In-vehicle electronic control device

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle-mounted electronic control device having a processing device that recognizes, on the basis of a result of an fusion process, a possible travel area on a road surface around a vehicle, sets, when a collision between the vehicle and an object is predicted, an avoidance goal for avoiding the collision with the object with which the collision is predicted, generates an avoidance path leading to the avoidance goal inside the possible travel area, sets, around the vehicle, an entry object detection area to detect the entry of an object, detects an object that has entered the entry object detection area on the basis of object information before the fusion process for objects detected by a plurality of external world sensors, and determines, on the basis of a result of the detection, whether to execute an avoidance maneuver along the avoidance path.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an on-vehicle electronic control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Various driving assistance systems have been developed to support drivers of automobiles and to avoid collisions with other automobiles or to reduce the impact of collisions. A typical example of a driving assistance system is an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that automatically starts braking to prevent or reduce the impact of a collision when a collision with an object such as another automobile in front of the automobile is predicted. Furthermore, a driving assistance system that aims to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the object by performing not only braking but also automatic steering with a change in the direction of travel of the automobile or steering assistance for the driver when it is determined that a collision with the object cannot be prevented by AEB is also being considered. In this system, since the avoidance operation involves a change in the direction of travel of the automobile, it is necessary to monitor the vehicle so that it does not come into contact with objects other than the object with which the collision is predicted.

[0003] Such driving assistance systems perform control to support the driver based on information detected by multiple external sensors installed in the vehicle. In recent years, driving assistance systems have adopted sensor fusion technology that integrates the detection results of multiple external sensors to recognize targets within a wide range around the vehicle with high accuracy. Information integrated by sensor fusion technology is more reliable than information output from a single external sensor.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention in which sensor fusion technology is used in a method and device for monitoring a target trajectory that a vehicle should follow to determine whether a collision will occur during highly automated driving. Patent Document 1 describes that free space around the vehicle is identified based on fused sensor data, and the target trajectory is inspected based on the identified free space to determine whether a collision will occur. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2018-512323 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When changing the direction of travel of the vehicle to avoid a collision with a target, the time required for various processes to determine whether or not to change the direction of travel of the vehicle is shorter than when changing the direction of travel of the vehicle during normal driving, such as changing lanes.

[0007] However, while the information integrated by sensor fusion technology is highly reliable, there is a problem in that the processing takes longer to complete than when recognizing a target based on the output results of a single external sensor.

[0008] For example, when collision inspection of a target trajectory is performed based on the combined results of information from multiple external sensors, as in the technology described in Patent Document 1, it may take on the order of 100 milliseconds to adjust the sampling times and delay times between each external sensor and to combine the detection results of the multiple external sensors after adjustment.

[0009] For this reason, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, if a new target different from the target (target to be avoided) approaches the target trajectory between the time the external sensor detects the target and the time the collision inspection is completed, and an avoidance operation is performed along the target trajectory, there is a risk that the new target will come into contact with the vehicle.

[0010] The present invention aims to provide an on-board electronic control device that is capable of integrating information from multiple external sensors and is capable of preventing contact between the vehicle and an object other than the object to be avoided by performing an avoidance operation that involves changing the vehicle's direction of travel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, an on-vehicle electronic control device includes a processing device that acquires target information of a target detected by a plurality of external sensors mounted on the host vehicle and executes an integration process that integrates the acquired target information. The processing device recognizes a drivable area of ​​a road surface around the host vehicle that the host vehicle can enter based on a result of the integration process, predicts whether or not the host vehicle will collide with the target based on the target information, sets an avoidance target for avoiding a collision with the target predicted to collide with when it is predicted that the host vehicle will collide with the target, generates an avoidance path to the avoidance target within the drivable area, sets an intrusion object detection area around the host vehicle that detects the intrusion of the target, detects the target that has entered the intrusion object detection area based on the target information of the target detected by the plurality of external sensors before the integration process, and determines whether or not to execute an avoidance operation along the avoidance path based on the detection result. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an on-board electronic control device that is capable of processing information from multiple external sensors and is capable of preventing contact between the host vehicle and an object other than the object to be avoided by performing an avoidance operation that involves changing the direction of travel of the host vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a host vehicle, and shows a plurality of external sensors A, B, and C installed on the host vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the host vehicle, showing an example of the visual field range of the external sensors A, B, and C shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the on-vehicle electronic control device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the in-vehicle electronic control device. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing detailed functions of the sensor fusion processing unit shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of a road on which the host vehicle is traveling, showing the host vehicle, other vehicles present ahead of the host vehicle, and a drivable area. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing detailed functions of the intruding object detection area setting unit shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of a road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and shows a plurality of detection area candidates set by the intrusion object detection area setting unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a road in which the driving direction of the avoidance target lane and the avoidance destination adjacent lane is the same as the driving direction of the host vehicle lane. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a road in which the driving direction of the avoidance target lane and the avoidance destination adjacent lane is opposite to the driving direction of the host vehicle lane. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of each process of collision prevention control executed by the vehicle-mounted electronic control device. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the process of determining the validity of the travelable area in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the process of setting the intruding object detection area in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view of a road with three lanes on each side and a median strip. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view of a road with three lanes on each side, showing an example in which detection area candidates are set so as to straddle the center line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an on-vehicle electronic control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same number is assigned to each object to represent the same component, and duplicated description will be omitted. Note that, although an example of application of the on-vehicle electronic control device according to this embodiment to a driving assistance system will be described, it is also possible to apply it to an automatic driving system, and similar effects can be obtained. Hereinafter, the automobile (vehicle) on which the on-vehicle electronic control device according to this embodiment is mounted will also be referred to as the subject vehicle.

[0015] In this embodiment, by applying the on-board electronic control device described below, it becomes possible to quickly detect a new target (a target different from the target to be avoided) approaching the avoidance route based on the target information before the integration processing, within the integration processing time until the integration processing of the target information is completed, due to an avoidance operation that involves a change in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and it is possible to prevent contact between the vehicle and the new target.

[0016] <External sensor> When a collision between the vehicle and a target present in the travel direction of the vehicle is predicted, the vehicle-mounted electronic control device according to this embodiment performs control to change the travel direction of the vehicle to avoid the target with which the collision is predicted. For this reason, an external sensor is provided in the vehicle to detect targets present in all directions around the vehicle in preparation for movement not only in the forward and backward directions but also in the lateral direction (left and right directions). The vehicle-mounted electronic control device is connected to the external sensor and acquires target information of the target detected by the external sensor. Note that the target refers to, for example, other vehicles other than the vehicle, pedestrians, bicycles, road signs, road markings, median strips, traffic lights, road boundaries, road edges, curbs, obstacles, and the like. The target information includes information indicating the relative position and relative speed of the target with respect to the vehicle, and the size of the target, such as the width. Note that the relative position and relative speed of the target with respect to the vehicle may be calculated by the vehicle-mounted electronic control device based on information acquired from the external sensor.

[0017] With reference to Fig. 1, a configuration example of multiple external sensors A, B, C (A1 to A4, B1, B2, C1 to C8) provided on the host vehicle 100 will be described. Fig. 1 is a plan view of the host vehicle 100, and shows the multiple external sensors A, B, C provided on the host vehicle 100. As shown in Fig. 1, three types of external sensors A, B, C are provided on the host vehicle 100.

[0018] The external sensor A is a wide-angle sensor, such as a camera (monocular camera, stereo camera), millimeter wave radar, or laser radar. The wide-angle sensor monitors a distance range of up to several tens of meters surrounding the host vehicle 100. The wide-angle sensors attached to the host vehicle 100 include an external sensor A1 installed on the left front part of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the left front of the host vehicle 100, an external sensor A2 installed on the right front part of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the right front of the host vehicle 100, an external sensor A3 installed on the right rear part of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the right rear of the host vehicle 100, and an external sensor A4 installed on the left rear part of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the left rear of the host vehicle 100.

[0019] The external sensor B is a long-range sensor, such as a camera (monocular camera, stereo camera), millimeter wave radar, or laser radar. The long-range sensors attached to the vehicle 100 include an external sensor B1 installed at the top of the front window to monitor the front of the vehicle 100, and an external sensor B2 installed at the top of the rear window to monitor the rear of the vehicle 100.

