Alert control device and method for vehicle

Abstract

To provide an alert control device which is enhanced so as to reduce the risk of an alert not being issued in relative to the prior arts, and a method.SOLUTION: An alert control device for a vehicle includes a control unit. When it is determined, based on information acquired by a periphery information acquisition device which acquires information on a periphery of a self vehicle, that a mobile moving on an opposite lane may collide with the self vehicle in a case where the self vehicle is to change a direction over the opposite lane in an intersection, the control unit actuates an alert control device to issue an alert. In a situation that it is determined that the self vehicle is executing the direction change, when it is determined that an index value which is calculated based on behaviors of the mobile and the self vehicle and indicates an extent of an approach between the mobile and the self vehicle is equal to or more than a reference value, the control unit determines that the mobile may collide with the self vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device and method for a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to an attention-attention control device and method for issuing an attention alert when a vehicle is turning at an intersection. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART As one type of driving assistance device for vehicles such as automobiles, a collision prevention assistance device is known that is configured to first issue an alarm and then automatically brake the vehicle to slow it down when there is a risk of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 listed below describes a collision prevention assistance control device that is configured to issue an alarm earlier than automatic braking when it determines that there is a risk of a collision between the vehicle and a moving object moving in the oncoming lane when the vehicle is about to change direction to cross the oncoming lane at an intersection.

[0004] With this type of collision prevention assistance device, when a vehicle is about to change direction to cross an oncoming lane at an intersection and there is a risk of the vehicle colliding with a moving object in the oncoming lane, an alarm is issued to alert the driver and assistance is provided in preventing the collision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-23824 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In conventional collision prevention support devices such as the collision prevention support device described in Patent Document 1, one of the conditions for issuing an alarm is that the vehicle speed when turning at an intersection is equal to or greater than a reference vehicle speed, in order to prevent the issuance of an alarm unnecessarily.

[0007] Therefore, even if there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and a moving object moving in the oncoming lane, if the vehicle speed is less than the reference vehicle speed, there is a risk that collision prevention assistance will not be possible because an alarm cannot be issued.

[0008] The present invention provides an improved warning control device and method that reduces the risk of a warning not being issued compared to conventional devices, even when there is a possibility of a collision between the vehicle and a moving object moving in the oncoming lane when the vehicle attempts to change direction to cross the oncoming lane at an intersection. [Means for solving the problems and effects of the invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, there is provided an attention warning control device (100) for a vehicle, which includes a surrounding information acquisition device (target information acquisition device 18 and navigation device 80) that acquires information about the surroundings of the host vehicle (102), an attention warning device (alarm device 54), and a control unit (driving assistance ECU 10) that controls the attention warning device, and the control unit is configured to activate the attention warning device to issue an attention warning (S100) when it determines, based on the information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device, that there is a possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and a moving object (120) moving in the oncoming lane when the host vehicle attempts to change direction across the oncoming lane (118) at an intersection (110) (S10 to S90).

[0010] The control unit (driving assistance ECU10) is configured to determine that there is a possibility of a collision between the moving object and the host vehicle (S100) when it determines that the host vehicle is in the process of changing direction (S70) and that an index value (difference t1-t2) calculated based on the behavior of the moving object and the host vehicle and indicating the degree of proximity between the moving object and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference value (S80, S90).

[0011] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle attention warning control method including steps (S10 to S90) of determining whether or not there is a possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and a moving object moving in the oncoming lane when the host vehicle attempts to change direction to cross the oncoming lane at an intersection, based on information about the surroundings of the host vehicle (102) acquired by a surrounding information acquisition device (target information acquisition device 18 and navigation device 80), and a step (S100) of activating an attention warning device to issue an attention warning when it is determined that there is a possibility.

[0012] The vehicle attention warning control method further includes steps (S80, S90) of determining whether an index value (difference t1-t2) calculated based on the behavior of the moving object and the host vehicle and indicating the degree of proximity between the moving object and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference value when it is determined that the moving object and the host vehicle are in the process of changing direction (S70), and a step (S100) of determining that there is a possibility of a collision between the moving object and the host vehicle when it is determined that the index value is equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0013] According to the collision prevention assistance control device and method, when it is determined that the host vehicle is making a turn at an intersection, an index value is calculated based on the behavior of the moving object and the host vehicle, and indicates the degree of proximity between the moving object and the host vehicle. Furthermore, when it is determined that the index value is equal to or greater than a reference value, it is determined that there is a possibility of a collision between the moving object and the host vehicle, and a warning is issued.

