RU2779920C1 - Method for controlling a vehicle and apparatus for controlling a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: controlling.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a method for controlling a vehicle. Proposed is a method for controlling a vehicle executed by a processor configured to change the traffic lane of the employed vehicle. Method herein includes the stages of obtaining information on the environment of the employed vehicle by means of a sensor; determining the presence of a factor that may be distracting for the driver of another vehicle when the employed vehicle drives in front of said other vehicle moving along the second traffic lane. The method also includes the stage of setting the lane change time required for the employed vehicle to change the lane, wherein the lane change time is longer when the presence of said factor is determined than when the absence of said factor is determined; and controlling the position of movement of the employed vehicle along the first lane for the lane change time. The apparatus for controlling a vehicle comprises an apparatus receiving information on the environment of the employed vehicle, and a controller.

EFFECT: safety of drivers is increased.

11 cl, 14 dwg

Description

The technical field to which the invention belongs

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device.

State of the art

[0002] A vehicle control system is known for changing the lane of a vehicle from a current lane to an adjacent lane. Such a control system sets the lane change time required for lane change to be longer the slower the vehicle speed is when the vehicle speed is less than the first predetermined value. In addition, such a control system sets the lane change time to longer as the vehicle speed increases when the vehicle speed is larger than the second predetermined value (Patent Document 1).

[PRIOR ART DOCUMENT]

[PATENT DOCUMENT]

[0003]

[Patent Document 1] JP2017-140857A

[SUMMARY]

[PROBLEM SOLVED BY THE INVENTION]

[0004] When an actuated vehicle enters ahead of another vehicle to change lanes, the driver of the other vehicle confirms the behavior of the actuated vehicle before the actuated vehicle changes lanes. The conventional vehicle control system, regardless of the state of the driver of the other vehicle, takes a time set according to the speed of the vehicle involved to change lanes. Unfortunately, this can shorten the time for the driver of the other vehicle to confirm the behavior of the involved vehicle when the driver of the other vehicle is unaware of the involved vehicle.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device adapted to prolong the time for the driver of another vehicle to confirm the behavior of the driven vehicle in a situation where the driven vehicle drives ahead of another vehicle to change lanes.

[TROUBLESHOOTING]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, information about the environment of the driven vehicle is obtained by means of a sensor provided in the driven vehicle, and it is determined whether there is a distraction for the driver of another vehicle when the driven vehicle enters the front of the other vehicle. the vehicle moving in the second lane to change lanes from the first lane to the second lane adjacent to the first lane, set the lane change time required for the vehicle to change lanes, while the lane change time longer in determining the presence of a distraction than in determining the absence of a distraction, and control the driving position of the involved vehicle in the first lane within the lane change time.

[TECHNICAL EFFECT OF THE INVENTION]

[0007] An aspect of the present invention allows the driver of the other vehicle to increase the time to confirm the behavior of the driven vehicle in a situation where the driven vehicle drives ahead of the other vehicle to change lanes.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS]

1 is a block diagram of an example of a vehicle system including a vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a vehicle control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart showing the control process executed by the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 shows an example of the movement of the involved vehicle when the process of Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B is performed.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the lane change time calculated by the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 5A is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a vehicle control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a flowchart showing the control process executed by the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the lane change time calculated by the vehicle control device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a vehicle control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7B is a flowchart showing a control process executed by the vehicle control device according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the actual field of view estimated by the vehicle control device according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 9A is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a vehicle control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9B is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a vehicle control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION]

[0009] <First Embodiment>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment will be described using a vehicle control device installed on a vehicle as an example.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of an example vehicle system 200 including a vehicle controller 100, according to one embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle system 200 according to the present embodiment is installed in the vehicle. The vehicle system 200 is a system that allows a vehicle to automatically change lanes.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 200 according to the present embodiment includes an environmental sensor group 10, a vehicle sensor group 20, a navigation system 30, a map database 40, an HMI 50, an actuator controller 60, a vehicle actuator group 70, a direction indicator 80, and a vehicle controller 100. These devices or systems are connected to each other via a control network (CAN) or other LAN within the vehicle for the mutual exchange of information.

[0012] The environment sensor group 10 is a sensor group for detecting the state (outside state) of the environment of the actuated vehicle, and is provided in the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the environmental sensor array 10 may include, for example, a radar 11 and an imaging device 12.

[0013] Radar 11 detects objects around the involved vehicle. The radar 11 may include a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, an ultrasonic radar, and a laser range finder. The radar 11 detects the object, for example, by transmitting radio waves into the environment of the vehicle involved and receiving the radio waves reflected by the object. In particular, the radar 11 detects the direction to the object and the distance to the object. The radar 11 also detects the relative speed (including the direction of movement) of the object relative to the vehicle involved in accordance with the direction of the object and the time change of the distance to the object. The radar 11 outputs the detected results to the vehicle controller 100.

[0014] In the present embodiment, the radar 11 is designed to detect objects in all directions from the involved vehicle. For example, the radar 11 is provided at the front, side, and rear of the vehicle, respectively, and is composed of a front radar for detecting an object in front of the vehicle, a side radar for detecting an object at the side of the vehicle, and a rear radar for detecting an object behind the vehicle. The number and type of radars 11 included in the operating vehicle is not particularly limited.

[0015] The imaging device 12 forms an image of an object around the vehicle. The imaging device 12 may include, for example, a camera including a CCD or CMOS imaging device. The captured image captured by the imaging apparatus 12 is output to the vehicle controller 100 .

[0016] In the present embodiment, the imaging apparatus 12 is designed to form images of objects in all directions from the vehicle to be operated. For example, the imaging device 12 is provided in front of the vehicle, side and rear, respectively, and is composed of a front camera for imaging an object in front of the vehicle, a side camera for imaging an object at the side of the vehicle, a rear camera for detecting an object behind the vehicle. The number and type of the imaging apparatuses 12 included in the operating vehicle are not particularly limited.

[0017] Objects detected by the environmental sensor group 10 include, for example, bicycles, motorcycles, vehicles (hereinafter also referred to as other vehicles), road obstacles, traffic lights, road markings (including lane boundaries), and pedestrian crossings. For example, when another vehicle moves along the driving direction of the driven vehicle around the driven vehicle, the radar 11 detects the direction and distance of the other vehicle and the relative speed of the other vehicle relative to the driven vehicle according to the position of the driven vehicle. In addition, the imaging apparatus 12 captures an image capable of determining the vehicle type of the other vehicle, the size of the other vehicle, and the shape of the other vehicle.

[0018] In addition, for example, when an actuated vehicle travels in a particular lane among a plurality of lanes, the radar 11 detects a lane boundary line separating the lane in which the actuated vehicle is traveling and the lane located on the side of the lane. , and determines the distance from the involved vehicle to the boundary line of the lane. In addition, the imaging apparatus 12 captures an image capable of determining the type of lane boundary line. Incidentally, for the lane boundary lines on either side of the active lane, the radar 11 detects the distance from the active vehicle to each lane boundary line. In addition, in the following description, the lane on which the driven vehicle travels is referred to as the driven lane, and the lane located on the side of the driven lane is referred to as the adjacent lane.

[0019] The vehicle sensor group 20 is a sensor group for detecting a vehicle state (internal state). As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle sensor group 20 may include a vehicle speed sensor 21, an accelerometer 22, a gyro sensor 23, a steering wheel angle sensor 24, an accelerator sensor 25, and a brake sensor 26.

[0020] The vehicle speed sensor 21 measures the rotation speed of the drive system such as the drive shaft, and determines the running speed of the driven vehicle according to the result of the measurement. The vehicle speed sensor 21 is provided, for example, on a drive shaft which rotates integrally with the wheels or wheels of the vehicle being driven. The accelerometer 22 determines the acceleration of the vehicle involved. The accelerometer 22 includes a longitudinal accelerometer for detecting acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the driven vehicle and a lateral accelerometer for detecting the lateral acceleration of the driven vehicle. The gyro sensor 23 detects the rotation speed of the driven vehicle, that is, the amount of movement (angular velocity) at the angle of the driven vehicle per unit time. The steering angle sensor 24 detects the steering angle. The steering wheel angle sensor 24 is, for example, provided on the steering wheel shaft of the vehicle involved. The accelerator sensor 25 detects the amount of depression (accelerator pedal position) of the accelerator pedal. An accelerator sensor 25 is provided, for example, on the accelerator pedal shaft. The brake sensor 26 detects the amount of brake pedal depression (brake pedal position). A brake sensor 26 is provided, for example, on the brake pedal shaft.

[0021] The detection result detected by the vehicle sensor group 20 is output to the vehicle controller 100. The detection results may include, for example, vehicle speed, acceleration (including longitudinal and lateral acceleration), angular velocity, accelerator pedal depression amount, and brake pedal depression amount of the vehicle being operated.

[0022] The navigation system 30 is a system for guiding a passenger (including a driver) of an actuated vehicle by indicating a route from the current position of the actuated vehicle to a destination according to information about the current position of the actuated vehicle. The navigation system 30 receives map information input from the map database 40 to be described later, and destination information input via HMI 50 from a passenger of the vehicle involved. The navigation system 30 generates the route of the vehicle in accordance with the entered information. Then, the navigation system 30 outputs the driving route information of the actuated vehicle to the vehicle controller 100, and presents the driving route information of the actuated vehicle to the passenger of the actuated vehicle via the HMI 50. Thus, the passenger is provided with a driving route from the current position to the destination.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the navigation system 30 includes a GPS 31, a communicator 32, and a navigation controller 33.

[0024] The GPS 31 receives position data (Global Positioning System, GPS) that indicates the current position of the vehicle involved. The GPS 31 obtains the position data of the vehicle involved by receiving radio waves transmitted from a plurality of satellite communication systems by the receiver. In addition, the GPS 31 can detect changes in the position information of the vehicles involved by receiving radio waves periodically transmitted from a plurality of satellite communication systems.

[0025] The communicator 32 receives information about the outside state of the vehicle. The communicator 32 is, for example, a server or system installed outside the vehicle, or a device configured to communicate with a communicator installed on another vehicle.

[0026] For example, the communicator 32 receives traffic information from a traffic information transmission system (Vehicle Information and Communication System, VICS (registered trademark), hereinafter the same) via an information transmission device (beacon) or FM multiplex broadcast or the like provided on the road. The traffic information may include, for example, traffic jam information, accident information, vehicle breakdown information, construction information, speed control information, lane control information, and so on. It should be noted that the traffic information does not necessarily include each of the above information, and may include at least any of the above information.

[0027] Examples of traffic jam information may include information about the area where the traffic jam occurs, the distance to the traffic jam, and the required time until the vehicle passes through the traffic jam. Examples of the accident information may include information about the area where the accident occurred, the contents of the accident, and the time required to leave the point where the accident occurred. Examples of information about the disabled vehicle may include information about the area where the disabled vehicle exists, the number of the disabled vehicle, and the time required to leave the area. Examples of the rate control information may include information about an area subject to rate control and a rate control time zone. Examples of construction activities may include information about the area under construction, the time zone in which the construction is taking place, and the time required to leave the area.

