Vehicle control device and program

Abstract

To execute proper speed control even if interruption of another vehicle occurs at a position close to one's own vehicle in front of one's own vehicle.SOLUTION: The ECU10 controls the traveling speed of the own vehicle based on detection information of a detection device that detects an object around the own vehicle. The ECU10 includes a cut-in situation determination part 11 for determining that the other vehicle in the adjacent lane cuts in front of the own vehicle, a short distance cut-in determination part 12 for determining whether or not it is a short distance cut-in time when it is determined that the other vehicle cuts in front of the own vehicle, a lateral distance determination part 13 for determining whether or not a lateral distance of the other vehicle to the own vehicle is smaller than a predetermined threshold value when it is determined that it is the short distance cut-in time, and a deceleration control part 14 for setting a deceleration upper limit value to a first upper limit value in deceleration control of the own vehicle when the lateral distance is larger than the threshold value and for switching the deceleration upper limit value to a second upper limit value having a deceleration degree larger than the first upper limit value when the lateral distance is smaller than the threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosure in this specification relates to a vehicle control device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle control device that supports the driving of a host vehicle has been known to detect another vehicle cutting in front of the host vehicle from an adjacent lane and control the driving speed of the host vehicle in response to the cutting in. For example, the technology described in Patent Document 1 determines the possibility of an adjacent vehicle cutting in directly before the host vehicle based on an adjacent vehicle relation value, which is any one of the relative speed, relative position, relative distance, and relative acceleration between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, and corrects the acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle based on the possibility of cutting in determined by the adjacent vehicle relation value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-165542 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When another vehicle cuts in front of the host vehicle, the cutting-in position of the other vehicle may be relatively close to the host vehicle. In this case, the close distance of the cutting-in vehicle to the host vehicle may reduce the detection accuracy of the millimeter wave sensor or the like for the cutting-in vehicle, which may result in inappropriate speed control of the host vehicle.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle control device and program that can perform appropriate speed control even when another vehicle cuts in front of and close to the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides: A vehicle control device that is applied to a vehicle equipped with a detection device that detects objects around the vehicle, and controls a traveling speed of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling based on detection information from the detection device, an intrusion situation determination unit that determines, when the host vehicle is traveling in the host lane, whether another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane adjacent to the host lane and traveling in the same vehicle traveling direction as the host lane is about to intrude in front of the host vehicle; a short-distance cut-in determination unit that, when it is determined by the cut-in situation determination unit that the other vehicle is in a situation where it will cut in front of the host vehicle, determines whether or not the host vehicle is in a short-distance cut-in situation where a separation distance between the other vehicle and the host vehicle in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is smaller than a predetermined short-distance determination value; a lateral distance determination unit that, when it is determined by the short-distance cut-in determination unit that it is the time to cut in, determines whether a lateral distance of the other vehicle relative to the host vehicle in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is smaller than a predetermined threshold value; a deceleration control unit that sets a first upper limit value for a deceleration upper limit in deceleration control of the host vehicle that is performed based on a positional relationship with the other vehicle when it is determined that the lateral distance is greater than the threshold value, and that switches the deceleration upper limit value to a second upper limit value that is greater than the first upper limit value when it is determined that the lateral distance is smaller than the threshold value; Equipped with.

[0007] When another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane cuts in front of the host vehicle traveling in the same lane, it is determined whether the current situation is a close-distance cut-in situation in which the separation distance (longitudinal distance) between the host vehicle and the other vehicle in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is smaller than a predetermined close-distance determination value. If it is determined that the current situation is a close-distance cut-in situation, and the lateral distance between the other vehicle and the host vehicle in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined threshold, the deceleration upper limit value is set to a first upper limit value in deceleration control of the host vehicle, which is performed based on the positional relationship with the other vehicle, and if the lateral distance is smaller than the threshold value, the deceleration upper limit value is switched to a second upper limit value, which has a deceleration greater than the first upper limit value.

[0008] That is, in a situation where another vehicle cuts in front of the host vehicle at a short distance, when the other vehicle is relatively far away in a lateral direction at the beginning of the cut-in, the deceleration of the host vehicle is controlled at a relatively small upper deceleration limit value (first upper limit value). Then, when the other vehicle approaches the host vehicle laterally, the deceleration of the host vehicle is controlled at a relatively large upper deceleration limit value (second upper limit value). In this case, depending on the close cut-in of the other vehicle, the host vehicle is switched between a gradual deceleration state and a full deceleration state in which the deceleration is greater than the gradual deceleration. As a result, during close cut-in, when the detection accuracy of the detection device for a vehicle cutting in from the side is low, the other vehicle (cut-in vehicle) is decelerated to avoid a collision from the beginning of the cut-in, while excessive deceleration of the other vehicle is suppressed. As a result, appropriate speed control can be performed even when the other vehicle cuts in front of the host vehicle at a position close to the host vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an overview of a vehicle driving assistance system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an object detection range of a radar device on the front side of a vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a scene in which another vehicle cuts in. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a scene in which another vehicle cuts in. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a normal control region R1 and a short-distance control region R2. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a scene in which another vehicle cuts in. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for interruption determination. [Figure 8] 1 is a time chart for explaining a normal interrupt scene. [Figure 9] 10 is a time chart for explaining a short-distance cut-in scene. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the display mode of the display when another vehicle cuts in. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the host vehicle is traveling; [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for setting a lower limit speed of the host vehicle. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether a vehicle is excluded from the target range due to a stopped vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a driving assistance system is configured to provide driving assistance to a vehicle such as a passenger car, a truck, or a bus.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the driving assistance system according to this embodiment includes an ECU 10 (Electronic Control Unit) as a vehicle control device, sensors 20, a controlled device 30, and an HMI 40 (Human Machine Interface). The sensors 20 include a camera 21, a radar device 22, a speed sensor 23, and a steering angle sensor 24. The camera 21 and the radar device 22 correspond to the "detection device." The controlled device 30 includes an accelerator device 31 and a brake device 32. The HMI 40 includes a display 41 and a speaker 42. The display 41 is provided in a position in the vehicle that is visible to the driver in the driver's seat. The display 41 corresponds to the "display unit."

[0012] The camera 21 is, for example, a monocular camera. The camera 21 is, for example, a plurality of imaging devices capable of capturing images of the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle. Images of the surroundings of the vehicle are captured by each of these cameras 21. The camera 21 capturing images of the area in front of the vehicle is provided near the front bumper of the vehicle or above the windshield of the vehicle. Each camera 21 transmits the captured images to the ECU 10 at a predetermined interval. The camera 21 may also be a stereo camera.

[0013] The radar device 22 is a distance measuring device that transmits high-frequency signals in the millimeter wave band. The radar devices 22 are mounted, for example, at the front end, rear end, and left and right sides of the host vehicle, and measure the distance to objects around the host vehicle. Specifically, the radar device 22 transmits search waves at a predetermined cycle and receives reflected waves using multiple antennas. The radar device 22 measures the distance to the object based on the transmission time of the search waves and the reception time of the reflected waves. The radar device 22 also calculates the direction of the object based on the phase difference between the reflected waves received by the multiple antennas. By calculating the distance to the object and the direction of the object, the relative position of the object with respect to the host vehicle can be determined. FIG. 2 shows the object detection range of the radar device 22 at the front of the vehicle. In FIG. 2, one radar device 22 is installed at a central position at the front of the host vehicle CA, and objects present within a detection range RD ahead of the host vehicle can be detected by the radar device 22 at the front of the vehicle.

[0014] The speed sensor 23 is a sensor that detects the traveling speed of the host vehicle. For example, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the wheels can be used as the speed sensor 23. The steering angle sensor 24 is a sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering member operated by the driver of the host vehicle.

[0015] The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit equipped with a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. The microcomputer provides various computational functions. The functions provided by the microcomputer can be provided by software recorded in a physical memory device and a computer executing the software, the software alone, the hardware alone, or a combination thereof. The microcomputer executes programs stored, for example, in a non-transitory tangible storage medium serving as a storage unit provided within the microcomputer. The programs include, for example, programs related to object recognition processing for recognizing objects around the vehicle, processing for avoiding collisions with objects around the vehicle or mitigating damage in the event of a collision, and processing for controlling the vehicle's traveling speed. Execution of the programs results in the execution of a method corresponding to the programs. The storage unit is, for example, a non-volatile memory. The programs stored in the storage unit can be updated, for example, via a network such as the Internet.

[0016] The ECU 10 acquires object detection information from the camera 21 and the radar device 22, respectively, and recognizes objects around the vehicle based on this information. Specifically, the ECU 10 calculates the relative position and presence area of ​​the object as image information based on the distance to the object and the direction of the object calculated from the camera image, and calculates the relative position and presence area of ​​the object as radar information based on the distance to the object and the direction of the object included in the distance information acquired from the radar device 22. The ECU 10 then recognizes the object by fusing this image information with the radar information. In this embodiment, the object is recognized based on whether the presence area of ​​the object included in the image information overlaps with the presence area of ​​the object included in the radar information. However, in this embodiment, any object recognition method may be used. For example, it is also possible to recognize an object based on only the object detection information from the camera 21 or only the object detection information from the radar device 22 out of the object detection information from the camera 21 and the radar device 22.

[0017] The ECU 10 executes adaptive cruise control (ACC) as a cruise assist control for the host vehicle. Specifically, the ECU 10 executes constant-speed cruise control of the host vehicle at a target speed set by the driver, and also executes follow-up control to make the host vehicle follow the preceding vehicle while maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance when a preceding vehicle is present ahead of the host vehicle. In this case, the ECU 10 searches for a preceding vehicle to follow ahead of the host vehicle while executing ACC control. If no preceding vehicle is present, the ECU 10 controls the host vehicle to travel at a constant speed at a target speed. If a preceding vehicle is present, the ECU 10 controls the host vehicle to travel while maintaining a target inter-vehicle distance. In this case, the ECU 10 uses the controlled device 30 to adjust the driving force and braking force of the host vehicle to control the speed of the host vehicle.

[0018] In this embodiment, the vehicle is equipped with an accelerator device 31 and a brake device 32 as controlled devices 30. The accelerator device 31 is an engine or a motor as a vehicle power source, and when the driver operates the accelerator, a driving force is applied to the vehicle in response to a control command from the ECU 10. The brake device 32 is provided on each wheel of the vehicle, and when the driver operates the brake, a braking force is applied to the vehicle in response to a control command from the ECU 10.

[0019] The ACC control can be turned on and off by the driver. For example, when the driver turns on a set switch, the ECU 10 executes the ACC control. Also, when a predetermined release condition is met, such as when the driver turns off the set switch, the ACC control by the ECU 10 is stopped.

[0020] In this embodiment, when another vehicle cuts in ahead of the host vehicle in the traveling direction, the ECU 10 performs deceleration control for the cutting-in vehicle. That is, when the host vehicle is traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the host vehicle and traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle cuts in ahead of the host vehicle, the ECU 10 performs vehicle deceleration control for preventing a collision with the cutting-in vehicle.

[0021] When another vehicle cuts in front of the host vehicle, it is possible that the cutting-in position of the other vehicle is relatively close to the host vehicle. For example, when the host vehicle is traveling at a low speed, the other vehicle in the adjacent lane may forcibly cut in close to the host vehicle. In this case, the detection accuracy of the cutting-in vehicle may be reduced due to the short distance between the cutting-in vehicle and the host vehicle, which may result in inappropriate speed control of the host vehicle.

[0022] A scene in which another vehicle cuts in will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In Figures 3 and 4, on a road having a current lane L1 and an adjacent lane L2, a current vehicle CA is traveling in the current lane L1 and another vehicle CB is traveling in the adjacent lane L2. The other vehicle CB moves laterally in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the current vehicle CA and cuts in front of the current vehicle CA in the current lane L1. A preceding vehicle CC is traveling ahead of the current vehicle CA in the current lane L1, and the current vehicle CA is performing follow-up control for the preceding vehicle CC.

[0023] Figure 3 shows a scene in which another vehicle CB makes a normal cut-in, not a short-distance cut-in, in which the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB, i.e., the distance to the other vehicle CB in the direction of travel of the host vehicle CA, is 4 m or more. In contrast, Figure 4 shows a scene in which the other vehicle CB makes a short-distance cut-in, in which the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB is less than 4 m.

[0024] 3, the entirety of the other vehicle CB traveling in the adjacent lane L2 is within the detection range RD of the radar device 22 of the host vehicle CA, and for example, the rear end portion of the other vehicle CB is the target detection point P. In this case, the relative position and relative speed of the other vehicle CB with respect to the host vehicle CA can be correctly determined, and as a result, deceleration control of the host vehicle CA is appropriately performed when the other vehicle CB cuts in.

[0025] In contrast, in the close-range cutting-in scene of Figure 4, only a portion of the other vehicle CB traveling in the adjacent lane L2 is within the detection range RD of the radar device 22 of the host vehicle CA, and for example, the side of the other vehicle CB is the target detection point P. In this case, since the target detection point P can change arbitrarily in the fore-and-aft direction on the side of the other vehicle CB, it is possible that the relative position and relative speed of the other vehicle CB with respect to the host vehicle CA cannot be correctly determined, which raises concerns that the deceleration control of the host vehicle CA may not be performed appropriately when the other vehicle CB cuts in. Assuming that the average overall length of a passenger car is 4 to 5 meters, there is a concern that the above-mentioned inconvenience may occur when the other vehicle cuts in when the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB is less than 4 meters.

[0026] In addition, even when the other vehicle CB is detected by the camera 21, there is a concern that the accuracy of object recognition by pattern matching or the like will decrease because the other vehicle CB will be cut off in the camera image, and that this will ultimately decrease the control accuracy related to the deceleration control of the host vehicle CA. Incidentally, as an existing technology, a configuration is assumed in which deceleration control is not executed for the cutting-in vehicle when cutting in close range in order to avoid a decrease in control accuracy when cutting in close range.

[0027] In this embodiment, when another vehicle CB cuts in front of the host vehicle at close range, the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is controlled in stages according to the cutting-in situation of the other vehicle CB, and this control allows appropriate deceleration control to be performed to avoid a collision with the other vehicle CB even in situations where a close-range cut-in occurs.

[0028] Furthermore, when another vehicle CB cuts in ahead of the host vehicle at a slow speed, in other words, when the other vehicle CB is entering the host vehicle lane L1 from the adjacent lane L2 at a relatively slow speed, it is desirable to control the deceleration of the host vehicle CA in stages according to the cutting-in situation of the other vehicle CB, as in the case of the other vehicle CB cutting in at close range, even if the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB exceeds 4 m. Therefore, in this embodiment, the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is controlled in stages when the other vehicle CB cuts in at close range and when the other vehicle CB cuts in at a low speed.

[0029] FIG. 5 shows an example of a normal control region R1 in which deceleration control is performed when a normal cut-in occurs, and a short-distance control region R2 in which deceleration control is performed when a short-distance cut-in occurs. In FIG. 5, the control regions R1 and R2 are divided based on the longitudinal distance from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB and the lateral speed of the cutting-in vehicle. The short-distance control region R2 is a range in which the longitudinal distance is less than X1, and a range in which the longitudinal distance is between X1 and X2 and the lateral speed of the other vehicle CB is less than Y1. The remaining region is the normal control region R1. X1 is, for example, 4 m, and X2 is, for example, 10 m. Y1 is, for example, 0.5 m / s.

[0030] In the short-distance control region R2, the lower limit of the longitudinal distance may be set shorter than the longitudinal distance X1 (4 m) (for example, 2 m). Also, in the short-distance control region R2, the lower limit of the lateral speed may be set slower than the lateral speed Y1 (0.5 m / s) of the other vehicle CB (for example, 0.1 m / s).

[0031] The following describes the configuration related to deceleration control in the ECU 10. In Fig. 1, the ECU 10 includes an interruption situation determination unit 11, a close-range interruption determination unit 12, a lateral distance determination unit 13, a deceleration control unit 14, a preceding vehicle selection unit 15, and a display control unit 16.

[0032] When the host vehicle CA is traveling in the host lane L1, the cutting-in situation determination unit 11 determines that another vehicle CB traveling in the adjacent lane L2 is about to cut in ahead of the host vehicle CA. In this case, the cutting-in situation determination unit 11 recognizes the left and right dividing lines (white lines) of the host lane L1 and determines whether the other vehicle CB traveling in the adjacent lane L2 has moved laterally and reached the dividing line between the host lane L1 and the adjacent lane L2. Then, based on the determination result, it determines that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in ahead of the host vehicle CA.

[0033] The lane markings on the road surface may be recognized based on brightness changes on the image acquired by the camera 21. Specifically, the ECU 10 extracts points of change in contrast (edge ​​strength) on the road surface for lane markings such as white lines that separate lanes on the road surface as edge candidate points, and then extracts lane markings from a series of the extracted edge candidate points.

[0034] It is preferable to determine whether the other vehicle CB traveling in the adjacent lane L2 has moved laterally and reached the dividing line between the lanes L1 and L2 based on the results of analyzing the camera image. In this case, when it is determined that the part of the other vehicle CB recognized from the camera image that is closest to the own vehicle lane L1 (for example, the right front corner of the other vehicle CB or the position of the front wheel of the other vehicle CB on the own vehicle side) has crossed the dividing line, it is preferable to determine that the other vehicle CB is in a situation where it will cut in front of the own vehicle CA.

[0035] The distance from the center position of the host vehicle CA to the lane marking may be determined in advance, and when the lateral distance from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB becomes equal to or less than the distance from the center position of the host vehicle CA to the lane marking, it may be determined that the other vehicle CB is in a situation to cut in front of the host vehicle CA. Information indicating that the other vehicle CB has reached the lane marking corresponds to lateral position information of the other vehicle CB.

[0036] If the lane markings can be recognized, it is possible to determine whether the other vehicle CB is in a situation where it will cut in front of the host vehicle CA based on the lateral position of the other vehicle CB relative to the lane markings, and if the lane markings cannot be recognized, it is possible to determine whether the other vehicle CB is in a situation where it will cut in front of the host vehicle CA based on the lateral position of the other vehicle CB relative to the host vehicle CA.

[0037] Furthermore, the cut-in situation determination unit 11 may be configured to determine whether the other vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle CA based on the inclination (tilt in the yaw direction) of the other vehicle CB relative to the traveling direction of the host vehicle CA, in addition to the lateral position information of the other vehicle CB. For example, the inclination of the other vehicle CB may be estimated from the angle between the side of the other vehicle CB and a lane marking using a camera image. Alternatively, the inclination information of the other vehicle CB may be obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB, or through road-to-vehicle communication with a roadside device. For example, if the inclination of the other vehicle CB in the yaw direction is ±20 degrees or more, it is determined that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle CA.

[0038] When the cutting-in situation determination unit 11 determines that another vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle, the close-range cutting-in determination unit 12 determines whether the distance between the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB in the traveling direction of the host vehicle CA (longitudinal distance D1) is smaller than a threshold value TH1, which is a close-range determination value. If the longitudinal distance D1 is smaller than the threshold value TH1, the close-range cutting-in determination unit 12 determines that the host vehicle CA is about to cut in. The threshold value TH1 is, for example, 4 m.

[0039] In this embodiment, the short-distance cut-in determination unit 12 determines whether it is a short-distance cut-in time or a normal cut-in time using the relationship in Fig. 5. In this case, the short-distance cut-in determination unit 12 determines whether it is a short-distance cut-in time or a normal cut-in time based on the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB and the lateral speed of the cutting-in vehicle.

[0040] When the close range cut-in determination unit 12 determines that the vehicle is currently cutting in, the lateral distance determination unit 13 determines whether the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB relative to the host vehicle CA in the lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is smaller than a predetermined threshold value TH2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the lateral distance determination unit 13 determines the degree of lateral proximity of the other vehicle CB to the host vehicle CA based on the lateral distance D2 between the center position of the host vehicle CA in the vehicle width direction and the other vehicle CB. In this case, the lateral distance determination unit 13 determines whether the lateral distance D2 is smaller than the threshold value TH2. The threshold value TH2 is, for example, 1 m.

[0041] When it is determined that the lateral distance D2 is greater than the threshold value TH2, the deceleration control unit 14 sets the upper limit deceleration value to upper limit value MB1 in the deceleration control of the host vehicle CA, which is performed based on the positional relationship with the other vehicle CB. Furthermore, when it is determined that the lateral distance D2 is smaller than the threshold value TH2, the deceleration control unit 14 switches the upper limit deceleration value to upper limit value MB2, which is greater than the upper limit value MB1. According to the upper limit values ​​MB1 and MB2, the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is switched in two stages when the other vehicle CB cuts in close. Note that the upper limit value MB1 corresponds to the "first upper limit value," and the upper limit value MB2 corresponds to the "second upper limit value."

[0042] During the execution mode of the following control, when the close range cut-in determination unit 12 determines that it is time for close range cut-in, the preceding vehicle selection unit 15 does not select the other vehicle CB as the preceding vehicle to be followed when it is determined that the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB is greater than the threshold value TH2, but selects the other vehicle CB as the preceding vehicle to be followed when it is determined that the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB is smaller than the threshold value TH2.

[0043] Furthermore, the preceding vehicle selection unit 15 executes the following processes during normal cutting-in and short-distance cutting-in, respectively. That is, during normal cutting-in, when the cutting-in situation determination unit 11 determines that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle, that is, before it determines that the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB is smaller than the threshold value TH2, the preceding vehicle selection unit 15 selects the other vehicle CB as a preceding vehicle for follow-up traveling. On the other hand, during short-distance cutting-in, when the cutting-in situation determination unit 11 determines that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle and it determines that the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB is smaller than the threshold value TH2, the preceding vehicle selection unit 15 selects the other vehicle CB as a preceding vehicle for follow-up traveling.

[0044] The display control unit 16 displays another vehicle CB moving laterally from the adjacent lane L2 toward the own lane L1 in front of the own vehicle on the display 41. The display control unit 16 performs display control to display the other vehicle CB as a preceding vehicle (a vehicle to be followed) while taking into account the fact that the timing for selecting the other vehicle CB as a preceding vehicle for following travel differs between normal cutting-in and close-range cutting-in.

[0045] Specifically, when the situation is not one in which a vehicle is about to cut in ahead of the vehicle (when the vehicle is about to cut in), the cutting-in situation determination unit 11 determines that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in ahead of the vehicle, and at the timing when the other vehicle CB becomes a preceding vehicle in a follow-up run based on that determination, the other vehicle CB is moved laterally from the adjacent lane L2 and displayed on the display 41 on the vehicle's lane L1. Also, when the situation is one in which a vehicle is about to cut in ahead of the vehicle, after the cutting-in situation determination unit 11 determines that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in ahead of the vehicle, and at the timing when the other vehicle CB becomes a preceding vehicle in a follow-up run based on the determination that the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB is smaller than the threshold value TH2, the other vehicle CB is moved laterally from the adjacent lane L2 and displayed on the display 41 on the vehicle's lane L1.

[0046] 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for determining whether or not a vehicle is to be cut in. This procedure is repeatedly executed at a predetermined interval by the ECU 10. This procedure is performed under the assumption that the ACC control is being performed on the host vehicle and that a preceding vehicle CC, which is to be followed, is traveling ahead of the host vehicle CA.

[0047] 7, in step S101, detection information is acquired from the camera 21, the radar device 22, etc. In step S102, it is determined whether or not another vehicle CB is about to cut in from the adjacent lane L2 between the host vehicle CA and the preceding vehicle CC. In this case, if the other vehicle CB is not about to cut in, the process ends immediately, and if the other vehicle CB is about to cut in, the process proceeds to the subsequent step S103.

[0048] In step S103, it is determined whether or not the execution conditions for performing the short-distance cut-in determination are met. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the execution conditions for performing the short-distance cut-in determination are met based on the following conditions.

[0049] The ECU 10 determines whether the host vehicle CA is turning so as to cross over either the left or right lane marking of the host lane L1. If the host vehicle CA is turning so as to cross over the lane marking, the ECU 10 determines that the execution condition is not met (No in step S103).

[0050] For example, when the host vehicle CA changes lanes, the host vehicle CA turns so as to straddle a dividing line on either the left or right side of the host vehicle's lane L1. In this case, a scene in which the host vehicle CA cuts in behind another vehicle CB in the adjacent lane L2 (a cutting-in scene of the host vehicle CA) is similar to a scene in which the other vehicle CB in the adjacent lane L2 cuts in front of the host vehicle CA in the host vehicle's lane L1 (a cutting-in scene of the other vehicle CB). Therefore, there is a concern that the cutting-in scene of the host vehicle CA may be erroneously determined as a close-in cutting-in scene of the other vehicle CB, which may result in unnecessary deceleration control being performed on the other vehicle CB near the host vehicle. In consideration of this, when the host vehicle CA turns so as to straddle a dividing line on the host vehicle's lane L1 (for example, when the host vehicle CA changes lanes), the determination of whether or not it is a close-in cutting-in scene is not performed.

[0051] Furthermore, the ECU 10 determines whether the relative speed of the other vehicle CB (cutting-in vehicle) with respect to the host vehicle CA is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the relative speed of the other vehicle CB is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the execution condition is not met (a negative result is returned in step S103).

[0052] For example, when another vehicle CB is traveling at high speed in the adjacent lane L2, even if the other vehicle CB cuts in close proximity to the own vehicle, the other vehicle CB will immediately move away, so deceleration control for the other vehicle CB is not necessary. In consideration of this point, when the other vehicle CB (cutting in vehicle) is traveling at high speed, the determination of whether or not it is a close-range cut-in is not executed. The same applies when a motorcycle passes near a dividing line at high speed in the own lane.

[0053] If step S103 is negative, this process is temporarily terminated, and if step S103 is positive, the process proceeds to step S104. If step S103 is negative, the determination of whether or not it is a time for close-range cutting in is not executed in the subsequent step S105. In other words, even if it is determined in step S102 that the other vehicle CB is in a situation where it is about to cut in, it is not determined whether or not it is a time for close-range cutting in of the other vehicle CB (cutting vehicle). This corresponds to the determination of whether or not it is a time for close-range cutting in being invalidated. Step S103 corresponds to a deactivation determination unit. Note that the deactivation determination unit may invalidate the determination result based on the turning state of the host vehicle CA or the relative speed of the other vehicle CB (cutting vehicle) after it is determined in step S105 described below that it is a time for close-range cutting in.

[0054] In step S104, it is determined whether the traveling speed of the host vehicle CA is in a predetermined low speed state, which is lower than a predetermined speed. The predetermined speed is, for example, 30 km / h. Here, if the result of step S104 is affirmative, it is determined in the subsequent step S105 whether it is a close-range cut-in time. Since it is considered that a close-range cut-in by another vehicle CB is likely to occur in a scene in which the host vehicle CA is traveling at a low speed, in this embodiment, the condition for determining close-range cut-in is that the host vehicle CA is in a low-speed state.

[0055] In step S105, it is determined whether the cutting in of the other vehicle CB ahead of the host vehicle corresponds to a close-range cutting in. In this embodiment, using the relationship in Fig. 5, it is determined whether it is a close-range cutting in or a normal cutting in based on the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB and the lateral speed of the cutting in vehicle.

[0056] If either step S104 or S105 is negative, the process proceeds to step S106, and if both steps S104 and S105 are positive, the process proceeds to step S111.

[0057] In step S106, another vehicle CB is selected as the preceding vehicle CC to be followed. Also, in step S107, an upper limit value MA is set as the upper limit value of the deceleration of the host vehicle CA. The upper limit value MA is, for example, -0.5G. In step S108, in order to make the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle CA and the preceding vehicle CC the target inter-vehicle distance, the deceleration control of the host vehicle CA is executed while restricting the deceleration of the host vehicle CA with the upper limit value MA.

[0058] Also, in step S111, it is determined whether or not the lateral distance D2 with respect to the host vehicle CA is less than the threshold value TH2 for another vehicle CB that makes a short-distance cut-in. If the lateral distance D2 is less than the threshold value TH2, the process proceeds to step S112, and if the lateral distance D2 is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH2, the process proceeds to step S115. The negation of step S111 (D2 ≥ TH2) means that it is the initial stage of the cut-in of another vehicle CB. Also, the affirmation of step S111 (D2 < TH2) means that after the start of the cut-in, another vehicle CB has moved to the center side of the host vehicle lane.

[0059] In step S112, another vehicle CB is recognized as a cut-in vehicle. In step S113, an upper limit value MB1 is set as the upper limit value of the deceleration of the host vehicle CA. The upper limit value MB1 is, for example, -0.1G. In step S114, the deceleration control of the host vehicle CA is executed based on the positional relationship between the host vehicle CA and another vehicle CB while restricting the deceleration of the host vehicle CA with the upper limit value MB1.

[0060] Here, when a preceding vehicle CC is traveling ahead of the host vehicle CA (see FIG. 4), if the preceding vehicle CC decelerates, there is a high possibility that the other vehicle CB, which is a cutting-in vehicle, will also decelerate. Therefore, in step S114, the required deceleration set based on the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle CC is compared with the required deceleration set based on the positional relationship with the other vehicle CB, and deceleration control of the host vehicle CA is performed based on the required deceleration which results in a larger deceleration ratio. In other words, the deceleration set based on the positional relationship with the other vehicle CB (deceleration for the cutting-in vehicle) is a deceleration up to the upper limit value MB1, whereas the deceleration set based on the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle CC (deceleration for the preceding vehicle) is a deceleration that does not result in an upper limit value MB1, and deceleration control of the host vehicle CA is performed based on the larger deceleration ratio of these two decelerations.

[0061] On the other hand, in step S115, the other vehicle CB is selected as the preceding vehicle to be followed. In addition, in step S116, an upper limit value MB2 is set as the upper limit value of deceleration of the host vehicle CA. The upper limit value MB2 is a value that is larger in deceleration than the upper limit value MB1, for example, -0.5 G. In this embodiment, the upper limit value MB2 for close-range cutting-in is set to the same value (-0.5 G) as the upper limit value MA for normal cutting-in, but these values ​​may be different from each other. For example, the upper limit value MB2 may be a value that is smaller in deceleration than the upper limit value MA, or vice versa. In step S117, deceleration control of the host vehicle CA is executed while limiting the deceleration of the host vehicle CA to the upper limit value MB2 so that the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle CA and the newly-established preceding vehicle CB becomes the target inter-vehicle distance.

[0062] Finally, in step S118, the display 41 displays the other vehicle CB moving laterally from the adjacent lane L2 towards the own lane L1 while responding to the behavior of the other vehicle CB when cutting in.

[0063] Next, the cut-in determination for the other vehicle CB will be explained in more detail using the time charts of Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is a time chart for explaining a normal cut-in scene, and Figure 9 is a time chart for explaining a close-range cut-in scene. In Figures 8 and 9, the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is shown as a negative value of the host vehicle acceleration.

[0064] In Figure 8, before timing t1, the lateral position of the other vehicle CB is in a position relative to the lane marking where it is moving away from the host vehicle CA. In addition, the lateral speed of the other vehicle CB is approximately zero. The longitudinal distance of the other vehicle CB from the host vehicle CA is TH1 or more (4 m or more). After timing t1, the other vehicle CB begins to move toward the lane marking. As a result, the lateral position of the other vehicle CB gradually approaches the lane marking. In addition, the lateral speed of the other vehicle CB on the side approaching the host vehicle L1 from the adjacent lane L2 (negative lateral speed in the figure) gradually increases.

[0065] After that, at timing t2, the leading edge of the other vehicle CB reaches the lane marking. As a result, the other vehicle CB is recognized as a cutting-in vehicle and is selected as the preceding vehicle to be followed. As a result, following control is initiated to target the other vehicle CB as the following target. After timing t2, as the speed of the own vehicle is decelerated, the distance between the own vehicle and the other vehicle CB, which is the new preceding vehicle, gradually increases.

[0066] At timing t3, the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is limited to the upper limit value MA. After that, the deceleration control of the host vehicle CA causes the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB to become the target inter-vehicle distance, and thereafter, the speed control of the host vehicle CA is performed while maintaining that state.

[0067] Next, a short-distance cutting-in scene will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In Fig. 9, in each chart showing the acceleration of the host vehicle CA, the host vehicle speed, and the longitudinal distance to the other vehicle CB, the transition when the short-distance cutting-in determination is not performed is shown by a dashed line as a comparative example.

[0068] In Figure 9, before timing t11, as in Figure 8, the lateral position of the other vehicle CB is in a position relative to the lane marking where it is moving away from the host vehicle CA. In addition, the lateral speed of the other vehicle CB is approximately zero. However, unlike Figure 8, the longitudinal distance of the other vehicle CB from the host vehicle CA is less than TH1 (less than 4 m). After timing t11, the other vehicle CB begins to move closer to the lane marking. As a result, the lateral position of the other vehicle CB gradually approaches the lane marking. In addition, the lateral speed of the other vehicle CB gradually increases. However, unlike Figure 8, when cutting in close range, the lateral speed of the other vehicle CB is slower than when cutting in normally.

[0069] Thereafter, at timing t12, the leading edge of the other vehicle CB reaches the lane marking. As a result, the other vehicle CB is determined to be a cutting-in vehicle. After timing t12, deceleration control of the host vehicle CA is performed based on the positional relationship between the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB. At this time, the host vehicle CA is slowly decelerated because the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is limited by the upper limit value MB1. In other words, when the other vehicle CB initially starts to cut in, the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB do not overlap laterally as viewed in the direction of vehicle travel, and even if the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is not particularly large, the possibility of contact with the other vehicle CB is low, so the host vehicle CA is slowly decelerated.

[0070] Thereafter, at timing t13, the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB relative to the host vehicle CA becomes smaller than the threshold value TH2, and the other vehicle CB is newly selected as the preceding vehicle to be followed. At timing t13, the upper limit value of the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is changed from upper limit value MB1 to upper limit value MB2. This causes the host vehicle CA to perform a full deceleration. Thereafter, the deceleration control of the host vehicle CA causes the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB to become the target inter-vehicle distance, and thereafter, the speed control of the host vehicle CA is performed while maintaining that state.

[0071] The display mode of the display 41 when another vehicle CB cuts in front of the host vehicle from the adjacent lane will be described with reference to FIG.

[0072] 10, (a) shows the state before the other vehicle CB starts to cut in, and the other vehicle CB is traveling in an adjacent lane L2 to the right of the own vehicle CA, in a position to the right of the own vehicle CA. In this state, the other vehicle CB is displayed on the display 41 in a position to the right of the own vehicle CA, outside the own lane L1. Then, as shown in (b), the other vehicle CB starts to cut in.

[0073] At this time, if the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB is relatively long during normal cutting in, as shown in (c1), as the other vehicle CB starts to cut in, an animation image of the other vehicle CB moving laterally toward the host vehicle's lane L1 is displayed on the display 41, and following that animation image, a display indicating that the other vehicle CB is located ahead of the host vehicle on the host lane L1 is displayed. This notifies the driver that the other vehicle CB has been selected as a leading vehicle for follow-up control. On the road, after the display content on the display 41 changes, the other vehicle CB will move ahead of the host vehicle as shown in (c2).

[0074] Furthermore, when the other vehicle CB starts cutting in at a short distance, as shown in (d1), the display 41 shows no change from the display content before the other vehicle CB starts cutting in. Then, as shown in (d2), as the other vehicle CB moves toward the center of the host vehicle's lane L1 in the lateral direction, the display 41 shows an animation image of the other vehicle CB moving laterally toward the host vehicle's lane L1. Following this animation image, the display 41 shows that the other vehicle CB is positioned ahead of the host vehicle on the host vehicle's lane L1. This notifies the driver that the other vehicle CB has been selected as a preceding vehicle for tracking control. In other words, because the other vehicle CB performing a short-distance cutting in is likely to have a low lateral speed, the preceding vehicle is not selected at the time the other vehicle CB starts cutting in (when the other vehicle CB reaches the lane marking), and the animation image of the other vehicle CB moving to the preceding vehicle position is not displayed until the other vehicle CB can be reliably selected as a preceding vehicle.

[0075] According to the present embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

[0076] When another vehicle CB traveling in the adjacent lane L2 cuts in ahead of the host vehicle CA traveling in the host lane L1, it is determined whether or not it is a close-range cut-in. Furthermore, when it is determined that it is a close-range cut-in, if the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB is greater than a threshold value TH2, the upper deceleration limit value is set to an upper limit value MB1 in deceleration control of the host vehicle CA, which is performed based on the positional relationship with the other vehicle CB, and if the lateral distance D2 is smaller than the threshold value TH2, the upper deceleration limit value is switched to an upper limit value MB2, which is greater than the upper limit value MB1.

[0077] That is, in a scene where another vehicle CB cuts in front of the host vehicle at a short distance, at the beginning of the cut-in and when the other vehicle CB is relatively far away in a lateral direction, the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is controlled at a relatively small deceleration upper limit value (upper limit value MB1). Then, when the other vehicle CB approaches the host vehicle CA laterally, the deceleration of the host vehicle CA is controlled at a relatively large deceleration upper limit value (upper limit value MB2). In this case, in response to the close cut-in of the other vehicle CB, the host vehicle CA is switched between a gradual deceleration state and a full deceleration state in which the deceleration is greater than the gradual deceleration. As a result, during close cut-in when the detection accuracy of the radar device 22 (detection device) for a vehicle cutting in from the side is low, the other vehicle CB (cut-in vehicle) is caused to decelerate to avoid a collision from the beginning of the cut-in, while excessive deceleration of the other vehicle CB is suppressed. In other words, when cutting in close range, inconveniences such as reduced comfort due to unnecessary acceleration / deceleration caused by erroneous determination of the cutting-in vehicle or inability to perform accurate acceleration / deceleration control for the cutting-in vehicle are suppressed. As a result, appropriate speed control can be performed even if another vehicle CB cuts in ahead of the host vehicle CA at a position close to the host vehicle CA.

[0078] When it is determined that a close-range cut-in is occurring, and the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB (cutting vehicle) is determined to be greater than the threshold value TH2, the other vehicle CB is not selected as a preceding vehicle to be followed, but is newly selected as a preceding vehicle when the lateral distance D2 is determined to be smaller than the threshold value TH2. In this case, after the other vehicle CB that may cut in is detected in a close-range cut-in scene, the other vehicle CB is not immediately selected as a preceding vehicle, but is first selected as a vehicle to be subject to gradual deceleration, and then selected as a preceding vehicle as it approaches the host vehicle CA in the lateral direction. This allows the preceding vehicle to be switched appropriately, and allows the following control for the preceding vehicle to be performed appropriately.

[0079] Comparing normal cutting-in and close-range cutting-in, it is considered that close-range cutting-in increases the sensitivity of the deceleration control of the host vehicle's speed relative to the preceding vehicle immediately after the cutting-in vehicle becomes the new preceding vehicle. In consideration of this, in a situation where another vehicle CB cuts in during the tracking control execution mode, if it is not close-range cutting-in, the other vehicle CB is designated as the preceding vehicle for tracking travel when it is determined that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle. On the other hand, if close-range cutting-in is performed, the other vehicle CB is designated as the preceding vehicle for tracking travel when it is determined that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle and the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB is smaller than the threshold value TH2 after it is determined that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle. This prevents the vehicle from being decelerated too sensitively by the tracking control immediately after close-range cutting-in, which ultimately impairs the comfort of the vehicle occupants.

[0080] The mode of vehicle display on the display 41 is controlled to reflect the fact that the timing of selecting the other vehicle CB as the preceding vehicle for follow-up driving differs between when not cutting in close range and when cutting in close range. This allows the processing of preceding vehicle selection by the ECU 10 to match the display content on the display 41, allowing the driver to properly understand the state of follow-up control.

[0081] When cutting in at a short distance, if it is determined that the lateral distance D2 of the other vehicle CB from the host vehicle CA is greater than the threshold value TH2, the host vehicle speed is controlled while limiting the deceleration of the host vehicle CA, which is set based on its positional relationship with the other vehicle CB, to an upper limit value MB1, while the host vehicle speed is controlled while allowing the deceleration of the host vehicle CA, which is set based on its positional relationship with the preceding vehicle CC, to exceed the upper limit value MB1. In this case, if the preceding vehicle CC traveling in front of the cutting-in vehicle decelerates, it is highly likely that the cutting-in vehicle will also decelerate as a result, but by adjusting the deceleration while monitoring the behavior of both the other vehicle CB (cutting in vehicle) and the preceding vehicle CC as described above, it is possible to appropriately control the speed of the host vehicle CA.

[0082] Based on the lateral position information of the other vehicle CB entering from the adjacent lane L2 and the inclination of the other vehicle CB with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle, it is determined that the other vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle CA. In this case, even in a situation where the other vehicle CB attempting to cut in at close range cannot be detected with high accuracy by the radar device 22 or the camera 21, the behavior of the other vehicle CB can be properly grasped from the lateral position information and inclination of the other vehicle CB, and ultimately processing when the other vehicle CB cuts in at close range can be properly performed.

[0083] When it is determined that another vehicle CB is about to cut in front of the host vehicle, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle CA is in a close-range cut-in situation, provided that the host vehicle CA is in a predetermined low-speed state. This makes it possible to achieve appropriate speed control in low-speed driving situations where it is assumed that another vehicle CB is likely to cut in front of the host vehicle.

[0084] For example, when the host vehicle CA changes lanes, the host vehicle CA turns so as to straddle either the left or right dividing line of the host vehicle's lane L1. In this case, it may be erroneously determined that the host vehicle is cutting in close range, and there is a concern that unnecessary deceleration control may be performed on the other vehicle CB near the host vehicle. In this regard, the system is configured so that the determination of whether the host vehicle CA is cutting in close range is not valid when the host vehicle CA turns so as to straddle the dividing line of the host vehicle's lane L1, thereby making it possible to suppress unnecessary deceleration control.

[0085] For example, when another vehicle CB is traveling at high speed in the adjacent lane L2, even if the other vehicle CB cuts in close proximity to the subject vehicle, the other vehicle CB will immediately move away, so deceleration control for the other vehicle CB is unnecessary. In this regard, since the determination of whether or not a close-range cut-in is occurring is not made effective when the cutting-in vehicle is traveling at high speed, unnecessary deceleration control can be suppressed.

[0086] (Other embodiments) The above embodiment may be modified as follows, for example.

[0087] As an example of a host vehicle driving situation, as shown in FIG. 11 , another vehicle CB is traveling in front of the host vehicle CA, straddling one of the lane markings on one side of the host vehicle lane L1. Note that in FIG. 11( a), the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB do not overlap laterally, while in FIG. 11( b), the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB overlap. Here, when the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB overlap, if the host vehicle CA comes too close to the other vehicle CB in the vehicle's direction of travel, contact with the other vehicle CB can be avoided by stopping the host vehicle CA. On the other hand, when the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB do not overlap, even if the host vehicle CA comes too close to the other vehicle CB in the vehicle's direction of travel, the possibility of the host vehicle CA contacting the other vehicle CB is low. In consideration of this, it is preferable to set a lower limit speed for decelerating the host vehicle CA based on whether the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB overlap, and to perform deceleration control of the host vehicle CA within a speed range up to the lower limit speed. Specifically, the ECU 10 executes the process shown in Fig. 12. This process may be executed, for example, in step S114 in Fig. 7.

[0088] 12, in step S201, it is determined whether the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB overlap. If they overlap, the process proceeds to step S202, and if they do not overlap, the process proceeds to step S203. In step S202, the lower limit speed of the host vehicle CA is set to zero. In addition, in step S203, the lower limit speed of the host vehicle CA is set to a low predetermined speed α (for example, 10 km / h) that is greater than zero.

[0089] According to the above configuration, if there is an overlap between the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB, the host vehicle CA is decelerated within a range with a speed of zero as the lower limit, whereas if there is no overlap between the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB, the host vehicle CA is driven at a low speed with a lower limit of a predetermined speed α that is greater than zero. This makes it possible to appropriately avoid contact with the other vehicle CB while suppressing inconveniences such as the driver feeling uncomfortable due to the host vehicle CA being stopped unnecessarily.

[0090] 12, the lower limit speed of the host vehicle CA may be set based on the lateral speed (cut-in speed) of the other vehicle CB in addition to whether or not the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB overlap. In this case, if the lateral speed of the other vehicle CB is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, equal to or greater than 0.5 m / s), it is considered that there is a risk of contact even if the host vehicle CA and the other vehicle CB do not overlap, and therefore the lower limit speed of the host vehicle CA may be set to zero.

[0091] When a stopped vehicle (i.e., a parked vehicle) straddling the lane markings of the host vehicle CA ahead in the direction of travel is present, the stopped vehicle can be recognized from the time the stopped vehicle is located far away from the host vehicle CA. For example, on a straight road, the host vehicle CA can recognize the stopped vehicle from a position several tens of meters in front of the stopped vehicle. In this case, when the stopped vehicle is recognized, there is a concern that when the host vehicle CA approaches the stopped vehicle, the stopped vehicle may be erroneously determined to be a close-range cutting-in vehicle due to a recognition error in the camera image, etc. In consideration of this, a configuration may be adopted in which a stopped vehicle straddling the lane markings of the host vehicle CA ahead in the direction of travel is not subject to close-range cutting-in determination. Specifically, the ECU 10 executes the process shown in FIG. 13.

[0092] 13, in step S301, it is determined whether or not a stopped vehicle is present in the current lane L1 ahead of the host vehicle, and if a stopped vehicle is present, the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, it is determined that the stopped vehicle recognized in step S301 is to be excluded from the targets for close-range cutting-in determination. In this case, for example, if a stopped vehicle on the current lane L1 approaches within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 to 15 m) from the host vehicle CA, the stopped vehicle may be excluded from the targets for close-range cutting-in determination.

[0093] Thereafter, in step S303, it is determined whether the condition for canceling the decision to exclude the vehicle in step S302 is met. Specifically, for example, if any of the following is met: a predetermined time has elapsed since the stopped vehicle was recognized, the stopped vehicle has moved, or the stopped vehicle is no longer recognized, it is determined that the condition for canceling the decision to exclude the vehicle is met, and the process proceeds to step S304. In step S304, the decision to exclude the vehicle in step S302 is cancelled.

[0094] 13, the problem of a decrease in the accuracy of determining whether or not a vehicle is cutting in close proximity due to a stopped vehicle ahead of the vehicle can be reduced, thereby preventing unnecessary deceleration control for a stopped vehicle.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the relationship in Fig. 5 is used to determine whether a short-distance cut-in is being performed or a normal cut-in is being performed based on the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB and the lateral speed of the cutting-in vehicle, but this may be modified. For example, the determination of whether a short-distance cut-in is being performed or a normal cut-in may be performed based only on the longitudinal distance D1 from the host vehicle CA to the other vehicle CB.

