Vehicle traveling zone violation reporting system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle traveling zone violation reporting system for easily and correctly determining a violation vehicle, securing smooth traffic, and preventing tailgating or the like.SOLUTION: A vehicle traveling zone violation reporting system comprises: a peripheral environment recognition device; video-recording on-vehicle camera device for recording video data in the periphery of a vehicle; an on-vehicle communication unit for performing bi-directional communication with an external organization; and a control unit including a determination unit for performing violation determination and reporting determination based on information acquired by the peripheral environment recognition device. The control unit determines whether another vehicle commits a vehicle traveling zone violation when a passing lane exists and the other vehicle traveling on the passing lane in front is recognized based on the acquisition information of the peripheral environment recognition device. When the vehicle traveling zone violation is determined, the control unit transfers acquisition information of the peripheral environment recognition device and the video data acquired by the video-recording on-vehicle camera device to the external organization via the on-vehicle communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lane violation reporting system that automatically reports another vehicle violating a lane when a vehicle such as an automobile traveling on a road recognizes the other vehicle violating the lane. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, on roads on which automobiles and other vehicles travel, such as so-called roads with two or more lanes in each direction (roads with two or more lanes in the same direction), the rightmost lane among the multiple lanes in the same direction is used for overtaking, turning right, etc. During normal driving, vehicles are required to travel in lanes other than the rightmost lane (Article 20 of the Road Traffic Act).

[0003] Therefore, on roads with two or more lanes in each direction, continuing to drive in the rightmost lane (the so-called passing lane) among multiple lanes for vehicles traveling in the same direction is prohibited except in unavoidable cases due to road conditions, such as when the number of lanes available is limited due to construction work, when giving way to emergency vehicles, etc.

[0004] However, there are many drivers who drive on the roads without being aware of such legal restrictions. For example, on roads with two or more lanes in each direction, especially on expressways, driving in the so-called passing lane at a speed within the speed limit or significantly below the speed limit may lead to tailgating or other such behavior.

[0005] For this reason, for example, the act of continuing to drive in the overtaking lane (hereinafter referred to as lane violation) has been a priority item in traffic guidance and control by the Expressway Traffic Police in recent years. In addition, such lane violations are also subject to control based on reports from ordinary vehicles.

[0006] To this end, various reporting systems have been proposed, for example in Patent Publication No. 2020-95512, Patent Publication No. 2022-89537, Patent Publication No. 2021-86209, and Patent Publication No. 2018-28856, which, when a vehicle traveling on a road recognizes a traffic violation by another vehicle (for example, dangerous driving behavior such as tailgating by another vehicle), obtain information about the vehicle and report the vehicle information along with information that the vehicle is a violating vehicle to a designated reporting destination (for example, a third-party agency such as the police). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-95512 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2022-89537 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-86209 [Patent Document 4] JP 2018-28856 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, using the conventional technologies disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Publications No. 2020-95512, No. 2022-89537, No. 2021-86209, No. 2018-28856, etc., it has been difficult to always report or record accurate information.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a vehicle lane violation reporting system that automatically reports other vehicles violating vehicle lanes when a vehicle such as an automobile recognizes them while traveling on a road, and that can easily and accurately identify violating vehicles using only the equipment of the vehicle itself, without relying on the equipment of other vehicles, thereby contributing to publicizing traffic laws and preventing dangerous driving behaviors such as tailgating while ensuring smooth traffic. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle lane violation reporting system that automatically reports a lane violation along with transferring collected information when it recognizes another vehicle ahead violating the lane, and includes a surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes the environment around the vehicle, an in-vehicle camera device for recording video data of the environment around the vehicle, an in-vehicle communication unit that performs two-way communication with an external organization, and a control unit that performs overall control of the system, including a judgment unit that makes a violation judgment and a reporting judgment based on the information acquired by the surrounding environment recognition device, and when the control unit recognizes another vehicle traveling in the overtaking lane in the area ahead, the control unit determines whether the other vehicle is violating the lane based on the information acquired by the surrounding environment recognition device, and if it determines that the other vehicle is violating the lane, transfers the information acquired by the surrounding environment recognition device and the video data acquired by the in-vehicle camera device for recording video to the external organization via the in-vehicle communication unit. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle lane violation reporting system that automatically reports other vehicles violating vehicle lanes when a vehicle such as an automobile recognizes them while traveling on a road, and can easily and accurately identify violating vehicles using only the equipment of the vehicle itself, without relying on the equipment of other vehicles.This can contribute to raising awareness of traffic laws, and can prevent dangerous driving behaviors such as tailgating while ensuring smooth traffic. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle control device including a vehicle lane violation reporting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device including the vehicle lane violation notification system of FIG. 1 is traveling on a road; [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart (first half) showing the operation of a vehicle lane violation notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart (second half) showing the operation of a vehicle lane violation notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation when the process of step S8 in FIG. 3 is performed; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation when the process of step S9 in FIG. 3 is performed; [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation when the process of step S15 in FIG. 4 is performed; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationship and scale of each component may be different for each component in order to show each component at a size that can be recognized on the drawing. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated form with respect to the quantity of each component, the shape of each component, the size ratio of each component, the relative positional relationship of each component, etc. shown in each drawing.

[0014] In explaining the configuration and operation of this embodiment, a road system based on so-called left-hand traffic, in which the vehicle traffic section is on the left side in the direction of travel, is used as an example. However, the configuration and operation of this embodiment can be applied in exactly the same way to a road system based on right-hand traffic by switching the left and right sides.

