Driving support device

Abstract

To provide a driving support device capable of suppressing shaking during execution of driving support, thereby improving riding comfort of an occupant of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A driving support device according to an embodiment executes driving support of a vehicle on the basis of surrounding information collected by a plurality of sensors provided in the vehicle. The driving support device includes: a route calculation unit for calculating a movement route of the vehicle to a target position on the basis of the surrounding information from the plurality of sensors; a switching unit for switching a setting of an upper limit value of acceleration of the vehicle between a first acceleration limit value and a second acceleration limit value smaller than the first acceleration limit value; and a movement control unit for moving the vehicle along the movement route while controlling the vehicle at acceleration within the upper limit value set by the switching unit. The switching unit sets the upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle to the second acceleration limit value in a case where, during control of the vehicle by the movement control unit, the vehicle is stopped, and a steering angle of the vehicle becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a driving assistance device that automatically parks a vehicle in a parking area and allows the vehicle to leave the parking area. During the execution of the driving assistance, an upper limit value for the acceleration of the vehicle is set, and the vehicle is controlled to have an acceleration within the upper limit value.

[0003] For example, in the technology of Patent Document 1, an acceleration profile, which is a time change of a target value of acceleration when the vehicle is decelerating, is set according to the distance to the target position, so that the vehicle can be stopped at the target position. In addition, in the technology of Patent Document 2, the occurrence of an unexpected acceleration state can be suppressed by limiting the acceleration of the vehicle to an upper limit acceleration set according to the speed of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 066331 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5257647 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when a vehicle is started from a stop with a steering angle equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the vehicle is likely to sway even if the acceleration is controlled within an upper limit. Neither Patent Document 1 nor Patent Document 2 takes this into consideration, and there is a concern that the swaying of the vehicle may lead to a deterioration in the ride comfort of the passengers, including the driver.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and provides a driving assistance device that can suppress swaying while driving assistance is being performed and improve the ride comfort of vehicle occupants. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a driving assistance device of an embodiment is a driving assistance device that provides driving assistance for a vehicle based on peripheral information collected by a plurality of sensors provided in the vehicle, and includes a route calculation unit that calculates a movement route of the vehicle to a target position based on the peripheral information from the plurality of sensors, a switching unit that switches a setting of an upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle between a first acceleration limit value and a second acceleration limit value smaller than the first acceleration limit value, and a movement control unit that moves the vehicle along the movement route while controlling the vehicle at an acceleration within the upper limit value set by the switching unit, and when the vehicle is stopped and the steering angle of the vehicle becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value when the vehicle is controlled by the movement control unit, the switching unit sets the upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle to the second acceleration limit value. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The driving assistance device according to the embodiment can suppress swaying during execution of driving assistance, and improve the ride comfort of the vehicle occupants. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with a driving support device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of the driving assistance system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the driving assistance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of the setting of the acceleration limit value held by the driving assistance device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of a driving assistance process performed by the driving assistance device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Similar components in the following exemplary embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0011] (Vehicle configuration example) Fig. 1 is a top view of a vehicle 10 equipped with a driving support device 20 according to an embodiment. The front, rear, left and right of the vehicle 10 in Fig. 1 indicate directions when viewed from the driver's seat of the vehicle 10.

[0012] The vehicle 10 of the embodiment may be, for example, an internal combustion engine vehicle using an internal combustion engine as a power source, an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle using an electric motor as a power source, or a hybrid vehicle using both of these as a power source.

[0013] The vehicle 10 can be equipped with various transmissions and various systems, parts, and other devices required to drive the internal combustion engine or electric motor. The type, number, layout, and other aspects of the devices related to the drive of the wheels 13 of the vehicle 10 can be set in various ways.

[0014] 1, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 12, a plurality of wheels 13, a plurality of distance measuring units 14a-14l, and a plurality of imaging units 16a-16d. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the distance measuring units 14a-14l, they will be simply referred to as distance measuring unit 14. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the imaging units 16a-16d, they will be simply referred to as imaging unit 16. The distance measuring units 14a-14l and imaging units 16a-16d are examples of sensors that collect information about the surroundings of the vehicle 10.

