Setting device

Abstract

To appropriately set a straight-running steering angle.SOLUTION: A setting device 4 includes: a first determination unit 422 configured to determine whether a vehicle 1 is turning based on a steering angle of the vehicle 1 running; a second determination unit 424 configured to determine whether compartment lines of a road detected from a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the road ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 are straight lines; and a setting unit 425 configured to, when it is determined that the compartment lines are straight lines and the vehicle 1 is not turning, set the steering angle to a straight-running steering angle that enables the vehicle 1 to run straight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a setting device for setting a straight ahead steering angle of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technique for setting a straight-line steering angle for driving a vehicle in a straight line. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining that a vehicle is in a straight-line driving state when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed, the change in steering angle is within a predetermined angle, and the continuous driving distance is equal to or higher than a predetermined distance, and for setting the moving average value of the steering angle as the straight-line steering angle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-043066 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, even when a vehicle is traveling on a gently curving road, the conditions of Patent Document 1 are met, and the vehicle is determined to be traveling straight even when it is not traveling straight. Therefore, the straight-ahead steering angle is set even when the vehicle is not traveling straight.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and has an object to appropriately set a straight-ahead steering angle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a setting device is provided that has a first judgment unit that judges whether the vehicle is turning based on the steering angle of the vehicle while it is traveling, a second judgment unit that judges whether a dividing line of the road detected from an image of the road ahead in the vehicle's direction of travel is straight, and a setting unit that sets the steering angle to a straight-line steering angle that allows the vehicle to travel straight when it is determined that the dividing line is straight and the vehicle is not turning.

[0007] The setting device may further include an acquisition unit that acquires the curvature of the demarcation line detected from the captured image, the probability that the demarcation line is an actual demarcation line, and the length of the demarcation line, and the second determination unit may determine that the demarcation line is a straight line when the curvature is less than or equal to a first threshold, the probability is greater than or equal to a second threshold, and the length is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0008] The setting unit may set the straight-ahead steering angle to a statistical value of the steering angle obtained within a period during which it has been continuously determined that the dividing line is a straight line and that the vehicle is not turning for a predetermined time or longer.

[0009] When the period becomes equal to or longer than the predetermined time after the straight-line steering angle is set, the setting unit may update the straight-line steering angle with statistics of steering angles acquired within the period.

[0010] The setting unit may update the straight steering angle with the statistical amount when a difference between the set straight steering angle and the statistical amount is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold value.

[0011] When a difference between the set straight-line steering angle and a statistical amount of the straight-line steering angle is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold, the setting unit may update the straight-line steering angle by adding a fixed value less than the fourth threshold to the straight-line steering angle.

[0012] The setting unit may set the straight-line steering angle to the statistics of the steering angle acquired within a first period when a first period during which it is continuously determined that the lane marking is a straight line and that the vehicle is not turning extends to a first hour or longer, and after setting the straight-line steering angle, update the straight-line steering angle with the statistics of the steering angle acquired within the second period when a second period during which it is continuously determined that the lane marking is a straight line and that the vehicle is not turning extends to a second hour or longer than the first time. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, an effect is achieved in that the straight ahead steering angle can be appropriately set. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle traveling on a road. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a setting device. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for setting a straight ahead steering angle. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a line determination process. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a straight-line steering angle setting process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] [Configuration of setting device 4] The configuration of the setting device 4 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 1 traveling on a road. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the setting device 4. A center line 21 and outer roadway lines 22 are marked on the road on which the vehicle 1 travels as road dividing lines. The vehicle 1 has the setting device 4, a steering angle sensor 5, and a detection device 6.

[0016] The steering angle sensor 5 detects the steering angle θ of the vehicle 1 while it is traveling. The steering angle sensor 5 is provided, for example, on the steering wheel 51, and detects the rotation angle of the steering wheel 51 as the steering angle θ. The steering angle sensor 5 detects the steering angle θ based on, for example, the angle of the steering wheel 51 at which the wheels of the vehicle 1 are parallel to the vehicle length direction (front-rear direction) of the vehicle 1. The reference angle is, for example, 0 degrees. The steering angle sensor 5 also detects the angular velocity ω of the steering wheel 51. For example, the steering angle sensor 5 calculates the angular velocity ω from the change in the steering angle θ acquired during a predetermined period.