[0015] First, a schematic configuration of a vehicle control device including a vehicle lane violation reporting system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle control device including a vehicle lane violation reporting system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] In order to avoid cluttering the drawing, only components directly related to the present invention are shown in Fig. 1, and other components included in the vehicle control device are omitted. In the following description, only the main components directly related to the present invention will be described in detail.

[0017] The configuration of a vehicle control device including the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment is basically similar to that of a conventional vehicle control device of the same type.

[0018] The vehicle control device 1 includes a camera unit 10, various sensors 36, 37 (described in detail later), an in-vehicle communication unit (DCM: Data Communication Module) 21, and the like.

[0019] The camera unit 10 is an in-vehicle camera device fixed to the front upper center part of the interior of a vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as the subject vehicle; not shown) equipped with the vehicle control device 1. The camera unit 10 is configured to include a stereo camera 11, an image processing unit (IPU) 12, an image recognition unit 13, and a control unit 14.

[0020] The stereo camera 11 is formed with two cameras, a main camera 11a and a sub camera 11b. The main camera 11a and the sub camera 11b are arranged, for example, in the vehicle interior of the vehicle at symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the vehicle width direction, facing the front (traveling direction) of the vehicle. Each of the main camera 11a and the sub camera 11b is composed of, for example, an imaging optical system, an imaging element such as a CMOS image sensor, and a processing circuit for processing imaging signals, etc.

[0021] With this configuration, the stereo camera 11 acquires two image data from two different viewpoints targeting a predetermined range of the surrounding environment in front of the vehicle using the main camera 11a and the sub camera 11b at a predetermined imaging period synchronized with each other. Then, stereo image data is generated based on the two image data acquired in this way. This stereo image data is surrounding environment information that represents the surrounding environment while the vehicle is traveling. The surrounding environment information (image data) generated by the stereo camera 11 is output to the image processing unit 12.

[0022] The image processing unit 12 is a circuit unit that performs predetermined image processing on the surrounding environment information (image data) acquired by the stereo camera 11. The image processing unit 12 performs processing to detect edges of various objects such as objects shown on the image, demarcation lines marked on the road surface, or frame lines marked on the road surface inside a parking lot or the like (hereinafter abbreviated as demarcation lines, etc.). Through this processing, the image processing unit 12 recognizes three-dimensional objects, demarcation lines, etc. around the vehicle.

[0023] Furthermore, image processing unit 12 obtains distance information from the positional shift amount of corresponding edges on the left and right images based on the stereo image data, and generates image information including the distance information (distance image information). The distance image information generated in image processing unit 12 is output to image recognition unit 13.

[0024] The image recognition unit 13 calculates the road curvature [1 / m] of the left and right dividing lines of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (the vehicle's traveling path) and the width between the left and right dividing lines (lane width) based on the distance image information and the like input from the image processing unit 12. Various well-known means are used to calculate the road curvature and lane width.

[0025] In addition, the image recognition unit 13 performs a predetermined pattern matching on the distance image information to recognize three-dimensional objects such as guardrails and curbs extending along the road and other vehicles in the vicinity, as well as the conditions of the road surface (hereinafter referred to as road surface conditions, etc.).

[0026] Here, when recognizing a three-dimensional object in the image recognition unit 13, for example, the type of the three-dimensional object, the height of the three-dimensional object, the width dimension of the three-dimensional object, the distance to the three-dimensional object, the speed of the three-dimensional object, the relative speed between the three-dimensional object and the vehicle, and the relative distance between two three-dimensional objects (for example, the lateral distance between a curb on the side of the road and a dividing line nearby, etc.).

[0027] These various pieces of information recognized by the image recognition unit 13 are output as surrounding environment information to the control unit 14. Therefore, the camera unit 10 has a function as a surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

[0028] The control unit 14 is included in the camera unit 10, and is a configuration unit or circuit unit that controls the camera unit 10 and also performs overall control of the entire vehicle control device 1. Various control units, such as an in-vehicle communication unit 21, are connected to the control unit 14 via an in-vehicle communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0029] In addition, in addition to the in-vehicle communication unit 21 shown in FIG. 1, various other control units are connected to the control unit 14. However, as these control units are not directly related to the present invention, they will not be illustrated or described here.

[0030] The vehicle-mounted communication unit 21 is a communication unit for realizing two-way communication by constantly connecting the control unit 14 included in the camera unit 10 and an information center 40 of an external organization.

[0031] Here, the information center 40 is an external organization that includes, for example, a call center 41 and an external server 42, and manages information related to vehicles. The call center 41 and the external server 42 in the information center 40 are connected to a communication network such as the Internet.

[0032] In this case, the in-vehicle communication unit 21 can perform voice communication in addition to data communication, for example. With this configuration, the vehicle control device 1 can perform voice communication with an operator stationed at a call center 41 through the in-vehicle communication unit 21, and can also perform data communication with an external server 42 to transmit various data acquired on the vehicle side. Here, the various data acquired on the vehicle side include, for example, video data acquired by the video recording camera unit 37, position information data (latitude and longitude information, etc.) of the vehicle acquired by the locator unit 36, etc.

[0033] In addition, various sensors, such as a locator unit 36 ​​and a video recording camera unit 37, are connected to the control unit 14.

[0034] The locator unit 36 ​​includes a GNSS sensor 36a and a high-precision road map database (road map DB) 36b.

[0035] The GNSS sensor 36a receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites to determine the position (latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) of the vehicle.

[0036] The road map DB 36b is a large-capacity storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) device or a solid state drive (SSD) device, and stores highly accurate three-dimensional road map information (dynamic map).

[0037] The road map DB 36b holds lane data required for autonomous driving, such as lane width data, lane center position coordinate data, lane travel azimuth data, speed limit data, etc. This lane data is stored at intervals of several meters for each lane on the road map.