[0015] The vehicle body 12 constitutes a vehicle cabin in which passengers ride. A plurality of wheels 13, a plurality of distance measuring units 14, and a plurality of imaging units 16 are attached to the vehicle body 12. In the example of Fig. 1, the vehicle body 12 includes four wheels 13, twelve distance measuring units 14, and four imaging units 16. However, the number of distance measuring units 14 and imaging units 16 attached to the vehicle body 12 is arbitrary.

[0016] The four wheels 13 are provided on the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle body 12. The two front wheels 13 function, for example, as steering wheels, and the two rear wheels 13 function, for example, as driving wheels.

[0017] The distance measuring unit 14 is, for example, a sonar provided on the outer periphery of the vehicle 10, which transmits sound waves such as ultrasonic waves as detection waves and captures the detection waves reflected by objects such as obstacles present around the vehicle 10. Note that the distance measuring unit 14 may be a radar that transmits detection waves such as laser light, a millimeter wave radar, or the like.

[0018] The distance measuring unit 14 collects surrounding information indicating the situation around the vehicle 10 and outputs it to the driving assistance device 20. The distance measuring unit 14 collects, for example, a response time, which is the time from transmitting a detection wave to receiving it, as surrounding information for identifying the distance between an object and the vehicle 10. Based on the surrounding information collected by the distance measuring unit 14, the driving assistance device 20 can detect the presence or absence of an obstacle or the like around the vehicle 10 and the distance to the obstacle.

[0019] In addition, when the distance measuring unit 14 receives multiple detection waves reflected from multiple points on the object in response to a single transmission of a detection wave, the distance measuring unit 14 may include only the response time of the earliest received detection wave in the surrounding information.

[0020] The distance measuring units 14a to 14d are provided at the front of the vehicle body 12. Of these distance measuring units 14a to 14d, the distance measuring units 14b and 14c are also called front sonars, and are provided at the front end of the vehicle 10. The distance measuring units 14b and 14c detect objects in front of the vehicle 10 and collect peripheral information in front of the vehicle 10. The distance measuring units 14a and 14d are also called corner sonars, and are provided at the corners of the front of the vehicle 10. The distance measuring units 14a and 14d detect objects on the outside in front of the vehicle 10 and collect peripheral information on the outside in front of the vehicle 10.

[0021] The distance measuring units 14e to 14h are provided at the rear of the vehicle body 12. Of these distance measuring units 14e to 14h, the distance measuring units 14f and 14g are also called rear sonars, and are provided at the rear end of the vehicle 10. The distance measuring units 14f and 14g detect objects behind the vehicle 10 and collect peripheral information behind the vehicle 10. The distance measuring units 14e and 14h are also called corner sonars, and are provided at the corners of the rear of the vehicle 10. The distance measuring units 14e and 14h detect objects on the outside behind the vehicle 10 and collect peripheral information behind the vehicle 10.

[0022] The distance measuring units 14i to 14l are also called side sonars, and are provided on the sides of the vehicle body 12. Of the distance measuring units 14i to 14l, the distance measuring units 14i and 14j are provided on the front sides of the vehicle 10. The distance measuring units 14k and 14l are provided on the rear sides of the vehicle 10. The distance measuring units 14i to 14l detect objects on the sides of the vehicle 10 and collect peripheral information on the sides of the vehicle 10.

[0023] The imaging unit 16 is a digital camera incorporating an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CIS (CMOS Image Sensor), etc. The imaging unit 16 generates a moving image including a plurality of frame images captured at a predetermined frame rate, or a still image.

[0024] The imaging units 16 are provided on the outer periphery of the vehicle body 12, each having a wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens, and can capture an image in a horizontal range of, for example, 140° to 190°. The optical axis of the imaging unit 16 is set to face diagonally downward.

[0025] As a result, the imaging unit 16 collects surrounding information obtained by capturing an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 10, including the road surface, and outputs the collected information to the driving assistance device 20. The driving assistance device 20 can detect the presence or absence of obstacles, etc., around the vehicle 10 and the positions of the obstacles, based on the surrounding information collected by the imaging unit 16. The driving assistance device 20 can also detect parking areas around the vehicle 10 and the positions of the parking areas, based on the surrounding information collected by the imaging unit 16.

