vehicle

Abstract

To enable a driver to grasp a recognition object of deceleration control.SOLUTION: A drive support device 1 includes: a first recognition unit 50 for recognizing a traffic signal S present ahead of a vehicle V based on map data 51; a second recognition unit 43 for recognizing an indication state of the traffic signal S present ahead of the vehicle V; and a deceleration control unit 10 for executing deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle V with the traffic signal S recognized by at least one of the first recognition unit 50 and the second recognition unit 43 as a deceleration target. The drive support device is installed in the vehicle V. The notification control unit 10 controls a notification device 61 for notifying a driver and is provided for controlling the notification device 61 so as to notify a driver of a deceleration target of deceleration control in a different manner in a case where the deceleration control unit 10 executes deceleration control with the traffic signal S recognized by the first recognition unit 50 as the deceleration target and in a case with the traffic signal S recognized by the second recognition unit 43 as the deceleration target.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance device that detects traffic lights ahead of the vehicle based on map data while the vehicle is traveling, and when the traffic light comes within the camera's field of view, identifies the color of the traffic light based on the image captured by the camera, and if the identified color is red or yellow, performs deceleration control to stop the vehicle in front of the traffic light. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-173723 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] Here, it is assumed that the driving assistance device starts deceleration control by detecting a traffic light ahead while performing follow-up control, which causes the vehicle to travel while following the preceding vehicle. While the driving assistance device is performing follow-up control, the driver basically leaves driving operations up to the device, but the driver needs to monitor whether the control is being performed appropriately while paying attention to the situation around the vehicle. For this reason, when the device detects a traffic light and shifts the driving assistance from follow-up control to deceleration control, it is desirable to notify the driver that the target for which the vehicle is decelerated (the object that the control recognizes as needing the vehicle to decelerate) has switched from the preceding vehicle to the traffic light ahead.

[0005] However, simply informing the driver that the deceleration target is a traffic light does not allow the driver to know whether the deceleration target is a traffic light detected based on map data or a traffic light whose lighting color has been identified by a camera. If the driver becomes overconfident in control without being able to know which is the deceleration target, there is a possibility that safety cannot be guaranteed, for example, when the traffic light on the map data does not match the actual traffic light or when the camera cannot identify the lighting color of the traffic light.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. That is, an object of the present disclosure is to effectively notify a driver of a deceleration target during execution of deceleration control.

[0007] The notification control device (10) of the present disclosure includes: a first recognition unit (10, 50) that recognizes a traffic light (S1, S2) present in front of a vehicle (V) based on map data (51) including information on traffic lights installed on a road on which the vehicle (V) is traveling; a second recognition unit (10, 40) that recognizes the traffic lights (S1, S2) present in front of the vehicle (V) and an indication state of the traffic lights (S1, S2); and a deceleration control unit (10) that executes deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle (V) at a predetermined deceleration, with the traffic lights (S1, S2) recognized by at least one of the first recognition unit (10, 50) or the second recognition unit (10, 40) as deceleration targets while the vehicle (V) is traveling, and a notification control device (10) that controls a notification device (61) that issues a notification to a driver of the vehicle (V), The deceleration control unit (10) is characterized in that it includes a control unit (10) that controls the notification device (61) to notify the deceleration target of the deceleration control in different manners when the deceleration control is performed using a traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) as a deceleration target and when the deceleration control is performed using a traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the second recognition unit (10, 40) as a deceleration target. Here, the deceleration control unit (10) executes deceleration control when at least one of the first recognition unit (10, 50) or the second recognition unit (10, 40) recognizes a traffic light (S1, S2) while the vehicle (V) is traveling and a predetermined condition is satisfied. The deceleration control unit (10) executes deceleration control (gradual deceleration control) when a predetermined condition is satisfied, that is, when the first recognition unit (10, 50) recognizes a traffic light (S1, S2) while the vehicle (V) is traveling and the position of the vehicle (V) reaches a deceleration start position (Psd1, Psd2) and the vehicle speed (Vs) at that time is higher than the target vehicle speed (V1). The deceleration control unit (10) executes deceleration control (deceleration stop control) when a predetermined condition is met, that is, when the position of the vehicle (V) reaches a recognizable position (Pr1, Pr2), the second recognition unit (10, 40) recognizes the traffic lights (S1, S2) and the lighting colors of the traffic lights (S1, S2) at that time, and the recognized lighting colors are other than green.

[0008] The control method of the present disclosure includes: 1. A notification control method for controlling a notification device (61) that issues a notification to a driver of a vehicle (V), the method being applied to a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device (1) including: a first recognition unit (10, 50) that recognizes a traffic light (S1, S2) present in front of a vehicle (V) based on map data (51) including information on traffic lights installed on a road on which the vehicle (V) is traveling; a second recognition unit (10, 40) that recognizes the traffic lights (S1, S2) present in front of the vehicle (V) and an indication state of the traffic lights (S1, S2); and a deceleration control unit (10) that executes deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle (V) at a predetermined deceleration, with the traffic lights (S1, S2) recognized by at least one of the first recognition unit (10, 50) or the second recognition unit (10, 40) as deceleration targets while the vehicle (V) is traveling, the method comprising: The deceleration control unit (10) controls the notification device (61) to notify the deceleration target of the deceleration control in different manners when the deceleration control is performed using a traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) as the deceleration target and when the deceleration control is performed using a traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the second recognition unit (10, 40) as the deceleration target.

[0009] The program of the present disclosure is A program for controlling an alarm device (61) that issues an alarm to a driver of a vehicle (V), the program being applied to a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device (1) including: a first recognition unit (10, 50) that recognizes a traffic light (S1, S2) present in front of a vehicle (V) based on map data (51) including information on traffic lights installed on a road on which the vehicle (V) is traveling; a second recognition unit (10, 40) that recognizes the traffic lights (S1, S2) present in front of the vehicle (V) and an indication state of the traffic lights (S1, S2); and a deceleration control unit (10) that executes deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle (V) at a predetermined deceleration, with the traffic lights (S1, S2) recognized by at least one of the first recognition unit (10, 50) or the second recognition unit (10, 40) as deceleration targets while the vehicle (V) is traveling, the program comprising: The deceleration control unit (10) causes a computer to execute a process of controlling the notification device (61) to notify the deceleration target of the deceleration control in different manners when the deceleration control is performed with the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) as the deceleration target and when the deceleration control is performed with the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the second recognition unit (10, 40) as the deceleration target.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the notification device (61) notifies the driver of the deceleration target in different manners depending on whether the deceleration control is performed with the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) as the deceleration target or the deceleration control is performed with the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the second recognition unit (10, 40) as the deceleration target. Therefore, the driver can effectively know whether the deceleration target is the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) or the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized in the indicated state by the second recognition unit (10, 40).

