Control device, driving assistance method, and computer program product

Abstract

The invention provides a control device, a driving assistance method, and a computer program product to suppress unnecessary driving assistance to a driver. A control device (5) for assisting the driving of a vehicle is configured to detect that a moving body present in the periphery of the vehicle enters an assist area set around the vehicle, and when the moving body enters the assist area from the front of the assist area, control the driving of the vehicle on the basis of the positional relationship between the front end position of the moving body and the vehicle. Alternatively, driving assistance is performed on the basis of the positional relationship between the moving body and the eye ellipse reference line set for each vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a driving assistance method, and a computer program. Background Art

[0002] In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-26241, as a conventional attention arousal device, a blind spot monitor is disclosed, which detects other vehicles traveling in an alarm area that is a dead angle area for a driver, and arouses the driver's attention. Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, in the above-mentioned conventional attention arousal device, when the host vehicle overtakes other vehicles, if the rear end portion of the other vehicle enters the alarm area, attention will be aroused. Therefore, for example, when overtaking other vehicles such as trucks and buses, especially those with a relatively long overall length, it is possible that although the driver sees the other vehicle, unnecessary attention is aroused for the driver because the rear end portion of the other vehicle enters the alarm area.

[0004] The present invention has been completed in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to suppress unnecessary driving assistance to the driver.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, a control device according to an aspect of the present invention is configured to detect a situation where a moving object existing around the vehicle enters an auxiliary area set around the vehicle, and when the moving object enters the auxiliary area from the front of the auxiliary area, perform driving assistance based on the positional relationship between the front end position of the moving object and the position of the vehicle, or based on the positional relationship between the moving object and the eye ellipse reference line set for each vehicle.

[0006] In addition, in a driving assistance method performed by a control device that performs driving assistance on a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention, a situation where a moving object existing around the vehicle enters an auxiliary area set around the vehicle is detected, and when the moving object enters the auxiliary area from the front of the auxiliary area, driving assistance is performed based on the positional relationship between the front end position of the moving object and the position of the vehicle, or based on the positional relationship between the moving object and the eye ellipse reference line set for each vehicle.

[0007] In addition, a computer program product according to an aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute the following processing: detecting a situation where a moving object existing around the vehicle enters an auxiliary area set around the vehicle, and when the moving object enters the auxiliary area from the front of the auxiliary area, performing driving assistance based on the positional relationship between the front end position of the moving object and the position of the vehicle, or based on the positional relationship between the moving object and the eye ellipse reference line set for each vehicle.

[0008] Based on these aspects of the present invention, it is possible to perform driving assistance on the basis of determining to what extent a moving object is visible from one's own vehicle, so it is possible to suppress a situation where unnecessary driving assistance is provided to the driver of one's own vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a driving assistance device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a distance measurement sensor.

[0011] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a driving assistance area preset around one's own vehicle.

[0012] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which another vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the rear of the driving assistance area.

[0013] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which another vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area.

[0014] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which another vehicle entering from the front of the driving assistance area is accommodated within the driving assistance area.

[0015] Figure 7A FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the details of driving assistance control according to the first embodiment of the present invention for another vehicle entering the driving assistance area from the rear of one's own vehicle.

[0016] Figure 7B FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the details of driving assistance control according to the first embodiment of the present invention for another vehicle entering the driving assistance area from the front of one's own vehicle.

[0017] Figure 8 FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an eye ellipse reference line.

[0018] Figure 9 FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the details of driving assistance control according to the second embodiment of the present invention for another vehicle entering the driving assistance area from the front of one's own vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements.

[0020] (First Embodiment)

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic configuration diagram of the driving assistance device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] The driving assistance device 100 includes a surrounding sensor 1, a vehicle sensor 2, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 3, an actuator 4, and a control device 5. The surrounding sensor 1, the vehicle sensor 2, the HMI 3, the actuator 4, and the control device 5 are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network 7 based on a standard such as Controller Area Network.

