Driving support devices, driving support methods and recording media

Abstract

A driving support device, driving support method, and recording medium are provided that can provide appropriate driving support notifications at multiple stages, including before and after passing other vehicles. The driving support device includes: an object avoidance identification unit that identifies an object that the vehicle should avoid while driving on the road, i.e., an avoidance object; and an output control unit that outputs suggestions for the driver of the vehicle at multiple stages, including the stage before and after passing other vehicles between the vehicle and the avoidance object.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a driving support device, a driving support method, and a recording medium. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, driving support devices have been disclosed that assist the driver when the vehicle is passing other vehicles. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-92505 describes a technology that uses a camera installed on the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle is passing other vehicles, reports the surrounding conditions of the vehicle to the driver when the vehicle is passing other vehicles, and ends the report when the passing is completed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-92505 only reports when the vehicle passes another vehicle, and the report ends when the passing situation is completed. Therefore, it is sometimes impossible to provide appropriate driving support notifications at multiple stages, including before and after the passing.

[0004] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a driving support device, driving support method, and procedure capable of providing appropriate driving support notifications at multiple stages, including before and after passing other vehicles.

[0005] The first aspect of the present invention relates to a driving support device, wherein the driving support device comprises: an object avoidance identification unit that identifies an object that the vehicle should avoid while driving on a road, i.e., an avoidance object; and an output control unit that outputs suggestions for the driver of the vehicle at different times in each of the plurality of stages, including a pre-passing stage and a post-passing stage between the vehicle and the avoidance object.

[0006] The second option, based on the driving support device of the first option, may also include a margin detection unit that detects a margin representing the distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided during the passing maneuver. In the stage before the passing maneuver, the output control unit outputs a suggestion corresponding to the driver's driving tendency based on the margin detected by the margin detection unit in the past passing maneuvers.

[0007] The third option, based on the driving support device of the second option, may also include an evaluation unit that evaluates the driver's driving during the passing maneuver based on the margin detected by the margin detection unit, and the output control unit that, in the later stage of the passing maneuver, outputs a suggestion based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit.

[0008] The fourth option, based on the driving support device of the second or third option mentioned above, may also be that the margin detection unit detects the shortest distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided when passing another vehicle, and uses this as the margin.

[0009] The fifth option, based on the driving support device of any of the first to fourth options above, may also be that the output control unit does not output the suggestion when the vehicle passing phase is being performed.

[0010] The sixth option, based on the driving support device of any one of the first to fifth options above, may further include a drivable width detection unit that detects the drivable width of the road in which the vehicle can travel, and the output control unit that does not output the suggestion if the drivable width detected by the drivable width detection unit is greater than a specified width.

[0011] The seventh option, based on the driving support device of any of the first to sixth options above, may further include a distance measuring unit that measures the distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided in the vehicle's driving direction, and the output control unit that determines whether the vehicle has reached the pre- or post-passing stage based on the distance measured by the distance measuring unit.

[0012] The eighth embodiment, based on the driving support device of the sixth embodiment, may further include a distance measuring unit that measures the distance between the vehicle in its driving direction and a position where the drivable width detected by the drivable width detection unit is below the predetermined width. The output control unit determines whether the vehicle has reached the pre-passing or post-passing stage based on the distance measured by the distance measuring unit.

[0013] The ninth aspect of the present invention relates to a driving support method, which is a computer-based driving support method, wherein the driving support method includes the following processing: identifying an object that the vehicle should avoid while driving on a road, i.e., an avoidance object; and causing an output device to output suggestions for the driver of the vehicle at each of the plurality of stages, including a pre-passing stage and a post-passing stage between the vehicle and the avoidance object.

[0014] The tenth aspect of the present invention relates to a recording medium containing a program that causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying an object that the vehicle should avoid while driving on a road, i.e., an avoidance object; and causing an output device to output suggestions for the driver of the vehicle, which differ for each of the plurality of stages, including a pre-passing stage and a post-passing stage between the vehicle and the avoidance object.

[0015] According to the first to tenth schemes mentioned above, appropriate driving support notifications can be provided at multiple stages, including before and after passing other vehicles. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle system utilizing the driving support device of the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 This diagram shows the situation in the initial stage before a vehicle passes another vehicle.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the passing situation between this vehicle and an oncoming vehicle.

