JP2010237747A - Driving support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving support device achieving appropriate driving support corresponding to conditions by changing the contents of driving support, based on road linearity information. <P>SOLUTION: The driving support device 1 performs the driving support of a vehicle based on traffic light information related to the signal cycle of a traffic light at an intersection, and is provided with: a road-to-vehicle communication part 2 for receiving traffic light information by road-to-vehicle communication with optical beacons V1 and V2; and an ECU 10 for acquiring the road linearity information other than an approach road to the intersection, and for changing the contents of the driving support, based on the road linearity information. The driving support device 1 is configured to change the contents of the driving support based on the road linearity information other than the approach road to the intersection, so that it is possible to achieve the appropriate driving support corresponding to the conditions, for example, by not performing driving support to mandatorily stop the vehicle when there exists a byroad just in front of the intersection even when the traffic light at the intersection is put in a red signal state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an information providing apparatus described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-328521 is known as one that provides information related to driving support for a vehicle. In this information providing device, when providing information about an intersection, the vehicle lane at the time of entering the next intersection is determined from the lane determination by road-to-vehicle communication at the intersection exit that has passed and the detection result of the lane change operation in the vehicle. This makes it possible to provide information according to the travel lane.

JP 2007-328521 A

  By the way, when driving assistance is performed at an intersection, for example, when there is a side road other than the approach road to the intersection immediately before the intersection, it is impossible to determine in which direction the vehicle travels, so appropriate information according to the course is provided May not be performed. As a result, there has been a problem that driving assistance that does not match the situation may be performed due to inappropriate information provision.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and by changing the content of driving support based on road alignment information, driving capable of realizing appropriate driving support according to the situation. An object is to provide a support device.

  The present invention relates to a driving support device for supporting driving of a vehicle based on traffic signal information relating to a signal cycle of a traffic signal at an intersection, communication means for receiving traffic signal information by communication, and road linear information other than an approach road to the intersection. Road alignment information acquisition means for acquiring the information, and change means for changing the content of the driving assistance based on the road alignment information.

  According to the driving support device of the present invention, since the content of driving support is changed based on road alignment information other than the approach road to the intersection, for example, a side road immediately before the intersection even if the traffic light at the intersection is in a red signal state In the case where the vehicle is present, inappropriate driving support that forcibly stops the vehicle can be suppressed, and appropriate driving support according to the situation can be realized.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a change means changes the content of driving assistance based on the detour linear information regarding the detour for advancing around an intersection among road linear information. In this case, it is possible to determine whether or not a detour exists based on the detour linear information. And when there is a detour, there are many cases where it cannot be determined whether the vehicle enters the intersection or the detour, so for example, inappropriate driving support that forcibly stops the vehicle is not performed. By doing so, it becomes possible to realize appropriate driving support according to the situation.

  Further, the vehicle further includes lane detection means for detecting a lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and the changing means calculates the reliability related to the intersection approach of the vehicle based on the detection result of the lane detection means and the road alignment information. It is preferable to change the content of the driving assistance according to the situation. Even if there is a side road immediately before the intersection, if the lane in which the vehicle is traveling is not connected to the side road, the vehicle is likely to enter the intersection without going to the side road. Therefore, it is possible to realize appropriate driving support according to the course of the vehicle by calculating the possibility of the vehicle entering the intersection as the reliability and changing the content of the driving support according to this reliability. Become.

  In addition, it is preferable that the vehicle driver further includes guidance means for guiding the route to the destination, and the changing means calculates the reliability high when the destination cannot be reached without passing through the intersection. If the destination cannot be reached without passing through the intersection, it is considered that the vehicle is likely to enter the intersection instead of the detour. Driving assistance can be realized.

  The driving assistance is braking control for braking the vehicle, and it is preferable that the change means increases the forcing level of the braking control as the reliability is higher. By increasing the forcing level of the braking control according to the reliability of the approach to the intersection of the vehicle, it is possible to suppress the vehicle from entering the intersection in a red signal state. Improvements can be made.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the appropriate driving assistance according to the condition is realizable.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the driving assistance device which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the intersection with a left turn exclusive path. It is a flowchart which shows the process of ECU of FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driving support device 1 according to the present embodiment performs intervention control (braking control) for braking the vehicle according to the display state of the traffic light as driving support for the vehicle at the intersection. An inter-vehicle communication unit (communication means) 2, a navigation system 3, and an in-vehicle camera 4 are provided. Further, the driving support device 1 includes a vehicle speed sensor 5, a braking unit 6, and an ECU (road alignment information acquisition means, lane detection means, change means) 10.

