Display system

Abstract

To inform in an appropriate mode a driver of whether to perform autonomous lane change or not.SOLUTION: An autonomous driving system 1 includes: a vehicle speed detection device 8 that detects a speed of a vehicle 20; a display device 9 that can display a traveling lane and an adjacent lane of the vehicle; a display control unit 15 that controls a display content of the display device; and a vehicle control unit 16 that performs an autonomous lane change of the vehicle. The vehicle control unit inhibits the autonomous lane change of the vehicle when the speed of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined value. When the autonomous lane change is inhibited, the display control unit hides the adjacent lane. However, when the vehicle is scheduled to accelerate from a speed lower than the predetermined value to a speed equal to or higher than the predetermined value for the autonomous lane change, the display control unit starts displaying the adjacent lane before the speed of the vehicle reaches the predetermined value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated driving system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in order to provide surrounding information to a driver of an autonomous vehicle, it is known to display other vehicles, etc. detected by a vehicle detection device mounted on the vehicle on an in-vehicle display device (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-187982 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, autonomous vehicles capable of autonomous driving are often permitted to change lanes autonomously only under certain conditions. For example, when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a certain value, autonomous lane changing is permitted, and when the vehicle speed is less than the certain value, autonomous lane changing is prohibited.

[0005] For this reason, it is desirable for the driver to be able to visually confirm whether autonomous lane changing is possible while the vehicle is traveling. For example, it is conceivable to display adjacent lanes on the display device when autonomous lane changing is permitted, and not display adjacent lanes on the display device when autonomous lane changing is prohibited.

[0006] However, if adjacent lanes are always hidden when autonomous lane changes are prohibited, the adjacent lanes will be hidden until the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined value, even if the vehicle is scheduled to accelerate to change lanes, which may result in a delay in transmitting the system's recognition result of the lane change destination to the driver.

[0007] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to inform a driver in an appropriate manner of whether or not an autonomous lane change can be performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0009] (1) An autonomous driving system comprising: a vehicle speed detection device that detects the speed of a vehicle; a display device capable of displaying the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and adjacent lanes; a display control unit that controls the display content of the display device; and a vehicle control unit that performs autonomous lane changes for the vehicle, wherein the vehicle control unit prohibits the autonomous lane change of the vehicle when the speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined value; and the display control unit hides the adjacent lane when the autonomous lane change is prohibited, but starts displaying the adjacent lane before the speed of the vehicle reaches the predetermined value when it is scheduled to accelerate from a speed below the predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined value in order to perform the autonomous lane change.

[0010] (2) The autonomous driving system described in (1) above, wherein when the vehicle is scheduled to accelerate from a speed less than the predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined value for the autonomous lane change, the display control unit starts displaying the adjacent lanes to which the lane is to be changed before the vehicle's speed reaches the predetermined value.

[0011] (3) The autonomous driving system according to (1) or (2) above, wherein when the autonomous lane change is performed in a case where adjacent lanes exist on both sides of the driving lane, the display control unit displays only the driving lane and the lane after the lane change.

[0012] (4) An autonomous driving system as described in any one of (1) to (3) above, further comprising a vehicle detection device that detects other vehicles present around the vehicle, and a target vehicle setting unit that sets a vehicle to be decelerated from among the other vehicles detected by the vehicle detection device, wherein the vehicle control unit controls the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle so that the vehicle does not approach the vehicle to be decelerated, and the display control unit displays the vehicle to be decelerated when another vehicle in an adjacent lane not displayed on the display device is set as the vehicle to be decelerated. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to inform the driver in an appropriate manner of whether or not an autonomous lane change can be performed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic view of a part of the configuration of a vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the ECU in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display device when the vehicle is prohibited from changing lanes. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image in which the display of the lane to which the vehicle is to change lanes is started when the vehicle speed is below a predetermined value. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control routine for the lane display processing in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the ECU in the second embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display device when another vehicle in an adjacent lane that is not displayed is set as a deceleration target vehicle. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control routine for lane display processing in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, like components are designated by like reference numerals.

