Driving assistance device

Abstract

A driving assistance device is provided with: a crosswalk detection unit that detects a crosswalk in front of a host vehicle; a region setting unit for setting, on the adjacent lane, an obstacle detection region for detecting an obstacle on the adjacent lane on the near front side of the pedestrian crosswalk; an obstacle detection unit that detects the presence or absence of an obstacle in the obstacle detection region; and a driving assistance unit that performs driving assistance when an obstacle is detected within the obstacle detection region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving assistance device that assists driving of a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a driving assistance device of a vehicle performs driving assistance such as deceleration when a pedestrian or the like is detected about to cross a crosswalk.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-148428) describes that, in addition to using images captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle, images captured by an external camera are also used to determine the presence of pedestrians near a crosswalk and provide driving assistance such as notification. Summary of the invention

[0004] If there are other vehicles in the adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane, a blind spot will be created by the other vehicles, making it difficult to detect pedestrians who are about to cross the crosswalk, etc. In addition, although the above-mentioned patent document 1 describes the use of images captured by an external camera, it is sometimes difficult to obtain such images captured by an external camera.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure describes a driving assistance device that can more appropriately assist the driving of the host vehicle in front of a crosswalk.

[0006] A driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is: [1] "a driving assistance device for assisting driving of a vehicle, comprising: a pedestrian crossing detection unit for detecting a pedestrian crossing in front of the vehicle; an area setting unit for setting an obstacle detection area for detecting obstacles in an adjacent lane adjacent to the vehicle's lane, on the front side of the detected pedestrian crossing; an obstacle detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the obstacle in the set obstacle detection area; and a driving assistance unit for performing the driving assistance when the obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection area, the driving assistance including at least one of notification to an occupant of the vehicle, steering control of the vehicle, and deceleration control."

[0007] The driving assistance device performs driving assistance when an obstacle is detected in an obstacle detection area set in front of a crosswalk on an adjacent lane. That is, the driving assistance device performs driving assistance in advance in preparation for the presence of pedestrians who want to cross the crosswalk when a blind spot is created by an obstacle in the obstacle detection area. In this way, the driving assistance device can more appropriately perform driving assistance for the vehicle in front of a crosswalk.

[0008] The above-mentioned driving assistance device may also be: "According to the driving assistance device described in [1] above, wherein the area setting unit sets an area with a length of more than two other vehicles along the extension direction of the adjacent lane as the obstacle detection area." For example, in an adjacent lane, a plurality of other vehicles may be continuous in front of a crosswalk and serve as an obstacle. In this case, the further the other vehicle is from the inner side (the side close to the crosswalk) when viewed from the host vehicle, the more area is blocked by the other vehicle immediately in front when viewed from the host vehicle. Therefore, the further the other vehicle is from the inner side, the more difficult it is to detect as another vehicle. In other words, when detecting other vehicles in an adjacent lane, the closer to the host vehicle, the easier it is to detect as another vehicle. Therefore, the driving assistance device sets an area with a length of more than two other vehicles as the obstacle detection area for detecting other vehicles. Thus, for example, even when other vehicles are continuous in an adjacent lane and it is difficult to detect other vehicles from the inner side, the driving assistance device can easily detect other vehicles located near the front side. In this way, the driving assistance device can more appropriately detect an obstacle (such as another vehicle) located in front of the crosswalk on the adjacent lane. Then, the driving assistance device can perform driving assistance based on the detected obstacle.

[0009] The above-mentioned driving assistance device may also be: [3] "The driving assistance device according to the above-mentioned [1] or [2] further includes a congestion information acquisition unit for acquiring congestion information of the adjacent lane, the area setting unit determines whether the adjacent lane is congested based on the acquired congestion information, and when the adjacent lane is congested, the area setting unit sets the length of the obstacle detection area along the extension direction of the adjacent lane to be longer than when it is not congested." When congestion occurs in the adjacent lane, other vehicles may be in a continuous state in the adjacent lane. In this case, the closer the other vehicles are to the inside when viewed from the host vehicle, the more areas of the other vehicles are blocked by the other vehicles immediately in front, making them difficult to detect. Therefore, when congestion occurs in the adjacent lane, the driving assistance device sets the length of the obstacle detection area to be longer. As a result, even when other vehicles are in a continuous state, the driving assistance device can more appropriately detect other vehicles located in front of the crosswalk in the adjacent lane as obstacles.

[0010] The above-mentioned driving assistance device may also be: [4] "The driving assistance device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the area setting unit sets the length of the obstacle detection area along the extension direction of the adjacent lane to be longer as the distance to the crosswalk is longer." Here, for example, due to the influence of noise, it may be difficult to detect an obstacle far from the host vehicle. Therefore, by setting the length of the obstacle detection area to be longer as the distance to the crosswalk is longer, the driving assistance device can increase the possibility of detecting an obstacle located in front of the crosswalk on the adjacent lane.