[0038] Furthermore, the road map DB 36b includes dynamic information that changes from moment to moment, such as traffic regulations and road construction, as well as accidents and congestion.

[0039] In addition, the locator unit 36 ​​can acquire real-time information on the surrounding environment at the vehicle position measured by the GNSS sensor 36a (e.g., traffic congestion information, weather information, etc.) by communicating with an external system (not shown). In this case, the weather information includes, for example, fog occurrence information in the area including the vehicle position, rainfall information, snowfall information, snow accumulation information, temperature and humidity information, etc.

[0040] Then, for example, based on a request signal from the control unit 14, the road map DB 36b outputs road map information of a set range based on the vehicle position measured by the GNSS sensor 36a as surrounding environment information to the control unit 14. In this way, the locator unit 36 ​​has a function as a surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

[0041] The video recording camera unit 37 is an in-vehicle camera device for video recording that records video of the surroundings (forward, left and right sides, rear, etc.) of the vehicle while it is moving as normal moving images. In other words, the video recording camera unit 37 corresponds to a so-called drive recorder or the like. The video recording camera unit 37 includes a front camera that mainly records video of a predetermined field of view in front of the vehicle, a rear camera that mainly records video of a predetermined field of view in the rear of the vehicle, and side cameras that record video of each predetermined field of view on the left and right sides. In this embodiment, the video recording camera unit 37 is only required to include at least a front camera.

[0042] The control unit 14 executes vehicle driving control based on various information acquired by various sensors. In addition, the control unit 14 monitors other vehicles traveling mainly ahead of the vehicle as necessary based on surrounding environment information acquired by the camera unit 10, the locator unit 36, the video recording camera unit 37, etc., and when it detects a lane violation by another vehicle, it controls a predetermined report, etc. as necessary.

[0043] In addition to the above-mentioned sensors, the vehicle may also be equipped with, for example, an in-vehicle radar device, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) device, an ultrasonic sensor, and the like (not shown).

[0044] In this manner, the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment is configured to include the camera unit 10, the locator unit 36, the video recording camera unit 37, and the in-vehicle communication unit 21, etc., of the vehicle control device 1. The vehicle lane violation reporting system may also include the external server 42 of the information center 40.

[0045] The vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment forms part of so-called telematics, which connects each device mounted on the vehicle (such as the camera unit 10, locator unit 36, video recording camera unit 37, etc.) to the Internet via information center 40 using the in-vehicle communication unit 21, and provides various information management and related services.

[0046] Furthermore, the control unit 14 in the camera unit 10 of this embodiment includes a judgment unit 15. The judgment unit 15 is a configuration unit or circuit unit that makes a predetermined judgment, such as judging whether or not there is a lane violation and making a report judgment, based on the surrounding environment information acquired by the camera unit 10, the locator unit 36, the video recording camera unit 37, etc. Here, the predetermined judgment is, for example, judging whether or not there is a lane violation for other vehicles traveling around the vehicle, particularly in front, and, when the result of the judgment is that there is a lane violation, whether or not to report the judgment result to an external system via the in-vehicle communication unit 21, etc.

[0047] In the vehicle control device 1, all or some of the image recognition unit 13, control unit 14, determination unit 15, in-vehicle communication unit 21, locator unit 36, etc. are configured by a processor including hardware.

[0048] Here, the processor is configured by a well-known configuration including, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a non-volatile memory, a non-volatile storage device, a non-transitory computer readable medium, and the like, and peripheral devices thereof.

[0049] The software programs executed by the CPU and fixed data such as data tables are stored in advance in the ROM, non-volatile memory, non-volatile storage device, etc. Then, the CPU reads out the software programs stored in the ROM, etc., expands them in the RAM, and executes them, and the software programs appropriately refer to various data, etc., thereby realizing the functions of the above-mentioned components and components (13, 14, 15, 21, 36), etc.

[0050] The processor may be configured with a semiconductor chip such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc. Each of the components and components (13, 14, 15, 21, 36) may be configured with an electronic circuit.

[0051] Furthermore, the software program may be in a form in which the whole or part is recorded as a computer program product on a portable disk medium such as a flexible disk, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM, or on a non-transitory computer readable medium such as a card-type memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) device, or an SSD (Solid State Drive) device.

[0052] The operation of the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment configured as above will be described below with reference to Figures 2 to 7. Here, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which a host vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device including the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment is traveling on a road.

[0053] In FIG. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes an example of a two-lane road. Reference numeral 101 denotes a first lane on the left side. This first lane 101 is a so-called driving lane. In the following description, it is referred to as the driving lane 101. Reference numeral 102 denotes a second lane on the right side. This second lane 102 is a so-called passing lane. In the following description, it is referred to as the passing lane 102.

[0054] In Fig. 2, the symbol M indicates a host vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device 1 (camera unit 10) including the vehicle lane violation reporting system of the present embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a situation in which the host vehicle M is traveling in a driving lane 101 on a two-lane road 100.

[0055] In FIG. 2, the symbol V conceptually indicates a visual field range of the camera unit 10 of the vehicle control device 1 mounted on the host vehicle M.

[0056] In Fig. 2, the symbol M1 indicates a first other vehicle traveling in the area ahead of the host vehicle M. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the first other vehicle M1 indicates a situation in which the first other vehicle M1 is traveling in the overtaking lane 102 in the area ahead of the host vehicle M.

[0057] The situation shown in Figure 2 shows a situation in which a host vehicle M is traveling in a driving lane 101 on a road 100, such as a highway with two lanes in each direction, and a first other vehicle M1 is traveling in an overtaking lane 102 in the area ahead of the host vehicle M.