[0028] In addition, for example, the communicator 32 receives from the communicator installed on the other vehicle information about the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the activated vehicle, information about the relative position of the other vehicle relative to the activated vehicle, and the like. Such communication between the involved vehicle and another vehicle is called vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The communicator 32, through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, obtains information such as a vehicle speed of another vehicle as vehicle environment information.

[0029] Information such as the relative speed of another vehicle may be obtained in another manner. For example, the communicator 32 may receive information including the position of another vehicle, vehicle speed, and direction of travel from the VICS as environment information of the involved vehicle. The type of information received by the communicator 32 is not limited to the above type. For example, the communicator 32 may also receive information about the weather in the area where the involved vehicle is moving from a server distributing weather information. In addition, for example, the communicator 32 may also receive the time information of the current time period in the area where the involved vehicle is moving from the server distributing the time information.

[0030] The navigation controller 33 is a computer that generates a driving route from the current position of the operating vehicle to the destination. For example, the navigation controller 33 may include a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program for creating a navigation path is stored, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) which executes the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) which functions as an accessible storage device.

[0031] The navigation controller 33 receives current position information of the involved vehicle input from the GPS 31, traffic information input from the communicator 32, map information input from the map database 40, and vehicle destination information input from HMI 50. For example, suppose that a passenger of the actuated vehicle has set the destination of the actuated vehicle via the HMI 50. The navigation controller 33 generates a route from the current position to the destination in the lane as the driving route of the actuated vehicle according to the position information of the actuated vehicle. vehicle, destination information of the vehicle involved, map information, and traffic information. The navigation controller 33 outputs the generated driving route information to the vehicle controller 100, and presents the information to the passenger of the vehicle via the HMI 50.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the route of the vehicle may be any route, as long as the vehicle can arrive at the destination from the current position, and other conditions are not limited. For example, the navigation controller 33 may generate a driving route for the vehicle involved in accordance with the conditions set by the passenger. For example, when a passenger prefers to use a toll road to arrive at a destination, the navigation controller 33 may generate a driving route using the toll road according to the map information. In addition, for example, the navigation controller 33 can generate a driving route of the involved vehicle in accordance with the traffic information. For example, when a traffic jam occurs on the shortest route to the destination, the navigation controller 33 may search for a detour route and generate a route having the shortest required time from the plurality of detour routes thus searched as a traffic route.

[0033] The card database 40 stores card information. Map information includes road and traffic information. Road information and traffic rules information are defined by nodes and links (also called road links) connecting the nodes. Links are identified at the lane level.

[0034] Road information refers to roads that vehicles can travel on. Each traffic announcement is associated with road-related information such as, for example, road type, road width, road shape, straight ahead driving justification, traffic priority, overtaking justification (going into adjacent lane or not), lane change justification though and is not limited. In addition, information about the location of traffic lights, the position of intersections, the direction of entry to intersections, the type of intersections, and other intersections, for example, is associated with each road junction.

[0035] Traffic information refers to traffic rules that a vehicle must follow while driving. Rules of the road may include, for example, pause on the route, no parking/stopping, slow motion, speed limit, no lane change. Traffic information in the section defined by the road junction is associated with each road junction. For example, no lane change information is linked to road junctions in the no lane change section. Information about traffic rules can be associated not only with the road, but also with a specific point (latitude, route) on a node or, for example, on a map.

[0036] The traffic rule information may include not only traffic rule information but also traffic light information. For example, information about the color currently displayed by the traffic light and/or information about the display switching cycle of the traffic light may be associated with a road connection at an intersection at which a traffic light is installed. The traffic signal information is obtained from the VICS, for example by the communicator 32, or from an information communication device (for example, an optical beacon) installed on the roadway. Traffic light display information changes over time. Thus, traffic information is updated every predetermined cycle.

[0037] The map information stored in the map database 40 may be high-precision map information suitable for automatic driving. High-precision map information is obtained, for example, by communication with a server or a system installed outside the vehicle. In addition, high-precision map information, real-time information obtained using the environment sensor group 10 (for example, information about an object detected by the radar 11, an image of the vehicle environment captured by the imaging device 12) can be generated at any time. .

[0038] Here, in the present embodiment, autonomous driving will be described. In the present embodiment, autonomous driving means a driving mode other than a driving mode in which only the driver controls the traffic. For example, autonomous driving may include the case where a controller (not shown) supports the driver to control traffic, or a controller (not shown) controls traffic on behalf of the driver.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the vehicle system 200 includes a map database 40, but the map database 40 may be provided outside the vehicle system 200. For example, the card information may be previously stored in a portable storage device (eg, external hard drive, flash memory). In this case, the memory device functions as the card database 40, electrically connecting the vehicle controller 100 and the memory device storing the card information.

[0040] HMI 50 is an interface for data output and input between a vehicle occupant and vehicle system 200 (Human Machine Interface (HMI)). Examples of the HMI 50 may include a display for displaying text or video information and a speaker for outputting audio such as music or sound.

[0041] Data transmission and reception via the HMI 50 will now be described. For example, when a passenger enters a destination in the HMI 50, the destination is output from the HMI 50 to the navigation system 30. This allows the navigation system 30 to obtain information about the vehicle's destination. In addition, for example, when the navigation system 30 generates a driving route to a destination, the navigation system 30 outputs the driving route data to the HMI 50. The HMI 50 then outputs the driving route information from the display and/or speaker. Thus, information about the route to the destination is provided to the passenger of the involved vehicle. The route information to the destination may include, for example, route guidance and required time to reach the destination.

[0042] In addition, for example, when a passenger inputs a lane change execution command to the HMI 50, the command is output from the HMI 50 to the vehicle controller 100. This allows the vehicle controller 100 to start the lane change control process. In addition, for example, when the vehicle controller 100 sets the target trajectory for a lane change, the target trajectory information is output from the vehicle controller 100 to the HMI 50. The HMI 50 then outputs the target trajectory information from the display and/or speaker. This presents lane change target trajectory information to the driver of the involved vehicle. The target trajectory information for the lane change may include, for example, the entry position indicated in the adjacent lane and the target trajectory at the time of the lane change. The target trajectory and entry position will be described later.

[0043] The actuator controller 60 controls the movement of the vehicle involved. The actuator controller 60 includes a steering control mechanism, an accelerator control mechanism, a brake control mechanism, an engine control mechanism, and the like. The actuator controller 60 receives a control input from the vehicle controller 100, which will be described below. The actuator controller 60 provides autonomous driving of the vehicle to be operated by controlling the vehicle actuator group 70 in response to a control signal from the vehicle controller 100 . For example, the actuator controller 60 calculates the steering angle required to move the vehicle and the amount of accelerator pedal depression or the amount of brake depression in accordance with the driving speed in response to the control signal for driving the actuated vehicle from the actuated lane to an adjacent lane. The actuator controller 60 outputs the calculated various parameters to the vehicle actuator group 70 .

[0044] The control of each mechanism may be performed fully automatically, or may be performed in such a way as to assist in controlling the movement of the driver. The control of each mechanism can be interrupted or stopped by the intervention of the driver. The motion control method by the actuator controller 60 is not limited to the above-described control method, and other well-known methods may be used.

[0045] The vehicle actuator group 70 are various actuators for driving an actuated vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle actuator group 70 may include a steering actuator 71, an accelerator actuator 72, and a brake control actuator 73.

[0046] The steering actuator 71 controls the steering direction and steering amount of the vehicle being operated in response to an input signal from the actuator controller 60 . The accelerator actuator 72 controls the rate of acceleration of the vehicle involved in response to an input signal from the actuator controller 60 . The brake control actuator 73 controls the braking device of the vehicle to be operated in response to an input signal from the actuator controller 60 .

[0047] The direction indicator 80 has a flashing lamp inside, when the driver of the vehicle operates the direction indicating switch (not shown), it lights up in orange. The direction indicator 80 is a device for indicating the driving direction of the driven vehicle in the environment when the driven vehicle turns right and left or changes lane. For example, the direction indicator 80 is built into the left and right portions of the front and rear of the vehicle. For example, the direction indicator 80 is composed of a left direction (turn) indicator and a right direction (turn) indicator.

[0048] In addition, in the present embodiment, the control signal is input from the vehicle controller 100 to the direction indicator 80 . The control signal may include, for example, a signal for flashing the direction indicator 80 that is off (also referred to as a flash signal), a signal for turning off the direction indicator 80 that is flashing (also referred to as an off signal). For example, when a blink signal is input to the direction indicator 80 to blink the left direction indicator, the direction indicator 80 lights up for the left direction indicator. Thereafter, when the off signal for turning off the left direction indicator is input to the direction indicator 80, the direction indicator 80 turns off the left direction indicator. Thus, the direction indicator 80 is controlled by the vehicle controller 100 in addition to the driver of the vehicle.

[0049] Next, the vehicle controller 100 will be described. The vehicle controller 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is configured by a computer on which the hardware and software are installed. Specifically, the server 1 is configured to include a Read Only Memory (ROM) in which programs are stored, a Central Control Unit (CPU) which executes programs stored in the ROM, and a Random Access Memory (RAM) which serves as an accessible storage device. MPU (Micro Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array)) instead of or in addition to processors can be used as operating circuits.The controller 101 shown in Fig. 1 corresponds to a CPU The storage 109 shown in Fig. 1 corresponds to ROM and RAM.

[0050] In the present embodiment, the program to be executed by the controller 101 is stored in the storage 109 in advance, but the program may be stored in another device. For example, the program may be stored on a computer-readable and portable computer-readable storage medium (eg, disk media, flash memory, etc.). In this case, the controller 101 executes the program downloaded from the computer-readable recording medium. In other words, the vehicle controller 100 may be configured to include only the operating circuit and download the program from outside.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 101 includes an information acquisition unit 102, a situation recognition unit 103, a setting unit 104, a determination unit 105, a control setting unit 106, a space presence determination unit 107, and a motion control unit 108. These blocks enable the functions described below through the software installed in the ROM. In the present embodiment, the functions of the controller 101 are divided into seven function blocks, and the functions of the respective function blocks are described. However, the functions of the controller 101 need not be divided into seven blocks, and may be divided into six or less function blocks, or eight or more function blocks. The function of the controller 101 is not limited to the function of the function block described below, but may include, for example, a navigation system control function.

[0052] The function of the information acquisition unit 102 will now be described. The information acquisition unit 102 acquires various information from the environment sensor group 10, the vehicle sensor group 20, the navigation system 30, the map database 40, and each of the HMI 50.

[0053] The information acquisition unit 102 acquires environment information (also referred to as external information of the involved vehicle) of the involved vehicle, which is detected by the environment sensor group 10. The environment information of the involved vehicle includes a detection result detected by the radar 11 and an image captured by the imaging device 12 . In addition, the information acquisition unit 102 obtains information (also referred to as internal information of the involved vehicle) about the state of the involved vehicle, which is detected by the vehicle sensor group 20. The internal information of the involved vehicle includes vehicle speed, acceleration, angular velocity, accelerator pedal depression amount, and brake pedal depression amount. In addition, the information acquisition unit 102 obtains the current position of the vehicle involved, the driving route of the vehicle involved, and traffic information from the navigation system 30. The information acquisition unit 102 acquires map information (including road information and traffic rule information) from a database of 40 map data. The data acquisition unit 102 receives the lane change command from the HMI 50. Various types of information obtained by the information acquisition unit 102 are used in the respective functions described below.