[0017] The detection device 6 has an imaging unit 61 that captures an image of a road ahead of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction to generate a captured image. The imaging unit 61 generates a captured image including the lane markings of the road ahead in the traveling direction. The detection device 6 also has a detection unit that analyzes the captured image to detect the lane markings of the road. For example, the detection device 6 detects at least one of the center line 21 and the outer lane markings 22 of the road among the lane markings of a plurality of roads. As a specific example, the detection device 6 detects the center line 21 included in the captured image as the lane marking 3. The detection device 6 also detects the curvature of the detected lane marking 3, the probability that the detected lane marking 3 is an actual lane marking, and the length L of the detected lane marking 3. The method of detecting the curvature of the lane marking 3, the probability that the detected lane marking 3 is an actual lane marking, and the length L of the lane marking 3 can be realized by using known techniques.

[0018] If the detection device 6 does not detect the lane marking 3 even when analyzing the captured image, or if the probability that the lane marking 3 is an actual lane marking is less than a predetermined value, the detection device 6 may detect the lane marking 3 by another method. For example, the detection device 6 may store map information indicating the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling and the positions and shapes of structures, signs, and traffic lights in the vicinity of the vehicle 1, and detect the lane marking 3 by comparing the captured image with the map information. In addition, the detection device 6 can correct the lane marking detected by analyzing the captured image, using the lane marking detected by comparing the captured image with the map information.

[0019] The setting device 4 includes a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42. The storage unit 41 is a storage medium including a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 41 stores a program executed by the control unit 42.

[0020] The control unit 42 is a computation resource including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 42 executes a program stored in the storage unit 41 to realize functions as a first acquisition unit 421, a first determination unit 422, a second acquisition unit 423, a second determination unit 424, and a setting unit 425.

[0021] The first acquisition unit 421 acquires the steering angle θ detected by the steering angle sensor 5. The first acquisition unit 421 also acquires the angular velocity ω of the steering wheel 51 from the steering angle sensor 5.

[0022] The first determination unit 422 determines whether the vehicle 1 is turning based on the acquired steering angle θ. The first determination unit 422 determines that the vehicle 1 is not turning when the steering angle θ is in a steady state. The steady state is a state in which the steering angle θ of the steering wheel 51 remains within a certain range of change for a predetermined period of time. In other words, it is a state in which the magnitude of the angular velocity ω of the steering angle θ of the steering wheel 51 is smaller than a predetermined value (a state in which no sudden steering occurs). The steady state is also a state in which the steering angle θ and angular velocity ω of the steering wheel 51 remain constant and do not change.

[0023] For example, when the absolute value of the angular velocity ω of the steering wheel 51 is equal to or less than a speed threshold for determining whether the steering angle θ is in a steady state, the first determination unit 422 determines that the steering angle θ is in a steady state and that the vehicle 1 is not being steered. The speed threshold may be set appropriately depending on the specifications of the vehicle 1, and a specific value is, for example, 10 degrees per second. Specifically, when the absolute value of the angular velocity ω is equal to or less than the speed threshold and the steering angle θ is less than a steering determination threshold for determining whether the vehicle is being steered, the first determination unit 422 determines that the steering angle θ is in a steady state and that the vehicle 1 is not being steered.

[0024] When the absolute value of the angular velocity ω is greater than the velocity threshold, the first determination unit 422 determines that the steering angle θ is in a non-steady state and the vehicle 1 is being steered. Furthermore, even if the absolute value of the angular velocity ω is equal to or less than the velocity threshold, the first determination unit 422 determines that the vehicle 1 is being steered when the steering angle θ is equal to or greater than the steering determination threshold.

[0025] The second acquisition unit 423 acquires the curvature of the demarcation line 3 detected from the captured image from the detection device 6. In addition to the curvature, the second acquisition unit 423 acquires from the detection device 6 the probability that the detected demarcation line 3 is an actual demarcation line and the length L of the demarcation line 3.