[0020] The external sensor C is a short-range sensor, for example, an ultrasonic sensor. The short-range sensor monitors a range close to the host vehicle 100 that is difficult to detect with a wide-angle sensor. The short-range sensors attached to the host vehicle 100 include an external sensor C1 installed on the front side of the left side of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the left side of the front of the host vehicle 100, external sensors C2 and C3 installed on the front of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the front of the host vehicle 100, an external sensor C4 installed on the front side of the right side of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the right side of the front of the host vehicle 100, an external sensor C5 installed on the rear side of the right side of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the right side of the rear of the host vehicle 100, external sensors C6 and C7 installed on the rear of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the rear of the host vehicle 100, and an external sensor C8 installed on the rear side of the left side of the host vehicle 100 and monitoring the left side of the rear of the host vehicle 100.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle and shows an example of the field of view (detection range) of the external sensors A, B, and C shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the field of view VA1, the field of view VA2, the field of view VA3, and the field of view VA4 respectively represent ranges in which targets can be detected using the external sensors A1, A2, A3, and A4, which are wide-angle sensors. The field of view VB1 and the field of view VB2 respectively represent ranges in which targets can be detected using the external sensors B1 and B2, which are long-distance sensors. The field of view VC represents a range in which targets can be detected using the external sensors C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, and C8.

[0022] The horizontal viewing angle of the external sensors A1-A4, i.e., the central angle of the sector-shaped viewing ranges VA1-VA4 shown in the figure, is greater than 90 degrees. The external sensors A1-A4 are also arranged so that adjacent viewing ranges partially overlap. This allows the external sensors A1-A4 to monitor a 360° range around the vehicle 100 in a farther area than the short-distance sensors.

[0023] The external sensors C1 to C8 are arranged so as to form a visual field range VC in the area near the vehicle 100, which can cover an area not covered by any of the visual field ranges VA1 to VA4.

[0024] It is required to detect the presence of targets at an earlier stage in the direction along the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, i.e., in front of and behind the vehicle 100. For this reason, the visual field ranges VB1, VB2 of the external sensors B1, B2 extend farther than the visual field ranges VA1 to VA4 of the wide-angle sensor.

[0025] <Hardware configuration of on-board electronic control unit> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an in-vehicle electronic control device 30 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 is composed of a computer including a processing device 31 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a non-volatile memory 32 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, or a hard disk drive, a volatile memory 33 called a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input interface 34, an output interface 35, and other peripheral circuits. Note that an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like can also be used as the processing device 31. The non-volatile memory 32 and the volatile memory 33 function as storage devices for storing information (data).

[0026] The non-volatile memory 32 stores programs capable of executing various calculations. In other words, the non-volatile memory 32 is a storage device (storage medium) capable of reading programs that realize the functions of this embodiment. The processing device 31 is a calculation device that loads the programs stored in the non-volatile memory 32 into the volatile memory 33 and executes calculations, and performs predetermined calculations on data taken from the input interface 34, the non-volatile memory 32 which is a storage device, and the volatile memory 33 in accordance with the programs.

[0027] The input interface 34 converts the target information (detection information) Ia, Ib, and Ic detected by the external sensors A, B, and C so that it can be calculated by the processing device 31. In addition, the output interface 35 generates a control signal according to the calculation result in the processing device 31 and outputs it to the control target 40.

[0028] The on-vehicle electronic control device 30 may be configured with a single computer or multiple computers. When the on-vehicle electronic control device 30 is configured with multiple computers, the functions of the on-vehicle electronic control device 30 are realized by multiple processing devices 31.

[0029] The processing device 31 of the on-board electronic control device 30 acquires target information of targets detected by multiple external sensors A, B, and C mounted on the vehicle 100, stores the target information in a memory device, and executes an integration process to integrate the multiple target information stored in the memory device.

[0030] In the integration process, for example, when the same target is detected by multiple types of external sensors A, B, and C, the processing device 31 generates integrated information that integrates the target information of the target detected by the multiple types of external sensors A, B, and C, and stores the integrated information in the storage device.

[0031] The processing device 31 generates integrated information including the position of the target based on a plurality of target information generated for one target. As shown in FIG. 2, an example of target information integration processing in a case where a target 90 existing in the right front of the vehicle 100 is detected by external sensors A, B, and C will be described. The position of the target 90 detected by the external sensor A is set as position PA, the position of the target 90 detected by the external sensor B is set as position PB, and the position of the target 90 detected by the external sensor C is set as position PC. The processing device 31 calculates the center of gravity positions of the targets as integrated information, assuming that objects of the same mass exist at positions PA, PB, and PC. Note that the mass of the object assumed at each position PA, PB, and PC may be increased as the reliability of the external sensors A, B, and C increases.

[0032] <Functions of on-board electronic control units> The functions of the on-vehicle electronic control unit 30 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 4 to 10. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the on-vehicle electronic control unit 30.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 4, a plurality of external sensors A1-A4, B1, B2, C1-C8 and a control target 40 are connected to the in-vehicle electronic control device 30. The in-vehicle electronic control device 30 acquires target information (detection information) Ia1-Ia4, Ib1, Ib2, Ic1-Ic8 of targets detected by the plurality of external sensors A1-A4, B1, B2, C1-C8, grasps the external situation, and executes driving assistance control to operate the control target 40 according to the result. The control target 40 is a device or system mounted on the vehicle 100, and is a control target that operates to assist the driver based on a control signal output from the in-vehicle electronic control device 30.

[0034] For example, when the driving assistance control to be executed is lane departure prevention control that prevents the vehicle from departing from the lane while traveling, the steering device that steers the vehicle 100 is the control object 40. When the driving assistance control to be executed is alert control that issues an alarm to inform the driver of the possibility of a collision with a target, a display device such as a liquid crystal monitor and a sound output device such as a speaker are the control object 40. When the driving assistance control to be executed is deceleration and stop control that prevents a collision with a target, a brake device that applies a braking force to the vehicle 100 is the control object 40. When the driving assistance control to be executed is avoidance control that changes the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 to avoid a collision with a target, the steering device is the control object 40.

[0035] The on-board electronic control unit 30 may execute a combination of the above-mentioned driving assistance controls. For example, the on-board electronic control unit 30 may execute avoidance control and deceleration / stop control simultaneously. In this case, the operation of the steering device and the brake device, which are the control target 40, is controlled by a control signal (operation command) output from the on-board electronic control unit 30. In addition, since the avoidance control and the deceleration / stop control are controls to prevent a collision between the host vehicle 100 and a target, hereinafter, both controls are also collectively referred to as collision prevention control.

[0036] The on-board electronic control unit 30 functions as a sensor fusion processing unit 302, an accuracy priority control unit 303, a collision prevention control unit 304, a drivable area recognition unit 305, an avoidance path generation unit 306, an intrusion object detection area setting unit 307, an intrusion object detection unit 308, and an avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 by the processing unit 31 executing the programs stored in the non-volatile memory 32.

[0037] The sensor fusion processing unit 302 executes sensor fusion processing based on the target information Ia, Ib, and Ic acquired from the multiple external sensors A, B, and C. The sensor fusion processing includes an integration process for integrating the target information Ia, Ib, and Ic acquired from the multiple external sensors A, B, and C to generate integrated information Ii. The sensor fusion processing unit 302 generates integrated information Ii with higher accuracy than information detected by a single external sensor within the entire visual range of the multiple external sensors A, B, and C.

[0038] The precision-priority control unit 303 performs driving assistance control such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and lane keeping. Driving assistance control such as ACC and lane keeping is intended to improve comfort and convenience during steady driving, and high-precision control is required to ensure stable operation. For this reason, the precision-priority control unit 303 performs driving assistance control such as ACC and lane keeping based on integrated information Ii generated by the sensor fusion processing unit 302, rather than on information detected by a single external sensor.

[0039] On the other hand, the collision prevention control unit 304 outputs a control signal to a brake device or a steering device to prevent a collision when it detects a target object that may collide with the vehicle 100 in the traveling direction. It is desirable for the collision prevention control unit 304 to quickly output a control signal to the control target 40 in order to prevent a collision with the detected target object.

[0040] Here, the collision prevention control based on the integrated information Ii is superior in responsiveness to the collision prevention control based on the information detected by the external sensor alone without performing the integrated processing. In the sensor fusion processing by the sensor fusion processing unit 302, a relatively large delay occurs in the process, as described later.

[0041] The sensor fusion processing by the sensor fusion processor 302 and the amount of delay in the sensor fusion processing will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram showing detailed functions of the sensor fusion processor shown in Fig. 4.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor fusion processing unit 302 includes time synchronization processing units 401A1-401A4, 401B1, 401B2, 401C1-401C8 corresponding to target information Ia1-Ia4, Ib1, Ib2, Ic1-Ic8 from multiple external sensors A1-A4, B1, B2, C1-C8, and an integration processing unit 402 that integrates the multiple target information Ia1-Ia4, Ib1, Ib2, Ic1-Ic8 and generates integrated information Ii.