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, The notification device (61) is a display device (61) provided at a position visible to the driver of the vehicle (V), When the deceleration control is performed with a traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) as the deceleration target, the control unit (10) displays, on the display device (61), an image (80A) of a traffic light with none of its lighting colors lit, and when the deceleration control is performed with a traffic light recognized by the second recognition unit (10, 40) as the deceleration target, the control unit (10) displays, on the display device (61), an image (80B) of a traffic light with a lighting color corresponding to the indication state lit.

[0012] According to this aspect, different notification images (80A, 80B) are displayed on the display device (61) when the deceleration control is executed with the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) as the deceleration target and when the deceleration control is executed with the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the second recognition unit (10, 40) as the deceleration target. Therefore, the driver can easily know whether the deceleration target is the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) or the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized in the indicated state by the second recognition unit (10, 40) simply by checking the notification images (80A, 80B) displayed on the display device (61).

[0013] In another aspect of the present disclosure, The deceleration control section (10) The vehicle (V) is decelerated at different deceleration rates when the deceleration control is executed with the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (10, 50) as the deceleration target and when the deceleration control is executed with the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the second recognition unit (10, 40) as the deceleration target.

[0014] According to this aspect, the notification device (61) notifies the driver of the deceleration target of the deceleration control executed at different decelerations in different manners, so that the driver can effectively grasp the cause of the change in the deceleration of the vehicle (V) during the execution of the deceleration control.

[0015] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the second recognition unit (43) is capable of recognizing the lighting color of the traffic lights (S1, S2) when the distance between the vehicle and a traffic light ahead becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined distance (Lr); the deceleration control unit (10) executes a first deceleration control (gradual deceleration control) for decelerating the vehicle (V) at a predetermined first deceleration A1 from the time when the vehicle (V) reaches the predetermined point (Psd) before the distance between the vehicle (V) and the traffic light (S1, S2) recognized by the first recognition unit (43) becomes equal to or shorter than the predetermined distance (Lr), if the vehicle speed (Vs) of the vehicle (V) is higher than a predetermined target vehicle speed (V1); When the second recognition unit (43) recognizes the lighting color of the traffic light (S1, S2) in front of the vehicle (V), if the lighting color is red or yellow, a second deceleration control (deceleration / stop control) is executed to decelerate the vehicle (V) at a predetermined second deceleration A2 that is greater than the first deceleration A1 from the point in time when the second recognition unit (43) recognizes the lighting color of the traffic light (S1, S2).

[0016] According to this aspect, when the vehicle (V) reaches the deceleration start point (Psd) before the recognizable point (Pr), a gradual deceleration control is executed to decelerate the vehicle (V) at a first deceleration A1, and when the vehicle (V) reaches the recognizable point (Pr), if the second recognition unit (43) acquires a red or yellow light of the traffic light (S1, S2), a deceleration stop control is executed to decelerate the vehicle (V) at a second deceleration A2 that is greater than the first deceleration A1. This makes it possible to effectively stop the vehicle (V) at a predetermined stop position (PST1, PST2) before the traffic light (S1, S2).

[0017] In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the symbols used in the embodiments are added in parentheses to the constituent elements of the invention corresponding to the embodiments, but each constituent element of the invention is not limited to the embodiment defined by the said symbols. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of an autonomous driving system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of deceleration control according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of deceleration control according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of deceleration control according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a notification image displayed on a display device. [Figure 6] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a notification image displayed on a display device. [Figure 7] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a notification image displayed on a display device. [Figure 8] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a notification image displayed on a display device. [Figure 9] 10 is a timing chart illustrating a specific flow of display control. [Figure 10] 10 is a timing chart illustrating a specific flow of display control. [Figure 11] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a routine (first half) of deceleration control and display control according to the present embodiment. [Figure 12] 6 is a flowchart illustrating a routine (second half) of deceleration control and display control according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, a notification control device, a vehicle, a notification control method, and a program according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and also have the same names and functions. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0020] [Overall configuration] 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of an autonomous driving system 1 according to this embodiment. The autonomous driving system 1 is mounted on a vehicle V and has an ECU 10. The ECU 10 includes a microcomputer as a main component. Note that ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit. The microcomputer includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and an interface, and the CPU realizes various functions by executing instructions (programs, routines) stored in the ROM.

[0021] The ECU 10 executes automatic driving control of the vehicle V. Here, automatic driving control is a concept including driving assistance control. Examples of driving assistance control include adaptive cruise control (hereinafter, ACC) and path following control. When a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle V exists, the ACC is a control that makes the vehicle V follow the preceding vehicle while maintaining the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle V at a set inter-vehicle distance, and when no preceding vehicle exists, makes the vehicle V travel at a constant speed at a set vehicle speed. The path following control is a control that makes the vehicle V automatically travel so as to follow a target trajectory (target path). In this embodiment, the driving assistance control may be either ACC or path following control, but ACC will be described below as an example.

[0022] The ACC is performed by the ECU 10 controlling the operation of the drive device 11, steering device 12, braking device 13, etc., based on the driving state of the vehicle V and the situation around the vehicle V. For this reason, the ECU 10 is communicatively connected to the drive device 11, steering device 12, braking device 13, vehicle state acquisition device 30, surroundings recognition device 40, navigation system 50, HMI (Human Machine Interface) 60, operation switch 70, etc.

[0023] The drive device 11 generates a drive force to be transmitted to drive wheels of the vehicle V. Examples of the drive device 11 include an electric motor and an engine. In this embodiment, the vehicle V may be any of a hybrid vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV), an electric vehicle (BEV), and an engine vehicle. The steering device 12 is, for example, an electric power steering device, and applies a steering force to the wheels of the vehicle V. The braking device 13 is, for example, a disc brake device, and applies a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle V.