[0058] In addition, in Fig. 2, which is used as an example to explain the following operation, the host vehicle M is assumed to be traveling in a travel lane 101 on a road 100 such as a two-lane expressway. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, although not shown, the operation described below is substantially the same even if the host vehicle M is assumed to be traveling in an overtaking lane 102 on a road 100 such as a two-lane expressway.

[0059] 2, the road on which the vehicle M and the first other vehicle M1 are traveling is illustrated as a road 100 such as a two-lane expressway. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. The vehicle lane violation notification system of the present invention can be operated in the same manner on roads with two or more lanes in each direction.

[0060] In addition, if the road has two or more lanes on each side, the leftmost lane is called the first lane, followed by the lanes adjacent to the right, called the second lane, third lane, etc. The multiple lanes other than the rightmost lane correspond to driving lanes, and the rightmost lane corresponds to the passing lane.

[0061] Under such circumstances, the vehicle lane violation reporting system of one embodiment of the present invention operates as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Here, Figures 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the operation of the vehicle lane violation reporting system of one embodiment of the present invention. Note that Figure 3 shows the first half of the flowchart. Figure 4 shows the second half of the flowchart.

[0062] As described above, it is assumed that the host vehicle M is traveling in a driving lane 101 on a road 100 such as an expressway having two or more lanes in each direction (the situation shown in FIG. 2). The host vehicle M can also be considered to be traveling in an overtaking lane 102 (not shown).

[0063] At this time, in step S1 of Fig. 3, the control unit 14 of the vehicle control device 1 mounted on the host vehicle M continues traveling while recognizing the surrounding environment of the host vehicle M based on surrounding environment information acquired at any time using a surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.). The surrounding environment recognition process executed here is a well-known process that is generally performed in conventional vehicle control devices.

[0064] In addition, the control unit 14 controls the video recording camera unit 37 to continuously capture and record images, mainly of the front of the host vehicle M while it is traveling.

[0065] Next, in step S2, the control unit 14 checks whether the road 100 currently being traveled has two or more lanes in each direction and whether an overtaking lane 102 exists, based on the road information acquired from the locator unit 36. If the existence of the overtaking lane 102 is confirmed, the process proceeds to the next step S3. If the existence of the overtaking lane 102 cannot be confirmed, the process step is repeated.

[0066] In step S3, the control unit 14 checks whether or not a first other vehicle M1 is present in the passing lane 102 in the area ahead of the vehicle M, based on the surrounding environment information acquired using the surrounding environment recognition device (mainly the camera unit 10). If it is confirmed that the first other vehicle M1 is present in the passing lane 102 ahead, the process proceeds to the next step S4. If it is not confirmed that the first other vehicle M1 is present in the passing lane 102 ahead, the process repeats this step.

[0067] In step S4, the control unit 14 starts a monitoring process for monitoring the first other vehicle M1 on the passing lane 102 in the area ahead of the host vehicle M for lane violation. At this point, the control unit 14 controls an internal timer circuit (not shown) to start a timer operation.

[0068] In this way, in the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment, while the host vehicle M is traveling in the driving lane 101 or the passing lane 102, monitoring for vehicle lane violation is performed for the first other vehicle M1 traveling in the passing lane 102. In the following explanation of the operation, the situation shown in Fig. 2, i.e., the situation in which the host vehicle M is traveling in the driving lane 101 and the first other vehicle M1 is traveling in the passing lane 102, will be taken as an example and will be explained along with this.

[0069] However, the situation is not limited to this situation (the situation in FIG. 2), and for example, the host vehicle M may appropriately change lanes as necessary while traveling in the driving lane 101 or the passing lane 102 with the first other vehicle M1 as a monitoring target. Even in such a case, the vehicle lane violation reporting system of the host vehicle M can continue to monitor the first other vehicle M1.

[0070] Next, in step S5, the control unit 14 measures the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 to be monitored. In this case, the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 can be measured based on various information acquired by the camera unit 10. At this time, the speed limit information for the road 100 is acquired based on the speed limit data acquired by the locator unit 36 ​​or the sign recognition data acquired by the camera unit 10. Furthermore, in order to grasp the traffic flow situation on the road 100, the average speed of the surrounding other vehicles is measured. The information can be calculated based on the surrounding environment information acquired at any time using the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.).

[0071] In the process of step S5, it is confirmed whether the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. This confirmation is to confirm whether the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 is not slower than necessary with respect to the speed limit of the road 100. In other words, it is confirmed whether the difference between the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 and the average speed of multiple other vehicles (not shown in FIG. 2) traveling on the road 100 is large. In other words, it is confirmed whether the monitored first other vehicle M1 is disrupting the traffic flow on the road 100.

[0072] Such a check is performed in consideration of the following situation: That is, when the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 traveling on the passing lane 102 is low enough to disrupt the traffic flow on the road 100 (or is extremely slow compared to the speed limit on the road 100), the first other vehicle M1 becomes an obstacle to traffic and disrupts the smooth flow of traffic.

[0073] In such a situation, when a following vehicle (not shown) traveling at a speed around the speed limit in the same passing lane 102 approaches, the presence of the first other vehicle M1 in front of the following vehicle becomes an obstacle to the following vehicle's smooth travel. In this case, for example, the following vehicle may be induced to tailgate the first other vehicle M1. However, if the speed of the first other vehicle M1 does not hinder the traffic flow and is close to the speed limit, no problem will occur.

