Driving Support Devices

Abstract

To provide a driving support device that encourages drivers to comply with road traffic laws and regulations in lane demarcation sections where overtaking is prohibited, lane changes are prohibited, etc., and does not give unnecessary warnings depending on conditions of a vehicle traffic zone where a vehicle is traveling.SOLUTION: A driving support device 1 includes: an external recognition device 11 that acquires traveling environment information; a direction indicator control unit 36 that flashes direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b; a driving control unit 25 that recognizes the type of lane demarcation lines laid on the right and left of the vehicle traveling zone where an own vehicle M is traveling based on the traveling environment information acquired by the external recognition device 11; and a warning device 34 that is driven and controlled by the driving control unit 25. The driving control unit 25 cancels the drive of the warning device 34 even if the lane demarcation line is a no-override line when detecting a stationary obstacle in front of the vehicle when a signal to flash the direction indicator is input from a direction indicator control unit 36 and the vehicle is about to deviate from the vehicle traveling zone.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device that issues a warning about deviation from a lane marking. [Background technology]

[0002] Lane markings such as lane boundary lines and lane center lines are provided on a roadway, and the types of lane markings that are permitted to be crossed for overtaking and the like and the types of lane markings that are prohibited to be crossed are determined by the difference between yellow lines, white lines, solid lines, broken lines, etc. Therefore, as a function to assist the driver, a technology is known that determines deviation from lane boundary lines laid in the vehicle lane in which the vehicle is traveling and activates a warning device. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a lane deviation prevention assistance device that can optimally assist in deviation prevention according to the type of lane markings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-027837 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional lane departure prevention assistance devices, the alarm will be activated even when the vehicle crosses a lane dividing line (a lane boundary line or lane center line) that specifies that it is prohibited to leave the lane or change lanes when avoiding obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a driving assistance device that encourages the driver to comply with road traffic regulations in lane marking sections where overtaking or lane changing is prohibited, etc., and does not issue unnecessary warnings depending on the conditions of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A driving assistance device of one embodiment of the present invention includes an external recognition device that acquires driving environment information at least ahead of the host vehicle; a turn indicator control device that flashes either the left or right turn indicator based on operation of a turn indicator operation unit by the driver; a driving control device that is connected to the external recognition device and the turn indicator control device and recognizes the type of lane markings laid on the left and right sides of the vehicle lane in which the host vehicle is traveling based on the driving environment information acquired by the external recognition device; and an alarm device that is driven and controlled by the driving control device in accordance with the type of the lane marking when the host vehicle deviates from the vehicle lane, and when a signal to flash the turn indicator is input from the turn indicator control device and the host vehicle attempts to deviate from the vehicle lane, the driving control device cancels the operation of the alarm device if it detects a stationary obstacle in front of the vehicle lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, even if the type of the lane marking is a no-departure line. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driving assistance device that encourages the driver to comply with road traffic regulations in lane marking sections where overtaking or lane changing is prohibited, and does not issue unnecessary warnings depending on the conditions of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Functional block diagram showing the configuration of a driving assistance device [Diagram 2] Top view of a vehicle equipped with an independent sensor [Diagram 3] 1 shows a state in which the vehicle is traveling in the right lane on a two-lane road with white dashed lane boundaries. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the state in which the vehicle is traveling in a lane on a road with one lane on each side, with a dashed white lane boundary line. [Diagram 5] A diagram showing the state in which the vehicle is traveling in the right lane on a two-lane road with solid white lane boundaries. [Figure 6] A diagram showing the state in which the vehicle is traveling in a lane on a road with one lane on each side, with a solid white lane boundary line. [Figure 7] A diagram showing the state in which the vehicle is traveling in the right lane on a two-lane road with solid yellow lane boundaries. [Figure 8] A diagram showing the state in which the vehicle is traveling in a lane on a road with one lane on each side, marked with a solid yellow lane boundary line. [Figure 9] The diagram shows the state in which the vehicle is traveling in the right lane on a two-lane road with a dashed white line on the inside and a solid yellow line on the outside. [Figure 10] The diagram shows the vehicle traveling in the lane on a one-lane road with a dashed white line on the inside and a solid yellow line on the outside. [Figure 11] The figure shows the vehicle traveling in the right lane on a road with yellow solid lines on the inside and white dashed lines on the outside. [Figure 12] The diagram shows the state in which the vehicle is traveling in the left lane on a two-lane road with a solid yellow line on the inside and a dashed white line on the outside. [Figure 13] A flowchart for determining lane boundary lines, lane center lines, and lane marking types of lane markings [Figure 14] A flowchart showing an example of control when determining a lane boundary line or a lane center line of a lane dividing line [Figure 15] A flowchart showing an example of control when determining the type of lane marking [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of control for activating or canceling an alarm device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of one aspect of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings used in the following description, each component is shown at a different scale so that the components can be recognized on the drawings, and the present invention is not limited only to the number of components, the shapes of components, the size ratios of the components, and the relative positional relationships of the components shown in these drawings.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, a driving assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an external recognition device that acquires driving environment information at least ahead of the host vehicle, a turn indicator control device that changes either the left or right turn indicator from an off state to an on state and flashes it based on an operation of a turn indicator operation unit by a driver, a driving control device that recognizes the type of lane markings laid on the left and right sides of a vehicle lane in which the host vehicle is traveling based on the driving environment information, and an alarm device that provides an alarm or warning display to the driver, and when the turn indicator is on and the type of the lane marking close to the host vehicle is a no-departure line, the driving control device recognizes the type of lane markings laid on the left and right sides of a vehicle lane in which the host vehicle is traveling based on the driving environment information, and Destination There is a vehicle passing by, or the vehicle is in front of the vehicle in the vehicle lane. Stationary obstacles When it is detected that there is no obstacle, the warning device is activated to give a warning or a warning display to the driver, and the vehicle lane ahead of the vehicle is To the above destination There is no vehicle passing through the lane and the vehicle is in front of the vehicle. The above obstacle When the presence of a hazard is detected, activation of the alarm device is cancelled.