[0019] Figure 4 This diagram shows the situation in the later stages of a passing maneuver between this vehicle and an oncoming vehicle.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the driving support device of the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the situation before the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle pass each other in the second embodiment.

[0022] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates the situation after a passing maneuver between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle in the second embodiment.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the driving support device of the second embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments of the driving support device, driving support method and procedure of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] <First Implementation>

[0026] [Overall Structure]

[0027] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle system 1 utilizing the driving support device of the first embodiment.

[0028] The vehicle equipped with vehicle system 1 is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its drive source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates using electricity generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or electricity discharged from a secondary battery or fuel cell.

[0029] Vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system 14, a sonar 15, an object recognition device 16, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, and a driver assistance device 100. These devices and equipment are interconnected via multiple communication lines such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication lines, serial communication lines, and wireless communication networks. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The structure shown is just one example; you can omit part of the structure or add other structures.

[0030] Camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera utilizing a solid-state imaging element such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). Camera 10 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle equipped with vehicle system 1. When taking pictures of the front, camera 10 is mounted on the upper part of the windshield, behind the rearview mirror inside the vehicle, etc. Camera 10, for example, periodically and repeatedly takes pictures of the surroundings of the vehicle. Camera 10 can also be a stereo camera.

[0031] Radar device 12 emits millimeter-wave or other radio waves around the vehicle and detects the radio waves reflected by objects (reflected waves) to detect at least the position (distance and orientation) of the objects. Radar device 12 can be installed in any part of the vehicle. Radar device 12 can also detect the position and speed of objects using FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0032] The LIDAR14 illuminates the area around the vehicle with light (or electromagnetic waves with wavelengths close to light) and measures the scattered light. The LIDAR14 detects the distance to the object based on the time from the emission of light to the reception of light. The illuminating light can be, for example, a pulsed laser. The LIDAR14 can be mounted anywhere on the vehicle. It should be noted that the LIDAR14 scans laterally and longitudinally relative to the vehicle's direction of travel, thereby detecting the distance from the vehicle to the object.

[0033] The sonar 15 emits ultrasonic waves around the vehicle and detects reflections or scattering from objects within a specified distance from the vehicle, thereby determining the distance or position of the object. The sonar 15 may be installed, for example, on bumpers at the front and rear ends of the vehicle.

[0034] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the detections by the camera 10, radar device 12, LIDAR 14, and sonar 15 to identify the position, type, speed, etc. of objects. The object recognition device 16 outputs the identification results to the driving support device 100. Alternatively, the object recognition device 16 can directly output the detection results from the camera 10, radar device 12, LIDAR 14, and sonar 15 to the driving support device 100. It should be noted that the function of the object recognition device 16 can also be integrated into the driving support device 100, omitting the object recognition device 16 from the vehicle system 1. The objects identified by the object recognition device 16 include objects that the vehicle should avoid contact with while driving on the road (i.e., avoidance objects), and the boundary between the road and parts outside the road (i.e., road boundaries).

[0035] The HMI 30 provides various information to the vehicle occupants and accepts input operations from them. The HMI 30 includes a display unit 32 and a speaker 34. The display unit 32 may be, for example, a display unit installed in the instrument panel or a head-up display (HUD). The speaker 34 may be, for example, a sound output device installed in the vehicle's interior.

[0036] In addition to the display unit 32 and the speaker 34, the HMI30 may also include a buzzer, touch panel, switch, buttons, etc.

[0037] The driving support device 100 is a device that assists the driver in driving the vehicle. The driving support device 100 includes, for example, a drivable width detection unit 110, an obstacle avoidance recognition unit 120, a distance measurement unit 130, a margin detection unit 140, an evaluation unit 150, an output control unit 160, and a storage unit 170. The drivable width detection unit 110, the obstacle avoidance recognition unit 120, the distance measurement unit 130, the margin detection unit 140, the evaluation unit 150, and the output control unit 160 are each implemented by executing programs (software) using a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Furthermore, some or all of these components can be implemented using hardware (including the circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or through a combination of software and hardware. The program can be pre-saved in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 (a storage device with a non-temporary storage medium), or it can be saved in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, or it can be installed in the HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 by mounting the storage medium (a non-temporary storage medium) to the drive unit.