[0074] Therefore, in the process of step S5, it is determined whether or not to continue monitoring the first other vehicle M1 by checking whether or not the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 traveling in the passing lane 102 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If it is confirmed that the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S11. If the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 is less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0075] It is appropriate that the predetermined value for the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 is, for example, a vehicle speed value that is about 70% of the speed limit on the road 100. Specifically, for example, if the speed limit is 100 kilometers per hour (100 km / h), the predetermined value is set to 70 kilometers per hour (70 km / h). This predetermined value is not limited to this example, and may be set appropriately depending on the road conditions.

[0076] Meanwhile, on expressways and the like, there are many situations in which a vehicle must travel at a speed that is much slower than the speed limit of the road 100. For example, this may be the case when the road 100 is congested or when the driving environment is in bad weather (e.g., heavy rain, snowfall, strong winds, thick fog, etc.).

[0077] There may also be a case where a second other vehicle M2 (see FIG. 5) traveling at a low speed is present ahead of the first other vehicle M1 to be monitored traveling in the passing lane 102. In the processes of steps S6 to S8 below, these situations are checked to determine whether or not to continue monitoring the first other vehicle M1.

[0078] In step S6, the control unit 14 checks whether the road 100 on which the vehicle is traveling is congested or not based on the surrounding environment information acquired from time to time using the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.). If it is confirmed that the road 100 is congested, the process proceeds to step S11. If it is confirmed that the road 100 is not congested, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0079] In step S7, the control unit 14 checks whether the driving environment is bad weather or the like based on the surrounding environment information acquired from time to time using the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.). If it is confirmed that the driving environment is bad weather or the like, the process proceeds to step S11. If it is confirmed that the driving environment is not bad weather or the like, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0080] In step S8, the control unit 14 checks whether or not a second other vehicle M2 (see FIG. 5) traveling at a low speed is continuously present ahead of the first other vehicle M1, based on the surrounding environment information acquired at any time using the surrounding environment recognition device (mainly the camera unit 10).

[0081] Here, Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the situation when the process of step S8 is performed. In Fig. 5, the symbol M2 indicates a second vehicle traveling on the passing lane 102 in the area ahead of the first vehicle M1 to be monitored. This second vehicle M2 is included in the visual field V of the camera unit 10 of the host vehicle M. Therefore, the second vehicle M2 can be recognized by the host vehicle M.

[0082] It is assumed that the second vehicle M2 is traveling at a low speed. Therefore, it is considered that the reason why the first vehicle M1, which is currently the monitoring target, is traveling at a low speed is because the second vehicle M2 is traveling at a low speed. Therefore, in this case, the monitoring of the first vehicle M1 is terminated (processing of step S11), and the process returns to the processing of step S3, and the monitoring target is switched to the second vehicle M2.

[0083] In such a situation (the situation in FIG. 5), the host vehicle M may not be able to clearly confirm the presence of the second other vehicle M2 on the passing lane 102 ahead of the first other vehicle M1 on the passing lane 102. For example, if the first other vehicle M1 is a large vehicle, the presence of the second other vehicle M2 ahead of it may not be recognized by the vehicle control device 1 of the host vehicle M. Similarly, even if the first other vehicle M1 is a standard vehicle, if the second other vehicle M2 ahead of it is a small car or a two-wheeled vehicle, the vehicle control device 1 of the host vehicle M may not be able to recognize it. In this way, when the presence of the second other vehicle M2 ahead of the first other vehicle M1 is unknown, it is presumed that the second other vehicle M2 does not exist.

[0084] 3, if it is clearly confirmed in the process of step S8 that the second vehicle M2 traveling at a low speed continues to exist ahead of the first vehicle M1, the process proceeds to step S11. If the second vehicle M2 traveling at a low speed does not exist ahead of the first vehicle M1 or if it is unclear, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0085] Incidentally, on a highway or the like, on a road 100 having two or more lanes in each direction, there are many situations in which a vehicle must continue traveling in the passing lane 102. For example, there may be cases where a lane other than the passing lane 102 (traveling lane 101) is restricted to traffic due to an accident occurring in the lane other than the passing lane 102, or an accident being dealt with or construction work being carried out.

[0086] Also, there may be cases where a third other vehicle M3 (see FIG. 6) is traveling in the driving lane 101 in the forward or lateral area of ​​the first other vehicle M1 (for example, in the forward area of ​​the host vehicle M in FIG. 6), making it impossible for the host vehicle M1 to immediately return from the overtaking lane 102 to the driving lane 101. Furthermore, when a route branching off to the right from the overtaking lane 102 or a driving route to an exit is set in the forward area of ​​the road 100 on which the host vehicle M1 is traveling, there may be cases where the other vehicle traveling in the overtaking lane 102 plans to travel on the branching route or the exit route.

[0087] Therefore, in the processes of the following steps S9, S10, and S12, these situations are confirmed and a decision is made as to whether or not to continue monitoring the first other vehicle M1.

[0088] In step S9, the control unit 14 checks whether the lane 101 of the road 100 being traveled in the forward area is in a state of traffic restrictions or the like, based on the surrounding environment information acquired at any time using the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.).

[0089] If it is determined that the lane 101 is under traffic regulation or the like, the process proceeds to step S11. If it is determined that the lane 101 is not under traffic regulation or the like, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0090] In step S10, the control unit 14 checks whether or not a third other vehicle M3 is traveling in the driving lane 101 in the forward or lateral area of ​​the first other vehicle M1 based on surrounding environment information acquired at any time using the surrounding environment recognition device (mainly the camera unit 10) (situation in Figure 6).

[0091] Here, Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the situation when the process of step S9 is performed. In Fig. 6, the symbol M3 indicates a third vehicle traveling in the driving lane 101 (for example, the area in front of the host vehicle M) in the forward or lateral area of ​​the first vehicle M1 to be monitored. This third vehicle M3 is included in the visual field V of the camera unit 10 of the host vehicle M. Therefore, the third vehicle M3 can be recognized by the host vehicle M.