[0011] The above-mentioned driving assistance device may also be: [5] "A driving assistance device according to any one of the above [1] to [4], wherein the area setting unit sets the length of the obstacle detection area along the extension direction of the adjacent lane to be longer as the speed of the host vehicle is faster." Here, when the speed of the host vehicle is faster, the movement amount of the obstacle becomes relatively larger, and it is sometimes difficult to detect the obstacle. Therefore, the faster the speed of the host vehicle, the longer the length of the obstacle detection area is set by the driving assistance device. As a result, the driving assistance device can increase the possibility of detecting an obstacle located in front of the crosswalk on the adjacent lane.

[0012] The above-mentioned driving assistance device may also be: [6] "A driving assistance device according to any one of the above [1] to [5], wherein the obstacle detection unit detects the presence of other vehicles below a predetermined speed threshold in the obstacle detection area as the presence of the obstacle, and when the other vehicles below the speed threshold are detected in the obstacle detection area, the driving assistance unit performs the driving assistance." For example, when the speed of other vehicles in an adjacent lane is faster, it can be considered that there are no pedestrians who want to cross the crosswalk. Therefore, the driving assistance device performs driving assistance when other vehicles below the speed threshold are detected in the obstacle detection area. As a result, the driving assistance device can perform driving assistance by taking into account the possibility of the existence of pedestrians who want to cross the crosswalk.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, driving assistance of the host vehicle can be performed more appropriately just before a crosswalk. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing an example of a driving assistance device according to the embodiment. Figure 2 It is a top view showing an obstacle detection area set in front of a crosswalk. Figure 3This is a schematic diagram showing a situation where a series of oncoming vehicles are viewed from the host vehicle. Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the flow of a driving assistance process performed in the driving assistance device. Figure 5 It is a plan view showing an obstacle detection area set in front of a crosswalk in the first modification. Figure 6 1 is a plan view showing an obstacle detection area set in front of a crosswalk in the second modification. Figure 7 1 is a plan view showing an obstacle detection area set in front of a crosswalk in the third modification. Figure 8 1 is a plan view showing an obstacle detection area set in front of a crosswalk in the fourth modification. Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example of an obstacle existing in front of a crosswalk. Fig.10 This is a diagram showing another example of an obstacle existing in front of a crosswalk. Fig.11 This is a diagram showing another example of an obstacle existing in front of a crosswalk. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0016] Figure 1 The driving assistance device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on the vehicle V and performs driving assistance for the vehicle V. In this embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the driving assistance device 100 performs driving assistance at a position near the crosswalk C in front of the host vehicle V, depending on the presence or absence of an obstacle near the crosswalk C. Here, the case where the obstacle near the crosswalk C is another vehicle is described as an example.

[0017] In this embodiment, if Figure 2As shown, it is assumed that an oncoming lane L2 is adjacent to the right side of the lane L1 in which the host vehicle V is traveling. That is, the oncoming lane L2 is an adjacent lane adjacent to the host lane L1. In addition, in front of the host vehicle V, there is a crosswalk C that crosses the host lane L1 and the oncoming lane L2. As viewed from the host vehicle V, the first oncoming vehicle V1, the second oncoming vehicle V2, and the third oncoming vehicle V3 are traveling on the oncoming lane L2 on the near side of the crosswalk C. The first oncoming vehicle V1 is traveling at a position closest to the crosswalk C, the third oncoming vehicle V3 is traveling at a position closest to the host vehicle V, and the second oncoming vehicle V2 is traveling at a position between the first oncoming vehicle V1 and the third oncoming vehicle V3. In other words, the first oncoming vehicle V1 to the third oncoming vehicle V3 are other vehicles on the adjacent lanes.

[0018] In the following description, the term "front" refers to the side closer to the vehicle V, and the term "back" refers to the side farther from the vehicle V. The term "longitudinal direction" refers to the direction along the extension direction of the vehicle lane L1 and / or the oncoming lane L2. The term "lateral direction" refers to the direction along the lane width direction of the vehicle lane L1 and / or the oncoming lane L2.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, the driving assistance device 100 includes a vehicle speed sensor 1, an external sensor 2, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 3, an actuator 4, and an auxiliary ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The vehicle speed sensor 1 is a detector for detecting the vehicle speed of the host vehicle V. The vehicle speed sensor 1 is provided, for example, with respect to a wheel of the host vehicle V or a drive shaft rotating integrally with the wheel, and detects the rotation speed of the wheel. The vehicle speed sensor 1 sends the vehicle speed information of the host vehicle V to the auxiliary ECU 10.

[0020] The external sensor 2 is a vehicle-mounted sensor that detects the external environment of the vehicle V. The external sensor 2 includes at least a camera. The camera is a photographing device that photographs the external environment of the vehicle V. The camera is, for example, set on the inner side of the front windshield of the vehicle V to photograph the front of the vehicle. The camera sends photographing information related to the external environment of the vehicle V to the auxiliary ECU 10. The camera can be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. Multiple cameras can also be set up, and in addition to photographing the front of the vehicle V, it can also photograph the left and right sides.