[0038] The storage unit 170 may also be implemented using the various storage devices described above, or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 170 may store, for example, information, programs, and other various types of information required to execute various controls in the implementation method. Among these various types of information, driving data related to past driving of the vehicle may also be stored in the storage unit 170.

[0039] The drivable width detection unit 110 detects the drivable width, which represents the width of the road on which the vehicle can travel, based on the recognition result output from the object recognition device 16. The detection of the drivable width by the drivable width detection unit 110 will be described in detail later.

[0040] The object avoidance recognition unit 120 identifies objects that the vehicle should avoid while driving on the road, i.e., avoidance objects, based on the recognition results output from the object recognition device 16. Avoidance objects include oncoming vehicles, pedestrians and other traffic participants, utility poles, parked vehicles, static obstacles such as placed objects, road boundaries, etc.

[0041] The distance measuring unit 130 measures the distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided (such as an oncoming vehicle) based on the position of the object to be avoided identified by the object identification unit 120. For example, the distance measuring unit 130 may also measure the distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided based on the center of gravity positions of the vehicle and the object to be avoided. The measurement method used by the distance measuring unit 130 is not limited to this; the distance between any point on the vehicle and any point on the object to be avoided can be measured as the distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided.

[0042] The margin detection unit 140 detects the margin representing the distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided (such as an oncoming vehicle) when the vehicle passes. For example, the margin detection unit 140 may also detect the distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided based on the detection results of the sonar 15. The detection method of the margin detection unit 140 is not limited to this, and other sensors may be used to detect the margin. In addition, the margin detection unit 140 may also detect the shortest distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided when passing as the margin.

[0043] The evaluation unit 150 evaluates the driver's driving when passing other vehicles based on the margin detected by the margin detection unit 140. For example, the evaluation unit 150 evaluates whether sufficient margin was ensured on the left and right sides of the vehicle when passing other vehicles, whether the vehicle was too far to the right, or too far to the left.

[0044] The output control unit 160 outputs suggestions to the driver of the vehicle via output devices such as the HMI 30 at multiple stages, including the pre-passing stage and the post-passing stage. For example, the output control unit 160 can display a message indicating the suggestion on the display unit 32, or output a sound reading the suggestion aloud from the speaker 34. Hereinafter, the suggestion output processing of this embodiment in each of the pre-passing, passing, and post-passing stages will be described in detail.

[0045] [The initial stage before passing each other]

[0046] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the situation in the initial stage before the vehicle passes another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. Figure 2 In the diagram, the upward direction is designated as the X direction, and the rightward direction as the Y direction. Vehicle 310 is traveling along the +X direction, while the oncoming vehicle 320 is traveling along the -X direction.

[0047] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, as objects that the vehicle 310 should avoid contact with while driving on the road (avoidance objects), oncoming vehicle 320, utility pole 330, road boundary 340L and road boundary 340R are shown.

[0048] Road boundaries 340L and 340R include, for example, white lines, guardrails, walls, or steps.

[0049] If the driver of vehicle 310 is not skilled in driving, they may not be driving in the center of the lane and may instead veer to either the left or right side of the lane. When vehicle 310 veers to either the left or right side of the lane, it is possible that vehicle 310 will get too close to the object to be avoided (such as oncoming vehicle 320), or that vehicle 310 will come into contact with the object to be avoided.

[0050] Therefore, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output suggestions for the driver driving the vehicle 310. Specifically, in the pre-passing phase, the output control unit 160, based on the margin detected by the margin detection unit 140 during past passing maneuvers, causes the HMI 30 to output suggestions corresponding to the driver's driving preferences. For example, the output control unit 160 may also retrieve the margin detected by the margin detection unit 140 during past passing maneuvers from past driving data stored in the storage unit 170.

[0051] Advice given before passing other vehicles may include phrases like "It's easier to keep to the right" or "It's easier to keep to the left." It should be noted that any advice directed at the driver is acceptable, and is not limited to these specific suggestions.

