Driving assist system, driving assist server, and driving assist method

Abstract

To inhibit an unnecessary driving assist from being given to a driver.SOLUTION: A driving assist system 1 includes plural vehicles 100 to which a predetermined driving assist is given and a server 200 that can communicate with the vehicles. The server 200 designates an assist area, where a driving assist is given to the vehicles 100, on the basis of predetermined information preserved in the server 200, designates as an assist path a path, where an occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and near miss is high, from among paths at an intersection within the assist area, and transmits information concerning a specific intersection, which includes the assist path, to the vehicles 100. The vehicles 100 receive the information concerning the specific intersection from the server 200, and is given a driving assist when traveling on the assist path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving support system, a driving support server, and a driving support method.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses, as a conventional driving support system, collecting information related to near misses and accidents (hereinafter referred to as "near misses") that have occurred to the driver of a vehicle traveling in a specific area such as an intersection, together with the location where the near miss occurred, and notifying the driver of information related to near misses in the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle based on the current position information of the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] On the road leading towards the center of the intersection, in addition to the road on which the own vehicle is traveling, there are other roads that intersect the traveling road of the own vehicle, for example, from the left or right directions. Since the conventional driving support system described above notifies the driver of information related to near misses in the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle, even if the location where the near miss occurred is a road different from the traveling road of the own vehicle, the information related to the near miss will be notified to the driver. Therefore, information related to near misses that is unnecessary for the driver is notified, and there is a possibility that the driver may feel annoyed by the notification of information related to near misses.

[0005] The present invention has been made by paying attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to suppress performing unnecessary driving support for the driver.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] To solve the above problems, a driving support system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of vehicles in which predetermined driving support is implemented, and a server configured to be communicable with the vehicles. The server sets a support area for causing the vehicle to perform driving support based on predetermined information stored in the server, and sets, as a support lane, a lane in which the occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss is high among each lane of an intersection within the support area, and is configured to transmit information regarding a specific intersection having the support lane to the vehicle. The vehicle is configured to receive information regarding a specific intersection from the server and perform driving support when driving on the support lane.

[0007] In addition, a driving support server according to an aspect of the present invention includes a communication unit configured to be communicable with a vehicle, a storage unit that stores information, and a control unit. The control unit sets a support area for causing the vehicle to perform predetermined driving support based on predetermined information stored in the storage unit, sets, as a support lane for performing driving support, a lane in which the occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss is high among each lane of an intersection within the support area based on the predetermined information, and is configured to transmit information regarding a specific intersection having the support lane to the vehicle.

[0008] In addition, a driving support method according to an aspect of the present invention sets a support area for causing a vehicle to perform driving support based on predetermined information stored in a server, sets, as a support lane, a lane in which the occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss is high among each lane of an intersection within the support area based on the predetermined information, and causes the vehicle to perform driving support when the vehicle is driving on the support lane.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to these aspects of the present invention, it is possible to suppress unnecessary driving support from being performed on a lane where the occurrence frequency of an accident and a near miss is low, and thus it is possible to suppress a driver from feeling annoyance with respect to the driving support.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to similar components.

[0012] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an operation support system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The operation support system 1 includes a plurality of vehicles 100 and an operation support server 200.

[0014] The vehicle 100 and the operation support server 200 can communicate with each other via a network 3 composed of an optical communication line or the like. The vehicle 100 is connected to the network 3 via, for example, a wireless base station 4 or the like. The operation support server 200 is connected to the network 3 via, for example, a gateway (not shown) or the like.

[0015] Although details will be described later, each vehicle 100 periodically transmits vehicle information regarding the vehicle 100 to the operation support server 200. The operation support server 200 accumulates the received vehicle information in a database, and based on the accumulated vehicle information, extracts an intersection (hereinafter referred to as a "specific intersection") having a route (hereinafter referred to as a "supported route") to be the target of intersection support from among each intersection on the map, and transmits intersection support information including information regarding the specific intersection to each vehicle 100. Each vehicle 100 performs intersection support based on the operation support information.

[0016] Note that intersection support is the operation support performed in each vehicle 100, and is the operation support that performs at least one of notification to the driver, brake assist, and automatic braking as necessary when traveling on the route toward the intersection.

[0017] Hereinafter, the configurations of the vehicle 100 and the operation support server 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic system configuration diagram of vehicle 100.

[0019] Vehicle 100 includes a surrounding sensor 10, a vehicle sensor 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, an actuator 40, a communication device 50, and a control device 60. The surrounding sensor 10, the vehicle sensor 20, the HMI 30, the actuator 40, the communication device 50, and the control device 60 are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network 80 compliant with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0020] The surrounding sensor 10 is a sensor for generating surrounding data representing the situation around vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the surrounding sensor 10 includes one or more external cameras 11 for photographing the surroundings of vehicle 100. The external camera 11 photographs the surroundings of vehicle 100 at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 10 [Hz] to 40 [Hz]) and generates a surrounding image in which the surroundings of vehicle 100 are shown. Each time the external camera 11 generates a surrounding image, the generated surrounding image is transmitted as surrounding data to the control device 60.

[0021] Note that instead of or in addition to the external camera 11, a distance measuring sensor for measuring the distance to an object such as vehicle 100 or a pedestrian existing around vehicle 100 may be provided as the surrounding sensor 10. Examples of the distance measuring sensor include, for example, a lidar (LiDAR; Light Detection And Ranging) that irradiates laser light and measures the distance based on the reflected light, and a millimeter wave radar sensor that irradiates radio waves and measures the distance based on the reflected wave.

[0022] The vehicle sensor 20 is a sensor for generating various types of data regarding the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, as the vehicle sensor 20, there are provided a speed sensor 21 for generating speed data indicating the traveling speed of the vehicle 100, a positioning sensor 22 for generating current position data indicating the current position of the vehicle 100 such as latitude and longitude, an acceleration sensor 23 for generating acceleration data indicating the acceleration of the vehicle 100, a brake sensor 24 for generating brake operation data indicating whether the brake pedal of the vehicle 100 has been depressed, and an impact detection sensor 25 for generating airbag operation data indicating whether the airbag of the vehicle 100 has been actuated. However, the vehicle sensor 20 is not limited to these sensors 21 to 25. Each of the sensors 21 to 25 transmits the acquired data to the control device 60.

[0023] The HMI 30 is a user interface for performing information exchange between the vehicle 100 and its occupants. The HMI 30 includes an output device 31 for notifying the vehicle occupants through the physical sensations of the vehicle occupants (for example, vision, hearing, and touch), and an input device 32 for the vehicle occupants to perform input operations and response operations. In the present embodiment, as the output device 31, there are provided displays such as a meter display, a center display, and a head-up display, and a speaker, and as the input device 32, there are provided a touch panel and a microphone.

[0024] The HMI 30 displays information (for example, character information and image information) corresponding to the display signal received from the control device 60 on the display, and outputs sound corresponding to the audio signal from the speaker. The HMI 30 also transmits the data input by the vehicle occupants via the input device 32 to the control device 60.

[0025] The HMI 30 may be pre-installed in the vehicle 100, or may be a terminal such as a smartphone owned by the vehicle occupants. In the latter case, for example, information exchange may be performed by communicating wirelessly over a short distance between the vehicle 100 and the vehicle occupants' terminal, or communication may be performed between the vehicle occupants' terminal and an external server (not shown), and information exchange may be performed indirectly via the server.

[0026] The actuator 40 is a device used for the driving control of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, as the actuator 40, an acceleration actuator 41 (for example, at least one of an engine and a motor) that performs acceleration control of the vehicle 100, a brake actuator 42 (for example, a hydraulic actuator) that performs brake control of the vehicle 100, and a steering actuator 43 (for example, a steering motor) that performs steering control of the vehicle 100 are provided.

[0027] The communication device 50 has a communication interface circuit for connecting the vehicle 100 to the network 3 (see FIG. 1) via the wireless base station 4 (see FIG. 1), and is configured to be able to communicate with the driving support server 200 via the network 3.

[0028] The control device 60 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) including a communication unit 61, a storage unit 62, and a processing unit 63.

[0029] The communication unit 61 includes an interface circuit for connecting the control device 60 to the in-vehicle network 80. The communication unit 61 supplies various data received from the peripheral sensor 10, the vehicle sensor 20, the communication device 50, etc. to the processing unit 63. Also, the communication unit 61 outputs various signals output from the processing unit 63 to the HMI 30, the actuator 40, the communication device 50, etc.

[0030] The storage unit 62 has a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid Disk Drive), or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used in the processing by the processing unit 63.

[0031] The processing unit 63 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and its peripheral circuits, and executes various computer programs stored in the storage unit 62. The processing unit 63 is, for example, a processor. The processing unit 63 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. By executing processing according to a computer program, the processing unit 63 functions as a driving support unit 71, a vehicle information acquisition unit 72, and a vehicle information transmission unit 73, and operates as a functional unit (module) that realizes a predetermined function. In the following description, when the processing is described with each functional unit 71 to 73 as the subject, it indicates that the processing unit 63 is executing a program that realizes each functional unit 71 to 73.

[0032] The driving support unit 71 provides driving support to the driver. As driving support, the driving support unit 71 performs, for example, pre-crash safety (PCS; Precrash Safety System) and intersection support.

[0033] Pre-crash safety is a driving support that performs at least one of notification to the driver, brake assist, automatic braking, and steering assist when there is a possibility of collision with various targets (other vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, walls, etc.) detected by the surrounding sensor 10.

[0034] As described above, intersection support is a driving support that performs at least one of notification to the driver, brake assist, and automatic braking as necessary when driving on the approach road towards an intersection.

[0035] Incidentally, there are a plurality of approaching roads leading to an intersection. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, there are four approaching roads as the first approaching road 301, the second approaching road 302, the third approaching road 303, and the fourth approaching road 304 leading to the intersection 300. Among the approaching roads 301 to 304, depending on the surrounding road environment of each intersection such as the arrangement and height of the buildings around the intersection and the difference in road width, there are approaching roads where accidents and near misses are likely to occur, and there are also approaching roads where this is not the case. Therefore, if intersection support is implemented even when driving on an approaching road where accidents and near misses are unlikely to occur, there is a risk that some drivers may find the intersection support bothersome.