[0092] This third vehicle M3 is considered to hinder the first vehicle M1 currently being monitored from changing lanes to the driving lane 101. The reference symbol L indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 indicates an estimated driving trajectory when the first vehicle M1 traveling in the passing lane 102 changes lanes to the driving lane 101. That is, in the situation shown in FIG. 6, if the first vehicle M1 travels along the estimated driving trajectory L to change lanes to the driving lane 101, the first vehicle M1 may collide with the third vehicle M3 at the position indicated by the reference symbol X in FIG. 6. Therefore, in the situation shown in FIG. 6, it can be said that the first vehicle M1 is in a situation where it cannot change lanes to the driving lane 101. In this case, the first vehicle M1 needs to continue traveling on the passing lane 102 for a while (until the third vehicle M3 disappears). Therefore, when such a situation is confirmed, the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment terminates monitoring of the first other vehicle M1 (processing of step S11) and controls the process to return to step S3.

[0093] 3, if it is confirmed in step S10 that the third vehicle M3 is traveling in the driving lane 101 in front of or to the side of the first vehicle M1, the process proceeds to step S11. If the third vehicle M3 is not present in the driving lane 101 in front of or to the side of the first vehicle M1, the process proceeds to step S12 in FIG. 4 (see reference numeral 4A in FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0094] In step S11, the control unit 14 ends monitoring of the first other vehicle M1 that is the monitoring target, and then returns to the process of step S3.

[0095] Next, in step S12 of Fig. 4, the control unit 14 checks whether or not a route branching off to the right from the overtaking lane 102 or a driving route to an exit exists in the forward area of ​​the road 100 on which the host vehicle M and the first other vehicle M1 are currently traveling, based on the surrounding environment information acquired at any time using the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.). If it is confirmed that a route to the right from the overtaking lane 102 exists in the forward area, the process proceeds to step S13. If no route to the right from the overtaking lane 102 exists in the forward area, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0096] In step S13, the control unit 14 checks whether or not at least one of the host vehicle M and the first other vehicle M1 has exited the passing lane 102 to the right route based on the surrounding environment information acquired at any time using the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.). If it is confirmed that at least one of the host vehicle M and the first other vehicle M1 has exited to the right route, the process proceeds to step S14. If it is not confirmed that at least one of the host vehicle M and the first other vehicle M1 has exited to the right route, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0097] In step S14, the control unit 14 ends monitoring of the first other vehicle M1 that is the monitoring target, and then returns to the process of step S2 (see reference numeral 4B in FIG. 4 and FIG. 3).

[0098] In step S15, the control unit 14 checks whether the first other vehicle M1 has changed lanes from the passing lane 102 to the driving lane 101 based on the surrounding environment information acquired from time to time using the surrounding environment recognition device (mainly the camera unit 10). The situation at this time is shown in FIG.

[0099] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the situation when the process of step S15 is performed. In FIG. 7, reference symbol M1(a) indicates a first other vehicle to be monitored that is traveling on the passing lane 102. Reference symbol M1(b) indicates the first other vehicle M1(a) on the passing lane 102 traveling on the travel lane 101 after changing lanes. When the first other vehicle M1(a) traveling on the passing lane 102 changes lanes as shown in FIG. 7, it travels on the travel lane 101 (first other vehicle M1(b)). The movement trajectory of the first other vehicle M1 at this time is shown by the dotted line in FIG. 7.

[0100] In this case, the first other vehicle M1 is substantially continuously included in the visual field V of the camera unit 10 of the host vehicle M from the position M1(a) to the position M1(b). Therefore, the lane change operation of the first other vehicle M1 is continuously recognized by the host vehicle M.

[0101] Returning to Figure 4, if the processing of step S15 confirms that the first other vehicle M1 has changed lanes from the passing lane 102 to the driving lane 101, the processing proceeds to step S11 in Figure 3 (see symbol 4C in Figures 4 and 3).

[0102] Furthermore, if it is confirmed in the process of step S15 that the first other vehicle M1 continues traveling on the passing lane 102 without changing lanes into the driving lane 101, the process proceeds to step S16.

[0103] In step S16, the control unit 14 checks whether a predetermined time has passed since the start of monitoring (the process of step S4 in FIG. 3). If it is confirmed that the predetermined time has passed, the process proceeds to step S21. If the predetermined time has not passed, the process proceeds to step S17.

[0104] In step S17, the control unit 14 checks whether the first other vehicle M1 has exited the passing lane 102 based on the surrounding environment information acquired at any time using the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.). Here, the situation in which the first other vehicle M1 exits the passing lane 102 may be, for example, branching off to a right route or changing lanes to the driving lane 101.

[0105] In the process of step S17, if it is confirmed that the first other vehicle M1 has exited the passing lane 102, the process proceeds to step S11 in Fig. 3 (see reference numeral 4C in Figs. 4 and 3). If it is not confirmed that the first other vehicle M1 has exited the passing lane 102, the process returns to step S16, assuming that the first other vehicle M1 continues traveling on the passing lane 102.

[0106] In step S21, the control unit 14 executes information transfer processing to the external server 42 of the information center 40. Here, the various information transferred to the external server 42 includes, for example, in addition to report reason information indicating that the information provision is related to a vehicle lane violation, information related to the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 to be monitored (violated), information related to the time that the first other vehicle M1 continued to stay on the passing lane 102, position information of the host vehicle M (and the area where the first other vehicle M1 was present), and vehicle information related to the first other vehicle M1 (such as vehicle registration number information) (such as recorded video of the video recording camera unit 37).