[0024] The vehicle state acquisition device 30 is a group of sensors that acquires the state of the vehicle V. Specifically, the vehicle state acquisition device 30 includes a steering angle sensor 31, a steering torque sensor 32, a vehicle speed sensor 33, an accelerator sensor 34, a brake sensor 35, a yaw rate sensor 36, and the like.

[0025] The steering angle sensor 31 detects the steering angle of a steering wheel (or steering shaft) not shown. The steering torque sensor 32 detects the steering torque acting on a steering shaft (not shown) of the vehicle V due to operation of the steering wheel. The vehicle speed sensor 33 detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle V. The vehicle speed sensor 33 may be a wheel speed sensor. The accelerator sensor 34 detects the amount of operation of an accelerator pedal not shown. The brake sensor 35 detects the amount of operation of a brake pedal not shown. The yaw rate sensor 36 detects the yaw rate of the vehicle V. State information of the vehicle V acquired by the vehicle state acquisition device 30 is transmitted to the ECU 10.

[0026] The surrounding recognition device 40 is a type of sensor that recognizes target information related to targets around the vehicle V. Specifically, the surrounding recognition device 40 includes a radar sensor 41, an ultrasonic sensor 42, a camera 43, and the like. Examples of the target information include surrounding vehicles, traffic lights, white lines on the road, signs, fallen objects, and the like. The target information around the vehicle V acquired by the surrounding recognition device 40 is transmitted to the ECU 10.

[0027] The radar sensor 41 includes a radar transmitting / receiving unit and a signal processing unit (not shown). The radar transmitting / receiving unit emits millimeter wave band radio waves (hereinafter referred to as "millimeter waves") to the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle V, and receives millimeter waves reflected by a three-dimensional object present within the emission range (i.e., reflected waves). The signal processing unit acquires information indicating the distance between the vehicle V and the three-dimensional object, the relative speed between the vehicle V and the three-dimensional object, the relative position (direction) of the three-dimensional object with respect to the vehicle V, etc., based on the phase difference between the transmitted millimeter wave and the received reflected wave, the attenuation level of the reflected wave, the time from transmitting the millimeter wave to receiving the reflected wave, etc., and outputs the information to the ECU 10.

[0028] The ultrasonic sensor 42 transmits ultrasonic waves in a pulsed manner to a predetermined range around the vehicle V and receives the reflected waves reflected by a three-dimensional object. Based on the time from transmission of the ultrasonic waves to reception of the reflected waves, the ultrasonic sensor can detect the reflection point, which is the point on the three-dimensional object where the transmitted ultrasonic waves are reflected, and the distance between the ultrasonic sensor 42 and the three-dimensional object, etc.

[0029] The camera 43 is disposed, for example, on the upper part of the front windshield glass of the vehicle V. The camera 43 captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle V and acquires target information around the vehicle V by processing the captured image data. The camera 43 is, for example, a stereo camera or a monocular camera, and a digital camera having an imaging element such as a CMOS or a CCD can be used.

[0030] In this embodiment, the camera 43 analyzes image data obtained by photographing the foreground of the vehicle V at a predetermined frame rate, and acquires the light color of a traffic light located ahead of the vehicle V in the traveling direction from the image. In order for the camera 43 to accurately determine whether a group of pixels exhibiting red, yellow, and blue circles in the image data is light emitted from a light unit of the traffic light, the vehicle V needs to approach the traffic light to a certain extent. For example, when the vehicle V approaches the traffic light and the distance reaches a predetermined distance, the camera 43 can accurately determine the light color of the traffic light. In the following description, the maximum value of the distance (the distance between the vehicle V and the traffic light) at which the camera 43 can accurately determine the light color of the traffic light is referred to as the "recognizable distance Lr". In addition, a point located in front of the traffic light by the recognizable distance Lr is referred to as the "recognizable point Pr". In addition, the recognizable distance Lr depends on the specifications of the camera 43. For this reason, the recognizable distance Lr is experimentally obtained at the development stage of the vehicle V, and the result is stored in the ROM of the ECU 10 in advance.

[0031] The navigation system 50 receives GPS signals from multiple artificial satellites, and detects the current position VP (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle V based on the multiple received GPS signals. The navigation system 50 also stores map data 51 representing a map. The map data 51 includes road information representing roads and traffic light position information representing the installation positions of traffic lights. The navigation system 50 transmits vehicle position data representing the detected current position VP of the vehicle V to the ECU 10. Furthermore, the navigation system 50 has a function of calculating the distance between two points (distance along the road). For example, the navigation system 50 calculates the distance from the current position VP of the vehicle V to the first traffic light (the nearest traffic light) that the vehicle V will pass if it travels straight along the road on which it is currently traveling, and transmits the calculated distance data to the ECU 10.

[0032] The HMI 60 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the ECU 10 and the driver. Specifically, the HMI 60 includes an input device and an output device. Examples of the input device include a touch panel and a switch. Examples of the output device include a display device 61 and a speaker. Examples of the display device 61 include a display of the navigation system 50 installed on an instrument panel or the like, a head-up display, etc.

[0033] The operation switch 70 is an operator (for example, a push button switch operator) that the driver operates when requesting the start and end of ACC. When the driver operates the operation switch 70 (presses the button) while ACC is not being executed, the operation switch 70 transmits an ACC start signal to the ECU 10, which indicates that "the driver is requesting the start of ACC (ACC start request)". On the other hand, when the driver operates the operation switch 70 while ACC is being executed, the operation switch 70 transmits an ACC end signal to the ECU 10, which indicates that "the driver is requesting the end of ACC (ACC end request)". The operation switch 70 also includes operators for selecting a set inter-vehicle distance Dd from the preceding vehicle in ACC and a set vehicle speed Vd during constant speed driving, which will be described later.