[0036] Therefore, in the present embodiment, from among the plurality of approaching roads leading to an intersection, an approaching road with a high frequency of occurrence of accidents and near misses is set as the support approaching road that is the target of intersection support, and intersection support is implemented when driving on the support approaching road. As a result, it is possible to suppress the unnecessary implementation of intersection support when driving on an approaching road where accidents and near misses are unlikely to occur.

[0037] The vehicle information acquisition unit 72 periodically acquires vehicle information regarding the vehicle 100 for transmission to the driving support server 200.

[0038] The vehicle information includes, for example, data necessary for the driving support server 200 side to determine whether a collision accident has occurred in the vehicle 100 that is the transmission source of the vehicle information, data necessary for determining whether an operation for avoiding a collision (hereinafter referred to as "collision avoidance operation") has been performed in the vehicle 100, and data necessary for determining whether the driver of the vehicle 100 has performed an operation (hereinafter referred to as "hazard prediction operation") to prevent a hazard because the driver has predicted a hazard or the like.

[0039] In this embodiment, as vehicle information, speed data, acceleration data, current position data, acceleration data, brake operation data, airbag operation data, pre-crash safety operation data (presence or absence of warning activation, presence or absence of brake assist activation, presence or absence of automatic brake activation, presence or absence of steering assist activation), and intersection support operation data (presence or absence of warning activation, presence or absence of brake assist activation, presence or absence of automatic brake activation) are acquired. However, vehicle data is not limited to these data.

[0040] The vehicle information transmission unit 73 transmits the acquired vehicle information to the driving support server 200 in association with a vehicle ID (vehicle number), the acquisition time of the vehicle information, and the like.

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the driving support server 200.

[0042] The driving support server 200 includes a server communication unit 210, a server storage unit 220, and a server processing unit 230.

[0043] The server communication unit 210 has a communication interface circuit for connecting the driving support server 200 to the network 3 (see FIG. 1) via, for example, a gateway or the like, and is configured to be able to communicate with each vehicle 100 (more specifically, the communication device 50 of each vehicle 100) via the network 3.

[0044] The server storage unit 220 has a storage medium such as an HDD, an SSD, or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs, data, and the like used in the processing by the server processing unit 230.

[0045] The server processing unit 230 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits, and executes various computer programs stored in the server storage unit 220. The server processing unit 230 is, for example, a processor. The server processing unit 230 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. By executing processing according to a computer program, the server processing unit 230 functions as a vehicle information storage unit 231, a support area setting unit 232, a specific intersection extraction unit 233, and an information transmission unit 234, and operates as a functional unit (module) that realizes a predetermined function. In the following description, when explaining the processing with each functional unit 231 to 234 as the subject, it indicates that the server processing unit 230 is executing a program that realizes each functional unit 231 to 234.

[0046] The vehicle information storage unit 231 accumulates the vehicle information received from each vehicle 100 in a database for each regional mesh based on the current position data in the vehicle information. The regional mesh is obtained by dividing a map into meshes of approximately the same size based on latitude and longitude. The vehicle information accumulated in the database can be, for example, the vehicle information for the most recent predetermined period.

[0047] The support area setting unit 232 evaluates, for example, the occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses in each regional mesh at three levels from level 1 to level 3 based on the vehicle information (feature amounts) of each regional mesh by using a machine learning model learned in advance or the like, and sets the regional mesh at level 3 with the highest occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses as the support area.

[0048] The specific intersection extraction unit 233 extracts, from among each intersection in the support area, an intersection having a support lane that is the target of intersection support, that is, a specific intersection.

[0049] In this embodiment, the specific intersection extraction unit 233 first extracts vehicle information obtained within a range of a predetermined distance from the center of each intersection in the support area from the vehicle information in the support area based on the current position data in the vehicle information.

[0050] Next, based on the current position data in the extracted vehicle information, it is determined on which lane of each intersection the vehicle information was obtained, and for each lane, the number of collision accidents and the number of collision avoidance operations are tabulated. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3 described above, as the lanes leading to intersection 300, there are four lanes: the first lane 301, the second lane 302, the third lane 303, and the fourth lane 304. Therefore, the number of collision accidents and the number of collision avoidance operations for each of the lanes 301 to 304 are tabulated.

[0051] Finally, the lanes with the number of collision accidents equal to or more than a predetermined number and the lanes with the number of collision avoidance operations equal to or more than a predetermined number are respectively set as support lanes, and the intersections having the support lanes are extracted as specific intersections. That is, the lanes with a high occurrence frequency of at least one of accidents and near misses are set as support lanes, and the intersections having the support lanes are extracted as specific intersections.

[0052] Note that the number of collision accidents and the number of collision avoidance operations can be grasped and tabulated, for example, as follows. That is, when the airbag has been activated, it can be considered that a collision accident has occurred. Therefore, the number of collision accidents can be grasped, for example, based on the activation data of the airbag.

[0053] In addition, when any of pre-crash safety warnings, brake assist, automatic braking, and steering assist is activated, it can be considered that a collision avoidance operation has been performed by the driving assistance function. Therefore, the number of occurrences of the collision avoidance operation can be grasped based on, for example, the activation data of pre-crash safety. Also, when rapid deceleration is occurring, it can be considered that the collision avoidance operation has been performed. Therefore, the number of occurrences of the collision avoidance operation can also be grasped based on, for example, acceleration data. Of course, the number of occurrences of the collision avoidance operation may be grasped based on the activation data of pre-crash safety and acceleration data.

[0054] The support information transmission unit 234 transmits intersection support information including information about a specific intersection to each vehicle 100 as necessary.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a specific intersection extraction process executed between each vehicle 100 and the driving assistance server 200.

[0056] In step S1, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 periodically (for example, every minute) acquires the vehicle information of the vehicle 100 and transmits the acquired vehicle information to the driving assistance server 200.

[0057] In step S2, when the driving assistance server 200 receives the vehicle information from the vehicle 100, based on the current position data in the vehicle information, it classifies the vehicle information for each regional mesh and accumulates it in the database.

[0058] In step S3, the driving assistance server 200 determines whether it is the extraction timing of a specific intersection. The driving assistance server 200 can determine that it is the extraction timing of a specific intersection if, for example, a predetermined period has elapsed since the previous extraction timing of the specific intersection. If the driving assistance server 200 determines that it is the extraction timing of a specific intersection, it proceeds to the process of step S4. On the other hand, if the driving assistance server 200 determines that it is not the extraction timing of a specific intersection, it ends the process.

[0059] In step S4, the driving support server 200 evaluates the occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses in each regional mesh in three levels from level 1 to level 3, and sets the regional mesh of level 3 with the highest occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses as the support region.

[0060] In step S5, the driving support server 200 extracts an intersection having a support road, that is, a specific intersection, from among the intersections within the support region. As described above, in the present embodiment, among the roads of each intersection within the support region, the road with the number of collision accidents equal to or more than a predetermined number and the road with the number of collision avoidance operations equal to or more than a predetermined number are each set as the support road.

[0061] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of intersection support processing executed between each vehicle 100 and the driving support server 200.

[0062] In step S11, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 determines whether it is the request timing of intersection support information. For example, the vehicle 100 can determine that it is the request timing of intersection support information if a predetermined period has elapsed since the intersection support information was last requested. If it is the request timing of intersection support information, the control device 60 proceeds to the process of step S12. On the other hand, if it is not the request timing of intersection support information, the control device 60 ends the current process.

[0063] In step S12, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 transmits a support information request signal to the driving support server 200. The support information request signal includes, for example, the current position data of the host vehicle.

[0064] In step S13, when the driving support server 200 receives a support information request signal, it determines whether the vehicle that is the source of the signal is traveling within the support area based on the current position data included in the signal. If the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal is traveling within the support area, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S14. On the other hand, if the vehicle 100 that is the source of the support information request signal is not traveling within the support area, the driving support server 200 ends the current process.

[0065] In step S14, the driving support server 200 determines whether a specific intersection exists around the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal based on the current position data included in the support information request signal. If a specific intersection exists around the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S15. On the other hand, if no specific intersection exists around the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal, the driving support server 200 ends the current process.

[0066] In step S15, the driving support server 200 transmits information about the specific intersection around the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal (intersection support information) to the vehicle that is the source of the signal.

[0067] In step S16, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 performs intersection support based on the received intersection support information. For example, the control device 60 determines whether the host vehicle is traveling on the support lane based on the intersection support information and the current position data, and when the host vehicle is traveling on the support lane, it can notify via the HMI 30 that the host vehicle is traveling on the support driving lane as intersection support. Also, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, etc., the brake actuator 42 can be controlled to perform brake assist or automatic braking.

[0068] In addition, in step S13, when it is determined that the vehicle transmitting the support information request signal is not traveling within the support area, and in step S14, when it is determined that there is no specific intersection around the vehicle transmitting the support information request signal, this fact may be notified from the driving support server 200 to the vehicle transmitting the support information request signal, and the vehicle 100 may notify the driver of this fact.

[0069] Also, in FIG. 6, an example has been described in which the driving support server 200 passively transmits intersection support information to the vehicle 100 when requested from the vehicle 100 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the driving support server 200 may actively transmit intersection support information to the vehicle 100 for which the necessity of intersection support information is high. For example, based on the current position data and the like received from each vehicle 100, the driving support server 200 may transmit intersection support information to the vehicle 100 around the specific intersection. Further, for example, by transmitting the intersection support information to the infrastructure facility installed at each intersection and capable of communicating with the vehicles around the intersection, the intersection support information may be transmitted to the vehicle 100 around the specific intersection via the infrastructure facility installed at the specific intersection.

[0070] Furthermore, in FIG. 6, in step S16, the vehicle 100 side determines whether to perform intersection support based on the intersection support information received from the driving support server 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, on the driving support server 200 side, it is determined whether the vehicle 100 is traveling on the support route based on the current position data of the vehicle 100. When the vehicle 100 is traveling on the support route, the driving support server 200 may instruct the vehicle 100 to perform intersection support. That is, the driving support server 200 side may perform the determination of whether to perform intersection support for each vehicle 100.

[0071] The driving support system 1 according to the present embodiment described above includes a plurality of vehicles 100 in which intersection support (predetermined driving support) is implemented, and a server 200 configured to be communicable with the vehicles 100. The server 200 sets a support area for causing the vehicle 100 to perform intersection support based on vehicle information (predetermined information) stored in the server 200, and sets, as a support lane, a lane in which the occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss is high among each lane of the intersections within the support area, and is configured to transmit information regarding a specific intersection having the support lane to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is configured to receive information regarding a specific intersection from the server 200 and perform intersection support when driving on the support lane.

[0072] Thereby, it is possible to suppress the implementation of intersection support on a lane where the occurrence frequency of an accident and a near miss is low, so that it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling annoyed with the intersection support. On the other hand, since intersection support is implemented on the support lane where the occurrence frequency of an accident and a near miss is high, it is possible to appropriately support the safe driving of the driver at the intersection.

[0073] In the present embodiment, the server 200 is configured to collect vehicle information (predetermined information) from the vehicle 100. The vehicle information includes at least one of data capable of determining whether a collision accident has occurred in the vehicle 100 and data capable of determining whether a collision avoidance operation has been performed in the vehicle 100 to avoid a collision.

[0074] Thereby, based on the latest vehicle information collected from each vehicle 100, it is possible to set a support area for causing each vehicle 100 to perform intersection support, and it is possible to set, as a support lane, a lane in which the occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss is high among each lane of the intersections within the support area.

[0075] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, it is determined whether there is a roadway (hereinafter referred to as a "quasi-assist roadway") that does not meet the criteria for an assist roadway but is preferably targeted for intersection assistance among the roadways of each approach of a specific intersection. When a quasi-assist roadway exists, intersection assistance is also performed on the quasi-assist roadway in addition to the assist roadway, which is different from the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the differences will be mainly described.

[0076] FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of the driving support server 200 according to this embodiment.

[0077] The server processing unit 230 of the driving support server 200 according to this embodiment further includes a quasi-assist roadway setting unit 241.

[0078] The quasi-assist roadway setting unit 241 sets, as quasi-assist roadways, roadways that do not meet the setting criteria for assist roadways but meet the setting criteria for quasi-assist roadways among the roadways of each approach of a specific intersection.

[0079] Specifically, the quasi-assist roadway setting unit 241 extracts specific intersections from the specific intersections where the roadway intersecting the assist roadway (hereinafter referred to as the "intersecting roadway") is not set as the assist roadway. For each intersecting roadway of the extracted specific intersections, it is determined whether the setting criteria for the quasi-assist roadway are met, and the intersecting roadways that meet the setting criteria for the quasi-assist roadway are set as quasi-assist roadways.

[0080] For example, in the intersection 300 shown in FIG. 3 described above, if only the first roadway 301 is set as the assist roadway, the second roadway 302 and the third roadway 303 become the intersecting roadways of the first roadway 303, which is the assist roadway. Therefore, in this case, for each of the second roadway 302 and the third roadway 303, it is determined whether the setting criteria for the quasi-assist roadway are met.

[0081] In the present embodiment, when attempting to view an intersecting road from a supporting road, the degree of poor visibility of the intersecting road being equal to or greater than a certain level is used as a criterion for setting a quasi-supporting road. That is, based on the visibility of the intersecting road from the supporting road, it is determined whether to set the intersecting road as a quasi-supporting road. The degree of poor visibility of the intersecting road can be determined based on, for example, the height and number of buildings constructed near the corner of the intersection, the road width of the supporting road, the road width of the intersecting road, and the like. Such information can be obtained from, for example, map information. Simply put, for example, the presence of a building with a height equal to or greater than a predetermined height near the corner of the intersection can be used as a criterion for setting a quasi-supporting road. Also, when collecting surrounding images captured by the external camera 11 from each vehicle 100, for example, the degree of poor visibility of the intersecting road can also be determined based on the surrounding images.

[0082] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the specific intersection extraction process according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, the content of the processes from step S1 to S5 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

[0083] In step S21, the driving support server 200 extracts, from among the specific intersections, specific intersections where the intersecting road that intersects the supporting road is not set as the supporting road.

[0084] In step S22, the driving support server 200 determines, for each intersecting road of each specific intersection extracted in step S21, whether the criterion for setting a quasi-supporting road is satisfied, and sets the intersecting road that satisfies the criterion for setting a quasi-supporting road as a quasi-supporting road.

[0085] In the present embodiment, the intersection support information transmitted from the driving support server 200 to the vehicle 100 includes information regarding the quasi-supporting road in addition to the information regarding the supporting road. And the vehicle 100 performs intersection support when traveling toward the intersection on the supporting road and the quasi-supporting road.

[0086] The server 200 according to the present embodiment described above has an intersecting roadway that intersects with the support roadway among the roadways of each approach of a specific intersection. When the intersecting roadway is not set as the support roadway, it is configured to determine whether to set the intersecting roadway as a quasi-support roadway conforming to the support roadway based on the visibility of the intersecting roadway from the support roadway. And the vehicle 100 is configured to perform intersection support even when traveling on the quasi-support roadway.

[0087] Accidents and near misses on the support roadway may be caused by other vehicles traveling on the intersecting roadway. In particular, at specific intersections with poor visibility of the intersecting roadway from the support roadway, the possibility is considered to be high. Therefore, by setting an intersecting roadway with poor visibility from the support roadway as a quasi-support roadway and performing intersection support also on the quasi-support roadway, the occurrence frequency of accidents and near misses at specific intersections can be reduced.

[0088] (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in that intersection support can be performed as needed not only within the area mesh of level 3 where the occurrence frequency of accidents and near misses is the highest, but also within the area meshes of levels 1 and 2. Hereinafter, the differences will be mainly described.

[0089] FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the driving support server 200 according to this embodiment.

[0090] The server processing unit 230 of the driving support server 200 according to this embodiment further includes a quasi-support area setting unit 251 and a specific intersection candidate extraction unit 252.

[0091] The quasi-support area setting unit 251 selects an area mesh for which intersection support is to be performed from among the area meshes of level 1 or level 2, and sets the selected area mesh as the quasi-support area.

[0092] For example, the sub-support area setting unit 251 can set a level 1 or level 2 regional mesh adjacent to the support area as a sub-support area. However, the method for setting the sub-support area is not limited to such a method.

[0093] For example, the sub-support area setting unit 251 may set a level 1 or level 2 regional mesh adjacent to a support area in which a predetermined number or more of specific intersections exist as a sub-support area. Further, the sub-support area setting unit 251 may set, as a sub-support area, a level 1 or level 2 regional mesh in which a predetermined number or more of specific intersections exist among the level 1 or level 2 regional meshes adjacent to a support area in which a predetermined number or more of specific intersections exist.

[0094] The specific intersection candidate extraction unit 252 extracts, from among the intersections within the sub-support area, an intersection having a support route candidate that is a candidate for the support route, that is, a specific intersection candidate. The method for extracting the specific intersection candidate is the same as the method for extracting the specific intersection described above. From among each route of the intersections within the sub-support area, a route with a high occurrence frequency of at least one of accidents and near misses is set as a support route candidate, and an intersection having the support route candidate is extracted as a specific intersection candidate.

[0095] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the specific intersection extraction process according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, the contents of the processes from step S1 to S5 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

[0096] In step S31, the driving support server 200 selects a regional mesh for which intersection support is to be performed from among the level 1 or level 2 regional meshes, and sets the selected regional mesh as a sub-support area.

[0097] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the intersection support process according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 11, the contents of the processes from step S11 to S15 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

[0098] In step S41, the driving support server 200 determines whether the vehicle that is the source of the signal is traveling within the quasi-support area based on the current position data included in the support information request signal. If the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal is traveling within the quasi-support area, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S42. On the other hand, if the vehicle that is the source is not traveling within the quasi-support area, the driving support server 200 ends the current process.

[0099] In step S42, the driving support server 200 determines whether there is a specific intersection candidate around the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal based on the current position data included in the support information request signal. If there is a specific intersection candidate around the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S43. On the other hand, if there is no specific intersection candidate around the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal, the driving support server 200 ends the current process.

[0100] In step S43, the driving support server 200 transmits information regarding the specific intersection candidate around the vehicle that is the source of the support information request signal to the vehicle that is the source of the signal as intersection support information for the quasi-support area.

[0101] In step S44, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 performs intersection support based on the received intersection support information.

[0102] For example, when the control device 60 receives intersection support information for the support area, that is, when the host vehicle is traveling within the support area, the control device 60 performs intersection support when the host vehicle is traveling on the support route.

[0103] On the other hand, when the control device 60 receives intersection support information for the quasi-support area, that is, when the host vehicle is traveling within the quasi-support area, the control device 60 performs intersection support when the host vehicle is traveling on the support route candidate and the traffic volume in the peripheral area of the specific intersection candidate that the host vehicle is approaching while traveling on the support route candidate is showing an increasing trend.

[0104] Whether the traffic volume in the peripheral area of a specific intersection candidate is on an increasing trend can be determined based on, for example, road traffic information obtained from an external road traffic information center or the like. For example, if the number of one or both of vehicles and other traffic participants in the peripheral area of a specific intersection candidate has increased compared to a predetermined time before (for example, 15 minutes before), it can be determined that the traffic volume in the peripheral area of the specific intersection candidate is on an increasing trend.

[0105] Note that whether the traffic volume in the peripheral area of a specific intersection candidate is on an increasing trend can also be determined, for example, on the side of the driving support server 200 based on the current position data received from each vehicle 100. In this way, when it is determined on the side of the driving support server 200 whether the traffic volume in the peripheral area of a specific intersection candidate is on an increasing trend, in the above step S43, information regarding whether the traffic volume in the peripheral area of the specific intersection candidate is on an increasing trend may be included in the intersection support information for the quasi-support area and transmitted to the vehicle 100.

[0106] The driving support server 200 of the driving support system 1 according to the present embodiment described above is a regional mesh that is not set in the support area and is within a regional mesh adjacent to the support area. From among the approaches of each intersection in the adjacent regional mesh, the approach with a higher occurrence frequency of at least one of accidents and near misses is set as a support approach candidate, and it is configured to transmit information regarding a specific intersection candidate having the support approach candidate to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is configured to receive information regarding a specific intersection candidate from the driving support server 200 and perform intersection support according to the traffic volume around the specific intersection candidate when driving on the support approach candidate.

[0107] Thereby, in an area outside the support area (quasi-support area) where the occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses are high, it is possible to appropriately perform intersection support as needed while suppressing unnecessary execution of intersection support.

[0108] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the driving assistance level is set for each assistance route and intersection assistance according to the driving assistance level is implemented. Hereinafter, the differences will be mainly described.

[0109] FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of the driving assistance server 200 according to this embodiment.

[0110] The server processing unit 230 of the driving assistance server 200 according to this embodiment further includes a driving assistance level setting unit 261.

[0111] The driving assistance level setting unit 261 sets the driving assistance level for each assistance route when implementing intersection assistance for each assistance route. In this embodiment, three levels from level 1 to level 3 are prepared for the driving assistance level in ascending order of the driving assistance level.

[0112] The higher the driving assistance level, for example, the mode (such as display content, voice content, vibration rhythm, etc.) when giving a sensory notification to the driver through vision, hearing, touch, etc. can be changed to a mode that is more likely to attract the driver's attention. Also, the higher the driving assistance level, for example, the control amount (such as volume or vibration magnitude) when giving a sensory notification to the driver, or the control amount (such as deceleration) when performing brake assist or automatic braking can be increased, so that the control amount when implementing intersection assistance can be increased. Further, the higher the driving assistance level, for example, the timing of giving a notification to the driver, performing brake assist, or automatic braking can be advanced, so that the timing when implementing intersection assistance can be advanced.

[0113] FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the process performed by the driving assistance server 200 to set the driving assistance level of the assistance route.

[0114] In step S51, the driving support server 200 determines whether the intersecting road of the support road is set as the quasi-support road. If the intersecting road of the support road is set as the quasi-support road, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S52. On the other hand, if the intersecting road of the support road is not set as the quasi-support road, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S56.

[0115] In step S52, the driving support server 200 determines whether the number of collision accidents occurring on the support road is equal to or more than a certain number. If the number of collision accidents occurring on the support road is equal to or more than a certain number, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S53. On the other hand, if the number of collision accidents occurring on the support road is less than a certain number, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S54.

[0116] In step S53, the driving support server 200 sets the driving support level of the support road to level 3.

[0117] In step S54, the driving support server 200 determines whether the number of collision avoidance operations occurring on the support road is equal to or more than a certain number. If the number of collision avoidance operations occurring on the support road is equal to or more than a certain number, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S55. On the other hand, if the number of collision avoidance operations occurring on the support road is less than a certain number, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S56.

[0118] In step S55, the driving support server 200 determines whether the occurrence ratio of the danger prediction operation on the support road is equal to or more than a certain ratio. If the occurrence ratio of the danger prediction operation on the support road is equal to or more than a certain ratio, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S53. On the other hand, if the occurrence ratio of the danger prediction operation on the support road is less than a certain ratio, the driving support server 200 proceeds to the process of step S56.

[0119] In step S56, the driving support server 200 sets the driving support level of the support road to level 1.

[0120] Thus, in this embodiment, the driving support level of the support lane of a specific intersection having a sub-support lane is set to level 1 or level 3 based on the occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses on the support lane. For the support lane of a specific intersection without a sub-support lane, its driving support level is set to level 1.

[0121] FIG. 14 is an example of the processing performed by the control device 60 (driving support unit 71) of the vehicle 100 to perform intersection support according to the driving support level.

[0122] In step S61, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 determines whether the driving support level of the support lane on which the host vehicle is traveling is level 3 based on the intersection support information received from the driving support server 200. The intersection support information according to this embodiment includes the driving support level of each support lane. If the driving support level of the support lane on which the host vehicle is traveling is level 3, the control device 60 proceeds to the processing of step S62. On the other hand, if the driving support level of the support lane on which the host vehicle is traveling is not level 3, the control device 60 proceeds to the processing of step S63.

[0123] In step S62, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 performs intersection support with a driving support level of level 3. As described above, the mode, control amount, or execution timing of intersection support is changed according to the driving support level. For example, as the driving support level increases, the notification mode when notifying the driver can be changed to a mode that is more likely to attract the driver's attention. Also, the control amount when performing intersection support can be increased, such as by increasing the notification sound when notifying the driver or increasing the deceleration when performing brake assist or automatic braking. Further, the execution timing when performing intersection support can be advanced, such as by advancing the timing of notifying the driver, performing brake assist, or performing automatic braking.

