Lane information display device, lane information display method, and computer-readable recording medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a lane information display device, a lane information display method, and a computer program for lane information display, which display an interval where a lane can be changed on a display in a manner that can be appropriately recognized by a driver. The lane information display device includes: a detection unit that detects, from a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, an interval in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and having a length in the traveling direction where there are no other vehicles longer than a lane change threshold value, as a lane changeable interval; and a display unit that, when an entry position indicating a position in the front-rear direction of the adjacent lane when the vehicle changes lanes from the current position is included in the lane changeable interval, causes the entry position to be displayed on the display as a position indicating the lane changeable interval, and when the entry position is not included in the lane changeable interval, causes an end position of the lane changeable interval closest to the current position of the vehicle to be displayed on the display.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lane information display device, a lane information display method, and a computer program for lane information display that display information on a lane on which a vehicle travels on a display. Background Art

[0002] In a vehicle that is controlled to travel using information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle output from sensors such as a camera mounted on the vehicle by a travel control device, information related to subsequent travel is provided to a driver so that the driver can predict the subsequent behavior of the vehicle.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a travel control device that performs guidance display of a traveling lane and a start position or an end position of a lane change when changing lanes from a traveling lane to another lane.

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-210034 Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to change lanes, there needs to be an interval on the lane to be changed where no other vehicle is traveling. Since the travel control device cannot control the behavior of other vehicles, sometimes the planned lane change needs to be changed due to the behavior of other vehicles. When the start position and the end position of the lane change are changed along with the change of the lane change plan, a travel control device that displays the start position or the end position of the lane change to the driver sometimes causes discomfort to the driver.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a lane information display device that displays an interval in which a lane can be changed on a display in a manner that allows a driver to appropriately recognize it.

[0009] The present invention provides a lane information display device, comprising: a detection unit that detects, from a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of a vehicle, an interval in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where there are no other vehicles and the length in the traveling direction of the vehicle is longer than a lane change threshold, as a lane changeable interval, the lane change threshold indicating the length required for lane change; and a display unit that, when the entry position is included in the lane changeable interval, causes the entry position to be displayed on a display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, and when the entry position is not included in the lane changeable interval, causes the position of the end of the lane changeable interval closest to the current position of the vehicle to be displayed on the display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, the entry position indicating the position in the front-rear direction when the vehicle changes lanes from the current position and enters the adjacent lane.

[0010] In the lane information display device of the present invention, it is preferable that the display unit causes a graphic whose length in the width direction is longer than the length in the traveling direction to be displayed on the display as a position representing the lane changeable interval.

[0011] In the lane information display device of the present invention, it is preferable that when starting the lane change control to the lane changeable interval, the display unit ends the display of the position representing the lane changeable interval.

[0012] The present invention provides a lane information display method, including: detecting, from a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of a vehicle, an interval in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where there are no other vehicles and the length in the traveling direction of the vehicle is longer than a lane change threshold, as a lane changeable interval, the lane change threshold indicating the length required for lane change; and when the entry position is included in the lane changeable interval, causing the entry position to be displayed on a display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, and when the entry position is not included in the lane changeable interval, causing the position of the end of the lane changeable interval closest to the current position of the vehicle to be displayed on the display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, the entry position indicating the position in the front-rear direction when the vehicle changes lanes from the current position and enters the adjacent lane.

[0013] The present invention provides a computer program for displaying lane information, which causes a processor to execute: detecting, from a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of a vehicle, an interval in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where there are no other vehicles and the length in the traveling direction of the vehicle is longer than a lane change threshold, as a lane changeable interval, the lane change threshold representing the length required for a lane change; and when an entry position is included in the lane changeable interval, causing the entry position to be displayed on a display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, and when the entry position is not included in the lane changeable interval, causing the position of the end of the lane changeable interval closest to the current position of the vehicle to be displayed on the display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, the entry position representing the position in the front-rear direction of entering an adjacent lane when the vehicle changes lanes from the current position.

[0014] According to the lane information display device of the present invention, it is possible to display the interval in which the lane can be changed on the display in a manner that can be appropriately recognized by the driver. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle equipped with a lane information display device.

[0016] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the hardware of the ECU.

[0017] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the processor included in the ECU.

[0018] Figure 4 is the first diagram for explaining the lane changeable interval.

[0019] Figure 5 is the first diagram for explaining the first example of lane information display.

[0020] Figure 6 is the second diagram for explaining the lane changeable interval.

[0021] Figure 7 is the second diagram for explaining the second example of lane information display.

[0022] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the lane information display process.