[0026] The second determination unit 424 determines whether the detected demarcation line 3 is a straight line. For example, the second determination unit 424 determines that the demarcation line 3 is a straight line when the acquired curvature of the demarcation line 3 is equal to or less than a first threshold. The first threshold is a straight line threshold for determining whether the demarcation line 3 is a straight line. A specific value of the straight line threshold is, for example, 0.0001 m. -1The second threshold is a likelihood threshold for determining that the detected demarcation line 3 is an actual demarcation line, and the specific value may be set as appropriate. A specific value of the likelihood threshold is, for example, 90%, but is not limited to this. The third threshold is a length threshold at which the accuracy of determining whether the line is a curve or a straight line is equal to or higher than a predetermined accuracy, and may be set as appropriate through experiments, etc. A specific value of the length threshold is, for example, 30 meters, but is not limited to this.

[0027] Even if the curvature of the demarcation line 3 is equal to or less than the straight line threshold, if the probability is less than the likelihood threshold or the length L is less than the length threshold, the second determination unit 424 does not determine that the demarcation line 3 is a straight line. In this manner, the second determination unit 424 can reduce erroneous determinations when the length L of the detected demarcation line 3 is short and the accuracy of determining whether it is a curved or straight line decreases, or when the probability that the detected demarcation line 3 is an actual demarcation line is low.

[0028] The setting unit 425 determines a steering angle (hereinafter referred to as a "straight steering angle") that allows the vehicle 1 to go straight. For example, the setting unit 425 sets the straight steering angle when the vehicle 1 is going straight on a straight road. Specifically, the setting unit 425 sets the steering angle θ to the straight steering angle when it is determined that the demarcation line 3 is straight and the vehicle 1 is not turning. The setting unit 425 does not set the straight steering angle when the demarcation line 3 is not determined to be a straight line even if the vehicle 1 is not turning, or when the demarcation line 3 is determined to be a straight line but the vehicle 1 is turning. As a result, the setting unit 425 does not set the straight steering angle when, for example, the steering angle θ becomes steady while traveling on a gently curved road or when the vehicle is turning on a straight road to change lanes, and can appropriately set the straight steering angle only when the vehicle 1 is going straight on a straight road.

[0029] When setting the straight-line steering angle, the setting unit 425 sets the statistic of the steering angle θ during the period when the vehicle 1 is traveling straight on a straight line to the straight-line steering angle. For example, when the period during which it is continuously determined that the lane marking 3 is a straight line and the vehicle 1 is not turning becomes equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the setting unit 425 sets the average value or median value of the steering angle θ acquired during the determination period to the straight-line steering angle. Hereinafter, the period during which it is continuously determined that the lane marking 3 is a straight line and the vehicle 1 is not turning is referred to as the determination period. Specifically, when the determination period becomes equal to or longer than a predetermined time after the waiting time during which the straight-line steering angle is not set has elapsed since the vehicle 1 started traveling, the setting unit 425 sets the average value or median value of the steering angle θ acquired during the determination period to the straight-line steering angle. In this way, the setting unit 425 can set the straight-line steering angle that reduces the influence of the variation in the steering angle θ detected during the determination period.

[0030] When the determination period again becomes equal to or longer than the predetermined time after the straight steering angle is set, the setting unit 425 updates the straight steering angle with the statistics of the steering angle θ acquired within the determination period after the straight steering angle is set. In this manner, the setting unit 425 can update the straight steering angle according to the road conditions that change as the vehicle 1 travels.

[0031] As described above, the setting unit 425 updates the straight-line steering angle when the determination period reaches or exceeds a predetermined time. However, if the straight-line steering angle is updated frequently, the vehicle 1 becomes susceptible to changes in the road, and frequent changes in the straight-line steering angle make the vehicle 1 more likely to meander.

[0032] Therefore, the setting unit 425 sets the second and subsequent predetermined times to be longer than the first predetermined time. Specifically, when a first period during which it is continuously determined that the demarcation line 3 is straight and the vehicle 1 is not turning becomes longer than the first time after the vehicle 1 starts traveling and a waiting time during which the straight steering angle is not set has elapsed, the setting unit 425 sets the stochastic amount of the steering angle θ acquired within the first period to the straight steering angle. The first period is, for example, 10 seconds, but is not limited thereto. Next, when a second period during which it is continuously determined that the demarcation line 3 is straight and the vehicle 1 is not turning becomes longer than the second time, which is longer than the first time, after the setting of the straight steering angle, the setting unit 425 updates the straight steering angle with the stochastic amount of the steering angle θ acquired within the second period. The second period may be longer than the first time, for example, 20 seconds. When the setting unit 425 updates the straight ahead steering angle using the statistics of the steering angle θ acquired within the second period, it updates the straight ahead steering angle again when the second period becomes equal to or longer than the second hour after updating the straight ahead steering angle.

[0033] This allows the setting unit 425 to make the update interval of the straight steering angle from the second time onwards longer than the time until the initial setting of the straight steering angle, so that the update frequency of the straight steering angle from the second time onwards can be reduced. As a result, the setting unit 425 can suppress frequent updates of the straight steering angle when the vehicle 1, for which the straight steering angle has been set, continues to travel. As a result, the setting unit 425 can reduce the influence of changes in the road and suppress the variation in the straight steering angle.

[0034] However, if the straight steering angle is updated when the difference between the set straight steering angle and the statistical amount of the steering angle θ within the judgment period is small, the straight steering angle is likely to be updated. Therefore, the setting unit 425 updates the straight steering angle with the statistical amount when the difference between the set straight steering angle and the statistical amount of the steering angle θ within the judgment period is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold. The fourth threshold is an update threshold for determining whether or not to update the straight steering angle, and may be appropriately set, for example, 2 degrees, but is not limited thereto. As a specific example, when the absolute value of the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the average value of the steering angle θ within the judgment period is 2 degrees or more, the setting unit 425 updates the straight steering angle with the average value, and when the absolute value of the difference is less than 2 degrees, the setting unit 425 continues to set the straight steering angle being set.

[0035] As described above, the setting unit 425 updates the straight-line steering angle when the difference between the straight-line steering angle and the statistical amount is equal to or greater than the update threshold. However, if the straight-line steering angle changes suddenly, the vehicle 1 may be steered significantly after the straight-line steering angle is updated, which may reduce safety.

[0036] Therefore, the setting unit 425 updates the straight steering angle by adding a predetermined fixed value to the straight steering angle being set. Specifically, when the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the statistical amount is equal to or greater than the update threshold, the setting unit 425 updates the straight steering angle by adding a fixed value less than the update threshold to the straight steering angle being set. More specifically, when the absolute value of the difference obtained by subtracting the statistical amount from the straight steering angle being set is equal to or greater than the update threshold and the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than the value for determining whether or not to add a fixed value, the setting unit 425 adds a fixed value less than the judgment threshold to the straight steering angle being set to update the straight steering angle. Specifically, the setting unit 425 adds a fixed value corresponding to the sign of the difference to the straight steering angle being set. If the sign of the difference is positive, the setting unit 425 adds a fixed value of a positive value to the straight steering angle, and if the sign of the difference is negative, the setting unit 425 adds a fixed value of a negative value to the straight steering angle to update the straight steering angle. Specific values ​​of the fixed value are, for example, +0.2 for a positive value and -0.2 for a negative value, but are not limited to these. The value for determining whether to add the fixed value may be determined appropriately and may be the same as the determination threshold value.

[0037] This allows the setting unit 425 to suppress the difference between the straight steering angle before and after the update from becoming too large when updating the straight steering angle. As a result, the setting unit 425 can suppress abrupt changes in the steering angle θ of the vehicle 1.

[0038] The setting unit 425 may set the maximum value that can be set as the straight-traveling steering angle to the straight-traveling steering angle. In this case, the setting unit 425 determines whether or not a candidate angle obtained by adding a fixed value to the straight-traveling steering angle being set is equal to or greater than the maximum value. The maximum value is, for example, 15 degrees, but is not limited to this. If the candidate angle is equal to or greater than the maximum value, the setting unit 425 sets the maximum value to the straight-traveling steering angle. If the candidate angle is less than the maximum value, the setting unit 425 sets the candidate angle to the straight-traveling steering angle. In this manner, the setting unit 425 can prevent the straight-traveling steering angle from becoming too large, and can therefore prevent, for example, an abnormal value from being set as the straight-traveling steering angle.

[0039] [Processing for setting straight ahead steering angle] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for setting a straight-line steering angle. The process for setting a straight-line steering angle is executed when the time that has elapsed since the vehicle 1 started traveling is equal to or longer than the standby time, and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed. The predetermined speed is, for example, 10 kilometers per hour, but is not limited thereto.

[0040] First, the first acquisition unit 421 acquires the steering angle θ and the angular velocity ω detected by the steering angle sensor 5 (step S1). The first determination unit 422 determines whether the absolute value of the acquired angular velocity ω is equal to or less than the speed threshold value (step S2). If the absolute value of the angular velocity ω is equal to or less than the speed threshold value (Yes in step S2), the first determination unit 422 determines that the vehicle 1 is not turning (step S3). If the absolute value of the angular velocity ω is greater than the speed threshold value (No in step S2), the first determination unit 422 determines that the vehicle 1 is turning, and ends the process of setting the straight ahead steering angle.

[0041] When the vehicle 1 is not turning, the second acquisition unit 423 acquires the curvature of the lane marking 3 detected from the captured image from the detection device 6 (step S4). In addition, the second acquisition unit 423 acquires the probability that the lane marking 3 is an actual lane marking and the length L of the lane marking 3 (step S5).

[0042] The second determination unit 424 executes straight line determination processing to determine whether or not the demarcation line 3 is a straight line (step S6). FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the straight line determination processing. The second determination unit 424 determines whether or not the probability that the demarcation line 3 is an actual demarcation line is equal to or greater than the likelihood threshold (step S61). If the probability that the demarcation line 3 is an actual demarcation line is less than the likelihood threshold (No in step S61), the second determination unit 424 ends the straight line determination processing without determining that the demarcation line 3 is a straight line, since there is a high probability of erroneously determining whether or not the demarcation line 3 is a straight line.

[0043] If the probability that the demarcation line 3 is an actual demarcation line is equal to or greater than the likelihood threshold (Yes in step S61), the second determination unit 424 determines whether the length L of the demarcation line 3 is equal to or greater than the length threshold (step S62). If the length L of the demarcation line 3 is less than the length threshold (No in step S62), the second determination unit 424 ends the line determination process without determining that the demarcation line 3 is a straight line, since there is a high probability that the demarcation line 3 will be erroneously determined to be a straight line even if it is curved.

[0044] If the length L of the demarcation line 3 is equal to or greater than the length threshold (Yes in step S62), the second determination unit 424 determines whether the curvature of the demarcation line 3 is equal to or less than the straight line threshold (step S63). If the curvature of the demarcation line 3 is equal to or less than the straight line threshold (Yes in step S63), the second determination unit 424 determines that the demarcation line 3 is a straight line (step S64) and ends the straight line determination process. If the curvature of the demarcation line 3 is greater than the straight line threshold (No in step S63), the second determination unit 424 determines that the demarcation line 3 is a curved line (step S65) and ends the straight line determination process.

[0045] When the straight line determination process is completed, the setting unit 425 determines whether or not the demarcation line 3 is determined to be a straight line (step S7). If the demarcation line 3 is determined to be a curve or is not determined to be a straight line in the straight line determination process (No in step S7), the setting unit 425 ends the process of setting the straight-line steering angle without setting the straight-line steering angle.

[0046] If the straight line determination process determines that the lane marking 3 is a straight line (Yes in step S7), the setting unit 425 executes a straight line steering angle setting process (step S8). FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the straight line steering angle setting process. The setting unit 425 determines whether the determination period during which it has been determined that the lane marking 3 is a straight line and the vehicle 1 has not been steered is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (step S81). If the determination period is less than the predetermined time (No in step S81), it is not the timing to set the straight line steering angle, so the setting unit 425 ends the straight line steering angle setting process.

[0047] When the determination period is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (Yes in step S81), the setting unit 425 calculates the average value of the steering angle θ within the determination period (step S82). After calculating the average value of the steering angle θ, the setting unit 425 calculates the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the average value (step S83). Specifically, the setting unit 425 calculates the absolute value of the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the average value.

[0048] The setting unit 425 judges whether the absolute value of the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the average value is equal to or greater than the update threshold value (step S84). If the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the average value is less than the update threshold value (No in step S84), the setting unit 425 ends the straight steering angle setting process since there is no need to set the straight steering angle.

