Drive assist apparatus

Abstract

To provide a drive assist apparatus capable of performing travel assist control including steering assist control that is more reliable, smoother, and safer.SOLUTION: A drive assist apparatus includes a surrounding situation recognition device 20, 21 and a traveling control device 22. The traveling control device determines whether or not an own vehicle is likely to deviate from a travel lane on the basis of a recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition device, and also can recognize at least either of another vehicle facing the own vehicle or another vehicle traveling in the same proceeding direction as and behind the own vehicle. The traveling control device can execute: a lane deviation inhibition control including a steering assist control to be executed when the won vehicle is likely to deviate from the travel lane; and an emergency deviation inhibition control including a steering assist control to be executed when either of the other vehicle facing the own vehicle or the other vehicle traveling in the same proceeding direction as and behind the own vehicle and the own vehicle is likely to deviate from the travel lane. In accordance with the determination result that the own vehicle is likely to deviate from the travel lane and the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition device executes either of the lane deviation inhibition control or the emergency deviation inhibition control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device that performs various steering assistance controls, including emergency departure suppression control that assists in steering operations to avoid dangers encountered while a vehicle such as an automobile is traveling, and driver abnormality response control that is executed while the vehicle is traveling. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, automatic driving control technology has been developed for vehicles such as automobiles, which allows the vehicle to travel automatically without the driver's operation. In addition, various driving support devices that use this type of automatic driving control technology to perform various controls to support the driver's driving operation have been proposed in recent years, and are gradually being put into practical use.

[0003] Conventional driving assistance devices perform various types of steering assistance control to assist in steering operations to avoid danger, for example, when a vehicle is predicted to be in danger while traveling, such as when the vehicle is about to collide with another vehicle, such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle.

[0004] One example of steering assist control performed by a conventional driving assistance device is a lane keeping assist control proposed, for example, in Patent Publication No. 2020-32802, in which a predetermined position (e.g., the center position of the lane) of the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling is set as a target driving position when a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device is traveling on a road, and when controlling the vehicle to travel along the set target driving position, steering assistance is provided by an assist steering torque generated, for example, using an electric motor.

[0005] Another example of steering assistance control by a conventional driving assistance device is a lane departure prevention (LDP) control proposed, for example, in JP 2019-156327 A, in which, when a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device is about to deviate from the lane in which it is traveling into an adjacent lane, steering assistance is provided in a direction to avoid the vehicle deviating from the lane, thereby preventing the vehicle from deviating from the traveling lane.

[0006] Furthermore, in recent years, various proposals have been made regarding emergency lane keeping (ELK) control, which, when a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device is in a situation where it is about to deviate from the lane it is traveling in to an adjacent lane, and another vehicle such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane is detected, issues a warning display (visual warning, audible warning, etc.) to that effect, and at the same time executes driving control with steering assistance substantially similar to the above-mentioned lane departure prevention control to avoid a collision with the other vehicle (an oncoming vehicle, a following vehicle, etc.).

[0007] Conventional driving assistance devices are configured so that the driver can individually select on / off for each of the various steering assistance controls (lane keeping assistance control, lane departure prevention control, emergency departure prevention control, etc.) as described above, thereby choosing whether or not to enable the controls.

[0008] In general, conventional driving assistance devices are provided with a function (so-called steering state determination function) of detecting whether a driver is gripping a steering wheel (hereinafter simply referred to as steering) while the vehicle is traveling.

[0009] Conventional driving assistance devices use this steering state determination function to monitor the driver's grip on the steering wheel (hereinafter referred to as the steering state) while the vehicle is traveling, and if the situation where the steering state is not detected continues for a predetermined time (e.g., 15 seconds) (or while the vehicle is traveling a predetermined distance), a predetermined warning display (visual warning display, audible warning display, etc.) is generated, and if the driver's hands are subsequently released from the steering wheel for a predetermined time (e.g., 50 seconds) (or while the vehicle is traveling a predetermined distance), the steering assistance control being executed is cancelled. This is due to specifications that comply with, for example, international standards related to autonomous driving and guidelines established by national competent authorities.

[0010] In conventional driving assistance devices, when the steering assistance control being executed is released in a situation such as that described above, it is determined that some abnormality has occurred that makes it difficult for the driver to perform driving operations (specifically, for example, a breakdown of the vehicle, or a decrease in consciousness due to the driver's sudden illness or drowsiness, etc.) and various proposals for driving assistance control such as executing so-called driver abnormality response control have been made, for example, in Patent Publication No. 2019-26210. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-32802 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-156327 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2019-26210 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] In the conventional driving assistance device, as described above, the driver can selectively turn on and off each function of a plurality of types of steering assistance control (lane keeping assistance control, lane departure prevention control, emergency departure prevention control, etc.). Therefore, depending on the combination of selected functions, there is a problem that, for example, a warning display or the like may continue to be displayed unnecessarily, which may cause the driver to feel annoyed.

[0013] Specifically, for example, in a conventional driving assistance device, a case will be considered in which the vehicle is driven with the lane departure prevention control in the OFF state (operation prohibited state) and the emergency departure prevention control in the ON state (operation standby state). In this case, a situation can be considered in which the vehicle is about to deviate from the lane in which it is traveling to an adjacent lane, and at the same time, another vehicle, such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle, traveling in the adjacent lane is detected.

[0014] In such a situation, the driving assistance device of the vehicle detects another vehicle (such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle) and executes emergency departure suppression control, which is in an operation standby state (on state). At this time, a warning display (such as a visual warning or an audible warning) is first generated, and then steering assistance control, which is substantially the same as lane departure suppression control, is executed. Normally, there is a provision that the warning display must be continued during the execution of emergency departure suppression control until the control is completed.

[0015] Therefore, when emergency departure prevention control is started under the above-mentioned circumstances, the other vehicle that triggered the start of the control may move away from the vicinity of the host vehicle by passing or overtaking, etc., and there may be no other vehicles present around the host vehicle. Even in such a case, the warning display continues until the started emergency departure prevention control is completed.

[0016] In other words, after the emergency departure suppression control is started, even if there are no other vehicles such as oncoming vehicles or following vehicles around the vehicle and there are no other vehicles that may pose a danger to the vehicle, the warning display continues to be displayed. In such a situation, not only is the warning display annoying to the driver, but the driver may not understand the meaning of the warning, which may cause the driver to feel uncomfortable.

[0017] On the other hand, some conventional driving assistance devices are configured to determine the steering state by detecting the steering torque applied to the steering device. In the case of such a configuration, for example, when a vehicle in which steering assistance control is being executed is traveling under a condition in which steering operation is minimal, such as a long, flat, straight road, the generated steering torque value may be equal to or less than the threshold value for determining the steering state. In such a case, even if the driver is holding the steering wheel and in the steering state, the driving assistance device may erroneously determine that the steering state is not in the steering state. As a result, there is a problem in that the steering assistance control being executed is released.

[0018] In this way, in conventional driving assistance devices, when a cancellation operation of the steering assistance control occurs due to an erroneous judgment of the steering state, this is contrary to the driver's intention, and the driver will be forced to start the steering assistance control again, which will be annoying for the driver.

[0019] In view of this, for example, a configuration has been considered in the past in which, in addition to a conventional steering torque sensor, a different sensor, for example, a steering wheel touch sensor that detects the grip state by touching the steering wheel, is added as a means for determining the steering state. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to reliably determine the steering state by the driver, and further improvement in convenience can be expected.

[0020] However, if a steering wheel touch sensor is provided in addition to the steering torque sensor as a means for determining the steering state, a new problem arises in that the steering wheel touch sensor is likely to cause an erroneous judgment, for example, in the survival judgment performed when driver abnormality response control is executed.

[0021] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance device mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, which can always execute more natural and smooth steering assistance control without causing annoyance or discomfort to the driver, even by combining multiple types of steering assistance control.

[0022] At the same time, the object is to provide a driving assistance device that can suppress erroneous judgments in determining the steering state when steering assistance control is being executed while the vehicle is traveling and in determining whether the vehicle is alive when control is being executed in response to an abnormality in the driver, thereby making more accurate and reliable judgments and performing more reliable, smoother, and safer driving assistance control, including steering assistance control and control in response to an abnormality in the driver. [Means for solving the problem]

[0023] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a driving assistance device of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a surrounding situation recognition device that recognizes the surrounding situation of a host vehicle; and a driving control device that is capable of determining whether the host vehicle is about to deviate from a driving lane based on a recognition result by the surrounding situation recognition device, and is capable of recognizing at least one of another vehicle opposing the host vehicle or another vehicle traveling to the rear or lateral side in the same direction as the traveling direction of the host vehicle, and is capable of executing: lane departure suppression control including steering assist control that is executed when the host vehicle is about to deviate from the driving lane; and emergency departure suppression control including steering assist control that is executed when either another vehicle opposing the host vehicle or another vehicle traveling to the rear or lateral side in the same direction as the traveling direction of the host vehicle is recognized and the host vehicle is about to deviate from the driving lane, and that executes either the lane departure suppression control or the emergency departure suppression control depending on the determination result that the host vehicle is about to deviate from the driving lane and the recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition device. Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, a driving assistance device can be provided that is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and that can always execute more natural and smooth steering assistance control without causing annoyance or discomfort to the driver, even by combining multiple types of steering assistance control.

[0025] At the same time, it is possible to provide a driving assistance device that can suppress erroneous judgments in determining the steering state when steering assistance control is being executed while the vehicle is traveling, and in determining whether the vehicle is alive when driver abnormality response control is being executed, thereby making more accurate and reliable judgments, and capable of performing more reliable, smoother, and safer steering assistance control and driving assistance control including driver abnormality response control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of normal lane departure suppression control performed in the driving assistance device of the present embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the emergency departure prevention control performed in the driving assistance device of the present embodiment (response to an oncoming vehicle in the first emergency departure prevention control); [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the emergency departure prevention control performed in the driving assistance device of the present embodiment (first emergency departure prevention control for a following vehicle); [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of the operation of the emergency departure prevention control performed in the driving assistance device of the present embodiment (response to an oncoming vehicle in the second emergency departure prevention control); [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing lane departure control and emergency departure suppression control performed in the driving assistance device of the present embodiment; [Figure 7] A flowchart of a subroutine of the first emergency departure suppression control (processing of step S13) of FIG. [Figure 8] A flowchart of a subroutine of the second emergency departure suppression control (processing of step S16) of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of the driver abnormality response control performed in the driving assistance device of the present embodiment; [Figure 10] A flowchart illustrating a start timing of driver abnormality response control in the driving support device of this embodiment. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart showing details of the driver abnormality response control (the process of step S49) in FIG. 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationship and scale of each component may be different for each component in order to show each component at a size that can be recognized on the drawing. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated form with respect to the quantity of each component, the shape of each component, the size ratio of each component, the relative positional relationship of each component, etc. shown in each drawing.

[0028] A driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device that is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile and performs driving control to assist the driver of the vehicle in performing driving operations.

[0029] The driving assistance device of this embodiment acquires information about the situation ahead of the vehicle and the surrounding situation (for example, information about the surrounding situation of the vehicle including other vehicles traveling ahead and around the vehicle (preceding vehicle, following vehicle, oncoming vehicle, vehicle traveling alongside, etc.), bicycles, pedestrians, obstacles, etc.; hereinafter simply referred to as surrounding situation information, etc.) using a sensor device (sensing device) such as an on-board camera unit or a radar device. In addition to the acquired surrounding situation information data, the driving assistance device recognizes road conditions, etc. related to the preceding vehicle, following vehicle, and various obstacles, based on road map information, etc. acquired from an external device such as a high-precision road map database through communication. The driving assistance device of this embodiment then appropriately uses these various types of information (surrounding situation information, etc., map information, etc., recognition information, etc.) as information when executing driving control to assist the driver in driving operations.

