning inter-vehicle distance DwM0 for the parked vehicle M0
Is about 25 m similarly with reference to FIG. 6 since the relative speed is 40 km / h.

When the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle M1 is 15 m, the preceding vehicle M1 is not subject to the collision warning. Here, in the related art in which only the closest object is subjected to a collision warning, a collision warning is issued to the parked vehicle M0 for the first time when the preceding vehicle M1 passes through the parked vehicle M0. At this time, the distance between the parked vehicle M0 and the own vehicle 1 is about 15 m,
Originally, the distance is greatly delayed from 25 m, which is the distance at which a collision warning should be issued, and it is not possible to effectively prevent a collision. On the other hand, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since both the preceding vehicle M1 and the parked vehicle M0 are subject to the collision warning from the beginning, the distance between the parked vehicle M0 and the host vehicle 1 is 2
When approaching 5 m, a collision warning is issued and the driver can effectively avoid the collision.

Also, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the evaluation of the possibility of collision between the traveling area and all three-dimensional objects that hang on the traveling area is performed collectively without classifying the object into a stationary object or a moving object. Therefore, the calculation process is fast, accurate and quick.

Next, FIGS. 12 to 15 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is a circuit block diagram of the collision prevention device, FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a collision determination process, and FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a primary alarm. In general, this type of warning alerts the driver to safe driving when the distance between vehicles is not sufficient.
There is a secondary alarm and a secondary alarm that notifies that the risk of collision is high. In the second embodiment, in addition to the first embodiment, a function is provided that can output a warning by determining a collision only with respect to a preceding vehicle. In the case of canceling the secondary alarm, the additional function is performed as a primary alarm process.

That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the collision prevention device 2 includes a stereo optical system 10, an image processing unit 50, and road shapes and obstacles recognized by the image processing unit 50.
It comprises a collision determination unit 70 for determining the possibility of a collision from data of a three-dimensional object such as a preceding vehicle. Then, the image processing unit 50
Further, sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor 4, a yaw rate sensor 5, and a steering angle sensor 6 are connected to the collision judging section 70, and a collision warning or the like output from the collision judging section 70 is displayed on the display 9. I have.

The collision judging section 70 has a function as a traveling area setting means, a traveling area three-dimensional object extracting means, a collision possibility evaluating means and an output means, and detects the road shape and vehicle speed detected by the image processing section 50. Based on the input data from the sensor 4, the yaw rate sensor 5, and the steering angle sensor 6, the travel route of the own vehicle 1 is estimated to set the travel area of the own vehicle 1, and within the travel area or in the travel area. All vehicles and obstacles to be hung are extracted from the plurality of vehicles and obstacles detected by the image processing unit 50. Then, the collision risk is calculated for all the extracted vehicles and obstacles. If at least one of the collision risk is high, the collision risk is displayed on the display 9 to warn the driver and operate the brake (not shown). Or an operation signal to an automatic brake device (not shown) or the like is output. The collision determination process is the same as the collision determination described in the first embodiment, and is performed as a secondary warning process. On the other hand, when the alarm is canceled in the secondary alarm process, a three-dimensional object that is the closest to the host vehicle 1 from among the vehicles and obstacles in the travel area or all the travel areas (in this second embodiment, When the distance from the preceding vehicle is shorter than a set distance, a primary warning process is displayed on the display 9 to give a primary warning to the driver.

The image processing section 50 and the collision judging section 7
Specifically, the hardware configuration of the image processing computer 0 is as shown in FIG. 13. The image processing computer 30 mainly includes a microprocessor 30a that mainly performs processing for detecting a road shape, and mainly detects individual solid objects. And a microprocessor 30b for performing a process for determining the risk of collision by mainly setting a traveling area of the vehicle 1 and calculating a collision risk for all vehicles and obstacles in or on the traveling area. The system has a multi-microprocessor system configuration in which a microprocessor 40c that performs processing is connected in parallel via a system bus 31.

Next, a collision determination process according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the program shown in FIG. 14 executed by the microprocessor 40c.

In the program of the collision determination process, first, a secondary alarm determination process is performed in S401, and the process proceeds to S402, where it is determined whether or not the result of the secondary alarm process is cancelled.

