JPH11353599A - Vehicle running support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To acquire the peripheral condition of user's vehicle in its early stages relating to a vehicle running support device which controls running user's vehicle in accordance with states of plural vehicles and obstacles which exist in the front of the vehicle. SOLUTION: A radar is constituted which detects plural vehicles running ahead of user's vehicle by two-dimensional scanning of a front radar antenna. If a vehicle just ahead of a preceding one doesn't change the running lane, running of user's vehicle is controlled so as to reduce the distance between the user's vehicle and a preceding vehicle (step 66). If the vehicle just ahead of the preceding one changes the running lane and a running lane adjacent to the running lane of the user's vehicle has no space, running of the user's vehicle is controlled so as to increase this distance (step 78). If the adjacent running lane has a space, running of the user's vehicle is so controlled that the user's vehicle can enter this adjacent running lane (steps 72 and 76).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle driving support device, and more particularly to a vehicle suitable as a device for controlling driving of a vehicle by detecting a plurality of vehicles existing in front of the vehicle using a radar. The present invention relates to a driving support device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 00, there is known a vehicle travel support device that allows a vehicle to travel safely based on a traveling state of a vehicle traveling ahead of a vehicle traveling immediately before the vehicle. In the above-described conventional device, inter-vehicle communication is performed between a host vehicle and a vehicle running immediately before the host vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as a first preceding vehicle). For this reason, the own vehicle can acquire the traveling data on the traveling state transmitted by the first preceding vehicle.

Further, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, a first preceding vehicle and a vehicle running immediately before the first preceding vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a second traveling vehicle).
The vehicle communication is also performed with the preceding vehicle. For this reason, the first preceding vehicle can acquire the traveling data transmitted by the second preceding vehicle. Therefore, if the above-mentioned vehicle-to-vehicle communication is used, the own vehicle travels two cars ahead of the second
The traveling data of the preceding vehicle can also be acquired. For this reason, according to the above-mentioned conventional device, it is possible to appropriately control the traveling of the host vehicle in accordance with the traveling state of the second preceding vehicle traveling two vehicles ahead of the host vehicle.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus,
As described above, vehicle-to-vehicle communication is used for transmission and reception of traveling data relating to the traveling state of a vehicle. In order for this inter-vehicle communication to be established, both the first preceding vehicle and the second preceding vehicle need to transmit their own traveling data. That is, the first preceding vehicle and the second preceding vehicle need to be equipped with an inter-vehicle communication device.

[0005] However, there is a case where the preceding vehicle preceding the own vehicle does not have an inter-vehicle communication device for transmitting its own traveling data. Further, the preceding vehicle may not be able to transmit its own traveling data due to a failure of the inter-vehicle communication device. In such a case, the own vehicle cannot acquire such a running state of the preceding vehicle. In the inter-vehicle communication, the own vehicle cannot detect an obstacle existing in front of the preceding vehicle. For this reason, in the conventional device described above,
There has been an inconvenience that the traveling state of the preceding vehicle to which the traveling data is not transmitted and the obstacle existing in front of the preceding vehicle cannot be appropriately reflected on the traveling of the host vehicle.

When the own vehicle is controlled based on the running states of a plurality of preceding vehicles, the vehicle that has the greatest influence is the first preceding vehicle that runs immediately before the own vehicle. In a situation where the own vehicle is controlled to run based on the running state of the first preceding vehicle, another vehicle may intervene between the own vehicle and the first preceding vehicle (hereinafter, this vehicle is referred to as an interrupting vehicle). Name). In such a case, it is desirable that the own vehicle be controlled to travel early according to the interrupted vehicle. For this purpose, it is important to acquire the running state of the interrupted vehicle early.

In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, when the interrupting vehicle completely interrupts between the own vehicle and the first preceding vehicle, the own vehicle acquires the running state of the interrupting vehicle. When a part of the interrupted vehicle interrupts between the host vehicle and the first preceding vehicle, the host vehicle has not yet acquired the running state of the interrupted vehicle. Therefore, with the above-described conventional device, the traveling state of the interrupted vehicle cannot be acquired early. For this reason, in the above-mentioned conventional device, there has been a disadvantage that the traveling state of the interrupted vehicle cannot be reflected on the traveling of the host vehicle at an early stage.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a first object of the present invention is to reliably detect the behavior and obstacles of a plurality of vehicles traveling ahead of the own vehicle.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle traveling support device that allows an own vehicle to travel safely by detecting an interrupting vehicle early.

[0009]

The first object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle according to the present invention based on a reflected wave of a first radar signal wave emitted toward the front of the vehicle. First preceding vehicle detecting means for detecting a first preceding vehicle located immediately before, and a second radar signal irradiated in a direction different from the irradiation direction of the first radar signal wave ahead of the own vehicle. A second preceding vehicle detecting means for detecting a second preceding vehicle located immediately before the first preceding vehicle based on a reflected wave of the wave; a detection result of the first preceding vehicle detecting means; This is achieved by a vehicle travel support device including: a vehicle-to-vehicle control unit that performs vehicle-to-vehicle control between the host vehicle and the first preceding vehicle based on a detection result of the vehicle detection unit.

