Driving assistance devices

Abstract

The present invention is a driving assistance device having a processor and a memory for assisting in driving a vehicle, the driving assistance device comprising: an external information acquisition unit for acquiring external information of the vehicle; an obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles in front of the vehicle based on the external information; a lane detection unit for detecting lane boundaries and road ends based on the external information; an alarm unit for issuing an alarm or providing steering assistance when a deviation from the lane boundary or road end is detected; and a state management unit for suppressing the alarm or steering assistance when the obstacle detection unit detects the obstacle.

Description

[0001] Incorporation by Reference

[0002] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-127228, filed on July 28, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a driving assistance technology for a vehicle. Background Art

[0004] Lane departure warning is a well-known driver assistance function for vehicles. This function uses sensors such as cameras to identify road boundaries while the vehicle is driving. If the driver detects that the vehicle has strayed from the boundary or is expected to stray, the system prompts the driver to take actions to avoid the deviation, such as emitting an alarm or intervening in steering control.

[0005] When an obstacle is detected ahead while the vehicle is traveling in a lane or the driver expresses an intention to change lanes, measures are often taken such as disabling the function so as not to hinder the driver's intended lane change.

[0006] In addition, when a driver sees a vehicle turning left or right and parked on one side of the lane ahead, he or she may want to cross the boundary line and evade it laterally to overtake. In this case, the lane departure warning function will usually warn of the departure or disable the function.

[0007] Patent document 1 discloses a driving assistance control device that provides driving assistance to position the vehicle closer to the road edge when following a preceding vehicle or when the vehicle itself is near an intersection. If the lane is wide enough, the device avoids right-turning vehicles, disabling lane keeping assistance using the lane's outer line and driving across the lane's outer line to approach the road edge.

[0008] Patent Document 2 discloses a path determination device that performs lane keeping when there is no obstacle ahead, and when an obstacle is detected, follows the vehicle ahead within the available space on the road shoulder.

[0009] Patent document 3 discloses a steering control device that changes its control characteristics in a direction in which lane keeping control is easily stopped when it detects the driver's intention to evade steering for an obstacle, and changes its control characteristics in a direction in which lane departure prevention control is enhanced when it is anticipated that the vehicle will deviate from the target lane when evasive steering for the obstacle has been completed.

[0010] Prior art literature

[0011] Patent Literature

[0012] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-209837

[0013] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-197399

[0014] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-209129 Summary of the Invention

[0015] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0016] However, if the lane departure prevention function is disabled or the lane departure alarm continues when the driver's driving operation causes the vehicle to deviate from the lane, the driver will not be aware of the approach to the physical end of the road, i.e. the roadside, and there is a risk of collision or derailment due to deviation.

[0017] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide driving assistance that continues to prevent the driver from leaving the road edge without hindering the driver from intentionally leaving the lane.

[0018] Technical means to solve the problem

[0019] The present invention is a driving assistance device having a processor and a memory for assisting in driving a vehicle, the driving assistance device comprising: an external information acquisition unit for acquiring external information of the vehicle; an obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles in front of the vehicle based on the external information; a lane detection unit for detecting lane boundaries and road ends based on the external information; an alarm unit for issuing an alarm or providing steering assistance when a deviation from the lane boundary or road end is detected; and a state management unit for suppressing the alarm or steering assistance when the obstacle detection unit detects the obstacle.

[0020] Effects of the Invention

[0021] Therefore, the present invention can prevent the driver from leaving the road (road end) without hindering the driver from intentionally leaving the lane.

[0022] Details of at least one implementation of the subject matter disclosed in this specification are described in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and effects of the disclosed subject matter will be apparent from the following disclosure, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 The first embodiment of the present invention is shown in a diagram illustrating an example of a lane departure prevention warning function.

[0024] Figure 2This figure shows an example of an HMI screen display according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 The first embodiment of the present invention is shown in the figure, which shows a situation in which a vehicle waiting to turn right exists in front of the vehicle.

[0026] Figure 4A This figure shows an example of an HMI screen display immediately before avoiding a vehicle turning right, illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4B The first embodiment of the present invention is presented, showing an example of an HMI screen display immediately before avoiding a right-turning vehicle when an obstacle or the like is detected between a lane boundary and a road edge.

[0028] Figure 5 The first embodiment of the present invention is shown in the figure, which shows a situation in which the vehicle is avoiding a vehicle that is about to turn right.

[0029] Figure 6 The first embodiment of the present invention is shown in the figure, which shows a situation in which an avoidance is completed by passing by a vehicle that is about to turn right.

[0030] Figure 7A This figure shows an example of an HMI screen display when avoiding a vehicle turning right, illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7B The first embodiment of the present invention is presented, and is a diagram showing an example of an HMI screen display after avoiding a vehicle that is about to turn right is completed.

[0032] Figure 8 Embodiment 1 of the present invention is described, with a flowchart showing an example of a lane departure warning setting change process.

[0033] Figure 9 Embodiment 1 of the present invention is presented, and a state transition diagram of a driving assistance system is presented.

[0034] Figure 10 The first embodiment of the present invention is shown in the following block diagram, which shows an example of the configuration of a driving assistance system.

[0035] Figure 11 A second embodiment of the present invention is shown, which is a diagram showing a situation in which the vehicle is deviating toward the inside of the boundary line while traveling on a curve.

[0036] Figure 12 A diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention is provided to explain a method for determining a departure prevention warning when the vehicle is traveling on a curve.

[0037] Figure 13A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving assistance system is provided to illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described using the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, components or elements having the same function or effect are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] Figure 10 This diagram shows an example of the configuration of a driving assistance system. The driving assistance system includes sensors that detect the external environment and the vehicle's driving status, an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that processes the output from each sensor, a driving assistance ECU 1 that provides driving assistance based on the processing results of each ECU, and devices controlled by the driving assistance ECU 1.

[0041] As sensors, there are a camera 6 for acquiring image information in front and on the sides, a millimeter-wave radar 7 for detecting obstacles on the sides, a sonar 8 for detecting obstacles on the sides, a yaw rate sensor 9 for detecting the yaw rate around the vertical axis of the vehicle, and a wheel speed sensor 10 for detecting the rotational speed of the wheels.

[0042] The camera 6 is composed of a camera for monitoring the front and a camera for monitoring the sides. Image information acquired by the camera 6 is subjected to predetermined image processing by the processing ECU 16 and is input to the driving support ECU 1 .