[0026] The imaging unit 16a is provided in the center in the front-rear direction of the left end of the vehicle body 12, for example, on the underside of the left side mirror. The imaging unit 16a collects captured images of the area to the left below the vehicle 10 as peripheral information. The imaging unit 16b is provided in the center in the front-rear direction of the right end of the vehicle body 12, for example, on the underside of the right side mirror. The imaging unit 16b collects captured images of the area to the right below the vehicle 10 as peripheral information.

[0027] The imaging unit 16c is provided in the center in the left-right direction of the front end of the vehicle body 12, for example, on the front bumper. The imaging unit 16c collects captured images of the area in front of the vehicle 10 as peripheral information. The imaging unit 16d is provided in the center in the left-right direction of the rear end of the vehicle body 12, for example, on the rear bumper. The imaging unit 16d collects captured images of the area behind the vehicle 10 as peripheral information.

[0028] (Example of a driving assistance system configuration) 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of a driving assistance system 200 according to an embodiment. The driving assistance system 200 is mounted on, for example, a vehicle 10, and performs driving assistance such as parking the vehicle 10 in a parking area or exiting the parking area.

[0029] 2, the driving assistance system 200 includes a driving assistance device 20, a monitor device 30, a braking system 40, an acceleration system 50, a steering system 60, a gear shift system 70, a vehicle speed sensor 83, a distance measurement unit 14, and an imaging unit 16. These components are connected to each other via an in-vehicle network NT so as to be able to transmit and receive information to and from each other.

[0030] The in-vehicle network NT includes, for example, a Controller Area Network (CAN) and a Local Interconnect Network (LIN), etc. The in-vehicle network NT may be included as a part of the driving assistance system 200.

[0031] The driving assistance device 20 is configured as a microcomputer such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and performs driving assistance for the vehicle 10.

[0032] The driving assistance device 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a display control circuit 23, a Solid State Drive (SSD) 24, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 25, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 26. The CPU 21, the ROM 25, and the RAM 26 may be integrated in the same package.

[0033] The CPU 21 is an example of a hardware processor, which reads out a program stored in a non-volatile storage device such as the ROM 25, and executes various types of arithmetic processing and control in accordance with the program.

[0034] The ROM 25 stores various programs and parameters necessary for executing the programs. The RAM 26 temporarily stores various data used in the calculations by the CPU 21. The SSD 24 is a rewritable non-volatile storage device, and maintains data even when the power of the driving support device 20 is turned off.

[0035] Among the computational processes performed by the driving assistance device 20, the display control circuit 23 mainly performs image processing of images obtained by the imaging unit 16 and data conversion of images to be displayed on a display unit 31 (described later) provided in the monitor device 30.

[0036] The braking system 40 has a braking unit 41 , a braking control unit 42 , and a braking unit sensor 43 , and controls the deceleration of the vehicle 10 .

[0037] The braking unit 41 is, for example, a device including a brake and a brake pedal, and decelerates the vehicle 10. The braking control unit 42 is, for example, a microcomputer having a hardware processor such as a CPU. The braking control unit 42 controls the braking unit 41 based on an instruction from the driving support device 20 to control the deceleration of the vehicle 10. The braking unit sensor 43 is, for example, a position sensor, and detects the position of a brake pedal included in the braking unit 41. The braking unit sensor 43 outputs the detected brake pedal position to the in-vehicle network NT.

[0038] The acceleration system 50 has an acceleration unit 51 , an acceleration control unit 52 , and an acceleration sensor 53 , and controls the acceleration of the vehicle 10 .

[0039] The acceleration unit 51 is a device including, for example, an accelerator pedal and the like, and accelerates the vehicle 10. The acceleration control unit 52 is a microcomputer having a hardware processor such as a CPU. The acceleration control unit 52 controls the acceleration unit 51 based on an instruction from the driving support device 20 to control the acceleration of the vehicle 10. The acceleration sensor 53 is, for example, a position sensor, and detects the position of the accelerator pedal included in the acceleration unit 51. The acceleration sensor 53 outputs the detected position of the accelerator pedal to the in-vehicle network NT.