[0054] The function of the situation recognition unit 103 will now be described. The situation recognition unit 103 recognizes the situation around the actuated vehicle according to various information obtained by the information obtaining unit 102, and identifies the lane change point of the actuated vehicle.

[0055] The situation recognition unit 103 recognizes the situation around the involved vehicle. For example, the situation recognition unit 103 recognizes the presence or absence of an obstacle in the vicinity of the involved vehicle, the direction to the obstacle, the distance to the obstacle, and the relative speed of the obstacle relative to the involved vehicle from the detection result detected by the radar 11, and the image captured by the imaging device 12. This allows the situation recognition unit 103 to determine the number of obstacles, the relative position of each obstacle and the vehicle involved, and the speed of the obstacle.

[0056] In addition, for example, the situation recognition unit 103 recognizes the distance between the operating vehicle and the lane boundary line based on the detection result detected by the radar 11 and the image captured by the imaging apparatus 12. This allows the situation recognition unit 103 to determine in which position the vehicle to be operated is moving along the vehicle to be used in the lane width direction. Hereinafter, the position of the vehicle within the lane is also referred to as the horizontal position of the vehicle with respect to the lane. The situation recognition unit 103, for example, sets the specific position on the center line of the vehicle to be the horizontal position of the vehicle with respect to the lane, although this is not particularly limited.

[0057] In addition, for example, the situation recognition unit 103 indicates the number of lanes of the road on which the involved vehicle is traveling according to the result detected by the radar 11, the image captured by the imaging apparatus 12, and the map information in the map database 40 . By specifying a plurality of lanes in the same direction as the running direction of the actuated vehicle, the situation recognition unit 103 indicates the lane in which the actuated vehicle is moving among the plurality of lanes.

[0058] The situation recognition unit 103 indicates a lane change point according to the environment of the operation vehicle and the driving route of the operation vehicle after recognizing the environment of the operation vehicle. The situation recognition unit 103 receives the current position of the actuated vehicle and the driving route of the actuated vehicle from the navigation system 30, and indicates a lane change point in accordance with the current position of the actuated vehicle and the driving route. The lane change point indicates the point at which the involved vehicle needs to move from a lane to an adjacent lane when traveling along a traffic route. The situation recognition unit 103 indicates the point at which to change the lane in the driving route with reference to the driving route of the involved vehicle.

[0059] The situation recognition unit 103 indicates a target point on the travel route, such as an intersection, which is a point for switching the direction of travel, or a junction, which is a point for changing the course in a direction other than that of the vehicle. Then, the situation recognition unit 103 for changing the driving direction of the actuated vehicle at the target point determines the lane change point at which the vehicle is to be moved from the actuated lane to the adjacent lane.

[0060] For example, an actuated vehicle that is moving in the leftmost lane of the plurality of lanes needs to move to the right lane to turn right at the intersection before the current position according to the traffic route. In such a situation, the situation recognition unit 103 indicates an intersection that requires a right turn as the target point. The situation recognition unit 103 indicates a point that is at a predetermined distance from the intersection (target point) at which to turn right as a lane change point on the route. For example, a lane change point is set at a distance of several 100 m from the target point on the route. The lane change point does not need to be set at a point, it can be done at a predetermined section. As another example, a lane change point may include a predetermined area before a junction point on an expressway, a predetermined area before a merge point on an expressway, and a predetermined area before a vehicle's destination on the road. The junction point on an expressway includes the junction points in each direction and the junction points between the main line and the ramp. In the present embodiment, the length of the lane change portion is not particularly limited.

[0061] The functions of the job block 104 will now be described. The setting unit 104 sets an entry position that indicates the entry destination position of the actuated vehicle and is in a lane adjacent to the actuated lane according to the environment information of the actuated vehicle. For example, the setting block 104 indicates an entry position that has a predetermined length (distance) or more from the direction along the running direction of the operating vehicle in the adjacent lane according to the result detected by the radar 11 and captured by the imaging device 12. The predetermined distance is a predetermined distance that is determined experimentally.

[0062] In addition, the setting block 104 indicates the rear vehicle located behind the entry position after setting the entry position. For example, setting block 104 specifies, among a plurality of other vehicles located behind the entry position, the rear vehicle closest to the entry position in the adjacent lane. To specify the rear vehicle, the setting unit 104 may predetermine a predetermined area beyond the entry position and set the rear vehicle within the predetermined area. For example, the setting block 104 defines a predetermined region with a length corresponding to a vehicle speed or an actuated speed in a direction along the running direction of the actuated vehicle. The predetermined area is not particularly limited. The predetermined area may be stored in a storage device such as a ROM.

[0063] In addition, the task block 104 determines that the vehicle involved is about to enter ahead of another vehicle to change lanes after the rear vehicle is tasked. The number of lanes that a vehicle must cross when changing lanes is not particularly limited. The number of traffic lanes on which the vehicle being used moves can be at least two: the traffic lane being used and the adjacent lane. In the following description, a vehicle identified as a rear vehicle will simply be described as another vehicle.

[0064] Next, the functions of the determination block 105 will be described. The determination unit 105 determines whether there is a distraction for the driver of another vehicle according to the environment information of the vehicle involved. Another vehicle driver distraction is a component or natural feature involved in distracting the driver of another vehicle. Particularly for drivers of another vehicle, the distraction for the driver is related to driving the other vehicle. In the present embodiment, distractions for the driver of another vehicle include not only factors that are sure to distract the driver, but also factors that may distract the driver. In the present embodiment, the driver distraction does not include the vehicle involved.

[0065] The distraction for the driver may include, for example, a vehicle in front preceding another vehicle. For example, the determination unit 105 determines the presence of a distraction for the driver of another vehicle by recognizing the vehicle in front of the other vehicle on the adjacent line by using the result detected by the radar 11 and the image captured by the imaging device 12. This definition corresponds to the point of view that the driver of another vehicle performs the driving operation while paying attention to the existence of the vehicle in front. Incidentally, the lane in which the vehicle in front is traveling may be a different lane from the adjacent lane in which the other vehicle is traveling. For example, the lane in which the vehicle in front is traveling may be the lane in question, or for a road with three or more lanes, it may be the lane adjacent to the opposite side of the occupied lane relative to the adjacent lane.

[0066] The distraction for the driver of the other vehicle may include not only the vehicle in front, but also the illumination of the direction indicator of the vehicle in front. For a vehicle in front in a lane adjacent to the opposite side of the active lane relative to the adjacent lane, the illumination of the direction indicator of the vehicle ahead may distract the driver of the other vehicle. This is consistent with the view that the driver of the other vehicle pays special attention to driving because the vehicle in front may drive ahead of the other vehicle to change lanes.

[0067] A distraction to the driver of another vehicle may include the behavior, shape, or color of the vehicle in front. The behavior of the vehicle in front may include, for example, repeating a lane change more than a predetermined number of times per unit time. The shape or color of the vehicle in front may include, for example, the unique shape or unique color of the vehicle in front. This is in line with the view that other vehicle drivers tend to pay attention to vehicles with a lot of lane changes. It is also in line with the view that drivers of another vehicle may be distracted by a vehicle whose shape or color is different from commonly known vehicles.

[0068] Driver distractions may include traffic light displays. For example, the determination unit 105 determines that a distraction for the driver of another vehicle is present by recognizing a traffic light in front of the other vehicle from an image captured by the imaging device 12 . This definition corresponds to the point of view that the driver of another vehicle performs a driving operation while paying attention to the display of a traffic light. Note that the place where the traffic light is installed is not particularly limited. The determining unit 105 determines the traffic light as a distraction for the driver of another vehicle when the recognized traffic light determines the traffic flow in the adjacent lane.

[0069] A distraction for a driver may be the scene of a traffic accident. For example, the determination unit 105 recognizes that the traffic accident has occurred in the oncoming lane from the information from the VICS. The oncoming lane is the lane opposite the occupied lane and the adjacent lane. Next, the determination module 105 determines that a distraction for the driver of another vehicle is present when the determination module 105 recognizes that another vehicle is about to pass near the accident site. This definition is in line with the view that drivers of another vehicle perform driving operations while paying attention to the scene of an accident.

[0070] The driver distraction may include an emergency vehicle. The emergency vehicle may include, for example, a police vehicle, an emergency vehicle, and a fire service vehicle. For example, the determination unit 105 recognizes an emergency vehicle running with a sounding siren from behind an involved vehicle or other vehicle or in an oncoming lane from an image captured by the imaging device 12 . The determining unit 105 determines the presence of a distraction for the driver of another vehicle by recognizing the emergency vehicle. This definition is consistent with the view that drivers of other vehicles perform vehicle driving operations paying attention to the presence of emergency vehicles.

[0071] Driver distractions include factors affecting the driver's hearing in addition to factors affecting the driver's vision. For example, driver distractions may include voice prompts for car navigation, earthquake information, and so on. For example, the determining unit 105 judges that the speed limit-related voice guidance will be performed by car navigation by recognizing the passage through the speed limit sign according to the current position of the involved vehicle and the map information. In this case, the determining unit 105 determines the presence of a distraction for the driver of the other vehicle. This definition is consistent with the view that drivers tend to respond to voice instructions with in-car navigation. For example, the determination unit 105 may determine the distraction for the driver according to the information obtained through the inter-vehicle communication when the determination unit 105 may acquire the other vehicle's car navigation information using the inter-vehicle communication.

[0072] For example, the determining unit 105 determines that a distraction for the driver of another vehicle is present when he has recognized earthquake emergency information from the VICS. This definition is consistent with the view that drivers respond to earthquake early warning and tend to divert their attention from driving.

[0073] Driver distractions include factors that indirectly affect the driver in addition to factors that directly affect the driver. Such driver distraction may include the shape of the lane. For example, the determining unit 105 determines the presence of a distraction for a driver of another vehicle when it recognizes the shape of the adjacent lane as a steep curve according to the map information. This definition is in line with the view that when driving on a steep curve, drivers tend to follow the lane and lose focus on their surroundings.

[0074] The functions of the control setting block 106 will now be described. The control setting block 106 sets the lane change time. The lane change time is the time required for a vehicle to change lane from an active lane to an adjacent lane. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the lane change time includes the time required for each control executed by the traffic control unit 108 . The control performed by the traffic control unit 108 is the direction indicator light control to illuminate the direction indicator 80 provided on the side of the adjacent lane, and the lane change control to move the vehicle involved from the lane to the entry position indicated on the adjacent lane. In other words, in the present embodiment, the lane change time includes the illumination time (also referred to as the first time) of the direction indicator 80 provided on the side of the adjacent lane and the time (also referred to as the fourth time) lane to the entry position indicated on the adjacent lane.

[0075] The control setting unit 106 sets another lane change time according to a determination result regarding the presence of a distraction for the driver of another vehicle. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the control setting unit 106 sets the lane change time to be longer when the presence of a distraction for the other driver's driver is determined, compared with the case where the distractor does not exist. The control setting unit 106, when the presence of a distraction is determined, sets at least one of the illumination time of the direction indicator 80 and the time required for the vehicle to move from the active lane to the predetermined entry position in the adjacent lane to be longer than when the distraction is not defined.