[0043] The external sensors A1-A4, B1, B2, C1-C8 have different sampling times (sampling timings) and data transmission delay times. Therefore, the time synchronization processing units 401A1-401C8 execute time synchronization processing of the target information Ia1-Ia4, Ib1, Ib2, Ic1-Ic8 from the external sensors A1-A4, B1, B2, C1-C8 prior to integration processing by the integration processing unit 402.

[0044] The time synchronization processing units 401A1-401C8 generate estimated data strings of the target information Ia1-Ia4, Ib1, Ib2, Ic1-Ic8 obtained by sampling at a common timing based on the target information Ia1-Ia4, Ib1, Ib2, Ic1-Ic8. The estimated data strings can be generated by interpolating sample values ​​of each target information at times that sandwich an assumed sampling time. However, in the process of obtaining an estimated value at a common timing by interpolation, a delay amount equal to or greater than the largest delay amount among the target information Ia1-Ia4, Ib1, Ib2, Ic1-Ic8 is added to the estimated data string.

[0045] The integration processing unit 402 performs integration processing of each target information based on the estimated data sequence of each target information synchronized by the time synchronization processing units 401A1 to 401C8. The integrated information Ii generated by the integration processing is more reliable than the target information of the target detected by a single external sensor. However, the integrated information Ii has a large delay amount corresponding to the processing time of the integration processing unit 402 in addition to the delay amount of the result of processing by the time synchronization processing units 401A1 to 401C8. Therefore, it may take a time of the order of 100 milliseconds from the timing when the target is first detected by any of the multiple external sensors A1 to A4, B1, B2, C1 to C8 until the integrated information Ii is generated.

[0046] Therefore, in this embodiment, the sensor fusion processing unit 302 outputs not only the integrated information Ii but also target information of targets detected by the external sensors A, B, and C as rapid report information If before the integration process is executed. The rapid report information If is information with lower delay than the integrated information Ii, and is used for collision prevention control.

[0047] The rapid report information If may be subjected to filtering and correction processing on the target information Ia, Ib, and Ic detected by the external sensors A, B, and C. The filtering processing is a process for reducing the influence of noise and abnormal values ​​on the target information Ia, Ib, and Ic. The correction processing is a process for correcting systematic errors (individual differences of the external sensors) on the target information Ia, Ib, and Ic.

[0048] If the processing time of the filtering process and the correction process is sufficiently short compared with the processing time of the time synchronization process and the integration process, the sensor fusion processing unit 302 may use the target information after the filtering process and the correction process as the preliminary information If.

[0049] Therefore, the quick report information If may be the target information Ia, Ib, Ic itself detected by the external sensors A, B, C, or may be target information that has been subjected to filtering or correction. In other words, the quick report information If may be target information at least at a stage prior to the time synchronization process and the integration process.

[0050] The driveable area recognition unit 305 shown in Fig. 4 recognizes a driveable area 800 (see Fig. 6) that is free of targets (obstacles) and that the vehicle 100 can enter from among the road surfaces around the vehicle 100, based on the integrated information Ii. Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of a road on which the vehicle 100 travels, showing the vehicle 100, another vehicle 101 in front of the vehicle 100, and the driveable area 800. In Fig. 6, the driveable area 800 is typically shown by hatching in a grid pattern. The recognition process of the driveable area 800 targets a wide 360° range around the vehicle 100 that is difficult to cover with a single external sensor.

[0051] The driveable area recognition unit 305 calculates the distribution of the free space based on the integrated information Ii generated as a result of the integration process of the sensor fusion processing unit 302. The free space refers to a space in which no vehicles, obstacles, etc. exist. The driveable area recognition unit 305 recognizes the driveable area 800 based on the distribution of the free space. If the free space is larger than the size of the host vehicle 100, the free space is recognized as the driveable area 800. In other words, if the free space is smaller than the size of the host vehicle 100, the free space is not recognized as the driveable area 800.

[0052] The collision prevention control unit 304 shown in FIG. 4 predicts whether or not the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target based on the breaking news information If, which is target information before integration processing of targets detected by multiple external sensors A, B, and C. The collision prevention control unit 304 predicts whether or not the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target based on the relative speed and relative distance between the target and the host vehicle 100 contained in the breaking news information If. In this collision prediction, the collision prevention control unit 304 predicts whether or not the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target, assuming that the speed of the host vehicle 100 will be maintained at the current speed. Hereinafter, this collision prediction will also be referred to as a first collision prediction.

[0053] When a collision is predicted between the host vehicle 100 and a target (for example, another vehicle 101 that is in front of the host vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 6 and has stopped due to sudden braking), the collision prevention control unit 304 controls the brake device to apply braking with the brake device. The collision prevention control unit 304 predicts whether or not the host vehicle 100 will collide with a target (hereinafter also referred to as the target object) that is predicted to collide with the host vehicle 100 in the first collision prediction due to braking with the brake device. Hereinafter, this collision prediction will also be referred to as the second collision prediction.

[0054] When the second collision prediction by the collision prevention control unit 304 predicts that the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target object, the avoidance path generation unit 306 generates an avoidance path 811 (see FIG. 6), which is a travel path for avoiding the target object.

[0055] The avoidance path generating unit 306 sets an avoidance target 810 for the host vehicle 100 to avoid collision with the target object within the driveable area 800 recognized by the driveable area recognizing unit 305. Furthermore, the avoidance path generating unit 306 generates an avoidance path 811 leading to the avoidance target 810 within the driveable area 800.

[0056] In this embodiment, a lane adjacent to the lane on which the host vehicle 100 is traveling is set as part of the drivable area 800. For this reason, the avoidance path generating unit 306 sets an avoidance target 810 in a lane adjacent to the lane on which the host vehicle 100 is traveling, i.e., outside the lane on which the host vehicle 100 is traveling.

[0057] The number of avoidance paths generated by the avoidance path generating unit 306 may be one or more. The avoidance path generating unit 306 does not generate an avoidance path when there is not a sufficient travelable area. An example in which a single avoidance path is generated will be described below. The avoidance target 810 is a target point where the host vehicle 100 stops after avoiding the target object when deceleration and stop control is executed, and is a target point where the host vehicle 100 assumes a posture that allows stable straight-ahead driving after avoiding the target object when deceleration and stop control is not executed.

[0058] When attempting to avoid a collision with an object by driving the host vehicle 100 along the avoidance path 811, a blind spot is likely to be formed in front of the object before and after a change in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100. In order to reduce the risk of a collision with an object from within this blind spot, it is preferable to execute deceleration and stop control and stop the host vehicle 100 at the avoidance target 810.

[0059] The driveable area 800 recognized by the driveable area recognition unit 305 is information that is older by the time required for the processing by the sensor fusion processing unit 302 and the processing by the driveable area recognition unit 305. For this reason, at the present time, there may be a case where a target exists in the driveable area 800 and the host vehicle 100 cannot actually enter the driveable area 800, that is, the driveable area 800 is in an invalid state. In this case, if the host vehicle 100 is caused to travel along the avoidance path 811 generated within the driveable area 800, there is a risk that the host vehicle 100 will come into contact with a new target that has entered the vicinity of the avoidance path 811.

[0060] Therefore, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 according to this embodiment defines a limited area including the avoidance route 811 as an intruding object detection area Ad (see Figs. 9 and 10), and judges whether or not a new intruding object has been detected within the intruding object detection area Ad based on the quick report information If with small delay that is generated by processing prior to the integration processing. Based on this judgment result, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 judges whether or not the travelable area 800 is still valid at the present time, that is, whether or not the host vehicle 100 can still enter the travelable area 800 at the present time. This will be explained in detail below.

[0061] The intruding object detection area setting unit 307 sets an intruding object detection area Ad (see Figs. 9 and 10) around the host vehicle 100 to detect the intrusion of a target. In this embodiment, the intruding object detection area setting unit 307 sets a plurality of detection area candidates Ca (see Fig. 8) along the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100. The intruding object detection area setting unit 307 selects a detection area candidate Ca to be the intruding object detection area Ad from among the plurality of detection area candidates Ca, based on the relationship between the traveling direction of the lane in which the avoidance target 810 is set and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100.

[0062] The process of setting the intruding object detection area Ad by the intruding object detection area setting unit 307 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 7 to 10. Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram showing detailed functions of the intruding object detection area setting unit 307 shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of the road 900 on which the host vehicle 100 travels, and shows a plurality of detection area candidates Ca set by the intruding object detection area setting unit 307. The example shown in Fig. 8 shows the detection area candidates Ca when it is predicted that the host vehicle 100 will collide with another vehicle 101 ahead of the host vehicle 100. In this embodiment, each detection area candidate Ca is rectangular.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 7, the intruding object detection area setting unit 307 includes an avoidance path detection area setting unit 1001 , a forward detection area setting unit 1002 , a backward detection area setting unit 1003 , and an intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 .