[0016] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0017] <Autonomous Driving System Configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The autonomous driving system 1 is mounted on a vehicle and performs autonomous driving of the vehicle. In the autonomous driving of the vehicle, some or all of the acceleration, steering, and braking of the vehicle are performed automatically. In other words, the vehicle on which the autonomous driving system 1 is mounted is a vehicle with a driving assistance function, or an autonomous driving vehicle that can automatically perform all of the acceleration, steering, and braking of the vehicle.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the autonomous driving system 1 includes a vehicle detection device 2, an in-vehicle camera 3, a GNSS receiver 4, a map database 5, a navigation device 6, an actuator 7, a vehicle speed detection device 8, a display device 9, and an electronic control unit (Electronic Control Unit (ECU)) 10. The vehicle detection device 2, the in-vehicle camera 3, the GNSS receiver 4, the map database 5, the navigation device 6, the actuator 7, the vehicle speed detection device 8, and the display device 9 are provided in a vehicle and communicatively connected to the ECU 10 via an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0019] The vehicle detection device 2 detects other vehicles present around the vehicle (host vehicle). Specifically, the vehicle detection device 2 detects the presence or absence of other vehicles around the vehicle, the distance from the vehicle to the other vehicles, and the relative speed between the vehicle and the other vehicles. The output of the vehicle detection device 2 is transmitted to the ECU 10. In this embodiment, the vehicle detection device 2 is configured with an outside camera, a LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging), a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor (sonar), or any combination of these.

[0020] 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a part of a configuration of a vehicle 20 equipped with an autonomous driving system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the vehicle 20 includes an exterior camera 21, a lidar 22, a millimeter wave radar 23, and an ultrasonic sensor (sonar) 24.

[0021] The exterior camera 21 captures the surroundings of the vehicle 20 to generate an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 20. In this embodiment, the exterior camera 21 is disposed in front of the vehicle 20 (for example, behind the interior rearview mirror, the front bumper, etc.) so as to capture an image of the area in front of the vehicle 20. The exterior camera 21 may be a stereo camera capable of measuring distances.

[0022] The lidar 22 irradiates a laser beam around the vehicle 20 and receives reflected light of the laser beam. This enables the lidar 22 to detect the presence or absence of an object around the vehicle 20, the distance from the vehicle 20 to the object, and the relative speed between the vehicle 20 and the object. In this embodiment, the lidar 22 is provided on the upper part of the vehicle 20, specifically, on the roof of the vehicle 20.

[0023] The millimeter wave radar 23 transmits millimeter waves around the vehicle 20 and receives reflected millimeter waves. This allows the millimeter wave radar 23 to detect the presence or absence of an object around the vehicle 20, the distance from the vehicle 20 to the object, and the relative speed between the vehicle 20 and the object. In this embodiment, the millimeter wave radar 23 is provided at the front and rear of the vehicle 20 (for example, the front bumper and rear bumper of the vehicle 20).

[0024] The ultrasonic sensor 24 transmits ultrasonic waves around the vehicle 20 and receives reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves. In this way, the ultrasonic sensor 24 can detect the presence or absence of an object around the vehicle 20, the distance from the vehicle 20 to the object, and the relative speed between the vehicle 20 and the object. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic sensor 24 is provided on both sides of the vehicle 20 (for example, the left and right front fenders of the vehicle 20).

[0025] The positions and numbers of the vehicle exterior camera 21, the lidar 22, the millimeter wave radar 23, and the ultrasonic sensor 24 are not limited to those described above. In addition, some of these may be omitted.

[0026] The in-vehicle camera 3 has a camera and a floodlight, and captures the face of the driver of the vehicle 20 to generate a facial image of the driver. The camera is composed of a lens and an imaging element, for example, a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) camera or a CCD (charge-coupled device) camera. The floodlight is an LED (light-emitting diode), for example, two near-infrared LEDs arranged on both sides of the camera. The in-vehicle camera 3 is also called a driver monitor camera. The output of the in-vehicle camera 3 is transmitted to the ECU 10.