In the present invention, the first preceding vehicle existing immediately before the own vehicle is detected. Further, a second preceding vehicle existing immediately before the first preceding vehicle is detected. That is, the host vehicle can detect not only the first preceding vehicle immediately before the host vehicle but also the second preceding vehicle in front of the first preceding vehicle.
The traveling of the host vehicle is controlled such that the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the first preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined distance in accordance with the detected first preceding vehicle and the second preceding vehicle. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately drive the host vehicle by quickly grasping the situation around the host vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle traveling support apparatus according to the first aspect, based on a detection result of the second preceding vehicle detecting means, the second preceding vehicle is adjacent to a traveling lane in which the second traveling vehicle is traveling. Lane change determining means for determining whether or not the lane has been changed to a running lane to be changed, and lane change for determining whether or not it is possible to change the lane from a running lane in which the own vehicle is running to an adjacent running lane The possibility determination means and the lane change determination means determine that the second preceding vehicle has changed lanes to an adjacent driving lane, and the lane change possibility determination means changes the lane to an adjacent driving lane. Lane change support means for performing a driving support process for causing the subject vehicle to change lanes to an adjacent driving lane when it is determined that the lane change is possible. The vehicle driving support device is characterized by not only controlling the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, but also driving the adjacent driving lane without stopping the own vehicle according to the driving state of the preceding vehicle. This is effective for changing lanes.

In the present invention, if it is determined that the second preceding vehicle has changed lanes to an adjacent driving lane, and if it is determined that the host vehicle can change lanes to an adjacent driving lane, the host vehicle has Is performed to change the lane to the adjacent traveling lane. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to prepare for changing the vehicle to the adjacent traveling lane. In addition, "running support processing" refers to processing that is performed to change the host vehicle to an adjacent driving lane, such as determining whether the host vehicle can enter an adjacent driving lane. Also, controlling the travel of the own vehicle according to the determination result is included.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the driving support apparatus according to the second aspect, the lane change support means causes the vehicle to be adjacent to an entry position of an adjacent driving lane in the driving lane. The vehicle travel support device including the travel control means for performing travel control is effective in preparing for changing the host vehicle to the adjacent travel lane.

In the present invention, the traveling control of the own vehicle is performed in accordance with the approach position of the adjacent traveling lane so that the own vehicle can change lanes to the adjacent traveling lane. For this reason, according to the present invention, it is easy to change the host vehicle to the adjacent driving lane. As set forth in claim 4, in the vehicle traveling assist device according to any one of claims 2 and 3, the lane change assisting means is configured to perform the lane change assisting based on a reflected wave of the second radar signal wave. 1
An obstacle determining means for determining whether or not an obstacle exists immediately before the preceding vehicle; and, when the obstacle determining means determines that the obstacle is present, a lane to the adjacent driving lane And a lane change instructing means for instructing to change the vehicle lane. The vehicle travel assist device determines whether or not the lane change of the second preceding vehicle to the adjacent traveling lane is due to the presence of an obstacle. It is effective in determining.

In the present invention, it is determined whether or not there is an obstacle that hinders the running of the host vehicle immediately before the first preceding vehicle. When there is an obstacle that hinders the running of the host vehicle immediately before the first preceding vehicle, an instruction is issued to change the host vehicle to an adjacent driving lane. Therefore, according to the present invention, when the lane change of the second preceding vehicle to the adjacent traveling lane is caused by an obstacle, the own vehicle can be changed to the adjacent traveling lane similarly to the second preceding vehicle. It becomes possible. The “instruction” is an instruction for changing the vehicle to the adjacent driving lane, and is not limited to a rotation instruction to the steering wheel for steering the vehicle without regard to the driver's intention. A warning instruction to the driver for turning the steering wheel is also included.

A second object of the present invention is to irradiate a first radar signal wave toward the front of the host vehicle so as to detect a preceding vehicle located immediately before the host vehicle. A radar signal wave transmitting means for irradiating a second radar signal wave so as to detect the preceding vehicle and a preceding vehicle located immediately before the preceding vehicle; and receiving a reflected wave of the first radar signal wave. A reflected wave receiving means for receiving a reflected wave of the second radar signal wave, and another vehicle entering immediately before the subject vehicle based on a reception state of the reflected wave received by the reflected wave receiving means. And a vehicle entry determining means for determining whether or not the driving has been performed.

In the present invention, a first radar signal wave and a second radar signal wave are emitted to detect a preceding vehicle located ahead of the own vehicle. Further, a reflected wave of the first radar signal wave and a reflected wave of the second radar signal wave are received. Based on the received reflected wave, it is determined whether or not another vehicle has entered immediately before the host vehicle. Therefore, according to the present invention, another vehicle entering between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle can be detected early. For this reason,
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to make a self-vehicle run accurately by grasping | ascertaining the situation around the self-vehicle quickly.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle driving support device according to the fifth aspect, the vehicle entry determining means includes:
In a situation where the reflected wave receiving means is continuously receiving the reflected wave of the first radar signal wave and the reflected wave of the second radar signal wave, only the reflected wave of the first radar signal wave is received. The vehicle travel support device, which determines that another vehicle has entered between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle located immediately before the host vehicle when reception is stopped, is effective above. .

In the present invention, when the reflected wave of the first radar signal wave and the reflected wave of the second radar signal wave are continuously received, and then the reflected wave of the first radar signal wave is not received. Thus, a situation is formed in which another target enters between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that another vehicle has entered between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. Therefore, according to the present invention, another vehicle entering between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle can be detected early.