[0021] The external sensor 2 may also include a radar sensor. A radar sensor is a detection device that uses radio waves (e.g., millimeter waves) or light to detect objects around the host vehicle V. Radar sensors include, for example, millimeter wave radars or laser radars [LIDAR: Light Detection and Ranging]. The radar sensor sends radio waves or light to the periphery of the host vehicle V and receives radio waves or light reflected by an object. The radar sensor sends the reception result of the radio waves or light reflected by the object to the auxiliary ECU 10.

[0022] The HMI 3 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the host vehicle V and the occupants. The HMI 3 includes a display, a speaker, etc. The HMI 3 provides guidance information related to driving to the driver.

[0023] The actuator 4 is a device used to control the travel of the host vehicle V. The actuator 4 includes at least a brake actuator that controls the braking of the host vehicle V and a steering actuator that controls the steering of the host vehicle V.

[0024] The auxiliary ECU 10 is an electronic control unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The auxiliary ECU 10 realizes various functions by, for example, loading a program recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded into the RAM by the CPU. The auxiliary ECU 10 may also be composed of a plurality of electronic units. The auxiliary ECU 10 functionally includes a pedestrian crossing detection unit 11, a congestion information acquisition unit 12, an area setting unit 13, an obstacle detection unit 14, and a driving assistance unit 15.

[0025] The crosswalk detection unit 11 detects the crosswalk C in front of the vehicle V. In the present embodiment, the crosswalk detection unit 11 can detect the presence or absence of the crosswalk C, for example, based on the shooting information (shot image) of the camera of the external sensor 2, using pattern matching or using image recognition technology such as semantic segmentation. In addition, the crosswalk detection unit 11 detects the distance of the crosswalk C based on the shooting information of the camera. The crosswalk detection unit 11 can detect the distance of the crosswalk C, for example, using the Y coordinate (vertical coordinate) of the shot image, or the size of the crosswalk area extracted by image recognition.

[0026] In addition, the pedestrian crossing detection unit 11 may be configured to detect a pedestrian crossing C that exists at a position within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle V. The pedestrian crossing detection unit 11 may detect the presence or absence of a pedestrian crossing C in front of the host vehicle V and the distance to the pedestrian crossing C based on map information in addition to using the image capturing information of the camera.

[0027] In addition, in the present embodiment, the pedestrian crossing detection unit 11 detects a pedestrian crossing without a traffic light as a pedestrian crossing C. The pedestrian crossing detection unit 11 may determine the presence or absence of a traffic light by using pattern matching or image recognition technology based on the camera's shooting information, for example. Alternatively, the pedestrian crossing detection unit 11 may determine the presence or absence of a traffic light based on the setting information of the traffic light included in the map information.

[0028] The congestion information acquisition unit 12 acquires the congestion information of the opposite lane L2. The so-called congestion information here indicates the density of vehicles on the driving lane. The congestion information acquisition unit 12 may also acquire congestion information used in, for example, a navigation system as the congestion information of the opposite lane L2. Alternatively, the congestion information acquisition unit 12 may also perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles traveling around. Then, the congestion information acquisition unit 12 may generate (acquire) the congestion information of the opposite lane L2 based on the result of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0029] The area setting unit 13 is as follows Figure 2 As shown, in the oncoming lane L2, an obstacle detection area A is set in front of the crosswalk C detected by the crosswalk detection unit 11. The obstacle detection area A is an area to detect oncoming vehicles (other vehicles, obstacles) in the oncoming lane L2.

[0030] Here, the area setting unit 13 detects the lane width of the oncoming lane L2 using a known image recognition technology based on the shooting information of the camera of the external sensor 2. The area setting unit 13 sets, for example, the same length as the detected lane width of the oncoming lane L2 or the length obtained by multiplying the detected lane width of the oncoming lane L2 by a specified value as the width of the obstacle detection area A (the length in the width direction of the oncoming lane L2). In addition, a case where the lane width of the oncoming lane L2 cannot be detected is considered. In this case, the area setting unit 13 detects the lane width of the own lane L1 using a known image recognition technology based on the shooting information of the camera of the external sensor 2. The area setting unit 13 sets, for example, the same length as the detected lane width of the own lane L1 or the length obtained by multiplying the detected lane width of the own lane L1 by a specified value as the width of the obstacle detection area A.

[0031] In addition, the area setting unit 13 sets the inner boundary line A2 of the obstacle detection area A at the position of the edge portion on the near side of the pedestrian crossing C. The inner boundary line A2 is the inner edge portion of the obstacle detection area A. The area setting unit 13 sets the near side boundary line A1 of the obstacle detection area A at a position further forward than the inner boundary line A2. The near side boundary line A1 is the edge portion on the near side of the obstacle detection area A.

[0032] The area setting unit 13 sets the length of two or more oncoming vehicles (other vehicles) as detection targets as the length B1 of the obstacle detection area A along the extending direction of the oncoming lane L2. In other words, the area setting unit 13 sets the area of ​​the length of two or more oncoming vehicles as detection targets along the extending direction of the oncoming lane L2 as the obstacle detection area A.