[0040] The steering system 60 has a steering section 61, a steering control section 62, and a steering section sensor 63, and controls the direction of travel of the vehicle 10.

[0041] The steering unit 61 is a device including, for example, a steering wheel, and steers the steered wheels of the vehicle 10 to steer the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. The steering control unit 62 is a microcomputer including, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU. The steering control unit 62 controls the steering unit 61 based on instructions from the driving support device 20 to control the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. The steering unit sensor 63 is an angle sensor including, for example, a Hall element, and detects the steering angle, which is the rotation angle of the steering unit 61. The steering unit sensor 63 outputs the detected steering angle of the steering unit 61 to the in-vehicle network NT.

[0042] The transmission system 70 has a transmission section 71, a transmission control section 72, and a transmission section sensor 73, and controls the gear ratio of the vehicle 10.

[0043] The transmission unit 71 is a device including, for example, a shift lever and the like, and changes the gear ratio of the vehicle 10. The transmission control unit 72 is a microcomputer having a hardware processor such as a CPU. The transmission control unit 72 controls the transmission unit 71 based on instructions from the driving assistance device 20 to control the gear ratio of the vehicle 10. The transmission unit sensor 73 is, for example, a position sensor, and detects the position of a shift lever included in the transmission unit 71. The transmission sensor 73 outputs the detected position of the shift lever to the in-vehicle network NT.

[0044] The vehicle speed sensor 83 has, for example, a Hall element provided near the wheel 13 of the vehicle 10, and detects the amount of rotation or the number of rotations per unit time of the wheel 13. The vehicle speed sensor 83 outputs the number of wheel speed pulses indicating the detected amount of rotation or number of rotations to the in-vehicle network NT as a sensor value for calculating the speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 10. The driving assistance device 20 can calculate the speed, movement amount, etc. of the vehicle 10 based on the sensor value acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 83.

[0045] The monitor device 30 is provided on a dashboard or the like inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 , and has a display unit 31 and an input unit 32 .

[0046] The display unit 31 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescent display (OLED). The display unit 31 displays, for example, an image based on image data transmitted by the driving assistance device 20, an image for receiving an operation instruction for switching between automatic driving and manual driving, and the like.

[0047] The input unit 32 is, for example, a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 31. The input unit 32 is configured to be transparent to the contents displayed on the display screen of the display unit 31. This allows the input unit 32 to allow the occupant to visually recognize the display contents of the display unit 31.

[0048] The input unit 32 receives instructions input by the occupant touching a position corresponding to the display content of the display unit 31, and transmits the instructions to the driving support device 20 via the in-vehicle network NT. Note that the input unit 32 is not limited to a touch panel, and may be a hard switch such as a push button.

[0049] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the driving support device 20 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the driving support device 20 includes a display control unit 201, an acquisition unit 202, a detection unit 203, a route calculation unit 204, a switching unit 205, a movement control unit 206, and a storage unit 207 as functional units.

[0050] These functional units are realized, for example, by the above-mentioned CPU 21 reading and executing a program stored in a storage device such as the ROM 25. Alternatively, they are realized by the display control circuit 23, the SSD 24, the ROM 25, the RAM 26, and the like operating under the control of the CPU 21 according to the program.

[0051] Some or all of these functional units may be configured by hardware such as a circuit including an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0052] The display control unit 201 generates contents to be displayed on the display unit 31 of the monitor device 30, and causes the contents to be displayed on the display unit 31. That is, the display control unit 201 causes the display unit 31 to display, for example, a notification screen that a parking area in which the vehicle 10 can be parked has been detected, a selection screen for starting, pausing, or canceling driving assistance, an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 10 during driving assistance, and the like.

[0053] The acquisition unit 202 acquires, as information about the surroundings of the vehicle 10, information about transmitted and received sound waves from the distance measurement unit 14 and captured images of the surroundings of the vehicle 10 from the imaging unit 16.

[0054] The detection unit 203 detects obstacles, parking spaces, parking areas, and the like around the vehicle 10 based on the surrounding information acquired by the acquisition unit 202 .

[0055] The obstacle may be, for example, a variety of objects such as other vehicles, walls, pillars, fences, projections, steps, wheel stops, etc. Furthermore, the obstacle may be, for example, a person walking in the parking lot.