  Vehicles A and B shown in FIG. 2 include a driving support apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle A is a vehicle that travels on the right lane L1 of the two-lane road toward the intersection T ahead, and the vehicle B is a vehicle that travels on the left lane L2 of the same road toward the intersection T. It is. The intersection T is an intersection with a traffic light, and a left-turn exclusive route (a detour) R for making a left turn around the intersection T is provided. This left turn exclusive path R is connected to the lane L2. On the road on which the vehicles A and B travel, optical beacons V1 and V2 corresponding to the lanes L1 and L2 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the road-to-vehicle communication unit 2 performs road-to-vehicle communication with roadside communication devices such as optical beacons V1 and V2 installed on the road. The road-to-vehicle communication unit 2 receives traffic signal information related to the signal cycle of the traffic signal ahead of the vehicle (display state switching cycle) by road-to-vehicle communication and also receives road alignment information related to the road alignment around the roadside communication device. This road alignment information includes information on road alignment other than the approach road to the intersection at the intersection, such as detour alignment information on the road alignment of the detour for traveling around the intersection and side roads near the intersection (for example, traffic lights) Side road alignment information on the road alignment of the branch roads without any) is included. The road-to-vehicle communication unit 2 transmits the received traffic signal information and road alignment information to the ECU 10.

  The navigation system 3 includes a GPS [Global Positioning System] receiving unit for detecting the current position of the vehicle, and a map database in which road map information related to a road map is stored. When the destination is set by the vehicle occupant, the navigation system 3 provides the driver with a route to the destination based on the current position of the vehicle detected by the GPS receiver and the road map information stored in the map database. To guide. The navigation system 3 transmits the route information to the destination and the road map information to the ECU 10.

  The in-vehicle camera 4 is provided in the front part of the vehicle, for example, and images the road surface of the road on which the vehicle travels and the front of the vehicle. The vehicle-mounted camera 4 transmits the captured road surface image to the ECU 10 as road surface image information, and transmits the captured front image of the vehicle to the ECU 10 as front image information. The vehicle speed sensor 5 is provided, for example, at a wheel portion of the vehicle, and detects the vehicle speed from the number of rotations of the wheel. The vehicle speed sensor 5 transmits vehicle speed information related to the detected vehicle speed to the ECU 10.

  The braking unit 6 has a function of braking the vehicle, and includes, for example, an electromagnetic valve that adjusts the brake hydraulic pressure and a pump motor that generates the brake hydraulic pressure. The braking unit 6 operates in response to a command from the ECU 10 and executes vehicle braking according to the command.

  The ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs arithmetic processing, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) serving as a storage unit, an input signal circuit, an output signal circuit, a power supply circuit, and the like. Control 1 centrally.

  The ECU 10 acquires various types of information by transmission from the road-to-vehicle communication unit 2, the navigation system 3, the in-vehicle camera 4, and the vehicle speed sensor 5. The ECU 10 performs normal stop intervention control (for example, control for smoothly stopping the vehicle before the stop line) based on the road alignment information transmitted from the road-vehicle communication unit 2 and the vehicle speed information transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor 5. It is determined whether or not it is possible. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, even if the traffic light S at the intersection T is in a red signal state, if there is a left turn exclusive road R or a side road, whether or not the vehicles A and B enter the intersection. Since it is unknown, stop intervention control cannot be performed. Therefore, the ECU 10 determines from the road alignment information that there is a detour or side road such as the left turn exclusive road R immediately before the intersection in front of the vehicle, and the point P where the stop intervention control starts (a point that varies depending on the vehicle speed) is the left turn dedicated road. If it is before the entrance of R or a side road, it is determined that stop intervention control is impossible.

  When it is determined that the stop intervention control is not possible, the ECU 10 determines the travel lane in which the vehicle is traveling based on the road surface image information and the road alignment information transmitted from the in-vehicle camera 4. The ECU 10 recognizes information on the lane of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (information on the number of lanes and connection with other roads) from the road alignment information and travels by recognizing a center line, a lane boundary line, and the like from the road surface image information. Determine the lane.