As described in claim 7, claims 1 to 6
In the vehicle driving support device according to any one of the above, the irradiation direction of the second radar signal wave is set to be reflected before the second radar signal wave reaches the preceding vehicle. The feature of the vehicle driving support device is the second device.
It is effective in grasping the irradiation direction of the radar signal wave.

In the present invention, the second radar signal wave is reflected on, for example, a road surface, a guardrail, a tunnel, another vehicle or the like before reaching the preceding vehicle. If the second radar signal wave is reflected before reaching the preceding vehicle, it is possible to detect a preceding vehicle which is present immediately before the preceding vehicle existing immediately before the own vehicle and cannot be seen from the own vehicle. . Therefore, according to the present invention, not only the preceding vehicle existing immediately before the own vehicle but also another preceding vehicle existing in front of the preceding vehicle can be detected.

As described in claim 8, claims 1 to 7
The irradiation direction of the second radar signal wave is such that the irradiation direction of the second radar signal wave reaches the preceding vehicle after the second radar signal wave is reflected on a road surface in front of the own vehicle. The vehicle travel support device, which is set to (1), is effective in grasping the irradiation direction of the second radar signal wave.

In the present invention, the second radar signal wave reaches the preceding vehicle after being reflected on the road surface. When the second radar signal wave reaches the preceding vehicle after being reflected on the road surface, it is possible to detect a preceding vehicle that is present immediately before the preceding vehicle existing immediately before the own vehicle and cannot be seen from the own vehicle. Become. Therefore, according to the present invention, not only the preceding vehicle existing immediately before the own vehicle but also another preceding vehicle existing in front of the preceding vehicle can be detected.

As set forth in claim 9, claims 1 to 8
The vehicle travel support device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second radar signal wave is a millimeter wave, and the vehicle travel support device is effective in identifying the second radar signal wave. is there. In the present invention, a millimeter wave radar is used as the second radar signal wave. Millimeter wave radar can be reflected on, for example, a road surface, a guardrail, a tunnel, and other vehicles. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect not only the preceding vehicle immediately before the own vehicle but also another preceding vehicle existing in front of the preceding vehicle.

[0025]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a vehicle driving support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The device of this embodiment is a radar electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as a radar E).
CU) 10 and a travel control electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as a travel ECU) 12. A vehicle speed sensor 14 is connected to the radar ECU 10. The vehicle speed sensor 14 generates a pulse signal at a cycle according to the vehicle speed. The radar ECU 10 detects a vehicle speed V based on a pulse signal output from the vehicle speed sensor 14.

A front radar antenna 16 is connected to the radar ECU 10. Forward radar antenna 1
6 is FM-CW (Frequency Modulation-Continuous)
Wave) is a component of radar. Forward radar antenna 1
Numeral 6 is arranged, for example, near the front grill of the vehicle so that a predetermined area in front of the vehicle can be continuously and two-dimensionally scanned at a predetermined cycle. The front radar antenna 16 is an antenna having directivity using a millimeter wave as a carrier wave, and transmits and receives signals with a predetermined beam angle spread. The radar ECU 10 performs an appropriate process on a signal supplied from the front radar antenna 16 to detect an object (for example, a running vehicle, a stopped vehicle, an obstacle, or the like) existing in a predetermined area ahead of the own vehicle. .

A side detection sensor 18 is connected to the radar ECU 10. The side detection sensor 18 is configured by a laser radar. Side detection sensor 18
Is disposed, for example, near a corner of the vehicle so that a predetermined region on the side of the vehicle can be scanned at a predetermined cycle. The radar ECU 10 includes the side detection sensor 1
By subjecting the signal supplied from 8 to appropriate processing,
An object existing in a predetermined area on the side from the own vehicle is detected.

The radar ECU 10 supplies a result of detection by the front radar antenna 16 and a result of detection by the side detection sensor 18 to the traveling ECU 12. The steering ECU 22 is connected with a steering wheel 22, a brake 24, a throttle 26, and an alarm 28. Running E
The CU 12 drives the steering wheel 22, the brake 24, the throttle 26, or the alarm 28 according to a preset logic when another vehicle or the like exists in front of or on the side of the vehicle. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the driver can be alerted and the vehicle can be decelerated.

FIG. 2 (A) shows a case where one vehicle 32 ahead of the vehicle 30 equipped with the vehicle driving support device shown in FIG. 1 is radiated from the front radar antenna 16 of the vehicle 30. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining transmission and reception of a radar signal. FIG. 2B shows two preceding vehicles 32 and 3 in front of a vehicle 30 equipped with the vehicle driving support device shown in FIG.
4 is a diagram for explaining transmission and reception of a radar signal emitted from the front radar antenna 16 in the vehicle 30 in a situation where 4 exists.

In this embodiment, a radar signal subjected to frequency modulation is transmitted from the front radar antenna 16.
As shown in FIG.
Is present, the radar signal is reflected to the preceding vehicle 32,
The reflected wave is directly received by the front radar antenna 16. The radar ECU 10 is connected to the front radar antenna 16 as described above. The signal received by the front radar antenna 16 as described above (hereinafter, this signal is referred to as a direct reflection signal) is processed by the radar ECU 10.
Thereby, the radar ECU 10 can detect the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed between the preceding vehicle 32 and the vehicle 30.

