Driving assistance device, driving assistance method, and program

Abstract

A driving assistance device is provided with: a recognition unit that recognizes the surroundings of a moving body; a determination unit that determines, on the basis of the recognized surrounding conditions, whether the moving body travels in a run-up section of a merging lane or a merging section when the moving body changes lanes from the merging lane to a merged lane; and a control unit that, when it is determined that the moving body travels in the run-up section, causes a notification device mounted on the moving body to execute merging assistance based on an image and sound, and, when it is determined that the moving body travels in the merging section, causes the notification device to execute merging assistance based on the image and sound. The control unit causes the notification device to execute sound-based merging support and not to execute image-based merging support.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Technologies for supporting lane changes by a host vehicle are known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology that detects the distance to other vehicles traveling in the same lane and supports the host vehicle driver's driving operation for lane changes based on the detected distance.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-362181 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, conventional technologies, particularly when changing lanes from a merged lane to a merging lane, do not carefully adjust the driving support based on the vehicle's situation. As a result, occupants may experience a sense of discomfort with the driving support during lane changes.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device, a driving support method, and a program that can reduce the discomfort felt by a occupant regarding the form of driving support during lane changes.

[0009] Solutions to Problems

[0010] The driving support device, driving support method, and program according to the present invention employ the following configurations.

[0011] (1): A driving support device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an identification unit for identifying a peripheral condition of a moving body; a determination unit for determining, based on the identified peripheral condition, whether the moving body is traveling in a run-up section of the merging lane or in a merging section when the moving body changes lanes from the merging lane to the merging lane; and a control unit for causing a notification device mounted on the moving body to perform merging support based on images and sounds when it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the run-up section, and causing the notification device to perform merging support based on sounds but not performing merging support based on images when it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the merging section.

[0012] (2): Based on the scheme of (1) above, when the recognition unit recognizes at least one of the zebra crossing area and the isolation pile, the determination unit determines the initial location where at least one of the zebra crossing area and the isolation pile exists as the starting location of the approach section, and determines the final location where at least one of the zebra crossing area and the isolation pile exists as the ending location of the approach section, and when the moving body exists between the starting location and the ending location, it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the approach section.

[0013] (3): In addition to the above-mentioned aspect (1), when the recognition unit recognizes that the moving object has passed the end point of the approach section, it is determined that the moving object is traveling in the merging section.

[0014] (4): Based on the solution of (1) above, when the recognition unit identifies a location where the road dividing line of the merging lane changes from a solid line to a dotted line, the determination unit determines the location as the starting location of the merging section, and when the moving body passes the starting location, the determination unit determines that the moving body is traveling in the merging section.

[0015] (5): Based on the solution of (1) above, when it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the approach section, the control unit causes the notification device to output an electronic sound as the sound, and when it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the merging section, the control unit causes the notification device to output a sound based on natural language as the sound.

[0016] (6): In the embodiment of (1) above, the control unit causes the notification device to notify the start of the merging support before a predetermined time for executing the merging support.

[0017] (7): Based on the above-mentioned solution (1), the control unit, as the merging support when it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the approach section, causes the notification device to provide instruction information related to the acceleration operation of the mobile body as the image and sound notification.

[0018] (8): Based on the solution of (7) above, the control unit, as the merging support when it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the approach zone, causes the notification device to provide instruction information related to the increase or decrease of the acceleration operation of the moving body as the image and sound notification.

[0019] (9): In the aspect of (7), the control unit causes the notification device to notify the instruction information as the image after notifying the instruction information as the sound.

[0020] (10): A driving support method according to another embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying the surrounding conditions of a moving body; based on the identified surrounding conditions, when the moving body changes lanes from a merging lane to a lane to be merged, determining whether the moving body is traveling in a run-up section of the merging lane or in a merging section; and if it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the run-up section, causing a notification device mounted on the moving body to perform merging support based on images and sounds, and if it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the merging section, causing the notification device to perform merging support based on sounds and not perform merging support based on images.

[0021] (11): A program according to another embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying the surrounding conditions of a moving body; based on the identified surrounding conditions, when the moving body changes lanes from a merging lane to a lane to be merged, determining whether the moving body is traveling in a run-up section of the merging lane or in a merging section; and if it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the run-up section, causing a notification device mounted on the moving body to perform merging support based on images and sounds, and if it is determined that the moving body is traveling in the merging section, causing the notification device to perform merging support based on sounds and not to perform merging support based on images.