[0023] The surrounding sensor 1 is a sensor for generating surrounding data that represents the surrounding conditions of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "own vehicle") for which driving assistance is implemented by the driving assistance device 100. In the present embodiment, as the surrounding sensor 1, a distance measurement sensor 11 for measuring the distance to targets such as vehicles and pedestrians existing around the own vehicle is provided.

[0024] The distance measurement sensor 11 irradiates a distance measurement area around the own vehicle (front, side, and rear) with multiple beams of laser, radio wave, or ultrasonic wave, etc. with different irradiation angles Θ horizontally and in parallel as shown in (A) of Figure 2 and receives the reflected light of each irradiated laser or the reflected wave of each irradiated radio wave or ultrasonic wave. In addition, in Figure 2 , in order to prevent the drawing from being complicated and make it easy to understand, a state in which multiple beams of laser are irradiated to the front of the own vehicle is shown. And the distance measurement sensor 11 measures the distance to roads, obstacles (such as buildings, preceding vehicles, following vehicles, adjacent vehicles, oncoming vehicles, etc. traveling vehicles, stopped vehicles, curbs, fallen objects, and pedestrians, etc.) existing in the distance measurement area based on the received reflected light or reflected wave. Regarding the distance to the road and the obstacle, as shown in (B) of Figure 2 , it is obtained for each reflection point (irradiation point), and the distance measurement sensor 11 associates the distance to each reflection point with the coordinate information of each reflection point and sends them to the control device 5 as surrounding data (distance measurement data).

[0025] As the distance measurement sensor 11 that irradiates laser, for example, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) can be cited. As the distance measurement sensor 11 that irradiates radio wave, for example, a millimeter-wave radar sensor can be cited. As the distance measurement sensor 11 that irradiates ultrasonic wave, for example, a sonar can be cited. Figure 2An example is shown in which a lidar, which serves as a ranging sensor 11, is installed on the roof of the host vehicle. However, the installation location of the ranging sensor 11 is not limited to the roof. For example, it can also be the front bumper, rear bumper, etc. of the host vehicle. In addition, the ranging sensor 11 can be composed of, for example, multiple lidars or multiple millimeter-wave radar sensors. In addition, in addition to the ranging sensor 11, a camera or the like that captures target objects such as vehicles and pedestrians existing around the host vehicle can also be provided as the surrounding sensor 1.

[0026] The vehicle sensor 2 is a sensor for generating vehicle data indicating the condition of the host vehicle. In the present embodiment, as the vehicle sensor 2, a speed sensor 21 that generates speed data indicating the traveling speed of the host vehicle, a positioning sensor 22 that generates current position data indicating the current position of the host vehicle such as latitude and longitude, etc. are provided. However, the vehicle sensor 2 is not limited to these sensors. The vehicle sensor 2 sends each acquired data (such as speed data, current position data) as vehicle data to the control device 5.

[0027] The HMI 3 is a user interface for exchanging information between the host vehicle and its occupants. The HMI 3 includes an output device 31 for notifying the vehicle occupants through the physical sensations (such as vision, hearing, and touch) of the vehicle occupants, and an input device 32 for the vehicle occupants to perform input operations and response operations. In the present embodiment, as the output device 31, display devices (such as an instrument display, a central display, a head-up display, etc.) 311 and a speaker 312 are provided, and as the input device 32, a touch panel 321 and a microphone 322 are provided.

[0028] The HMI 3 displays information (such as text information, image information) corresponding to the display signal received from the control device 5 on the display devices 311, and outputs a sound corresponding to the sound signal from the speaker 312. In addition, the HMI 3 sends data (hereinafter referred to as "occupant input data") input by the vehicle occupants via the input device 32, such as panel input or voice input, to the control device 5.

[0029] The HMI 3 can be pre-mounted on the host vehicle or can be a terminal such as a smartphone held by the vehicle occupants. In the latter case, for example, communication can be performed using short-range wireless between the host vehicle and the terminal of the vehicle occupants to exchange information, or communication can be performed between the terminal of the vehicle occupants and an external server (not shown) to indirectly exchange information via the server.