[0052] For example, when vehicle 310 passes an object it needs to avoid, if the driver has a tendency to steer vehicle 310 to the right, the output control unit 160 will... Figure 2 As shown, the HMI 30 outputs a suggestion such as "It's easy to move to the right." In this case, the output control unit 160 can either display the suggestion "It's easy to move to the right" on the display unit 32 or output a voice reading the suggestion aloud from the speaker 34. Thus, the driver of this vehicle 310 can grasp the suggestion corresponding to the driver's driving tendency in the stage before passing other vehicles.

[0053] However, if the vehicle 310 is too close to the object to be avoided, or if the probability of the vehicle 310 making contact with the object to be avoided is low, the output control unit 160 may also prevent the HMI 30 from outputting suggestions for the driver. For example, if the drivable width W, which indicates the width of the road that the vehicle 310 can travel on, is larger than the specified width, the output control unit 160 may also prevent the HMI 30 from outputting suggestions for the driver. This will be explained below.

[0054] Before the oncoming vehicle 320 passes, the drivable width detection unit 110 detects the drivable width W, which indicates the width of the road in the Y direction in which the vehicle 310 can travel. Figure 2 In the example shown, the drivable width W is the distance between the oncoming vehicle 320 and the road boundary 340L. For example, the drivable width detection unit 110 can also detect the drivable width W based on the detection results of LIDAR 14. The detection method of the drivable width detection unit 110 is not limited to this, and other sensors can also be used to detect the drivable width W.

[0055] Next, the output control unit 160 determines whether the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is greater than the specified width W1. The specified width W1 is a preset value, for example, a value of about 275 cm.

[0056] If the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is greater than the specified width W1, the vehicle 310 is too close to the object to be avoided (oncoming vehicle 320, utility pole 330, wall, or guardrail, etc.), or the vehicle is unlikely to come into contact with the object to be avoided.

[0057] Therefore, if the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is larger than the specified width W1, the output control unit 160 will not cause the HMI 30 to output a suggestion for the driver. As a result, the processing load of the driver support device 100 can be reduced.

[0058] [The stage of passing each other]

[0059] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates the situation where this vehicle and an oncoming vehicle are passing each other. For example... Figure 3 As shown, when the vehicle 310 passes the oncoming vehicle 320, the clearance detection unit 140 detects the clearance of the vehicle 310 to the left and right. The clearance is a value representing the distance between the vehicle 310 and the object to be avoided (such as the oncoming vehicle 320) when the vehicle 310 passes the object to be avoided.

[0060] The margin M1 is the margin on the right side of vehicle 310. Figure 3 In the example, the margin M1 represents the distance in the Y direction between vehicle 310 and oncoming vehicle 320 when they pass each other. The margin M2 is the margin on the left side of vehicle 310. Figure 3 In the example, the margin M2 represents the distance in the Y direction between the vehicle 310 and the road boundary 340L. It should be noted that when the vehicle 310 passes the utility pole 330, the margin M2 represents the distance between the vehicle 310 and the utility pole 330. The margins M1 and M2 can also be detected, for example, based on the detection results of the sonar 15.

[0061] The margin detection unit 140 can also detect the shortest distance between the vehicle 310 and the object to be avoided (oncoming vehicle 320, etc.) when passing other vehicles as a margin. The margin detection unit 140 stores the detected margins M1 and M2 in the storage unit 170.

[0062] It should be noted that, as Figure 3 As shown, during the passing phase between the vehicle 310 and the oncoming vehicle 320, the output control unit 160 does not cause the HMI 30 to output suggestions for the driver. Therefore, when the vehicle 310 and the oncoming vehicle 320 are passing each other, the driver can concentrate on driving the vehicle 310.

[0063] Furthermore, during the passing phase between the vehicle 310 and the oncoming vehicle 320, the output control unit 160 can also cause the display unit 32 to display a message indicating the suggestion, while preventing the speaker 34 from outputting the sound of reading the suggestion. In this way, when the vehicle 310 and the oncoming vehicle 320 are passing each other, the driver can concentrate on driving the vehicle 310.

[0064] [The later stages of passing each other]

[0065] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the situation after the vehicle passes another vehicle. In this final stage, the evaluation unit 150 evaluates the driver's actions based on the margins M1 and M2 detected by the margin detection unit 140. The output control unit 160 then causes the HMI 30 to output a recommendation based on the evaluation results from the evaluation unit 150.