Then, as a result of the determination in S402, if the alarm is released, the flow proceeds to S403 to perform the primary alarm processing and exit from the program.
Only the secondary alarm determination process is repeated.

Therefore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, a distinction is made such that the judgment of the secondary alarm processing is performed for all three-dimensional objects and the judgment of the primary alarm processing is performed for the preceding vehicle. Therefore, the primary alarm is issued only for the preceding vehicle without being frequently issued for all three-dimensional objects, and an appropriate alarm is issued.

The secondary alarm processing is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, so that the description is omitted. An example of the primary alarm will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in S501, the preceding vehicle is specified from all three-dimensional objects (determined by the secondary alarm process; S101 to S106 in FIG. 3) in or on the traveling area.

Next, the program proceeds to S502, where the deceleration α of the preceding vehicle is calculated. The preceding vehicle deceleration α is a new preceding vehicle speed Vis from the speed Vis (n-1) of the preceding vehicle obtained last time.
(n) is subtracted, and this is divided by the measurement time Δt.

Then, the program proceeds to S503, in which the preceding vehicle deceleration α and the reference deceleration αk set in advance through experiments or the like are set.
If the preceding vehicle deceleration α is greater than or equal to the reference deceleration αk and the preceding vehicle is greatly decelerated, the process proceeds to S504, and the grace time Ts ′ used for the safety inter-vehicle distance Xs described later is changed to the normal grace time Ts1. The value is set to a value (Ts' ← Ts1 + ΔT) to which an increment ΔT (both are preset times) is added. On the other hand, if the preceding vehicle deceleration α is less than the reference deceleration αk (the preceding vehicle is not significantly decelerating),
Proceeding to S505, the grace time Ts' is changed to the normal grace time Ts1.
(Ts' ← Ts1).

When the setting of the grace period Ts' is completed in S504 or S505, the flow advances to S506 to calculate the safe inter-vehicle distance Xs based on the following equation (8). Xs = −Vis (n) ² / (2 · αismax) + (Ve ² / (2 · αemax) + Ve · Ts ′) (8) where αemax is the set maximum deceleration of the own vehicle, and αismax is the preceding vehicle Is the set maximum deceleration.

Then, the process proceeds to S507, where the distance Xk1 between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is compared with the safe inter-vehicle distance Xs. If the distance Xk1 to the preceding vehicle becomes equal to or less than the safe inter-vehicle distance Xs (Xs ≦ Xk1), the process proceeds to S508. Proceed, display a collision warning on the display 9 to call the driver's attention, and exit the routine.

On the other hand, at S507, the distance X from the preceding vehicle is determined.
If k1 is greater than the safe inter-vehicle distance Xs (if Xs> Xk1), the process proceeds to S509, and if a collision warning has already been issued and the danger of a collision has disappeared in subsequent operations, the collision warning is released, Exit the routine.

As described above, the primary warning sets the safe inter-vehicle distance in accordance with the deceleration of the preceding vehicle. For example, when the preceding vehicle decelerates at a deceleration greater than a predetermined value, that is, when the preceding vehicle decelerates suddenly, the safety inter-vehicle distance is set. The safety is ensured because the distance is set longer and the alarm is activated earlier. On the other hand, if the vehicle accelerates to overtake the preceding vehicle and the relative speed with the preceding vehicle changes, the alarm will not be activated earlier, so the driver's will will be reflected and it will be natural and easy to use It has become.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the primary alarm has been described in the above-described example. However, the primary alarm may be configured in another example. Alternatively, the collision risk of the preceding vehicle may be obtained, and control may be performed using the collision risk.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a collision preventing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Vehicle 1 of this embodiment
The anti-collision device 101 mounted on the camera 00 is a monocular CCD camera 102 instead of stereo image processing by two cameras, and a scanning system that emits and receives laser beams at regular intervals in a predetermined scanning range. In combination with the laser radar 103, an obstacle outside the vehicle, a preceding vehicle, and the like are recognized to determine a collision.