[0030] The actuator 4 is a device used in the driving control of the host vehicle. In the present embodiment, as the actuator 4, an acceleration actuator 41 (e.g., at least one of an engine and a motor) that performs acceleration control of the host vehicle, a braking actuator 42 (e.g., a hydraulic actuator) that performs braking control of the host vehicle, and a steering actuator 43 (e.g., a steering motor) that performs steering control of the host vehicle are provided.

[0031] The control device 5 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) including a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a processing unit 53.

[0032] The communication unit 51 includes an interface circuit for connecting the control device 5 to the in-vehicle network 7. The communication unit 51 provides various data received from the respective sensors 1, 2, the HMI 3, etc. to the processing unit 53. In addition, the communication unit 51 outputs various signals output from the processing unit 53 to the HMI 3, the actuator 4, etc.

[0033] The storage unit 52 has storage media such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid Disk Drive), and a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs, data, etc. used in the processing in the processing unit 53.

[0034] The processing unit 53 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits, and executes various computer programs stored in the storage unit 52. The processing unit 53 is, for example, a processor. The processing unit 53 may also have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphics processing unit. The processing unit 53 functions as an object detection unit 61 and a driving assistance unit 62 by executing processing according to a computer program, and operates as a functional unit (module) that realizes a predetermined function. In the following description, when the processing is described with the respective functional units 61, 62 as the subject, it means that the processing unit 53 executes the programs that realize the respective functional units 61, 62.

[0035] Hereinafter, the content of the specific processing implemented in the control device 5 will be described. That is, the content of the respective functional units 61, 62 realized by the processing unit 53 by executing processing according to a program will be described.

[0036] The target object detection unit 61 identifies other vehicles present around its own vehicle based on surrounding data. In the present embodiment, the target object detection unit 61 groups the reflection points that satisfy a predetermined condition among the multiple reflection points detected by the distance measuring sensor 11 as the reflection points of laser light or the like reflected from the same object, thereby identifying other vehicles present around its own vehicle. Further, the target object detection unit 61 calculates the position and speed of the target object by tracking the other vehicles identified along the time series. In addition, the method for detecting the target object is not limited to such a method, and various known methods can be used for detection.

[0037] When another vehicle identified by the target object detection unit 61 enters a driving assistance area (refer to Figure 3 ) preset around its own vehicle, the driving assistance unit 62 performs driving assistance for the driver. As driving assistance for the driver, the driving assistance unit 62 can, for example, perform various notifications (such as notifications based on the lighting or flashing of an indicator, notifications based on a message, notifications based on sound, etc.) of the presence of another vehicle in the driving assistance area through the HMI 3. Additionally, as driving assistance for the driver, the driving assistance unit 62 can, for example, in addition to notifying through the HMI 3, also perform driving control (such as acceleration, deceleration, avoidance, etc.) of its own vehicle through the actuator 4. In the present embodiment, as driving assistance for the driver, the driving assistance unit 62 gives a notification to arouse the driver's attention by making the indicator on the instrument display flash.

[0038] Hereinafter, with reference to Figures 3 to 7B , the driving assistance based on the driving assistance unit 62 will be further described in detail.

[0039] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a driving assistance area preset around its own vehicle.

[0040] As Figure 3 shown, the driving assistance area is set as the area on the side and rear of its own vehicle that is difficult for the driver to directly see (visually recognize). In the present embodiment, the front end position of the driving assistance area is set to the same position as the front end position of its own vehicle.

[0041] Here, when another vehicle approaches from the rear of its own vehicle (when another vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the rear of the driving assistance area), it is desired to notify the driver of the presence of the other vehicle as early as possible. Therefore, as Figure 4 shown, when another vehicle X1 enters the driving assistance area from the rear of the driving assistance area, a notification to arouse the driver's attention is given at the time point when the front end portion of the other vehicle X1 enters the driving assistance area.

[0042] On the other hand, when the host vehicle overtakes another vehicle in front (when another vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area), the driver recognizes the presence of the other vehicle. Figure 5 As shown, when another vehicle X2 enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area, if a notification to call the driver's attention is given at the time when the rear end portion of the other vehicle X2 enters the driving assistance area, the driver will be notified to call attention even though he sees the other vehicle X2. Depending on the driver, the notification may be annoying.