The radar signal transmitted from the front radar antenna 16 is two-dimensionally scanned. The irradiation direction of the radar signal transmitted from the front radar antenna 16 is always recognized by the radar ECU 10. Also,
The radar signal uses a millimeter wave as a carrier. Therefore, the radar signal transmitted from the front radar antenna 16 can be reflected on the road surface of the traveling lane on which the vehicle 30 travels. When the radar signal can be reflected on the road surface, when the preceding vehicle 32 exists in front of the vehicle 30, the radar signal is reflected by the preceding vehicle 32,
The reflected wave can be received by the front radar antenna 16. The received signal (hereinafter, this signal is referred to as a road surface reflection signal) is also processed by the radar ECU 10.
Therefore, the radar ECU 10 can also detect the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed between the preceding vehicle 32 and the vehicle 30 by this method.

The traveling ECU 12 is connected to the radar ECU 10 as described above. The radar ECU 10 transmits the reception result of the front radar antenna 16 to the traveling ECU 12.
To supply. Based on these results, the traveling ECU 12 controls the brake 24 and the throttle 26 so that an appropriate inter-vehicle distance is maintained between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32.
Drive. Accordingly, the vehicle 30 can travel while maintaining an appropriate inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle 32.

When the vehicle 30 is following the preceding vehicle 32, as shown in FIG.
In some cases, an approaching vehicle may enter between the two. in this case,
The vehicle to which the vehicle 30 should pay the most attention changes from the preceding vehicle 32 to the approaching vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary for the vehicle 30 to promptly change the traveling according to the traveling of the approaching vehicle. In order to quickly change the traveling of the own vehicle according to the traveling of the entering vehicle, it is important to grasp the traveling state of the entering vehicle at an early stage.

FIG. 3A shows a preceding vehicle 32 running on the same running lane as the vehicle 30 and a running lane adjacent to the running lane on which the vehicle 30 runs, around the vehicle 30 equipped with the vehicle running support device of this embodiment. This shows a situation in which there is an overtaking vehicle (entering vehicle) 34 traveling on a traveling lane (hereinafter, referred to as an adjacent traveling lane). FIG. 3B shows that an overtaking vehicle 34 performs a lane change between a vehicle 30 equipped with the vehicle traveling support device of the present embodiment and a preceding vehicle 32 traveling on the same traveling lane as the vehicle 30. To indicate the situation.

In this embodiment, the irradiation angle range indicated by θA in FIG. 3 is used as the effective irradiation range of the front radar antenna 16. In this embodiment, FIG.
The detection angle range indicated by θB is the side detection sensor 1
8 is used as the effective detection range. The approaching vehicle 34 entering between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32 travels on the adjacent traveling lane, passes the vehicle 30, and then enters the traveling lane. In this embodiment, the side detection sensor 18 monitors an adjacent traveling lane adjacent to the traveling lane in which the vehicle 30 travels. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A, the vehicle 30 can detect the overtaking vehicle 34 traveling on the adjacent traveling lane by the side detection sensor 18.

When the vehicle 30 is following the preceding vehicle 32 while continuously catching the preceding vehicle 32, when the side detection sensor 18 detects the passing vehicle 34 traveling in the adjacent traveling lane, The vehicle is a vehicle 30 and a preceding vehicle 3
2 is recognized as an entry candidate vehicle. Then, the vehicle 30 captures the approach candidate vehicle. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), when the entry candidate vehicle attempts to enter between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32 as the entry vehicle 34, a part of the entry vehicle 34 becomes an effective irradiation range of the front radar antenna 16. And the front radar antenna 16
The radar signal emitted from the vehicle may be reflected on the side of the vehicle body of the approaching vehicle 34. In such a case, the vehicle 30 cannot detect the approaching vehicle 34.

As described above, the radar signal transmitted from the front radar antenna 16 is two-dimensionally scanned. For this reason, even when a part of the approaching vehicle 34 falls within the effective irradiation range of the front radar antenna 16, the radar signal emitted from the front radar antenna 16 does not
By passing under the vehicle body of No. 4, the preceding vehicle 32 can be detected.

Therefore, according to the direct reflection signal received by the front radar antenna 16, when the approaching vehicle 34 enters between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32, the radar signal is reflected on the side of the approaching vehicle 34. Therefore, the approaching vehicle 34 cannot be detected. On the other hand, the approaching vehicle 34 is the vehicle 30
When the vehicle enters completely between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle 32, the radar signal is reflected by the vehicle 34, so that the vehicle 3
4 can be detected. Further, according to the road surface reflection signal, even when the approaching vehicle 34 enters between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32, the preceding vehicle 32 is always detected by the radar signal passing under the body of the approaching vehicle 34. can do.

Therefore, when the direct reflection signal is not received and the road surface reflection signal is received, it is determined that there is a high possibility that the entering vehicle 34 has entered between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32. it can. The vehicle driving support device of the present embodiment is
When the direct reflection signal is not received and the road surface reflection signal is received, it is recognized that the approaching vehicle 34 has entered between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32. According to this, the vehicle 30
It is possible to recognize the approaching vehicle 34 entering between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32 at an early stage, and to allow the vehicle 30 to travel accurately according to the surrounding situation.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example of a control routine executed by the radar ECU 10 provided in the vehicle driving support system of the present embodiment to realize the above functions. The routine shown in FIG. 4 is a routine that is repeatedly started at predetermined time intervals. When the routine shown in FIG. 4 is started, first, the process of step 40 is executed. In step 40, a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle 30 is detected based on the reception signal of the front radar antenna 16.