[0064] 7 and 8, the avoidance path detection area setting unit 1001 sets an avoidance path detection area 801 as one of the detection area candidates Ca. The avoidance path detection area 801 is set so as to include the avoidance path 811 generated by the avoidance path generating unit 306. The avoidance path detection area 801 is set to a lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling (hereinafter also referred to as the host vehicle driving lane) 901, a lane in which the avoidance target 810 is set (hereinafter also referred to as the avoidance target lane) 902, and a lane adjacent to the avoidance target lane 902, which is on the opposite side to the host vehicle driving lane 901 (hereinafter also referred to as the avoidance destination adjacent lane) 903.

[0065] The left edge of the avoidance path detection area 801 is set to the left edge of the host vehicle driving lane 901, and the right edge of the avoidance path detection area 801 is set to the right edge of the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903. The width of the avoidance path detection area 801 corresponds to the width of three lanes.

[0066] The rear end of the avoidance path detection area 801 is set to the front end of the vehicle 100 (i.e., the start point of the avoidance path 811), and the front end of the avoidance path detection area 801 is set to the avoidance target 810 (i.e., the end point of the avoidance path 811). Therefore, the length of the avoidance path detection area 801 corresponds to the length of the road 900 from the front end of the vehicle 100 to the avoidance target 810.

[0067] The forward detection area setting unit 1002 sets a forward detection area 803 as one of the detection area candidates Ca. The forward detection area 803 is set forward of the avoidance path detection area 801. The forward detection area 803 is an area extending forward from the avoidance target 810. The forward detection area 803 is set to the host vehicle driving lane 901, the avoidance target lane 902, and the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903.

[0068] The left edge of the forward detection area 803 is set to the right side of the other vehicle 101, and the right edge of the forward detection area 803 is set to the right edge of the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903. The width of the forward detection area 803 corresponds to the width of two lanes plus the horizontal distance between the right edge of the host vehicle's lane 901 and the right side of the other vehicle 101.

[0069] The rear end of the forward detection area 803 is set to the avoidance target 810, and the front end of the forward detection area 803 is set to a position a predetermined distance Df forward from the avoidance target 810. The predetermined distance Df will be described later.

[0070] The rear detection area setting unit 1003 sets a rear detection area 802 as one of the detection area candidates Ca. The rear detection area 802 is set rearward of the avoidance path detection area 801. The rear detection area 802 is an area extending rearward from the front end of the host vehicle 100.

[0071] The left edge of the rear detection area 802 is set to the left edge of the host vehicle's driving lane 901, and the right edge of the rear detection area 802 is set to the right edge of the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903. The width of the rear detection area 802 corresponds to the width of three lanes.

[0072] The front end of the rear detection area 802 is set at the front end of the host vehicle 100, and the rear end of the rear detection area 802 is set at a position a predetermined distance Dr rearward from the front end of the host vehicle 100. The predetermined distance Dr will be described later.

[0073] The avoidance path detection area 801 and the forward detection area 803 are not set forward of the rear end of the other vehicle 101 in the host vehicle driving lane 901 and to the left of the right side of the other vehicle 101. The rear detection area 802 is not set forward of the rear end of the host vehicle 100 in the host vehicle driving lane 901 and to the left of the right side of the host vehicle 100.

[0074] The position, size, and shape of the avoidance path detection area 801 are specified by coordinates in a vehicle body reference coordinate system. The coordinates in the vehicle body reference coordinate system that specify the position, size, and shape of the avoidance path detection area 801 are stored in a storage device as avoidance path detection area information.

[0075] The position, size, and shape of the forward detection area 803 are specified by coordinates in a vehicle body reference coordinate system. The coordinates in the vehicle body reference coordinate system that specify the position, size, and shape of the forward detection area 803 are stored in a storage device as forward detection area information.

[0076] The position, size, and shape of the rear detection area 802 are specified by coordinates in a vehicle body reference coordinate system. The coordinates in the vehicle body reference coordinate system that specify the position, size, and shape of the rear detection area 802 are stored in a storage device as rear detection area information.

[0077] The intrusion detection area selection unit 1004 selects a detection area candidate Ca to be the intrusion object detection area Ad from among multiple detection area candidates Ca based on the relationship between the driving direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the driving direction of the host vehicle 100 (the driving direction of the host vehicle driving lane 901).

[0078] The intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 specifies the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902, and judges whether the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 (i.e., the traveling direction of the host vehicle traveling lane 901). The intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 specifies the traveling direction (forward or backward) of the host vehicle 100 based on traveling speed information of the host vehicle 100 that can be acquired from a wheel speed sensor or the like. In addition, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 specifies the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 based on traveling direction information of the avoidance target lane 902. The traveling direction information of the avoidance target lane 902 is, for example, information on road signs and road markings detected by the external sensors A, B, and C.

[0079] The intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 may specify the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 and the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 based on information from a host vehicle position detection device (not shown), and determine whether or not the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100. The host vehicle position detection device has a map transmission function and a locator function.

[0080] The map transmission function is a function for transmitting map information such as road shape, number of lanes, driving direction of each lane, maximum speed (speed limit) of the road, etc. The map information may be simple map information for navigation or high-precision map information with highly accurate information at the lane level.

[0081] The locator function is a function for acquiring vehicle position information by a positioning device including a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna attached to the vehicle 100. The vehicle position information includes the position coordinates of the vehicle 100 in a global coordinate system, which is the position information of the vehicle 100, and the orientation of the vehicle 100, which is the attitude information of the vehicle 100.

[0082] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a road on which the driving direction of an avoidance target lane 902 and an avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 is the same as the driving direction of the host vehicle lane 901. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a road on which the driving direction of an avoidance target lane 902 and an avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 is opposite to the driving direction of the host vehicle lane 901.

[0083] 9, when the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 is the +X direction and the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the +X direction, it is not expected that an object that may collide with the host vehicle 100 will approach from the area ahead of the avoidance target 810. For this reason, when the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the rear detection area 802 as the intruding object detection area Ad from among the multiple detection area candidates Ca. In this case, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 does not select the front detection area 803 as the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0084] 10, when the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 is the +X direction and the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the -X direction, it is not expected that a target object that may collide with the host vehicle 100 will approach from the area behind the host vehicle 100. Therefore, when the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the forward detection area 803 as the intruding object detection area Ad from among the multiple detection area candidates Ca. In this case, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 does not select the backward detection area 802 as the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0085] In addition, when the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 is unable to determine whether the driving direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the same as or opposite to the driving direction of the vehicle 100, for example, because the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 is unable to identify the driving direction of the avoidance target lane 902, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 selects all of the detection area candidates Ca (801, 802, 803) shown in FIG. 8 as the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0086] Next, with reference to Figures 9 and 10, a distance Dr corresponding to the length in the direction along the traveling direction (+X direction) of the host vehicle 100 in the rear detection area 802 and a distance Df corresponding to the length in the direction along the traveling direction (+X direction) of the host vehicle 100 in the forward detection area 803 will be described.

[0087] 9, the rear detection area 802 is selected as the intruding object detection area Ad when the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle lane 901. As shown in Fig. 10, the front detection area 803 is selected as the intruding object detection area Ad when the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle lane 901.

[0088] Distance Dr shown in Fig. 9 is a value equal to or greater than the sum of the braking distance and free running distance of another vehicle (also referred to as a following vehicle) 102 traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle 100 behind the host vehicle 100. Distance Df shown in Fig. 10 is a value equal to or greater than the sum of the braking distance and free running distance of another vehicle (also referred to as an oncoming vehicle) 103 traveling in the opposite direction to the host vehicle 100 ahead of the host vehicle 100.

[0089] The free running distance is the distance a vehicle travels from when the driver or the automatic braking system of the vehicle recognizes an obstacle until the braking device starts to apply the brakes. The braking distance is the distance a vehicle travels from when the braking device starts to apply the brakes until the vehicle stops.

[0090] The rear detection area setting unit 1003 and the front detection area setting unit 1002 calculate the free running distance based on the travel speed information of the avoidance target lane 902 and the free running time previously stored in the non-volatile memory 32. The free running time refers to the time from when the driver of the vehicle or the automatic braking system recognizes an obstacle to when the braking device starts braking. The rear detection area setting unit 1003 and the front detection area setting unit 1002 calculate the braking distance based on the travel speed information of the avoidance target lane 902, the friction coefficient between the tire and the road surface previously stored in the non-volatile memory 32, and the gravitational acceleration. The friction coefficient may be a fixed value, or may be selected from a plurality of friction coefficient candidates based on the weather, road condition, type, etc.