[0027] The GNSS receiver 4 captures a plurality of positioning satellites and receives radio waves transmitted from the positioning satellites. The GNSS receiver 4 calculates the distance to the positioning satellite based on the difference between the transmission time and reception time of the radio waves, and detects the current position of the vehicle 20 (e.g., the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 20) based on the distance to the positioning satellite and the position of the positioning satellite (orbit information). The output of the GNSS receiver 4 is transmitted to the ECU 10. Note that GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is a general term for satellite positioning systems such as GPS in the United States, GLONASS in Russia, Galileo in Europe, QZSS in Japan, BeiDou in China, and IRNSS in India. Therefore, the GNSS receiver 4 includes a GPS receiver.

[0028] The map database 5 stores map information. The map information stored in the map database 5 is updated using communication with the outside of the vehicle 20, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology, etc. The ECU 10 acquires the map information from the map database 5.

[0029] The navigation device 6 sets a driving route for the vehicle 20 to the destination based on the current position of the vehicle 20 detected by the GNSS receiver 4, the map information in the map database 5, an input by the driver, etc. The driving route set by the navigation device 6 is transmitted to the ECU 10. The GNSS receiver 4 and the map database 5 may be incorporated in the navigation device 6.

[0030] The actuators 7 operate the vehicle 20. For example, the actuators 7 include a drive device (at least one of an engine and a motor) for accelerating the vehicle 20, a brake actuator for braking the vehicle 20, a steering motor for steering the vehicle 20, etc. The ECU 10 controls the actuators 7 for the autonomous driving of the vehicle 20.

[0031] The vehicle speed detection device 8 detects the speed of the vehicle. The vehicle speed detection device 8 detects the speed of the vehicle, for example, by detecting the number of rotations of the wheels of the vehicle. The output of the vehicle speed detection device 8 is transmitted to the ECU 10.

[0032] The display device 9 has a display that displays digital information such as characters and images, and presents various information to the driver of the vehicle 20. The display device 9 is provided inside the vehicle 20 so as to be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle 20. The display device 9 is a human machine interface (HMI) that is composed of at least one of a touch screen, a head-up display, a digital meter panel, and the like. The display device 9 may also include a speaker that generates sounds such as voice, operation buttons that allow the driver to perform input operations, a microphone that receives voice information from the driver, and the like.

[0033] The ECU 10 executes various controls of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 1, the ECU 10 includes a communication interface 11, a memory 12, and a processor 13. The communication interface 11 and the memory 12 are connected to the processor 13 via signal lines. Note that, although one ECU 10 is provided in this embodiment, multiple ECUs may be provided for each function.

[0034] The communication interface 11 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 10 to an in-vehicle network. The ECU 10 is connected to the vehicle detection device 2, the in-vehicle camera 3, the GNSS receiver 4, the map database 5, the navigation device 6, the actuator 7, the vehicle speed detection device 8, and the display device 9 via the communication interface 11.

[0035] The memory 12 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 12 stores programs, data, etc. that are used when the processor 13 executes various processes.

[0036] The processor 13 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 13 may further include an arithmetic circuit such as a logical arithmetic unit or a numerical arithmetic unit.

[0037] 3 is a functional block diagram of the ECU 10 in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the ECU 10 has a display control unit 15 and a vehicle control unit 16. The display control unit 15 and the vehicle control unit 16 are functional modules that are realized by the processor 13 of the ECU 10 executing a program stored in the memory 12 of the ECU 10.

[0038] The display control unit 15 controls the display contents of the display device 9. In this embodiment, the display device 9 displays the vehicle 20 and other vehicles around the vehicle 20, as well as the driving lane and adjacent lanes of the vehicle 20. Other vehicles around the vehicle 20 are detected by the vehicle detection device 2. The shape of the driving lane of the vehicle 20 and the shape and number of adjacent lanes are identified from the map information stored in the map database 5. In other words, the display control unit 15 acquires map information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 20 identified based on the output of the GNSS receiver 4, etc., from the map database 5. The driving lane and adjacent lanes of the vehicle 20 may be detected by the vehicle detection device 2.