[0076] For example, when setting the lane change time, the control setting unit 106 obtains the preset lighting time of the direction indicator 80 from a storage such as ROM. The control setting unit 106 adds a predetermined time to the predetermined time for the direction indicator 80 to illuminate when the presence of a distraction is determined. It sets the lane change time to be longer than if there was no distraction. The predetermined time is determined experimentally and stored in advance in a storage device such as a ROM. For example, the predetermined time is the time corresponding to the vehicle speed of the vehicle being operated. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the predetermined time to add to increase the lane change time will be described as extra time.

[0077] In addition, for example, when setting the lane change time, the control setting unit 106 obtains vehicle speed information when the vehicle moves from the active lane to the adjacent lane from a storage such as ROM. The vehicle speed information includes vehicle speed information (hereinafter also referred to as a moving vehicle speed) at the time of a lane change from an active lane to an adjacent lane. The speed of the moving vehicle may include a relative speed relative to a particular reference vehicle speed, such as the speed of the vehicle involved. The control setting unit 106 subtracts the predetermined speed from the predetermined speed of the moving vehicle to set the speed of the moving vehicle when there is a driver distraction. The lower the speed of the moving vehicle, the longer it takes for the vehicle involved to move to the entry position. It sets the lane change time to be longer than when there is no distraction for the driver of the other vehicle. The predetermined speed is determined experimentally and stored in advance in a storage device such as a ROM. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the predetermined speed to be subtracted to increase the lane change time will be described as the subtracted speed.

[0078] In the above description, the additional time may be the time corresponding to the relative speed between the involved vehicle and the vehicle in front. In addition, the subtracted speed may be a speed corresponding to the relative speed between the involved vehicle and the vehicle in front. The vehicle in front is a vehicle that travels in a traffic lane adjacent to the adjacent traffic lane, on the opposite side of the active traffic lane with respect to the adjacent traffic lane, and is a vehicle that travels in front of the other vehicle. For example, the control setting unit 106 recognizes that the vehicle in front is moving on the opposite side of the active lane through the adjacent lane. The control setting unit 106 obtains information about the relative speed of the vehicle in front with respect to the vehicle involved through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The control setting unit 106 sets the overtime or subtractive speed according to the relative speed of the vehicle in front with respect to the vehicle involved. For example, the control setting block 106 sets the additional time to be longer when the relative speed of the vehicle in front decreases relative to the vehicle involved below. For example, the control setting block 106 sets a higher subtractive speed when the relative speed of the vehicle ahead relative to the vehicle being driven decreases. It sets the lane change time to longer as the speed difference between the involved vehicle and the vehicle in front decreases.

[0079] The functions of the space presence determination unit 107 will now be described. The space presence determination unit 107 determines whether a vehicle entering space (hereinafter also referred to as an entry space) is present at the entry position indicated by the setting unit 104 according to the environment information of the operating vehicle. The entry space is a space between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle with a predetermined or longer directional length along the driving direction of the vehicle involved.

[0080] The space presence determination unit 107 determines whether an entry space is present at the entry positions according to the distance between the vehicles of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle. For example, the space presence determination unit 107 determines that an entry space is present at the entry position when the distance between the vehicles of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. On the other hand, the space presence determination unit 107 determines that there is no space to enter at the entry position when the distance between the vehicles of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is less than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is a distance at which the driver of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle does not feel any disturbance when the operation vehicle enters, which is set in advance. The predetermined distance may include a value obtained by adding a margin to a distance (vehicle length in the driving direction) between the front end and the rear end of the actuated vehicle in a direction along the running direction of the actuated vehicle.

[0081] The functions of the motion control unit 108 will now be described. The traffic control unit 108 controls the movement of the involved vehicle in the lane change control process. In the present embodiment, the traffic control unit 108 performs the illumination control and the lane change control of the direction indicator in accordance with the lane change time. In the following, each control will be described in detail.

[0082] The traffic control unit 108 performs direction indicator lighting control to illuminate the direction indicator 80 provided on the adjacent lane side. For example, the traffic control unit 108 generates a control signal (luminous signal) for illuminating the direction indicator 80 provided on the adjacent side of the lane, and outputs the luminous signal to the direction indicator 80. At this time, the traffic control unit 108 sets the lighting start time and the illumination time of the direction indicator 80 so as to provide the lane change control time set by the control setting unit 106 . Then, the motion control unit 108 outputs the luminous signal according to the timing of the start of the luminous direction indicator to the direction indicator 80 . Thereafter, the motion control unit 108 outputs a turn-off signal to the direction indicator 80 after the set glow time has elapsed. This makes it possible to control the illumination of the direction indicator 80 based on the time of the lane change.

[0083] In addition, the traffic control unit 108 executes the lane change control to move the actuated vehicle to the entry position set in the adjacent lane from the actuated lane. The traffic control unit 108 generates a target trajectory for an actuated vehicle to change lanes using the current position of the vehicle as the start point and the entry position as the end point. The motion control unit 108 sets the speed of the involved vehicle and the steering angle when the vehicle is moving along the target path. The motion control unit 108 outputs various control signals to the actuator controller 60 . At this time, the traffic control unit 108 sets the vehicle speed and the steering angle of the involved vehicle to provide the lane change control time set by the control setting unit 106 . This makes it possible to control the lane change taking into account the time of the lane change. When the involved vehicle reaches the entry position, the traffic control unit 108 stops flashing the direction indicator 80 and stops the lane change control.

[0084] In addition, the motion control unit 108 controls the movement of the actuated vehicle to wait for the actuated vehicle at a predetermined position before reaching the entry position when the space presence unit 107 determines that there is no entry space at the entry position. For example, the traffic control unit 108 sets the waiting position where the target trajectory and the lane boundary line intersect. The movement control unit 108 controls the movement of the actuated vehicle to move the actuated vehicle to a waiting position. For example, the motion control unit 108 sets the vehicle speed and the steering angle to reach the waiting position, the speed of the vehicle at the waiting position, the angle at which the front end of the driven vehicle faces the waiting position, and the like, and outputs the control signal , including predefined content, to the actuator controller 60 .

[0085] In addition, the motion control unit 108 sets the speed of the vehicle involved and the steering angle along the target trajectory when the space presence determination unit 107 determines the presence of space to enter the entry positions. The motion control unit 108 outputs various control signals to the actuator controller 60 . This allows the occupied vehicle to change lane from the occupied lane to an adjacent lane along the target trajectory, thus entering a position between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle. The execution time of the process of moving the involved vehicle to the entry position is not limited. The traffic control unit 108 may move the actuated vehicle to the entry position when it is determined that an entry space is present at the entry position.

[0086] The control flow of the controller 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. 2A and 2B are flowcharts of the control process executed by the vehicle controller 100 according to the present embodiment. Next, as shown in Fig. 3, an example of the movement of the involved vehicle which is provided by the control processing performed by the controller 101 will be described.

[0087] In step S1, the controller 101 obtains information about the environment of the involved vehicle. For example, the controller 101 receives information from the environmental sensor group 10 about the direction to and distance from the other vehicle, the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle being operated, the type of vehicle of the other vehicle, the size of the other vehicle, and the shape of the other vehicle. another vehicle as information about the environment of the vehicle involved. In addition, for example, the controller 101 receives traffic information including the occupied lane as the environment information of the occupied vehicle from the communicator 32. a predetermined cycle when executing the control processing after step S2. The driving state is expressed by the position of the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle, and so on.

[0088] In step S2, the controller 101 recognizes the situation around the actuated vehicle according to the information about the environment of the actuated vehicle acquired in step S1.

[0089] In step S3, the controller 101 sets the portion where the vehicle to be operated is to change lane (lane change point). In addition, the controller 101 compares the current position of the actuated vehicle with the lane change point, and determines whether the actuated vehicle has reached the lane change point. When it is determined that the involved vehicle has reached the lane change point, the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, when it is determined that the involved vehicle has not reached the lane change point, the system waits at step S3.

[0090] In step S4, the controller 101 sets the entry position located in the adjacent lane and indicates the position of the entry destination of the actuated vehicle according to the environment information of the actuated vehicle. For example, the setting block 104 specifies an entry position where a distance (length) along the vehicle's driving direction is a predetermined distance or more in an adjacent lane. In addition, the controller 101 sets the vehicle located in front of the entry position as the front vehicle, and the vehicle located behind the entry position as the rear vehicle, when at least one of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle located between entry position.

[0091] In step S5, according to the environment information of the actuated vehicle, the controller 101 determines whether the actuated vehicle is about to enter ahead of another vehicle to change lanes. For example, when the rear vehicle is set in step S4, the controller 101 determines that the vehicle involved is about to enter ahead of another vehicle to change lanes. On the other hand, when the rear vehicle is not set in step S4, the controller 101 determines that the vehicle involved is not about to enter ahead of another vehicle. The rear portion of the entry position may include, for example, an area with a length corresponding to the vehicle speed of the actuated vehicle in a direction along the traveling direction of the actuated vehicle. When it is determined that the involved vehicle enters ahead of another vehicle to change lanes, the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, when it is determined that the operating vehicle does not drive ahead of another vehicle, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0092] In step S5, when it is determined that the involved vehicle enters ahead of another vehicle into the lane change lane, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the controller 101 determines whether there is a distraction for the driver of the other vehicle according to the environment information of the vehicle involved. For example, when the controller 101 recognizes a vehicle ahead of another vehicle in an adjacent lane, it determines the presence of a distraction for the driver of the other vehicle. When the presence of a distraction for the driver of another vehicle is determined, the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, when the distraction is not determined, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0093] When the presence of a distraction is determined in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the controller 101 sets the lane change time longer than the predetermined time in advance. For example, it is assumed that in step S6, the controller 101 specifies a vehicle that is traveling in a lane adjacent to an adjacent lane on the opposite side of the lane and ahead of another vehicle. In this case, the controller 101 sets the direction indicator 80 for a longer time because the relative speed between the vehicle and the vehicle in front decreases. This increases the overtime and thus sets the lane change time to be longer than the predetermined time.

[0094] Fig. 3 shows an example of a situation in which the vehicle V changes from L _１ traffic lane to L _２ traffic lane on a road with three traffic lanes on one side (L _１ traffic lane, L _２ traffic lane, and L _３ lane movements). Lane L２traffic is _the lane adjacent to lane L１to _the right of vehicle V. Lane _L３traffic is the lane adjacent to lane L２to _the right of vehicle V. The boundary _{L１２traffic} lane is formed between lane _L１traffic and lane L _２ traffic. Between the L _２ traffic lane and the L _３ traffic lane, the boundary of the L _２３ traffic lane is formed. A vehicle in lane L _２ is another vehicle Y _１ . A vehicle moving in lane L _３ is another vehicle X _１ . The situation in FIG. 3 is an exemplary situation after the processes of steps S1-S7 in FIG. 2A have been executed. In addition, in FIG. 3, a dotted arrow emerging from the other vehicle Y _１ indicates the line of sight of the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ . 3, it is assumed that the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ pays attention to the involved vehicle V and the other vehicle X _１ . In addition, in Fig. 3, the center line _C１is the center line of the lane L１traveling along the driving direction of the vehicle V involved, the center line _C２is the centerline _of the lane _L２running along the running direction of the involved vehicle V, and the center line C _３ represents the center line of lane L _３ along the direction of travel of the involved vehicle V.