[0066] Suggestions during the later stages of passing other vehicles may include phrases such as "Your driving is good," "You need to move ○○cm to the left," "You need to move ○○cm to the right," or "You are driving dangerously." It should be noted that any suggestions directed at the driver are acceptable and are not limited to these specific suggestions.

[0067] For example, the evaluation unit 150 calculates the difference (Mi-M2) obtained by subtracting the margin M2 from the margin M1. If the absolute value of the calculated difference is less than a predetermined value, the evaluation unit 150 generates an evaluation result indicating that good driving has been performed. In this case, the output control unit 160, based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit 150, causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion such as "The current driving is good."

[0068] On the other hand, if the absolute value of the calculated difference is above a predetermined value and M1 < M2, the evaluation unit 150 generates an evaluation result stating that the vehicle is too far to the right. In this case, based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit 150, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion such as "You should move ○0cm to the left." The evaluation unit 150 can also divide the absolute value of the calculated difference by 2 to calculate the value of "○○cm".

[0069] Furthermore, if the absolute value of the calculated difference is above a predetermined value and M1 > M2, the evaluation unit 150 generates an evaluation result stating that the vehicle is too far to the left. In this case, the output control unit 160, based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit 150, causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion such as "You should move ○○cm to the right." Alternatively, in the same case, the evaluation unit 150 can calculate the value of "○○cm" by dividing the absolute value of the calculated difference by 2.

[0070] Furthermore, if the margin M1 or M2 is below a predetermined value, the evaluation unit 150 generates an evaluation result indicating that dangerous driving has occurred. In this case, based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit 150, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion such as "The current driving is dangerous driving." It should be noted that the predetermined value used for determining dangerous driving is a preset value, for example, a value of about 10 cm.

[0071] It should be noted that, as mentioned above, the distance measuring unit 130 measures the distance between the vehicle 310 and the object to be avoided in the direction of travel of the vehicle 310. The output control unit 160 determines whether the vehicle 310 has reached the pre-passing or post-passing stage based on the distance measured by the distance measuring unit 130. For example, if the distance between the vehicle 310 and the object to be avoided, as measured by the distance measuring unit 130, is below a first threshold TH1, the output control unit 160 can determine that the vehicle 310 has reached the pre-passing stage. The first threshold TH1 is a preset value, for example, approximately 200 cm. Furthermore, if, after the passing is completed, the distance between the vehicle 310 and the object to be avoided, as measured by the distance measuring unit 130, is above a second threshold TH2, the output control unit 160 can determine that the vehicle 310 has reached the post-passing stage. The second threshold TH2 is a preset value, for example, approximately 200 cm.

[0072] [Flowchart of Driving Support Device]

[0073] Figure 5This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the driving support device 100 of the first embodiment. This flowchart is executed based on the situation where the driver begins driving the vehicle 310. In this flowchart, an example is illustrated where the object to be avoided is an oncoming vehicle 320.

[0074] First, the drivable width detection unit 110 detects the drivable width W, which indicates the width of the road that the vehicle 310 can travel on. The output control unit 160 determines whether the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1 (step S101). As mentioned above, the predetermined width W1 is a preset value, for example, a value of about 275 cm.

[0075] If the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1, the output control unit 160 determines, based on the measurement result of the distance measurement unit 130, whether the distance from the vehicle 310 to the oncoming vehicle 320 is less than or equal to a first threshold TH1 (step S102). If the distance from the vehicle 310 to the oncoming vehicle 320 is not less than or equal to the first threshold TH1, the process returns to the aforementioned step S101.

[0076] On the other hand, when the distance from the vehicle 310 to the oncoming vehicle 320 is less than or equal to a first threshold TH1, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion for the pre-passing phase (step S103). Specifically, the output control unit 160 outputs a suggestion corresponding to the driver's driving tendency based on the margin detected by the margin detection unit 140 during past passing maneuvers. For example, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion such as "It's easy to move to the right" or "It's easy to move to the left".