[0091] The travel speed information of the avoidance target lane 902 is, for example, the maximum speed (speed limit) of the avoidance target lane 902. The rear detection area setting unit 1003 and the forward detection area setting unit 1002 set the maximum speed of the avoidance target lane 902 based on road signs and road markings detected by the external sensors A, B, and C. Note that the rear detection area setting unit 1003 and the forward detection area setting unit 1002 may set the maximum speed of the avoidance target lane 902 based on map information, position information and attitude information of the host vehicle acquired from a host vehicle position detection device.

[0092] In addition, for the travel speed information of the avoidance target lane 902, travel speed information of other vehicles traveling in the avoidance target lane 902 detected by the external sensors A, B, and C may be accumulated in a storage device, and an average value or a maximum value of the accumulated travel speed information from the current time to a predetermined time ago may be used.

[0093] When the following vehicle 102 is present within the rear detection area 802, even if the driver or the automatic braking system of the following vehicle 102 recognizes the vehicle 100 as an obstacle due to the deceleration of the vehicle 100 and then activates the brake device, the following vehicle 102 may come into contact with the vehicle 100. In other words, the rear detection area 802 is set as an area in which the following vehicle 102 may come into contact with the host vehicle 100 when the following vehicle 102 is present within the area.

[0094] When an oncoming vehicle 103 is present within the forward detection area 803, even if the driver of the oncoming vehicle 103 or an automatic braking system recognizes the vehicle 100 as an obstacle due to the deceleration of the vehicle 100 and then activates the brake device, the oncoming vehicle 103 may come into contact with the vehicle 100. In other words, the forward detection area 803 is set as an area in which the oncoming vehicle 103 may come into contact with the host vehicle 100 when the oncoming vehicle 103 is present within the area.

[0095] As described above, the intrusion object detection area setting unit 307 sets the intrusion object detection area Ad which is a part of the entire range detectable by the external sensors A, B, and C.

[0096] The intruding object detection unit 308 shown in Fig. 4 detects a target that has entered the intruding object detection area Ad set by the intruding object detection area setting unit 307, based on the quick report information If generated by the sensor fusion processing unit 302. In this way, the intruding object detection unit 308 refers to the quick report information If with a small amount of delay and detects an intruding object within the limited intruding object detection area Ad. This makes it possible to shorten the processing time by the intruding object detection unit 308.

[0097] The avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines whether or not to execute an avoidance operation along the avoidance path 811 based on the detection result of the intruding object detection unit 308. If an avoidance operation is executed when a new target object has entered the intruding object detection area Ad, there is a risk that the host vehicle 100 will come into contact with the target object. In other words, it can be said that the driveable area 800 recognized by the driveable area recognition unit 305 does not function as an avoidable area. In other words, it can be said that the driveable area 800 is in an invalid state.

[0098] When a target object that has entered the intruding object detection area Ad is detected, the avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines that the travelable area 800 is invalid and that an avoidance operation should not be performed. When a target object that has entered the intruding object detection area Ad is not detected, the avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines that the travelable area 800 is valid and that an avoidance operation should be performed.

[0099] When the avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines that an avoidance operation should be performed, the collision prevention control unit 304 outputs a control signal to the steering device, which is one of the control objects 40, and operates the steering device to cause the host vehicle 100 to travel along the avoidance path 811.

[0100] When the avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines that the avoidance operation is not to be performed, the collision prevention control unit 304 outputs a control signal to an alarm device, which is one of the control objects 40, and causes the alarm device to output an alarm. When the avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines that the avoidance operation is not to be performed, the collision prevention control unit 304 outputs a control signal to an impact mitigation device, which is one of the control objects 40, immediately before a collision, and activates the impact mitigation device. The impact mitigation device includes, for example, an airbag stored in a folded state and a gas generator for supplying gas to the airbag. Based on the breaking news information If, the collision prevention control unit 304 outputs a control signal to the impact mitigation device immediately before a collision between the host vehicle 100 and the target object, supplies gas to the airbag, and deploys the airbag.

[0101] <Processing flow executed by the on-board electronic control unit> An example of the flow of processing executed by the processing device 31 of the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 11 to Fig. 13. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of each process of collision prevention control executed by the in-vehicle electronic control device 30. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing for determining the validity of the travelable area in Fig. 11, and Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing for setting the intruding object detection area in Fig. 12.

[0102] The process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 11 is started, for example, when an ignition switch (not shown) of the host vehicle 100 is turned on, and is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control period. As shown in Fig. 11, in step S501, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 acquires target information of targets present around the host vehicle 100 detected by the external sensors A, B, and C from the external sensors A, B, and C. The in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 stores the acquired target information, and generates breaking news information If and integrated information Ii based on the acquired target information.

[0103] In the next step S502, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 executes a first collision prediction process to determine whether or not there is a possibility that the host vehicle 100, maintaining its current speed, will collide with a target object present around the host vehicle 100, based on the breaking news information If. The in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target object, based on the relative position and relative speed between the host vehicle 100 and the target object, which are included in the breaking news information If. If it is determined in step S502 that there is a possibility that the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target object, the process proceeds to step S503. If it is determined in step S502 that there is no possibility that the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target object, the process returns to step S501.

[0104] In step S503, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 outputs a control signal to a brake device, which is one of the control targets 40, and activates the brake device to start braking the host vehicle 100. By executing the process of step S503, the speed of the host vehicle 100 starts to decelerate. Note that the brake device is maintained in an activated state.

[0105] In the next step S504, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 executes a second collision prediction process to determine whether or not there is a possibility that the host vehicle 100, which is being braked by the brake device, will collide with a target that exists around the host vehicle 100, based on the breaking news information If. The in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target, based on the relative position and relative speed between the host vehicle 100 and the target, which are included in the breaking news information If, and the time rate of change of speed (acceleration) due to braking of the host vehicle 100.

[0106] If it is determined in step S504 that there is a possibility that the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target, the process proceeds to step S505. If it is determined in step S504 that there is no possibility that the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target, the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is terminated. If a negative determination is made in step S504, the operation of the brake device continues, so that the host vehicle 100 stops without colliding with the target (target object) that was predicted to have a possibility of colliding with in step S502. This prevents a collision between the host vehicle 100 and the target object.

[0107] In step S505, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 determines whether or not there is a drivable area 800 for which the avoidance route 811 can be generated. As described above, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 calculates the distribution of free space based on the integrated information Ii, and sets the drivable area 800 based on the calculation result. The drivable area 800 is repeatedly set at a predetermined control period. However, this drivable area 800 is old data by the delay time of the drivable area recognition process (the time it takes until recognition) from the current time.

[0108] If it is determined in step S505 that there is a drivable area 800 in which the avoidance path 811 can be generated, the process proceeds to step S506. If it is determined in step S505 that there is no drivable area 800 in which the avoidance path 811 can be generated, the process proceeds to step S509.

[0109] In step S506, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 executes a process for determining the validity of the travelable area 800, and proceeds to step S507. In step S506, if a target entering the intruding object detection area Ad is detected based on the quick report information If until the travelable area is recognized based on the current target information, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 determines that the travelable area 800, which is data older than the delay time of the travelable area recognition process, is invalid. In step S506, if a target entering the intruding object detection area Ad is not detected based on the quick report information If, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 determines that the travelable area 800, which is data older than the delay time of the travelable area recognition process, is valid. The detailed process flow of step S506 will be described later.

[0110] In step S507, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 determines whether or not to execute an avoidance operation based on the result of the process for determining the validity of the driveable area 800. In step S507, if the driveable area 800 is determined to be valid by the process for determining the validity of the driveable area 800 (S506), the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 determines to execute an avoidance operation, and proceeds to step S508. In step S507, if the driveable area 800 is determined to be invalid by the process for determining the validity of the driveable area 800 (S506), the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 determines not to execute an avoidance operation, and proceeds to step S509.

[0111] In step S508, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 outputs a control signal to the steering device, which is one of the control targets 40, and causes the host vehicle 100 to perform an avoidance operation along an avoidance path 811 generated in step S603 (see FIG. 12) described later. As a result, the host vehicle 100 travels along the avoidance path 811 while decelerating, and stops at the avoidance target 810. When the avoidance operation is completed, the process shown in the flowchart in FIG. 11 ends.

[0112] In step S509, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 executes a collision preparation process to prepare for a collision without performing an avoidance operation of the vehicle 100. In step S509, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 outputs a control signal to an alarm device, which is one of the control objects 40, and causes the alarm device to output an alarm before the collision, thereby prompting the occupants of the vehicle 100 to prepare to withstand the collision. Also, in step S509, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 activates an impact mitigation device, which is one of the control objects 40, prior to the collision, and deploys an airbag. This makes it possible to mitigate the impact inside the vehicle cabin and protect the occupants. When the collision preparation is completed, the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 ends.

[0113] The flow of the process (S506 in FIG. 11) for determining the validity of the travelable area 800 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 12, in step S601, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 sets an avoidance target 810, and proceeds to step S602.

[0114] The on-board electronic control device 30 sets the avoidance target 810 on the right or left side of the host vehicle driving lane 901. When the drivable area 800 exists only on one side of the host vehicle driving lane 901, the on-board electronic control device 30 sets the avoidance target 810 on the side where the drivable area 800 exists. When the drivable area 800 exists on both sides of the host vehicle driving lane 901, the on-board electronic control device 30 sets the avoidance target 810 on the side where the space between the left or right end of the host vehicle driving lane 901 and the left or right side of the target object is wider. For example, when the distance between the right end of the host vehicle driving lane 901 and the right side of the target object (the other vehicle 101 shown in FIG. 8) is wider than the distance between the left end of the host vehicle driving lane 901 and the left side of the target object, the on-board electronic control device 30 sets the avoidance target 810 on the right side of the host vehicle driving lane 901.

[0115] In step S602, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 outputs a control signal (operation command) to the steering device to move the host vehicle 100 toward the avoidance target 810 within the host vehicle driving lane 901. In this way, by moving the host vehicle 100 toward the avoidance target 810 within the host vehicle driving lane 901 before the process of determining whether or not to execute an avoidance operation along the avoidance path 811 (S507 in FIG. 11), the field of view (detection range) of the avoidance target 810 side in front of the host vehicle 100 by either of the external sensors A1 and A2 can be improved.

[0116] In the next step S603, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 generates an avoidance path 811 starting from the front end of the vehicle 100 and ending at the avoidance target 810, and proceeds to step S604. In step S604, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 sets an intrusion object detection area Ad, and proceeds to step S605.

[0117] In step S605, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 judges whether or not a target that has entered the intruding object detection area Ad set in step S604 has been detected based on the quick report information If. This process is completed within the processing time required for the drivable area to be recognized based on the current target information. If it is judged in step S605 that a target that has entered the intruding object detection area Ad has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S606. If it is judged in step S605 that a target that has entered the intruding object detection area Ad has been detected, the process proceeds to step S607.

[0118] In step S606, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 sets the valid flag to ON. In step S607, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 sets the valid flag to OFF. The valid flag is a flag that indicates the result of the process of determining the validity of the drivable area 800, and is set to ON when the drivable area 800 is determined to be valid (S606), and is set to OFF when the drivable area 800 is determined to be invalid (S607). When the flag setting process in step S606 or step S607 ends, the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12 ends, and the process proceeds to step S507 in FIG. 11.

[0119] The flow of the process of setting the intruding object detection area Ad (S604 in FIG. 12) will be described with reference to FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, in step S701, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 sets an avoidance path detection area 801, a rear detection area 802, and a front detection area 803 as three detection area candidates Ca, and proceeds to step S702.

[0120] In step S702, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 executes a process for identifying the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902, which is the lane in which the avoidance target 810 is set, and proceeds to step S703.

[0121] In step S703, the on-board electronic control unit 30 determines whether or not the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 has been identified in step S702. If it is determined in step S702 that the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 has been identified, the process proceeds to step S704. If it is determined in step S702 that the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 has not been identified, the process proceeds to step S707.

[0122] In step S704, the in-vehicle electronic control device 30 determines whether the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 identified in step S702 is the same as or opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 (the traveling direction of the host vehicle traveling lane 901). If it is determined in step S704 that the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, the process proceeds to step S705. If it is determined in step S704 that the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, the process proceeds to step S706.

[0123] In step S705, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the rear detection area 802 as the intrusion object detection area Ad from among the multiple detection area candidates Ca set in step S701.

[0124] In step S706, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the forward detection area 803 as the intrusion object detection area Ad from among the multiple detection area candidates Ca set in step S701.

[0125] In step S707, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 30 selects all of the detection area candidates Ca set in step S701, i.e., the avoidance path detection area 801, the rear detection area 802, and the front detection area 803, as the intrusion object detection area Ad.

[0126] When the process of selecting the entering object detection area Ad in step S705, step S706, or step S707 is completed, the process shown in the flowchart in FIG. 13 ends, and the process proceeds to step S605 in FIG.

[0127] According to the above-described embodiment, the following advantageous effects are obtained.

[0128] (1) The on-board electronic control device 30 includes a processing device 31 that acquires target information Ia, Ib, and Ic of targets detected by multiple external sensors A, B, and C mounted on the vehicle 100 and executes integration processing to integrate the acquired multiple pieces of target information Ia, Ib, and Ic. Based on the result of the integration processing (integrated information Ii), the processing device 31 recognizes a drivable area 800 of the road surface around the vehicle 100 that the vehicle 100 can enter.

[0129] The processing device 31 predicts whether or not the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target based on the target information (flash information If) before the integration process. When it is predicted that the host vehicle 100 will collide with the target, an avoidance target 810 is set to avoid a collision with the target (target object) predicted to collide. The processing device 31 generates an avoidance path 811 leading to the avoidance target 810 within the travelable area 800. Note that the travelable area 800 used here is old data that is older than the current time by the time required for the integration process and the travelable area recognition process.

[0130] The processing device 31 sets an intrusion object detection area Ad for detecting the intrusion of a target around the vehicle 100. The processing device 31 detects a target that has entered the intrusion object detection area Ad based on target information (flash information If) before integrated processing of targets detected by the multiple external sensors A, B, and C, and determines whether or not to execute an avoidance operation along the avoidance path 811 based on the detection result.

[0131] In this configuration, the processing device 31 of the on-board electronic control device 30 executes a process of integrating target information of targets detected by a plurality of external sensors A, B, and C. The processing device 31 recognizes a highly accurate drivable area 800 based on the integrated information Ii, which is the result of the integration process. The processing device 31 can improve comfort and convenience during steady driving by executing driving assistance control such as ACC and lane keeping based on the drivable area 800. However, the time required for processing from detection by the external sensors A, B, and C to recognition of the size and shape of the drivable area 800 is longer than other processing. For this reason, there is a risk that the target is currently approaching the periphery of the avoidance route 811 in the drivable area 800.

[0132] Therefore, when a collision with a target is predicted, the processing device 31 of the on-board electronic control device 30 according to this embodiment detects a target that has entered the intruding object detection area Ad set around the vehicle 100 based on the target information (flash information If) before the integration process. As a result, the processing device 31 determines the validity of the travelable area 800 currently recognized, i.e., stored in the storage device, and determines whether or not to execute an avoidance operation based on the determination result. In other words, when a target has entered the intruding object detection area Ad, the travelable area 800 is deemed invalid, and the avoidance operation is not executed. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of an event in which the vehicle 100 comes into contact with a target other than the avoidance target (for example, the other vehicle 101 shown in FIG. 8) due to an avoidance operation accompanied by a change in the traveling direction of the vehicle 100.

[0133] (2) The processing device 31 sets a plurality of detection area candidates Ca along the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100. The processing device 31 selects a detection area candidate Ca to be an intrusion object detection area Ad from the plurality of detection area candidates Ca based on the relationship between the traveling direction of the lane (avoidance target lane 902) in which the avoidance target 810 is set and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 (the traveling direction of the host vehicle traveling lane 901).

[0134] In this configuration, the intrusion object detection area Ad can be limited to an appropriate monitoring range according to the relationship between the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the traveling direction of the vehicle 100. This can reduce the amount of data handled in the detection process of the target in the intrusion object detection area Ad, and shorten the processing time. As a result, the processing device 31 can quickly determine whether or not to execute an avoidance operation.

[0135] (3) The multiple detection area candidates Ca include an avoidance path detection area 801 which includes the avoidance path 811, a forward detection area 803 which is set forward of the avoidance path detection area 801, and a rearward detection area 802 which is set rearward of the avoidance path detection area 801.

[0136] When the avoidance path detection area 801 is selected as the intruding object detection area Ad, it is possible to avoid contact between the host vehicle 100 and a target approaching the periphery of the avoidance path 811. When the forward detection area 803 is selected as the intruding object detection area Ad, it is possible to avoid contact between the host vehicle 100 and a target such as an oncoming vehicle 103 approaching the host vehicle 100 from ahead of the avoidance path 811. When the rear detection area 802 is selected as the intruding object detection area Ad, it is possible to avoid contact between the host vehicle 100 and a target such as a following vehicle 102 approaching the host vehicle 100 from behind the avoidance path 811.