[0030] First, a schematic configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

[0031] The configuration of the driving support device 1 of this embodiment is basically substantially the same as that of a conventional driving support device. Therefore, when describing the configuration of the driving support device 1 of this embodiment, only the main configuration of the device will be briefly described. As the detailed configuration of the driving support device 1 of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the conventional driving support device, detailed description of the configuration other than that directly related to the present invention will be omitted. Also, in FIG. 1, only the main configuration of the driving support device 1 of this embodiment is illustrated, and configurations not directly related to the present invention are omitted.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment includes, as its main components, a locator unit 11, a surroundings monitoring unit 20, a camera unit 21, a driving control unit 22 which is a driving control device, an engine control unit 23, a power steering control unit 24, a brake control unit 25, etc.

[0033] Here, the locator unit 11, the surroundings monitoring unit 20, and the camera unit 21 are components that function as sensor units (environment recognition devices) for recognizing the inside and outside of the vehicle's traveling environment. Each of these units (11, 20, 21) exists as a completely independent component unit without depending on each other.

[0034] Each control unit, namely, the driving control unit 22, the engine control unit 23, the power steering control unit 24, and the brake control unit 25, together with the locator unit 11, the surrounding monitoring unit 20, and the camera unit 21, are connected to each other via an in-vehicle communication line 10 such as a CAN (Controller Area Network), and share data as needed and appropriate.

[0035] Locator unit 11 is an information acquisition device that estimates the position of the vehicle (vehicle position) on a road map and acquires road map information, etc., mainly of the area ahead of the estimated vehicle position.

[0036] The locator unit 11 includes a map locator calculation unit 12, an acceleration sensor 13, a wheel speed sensor 14, a gyro sensor 15, a GNSS receiver 16, a road information receiver 17, a high-precision road map database (DB; Data Base, abbreviated as road map DB in FIG. 1) 18 as a map information storage unit, and a route information input unit 19.

[0037] Among these, the acceleration sensor 13, the wheel speed sensor 14, and the gyro sensor 15 are various sensors required for estimating the position of the host vehicle (host vehicle position). For example, the acceleration sensor 13 is a sensor that detects the longitudinal acceleration of the host vehicle. The wheel speed sensor 14 is a sensor that detects the rotational speed of each of the front, rear, left and right wheels. The gyro sensor 15 is a sensor that detects the angular velocity or angular acceleration of the host vehicle. Each of these sensors (13, 14, 15) is an autonomous driving sensor group that functions as a driving state acquisition unit, and is connected to the input side of the map locator calculation unit 12.

[0038] The autonomous driving sensor group (sensors 13, 14, 15) is a sensor group provided to enable autonomous driving when, for example, the reception sensitivity from a GNSS satellite (not shown) is reduced and the positioning signal cannot be effectively received, for example, when driving in a tunnel, etc. The autonomous driving sensor group may include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, etc., in addition to the above-mentioned sensors (13, 14, 15).

[0039] The GNSS receiver 16 functions as a vehicle position acquisition unit and is a receiving device that receives various information from, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). That is, the GNSS receiver 16 receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites. The GNSS receiver 16 outputs the acquired positioning signals to the map locator calculation unit 12 of the locator unit 11. The map locator calculation unit 12 estimates the vehicle position (latitude, longitude) based on the positioning signals received by the GNSS receiver 16 from the plurality of positioning satellites. For this reason, the GNSS receiver 16 is connected to the input side of the map locator calculation unit 12.

[0040] Furthermore, the map locator calculation unit 12 is connected to a road information receiver 17, a high-precision road map database 18 as a storage means, a route information input unit 19, and the like.

[0041] Road information receiver 17 is a receiving device that receives and acquires various information, such as information necessary for automatic driving and map information, stored in a predetermined base station (not shown) or a cloud server (not shown) connected via the Internet. Road information receiver 17 outputs the acquired various information to map locator calculation section 12 of locator unit 11. Road information receiver 17 further includes a function of transmitting various information of the vehicle to the base station or cloud server (not shown), and may take the form of a road information transmitting / receiving device.

[0042] The map locator calculation unit 12 performs map matching of the vehicle position on a map based on map information received by the road information receiver 17, and constructs a target driving route connecting the input destination and the vehicle position. Furthermore, the map locator calculation unit 12 sets a target driving route for executing automatic driving up to several kilometers ahead of the vehicle on the constructed target driving route. Here, items set as the target driving route include the lane in which the vehicle will travel (for example, which lane to travel in when there are three lanes), lane changes to overtake a preceding vehicle, and the timing to start lane changes, etc.

[0043] The high-precision road map database 18 is mainly composed of large-capacity storage media such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive). Well-known high-precision road map information (local dynamic map) is stored in this high-precision road map database 18. Here, the high-precision road map information has the same layer structure as a global dynamic map provided in, for example, a cloud server (not shown), and has a hierarchical structure in which additional map information necessary to support automated driving is superimposed on the lowest static information layer that serves as the base.

[0044] The additional map information here includes static location information such as road type (general road, expressway, etc.), road shape, left and right dividing lines (lane boundaries), exits to expressways and bypass roads, etc., and entrance / exit lengths (start and end positions) of branch lanes and merging lanes leading to junctions, service areas, parking areas, etc., as well as dynamic location information such as traffic congestion information and traffic restrictions due to accidents or construction work.

[0045] As described later, when a target driving route is set by the map locator calculation unit 12, this additional map information is continuously obtained from the global dynamic map and sequentially updated as peripheral information required for the vehicle to autonomously drive along the set target driving route.

[0046] In addition, the high-precision road map information also contains lane data required for autonomous driving, such as lane width data, lane center position coordinate data, lane travel azimuth data, speed limit information, etc. This lane data and other information is stored at intervals of several meters for each lane on the road map.

[0047] The route information input unit 19 is a terminal device operated by a person in the vehicle, such as a driver or a passenger. The route information input unit 19 can collect and input a series of information required for setting a target driving route in the map locator calculation unit 12, such as setting a destination and intermediate points (such as a service area on a highway).

[0048] Specifically, route information input unit 19 is an input unit of a car navigation system (for example, a touch panel of a monitor, etc.), a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a personal computer, etc. Route information input unit 19 is connected to map locator calculation unit 12 by wire or wirelessly. As a result, when a driver or a passenger operates route information input unit 19 to input information of a destination or a stopover point (facility name, address, telephone number, etc.), the input information is read into map locator calculation unit 12. Map locator calculation unit 12 sets the position coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the destination and the stopover point input from route information input unit 19.

[0049] The map locator calculation unit 12 includes a vehicle position estimation unit 12a, a map information acquisition unit 12b, and the like.

[0050] The vehicle position estimation unit 12a is a unit that estimates the vehicle position. The vehicle position estimation unit 12a acquires the position coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle based on the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver 16. Then, the vehicle position estimation unit 12a performs map matching of the acquired position coordinates on the route map information to estimate the vehicle position (current position) on the road map.

[0051] In addition, in an environment where a valid positioning signal from a positioning satellite cannot be received due to reduced sensitivity of the GNSS receiver 16, such as when driving inside a tunnel, the vehicle position estimation unit 12a switches to autonomous navigation, which estimates the vehicle position based on vehicle speed data obtained based on the wheel speed detected by the wheel speed sensor 14, angular velocity data detected by the gyro sensor 15, longitudinal acceleration data detected by the acceleration sensor 13, etc., and estimates the vehicle position (latitude, longitude) on a road map.

[0052] The map information acquisition unit 12b constructs target driving route information from the current location to the destination (target driving route information connecting the vehicle's position on the high-precision road map information and the destination (or the destination via the via point if a via point is set)) based on the position information (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle's position estimated by the vehicle position estimation unit 12a and the position information (latitude, longitude) of the destination and the via point input by the driver or the like from the route information input unit 19, according to a route condition (recommended route, fastest route, etc.) set in advance. At this time, the vehicle position estimation unit 12a identifies the driving lane on which the vehicle is traveling, acquires road shapes such as driving lanes and merging lanes stored in the road map data, and sequentially stores this information. The map information acquisition unit 12b also transmits the target driving route information to the vehicle position estimation unit 12a.

[0053] In this way, the map locator calculation unit 12 performs map matching of the vehicle position estimated by the vehicle position estimation unit 12a on a road map to identify the current location of the vehicle, and acquires road map information including information on the surrounding conditions. In addition, the map information acquisition unit 12b sets a target driving route as a target for the vehicle.

[0054] The camera unit 21 is a surrounding situation information acquisition device that recognizes the situation mainly in the traveling direction (forward) of the vehicle and acquires the information, and constitutes a part of a surrounding situation recognition device.

[0055] Specifically, the camera unit 21 recognizes, for example, other vehicles (such as a preceding vehicle or a vehicle traveling alongside) traveling in front of or to the side of the vehicle, three-dimensional objects including moving objects (hereinafter simply referred to as moving objects, etc.) such as bicycles and motorcycles traveling alongside the vehicle, traffic light indications (lighting color, flashing state, arrow direction, etc.), road markings such as road signs, stop lines, lane boundaries, etc., as well as various road surrounding conditions, etc.

[0056] The camera unit 21 is fixed to the upper center of the front part of the vehicle interior and includes an in-vehicle camera (stereo camera) consisting of a main camera 21a and a sub-camera 21b arranged at symmetrical positions across the center of the vehicle width direction, an image processing unit (IPU) 21c, a driving environment recognition unit 21d, etc. The camera unit 21 captures reference image data with the main camera 21a and captures comparison image data with the sub-camera 21b. The two image data acquired by these two cameras 21a and 21b are subjected to predetermined image processing by the IPU 21c.

[0057] The driving environment recognition unit 21d reads the reference image data and the comparison image data that have been image-processed by the IPU 21c, recognizes the same object in both images based on the parallax between the two images, and calculates the distance data (distance information from the vehicle to the object) using the principle of triangulation to recognize it as information on the forward situation.

[0058] Furthermore, the camera unit 21 recognizes, for example, dividing lines (lane boundary lines) that divide the left and right sides of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling as forward situation information.

[0059] Here, the forward situation information includes various information such as the road shape (lane boundary lines which are dividing lanes into left and right and indicate lanes, road curvature [1 / m] at the center between dividing lines, and width between left and right dividing lines (lane width)) of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (merging lanes, driving lanes, etc.), entrances and exits of expressways and bypass roads, lane widths between dividing lines on the side of merging lanes and branching lanes leading to junctions, intersections, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, road signs, and roadside obstacles (electric poles, utility poles, parked vehicles, etc.), as well as image information showing the behavior of other vehicles traveling in front of and around the vehicle. This forward situation information is output to the cruise control unit 22.

[0060] In addition, the driving environment recognition unit 21d performs a predetermined pattern matching on the distance image information to recognize guardrails, curbs, and three-dimensional objects along the road. Here, the recognition of three-dimensional objects by the driving environment recognition unit 21d recognizes, for example, the type of the three-dimensional object, the distance to the three-dimensional object, the speed of the three-dimensional object, and the relative speed between the three-dimensional object and the vehicle.

[0061] Each of the cameras 21a and 21b may have a function of acquiring sound information simultaneously with the image information. In this case, the sound information acquired simultaneously with the image information is included in the forward situation information as sound information related to the forward situation of the vehicle.

[0062] The surroundings monitoring unit 20 is a surroundings information acquisition device that recognizes the surroundings of the vehicle and acquires the information, and constitutes a part of the surroundings recognition device. The surroundings monitoring unit 20 is configured with a surroundings recognition sensor 20a, a surrounding environment recognition unit 20b, etc.