[0077] Next, the output control unit 160 determines, based on the measurement results from the distance measurement unit 130, whether the distance from the vehicle 310 to the oncoming vehicle 320 is greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2 (step S104). If the distance from the vehicle 310 to the oncoming vehicle 320 is not greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2, the output control unit 160 does not cause the HMI 30 to output a suggestion for the driver (step S105) and returns to the processing in step S104. As a result, when the vehicle 310 and the oncoming vehicle 320 pass each other, the driver can concentrate on driving the vehicle 310.

[0078] On the other hand, if the distance from the vehicle 310 to the oncoming vehicle 320 is greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion for the later stage of passing (step S106). Specifically, the evaluation unit 150 evaluates the driver's driving during passing based on the margins M1 and M2 detected by the margin detection unit 140, and the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit 150 in the later stage of passing. For example, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output suggestions such as "Your current driving is good," "You need to move ○○cm to the left," "You need to move ○○cm to the right," and "Your current driving is dangerous."

[0079] Next, the output control unit 160 determines whether to end driving (step S107).

[0080] For example, if the driver stops the engine of the vehicle 310, the output control unit 160 determines that driving has ended. If driving has ended, the processing based on this flowchart terminates. On the other hand, if driving has not ended, the process returns to the aforementioned step S101.

[0081] It should be noted that if, in step S101, it is determined that the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is not below the specified width W1, the output control unit 160 will not perform the processing in steps S102 to S106, but will proceed to the processing in step S107. This reduces the processing load on the driving support device 100.

[0082] According to the first embodiment described above, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output suggestions for the driver of the vehicle 310 that differ for each of the multiple phases, including the pre-passing phase and the post-passing phase, when the vehicle 310 is about to pass an oncoming object (such as an oncoming vehicle 320). This allows for appropriate driving support notifications at multiple phases, including before and after the passing maneuver.

[0083] <Second Implementation Method>

[0084] Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the output control unit 160 determines whether the vehicle 310 has reached the pre-passing or post-passing stage based on the distance between the position of the vehicle 310 (e.g., center of gravity position) and the position of the object to be avoided (e.g., center of gravity position). On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the determination of whether the vehicle 310 has reached the pre-passing or post-passing stage is based on the distance between the position of the vehicle 310 and a position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1. Therefore, even when it is difficult to accurately determine the position of the object to be avoided, the pre-passing or post-passing stage can be accurately determined. The details of the second embodiment will be described below.

[0085] [The initial stage before passing each other]

[0086] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the situation before the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle pass each other in the second embodiment. Figure 6 In the diagram, the upward direction is designated as the X direction, and the rightward direction as the Y direction. Vehicle 310 is traveling along the +X direction, while the oncoming vehicle 320 is traveling along the -X direction.

[0087] In the preliminary stage before passing between vehicle 310 and oncoming vehicle 320, the drivable width detection unit 110 detects the drivable width W, which indicates the width of the road in the Y direction in which vehicle 310 can travel. Figure 6 In the example shown, the drivable width W is the distance between the oncoming vehicle 320 and the road boundary 340L. For example, the drivable width detection unit 110 can also detect the drivable width W based on the detection results of LIDAR 14. The detection method of the drivable width detection unit 110 is not limited to this, and other sensors can also be used to detect the drivable width W.

[0088] Next, the distance measuring unit 130 measures the distance D between the vehicle 310 in its travel direction and a position where the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1. For example, the distance measuring unit 130 measures the distance D from the center of the front end of the vehicle 310 to the position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to the predetermined width W1. The method for measuring the distance D by the distance measuring unit 130 is not limited to this. For example, the distance D can be measured as the distance between any point on the vehicle 310 and any point at the position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to the predetermined width W1.

[0089] The output control unit 160 determines whether the vehicle 310 has reached the pre-passing stage based on the distance D measured by the distance measuring unit 130. For example, if the distance D measured by the distance measuring unit 130 is below the first threshold TH1, the output control unit 160 can determine that the vehicle 310 has reached the pre-passing stage.

[0090] [The later stages of passing each other]

[0091] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates the situation after the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle pass each other in the second embodiment. Figure 7 In the diagram, the upward direction is designated as the X direction, and the rightward direction as the Y direction. Vehicle 310 is traveling along the +X direction, while the oncoming vehicle 320 is traveling along the -X direction.