[0022] Effects of the Invention

[0023] According to the schemes (1) to (11) above, when the vehicle is traveling in the run-up zone and the occupants have room to pay attention to driving support, emphasis is placed on acceleration support and driving support based on both images and sounds is performed. On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling in the merging zone and the occupants do not have room to pay attention to driving support, emphasis is placed on calling attention to rear risks and driving support based on sounds is performed, and merging support based on images is not performed. This can reduce the discomfort that occupants feel about the form of driving support during lane changes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle M equipped with the driving support device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a diagram for explaining the determination process performed by the determination unit 120 .

[0026] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of merging assistance performed by the control unit 130 when the vehicle M travels in the approach section.

[0027] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing another example of merging assistance performed by the control unit 130 when the vehicle M is traveling in the approach section.

[0028] Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing another example of merging assistance performed by the control unit 130 when the vehicle M is traveling in the approach section.

[0029] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of merging assistance performed by the control unit 130 when the vehicle M travels in the merging section.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the driving support device 100 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following describes embodiments of the driving support device, driving support method, and program of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The driving support device is mounted on a mobile object. A mobile object refers to a structure capable of autonomous movement using its own drive mechanism, such as a vehicle (either four-wheeled or two-wheeled), a micro-mobile object, or an autonomous walking robot. The following description assumes that the mobile object is a vehicle that moves on the ground.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle M equipped with a driving support device 100 according to an embodiment. The vehicle M is equipped with, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device 14, an object recognition device 16, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a driving operating element 80, the driving support device 100, a driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are interconnected via multiple communication lines such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, and the like. It should be noted that Figure 1 The structure shown is just an example, and part of the structure may be omitted or another structure may be added.

[0033] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera utilizing a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle M. For forward imaging, the camera 10 is mounted on the upper portion of the windshield, behind the rearview mirror, or elsewhere. For example, the camera 10 periodically and repeatedly captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle M. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

[0034] The radar device 12 radiates radio waves, such as millimeter waves, around the vehicle M and detects the radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by objects to detect at least the object's position (range and direction). The radar device 12 can be mounted anywhere on the vehicle M. The radar device 12 can also detect the position and velocity of objects using the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0035] LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves with a wavelength close to light) around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the object based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, pulsed laser light. LIDAR 14 can be mounted anywhere on the vehicle M.

[0036] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 to identify the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition results to the driving support device 100. The object recognition device 16 can output the detection results from the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 directly to the driving support device 100. Alternatively, the object recognition device 16 may be omitted.

[0037] The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the vehicle M and receives input operations from the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, vibration generators (vibrators), touch panels, switches, buttons, etc. The HMI 30 is an example of a "notification device."

[0038] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects angular velocity about a vertical axis, an azimuth sensor that detects the orientation of the vehicle M, and the like.

[0039] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, a guidance control unit, and a storage unit storing map information. The GNSS receiver determines the position of the vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the vehicle M may also be determined or supplemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) utilizing the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The guidance control unit, for example, determines a route from the position of the vehicle M determined by the GNSS receiver (or an input arbitrary position) to the destination input by the occupant, referring to map information, and causes the HMI 30 to output guidance information to guide the vehicle M along the route. Map information, for example, is information that represents the shape of a road by representing road segments and nodes connected by the segments. Map information may also include road curvature, POI (Point of Interest) information, and the like. The navigation device 50 may also transmit the current position and destination of the vehicle M to a navigation server via a communication device and obtain the route from the navigation server.

[0040] The driving operating elements 80 include, for example, an accelerator pedal 82, a brake pedal, a steering wheel, a shift lever, and other operating elements. The accelerator pedal 82 is an example of an accelerator operating element. Sensors are mounted on the driving operating elements 80 to detect the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation. These detection results are output to some or all of the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

[0041] The driving force output device 200 outputs the driving force (torque) used to propel the vehicle to the drive wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, as well as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these components. The ECU controls the aforementioned components based on information input from the driving support device 100 or from the driving operating elements 80.

[0042] The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a hydraulic cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, and an ECU. The ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the driving support device 100 or information input from the driving operating element 80, so that a braking torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include a mechanism that transmits the hydraulic pressure generated by operating the brake pedal included in the driving operating element 80 to the hydraulic cylinder via the master hydraulic cylinder as a backup. It should be noted that the brake device 210 is not limited to the structure described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to information input from the driving support device 100 to transmit the hydraulic pressure of the master hydraulic cylinder to the hydraulic cylinder.

[0043] The steering system 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor applies force to, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor based on information input from the driving support device 100 or from the driving operating element 80 to change the direction of the steering wheel.