In step 42, a vehicle traveling on an adjacent traveling lane is detected based on the output signal of the side detection sensor 18. In step 44, based on the radar signal emitted to the side of the vehicle 30, it is predicted that the vehicle will enter the adjacent traveling lane adjacent to the traveling lane in which the vehicle 30 travels between the preceding vehicle 32 and the vehicle 30. It is determined whether or not there is an approaching candidate vehicle. After it is determined in step 44 that there is an entry candidate vehicle, the vehicle continues traveling on the adjacent traveling lane or enters between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32. When the entry candidate vehicle continues to travel in the adjacent traveling lane as it is, the vehicle 30 may follow the preceding vehicle 32 and travel. On the other hand, when the entry candidate vehicle enters between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32, the vehicle 30 needs to follow the entry candidate vehicle. Therefore, if it is determined that there is an entry candidate vehicle, the process of step 46 is executed next.

In step 46, the front radar antenna 1
A part of the radar signal emitted from
It is determined whether or not the light is blocked before the light is reflected. When the candidate entry vehicle enters between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32, the entry candidate vehicle enters the effective irradiation range of the front radar antenna 16. At this time, if the radar signal continuously emitted from the front radar antenna 16 is reflected on the side of the vehicle body of the entry candidate vehicle, the front radar antenna 16 cannot receive the reflected signal. The irradiation direction of the front radar antenna 16 is always recognized by the radar ECU 10. Therefore, the radar E
The CU 10 can recognize the irradiation direction of the front radar antenna 16 that cannot receive the reflected signal.

The radar ECU 10 continuously recognizes the relative position of the entry candidate vehicle by the side detection sensor 18. Therefore, the radar ECU 10 is provided with the side detection sensor 18.
, The relative position of the entry candidate vehicle is continuously recognized, and when the direction of the relative position matches the irradiation direction that the front radar antenna 16 cannot receive, the entry candidate vehicle is set to the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32. Can be determined to have entered between. Therefore, if it is determined that the radar signal emitted from the front radar antenna 16 has been cut off, the process of step 48 is executed next.

In step 48, it is determined that there is an approaching vehicle 34 entering between the preceding vehicle 32 and the vehicle 30 traveling on the same traveling lane as the vehicle 30. Then, when the process of step 48 is completed, the current routine is completed. When it is determined in step 44 that there is no entry candidate vehicle, and in step 46
If it is determined that the radar signal emitted from the front radar antenna 16 is not interrupted, the current routine ends.

According to the above processing, it is possible to grasp at an early stage that the entering vehicle 34 enters between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32. As described above, the traveling ECU 12 is connected to the radar ECU 10. Travel ECU 12
Outputs a control signal based on the detection result of the radar ECU 10. Specifically, when it is recognized that the approaching vehicle 34 has entered between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32, the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32 is increased, that is, the vehicle The opening of the throttle 26 is reduced so that the speed of the throttle 30 is reduced, and the brake 24 is operated.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the preceding vehicle 32 exists in front of the vehicle 30, the preceding vehicle 32 is set as the vehicle to be controlled, and the entering vehicle 34 enters between the vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle 32. In this case, the vehicle traveling control of the vehicle 30 can be executed with the approaching vehicle 34 as the traveling control target vehicle. For this reason, according to the vehicle running support device of the present embodiment, the running control of the vehicle 30 is quickly performed by the vehicle 30 detecting the immediately preceding vehicle early without receiving the running state from another vehicle. Thus, the vehicle 30 can run safely.

In this embodiment, the preceding vehicle 32 traveling ahead of the vehicle 30 is continuously recognized based on two signals, a direct reflection signal and a road surface reflection signal. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, even if a metal piece such as an empty can is detected by the road surface reflection signal, the preceding vehicle can be reliably identified. In the above embodiment, the preceding vehicle 32 transmits the millimeter wave transmitted from the front radar antenna 16 to the "preceding vehicle located immediately before the subject vehicle" according to claim 5. One radar signal wave "
The approaching vehicle 34 may be connected to the “second vehicle” and the “second vehicle” by the front radar antenna 16.
Correspond to the “radar signal wave transmitting means” and the “reflected wave receiving means” in claim 5, respectively, and the radar ECU 10 executes the processing in step 44 and step 46 described above. The "vehicle approach determination means" described in 2 is realized.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the received signal of the indirect wave and the received signal of the direct wave are compared by utilizing the reflection of the road surface on which the vehicle travels. The present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use a wall surface of a traveling lane, a ceiling in a tunnel, or the like. Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The system according to the present embodiment uses the traveling E
This is realized by causing the CU 12 to execute the routine shown in FIG.

The system of the present embodiment is characterized in that the traveling of the own vehicle is controlled by detecting a plurality of vehicles existing in front of the vehicle using the directivity of the front radar antenna 16. . FIG. 5 shows a front vehicle 52 and a two-way vehicle 5 in front of a vehicle 50 equipped with the vehicle driving support device of the present embodiment.
4 is a diagram for explaining transmission and reception of a radar signal emitted from a front radar antenna 16 in a vehicle 50 in a situation where 4 exists.