[0092] In the subsequent phase of passing between vehicle 310 and oncoming vehicle 320, the drivable width detection unit 110 detects the drivable width W behind vehicle 310. Figure 7 In the example shown, the drivable width W is the distance between the oncoming vehicle 320 and the road boundary 340L. For example, the drivable width detection unit 110 may also detect the drivable width W based on the detection results of the LIDAR 14 located at the rear of the vehicle 310. The detection method of the drivable width detection unit 110 is not limited to this, and other sensors may be used to detect the drivable width W.

[0093] Next, the distance measuring unit 130 measures the distance D between the vehicle 310 and the oncoming vehicle 320 after the vehicle 310 has passed each other, and between the vehicle 310 and the position where the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1. For example, the distance measuring unit 130 measures the distance D from the center of the rear end of the vehicle 310 to the position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to the predetermined width W1. The method for measuring the distance D by the distance measuring unit 130 is not limited to this. For example, the distance between any point on the vehicle 310 and any point at the position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to the predetermined width W1 can be measured as the distance D.

[0094] The output control unit 160 determines whether the vehicle 310 has reached the later stage of passing the other vehicle based on the distance D measured by the distance measuring unit 130. For example, if the distance D measured by the distance measuring unit 130 becomes a second threshold TH2 or higher, the output control unit 160 determines that the vehicle 310 has reached the later stage of passing the other vehicle.

[0095] For example, if the oncoming vehicle 320 is a large truck, its body is relatively long in the X direction, making it difficult to accurately determine the vehicle's position (e.g., center of gravity). In such cases, compared to the distance measurement method of the first embodiment, the distance measurement method of the second embodiment can accurately determine the stage before or after the passing of the oncoming vehicle.

[0096] [Flowchart of Driving Support Device]

[0097] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the driving support device 100 of the second embodiment. This flowchart is executed based on the situation where the driver begins driving the vehicle 310. In this flowchart, an example is illustrated where the object to be avoided is an oncoming vehicle 320.

[0098] First, the drivable width detection unit 110 detects the drivable width W, which indicates the width of the road that the vehicle 310 can travel on. The output control unit 160 determines whether the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1 (step S201). As mentioned above, the predetermined width W1 is a preset value, for example, a value of about 275 cm.

[0099] If the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1, the output control unit 160 determines, based on the measurement result of the distance measurement unit 130, whether the distance D from the vehicle 310 to the position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to the predetermined width W1 is less than or equal to a first threshold TH1 (step S202). If the distance from the vehicle 310 to the position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to the predetermined width W1 is not less than or equal to the first threshold TH1, the process returns to the aforementioned step S201.

[0100] On the other hand, when the distance from the vehicle 310 to a position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1 is less than or equal to a first threshold TH1, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion for the pre-passing phase (step S203). Specifically, the output control unit 160, based on the margin detected by the margin detection unit 140 during past passing maneuvers, causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion corresponding to the driver's driving tendency. For example, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion such as "It's easy to move to the right" or "It's easy to move to the left".

[0101] Next, based on the measurement results from the distance measuring unit 130, the output control unit 160 determines whether the distance D from the vehicle 310 to a position where the drivable width W becomes less than or equal to a predetermined width W1 is greater than or equal to a second threshold TH2 (step S204). If the distance D from the vehicle 310 to a position where the drivable width W becomes less than or equal to a predetermined width W1 is not greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2, the output control unit 160 does not cause the HMI 30 to output a suggestion for the driver (step S205) and returns to the processing in step S204. As a result, when the vehicle 310 passes the oncoming vehicle 320, the driver can concentrate on driving the vehicle 310.

[0102] On the other hand, if the distance from the vehicle 310 to a position where the drivable width W is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1 is greater than or equal to a second threshold TH2, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion for the later stage of passing (step S206). Specifically, the evaluation unit 150 evaluates the driver's driving during passing based on the margins M1 and M2 detected by the margin detection unit 140, and the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output a suggestion based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit 150 in the later stage of passing. For example, the output control unit 160 causes the HMI 30 to output suggestions such as "The current driving is good," "You need to move ○○cm to the left," "You need to move ○○cm to the right," and "The current driving is dangerous."

[0103] Next, the output control unit 160 determines whether to end driving (step S207).