[0044] [Driving support device]

[0045] The driving support device 100 operates in a scenario where the vehicle M changes lanes from the merging lane to the merging lane. It should be noted that the recognition unit 110, among the components included in the driving support device 100, may always operate regardless of the scenario in which the vehicle M is located. Regarding the scenario in which the vehicle M changes lanes from the merging lane to the merging lane, for example, the recognition unit 110 can identify the scenario by comparing the position of the vehicle M measured by the navigation device 50 with map information.

[0046] The driving support device 100 includes, for example, a recognition unit 110, a determination unit 120, and a control unit 130. These functional units are implemented by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or through the coordinated implementation of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (including a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 by attaching the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) to a drive device.

[0047] The recognition unit 110 identifies the position, velocity, acceleration, and other states of objects around the vehicle M based on information input from the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. The object's position is identified, for example, as an absolute coordinate position with a representative point of the vehicle M (such as the center of gravity or the center of the drive shaft) as the origin, and used for control. The object's position can be represented by a representative point such as the object's center of gravity or a corner, or by a displayed area. The object's "state" can also include the object's acceleration, jerk, and other factors.

[0048] Furthermore, the recognition unit 110 identifies the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane), for example. For example, the recognition unit 110 compares the pattern of road dividing lines (e.g., an arrangement of solid and dashed lines) obtained from the map information of the navigation device 50 with the pattern of road dividing lines around the vehicle M identified from the image captured by the camera 10 to identify the driving lane. It should be noted that the recognition unit 110 is not limited to identifying road dividing lines; it may also identify road boundaries including road dividing lines, shoulders, curbs, medians, guardrails, etc., to identify the driving lane. The vehicle M's position obtained from the navigation device 50 and the results of processing by the INS may also be incorporated into this recognition.

[0049] Based on the surrounding conditions of vehicle M identified by recognition unit 110, determination unit 120 determines whether vehicle M is traveling in the run-up section of the merging lane or the merging section when vehicle M is changing lanes from the merging lane to the merging lane. Generally speaking, the run-up section refers to the section during which a passenger of vehicle M performs a run-up (i.e., depresses the accelerator pedal) in preparation for changing lanes from the merging lane to the merging lane, while the merging section refers to the section during which a lane change is actually performed from the merging lane to the merging lane after the run-up.

[0050] Figure 2 This is a diagram for explaining the determination process performed by the determination unit 120 . Figure 2 As an example, a scenario is shown in which vehicle M merges from merging lane L1 into merging lane L2. As described above, in the scenario in which vehicle M merges from merging lane L1 into merging lane L2, for example, recognition unit 110 recognizes the position of vehicle M measured by navigation device 50 by comparing it with map information.

[0051] When the recognition unit 110 recognizes at least one of a zebra zone and a barrier, the determination unit 120 determines the first location where at least one of the zebra zone and the barrier exists as the starting location of the approach section, and determines the last location where at least one of the zebra zone and the barrier exists as the ending location of the approach section. When the vehicle M exists between the starting location and the ending location, the determination unit 120 determines that the vehicle M is traveling in the approach section. Figure 2 In the case of , the determination unit 120 determines that the section between the point P1, which is the first point where the zebra crossing area exists, and the point P2, which is the last point where the zebra crossing area exists, is the approach section.

[0052] On the other hand, when the recognition unit 110 recognizes that the vehicle M has passed the end point of the run-up section, the determination unit 120 determines that the vehicle M is traveling in the merging section. Alternatively, for example, when the recognition unit 110 recognizes a point where the road dividing line of the recognized merging lane changes from a solid line to a dotted line, the determination unit 120 may determine that point as the starting point of the merging section, and when the vehicle M passes the starting point, determine that the vehicle M is traveling in the merging section. Figure 2 In the case of , regardless of which method is used, the determination unit 120 determines that the vehicle M is traveling in the merging section when the vehicle M passes the point P2.

[0053] When it is determined that the vehicle M is traveling in the approach section, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to perform merging assistance using images and sounds. Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of merging assistance performed by the control unit 130 when the vehicle M is traveling in the approach zone. Figure 3 As shown, for example, if the control unit 130 determines that the risk to vehicle M is low based on the surrounding conditions identified by the recognition unit 110, it causes the HMI 30 to display an image IM1 strongly urging acceleration, along with an electronic sound. Here, the risk is, for example, the TTC (time to collision) of another vehicle M1 with respect to vehicle M's travel direction. For example, the control unit 130 determines that the risk to vehicle M is low when the TTC is above a first threshold. When vehicle M is traveling in the run-up zone, occupants of vehicle M generally tend to have more time to check the screen of the HMI 30. Therefore, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to perform driving support using both images and sound.