In the present embodiment, a radar signal subjected to frequency modulation is transmitted from the front radar antenna 16.
As shown in FIG. 5, when a forward vehicle 52 exists in front of the vehicle 50, a radar signal is reflected by the forward vehicle 52, and the reflected wave is directly received by the forward radar antenna 16. Also, if the two-way vehicle 54 is present ahead of the front vehicle 52, the radar signal passes under the vehicle body of the front vehicle 52 and is reflected by the two-way vehicle 54, and the reflected wave is reflected under the vehicle body of the front vehicle 52. Through the front radar antenna 16 of the vehicle 50
Is received. Therefore, the radar ECU 10 can detect the following distance and the relative speed between the preceding vehicle 52 and the own vehicle 50, and the following distance and the relative speed between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle 50.

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a situation in which a front vehicle 52 and a two-way vehicle 54 are present in front of a vehicle 50 equipped with the vehicle driving support device of this embodiment. FIG. 6 (B)
A situation in which, of the forward vehicle 52 and the forward vehicle 54 existing in front of the vehicle 50 equipped with the vehicle travel support device of the present embodiment, the forward vehicle vehicle 54 located farther from the host vehicle 50 changes the driving lane. FIG.

In this embodiment, the front radar antenna 1
6 can recognize an object existing in the effective irradiation range in front of the vehicle 50. As shown in FIG. 6A, when two vehicles exist in the effective irradiation range, the vehicle 50
As shown in the figure, the front vehicle 52 and the front vehicle 52 are generated by the radar signal supplied from the front radar antenna 16.
The vehicle 54 located ahead of the vehicle is recognized. The running of the vehicle 50 is controlled based on the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed between the two vehicles.

As shown in FIG. 6 (B), the vehicle 54 may change lanes before the preceding vehicle. In this case, the two-way vehicle 54
, There is a high possibility that an obstacle exists in front of the vehicle, and a low possibility that an obstacle exists in an adjacent traveling lane to which the vehicle 54 has changed lanes. For this reason,
If the obstacle is actually present in front of the two-way vehicle 54, if the lane change of the host vehicle 50 is to be performed, the vehicle 50 travels only by changing the driving lane without stopping the vehicle 50. Can be adapted.

In this embodiment, the adjacent traveling lane is monitored by the side detection sensor 18. In particular,
It is determined whether there is no other vehicle in the adjacent traveling lane and an area where the own vehicle 50 can change lanes is effectively secured. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the two-way vehicle 54
By changing the lane of the own vehicle 50 in the case where a lane changeable area is secured in the adjacent driving lane in accordance with the traveling of the vehicle, the own vehicle 50 can be controlled safely and accurately.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an example of a control routine executed by the travel ECU provided in the vehicle travel support device of the present embodiment to realize the above functions. The routine shown in FIG. 7 is a routine that is repeatedly started at predetermined time intervals. When the routine shown in FIG. 7 is started, first, the process of step 60 is executed. In step 60, the following distance control is performed based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 14 and the reception signal of the front radar antenna 16 so that the own vehicle 50 follows the front vehicle 52.

In step 62, a two-way vehicle 54 located in front of the front vehicle 52 based on the radar signal of the front radar antenna 16 passing under the vehicle body of the front vehicle 52.
It is determined whether or not is detected. As a result, if it is determined that the vehicle 54 is not detected, the process of step 60 is repeatedly performed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle 54 is detected, the process of step 64 is executed.

In step 64, it is determined based on the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed between the preceding vehicle 54 and the host vehicle 50 whether or not the preceding vehicle 54 has changed the traveling lane. When it is determined that the vehicle 54 is not changing lanes, the process of step 66 is executed. In step 66, the running of the host vehicle 50 is controlled such that the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 50 and the front vehicle 52 is smaller than the inter-vehicle distance based on the inter-vehicle distance control performed in step 60. Specifically, the traveling ECU
10 supplies a command signal so that the opening degree of the throttle 26 increases.

In step 64, the vehicle 5 ahead of the vehicle 5
If it is determined that No. 4 is changing the traveling lane, the process of step 68 is executed next. Step 6
At 8, based on the output signal of the side detection sensor 18, it is determined whether or not another vehicle exists in the adjacent traveling lane. If there is no other vehicle in the adjacent driving lane,
The host vehicle 50 can travel on an adjacent traveling lane. In this case, the process of step 70 is executed next.

In step 70, travel control is performed so that the vehicle 50 travels in accordance with the travelable zone of the adjacent travel lane. Specifically, when an object is detected in the adjacent traveling lane based on the output signal of the side detection sensor 18, the host vehicle 50 is controlled so that the object is not detected.
Traveling control is performed to increase or decrease the speed of the vehicle.

In step 72, the front radar antenna 1
6, it is determined whether or not an obstacle exists in front of the host vehicle 50. If it is determined that no obstacle exists, the process of step 74 is executed next. In step 74, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since it was determined in step 64 that the preceding vehicle 54 has changed the traveling lane. The host vehicle 50 can predict the position where the obstacle is located based on the position of the lane changed by the preceding vehicle 54. The above predetermined time is
This is the time from when the preceding vehicle 54 changes lanes to when the own vehicle 50 passes through the position where the obstacle is predicted to be present, and is set based on the predicted position and the vehicle speed of the own vehicle 50. . As a result, if it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the processing of step 72 and subsequent steps is repeatedly executed until it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the processing of this routine ends.