[0137] (4) When the traveling direction of the lane in which the avoidance target 810 is set (avoidance target lane 902) is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, the processing device 31 selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the rear detection area 802 as the intruding object detection area Ad from among the multiple detection area candidates Ca. In this case, the processing device 31 does not select the front detection area 803 as the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0138] The processing device 31 determines the length Dr of the rear detection area 802 in the direction along the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 based on traveling speed information (e.g., the maximum speed of the avoidance target lane 902) of the lane in which the avoidance target 810 is set (avoidance target lane 902).

[0139] When the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 and the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 are the same, there is a higher possibility of contact with the following vehicle 102 than with the oncoming vehicle 103. For this reason, the processing device 31 does not select the forward detection area 803 as the intruding object detection area Ad, but selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the rear detection area 802 as the intruding object detection area Ad. This reduces the calculation load of the processing device 31, and makes it possible to appropriately avoid contact between the host vehicle 100 and the following vehicle 102.

[0140] Moreover, the length Dr of the rear detection region 802 is not a fixed value, but is determined based on the traveling speed information of the avoidance target lane 902. For example, the processing device 31 increases the length Dr of the rear detection region 802 as the maximum speed (speed limit) of the avoidance target lane 902 increases. This makes it possible to appropriately prevent contact between the following vehicle 102 traveling on the avoidance target lane 902 and the host vehicle 100 during the avoidance operation. Furthermore, the processing device 31 decreases the length Dr of the rear detection region 802 as the maximum speed (speed limit) of the avoidance target lane 902 decreases. This makes it possible to reduce the calculation load of the processing device 31.

[0141] (5) When the traveling direction of the lane in which the avoidance target 810 is set (avoidance target lane 902) is opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, the processing device 31 selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the forward detection area 803 as the intruding object detection area Ad from among the multiple detection area candidates Ca. In this case, the processing device 31 does not select the rear detection area 802 as the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0142] The processing device 31 determines the length Df of the forward detection area 803 in the direction along the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, based on the traveling speed information (e.g., the maximum speed of the avoidance target lane 902) of the lane in which the avoidance target 810 is set (avoidance target lane 902).

[0143] When the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 and the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 are opposite, the possibility of contact with the oncoming vehicle 103 is higher than that of the following vehicle 102. For this reason, the processing device 31 does not select the rear detection area 802 as the intruding object detection area Ad, but selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the forward detection area 803 as the intruding object detection area Ad. This reduces the calculation load of the processing device 31, and makes it possible to appropriately avoid contact between the host vehicle 100 and the oncoming vehicle 103.

[0144] Furthermore, the length Df of the forward detection region 803 is not a fixed value, but is determined based on the travel speed information of the avoidance target lane 902. For example, the processing device 31 increases the length Df of the forward detection region 803 as the maximum speed (speed limit) of the avoidance target lane 902 increases. This makes it possible to appropriately prevent contact between the oncoming vehicle 103 traveling on the avoidance target lane 902 and the host vehicle 100 during the avoidance operation. Furthermore, the processing device 31 decreases the length Df of the forward detection region 803 as the maximum speed (speed limit) of the avoidance target lane 902 decreases. This makes it possible to reduce the calculation load of the processing device 31.

[0145] (6) When a collision between the host vehicle 100 and a target present in front of the host vehicle 100 is predicted, the processing device 31 sets an avoidance target 810 on the outside of the host vehicle lane 901, which is the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling (in this embodiment, a lane adjacent to the host vehicle lane 901). Before the processing device 31 determines whether or not to execute an avoidance operation along the avoidance path 811, the processing device 31 outputs a control signal (operation command) to the steering device (control object 40) to move the host vehicle 100 to the avoidance target 810 side within the host vehicle lane 901.

[0146] In this configuration, by moving the host vehicle 100 closer to the avoidance target 810 within the host vehicle driving lane 901, the visibility (detection range) of the external sensors (e.g., external sensors A1, A2) on the side of the avoidance target 810 in front of the host vehicle 100 can be improved.

[0147] (7) The processing device 31 sets an entering object detection area Ad in the host vehicle driving lane 901, the avoidance target lane 902, and a lane (avoidance destination adjacent lane 903) on the opposite side of the host vehicle driving lane 901 among lanes adjacent to the avoidance target lane 902. In this way, by monitoring not only the host vehicle driving lane 901 and the avoidance target lane 902, but also a lane one lane further away from the host vehicle 100, it is possible to more appropriately prevent contact between the host vehicle 100 and a target object during an avoidance operation.

[0148] As described above, according to this embodiment, the intruding object detection area Ad can be appropriately set according to the travel direction of the avoidance target lane 902, the number of lanes of the road, and travel speed information of the avoidance target lane 902. In addition, based on the quick report information If with little delay, it is possible to appropriately and quickly determine whether or not to execute an avoidance operation involving a change in the direction (travel direction) of the vehicle 100. If it is determined that the avoidance operation is to be executed, the vehicle 100 can avoid the target object and stop at the avoidance target 810. In addition, if it is determined that the avoidance operation is not to be executed, it is possible to prevent contact with a target approaching the avoidance path 811 (a new target different from the target object with which a collision is predicted).

[0149] The following modified examples of the present embodiment are also within the scope of the present invention, and it is also possible to combine the configuration shown in the modified example with the configuration described in the above embodiment, or to combine the configurations described in the different modified examples below.

[0150] <Variation 1> The detection area candidate (small area) Ca set as a candidate for the entering object detection area Ad is not limited to the example described in the above embodiment (see FIG. 8). The detection area candidate Ca can be changed as appropriate depending on the position of the host vehicle 100 and the configuration of the road, such as the number of lanes in the same traveling direction as the host vehicle driving lane 901 and the number of lanes in the opposite traveling direction to the host vehicle driving lane 901 (oncoming lanes).

[0151] <Variation 1-1> Fig. 14 is a schematic plan view of a road 900A with three lanes on each side and a median strip 905. As shown in Fig. 14, the host vehicle 100 is traveling in the center lane of the three lanes on the left side of the figure. In this case, the drivable area recognition unit 305 sets the host vehicle driving lane 901 and drivable areas (not shown) in the lanes on both the left and right sides of the host vehicle driving lane 901.

[0152] The avoidance path generation unit 306 sets an avoidance target 810 in a lane adjacent to the right side of the host vehicle lane 901. The entering object detection area setting unit 307 sets an avoidance path detection area 801A, a rear detection area 802A, and a front detection area 803A in the host vehicle lane 901 and an avoidance target lane 902, which is the lane in which the avoidance target 810 is set.

[0153] In the above embodiment, an example (see FIG. 8) has been described in which the detection area candidate Ca is set for three lanes, the host vehicle lane 901, the avoidance target lane 902, and the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903. In contrast, in this modified example, the detection area candidate Ca is set for two lanes, the host vehicle lane 901 and the avoidance target lane 902.

[0154] <Variation 1-2> 15 is a schematic plan view of a road 900B with three lanes on each side, showing an example in which a detection area candidate Ca is set so as to straddle a center line 906. In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which an intrusion object detection area Ad is selected based on the relationship between the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100. In contrast, in this modification 1-2, the intrusion object detection area selection unit 1004 selects the intrusion object detection area Ad by taking into consideration not only the relationship between the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, but also the relationship between the traveling direction of the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100.

[0155] 15, in this modification, five detection area candidates Ca are set. The avoidance path detection area setting unit 1001 sets an avoidance path detection area 801 including an avoidance path 811 as the detection area candidate Ca, similar to the above embodiment.

[0156] The rear detection area setting unit 1003 sets a first rear detection area 802Ba and a second rear detection area 802Bb as detection area candidates Ca. The first rear detection area 802Ba is set to the host vehicle driving lane 901 and the avoidance target lane 902. The second rear detection area 802Bb is set to the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903.

[0157] The forward detection area setting unit 1002 sets a first forward detection area 803Ba and a second forward detection area 803Bb as detection area candidates Ca. The first forward detection area 803Ba is set to the host vehicle driving lane 901 and the avoidance target lane 902. The second forward detection area 803Bb is set to the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903.

[0158] The intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 selects a detection area candidate Ca to be the intruding object detection area Ad from among multiple detection area candidates Ca based on the relationship between the driving direction of the vehicle 100, the driving direction of the avoidance target lane 902, and the driving direction of the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903.

[0159] The entering object detection area selection unit 1004 judges whether the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 .