[0033] The length B1 of the obstacle detection area A refers to the length from the near front boundary line A1 of the obstacle detection area A set along the extension direction of the lane L1 to the inner boundary line A2. In addition, the oncoming vehicle as the detection object here refers to an ordinary car. The ordinary car refers to a vehicle with a total length of about 5m. As an example, the length B1 of the obstacle detection area A can be set to a length of about 30m or less, and more preferably set to a length of about 15m to 20m.

[0034] For example, it is assumed that the distance from the host vehicle V to the crosswalk C is 60m. It is assumed that the length B1 of the obstacle detection area A set by the area setting unit 13 is 15m. In this case, the obstacle detection area A is set on the opposite lane L2 from a position 45m away (the position where the near side boundary line A1 is set) to a position 60m away (the position where the inner side boundary line A2 is set) when viewed from the host vehicle V.

[0035] In addition, the area setting unit 13 can change the set length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction according to various conditions. That is, the area setting unit 13 can change the position of the set near-front boundary line A1. As a first change method, for example, the area setting unit 13 can set the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction according to the presence or absence of congestion in the opposite lane L2. Here, the area setting unit 13 determines whether the opposite lane L2 is congested based on the congestion information obtained by the congestion information acquisition unit 12. The congestion situation here may refer to, for example, a situation where the density of oncoming vehicles on the opposite lane L2 is above a specified density. When the opposite lane L2 is congested, the area setting unit 13 sets the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction to be longer than when the opposite lane L2 is not congested.

[0036] As a second changing method, for example, the longer the distance to the crosswalk C detected by the crosswalk detection unit 11 is, the longer the area setting unit 13 sets the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction. As a third changing method, for example, the area setting unit 13 obtains the speed of the host vehicle V based on the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 1. And, the faster the speed of the host vehicle V is, the longer the area setting unit 13 sets the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction.

[0037] The area setting unit 13 may set the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction based on any one of the first to third changing methods, or may set the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction by combining these two or more methods.

[0038] The obstacle detection unit 14 detects the presence of an oncoming vehicle as an obstacle in the obstacle detection area A set by the area setting unit 13. Here, the obstacle detection unit 14 detects the presence of an oncoming vehicle with a speed below a predetermined vehicle speed threshold in the obstacle detection area A. The vehicle speed threshold can be set to a value of 20 km / h or less to 15 km / h or less, for example.

[0039] More specifically, first, the obstacle detection unit 14 detects the speed of other vehicles around the host vehicle V, the longitudinal distance from the host vehicle V to the other vehicles, and the lateral position of other vehicles with respect to the host vehicle V based on the detection information of the external sensor 2. For example, the obstacle detection unit 14 can detect other vehicles using pattern matching or image recognition technology using camera shooting information. Alternatively, the obstacle detection unit 14 can detect other vehicles using a known method based on the reception results of a millimeter wave radar or a laser radar.

[0040] Then, the obstacle detection unit 14 extracts other vehicles whose speed is below a predetermined speed threshold from all other detected vehicles. The obstacle detection unit 14 can determine whether the extracted other vehicles are present in the obstacle detection area A based on the detected longitudinal distance from the host vehicle V to the other vehicles and the lateral position of the other vehicles with respect to the host vehicle V as a reference.

[0041] For example, in Figure 2 In the example shown, it is assumed that the first to third oncoming vehicles V1 to V3 are detected and their vehicle speeds are equal to or less than the vehicle speed threshold.

[0042] Here, sometimes multiple other vehicles are continuously driving in the adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle V is driving. In this case, when observing other vehicles in the adjacent lane from the host vehicle V, the closer the other vehicles are to the inside when viewed from the host vehicle, the more areas of the other vehicles are blocked by the other vehicles immediately in front. Figure 2 In the situation shown, Figure 3 As shown, when viewed from the host vehicle V, the first oncoming vehicle V1 is blocked by the second oncoming vehicle V2, so only a very small part is visible. In addition, the second oncoming vehicle V2 is also partially blocked by the third oncoming vehicle V3.

[0043] In the case of detecting a vehicle based on the detection result of the external sensor 2, the object is usually detected as a vehicle based on the shape of the detected object. That is, in the case where the obstacle detection unit 14 detects a plurality of consecutive oncoming vehicles based on the detection result of the external sensor 2, the closer the oncoming vehicle is to the inside, the more difficult it is to detect. Therefore, in the case of detecting an oncoming vehicle that is located in front of the crosswalk C on the oncoming lane L2, the longer the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction is, the more oncoming vehicles that are located closer to the front can be included in the vehicles of the detection object. As described above, the closer the oncoming vehicle is to the front, the easier it is to observe from the vehicle V. Thus, the possibility that the obstacle detection unit 14 will detect an oncoming vehicle that is located in front of the crosswalk C on the oncoming lane L2 as an oncoming vehicle can be increased.