[0014] Therefore, even if the vehicle speed is low when turning at an intersection, as long as it is determined that the vehicle is turning, a warning can be issued in a situation where there is a possibility of a collision between the vehicle and a moving object moving in the oncoming lane. Therefore, compared to conventional methods, the risk of a warning not being issued can be reduced. [Mode of the Invention]

[0015] In one aspect of the present invention, the control unit (driving assistance ECU 10) stores a standard lateral speed (Vty) for the host vehicle (102) relative to the host lane (122) when the host vehicle (102) makes a turn at an intersection (110), calculates an estimated travel time (ΔT) required for the host vehicle to move from starting the turn to the waiting position for the turn based on the lateral distance from the host lane to the waiting position for the turn and the standard speed, and determines that the host vehicle is currently making a turn when the duration of the situation in which the host vehicle's speed (V) exceeds a reference vehicle speed (Vc) is equal to or greater than a reference duration (Tce) during the period from starting the turn to the elapse of the estimated travel time, is equal to or greater than a reference duration (Tce) (S70).

[0016] In another aspect of the present invention, the control unit (driving assistance ECU10) is configured to determine (S60) that the host vehicle (102) has started to turn when the host vehicle (102) is in an intersection area (112) and the turn signal (114) is activated in the turn mode, the host vehicle speed (V) is higher than a reference value (Vo) and the steering angle (θ) is equal to or greater than a reference steering angle (θc) in the turn direction.

[0017] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, the control unit (driving assistance ECU 10) is configured to estimate a first time (t1) required for the moving body (120) to move to the side of the waiting position for turning, based on information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device (target information acquisition device 18 and navigation device 80), estimate a second time (t2) required for the host vehicle (102) to move to the waiting position for turning, and determine (S90) that the index value is equal to or greater than the reference value when the difference (t1-t2) between the first time and the second time as an index value is equal to or greater than the lower limit reference difference (Δt1) and equal to or less than the upper limit reference difference (Δt2).

[0018] In this application, "changing direction across an oncoming lane" means "a right turn" in countries where vehicles drive on the left side of the road, and "a left turn" in countries where vehicles drive on the right side of the road. "Waiting position for turning direction" means "waiting position for a right turn" (a temporary stopping position when turning right) in countries where vehicles drive on the left side of the road, and "waiting position for a left turn" (a temporary stopping position when turning left) in countries where vehicles drive on the right side of the road. "Current lane" is the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling before changing direction at an intersection. "Oncoming lane" is the lane in which a moving object is traveling in the opposite direction to the current vehicle, and is located on the right side of the current lane in countries where vehicles drive on the left side of the road, and is located on the left side of the current lane in countries where vehicles drive on the right side of the road.

[0019] In the above description, to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the names and / or symbols used in the embodiments described below are enclosed in parentheses for the configurations of the invention corresponding to those embodiments. However, each component of the present invention is not limited to the components of the embodiments corresponding to the names and / or symbols enclosed in parentheses. Other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will be easily understood from the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, which will be given with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle attention-attention control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart corresponding to an attention-attracting control program in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a situation in which the vehicle is turning right at an intersection. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the vehicle speed when the host vehicle turns right at an intersection. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing an example in which a vehicle starts moving from a stopped state and turns right, and the vehicle speed increases beyond a reference value Vc while turning right. FIG. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a modified example of determining the possibility of a collision with an oncoming moving object when the host vehicle turns right at an intersection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A detailed description will now be given of a vehicle attention-attention control device and method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is configured for use in countries where vehicles drive on the left side of the road, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 1, an attention warning control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle 102 and includes a driving assistance ECU 10. The vehicle 102 is an autonomously driven vehicle and includes a drive ECU 20, a braking ECU 30, an EPS ECU 40, and a meter ECU 50. ECU refers to an electronic control unit (Electronic Control Unit) that includes a microcomputer as its main component. To distinguish the vehicle 102 from other vehicles, the vehicle 102 will be referred to as the host vehicle 102 as necessary.

[0023] The microcomputer of each ECU includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, read / write non-volatile memory (N / M), and an interface (I / F). The CPU performs various functions by executing instructions (programs, routines) stored in the ROM. Furthermore, these ECUs are interconnected via a Controller Area Network (CAN) 104 to enable data exchange (communication). Therefore, the detected values ​​of sensors (including switches) connected to a specific ECU are transmitted to other ECUs.

[0024] The driving assistance ECU 10 is a central control device that performs driving assistance control such as attention alert control, collision avoidance assistance control, following vehicle distance control, etc. In this application, the collision avoidance assistance control is referred to as PCS control, which is an abbreviation for Pre-crash Safety.

[0025] When the driving assistance ECU 10 determines that there is a risk of collision between the host vehicle and a moving object moving in the oncoming lane when the host vehicle attempts to cross the oncoming lane at an intersection and make a right turn, the driving assistance ECU 10 executes attention alert control, which activates an attention alert device to issue an alert to the driver. Furthermore, when the driving assistance ECU 10 determines that there is a risk of collision between the host vehicle and a controlled object such as another vehicle, the driving assistance ECU 10 executes PCS control, which performs risk reduction control to reduce the risk. In the risk reduction control, an alarm is activated to issue an alert to the driver, and the risk of collision between the controlled object and the host vehicle is reduced by deceleration through braking and / or automatic steering as necessary.

[0026] The driving assistance ECU 10 is connected to a camera sensor 12, a radar sensor 14, and a setting operation device 16. The camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 each include a plurality of camera devices and a plurality of radar devices. The camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 function as a target information acquisition device 18 that acquires target information around the vehicle 102.

[0027] Although not shown in the figure, each camera device of the camera sensor 12 includes a camera unit that captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 102 and a recognition unit that analyzes image data captured by the camera unit to recognize targets such as white lines on the road and other vehicles. The recognition unit supplies information about the recognized targets to the driving assistance ECU 10 at predetermined time intervals.

[0028] Each radar device of the radar sensor 14 uses millimeter wave band radio waves to detect the distance between the vehicle and a three-dimensional object, the relative speed between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object, the relative position (direction) of the three-dimensional object with respect to the vehicle, etc., and supplies information representing these at predetermined time intervals to the driving assistance ECU 10. Note that instead of or in addition to the radar sensor 14, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) may be used.

[0029] The setting operator 16 is arranged in a position that can be operated by the driver, such as a steering wheel (not shown in Fig. 1), and is designed to be operated by the driver. Although not shown in Fig. 1, the setting operator 16 includes a driving assistance switch. The driving assistance ECU 10 executes driving control for driving assistance when the driving assistance switch is on.

[0030] The drive ECU 20 is connected to a drive unit 22 that accelerates the vehicle 102 by applying drive force to drive wheels 24. The drive ECU 20 normally controls the drive unit 22 so that the drive force generated by the drive unit 22 changes in response to the driving operation by the driver, and when it receives a command signal from the driving assistance ECU 10, it controls the drive unit 22 based on the command signal. Thus, the drive ECU 20 and the drive unit 22 work together to function as a drive control device 26.

[0031] The braking ECU 30 is connected to a braking device 32 that applies braking force to wheels 34 to decelerate the vehicle 102. The braking ECU 30 normally controls the braking device so that the braking force generated by the braking device 32 changes in response to the braking operation by the driver, and when it receives a command signal from the driving assistance ECU 10, it controls the braking device 32 based on the command signal to perform automatic braking.

[0032] Therefore, the brake ECU 30 and the brake device 32 work together to function as a brake control device 36. When braking force is applied to the wheels by cruise control or the like, a brake lamp (not shown in Fig. 1) is turned on.

[0033] An EPS device 42 is connected to the EPS ECU 40. The EPS ECU 40 controls the EPS device 42 in a manner known in the art based on the steering torque and vehicle speed, thereby controlling the steering assist torque and reducing the steering burden on the driver. In addition, the EPS ECU 40 controls the EPS device 42 to steer the steered wheels 44 as needed. Thus, the EPS ECU 40 and the EPS device 42 work together to function as an automatic steering device 46.

[0034] A display 52 that displays the status of control by the driving assistance ECU 10 and an alarm device 54 that issues warnings or alarms are connected to the meter ECU 50. The display 52 may be, for example, a multi-information display that displays meters and various information, or may be a display of a navigation device 80 described below. As described below, the display 52 displays the status of driving assistance control when it receives a signal from the driving assistance ECU 10.

[0035] The warning device 54 is activated when it is determined that the vehicle 102 is at risk of colliding with a controlled object such as another vehicle, and issues a warning as one of the risk reduction controls to reduce the risk of collision, i.e., issues a warning that the vehicle 102 is at risk of colliding with a controlled object. The warning device 54 may be any of a warning device that issues a visual warning such as a warning lamp, a warning device that issues an auditory warning such as a warning buzzer, a warning device that issues a tactile warning such as seat vibration, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the warning device 54 is also activated when it is determined that the vehicle may collide with a moving object moving in the oncoming lane when the vehicle is attempting to cross an oncoming lane at an intersection and turn right, and functions as an attention warning device that issues a warning. Caution warnings are less appealing to the driver than warnings.

[0036] The driving operation sensors 60 and the vehicle condition sensors 70 are also connected to the CAN 104. Information detected by the driving operation sensors 60 and the vehicle condition sensors 70 (referred to as sensor information) is transmitted to the CAN 104. The sensor information transmitted to the CAN 104 can be used appropriately in each ECU. Note that the sensor information may be information from a sensor connected to a specific ECU and transmitted to the CAN 104 from that specific ECU.

[0037] The driving operation sensors 60 include a driving operation amount sensor, a braking operation amount sensor, a brake switch, and a turn signal switch. The driving operation sensors 60 also include a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle θ, a steering torque sensor, etc. The steering angle sensor detects the steering angle, with the steering angle in the direction of the vehicle turning right being considered positive. The vehicle state sensors 70 include a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed V, a longitudinal acceleration sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, etc.

[0038] Furthermore, the navigation device 80 is also connected to the CAN 104. The navigation device 80 includes a GPS receiver that detects the position of the vehicle 102, a storage device that stores map information and road information, and a communication device that acquires the latest map information and road information from an external device. In particular, the road information includes intersection information, and information on road classifications stipulated in the Road Structure Act.

[0039] The target object information acquisition device 18 and the navigation device 80 function as a surrounding information acquisition device that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle. Note that the external vehicle communication device may function as a part of the surrounding information acquisition device, and road information may be acquired through external vehicle communication.

[0040] In this embodiment, the ROM of the driving assistance ECU 10 stores an attention-attention control program corresponding to the flowchart shown in Fig. 2. The attention-attention control program in this embodiment is a program for executing attention-attention control in countries where vehicles drive on the left side of the road.

[0041] The ROM of the driving assistance ECU 10 also stores the relationship between road classifications stipulated in the Road Structure Ordinance and the total Lr of the center median width Lc and the side strip width Ls, and the lane width Lo. Furthermore, the ROM of the driving assistance ECU 10 stores the average vehicle speed Vta when a typical vehicle turns right, and also stores the standard lateral speed Vty (the average vehicle speed in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle's own lane) when the vehicle turns right. <Attention control (Figure 2)>

[0042] Next, attention calling control in the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 2. The attention calling control according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 2 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals by the CPU of the driving assistance ECU 10 in a situation where the driving assistance switch is on. The attention calling control method in the embodiment is implemented by executing the attention calling control according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 2.

[0043] First, in step S10, the CPU determines, based on information about the surroundings of the vehicle acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device, whether or not the vehicle 102 is located in area 112 of the intersection 110 (the intersection and its surrounding area) as shown in Fig. 3. If a negative determination is made, the control proceeds to step S110, and if a positive determination is made, the control proceeds to step S20.

[0044] In step S20, the CPU determines whether the turn signal 114 is operating in the right turn mode based on the state of the turn signal switch of the driving operation sensor 60. If a negative determination is made, the control proceeds to step S110, and if a positive determination is made, the control proceeds to step S30.

[0045] In step S30, the CPU determines whether the traffic light 116 ahead of the vehicle 102 at the intersection 110 is green. If a negative determination is made, the control proceeds to step S110, and if a positive determination is made, the control proceeds to step S40.

[0046] In step S40, the CPU determines whether or not an oncoming moving object 120, such as an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane 118 located to the right of the host vehicle 102, is approaching the host vehicle. If a negative determination is made, the control proceeds to step S110, and if a positive determination is made, the control proceeds to step S50.

[0047] In step S50, the CPU determines whether the right turn start timing T1 has been determined, that is, whether it has already been determined that the host vehicle 102 has started to turn right. If a positive determination is made, the control proceeds to step S70, and if a negative determination is made, the control proceeds to step S60.

[0048] In step S60, the CPU determines whether the host vehicle 102 has started to turn right by determining whether the vehicle speed V is higher than a reference value Vo (0 or a positive constant) and the steering angle θ is equal to or greater than a reference value θc (a positive constant). If a negative determination is made, the control proceeds to step S110, and if a positive determination is made, it is determined that a right turn has started, and that point in time is determined to be the right turn start timing T1, and the control proceeds to step S70.

[0049] In step S70, the CPU determines whether or not the host vehicle 102 is currently turning right. If a negative determination is made, the control proceeds to step S110, and if a positive determination is made, the control proceeds to step S80.

[0050] In this case, whether the host vehicle 102 is making a right turn may be determined, for example, as in the following A to D. In Fig. 3, the positions of the host vehicle 102 indicated by the solid line and the dashed line are the right turn start position and the right turn waiting position, respectively. A. First, road segment information obtained by the navigation device 80 is obtained. B. Based on the road classification, the width Lo of the current lane 122, i.e., the lane in which the current vehicle 102 is traveling before turning right, and the sum Lr of the width Lc of the central reservation 124 and the width Ls of the side lane 126 are identified, as shown in FIG. 3. C. The time ΔT required for the host vehicle 102 to move to a right turn waiting position after it is determined that the host vehicle 102 has started to turn right is calculated, for example, according to the following formula (1). The following formula (1) calculates the time required for the leading edge center portion, which serves as the reference position of the host vehicle 102, to move from the center of the host lane to a position corresponding to the boundary of the center divider 124 on the side of the oncoming vehicle 120. It is assumed that the host vehicle is determined to have started to turn right while traveling along the host lane 122. ΔT=(Lo / 2+Lr) / Vty …(1) D. Between the time T1 when the right turn start determination is made and the time T2 when the time ΔT has elapsed, it is determined whether the situation in which the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 102 exceeds the reference value Vc continues for more than the reference duration Tce, and if a positive determination is made, it is determined that the vehicle is in the process of making a right turn.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the vehicle speed when a typical vehicle turns right at an intersection. In FIG. 4, the solid line indicates the change in vehicle speed when the vehicle starts from a stopped state, turns right, and stops temporarily at the right turn waiting position (first case). Time point T11 is the time of right turn start determination, and time point T12 is the time when the vehicle reaches the right turn waiting position. The dashed line indicates the change in vehicle speed when the vehicle starts from a stopped state, turns right, and continues without stopping temporarily at the right turn waiting position (second case). Time point T21 is the time of right turn start determination (the same as time point T11), and time point T22 is the time when the vehicle passes the right turn waiting position. Furthermore, the dashed line indicates the change in vehicle speed when the vehicle enters the intersection while in a traveling state, turns right, and continues without stopping temporarily at the right turn waiting position (third case). Time point T31 is the time of right turn start determination, and time point T32 is the time when the vehicle passes the right turn waiting position.

[0052] As shown in Figure 4, the time from the time of right turn start determination to the time the vehicle reaches or passes the right turn waiting position is shortest in the third case. Therefore, the above-mentioned time ΔT is the time from the time of right turn start determination to the time the vehicle passes the right turn waiting position in the third case.

[0053] Furthermore, the reference value Vc may be a positive constant, particularly a value lower than the average vehicle speed Vta when a typical vehicle turns right. The reference duration Tce may be a value, for example, about 1.5 seconds, that is, the time it takes a driver with average driving ability to recognize a danger and take deceleration action.

[0054] 5 shows the second case in which the vehicle speed V reaches the reference value Vc at time T23, increases beyond the reference value Vc at time T24, and reaches a constant value of the reference value Vt at time T25. If time T26 is the time when the reference duration Tce has elapsed from time T24, it is determined at time T26 that the state in which the vehicle speed V exceeds the reference value Vc has continued for at least the reference duration Tce, and it is determined that the host vehicle is making a right turn.

[0055] In step S80, the CPU estimates a distance L1 between the oncoming moving object 120 and the side of the right-turn waiting position and a vehicle speed V1 of the oncoming moving object based on information about the surroundings of the host vehicle acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device (target object information acquisition device 18 and navigation device 80). Furthermore, the CPU estimates a first time t1 required for the oncoming moving object to reach the side of the right-turn waiting position based on the distance L1 and the vehicle speed V1. Furthermore, the CPU estimates a lateral distance L2 (in a direction perpendicular to the host vehicle's lane) between the current position of the reference position of the host vehicle 102 and the reference position of the host vehicle when the host vehicle 102 reaches the right-turn waiting position based on the information about the surroundings of the host vehicle acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device. Furthermore, the CPU estimates a second time t2 required for the host vehicle to reach the right-turn waiting position based on the distance L2 and a standard lateral speed Vty in the lateral direction.

[0056] In step S90, the CPU determines whether the difference t1-t2 between the first time t1 and the second time t2, which is an index value indicating the degree of approach between the oncoming moving object 120 and the host vehicle 102, is equal to or greater than a lower limit reference difference Δt1 (a negative constant) and equal to or less than an upper limit reference difference Δt2 (a positive constant). If a negative determination is made, the control proceeds to step S110, and if a positive determination is made, the control proceeds to step S100.

[0057] In step S100, the CPU determines that the index value is equal to or greater than the reference value and that there is a possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and the oncoming moving object. Furthermore, the CPU issues a warning that the host vehicle may collide with the oncoming moving object by activating the alarm device 54. In contrast, in step S110, if a warning has been issued, the CPU stops the warning and then temporarily terminates this control. If a warning has not been issued, the CPU temporarily terminates this control.

[0058] When it is determined in step S90 that the likelihood of a collision between the oncoming moving object and the host vehicle is greater than the probability of collision between the oncoming moving object and the host vehicle, a warning may be issued by PCS control, and the host vehicle may be decelerated and stopped by automatic braking. PCS control may be performed in any manner known in the art. For example, when the difference t1-t2 between the first time t1 and the second time t2 is equal to or greater than a lower limit value Δtpa1 (a negative constant greater than Δt1) and equal to or less than an upper limit value Δtpa2 (a positive constant less than Δt2), a warning may be issued. Furthermore, when the difference t1-t2 between the first time t1 and the second time t2 is equal to or greater than a lower limit value Δtpb1 (a negative constant greater than Δtpa1) and equal to or less than an upper limit value Δtpb2 (a positive constant less than Δtpa2), the host vehicle may be decelerated and stopped by automatic braking. <Operation of the embodiment>

[0059] In this embodiment, it is determined whether the host vehicle 102 is located in an area 112 of an intersection 110 (S10), and whether the blinker 114 is operating in a right-turn mode (S20). Furthermore, it is determined whether the traffic light 116 ahead of the host vehicle 102 at the intersection 110 is green (S30), and it is determined whether an oncoming moving object 120, such as an oncoming vehicle traveling in an oncoming lane 118 located to the right of the host vehicle 102, is approaching the host vehicle (S40).

[0060] If a positive determination is made in the above determinations, that is, if it is determined that the vehicle speed V is higher than the reference value Vo and the steering angle θ is equal to or greater than the reference value θc, it is determined that a right turn has been started (S60). If it is determined that a right turn has been started, it is determined whether the host vehicle 102 is in the process of turning right (S70). If it is determined that the host vehicle 102 is in the process of turning right, a first time t1 until the oncoming moving object arrives to the side of the right turn waiting position and a second time t2 until the host vehicle arrives at the right turn waiting position are estimated (S80).