[0063] The surrounding situation recognition sensor 20a is a group of autonomous sensors serving as surrounding situation detection means, which includes sensing devices such as ultrasonic sensors, millimeter wave radar, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and cameras, as well as combinations of these.

[0064] Specifically, for example, a plurality of millimeter wave radars serving as the surrounding situation recognition sensor 20a are disposed at the four corners of the vehicle (for example, the left front side, the right front side, the left rear side, the right rear side, etc.). Of these, the left and right front side millimeter wave radars are provided, for example, at the left and right sides of the front bumper, and are used to monitor some areas around the vehicle that are difficult to recognize using images acquired by the two cameras 21a, 21b of the camera unit 21 (areas diagonally forward and to the left and right of the vehicle).

[0065] In addition, the left and right rear side millimeter wave radars are provided, for example, on the left and right sides of the rear bumper and are used to monitor some areas around the vehicle (areas from the sides to the rear of the vehicle) that cannot be monitored by the left and right front side millimeter wave radars.

[0066] The surrounding environment recognition unit 20b acquires surrounding situation information, which is information about moving objects around the vehicle (e.g., vehicles traveling alongside, following vehicles traveling in the vehicle's lane or an adjacent lane, oncoming vehicles, etc.) based on the output signal from the surrounding situation recognition sensor 20a.

[0067] The periphery monitoring unit 20 and the camera unit 21 constitute a peripheral situation information acquisition device and a peripheral situation recognition device in the driving support device 1 of this embodiment. Here, the driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21 and the peripheral environment recognition unit 20b of the periphery monitoring unit 20 are connected to the input side of the driving control unit 22 through the in-vehicle communication line 10. In addition, the driving control unit 22 and the map locator calculation unit 12 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally through the in-vehicle communication line 10. And, to the input side of the driving control unit 22, a mode changeover switch 33, a steering wheel touch sensor 34, a steering torque sensor 35, a brake sensor 36, an accelerator sensor 37, and the like are connected as a plurality of various switches or a plurality of sensor groups for detecting vehicle internal situation information.

[0068] The mode changeover switch 33 refers to a group of switches that the driver switches on and off to select various driving modes and multiple control functions related to driving assistance control. By operating the mode changeover switch 33, the driver can selectively switch on and off various driving modes, such as a manual driving mode, a first driving assistance mode, a second driving assistance mode, and an evacuation mode.

[0069] Here, the manual driving mode is a driving mode that requires the driver to maintain steering, for example, a driving mode in which the vehicle is driven according to the driver's driving operations (steering operation, accelerator operation, braking operation, etc.).

[0070] The first driving assistance mode is a semi-automated driving mode that requires the driver to maintain steering and that supports the driver's operation in accordance with the surrounding environment of the vehicle recognized by various sensors, while reflecting the driving operation by the driver. That is, the first driving assistance mode is a semi-automated driving mode that controls, for example, the engine control unit 23, the power steering control unit 24, the brake control unit 25, etc., and mainly performs a combination of various controls such as preceding vehicle following control, lane keeping assist control, lane departure suppression control, and emergency departure suppression control, to make the vehicle travel along a set target travel route.

[0071] The second driving assistance mode is an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle is autonomously driven along a target driving route by mainly combining preceding vehicle following control, lane keeping assist control, lane departure prevention control, etc. through control by, for example, the engine control unit 23, power steering control unit 24, brake control unit 25, etc., without requiring the driver to maintain steering, operate the accelerator, or operate the brakes, etc.

[0072] The evacuation mode is an emergency driving mode for automatically and safely stopping the vehicle when, for example, while the vehicle is traveling in the first or second driving assistance mode, the vehicle is unable to continue traveling and the driving operation cannot be handed over to the driver (i.e., when the mode cannot be switched to the manual driving mode or the first driving assistance mode). The control executed in this evacuation mode is a control called "driver abnormality response control" which will be described later.

[0073] Furthermore, the mode change switch 33 is also an operating member that allows the driver to selectively switch on and off each function, such as lane keeping assist control, lane departure suppression control, and emergency departure suppression control, among the various types of steering assist control.

[0074] The steering wheel touch sensor 34 is a sensor for detecting a state in which the driver is gripping a steering wheel (not shown) in a steering device, i.e., a holding state. The steering wheel touch sensor 34 is provided on the steering wheel of the vehicle (hereinafter, simply abbreviated as the steering wheel). The steering wheel touch sensor 34 outputs an ON signal when the steering wheel is gripped (when the steering wheel is in a holding state).

[0075] The steering torque sensor 35 is a sensor that detects steering torque as an amount of driving operation by a driver, and is provided on a steering shaft (not shown) in a steering device of the vehicle.

[0076] The steering wheel touch sensor 34 and the steering torque sensor 35 are sensors for recognizing the state of the steering wheel held by the driver of the vehicle, and are a held-steering-state recognition unit. The output signals of both of these sensors (34, 35) are output to the cruise control unit 22 (a held-steering-state determination unit 22b; described later).

[0077] The brake sensor 36 is a sensor that detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal as a driving operation amount by the driver.The accelerator sensor 37 is a sensor that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal as a driving operation amount by the driver.

[0078] Meanwhile, an alarm device 38 such as a monitor panel or a speaker is connected to the output side of the driving control unit 22. The alarm device 38 is a device that notifies the driver of an alarm (for example, a visual alarm display on a display device such as a monitor panel, an auditory alarm display by a sound device such as a speaker or a horn, etc.) according to the situation recognized by the driving control unit 22 based on the forward situation information, the surrounding situation information, etc. acquired by the driving environment recognition unit 21d, the surrounding environment recognition unit 20b, etc.

[0079] In addition, the notification device 38 may, in some cases, provide the driver with various types of indications that suggest operations that the driver should perform (specifically, suggestive indications such as "Please press the brake pedal," "Please release the accelerator," "Please make steering corrections," etc.) that the driver may perceive audibly or visually.

[0080] The driving control unit 22 is configured to include a surrounding situation determination unit 22a, a steering state determination unit 22b, a driving lane setting unit 22c, a steering assistance control unit 22d, and the like.

[0081] The surrounding situation determination unit 22a determines the surrounding situation of the vehicle based on the recognition result by the surrounding situation recognition device (the surrounding monitoring unit 20, the camera unit 21).

[0082] The steering state determination unit 22b determines the steering state by the driver of the host vehicle based on the recognition result by the steering state recognition unit (the steering wheel touch sensor 34, the steering torque sensor 35).

[0083] The driving lane setting unit 22c sets the driving lane in which the vehicle will travel based on the surrounding situation recognition device, i.e., forward situation information recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21, and the surrounding situation information of the vehicle recognized by the surrounding environment recognition unit 20b of the periphery monitoring unit 20.

[0084] Here, the driving lane setting unit 22c, for example, receives lane recognition information contained in the forward situation information from the camera unit 21, calculates the road curvature at the center of the left and right dividing lines (lane boundary lines) of the lane in which the vehicle is driving, and detects the lateral position deviation of the vehicle in the width direction based on the center of the left and right dividing lines.

[0085] There are various known methods for determining the road curvature and lane width at the center between the lane lines, but for example, the driving environment recognition unit 21d recognizes the left and right lane lines by binarizing the road curvature based on the forward driving environment image information using brightness difference, determines the curvature of the left and right lane lines for each predetermined section using a curve approximation formula using the least squares method, and calculates the vehicle width from the difference in curvature between the two lane lines.The driving environment recognition unit 21d then determines the road curvature at the lane center based on the curvature of the left and right lane lines and the lane width, and further calculates the lateral position deviation of the host vehicle based on the lane center, or more precisely, the host vehicle lateral position deviation, which is the distance from the lane center to the vehicle width center.

[0086] The steering assist control unit 22d performs various steering assist controls to assist the steering operation performed by the driver when avoiding dangers, etc. that the vehicle encounters while traveling, in addition to steering operations to stably drive the vehicle within the driving lane.

[0087] The steering assist control unit 22d includes a target driving position setting unit 22e, an avoidance determination unit 22f, a lane departure determination unit 22g, and the like.

[0088] The target driving position setting unit 22e sets a target driving position (for example, the center position of the lane) of the host vehicle within the driving lane set by the driving lane setting unit 22c.

[0089] The avoidance determination unit 22f determines whether or not the host vehicle needs to take evasive action to avoid a specified target when the surrounding situation recognition device recognizes that a specified target exists ahead on the extension of the target traveling position set by the target traveling position setting unit.

[0090] The lane departure determination unit 22g determines a lane departure situation, such as whether the vehicle is likely to deviate from the driving lane set by the driving lane setting unit 22c into an adjacent lane, while traveling in the driving lane. In addition, when it is determined by the avoidance determination unit 22f that an evasive action is necessary for a forward target recognized by the lane departure determination unit 22f, the lane departure determination unit 22g determines a lane departure situation, such as whether the vehicle will deviate from the driving lane if the vehicle performs an evasive action, based on the lateral positional relationship between the vehicle and the target.

[0091] The driving control unit 22 performs various predetermined situation judgments using the surrounding situation judgment unit 22a and the steering state judgment unit 22b, etc., based on output information from the driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21 and the surrounding environment recognition unit 20b of the surrounding monitoring unit 20, i.e., the surrounding situation recognition device, as well as various information obtained through the map locator calculation unit 12, and based on vehicle internal situation information acquired from the mode change switch 33 and various sensors (34, 35, 36, 37), etc., and performs driving control of the vehicle through the engine control unit 23, the power steering control unit 24, the brake control unit 25, etc., based on these judgment results.

[0092] When an automatic driving section where automatic driving control is permitted is set in the target driving route set by the map locator calculation unit 12, the driving control unit 22 sets a driving route for performing automatic driving control in the automatic driving section. In the automatic driving section, the driving control unit 22 also has a function of appropriately controlling the engine control unit 23, the power steering control unit 24, the brake control unit 25, etc. to automatically drive the host vehicle in the second driving assistance mode along the target driving route set from the host vehicle position estimated based on various information.

[0093] At that time, the driving control unit 22 makes the vehicle follow the preceding vehicle when the preceding vehicle is detected, for example, by preceding vehicle following control, lane keeping assist control, etc. based on the forward situation information recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 21d, and makes the vehicle travel at a set vehicle speed within the speed limit when the preceding vehicle is not detected. In addition, the driving control unit 22 executes steering assist control selected appropriately, such as lane keeping assist control, lane departure suppression control, emergency departure suppression control, etc., and further performs driving control such as driver abnormality response control in some cases.

[0094] In addition, the driver abnormality response control is a technology for safely and automatically stopping the vehicle when, for example, in the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment, while automatic driving control is being performed, a situation arises in which the device is unable to hand over driving operations to the driver.

[0095] As described above, the cruise control unit 22 is connected to each of the control units, such as the engine control unit 23, the power steering control unit 24, and the brake control unit 25, through the in-vehicle communication line 10. In this way, the cruise control unit 22 controls each of the control units (23, 24, 25), etc.

[0096] A throttle actuator 27 is connected to the output side of the engine control unit 23. This throttle actuator 27 opens and closes a throttle valve of an electronically controlled throttle provided in a throttle body of the engine, and generates a desired engine output by opening and closing the throttle valve in response to a drive signal from the engine control unit 23 to adjust the intake air flow rate.

[0097] An electric power steering motor 28 is connected to the output side of the power steering control unit 24. This electric power steering motor 28 applies steering torque to the steering mechanism by the rotational force of the electric motor. In driving modes other than the manual mode (first and second driving assistance modes, evacuation mode, etc.), various steering assistance controls that assist steering operation (i.e., steering) are executed by controlling the electric power steering motor 28 with a drive signal from the power steering control unit 24. In addition, a steering torque sensor 35 indicates a steering torque value by detecting a change in the drive amount of the electric power steering motor 28 or the drive amount of the steering mechanism, etc.