[0054] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing another example of merging assistance performed by the control unit 130 when the vehicle M is traveling in the approach zone. Figure 4 As shown, when the control unit 130 determines that the risk to the vehicle M is moderate based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 110, for example, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to display an image IM2 that gently urges the occupant to accelerate, along with the output of an electronic sound. For example, when the TTC is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, the control unit 130 determines that the risk to the vehicle M is moderate.

[0055] It should be noted that the same way of thinking can also be used to recommend acceleration operations based on TTC values. Figure 3 The situation and Figure 4More specifically, the control unit 130 may cause the HMI 30 to display an image IM2 that gently urges the occupant to accelerate, along with the output of an electronic sound, when the TTC is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. Conversely, when the TTC is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, the control unit 130 may cause the HMI 30 to display an image IM1 that strongly urges the occupant to accelerate, along with the output of an electronic sound.

[0056] Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing another example of merging assistance performed by the control unit 130 when the vehicle M is traveling in the approach zone. Figure 5 As shown, when the control unit 130 determines that the risk to the vehicle M is high based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 110, for example, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to display an image IM3 indicating that an acceleration operation is not recommended, along with the output of an electronic sound. The control unit 130 determines that the risk to the vehicle M is high when the TTC is less than a second threshold, for example.

[0057] When it is determined that the vehicle M is traveling in the merging section, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to perform voice-based merging assistance and not to perform image-based merging assistance. Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of merging assistance performed by the control unit 130 when the vehicle M travels in the merging section. Figure 6 As shown, for example, if the control unit 130 determines that the risk to vehicle M is low based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 110, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to output a natural language voice message such as "Watch out behind." On the other hand, if the control unit 130 determines that the risk to vehicle M is high, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to output a natural language voice message such as "Danger behind." When vehicle M is traveling in a merging zone, the occupants of vehicle M generally tend to have little time to check the screen of the HMI 30. Therefore, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to perform voice-based driving support.

[0058] Thus, when the vehicle M is traveling in the run-up zone and it is assumed that the occupant has more time to check the HMI 30 screen, the control unit 130 prioritizes acceleration support and causes the HMI 30 to perform both visual and audio driving support. On the other hand, when the vehicle M is traveling in the merging zone and it is assumed that the occupant has less time to check the HMI 30 screen, the control unit 130 prioritizes alerting the occupant to rear-facing risks and causes the HMI 30 to perform audio driving support instead of visual merging support. This can reduce the discomfort that occupants may experience with the type of driving support during lane changes.

[0059] It should be noted that, in the above description, the control unit 130 is described as causing the HMI 30 to perform driving support based on both images and sounds when the determination unit 120 determines that the vehicle M is traveling in the run-up section. Alternatively, the control unit 130 may cause the HMI 30 to perform driving support based on both images and sounds when the recognition unit 110 recognizes the starting point of the run-up section ( Figure 2 In the case of a vehicle M at location P1, the HMI 30 may notify the occupant of the start of merging assistance a predetermined time before the vehicle M enters the run-up section (i.e., the predetermined time before the execution of merging assistance). Furthermore, if the determination unit 120 determines that the vehicle M is traveling in the run-up section, the control unit 130 may cause the HMI 30 to output instruction information related to the accelerator operation via audio to notify the occupant of the start of merging assistance, and then output the instruction information via a video. This can further reduce the discomfort the occupant may feel regarding the form of driving assistance during lane changes.

[0060] [Processing Flow]

[0061] Next, refer to Figure 7 The flow of processing executed by the driving support device 100 will be described. Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the driving support device 100 . Figure 7 The processing in the flowchart shown is repeatedly executed in a predetermined cycle while the vehicle M is traveling, for example.

[0062] First, the recognition unit 110 compares the position of the vehicle M measured by the navigation device 50 with map information to determine whether the vehicle's driving lane is recognized as a merging lane (step S100). If the vehicle's driving lane is not recognized as a merging lane, the recognition unit 110 repeats the process of step S100 after a predetermined time.

[0063] On the other hand, if the recognition unit 110 recognizes that the driving lane is a merging lane, the determination unit 120 determines whether the vehicle M is traveling in the run-up section based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 110 (step S102). If the vehicle M is not determined to be traveling in the run-up section, the determination unit 120 executes the process of step S102 again after a predetermined time.

[0064] If the control unit 130 determines that the vehicle M is traveling in the run-up section, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to output instruction information related to the acceleration operation through both visual and audio signals (step S104). Next, the determination unit 120 determines whether the vehicle M is traveling in the merging section based on the surrounding conditions identified by the recognition unit 110 (step S106). If the determination unit 120 does not determine that the vehicle M is traveling in the merging section, the determination unit 120 executes step S106 again after a predetermined period of time.