[0056] A parking space is an area provided for parking the vehicle 10, and is partitioned by, for example, a partition line, a frame line, a straight line, a strip, a step, etc. A parking area is a parking space where the vehicle 10 can be parked, that is, a parking space where there are no obstacles such as other vehicles that would impede parking of the vehicle 10. The above partition lines, frame lines, straight lines, strips, steps, etc. are examples of objects that indicate a parking area, and serve as targets when the driving assistance device 20 assists the vehicle 10 in entering and exiting the parking area, and causes the vehicle 10 to enter and exit the parking area.

[0057] When a command to start driving assistance is given by the driver of the vehicle 10 or the like, the detection unit 203 detects the presence or absence of an obstacle, the distance from the vehicle 10 to the obstacle, and the like, based on, for example, the detection result of the distance measuring unit 14. In addition, the detection unit 203 detects the presence or absence of an obstacle, a parking space, and the positions (orientations) of these relative to the vehicle 10, as well as the shapes, sizes, heights, and the like, for example, by image processing based on an image captured by the imaging unit 16.

[0058] By combining these detection results, the detection unit 203 extracts information such as whether there is an obstacle around the vehicle 10, whether the obstacle may interfere with the driving of the vehicle 10, whether there is a parking space around the vehicle 10, whether it is possible to park the vehicle 10 in the parking space, i.e., whether it can be used as a parking area.

[0059] The route calculation unit 204 calculates a target position to which the vehicle 10 is to be guided based on the detection result by the detection unit 203, and calculates a travel route along which the vehicle 10 is to move to the target position.

[0060] When parking the vehicle 10, the target position is the parking area detected by the detection unit 203. When departing the vehicle 10, the target position is a predetermined location from which the vehicle 10 can safely start traveling, such as an aisle between multiple parking spaces.

[0061] In addition, the route calculation unit 204 may calculate a turning position as necessary. One or more turning positions are set when parking or exiting the vehicle is difficult after a single back or forward movement.

[0062] The route calculation unit 204 calculates a travel route of the vehicle 10 from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the target position so as to guide the vehicle 10 to the target position calculated as described above. The travel route may include a turning point as described above. In this case, the route calculation unit 204 calculates a travel route from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the target position via the turning point.

[0063] In this manner, the route calculation unit 204 calculates a movement route for parking, such as backward parking or forward parking, etc. Also, the route calculation unit 204 calculates a movement route for exiting, such as forward exiting or backward exiting, etc.

[0064] When assisting the driving of the vehicle 10, the movement control unit 206 controls each unit of the vehicle 10 to move the vehicle 10. Specifically, the movement control unit 206 controls all or part of the braking system 40, the acceleration system 50, the steering system 60, and the gear shifting system 70 to move the vehicle 10 to the target position according to the above-mentioned movement path. At this time, the movement control unit 206 moves the vehicle 10 while receiving feedback from each sensor such as the braking unit sensor 43, the acceleration unit sensor 53, the steering unit sensor 63, the gear shifting unit sensor 73, and the vehicle speed sensor 83.

[0065] Even after the movement control unit 206 starts moving the vehicle 10, the detection unit 203 continues to acquire surrounding information from the distance measurement unit 14 and the imaging unit 16. The above-mentioned route calculation unit 204 appropriately recalculates the movement route based on the detection result by the detection unit 203. When the movement route is recalculated, the movement control unit 206 continues the movement of the vehicle 10 so as to finely adjust the position of the vehicle 10 accordingly.

[0066] When the movement control unit 206 controls the vehicle 10, the switching unit 205 appropriately switches the acceleration limit value that is the upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle 10. As the acceleration limit value during driving assistance, for example, a default value that is set when driving assistance is started, and a switching value that is applied when the steering angle of the vehicle 10 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value while the vehicle 10 is stopped are provided. Details of these acceleration limit values ​​will be described later.

[0067] These acceleration limit values ​​are stored, for example, in the storage unit 207. The switching unit 205 switches between these acceleration limit values ​​by referring to the storage unit 207 under a predetermined condition.