[0061] Furthermore, it is determined whether the difference t1-t2 between the first time t1 and the second time t2 is equal to or greater than the lower limit reference difference Δt1 and equal to or less than the upper limit reference difference Δt2 (S90). If it is determined that the difference t1-t2 is within the above range, it is determined that the index value indicating the degree of proximity between the oncoming moving object and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference value, and there is a possibility of a collision between the oncoming moving object and the host vehicle, and a warning is issued to the effect that there is a possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and the oncoming moving object (S100).

[0062] As can be seen from the above description, according to the embodiment, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle 102 is in the process of making a right turn at the intersection 110 (S70). In a situation where it is determined that a right turn is being made, if it is determined that an index value calculated based on the behavior of the oncoming moving object 120 and the host vehicle and indicating the degree of proximity between the oncoming moving object and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference value, it is determined that there is a possibility of a collision between the oncoming moving object and the host vehicle, and a warning is issued (S100).

[0063] Therefore, even if the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle when turning right at an intersection is low, as long as it is determined that the host vehicle is turning right, a warning can be issued in a situation where there is a possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and a moving object moving in the oncoming lane. Therefore, the risk of a warning not being issued can be reduced compared to conventional methods.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, an estimated travel time ΔT required for the host vehicle 102 to move from when it starts to turn right to when it reaches a waiting position for the right turn is calculated. Furthermore, if the duration of the situation in which the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle exceeds a reference vehicle speed Vc is equal to or longer than a reference duration Tce during the period from when the host vehicle starts to turn right until the estimated travel time has elapsed, it is determined that the host vehicle is in the process of turning right (S70). Because the vehicle speed of the host vehicle after it starts to turn right is determined, as shown in FIG. 5, the reference vehicle speed Vc may be lower than the reference vehicle speed Vpc, which is one of the conditions for issuing an alarm in conventional collision prevention support devices.

[0065] Therefore, it is possible to determine that the host vehicle is making a right turn even if the vehicle speed is lower than the reference vehicle speed in a conventional collision prevention support device. Also, in a situation where the vehicle speed when making a right turn increases from a low vehicle speed, if the vehicle speed of the host vehicle exceeds a reference vehicle speed Vc, which is lower than the reference vehicle speed in a conventional collision prevention support device, for a duration equal to or longer than the reference duration Tce, it is determined that the host vehicle is making a right turn. Therefore, compared to the case where an alarm is issued in a conventional collision prevention support device, a warning can be issued earlier, reducing the risk of delay in issuing the warning.

[0066] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, when the host vehicle 102 is in the intersection area 112 and the blinker 114 is activated in a right turn mode, it is determined that the host vehicle has started to turn right when the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle is higher than the reference value Vo and the steering angle θ is equal to or greater than the reference steering angle θc in the right turn direction.

[0067] Therefore, it is possible to properly determine that the vehicle has started to turn right, compared to when any of the following conditions is not determined: the vehicle is in the intersection area, the turn signal is activated in right-turn mode, the vehicle speed is higher than a reference value, and the steering angle is equal to or greater than the reference steering angle in the right-turn direction.

[0068] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, when the difference between the first time t1 required for the opposing moving body 120 to move to the side of the right-turn waiting position and the second time t2 required for the vehicle to move to the right-turn waiting position is greater than or equal to the lower limit reference difference Δt1 and less than or equal to the upper limit reference difference Δt2, the index value is determined to be greater than or equal to the reference value.

[0069] Therefore, the possibility of a collision between the vehicle and the oncoming moving body 120 in the direction along the oncoming lane 118 or the vehicle's own lane 122 can be determined more appropriately than when the possibility of a collision between the oncoming moving body and the vehicle is determined based on the relative distance and relative speed between the oncoming moving body 120 and the vehicle's own lane 102, for example.

[0070] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6, the determination of the possibility of a collision may be performed based on the difference between the time t1p and the time t2p taken for the oncoming moving object 120 and the host vehicle 102 to reach the intersection P of the movement trajectories after estimating the movement trajectories 128 and 130 of the oncoming moving object 120 and the host vehicle 102 (variation). However, according to the embodiment, since it is not necessary to estimate the movement trajectories of the oncoming moving object 120 and the host vehicle 102, it is possible to more easily determine whether or not there is a possibility of a collision between the oncoming moving object and the host vehicle compared to when two movement trajectories are estimated and their intersection point is found.