[0065] If it is determined that the vehicle M is traveling in the merging section, the control unit 130 causes the HMI 30 to output instruction information related to the acceleration operation only by voice (step S108 ).

[0066] According to the present embodiment described above, when a vehicle M changes lanes from a merging lane to a merging lane, driving support using both visual and audio signals is performed while the vehicle M is traveling in the run-up section. On the other hand, when the vehicle M is traveling in the merging section, merging support using audio signals is performed, and merging support using visual signals is not performed. This can reduce the discomfort experienced by the occupants regarding the type of driving support during lane changes.

[0067] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0068] An image processing device comprising:

[0069] a storage medium storing computer-readable instructions; and

[0070] a processor connected to the storage medium,

[0071] The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to:

[0072] Identify the surrounding conditions of a moving object;

[0073] Based on the recognized surrounding conditions, when the mobile body changes lanes from the merging lane to the merging lane, determining whether the mobile body is traveling in a run-up section of the merging lane or in a merging section; and

[0074] If it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the run-up section, the notification device mounted on the mobile body is caused to perform merging support based on images and sounds; and if it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the merging section, the notification device is caused to perform merging support based on sounds but not perform merging support based on images.

[0075] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0076] Description of Reference Numerals

[0077] 10. Camera

[0078] 12 Radar equipment

[0079] 14 LIDAR

[0080] 16 Object Recognition Device

[0081] 30 HMI

[0082] 100 Driving support device

[0083] 110 Identification Department

[0084] 120 Judgment Department

[0085] 130 Control Department.

Claims

1. A driving support device, wherein: The driving support device includes: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the mobile object; a determination unit that determines, based on the recognized surrounding conditions, whether the mobile body is traveling in a run-up section of the merging lane or in a merging section when the mobile body changes lanes from the merging lane to the merging lane; as well as The control unit causes a notification device mounted on the mobile body to perform merging support based on images and sounds when it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the run-up section, and causes the notification device to perform merging support based on sounds but not perform merging support based on images when it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the merging section.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein: When the recognition unit recognizes at least one of a zebra crossing area and a barrier pile, the determination unit determines an initial location where at least one of the zebra crossing area and the barrier pile exists as a starting location of the approach section, and determines a final location where at least one of the zebra crossing area and the barrier pile exists as an ending location of the approach section. When the moving object exists between the starting location and the ending location, the determination unit determines that the moving object is traveling in the approach section.

3. The driving support device according to claim 2, wherein: The determination unit determines that the moving object is traveling in the merging section when the recognition unit recognizes that the moving object has passed the end point of the approach section.

4. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein: The determination unit determines that a location where the road dividing line of the merging lane changes from a solid line to a dotted line is recognized by the recognition unit as the starting location of the merging section, and determines that the moving object is traveling in the merging section when the moving object passes the starting location.

5. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit causes the notification device to output an electronic sound as the sound when it is determined that the moving object is traveling in the approach section, and causes the notification device to output a natural language-based sound as the sound when it is determined that the moving object is traveling in the merging section.

6. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit causes the notification device to notify the start of the merging support a predetermined time before the merging support is executed.

7. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit causes the notification device to notify instruction information related to the acceleration operation of the moving object as the image and sound as the merging support when it is determined that the moving object is traveling in the approach section.

8. The driving support device according to claim 7, wherein: The control unit causes the notification device to notify instruction information related to increase or decrease of acceleration operation of the mobile body as the image and sound as the merging support when it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the approach zone.

9. The driving support device according to claim 7, wherein: The control unit causes the notification device to notify the instruction information as the image after notifying the instruction information as the sound.

10. A driving support method, wherein: The driving support method causes a computer to execute the following processing: Identify the surrounding conditions of a moving object; Based on the recognized surrounding conditions, when the mobile body changes lanes from a merging lane to a merging lane, determining whether the mobile body is traveling in a run-up section of the merging lane or in a merging section; as well as If it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the run-up section, the notification device mounted on the mobile body is caused to perform merging support based on images and sounds; and if it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the merging section, the notification device is caused to perform merging support based on sounds but not perform merging support based on images.

11. A program, wherein The program causes the computer to execute the following processing: Identify the surrounding conditions of a moving object; Based on the recognized surrounding conditions, when the mobile body changes lanes from a merging lane to a merging lane, determining whether the mobile body is traveling in a run-up section of the merging lane or in a merging section; as well as If it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the run-up section, the notification device mounted on the mobile body is caused to perform merging support based on images and sounds; and if it is determined that the mobile body is traveling in the merging section, the notification device is caused to perform merging support based on sounds but not perform merging support based on images.

Images