[0043] Therefore, in this embodiment, when another vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area, a notification to call attention is made based on the positional relationship between the front end of the other vehicle and the own vehicle. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the attention-calling notification is performed after the front end of the other vehicle X2 reaches the front end position of the driving assistance area determined based on the position of the own vehicle. In other words, the implementation of the attention-calling notification is restricted before the front end of the other vehicle X2 reaches the front end position of the driving assistance area. Figure 7A and Figure 7B , details of the driving assistance control of the present embodiment performed by the driving assistance unit 62 and even the control device 5 will be described.

[0044] Figure 7A This is a flowchart for explaining the details of the driving assistance control for another vehicle entering the driving assistance area from behind the own vehicle. The control device 5 repeatedly executes this routine in a predetermined calculation cycle.

[0045] In step S1 , the control device 5 recognizes other vehicles existing around the own vehicle.

[0046] In step S2, the control device 5 determines whether the first flag F1 is set to 0. The first flag F1 is a flag that is set to 1 when driving assistance is provided to another vehicle that enters the driving assistance area from behind the own vehicle, and the initial value is set to 0. If the first flag F is 0, the control device 5 proceeds to the process of step S3. On the other hand, if the first flag F is 1, the control device 5 proceeds to the process of step S5.

[0047] In step S3, the control device 5 determines whether the identified other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from behind the own vehicle. Figure 4As shown, when the front end of another vehicle X1 identified by grouping reaches the rear end of the driving assistance area, the control device 5 can determine that the other vehicle X1 has entered the driving assistance area from the rear of the host vehicle. If the identified other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the rear of the host vehicle, the control device 5 proceeds to the process of step S4. On the other hand, if the identified other vehicle does not enter the driving assistance area from the rear of the host vehicle, the control device 5 ends the current process.

[0048] In step S4, the control device 5 starts driving assistance for the driver and sets the first flag F1 to 1. As described above, in the present embodiment, as driving assistance for the driver, the control device 5 notifies the driver of an attention call via the HMI 3.

[0049] In step S5, the control device 5 determines whether the other vehicle that has entered the driving assistance area from the rear of the host vehicle has left the driving assistance area. In the present embodiment, if the rear end of the other vehicle that has entered the driving assistance area from the rear of the host vehicle is located in front of the front end of the driving assistance area, or the front end of the other vehicle is located behind the rear end of the driving assistance area, the control device 5 determines that the other vehicle has left the driving assistance area and proceeds to the process of step S6. If not, the current process is ended and driving assistance continues.

[0050] In step S6, the control device 5 ends the driving assistance for the driver and restores the first flag F1 to 0.

[0051] Figure 7B It is a flowchart for explaining the details of driving assistance control for other vehicles that enter the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle. The control device 5 repeatedly executes this routine at a predetermined operation cycle.

[0052] In step S11, the control device 5 identifies other vehicles existing around the host vehicle.

[0053] In step S12, the control device 5 determines whether the second flag F2 is set to 0. The second flag F2 is a flag that is set to 1 when driving assistance is implemented for other vehicles that enter the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle, and its initial value is set to 0. If the second flag F2 is 0, the control device 5 proceeds to the process of step S13. On the other hand, if the second flag F2 is 1, the control device 5 proceeds to the process of step S16.

[0054] In step S13, the control device 5 determines whether the identified other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle. For example, in Figure 5As shown, when the rear end portion of another vehicle X2 in front identified by grouping reaches the front end of the driving assistance area, the control device 5 can determine that the other vehicle X2 has entered the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle. If the identified other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle, the control device 5 proceeds to the process of step S14. On the other hand, if the identified other vehicle does not enter the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle, the control device 5 ends the current process.

[0055] In step S14, the control device 5 determines whether the other vehicle that has entered the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle is accommodated within the driving assistance area. For example, as shown Figure 6 when the front end portion of another vehicle X2 in front identified by grouping reaches the front end of the driving assistance area, the control device 5 can determine that the other vehicle X2 is accommodated within the driving assistance area. If the other vehicle that has entered the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle is accommodated within the driving assistance area, the control device 5 proceeds to the process of step S15. On the other hand, if the other vehicle that has entered the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle is not accommodated within the driving assistance area, the control device 5 ends the current process. That is, the implementation of the notification for attention arousal is restricted.