[0049] If the absolute value of the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the average value is equal to or greater than the update threshold (Yes in step S84), the setting unit 425 adds a fixed value to the straight steering angle to calculate a candidate angle (step S85). Specifically, the setting unit 425 calculates the candidate angle by adding a fixed value corresponding to the sign of the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the average value to the straight steering angle. As an example, if the difference between the straight steering angle being set and the average value is a positive value, the setting unit 425 adds a positive fixed value (+0.2) to the straight steering angle to calculate the candidate angle.

[0050] The setting unit 425 determines whether the absolute value of the candidate angle is equal to or less than the maximum value that can be set as the straight-ahead steering angle (step S86). If the absolute value of the candidate angle is equal to or less than the maximum value (Yes in step S86), the setting unit 425 sets the candidate angle to the straight-ahead steering angle (step S87). If the absolute value of the candidate angle is greater than the maximum value (No in step S86), the setting unit 425 sets the maximum value as the straight-ahead steering angle (step S88).

[0051] [Effects of setting device 4] As described above, the setting device 4 acquires the steering angle θ of the vehicle 1 while it is traveling, and the curvature of the lane markings 3 of the road detected from an image captured of the road ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The setting device 4 determines that the vehicle 1 is not turning when the steering angle θ is in a steady state, and determines that the lane markings 3 are straight when the curvature of the lane markings 3 is equal to or less than a straightness threshold value for determining whether the lane markings 3 are straight. Then, the setting device 4 sets the steering angle θ when it is determined that the lane markings 3 are straight and the vehicle 1 is not turning to a straight-line steering angle that allows the vehicle 1 to travel straight.

[0052] If the demarcation line 3 is straight, the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is naturally also straight, so the probability that the vehicle 1 is traveling straight when the steering angle θ of the vehicle 1 traveling on a straight road is in a steady state is higher than when it is determined only whether the steering angle θ is in a steady state. In other words, the setting device 4 can appropriately set the straight-line steering angle by suppressing erroneous setting of the straight-line steering angle when the steering angle θ becomes steady while traveling on a gentle curve.

[0053] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination combines the effect of the original embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 vehicle 4 Setting device 41 Storage section 42 Control section 421 First acquisition part 422 1st Judgment Department 423 Second Acquisition Department 424 Second Judgment Section 425 Settings 5 Steering Angle Sensor 6. Detection device 51 Steering Wheel 61 Imaging unit

Claims

1. a first determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle is being steered based on a steering angle of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling; a second determination unit that determines whether a dividing line of the road detected from an image captured of a road ahead in a traveling direction of the vehicle is a straight line; a setting unit that sets the steering angle to a straight steering angle that allows the vehicle to travel straight when it is determined that the lane marking is a straight line and the vehicle is not being steered; A setting device having the above configuration.

2. an acquisition unit that acquires a curvature of the demarcation line detected from the captured image, a probability that the demarcation line is an actual demarcation line, and a length of the demarcation line; the second determination unit determines that the lane marking is a straight line when the curvature is equal to or less than a first threshold, the probability is equal to or greater than a second threshold, and the length is equal to or greater than a third threshold. The setting device according to claim 1 .

3. the setting unit sets the stochastic amount of the steering angle acquired within a period during which it has been determined that the demarcation line is a straight line and that the vehicle is not being steered to the straight ahead steering angle when the period is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. The setting device according to claim 1 .

4. When the period becomes equal to or longer than the predetermined time after the straight-line steering angle is set, the setting unit updates the straight-line steering angle with a statistical amount of steering angles acquired within the period. The setting device according to claim 3 .

5. The setting unit updates the straight steering angle with the statistical amount when a difference between the set straight steering angle and the statistical amount is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold value. The setting device according to claim 4.

6. When a difference between the set straight-line steering angle and the statistical amount of the straight-line steering angle is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold, the setting unit adds a fixed value less than the fourth threshold to the straight-line steering angle to update the straight-line steering angle. The setting device according to claim 4.

7. The setting unit is when a first period during which it is determined that the lane marking is a straight line and the vehicle is not being steered continues to be equal to or longer than a first time, a statistical amount of steering angles acquired during the first period is set as the straight ahead steering angle; after the straight-line steering angle is set, when a second period during which it is continuously determined that the demarcation line is a straight line and the vehicle is not being steered reaches or exceeds a second period longer than the first period, the straight-line steering angle is updated with a statistic of steering angles acquired within the second period. The setting device according to claim 1 .

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