[0034] [ACC] When the ECU 10 receives an ACC start signal from the operation switch 70, the ECU 10 executes ACC. Specifically, the ECU 10 determines whether or not there is another vehicle (preceding vehicle) to be followed based on information acquired from the surroundings recognition device 40. When it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle to be followed, the ECU 10 detects the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle V (own vehicle) based on information acquired from the surroundings recognition device 40, and controls the operation of the drive device 11 and the brake device 13 so that the distance between the vehicles coincides with the set distance Dd selected by operating the operation switch 70. Hereinafter, the control for making the vehicle V follow the preceding vehicle is also simply referred to as "following control". On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no preceding vehicle to be followed, the ECU 10 controls the operation of the drive device 11, the brake device 13, etc. so that the vehicle speed Vs of the vehicle V coincides with the set vehicle speed Vd selected by operating the operation switch 70. Hereinafter, the control for making the vehicle V travel at a constant speed at the set vehicle speed Vd is also simply referred to as "constant speed travel control". Furthermore, when the ECU 10 detects a traffic light as a deceleration target during execution of the ACC, even if the preceding vehicle does not start decelerating, the ECU 10 performs deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle V. Details of the deceleration control will be described below.

[0035] [Deceleration control] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of deceleration control according to this embodiment. During execution of ACC, the ECU 10 acquires a point PS1 where the nearest traffic light S1 located ahead of the vehicle V is installed and a recognizable point Pr1 corresponding to the traffic light S1, based on map data 51 of the navigation system 50 and the current position VP of the vehicle V. The ECU 10 also acquires the current position VP of the vehicle V from the navigation system 50 at a predetermined cycle. Furthermore, the ECU 10 acquires the vehicle speed Vs of the vehicle V from the vehicle speed sensor 33 at a predetermined cycle.

[0036] The ECU 10 controls the operation of the drive device 11, the braking device 13, etc., from before the recognizable point Pr1 so that the vehicle speed Vs of the vehicle V becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined target vehicle speed V1 when the vehicle V reaches the recognizable point Pr1. Here, the target vehicle speed V1 is preset as a speed at which the vehicle V can be decelerated from the recognizable point Pr1 at a deceleration (hereinafter referred to as a second deceleration A2) that does not cause discomfort to the driver and can be stopped at a predetermined stop position PST1 (for example, the stop line of the traffic light S1) before the traffic light S1.

[0037] Specifically, when the vehicle speed Vs just before the recognizable point Pr1 is higher than the target vehicle speed V1, the ECU 10 executes a gradual deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle V at a predetermined deceleration (hereinafter referred to as the first deceleration A1) smaller than the second deceleration A2 when the vehicle V reaches a predetermined deceleration start point Psd1 just before the recognizable point Pr1. The magnitude (absolute value) of the first deceleration A1 is, for example, "0.1 G" (G: gravitational acceleration). The first deceleration A1 may be a value smaller than "0.1 G".

[0038] The ECU 10 calculates the deceleration start point Psd1 before the recognizable point Pr1 as follows. The ECU 10 first calculates a distance L1 that the vehicle V will travel before the vehicle speed Vs matches the target vehicle speed V1 when decelerating from the current vehicle speed Vs at a first deceleration A1. The ECU 10 then determines a point located the distance L1 before the recognizable point Pr1 as the deceleration start point Psd1 corresponding to the current vehicle speed Vs. The ECU 10 repeatedly calculates (updates) the deceleration start point Psd1 at a predetermined calculation period.

[0039] When the vehicle V reaches the deceleration start point Psd1 (the current position VP of the vehicle V acquired from the navigation system 50 coincides with the deceleration start point Psd1), if the vehicle speed Vs of the vehicle V is faster than the target vehicle speed V1, the ECU 10 executes slow deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle V at a first deceleration A1 from the point at which the vehicle V reaches the deceleration start point Psd1. On the other hand, when the vehicle V reaches the deceleration start point Psd1, if the vehicle speed Vs of the vehicle V is equal to or lower than the target vehicle speed V1, the ECU 10 does not execute slow deceleration control.

[0040] When the vehicle V reaches the recognizable point Pr1, the ECU 10 acquires the light color of the traffic light S1 by the camera 43. If the acquired light color is "red R" or "yellow Y", the ECU 10 executes deceleration stop control to decelerate the vehicle V at the second deceleration A2 and stop the vehicle V at a stop position PST1 just before the traffic light S1 (point PS1).

[0041] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, when the vehicle V reaches the recognizable point Pr1 of the nearest traffic light S1, if the light color of the traffic light S1 captured by the camera 43 is "green G", the ECU 10 acquires the distance DS between the nearest traffic light S1 and the next traffic light S2 adjacent to the nearest traffic light S1 based on the map data 51 of the navigation system 50. The ECU 10 also compares the acquired distance DS with a predetermined threshold distance DSth to determine whether the distance DS is relatively long or relatively short. Here, the threshold distance DSth may be set based on a distance (synonymous with the distance obtained by adding the distance L1 and the recognizable distance Lr) at which the vehicle V can stop at a predetermined stop position PST2 (for example, the stop line of the traffic light S2) just before the next traffic light S2 when the gradual deceleration control and the deceleration stop control are executed from a state in which the vehicle speed Vs is increased to the set speed Vd of the ACC.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, when the distance DS is relatively long, specifically, when the distance DS is longer than a predetermined threshold distance DSth (DS>DSth), the ECU 10 accelerates the vehicle V from a recognizable point Pr1 where the light color (green G) of the traffic light S1 is acquired by the camera 43, and passes the traffic light S1, and starts calculating a deceleration start point Psd2 of the next traffic light S2. The upper limit value of the vehicle speed Vs at this time is the set vehicle speed Vd of the ACC. When the vehicle V reaches the deceleration start point Psd2, the ECU 10 executes a gradual deceleration control, and when the vehicle V reaches the recognizable point Pr2 of the traffic light S2, the ECU 10 acquires the light color of the traffic light S2 from the camera 43. Then, when the ECU 10 acquires the light color of the traffic light S2, the ECU 10 executes a control similar to that when passing the traffic light S1 or stopping at the traffic light S1 according to the light color.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, when the distance DS is relatively short, specifically, when the distance DS is equal to or less than the threshold value DSth (DS≦DSth), the ECU 10 makes the vehicle V travel at a constant speed and pass the traffic light S1. That is, the vehicle speed Vs when passing the traffic light S1 is the vehicle speed Vs (i.e., the target speed V1) at the time when the vehicle V reaches the recognizable point Pr1. In this case, even if the light color of the next traffic light S2 becomes "red R" or "yellow Y", the vehicle speed Vs of the vehicle V is decelerated to a speed at which the vehicle V can be stopped at the stop position PST2 of the traffic light S2. Therefore, the ECU 10 omits the calculation of the deceleration start point Psd2 before the traffic light S2. When the vehicle V passes the traffic light S1, the ECU 10 attempts to acquire the light color of the traffic light S2 from the camera 43 at a predetermined time interval. Then, when the ECU 10 is able to acquire the light color of the traffic light S2, the ECU 10 executes control similar to the control performed when passing through the traffic light S1 or stopping at the traffic light S1, depending on the light color.