For this reason, in the third embodiment, the signal from the monocular CCD camera 102 and the signal from the scanning laser radar 103 which are employed in place of the stereo optical system 10 are compared with those in the first embodiment. The processing is performed by the processing unit 110. That is, the laser beam is projected from the scanning laser radar 103, and the process of measuring the distance to the object from the time required until the projected laser beam hits the object and receives the light reflected from the object is repeated, whereby the forward laser beam is emitted. A two-dimensional distribution of a plurality of obstacles and vehicles is obtained, and an image captured by the CCD camera 102 is analyzed to detect left and right white line positions.

The information from the image processing section 110, the vehicle speed sensor 4, the yaw rate sensor 5, the steering angle sensor 6
Based on the input data from
The collision determination unit 60 estimates a traveling route of the own vehicle from now on, and specifies a preceding vehicle to be followed and an object at risk of collision from among the plurality of detected vehicles and obstacles, and makes a collision determination.

In the third embodiment, similarly to the above-described embodiments, the traveling path of the own vehicle can be predicted by accurately reflecting the driver's steering operation, and an obstacle or a preceding vehicle can be appropriately detected. Thus, it is possible to accurately judge the danger of a collision without issuing an unnecessary warning.

[0080]

As described above, according to the present invention, the running state of the host vehicle, the road shape and the three-dimensional object in the running direction of the host vehicle are detected, and the running state of the host vehicle and the detection result of the road shape are detected. The travel area of the own vehicle is set based on the vehicle area, all three-dimensional objects in the travel area or over the travel area are extracted, and a preset operation is performed on all the extracted three-dimensional objects, and Since the possibility of collision of the own vehicle with the three-dimensional object is evaluated and a predetermined control output is performed based on the possibility of collision, the possibility of collision with a plurality of vehicles or obstacles existing in the traveling direction of the own vehicle is accurately determined. In addition, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that quick collision can be reliably performed to prevent collision and reliability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a collision prevention device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of the collision prevention device;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a collision determination process according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a traveling area setting routine according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another example of the traveling area setting routine.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a map showing a relationship between a warning inter-vehicle distance, a host vehicle speed, and a relative speed;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the position of the own vehicle after traveling for T0 seconds;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a traveling area according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing detection of a lane change according to the example of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a traveling area according to the example of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of a case where a parked vehicle and a preceding vehicle exist in front of the vehicle;

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a collision prevention device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a circuit block diagram of the collision prevention device;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a collision determination process according to the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the primary alarm according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram of a collision prevention device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle (own vehicle) 2 ... Collision prevention device 4 ... Vehicle speed sensor 5 ... Yaw rate sensor 6 ... Steering angle sensor 9 ... Display 10 ... Stereo optical system 50 ... Image processing unit 60 ... Collision judgment unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] A traveling state detecting means for detecting a traveling state of the own vehicle; a traveling environment detecting means for detecting a road shape and a three-dimensional object in a traveling direction of the own vehicle; A traveling area setting means for setting a traveling area of the host vehicle based on a shape detection result; and extracting all three-dimensional objects in the traveling area and the traveling area from the three-dimensional objects detected by the traveling environment detecting means. Traveling region three-dimensional object extraction means, collision possibility evaluation means for performing a preset operation for all the extracted three-dimensional objects, and evaluating the collision possibility of the own vehicle for each three-dimensional object, Output means for performing predetermined control output based on the possibility of collision with any of the three-dimensional objects. 2. The three-dimensional object closest to the host vehicle is extracted from all the three-dimensional objects extracted by the three-dimensional object extracting means in the traveling area, and the collision is obtained for the three-dimensional object closest to the subject vehicle. A first control output unit for performing predetermined control output based on the possibility information, and a second control output unit for performing predetermined control output based on the possibility of collision with all the three-dimensional objects in the possibility of collision evaluation means The collision preventing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the device is formed by: 3. The driving environment detecting means for processing an image picked up by a stereo optical system to detect a road shape and a three-dimensional object in a driving direction of the host vehicle. The vehicle collision prevention device according to claim 2. 4. The traveling environment detecting means combines a scanning laser radar and a monocular camera, processes information obtained from these, and detects a road shape and a three-dimensional object in the traveling direction of the own vehicle. The vehicle collision prevention device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: