Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device enabling reduction of the possibility that the own vehicle is collided with a following vehicle while the own vehicle is stopped.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises: a first acquisition portion acquiring first distance which is distance between the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle; a second acquisition portion acquiring second distance which is distance between the own vehicle and a following vehicle; a setting portion which determines whether or not there is a high possibility of a collision by the following vehicle based on the second distance, and sets a first value as a threshold value when the possibility is determined to be low, and sets a second value smaller than the first value as the threshold value when the possibility is determined to be high; and an output portion which outputs a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle has started moving, according to such a situation that an increase amount of the first distance exceeds the threshold value while the own vehicle is stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a function of a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle), when the host vehicle stops due to a signal or the like and the preceding vehicle that has stopped ahead starts moving and the inter-vehicle distance from the host vehicle increases, there is known a function of notifying the driver of the host vehicle that the preceding vehicle has started moving.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when there is a following vehicle behind the host vehicle, when the preceding vehicle starts moving, the driver of the following vehicle that has recognized the start of the preceding vehicle may erroneously recognize that the vehicle queue has started moving and start the following vehicle. At this time, if the start of the host vehicle is delayed, it is conceivable that the host vehicle will be collided with by the following vehicle.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device capable of reducing the possibility of being collided with by a following vehicle while the host vehicle is stopped.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, a vehicle control device according to the present invention includes a first acquisition unit that acquires a first distance which is the distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, a second acquisition unit that acquires a second distance which is the distance between the host vehicle and a following vehicle, a setting unit that determines whether the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle is high based on the second distance, and sets a first value as a threshold when it is determined that the possibility is not high, and sets a second value smaller than the first value as the threshold when it is determined that the possibility is high, and an output unit that outputs a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle has started moving in response to an increase amount of the first distance exceeding the threshold while the host vehicle is stopped.

[0007] In this way, by changing the threshold for outputting a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle has started moving according to the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle, the timing at which the notification is output can be advanced. When the driver of the host vehicle starts the host vehicle in response to the notification, the possibility of being collided by the following vehicle while the host vehicle is stopped is reduced.

[0008] Further, the setting unit determines the second value based on the first distance.

[0009] In this way, when the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle is high, the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is considered when determining the threshold. Thereby, in addition to the possibility of a collision from the following vehicle, the possibility of a collision with the preceding vehicle is reduced.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device capable of reducing the possibility of being collided by a following vehicle while the host vehicle is stopped.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0012] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, a vehicle control device according to an embodiment will be described. The vehicle control device according to the embodiment is mounted on the vehicle 1. Hereinafter, the vehicle 1 may be referred to as the host vehicle 1.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the positional relationship among the host vehicle 1, the preceding vehicle 2, and the following vehicle 3 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the host vehicle 1 is stopped in front of a traffic signal (not shown) on the road R. In front of and behind the host vehicle 1, the preceding vehicle 2 and the following vehicle 3 are respectively stopped in a line with a vehicle-to-vehicle distance from the host vehicle 1. Thereafter, for example, when the traffic signal indication changes to green, each of the host vehicle 1, the preceding vehicle 2, and the following vehicle 3 starts moving in the traveling direction.

[0014] The vehicle 1 is provided with a front camera 11 and a back camera 12. The front camera 11 is a stereo camera having two image sensors (not shown) arranged in the horizontal direction. The front camera 11 is installed at the center of the upper part of the front glass of the vehicle 1 or the like. The front camera 11 acquires image information in front of the vehicle 1 from the two image sensors and outputs it to the ECU 100 described later.

[0015] The back camera 12 is a monocular camera having one image sensor (not shown). The back camera 12 is installed near the rear bumper at the rear of the vehicle 1 or the like. The back camera 12 acquires image information behind the vehicle 1 from the image sensor and outputs it to the ECU 100 described later.

[0016] The front camera 11 and the rear camera 12 may be single-lens cameras or multi-lens cameras such as stereo cameras. The images output by the front camera 11 and the rear camera 12 are output so that the driver can visually recognize them on a display 14 provided in the vehicle interior, which will be described later. Further, these images are used for the vehicle control device of the host vehicle 1 to acquire the distance from the preceding vehicle 2 and the distance from the following vehicle 3. That is, the captured image by the front camera 11 is used to acquire the distance between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2, and the captured image by the rear camera 12 is used to acquire the distance between the host vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 3.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle 1 including the ECU 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes the above-described front camera 11, rear camera 12, wheel speed sensor 13, display 14, speaker 15, and ECU 100.

[0018] The ECU 100, the front camera 11, the rear camera 12, and the display 14 are connected by a display cable such as an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) (registered trademark) cable. Thereby, for example, the image information acquired by the front camera 11 and the rear camera 12 can be transmitted to the ECU 100 as a digital signal.

[0019] The ECU 100, the wheel speed sensor 13, and the speaker 15 are connected by an in-vehicle network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). Thereby, the ECU 100, the wheel speed sensor 13, and the speaker 15 can transmit and receive various information.

[0020] The wheel speed sensor 13 is configured using, for example, a Hall element, and outputs a pulse signal representing the wheel speed as a detection signal from the rotation amount of the wheels provided in the vehicle 1 or the number of rotations per unit time.

[0021] The display 14 is a display device capable of displaying various types of information based on image information and the like acquired from the front camera 11 and the back camera 12. The speaker 15 is an acoustic device capable of outputting various types of information based on image information and the like acquired from the front camera 11 and the back camera 12 by sound and voice. The display 14 and the speaker 15 are installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1. The display 14 and the speaker 15 may be integrally configured.

[0022] The ECU 100 generates various types of information based on the image information acquired from the front camera 11 and the back camera 12, and executes control to output the generated various types of information to the display 14 or the speaker 15.

[0023] The ECU 100 includes, for example, an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) not shown in the figure and a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) not shown in the figure. By the CPU of the ECU 100 reading and executing the program stored in the ROM, various functions described with reference to FIG. 3 are realized.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the ECU 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the ECU 100 includes, as a functional configuration, a first acquisition unit 101, a second acquisition unit 102, a measurement unit 103, a setting unit 104, and an output unit 105. The ECU 100 is an example of a vehicle control device.

[0025] The first acquisition unit 101 acquires a first distance, which is the distance between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2. Specifically, the first acquisition unit 101 acquires image information from the front camera 11 at each time via the above-mentioned display cable or the like. The first acquisition unit 101 detects the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle 2 based on the image information, and acquires the first distance by analyzing the position information of the preceding vehicle 2. Further, the first acquisition unit 101 calculates the relative speed (vehicle speed) and relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 with respect to the host vehicle 1 based on the change of the first distance over time. Based on such relative speed and relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2, the notification threshold value described later can be determined. Therefore, it can be considered that the ECU 100 determines the notification threshold value based on the first distance.

[0026] The second acquisition unit 102 acquires a second distance, which is the distance between the host vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 3. Specifically, the second acquisition unit 102 acquires image information from the rear camera 12 at each time via the above-mentioned display cable or the like. The second acquisition unit 102 detects the presence or absence of the following vehicle 3 based on the image information, and acquires the second distance by analyzing the position information of the following vehicle 3. Further, the second acquisition unit 102 calculates the relative speed and relative acceleration of the following vehicle 3 with respect to the host vehicle 1 based on the change of the second distance over time. Based on such relative speed and relative acceleration of the following vehicle 3, the notification threshold value described later can be determined. Therefore, it can be considered that the ECU 100 determines the notification threshold value based on the second distance.

[0027] The measurement unit 103 determines whether or not the host vehicle 1 is stopped based on the detection signal output from the wheel speed sensor 13. Specifically, the measurement unit 103 calculates the frequency of the detection signal (pulse signal) from the detection signal of the wheel speed sensor 13, and calculates the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 based on the frequency. For example, the measurement unit 103 determines that the host vehicle 1 is stopped when the vehicle speed is zero, and determines that the host vehicle 1 is starting when the vehicle speed exceeds zero.

[0028] Further, the measurement unit 103 determines whether the preceding vehicle 2 is stopped based on the first distance. For example, after identifying the stop of the host vehicle 1, if the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 with respect to the host vehicle 1 is zero, the measurement unit 103 determines that the preceding vehicle 2 is also stopped. If the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 with respect to the host vehicle 1 is greater than zero, the measurement unit 103 determines that the preceding vehicle 2 has started moving. When the measurement unit 103 determines that the preceding vehicle 2 is stopped, it stores the position information of the preceding vehicle 2 at that time as the stop position in the storage unit.

[0029] After the measurement unit 103 determines that the preceding vehicle 2 is stopped, it calculates the time from when the preceding vehicle 2 is determined to be stopped until it is determined that the preceding vehicle 2 has started moving. Thereby, the stop time of the preceding vehicle 2 is specified. Further, the measurement unit 103 determines whether the stop time of the preceding vehicle 2 is equal to or greater than the time threshold. Thereby, it can be confirmed that both the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2 have stopped for a time equal to or greater than the time threshold. When it is determined that the stop time of the preceding vehicle 2 is equal to or greater than the time threshold, the setting process of the notification threshold described later is performed. The time threshold is, for example, 3 seconds.

[0030] The setting unit 104 performs the setting process of the notification threshold. The notification threshold is an example of a threshold. In the setting process of the notification threshold, the setting unit 104 determines whether there is a high possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 based on the second distance. Then, the setting unit 104 determines the notification threshold based on the determination result of the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3. Details of the setting process of the notification threshold will be described later.

[0031] The output unit 105 determines whether the increase amount of the first distance exceeds the notification threshold while the host vehicle 1 is stopped. The increase amount of the first distance is the moving distance from the stop position when the preceding vehicle 2 starts moving. When the output unit 105 determines that the increase amount of the first distance exceeds the notification threshold, it outputs a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle 2 has started moving. The notification will be notified to the driver of the host vehicle 1 via the display 14, the speaker 15, or the like.

[0032] In addition, when the increase amount of the first distance is equal to the notification threshold value, the output unit 105 may or may not output a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle 2 has started. Here, as an example, when the increase amount of the first distance is equal to the notification threshold value, it is assumed that the output unit 105 outputs a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle 2 has started.

[0033] An operation example of the setting process of the notification threshold value in the setting unit 104 will be specifically described. FIG. 4 is a map showing an example of the relationship between the first distance and the second distance in the embodiment and the notification threshold value. The vertical axis of the map in FIG. 4 shows an example of the speed threshold value, and the horizontal axis shows an example of the distance threshold value.

[0034] In the example shown in FIG. 4, "3 m" and "1 m" are prepared in advance as the distance threshold values. Among these distance threshold values, "3 m" is used as a criterion for determining whether the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high. That is, when the second distance exceeds "3 m", it can be determined that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is not high. On the other hand, when the second distance is less than the criterion "3 m", it can be determined that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high.

[0035] When it is determined that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is not high, that is, when the second distance exceeds "3 m", the setting unit 104 sets "3 m" as the notification threshold value. When it is determined that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high, that is, when the second distance is less than "3 m", the setting unit 104 sets a value smaller than "3 m" as the notification threshold value.

[0036] "3 m", which is the value set as the notification threshold value when it is determined that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is not high, is an example of the first value. A value smaller than "3 m", which is set as the notification threshold value when it is determined that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high, is an example of the second value. Specifically, "1 m", "1.5 m", "2 m", and "2.5 m" shown in FIG. 4 are each an example of the second value.

[0037] In addition, when the second distance is equal to "3 m" as the distance threshold, the setting unit 104 may or may not determine that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high. Here, as an example, when the second distance is equal to "3 m" as the distance threshold, the setting unit 104 shall determine that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high.

[0038] Also, as described above, in addition to "3 m", "1 m" is prepared as the distance threshold. By using a plurality of distance thresholds including "3 m", the setting unit 104 can change the notification threshold step by step according to the second distance.

[0039] Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, as cases where the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high, there are two cases: case 1 where the second distance exceeds "1 m" and is equal to or less than "3 m" (displayed as "1 to 3") (the middle column in the example of FIG. 4), and case 2 where the second distance is equal to or less than "1 m" (displayed as "0 to 1") (the rightmost column in the example of FIG. 4). Case 2 has a higher possibility of collision than case 1. In the case of case 1, the setting unit 104 sets any one of "1.5 m", "2 m", and "2.5 m" as the second value as the notification threshold. Also, in the case of case 2, the setting unit 104 sets any one of "1 m", "1.5 m", and "2 m" as the second value as the notification threshold.

[0040] Note that the number of distance thresholds is not limited to the above example. As long as it includes at least the value used as the criterion for determining whether the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high, the number of distance thresholds is arbitrary.

[0041] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the setting unit 104 is further configured to be able to determine a second value according to the relative speed (vehicle speed) of the preceding vehicle 2 with respect to the host vehicle 1. As speed thresholds for determining the second value, "5 km / h" and "10 km / h" are prepared. By using these speed thresholds, the setting unit 104 sets, as the notification threshold, a second value closer to the first value as the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is slower. That is, even when it is determined that the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high, in the case where the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is slow, the setting unit 104 sets, as the notification threshold, a second value with a smaller decrease amount from the first value than in the case where the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is fast. Thereby, the possibility that the host vehicle 1 collides with the preceding vehicle 2 is suppressed.

[0042] Specifically, for example, in the above-described case 2 (the rightmost column in the example of FIG. 4) where the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high, when the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is fast, that is, when the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 exceeds "10 km / h" (displayed as "10~"), the setting unit 104 sets "1 m" as the second value as the notification threshold. On the other hand, when the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is slow, that is, when the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is less than "10 km / h" (displayed as "5~10"), the setting unit 104 sets "1.5 m" as the second value as the notification threshold. Further, when the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is even slower, that is, when the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is less than "5 km / h", the setting unit 104 sets "2 m" as the second value as the notification threshold.

[0043] Here, as an example, when the speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is equal to the speed threshold, the setting unit 104 determines the same value as when the speed of the preceding vehicle 2 exceeds the speed threshold as the second value, but it is not limited to this. When the speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is equal to the speed threshold, the setting unit 104 may determine the same value as when the speed of the preceding vehicle 2 is less than the speed threshold as the second value.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the process by the ECU 100 according to the embodiment.

[0045] Based on the detection signal output from the wheel speed sensor 13, the measurement unit 103 determines whether the host vehicle 1 is stopped (S101).

[0046] When it is determined that the host vehicle 1 is stopped (S101: Yes), the first acquisition unit 101 detects the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle 2 based on the image information acquired from the front camera 11 (S102). Next, the first acquisition unit 101 acquires the relative distance between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2 as the first distance (S103). On the other hand, when it is not determined that the host vehicle 1 is stopped (S101: No), the process ends.

[0047] Based on the relative distance between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2, the measurement unit 103 determines whether the preceding vehicle 2 is stopped (S104). When the measurement unit 103 determines that the preceding vehicle 2 is stopped (S104: Yes), it stores the position information of the preceding vehicle 2 at that time as the stop position in the storage unit and starts measuring the stop time of the preceding vehicle 2 (S105). On the other hand, when it is not determined that the preceding vehicle 2 is stopped (S104: No), the process ends.

[0048] Based on the relative distance between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2, the measurement unit 103 determines whether the preceding vehicle 2 has started (S106). When the measurement unit 103 determines that the preceding vehicle 2 has started (S106: Yes), it ends the measurement of the stop time of the preceding vehicle 2 and calculates the stop time of the preceding vehicle 2 (S107). Next, the measurement unit 103 determines whether the stop time is equal to or greater than the time threshold (S108).

[0049] When it is determined that the stop time of the preceding vehicle 2 is equal to or greater than the time threshold (S108: Yes), the first acquisition unit 101 continues to acquire the relative distance between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2 (S109). On the other hand, when the measurement unit 103 does not determine that the preceding vehicle 2 has started (S106: No), it repeats the determination process. Also, when it is determined that the stop time of the preceding vehicle 2 is not equal to or greater than the time threshold (S108: No), it ends the determination without outputting a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle 2 has started.

[0050] The second acquisition unit 102 detects the presence or absence of the following vehicle 3 based on the image information acquired from the rear camera 12 (S110). The second acquisition unit 102 acquires the relative speed between the host vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 3 as the second distance (S111).

[0051] The setting unit 104 performs a setting process for the notification threshold value (S112).

[0052] The output unit 105 determines whether or not the increase amount of the first distance is equal to or greater than the notification threshold value (S113). When the output unit 105 determines that the increase amount of the first distance is equal to or greater than the notification threshold value (S113: Yes), the output unit 105 outputs a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle 2 has started (S114).

[0053] On the other hand, when the output unit 105 determines that the increase amount of the first distance is not equal to or greater than the notification threshold value (S113: No), the measurement unit 103 determines whether or not the host vehicle 1 has started (S115). When it is determined that the host vehicle 1 has not started (S115: No), the process returns to step S109. On the other hand, when it is determined that the host vehicle 1 has started (S115: Yes), the process ends.

[0054] (Summary) The ECU 100 of the embodiment determines whether or not the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3 is high based on the relative distance between the host vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 3. When it is determined that the possibility is not high, the first value is set as the notification threshold value. When it is determined that the possibility is high, the second value smaller than the first value is set as the notification threshold value.