[0098] A brake actuator 29 is connected to the output side of the brake control unit 25. This brake actuator 29 adjusts the brake hydraulic pressure supplied to the brake wheel cylinders provided on each wheel, and when the brake actuator 29 is driven by a drive signal from the brake control unit 25, a braking force is generated on each wheel by the brake wheel cylinders, forcibly decelerating the vehicle.

[0099] The map locator calculation unit 12, the surrounding environment recognition unit 20b, the driving environment recognition unit 21d, the driving control unit 22, the engine control unit 23, the power steering control unit 24, the brake control unit 25, and the like are configured by, for example, a well-known microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a non-volatile storage unit, and its peripheral devices. The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU and fixed data such as data tables in advance. The schematic configuration of the driving support device 1 of this embodiment has been described above.

[0100] The operation of the driving support device according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described below. In the description of this embodiment, a road system based on left-hand traffic, in which the vehicle's traffic zone is on the left side, is used as an example. Therefore, when applying this to a road system based on right-hand traffic, it can be easily applied by simply switching the left and right.

[0101] First, the basic operations of the lane departure suppression control and the emergency departure suppression control among the steering assist controls executed in the driving assist device 1 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0102] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining generally normal lane departure suppression control performed in the driving assistance device of this embodiment. The lane departure suppression control performed in the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment is basically substantially similar to conventionally known lane departure suppression control. The following explanation shows a simplified basic action when the lane departure suppression control is executed alone. Therefore, the explanation of FIG. 2 explains only the action of the lane departure suppression control, and does not take into account the on / off state of other controls, or the intervention and influence of those other controls.

[0103] The example shown in Fig. 2 assumes that the vehicle 100 is traveling in the left lane RL on a one-way, alternating road R. Here, the road R is made up of a lane RL on the left side as seen by the driver of the vehicle 100, and a lane RR adjacent to the right side of the left lane RL. The left lane RL is the area between the left shoulder marking L1 and the center marking L2. The right lane RR is the area between the center marking L2 and the right shoulder marking L3.

[0104] In this case, the host vehicle 100 is traveling in the left lane RL as the host vehicle's driving lane (host lane). The driving support device 1 mounted on the host vehicle 100 is set to an ON state in which the lane departure suppression control among the steering support controls is activated. Note that other controls are not taken into consideration in FIG. 2.

[0105] In this situation, the driving assistance device 1 of the vehicle 100 recognizes the dividing lines (L1, L2) on both sides of the vehicle's lane (by the surrounding condition recognition device (20, 21)), sets the lane RL in the area between the recognized dividing lines (L1, L2) as the driving lane in which the vehicle 100 should travel (by the driving lane setting unit 22c), and sets, for example, the center position of the lane as the target driving position of the vehicle 100 within the set driving lane RL (by the target driving position setting unit 22e).

[0106] Here, consider a case where the vehicle 100 is about to deviate from the driving lane RL to the adjacent lane RR (the oncoming lane in the example of FIG. 2). In this case, the vehicle 100 is located at the position indicated by the symbol A in FIG. 2 and is in the posture shown in FIG.

[0107] Here, specific situations in which the vehicle is likely to deviate from the driving lane to the adjacent lane include, for example, a case where the vehicle does not go straight but moves to the left or right side due to the influence of a lateral gradient on the road on which the vehicle is traveling, etc. In addition, there are cases where the vehicle breaks down, the driver is distracted while driving, the driver falls asleep due to fatigue, or the driver becomes unconscious due to sudden illness, etc. In addition, for example, when the vehicle is traveling on a set target driving route, the vehicle recognizes that a certain target exists on the target driving route, and the driver performs a sudden steering operation as an avoidance action to avoid the target, and the vehicle may deviate from the driving lane.

[0108] 2, a line along the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 and along the vector (arrow symbol S1) of the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 at this time (position A) is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the dividing lines L1, L2 on both sides of the traveling lane RL of the vehicle 100. Therefore, if the vehicle 100 continues to travel along the vector of the traveling direction, which is the arrow symbol S1, the vehicle 100 is expected to cross the dividing line L2 and then deviate into the adjacent lane RR (oncoming lane) (determined by the lane deviation determination unit 22g).

[0109] Therefore, in the driving assistance device 1 of the vehicle 100, when the lane departure determination unit 22g determines that the vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the driving lane, steering assistance control is executed to suppress lane departure. The steering assistance control executed here is a control to rotate the steering wheel in a right-left rotation direction. In FIG. 2, the state in which the steering wheel is rotated in the left rotation direction (arrow L direction) is indicated by reference numeral 101L, and the state in which the steering wheel is rotated in the right rotation direction (arrow R direction) is indicated by reference numeral 101R. Also, in FIG. 2, the state in which the steering wheel is in the neutral position is indicated by reference numeral 101C.

[0110] The lane departure suppression control first performs steering operation assistance control (steering assistance control) so that the vehicle 100 traces a turning trajectory until the angle (called lane yaw angle) between a line along the fore-aft direction of the vehicle 100 (for example, a line along the arrow symbol S1) and the dividing line L2 becomes zero (i.e., until the line along the fore-aft direction of the vehicle 100 (the line along the arrow symbol S1) and the dividing line L2 become parallel). The steering assistance control at this time is performed in the area indicated by symbol AB in FIG. 2.

[0111] Then, when the vehicle 100 reaches the position indicated by the symbol B in FIG. 2, a line along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 100 (a line along the arrow symbol S2 at this point (position B)) becomes parallel to the dividing line L2. The vector of the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 at this time is indicated by the arrow symbol S2 in FIG. 2. Here, the steering control performed from position A to position B is referred to as the "first stage control processing."

[0112] When the vehicle 100 is in the position indicated by the symbol B, the vehicle 100 is traveling along the dividing line L2 without crossing the dividing line L2. In this state, a part of the vehicle 100 (a part near the right side) may be traveling outside the adjacent lane (oncoming lane) RR.

[0113] Therefore, the driving assistance device 1 executes steering assistance control and driving assistance control to guide the host vehicle 100 into the area of ​​the driving lane RL and make the right side of the host vehicle 100 travel along the inner edge (lane edge) of the dividing line L2. The steering assistance control at this time is performed in the area indicated by the symbol BD in Fig. 2. The vector of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 traveling in this area is indicated by the arrow symbol S3 in Fig. 2.

[0114] When the vehicle 100 reaches the position indicated by D in FIG. 2, the line along the fore-aft direction of the vehicle 100 (the line along the arrow S4 at this point (position D)) and the lane marking L2 become parallel again. The vector of the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 at this time is indicated by the arrow S4 in FIG. 2. Thus, once the line along the fore-aft direction of the vehicle 100 (S4) and the lane marking L2 become parallel at position D in FIG. 2, the vehicle will continue to travel in this state while following the lane marking L2 for a predetermined period of time. Here, the steering control performed from position B to position D is referred to as the "second stage control processing."

[0115] The vehicle 100 is traveling in a state where it is traveling along the inner edge (lane edge) of the lane marking L2 in the area of ​​the lane RL of the lane L2 after passing the position indicated by the symbol D for a predetermined time. In other words, the vehicle 100 moves to the lane edge of the lane of the lane and travels while maintaining the lane edge position. At this point, the vehicle 100 is in a state where the risk of collision with an oncoming vehicle or the like has been avoided.

[0116] However, when the vehicle 100 continues to travel along the lane marking L2 after passing position D in Fig. 2, the vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the lane again. Therefore, the driving support device 1 further performs the following driving control.

[0117] That is, the driving assistance device 1 executes steering assistance control and driving assistance control to guide the host vehicle 100 to the center position of the lane RL and drive while maintaining the lane center position. The steering assistance control at this time is performed in the area indicated by the symbol F from a predetermined position after a predetermined time has elapsed from the symbol D in Fig. 2. The vector of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 while driving in this area is indicated by the arrow symbol S5 in Fig. 2.

[0118] When the host vehicle 100 reaches the position indicated by the symbol F in FIG. 2, the line along the fore-and-aft direction of the host vehicle 100 (the line along the arrow symbol S6 at this point (position F)) and the lane marking L2 become parallel again. The vector of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 at this time is indicated by the arrow symbol S6 in FIG. 2. Here, the steering control performed from position D to position F is referred to as the "third stage control processing."

[0119] In this way, when the host vehicle 100 reaches a state where it is traveling while maintaining the lane center position of the driving lane RL, the lane departure suppression control by the driving assistance device 1 is completed.

[0120] In the above explanation using Figure 2, it is assumed that the vehicle deviates into the oncoming lane when the vehicle is traveling in the left lane area on a one-lane, alternating traffic road. However, the situation in which lane departure prevention control is performed is not limited to such a situation.

[0121] For example, when a vehicle is traveling in the left lane of two lanes on a road (four lanes in each direction), and is about to deviate into the adjacent lane on the right (overtaking lane), the control may be applied in exactly the same way. Furthermore, there are many similar examples, and the control may be applied to the case where deviation into the left lane is suppressed while traveling in the right lane of a two-lane road, or the case where deviation suppression control into the right lane or the left lane is performed while traveling in the center lane of a three-lane road. The same applies to the emergency deviation suppression control and the driver abnormality response control described later, and are not limited to the examples described.

[0122] Next, Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the action of emergency departure suppression control performed in the driving support device of this embodiment (response to an oncoming vehicle in the first emergency departure suppression control). The emergency departure suppression control itself performed in the driving support device 1 of this embodiment is basically substantially similar to conventionally known lane departure suppression control. However, the emergency departure suppression control is different in that the detection of another vehicle, such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle, when the vehicle is about to deviate from the lane serves as a trigger for starting execution. Note that the lane departure control and the emergency departure control have different control parameters, so that the control amount differs depending on each control.

[0123] The example shown in Fig. 3, like the example in Fig. 2, assumes that the vehicle 100 is traveling in the area of ​​the left lane RL on a one-way, alternating road R. Therefore, the same reference symbols as in Fig. 2 are used for each reference symbol (the vehicle 100, the road R, the lanes RL and RR, the division lines L1, L2, and L3, etc.).

[0124] In this case, the host vehicle 100 is traveling in the left lane RL as the host vehicle's driving lane (host lane). Also, an oncoming vehicle 110 is shown to be present in the right lane RR, traveling in the opposite direction to the host vehicle 100. The driving assistance device 1 mounted on the host vehicle 100 is set to an ON state in which both the lane departure prevention control and the emergency departure prevention control of the steering assistance control are activated.

[0125] Here, the control when lane departure suppression control or emergency departure suppression control is on is referred to as first emergency departure suppression control. The example in Fig. 3 is an example of an oncoming vehicle detection in the first emergency departure suppression control. In addition, the explanation of Fig. 3 does not take into account the on / off states of other controls or the intervention and influence of those other controls in order to explain the operation of the first emergency departure suppression control (control when lane departure suppression control or emergency departure suppression control is on).

[0126] In this situation, the driving assistance device 1 of the vehicle 100 recognizes the dividing lines (L1, L2) on both sides of the vehicle's lane, sets the lane RL in the area between the recognized dividing lines (L1, L2) as the driving lane in which the vehicle 100 should travel, and sets, for example, the center position of the lane as the target driving position of the vehicle 100 within the set driving lane RL (similar to the situation in Figure 2).

[0127] Here, a case will be considered in which the vehicle 100 is about to deviate from the driving lane RL into the adjacent lane RR (the oncoming lane in the example of FIG. 3), similar to the situation in FIG. 2. The situation of the vehicle 100 at this time is that the vehicle 100 is located at the position indicated by the symbol A in FIG. 3, and is in the posture shown in FIG. 3.

[0128] 3, the vehicle 100 is in a situation where a line along the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 and along the vector (arrow symbol S1) of the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 at this time (position A) is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the dividing lines L1, L2 on both sides of the traveling lane RL of the vehicle 100. Therefore, if the vehicle 100 continues to travel along the arrow symbol S1 of the vector of the traveling direction, the vehicle 100 is expected to cross the dividing line L2 and then deviate into the adjacent lane RR (oncoming lane) (determined by the lane deviation determination unit 22g).

[0129] Furthermore, at this time, an oncoming vehicle 110 is present in the oncoming lane RR on the forward extension of a line (a line along arrow symbol S1) that runs along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 100, and is traveling in a direction along arrow symbol S10 in Figure 3, and the driving assistance device 1 of the vehicle 100 has detected the oncoming vehicle 110 using, for example, a camera unit 21, etc.

[0130] 3, the driving assistance device 1 of the host vehicle 100 has both the lane departure prevention control and the emergency departure prevention control turned on, and thus detects that the host vehicle 100 is about to depart from the driving lane RL and starts the lane departure prevention control. At the same time, an oncoming vehicle 110 is detected, and the emergency departure prevention control is also started.

[0131] In such a case, first, an oncoming vehicle 110 is detected, emergency departure suppression control is initiated, and a warning display 200 (see FIG. 3) is displayed to alert other vehicles, such as oncoming vehicles, to be on their guard. This warning display 200 is, for example, a visual display on a display panel or the like, or an audible display through a speaker or the like.

[0132] Thereafter, when the host vehicle 100 and the oncoming vehicle 110 pass each other and the oncoming vehicle 110 moves away from the surroundings of the host vehicle 100 and is no longer present, and when there is no oncoming vehicle following the oncoming vehicle 110 (when no following oncoming vehicle is detected), the emergency departure suppression control being executed is switched to lane departure suppression control.

[0133] At the same time, the warning display 200 based on the emergency departure prevention control is switched to a predetermined status display 201 indicating that the lane departure prevention control is being executed, and the status display 201 is continuously displayed. The subsequent operations are exactly the same as those described above with reference to FIG. 2.

[0134] In this way, the timing for switching from emergency departure suppression control accompanied by warning display 200 to LPD control accompanied by status display 201 is, for example, the point at which, after emergency departure suppression control has been initiated, the oncoming vehicle 110 detected as the trigger for starting the emergency departure suppression control and the following oncoming vehicles, etc., no longer exist.

[0135] In addition, after the host vehicle 100 passes the oncoming vehicle 110 detected as a trigger of the emergency departure suppression control, there may be another oncoming vehicle (for example, a following oncoming vehicle following the oncoming vehicle to be detected). In this case, the driving support device 1 will further perform an oncoming vehicle detection determination and will continue or resume the warning, but when the host vehicle 100 is traveling at position B, the host vehicle 100 is traveling along the dividing line L2 without crossing the dividing line L2. In this state, as described above, a part of the host vehicle 100 may be in a state where it protrudes into the area in the adjacent oncoming lane RR, but at this point, the host vehicle 100 continues to perform the normal lane departure suppression control switched from the emergency departure suppression control, so the host vehicle 100 is controlled to travel in a direction away from the oncoming lane. Therefore, it can be said that the risk of collision with the oncoming vehicle is almost avoided at this point. Even if the vehicle 100 cancels the warning display 200 when the first oncoming vehicle 110 that was detected no longer exists, the driver will not feel uncomfortable.

[0136] The example in Figure 3 described above assumes that the vehicle is traveling in the left lane on a one-lane, alternating traffic road and an oncoming vehicle is detected in the oncoming lane, but the situation is not limited to this.

[0137] For example, FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another example of the action of the emergency departure suppression control performed in the driving assistance device of this embodiment (first emergency departure suppression control for a following vehicle).

[0138] Figure 4 illustrates a case where a vehicle is traveling in the left lane of a two-lane road (four lanes in both directions) and is about to deviate into the adjacent lane on the right (the passing lane). Note that Figure 4 illustrates only two lanes in each direction of the four-lane road.

[0139] Also in another example shown in FIG. 4, a case is assumed in which both the lane departure suppression control and the emergency departure suppression control are in the ON state (first emergency departure suppression control).

[0140] As shown in Figure 4, on a road with two lanes on each side (four lanes in each direction), when the vehicle is traveling in the left lane RL1 of the two lanes on each side as the driving lane, there is a following vehicle 111 that is approaching the vehicle 100 from behind along the arrow S11 of the vector in the direction of travel, and the vehicle 100 detects the following vehicle 111, which is about to deviate into the adjacent lane on the right side (the passing lane) RL2 as the driving lane, and the following vehicle 111 is approaching the vehicle 100 from behind along the arrow S11 of the vector in the direction of travel, as shown in Figure 4.

[0141] Next, FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the emergency departure suppression control performed in the driving assistance device of this embodiment (second emergency departure suppression control for dealing with an oncoming vehicle).

[0142] The example shown in Fig. 5, like the example in Fig. 3, assumes that the vehicle 100 is traveling in the area of ​​the left lane RL on a one-way, alternating road R. Therefore, the same reference symbols as those in Figs. 2 and 3 are used.

[0143] In this case, the host vehicle 100 travels in the left lane RL as the host vehicle's driving lane (host lane), and an oncoming vehicle 110 is present in the right lane RR, which is the same as the situation in Fig. 3. In this example, the driving assistance device 1 mounted on the host vehicle 100 is set to an OFF state for the lane departure prevention control among the steering assistance controls, and to an ON state in which only the emergency departure prevention control is activated.

[0144] Here, the control when lane departure suppression control is off and emergency departure suppression control is on is referred to as second emergency departure suppression control. The example in Fig. 5 is an example of the case of oncoming vehicle detection in the second emergency departure suppression control. In addition, the explanation of Fig. 5 does not take into account the on / off states of other controls, or the intervention and influence of those other controls, in order to explain the action of the second emergency departure suppression control (control when lane departure suppression control is off and emergency departure suppression control is on).

[0145] In this situation, the driving assistance device 1 of the vehicle 100 recognizes the dividing lines (L1, L2) on both sides of the vehicle's lane, sets the lane RL between the recognized dividing lines (L1, L2) as the driving lane in which the vehicle 100 should travel, and sets, for example, the center position of the lane as the target driving position of the vehicle 100 in the set driving lane RL (similar to the explanation of Figs. 2 and 3). Here, as in the case of Figs. 2 and 3, a case is considered in which the vehicle 100 is about to deviate from the driving lane RL to the adjacent lane RR (the oncoming lane in the example of Fig. 5). The situation of the vehicle 100 at this time is that the vehicle 100 is located at the position indicated by the symbol A in Fig. 5 and is in the posture shown in Fig. 5.

[0146] 5, the vehicle 100 is in a situation where a line along the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 and along the vector (arrow symbol S1) of the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 at this time (position A) is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the dividing lines L1, L2 on both sides of the traveling lane RL of the vehicle 100. Therefore, if the vehicle 100 continues to travel along the arrow symbol S1 of the vector of the traveling direction, the vehicle 100 is expected to cross the dividing line L2 and then deviate into the adjacent lane RR (oncoming lane) (determined by the lane deviation determination unit 22g).

[0147] However, in the driving assistance device 1 at this time, the lane departure prevention control is turned off, so that the lane departure prevention control is not started even if the lane departure determination is made as described above. In this case, the driver operates the steering wheel by his / her own will to prevent the vehicle from departing from the lane.

[0148] Meanwhile, at this time, an oncoming vehicle 110 is present in the oncoming lane RR on the forward extension of a line (line along arrow S1) along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100, and is traveling in the direction along arrow S10 in Fig. 5. The driving assistance device 1 of the vehicle 100 detects the oncoming vehicle 110 using, for example, the camera unit 21. Then, the driving assistance device 1 starts emergency departure suppression control with the detection of the oncoming vehicle 110 as a trigger.

[0149] In this way, when an oncoming vehicle 110 is detected and emergency departure prevention control is started, a warning display 200 (see FIG. 5) is first displayed to alert other vehicles, such as oncoming vehicles, to be on their guard. This warning display 200 is, for example, a visual display on a display panel or the like, or an audible display through a speaker or the like. This warning display 200 continues to be displayed until the emergency departure prevention control is completed.

[0150] Here, the emergency departure suppression control is started when an oncoming vehicle 110 is detected as a trigger, and a predetermined steering assist control is performed together with an alarm display 200. As a result, the host vehicle 100 reaches position D from position A in FIG. 5 via positions B and C. Then, at position D in FIG. 5, the host vehicle 100 reaches a state in which a line along the longitudinal direction (a line along the arrow symbol S4) is parallel to the lane marking L2, and the host vehicle 100 is traveling while maintaining a lane edge position within the travel lane. Thereafter, the host vehicle continues traveling along the lane marking L2 while maintaining this state for a predetermined period of time. During this time, if the oncoming vehicle 110 that triggered the start of the emergency departure suppression control passes by the host vehicle 100 and moves away from the surroundings of the host vehicle 100, and if there is no oncoming vehicle following the oncoming vehicle 110 (if no following oncoming vehicle is detected), the emergency departure suppression control being executed ends when the host vehicle 100 becomes parallel to the dividing line L2 and travels within the travel lane while maintaining the lane edge position. At this time, the warning display 200 based on the emergency departure suppression control also ends.

[0151] Next, the operation of the emergency departure suppression control performed in the driving support device of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0152] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the lane departure suppression control and the emergency departure suppression control performed in the driving support device of this embodiment. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a subroutine of the first emergency departure suppression control (processing of step S13) in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a subroutine of the second emergency departure suppression control (processing of step S16) in Fig. 6.

[0153] First, in step S11 of Fig. 6, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the lane departure prevention control is set to ON. If it is confirmed that the lane departure prevention control is set to ON, the process proceeds to the next step S12. If it is confirmed that the lane departure prevention control is set to OFF, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0154] In step S12, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the setting of the emergency departure prevention control is in the ON state. If it is confirmed that the setting of the emergency departure prevention control is in the ON state, the process proceeds to the next step S13. If it is confirmed that the setting of the emergency departure prevention control is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0155] In step S13, since it has been confirmed that both the lane departure suppression control and the emergency departure suppression control are in the ON state, the cruise control unit 22 executes the first emergency departure suppression control. After completing this control process, the process returns to the original main sequence (not shown).

[0156] In step S14, since it has been confirmed that the lane departure prevention control is ON and the emergency departure prevention control is OFF, the cruise control unit 22 executes normal lane departure prevention control (see FIG. 2). After completing this control process, the process returns to the original main sequence (not shown).

[0157] In step S15, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the emergency departure suppression control is set to the ON state. If it is confirmed that the emergency departure suppression control is set to the ON state, the process proceeds to the next step S16. If it is confirmed that the emergency departure suppression control is set to the OFF state, both the lane departure suppression control and the emergency departure suppression control are in the OFF state. Therefore, in this case, the process returns to the original main sequence (not shown).

[0158] In step S16, since it has been confirmed that the lane departure prevention control is OFF and the emergency departure prevention control is ON, the cruise control unit 22 executes the second emergency departure prevention control. After completing this control process, the process returns to the original main sequence (not shown).

[0159] Next, the process of step S13 in FIG. 6 described above, that is, the first emergency departure suppression control, will be described below with reference to a subroutine in FIG.

[0160] First, in step S21 of Fig. 7, the cruise control unit 22 (lane departure determination unit 22g) determines whether or not the host vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the lane in which it is traveling. If it is determined that the host vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the lane, the process proceeds to the next step S22. Note that this determination process is repeated until it is determined that the host vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the lane.

[0161] In step S22, the cruise control unit 22 (surrounding situation determination unit 22a) checks for the presence of other vehicles, such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle, traveling around the vehicle 100. If an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is detected, the process proceeds to the next step S23. If an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is not detected, the process proceeds to step S24.

[0162] Then, in step S24, the cruise control unit 22 executes normal lane departure suppression control (see FIG. 2). After completing this control process, the process returns to the original main sequence (not shown).

[0163] In step S23, the cruise control unit 22 starts emergency departure suppression control.

[0164] Next, in step S25, the cruise control unit 22 displays a predetermined warning display 200 and simultaneously executes a predetermined steering control corresponding to the emergency departure suppression control. In this processing step, the host vehicle 100 is moved from position A to position B in Fig. 3 so that the line along the fore-and-aft direction of the host vehicle 100 is parallel to the dividing line L2, and further, a control process is performed to maintain this state while traveling for a predetermined time.

[0165] Next, in step S26, the cruise control unit 22 again checks for the presence of other vehicles, such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle, traveling around the vehicle 100. If an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is detected, the process returns to step S25 described above. If an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is not detected, the process proceeds to the next step S27.

[0166] In step S27, the cruise control unit 22 ends the emergency departure suppression control.

[0167] Next, in step S28, the cruise control unit 22 switches the control from the emergency departure prevention control to the lane departure prevention control, and at the same time switches the display from the warning display 200 to the status display 201.

[0168] Next, in step S29, the cruise control unit 22 executes steering control in accordance with the lane departure prevention control from the end point of the emergency departure prevention control described above. The steering control performed here is a control that takes over the predetermined steering control in accordance with the emergency departure prevention control started in the processing of step S25 described above, and performs the same steering control continuously.

[0169] Then, in step S30, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the host vehicle 100 is now in a state of traveling while maintaining a lane center position of the traveling lane. If it is not confirmed that the host vehicle 100 is traveling while maintaining a lane center position of the traveling lane, the process returns to step S29. If it is confirmed that the host vehicle 100 is traveling while maintaining a lane center position of the traveling lane, the process ends the series of controls and returns to the original main sequence (not shown).

[0170] Next, the process of step S16 in FIG. 6 described above, that is, the second emergency departure suppression control, will be described below with reference to a subroutine in FIG.

[0171] First, in step S31 in Fig. 8, the cruise control unit 22 (lane departure determination unit 22g) determines whether or not the host vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the lane in which it is traveling. This processing step is similar to step S21 in Fig. 7. If it is determined that the host vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the lane, the process proceeds to the next step S32. The determination process is repeated until it is determined that the host vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the lane.

[0172] In step S32, the cruise control unit 22 (surrounding condition determination section 22a) checks for the presence of other vehicles, such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle, traveling around the vehicle 100. This processing step is similar to step S22 in Fig. 7. If an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is detected, the process proceeds to the next step S33. If an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is not detected, the process returns to the original main sequence (not shown).

[0173] In step S33, the cruise control unit 22 starts emergency departure suppression control.

[0174] Next, in step S34, the cruise control unit 22 displays a predetermined warning display 200 and simultaneously executes steering control according to emergency departure suppression control. In this processing step, the host vehicle 100 is moved from position A to position D in Fig. 5 so that the line along the fore-and-aft direction of the host vehicle and the dividing line L2 are parallel to each other, and further, a control process is performed to maintain this state while traveling for a predetermined time.

[0175] In step S35, the cruise control unit 22 again checks for the presence of other vehicles, such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle, traveling around the vehicle 100. If an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is detected, the process proceeds to step S38. If an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is not detected, the process proceeds to the next step S36.

[0176] In step S36, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the host vehicle 100 has transitioned to a state of traveling along the edge of the lane of the traveling lane. If the host vehicle 100 is confirmed to be traveling along the edge of the lane, the process proceeds to the next step S37. If the host vehicle 100 is not confirmed to be traveling along the edge of the lane, the process returns to the above-mentioned step S34.

[0177] Next, in step S37, the cruise control unit 22 ends the emergency departure prevention control. At this point, the warning display 200 based on the emergency departure prevention control also ends. Then, the process returns to the original processing sequence.

[0178] On the other hand, if the presence of another vehicle, such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle, traveling around the vehicle 100 is confirmed again in step S35 and the process proceeds to step S38, the cruise control unit 22 checks in step S38 whether the vehicle 100 has transitioned to a state of traveling along the edge of the lane of the traveling lane. If the lane edge traveling state is confirmed here, the process proceeds to the next step S39. If lane edge traveling is not confirmed, the process returns to the above-mentioned step S34.

[0179] Next, in step S39, the cruise control unit 22 performs cruise control for causing the host vehicle 100 to continue traveling while maintaining the host vehicle 100 in the center position of the traveling lane.

[0180] Then, in step S40, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the host vehicle 100 is now in a state of traveling while maintaining a lane center position of the traveling lane. If it is not confirmed that the host vehicle 100 is traveling while maintaining a lane center position of the traveling lane, the process returns to step S39. If it is confirmed that the host vehicle 100 is traveling while maintaining a lane center position of the traveling lane, the process ends the series of controls and returns to the original main sequence (not shown).

[0181] As described above, according to the driving support device 1 of the embodiment, when the surrounding situation determination unit 22a and the steering state determination unit 22b determine that the vehicle 100 is in a state where normal driving cannot be maintained (for example, when the vehicle 100 is about to deviate from the lane in which it is traveling), the driving control unit 22 executes lane departure suppression control, which is driving control in an emergency response, if a predetermined setting is made (if the function is in an on-state). In this case, if another vehicle such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is present in an adjacent lane to the vehicle 100, the driving control unit 22 executes emergency departure suppression control.

[0182] When both lane departure suppression control and emergency departure suppression control are selected to be in an active state, the steering assist control unit 22d switches from emergency departure suppression control to lane departure suppression control when the vehicle 100 is placed in a driving state in which it follows the dividing line of the set driving lane without crossing the dividing line, and executes a first emergency departure suppression control that performs driving control to return the driving position of the vehicle from a position where it does not cross the dividing line of the set driving lane to the target driving position.

[0183] In addition, when the steering assist control unit 22d selects the lane departure prevention control to be in an inactive state and the emergency departure prevention control to be in an active state, it causes the vehicle 100 to be in a driving state that follows the dividing line of the set driving lane without crossing the dividing line, and then, when the vehicle 100 is in a driving state that follows the lane edge in the set driving lane, it switches from the emergency departure prevention control to the lane departure prevention control and executes a second emergency departure prevention control that performs driving control to return the driving position of the vehicle from a position along the lane edge in the set driving lane to the target driving position.

[0184] The timing at which the steering assist control unit 22d switches from emergency departure prevention control (emergency departure prevention control) to lane departure prevention control (LPD control) is the timing at which the vector of the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 and the dividing line of the driving lane become approximately parallel.

[0185] With this configuration, the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment provides, for emergency departure suppression control when another vehicle such as an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle is recognized in an adjacent lane to the vehicle, a first emergency departure suppression control when the lane departure suppression control and the emergency departure suppression control are both on, and a second emergency departure suppression control when the LDK control is off and the emergency departure suppression control is on. While each control is substantially the same as the normal lane departure suppression control, the warning display that continues to be displayed during the normal emergency departure suppression control is configured to be cancelled at a predetermined timing.

[0186] Therefore, when steering assist control is performed by combining lane departure suppression control and emergency departure suppression control, by appropriately changing the switching timing of the control processing to be executed according to the on / off setting of each control, it is possible to always execute more natural and smooth steering assist control without causing annoyance or discomfort to the driver.

[0187] Incidentally, the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment has a steering state determination function that detects a state in which the driver is gripping the steering wheel while the vehicle is traveling (hereinafter, referred to as a steering state), and determines the steering state of the driver. This steering state determination function is realized by a steering state recognition unit (the steering wheel touch sensor 34, the steering torque sensor 35), the steering state determination unit 22b of the driving control unit 22, etc.

[0188] The steering state recognition unit (steering wheel touch sensor 34, steering torque sensor 35) constantly monitors the driver's grip on the steering wheel (steering state) while the vehicle is traveling, and the steering state determination unit 22b determines the steering state based on the output signal from the steering state recognition unit (34, 35).

[0189] Then, for example, if the situation where the steering state is not detected continues for a predetermined time (e.g., 15 seconds) (or while driving a predetermined distance), a predetermined warning display (visual warning display, audible warning display, etc.) is generated, and if the hands are then taken off the steering wheel for a predetermined time (e.g., 50 seconds) (or while driving a predetermined distance), control is performed to cancel the steering assist control that is being executed.

[0190] At this time, the driving assistance device 1 determines that some abnormality has occurred that makes it difficult for the driver to perform driving operations (specifically, for example, a breakdown in the vehicle, or the driver's sudden illness or reduced consciousness due to drowsiness, etc.), and executes so-called driver abnormality response control.

[0191] Here, the basic operation of the driver abnormality response control will be briefly explained below with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the operation of the driver abnormality response control performed in the driving support device of this embodiment. The basic operation of the driver abnormality response control itself performed in the driving support device 1 of this embodiment is substantially similar to that of a conventionally known control. In the driver abnormality response control performed in the driving support device 1 of this embodiment, there is an innovation in the control when determining the steering state compared to conventional control (described in detail later).

[0192] The example shown in Figure 9 assumes that vehicle 100 is traveling on a main road R, such as a highway, which has two lanes on each side and a central divider, and that vehicle 100 is traveling in the area within the right lane RL2 (passing lane) of the two lanes on each side as its driving lane.

[0193] Here, the road R has a left lane RL1, a right lane RL2, and a left shoulder strip N as viewed from the driver of the vehicle 100. The left lane RL1 is an area between the left shoulder marking L1 and the center marking L2. The right lane RL2 is an area between the center marking L2 and the right shoulder marking L3. The left shoulder strip N is an area between the left shoulder marking L1 and a guardrail or side wall W (hereinafter simply referred to as the side wall W). It is assumed that a center median strip C1 is provided outside the right shoulder marking L3 (to the right as viewed from the driver of the vehicle 100), separated by, for example, a guardrail (not shown).

[0194] In this case, as described above, the host vehicle 100 is traveling in the right lane RL2 as its own lane. The driving assistance device 1 mounted on the host vehicle 100 is assumed to be running while executing various steering assistance controls (lane keeping assistance control, lane departure prevention control, emergency departure prevention control, etc.).

[0195] In this situation, the driving support device 1 of the vehicle 100 determines that the state where the steering wheel is not being held by the steering wheel holding state determination function continues for a predetermined time, and that the predetermined time has passed without the steering wheel being held even if a predetermined warning display (visual warning display, audible warning display, etc.) is generated. In such a case, the driving support device 1 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the driver (abnormality detection).

[0196] In this case, first, the driving support device 1 issues a predetermined notification to the driver prior to starting the driver abnormality response control.

[0197] Here, the notification to the driver may be by visual warning display, audible warning display, etc. For example, visual warning display may be, for example, turning on a lamp of a predetermined operation switch in an instrument panel visible from the driver's seat, or displaying a notification display urging the driver to maintain steering or a notification display that a control to respond to an abnormality in the driver will be started, using a display panel, etc. Furthermore, auditory warning display may be, for example, a notification urging the driver to maintain steering or a notification that a control to respond to an abnormality in the driver will be started, using a voice announcement, etc.

[0198] After the notification is issued, if the driver does not respond in any way to the notification (for example, by performing a steering operation or by canceling the start of driver abnormality response control), the driving assistance device 1 will cancel the steering assistance control that is being executed and at the same time start executing driver abnormality response control.

[0199] In the above description, it is stated that the notification is to "notify the driver," however, the target of the notification is not limited to the driver, but may include, for example, passengers in the vehicle 100, or may include "notification to drivers of other vehicles, etc. outside the vehicle" of the vehicle 100.

[0200] The "alert to passengers" may be by a visual or audible warning display, similar to the "alert to the driver" described above.