[0044] However, when the vehicle V reaches the recognizable points Pr1, Pr2, due to topographical reasons such as a road on which the vehicle V is traveling being not a simple straight road but including a curved road before the traffic lights S1, S2, the camera 43 may not be able to identify the light color of the traffic lights S1, S2. In such a case, the ECU 10 assumes that the light color of the traffic lights S1, S2 is "red or yellow" and decelerates the vehicle V at the second deceleration A2 from the recognizable points Pr1, Pr2. When the vehicle V further travels and the camera 43 is able to identify the light color of the traffic lights S1, S2, if the light color is "red" or "yellow," the ECU 10 further decelerates the vehicle V at the second deceleration A2 and stops the vehicle V at the stop positions PST1, PST2 before the traffic lights S1, S2. On the other hand, when the camera 43 is able to identify the light color of the traffic lights S1, S2, if the light color is "green," the ECU 10 causes the vehicle V to pass the traffic lights S1, S2 while traveling at a constant speed.

[0045] Here, it is assumed that the ECU 10 detects traffic lights S1, S2 ahead while ACC is being executed and switches the driving assistance control from ACC to deceleration control (gradual deceleration control / deceleration stop control). Not only while ACC is being executed, but also after ACC has switched to deceleration control, the driver basically leaves the driving operation of the vehicle V to the ECU 10, but the driver needs to monitor whether the control is being performed appropriately while checking the situation around the vehicle V. For this reason, when the ECU 10 shifts the driving assistance from ACC to deceleration control, it is desirable to appropriately inform the driver that the deceleration target of the vehicle V has switched from the preceding vehicle to the traffic lights S1, S2 ahead.

[0046] However, simply informing the driver that the deceleration target of the vehicle V is the traffic light S does not allow the driver to know whether the deceleration target is the traffic light S1, S2 detected based on the map data 51 of the navigation system 50, or the traffic light S1, S2 whose lighting color (red or yellow) has been identified by the camera 43. If the driver becomes overconfident in the deceleration control without being able to know the deceleration target, for example, when the traffic lights S1, S2 on the map data 51 do not match the actual traffic lights S1, S2, or when the camera 43 cannot identify the lighting color of the traffic lights S1, S2 due to environmental conditions or topographical reasons, safety may not be sufficiently ensured.

[0047] In order to solve such a problem, the ECU 10 of this embodiment performs display control to appropriately notify the driver of the deceleration target by displaying the deceleration target on the display device 61 during execution of deceleration control. Details of the display control will be described below. Note that, although the notification to the driver can also be made by using a voice from a speaker, the following description will be given taking the display on the display device 61 as an example.

[0048] [Display Control] 5 to 8 are diagrams illustrating notification images displayed on the display device 61. The notification images 80A to 80D are graphic images imitating a traffic light, and include a traffic light housing 81 and three lighting units 82, 83, and 84. In the illustrated example, the three lighting units 82, 83, and 84 are arranged in series in the horizontal direction within the housing 81, but they may also be arranged in the vertical direction. Of the lighting units 82, 83, and 84, the lighting unit 82 corresponds to green, the lighting unit 83 corresponds to yellow, and the lighting unit 84 corresponds to red, respectively.

[0049] 5 is an image showing a state in which none of the three lighting sections 82, 83, 84 are lit by displaying the three lighting sections 82, 83, 84 in the same color as the housing 81 or in black or gray (hereinafter, the notification image 80A is referred to as "non-lit image 80A"). The non-lit image 80A is an image displayed on the display device 61 when notifying the driver that the recognition target for the deceleration control is the traffic lights S1, S2 detected based on the map data 51 of the navigation system 50.

[0050] The notification image 80B shown in FIG. 6 is an image showing a state where a red signal light is on by displaying the lighting portion 84 in red and the remaining two lighting portions 82 and 83 in the same color as the housing 81 or in a color other than red (hereinafter, the notification image 80B is referred to as a "red lighting image 80B"). The notification image 80C shown in FIG. 7 is an image showing a state where a yellow signal light is on by displaying the lighting portion 83 in yellow and the remaining two lighting portions 82 and 84 in the same color as the housing 81 or in a color other than yellow (hereinafter, the notification image 80C is referred to as a "yellow lighting image 80C"). The red lighting image 80B (or the yellow lighting image 80C) is an image displayed on the display device 61 when notifying the driver that the recognition target for the deceleration control is the traffic light S1 or S2 that the camera 43 has identified as being red (or yellow) on.

[0051] 8 is an image showing a state in which a green signal light is on by displaying the lighting portion 82 in green and the remaining two lighting portions 83 and 84 in the same color as the housing 81 or in a color other than green (hereinafter, the notification image 80D is referred to as a "green lighting image 80D"). The green lighting image 80D is an image displayed on the display device 61 when notifying the driver that the recognition target of the constant speed traveling control is the traffic lights S1 and S2 that the camera 43 has identified as being green when the vehicle V passes through the traffic lights S1 and S2 while traveling at a constant speed of the target speed V1.