If it is determined in step 72 that an obstacle has been detected, the process proceeds to step 76. In step 76, a driving lane change command is issued so that the host vehicle 50 changes the driving lane. Specifically, the traveling ECU 12 generates a torque for rotating the steering wheel 22. Own vehicle 5
If there is an obstacle ahead of the vehicle 0, the host vehicle 50
It is necessary to stop the vehicle or to run around the obstacle. The travel of the host vehicle 50 is controlled in step 70 according to the travelable zone of the adjacent travel lane. Therefore, the present step 76 is executed in
0 is executed to change the traveling lane to the adjacent traveling lane. When the process in step 76 is completed, the current routine ends.

In step 68, if another vehicle is present in the adjacent traveling lane, the own vehicle 50 cannot travel in the adjacent traveling lane. In this case,
Next, the process of step 78 is performed. In step 78, the traveling of the host vehicle 50 is controlled such that the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 50 and the front vehicle 52 is larger than the inter-vehicle distance based on the inter-vehicle distance control performed in step 60. Specifically, the traveling ECU 10 outputs a command signal such that the opening of the throttle 26 decreases or the brake 24 operates.

In step 80, the front radar antenna 1
6, it is determined whether or not an obstacle exists in front of the host vehicle 50. If it is determined that no obstacle exists, the process of step 82 is executed next. In step 82, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since it was determined in step 64 that the vehicle two lanes ahead changed the traveling lane. As a result, if it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the processing of step 72 and subsequent steps is repeatedly executed until it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the processing of this routine ends.

If it is determined in step 80 that an obstacle has been detected in front of the host vehicle 50, then the process of step 84 is executed. In step 84,
A travel stop command is issued so that vehicle 50 stops.
An obstacle is detected in front of the host vehicle 50 and the host vehicle 5
When 0 cannot be changed to the adjacent traveling lane, the own vehicle 50 needs to be stopped in front of the obstacle. Therefore, the process of step 84 is performed. When the process of step 84 is completed, the current routine ends.

According to the above-described processing, when the two-way vehicle 54 does not change lanes, the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 50 and the preceding vehicle 52 is reduced. When the vehicle has changed the traveling lane, the distance between the vehicles is increased according to the traveling state of the adjacent traveling lane, or the vehicle 50 travels in synchronization with the travelable zone. Travel control can be performed.

In addition, according to the above-described processing, the vehicle 5 ahead of the vehicle 5
After the vehicle 4 has changed the traveling lane, if an obstacle is detected in a case where the own vehicle 50 can travel in the adjacent traveling lane, the adjacent vehicle is changed so that the own vehicle 50 changes the traveling lane to avoid the obstacle. If an obstacle is detected when the host vehicle 50 is not able to run in the driving lane, the running control of the host vehicle 50 can be executed so that the host vehicle 50 stops.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the forward vehicle 52
At the same time, the travel of the host vehicle 50 can be controlled in accordance with the travel of the two-way vehicle 54 ahead. For this reason, according to the vehicle running support device of the present embodiment, the running control of the vehicle 50 is quickly performed by the vehicle 50 detecting a plurality of surrounding vehicles without receiving a running state from another vehicle. Thus, the vehicle can be safely driven.

In this embodiment, as described above,
When the vehicle 54 does not change the driving lane,
The traveling of the host vehicle is controlled such that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle 52 and the host vehicle 50 is reduced. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, when the vehicles are running in a platoon, the inter-vehicle distance is reduced, so that the transport efficiency can be increased without lowering the safety.

In the above embodiment, the forward vehicle 5
2 is a “first radar signal wave” and a “second radar signal wave” is a millimeter wave transmitted from the front radar antenna 16 to the “first preceding vehicle” according to the first embodiment. In addition, the two-preceding vehicle 54 corresponds to the “second preceding vehicle” of the first embodiment, and the radar ECU 10 controls the front vehicle 52 based on the direct reflection signal received by the front radar antenna 16. The first vehicle detecting means according to claim 1,
The "second preceding vehicle detecting means" according to claim 1, wherein the second preceding vehicle detecting means detects the preceding vehicle 54 on the basis of the road surface reflection signal received by the front radar antenna 16. The "inter-vehicle distance control means" according to claim 1 is realized by executing the processing.

In the above embodiment, the radar EC
U10 executes the processing of step 64, and the “lane change determination means” according to claim 2 executes the processing of step 68.
The “lane change possibility determination means” described in step 7
The lane change support means according to claim 2 executes the processing after step 0, and the "travel control means" according to claim 3 executes the processing in step 72 by executing the processing in step 70. By executing the processing of step 80, the “obstacle determination means” according to claim 4 is
The "lane change instructing means" is realized by executing the processing in step 76.

By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the traveling of the own vehicle 50 is controlled after the preceding vehicle 54 changes the driving lane and the own vehicle 50 detects an obstacle. Is not limited to this,
Own vehicle 5 to inform the driver of the existence of the obstacle
It is also possible to drive the alarm device 28 mounted on 0.