[0044] When the obstacle detection unit 14 detects one or more oncoming vehicles with a speed below the threshold in the obstacle detection area A, the driving assistance unit 15 performs driving assistance for the host vehicle V. This driving assistance is to prepare for a situation in which a pedestrian or the like who intends to cross the crosswalk C is present in an area that becomes a blind spot due to the oncoming vehicle in the oncoming lane L2.

[0045] As driving assistance, the driving assistance unit 15 performs at least one of notification to the occupants of the vehicle V, steering control of the vehicle V, and deceleration control of the vehicle V. The driving assistance unit 15 may use the HMI 3 to notify the occupants of the vehicle V. The notification may be a notification for calling attention to the possibility that there may be pedestrians who want to cross the crosswalk C. The driving assistance unit 15 may use the actuator 4 to perform steering control and deceleration control of the vehicle V. The steering control may, for example, be to steer the vehicle V away from the oncoming lane L2 in preparation for a situation where a pedestrian or the like rushes from the shadow of an oncoming vehicle.

[0046] In addition, the driving assistance unit 15 can provide driving assistance when a predetermined auxiliary timing condition is met. For example, the auxiliary timing condition can also be determined using the arrival time until the vehicle V reaches the crosswalk C. For example, the auxiliary timing condition can also be "the arrival time to the crosswalk C is within a specified range". In this case, for example, the driving assistance unit 15 calculates the arrival time to the crosswalk C based on the distance to the crosswalk C detected by the crosswalk detection unit 11 and the vehicle speed of the vehicle V obtained based on the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 1. When the calculated arrival time meets the auxiliary timing condition, the driving assistance unit 15 performs driving assistance. As an example, the predetermined auxiliary timing condition can also be set to the case where the arrival time to the crosswalk C is less than 5 seconds. Regarding the auxiliary timing condition, in addition to the arrival time to the crosswalk C, various conditions can also be predetermined based on the distance to the crosswalk C.

[0047] Next, the flow of the driving assistance process performed by the driving assistance device 100 in front of the crosswalk is described. In addition, the driving assistance performed by the driving assistance device 100 here refers to driving assistance for preparing for a situation where there is a pedestrian who wants to cross the crosswalk in the shadow of an oncoming vehicle. Here, the driving assistance performed by the driving assistance device 100 is described, but other driving assistance devices may perform driving assistance different from the driving assistance performed by the driving assistance device 100.

[0048] like Figure 4 As shown, the pedestrian crossing detection unit 11 of the driving assistance device 100 detects the presence or absence of a pedestrian crossing without a traffic light in front of the host vehicle V (S101). Here, if there is a pedestrian crossing without a traffic light, the pedestrian crossing detection unit 11 also detects the distance to the pedestrian crossing. If a pedestrian crossing without a traffic light is not detected (S101: No), the driving assistance device 100 starts the process again from the start (Start) after a predetermined time.

[0049] When a pedestrian crossing C without a traffic light is detected (S101: Yes), the area setting unit 13 sets an obstacle detection area A on the opposite lane L2, on the front side of the pedestrian crossing C (S102). The obstacle detection unit 14 detects the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle with a speed below the threshold value (a low-speed oncoming vehicle) in the obstacle detection area A (S103). When there is no oncoming vehicle with a speed below the threshold value (S103: No), the driving assistance device 100 starts the process again from the beginning after a predetermined time.

[0050] When there is an oncoming vehicle with a speed lower than the vehicle speed threshold (S103: Yes), the driving assistance unit 15 determines whether the assistance timing condition for performing driving assistance is satisfied based on the distance to the crosswalk C (S104). When the assistance timing condition is not satisfied (S104: No), the driving assistance device 100 starts the process again from the beginning after a predetermined time. When the assistance timing condition is satisfied (S104: Yes), the driving assistance unit 15 performs driving assistance for the host vehicle V (S105).

[0051] As described above, when an oncoming vehicle is detected in the obstacle detection area A set in front of the crosswalk C on the oncoming lane L2, the driving assistance device 100 performs driving assistance. That is, the driving assistance device 100 performs driving assistance in advance in preparation for the presence of pedestrians who want to cross the crosswalk C, etc., in a situation where a blind spot is generated by the oncoming vehicle in the obstacle detection area A. In this way, the driving assistance device 100 can more appropriately perform driving assistance for the host vehicle V in front of the crosswalk C.

[0052] For example, in the oncoming lane L2, sometimes multiple oncoming vehicles will be connected in front of the crosswalk. In this case, if you use Figure 3 As explained above, the closer the oncoming vehicle is to the inner side (the side close to the crosswalk) when viewed from the host vehicle V, the more area is blocked by the oncoming vehicle immediately in front. Therefore, the closer the oncoming vehicle is to the inner side, the more difficult it is to detect as an oncoming vehicle. In other words, when detecting an oncoming vehicle in the oncoming lane L2, the closer it is to the host vehicle V, the easier it is to detect as an oncoming vehicle. Therefore, the driving assistance device 100 sets an area with a length of more than two oncoming vehicles as the obstacle detection area A for detecting oncoming vehicles.