[0039] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display device 9. As shown in Fig. 4, the display device 9 displays the vehicle 20 (host vehicle) and the other vehicle 30 as vehicle icons. In this embodiment, the size and shape of the vehicle icons are determined in advance.

[0040] 4, an image as viewed from a position higher than the vehicle 20 at the rear of the vehicle 20 is displayed on the display device 9. The driver of the vehicle 20 can grasp the detection state of other vehicles 30 around the vehicle 20 by visually checking such a display.

[0041] The vehicle control unit 16 controls the vehicle 20 to perform autonomous driving of the vehicle 20. For example, the vehicle control unit 16 performs autonomous lane changing of the vehicle 20 by controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 20 using the actuator 7. At this time, the vehicle control unit 16 performs lane changing of the vehicle 20 so as to avoid a collision with another vehicle detected by the vehicle detection device 2.

[0042] However, when the speed of vehicle 20 is low, the relative speed of other vehicles to vehicle 20 is high compared to when the speed of vehicle 20 is high, and as a result, other vehicles further behind may approach vehicle 20 when changing lanes. In other words, when the speed of vehicle 20 is low, the rear area to be monitored for lane changes is wider compared to when the speed of vehicle 20 is high.

[0043] For this reason, in this embodiment, the vehicle control unit 16 allows the vehicle 20 to autonomously change lanes when the speed of the vehicle 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and prohibits the vehicle 20 from autonomously changing lanes when the speed of the vehicle 20 is less than the predetermined value. This reduces the burden of monitoring adjacent lanes.

[0044] When autonomous lane changing of the vehicle 20 is permitted, if a lane change is instructed by the driver through operation of the turn signal lever or the like, the autonomous lane change is performed, with the start condition being, for example, detection of visual confirmation by the driver based on the output of the in-vehicle camera 3. On the other hand, when autonomous lane changing of the vehicle 20 is prohibited, the autonomous lane change is not performed even if a lane change is instructed by the driver.

[0045] For this reason, it is desirable for the driver to be able to visually confirm whether or not an autonomous lane change can be performed while the vehicle 20 is traveling. Therefore, in this embodiment, the display control unit 15 displays the lanes adjacent to the vehicle 20 when an autonomous lane change is permitted, and does not display the lanes adjacent to the vehicle 20 when an autonomous lane change is prohibited. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize whether or not an autonomous lane change can be performed through the display on the display device 9.

[0046] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display device 9 when lane changing of the vehicle 20 is prohibited. Unlike the image in Fig. 4 showing the actual detection situation, the image in Fig. 5 does not show adjacent lanes and other vehicles on the adjacent lanes.

[0047] In addition, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 20 performs an autonomous lane change in the case where adjacent lanes exist on both sides of the vehicle 20, the display control unit 15 displays only the driving lane of the vehicle 20 and the lane to which the lane is to be changed. For example, when the vehicle 20 moves to the adjacent lane on the right side by lane change, only the driving lane of the vehicle 20 and the adjacent lane on the right side are displayed, and the adjacent lane on the left side is hidden. This makes it easier for the driver to recognize the direction of the lane change. Note that when the vehicle 20 performs an autonomous lane change, an arrow or the like indicating the direction of the lane change may be additionally displayed on the display device 9.

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, the display control unit 15 keeps the adjacent lane displayed while the autonomous lane change of the vehicle 20 is being performed, regardless of the speed of the vehicle 20. In other words, even if the speed of the vehicle 20 drops below a predetermined value after the autonomous lane change of the vehicle 20 is started, the display control unit 15 keeps the adjacent lane displayed until the lane change is completed or canceled. This can prevent the driver from feeling uneasy about the control of the lane change, and can prevent unnecessary manual operations from being performed during the lane change.