[0068] The above-mentioned movement control unit 206 sets a target speed according to the situation of the vehicle 10 at each time, accelerates the vehicle 10 at an acceleration within the acceleration limit value determined by the switching unit 205, and controls the speed of the vehicle 10 to become the target speed.

[0069] The storage unit 207 stores, for example, a program executed by the CPU 21 of the driving assistance device 20, and various control parameters necessary for the operation of the driving assistance device 20. As described above, the storage unit 207 also stores settings of the above-mentioned multiple types of acceleration limit values ​​and the like that serve as upper limit values ​​for the acceleration of the vehicle 10 during driving assistance.

[0070] An example of the setting of the above-mentioned acceleration limit value is shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a graph showing an example of the setting of the acceleration limit value held by the driving assistance device 20 according to the embodiment. The horizontal axis of the graph in Fig. 4 is time (s), and the vertical axis is target speed (m / s).

[0071] 4, among the acceleration limit values ​​held by the driving assistance device 20, the switching value LVe applied under the above-mentioned predetermined condition is set to a value smaller than the default value LVd set in normal times. Therefore, for example, if the target speed of the vehicle 10 is the same, when the switching value LVe is applied, it takes longer to reach the target speed than when the default value LVd is set.

[0072] The above-mentioned state in which the steering wheel or the like is operated while the vehicle 10 is stopped and the steering angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is a so-called stationary steering state. In the stationary steering state, the vehicle 10 is prone to swaying when it starts to move.

[0073] During driving assistance, the vehicle 10 is controlled while avoiding a stationary steering state in principle, but may be controlled with the vehicle 10 turned from the standstill in cases such as when the free space around the vehicle 10 is extremely narrow. When the vehicle 10 is turned from the standstill, a switching value LVe smaller than a default value LVd is applied as an acceleration limit value, thereby suppressing such swaying of the vehicle 10.

[0074] In this way, during driving assistance, the vehicle 10 is controlled mainly with the default value LVd set. Such default value LVd can also be said to be an initial value or a standard value of the acceleration limit value. Meanwhile, in this specification, the switching value LVe applied when the vehicle 10 is in a stationary steering state may also be referred to as the acceleration limit value during stationary steering.

[0075] Of these acceleration limit values, the default value LVd is an example of a first acceleration limit value, and the switching value LVe is an example of a second acceleration limit value.

[0076] (Example of processing by driving support device) Next, an example of driving support processing by the driving support device 20 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flow diagram showing an example of a procedure of the driving support processing by the driving support device 20 according to the embodiment.

[0077] 5, when an instruction to start driving assistance is received from the driver of the vehicle 10, the driving assistance device 20 starts control (step S101). The route calculation unit 204 calculates a movement route from the stopping position of the vehicle 10 at that time to the target position (step S102). When driving assistance is started, the switching unit 205 sets a default value LVd as the acceleration limit value (step S103).

[0078] The switching unit 205 also determines whether the vehicle 10 is stopped based on the detection result of, for example, the vehicle speed sensor 83 (see FIG. 2) or the like (step S104). When the vehicle 10 is stopped (step S104: Yes), the switching unit 205 determines whether the steering angle of the vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold based on the detection result of, for example, the steering sensor 63 (see FIG. 2) or the like (step S105).

[0079] If the steering angle is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (step S105: Yes), the switching unit 205 switches the acceleration limit value of the vehicle 10 from the default value LVd set in the processing of step 103 at the beginning of the driving assistance to a switching value LVe (step S106).

[0080] When the switching value LVe is set as the acceleration limit value, the movement control unit 206 accelerates the vehicle 10 to the target speed at an acceleration within the switching value LVe, and controls the movement of the vehicle 10 according to the calculated movement route (step S107).

[0081] When the movement control of the vehicle 10 is started, the switching unit 205 determines whether the steering angle is less than a predetermined value (step S109). While the steering angle is maintained at or above the predetermined threshold (step S109: No), the switching unit 205 continues to monitor the steering angle.

[0082] When the steering wheel or the like is operated while the vehicle 10 is stopped and the steering angle is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the vehicle 10 stops turning from a stationary state and the steering angle falls below the predetermined threshold. Therefore, when the steering angle falls below the predetermined value (step S109: Yes), the switching unit 205 resets the acceleration limit value to the original default value LVd (step S110). That is, the processing in step S110 releases the acceleration limit value in the stationary state.