[0056] In addition, the determination of "whether the front end portion of the other vehicle has reached the front end of the driving assistance area" can be performed, for example, by the following method. That is, by dividing the total length [m] of another vehicle X2 in front identified by grouping by the relative speed [m / s] between the host vehicle and the other vehicle X2 after the other vehicle X2 has entered the driving assistance area, the estimated time [s] from when the other vehicle X2 enters the driving assistance area until the front end portion of the other vehicle X2 reaches the front end of the driving assistance area can be calculated. Therefore, when the estimated time has elapsed from the current moment, it can be determined that the front end portion of the other vehicle X2 has reached the front end of the driving assistance area. In addition, for example, when tracking another vehicle X2 that has entered the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle in time series and the other vehicle X2 is no longer detected at the front end portion of the driving assistance area after entering the driving area, it can also be determined that the front end portion of the other vehicle X2 has reached the front end of the driving assistance area.

[0057] In step S15, the control device 5 starts the driving assistance for the driver and sets the second flag F2 to 1. As described above, in the present embodiment, as the driving assistance for the driver, the control device 5 notifies the driver of attention arousal via the HMI 3.

[0058] In step S16, the control device 5 determines whether another vehicle that has entered the driving assistance area from the front of its own vehicle has left the driving assistance area. In the present embodiment, if the front end of another vehicle that has entered the driving assistance area from the front of its own vehicle is located behind the rear end of the driving assistance area, or the rear end of the other vehicle is located in front of the front end of the driving assistance area (or the front end of the other vehicle is located in front of the front end of the driving assistance area), the control device 5 determines that the other vehicle has left the driving assistance area and proceeds to the process of step S17. If not, the current process is ended and the driving assistance is continued.

[0059] In step S17, the control device 5 ends the driving assistance for the driver and returns the second flag F2 to 0.

[0060] Based on the control device 5 of the present embodiment described above, it is configured to detect a situation where another vehicle (moving body) existing around its own vehicle enters a driving assistance area (assistance area) set around its own vehicle, and when the other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area, driving assistance is implemented based on the positional relationship between the front end position of the other vehicle and the position of its own vehicle.

[0061] Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to implement driving assistance based on a judgment of "to what extent the other vehicle is seen (visually recognized) from its own vehicle" with the front end position of the other vehicle as a reference, so that appropriate driving assistance can be provided to the driver of its own vehicle.

[0062] In particular, in the present embodiment, the front end position of the driving assistance area is the same position as the front end position of its own vehicle. The control device 5 is configured to implement driving assistance when the other vehicle is accommodated in the driving assistance area, that is, when the front end position of the other vehicle becomes the same position as the front end position of the driving assistance area, and is configured to, as driving assistance, give a notification to arouse the driver's attention to the driver via the HMI 3 (notification device) that notifies the driver of its own vehicle.

[0063] Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation where a notification to arouse the driver's attention is given to the driver when the driver of its own vehicle has sufficiently seen (visually recognized) the other vehicle.

[0064] (Second Embodiment)

[0065] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is that when another vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of its own vehicle, driving assistance (notification to arouse the driver's attention) for the driver is started based on the eye ellipse reference line that is the reference of the driver's field of view. Hereinafter, the description will be centered on this difference.

[0066] As described with reference to Figure 5 the above, when the host vehicle overtakes another vehicle X2 ahead (when the other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area), the driver recognizes the presence of the other vehicle X2. Therefore, if a notification for attention arousal is made even though the driver sees the other vehicle X2, the driver may be annoyed by the notification.

[0067] Therefore, in the present embodiment, as Figure 8 shown, based on the eye-ellipse reference line that is the reference for the driver's field of view, it is determined whether to start driving assistance (notification for attention arousal) for the driver.