[0049] As described above, when the speed of the vehicle 20 is less than a predetermined value, the autonomous lane change of the vehicle 20 is prohibited. Therefore, if the adjacent lanes are always hidden when the autonomous lane change of the vehicle 20 is prohibited, the adjacent lanes are hidden until the speed of the vehicle 20 reaches a predetermined value, even if the lane change is scheduled to be performed by accelerating the vehicle 20. As a result, there is a risk of delay in the timing of transmitting the recognition result of the lane to be changed by the system to the driver.

[0050] Therefore, in this embodiment, the display control unit 15 hides the adjacent lanes when an autonomous lane change is prohibited, but when the vehicle 20 is scheduled to accelerate from a speed below a predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value in order to change lanes autonomously, the display control unit 15 starts displaying the adjacent lanes before the speed of the vehicle 20 reaches the predetermined value. This allows the system to communicate the recognition result of the lane to which the lane change is to be made to the driver in advance. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the possibility of implementing an autonomous lane change can be communicated to the driver in an appropriate manner.

[0051] In particular, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 20 is scheduled to accelerate from a speed below a predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value for an autonomous lane change, the display control unit 15 starts displaying the lane to which the lane will be changed among the adjacent lanes before the speed of the vehicle 20 reaches the predetermined value. This makes it easier for the driver to recognize the direction of the lane change even when there are multiple adjacent lanes.

[0052] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image in which display of the lane to which the vehicle 20 is to change lanes is started when the speed of the vehicle 20 is below a predetermined value. In the example of Fig. 6, the vehicle 20 is scheduled to accelerate in an acceleration lane 70 on a motorway and change lanes to a main lane 80 (so-called merging), and the main lane 80 ahead is displayed before the speed of the vehicle 20 reaches a predetermined value.

[0053] <Lane display processing> The above-mentioned control will be described in detail below with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a control routine for lane display processing in the first embodiment. This control routine is repeatedly executed by the ECU 10 at a predetermined execution interval. The predetermined execution interval is, for example, the interval at which the detection result of another vehicle by the vehicle detection device 2 is updated.

[0054] First, in step S101, the display control unit 15 determines whether or not autonomous lane changing is prohibited for the vehicle 20. If autonomous lane changing is prohibited for the vehicle 20, that is, if the speed of the vehicle 20 detected by the vehicle speed detection device 8 is less than a predetermined value, this control routine proceeds to step S102.

[0055] Next, in step S102, the display control unit 15 determines whether or not the vehicle 20 is scheduled to accelerate from a speed below a predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value in order to autonomously change lanes. The predetermined value is set in advance, for example, to 40 km / h to 70 km / h, preferably 50 km / h.

[0056] For example, when the vehicle 20 is in an acceleration lane for merging into a main lane on a motorway, it is determined that the vehicle 20 is scheduled to accelerate from a speed below a predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value for an autonomous lane change. It may also be determined that the vehicle 20 is scheduled to accelerate from a speed below a predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value for an autonomous lane change when the distance to the end of the acceleration lane becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance or when the predicted time required to the end of the acceleration lane becomes equal to or less than a predetermined time. It may also be determined that the vehicle 20 is scheduled to accelerate from a speed below a predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value for an autonomous lane change when overtaking a preceding vehicle by lane change is added to the driving plan.

[0057] If it is determined in step S102 that the vehicle 20 is not scheduled to accelerate from a speed below the predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined value for an autonomous lane change, the control routine proceeds to step S103. In step S103, the display control unit 15 hides the adjacent lanes on the display device 9. If there are multiple adjacent lanes, all the adjacent lanes are hidden and only the lane in which the vehicle 20 is traveling is displayed. If another vehicle is detected in the adjacent lane, not only the adjacent lane but also the other vehicle on the adjacent lane are hidden. After step S103, the control routine ends.