[0104] For example, if the driver stops the engine of the vehicle 310, the output control unit 160 determines that driving has ended. If driving has ended, the processing based on this flowchart ends. On the other hand, if driving has not ended, the processing returns to the aforementioned step S201.

[0105] It should be noted that if, in step S201, it is determined that the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is not below the specified width W1, the output control unit 160 will proceed to step S207 without performing the processing in steps S202 to S206. This reduces the processing load on the driver support device 100.

[0106] According to the second embodiment described above, the distance measuring unit 130 measures the distance D between the vehicle 310 in its driving direction and a position where the drivable width W detected by the drivable width detection unit 110 is less than or equal to a predetermined width W1. The output control unit 160 determines whether the vehicle 310 has reached the pre-passing or post-passing stage based on the distance D measured by the distance measuring unit 130. Therefore, even when it is difficult to determine the position of the object to be avoided, the pre-passing or post-passing stage can be accurately determined.

[0107] The implementation methods described above can be performed as follows.

[0108] A driving support device, wherein,

[0109] The driving support device includes:

[0110] A storage device containing a program; and

[0111] Hardware processor,

[0112] The hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device to perform the following processing:

[0113] Identify the object that this vehicle should avoid while driving on the road; and

[0114] In multiple phases, including the pre-passing phase between the vehicle and the object to be avoided and the post-passing phase, the output device outputs suggestions for the driver of the vehicle.

[0115] The above description illustrates specific embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments in any way, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A driving support device, wherein, The driving support device includes: The object avoidance recognition unit identifies the objects that the vehicle should avoid while driving on the road. The margin detection unit detects the margin of distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided when they pass each other. An evaluation unit, based on the margin detected by the margin detection unit, evaluates the driving of the vehicle in the passing situation; and The output control unit causes the output device to output suggestions for the driver of the vehicle. The output control unit causes the output device to output a suggestion based on the margin and corresponding to the driving tendency in the pre-passing phase, and causes the output device to output the suggestion based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit in the post-passing phase.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, The output control unit, in the pre-passing phase, based on the margin detected by the margin detection unit during past passing maneuvers, causes the output device to output a suggestion corresponding to the driver's driving inclination.

3. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, The margin detection unit detects the shortest distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided when passing another vehicle, and uses this distance as the margin.

4. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The output control unit prevents the output device from outputting the suggestion during the passing phase.

5. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The driving support device also includes a drivable width detection unit, which detects the drivable width, representing the width of the road on which the vehicle can travel. If the drivable width detected by the drivable width detection unit is greater than the specified width, the output control unit will not cause the output device to output the suggestion.

6. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The driving support device also includes a distance measuring unit that measures the distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided in the vehicle's direction of travel. The output control unit determines whether the vehicle has reached the pre-passing or post-passing stage based on the distance measured by the distance measuring unit.

7. The driving support device according to claim 5, wherein, The driving support device further includes a distance measuring unit that measures the distance between the vehicle in its driving direction and a position where the drivable width detected by the drivable width detection unit is less than or equal to a predetermined width. The output control unit determines whether the vehicle has reached the pre-passing or post-passing stage based on the distance measured by the distance measuring unit.

8. A driving support method, which is a computer-based driving support method, wherein, The driving support method includes the following processing: Identify the objects that this vehicle should avoid while driving on the road; The detection indicates the remaining distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided when they pass each other. Based on the detected margin, the driving of the vehicle in the passing situation is evaluated; and The output device outputs suggestions for the driver of the vehicle. In the pre-passing phase, the output device outputs a suggestion based on the margin and corresponding to the driving tendency, and in the post-passing phase, the output device outputs a suggestion based on the evaluation results.

9. A recording medium having a program recorded thereon. The program causes the computer to perform the following processing: Identify the objects that this vehicle should avoid while driving on the road; The detection indicates the remaining distance between the vehicle and the object to be avoided when they pass each other. Based on the detected margin, the driving of the vehicle in the passing situation is evaluated; and The output device outputs suggestions for the driver of the vehicle. In the pre-passing phase, the output device outputs a suggestion based on the margin and corresponding to the driving tendency, and in the post-passing phase, the output device outputs a suggestion based on the evaluation results.

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