[0096] In the above embodiment, one radar device 22 is provided in the front center position of the vehicle (see FIG. 2). However, this may be modified so that one radar device 22 is provided at each of the left and right corners of the front of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 10...ECU, 21...camera, 22...radar device.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device (10) is applied to a vehicle equipped with a detection device (21, 22) that detects an object around the vehicle, and controls a traveling speed of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling based on detection information of the detection device, an intrusion situation determination unit that determines, when the host vehicle is traveling in the host lane, whether another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane adjacent to the host lane and traveling in the same vehicle traveling direction as the host lane is about to intrude in front of the host vehicle; a short-distance cut-in determination unit that, when it is determined by the cut-in situation determination unit that the other vehicle is in a situation where it will cut in front of the host vehicle, determines whether or not the host vehicle is in a short-distance cut-in situation where a separation distance between the other vehicle and the host vehicle in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is smaller than a predetermined short-distance determination value; a lateral distance determination unit that, when it is determined by the short-distance cut-in determination unit that it is the time to cut in, determines whether a lateral distance of the other vehicle relative to the host vehicle in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is smaller than a predetermined threshold value; a deceleration control unit that sets a first upper limit value to a deceleration upper limit in deceleration control of the host vehicle that is performed based on a positional relationship with the other vehicle when it is determined that the lateral distance is greater than the threshold value, and that switches the deceleration upper limit value to a second upper limit value that is greater than the first upper limit value when it is determined that the lateral distance is smaller than the threshold value; A vehicle control device comprising:

2. A vehicle control device capable of executing follow-up control to make the host vehicle follow a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle while maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance, 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising a preceding vehicle selection unit that, when the close-range cut-in determination unit determines that it is time to cut in at a short distance, does not select the other vehicle as a preceding vehicle to be followed when it is determined that the lateral distance of the other vehicle is greater than the threshold value, and selects the other vehicle as a preceding vehicle to be followed when it is determined that the lateral distance of the other vehicle is smaller than the threshold value.

3. The preceding vehicle selection unit When the other vehicle is not in the short distance cutting-in situation and the cutting-in situation determination unit determines that the other vehicle is in the situation to cut in front of the own vehicle, the other vehicle is set as a preceding vehicle for following travel, 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein, in the case of the close-range cutting-in, after the cutting-in situation determination unit determines that the other vehicle is in a situation where it is about to cut in front of the vehicle, when it determines that the lateral distance of the other vehicle is smaller than the threshold value, the other vehicle is designated as a preceding vehicle for following driving.

4. The present invention is applied to a vehicle having a display unit (41) that can be seen by a driver, a display control unit that causes the display unit to display another vehicle moving laterally from the adjacent lane toward the own vehicle lane ahead of the own vehicle; The display control unit When the situation is not one in which the vehicle is about to cut in front of the own vehicle, and the cutting-in situation determination unit determines that the other vehicle is about to cut in front of the own vehicle based on the determination, the display unit moves the other vehicle laterally from the adjacent lane and displays it on the own lane, 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein, in the case of the close-range cutting-in, after the cutting-in situation determination unit determines that the other vehicle is in a situation to cut in front of the subject vehicle, and when the other vehicle is determined to be a leading vehicle in a following-up driving situation based on the determination that the lateral distance of the other vehicle is smaller than the threshold value, the display unit moves the other vehicle laterally from the adjacent lane and displays it on the subject vehicle's lane.

5. The deceleration control unit When the short-distance cut-in determination unit determines that it is the short-distance cut-in time and the lateral distance determination unit determines that the lateral distance is greater than the threshold value, 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the speed of the host vehicle is controlled based on the greater of a deceleration rate for an intervening vehicle that is set based on the positional relationship with the other vehicle and has the first upper limit value as its upper limit, and a deceleration rate for a preceding vehicle that is set based on the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle and does not have the first upper limit value as its upper limit.

6. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cut-in situation determination unit determines that the other vehicle is in a situation where it will cut in front of the host vehicle based on the lateral position information of the other vehicle and the inclination of the other vehicle relative to the direction of travel of the host vehicle.

7. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the close-range cut-in determination unit determines whether or not the close-range cut-in is occurring when the cut-in situation determination unit determines that the other vehicle is in a situation where it is about to cut in front of the vehicle, provided that the vehicle's traveling speed is in a predetermined low speed state that is lower than a predetermined speed.

8. an overlap determination unit that determines whether the host vehicle and the other vehicle overlap in the lateral direction when the cutting-in situation determination unit determines that the other vehicle is about to cut in front of the host vehicle, The deceleration control unit sets a lower limit speed for decelerating the vehicle based on whether or not there is an overlap, and performs deceleration control of the vehicle within a speed range up to the lower limit speed.

9. A vehicle control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a non-validation judgment unit that does not validate the judgment by the close-range cut-in judgment unit as to whether or not the other vehicle is about to cut in front of the vehicle when the cut-in situation judgment unit determines that the other vehicle is about to cut in front of the vehicle and the vehicle turns so as to straddle either the left or right dividing line of the vehicle's lane.

10. A vehicle control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a non-validation judgment unit that does not validate the judgment by the close-range cut-in judgment unit as to whether or not the other vehicle is in a close-range cut-in situation when the cut-in situation judgment unit determines that the other vehicle is in a situation where it is about to cut in front of the vehicle and the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

11. A vehicle control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the close-range cut-in determination unit does not treat a stopped vehicle as a target for close-range cut-in determination when there is a stopped vehicle straddling either the left or right dividing line of the vehicle's lane ahead of the vehicle's direction of travel.

12. A program applied to a vehicle equipped with a detection device (21, 22) that detects an object around the vehicle, the program controlling a traveling speed of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling based on detection information of the detection device, On the computer, an intrusion situation determination process for determining, when the host vehicle is traveling in the host lane, whether another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane adjacent to the host lane and traveling in the same vehicle traveling direction as the host lane is about to intrude in front of the host vehicle; a short-distance cut-in determination process for determining whether a short-distance cut-in situation occurs when the other vehicle is determined to be in a situation where it is about to cut in front of the host vehicle by the cut-in situation determination process, and whether a separation distance between the other vehicle and the host vehicle in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is smaller than a predetermined short-distance determination value; a lateral distance determination process for determining whether a lateral distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle in a lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is smaller than a predetermined threshold value when the close-range cut-in determination process determines that the close-range cut-in is occurring; a deceleration control process for setting a first upper limit value as a deceleration upper limit in deceleration control of the host vehicle that is performed based on a positional relationship with the other vehicle when it is determined that the lateral distance is greater than the threshold value, and for switching the deceleration upper limit value to a second upper limit value that is greater than the first upper limit value when it is determined that the lateral distance is smaller than the threshold value; A program that executes the following.

Images