[0068] In addition, the eye ellipse is an ellipse defined by ISO4513 that shows the eye ranges of the driver's right and left eyes (the eye range statistically representing the position distribution of the driver's eyes) in a side view and a top view. The eye-ellipse reference line in the present embodiment refers to the reference line in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction) shown on the eye ellipse. The eye-ellipse reference line can be set for each vehicle model, for example, in accordance with Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS D 0021; Driver's Eye Range of Automobiles).

[0069] When, as shown in (A) of Figure 8 the host vehicle overtakes another vehicle X2 ahead and the other vehicle X2 is located in front of the eye-ellipse reference line, that is, when the rear end of the other vehicle X2 is located in front of the eye-ellipse reference line, the driver can see the entire other vehicle X2. Therefore, when the rear end of the other vehicle X2 is located in front of the eye-ellipse reference line, a notification for attention arousal is not required.

[0070] On the other hand, when, as shown in (B) of Figure 8 the host vehicle overtakes another vehicle X2 ahead and the other vehicle X2 is located on the eye-ellipse reference line, the driver can see a part of the other vehicle X2 although the driver cannot see the entire other vehicle X2. Therefore, when the other vehicle X2 is located on the eye-ellipse reference line, a notification for attention arousal is not necessary. Therefore, "the state where the other vehicle X2 is located on the eye-ellipse reference line" can be said to be a state that seeks a balance between safety and annoyance of the notification for attention arousal, and a notification for attention arousal can be implemented at any timing as needed.

[0071] And when, as shown in Figure 8As shown in (C), when the host vehicle overtakes another vehicle X2 ahead and the other vehicle X2 is located behind the eye ellipse reference line, that is, when the front end of the other vehicle X2 is located behind the eye ellipse reference line, the driver can no longer see the other vehicle X2. Therefore, when the front end of the other vehicle X2 is located behind the eye ellipse reference line, a notification for attention arousal is necessary.

[0072] Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area and the front end of the other vehicle X2 reaches the eye ellipse reference line, a notification for attention arousal is implemented. In other words, when the other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area, the implementation of the notification for attention arousal is restricted before the front end of the other vehicle X2 reaches the eye ellipse reference line.

[0073] Figure 9 This is a flowchart for explaining the details of the driving assistance control for other vehicles that enter the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle. The control device 5 repeatedly executes this routine at a predetermined operation cycle. In addition, in Figure 9 For, the contents of the processes in steps S11 to S13, S15 to S17 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the description thereof is omitted here.

[0074] In step S21, the control device 5 determines whether the other vehicle that enters the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle is located behind the eye ellipse reference line, that is, whether the front end of the other vehicle has reached the eye ellipse reference line. If the front end of the other vehicle that enters the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle reaches the eye ellipse reference line, the control device 5 proceeds to the process in step S15. On the other hand, if the front end of the other vehicle that enters the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle does not reach the eye ellipse reference line, the control device 5 ends the current process. That is, the implementation of the notification for attention arousal is restricted.

[0075] Based on the control device 5 of the present embodiment described above, it is configured to detect a situation where another vehicle (moving body) existing around the host vehicle enters the driving assistance area set around the host vehicle, and when the other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the driving assistance area, driving assistance is implemented based on the positional relationship between the other vehicle and the eye ellipse reference line set according to the type (vehicle model) of the host vehicle.

[0076] In this way, according to the present embodiment, driving assistance can be implemented based on the positional relationship between the other vehicle and the eye ellipse reference line of the host vehicle, on the basis of judging "how much the other vehicle is seen from the host vehicle", so that appropriate driving assistance can be provided to the driver of the host vehicle.

[0077] In particular, the control device 5 according to the present embodiment is configured to perform driving assistance when it is determined that another vehicle is located behind the eye ellipse reference line, that is, when the front end position of the other vehicle and the eye ellipse reference line of the host vehicle are at the same position, and is configured to perform a notification for arousing attention to the driver via the HMI 3 (notification device) that notifies the driver of the host vehicle as the driving assistance.

[0078] Therefore, it is possible to suppress a situation where a notification for arousing attention to the driver is performed when the driver of the host vehicle sees another vehicle.