[0095] In the situation of FIG. 3, the controller 101 determines that the involved vehicle V has reached the lane change point (not shown) (YES in step S3), and sets the entry position in front of the other vehicle Y _１ (step S4). In step S5, the controller 101 determines the other vehicle Y _１ located behind the entry position as the rear vehicle, and determines that the actuated vehicle V enters ahead of the other vehicle Y _１ to change lanes. The controller 101 sets the other vehicle X _１ in front of the other vehicle Y _１ in the lane L _３ as the vehicle ahead according to the environment information of the involved vehicle. The controller 101 determines that the distraction for the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ is due to the other vehicle X _１ (step S6). In step S7, the controller 101 sets the additional time or subtraction speed in accordance with the relative vehicle speed V and the relative vehicle speed X _１ .

[0096] With reference to FIG. 2B, a flowchart of the lane changing process will be described. In step S9, the controller 101 executes the direction indicator lighting control in accordance with the lane change time set in step S7. For example, the controller 101 outputs a light signal and an off signal to the directional indicator 80 to ensure the luminous time of the direction indicator 80 among the lane change time.

[0097] In step S10, the controller 101 determines whether there is an entry space at the entry position set in step S4. For example, the controller 101 determines that an entry space is present at the entry position when the distance between vehicles of the front vehicle and the other vehicle (rear vehicle) is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. On the other hand, the controller 101 determines that there is no space to enter at the entry position when the distance between the vehicles of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is less than a predetermined distance. When it is determined that an entry space is present at the entry position, the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, when the entry space is not determined, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0098] If it is determined that an entry space is present at the entry position in step S10, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, in accordance with the lane change time set in step S7, the controller 101 executes lane change control from the active lane to the adjacent lane, and ends the vehicle lane change process. For example, the controller 101 sets the vehicle speed and the steering angle of the vehicle involved so as to provide the time needed to drive to the entry position among the lane change time.

[0099] When it is determined that there is no entry space in step S10, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the controller 101 holds the actuated waiting vehicle at a predetermined position. For example, the controller 101 keeps the occupied vehicle waiting at a position crossing the lane boundary line between the occupied lane and the adjacent lane and the target trajectory up to the entry position.

[0100] In step S13, the controller 101 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed. When it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S14, and when it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S10. The predetermined time is a time determined experimentally, although not specifically limited. The controller 101 may change the predetermined time accordingly.

[0101] When the predetermined time is determined to have elapsed in step S13, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the controller 101 sets the running position of the vehicle to be operated. For example, the controller 101 sets the driving position of an actuated vehicle to a predetermined position near the center of the actuated lane. When the processing in step S14 is completed, the process returns to step S1, and the processing in step S1 and subsequent steps is performed again. This allows the vehicle controller 100 to execute the lane change processing, if it is determined that there is no space at the entry position in step S10 and the vehicle involved cannot change lane, the lane change processing can be performed again.

[0102] When it is determined that the involved vehicle does not enter ahead of another vehicle to change lane in step S5, or when it is determined in step S6 that there is no distraction for the driver of the other vehicle, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the controller 101 sets the lane change time to a predetermined time in advance. The predetermined time in this step is the same as the predetermined time described in step S7. When the process of step S8 ends, the process proceeds to step S9. Since the following description is the same except that the lane change time is the time set in step S8, the above description will be referred to accordingly.

[0103] As described above, in the actuated vehicle control method according to the present embodiment, the controller 101 obtains environment information of the actuated vehicle from the environment sensor group 10 and the communicator 32 installed in the actuated vehicle. The controller 101 determines whether there is a distraction for the driver of another vehicle according to the environment information when the involved vehicle is about to enter ahead of another vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane to change lanes. After detecting the presence of the distraction, the controller 101 sets the lane change time required for the enabled vehicle to change lanes longer than when detecting the absence of the distraction, and controls the driving position of the enabled vehicle in the enabled lane within the change time. traffic lanes. This gives the driver of the other vehicle time to confirm the behavior of the activated vehicle when the activated vehicle is about to drive ahead of the other vehicle to change lanes. Thus, the probability that the driver of the other vehicle notices the actuated vehicle before the actuated vehicle completes the lane change is increased.

[0104] In the present embodiment, the controller 101 sets at least one of the illuminating time of the direction indicator 80 during a lane change and the time required for an operable vehicle to move from an operable lane to an adjacent lane, longer than when neither factor does not distract the driver of another vehicle. This increases, for example, the likelihood that the driver of another vehicle will notice the direction indicator of the vehicle involved and the presence of the vehicle involved when the controller 101 has set the direction indicator 80 to be illuminated for a longer time. In addition, for example, the chance for the driver of another vehicle to notice that the actuated vehicle intends ahead of the other vehicle increases when the controller 101 sets the time for the actuated vehicle to drive longer.

[0105] In the present embodiment, the distractions to the driver of the other vehicle include at least one of the following: a traffic light, a scene of a traffic accident, a direction indicator while lit, a road shape, an emergency vehicle, a car navigation sound, mounted on another vehicle, earthquake emergency information, vehicle behavior, and vehicle shape or color. Thus, the controller 101 can determine that a distraction for the driver of another vehicle is present by detecting only one of these factors that normally affects the driving operation.

[0106] In addition, in the present embodiment, the distraction for the driver of another vehicle includes a vehicle in front of the other vehicle in the lane adjacent to the adjacent lane on the opposite side of the occupied lane. For example, an actuated vehicle may be within the driver's field of vision of another vehicle, not just the vehicle in front, when the actuated vehicle also precedes the other vehicle. In such cases, the controller 101 may determine the vehicle in front, which the driver usually tends to be distracted by, as a driver distraction.

[0107] <Second Embodiment>

A vehicle control device and a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, some functions of the control setting unit 106 differ from those of the first embodiment. In particular, the method for setting the lane change time is different from the method in the first embodiment. Other configurations and control processes are the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore, reference will be made to the above description.

[0108] The control setting unit 106 of the present embodiment calculates the probability that the driver of the other vehicle is looking at the distraction (hereinafter referred to as the look probability). For a plurality of distractions, the control setter 106 calculates a look probability for each factor.

Fig. 4 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 3 and is an example of the situation before the involved vehicle V moves from lane L _１ traffic to lane L _２ traffic on a road consisting of 3 lanes on one side (lanes L _１ , L lanes _２ and L lanes _３ ) to change lanes. The situation in FIG. 4 differs from the situation in FIG. 3 in that there is a traffic light T in front of the vehicle V in _the traffic lane L１. In FIG. 4, a dotted arrow coming from another vehicle Y _１ indicates the direction the driver is looking at the other vehicle Y _１ . 4, it is assumed that the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ pays attention to all of the operating vehicle V, the other vehicle X _１ , and the signal T. The display type of the traffic light T is not particularly limited.

[0110] In the example of FIG. 4, the control setting unit 106 recognizes, according to the environment information of the involved vehicle V, that the other vehicle X _１ precedes the other vehicle Y _１ and that the signal T is present. Then, the control setting unit 106 determines the presence of a distraction for the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ .

[0111] The control setting unit 106 calculates the eye probability of the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ for each distraction for the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ . For example, the control setting unit 106 obtains a gaze probability value corresponding to the type of distraction from a storage such as ROM. In such storage, the probability of looking is set in advance according to the type of distraction. In the case of FIG. 4, the control setting unit 106 calculates the look probability of the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ with respect to the other vehicle X _１ , obtaining a look probability with the type corresponding to the other vehicle X _１ , and calculates the probability of the look of the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ with respect to signal T by obtaining a look probability with the type corresponding to signal T.

[0112] In addition, the control setting unit 106 also calculates the probability that the driver of the other vehicle is looking at the actuated vehicle when the actuated vehicle is also distracting the driver. An actuated vehicle that distracts a driver of another vehicle includes an actuated vehicle that is ahead of another vehicle in the actuated vehicle. In the case of the example of FIG. 4, the involved vehicle V preceding the other vehicle Y _１ in the lane L _１ also corresponds to the distraction of the other vehicle Y _１ . The control setting block 106 calculates the probability of another vehicle Y ₁ looking with respect to the other vehicle X ₁ , obtaining a look probability with a type corresponding to the involved vehicle V. In the example of FIG. 4, for example, the control setting block 106 calculates the look probability for of the involved vehicle V as 20%, the look probability for another vehicle X _１ as 20%, and the look probability for signal T as 60%, so that the sum of the look probabilities equals 100%.

[0113] In addition, the control setting unit 106 of the present embodiment sets the additional time corresponding to the look probability when the other vehicle driver's look probability is calculated. For example, the control setting unit 106 sets the extra time according to the probability of seeing factors other than the vehicle involved, although this is not particularly limited. For example, the control setting block 106 sets the extra time to be longer the higher the probability of looking in relation to the distraction. In other words, the lower the look probability for the vehicle involved, the longer the lane change time is set. Thus, the lower the likelihood for a driver of another vehicle to notice the vehicle involved, the longer the lane change time is set. This gives the driver of another vehicle a better chance of noticing the vehicle involved.

[0114] For example, the control setting unit 106 sets the additional time by multiplying the ratio of the probability of looking at the distraction of the driver of another vehicle and the probability of looking at the involved vehicle by a predetermined unit of time. The predetermined unit of time is the time determined experimentally, although not specifically limited. The control setting block 106 can appropriately change the unit of time. In the example of FIG. 4, for example, the control setting unit 106 sets the additional time to 4 seconds by multiplying the look probability (the look probability for another vehicle X _１ : 20%, the look probability for traffic light T: 60%) other than the involved vehicle V, for 5 seconds (unit of time). The values of gaze probability, time unit, and extra time used in the above description are examples, and these values are not particularly limited.

[0115] Next, the control flow of the controller 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B show flowcharts of the control process executed by the vehicle controller 100 according to the present embodiment. The above description refers to the same parts as the control flow according to the first embodiment.

[0116] Steps S21 to S26 correspond to steps S1 to S6 in FIG. 2A. The description of these steps will refer to the description above.

[0117] When the presence of a distraction for the driver of another vehicle is determined in step S26, the process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, the controller 101 calculates the likelihood of a driver of another vehicle looking at the distraction. For example, the controller 101 obtains a predetermined gaze probability according to the type of distractions from a storage such as ROM.

[0118] In step S28, the controller 101 sets the extra time according to the look probability calculated in step S27. This sets the lane change time corresponding to the glance probability to be longer than when no factor distracts the driver of the other vehicle. For example, the controller 101 sets the extra time by multiplying the probability of the driver of another vehicle looking by a predetermined unit of time. This step corresponds to step S7 in FIG. 2A.

[0119] Steps S29 to S35 correspond to steps S9 to S14 in FIG. 2B. Thus, the description of these steps is mentioned above.