[0124] In step S63, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 determines whether the environment around the host vehicle is nighttime or bad weather. The environment around the host vehicle can be determined based on, for example, the surrounding image detected by the surrounding sensor 10. If the environment around the host vehicle is nighttime or bad weather, the control device 60 proceeds to the process of step S64. On the other hand, if the environment around the host vehicle is not nighttime or bad weather, the control device 60 proceeds to the process of step S66.

[0125] In step S64, when the environment around the vehicle is nighttime or bad weather, the control device 60 of the vehicle increases the driving support level to be higher than the current level because accidents and near misses are more likely to occur compared to during the day or in fine weather. In the present embodiment, the driving support level is changed from level 1 to level 2.

[0126] In step S65, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 performs intersection support with the driving support level of level 2.

[0127] In step S66, the control device 60 of the vehicle 100 performs intersection support with the driving support level of level 1.

[0128] The driving support server 200 of the driving support system 1 according to the present embodiment described above is configured to set the driving support level for each support route based on at least one of the occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses on the support route, and the vehicle 100 is configured to change the mode, control amount, or execution timing of intersection support based on the driving support level.

[0129] Thereby, based on at least one of the occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses on each support route, the control amount or execution timing of intersection support can be optimized.

[0130] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0131] For example, when a plurality of support routes are set at a specific intersection, priorities may be set for each support route based on the occurrence frequencies of accidents and near misses on each support route. The priorities can be compared, for example, in the order of the number of collision accidents, the number of collision avoidance operations, and the occurrence ratio of danger prediction operations, and the support route with a larger number or ratio can be given a higher priority. Also, for example, when the details of a collision accident, that is, what collided with a pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, etc. are known, the priority may be determined according to the collision details.

[0132] And the intersection support information may include only information regarding the support route with the highest priority. Thereby, for example, even when there are restrictions such as on data communication volume, the intersection support information can be provided to each vehicle 100 within those restrictions.

[0133] Also, in the above embodiment, the computer program executed in the control device 60 may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0134] 1 Driving support system 100 Vehicle 200 Driving support server (server) 210 Server communication unit (communication unit) 220 Server storage unit (storage unit) 230 Server processing unit (processing unit)

Claims

1. A plurality of vehicles in which predetermined driving support is implemented, A server configured to be communicable with the vehicle, A driving support system comprising: The server, Based on predetermined information stored in the server, sets a support area for causing the vehicle to perform the driving support, and sets, as a support lane, a lane in which the occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss is high among each lane of an intersection within the support area, Is configured to transmit information about a specific intersection having the support lane to the vehicle, The vehicle, Receives information about the specific intersection from the server, Is configured to perform the driving support when driving on the support lane, Driving support system.

2. The server, Among each lane of the specific intersection, if there is an intersecting lane that intersects with the support lane and the intersecting lane is not set as the support lane, based on the visibility of the intersecting lane from the support lane, determines whether to set the intersecting lane as a quasi-support lane equivalent to the support lane, The vehicle, Is configured to perform the driving support also when driving on the quasi-support lane, The driving support system according to claim 1.

3. The server, Sets, as a support lane candidate, a lane in which the occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss is high among each lane of an intersection within an area that is not set in the support area and is adjacent to the support area, Is configured to transmit information about a specific intersection candidate having the support lane candidate to the vehicle, The vehicle, Receives information about the specific intersection candidate from the server, Is configured to perform the driving support according to the traffic volume around the specific intersection candidate when driving on the support lane candidate, The driving support system according to claim 1.

4. The server, Is configured to set a driving support level for each support lane based on the occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss on the support lane, The vehicle, Is configured to change the mode, control amount, or execution timing of the driving support based on the driving support level, The driving support system according to claim 1.

5. The driving support is When driving on the support lane, it is a driving support that performs at least one of notification to the driver of the vehicle, brake assist, and automatic braking as needed. The driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The server collects the predetermined information from the vehicle, wherein the predetermined information includes at least one of data capable of determining whether a collision accident has occurred in the vehicle and data capable of determining whether a collision avoidance operation for avoiding a collision has been performed in the vehicle. The driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The predetermined information includes data capable of determining whether a driver of the vehicle has performed a danger prediction operation to prevent a danger because the driver has predicted the danger. The driving support system according to claim 6.

8. A driving support server configured to be communicable with a vehicle, a storage unit that stores information, a processing unit, wherein the processing unit sets a support area for performing predetermined driving support on the vehicle based on predetermined information stored in the storage unit, sets, from among each road of an intersection within the support area based on the predetermined information, a road with a higher occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss as a support road for performing the driving support, and is configured to transmit information regarding a specific intersection having the support road to the vehicle. Driving support server.

9. A method for driving support of a vehicle, wherein a support area for performing the driving support on the vehicle is set based on predetermined information stored in a server, a road with a higher occurrence frequency of at least one of an accident and a near miss is set as a support road from among each road of an intersection within the support area based on the predetermined information, and the driving support is performed on the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling on the support road. Driving support method. ​

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