Lane information display apparatus, lane information display method, and lane information-displaying computer program

Abstract

To provide a lane information display apparatus causing a display to display a section allowing a lane change in a way the driver can recognize.SOLUTION: A lane information display apparatus includes: a detection part for detecting, as a lane change-allowed section, a section whose length in a progress direction of a vehicle, the section where no other vehicle exists, is longer than a lane change threshold that represents a length necessary for a lane change, in an adjacent lane adjacent to an own lane where the vehicle is traveling, from a surroundings image showing a situation in surroundings of the vehicle; and a display part for causing, in a case where a lane change-allowed section includes a merge position that represents a front-rear detection position where the vehicle merges with the adjacent lane when changing lanes from the present position, a display to display the merge position as the position representing the lane change-allowed section, or to display a position of an edge portion of a lane change-allowed section closest to the present position of the vehicle as position representing the lane change-allowed section in a case where the lane change-allowed section does not include the merge position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lane information display device, a lane information display method, and a lane information display computer program for displaying information about the lane on which a vehicle is traveling. [Background technology]

[0002] In a vehicle whose driving is controlled by a driving control device using information representing the vehicle's surrounding conditions output by sensors such as cameras mounted on the vehicle, information regarding future driving is provided to the driver so that the driver can predict the vehicle's future behavior.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a driving control device that, when changing lanes from the lane in which the vehicle is traveling to another lane, displays guidance indicating the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and the start or end position of the lane change. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-210034 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] To change lanes, a section of the lane to which the vehicle is to change must be clear of other vehicles. Because cruise control devices cannot control the behavior of other vehicles, the planned lane change plan may need to be changed due to the behavior of other vehicles. If the start and end positions of the lane change change due to a change in the lane change plan, cruise control devices that display the start or end positions of the lane change to the driver may cause the driver to feel uncomfortable.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a lane information display device that displays sections where lane changes are possible on a display so that the driver can properly recognize them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The lane information display device of the present invention comprises a detection unit that detects, from an ambient image that shows the situation around the vehicle, a section in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where the length in the direction of travel of the vehicle and no other vehicles are present is longer than a lane change threshold that indicates the length required for a lane change, as a lane change possible section; and a display unit that, if an entry position indicating the forward / backward position where the vehicle will enter the adjacent lane when changing lanes from its current position is included in the lane change possible section, displays the entry position on the display as a position representing the lane change possible section, and, if the entry position is not included in the lane change possible section, displays the position of the end of the lane change possible section that is closest to the vehicle's current position as a position representing the lane change possible section.

[0008] In the lane information display device according to the present invention, the display unit preferably displays on the display a graphic whose width is longer than its length in the direction of travel as a position indicating a lane change permitted section.

[0009] In the lane information display device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the display unit terminates display of the position representing the lane change permitted section when lane change control to the lane change permitted section is initiated.

[0010] The lane information display method of the present invention includes detecting, from an ambient image showing the situation around the vehicle, a section in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where the length in the direction of travel of the vehicle, where there are no other vehicles present, is longer than a lane change threshold indicating the length required for a lane change, as a lane change possible section, and if an entry position indicating the forward / backward position where the vehicle will enter the adjacent lane when changing lanes from its current position is included in the lane change possible section, displaying the entry position on a display as a position representing the lane change possible section, and if the entry position is not included in the lane change possible section, displaying the position of the end of the lane change possible section that is closest to the vehicle's current position on the display as a position representing the lane change possible section.

[0011] The computer program for displaying lane information of the present invention causes a processor to perform the following steps: detect, from an ambient image showing the situation around the vehicle, a section in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, where the length in the direction of travel of the vehicle, where there are no other vehicles present, is longer than a lane change threshold indicating the length required for a lane change; and if an entry position indicating the forward / backward position where the vehicle will enter the adjacent lane when changing lanes from its current position is included in the lane changeable section, display the entry position on the display as a position representing the lane changeable section; and if the entry position is not included in the lane changeable section, display the position of the end of the lane changeable section that is closest to the vehicle's current position as a position representing the lane changeable section.

[0012] According to the lane information display device of the present invention, sections where lane changes are possible can be displayed on the display so that the driver can properly recognize them. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle in which a lane information display device is implemented; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a hardware schematic diagram of an ECU. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor included in the ECU. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a first diagram illustrating a section where a lane change is permitted. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a lane information display. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a second diagram illustrating a section where a lane change is permitted. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of lane information display. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart of a lane information display process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A lane information display device that displays lane change zones on a display so that the driver can properly recognize them will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The lane information display device detects lane change zones from an ambient image that represents the situation around the vehicle. The lane change zone is a zone in an adjacent lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane, where no other vehicles are present and whose length in the vehicle's direction of travel is longer than a lane change threshold that represents the distance required for a lane change. The lane information display device then displays the location of the lane change zone on the display. In this case, if an entry position indicating the longitudinal position where the vehicle will enter the adjacent lane when changing lanes from its current position is included in the lane change zone, the lane information display device displays the entry position on the display as a position representing the lane change zone. Furthermore, if the entry position is not included in the lane change zone, the lane information display device displays the position of the end of the lane change zone that is closest to the vehicle's current position as a position representing the lane change zone.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle in which a display control device is implemented.

[0016] The vehicle 1 includes a camera 2, a meter display 3, a GNSS receiver 4, a storage device 5, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 6. The ECU 6 is an example of a display control device. The camera 2, the meter display 3, the GNSS receiver 4, the storage device 5, and the ECU 6 are communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0017] Camera 2 is an example of a sensor for detecting the situation near the vehicle. Camera 2 has a two-dimensional detector configured with an array of photoelectric conversion elements, such as a CCD or C-MOS, that are sensitive to visible light, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. Camera 2 is disposed, for example, at the upper front of the vehicle interior, facing forward, photographs the situation around vehicle 1 through the windshield at predetermined photographing intervals (for example, 1 / 30 to 1 / 10 seconds), and outputs a surrounding image that represents the surrounding situation.

[0018] The meter display 3 is an example of a display, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display. The meter display 3 displays information about the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling in a manner that is visible to the driver, in accordance with a signal received from the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0019] The GNSS receiver 4 receives GNSS signals from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites at predetermined intervals, and determines the own position of the vehicle 1 based on the received GNSS signals. The GNSS receiver 4 outputs, at predetermined intervals, a positioning signal representing the positioning result of the own position of the vehicle 1 based on the GNSS signals to the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0020] The storage device 5 is an example of a storage unit, and includes, for example, a hard disk drive or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage device 5 stores map data including information about features such as lane markings in association with positions.

[0021] The ECU 6 creates a travel trajectory based on information about features in map data around the position corresponding to the positioning signal output by the GNSS receiver 4 and information about features shown in the surrounding image generated by the camera 2. The ECU 6 then operates travel mechanisms such as the engine or motor, brakes, and steering so that the vehicle 1 travels along the travel trajectory. The ECU 6 also displays information about lanes around the travel trajectory on the meter display 3.

[0022] 2 is a hardware schematic diagram of the ECU 6. The ECU 6 includes a communication interface 61, a memory 62, and a processor 63.

[0023] The communication interface 61 is an example of a communication unit, and includes a communication interface circuit for connecting the ECU 6 to an in-vehicle network. The communication interface 61 supplies received data to the processor 63. The communication interface 61 also outputs data supplied from the processor 63 to the outside.

[0024] The memory 62 includes a volatile semiconductor memory and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory. The memory 62 stores various data used in processing by the processor 63, such as a margin length to be secured from other vehicles in order to determine the length of a gap where no other vehicles are present in other lanes, and a lane change threshold value for determining whether a gap where no other vehicles are present is a gap where a lane change is possible. The memory 62 also stores various application programs, such as a lane information display program for executing lane information display processing.

[0025] The processor 63 is an example of a control unit and includes one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processor 63 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logic arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphics processing unit.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the processor 63 included in the ECU 6. As shown in FIG.

[0027] The processor 63 of the ECU 6 has, as functional blocks, a detection unit 631 and a display unit 632. Each of these units in the processor 63 is a functional module implemented by a computer program stored in the memory 62 and executed on the processor 63. A computer program that realizes the functions of each unit in the processor 63 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. Alternatively, each of these units in the processor 63 may be implemented in the ECU 6 as an independent integrated circuit, a microprocessor, or firmware.

[0028] The detection unit 631 detects a section where a lane change is possible from a surrounding image that shows the situation around the vehicle.

[0029] The detection unit 631 first detects two or more other vehicles and two or more lane markings by inputting the surrounding image output by the camera 2 into a classifier trained to detect other vehicles and lane markings.

[0030] The classifier can be, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) with multiple convolution layers connected in series from the input side to the output side. Images containing other vehicles and lane markings are used as training data to input to the CNN for pre-learning, allowing the CNN to function as a classifier that identifies the positions of other vehicles and lane markings.

