Vehicle control device

Abstract

To implement vehicle control based on a collision risk while appropriately determining the collision risk at a roundabout and in the vicinity thereof.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device that executes vehicle control if an execution condition for vehicle control related to supporting a reduction of a collision risk is met when a determination condition that the collision risk between an own vehicle VH1 and a control target object VH2 existing within a predetermined angular range in front of an advancing direction of the own vehicle VH1 is a predetermined level or higher. The vehicle control device changes the determination condition and / or the execution condition based on an own-vehicle behavior as a behavior of the own vehicle VH1 on a travel road including a circular road R1 of a roundabout and a connection road R2 connected to the circular road R1 in the vicinity of the roundabout, and an other-vehicle behavior as a behavior of the other vehicle VH2 present on the travel road on which the own vehicle VH1 travels.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which infrastructure sensors are installed on the circular road of a roundabout or on connecting roads that connect to the circular road, and when the infrastructure sensors detect a vehicle traveling within the circular road or a vehicle entering the circular road, the detection result is displayed on a bulletin board installed in a central open space within the roundabout, or an alert is sent via communication to surrounding vehicles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-301884 Summary of the Invention

[0004] At a roundabout, even if there is another vehicle ahead of the vehicle in the direction of travel, a notification may not be necessary depending on the driving conditions of each vehicle. For example, in a scene where the vehicle exits from the circular road of a roundabout to a connecting road and another vehicle enters the circular road from the connecting road, the vehicles are close to each other but do not intersect. In other words, a notification is unnecessary in such a scene. The technology described in Patent Document 1 does not provide a notification taking into account the driving conditions of each vehicle, so there is a risk that the notification will not be appropriate in such a scene.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and aims to realize vehicle control based on collision risk while appropriately determining collision risk at roundabouts and their vicinity.

[0006] The vehicle control device of the present disclosure includes: A vehicle control device that, when a determination condition is satisfied that a collision risk between a host vehicle and a control target that is present within a predetermined angle range ahead in a traveling direction of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, executes vehicle control regarding an execution condition for vehicle control related to assistance for reducing the collision risk, the vehicle control comprising: The system is characterized in that the judgment conditions and / or the execution conditions are changed based on the vehicle behavior, which is the behavior of the vehicle on a driving path including the circular road of a roundabout and a connecting road near the roundabout that connects to the circular road, and the other vehicle behavior, which is the behavior of other vehicles that are present on the driving path on which the vehicle is traveling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of the control device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a matrix diagram illustrating combinations of suppression processes executed by the control device according to the present embodiment and each case. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are schematic diagrams illustrating the respective cases of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a routine for determining the traveling state of another vehicle, which is executed by the control device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a routine of a suppression process executed by a control device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, a vehicle control device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] [Hardware configuration] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of a vehicle VH1 according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, the vehicle VH1 may be referred to as the host vehicle when it is necessary to distinguish it from other vehicles.

[0010] The vehicle VH1 has an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, and an interface device 14. The CPU 11 is a processor that executes various programs stored in the ROM 12. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory that stores data and the like required for the CPU 11 to execute the various programs. The RAM 13 is a volatile memory that provides a working area into which the various programs are expanded when the CPU 11 executes them. The interface device 14 is a communication device for communicating with external devices.

[0011] The ECU 10 is a central device that performs driving assistance such as collision avoidance control (Pre-Crash Safety Control: hereinafter referred to as PCS control). Driving assistance is a concept that includes autonomous driving. The ECU 10 is communicably connected to a drive unit 20, a steering unit 21, a braking unit 22, an internal sensor unit 30, an external sensor unit 40, a turn signal switch 50, a position information acquisition unit 60, a map database 70, a communication unit 80, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 90, and the like.