  On the other hand, the ECU 10 determines that the stop intervention control is possible, for example, when it is recognized from the road alignment information that the intersection in front of the vehicle is an intersection without a left turn exclusive road or the like. When it is determined that the stop intervention control is possible, the ECU 10 performs the stop intervention control. In the stop intervention control, the ECU 10 is based on the traffic signal information transmitted from the road-vehicle communication unit 2, the road map information transmitted from the navigation system 3, and the vehicle speed information transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor 5. It is determined whether or not the traffic light is in a red signal state. And when it determines with the signal at the time of the intersection approach of a vehicle being a red signal state, a command is transmitted to the braking part 6, and normal stop intervention control is performed.

  When the ECU 10 determines the driving lane, the determination result of the driving lane, the road alignment information transmitted from the road-to-vehicle communication unit 2, the route information to the destination transmitted from the navigation system 3, and the vehicle-mounted camera 4 are transmitted. Based on the forward image information and the vehicle speed information transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor 5, the reliability regarding the approach of the vehicle to the intersection (possibility of the vehicle entering the intersection) is calculated.

  Specifically, in the vehicle A shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 10 calculates the reliability higher than the case where the lane L1 on which the vehicle travels is not connected to the left turn exclusive path R. Further, when it is recognized from the front image information that the traffic light S located in front of the vehicle B is in a red signal state, the reliability is calculated higher than in the case where it cannot be recognized. Further, the angle in the vertical direction with respect to the traffic light S is recognized from the forward image information, and it is determined that the vehicle B is traveling straight near the intersection T together with the road alignment information (they do not appear to turn to the left turn exclusive route R). In this case, the reliability is calculated higher than in the case where it is not determined that the vehicle is traveling straight. Furthermore, when it is determined from the route information to the destination that the destination cannot be reached without passing through the intersection T, the reliability is calculated higher than in the case where the destination can be reached without passing through the intersection T.

  Further, in the vehicle B shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 10 calculates a lower reliability than the case where the lane L2 on which the vehicle travels is connected to the left turn exclusive path R. On the other hand, when it is determined from the route information to the destination that the destination cannot be reached without passing through the intersection T, the reliability is calculated higher than the case where the destination can be reached without passing through the intersection T. In addition, when the angle at which the lane L2 on which the vehicle B travels and the left turn exclusive path R are large and the vehicle speed of the vehicle B is high, it is considered that the vehicle B is likely to go straight and enter the intersection. The reliability is calculated higher than in other cases. In addition, for example, when the left turn exclusive road R is congested due to inter-vehicle communication or the like, and when the vehicle B has a high vehicle speed, the vehicle B is likely to go straight and enter the intersection. Since it is conceivable, the reliability is calculated higher than in other cases.

  The ECU 10 determines whether or not the calculated reliability is equal to or lower than the minimum threshold value. When the ECU 10 determines that the reliability is equal to or lower than the minimum threshold, the ECU 10 determines that the vehicle is unlikely to enter the intersection and does not perform the intervention control.

  When the ECU 10 determines that the reliability is not less than the minimum threshold value, the ECU 10 performs intervention control according to the reliability. Specifically, when the reliability is high, the ECU 10 changes the forced level of the intervention control to a high level and can be released by the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal, but the releasable stop that automatically stops the vehicle Take control. Further, when the reliability is low, the ECU 10 changes the forced level of the intervention control to be low, and performs brake assist control for braking the vehicle in accordance with the driver's intention to stop (depressing the brake pedal). Further, when the reliability is an intermediate value, the ECU 10 performs brake control for braking the vehicle in accordance with the driver's intention to stop (accelerator off operation).

  Next, processing of the ECU 10 in the driving support device 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in step S <b> 1, various types of information are acquired by transmission from the road-vehicle communication unit 2, the navigation system 3, the in-vehicle camera 4, and the vehicle speed sensor 5. Then, based on the acquired various information, it is determined whether stop intervention control is possible (S2).

  If it is determined in step S2 that stop intervention control is possible, stop intervention control is performed (S3). When stop intervention control is performed, the process in this intersection is complete | finished and a process is repeated from step S1 about another intersection.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the stop intervention control is not possible, the travel lane in which the vehicle is traveling is determined based on the road surface image information and the road alignment information transmitted from the in-vehicle camera 4 (S4). .