[0058] On the other hand, if the vehicle 20 is permitted to autonomously change lanes in step S101, or if it is determined in step S102 that the vehicle 20 is scheduled to accelerate from a speed below the predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined value for autonomously changing lanes, this control routine proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the display control unit 15 displays the adjacent lane on the display device 9. If another vehicle is detected on the adjacent lane, not only the adjacent lane but also the other vehicle on the adjacent lane is displayed. After step S104, this control routine ends.

[0059] Second Embodiment The configuration and control of the automated driving system according to the second embodiment are basically the same as those of the automated driving system according to the first embodiment, except for the points described below. Therefore, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0060] 8 is a functional block diagram of the ECU 10 in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the ECU 10 has a target vehicle setting unit 17 in addition to the display control unit 15 and the vehicle control unit 16. The display control unit 15, the vehicle control unit 16, and the target vehicle setting unit 17 are functional modules that are realized by the processor 13 of the ECU 10 executing a program stored in the memory 12 of the ECU 10.

[0061] The target vehicle setting unit 17 sets a deceleration target vehicle from among other vehicles detected by the vehicle detection device 2. In this specification, a deceleration target vehicle refers to another vehicle that limits the speed of the vehicle 20 (host vehicle) based on its behavior.

[0062] First, the target vehicle setting unit 17 sets a preceding vehicle on the driving lane of the vehicle 20 and another vehicle on the adjacent lane that is likely to enter the driving lane in front of the vehicle 20 as deceleration target candidates. At this time, the determination of whether the other vehicle on the adjacent lane is likely to enter the driving lane in front of the vehicle 20 is performed based on, for example, the lateral speed of the other vehicle. In this case, for example, when the lateral speed of the other vehicle in the direction in which the other vehicle approaches the driving lane of the vehicle 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the other vehicle on the adjacent lane is likely to enter the driving lane in front of the vehicle 20. Also, when an obstacle (a fallen object, a broken-down vehicle, a construction site, etc.) is detected in front of the other vehicle on the adjacent lane based on the output of the vehicle detection device 2, etc., it is determined that the other vehicle on the adjacent lane is likely to enter the driving lane in front of the vehicle 20. Also, when the adjacent lane disappears due to a decrease in the number of lanes and the driving lane of the vehicle 20 becomes a lane to be merged, it is determined that the other vehicle on the adjacent lane is likely to enter the driving lane in front of the vehicle 20.

[0063] Next, the target vehicle setting unit 17 sets a deceleration target vehicle from among the deceleration target candidates based on a predetermined condition. For example, the target vehicle setting unit 17 uses a map or the like to determine whether or not the deceleration target candidate satisfies the requirements for a deceleration target vehicle based on the distance between the vehicle 20 and the deceleration target candidate and the relative speed between the vehicle 20 and the deceleration target candidate. In addition, when the lane in which the vehicle 20 is traveling becomes a lane to be merged, the target vehicle setting unit 17 determines whether or not the deceleration target candidate on the adjacent lane satisfies the requirements for a deceleration target vehicle using a requirement that the distance between the vehicle 20 and the deceleration target candidate on the adjacent lane at a predetermined point before the merge is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. In addition, when multiple deceleration target candidates satisfy the requirements for a deceleration target vehicle, the deceleration target candidate with the largest limit amount of the speed of the vehicle 20 (for example, the deceleration rate of the vehicle 20) is set as the deceleration target vehicle. In addition, when there is no other vehicle that satisfies the requirements for a deceleration target vehicle, the deceleration target vehicle is not set.

[0064] When the deceleration target vehicle is set by the target vehicle setting unit 17, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 20 so that the vehicle 20 does not approach the deceleration target vehicle. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 16 decelerates the vehicle 20 or suppresses the acceleration of the vehicle 20 to the target vehicle speed so that the vehicle 20 does not approach the deceleration target vehicle.

[0065] As described above, the display control unit 15 hides adjacent lanes and other vehicles on the adjacent lanes when autonomous lane changing of the vehicle 20 is prohibited. However, when another vehicle on the adjacent lane is set as a deceleration target vehicle, it is desirable to notify the driver of the presence of the deceleration target vehicle.