[0053] Thus, even if, for example, oncoming vehicles are continuous in the oncoming lane L2 and it is difficult to detect an oncoming vehicle on the back side, the driving assistance device 100 can easily detect an oncoming vehicle located near the front side. Figure 2 In the example shown, even when the first oncoming vehicle V1 cannot be detected as an oncoming vehicle located in front of the crosswalk C, the possibility of detecting the second oncoming vehicle V2 becomes high. In this way, the driving assistance device 100 can more appropriately detect the oncoming vehicle located in front of the crosswalk C on the oncoming lane L2. Then, the driving assistance device 100 can perform driving assistance based on the detected oncoming vehicle.

[0054] When congestion occurs in the oncoming lane L2, oncoming vehicles may continue in the oncoming lane L2. In this case, the closer the oncoming vehicle is to the inside when viewed from the host vehicle V, the more its area is blocked by the oncoming vehicle immediately in front of it, making it difficult to detect. Therefore, when congestion occurs in the oncoming lane L2, the driving assistance device 100 sets the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction to be longer. As a result, even if other vehicles continue, the driving assistance device 100 can more appropriately detect the oncoming vehicle located in front of the crosswalk C in the oncoming lane L2.

[0055] For example, due to the influence of noise, etc., it is sometimes difficult to detect an oncoming vehicle that is far away from the vehicle V. Therefore, the longer the distance to the crosswalk C, the longer the area setting unit 13 sets the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the driving assistance device 100 can increase the possibility of detecting an oncoming vehicle that is located in front of the crosswalk C on the oncoming lane L2. However, if the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction becomes longer, the possibility of erroneous detection of oncoming vehicles sometimes increases. Therefore, from various viewpoints such as the desire to suppress such erroneous detection, a configuration in which the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction is set shorter as the distance to the crosswalk C is longer may be adopted.

[0056] When the speed of the vehicle V is high, the movement amount of the oncoming vehicle becomes relatively large, and it is sometimes difficult to detect the oncoming vehicle. Therefore, the faster the speed of the vehicle V, the longer the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction is set by the area setting unit 13. As a result, the driving assistance device 100 can increase the possibility of detecting the oncoming vehicle located in front of the crosswalk C on the oncoming lane L2. However, if the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction becomes longer, the possibility of misdetecting the oncoming vehicle sometimes becomes higher. Therefore, for example, from various viewpoints such as the desire to suppress such misdetection, a configuration in which the length of the obstacle detection area A in the longitudinal direction is set shorter as the speed of the vehicle V is higher may be adopted.

[0057] For example, sometimes the speed of the oncoming vehicle in the oncoming lane L2 is relatively high. Such a high speed of the oncoming vehicle can be considered as a situation where there are no pedestrians or the like who want to cross the crosswalk C. Therefore, the driving assistance unit 15 performs driving assistance when an oncoming vehicle with a speed below the speed threshold is detected in the obstacle detection area A. Thus, the driving assistance device 100 can perform driving assistance considering the possibility of the presence of pedestrians or the like who want to cross the crosswalk C.

[0058] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, an oncoming vehicle that is located in front of the crosswalk C in the oncoming lane L2 is detected. The driving assistance device 100 is not limited to detecting oncoming vehicles in the oncoming lane L2 that is opposite to the host lane L1. Modifications 1 and 2 of the driving assistance device 100 that detect vehicles other than the oncoming vehicle in the oncoming lane L2 are described below.

[0059] (Variant 1) In the first modification, for example, Figure 5 As shown, it is assumed that an opposite lane L11 is adjacent to the right side of the lane L1 in which the host vehicle V is traveling. The adjacent lane L11 is a lane for vehicles traveling in the same direction as the host lane L1. That is, the host vehicle V is traveling on the left lane (host lane L1) of a one-way two-lane road. As viewed from the host vehicle V, the first other vehicle V11, the second other vehicle V12, and the third other vehicle V13 are traveling on the adjacent lane L11 near the front side of the crosswalk C. The first other vehicle V11 is traveling at a position closest to the crosswalk C, the third other vehicle V13 is traveling at a position closest to the host vehicle V, and the second other vehicle V12 is traveling at a position between the first other vehicle V11 and the third other vehicle V13. That is, the first other vehicle V11 to the third other vehicle V13 are other vehicles on the adjacent lanes.

[0060] In this case, the driving assistance device 100 performs driving assistance based on the adjacent lane L11 and other vehicles (first other vehicle V11 to third other vehicle V13 ) instead of the oncoming lane L2 and oncoming vehicles (first to third oncoming vehicles V1 to V3 ) in the above embodiment.

[0061] Specifically, the congestion information acquisition unit 12 acquires congestion information of the adjacent lane L11 instead of the oncoming lane L2 described in the above embodiment. The area setting unit 13 sets an obstacle detection area A on the adjacent lane L11 near the crosswalk C instead of the oncoming lane L2 described in the above embodiment. The obstacle detection unit 14 detects other vehicles in the obstacle detection area A instead of the oncoming vehicle described in the above embodiment. The driving assistance unit 15 performs driving assistance of the host vehicle V based on the presence or absence of other vehicles in the obstacle detection area A on the adjacent lane L11.