[0011] A redundant system is constructed between the locator unit 10 and the driving environment recognition unit 11 so that if one of them malfunctions, the other unit will continue driving assistance temporarily. In addition, the driving assistance device 1 constantly monitors whether the shape of the road currently being traveled is the same between the locator unit 10 and the driving environment recognition unit 11, and continues driving assistance if they are the same.

[0012] Locator unit 10 estimates the position of vehicle M on a road map (vehicle position) and acquires road map data ahead of the vehicle position. Meanwhile, the stereo camera device of driving environment recognition unit 11 obtains the road curvature at the center of the dividing line dividing the left and right of the lane in which vehicle M is traveling, and detects the lateral position deviation of vehicle M in the vehicle width direction based on the center of the dividing line.

[0013] The driving environment recognition unit 11, which is an autonomous sensor unit that is an external recognition device, is fixed, for example, to the upper center of the front part of the vehicle interior. The driving environment recognition unit 11 has an in-vehicle camera consisting of a main camera 11a and a sub-camera 11b that are stereo camera devices, an image processing unit (IPU) 11c, and a driving environment recognition unit 11d.

[0014] The main camera 11a and the sub-camera 11b are, for example, autonomous sensors that sense the real space in front of the vehicle. The main camera 11a and the sub-camera 11b are arranged at symmetrical positions in the vehicle interior in front of the upper part of the windshield, sandwiching the center of the vehicle width direction, as shown in Fig. 2, and capture stereo images of the area in front of the vehicle from different viewpoints.

[0015] The IPU 11c processes the forward driving environment image information of the area in front of the vehicle captured by both cameras 11a and 11b in a predetermined manner, and generates forward driving environment image information (distance image information) including distance information calculated from the amount of deviation between the positions of corresponding objects. The driving environment recognition unit 11d calculates lane markings that divide the roads around the vehicle based on the distance image information received from the IPU 11c. The forward driving environment image is a color image, and the driving environment recognition unit 11d also recognizes the color of the lane markings.

[0016] In addition, the driving environment recognition unit 11d calculates the road curvature [1 / m] of the lane markings dividing the left and right sides of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (the vehicle's driving lane) and the width between the left and right lane markings (lane width). There are various known methods for calculating the road curvature and lane width, but for example, the driving environment recognition unit 11d recognizes the left and right lane markings by binarization processing based on the brightness difference based on the forward driving environment image information, and calculates the curvatures of the left and right lane markings for each predetermined section by a curve approximation formula using the least squares method.