[0052] When the ECU 10 executes the gradual deceleration control because the vehicle V has reached the deceleration start point Psd1, Psd2, the ECU 10 displays the non-illuminated image 80A on the display device 61 throughout the period during which the gradual deceleration control is being executed. When the ECU 10 executes the deceleration stop control because the vehicle V has reached the recognizable point Pr1, Pr2 and the camera 43 has identified red R (or yellow Y) as the illumination color of the traffic lights S1, S2, the ECU 10 displays the red illuminated image 80B (or yellow illuminated image 80C) on the display device 61 throughout the period during which the deceleration stop control is being executed. A specific flow of the display control will be described below with reference to the timing charts of FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0053] 9 and 10, the ECU 10 drives the vehicle V using the ACC. When the ACC is a following control, the ECU 10 displays a preceding vehicle following image 86 on the display device 61 as an informing image indicating that the vehicle V is decelerating from a preceding vehicle. At time t1, when the vehicle V reaches a deceleration start point Psd1 and the vehicle speed Vs at that time is higher than the target speed V1, the ECU 10 starts a gradual deceleration control.

[0054] When the ECU 10 starts the gradual deceleration control, it displays the non-illuminated image 80A on the display device 61 from time t1. This allows the driver to understand that the deceleration target of the vehicle V has switched from the preceding vehicle to the traffic light S1 detected by the navigation system 50. The non-illuminated image 80A displayed on the display device 61 from time t1 continues to be displayed on the display device 61 for the period until the vehicle V reaches the recognizable point Pr1 and the camera 43 identifies the illumination color of the traffic light S1.

[0055] At time t2, when the vehicle V reaches the recognizable point Pr1, the ECU 10 acquires the lighting color of the traffic light S1 by the camera 43. If the acquired lighting color is red (or yellow), as shown in FIG. 9, the ECU 10 executes deceleration and stop control to stop the vehicle V at a stop position PST1 in front of the traffic light S1. From time t2 to time t3 when the vehicle V stops at the stop position PST1, the ECU 10 continues to display the red lighting image 80B on the display device 61. This allows the driver to understand that the deceleration target of the vehicle V has changed to the traffic light S1 identified by the camera 43 after time t2. The red lighting image 80B displayed on the display device 61 may be erased when the vehicle V stops at the stop position PST1, or may be erased at the same time when the lighting color of the traffic light S1 changes from red to green.

[0056] On the other hand, when the illumination color acquired at time t2 is green, as shown in Fig. 10, ECU 10 passes through traffic light S1 while driving vehicle V at a constant speed at that time (target speed V1). From time t2 to time t4 when vehicle V passes traffic light S1, ECU 10 displays green illumination image 80D on display device 61. This allows the driver to understand that ECU 10 is causing vehicle V to travel at a constant speed while identifying the illumination color of traffic light S1 as green G by camera 43. Green illumination image 80D displayed on display device 61 may be turned off at the same time when vehicle V passes traffic light S1.

[0057] Next, a deceleration control and display control routine by the ECU 10 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 11 and 12. This routine is started when the ECU 10 executes ACC.

[0058] In step S100, the ECU 10 acquires a recognizable point Pr corresponding to the nearest traffic light S located ahead of the vehicle V, based on the map data 51 of the navigation system 50 and the current position VP of the vehicle V.

[0059] Next, in step S110, the ECU 10 determines whether the vehicle speed Vs of the vehicle V acquired by the vehicle speed sensor 33 is equal to or less than the target speed V1 that allows the vehicle V to stop at the stop position PST in front of the traffic light S when deceleration and stop control is executed from the recognizable point Pr. If the vehicle speed Vs is equal to or less than the target speed V1 (Yes), there is no need to execute the gradual deceleration control before the vehicle reaches the recognizable point Pr. In this case, the ECU 10 advances the process to step S200. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed Vs is not equal to or less than the target speed V1 (No), that is, if the vehicle speed Vs is faster than the target speed V1, the ECU 10 advances the process to step S120.

[0060] In step S200, the ECU 10 continues to execute the ACC. That is, when there is no preceding vehicle to be followed, the ECU 10 executes constant speed cruise control, and when there is a preceding vehicle to be followed, the ECU 10 executes follow-up control.

[0061] In step S210, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the current position VP of the vehicle V has reached the recognizable point Pr. If the vehicle V has reached the recognizable point Pr (Yes), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S300 of the deceleration and stop control shown in Fig. 12. On the other hand, if the vehicle V has not reached the recognizable point Pr (No), the ECU 10 returns the process to step S200.

[0062] If it is determined in step S110 that the vehicle speed Vs is not equal to or less than the target speed V1 and the process proceeds to step S120, the ECU 10 calculates a deceleration start point Psd for starting the gradual deceleration control. Next, in step S130, the ECU 10 determines whether the current position VP of the vehicle V has reached the deceleration start point Psd. If the current position VP of the vehicle V has reached the deceleration start point Psd (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in step S140. On the other hand, if the current position VP of the vehicle V has not reached the deceleration start point Psd (No), the ECU 10 returns the process to step S110.

[0063] In step S140, the ECU 10 determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle to be followed by the ACC. If there is a preceding vehicle to be followed (Yes), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S160. On the other hand, if there is no preceding vehicle to be followed (No), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S150.

[0064] In step S160, the ECU 10 judges whether the deceleration A' (absolute value) of the preceding vehicle is greater than the first deceleration A1 (absolute value) used in the gradual deceleration control. If the deceleration A' of the preceding vehicle is greater than the first deceleration A1, executing the gradual deceleration control will cause the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle V and the preceding vehicle to be shorter than the set inter-vehicle distance Dd. In this case, the ECU 10 advances the process to step S170 and executes the follow-up control by the ACC. At this time, the ECU 10 preferably displays on the display device 61 a preceding vehicle following image 86 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) that notifies the driver that the vehicle V is decelerating from the preceding vehicle.

[0065] Next, in step S190, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the current position VP of the vehicle V has reached the recognizable point Pr. If the vehicle V has reached the recognizable point Pr (Yes), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S300 of the deceleration and stop control shown in Fig. 12. On the other hand, if the vehicle V has not reached the recognizable point Pr (No), the ECU 10 returns the process to step 140.

[0066] When it is determined in step S160 that the deceleration A' of the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than the first deceleration A1 (No), the ECU 10 needs to execute the gradual deceleration control even if the preceding vehicle is not decelerating. In this case, the ECU 10 advances the process to step S150.