[0062] Even in this case, the driving assistance device 100 can detect another vehicle in the adjacent lane L11 just before the crosswalk C and perform driving assistance for the host vehicle V more appropriately, similarly to the above-described embodiment.

[0063] (Variant 2) In the second modification, for example, Figure 6 As shown, it is assumed that an opposite lane L12 is adjacent to the left side of the lane L1 in which the vehicle V is traveling. The adjacent lane L12 is a lane for vehicles traveling in the same direction as the lane L1. That is, the vehicle V is traveling on the right lane (the lane L1) of a one-way two-lane road. As viewed from the vehicle V, the first other vehicle V21, the second other vehicle V22, and the third other vehicle V23 are traveling on the adjacent lane L12 near the front side of the crosswalk C. The first other vehicle V21 is traveling at a position closest to the crosswalk C, the third other vehicle V23 is traveling at a position closest to the vehicle V, and the second other vehicle V22 is traveling at a position between the first other vehicle V21 and the third other vehicle V23. That is, the first other vehicle V21 to the third other vehicle V23 are other vehicles on the adjacent lanes.

[0064] In this case, the driving assistance device 100 performs driving assistance based on the adjacent lane L12 and other vehicles (first other vehicle V21 to third other vehicle V23 ) instead of the oncoming lane L2 and oncoming vehicles (first to third oncoming vehicles V1 to V3 ) in the above embodiment.

[0065] Specifically, the congestion information acquisition unit 12 acquires congestion information of the adjacent lane L12 instead of the oncoming lane L2 described in the above embodiment. The area setting unit 13 sets an obstacle detection area A on the adjacent lane L12 on the front side of the crosswalk C instead of the oncoming lane L2 described in the above embodiment. The obstacle detection unit 14 detects other vehicles in the obstacle detection area A instead of the oncoming vehicle described in the above embodiment. The driving assistance unit 15 performs driving assistance of the host vehicle V based on the presence or absence of other vehicles in the obstacle detection area A on the adjacent lane L12.

[0066] Even in this case, the driving assistance device 100 can detect another vehicle in the adjacent lane L12 just before the crosswalk C and perform driving assistance for the host vehicle V more appropriately, similarly to the above-described embodiment.

[0067] Here, in the above-mentioned embodiment and each modified example, other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane adjacent to the host lane L1 are detected. This is not limited to this, and the driving assistance device 100 may also detect other vehicles that are parked (parked) in a manner that straddles the adjacent lane and the shoulder as other vehicles in the adjacent lane. The following describes modified examples 3 and 4 of the driving assistance device 100 that can detect other vehicles parked in a manner that straddles the adjacent lane and the shoulder.

[0068] (Variant 3) In variation 3, if Figure 7As shown, it is assumed that an opposite lane L2 is adjacent to the right side of the lane L1 in which the host vehicle V is traveling. That is, the opposite lane L2 is an adjacent lane adjacent to the host lane L1. As viewed from the host vehicle V, on the near side of the crosswalk C, the first other vehicle V31, the second other vehicle V32, and the third other vehicle V33 are parked in a manner straddling the opposite lane L2 and the shoulder La on the right side of the opposite lane L2. The first other vehicle V31 is parked at the position closest to the crosswalk C, the third other vehicle V33 is parked at the position closest to the host vehicle V, and the second other vehicle V32 is parked at a position between the first other vehicle V31 and the third other vehicle V33. That is, the first other vehicle V31 to the third other vehicle V33, which are each parked, are other vehicles on the adjacent lanes.

[0069] In this case, the driving assistance device 100 performs driving assistance based on other vehicles (first other vehicle V31 to third other vehicle V33) parked across the oncoming lane L2 and the shoulder La instead of the oncoming vehicles (first oncoming vehicle V1 to third oncoming vehicle V3) in the above embodiment.

[0070] Specifically, the area setting unit 13 sets the obstacle detection area AX on the opposite lane L2 near the crosswalk C, similarly to the obstacle detection area A described in the above embodiment. At this time, in order to detect other vehicles parked across the opposite lane L2 and the shoulder La, the area setting unit 13 sets the obstacle detection area AX expanded from the opposite lane L2 to the right so that the boundary line on the right side includes the shoulder La. The obstacle detection unit 14 detects other vehicles in the obstacle detection area AX instead of the opposite vehicle described in the above embodiment. The driving assistance unit 15 performs driving assistance for the host vehicle V based on the presence or absence of other vehicles (parked vehicles) in the obstacle detection area AX set across the opposite lane L2 and the shoulder La.

[0071] In this way, the driving assistance device 100 detects other vehicles that are parked across the opposite lane L2 and the road shoulder La and partially enter the opposite lane L2 as other vehicles in the opposite lane L2. Even in this case, the driving assistance device 100 can detect other vehicles that are parked across the opposite lane L2 and the road shoulder La in front of the crosswalk C as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can more appropriately perform driving assistance for the host vehicle V.