[0071] Although the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0072] For example, the attention warning control device and method of the above-described embodiment are configured to be applied to countries where vehicles drive on the left side of the road. However, the attention warning control device and method of the present invention may also be configured to be applied to countries where vehicles drive on the right side of the road, in which case the right and left are reversed from those in the embodiment.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, PCS control is performed in addition to attention warning control, but the attention warning control device and method of the present invention may also be applied to vehicles in which PCS control is not performed.

[0074] In addition, in PCS control, the determination of whether there is a risk of collision between the oncoming moving object and the own vehicle may be made based on the difference between the time t1p and the time t2p until the oncoming moving object and the own vehicle reach the intersection P of the two movement trajectories estimated by the oncoming moving object 120 and the own vehicle 102. In this case, the lower limit reference difference Δt1 and the upper limit reference difference Δt2 of the difference between the time t1p and the time t2p in the attention control are smaller and larger than the lower limit reference difference and the upper limit reference difference in PCS control, respectively.

[0075] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, it is not determined whether there is a preceding vehicle turning right at the intersection, but if it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle turning right, the control may proceed to step S110. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 10... driving assistance ECU, 12... camera sensor, 14... radar sensor, 18... target information acquisition device, 26... drive control device, 36... braking control device, 40... EPS ECU, 50... meter ECU, 54... warning device, 80... navigation device, 100... attention warning control device, 102... vehicle, 110... intersection, 114... turn signal, 120... oncoming moving object

Claims

1. A vehicle attention warning control device includes a surrounding information acquisition device that acquires information about the surroundings of a vehicle, an attention warning device, and a control unit that controls the attention warning device, wherein the control unit is configured to activate the attention warning device to issue an attention warning when it determines, based on information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device, that there is a possibility that the vehicle will collide with a moving object moving in the oncoming lane when the vehicle is about to make a turn across an oncoming lane at an intersection; The control unit is configured to determine that there is a possibility of a collision between the moving body and the host vehicle when, in a situation where it determines that the host vehicle is in the process of changing direction, the control unit determines that an index value calculated based on the behavior of the moving body and the host vehicle and indicating the degree of proximity between the moving body and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference value.

2. 2. The vehicle attention warning control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores a standard lateral speed relative to the vehicle's own lane when the vehicle makes the turn at the intersection, calculates an estimated travel time required for the vehicle to move from starting the turn to the waiting position for the turn based on the lateral distance from the vehicle's own lane to the waiting position for the turn and the standard speed, and determines that the vehicle is currently making the turn when the duration of the situation in which the vehicle speed of the vehicle exceeds a standard vehicle speed is equal to or longer than the standard duration between the start of the turn and the elapse of the estimated travel time.

3. 3. The vehicle attention warning control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to determine that the vehicle has started to turn when the vehicle is in the intersection area, the turn signal is activated in the turn mode, the vehicle speed of the vehicle is higher than a reference value, and the steering angle is equal to or greater than a reference steering angle in the direction of the turn.

4. In the vehicle attention warning control device described in claim 1, the control unit is configured to estimate a first time required for the moving body to move to the side of the waiting position for turning based on information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device, estimate a second time required for the vehicle to move to the waiting position for turning, and determine that the index value is equal to or greater than the reference value when the difference between the first time and the second time as the index value is equal to or greater than a lower limit reference difference and equal to or less than an upper limit reference difference.

5. A vehicle attention alert control method including: a step of determining whether or not there is a possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and a moving object moving in an oncoming lane when the host vehicle is about to make a turn across an oncoming lane at an intersection based on information about the surroundings of the host vehicle acquired by a surrounding information acquisition device; and a step of activating an attention alert device to issue an attention alert when it is determined that there is a possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and a moving object moving in the oncoming lane The vehicle attention warning control method further includes a step of determining whether an index value indicating the degree of proximity between the moving body and the host vehicle, calculated based on the behavior of the moving body and the host vehicle, is equal to or greater than a reference value when it is determined that the index value is equal to or greater than the reference value.

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