[0043] The information on obstacles detected by the millimeter wave radar 7 is subjected to predetermined distance measurement processing by the processing ECU 17 and output to the driving support ECU 1. The information on obstacles detected by the sonar 8 is subjected to predetermined distance measurement processing by the processing ECU 18 and output to the driving support ECU 1.

[0044] The yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor 9 is subjected to predetermined angular velocity processing by the processing ECU 19 and output to the driving assistance ECU 1. The wheel speed detected by the wheel speed sensor 10 is subjected to predetermined vehicle speed processing by the processing ECU 20 and output to the driving assistance ECU 1.

[0045] The driving support ECU 1 is a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2 , a RAM (Random Access Memory) 3 , a ROM (Read Only Memory) 4 , and an input / output interface 5 .

[0046] The obstacle position determination unit 31 , the obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 , the state management unit 33 , and the deviation prevention alarm unit 34 are loaded into the RAM 3 in the form of programs and executed by the CPU 2 .

[0047] The CPU 2 operates as a functional unit that provides specified functions by executing processes according to the programs of each functional unit. For example, the CPU 2 functions as the obstacle position determination unit 31 by executing processes according to the obstacle position determination program. The same applies to other programs. Furthermore, the CPU 2 also operates as a functional unit that provides the functions of the multiple processes executed by each program. Computers and computer systems are devices and systems that include these functional units.

[0048] The driving assistance ECU 1 includes functional units such as an obstacle position determination unit 31, an obstacle avoidance determination unit 32, a state management unit 33, and a deviation prevention alarm unit 34. Furthermore, the deviation prevention alarm unit 34 of this embodiment includes a lane departure prevention alarm unit that prevents the vehicle from deviating from the lane boundary and a road edge departure prevention alarm unit that prevents the vehicle from deviating from (or approaching) the road edge.

[0049] An alarm device 21, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 22, and a steering control device 23 are connected to the driving support ECU 1 as controlled devices. The alarm device 21 notifies the driver of an alarm by voice or the like.

[0050] The HMI 22 includes input and output devices such as a display, a touch panel, buttons, and switches, and visually notifies the driver of alarms or system states and accepts input from the driver through button operations or touch operations.

[0051] The steering control device 23 assists the driver's steering operation or outputs a warning to the driver by changing the assist force or adding a reaction force. Although not shown, the vehicle is equipped with an ECU that controls driving force and braking force.

[0052] The camera 6 captures the vehicle's travel direction using a front camera and detects lane boundaries, physical road ends, and obstacles in front of the vehicle in the form of image information. The camera 6 also includes side cameras that monitor the sides of the vehicle.

[0053] The processing ECU 16 connected to the camera 6 recognizes lane boundaries, road edges, and obstacles based on image information and outputs the recognition results to the driving support ECU 1. The driving support ECU 1 receives the recognition results from the processing ECU 16 functioning as a lane detection unit and performs external information acquisition processing.

[0054] Millimeter-wave radar 7 and sonar 8 are positioned to the sides of the vehicle. Processing ECUs 17 and 18 detect obstacles and measure their distances based on the ranging information detected by these radars. As described later, driving assistance ECU 1 performs processing from obstacle position determination to execution of the deviation prevention function.

[0055] Figure 1 This is a diagram for explaining an example of the function of the lane departure prevention warning unit constituting the lane departure prevention warning unit 34 .

[0056] The lane departure prevention alarm unit of the lane departure prevention alarm unit 34 constituting the driving assistance ECU 1 identifies the left and right lane boundary lines 42L and 42C based on the image of the camera 6, thereby detecting the relative position of the own vehicle 50 and the lane boundary lines 42L and 42C, thereby detecting that the own vehicle 50 has deviated from the driving lane 40, or determining the possibility of lane departure based on the predicted path 53 of the own vehicle 50, thereby activating the lane departure alarm.

[0057] In this embodiment, the area between the lane boundary lines 42L and 42C is considered to be the driving lane 40. The departure of the host vehicle 50 from the driving lane 40 is considered to be a lane departure.

[0058] The driving support ECU 1 recognizes the left and right lane boundary lines 42L and 42C based on the image of the camera 6, and converts each lane boundary line into relative coordinates. In the driving support ECU 1, the relative coordinates show the latest relative position of the host vehicle 50 and the lane boundary line 42.

[0059] On the other hand, the driving assistance ECU 1 calculates the predicted path 53 that the rear wheel axle center 51 of the own vehicle 50 will reach after a certain time or after traveling a certain distance based on the vehicle speed, yaw rate, and steering angle of the own vehicle 50, and then calculates the predicted positions of the four vertices of the rectangle (called the own vehicle rectangle 52) in which the entire own vehicle 50 is enclosed as shown in the figure.

[0060] Then, when the four vertices deviate from the lane boundary lines 42L and 42C, the driving support ECU 1 determines that there is a concern about lane departure and outputs an alarm from the alarm device 21 and the steering control device 23. The types of alarms that can be implemented include, for example, sounding an alarm, audible alarm, vibration of the steering wheel, changes in the steering assist force or steering reaction force, and changes in the screen display of the HMI 22.

[0061] The road edge departure prevention alarm unit, which prevents collision with or deviation from road edge 41, is essentially the same as the lane departure prevention alarm unit, but uses road edge 41 instead of lane boundary 42L. Furthermore, the road edge departure prevention alarm unit also issues an alarm when the vehicle approaches within a specified distance of road edge 41.

[0062] At the road edge 41, deviation of the own vehicle 50 may lead to a collision or lane departure, so it is considered to output an alarm when approaching the road edge 41. To detect approach to the road edge 41, the driving support ECU 1 increases the size of the own vehicle rectangle 52, for example.

[0063] Furthermore, if the driving assistance ECU 1 can utilize the height information of the road edge 41, a method is conceivable in which the type of the road edge is determined based on the height information of the road edge 41, and the size of the vehicle rectangle 52 is changed accordingly. For example, the driving assistance ECU 1 may change the size of the vehicle rectangle 52 when the road edge 41 is a curb or a tunnel wall.

[0064] If the driving assistance ECU 1 cannot detect the road edge 41 or the lane boundary 42L due to the road, or if the road edge 41 and the lane boundary 42L are close, the lane departure prevention warning unit and the road edge departure prevention warning unit mediate so as not to conflict with each other.

[0065] For example, consider the following mediation method: when the driving assistance ECU 1 cannot detect either side, only the road departure prevention alarm unit related to the detectable line (road end or lane boundary line) is set to be valid. When the road end departure prevention alarm unit precedes the lane departure prevention alarm unit and the warning conditions are consistent, the road end departure prevention alarm unit is given priority.

[0066] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of a screen display of the HMI 22 .

[0067] On the screen 70 of the HMI 22 , lane boundary displays 420L and 420C indicating that the lane boundary lines 42L and 42C are recognized and a road edge display 410 indicating that the road edge 41 is recognized are displayed.

[0068] By displaying the lane boundary display 420L, 420C and the road end display 410 respectively, the driver can be informed of the presence or absence of the lane boundary 42L, 42C and the road end 41 and the working status of the anti-departure alarm unit 34 of each lane boundary and road end.

[0069] For example, if the driving support ECU 1 recognizes the lane boundary lines 42L and 42C, it displays the lane boundary lines 420L and 420C as white solid lines. Furthermore, if the lane departure prevention warning unit is enabled, it displays them as blue solid lines.

[0070] The same applies to the road edge 41. If the driving support ECU 1 can recognize the road edge 41, the road edge display 410 is set to a white graphic display. Furthermore, if the road edge departure prevention alarm unit has become effective, the road edge display 410 is set to a blue graphic display.

[0071] Figure 3 This diagram shows a situation in which a vehicle 60 about to turn right exists in front of the own vehicle 50 .

[0072] The vehicle 50 is traveling on a single-lane road, with a vehicle 60 parked ahead, intending to turn right. Since vehicle 60 is located closer to the center of the road (42C), vehicle 50 cannot avoid vehicle 60 by changing lanes. However, it may be possible to avoid vehicle 60 by using the space (road shoulder) between vehicle 60 and road edge 41.

[0073] At a point in time just before the vehicle 60 about to turn right is detected, the own vehicle 50 detects the lane boundaries 42L, 42C and the road end 41 based on the image of the camera 6 in front, and the lane departure prevention alarm unit and the road end departure prevention alarm unit work respectively for the lane boundaries and the road end.

[0074] In this case, when the driver performs the avoidance driving operation, the driver considers the assistance requested by the driving assistance function as follows.

[0075] (1) The driver himself / herself intentionally deviates from the lane boundary line 42L or performs a driving operation that may cause deviation, and therefore wishes to suppress the departure prevention warning regarding the driving lane 40.

[0076] (2) When the vehicle is too close to the road end 41, it is desired that the road end related deviation warning be issued.

[0077] Here, the deviation prevention warning unit 34 of the driving assistance ECU 1 performs driving assistance in the following manner.

[0078] (3) When a front obstacle is detected, the driving assistance ECU 1 determines the possibility that the driver will perform a lane departure operation to avoid the obstacle based on the position of the obstacle.

[0079] (4) When it is determined that a lane departure operation is likely to be performed to avoid an obstacle, the driving support ECU 1 suppresses the level of the alarm of the lane departure prevention alarm unit.

[0080] (5) On the other hand, the driving assistance ECU 1 maintains the road edge departure prevention warning unit.

[0081] In this case, the driving assistance ECU 1 can control the deviation prevention alarm unit as follows.

[0082] The driving support ECU 1 can set the deviation prevention alarm unit related to the driving lane 40 to the inoperative state and set the deviation prevention alarm unit related to the road edge 41 from the inoperative state to the operative state.

[0083] When the distance between the road edge 41 and the obstacle is narrow, a lane change is required rather than a lane departure, so the driving support ECU 1 may determine not to perform such a lane change.

[0084] If the driving support ECU 1 cannot determine safety, such as when an obstacle exists between the lane boundary line 42L and the road end 41 (within the roadside strip), the above-mentioned change may not be performed.

[0085] Figure 4A This is a diagram showing an example of the screen display of the HMI 22 immediately before avoiding a vehicle turning right. Figure 4B This is a diagram showing an example of a screen display when an obstacle or the like is detected between the lane boundary line 42L and the road edge 41 .

[0086] Figure 4A In the example, on the screen 70 of the HMI 22, the obstacle is displayed on the lane boundary display 420C on the right side of the own vehicle 50, indicating that the vehicle 60 about to turn right or the obstacle has blocked the right side of the lane. At the same time, the display of the lane boundary display 420L on the left side is dimmed to indicate that the alarm level has been lowered.

[0087] Thus, the driver can perform an evasive maneuver around the right-turning vehicle 60 without having to pay attention to the warning from the driver assistance system. In addition, in the image 70, the road edge display 410 does not change, so the driver can know that the deviation prevention warning unit related to the road edge 41 is still effective.

[0088] Figure 4B In the example, an unsafe display 430 is displayed on the screen 70 of the HMI 22, which changes the display between the lane boundary display 420L and the road edge 41. This indicates that it is unsafe to travel between the lane boundary display 420L and the road edge 41 because an obstacle or the like has been detected between the lane boundary display 420L and the road edge display 410.

[0089] In this case, the driving assistance ECU 1 maintains the warning level of the lane departure prevention warning unit or raises the warning level. When raising the warning level, the driving assistance ECU 1 changes the unsafe indication 430 between the lane boundary line 42L and the road end 41 .

[0090] Figure 5 This diagram shows a situation in which the host vehicle 50 is avoiding a vehicle 60 that is about to turn right.

[0091] The vehicle 50 has deviated from the lane boundary 42L to avoid the vehicle 60 turning right, but maintains an appropriate distance from the road edge 41. The vehicle's lane deviation warning unit 34 of the driving assistance ECU 1 suppresses the warning indicating that the vehicle 50 is deviating from its lane to avoid the obstacle, or issues no warning at all. The HMI 22 screen displays a message indicating that the vehicle 50 is deviating from the lane boundary 42L.

[0092] The driving assistance ECU 1 determines whether the own vehicle 50 has completed avoiding the vehicle 60 to turn right in the following procedure.

[0093] First, the driving support ECU 1 determines whether or not various sensors, such as the sonar 8 , the camera 6 , and the millimeter-wave radar 7 , which monitor the sides of the own vehicle 50 , have detected a lateral obstacle.

[0094] The driving assistance ECU 1 determines that the vehicle 60 that is about to turn right has passed the side by recognizing the position and depth of the obstacle using the front monitoring camera 6 and counting the travel distance of the own vehicle 50 .

[0095] The driving assistance ECU 1 can determine that the avoidance of the vehicle 60 turning right has been completed based on the condition that there is no obstacle on the side and the travel distance that has passed the distance in the depth direction of the obstacle.

[0096] Figure 6 This figure shows a situation where the host vehicle 50 has passed the side of the vehicle 60 that is about to turn right and has completed the avoidance.

[0097] In the driving assistance ECU 1, when the vehicle 50 has completed avoiding the right-turning vehicle 60, the lane departure prevention alarm unit 34 issues an alarm indicating that the vehicle 50 is in the process of departing from its lane, or issues no alarm at all. The HMI 22 displays a display indicating that the vehicle 50 is departing from its lane, while the obstacle display disappears.

[0098] The driving assistance ECU 1 then notifies the driver that the lane departure prevention warning function will return to its original level by flashing a light on the screen 70 of the HMI 22. After the vehicle 60 completes its evasive maneuver and the vehicle 50 has traveled a certain distance (or for a certain period of time), the driving assistance ECU 1 returns the lane departure warning function to its original level.

[0099] If the vehicle 50 still deviates from the lane boundary 42L (or 42C) after traveling a certain distance, the driving assistance ECU 1 issues a lane departure warning. On the other hand, if the vehicle 50 recovers from the lane departure after traveling a certain distance, the driving assistance ECU 1 resets the lane departure warning function's warning level from the time of recovery.

[0100] Figure 7A 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display of the HMI 22 when avoiding a vehicle 60 that is about to turn right.

[0101] Figure 7B 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display of the HMI 22 after the avoidance of the vehicle 60 to turn right is completed.

[0102] Figure 7A and Figure 7B Both indicate that the vehicle is in the process of lane departure to avoid an obstacle, and the vehicle 50 is straddling the lane boundary display 420L.

[0103] Figure 7A In the screen 70, the obstacle (vehicle 60) is displayed because the obstacle avoidance has not been completed. The lane boundary line display 420L on the road side becomes dimmed, notifying that the lane departure prevention alarm unit is being suppressed.

[0104] Figure 7B In screen 70, the obstacle display disappears when the obstacle (vehicle 60) disappears or the vehicle has passed the obstacle sideways. If the vehicle 50 is in the process of lane departure, the lane boundary display 420L on the road edge 41 side alternates between light and dark colors, notifying the lane departure prevention warning unit that the alarm level will return to normal shortly.

[0105] After a certain distance or a certain amount of time has passed beside an obstacle, the driving assistance ECU 1 returns the lane departure prevention warning unit's warning level to its original level. Furthermore, if the driver returns to their lane through their own driving maneuvers, the lane departure prevention warning unit's warning level is restored at the time of returning to their lane.

[0106] Figure 8 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the setting change process of the deviation prevention alarm unit. This process is executed in a predetermined cycle.

[0107] During the external information acquisition process in step S1, the driving assistance system acquires image information from camera 6. The processing ECU 16 identifies lane boundaries 42L and 42C, road edge 41, and an obstacle (vehicle 60) and converts them into predetermined coordinate information. Lane boundaries 42L and 42C and road edge 41 are represented in plane coordinates as a set of line segments consisting of two coordinate points.

[0108] Obstacles are represented on a plane as polygons consisting of multiple coordinate points. The depth of obstacles is sometimes difficult to predict based on image information, but it is estimated appropriately based on the size and type of the obstacle.

[0109] The driving support ECU 1 performs the above-mentioned processing on all detected obstacles and stores each obstacle in a list (not shown) (obstacle list). The obstacle list can store information on a maximum of 20 obstacles.

[0110] Next, in step S2, the obstacle position determination unit 31 of the driving assistance ECU 1 determines the positional relationship between the road and the obstacle. On the plane coordinates of the multiple regions divided by lane boundaries 42L, 42C and road edge 41, the obstacle position determination unit 31 calculates the region to which each coordinate point of the obstacle belongs, the distance between each coordinate point of the obstacle and lane boundaries 42L, 42C and road edge 41, and the distance between each coordinate point and the vehicle 50.

[0111] The obstacle position determination unit 31 adds the area where the detected obstacle is located, the distance between the obstacle and the lane boundaries 42L, 42C and the road edge 41 , and the distance between the host vehicle 50 and the obstacle to the obstacle list.

[0112] Next, in step S3 , the obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 of the driving assistance ECU 1 performs the following determination on each obstacle in the obstacle list.

[0113] (a) Is the obstacle on the lane boundary lines 42L and 42C?

[0114] (b) Whether the distance between the host vehicle 50 and the obstacle is within N times the estimated braking distance (a distance uniquely determined by the vehicle speed).

[0115] When both the above conditions (a) and (b) are satisfied, the obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 determines that it is necessary to take measures such as avoiding or stopping the vehicle in relation to the obstacle. These are referred to as avoidance target obstacles.

[0116] Furthermore, the obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 calculates the width W1 (refer to the width W1 of the lane boundary line 42L on the road edge 41 side) between the obstacle and the lane boundary line 42L on the road edge 41 side among all the avoidance target obstacles. Figure 3 ), the minimum value of the obstacle and the width W2 of the lane boundary line 42C on the central side of the road (reference Figure 3 ), the distance D1 from the vehicle 50 to the obstacle (reference Figure 3 ) and the distance D2 from the vehicle 50 to the deepest part of the obstacle (reference Figure 3 ) is the maximum value of .

[0117] Next, the obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 performs the following determination on each obstacle in the obstacle list.

[0118] (c) Whether the obstacle is not on the lane boundary lines 42L and 42C, but is inside the road end 41 (that is, whether it is on the road shoulder (roadside strip)).

[0119] (d) The distance between the host vehicle 50 and the obstacle is within the range of the maximum value of the distance from the host vehicle 50 to the deepest point of the avoidance target obstacle + the avoidance recovery distance (a distance uniquely determined by the vehicle speed).

[0120] When both conditions (c) and (d) above are satisfied, the obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 determines that the vehicle 50 must deal with the obstacle when performing avoidance maneuvering using the roadside strip. These are referred to as roadside obstacles.

[0121] The obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 calculates the minimum value of the width between the obstacle and the lane boundary line 42L on the road end 41 side among all the road end side obstacles.

[0122] Furthermore, the obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 calculates the minimum value of the width between the lane boundary 42C and the road edge 41, which is the maximum value of the distance from the host vehicle 50 to the deepest point of the obstacle to be avoided + the avoidance recovery distance. The avoidance recovery distance represents the distance required for the host vehicle 50 to return to its original lane, and a preset value may be used depending on the vehicle speed.

[0123] Next, in step S4 , the state management unit 33 of the driving assistance ECU 1 manages the state of the deviation prevention alarm unit.

[0124] Figure 9 This section shows the state transition diagram of the anti-deviation alarm unit.

[0125] The lane departure warning unit 34, managed by the state management unit 33, has three states: normal state (S10), avoidance state (S11), and return state (S12). The lane departure warning level setting is changed in each state. Furthermore, the lane departure warning unit 34 states are independently set for the lane departure warning unit and the roadside departure warning unit. The state management unit 33 performs the following determinations to determine state transitions.

[0126] (e) The width W1 between the obstacle and the lane boundary line 42L on the road end 41 side (refer to Figure 3 ) is below the specified value Y1.

[0127] (f) The minimum value W2 of the width between the obstacle and the lane boundary line 42C on the road center side (reference Figure 3 ) is below the specified value Y2.

[0128] In the case of (e) or (f) above, the state management unit 33 determines that lane change is necessary. The predetermined values ​​Y1 and Y2 are set very small compared to the width of the vehicle 50, so the lane is almost impassable.

[0129] Next, the state management unit 33 performs the following determination.

[0130] (g) The minimum value of the width W1 between the obstacle and the lane boundary line 42L on the road edge 41 side is greater than or equal to the predetermined value Y1 and less than or equal to the predetermined value Y1b.

[0131] (h) The minimum value of the width W2 between the obstacle and the lane boundary line 42C on the road center side is greater than or equal to the predetermined value Y2 and less than or equal to the predetermined value Y2b.

[0132] In situations such as (g) or (h) above, the state management unit 33 determines that evasion is necessary by staying in the lane or departing from the lane. Furthermore, the predetermined values ​​Y1b and Y2b are set to be approximately equal to the width of the vehicle 50. Alternatively, the predetermined values ​​Y1 and Y2 are set to be approximately half the width of the vehicle 50.

[0133] Therefore, under the above-mentioned condition (g) or (h), the vehicle 50 can pass through the lane while leaning toward the road edge 41 or slightly deviating from the lane.

[0134] Next, the state management unit 33 performs the following determination.

[0135] (i) The sum of the minimum value of the width W1 between the obstacle to be avoided and the lane boundary line 42L on the road end 41 side and the minimum value of the width between the obstacle on the road end 41 side (road end obstacle) and the lane boundary line 42L on the road end 41 side is greater than or equal to a predetermined value Y3. The predetermined value Y3 is a value greater than or equal to the vehicle width required to pass the side of the obstacle, and the value greater than or equal to the vehicle width may be changed depending on the vehicle speed.

[0136] (j) The minimum value of the width W1 between the obstacle to be avoided and the lane boundary line 42L on the road end 41 side is equal to the width W3 between the road end 41 and the lane boundary line 42L on the road end 41 side (refer to Figure 3 ) is greater than the specified value Y3.

[0137] In the case of (i) or (j) above, the state management unit 33 determines that it is possible to avoid the obstacle within the lane boundary line 42L or while deviating from the lane boundary line 42L.

[0138] When it is determined through the above determination process that avoidance within the driving lane 40 or deviation from the driving lane 40 is necessary and possible, the state management unit 33 changes the internal state of the anti-departure alarm unit 34 from the normal state (S10) to the avoidance state (S11), and changes the setting of the anti-departure alarm unit 34 in the following manner.

[0139] In step S5, the state management unit 33 changes the lane departure prevention alarm level from high to low for the lane boundary line 42L on the road edge 41. For example, the state management unit 33 reduces the lane departure prevention alarm volume or the steering reaction force.

[0140] Furthermore, the state management unit 33 changes the content of the screen displayed by the HMI 22 so as to notify that the setting of the lane departure prevention warning unit has been relaxed.

[0141] In the case of determination results other than those described above, the state management unit 33 maintains the deviation prevention alarm unit in the normal state, and switches to the function OFF state ( S13 ) when the driver operates the turn signal or brakes.

[0142] The obstacle to be avoided is closer to L1 (reference Figure 3 ) approaches, and when the own vehicle 50 has traveled a distance greater than the total length of the own vehicle 50 and the depth of the avoidance object obstacle from the time point when the own vehicle 50 starts to pass the avoidance object obstacle on the side, the driving assistance ECU 1 excludes the avoidance object obstacle from the avoidance objects.

[0143] The driving assistance ECU 1 can also determine that avoidance of an avoidable obstacle has been completed by detecting side obstacles using sensors such as the sonar 8, side cameras 6, and millimeter-wave radar 7. Furthermore, there are cases where an avoidable obstacle moves on its own and is no longer an avoidance target. Thus, when all avoidable obstacles are no longer avoidance targets, the driving assistance ECU 1 transitions its internal state from the avoidance state (S11) to the return state (S12), and the state management unit 33 changes the alarm level setting of the deviation prevention alarm unit as follows.

[0144] The state management unit 33 changes the lane departure prevention alarm level for lane boundary line 42L on the road edge 41 side from low to medium. For example, the state management unit 33 slightly increases the alarm volume or changes the steering reaction force. Furthermore, the state management unit 33 displays on the screen displayed by the HMI 22 that the lane departure prevention alarm has transitioned to the return state (S12).

[0145] The state management unit 33 always performs obstacle processing in the return state ( S12 ), and transitions to the avoidance state ( S11 ) when the conditions for transitioning from the normal state ( S10 ) to the avoidance state ( S11 ) are satisfied.

[0146] After the lane departure state is eliminated by the driver's driving operation in the return state (S12) or the recovery distance (prescribed distance) corresponding to the vehicle speed is traveled, the state management unit 33 automatically changes to the normal state (S10) and changes the setting of the lane departure prevention alarm unit to the normal state setting.

[0147] After changing the state determination and the setting of the alarm level of the deviation prevention alarm unit, the state management unit 33 controls the deviation prevention alarm unit 34 to continue operation.

[0148] As described above, when the driving assistance ECU 1 of this embodiment detects an obstacle in front of the own vehicle 50, if it is determined that the obstacle can be avoided by passing beside it as long as it deviates from the lane boundary line 42L without deviating from the road end 41, the lane departure prevention alarm unit is changed from the normal state (S10) to the avoidance state (S11).

[0149] By transitioning to the avoidance state ( S11 ), the lane departure prevention alarm unit reduces the alarm volume or steering reaction force when the vehicle 50 deviates from the lane boundary line 42L, thereby reducing the influence on the driver's driving operation.

[0150] Then, when the own vehicle 50 completes the sideways passage of the avoidance object, the state management unit 33 changes the internal state of the lane departure prevention alarm unit from the avoidance state (S11) to the return state (S12), and the state management unit 33 changes the alarm volume or steering reaction force of the lane departure prevention alarm unit from small to medium, and notifies the display screen of the HMI 22 that the lane departure prevention alarm unit has changed to the return state (S12).

[0151] After the driver's driving operation eliminates the deviation from the lane boundary line 42L or travels a recovery distance (predetermined distance) corresponding to the vehicle speed, the state management unit 33 changes the lane departure prevention alarm unit to a normal state (S10) and restores the alarm volume or steering reaction force to a high level.

[0152] In this manner, the driving assistance ECU 1 suppresses the warning issued by the lane departure prevention warning unit when the vehicle passes the side of an obstacle, and can provide driving assistance without interfering with the driver's driving operation.

[0153] Example 2

[0154] Next, Example 2 of the present invention will be described using the accompanying drawings. Figure 13This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving assistance ECU 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0155] The driving assistance ECU 1 of the second embodiment includes a travel path prediction unit 35 and a lane return determination unit 36 ​​instead of the obstacle position determination unit 31 and the obstacle avoidance determination unit 32 of the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0156] The travel path prediction unit 35 estimates a travel path from the current position of the vehicle 50 to a predetermined distance (or a predetermined time later) based on driving conditions such as wheel speed and steering angle, and calculates the estimated path 53 .

[0157] As described later, when the vehicle 50 deviates from the lane boundary 42L on the predicted path 53 from the current position of the vehicle 50 to a predetermined distance, the lane return determination unit 36 ​​determines whether the vehicle 50 has returned to the driving lane 40 after traveling the predetermined distance.

[0158] When estimating that the vehicle 50 will temporarily deviate from the lane boundary 42L after traveling a predetermined distance and then return to the driving lane 40 , the lane return determination unit 36 ​​instructs the state management unit 33 to suppress the alarm from the lane departure prevention alarm unit.

[0159] Figure 11 This diagram shows a situation where the vehicle 50 deviates toward the inside of a lane boundary line 42L on the side of a road end 41 closer to the vehicle 50 while traveling on a curve.

[0160] In this state, even if the own vehicle 50 temporarily deviates from the driving lane, it is likely to return to the driving lane immediately, and the risk caused by lane departure is low. Therefore, when the driver performs a turning operation, the driver considers the assistance requested by the driving assistance function as follows.

[0161] (6) In the case of temporary lane departure during a turn, it is desirable to suppress the lane departure prevention warning related to the lane boundary line 42L.

[0162] (7) When the vehicle is too close to the road end 41, it is desired that the deviation warning related to the road end 41 be reported.

[0163] Here, the deviation prevention warning unit 34 of the driving assistance ECU 1 performs driving assistance in the following manner.

[0164] (8) When it is detected that the forward driving lane is a curve, the driving assistance ECU 1 changes the level of the lane departure warning for the lane boundary line 42L on the inner side of the curve in the lane departure prevention warning function.

[0165] (9) On the other hand, the driving assistance ECU 1 maintains the road edge departure warning function.

[0166] Regarding the detection of the curve in the forward lane, the driving support ECU 1 may detect the curves in the lane boundaries 42L and 42C by using the camera 6 that captures the forward image, or may detect the curve based on pre-set map information and the position information of the own vehicle 50 .

[0167] Furthermore, as a driving assistance method of the deviation prevention warning section provided by the driving assistance ECU 1 , the following is considered.

[0168] (k) A lane departure from the lane boundary line 42L on the inner side of the turn of the host vehicle 50 is permitted.

[0169] (l) Temporary lane departure from the lane boundary line 42L on the inner side of the turn is permitted, but recovery from the lane departure is predicted after traveling a predetermined distance.

[0170] (m) Lane departure from the lane boundary line 42L on the inner side of the curve is permitted as long as the vehicle does not deviate from the road edge 41 .

[0171] (n) Temporary lane departure from the lane boundary line 42L on the inner side of the curve is permitted as long as the vehicle does not deviate from the road edge 41 , but recovery from the lane departure is predicted after traveling a predetermined distance.

[0172] A method by which the driving support ECU 1 determines whether the lane departure from the lane boundary line 42L on the inner side of the curve is temporary will be described later.

[0173] Figure 12 This figure explains a method for determining whether a lane departure on the inner side of a curve is temporary when the vehicle 50 is traveling on a curve.

[0174] The driving assistance ECU 1 calculates a predicted trajectory 54 of the own vehicle 50 up to a predetermined distance (or after a predetermined time) based on the driving conditions of the own vehicle 50, such as the vehicle speed, yaw rate, and steering angle. When the length of the predicted trajectory is set to L1, as long as the own vehicle rectangle 52 in which the own vehicle 50 is entirely enclosed has not pressed against the lane boundary 42L at the time point when the own vehicle 50 has traveled the distance L1, even if the own vehicle rectangle 52 presses against the lane boundary 42L from the current position to within the distance L1, the warning of the lane departure prevention alarm unit is suppressed.

[0175] The driving assistance ECU 1 calculates a predicted path 53 from the current position P1 of the rear axle center 51 of the vehicle 50 to an estimated position P4 of the rear axle center 51 after traveling a predetermined distance (e.g., 100 meters). The ECU also calculates estimated positions P2 and P3 of the rear axle center 51 at predetermined distance intervals (or time intervals). The line connecting the current position P1 to the estimated position P4 is the predicted path 53.

[0176] The driving assistance ECU 1 calculates the own vehicle rectangle 52 at each position from the current position P1 to the estimated positions P2 to P4. If the own vehicle rectangle 52 approaches the road edge 41 at any position from the current position P1 to the estimated positions P2 to P4, an alarm is issued using the road edge deviation prevention alarm unit.

[0177] In addition, when the self-vehicle rectangle 52 at the estimated position P4 is within the driving lane 40 and has not pressed against the lane boundary line 42L, even if the self-vehicle rectangle 52 at any position from the current position P1 to the estimated positions P2 and P3 presses against the lane boundary line 42L, the state management unit 33 of the driving assistance ECU 1 suppresses the alarm of the lane departure prevention alarm unit.

[0178] like Figure 12 As shown, when the driving assistance ECU 1 makes a predicted path 53 of the rear wheel axle center 51 from the current position P1 of the own vehicle 50 while traveling on a curve to the estimated position P4 after traveling a specified distance, at the estimated positions P2 and P3, the vertices C2 and C3 of the own vehicle rectangle 52 enter the road end 41 side compared to the lane boundary line 42L.

[0179] Since it is predicted that the vehicle 50 will return to the driving lane 40 after traveling the predetermined distance L1 (P4), the state management unit 33 instructs the lane departure prevention alarm unit 34 to suppress the alarm. Suppression of the alarm is performed by, for example, changing the alarm volume or the steering reaction force from high to low, as in the first embodiment.

[0180] Then, after the vehicle has traveled the predetermined distance L1, the state management unit 33 returns the alarm of the lane departure prevention alarm unit to the normal state.

[0181] The above control is an example, and the driving support ECU 1 is not limited to the above method as long as it can predict that the vehicle will return to the driving lane 40 even if it temporarily deviates from the lane boundary 42L on the road edge 41 side and can avoid collision with the road edge 41 or lane deviation.

[0182] Alternatively, regardless of the aforementioned conditions, lane boundary line 42L, where the vehicle rectangle 52 is determined to be on the inside of a curve, may be unconditionally designated as a warning suppression target based on the curvature of lane boundary line 42L and map information. However, in this case, as in the first embodiment, the warning suppression status must be defined and managed.

[0183] As described above, the driving assistance ECU 1 of this embodiment suppresses the alarm of the lane departure prevention alarm unit in the following situation: even if the own vehicle 50 temporarily deviates from the driving lane 40 toward the road end 41 when traveling on a curve, the predicted path after traveling a specified distance (or specified time) will return to the driving lane 40 without approaching the road end 41.

[0184] This allows the driver to intentionally deviate from the lane boundary line 42L, thereby ensuring safety and enhancing driving pleasure during driving assistance.

[0185] Furthermore, while the example above illustrates the use of the same vehicle rectangle 52 for both the lane departure prevention warning unit's determination of departure from the lane boundary line 42L and the road edge departure prevention warning unit's determination of departure from the road edge 41, it is preferable that the vehicle rectangle 52 used in the road edge departure prevention warning unit's determination be larger than the vehicle rectangle 52 used in the lane departure prevention warning unit's determination. This allows the driving assistance ECU 1 to issue a warning when the vehicle 50 approaches the road edge 41.

[0186] Furthermore, the size of the own vehicle rectangle 52 used in the judgment of the roadside departure prevention warning unit may be increased as the vehicle speed increases. Furthermore, if the shape of the roadside edge 41 can be obtained from map information, the driving assistance ECU 1 may change the size of the own vehicle rectangle 52 used in the judgment of the roadside departure prevention warning unit based on the shape of the roadside edge 41.

[0187] <Summarize>

[0188] As described above, the driving assistance ECU 1 of the above embodiment can be configured as follows.

[0189] (1) A driving assistance device (driving assistance ECU 1) having a processor (CPU 2) and a memory (RAM 3) for assisting the driving of a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: an external information acquisition unit (camera 6) for acquiring external information of the vehicle; an obstacle detection unit (obstacle position determination unit 31) for detecting an obstacle (vehicle 60) in front of the vehicle based on the external information; a lane detection unit (processing ECU 16) for detecting a lane boundary line (42L) and a road edge (41) based on the external information (6); an alarm unit (anti-departure alarm unit 34) for issuing an alarm or steering assistance when a deviation from the lane boundary line (42L) or the road edge (41) is detected; and a state management unit (33) for suppressing the alarm or steering assistance issued by the alarm unit (34) when the obstacle detection unit (31) detects the obstacle (60).

[0190] With the above configuration, when an obstacle such as the vehicle 60 turning right is detected in front of the vehicle 50 , the driving support ECU 1 suppresses the warning from the departure prevention warning unit 34 or the steering support, thereby preventing the driver from intentionally leaving the lane from being hindered.

[0191] (2) The driving assistance device according to the above (1) is characterized in that the alarm unit (34) has: a lane departure prevention alarm unit (34) which implements an alarm or steering assistance when the vehicle (50) deviates from the lane boundary line (42L); and a road end (41) deviation prevention alarm unit (34) which implements an alarm or steering assistance when the vehicle deviates from the road end (41).

[0192] With the above configuration, the driving support ECU 1 can independently control the deviation of the host vehicle 50 from the lane boundary line 42L and the deviation from the road end 41 .

[0193] (3) The driving assistance device according to the above (2) is characterized in that when the obstacle (60) is detected, the state management unit (33) suppresses the alarm or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention alarm unit (34) and continues the road end departure prevention alarm unit (34).

[0194] Through the above-mentioned structure, when an obstacle such as a vehicle 60 about to turn right is detected in front of the own vehicle 50, the driving assistance ECU 1 suppresses the alarm or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention alarm unit, and on the other hand, continues the road end deviation alarm unit, thereby suppressing the obstruction of the driver's intentional lane departure and preventing deviation from the road end 41.

[0195] (4) The driving assistance device according to the above (2) is characterized in that the alarm unit (34) determines whether the obstacle (60) can be avoided based on the positional relationship between the obstacle (60), the lane boundary line (42L) and the road end (41). When the obstacle (60) can be avoided, the state management unit (33) suppresses the alarm or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention alarm unit (34) and continues the road end (41) deviation prevention alarm unit (34).

[0196] Through the above-mentioned structure, when it is possible to avoid obstacles such as the vehicle 60 turning right in front of the own vehicle 50, the driving assistance ECU 1 suppresses the alarm or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention alarm unit, and on the other hand, continues the road end deviation alarm unit, thereby suppressing the obstruction of the driver's intentional lane departure and preventing deviation from the road end 41.

[0197] (5) The driving assistance device according to the above (2) is characterized in that, when an obstacle (60) is detected on the driving lane divided by the lane boundary line (42L), the alarm unit (34) determines whether the obstacle (60) can be avoided by deviating from the lane boundary line (42L) on the road end (41) side. When the obstacle (60) can be avoided, the state management unit (33) suppresses the alarm or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention alarm unit (34) and continues the road end (41) deviation prevention alarm unit (34).

[0198] Through the above-mentioned configuration, when it is possible to avoid obstacles such as a vehicle 60 turning right by deviating from the lane boundary line 42L on the side of the road end 41 in front of the own vehicle 50, the driving assistance ECU 1 suppresses the alarm or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention alarm unit, and on the other hand, continues the road end departure prevention alarm unit, thereby suppressing the obstruction to the driver's intentional lane departure and preventing deviation from the road end 41.

[0199] (6) The driving assistance device according to the above (1) is characterized in that it further includes a human-machine interface (HMI 22), and the human-machine interface (HMI 22) displays the detection results of the lane boundary line (42L) and the road end (41).

[0200] With the above configuration, the driving support ECU 1 can display the detection status of the lane boundary line 42L and the road edge 41 on the HMI 22 .

[0201] (7) The driving assistance device according to the above (2) is characterized in that it also has a human-machine interface (22), and the human-machine interface (22) displays the alarm of the lane departure prevention alarm unit (34) or the suppression of steering assistance.

[0202] With the above configuration, the driving assistance ECU 1 can display the warning of the lane departure prevention warning unit or the suppression state of the steering assistance on the HMI 22 .

[0203] (8) A driving assistance device having a processor (CPU 2) and a memory (RAM 3) for assisting driving of a vehicle (50), characterized in that it comprises: an external information acquisition unit (camera 6) for acquiring external information of the vehicle (50); a lane detection unit (processing ECU 16) for detecting a lane boundary line (42L) and a road end (41) based on the external information; a driving path prediction unit (35) for predicting the driving path of the vehicle and calculating a predicted path; a lane return determination unit (36) for determining whether the predicted path (53) temporarily deviates from the lane boundary line (42L); an alarm unit (34) for issuing an alarm or steering assistance when a deviation from the lane boundary line (42L) or the road end (41) is detected; and a state management unit (33) for suppressing the alarm or steering assistance issued by the alarm unit (34) when the lane return determination unit (36) determines that the vehicle temporarily deviates from the lane boundary line (42L).

[0204] With the above configuration, when the predicted path 53 of the host vehicle 50 temporarily deviates from the lane boundary 42L, the driving support ECU 1 suppresses the warning from the departure prevention warning unit 34 or the steering assistance, thereby suppressing interference with the driver's intentional lane departure.

[0205] (9) The driving assistance device according to the above (8) is characterized in that the alarm unit (34) has: a lane departure prevention alarm unit (34) which implements an alarm or steering assistance when the vehicle deviates from the lane boundary line (42L); and a road end (41) deviation prevention alarm unit (34) which implements an alarm or steering assistance when the vehicle deviates from the road end (41).

[0206] With the above configuration, the driving support ECU 1 can independently control the deviation of the host vehicle 50 from the lane boundary line 42L and the deviation from the road end 41 .

[0207] (10) The driving assistance device according to the above (9) is characterized in that, when a curve is detected in front of the vehicle (50), the driving path prediction unit (35) calculates the predicted path (53), and the lane return determination unit (36) determines that the vehicle on the inside of the turn deviates from the lane boundary line (42L) on the predicted path (53) and then returns to the driving lane as a temporary deviation from the lane boundary line (42L).

[0208] With the above configuration, the driving assistance ECU 1 determines that the vehicle 50 on the inner side of the turn deviates from the lane boundary line 42L on the predicted path 53 and then returns to the driving lane 40 as a temporary deviation from the lane boundary line 42L, thereby being able to detect the driver's intentional deviation from the lane boundary line 42L.

[0209] (11) The driving assistance device according to the above (9) is characterized in that, when a temporary deviation from the lane boundary line (42L) is determined, the state management unit (33) suppresses the alarm or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention alarm unit (34) and continues the road end deviation prevention alarm unit.

[0210] Through the above-mentioned structure, when it is predicted that the driver will intentionally deviate from the lane boundary line 42L, the driving assistance ECU 1 suppresses the alarm of the lane departure prevention alarm unit, and on the other hand, continues the road end deviation alarm unit, thereby preventing deviation from the road end without hindering the driver from intentionally deviating from the lane.

[0211] Furthermore, the present invention includes various modifications and is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0212] For example, the above-described embodiments are detailed descriptions for the purpose of easily understanding the present invention and are not necessarily limited to all of the described configurations. Furthermore, a portion of a configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment, and a configuration of another embodiment may be added to a configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, portions of the configurations of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations, either individually or in combination.

[0213] Furthermore, the aforementioned components, functions, processing units, and processing methods may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them using integrated circuits. Furthermore, the aforementioned components and functions may be implemented in software by having a processor interpret and execute programs that implement the various functions. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement the various functions may be stored in a storage device such as a memory, hard disk, or SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a storage medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0214] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanation, and not all of them may be shown on the product. In reality, it is assumed that almost all components are interconnected.

Claims

1. A driving assistance device comprising a processor and a memory for assisting vehicle driving, characterized in that: have: an external information acquisition unit for acquiring external information of the vehicle; an obstacle detection unit, which detects obstacles in front of the vehicle based on the external information; a lane detection unit, which detects lane boundaries and road ends based on the external information; an alarm unit for providing an alarm or steering assistance when a deviation from the lane boundary or the road end is detected; as well as a state management unit that suppresses the alarm of the alarm unit or the steering assistance when the obstacle detection unit detects the obstacle, The alarm unit includes: a lane departure prevention warning unit that provides a warning or steering assistance when the vehicle deviates from a lane boundary; and a road deviation prevention alarm unit that issues an alarm or provides steering assistance when the vehicle deviates from the road or is likely to deviate. When an obstacle is detected in the driving lane divided by the lane boundary line, the warning unit determines whether the obstacle can be avoided by deviating from the lane boundary line on the road end side. When the obstacle can be avoided, the state management unit suppresses the warning or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention warning unit and continues the road edge departure prevention warning unit.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein: The warning unit determines whether the obstacle can be avoided based on a positional relationship between the obstacle, the lane boundary, and the road end.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein: The system also includes a human-machine interface, which displays the detection results of the lane boundary line and the road end.

4. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle further includes a human-machine interface that displays the warning of the lane departure prevention warning unit or the suppression of steering assistance.

5. A driving assistance device comprising a processor and a memory for assisting vehicle driving, characterized in that: have: an external information acquisition unit for acquiring external information of the vehicle; a lane detection unit, which detects lane boundaries and road ends based on the external information; a travel route prediction unit that predicts a travel route of the vehicle and calculates a predicted route; a lane return determination unit configured to determine that the predicted path temporarily deviates from the lane boundary line on the road end side; an alarm unit for providing an alarm or steering assistance when a deviation from the lane boundary or the road end is detected; as well as a state management unit that suppresses the alarm of the alarm unit or the steering assistance when the lane return determination unit determines that the vehicle has temporarily deviated from the lane boundary line; The alarm unit includes: a lane departure prevention warning unit that provides a warning or steering assistance when the vehicle deviates from a lane boundary; and a road deviation prevention alarm unit that issues an alarm or provides steering assistance when the vehicle deviates from the road or is likely to deviate. When determining a temporary deviation of the lane boundary line from the road edge side, the state management unit suppresses the warning or steering assistance of the lane departure prevention warning unit and continues the road edge departure prevention warning unit.

6. The driving assistance device according to claim 5, characterized in that When a curve is detected in front of the vehicle, the travel path prediction unit calculates the predicted path. The lane return determination unit determines that the vehicle on the inner side of the curve has returned to the driving lane after deviating from the lane boundary line on the road end side on the predicted path as a temporary deviation from the lane boundary line.

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