[0120] As described above, in the vehicle control method according to the present embodiment, the vehicle controller 100 calculates the likelihood of another vehicle driver looking at the distraction, the higher the look probability, the longer the lane change time is set. Thus, the more likely it is for a driver of another vehicle not to notice the vehicle involved, the longer the lane change time is set. This gives the driver of the other vehicle a better chance of noticing an involved vehicle that intends to drive ahead of the other vehicle to change lanes.

[0121] <Third Embodiment>

A vehicle control device and a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the present embodiment, some functions of the control setting unit 106 differ from those in the above-described embodiment. In particular, the method for setting the lane change time is different from the method in the first and second embodiments. Other configurations and control processing are the same as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and therefore, reference will be made to the above description.

[0122] The control setting unit 106 of the present embodiment calculates the distraction influence degree for the driver of the other vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as the influence degree), which is the influence level on the driving operation of the other vehicle. For a plurality of factors, the control setting block 106 calculates the degree of influence for each factor.

[0123] Fig. 6 is a diagram corresponding to Figs. 3 and 4, and is an example of the situation before the vehicle V involved moves from lane L _１ traffic to lane L _２ traffic on the road of three lanes on one side (lane L _１ traffic lane, L _２ traffic lane and L _３ traffic lane) to change lanes. The situation in FIG. 6, unlike the situation in FIG. 4, is a situation in which the signal display for signal T is switched. In addition, in the situation in FIG. 6, unlike the situation in FIG. X _１ turns on the direction indicator on the lane L _２ traffic.

[0124] In the example of FIG. 6, the control setting unit 106 recognizes that the other vehicle X _１ precedes the other vehicle Y _１ and that the signal T is present in accordance with the environment information of the involved vehicle V. Then, the control setting unit 106 determines the presence of distractions for the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ .

[0125] The control setting unit 106 calculates the degree of influence for each distraction for the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ . For example, the control setting unit 106 obtains the influence degree value corresponding to the distraction type and the distraction state from a storage such as ROM. For example, such storage has a predetermined degree of influence according to the type of distraction and the state of the distraction. In the example of FIG. 6, the control setting unit 106 calculates the influence degree of the other vehicle X _１ as 2.0. The breakdown of the degree of influence of another vehicle X _１ is 1.0 by vehicle type and 1.0 by the state of the directional indicator. In addition, the block 106 settings control calculates the degree of influence of the signal T as 1.5. The breakdown of the degree of influence of the signal T is 0.8 by the type of signal T and 0.7 by the switching state of the signal display.

[0126] In addition, the control setting unit 106 also calculates the degree of influence of the involved vehicle when the involved vehicle also comes into a distraction for the driver of another vehicle. In the case of the example of FIG. 6, the control setting unit 106 calculates the influence degree V of the vehicle as 1.0. The breakdown of the degree of influence of vehicle V is 1.0 per vehicle type V.

[0127] In addition, in the present embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment described above, the control setting unit 106 calculates the probability of another vehicle driver looking for each distraction. In addition, the control setting unit 106 also calculates the probability that the driver of the other vehicle is looking at the operated vehicle when the operated vehicle is also affected by the distraction. For an explanation of the likelihood of a glance, one should refer to the above explanation.

[0128] Next, the control setting unit 106 of the present embodiment sets the extra time according to the probability of the driver looking at another vehicle and the degree of influence of distractions for the driver. Specifically, the control setting unit 106 multiplies the probability of the other vehicle's driver looking by the amount of influence of the distraction, and sets the extra time according to the multiplication value. For example, the control setting unit 106 sets the overtime to be longer the higher the multiplication value of the driver's eye sight probability and the degree of influence of the distraction. That is, the lane change time is set to be longer the higher the multiplication value. For a plurality of distractions, the control setter 106 calculates a multiplication value for each factor. Then, the control setting block 106 adds the plurality of multiplication values. The control setting block 106 sets the additional time according to the total value. For example, the control setting block 106 sets the overtime to be longer the higher the multiplication values. This increases the lane change time as the multiplication values increase.

[0129] For example, the control setting block 106 sets the additional time by multiplying the multiplication value of the look probability and the degree of influence by a predetermined unit of time. The predetermined unit of time is the time determined experimentally, although not specifically limited. The control setting block 106 can appropriately change the unit of time. In the example of Fig. 6, similar to the example of Fig. 4, it is assumed that the eye probability for the involved vehicle V is 20%, the eye probability for another vehicle X _１ is 20%, and the eye probability for traffic light T is 60%. In this case, the control setting unit 106 multiplies the look probability for another vehicle V other than the actuated vehicle V by the influence degree (vehicle influence degree _X１ : 2.0, traffic light influence degree T: 1.5). For example, a multiplication value of 20%×2.0=4.0 and a multiplication value of 60%×1.5=9.0 are calculated. Then, the control setting section 106 sets the additional time to 2.6 seconds by multiplying the sum value (13.0) obtained by summing the plurality of multiplication values by 0.2 seconds (time unit). The respective values of the gaze probability, the degree of influence, the unit of time, and the extra time used in the above description are examples, and these values are not particularly limited.

[0130] Next, the control flow of the controller 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a control process executed by the vehicle controller 100 according to the present embodiment. Note that the above description refers to the same parts as parts of the control flows according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

[0131] Steps S41 to S46 correspond to steps S1 to S6 in FIG. 2A. Thus, the description of these steps is mentioned above. Step S47 corresponds to step S27 in Fig. 5A. Thus, the description of these steps is mentioned above.

[0132] In step S48, the controller 101 calculates the degree of influence on the driving control of the other vehicle by the distraction for the driver of the other vehicle. The degree of influence is determined, for example, by the type and state parameters of the distraction. For example, the controller 101 obtains an influence degree value corresponding to the distraction type and the distraction state from a storage such as ROM.

[0133] In step S49, the controller 101 sets the extra time based on the gaze probability calculated in step S47 and the degree of influence calculated in step S48. This sets the lane change time corresponding to the likelihood of a look and the degree of influence, all the more so longer than when no factor distracts the driver of another vehicle. For example, the controller 101 sets the overtime by multiplying the multiplication value of the driver's glance probability of another vehicle and the degree of influence of the distraction by a predetermined unit of time. This step corresponds to step S7 in Fig. 2A and step S28 in Fig. 5A.

[0134] Steps S50 to S56 correspond to steps S9 to S14 in FIG. 2B and steps S29 to S35 in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Thus, the description of these steps is mentioned above.

[0135] As described above, in the vehicle driving method according to the present embodiment, the vehicle controller 100 calculates the amount of influence of distractions on the driving operation of the driver of another vehicle. Then, the higher the multiplication value obtained by multiplying the glance probability and the degree of influence of the driver of the other vehicle, the longer the vehicle controller 100 sets the lane change time. This prevents lane change times from being extended due to factors that have little effect on driving, but the driver is likely to keep a close eye on, for example, accident scenes in oncoming lanes. In other words, the vehicle controller 100 is allowed to set a longer time for factors that have a large influence on driving, and the driver of another vehicle is likely to look at them.

[0136] In addition, in the present embodiment, for a plurality of distractions for a driver of another vehicle, the vehicle controller 100 calculates a look probability and an influence degree for each factor, and calculates a glance probability multiplication value and an influence degree for each factor. Then, the vehicle controller 100 calculates the total value of the plurality of multiplied values calculated for each factor, and the higher the total value, the longer it sets the lane change time. This allows you to set a longer lane change time and allows the driver of the other vehicle to confirm the behavior of the involved vehicle for a longer time when, for example, there are many distractions for the driver of the other vehicle, and the value of the glance probability multiplication and the degree of influence of each factor is relatively high. This makes it possible to increase the likelihood that the driver of the other vehicle will notice the actuated vehicle in a situation where the actuated vehicle enters ahead of the other vehicle to change lanes.

[0137] In the present embodiment, a method of setting the lane change time according to the multiplication value obtained by multiplying the glance probability and the influence degree of the driver of another vehicle as an example has been described, but without imposing any limitation. For example, the lane change time can only be set according to the degree of influence. For example, the higher the degree of influence, the longer the vehicle controller 100 sets the extra time. The vehicle controller 100 sets an additional time corresponding to the degree of influence by multiplying the unit of time by the degree of influence. This allows a longer lane change time to be set as a factor with a higher degree of influence, and to increase the time required for the driver of the other vehicle to confirm the behavior of the vehicle involved. Therefore, it is permitted to increase the probability that the driver of the other vehicle notices the actuated vehicle in a situation where the actuated vehicle enters in front of the other vehicle to change lanes.

[0138] In addition, for a plurality of distractions, the vehicle controller 100 may set the lane change time in a different manner. For example, the vehicle controller 100 may calculate the total value of the gaze probabilities calculated for each factor, and the higher the total value, the longer the lane change time is set. In addition, for example, the vehicle controller 100 may calculate the total value of the plurality of influence degrees calculated for each factor, and the higher the total value, the longer the lane change time is set.

[0139] <Fourth Embodiment>

A vehicle control device and a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the present embodiment, the vehicle controller 100 includes an estimator 110 (not shown) in contrast to the above-described embodiment. In the present embodiment, some functions of the control setting unit 106 and the motion control unit 108 differ from those of the above-described embodiment. Specifically, compared with the first to third embodiments, the point for estimating the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle and the point for setting the position to start performing motion control according to the estimated actual field of view are different. Other configurations and control processes are the same as in the first to third embodiments, and therefore the above description is included here.

[0140] The function of the estimator 110 will now be described. Estimator 110 evaluates the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle. Specifically, the evaluation unit 110 evaluates the actual field of view of the other vehicle's driver according to at least one of the other vehicle's vehicle speed, the road congestion, and the driver's driving skills. The following sections describe each method for estimating the actual field of view. In the following description, "driver's actual view area estimate" means an estimate of the driver's actual view angle or an estimate of the driver's actual view area. Therefore, "actual field of view is narrow (wide)" means that the actual field of view is narrow (wide) or the actual field of view is narrow (wide).

[0141] The actual field of view will be described here. The field of view of a person is divided into a central field of view, located in the center of the field of view, and a surrounding field of view, surrounding the central field of view. The center field of view is a field of view in the range of approximately 5 degrees in the horizontal and vertical directions. When a person sees an object, the human eye usually recognizes the object within the central field of view. On the other hand, the surrounding field of view consists of the actual field of view around the central field of view, the stable field of view around the actual field of view, the additional field of view around the stable field of view, and the like. When recognizing an object within the actual field of view, a person is more likely to notice the object than when recognizing an object in a surrounding field of view other than the actual field of view.

[0142] Now, the estimation method according to the vehicle speed among the actual field of view estimation methods will be described. Generally, the higher the speed of the vehicle, the narrower the field of view for the driver. This is because the higher the vehicle speed, the more carefully the driver performs the driving operation, and the more tedious the driving operation is. As driving becomes tiring, the driver's actual field of vision narrows.