[0201] In addition, "notification to drivers of other vehicles outside the vehicle" may be, for example, blinking hazard lights, blinking turn signals when changing lanes, etc. Also, various behaviors that notify the behavior of the vehicle 100 to the outside without the driver's operation, such as turning on the brake lights when braking control is being performed, are realized.

[0202] In this way, the driver abnormality response control in the driving support device 1 is a function that is activated by detecting an abnormality in the driver, etc. In this case, the driver abnormality is judged based on whether the steering state has continued for a predetermined time or more, whether the vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance or more, etc.

[0203] In Fig. 9, it is assumed that an abnormality in the driver is detected when the vehicle 100 is in the position indicated by the symbol A. When the driver abnormality response control is executed, the driving support device 1 first controls the vehicle 100 to retreat from the position indicated by the symbol A in Fig. 9 to the left shoulder area or the like, and to stop the vehicle at a predetermined position, for example, the position indicated by the symbol F in Fig. 9. To be more specific, (1) When the vehicle 100 is in position A in FIG. 9, an abnormality in the driver or the like is detected. (2) The vehicle 100 is allowed to travel in the current lane in that state. (a) The hazard lights are flashed to alert those outside. (b) With a predetermined speed (for example, 50km / h) as the upper limit, speed adjustment (deceleration control by engine control and braking control) is performed, and steering control required according to the road shape is performed appropriately to maintain driving in the same lane. The deceleration control at this time is deceleration control that does not suppress acceleration, that is, braking control in a state where input from the accelerator is allowed. After that, (3) The vehicle is caused to change lanes as required to move to the shoulder. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, when the vehicle is traveling in a two-lane roadway close to the center, the vehicle is caused to change lanes to the left lane RL1 by a predetermined steering control. This causes the vehicle 100 to move from position B in Fig. 9 through position C to position D. When changing lanes, the hazard lamps are turned off and the left turn signal is turned on. (4) When the host vehicle 100 moves to position D in Figure 9 and is able to travel within the left lane RL1, the left turn signal is turned off and the hazard lights are turned on again to maintain travel within the left lane RL1. (5) The vehicle is decelerated to a predetermined speed (for example, 10 km / h) by performing braking control required to move the vehicle to the shoulder. The deceleration control at this time is deceleration control that suppresses acceleration, that is, braking control in a state in which accelerator input is not permitted. (6) Steering control is performed to move the vehicle to the shoulder. This steering control is the same as lane change control. That is, the hazard lights are turned off, the left turn signal is turned on, and a predetermined steering control is performed from the left lane RL1 toward the shoulder N. This moves the vehicle 100 from position D in FIG. 9 through position E into the shoulder N. (7) When the host vehicle 100 is secured to travel within the shoulder strip N, the left turn signal is turned off and the hazard lights are turned on again. Then, while the host vehicle 100 is traveling within the shoulder strip N, braking control is performed to further decelerate the host vehicle 100 and stop the vehicle at a position (position F in FIG. 9 ) where a predetermined distance is secured between the host vehicle 100 and the side wall W. The deceleration control at this time is also a deceleration control that suppresses acceleration. (8) After the vehicle 100 stops at position F, the hazard lights will be flashed and the horn will be sounded, etc., until the driver abnormality response control is released, according to a predetermined procedure.

[0204] Next, the operation of the driver abnormality response control performed in the driving support device of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the start timing of the driver abnormality response control in the driving support device of this embodiment Fig. 11 is a flowchart for the driver abnormality response control (the process of step S47) of Fig. 10.

[0205] In the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment mounted on the vehicle 100, when the driving control unit 22 is started and normal driving control including the set steering assistance control is started, first, in step S40 of Figure 10, the driving control unit 22 starts counting using the ``non-steering time counter'' among the internal counters not shown.

[0206] Here, the non-maintained steering time refers to the time during which the driver keeps his / her hands off the steering wheel (time during which the steering wheel is not in a maintained state). The non-maintained steering time counter (not shown) counts up the duration during which the result of the maintained steering determination by the maintained steering state determination unit 22b is determined to be a non-maintained steering state based on the output signal from the maintained steering state recognition unit (34, 35).

[0207] In other words, the non-maintained steering time counter measures the time during which a state in which no output signal is generated from the maintained steering state recognition unit (34, 35) continues. The driving support device 1 of this embodiment continuously counts the non-maintained steering time while the cruise control unit 22 is activated and the host vehicle 100 is traveling.

[0208] Here, the non-maintained steering state refers to a state in which the driver of the vehicle 100 does not interfere with the steering device (including, for example, touching or gripping the steering wheel) for a predetermined time period (or while the vehicle travels a predetermined distance) and is not detected by the maintained steering state recognition unit (steering wheel touch sensor 34 or steering torque sensor 35). Then, as described below, when such a non-maintained steering state continues for a predetermined time period, the maintained steering state determination unit 22b determines that the vehicle is in a non-maintained steering state and outputs a determination result that the driver of the vehicle 100 is in a state in which he or she cannot maintain normal driving.

[0209] When the vehicle 100 is traveling in this state, in step S41 of Fig. 10, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether or not it has detected an output signal (on signal) from the steering wheel touch sensor 34 of the steering wheel holding state recognition unit. If an on signal from the steering wheel touch sensor 34 is confirmed, it is determined that the vehicle is in a steering wheel holding state, and the process proceeds to step S50. If an on signal from the steering wheel touch sensor 34 is not confirmed, it is determined that the vehicle is in a steering wheel non-holding state, and the process proceeds to the next step S42.

[0210] In step S42, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the steering torque value detected by the steering torque sensor 35 of the steering state recognition unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If it is confirmed that the steering torque value of the steering torque sensor 35 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is in a steering state, and the process proceeds to step S50. If it is confirmed that the steering torque value of the steering torque sensor 35 is less than the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is in a non-steering state, and the process proceeds to the next step S43.

[0211] When it is confirmed that the steering wheel is in a held-steering state in each of the above-mentioned steps S41 and S42 and the process proceeds to step S50, in this step S50, the cruise control unit 22 resets the non-held-steering time of the non-held-steering time counter and returns to the process of the above-mentioned step S41.

[0212] Next, in step S43, the cruise control unit 22 counts up the non-maintained steering time of the non-maintained steering time counter.

[0213] Next, in step S44, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the non-maintained steering time counted in the non-maintained steering time counter has exceeded a predetermined threshold (for example, 15 seconds). If it is confirmed that the non-maintained steering time has exceeded the predetermined threshold, the process proceeds to the next step S45. If the non-maintained steering time has not exceeded the predetermined threshold, the process returns to step S41.

[0214] In step S45, the cruise control unit 22 drives the notification device 38 to display a predetermined warning. The warning displayed here is, for example, a visual or audible display warning that notifies the driver that the non-maintained steering state continues.

[0215] Next, in step S46, the cruise control unit 22 again checks the output signal (ON signal) from the steering wheel touch sensor 34, similar to the process of step S41 described above. If the ON signal of the steering wheel touch sensor 34 is confirmed, it is determined that the steering-hold state has been restored, and the process proceeds to step S51. If the ON signal from the steering wheel touch sensor 34 is not confirmed, it is determined that the non-steering-hold state continues, and the process proceeds to the next step S47.

[0216] In step S47, the cruise control unit 22 again checks whether the steering torque value by the steering torque sensor 35 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value, similar to the process of step S42 described above. If it is confirmed that the steering torque value by the steering torque sensor 35 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the held steering state has been restored, and the process proceeds to step S51. If it is confirmed that the steering torque value by the steering torque sensor 35 is less than the predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the non-held steering state continues, and the process proceeds to the next step S48.

[0217] When it is determined in each of the processes of steps S46 and S47 described above that the fixed steering state has been restored and the process proceeds to step S51, in this step S51, the cruise control unit 22 cancels the ongoing warning display.

[0218] Subsequently, in step S52, the cruise control unit 22 resets the non-maintained steering time of the non-maintained steering time counter, and returns to the processing of step S41 described above.

[0219] Next, in step S48, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether or not a predetermined time (e.g., 50 seconds) has elapsed since the start of the warning display started in the processing of step S45 described above, while the non-maintained steering state is maintained and the warning display continues. If it is confirmed that the predetermined time has elapsed, the steering assist control being executed is released, and then the process proceeds to the next step S49. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to the processing of step S45.

[0220] In step S49, the cruise control unit 22 executes driver abnormality response control (see FIG. 11 for details).

[0221] Note that the processes in steps S44 to S48 in FIG. 10 are described in a simplified manner. The processes in these steps may be, for example, the following processes. That is, (1) Initiate a visual warning display when the steering non-maintenance time exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., 15 seconds); (2) If the vehicle remains in this state (the steering is not held and the visual warning display continues) without the driver performing a release operation (e.g., holding the steering wheel or depressing the accelerator) and a predetermined time (e.g., 15 seconds) has elapsed, an auditory warning display (alarm sound) will be initiated in addition to the ongoing visual warning display. (3) If the vehicle remains in this state (the steering is not held and the visual and audible warning indications continue) without the driver's cancellation operation or other confirmation, and a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds) has elapsed, a stronger emergency signal warning will be issued for a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) or more. (4) Even in this state, if the driver does not perform a cancellation operation or the like, the steering assist control that is being executed is cancelled.

[0222] The above-described processing sequence is merely one example of the confirmation processing that is performed when starting the driver abnormality response control.

[0223] The process of step S48 in FIG. 10 that is started as described above, that is, the detailed sequence of the driver abnormality response control executed by the driving support device 1, will be described below with reference to a subroutine in FIG.

[0224] First, in step S61 of Fig. 11, the cruise control unit 22 performs control to keep the host vehicle 100 traveling in the lane in which it is traveling, and also issues a warning to the outside. Specifically, for example, first, the hazard lamps are turned on and off. At the same time, speed adjustment (deceleration control by engine control and braking control) is performed so that the host vehicle 100 reaches a predetermined upper speed limit (e.g., 50km / h). The deceleration control at this time is deceleration control that does not suppress acceleration, that is, braking control in a state where input by the accelerator is permitted. In this way, the host vehicle 100 maintains traveling in the same lane.

[0225] Next, in step S62, the cruise control unit 22 performs a first steering state determination process. This first steering state determination process is performed by detecting the output of either the steering wheel touch sensor 34 or the steering torque sensor 35. Here, if it is confirmed that either the output signal (ON signal) from the steering wheel touch sensor 34 is detected or the steering torque value by the steering torque sensor 35 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, and it is determined that the first steering state determination is ON, the execution of the driver abnormality response control is released and the original process is returned to (RETURN). Also, if the output signal (ON signal) from the steering wheel touch sensor 34 is not detected and it is confirmed that the steering torque value by the steering torque sensor 35 is less than the predetermined threshold value, the process proceeds to the next step S63.

[0226] In step S63, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether or not a lane change is necessary to move the currently traveling vehicle to the shoulder. For example, when the vehicle is currently traveling on the right lane (passing lane) of a two-lane road, in order to safely move the vehicle to the shoulder, the vehicle must first change lanes to the left lane of the two-lane road. In this case, the determination of whether or not a lane change is necessary is made by recognizing the driving environment, such as the condition of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (e.g., the number of lanes on the road) and the position of the lane on which the vehicle is traveling (e.g., which lane out of multiple lanes on one side).

[0227] If it is determined that a lane change is necessary, the process proceeds to step S81, whereas if it is determined that a lane change is not necessary, the process proceeds to the next step S64.

[0228] When it is determined in the process of step S63 that a lane change is necessary and the process proceeds to step S81, the cruise control unit 22 executes a predetermined lane change control in step S81. This lane change control is, for example, a lane change control included in a normal automatic driving control that stops blinking of the hazard lamps being executed, blinks the left turn signal, and performs steering control to the left lane, etc. This lane change control is a conventionally well-known control, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0229] Next, in step S82, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the lane change is complete and the vehicle is traveling within the changed lane area. If it is confirmed that the lane change is complete, the process proceeds to the next step S83. If the lane change is not complete, the process returns to step S81.

[0230] Then, when the completion of the lane change is confirmed, in step S83, the cruise control unit 22 stops the blinking of the left turn signal, blinks the hazard lamps again, and continues the cruise control to keep the vehicle in the destination lane. Then, the process returns to step S62.

[0231] On the other hand, if it is determined in the process of step S63 that there is no need to change lanes and the process proceeds to step S64, the cruise control unit 22 performs braking control in step S64 to slow down the vehicle to a predetermined speed (e.g., 10 km / h) so that the vehicle will move to a low speed required to safely pull over to the shoulder of the road. The deceleration control at this time is deceleration control that suppresses acceleration, that is, braking control in a state in which input by the accelerator is not permitted.

[0232] Next, in step S65, the cruise control unit 22 performs a survival determination process to check whether the survival determination result is ON. The survival determination process performed here is a process to check whether any operation that can be used to determine whether the driver is alive has been performed by the driver (or may be performed by a passenger). Here, examples of operations that can be used to determine whether the driver is alive include operations of operating members such as switches and dials related to devices provided in the vehicle, such as an air conditioner switch, a window opening / closing switch, a mirror drive switch, and various switches on the steering wheel, and operations of pressing the brake pedal or accelerator pedal multiple times. However, in the survival determination process in this embodiment, only the output detection of the steering wheel touch sensor 34 is not taken into consideration.

[0233] Here, if it is confirmed that the result of the survival determination process is ON, the process returns to the above-mentioned step S61 process (speed control that maintains the driving lane and does not suppress acceleration). If it is confirmed that the result of the survival determination process is not ON (i.e., if no operation is confirmed), the process proceeds to the next step S66.

[0234] In step S66, the cruise control unit 22 performs a second steering state determination process. This second steering state determination process is performed only by detecting the output of the steering torque sensor 35 (determining whether the steering torque value is equal to or greater than a threshold value) without considering the output detection of the steering wheel touch sensor 34. Here, if it is confirmed that the steering torque value by the steering torque sensor 35 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value and it is determined that the second steering state determination is ON, the execution of the driver abnormality response control is released and the process returns to the original process (RETURN). Also, if it is confirmed that the steering torque value by the steering torque sensor 35 is less than the predetermined threshold value, the process proceeds to the next step S67.

[0235] In step S67, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the vehicle has been decelerated to a predetermined speed (for example, 10 km / h) by the deceleration control executed in the process of step S64 described above. If it is confirmed that the vehicle has been decelerated to the predetermined speed, the process proceeds to the next step S68. If the vehicle has not been decelerated to the predetermined speed, the process returns to the process of step S64 described above.

[0236] In step S68, the cruise control unit 22 performs cruise control to move the vehicle to the shoulder and into the shoulder area. The cruise control in this case is substantially the same as the lane change control described above. For example, the hazard lamps currently being turned on and off are stopped, the left turn signal is turned on and off, and steering control to the shoulder area is performed.

[0237] Next, in step S69, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the host vehicle has been evacuated into the roadside area. If it is confirmed that the host vehicle has been evacuated into the roadside area, the process proceeds to the next step S70. If it is not confirmed that the host vehicle has been evacuated into the roadside area, the process returns to step S68.

[0238] In step S70, the cruise control unit 22 stops the blinking of the left turn signal and blinks the hazard lamps again.

[0239] Next, in step S71, the cruise control unit 22 performs braking control to stop the host vehicle while maintaining the host vehicle traveling in the shoulder area. This braking control is also deceleration control to suppress acceleration.

[0240] Next, in step S72, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the vehicle has stopped. If it is confirmed that the vehicle is stopped, the process proceeds to the next step S73. If it is not confirmed that the vehicle is stopped, the process returns to step S71.

[0241] Then, in step S73, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether or not an operation for canceling the driver's abnormality response control has been performed. Here, the cruise control unit 22 repeatedly checks for the control cancel operation, and if the control cancel operation is confirmed, ends the series of processes and returns to the original process (RETURN).

[0242] The control release operation performed in the process of step S73 described above is assumed to be a predetermined operation performed by, for example, the driver or a passenger. Here, the case where the driver performs the control release operation may be, for example, a case where the driver regains consciousness after the vehicle is stopped even if the driver abnormality response control is caused by the driver's decreased consciousness. As described above, in the driving support device 1 of this embodiment, even if the vehicle 100 is safely stopped within the area of ​​the shoulder N, the driving support device 1 does not immediately perform the process of canceling the driver abnormality response control after the vehicle is stopped, but waits for a predetermined cancellation operation to be input in step S73, and cancels the driver abnormality response control when the cancellation operation is performed. In this case, the subject performing the cancellation operation may be the driver or a passenger. However, even after the vehicle is stopped, the driver may still be in a difficult state to operate. In addition, the passenger may not be accustomed to operating the vehicle. In that case, the driver abnormality response control continues even after the vehicle has secured a safe area stop state on the road as described above.

[0243] For example, a case is assumed where a rescuer from outside opens the door of the vehicle 100 that has stopped. In this case, it is assumed that even if the vehicle 100 is stopped, the driver inside the vehicle is still in a difficult state to drive. There is a possibility that such a driver may unconsciously touch the steering wheel while unconscious, or perform a behavior equivalent to a driving operation such as depressing the accelerator pedal. If this happens, an unintended behavior of the vehicle will occur. Therefore, in order to suppress such an unexpected behavior, a configuration may be provided in which a rescuer or the like explicitly performs a release operation to release the driver abnormality response control, or a function may be added to stop the function related to the driving control of the vehicle after the vehicle is stopped.

[0244] In addition, in the embodiment described above, the criterion for determining whether the steering state is maintained is whether the unmaintained state has continued for a predetermined time. However, this is not limited to this example, and for example, it is also possible to recognize whether the vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance in an unmaintained state, and use that traveled distance as the criterion for determination.

[0245] As described above, according to the above embodiment, the driving control unit 22 executes driving control in response to an emergency, i.e., driver abnormality response control, when the judgment result by the surrounding condition judgment unit 22a or the steering state judgment unit 22b indicates that the driver of the vehicle 100 is in a state where he or she cannot maintain normal driving.

[0246] When this driver abnormality response control is executed, if the judgment result by the steering state judgment unit 22b is that the driver of the vehicle 100 is in a state where he or she cannot maintain normal driving, the driving assistance control being executed by the vehicle 100 is stopped, and after the driving assistance control is stopped, a first steering state judgment process is performed in the steering state recognition unit to detect the output of either the steering wheel touch sensor 34 or the steering torque sensor 35, and the driving assistance control is restored if the output of either the steering wheel touch sensor 34 or the steering torque sensor 35 is detected, whereas if the output of neither the steering wheel touch sensor 34 nor the steering torque sensor 35 is detected, a second steering state judgment process is performed in the steering state recognition unit to detect only the output value of the steering torque sensor, and the output value of the steering torque sensor is detected, and the driving assistance control is restored only if the output value of the steering torque sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0247] In the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment configured as described above, when driver abnormality response control is being executed, first, a steering state is determined by a first steering state determination process, and if the determination result shows that a non-steering state continues while traveling for a specified time or a specified distance, then a steering state is determined by a second steering state determination process which does not take into account the detection of the output of the steering wheel touch sensor 34 in the steering state recognition unit.

[0248] Therefore, the driving support device 1 of the present embodiment can suppress erroneous detection of abnormality judgment for the driver, and can perform more reliable and highly accurate driver abnormality response control. Therefore, the driving support device 1 of the present embodiment can contribute to improving the safety of vehicle driving.

[0249] In this embodiment, as an example of control to respond to an abnormality in the driver, a case is shown in which the vehicle is finally guided into a roadside area and stopped there; however, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it is also possible to consider an example in which, without performing steering control such as lane changing, the vehicle is gradually decelerated while issuing an external alert such as flashing hazard lights, and then the vehicle is stopped in the same lane as the vehicle is traveling in, and then in addition to flashing the hazard lights, an external alert such as sounding the horn is issued.

[0250] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications and applications can be implemented within the scope of the gist of the invention. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiment includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the disclosed multiple constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, if the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved and the effect of the invention can be obtained, the configuration from which the constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention. Furthermore, the constituent elements across different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The present invention is not restricted by its specific embodiment except as limited by the attached claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0251] 1. Driving support device 10…In-vehicle communication line 11...Locator unit 12...Map locator calculation unit 12a... Vehicle position estimation unit 12b…Map information acquisition section 13...Accelerometer 14...Wheel speed sensor 15...Gyro sensor 16...GNSS receiver 17...Road information receiver 18…High-precision road map database 19…Route information input section 20...Periphery monitoring unit (periphery situation recognition device) 20a…Surrounding area recognition sensor 20b…Surrounding Area Awareness Department 21...Camera unit (surrounding situation recognition device) 21a…Main camera 21b…Sub camera 21c…Image Processing Unit (IPU) 21d…Driving environment recognition section 22...Drive control unit (drive control device) 22a… Surrounding situation judgment section 22b...Steering state determination unit 22c…Travel lane setting section 22d…Steering assistance control unit 22e...Target travel position setting unit 22f…Escape judgment section 22g…Lane departure detection section 23…Engine control unit 24...Power steering control unit 25…Brake control unit 27...Throttle actuator 28...Electric power steering motor 29…Brake actuator 33...Mode switch 34... Steering wheel touch sensor (steering state recognition unit) 35...Steering torque sensor (steering state recognition unit) 36...Brake sensor 37...Accelerator sensor 38...Alarm device 100…Own vehicle 110…Oncoming vehicle 111…Following vehicle 200…Emergency deviation suppression control warning display 201…Lane departure prevention control status display

Claims

1. A surrounding situation recognition device that recognizes the surrounding situation of the host vehicle; A system is provided for determining whether or not the host vehicle is likely to deviate from a driving lane based on a recognition result by the surrounding situation recognition device, and capable of recognizing at least one of another vehicle traveling on the opposite side of the host vehicle or another vehicle traveling in the same direction as the traveling direction of the host vehicle, lane departure suppression control including steering assist control executed when the host vehicle is likely to deviate from the driving lane; and emergency departure suppression control including steering assist control executed when either another vehicle traveling on the opposite side of the host vehicle or another vehicle traveling in the same direction as the traveling direction of the host vehicle is recognized and the host vehicle is likely to deviate from the driving lane, a driving control device that executes either the lane departure suppression control or the emergency departure suppression control in response to a determination result that the host vehicle is likely to deviate from the driving lane and a recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition device; A driving assistance device comprising:

2. The driving control device includes: When both the lane departure suppression control and the emergency departure suppression control are selected to be in an active state, when the other vehicle facing the host vehicle recognized by the surrounding situation recognition device or the other vehicle traveling to the rear side in the same direction as the traveling direction of the host vehicle is no longer detected, the emergency departure suppression control is terminated, and a first emergency departure suppression control is executed to execute the lane departure suppression control from the point in time when the emergency departure suppression control is terminated, When the lane departure prevention control is in an inactive state and the emergency departure prevention control is in an active state, a second emergency departure prevention control is executed to terminate the emergency departure prevention control at a time when the other vehicle facing the host vehicle recognized by the surrounding situation recognition device or the other vehicle traveling in the same direction as the traveling direction of the host vehicle is no longer detected.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1 .

3. The driving control device executes the lane departure suppression control and the emergency departure suppression control based on control parameters that are set separately for each control.

3. The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2.

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