[0160] The intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 sets the avoidance path detection area 801, the first rear detection area 802Ba, and the second front detection area 803Bb as the intruding object detection area Ad when the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100 and the traveling direction of the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 is opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100. In this case, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 does not select the second rear detection area 802Bb and the first front detection area 803Ba as the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0161] Although not shown, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the first rear detection area 802Ba and the second rear detection area 802Bb as the intruding object detection area Ad when the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100. In addition, when the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 is opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 selects the avoidance path detection area 801 and the first forward detection area 803Ba and the second forward detection area 803Bb as the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0162] Furthermore, if the intruding object detection area selection unit 1004 is unable to identify the driving direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 and is unable to determine whether the driving direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the avoidance destination adjacent lane 903 is the same as or opposite to the driving direction of the host vehicle 100, it selects all of the detection area candidates Ca (801, 802Ba, 802Bb, 803Ba, 803Bb) as the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0163] According to this modified example, when the host vehicle 100 performs an avoidance operation in the situation shown in Figure 15, the computational load on the processing device 31 can be reduced while more appropriately preventing contact between the host vehicle 100 and the following vehicle 102 and the oncoming vehicle 103.

[0164] <Variation 2> In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the intrusion object detection area setting unit 307 selects a detection area candidate Ca to be the intrusion object detection area Ad from among multiple detection area candidates Ca based on the relationship between the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0165] The intruding object detection area setting unit 307 may always set the avoidance path detection area 801, the rear detection area 802, and the front detection area 803 as the intruding object detection area Ad, regardless of the relationship between the traveling direction of the avoidance target lane 902 and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100. <Modification 3> In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the intruding object detection area setting unit 307 sets the avoidance path detection area 801 to include the avoidance path 811, and determines the length Dr of the rear detection area 802 and the length Df of the forward detection area 803 based on the traveling speed information of the avoidance target lane 902, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0166] The intruding object detection area setting unit 307 may set the intruding object detection area Ad stored in advance in a storage device, for example. In other words, the size and shape of the intruding object detection area Ad may always be constant. In this case, it is preferable that the intruding object detection area Ad is determined based on the longest possible avoidance route and the maximum vehicle speed of the avoidance target lane. This can reduce the processing time for setting the intruding object detection area Ad.

[0167] <Variation 4> In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the avoidance path generating unit 306 generates a single avoidance path 811, but in this modified example, an example will be described in which the avoidance path generating unit 306 generates a plurality of avoidance paths 811. When the avoidance path generating unit 306 generates a plurality of avoidance paths 811, the intruding object detection area setting unit 307 sets an intruding object detection area Ad for each avoidance path 811.

[0168] The intruding object detection unit 308 determines whether or not a target has entered each of the multiple intruding object detection areas Ad. The avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines to execute an avoidance operation when there is at least one intruding object detection area Ad in which the intruding object detection unit 308 has not detected a target. The avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines not to execute an avoidance operation when the intruding object detection unit 308 has detected targets in all of the intruding object detection areas Ad. The avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines to execute an avoidance operation along an avoidance route 811 corresponding to an intruding object detection area Ad in which no target has been detected, among the multiple intruding object detection areas Ad.

[0169] When there are a plurality of intruding object detection areas Ad in which a target is not detected, the collision prevention control unit 304 selects an avoidance route 811 corresponding to one of the intruding object detection areas Ad, that is, an effective avoidance route 811. When the avoidance feasibility determination unit 309 determines that an avoidance operation is to be performed, the collision prevention control unit 304 operates the host vehicle 100 along the selected effective avoidance route 811.

[0170] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely show some of the application examples of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment.

[0171] In addition, each of the above configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in hardware, for example, by designing a part or all of them in an integrated circuit. In addition, each of the above configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as a program, table, file, etc. that realizes each function can be placed in a memory, a storage device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD. In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the product. In reality, it may be considered that almost all configurations are connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0172] 30...on-vehicle electronic control device, 31...processing device, 32...non-volatile memory (storage device), 33...volatile memory (storage device), 34...input interface, 35...output interface, 40...control target (steering device, braking device, warning device, impact mitigation device), 90...target, 100...vehicle (own vehicle), 101...other vehicle (target object), 102...following vehicle (other vehicle), 103...oncoming vehicle (other vehicle), 302...sensor fusion processing unit, 303...precision priority control unit, 304...collision prevention Control unit, 305... drivable area recognition unit, 306... avoidance path generation unit, 307... intrusion object detection area setting unit, 308... intrusion object detection unit, 309... avoidance feasibility determination unit, 401A1 to 401A4, 401B1, 401B2, 401C1 to 401C8... time synchronization processing unit, 402... integration processing unit, 800... drivable area, 801, 801A... avoidance path detection area (detection area candidate), 802, 802A... rear detection area (detection area candidate), 802Ba... first rear detection area (detection area candidate), 802Bb... second Rear detection area (detection area candidate), 803, 803A... Front detection area (detection area candidate), 803Ba... First front detection area (detection area candidate), 803Bb... Second front detection area (detection area candidate), 810... Avoidance target, 811... Avoidance route, 900, 900A, 900B... Road, 901... Vehicle driving lane (diagonal line), 902... Avoidance target lane (lane), 903... Avoidance destination adjacent lane (lane), 905... Median strip, 906... Center line, 1001... Avoidance route detection area setting unit, 1002... Forward detection area setting setting unit, 1003... rear detection area setting unit, 1004... intrusion detection area selection unit, A1 to A4, B1, B2, C1 to C8... external sensors, Ad... intrusion detection area, Ca... detection area candidate, Df... distance (length of forward detection area), Dr... distance (length of rear detection area), Ia1 to Ia4, Ib1, Ib2, Ic1 to Ic8... target information (detection information), If... early report information (target information before integration processing), Ii... integration information (result of integration processing), VA1 to VA4, VB1, VB2, VC... field of view range (detection range)

Claims

1. An on-vehicle electronic control device including a processing device that acquires target information of targets detected by a plurality of external sensors mounted on a vehicle and executes an integration process of integrating the acquired target information, The processing device includes: Based on the result of the integration process, a drivable area in which the host vehicle can enter is recognized among the road surfaces around the host vehicle; and predicting whether or not a collision will occur between the host vehicle and the target based on the target information; When a collision between the host vehicle and the target is predicted, an avoidance target is set for avoiding a collision with the target that is predicted to collide with the host vehicle; generating an avoidance path to the avoidance target within the travelable area; setting an intrusion detection area around the host vehicle for detecting intrusion of the target; Based on the target information before the integration process of the targets detected by the plurality of external sensors, the target that has entered the intrusion object detection area is detected, and based on the detection result, it is determined whether or not to execute an avoidance operation along the avoidance path. In-vehicle electronic control device.

2. 2. The vehicle-mounted electronic control device according to claim 1, The processing device includes: A plurality of detection area candidates are set along a traveling direction of the host vehicle; A detection area candidate to be the intrusion object detection area is selected from the plurality of detection area candidates based on a relationship between a traveling direction of the lane in which the avoidance target is set and a traveling direction of the host vehicle. In-vehicle electronic control device.

3. 3. The on-vehicle electronic control device according to claim 2, The plurality of detection area candidates include an avoidance path detection area including the avoidance path, a forward detection area set forward of the avoidance path detection area, and a rearward detection area set rearward of the avoidance path detection area. In-vehicle electronic control device.

4. 4. The vehicle-mounted electronic control device according to claim 3, The processing device includes: When the traveling direction of the lane in which the avoidance target is set is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the avoidance path detection area and the rear detection area are selected as the intrusion object detection area from among the plurality of detection area candidates, and the front detection area is not selected as the intrusion object detection area; A length of the rear detection area in a direction along the traveling direction of the host vehicle is determined based on information about the traveling speed of the lane in which the avoidance target is set. In-vehicle electronic control device.

5. 4. The vehicle-mounted electronic control device according to claim 3, The processing device includes: When the traveling direction of the lane in which the avoidance target is set is opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the avoidance path detection area and the forward detection area are selected as the intrusion object detection area from among the plurality of detection area candidates, and the rear detection area is not selected as the intrusion object detection area; A length of the forward detection area in a direction parallel to the traveling direction of the host vehicle is determined based on information about the traveling speed of the lane in which the avoidance target is set. In-vehicle electronic control device.

6. 2. The vehicle-mounted electronic control device according to claim 1, The processing device includes: When it is predicted that the host vehicle will collide with the target object present in front of the host vehicle, the avoidance target is set outside a host vehicle driving lane, which is a lane in which the host vehicle is driving; Before the process of determining whether or not to execute an avoidance operation along the avoidance path, a control signal for moving the host vehicle toward the avoidance target within the host vehicle driving lane is output to a steering device. In-vehicle electronic control device.

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