[0072] (Variant 4) In the fourth modification, for example, Figure 8As shown, it is assumed that the opposite lane L12 is adjacent to the left side of the lane L1 in which the host vehicle V is traveling. As seen from the host vehicle V, on the near side of the crosswalk C, the first other vehicle V41, the second other vehicle V42, and the third other vehicle V43 are parked in a manner straddling the adjacent lane L12 and the shoulder Lb on the left side of the adjacent lane L12. The first other vehicle V41 is parked at the position closest to the crosswalk C, the third other vehicle V43 is parked at the position closest to the host vehicle V, and the second other vehicle V42 is parked at a position between the first other vehicle V41 and the third other vehicle V43. In other words, the first other vehicle V41 to the third other vehicle V43, which are each parked, are other vehicles in the adjacent lanes.

[0073] In this case, the driving assistance device 100 performs driving assistance based on other vehicles (first other vehicle V41 to third other vehicle V43) parked across the adjacent lane L12 and the road shoulder Lb instead of the oncoming vehicles (first oncoming vehicle V1 to third oncoming vehicle V3) in the above embodiment.

[0074] Specifically, the area setting unit 13 sets the obstacle detection area AY on the adjacent lane L12 near the crosswalk C, similarly to the obstacle detection area A described in the above embodiment. At this time, in order to detect other vehicles parked across the opposite lane L2 and the shoulder Lb, the area setting unit 13 sets the obstacle detection area AY expanded from the adjacent lane L12 to the left so that the boundary line on the left side includes the shoulder Lb. The obstacle detection unit 14 detects other vehicles in the obstacle detection area AY instead of the opposite vehicle described in the above embodiment. The driving assistance unit 15 performs driving assistance for the host vehicle V based on the presence or absence of other vehicles (parked vehicles) in the obstacle detection area AY set across the adjacent lane L12 and the shoulder Lb.

[0075] In this way, the driving assistance device 100 detects other vehicles that are parked across the adjacent lane L12 and the shoulder Lb and partially enter the opposite lane L12 as other vehicles in the adjacent lane L12. Even in this case, the driving assistance device 100 can detect other vehicles that are parked across the adjacent lane L12 and the shoulder Lb in front of the crosswalk C as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can more appropriately perform driving assistance for the host vehicle V.

[0076] In the above-mentioned embodiment and each modified example, the obstacle detection unit 14 detects a vehicle as an obstacle in the obstacle detection area A. The obstacle detection unit 14 is not limited to detecting a vehicle as an obstacle. Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , sometimes a large obstacle W1 exists on the opposite lane L2 near the front side of the crosswalk. Fig.10 As shown in FIG. 1 , sometimes in the opposite lane L2, obstacles W11 to W13 are continuously present near the front side of the crosswalk. Examples of these obstacles W1, W11 to W13 include heavy equipment placed for road construction, signs, and other objects other than vehicles. Fig.11 As shown, sometimes in the opposite lane L2, a fallen tree W21 formed by a tree growing on the side of the road falling down exists near the front side of the crosswalk. The obstacle detection unit 14 can also detect obstacles such as heavy equipment W1, W11 to W13 and the fallen tree W21 as obstacles. Thus, the driving assistance device 100 can perform driving assistance for the host vehicle V in the same manner as the above-mentioned embodiment and each modified example according to the presence or absence of obstacles other than the vehicle.

[0077] At least a part of the above-described embodiments and various modifications may be arbitrarily combined.

Claims

1. A driving assistance device for assisting driving of a vehicle, comprising: a pedestrian crossing detection unit configured to detect a pedestrian crossing in front of the host vehicle; an area setting unit that sets an obstacle detection area for detecting obstacles on an adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane, on the near side of the detected crosswalk; an obstacle detection unit configured to detect the presence or absence of the obstacle in the set obstacle detection area; as well as A driving assistance unit performs the driving assistance when the obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection area, wherein the driving assistance includes at least one of notification to an occupant of the host vehicle, steering control, and deceleration control of the host vehicle.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, in, The region setting unit sets a region having a length of two or more other vehicles along an extending direction of the adjacent lane as the obstacle detection region.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a congestion information acquisition unit for acquiring congestion information of the adjacent lane. The area setting unit determines whether the adjacent lane is congested based on the acquired congestion information, and When the adjacent lane is congested, the region setting unit sets the length of the obstacle detection region in the extending direction of the adjacent lane to be longer than when the adjacent lane is not congested.

4. The driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The area setting unit sets the length of the obstacle detection area in the extending direction of the adjacent lane to be longer as the distance to the crosswalk is longer.

5. The driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in, The area setting unit sets the length of the obstacle detection area in the extending direction of the adjacent lane to be longer as the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is higher.

6. The driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in, The obstacle detection unit detects the presence of another vehicle having a vehicle speed not exceeding a predetermined vehicle speed threshold in the obstacle detection area as the presence of the obstacle. The driving assistance unit performs the driving assistance when the other vehicle having a vehicle speed equal to or less than the vehicle speed threshold is detected in the obstacle detection area.

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