[0031] The detection unit 631 uses lane markings detected from the surrounding image to identify a lane in which the vehicle 1 can proceed without crossing a lane marking as the current lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling. The detection unit 631 also identifies a lane adjacent to the current lane via a lane marking as an adjacent lane.

[0032] The detection unit 631 identifies the positions of two or more other vehicles detected in the adjacent lane, and identifies the length in the traveling direction of a section sandwiched between a pair of other vehicles adjacent to each other in the front and rear of the two or more other vehicles. The detection unit 631 then detects a section whose length in the traveling direction is longer than the lane change threshold stored in the memory 62 as a lane change possible section.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a first diagram illustrating a section where a lane change is permitted.

[0034] The road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling has lane markings LL11, LL12, and LL13, and the vehicle 1 is traveling in its own lane L11 which is defined by the lane markings LL11 and LL12.

[0035] The detection unit 631 detects other vehicles 11 and 12 adjacent to each other in the adjacent lane L12, which is defined by lane markings LL12 and LL13. The detection unit 631 identifies a length BL1 in the traveling direction from a position that is a margin length M11 ahead of the front end of the other vehicle 11 to a position that is a margin length M12 behind the rear end of the other vehicle 12. The detection unit 631 then determines whether the length BL1 is longer than a lane change threshold LCT stored in the memory 62. If the length BL1 is longer than the lane change threshold LCT, the detection unit 631 detects the section corresponding to the length BL1 as a lane change permitted section LCS1. When the vehicle 1 changes lanes from its current position, it enters the adjacent lane L12 at position 1'. The entry position EP1 indicates the position of the front end of the vehicle 1 at position 1'. The detection unit 631 identifies the entry position EP1 by referring to an entry position table that associates the current vehicle speed with the longitudinal distance from the current position to the entry position, and that is stored in the memory 62. The detection unit 631 may also identify the entry position EP1 by creating a lane change route from the current position.

[0036] The display unit 632 displays the position of the lane change allowed section LCS1 on the meter display 3. In the example of FIG. 4, the entry position EP1 is not included in the lane change allowed section LCS1. In this case, the display unit 632 displays the position of the end LCS1a of the lane change allowed section LCS1 that is closest to the current position of the vehicle 1 as the position representing the lane change allowed section LCS1. Note that in the example of FIG. 4, if there is no other vehicle 12, the lane change allowed section LCS1 does not have an end on the front side in the traveling direction. In this case, the end LCS1a on the rear side in the traveling direction of the lane change allowed section LCS1 corresponds to the end closest to the current position of the vehicle 1, and the display unit 632 displays the position representing the lane change allowed section LCS1 on the meter display 3 using the end LCS1a.

[0037] 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of lane information display. The display unit 632 displays, on the meter display 3, a lane information display screen 31 showing the position of the lane change allowed section LCS1 shown in FIG.

[0038] The lane information display screen 31 displays the current lane L11 and the adjacent lane L12. The current lane L11 displays the vehicle 1 and the trajectory P1 along which the vehicle 1 is controlled to travel, and the adjacent lane L12 displays a graphic LCM1 representing the lane change permitted section LCS1. The graphic LCM1 indicates the end LCS1a of the lane change permitted section LCS1 that is closest to the current position of the vehicle 1. The graphic LCM1 is a graphic whose width is longer than its length in the direction of travel. In FIG. 5, the graphic LCM1 includes a line segment in the width direction of the adjacent lane L12 and two triangles spaced apart from each end of the line segment, with their vertices pointing toward the center of the line segment. By displaying the lane change permitted section LCS1 using a graphic whose width is longer than its length in the direction of travel, the ECU 6 can allow the driver to appropriately grasp the longitudinal position of the lane change permitted section LCS1.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a second diagram illustrating a section where a lane change is permitted.

[0040] The road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling has lane markings LL21, LL22, and LL23, and the vehicle 1 is traveling in its own lane L21, which is defined by the lane markings LL21 and LL22. The detection unit 631 detects the section of length BL2 between the adjacent vehicles 21 and 22 in the adjacent lane L22, which is defined by the lane markings LL22 and LL23, as a lane change permitted section LCS2.

[0041] The entry position EP2 when the vehicle 1 changes lanes from the current position is included in the lane change allowed section LCS2. In this case, the display unit 632 displays the entry position EP2 as the position of the lane change allowed section LCS2.

[0042] 7 is a diagram illustrating a second example of lane information display. The display unit 632 displays, on the meter display 3, a lane information display screen 32 indicating the position of the lane changeable section LCS2 shown in FIG.

[0043] The lane information display screen 32 displays the current lane L21 and the adjacent lane L22. The current lane L21 displays the vehicle 1 and the trajectory P2 along which the vehicle 1 is controlled to travel, and the adjacent lane L22 displays a figure LCM2 indicating the position of the lane change permitted section LCS2. The figure LCM2 indicates the entry position EP1.

[0044] When lane change control to a lane change possible section is initiated, the display unit 632 terminates the display of the position representing the lane change possible section. Then, the display unit 632 causes the meter display 3 to display the lane change trajectory from the own lane to an adjacent lane due to lane change control, instead of the lane change possible section. In the route used for lane change control, the position at which the adjacent lane is entered may differ from the entry position. By terminating the display of the position representing the lane change possible section when lane change control is initiated, the ECU 6 can suppress the display of points not used for driving control, thereby preventing the driver from feeling uncomfortable.

[0045] 6 is a flowchart of the lane information display process. The ECU 6 repeatedly executes the lane information display process at predetermined time intervals (for example, every one second) while the vehicle 1 is traveling under automatic driving control.

[0046] First, the detection unit 631 detects, from the surrounding image output by the camera 2, a section in the adjacent lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane where there are no other vehicles whose length in the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 is longer than the lane change threshold as a lane change possible section (step S1).

[0047] The display unit 632 determines whether or not the position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 in the adjacent lane is included in the lane change permitted section (step S2).

[0048] If it is determined that the position in the adjacent lane corresponding to the current position of vehicle 1 is included in the lane changeable section (step S2: Y), the display unit 632 displays the position in the adjacent lane corresponding to the current position of the vehicle on the meter display 3 as the position of the lane changeable section (step S3), and terminates the lane information display process.

[0049] If it is determined that the position in the adjacent lane corresponding to the current position of vehicle 1 is not included in the lane changeable section (step S2: N), the display unit 632 displays the position of the end of the lane changeable section in the adjacent lane that is closest to the position corresponding to the current position of vehicle 1 as the position of the changeable section on the meter display 3 (step S4), and terminates the lane information display process.

[0050] By executing the lane information display process in this manner, the ECU 6 can display on the display the sections where lane changes are possible so that the driver can properly recognize them.

[0051] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make various changes, substitutions and alterations thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 vehicle 6 ECU 631 Detector 632 Display section

Claims

1. a display unit capable of displaying information about the lane on which the vehicle is traveling; a detection unit that detects a lane change permitted section on an adjacent lane based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle acquired by a sensor; a control unit that, when an entry position when the vehicle enters the adjacent lane when changing lanes from a current position is included in the lane change enabled section, causes the display unit to display an entry position display to indicate the entry position, and, when the entry position is not included in the lane change enabled section, causes the display unit to display the entry position display to indicate an end of the detected lane change enabled section that is closest to the current position of the vehicle; A display control device comprising:

2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects as the lane change possible section a section in the adjacent lane where no other vehicles are present and where the length in the direction of travel of the vehicle is longer than the length required for lane change.

3. The display control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display, as the entry position display, a graphic whose width is longer than its length in the traveling direction.

4. 4. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit terminates the entry position display when lane change control to the lane change-allowed section is started.

5. Detecting a lane change permitted section on an adjacent lane based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle acquired by the sensor; When the entry position of the vehicle entering the adjacent lane when changing lanes from the current position is included in the lane change permitted section, an entry position display is displayed on a display unit capable of displaying information about the lane on which the vehicle is traveling, so as to indicate the entry position; When the entry position is not included in the lane change permitted section, the entry position display is displayed on the display unit so as to indicate an end of the detected lane change permitted section that is closest to the current position of the vehicle. A display control method comprising:

6. Detecting a section in an adjacent lane where a lane change is possible based on the situation around the vehicle acquired by a sensor; When the entry position of the vehicle entering the adjacent lane when changing lanes from the current position is included in the lane change permitted section, an entry position display is displayed on a display unit capable of displaying information about the lane on which the vehicle is traveling, so as to indicate the entry position; When the entry position is not included in the lane change permitted section, displaying the entry position display on the display unit so as to indicate an end of the detected lane change permitted section that is closest to the current position of the vehicle; A display control computer program that causes a processor to execute the above.

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