[0067] In step S150, the ECU 10 executes gradual deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle V at a first deceleration A1 and reduce the vehicle speed Vs to a target speed V1. The ECU 10 also displays, on the display device 61, a non-illuminated image 80A (see FIG. 5) that notifies the driver that the target for deceleration of the vehicle V is the traffic light S detected by the navigation system 50. That is, the ECU 10 notifies the driver that the target for deceleration of the vehicle V is the traffic light S detected by the navigation system 50.

[0068] In step 190, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the current position VP of the vehicle V has reached the recognizable point Pr. If the vehicle V has reached the recognizable point Pr (Yes), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S300 of the deceleration and stop control shown in Fig. 12. On the other hand, if the vehicle V has not reached the recognizable point Pr (No), the ECU 10 returns the process to step 140.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 12, in step S300, the ECU 10 obtains the lighting color of the traffic light S.

[0070] Next, in step S305, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the lighting color of the traffic light S has been acquired. If the lighting color of the traffic light S has not been acquired (No), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S400. On the other hand, if the lighting color of the traffic light S has been acquired (Yes), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S310.

[0071] In step S400, the ECU 10 judges whether or not there is a preceding vehicle to be followed. When it is judged that there is no preceding vehicle to be followed (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S410, and executes deceleration and stop control to decelerate and run the vehicle V at a second deceleration A2, assuming that the illumination color of the traffic light S is red. The ECU 10 also displays a red illumination image 80B (see FIG. 6) on the display device 61. At this time, the ECU 10 may also display, on the display device 61, a message image or the like that notifies the driver that the vehicle is running assuming that the illumination color of the traffic light S is red. After executing the deceleration and stop control in step S410, the ECU 10 returns the process to step S300.

[0072] On the other hand, when it is determined in step S400 that there is a preceding vehicle to be followed (Yes), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S420. In step S420, it is determined whether the deceleration A' (absolute value) of the preceding vehicle is greater than the second deceleration A2 (absolute value). When the deceleration A' of the preceding vehicle is greater than the second deceleration A2 (Yes), the ECU 10 advances to step S430, and decelerates the vehicle V while following the preceding vehicle by following control. At this time, the ECU 10 preferably displays on the display device 61 a preceding vehicle following image 86 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) that notifies the driver that the vehicle V is decelerating the preceding vehicle. When the vehicle V is decelerated by following control in step S430, the ECU 10 returns the process to step S300.

[0073] On the other hand, when it is determined in step S420 that the deceleration A' of the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than the second deceleration A2 (No), the ECU 10 advances the process to step S410. That is, the ECU 10 executes deceleration stop control to decelerate the vehicle V at the second deceleration A2 without making the vehicle V follow the preceding vehicle.

[0074] In step S305, when it is determined that the lighting color of the traffic light S has been acquired and the process proceeds to step S310, ECU 10 determines whether the acquired lighting color is green. If the lighting color is green (Yes), ECU 10 proceeds to step S500. On the other hand, if the lighting color is not green (No), that is, if the lighting color is either red or yellow, ECU 10 proceeds to S320.

[0075] In step S500, ECU 10 acquires the distance DS between the nearest traffic light S1 and the next traffic light S2 adjacent to the traffic light S1 ahead, based on the map data 51 of the navigation system 50 and the current position VP of the vehicle V. Next, in step S510, ECU 10 determines whether or not the distance DS is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold distance DSth. If the distance DS is equal to or less than the threshold distance DSth (Yes), ECU 10 advances the process to step S520. On the other hand, if the distance DS is not equal to or less than the threshold distance DSth (No), that is, if the distance DS exceeds the threshold distance DSth, ECU 10 advances the process to step S570.

[0076] In step S570, the ECU 10 causes the vehicle V to pass through the traffic light S1 by the ACC. That is, if the set speed Vd of the ACC is set to be higher than the target speed V1, the ECU 10 causes the vehicle V to pass through the traffic light S1 while accelerating the vehicle V so that the vehicle speed Vs of the vehicle V increases to the set speed Vd. After that, the ECU 10 temporarily ends (returns) this routine.

[0077] In step S510, when it is determined that the distance DS is equal to or less than the threshold distance DSth and the process proceeds to step S520, the ECU 10 determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle to be followed. If it is determined that there is no preceding vehicle to be followed (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S530 and executes constant speed traveling control to make the vehicle V travel at a constant speed at a target speed V1. At this time, the ECU 10 displays a green lighting image 80C (see FIG. 8) on the display device 61. That is, the ECU 10 informs the driver that the vehicle V is traveling at a constant speed while recognizing that the lighting color of the traffic light S is green.

[0078] On the other hand, when it is determined in step S520 that there is a preceding vehicle to be followed (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S540 and determines whether or not the vehicle speed V' of the preceding vehicle is faster than the target speed V1. When the vehicle speed V' of the preceding vehicle is faster than the target speed V1 (Yes), if the vehicle V is made to follow the preceding vehicle, the vehicle speed Vs will exceed the target speed V1. In this case, the ECU proceeds to the process of step S530 and executes constant speed traveling control to make the vehicle V travel at a constant speed at the target speed V1. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed V' of the preceding vehicle is not faster than the target speed V1 (No), that is, when the vehicle speed V' of the preceding vehicle is equal to or lower than the target speed V1, the vehicle speed Vs will not exceed the target speed V1 even if the vehicle V is made to follow the preceding vehicle. In this case, the ECU proceeds to the process of step S550 and makes the vehicle V travel following the preceding vehicle by following control.

[0079] In step S560, the ECU 10 determines whether the vehicle V has passed the traffic light S1. If the vehicle V has not passed the traffic light S1 (No), the ECU 10 returns the process to step S520. On the other hand, if the vehicle V has passed the traffic light S1 (Yes), the ECU 10 ends (returns) this routine. Thereafter, when the ECU 10 is able to acquire the light color of the next traffic light S2, the ECU 10 executes control similar to that performed when passing the traffic light S1, according to the light color.

[0080] In step S310, if it is determined that the illumination color of the traffic light S is not green and the process proceeds to step S320, the ECU 10 determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle to be followed by the ACC. If there is a preceding vehicle to be followed (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S350. On the other hand, if there is no preceding vehicle to be followed (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S330.