[0072]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle existing immediately before the host vehicle is determined based on a plurality of preceding vehicles existing in front of the host vehicle. By performing the control, the own vehicle can be safely driven. According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, it is possible to prepare for changing the vehicle to the adjacent traveling lane.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the host vehicle is
The lane can be changed to the adjacent traveling lane without stopping. Therefore, according to the present invention,
This allows the vehicle to run safely. Claim 5
According to the inventions described in (6) and (6), it is possible to make the host vehicle run safely by recognizing the other vehicle entering between the host vehicle and the immediately preceding preceding vehicle at an early stage.

Further, according to the present invention, not only the preceding vehicle existing immediately before the own vehicle but also another preceding vehicle present ahead of the preceding vehicle can be reliably detected. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a vehicle driving support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 (A) illustrates transmission / reception of a radar signal emitted from a front radar antenna in a situation where one preceding vehicle exists in front of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle driving support device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2B is a diagram for explaining transmission and reception of a radar signal emitted from a front radar antenna in a situation where two preceding vehicles are present in front of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle driving support device shown in FIG. It is.

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a situation in which a preceding vehicle and an overtaking vehicle are present around a vehicle equipped with the vehicle driving support device illustrated in FIG. 1; FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a situation in which an overtaking vehicle changes lanes between a vehicle equipped with the vehicle driving support device illustrated in FIG. 1 and a preceding vehicle existing in front of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a radar E included in the vehicle driving support device shown in FIG. 1;
5 is a flowchart of an example of a control routine executed in the CU.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining transmission and reception of a radar signal emitted from a front radar antenna in a situation where two front vehicles are present in front of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle driving support device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a situation in which two vehicles ahead are present in front of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle driving support device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which, of two front vehicles existing in front of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle driving support device of the embodiment, a preceding vehicle that is farther than the host vehicle changes the driving lane.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control routine executed by a traveling ECU included in the vehicle traveling assistance device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Electronic control unit for radar (radar ECU) 12 Electronic control unit for traveling control (driving ECU) 14 Vehicle speed sensor 16 Forward radar antenna 18 Side detection sensor 22 Steering wheel 24 Brake 26 Throttle 28 Alarm

Claims (9)

[Claims] A first preceding vehicle detecting means for detecting a first preceding vehicle located immediately before the own vehicle based on a reflected wave of the first radar signal wave emitted toward the front of the own vehicle; A second radar signal wave located immediately before the first preceding vehicle based on a reflected wave of the second radar signal wave irradiated in a direction different from the irradiation direction of the first radar signal wave ahead of the host vehicle; A second preceding vehicle detecting means for detecting a preceding vehicle; a detection result of the first preceding vehicle detecting means;
A vehicle-interval control unit that performs inter-vehicle control between the host vehicle and the first preceding vehicle based on a detection result of the preceding vehicle detecting unit. 2. The vehicle traveling support device according to claim 1, wherein a lane is changed from a traveling lane in which the second preceding vehicle is traveling to an adjacent traveling lane based on a detection result of the second preceding vehicle detecting means. Lane change determination means for determining whether or not lane change is possible; lane change determination means for determining whether it is possible to change lanes from a traveling lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to an adjacent traveling lane; The lane change determining means determines that the second preceding vehicle has changed lanes to an adjacent driving lane, and the lane change enable determining means can change the lane to the adjacent driving lane. Lane change support means for performing a driving support process for causing the subject vehicle to change lanes to an adjacent driving lane when the determination is made, Vehicle travel support device that. 3. The travel support device according to claim 2, wherein the lane change support means performs travel control such that the host vehicle is adjacent to an entry position of an adjacent travel lane in the traveling lane. A vehicle driving support device comprising means. 4. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 2, wherein the lane change support unit is configured to control the first preceding vehicle based on a reflected wave of the second radar signal wave. An obstacle determining means for determining whether or not an obstacle exists immediately before the vehicle, and when the obstacle determining means determines that the obstacle is present, the own vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent traveling lane. And a lane change instructing means for instructing the vehicle to travel. 5. A first radar signal wave is emitted toward the front of the host vehicle so as to detect a preceding vehicle located immediately before the host vehicle, and the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle are positioned immediately before the host vehicle. Radar signal wave transmitting means for irradiating a second radar signal wave so as to detect a preceding vehicle; and receiving a reflected wave of the first radar signal wave;
A reflected wave receiving unit that receives a reflected wave of the second radar signal wave, and another vehicle enters immediately before the host vehicle based on a reception state of the reflected wave received by the reflected wave receiving unit. And a vehicle entry determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling. 6. The vehicle traveling support device according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle entry determining unit is configured such that the reflected wave receiving unit includes a reflected wave of the first radar signal wave and a reflected wave of the second radar signal wave. Under the condition of continuously receiving
And determining that another vehicle has entered between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle located immediately before the host vehicle when only the reflected wave of the radar signal wave is no longer received. Support equipment. 7. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation direction of the second radar signal wave is changed before the second radar signal wave reaches a preceding vehicle. A vehicle driving support device that is set to reflect light. 8. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation direction of the second radar signal wave is a road surface in front of the host vehicle. A vehicle driving support device is set to reach a preceding vehicle after being reflected by the vehicle. 9. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the second radar signal wave is a millimeter wave.