[0083] If the vehicle 10 is not in a stopped state (step S104: No), or if the steering angle is less than a predetermined threshold (step S105: No), the processing of step S106 is not performed, and the acceleration limit value is maintained at the initially set default value LVd.

[0084] The movement control unit 206 accelerates the vehicle 10 to the target speed with an acceleration within the default value LVd, and controls the movement of the vehicle 10 according to the calculated movement route (step S108).

[0085] The movement control unit 206 also determines whether the driving assistance process has ended, for example, when the vehicle 10 reaches a target position (step S111). If the driving assistance process is ongoing (step S111: No), the process from step S104 is repeated until the driving assistance process ends (step S111: Yes).

[0086] This ends the driving assistance process by the driving assistance device 20 of the embodiment.

[0087] (Overview) The driving assistance device assists the vehicle in driving based on information about the surroundings of the vehicle from various sensors such as a distance measuring unit and an image capturing unit. At this time, when the parking space is extremely narrow, control may be performed to start the vehicle 10 with the steering wheel turned from the standstill. However, when starting with the steering wheel turned from the standstill, the vehicle 10 is likely to sway, and the occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, may feel uncomfortable riding.

[0088] According to the driving support device 20 of the embodiment, when the vehicle 10 is stopped and the steering angle of the vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value during control of the vehicle 10 by the movement control unit 206, the acceleration limit value, which is the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle 10, is set to the switching value LVe. This makes it possible to suppress the swaying of the vehicle 10 when starting with the steering wheel stationary, and improve the ride comfort of the passengers of the vehicle 10, including the driver.

[0089] According to the driving assistance device 20 of the embodiment, when driving assistance is started, the acceleration limit value of the vehicle 10 is set to the default value LVd. In this way, by preparing a default value LVd that is larger than the switching value LVe in addition to the switching value LVe, the vehicle 10 can reach the target speed with an appropriate acceleration, and unnecessary time required for parking or exiting the vehicle can be suppressed, and processing can be completed quickly.

[0090] According to the driving support device 20 of the embodiment, after the acceleration limit value of the vehicle 10 is set to the switching value LVe, when the steering angle becomes less than the above threshold, the acceleration limit value is switched to the default value LVd. In this way, by applying the switching value LVe, which is smaller than the default value LVd, only while the vehicle 10 is in the stationary steering state, it is possible to improve the ride comfort of the occupants while preventing unnecessary time from being required for parking or exiting the vehicle, and to quickly complete the processing.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the driving assistance device 20 is mounted on the vehicle 10, but the driving assistance device 20 does not necessarily have to be mounted on the vehicle 10. For example, the driving assistance device may acquire peripheral information about the vehicle from various sensors at a location away from the vehicle, and perform driving assistance for the vehicle by remote control. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 10. Vehicle 14...Distance measurement section 16…Imaging unit 20...Driving assistance device 200…Driving assistance system 201...Display control unit 202…Acquisition Department 203…Detection unit 204...Route calculation unit 205…Switching section 206...Movement control unit 207...Storage section LVd... Default value LVe…Switching value

Claims

1. A driving assistance device that provides driving assistance for a vehicle based on peripheral information collected by a plurality of sensors provided in the vehicle, a route calculation unit that calculates a movement route of the vehicle to a target position based on the peripheral information from the plurality of sensors; a switching unit that switches a setting of an upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle between a first acceleration limit value and a second acceleration limit value that is smaller than the first acceleration limit value; a movement control unit that moves the vehicle along the movement path while controlling the vehicle at an acceleration within an upper limit value set by the switching unit, The switching unit is When the vehicle is stopped and a steering angle of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value during control of the vehicle by the movement control unit, an upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle is set to the second acceleration limit value. Driving assistance device.

2. The switching unit is When the driving assistance is started, an upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle is set to the first acceleration limit value. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 .

3. The switching unit is setting an upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle to the second acceleration limit value, and then switching to the first acceleration limit value when the steering angle becomes less than the threshold value; The driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2.

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