  When the travel lane is determined, the travel lane determination result, the road alignment information transmitted from the road-to-vehicle communication unit 2, the route information transmitted from the navigation system 3 to the destination, and transmitted from the in-vehicle camera 4 Based on the forward image information and the vehicle speed information transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor 5, the reliability with which the vehicle enters the intersection is calculated (S5).

  When the reliability is calculated, it is determined whether or not the reliability is equal to or lower than the minimum threshold (S6). If it is determined that the reliability is equal to or less than the minimum threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is unlikely to enter the intersection, and the process is repeated from step S1 without performing intervention control.

  If it is determined in step S6 that the reliability is not less than the minimum threshold value, intervention control according to the reliability is performed (S7). When intervention control is performed, the process in this intersection is complete | finished and a process is repeated from step S1 about another intersection.

  According to the driving support apparatus 1 described above, since the content of driving support is changed based on road alignment information other than the approach road to the intersection, for example, a side road immediately before the intersection even if the traffic signal at the intersection is in a red signal state In the case where the vehicle is present, inappropriate driving support that forcibly stops the vehicle can be suppressed, and appropriate driving support according to the situation can be realized.

  In addition, the driving support device 1 can recognize whether or not a detour exists based on detour linear information included in the road alignment information. When there is a detour, it is often impossible to determine whether the vehicle will enter the intersection or the detour, so do not perform inappropriate driving assistance that forcibly stops the vehicle, for example By doing so, it becomes possible to realize appropriate driving support according to the situation.

  Furthermore, in this driving assistance apparatus 1, the possibility that the vehicle enters the intersection is calculated as the reliability, and the content of the driving assistance is changed according to this reliability. Even if there is a side road immediately before the intersection, if the lane in which the vehicle is traveling is not connected to the side road, the vehicle is likely to enter the intersection without going to the side road. Therefore, it is possible to realize appropriate driving support according to the course of the vehicle by calculating the possibility of the vehicle entering the intersection as the reliability and changing the content of the driving support according to this reliability. Become.

  In addition, the driving support device 1 calculates a high degree of reliability when the destination cannot be reached without passing through the intersection. In such a case, it is considered that the vehicle is likely to enter an intersection instead of a detour or a side road. Therefore, by calculating a high degree of reliability, it is possible to realize appropriate driving support according to the course of the vehicle. It becomes possible.

  In addition, the driving support apparatus 1 performs intervention control for braking the vehicle as driving assistance, and when the reliability is high, before the traffic signal enters the intersection in the red light state by increasing the forcing level of the intervention control. By adopting releasable stop control that stops the vehicle at the same time, it is possible to improve the traffic safety at the intersection.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, the driving support device 1 may be configured to provide information to the driver instead of intervention control as driving support and change the content of the information to be provided depending on the situation. Moreover, the aspect which acquires signal information not via road-vehicle communication but via vehicle-to-vehicle communication may be sufficient.

  The driving support device 1 may further include a winker detection unit that detects a driver's winker operation, and may use a winker detection result in the calculation of the reliability. In addition to the left turn exclusive route R described above, the detour includes a store entrance outside the road, an expressway entrance, a three-dimensional intersection, an intersection without a left turnable signal in front of the target signal intersection, and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving assistance device, 2 ... Road-to-vehicle communication part (communication means), 3 ... Navigation system, 4 ... In-vehicle camera, 5 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 6 ... Braking part, 10 ... ECU (road linear information acquisition means, lane detection means) , Change means).

Claims (5)

A driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle based on traffic signal information relating to a signal cycle of a traffic signal at an intersection,
Communication means for receiving the traffic signal information by communication;
Road alignment information acquisition means for acquiring road alignment information other than the approach road to the intersection;
Changing means for changing the content of the driving assistance based on the road alignment information;
A driving support apparatus comprising:   The said change means changes the content of the said driving assistance based on the detour linear information regarding the detour for advancing around the said intersection among the said road linear information. Driving assistance device. Lane detecting means for detecting a lane in which the vehicle is running, further comprising:
The changing means calculates the reliability of the vehicle approaching the intersection based on the detection result of the lane detecting means and the road alignment information, and changes the content of the driving support according to the reliability. The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein A guide means for guiding a route to the destination to the driver of the vehicle;
The driving support device according to claim 3, wherein the change unit calculates the reliability high when the destination cannot be reached without passing through the intersection. The driving support is a braking control for braking the vehicle,
5. The driving support device according to claim 3, wherein the changing unit increases the forcing level of the braking control as the reliability is higher.

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