[0066] For this reason, in the second embodiment, when another vehicle on an adjacent lane that is not displayed on the display device 9 is set as a vehicle to be decelerated, the display control unit 15 displays the vehicle to be decelerated. This allows the driver to understand the reason for deceleration when the vehicle 20 decelerates, while suggesting to the driver whether or not an autonomous lane change is possible.

[0067] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display device 9 when another vehicle on an adjacent lane that is not displayed is set as a vehicle to be decelerated. In the image of Fig. 9, the adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle 20 is traveling is not displayed, and only the deceleration target vehicle 40 on the adjacent lane is displayed.

[0068] <Lane display processing> 10 is a flowchart showing a control routine for lane display processing in the second embodiment. This control routine is repeatedly executed at a predetermined execution interval by the ECU 10. The predetermined execution interval is, for example, an interval at which the detection result of another vehicle by the vehicle detection device 2 is updated.

[0069] Description of steps S201 to S204 will be omitted since they are similar to steps S101 to S104 in Fig. 7. After the adjacent lanes are hidden in step S203, this control routine proceeds to step S205.

[0070] In step S205, the display control unit 15 determines whether or not another vehicle has been detected in the adjacent lane by the vehicle detection device 2. If it is determined that another vehicle has not been detected in the adjacent lane, this control routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that another vehicle has been detected in the adjacent lane, this control routine proceeds to step S206.

[0071] In step S206, the display control unit 15 determines whether or not the other vehicle on the adjacent lane is set as a deceleration target vehicle. If it is determined that the other vehicle on the adjacent lane is set as a deceleration target vehicle, this control routine proceeds to step S207.

[0072] In step S207, the display control unit 15 displays the other vehicle in the adjacent lane that is set as the deceleration target vehicle. After step S207, this control routine ends.

[0073] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S206 that the other vehicle on the adjacent lane is not set as a deceleration target vehicle, this control routine proceeds to step S208. In step S208, the display control unit 15 hides the other vehicle on the adjacent lane. After step S208, this control routine ends.

[0074] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims.

[0075] For example, the display device 9 of the autonomous driving system 1 may be provided in a server outside the vehicle 20 in addition to or instead of the vehicle 20 so that an operator (remote driver) can remotely control the autonomous driving of the vehicle 20. In this case, the outputs of the vehicle detection device 2 and the vehicle speed detection device 8, etc. may be transmitted from the vehicle 20 to the server, and the processor of the server may function as a display control unit.

[0076] In addition, multiple types of vehicle icons may be used as the vehicle icon representing the other vehicle. For example, the other vehicle detected by the vehicle detection device 2 may be identified as a passenger car or a truck, and a passenger car vehicle icon and a truck vehicle icon may be used as the vehicle icon representing the other vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1. Autonomous Driving System 8. Vehicle speed detection device 9 Display device 10 Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 15 Display control section 16 Vehicle control unit 20 Vehicles

Claims

1. A display device capable of displaying the vehicle's travel lane and adjacent lanes; a display control unit that controls the display content of the display device; Equipped with The display control unit is hiding the adjacent lane when autonomous lane changing of the vehicle is prohibited; A display system for a vehicle that displays only the driving lane and the lane to which the lane change is to be made when the autonomous lane change is performed if the adjacent lanes exist on both sides of the driving lane.

2. The display system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit displays the adjacent lane when autonomous lane changing of the vehicle is permitted.

3. When the speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined value, the vehicle is prohibited from autonomously changing lanes; 3. The vehicle display system of claim 1, wherein the display control unit starts displaying the adjacent lane before the vehicle's speed reaches the predetermined value when the vehicle is scheduled to accelerate from a speed less than the predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined value for the autonomous lane change.

4. 4. The vehicle display system of claim 3, wherein when the vehicle is scheduled to accelerate from a speed less than the predetermined value to a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined value for the autonomous lane change, the display control unit starts displaying the adjacent lanes that are the destination of the lane change before the vehicle's speed reaches the predetermined value.

Images