[0012] The drive unit 20 generates a drive force to be transmitted to the drive wheels of the vehicle VH1. Examples of the drive unit 20 include an electric motor and an engine. In this embodiment, the vehicle VH1 may be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), an electric vehicle (BEV), or an engine vehicle. The steering unit 21 applies a steering force to the wheels of the vehicle VH1. The braking unit 22 applies a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle VH1.

[0013] The internal sensor device 30 is a group of sensors that acquire the state of the vehicle VH1, and includes a vehicle speed sensor 31, an accelerator sensor 32, a brake sensor 33, a steering angle sensor 34, a yaw rate sensor 35, and the like.

[0014] The vehicle speed sensor 31 detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle VH1. The accelerator sensor 32 detects the amount of operation of an accelerator pedal (not shown) by the driver. The brake sensor 33 detects the amount of operation of a brake pedal (not shown) by the driver. The steering angle sensor 34 detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of a steering wheel or steering shaft (not shown). The yaw rate sensor 35 detects the yaw rate of the vehicle VH1. The internal sensor device 30 transmits the state of the vehicle VH1 detected by each of the sensors 31 to 35 to the ECU 10 at a predetermined interval.

[0015] The external sensor device 40 is a type of sensor that recognizes target information related to targets around the vehicle VH1. The external sensor device 40 includes a radar sensor 41, a camera sensor 42, etc. Examples of target information include surrounding vehicles, white lines on the road, signs, etc.

[0016] The radar sensor 41 detects targets present around the vehicle VH1. The radar sensor 41 includes a millimeter-wave radar and / or a lidar. The millimeter-wave radar emits millimeter-wave radio waves and receives millimeter waves reflected by targets present within the emission range. The millimeter-wave radar acquires the relative distance, relative speed, etc. between the vehicle VH1 and the target based on the phase difference between the transmitted millimeter waves and the received reflected waves, the attenuation level of the reflected waves, and the time from transmitting the millimeter waves to receiving the reflected waves. The lidar sequentially scans a pulsed laser beam with a wavelength shorter than that of the millimeter waves in multiple directions and receives the reflected light reflected by the target to acquire the shape of the target detected around the vehicle VH1, as well as the relative distance, relative speed, etc. between the vehicle VH1 and the target.

[0017] The camera sensor 42 photographs the surroundings of the vehicle VH1 and processes the photographed image data to acquire target information about the surroundings of the vehicle VH1. As the camera sensor 42, for example, a digital camera having an imaging element such as a CMOS or a CCD can be used. The target information is information indicating the type of target detected around the vehicle VH1, the relative distance between the vehicle VH1 and the target, the relative speed, etc. The type of target may be recognized by machine learning such as pattern matching, for example.

[0018] The external sensor device 40 repeatedly transmits the acquired target information to the ECU 10 every time a predetermined time elapses. Note that the external sensor device 40 does not necessarily have to include both the radar sensor 41 and the camera sensor 42, and may include, for example, only the radar sensor 41 or only the camera sensor 42.

[0019] The turn signal lever 51 is an operating device that allows the driver to flash left and right turn signals (not shown). The turn signal switch 50 detects the direction in which the driver operates the turn signal lever 51. When the driver operates the turn signal lever 51, the turn signal switch 50 transmits a flashing instruction signal to the ECU 10 according to the direction of operation. Upon receiving the flashing instruction signal, the ECU 10 causes the turn signal according to the direction in which the turn signal lever 51 is operated to flash.

[0020] The position information acquisition device 60 acquires current position information of the vehicle VH1. For example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) provided in a navigation system (not shown) can be used as the position information acquisition device 60. The position information acquisition device 60 transmits the acquired current position information of the vehicle VH1 to the ECU 10 at a predetermined period. Note that the position information of the vehicle VH1 may be acquired by V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication using a communication device 80 (described later).

[0021] The map database 70 is a database of map information and is stored in a storage device (hard disk, flash memory, etc.) provided in the vehicle VH1. The map information includes the locations of road intersections, etc. The map database 70 may be stored in an external server that can communicate with the vehicle VH1. In this case, the vehicle VH1 can obtain the map information from the external server via the communication device 80.

[0022] The communication device 80 performs V2X communication. Specifically, the communication device 80 performs V2V communication (Vehicle to Vehicle) between the host vehicle VH1 and other vehicles, and V2I communication (Vehicle to Infrastructure) between the host vehicle VH1 and infrastructure. The communication device 80 can acquire information about the surroundings of the host vehicle VH1 through V2X communication. The surrounding information includes, for example, the location of intersections, route information of other vehicles, such as whether they are going straight or turning right or left, and the like. The communication device 80 transmits the acquired surrounding information to the ECU 10 at a predetermined interval.

[0023] The HMI 90 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the ECU 10 and the driver, and includes an input device and an output device. Examples of the input device include a touch panel, a switch, and a voice pickup microphone. Examples of the output device include a display device 91 and a speaker 92. The display device 91 is, for example, a center display, a multi-information display, a head-up display, etc. The speaker 92 is, for example, a speaker of an audio system or a navigation system.

[0024] [Software configuration] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the software configuration of the control device according to this embodiment.

[0025] 2, the ECU 10 includes functional elements such as a PCS control unit 100, a host vehicle driving state determination unit 110, an other vehicle driving state determination unit 120, and a PCS suppression processing unit 130. Each of these functional elements 100 to 130 is realized by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 reading a program stored in the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executing it. Note that all or part of the functional elements 100 to 130 may be provided in another ECU separate from the ECU 10, or in an information processing device in a facility (such as a management center) that can communicate with the vehicle VH1.

[0026] The PCS control unit 100 executes PCS control to avoid or mitigate damage from a collision between the host vehicle VH1 and a forward target (target to be controlled) located within a predetermined angular range ahead of the host vehicle VH1. The PCS control unit 100 acquires coordinate information of an object located ahead of the host vehicle VH1 based on target information transmitted from the external sensor device 40. The PCS control unit 100 also calculates the turning radius of the host vehicle VH1 based on the detection results of the vehicle speed sensor 31, steering angle sensor 34, and yaw rate sensor 35, and calculates the trajectory of the host vehicle VH1 based on this turning radius. The PCS control unit 100 determines whether a moving or stationary object ahead of the host vehicle VH1 is an obstacle that may collide with the host vehicle VH1. If the object is a moving object, the PCS control unit 100 calculates the trajectory of the moving object based on the coordinate information of the moving object, and determines that the moving object is an obstacle if the trajectory of the moving object intersects with the trajectory of the host vehicle VH1. Furthermore, if the object is a stationary object, the PCS control unit 100 determines that the stationary object is an obstacle if the trajectory of the host vehicle VH1 intersects with the current position of the stationary object.

[0027] When the PCS control unit 100 determines that an object is an obstacle, it calculates a predicted time to collision (hereinafter, TTC) until the host vehicle VH1 collides with the obstacle based on the distance L from the host vehicle VH1 to the obstacle and the relative speed Vr of the host vehicle VH1 relative to the obstacle. The TTC is an index value indicating the possibility (i.e., collision risk) of the host vehicle VH1 colliding with the obstacle. The TTC can be calculated by dividing the distance L from the host vehicle VH1 to the obstacle by the relative speed Vr (TTC=L / Vr). If the TTC is equal to or less than a predetermined collision determination threshold TTCv, the PCS control unit 100 determines that the possibility (collision risk) of the host vehicle VH1 colliding with the obstacle is high. When the PCS control unit 100 determines that the collision risk is high, it determines that the PCS execution condition is met, and issues a warning via the speaker 92 and / or the display device 91, and executes automatic brake control. The automatic brake control is a control for decelerating the host vehicle VH1 so that the deceleration of the host vehicle VH1 matches a predetermined target deceleration by controlling the operation of the braking device 22 and the drive device 20. This allows the host vehicle VH1 to be forcibly decelerated without the driver having to operate the brake pedal.

[0028] The host vehicle driving state determination unit 110 determines the driving state (behavior) of the host vehicle VH1 in and near a roundabout. Here, a roundabout (traffic circle) refers to an intersection where multiple roads are connected to a circular road. Specifically, the host vehicle driving state determination unit 110 determines, as the driving state of the host vehicle VH1, whether the host vehicle VH1 is driving on the circular road of the roundabout, whether the host vehicle VH1 is about to exit the circular road of the roundabout, or whether the host vehicle VH1 is about to enter the circular road of the roundabout. These driving states of the host vehicle VH1 may be determined based on the current position of the host vehicle VH1 acquired by the position information acquisition device 60 and the map database 70, or may be determined based on information acquired by the communication device 80 through V2I communication, or may be determined based on sign information of the roundabout acquired by the external sensor device 40. Whether the host vehicle VH1 is exiting or entering the circular road of the roundabout may be determined based on a route set by a navigation system, or may be determined based on the detection results of the turn signal switch 50, the steering angle sensor 34, etc. The host vehicle travel determination unit 110 transmits the determination result to the PCS suppression processing unit 130.

[0029] The other vehicle travel state determination unit 120 determines the travel state (behavior) of the other vehicle VH2 detected within a predetermined angle range ahead of the host vehicle VH1 in the traveling direction within and near the roundabout. Specifically, the other vehicle travel determination unit 120 determines, as the travel state of the other vehicle VH2, whether the other vehicle VH2 is traveling on the circular road of the roundabout, whether the other vehicle VH2 is about to exit the circular road of the roundabout, or whether the other vehicle VH2 is about to enter the circular road of the roundabout. These travel states of the other vehicle VH2 may be determined based on the detection results of the external sensor device 40, or may be determined based on information about the other vehicle VH2 acquired by the communication device 80 through V2V communication. The other vehicle travel determination unit 120 transmits the determination result to the PCS suppression processing unit 130.

[0030] However, at a roundabout, even if the host vehicle VH1 is approaching another vehicle VH2 ahead in the direction of travel, the two vehicles may not actually intersect. If a warning is issued by PCS control when the collision risk is assumed to be low, this may cause inconvenience to the driver of the host vehicle VH1. Furthermore, because there is no need to stop within the circular lane of a roundabout, even though the collision risk is low, if automatic braking control is implemented by PCS control, there is a risk of secondary damage, such as a rear-end collision with a following vehicle.

[0031] The PCS suppression processing unit 130 determines whether the risk of collision between the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 is low based on the determination results of the host vehicle driving state determination unit 110 and the other vehicle driving state determination unit 120, and executes suppression processing to suppress unnecessary warnings and automatic brake control activation of the PCS control based on the determination result. In this embodiment, the processing to suppress activation of the PCS control includes processing to make it more difficult for the PCS execution condition to be met by increasing the collision determination threshold TTCv, or processing to delay the timing at which PCS control is activated even if the PCS execution condition is met. Details of the PCS control suppression processing by the PCS suppression processing unit 130 will be described below.

[0032] Fig. 3 is a matrix diagram illustrating the combination of suppression operation conditions in which suppression processing of PCS control is executed and normal operation conditions in which suppression processing is not executed, based on the driving conditions of the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 ahead. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating each case in Fig. 3. In the following description, the road connected to the ring road R1 of the roundabout is referred to as the connecting road R2.

[0033] Case (1) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 is traveling on the loop road R1 and the other vehicle VH2 is stopped (waiting) just before the loop road R1 of the connecting road R2. In such a scene, if the other vehicle VH2 enters the loop road R1, there is a possibility that the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 may collide. In other words, the risk of collision is not low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 does not execute the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition of the PCS control is set to the normal operating condition.

[0034] Case (2) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 exits from the loop road R1 onto the connecting road R2, and the other vehicle VH2 stops just before the loop road R1 on the connecting road R2 (the second host vehicle behavior and the fourth other vehicle behavior of the present disclosure). In such a scene, the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 are close to each other, but because the host vehicle VH1 exits onto the connecting road R2, they do not intersect. In other words, the risk of collision is low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 executes the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition of the PCS control is set as the suppression activation condition.

[0035] Case (3) is a situation in which the host vehicle VH1 is about to enter the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2 when the other vehicle VH2 ahead of the host vehicle VH1 stops just before the loop road R1 on the connecting road R2. In such a situation, if the host vehicle VH1 brakes late, there is a possibility that the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 may collide. In other words, the risk of collision is not low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 does not execute the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition for PCS control is set to the normal operating condition.

[0036] Case (4) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 is traveling on the loop road R1 while another vehicle VH2 is approaching the loop road R1 on the connecting road R2 (the first host vehicle behavior and the first other vehicle behavior of the present disclosure). In such a scene, the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 are close to each other, but because the host vehicle VH1 passes in front of the other vehicle VH2 first, they do not intersect. In other words, the risk of collision is low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 executes the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition of the PCS control is set as the suppression activation condition.

[0037] Case (5) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 is exiting from the loop road R1 onto the connecting road R2, and another vehicle VH2 is approaching the connecting road R2 toward the loop road R1 (the second host vehicle behavior and the third other vehicle behavior of the present disclosure). In such a scene, the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 are close to each other, but because the host vehicle VH1 is exiting onto the connecting road R2, they do not intersect with each other. In other words, the risk of collision is low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 executes the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition of the PCS control is set as the suppression activation condition.

[0038] Case (6) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 is about to enter the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2, and another vehicle VH2 ahead is approaching the loop road R1 on the connecting road R2. In such a scene, if the host vehicle VH1 brakes late or if the other vehicle VH2 brakes suddenly, there is a possibility that the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 may collide. In other words, the risk of collision is not low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 does not execute the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition for PCS control is set to the normal operating condition.

[0039] Case (7) is a situation in which, while the host vehicle VH1 is traveling on the loop road R1, there is no other vehicle VH2 attempting to enter the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2, nor is there any other vehicle VH2 currently traveling on the loop road R1. Case (8) is a situation in which, when the host vehicle VH1 is exiting the loop road R1 onto the connecting road R2, there is no other vehicle VH2 attempting to enter the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2, nor is there any other vehicle VH2 currently traveling on the loop road R1. Case (9) is a situation in which, when the host vehicle VH1 is entering the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2, there is no other vehicle VH2 attempting to enter the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2, nor is there any other vehicle VH2 currently traveling on the loop road R1. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 does not execute the suppression processing. That is, the execution condition for PCS control is set to the normal operating condition.

[0040] Case (10) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 is traveling on the loop road R1, and another vehicle VH2 ahead of the host vehicle VH1 is also traveling on the loop road R1. In such a scene, if the other vehicle VH2 suddenly brakes, there is a possibility that the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 may collide. In other words, the risk of collision is not low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 does not execute the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition for PCS control is set to the normal operating condition.

[0041] Case (11) is a scene in which another vehicle VH2 is traveling on the loop road R1 ahead of the host vehicle VH1 when the host vehicle VH1 is about to exit from the loop road R1 onto the connecting road R2. In such a scene, if the other vehicle VH2 suddenly brakes, there is a possibility that the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 may collide. In other words, the risk of collision is not low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 does not execute the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition for PCS control is set to the normal operating condition.

[0042] Case (12) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 is about to enter the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2, and another vehicle VH2 is traveling on the loop road R1 toward the junction with the connecting road R2 (the third host vehicle behavior and the fifth other vehicle behavior of the present disclosure). In such a scene, the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 are close to each other, but because the other vehicle VH2 passes through the junction first, they do not intersect. In other words, the risk of collision is low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 executes the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition of the PCS control is set as the suppression activation condition.

[0043] Case (13) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 is traveling on the loop road R1 and another vehicle VH2 ahead of it exits the loop road R1 onto the connecting road R2 (the first host vehicle behavior and the second other vehicle behavior of the present disclosure). In such a scene, the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 are close to each other, but because the other vehicle VH2 exits the loop road R1, they do not intersect. In other words, the risk of collision is low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 executes the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition of the PCS control is set as the suppression activation condition.

[0044] Case (14) is a situation in which the host vehicle VH1 is about to exit from the loop road R1 onto the connecting road R2, and another vehicle VH2 ahead of the host vehicle VH1 also exits from the loop road R1 onto the connecting road R2. In such a situation, if the other vehicle VH2 suddenly brakes, there is a possibility that the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 may collide. In other words, the risk of collision is not low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 does not execute the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition for PCS control is set to the normal operating condition.

[0045] Case (15) is a scene in which the host vehicle VH1 is about to enter the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2, and the other vehicle VH2 exits from the loop road R1 onto the connecting road R2 (the third host vehicle behavior and the sixth other vehicle behavior of the present disclosure). In such a scene, the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 are close to each other, but because the other vehicle VH2 exits onto the connecting road R2, they do not intersect. In other words, the risk of collision is low. In this case, the PCS suppression processing unit 130 executes the suppression processing. In other words, the execution condition of the PCS control is set as the suppression activation condition.

[0046] In this embodiment, the system determines whether the collision risk is low based on the driving conditions of the host vehicle VH1 and the other vehicle VH2 on the loop road R1 and the connecting road R2. If the collision risk is low, the system executes a suppression process to suppress the activation of the PCS control. This effectively suppresses unnecessary warnings from the PCS control and the activation of the automatic brake control. In other words, it is possible to effectively prevent the driver from being annoyed by unnecessary warnings and to effectively prevent secondary damage from a rear-end collision caused by unnecessary sudden braking.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a routine executed by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 to determine the running state of the other vehicle VH2.

[0048] In step S100, the ECU 10 determines whether or not another vehicle VH2 (preceding vehicle) is present ahead of the host vehicle VH1 based on the detection results of the external sensor device 40, etc. If the other vehicle VH2 is present (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S110. On the other hand, if the other vehicle VH2 is not present (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S180, determines that the other vehicle VH2 that is the preceding vehicle does not exist, and returns this routine.

[0049] In step S110, the ECU 10 determines whether the other vehicle VH2 is traveling on the loop road R1 based on the detection results of the external sensor device 40 and information acquired through V2V communication. If the other vehicle VH2 is traveling on the loop road R1 (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing in step S120. On the other hand, if the other vehicle VH2 is not traveling on the loop road R1 (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing in step S150.

[0050] In step S120, the ECU 10 determines whether the other vehicle VH2 is exiting from the loop road R1 to the connecting road R2 based on the detection results of the external sensor device 40 and information acquired through V2V communication. If the other vehicle VH2 is exiting from the loop road R1 to the connecting road R2 (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing in step S130, determines that the other vehicle VH2 is exiting to the connecting road R2, and returns from this routine. On the other hand, if the other vehicle VH2 is not exiting from the loop road R1 to the connecting road R2 (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing in step S140, determines that the other vehicle VH2 is traveling on the loop road R1, and returns from this routine.

[0051] When the process proceeds from step S110 to step S150, the ECU 10 determines whether the other vehicle VH2 is stopped based on the detection results of the external sensor device 40 and information acquired through V2V communication. If the other vehicle VH2 is stopped (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S160, determines that the other vehicle VH2 is stopped (waiting) before the loop road R1 of the connecting road R2, and returns this routine. On the other hand, if the other vehicle VH2 is not stopped (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S170, determines that the other vehicle VH2 will enter the loop road R1 from the connecting road R2, and returns this routine.