[0143] The evaluation unit 110 judges the narrower the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle, the higher the speed of the vehicle of the other vehicle. For example, the estimator 110 recognizes the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the occupied vehicle according to the detection result of the radar 11 or the machine-to-machine communication, and recognizes the current vehicle speed of the other vehicle from the vehicle speed. the vehicle involved. The judging unit 110 obtains a map indicating a relationship between a vehicle speed and an actual viewing angle from a storage such as a ROM, and calculates an actual viewing angle value corresponding to the current vehicle speed of another vehicle by referring to the map. This allows the estimator 110 to estimate the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle according to the vehicle speed of the other vehicle. The relationship between the vehicle speed and the actual viewing angle may include a proportional relationship in which the higher the vehicle speed, the narrower the actual viewing angle.

[0144] Next, a method for estimating the actual viewing angle according to the degree of traffic congestion will be described. A road may include a designated lane and an adjacent lane. As a rule, the higher the degree of congestion on the road, the smaller the field of view for the driver. This is because as the distance between vehicles decreases, the more carefully the driver performs the driving operation, the more tedious the driving operation becomes. As driving becomes tiring, the driver's actual field of vision narrows.

[0145] The evaluation unit 110 judges the narrower the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle, the higher the degree of traffic congestion. For example, the estimator 110 recognizes the number of other vehicles that the operating vehicle passes per unit of time according to the detection result of the radar 11 or the image captured by the imaging device 12 . The judging unit 110 obtains a map indicating a relationship between the number of other vehicles and the actual viewing angle from a storage such as ROM, and calculates an actual viewing angle value corresponding to the number of other vehicles by referring to the map. Since the road congestion is higher the larger the number of other vehicles, the driver's actual field of view of other vehicles according to the road congestion can be estimated by calculating the actual viewing angle corresponding to the number of other vehicles. The relationship between the road congestion and the actual viewing angle is not limited to a proportional relationship in which the actual viewing angle becomes narrower as the road congestion becomes higher.

[0146] Incidentally, the information used to estimate the degree of traffic congestion is not limited to information about the number of other vehicles that the involved vehicle passes per unit time, as described above. For example, traffic jam information, average vehicle speed information for other vehicles, or an operating vehicle in a predetermined area may be used. For example, estimator 110 receives traffic distance information from VICS and calculates an actual viewing angle value corresponding to the traffic distance. Since the congestion degree is higher the longer the distance to the congestion road, the driver's actual field of vision of other vehicles according to the congestion degree can be estimated by calculating the actual viewing angle corresponding to the congestion distance. In addition, for example, the estimator 110 may receive information about the average vehicle speed of the section with other vehicles from the VICS and calculate the value of the actual viewing angle corresponding to the average vehicle speed of the other vehicles. In addition, for example, the evaluation module 110 can obtain information about the average vehicle speed of the involved vehicle in a predetermined area from the vehicle speed sensor 21 and calculate the value of the actual viewing angle corresponding to the average vehicle speed of the surveyed vehicle. In addition, for example, the estimation module 110 can obtain information about the distance between vehicles between the activated vehicle and the vehicle in front and about the distance between vehicles between the activated vehicle and the rear vehicle from the radar 11, and can calculate the actual viewing angle corresponding to distance between vehicles. Since the road congestion is higher the slower the average speed of the whole vehicle or the vehicle, the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle according to the road congestion can be estimated by calculating the actual viewing angle corresponding to the average speed of the vehicle. In addition, since the degree of traffic congestion is higher the smaller the distance between vehicles, the calculation of the actual viewing angle corresponding to the distance between vehicles makes it possible to estimate the actual view of the driver of another vehicle in accordance with the degree of traffic congestion.

[0147] A method for estimating the actual viewing angle according to the driver's driving skills will now be described. As a general rule, the lower the driving skill, the narrower the driver's field of vision becomes. This is because the lower the driving skill, the more carefully the driver performs the driving operation and the more tedious the driving operation becomes. As driving becomes tiring, the driver's actual field of vision narrows.

[0148] The evaluation unit 110 judges the narrower the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle, the lower the driving skills of the driver of the other vehicle. For example, the estimator 110 obtains the steering angle information of the steering mounted on the other vehicle through inter-vehicle communication and recognizes the steering angle range per unit time. This makes it possible to recognize how much the driver of the other vehicle controls the steering while driving on a straight road when, for example, the other vehicle is traveling on a straight road. Estimator 110 obtains a map indicating a relationship between a steering angle range per unit time and an actual viewing angle from a storage such as a ROM, and calculates an actual viewing angle value corresponding to the steering angle range per unit time on the map. The calculation of the actual viewing angle corresponding to the steering angle range per unit time makes it possible to estimate the actual field of view of the driver of another vehicle according to the degree of traffic congestion in accordance with the knowledge that driving skills are lower, the wider the steering angle range in unit of time. Because the relationship between the steering angle range per unit time and the actual viewing angle is not limited to a proportional relationship in which the wider the steering angle range, the narrower the actual viewing angle.

[0149] The control setting unit 106 of the present embodiment, in accordance with the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle, sets the starting position for starting execution of the movement control of the involved vehicle. The traffic control of the involved vehicle is the luminous control and the direction indicator lane change control performed by the traffic control unit 108 . Specifically, in the present embodiment, the control setting unit 106 sets the start position such that the distance between the other vehicle and the start position becomes larger the narrower the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle. In the present embodiment, the control setting unit 106 sets the forward position with respect to another vehicle in the active lane as the starting position. That is, the control setting unit 106 sets the start position such that the previous distance of the operated vehicle with respect to the other vehicle becomes larger than the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle is narrower.

[0150] For example, the control setting unit 106 obtains a map indicating the relationship between the actual field of view and the distance from the other vehicle to the starting position from a storage such as ROM, and calculates a distance corresponding to the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle from the map. Then, the control setting unit 106 sets the start position so that the front end of the vehicle to be operated precedes the front end of the other vehicle by the calculated distance. The relationship between the distance between the actual field of view and the start position may be a proportional relationship, so that the distance from another vehicle with narrowing of the actual field of view to the start position increases, but is not limited to this.

[0151] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the actual field of view and the starting position. 8A and 8B show situations in which the involved vehicle V changes from L _１ traffic lane to L _２ traffic lane on a road composed of 3 traffic lanes on one side (L _１ traffic lane, L _２ traffic lane and L lane _３ movement). Vehicles moving in the lane L _２ traffic are another vehicle X _２ preceding another vehicle Y _１ , and another vehicle Y _１ . Vehicles moving in lane L _３ are another vehicle X _３ preceding another vehicle X _１ and another vehicle X _１ . The remaining points are the same as in Fig.3, 4 and 6, and thus the above description is included here by reference. Note that the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ , the actual field of view shown in Fig. 8A, is assumed to be wider than the actual field of view in Fig. 8B. In particular, the actual viewing angle alpha ₁ is wider than the actual viewing angle alpha ₂ . The actual field of view R _１ is wider than the actual field of view R _２ . In Figs. 8A and 8B, the actual field of view is represented by a triangular shape, but this is an example of the method for representing the actual field of view, and the shape of the actual field of view is not limited to the triangular shape in plan view.

[0152] In the example of FIG. 8A, the control setting unit 106 sets the start position so that the front end of the vehicle V involved is at a distance D _１ from the front end of the other vehicle Y _１ . The distance D _１ is the distance between the other vehicle Y _１ and the vehicle V involved, calculated according to the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ in Fig. 8A. In addition, in the example of FIG. 8B, the control setting unit 106 sets the start position so that the front end of the vehicle V involved is at a distance D _２ from the front end of the other vehicle Y _１ . The distance D _２ is the distance between the other vehicle Y _１ and the driven vehicle V calculated according to the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ in Fig. 8B. As shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, the start position is set to precede the other vehicle Y _１ with narrowing of the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle Y _１ .

[0153] The motion control unit 108 of the present embodiment starts driving control of the actuated vehicle when the actuated vehicle reaches the start position set by the control setting unit 106 . Specifically, the motion control unit 108 performs luminous control of the direction indicator at the point in time when the driven vehicle has reached the start position.

[0154] Next, the control flow of the controller 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B. 9A and 9B are flowcharts of the control process executed by the vehicle controller 100 according to the present embodiment. The above description refers to the same parts as the vehicle control processing according to the first to third embodiments.

[0155] Steps S61 to S68 correspond to steps S1 to S8 in FIG. 2A. Thus, the description of these steps is mentioned above.

[0156] In step S69, the controller 101 judges the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle according to at least one of the speed of the vehicle of the other vehicle, the degree of traffic congestion, and the skill of the driver of the other vehicle. For example, the controller 101 recognizes the vehicle speed of the other vehicle according to the detection result of the radar 11. The controller 101 estimates the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle according to the vehicle speed of the other vehicle by referring to the previously stored map. The controller 101 judges the narrower the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle, the higher the speed of the vehicle of the other vehicle.

[0157] In step S70, the controller 101, in accordance with the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle estimated in step S69, sets the start position to start execution of the motion control. For example, the controller 101 calculates the distance from the other vehicle to the operating vehicle according to the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle by referring to the previously stored map. The controller 101, for example, sets the start position so that the front of the vehicle leads the front of the other vehicle by the calculated distance. The controller 101 sets the start position in the lane.

[0158] In step S71, the controller 101 determines whether the vehicle to be operated has reached the start position set in step S70. When it is determined that the actuated vehicle has reached the start position, the process proceeds to step S72. On the other hand, when it is determined that the actuated vehicle has not reached the start position, the process waits at step S71. The controller 101 controls the movement of the actuated vehicle so as to reach the start position of the actuated vehicle after the processing of step S70 is completed, although this is omitted from the flowchart in FIG. Specifically, when the actuated vehicle travels ahead of the start position, the controller 101 controls the vehicle speed of the actuated vehicle to become lower than the vehicle speed of the other vehicle. This allows the involved vehicle to move backward relative to the other vehicle and reach the start position from a position ahead of the start position. On the other hand, when the actuated vehicle moves past the start position, the controller 101 controls the vehicle speed of the actuated vehicle to be higher than the vehicle speed of the other vehicle. This allows the involved vehicle to move forward relative to the other vehicle and reach the starting position from position after starting position.

[0159] When it is determined that the involved vehicle has reached the start position in step S71, the process proceeds to step S72. Steps S72 to S76 correspond to steps S9 to S14 in FIG. 2A. Thus, the description of these steps will be mentioned above.

[0160] As described above, in the vehicle driving method according to the present embodiment, the vehicle controller 100 judges the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle according to at least one of the vehicle speed of the other vehicle, the road congestion, and the driving skill. another vehicle. The vehicle controller 100 sets the start position for starting execution of the actuated vehicle motion control, so that the already estimated actual field of view, the longer is the distance that the actuated vehicle travels in front of the other vehicle. Then, when the actuated vehicle has reached the start position _, the vehicle controller 100 starts the direction indicator illumination control _. This makes it possible to increase the likelihood of the vehicle's direction indicator being illuminated within the actual field of view of the driver of another vehicle. This increases the likelihood that drivers of another vehicle will know that their vehicle is about to change lanes.