[0107] The predetermined elapsed time confirmed in the process of step S16 is a predetermined elapsed time from the start of monitoring the first other vehicle M1. Here, the predetermined elapsed time is assumed to be, for example, several minutes (approximately 2 to 3 minutes).

[0108] In this case, the first other vehicle M1 is considered to be in a situation where it remains in the passing lane 102 (step S3), travels at a slower speed than the surrounding vehicles (step S5), and continues to travel for, for example, several minutes (step S16).

[0109] Therefore, the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment judges that such a situation (driving in the passing lane for several minutes) is a relatively minor vehicle lane violation. Then, in the process of step S21 described above, various information is only transferred to the external server 42. In other words, at this point in time, no report is made to a specific external organization (for example, the police or a security company).

[0110] Next, in step S22, the control unit 14 performs a process of linking the various information transferred to the external server 42 with points in a predetermined format, and records the points in the external server 42.

[0111] Here, the point linking process is, for example, a process of giving points based on the history of the number of information transfers to vehicle-specific information (such as vehicle registration number information) specified based on various transferred information. This makes it possible to grasp the number of information transfers regarding vehicle lane violations for a specific vehicle.

[0112] When the points recorded in the external server 42 for a specific vehicle exceed a predetermined value, a processing such as sending a warning notice of a vehicle lane violation to the owner of the specific vehicle is performed.

[0113] Next, in step S23, the control unit 14 checks whether or not a predetermined time (several minutes; about 2 to 3 minutes) has elapsed in addition to the time counted in the process of step S16 described above (the time counted from the start of monitoring). If it is confirmed that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S25. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S24.

[0114] In step S24, the control unit 14 checks whether the first other vehicle M1 has left the passing lane 102 based on the surrounding environment information acquired at any time using the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.). That is, it checks whether the first other vehicle M1 has, for example, branched off to a right route or changed lanes to the driving lane 101.

[0115] In the process of step S24, if it is confirmed that the first other vehicle M1 has exited the passing lane 102, the process proceeds to step S11 in Fig. 3 (see reference numeral 4C in Figs. 4 and 3). On the other hand, if it is not confirmed that the first other vehicle M1 has exited the passing lane 102, the process returns to step S23.

[0116] On the other hand, if it is confirmed in the processing of step S23 described above that a predetermined time (several minutes; approximately 2 to 3 minutes) has elapsed in addition to the measured time in the processing of step S16 described above (the measured time from the start of monitoring), it is considered that the first other vehicle M1 has continued to remain in the passing lane 102 since the processing of step S16 described above and has continued to travel at a slower speed than the surrounding vehicles.

[0117] Therefore, in the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment, such a situation (driving in the passing lane for a predetermined period of time or longer) is determined to be an obvious vehicle lane violation.

[0118] Therefore, in the next step S25, the control unit 14 performs information transfer processing again to the external server 42 of the information center 40. In this case, in the information transfer processing again, the transmission of the unchanged data that has already been transferred in the above-mentioned step S21 may be omitted. In addition, for data that has been updated after the processing of step S21 (especially data on the duration of stay in the passing lane 102, etc.), the updated data is transferred.

[0119] At the same time, the control unit 14 requests the call center 41 to notify a predetermined external organization (for example, the police or a security company, etc.) After that, the series of processes ends and the original process is returned.

[0120] Although not included in the flowcharts of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the following control can also be added.

[0121] For example, when a plurality of vehicles equipped with the vehicle lane violation reporting system of the present embodiment are traveling on the road 100, the same first other vehicle M1 may be simultaneously monitored. In this case, for example, a plurality of information transfer processes may be executed at approximately the same time, and therefore, it is possible that information of approximately the same content may be transferred to the external server 42 in a duplicated manner.

[0122] In such cases, if the information being transferred is assumed to have the same content, taking into consideration information identifying the vehicle, the reporting information of the reporting vehicle, the time of information transmission, etc., then a process of thinning out duplicate received information may be performed.

[0123] This type of processing may be performed by a control circuit (not shown) included in the information center 40 or the external server 42 when the information transfer processing is received on the information center 40 side.

[0124] As described above, according to the above embodiment, for example, while the host vehicle M is traveling on a road 100 with two or more lanes on each side, such as an expressway, when a first other vehicle M1 traveling on the passing lane 102 in the area ahead of the host vehicle M for a predetermined period of time or more is recognized based on information acquired by the surrounding environment recognition device (10, 36, etc.), the first other vehicle M1 is determined to be a vehicle that may be violating vehicle lanes and is made a target for monitoring.

[0125] The monitoring of the first other vehicle M1 thus set as the monitoring target is continued, and whether or not the vehicle is violating the vehicle lane is determined in consideration of various conditions. Here, the various conditions include, for example, the vehicle speed of the first other vehicle M1 (step S5), the traffic congestion condition (step S6), the weather condition (step S7), the condition of the other vehicle ahead (step S8), the restriction condition of the travel lane (step S9), the condition of the other vehicle in the travel lane (step S10), the road condition ahead (step S11), the travel route condition of the vehicle M or the first other vehicle M1 (step S13), the lane change condition of the first other vehicle M1 (step S15), the staying time of the first other vehicle M1 on the overtaking lane 102 (step S16), and the like.

[0126] When these various conditions are met, information that the monitored first other vehicle M1 is committing a minor vehicle lane violation and various information related to the first other vehicle M1 are transferred to the external server 42.

[0127] It should be noted that the various conditions described above are merely examples for determining whether or not a vehicle lane violation has occurred, and it goes without saying that items other than those described above may also be used as conditions for the determination.

