TRAVEL CONTROL DEVICE

Abstract

A travel control device that performs automated driving, comprising: a request detection section (S120) configured to determine whether a lane change request from an adjacent vehicle for a lane change to a self-driving lane is detected based on a lighting state of at least one of the direction indicator and hazard warning light of the adjacent vehicle; a calculation and determination section (S130) configured to determine, in response to the request detection section detecting the lane change request, whether a safety condition related to an expected relationship between the adjacent vehicle and a host vehicle is satisfied when the adjacent vehicle completes the lane change, the safety condition being predetermined to prevent both the driver of the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle from feeling a sense of danger;an acceptance determination section (S140, S150) configured to determine whether an acceptance condition is satisfied in response to the calculation and determination section determining that the safety condition is hardly satisfied, wherein the acceptance condition includes at least the presence of an acceptance space between a vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle or a vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle and the host vehicle; a target generation section (S160) configured to generate a target movement for the host vehicle to enable the lane change by the adjacent vehicle to satisfy the safety condition in response to the acceptance determination section determining that the acceptance condition is satisfied;and a controller (S180) configured to execute reception control, which is travel control of the automated driving in accordance with the target movement generated by the target generation section, wherein: the host vehicle is a vehicle equipped with the travel control device; the host vehicle's own lane is a lane on which the host vehicle is traveling; the neighboring vehicle is a vehicle traveling on an adjacent lane, which is a lane adjacent to the host vehicle's own lane; the acceptance space is a space required to execute the reception control without causing drivers of the preceding vehicle, the following vehicle, and the host vehicle to feel dangerous; the acceptance determination section is configured to estimate a request priority level of the lane change request from the neighboring vehicle;the acceptance determination section is configured to use a fact that the estimated request priority level is high as one of the acceptance conditions; and the acceptance determination section is configured to estimate that the request priority level is high when the lane change request continues for a predetermined period of time or longer.;

Claims

[1] Driving control device performing automated driving, comprising: a request detection section (S120) configured to determine whether a lane change request from an adjacent vehicle for a lane change to a lane of its own is detected based on a lighting state of at least one of the direction indicator and hazard warning light components of the adjacent vehicle; a calculation and determination section (S130) configured to determine, in response to the request detection section detecting the lane change request, whether a safety condition related to an expected relationship between the neighboring vehicle and a host vehicle is satisfied when the neighboring vehicle completes the lane change, the safety condition being predetermined to prevent both the driver of the neighboring vehicle and the host vehicle from feeling a sense of danger; an acceptance determination section (S140, S150) configured to determine whether an acceptance condition is satisfied in response to the calculation and determination section determining that the safety condition is hardly satisfied, wherein the acceptance condition includes at least the existence of an acceptance space between a vehicle traveling in front of the reference vehicle or a vehicle traveling behind the reference vehicle and the reference vehicle; a target generation section (S160) configured to generate a target movement for the host vehicle to enable the lane change by the adjacent vehicle to satisfy the safety condition in response to the acceptance determination section determining that the acceptance condition is satisfied; and a control device (S180) configured to execute a reception control which is a travel control of the automated driving in accordance with the target movement generated by the target generation section, where: the reference vehicle is a vehicle equipped with the travel control device; the own lane is a lane in which the reference vehicle is traveling; the adjacent vehicle is a vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane which is a lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane; the acceptance space is a space necessary to carry out the reception control without causing the drivers of the preceding vehicle, the following vehicle and the reference vehicle to perceive a danger; the acceptance determination section is configured to estimate a request priority level of the lane change request from the neighboring vehicle; the acceptance determination section is configured to use a fact that the estimated request priority level is high as one of the acceptance conditions; and the acceptance determination section is configured to estimate that the request priority level is high when the lane change request continues for a predetermined period of time or longer. [2] A travel control device according to claim 1, wherein: the calculation and determination section is configured to use at least one of the fact that an expected inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the reference vehicle when the adjacent vehicle completes the lane change is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance threshold, and a fact that a relative speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined adjacent vehicle speed threshold, as the safety condition. [3] A travel control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the acceptance determination section is configured to use a fact that a relative speed between the reference vehicle and a vehicle positioned above the acceptance space is equal to or greater than a predetermined front-and-rear vehicle speed threshold for the front vehicle and the rear vehicle as one of the acceptance conditions. [4] The travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the acceptance determination section is further configured to estimate that the request priority level is high when any of the following conditions exists: there is a branching road in front of the vehicle in question; there is a restriction in the adjacent lane; the adjacent lane ends in front due to a merging of roads or a lane reduction; and the neighboring vehicle activates its hazard lights. [5] A travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a notification section (S170) configured to notify a driver of the host vehicle, the adjacent vehicle, the vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle, or the vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle of the execution of the reception control.

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