[0161] It should be appreciated that the previously described embodiments are described to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not described to limit the present invention. Therefore, the factors disclosed in the above embodiments are intended to include all design changes and equivalents falling within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0162] For example, the traffic control unit 108 may perform other lane change controls in addition to the direction indicator light control and the lane change control. For example, the traffic control module 108 may control the movement of the actuated vehicle to move to the side of the adjacent lane relative to the center line of the actuated lane along the direction of movement of the actuated vehicle. For example, the traffic control unit 108 may execute each control in the order of the side shift control, the direction indicator light control, and the lane change control for changing the lane of the vehicle involved. In this case, the lane change time includes the lighting time of the direction indicator 80 located on the side of the adjacent lane, the time required for the actuated vehicle to move from the lane of the actuated vehicle to the entry position, the time required for the actuated vehicle to move to the side of the adjacent lane, and the time required to travel with the vehicle involved on the side of the adjacent lane.

[0163] In addition, for example, the control setting unit 106 may set the illumination time (first time) of the direction indicator 80 provided on the side of the adjacent lane when it is determined that there is no entry space at the entry position. For example, the control setting unit 106 may set a longer lighting time of the direction indicator 80 when the presence determination unit 107 determines in advance that there is no entry space at the entry position. The lane change time is set to be longer than in the case when no factors distract the driver of another vehicle. This makes it possible to increase the likelihood that drivers of another vehicle will be aware that this vehicle is about to change lanes. In this way, for example, the likelihood that the driver of another vehicle will occupy the entry space at the entry positions can be increased.

[0164] For example, when determining that a certain factor is distracting the driver of another vehicle, the control setting unit 106 may set longer at least one of the direction indicator 80 illumination time (first time), the time required to move the involved vehicle from the active lane to the entry position indicated on the adjacent lane (fourth time), the time required for the active vehicle to move to the side of the adjacent lane (second time), and the time during which the active vehicle travels while being on the side of the adjacent lane (second time). traffic lanes (third time). This makes it possible to set the lane change time to be longer than in the case where no distraction is present for the driver of the other vehicle, when there are distractions for the driver of the other vehicle.

[0165] In addition, the extra time can be set in accordance with the speed difference between the vehicle in front and the vehicle involved when the vehicle in front is moving in the lane adjacent to the adjacent lane and on the opposite side of said lane on the road. with three or more lanes. For example, when the speed difference between the vehicle speed of the driven vehicle and the speed of the vehicle in front is within a predetermined range, the control setting unit 106 may set a longer additional time compared to the case where the speed difference is outside the predetermined range. range. When the speed difference is within a predetermined range, the relative positional relationship between the occupied vehicle and the vehicle in front does not drastically change according to the elapsed time. In addition, the driver may divert attention from the vehicle involved when the speed difference is outside a predetermined range. Thus, the drivers of the other vehicle can pay equal attention to the involved vehicle and the vehicle in front. When the speed difference is within the predetermined range, setting the lane change time longer than when the speed difference is outside the predetermined range increases the likelihood that the driver of the other vehicle will notice the vehicle involved.

[0166] In addition, the condition of the other vehicle may be distracting to the driver of the other vehicle in addition to factors unrelated to the other vehicle. For example, distractions for the driver of the other vehicle may include the speed of the vehicle of the other vehicle, since the higher the speed, the more cautious the driver is and the driver is likely to be distracted. For example, when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is higher than a predetermined threshold value, the determining unit 105 may determine that some factor is distracting the driver of the other vehicle. In this case, the lane change time is set to be longer than when no factor distracts the driver of the other vehicle. The predetermined threshold value is an experimentally determined value.

[0167] The illumination of a direction indicator on the side opposite the active lane may distract the driver of another vehicle. This corresponds to the fact that the driver of another vehicle, when changing the lane of another vehicle, is likely to pay attention to the lane change compared to the vehicle involved. For example, the determining unit 105 may determine that the factor distracts the driver of the other vehicle when the direction indicator of the other vehicle on the opposite side of the active lane is turned on. In this case, the lane change time is set to be longer than when no factor distracts the driver of the other vehicle.

[0168] In addition, the method for estimating the actual field of view may include another method in addition to the methods described in the fourth embodiment. For example, evaluation module 110 may estimate the actual field of view of the driver of another vehicle according to at least one of road shape, weather information, and time information.

[0169] For example, evaluator 110 may judge the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle to be narrower than in the case of two lanes on one side, including an occupied lane and an adjacent lane, when the road includes three lanes. traffic on one side with an adjacent lane located in the center. This is because the driver of the other vehicle is more careful on the 3-lane road compared to driving on the 2-lane road, then the driving operation becomes more difficult. The more tedious the driving operation becomes, the narrower the driver's actual field of vision becomes. In addition to having three lanes on one side, for example, the shape of a road may be a curve or a tunnel. For example, by the judging unit 110, when the vehicle is driving on a curve or a tunnel, compared with the case when the vehicle is driving on other roads, the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle can be judged narrower.

[0170] In addition, the evaluation unit 110 may judge the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle to be narrower when the weather is rainy than when the weather is clear. This is because in rainy weather, the driver of the other vehicle performs the driving operation more carefully than in clear weather, the driving operation becomes more tedious. As driving becomes tiring, the driver's actual field of vision narrows.

[0171] In addition, for example, when the time zone is night, estimator 110 may estimate the actual field of view of the other vehicle's driver to be narrower than when the time zone is other than night (morning, noon, and evening). This is because the driver of the other vehicle performs the driving operation more thoroughly at night than during the day, and thus the driving operation becomes more tedious. As driving becomes tiring, the driver's actual field of vision narrows.

[0172] In addition, the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle may be reflected in the likelihood of the driver of the other vehicle looking.

For example, if the control setting unit 106 determines that a factor that is not within the driver's actual field of view is distracting the driver, then that factor may be excluded from the driver distraction factors. For example, the control setting unit may calculate the probability of the driver of another vehicle looking at a factor outside the actual field of view by subtracting a predetermined value from a predetermined look probability value. Thus, by reflecting the actual field of view of the driver of the other vehicle into the probability of the driver of the other vehicle looking, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the calculation of the look probability. This makes it possible to increase the likelihood that drivers of another vehicle will notice the presence of their involved vehicles.

[0173] For example, herein, the vehicle control device according to the present invention is described using the vehicle controller 100 as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, in this document, the first lane according to the present invention is described as an example of the lane to be used, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, herein, the second lane according to the present invention is described as an example of an adjacent lane, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, herein, the information acquisition unit according to the present invention is described using the information acquisition unit 102 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, herein, the determination unit according to the present invention is described using the determination unit 105 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Herein, the setting unit according to the present invention is described using the control setting unit 106 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Herein, the motion control unit according to the present invention is described using the motion control unit 108 as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[EXPLANATION OF LETTER OR NUMBER DESIGNATIONS]

[0174]

10... Ambient sensor group

11...Radar

12... Imaging device

20... Vehicle sensor group

21... Vehicle speed sensor

22... Accelerometer

23... Gyro sensor

24... Steering angle sensor

25... Accelerator sensor

26... Brake sensor

30... Navigation system

31...GPS

32... Communicator

33... Navigation controller

40... Map database

50... HMI

60... Actuator controller

70... Vehicle actuator group

71... Steering actuator

72... Accelerator actuator

73... Brake actuator

80... Direction indicator

100... Vehicle controller

101... Control unit

102... Receive block

103... Situation recognition unit

104... Job block

105... Definition block

106... Control settings block

107... Space Presence Detection Block

108... Motion control unit

200... Vehicle system.

Claims (42)

1. A method for driving a vehicle, performed by a processor configured to perform a lane change of the vehicle involved, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining information about the environment of the involved vehicle through a sensor provided in the involved vehicle; determining whether a factor that may be distracting to the driver of another vehicle is present when the vehicle involved enters in front of this other vehicle moving in the second lane to change lanes from the first lane to the second lane adjacent to the first lane movement; setting a lane change time required for the involved vehicle to change lane, wherein the lane change time is longer when determining the presence of said factor than when determining the absence of said factor; controlling the driving position of the vehicle involved in the first lane during the lane change time. 2. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising the step of setting at least one of the first time, the second time, the third time and the fourth time included at the time of the lane change, longer than when determining the absence of said factor, while the first time is the time when the direction indicator of the vehicle involved lights up, the second time is the time required to move the vehicle involved to the side of the second lane relative to the center line of the first lane together with the direction of motion of the vehicle involved, the third time is the time for the vehicle to be driven while on the side of the second lane with respect to the center line, and the fourth time is the time required for the vehicle involved to move to the second lane from the first lane. 3. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the steps of: calculating a look probability that the driver will look at said factor; and set the lane change time to be longer, the higher the probability of the driver's glance. 4. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the steps of: calculate the degree of influence of the mentioned factor on the functioning of the mentioned other vehicle and set the lane change time to be longer, the higher the degree of influence of the mentioned factor. 5. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the steps of: calculating a look probability that the driver will look at said factor; calculate the degree of influence of the mentioned factor on the functioning of the mentioned other vehicle and setting the lane change time to be longer the higher the multiplication value obtained by multiplying the probability of the driver's glance by the degree of influence of said factor. 6. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of: calculating, in determining the presence of a plurality of said factors, for each of these factors, the probability of the driver's gaze, the degree of influence of said factor, and said multiplication value; setting the lane change time to be longer, the higher any of the sum of the probabilities of the driver's gaze, the sum of the degrees of influence of the mentioned factors, and the set of multiplication values. 7. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said factor includes at least one of a traffic signal display, a traffic accident location, a direction indicator at the time of glow, a road shape including the first the lane and the second lane, the emergency vehicle, the sound of the car navigation installed on said other vehicle, the emergency earthquake warning, the behavior of the vehicle, and the shape or color of the vehicle. 8. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of claims 1-7, in which said factor is a vehicle ahead of said other vehicle in the third lane, and the third lane is a lane which is adjacent to the second lane and which is located on the opposite side of the first lane. 9. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of: receiving information about the speed of the vehicle ahead of the vehicle from the sensor detecting the state of the environment involved vehicle; comparing the vehicle speed of the involved vehicle with the vehicle speed of the vehicle in front; and when the speed difference between the vehicle speed of the involved vehicle and the speed of the vehicle in front is within a predetermined range, the lane change time is set to be longer than when the speed difference is outside this predetermined range. 10. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising the steps of: estimating the driver's actual field of view based on at least one of the vehicle speed of said other vehicle, the degree of traffic congestion including the first lane and the second lane, the shape of the road, the weather information, the time information, and the driving skill of the driver, setting a starting position for starting the execution of the driving position control so that the distance ahead of the involved vehicle with respect to said other vehicle becomes larger the narrower the actual field of view becomes; and starting execution of the driving position control when the vehicle to be operated reaches this starting position. 11. A vehicle control device, comprising: a device receiving information about the environment of the involved vehicle; and a controller configured to perform a lane change of the vehicle, the controller comprising: a receiving unit for receiving vehicle information from the device; a determining unit determining whether a factor that may be distracting to the driver of another vehicle is present when the vehicle in use changes lanes from the first lane to the second lane adjacent to the first lane to enter in front of this other vehicle moving in the second lane, in accordance with the information about the environment of the vehicle involved; a setting unit for setting a lane change time required for the actuated vehicle to change lane, wherein the lane change time is longer when the presence of said factor is determined by the determining unit than when the absence of said factor is determined; and a traffic control unit controlling the driving position of the vehicle involved in the first lane during the lane change time.

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