[0052] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a routine of the PCS control suppression process executed by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10.

[0053] In step S200, the ECU 10 determines the traveling state of the host vehicle VH1. Specifically, the ECU 10 determines whether the host vehicle VH1 is traveling on the loop road R1, whether the host vehicle VH1 is about to exit the loop road R1, or whether the host vehicle VH1 is about to enter the loop road R1.

[0054] Next, in step S210, the ECU 10 determines the traveling state of the other vehicle VH2. The traveling state of the other vehicle VH2 is determined according to the flow shown in Fig. 5. Note that the processing of steps S200 and S210 may be performed in any order, and may be performed simultaneously.

[0055] Next, in step S220, based on the judgment results of step S200 and step S210, ECU 10 refers to the matrix shown in Figure 4 to determine whether to set the suppression operating condition, which suppresses the execution conditions of PCS control, or to set the normal operating condition, which does not suppress the execution conditions of PCS control, and then returns to this routine.

[0056] The vehicle control device according to the present embodiment has been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, while the above embodiment describes suppression of PCS control as an example, the technology of the present disclosure can be widely applied to other vehicle control that controls the host vehicle VH1 based on a control target ahead in the traveling direction. Furthermore, the technology of the present disclosure can be applied to an autonomous vehicle that performs some or all of the driving operations automatically.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that, when a determination condition is satisfied that a collision risk between a host vehicle and a control target that is present within a predetermined angle range ahead in a traveling direction of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, executes vehicle control regarding an execution condition for vehicle control related to assistance for reducing the collision risk, the vehicle control comprising: The determination condition and / or the execution condition is changed based on a subject vehicle behavior, which is the behavior of the subject vehicle on a travel path including a circular road of a roundabout and a connecting road near the roundabout and connected to the circular road, and a other vehicle behavior, which is the behavior of another vehicle present on the travel path on which the subject vehicle is traveling. A vehicle control device characterized by:

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, When the host vehicle behavior indicates a first host vehicle behavior that the host vehicle is traveling on the circular road, When a first specific condition is met, the other vehicle behavior indicates a first other vehicle behavior in which the other vehicle is approaching a first connecting road, which is a connecting road that exists ahead of the host vehicle in the traveling direction of the loop road from a traveling point on the loop road of the host vehicle, toward the loop road in order to enter the loop road, or a second other vehicle behavior in which the other vehicle is attempting to exit from the loop road to the first connecting road. The determination condition and / or the execution condition are made more difficult to be satisfied than when the first specific condition is not satisfied. A vehicle control device comprising:

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, When the host vehicle behavior indicates a second host vehicle behavior in which the host vehicle attempts to exit from the loop road to a second connecting road as the connecting road, When a second specific condition is satisfied, the second specific condition is either a case where the other vehicle behavior indicates a third other vehicle behavior that the other vehicle is approaching the second connecting road toward the loop road in order to enter the loop road, or a case where the other vehicle behavior indicates a fourth other vehicle behavior that the other vehicle is stopped and waiting in front of the loop road on the second connecting road in order to enter the loop road. The determination condition and / or the execution condition are made more difficult to be satisfied than when the second specific condition is not satisfied. A vehicle control device characterized by:

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, When the host vehicle behavior indicates a third host vehicle behavior in which the host vehicle is traveling on a third connecting road as the connecting road in order to enter the loop road, or is stopped and waiting on the third connecting road, When a third specific condition is satisfied, the third specific condition is either a case where the other vehicle behavior indicates a fifth other vehicle behavior in which the other vehicle is traveling on the loop road toward a connection between the third connecting road and the loop road, or a case where the other vehicle indicates a sixth other vehicle behavior in which the other vehicle is attempting to exit the loop road toward the third connecting road. The determination condition and / or the execution condition are made more difficult to be satisfied than when the third specific condition is not satisfied. A vehicle control device characterized by:

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