[0055] In this way, by changing the notification threshold value according to the possibility of a collision by the following vehicle 3, the timing at which a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle has started is output can be advanced. Based on such a notification, when the driver starts the host vehicle 1, the possibility of being collided by the following vehicle 3 while the host vehicle 1 is stopped can be reduced.

[0056] The ECU 100 of the embodiment determines a second value as a notification threshold based on the relative speed between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2.

[0057] In this way, when the possibility of being collided with by the following vehicle 3 is high, the notification threshold is further changed in consideration of the relative speed between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2. Thereby, in addition to the possibility of being collided with by the following vehicle 3, the possibility that the host vehicle 1 collides with the preceding vehicle 2 can also be reduced.

[0058] (Other Modifications) In the above-described embodiment, the possibility of collision by the following vehicle 3 is determined based on the relative distance (distance) between the host vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 3 as the second distance, but this is not the only case. Instead of the relative distance between the host vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 3, for example, TTC (Time To Collision) obtained by dividing the relative distance between the host vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 3 by the relative speed may be used as the second distance to determine the possibility of collision by the following vehicle 3. Further, relative acceleration may be used instead of the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 2 or the following vehicle 3 with respect to the host vehicle 1.

[0059] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, three examples each of the distance threshold and the speed threshold were prepared, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in addition to the example shown in FIG. 4, the distance threshold may be provided with more detailed and more values such as 5 m, 4.9 m, 4.8 m, etc., and each distance threshold may be provided at equal intervals. Similarly, for the speed threshold, in addition to the example shown in FIG. 4, more detailed and more values such as 1 km / h, 1.1 km / h, 1.2 km / h, etc. may be provided, and the speed threshold may be provided at equal intervals.

[0060] Also, the process of determining the second value according to the relative speed (vehicle speed) of the preceding vehicle 2 with respect to the host vehicle 1 in the setting unit 104 of the above-described embodiment does not necessarily have to be executed.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the host vehicle 1, the preceding vehicle 2, and the following vehicle 3 are stopped in front of a traffic signal on the road R, and when the preceding vehicle 2 starts moving due to a change in the traffic signal, an example was described assuming that the driver of the following vehicle 3 starts the following vehicle 3 before the host vehicle 1 starts moving. However, the applicable examples of the present invention are not limited to this. For example, the present invention is also applicable to an example in which the host vehicle 1, the preceding vehicle 2, and the following vehicle 3 repeatedly stop and start due to traffic congestion, and the following vehicle 3 accidentally collides with the host vehicle 1 while the host vehicle 1 is stopped.

[0062] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the host vehicle 1 is provided with a front camera 11 and a back camera 12 in order to acquire the distance from the preceding vehicle 2 and the distance from the following vehicle 3, but this is not the only case. For example, the host vehicle 1 may be provided with a sonar in order to acquire the distance from the preceding vehicle 2 and the distance from the following vehicle 3. When a sonar is provided as a distance measuring device at the front of the vehicle, the vehicle control device may acquire the distance between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2 based on the sensor value from the sonar. Also, when a sonar is provided as a distance measuring device at the rear of the vehicle, the vehicle control device may acquire the distance between the host vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 3 based on the sensor value from the sonar. Also, various radars such as a millimeter wave radar and a laser radar (including LiDAR) may be used instead of the sonar.

[0063] As described above, the embodiments and modified examples of the present invention have been explained. However, the above-described embodiments and modified examples are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. This novel embodiment and modified example can be implemented in various other forms. Also, various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Also, this embodiment and modified example are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0064] 1 Vehicle (own vehicle), 2 Preceding vehicle, 3 Following vehicle, 11 Front camera, 12 Rear camera, 13 Wheel speed sensor, 14 Display, 15 Speaker, 100 ECU, 101 First acquisition unit, 102 Second acquisition unit, 103 Measurement unit, 104 Setting unit, 105 Output unit.

Claims

1. a first acquisition unit that acquires a first distance, which is the distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires a second distance, which is the distance between the host vehicle and a following vehicle; a setting unit that determines whether there is a high possibility of a collision by the following vehicle based on the second distance, sets a first value as a threshold when it is determined that the possibility is not high, and sets a second value smaller than the first value as the threshold when it is determined that the possibility is high; an output unit that outputs a notification indicating that the preceding vehicle has started moving in response to an increase amount of the first distance exceeding the threshold while the host vehicle is stopped; comprising a vehicle control device.

2. the setting unit determines the second value based on the first distance The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

Images