[0081] In step S350, the ECU 10 judges whether the deceleration A' (absolute value) of the preceding vehicle is greater than the second deceleration A2 (absolute value) used in the deceleration stop control. If the deceleration A' of the preceding vehicle is greater than the second deceleration A2, executing the deceleration stop control will cause the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle V and the preceding vehicle to be shorter than the set inter-vehicle distance Dd. In this case, the ECU 10 advances the process to step S360 and executes the follow-up control by the ACC. At this time, the ECU 10 preferably displays on the display device 61 a preceding vehicle following image 86 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) that notifies the driver that the vehicle V is decelerating from the preceding vehicle.

[0082] When it is determined in step S350 that the deceleration A' of the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than the second deceleration A2 (No), the ECU 10 needs to execute the deceleration / stop control even if the preceding vehicle does not decelerate. In this case, the ECU 10 advances the process to step S330.

[0083] In step S330, the ECU 10 executes deceleration / stop control to decelerate the vehicle V at the second deceleration A2 and stop the vehicle at the vehicle speed Vs at the stop position PST in front of the traffic light S. The ECU 10 also displays on the display device 61 a red lighted image 80B (see FIG. 6 ) to inform the driver that the target for deceleration of the vehicle V is the traffic light S whose light color has been identified by the camera 33. That is, the ECU 10 informs the driver that the target for deceleration of the vehicle V is the traffic light S identified by the camera 33.

[0084] In step S370, the ECU 10 determines whether the vehicle V has stopped at the stop position PST in front of the traffic light S. If the vehicle V has not stopped at the stop position PST (No), the ECU 10 returns the process to step S320. On the other hand, if the vehicle V has stopped at the stop position PST (Yes), the ECU 10 ends the display of the red lighting image 80B on the display device 61 and temporarily ends (returns) this routine.

[0085] According to the embodiment described above in detail, the ECU 10 detects the traffic light S in front of the vehicle V based on the map data 51 of the navigation system 50, calculates the deceleration start point Psd for the detected traffic light S, and executes the gradual deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle V to the target speed V1 at the first deceleration A1 when the vehicle speed Vs at the time when the vehicle V reaches the deceleration start point Psd is higher than the target speed V1. At this time, the ECU 10 displays the non-illuminated image 80A on the display device 61. In addition, when the vehicle V reaches the recognizable point Pr, the ECU 10 acquires the illumination color of the traffic light S in front of the vehicle V by the camera 43, and if the acquired illumination color is red or yellow, executes the deceleration stop control to decelerate the vehicle V at the second deceleration A2 larger than the first deceleration A1 and stop the vehicle V in front of the traffic light S. At this time, the ECU 10 displays the red illumination image 80B on the display device 61.

[0086] That is, different types of notification images 80A, 80B are displayed on the display device 61 when the gradual deceleration control is executed and when the deceleration stop control is executed. This makes it possible to effectively notify the driver whether the deceleration target of the vehicle V is the traffic light S detected based on the map data 51 of the navigation system 50, or the traffic light S whose lighting color is identified as red or yellow by the camera 43. By the driver knowing the deceleration target of the vehicle V, the driver can effectively monitor whether the deceleration control is being performed appropriately while paying attention to the surrounding situation, and it becomes possible to reliably improve safety.

[0087] [others] The above describes the notification control device, vehicle, notification control method, and program related to this embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

[0088] For example, in the above embodiment, the lighting colors of traffic lights S1 and S2 are obtained by camera 43, but the signal color information of traffic lights S1 and S2 may be obtained based on data communication with infrastructure such as a traffic control center. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1...Automatic driving system, 10...ECU, 11...Drive system, 12...Steering system, 13...Braking system, 30...Vehicle state acquisition device, 40...Surrounding recognition device, 43...Camera, 50...Navigation system, 51...Map data, 60...HMI, 61...Display device, V...Vehicle

Claims

1. A driving assistance device including a first recognition unit that recognizes a traffic light in front of a vehicle based on map data including information on traffic lights installed on a road on which the vehicle is traveling, a second recognition unit that recognizes the traffic lights in front of the vehicle and the indication state of the traffic lights, and a deceleration control unit that performs deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle at a predetermined deceleration, with the traffic lights recognized by at least one of the first recognition unit or the second recognition unit as deceleration targets while the vehicle is traveling, and a notification control device that is applied to a vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device and controls a notification device that issues a notification to a driver of the vehicle, The second recognition unit is capable of recognizing a lighting color of a traffic light when a distance between the vehicle and a traffic light ahead becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined threshold distance, The deceleration control unit is decelerating the vehicle at different decelerations when the deceleration control is executed with the traffic light recognized by the first recognition unit as a deceleration target and when the deceleration control is executed with the traffic light recognized by the second recognition unit as a deceleration target; When the vehicle reaches a predetermined point before the distance between the vehicle and the traffic light recognized by the first recognition unit becomes equal to or shorter than the threshold distance, if the vehicle speed of the vehicle is higher than a predetermined target vehicle speed, a first deceleration control is executed to decelerate the vehicle at a predetermined first deceleration from the time when the vehicle reaches the predetermined point, When the second recognition unit recognizes a lighting color of a traffic light ahead of the vehicle, if the lighting color is red or yellow, a second deceleration control is executed to decelerate the vehicle at a predetermined second deceleration that is greater than the first deceleration from the time when the second recognition unit recognizes the lighting color of the traffic light; The deceleration control unit includes a control unit that controls the notification device so as to notify the deceleration target of the deceleration control in different manners when the deceleration control is performed with the traffic light recognized by the first recognition unit as the deceleration target and when the deceleration control is performed with the traffic light recognized by the second recognition unit as the deceleration target. A vehicle characterized by:

2. 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, the notification device is a display device provided at a position visible to the driver of the vehicle, The control unit displays, on the display device, an image of a traffic light with none of its illumination colors illuminated when the deceleration control is performed with the traffic light recognized by the first recognition unit as the deceleration target, and displays, on the display device, an image of a traffic light with an illumination color corresponding to the instruction state illuminated when the deceleration control is performed with the traffic light recognized by the second recognition unit as the deceleration target. A vehicle characterized by:

Images