[0128] After that, the time that the first other vehicle M1 stays in the passing lane 102 is measured, and if it is confirmed that the first other vehicle M1 is traveling at a low speed in the passing lane 102 for a predetermined period of time or longer, a request is made to report this to a predetermined external agency (e.g., the police or a security company, etc.).

[0129] In this way, the vehicle lane violation reporting system of the present embodiment continuously monitors the other vehicle that is the target of monitoring for a predetermined period of time, and during the monitoring, performs detailed checks of various conditions, thereby making it possible to reliably determine whether the monitored vehicle is violating the vehicle lane.

[0130] In addition, the driver of the vehicle that is the target of the report by the lane violation reporting system can become aware of the lane violation by being subject to enforcement or receiving a warning notice as a result of the report. At the same time, dangerous driving behavior such as tailgating from other vehicles can be prevented in advance.

[0131] On the other hand, for drivers of vehicles equipped with a lane violation reporting system, automatic reporting of violating vehicles can eliminate the frustration caused by discovering a traffic violation by another vehicle, and since lane violations are automatically determined and automatically reported, there is no burden on the driver.

[0132] Furthermore, enforcement will be strengthened based on reports from general vehicles, which will have the effect of raising awareness of compliance with the Road Traffic Act among general vehicle drivers as well.

[0133] The lane violation of other vehicles can be judged only by the lane violation reporting system installed in the vehicle, without relying on the equipment of surrounding vehicles. In addition, based on the judgment result, the lane violation reporting system of the vehicle can automatically report the violation without placing a burden on the driver. At the same time, there is no direct communication between the vehicle and the violating vehicle. Therefore, the possibility of trouble occurring between the parties can be reduced.

[0134] In this embodiment, a call center 41 and an external server 42 at an information center 40 of an external organization are used as examples of external institutions to which various information is transferred and which make report requests, but the operation counterparts of the vehicle lane violation reporting system of this embodiment are not limited to these forms.

[0135] For example, the information center 40 may be a reporting system in an organization such as the police. In this case, specifically, a 110 reporting system or the like may be assumed. That is, the call center 41 may be a communication control room for 110 reporting. Also, the external server 42 may be a server for a video reporting system in the police or the like.

[0136] In this way, general users can report directly to the police system. Note that the specific procedures and steps for sending various information such as video data in this way will be carried out in accordance with the settings authentication and other procedures appropriate to the system in question, taking into account various rights and points of concern.

[0137] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications and applications can be implemented within the scope of the gist of the invention. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiment includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the disclosed multiple constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the above-mentioned one embodiment, if the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved and the effect of the invention can be obtained, the configuration from which the constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention. Furthermore, the constituent elements across different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The present invention is not restricted by its specific embodiment except as limited by the attached claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 1...Vehicle control device 10...Camera unit 11…Stereo camera 11a…Main camera 11b…Sub camera 12...Image processing unit 13...Image recognition unit 14…Control unit 15...Judgment unit 21...In-vehicle communication unit 36…Locator unit 36a…GNSS sensor 36b…Road map DB 37...Video recording camera unit 40…Information Center 41…Call center 42...External server 100…road 101…traffic lane 102…passing lane M…Own vehicle M1: 1st other vehicle M2: Second vehicle M3: Third vehicle

Claims

1. A lane violation reporting system that automatically reports a vehicle lane violation along with the collected information when it recognizes another vehicle violating the lane ahead, A surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle; an on-board camera device for recording video data of the surrounding environment of the vehicle; an in-vehicle communication unit for performing two-way communication with an external organization; a control unit that performs overall control of the system, the control unit including a judgment unit that performs a violation judgment and a notification judgment based on information acquired by the surrounding environment recognition device; Equipped with The control unit based on information acquired by the surrounding environment recognition device, when the road on which the vehicle is traveling has two or more lanes in each direction and an overtaking lane is present, and when another vehicle traveling in the overtaking lane is recognized in the forward area, determining whether or not the other vehicle is violating a vehicle lane; When it is determined that the other vehicle is violating a vehicle lane, the information acquired by the surrounding environment recognition device and the image data acquired by the image recording vehicle-mounted camera device are transferred to the external organization via the vehicle-mounted communication unit. A vehicle lane violation reporting system.

2. The determination of whether the other vehicle is violating a vehicle lane is made based on whether the other vehicle is traveling in the overtaking lane at a predetermined speed or less and for a predetermined period of time or more. The information to be transferred to the external organization includes at least information on the reason for the report, location information acquired by the surrounding environment recognition device, the vehicle speed of the other vehicle, information on the time the other vehicle continued traveling in the overtaking lane, and video data acquired by the video recording vehicle-mounted camera device and including vehicle information of the other vehicle.

2. The vehicle lane violation reporting system according to claim 1 .

3. If the other vehicle continues to travel in the passing lane for a predetermined period of time or more after the information is transferred to the external organization, a report is requested to the external organization.

3. The vehicle lane violation reporting system according to claim 2.

4. In determining whether the other vehicle is violating a vehicle lane, When a second vehicle traveling in the overtaking lane is further recognized ahead of the vehicle that is presumed to be violating the vehicle lane, the presumption that the second vehicle is violating the vehicle lane is cancelled, and a determination is made as to whether the second vehicle is violating the vehicle lane.

3. The vehicle lane violation reporting system according to claim 2.

5. Further comprising an external server installed in the external institution, When the external server receives information transferred from a plurality of vehicles, the server compares the position information, vehicle speed, and time of the received plurality of pieces of information to determine whether the plurality of pieces of information received from the plurality of vehicles are information for the same other vehicle, and when it is determined that a plurality of pieces of information for the same other vehicle have been received, the server performs a process of thinning out the received information.

4. The vehicle lane violation reporting system according to claim 3.

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