[0079] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the above embodiments merely show a part of application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0080] For example, in the above-described first embodiment, the control device 5 is configured to perform driving assistance when the front end position of another vehicle and the front end position of the driving assistance area become the same position when the other vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle. However, the control device 5 may also be configured to perform driving assistance when the interval in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the front end position of the other vehicle and the front end position of the driving assistance area becomes equal to or less than a predetermined interval. That is, it is also possible to consider risks such as the driver overlooking another vehicle and make the notification for arousing attention slightly earlier than in the first embodiment. Thereby, it is possible to notify the driver of arousing attention while seeking a balance between safety and annoyance of the notification for arousing attention.

[0081] In addition, for example, in the above-described first embodiment, the front end position of the driving assistance area is set to the same position as the front end position of the host vehicle. However, the front end position of the driving assistance area may also be set to any position from the front end position of the host vehicle to the eye ellipse reference line.

[0082] In addition, for example, in the above-described second embodiment, when another vehicle enters the driving assistance area from the front of the host vehicle, driving assistance is performed when the front end of the other vehicle reaches the eye ellipse reference line. However, it is also possible to consider risks such as the driver overlooking another vehicle and perform driving assistance at any timing when the other vehicle is located on the eye ellipse reference line. Thereby, it is possible to notify the driver of arousing attention while seeking a balance between safety and annoyance of the notification for arousing attention.

[0083] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the computer program (for example, driving assistance control) executed in the control device 5 may also be provided in a form recorded in a computer-readable removable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium.

[0084] In addition, the above-described embodiments can be appropriately and freely combined.

Claims

1. A control device, comprising: Detecting a situation in which a moving object existing around the vehicle enters an auxiliary area set around the vehicle, When the moving body enters the assistance area from the front of the assistance area, driving assistance is performed based on a positional relationship between a front end position of the moving body and the vehicle, or based on a positional relationship between the moving body and an eyellipse reference line set for each vehicle.

2. The control device according to claim 1, The control device is configured to perform driving assistance when the front end position of the moving body and the front end position of the assistance area become the same position.

3. The control device according to claim 1, The control device is configured to perform driving assistance when the mobile object is accommodated in the assistance area.

4. The control device according to claim 3, The control device is configured to determine that the moving body is accommodated in the assistance area when the front end position of the moving body and the front end position of the assistance area are at the same position.

5. The control device according to claim 1, The control device is configured to perform driving assistance when the distance between the front end position of the moving body and the front end position of the assistance area in the vehicle front-rear direction becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined distance.

6. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The front end position of the auxiliary area is the same position as the front end position of the vehicle.

7. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The front end of the auxiliary area is located in a section from the front end position of the vehicle to an eyellipse reference line set for each vehicle.

8. The control device according to claim 1, The control device is configured to perform driving assistance when the mobile object is located on the eyellipse reference line.

9. The control device according to claim 1, The control device is configured to perform driving assistance when the front end position of the moving body and the eyellipse reference line are at the same position.

10. The control device according to claim 1, The control device is configured to perform driving assistance when the mobile object is located behind the eyellipse reference line.

11. The control device according to claim 10, The control device is configured to determine that the moving body is located behind the eyellipse reference line when the front end position of the moving body and the eyellipse reference line are at the same position.

12. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and 8 to 11, The control device is configured to perform a notification to call attention to the driver via a notification device that notifies the driver of the vehicle as the driving assistance.

13. A driving assistance method, performed by a control device for implementing driving assistance for a vehicle, In the driving assistance method, detecting that a moving object existing around the vehicle enters an auxiliary area set around the vehicle, When the moving body enters the assistance area from the front of the assistance area, driving assistance is performed based on a positional relationship between a front end position of the moving body and the vehicle, or based on a positional relationship between the moving body and an eyellipse reference line set for each vehicle.

14. A computer program product causing a computer to execute the following processing: Detecting a situation in which a moving object existing around the vehicle enters an auxiliary area set around the vehicle, When the moving body enters the assistance area from the front of the assistance area, driving assistance is performed based on a positional relationship between a front end position of the moving body and the vehicle, or based on a positional relationship between the moving body and an eyellipse reference line set for each vehicle.

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