[0023] (Reference Signs)

[0024] 1: Vehicle; 6: ECU; 631: Detection Unit; 632: Display Unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a lane information display device that displays, in a manner that allows a driver to appropriately recognize, an area where the lane can be changed on a display will be described in detail. The lane information display device detects a lane changeable area from a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of the vehicle. The lane changeable area is an area in an adjacent lane adjacent to the current lane in which the vehicle is traveling and where there are no other vehicles, and the length in the traveling direction of the vehicle is longer than a lane change threshold, which represents the length required for a lane change. Further, the lane information display device displays the position of the lane changeable area on the display. At this time, when the entry position is included in the lane changeable area, the lane information display device displays the entry position, which represents the position in the front-rear direction of entering the adjacent lane when the vehicle changes lanes from the current position, as the position representing the lane changeable area on the display. In addition, when the entry position is not included in the lane changeable area, the lane information display device displays the position of the end of the lane changeable area closest to the current position of the vehicle as the position representing the lane changeable area on the display.

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle equipped with a lane information display device.

[0027] The vehicle 1 includes a camera 2, an instrument display 3, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 4, a storage device 5, and an ECU 6 (Electronic Control Unit). The ECU 6 is an example of the lane information display device. The camera 2, the instrument display 3, the GNSS receiver 4, the storage device 5, and the ECU 6 are connected via an in-vehicle network conforming to a standard such as Controller Area Network so as to be able to communicate.

[0028] The camera 2 is an example of a sensor for detecting the surrounding conditions of the vehicle. The camera 2 includes a two-dimensional detector composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light such as CCD or C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that images an image of an area that is the subject of shooting on the two-dimensional detector. The camera 2 is disposed, for example, in the upper front part of the vehicle interior facing forward, and shoots the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1 through the front glass at a predetermined shooting cycle (for example, 1 / 30 second to 1 / 10 second), and outputs a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions.

[0029] The instrument display 3 is an example of a display, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display. The instrument display 3 visually displays information related to the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling for the driver to recognize in accordance with a signal received from the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0030] The GNSS receiver 4 receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites at a predetermined cycle, and locates the own position of the vehicle 1 based on the received GNSS signals. The GNSS receiver 4 outputs a positioning signal indicating the positioning result of the own position of the vehicle 1 based on the GNSS signals to the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network at a predetermined cycle.

[0031] The storage device 5 is an example of a storage unit, and has, for example, a hard disk device or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage device 5 stores map data, which includes information related to features such as lane dividing lines corresponding to positions.

[0032] The ECU 6 creates a driving trajectory based on the information of features in the map data around the position corresponding to the positioning signal output from the GNSS receiver 4 and the information of features shown in the surrounding image generated by the camera 2. Then, the ECU 6 causes a driving mechanism such as an engine or a motor, a brake, and a steering wheel to act so that the vehicle 1 travels along the driving trajectory. In addition, the ECU 6 displays the information of the lanes around the driving trajectory on the meter display 3.

[0033] Figure 2 is a hardware schematic diagram of the ECU 6. The ECU 6 includes a communication interface 61, a memory 62, and a processor 63.

[0034] The communication interface 61 is an example of a communication unit, and has a communication interface circuit for connecting the ECU 6 to the in-vehicle network. The communication interface 61 supplies the received data to the processor 63. In addition, the communication interface 61 outputs the data supplied from the processor 63 to the outside.

[0035] The memory 62 has a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 62 stores various data used in the processing executed by the processor 63, such as the length of the margin to be ensured by other vehicles for obtaining the length of the interval in which there are no other vehicles in other lanes, and a lane change threshold for determining whether the interval in which there are no other vehicles is an interval in which the lane can be changed. In addition, the memory 62 stores various application programs, such as a lane information display program for executing lane information display processing.

[0036] The processor 63 is an example of a control unit, and has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processor 63 may also have other arithmetic circuits such as a logic arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphics processing unit.

[0037] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the processor 63 included in the ECU 6.

[0038] In the processor 63 of the ECU 6, as functional blocks, there are a detection unit 631 and a display unit 632. These units of the processor 63 are functional modules installed by a computer program stored in the memory 62 and executed on the processor 63. The computer program for implementing the functions of the units of the processor 63 can also be provided in the form of being recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. Alternatively, these units of the processor 63 can also be installed in the ECU 6 as independent integrated circuits, microprocessors, or firmware.

[0039] The detection unit 631 detects a lane changeable section from the surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of the vehicle.

[0040] The detection unit 631 first inputs the surrounding image output by the camera 2 into an identifier learned to detect other vehicles and lane dividing lines, thereby detecting two or more other vehicles and two or more lane dividing lines.

[0041] The identifier can be, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) having a plurality of convolutional layers connected in series from the input side to the output side. By using the image including other vehicles and lane dividing lines as teacher data and inputting it into the CNN for pre-learning, the CNN acts as an identifier for determining the positions of other vehicles and lane dividing lines.

[0042] The detection unit 631 uses the lane dividing lines detected from the surrounding image to determine the lane in which the vehicle 1 travels as the own lane that can travel without crossing the lane dividing line. In addition, the detection unit 631 determines the lane adjacent to the own lane across the lane dividing line as the adjacent lane.

[0043] The detection unit 631 determines the positions of two or more other vehicles detected in the adjacent lane, and determines the length of the traveling direction of the interval sandwiched by a pair of adjacent other vehicles among the two or more other vehicles. Then, the detection unit 631 detects the interval in which the length of the traveling direction is longer than the lane change threshold stored in the memory 62 as the lane changeable section.

[0044] Figure 4 It is the first figure explaining the lane changeable section.

[0045] The road on which the vehicle 1 travels has lane dividing lines LL11, LL12, LL13, and the vehicle 1 travels on the own lane L11 divided by the lane dividing lines LL11 and LL12.

[0046] The detection unit 631 detects other vehicles 11 and 12 adjacent to each other in the front and rear in the adjacent driving lane L12 divided by the driving lane division lines LL12 and LL13. The detection unit 631 determines the length BL1 in the traveling direction from the position of the front margin length M11 from the front end of the other vehicle 11 to the position of the rear margin length M12 from the rear end of the other vehicle 12. Then, the detection unit 631 determines whether the length BL1 is longer than the driving lane change threshold LCT stored in the memory 62. When the length BL1 is longer than the driving lane change threshold LCT, the section corresponding to the length BL1 is detected as the drivable lane change section LCS1. When the vehicle 1 changes the driving lane from the current position, it enters the adjacent driving lane L12 at the position 1'. The entry position EP1 indicates the position of the front end portion of the vehicle 1 at the position 1'. The detection unit 631 determines the entry position EP1 by referring to the entry position table stored in the memory 62, which associates the current vehicle speed and the distance in the front-rear direction from the current position to the entry position. Additionally, the detection unit 631 can also determine the entry position EP1 by creating a driving lane change path from the current position.

[0047] The display unit 632 displays the position of the drivable lane change section LCS1 on the instrument display 3. In Figure 4 the example, the entry position EP1 is not included in the drivable lane change section LCS1. In this case, the display unit 632 displays the position of the end LCS1a of the drivable lane change section LCS1 closest to the current position of the vehicle 1 as the position indicating the drivable lane change section LCS1. In addition, in Figure 4 the example, when there is no other vehicle 12, the drivable lane change section LCS1 does not have an end on the front side in the traveling direction. At this time, the end LCS1a on the rear side in the traveling direction of the drivable lane change section LCS1 corresponds to the end closest to the current position of the vehicle 1, and the display unit 632 uses the end LCS1a to display the position indicating the drivable lane change section LCS1 on the instrument display 3.

[0048] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the first example of the display of driving lane information. The display unit 632 causes Figure 4 the driving lane information display screen 31 showing the position of the drivable lane change section LCS1 as shown to be displayed on the instrument display 3.

[0049] In the driving lane information display screen 31, the present driving lane L11 and the adjacent driving lane L12 are shown. In the present driving lane L11, the vehicle 1 and the trajectory P1 controlled for the vehicle 1 to travel are shown, and in the adjacent driving lane L12, a graphic LCM1 representing the lane changeable section LCS1 is shown. The graphic LCM1 represents the end LCS1a of the lane changeable section LCS1 closest to the current position of the vehicle 1. The graphic LCM1 is a graphic whose length in the width direction is longer than the length in the traveling direction. In Figure 5 it, the graphic LCM1 includes a line segment in the width direction in the adjacent driving lane L12 and two triangles whose vertices arranged at intervals from the respective ends of the line segment face the center of the line segment. Thus, by representing the lane changeable section LCS1 with a graphic whose length in the width direction is longer than the length in the traveling direction, the ECU 6 can enable the driver to appropriately grasp the position in the front-back direction of the lane changeable section LCS1.

[0050] Figure 6 It is the second figure for explaining the lane changeable section.

[0051] The road on which the vehicle 1 travels has lane dividing lines LL21, LL22, LL23, and the vehicle 1 travels on the present driving lane L21 divided by the lane dividing lines LL21 and LL22. The detection unit 631 detects, as the lane changeable section LCS2, the section of the length BL2 between the other vehicles 21 and 22 adjacent to each other in the front-back direction on the adjacent driving lane L22 divided by the lane dividing lines LL22 and LL23.

[0052] The entry position EP2 when the vehicle 1 changes the driving lane from the current position is included in the lane changeable section LCS2. In this case, the display unit 632 causes the entry position EP2 to be displayed as the position of the lane changeable section LCS2.

[0053] Figure 7 It is a figure for explaining the second example of the driving lane information display. The display unit 632 causes Figure 6 the driving lane information display screen 32 showing the position of the lane changeable section LCS2 shown to be displayed on the meter display 3.

[0054] On the driving lane information display screen 32, the present driving lane L21 and the adjacent driving lane L22 are shown. In the present driving lane L21, the vehicle 1 and the trajectory P2 controlled for the vehicle 1 to travel are represented, and in the adjacent driving lane L22, a graphic LCM2 showing the position of the lane changeable section LCS2 is shown. The graphic LCM2 represents the entry position EP2.

[0055] When starting the lane change control for the lane changeable section of the driving lane, the display unit 632 ends the display indicating the position of the lane changeable section. Moreover, instead of the lane changeable section, the display unit 632 displays the lane change trajectory from the current driving lane to the adjacent driving lane through the lane change control on the instrument display 3. In the path used for the lane change control, the position where the vehicle enters the adjacent driving lane may be different from the entry position. By ending the display indicating the position of the lane changeable section when starting the lane change control, the ECU 6 can suppress the display of locations not used in the driving control and prevent discomfort to the driver.

[0056] Figure 8 It is a flowchart of the lane information display process. The ECU 6 repeatedly executes the lane information display process at a predetermined time interval (for example, at 1-second intervals) while the vehicle 1 is traveling through the autonomous driving control.

[0057] First, the detection unit 631 detects, from the surrounding image output by the camera 2, an interval in the adjacent driving lane adjacent to the current driving lane where there are no other vehicles and the length in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is longer than the lane change threshold as the lane changeable section (step S1).

[0058] The display unit 632 determines whether the position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 in the adjacent driving lane is included in the lane changeable section (step S2).

[0059] When it is determined that the position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 in the adjacent driving lane is included in the lane changeable section (step S2: "Yes"), the display unit 632 displays the position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 in the adjacent driving lane as the position of the lane changeable section on the instrument display 3 (step S3), and ends the lane information display process.

[0060] When it is determined that the position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 in the adjacent driving lane is not included in the lane changeable section (step S2: "No"), the display unit 632 displays the position of the end of the lane changeable section in the adjacent driving lane that is close to the position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 as the position of the changeable section on the instrument display 3 (step S4), and ends the lane information display process.

[0061] By executing the lane information display process in this way, the ECU 6 can display the interval of the lane that can be changed on the display in a manner that enables the driver to appropriately identify it.

[0062] It is expected that those skilled in the art can make various changes, substitutions, and modifications to it without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lane information display device, comprising: a detection unit that detects, from a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of a vehicle, an interval in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where there are no other vehicles and the length in the traveling direction of the vehicle is longer than a lane change threshold, as a lane changeable interval, the lane change threshold representing the length required for a lane change; and a display unit that, when an entry position is included in the lane changeable interval, causes the entry position to be displayed on a display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, and when the entry position is not included in the lane changeable interval, causes the position of the end of the lane changeable interval closest to the current position of the vehicle to be displayed on the display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, the entry position representing the position in the front-rear direction where the vehicle enters the adjacent lane when changing lanes from the current position, wherein the display unit causes a graphic having a length in the width direction longer than the length in the traveling direction to be displayed on the display as a position representing the lane changeable interval in the adjacent lane.

2. The lane information display device according to claim 1, wherein when starting lane change control to the lane changeable interval, the display unit ends the display of the position representing the lane changeable interval.

3. A lane information display method, comprising: detecting, from a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of a vehicle, an interval in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where there are no other vehicles and the length in the traveling direction of the vehicle is longer than a lane change threshold, as a lane changeable interval, the lane change threshold representing the length required for a lane change; and when an entry position is included in the lane changeable interval, causing the entry position to be displayed on a display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, and when the entry position is not included in the lane changeable interval, causing the position of the end of the lane changeable interval closest to the current position of the vehicle to be displayed on the display as a position representing the lane changeable interval, the entry position representing the position in the front-rear direction where the vehicle enters the adjacent lane when changing lanes from the current position, wherein a graphic having a length in the width direction longer than the length in the traveling direction is displayed on the display as a position representing the lane changeable interval in the adjacent lane.

4. A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program for lane information display, the computer program for lane information display causing a processor to execute: detecting, from a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions of a vehicle, an interval in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where there are no other vehicles and the length in the traveling direction of the vehicle is longer than a lane change threshold, as a lane changeable interval, the lane change threshold representing the length required for a lane change; and When the entry position is included in the lane changeable section of the lane, the entry position is displayed on the display as the position indicating the lane changeable section of the lane. When the entry position is not included in the lane changeable section of the lane, the position of the end of the lane changeable section closest to the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the display as the position indicating the lane changeable section of the lane. The entry position represents the position in the front-back direction where the vehicle enters the adjacent lane when changing lanes from the current position. Among them, A graphic having a length in the width direction longer than the length in the traveling direction is displayed on the display as the position indicating the lane changeable section in the adjacent lane.

Images