[0017] In addition, the driving environment recognition unit 11d performs a predetermined pattern matching on the distance image information to recognize guardrails and curbs along the road, as well as three-dimensional objects and obstacles such as pedestrians, motorcycles, and vehicles other than motorcycles that are on the road around the vehicle.

[0018] Here, in the recognition of three-dimensional objects, obstacles, etc. in the driving environment recognition unit 11d, for example, the type of the three-dimensional object, the distance to the three-dimensional object, the speed of the three-dimensional object, the relative speed between the three-dimensional object and the vehicle, etc. The three-dimensional object recognized based on the image from the vehicle-mounted camera in this way is called a camera object (camera OBJ).

[0019] Furthermore, a plurality of radar devices (for example, a left front side radar device 11fl, a right front side radar device 11fr, a left rear side radar device 11rl, and a right rear side radar device 11rr) are connected to the driving environment recognition unit 11d as autonomous sensors. These plurality of radar devices (the left front side radar device 11fl, the right front side radar device 11fr, the left rear side radar device 11rl, and the right rear side radar device 11rr) are arranged on the bumper or the like outside the vehicle cabin so as to sandwich the center in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction and to be symmetrical in the front-rear and left-right directions, as shown in FIG. 2, for example.

[0020] The left front-side radar device 11fl and the right front-side radar device 11fr monitor two areas, the left and right diagonally forward and to the sides, of the vehicle M, which cannot be monitored by the images from the above-mentioned cameras 11a and 11b. The left rear-side radar device 11rl and the right rear-side radar device 11rr monitor two areas, from the left and right sides to the rear of the vehicle M, which cannot be monitored by the above-mentioned left front-side radar device 11fl and right front-side radar device 11fr.

[0021] Each of these radar devices 11fl, 11fr, 11rl, and 11rr is configured to include a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), etc. Each of the radar devices 11fl, 11fr, 11rl, and 11rr detects a plurality of reflection points on a three-dimensional object existing around the vehicle by receiving a reflected wave of a radar wave (such as an electric wave or a laser beam) emitted in a horizontal direction, and recognizes the three-dimensional object.

[0022] The information on the radar OBJ recognized by each of the radar devices 11fl, 11fr, 11rl, and 11rr in this manner is input to the driving environment recognition unit 11d. This allows the driving environment recognition unit 11d to recognize not only preceding vehicles and the like in front of the vehicle, but also vehicles running parallel to the sides of the vehicle, intersecting vehicles approaching the vehicle from a direction intersecting the vehicle's travel path at an intersection, and following vehicles running behind the vehicle. Note that the left rear side radar device 11rl and the right rear side radar device 11rr may not be provided, and a backup camera may be used to recognize vehicles running parallel to the rear and following vehicles.

[0023] Locator unit 10 has map locator calculation unit 12 and high-precision road map database 16 as storage means. Map locator calculation unit 12, driving environment recognition unit 11d (described later), and driving control unit 25 are configured with a well-known microcomputer equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, non-volatile storage unit, etc., and peripheral devices thereof, and programs to be executed by the CPU and fixed data such as data tables are stored in advance in the ROM.

[0024] A GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 13 and an autonomous driving sensor 14 are connected to the input side of the map locator calculation unit 12 .

[0025] The GNSS receiver 13 receives positioning signals transmitted from multiple positioning satellites. The autonomous driving sensor 14 enables autonomous driving in an environment where the reception sensitivity from the GNSS satellites is low and the positioning signals cannot be effectively received, such as when driving inside a tunnel, and is composed of a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a longitudinal acceleration sensor.

[0026] That is, the map locator calculation unit 12 performs localization from the travel distance and direction based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor, the yaw rate (yaw angular velocity) detected by the yaw rate sensor, and the longitudinal acceleration detected by the longitudinal acceleration sensor.

[0027] This map locator calculation unit 12 includes a vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a that has the function of estimating the vehicle position, a map information acquisition unit 12b that identifies the current location of the vehicle M by map matching the estimated vehicle position on a road map and acquires road map information including information on the surrounding environment, and a target course setting calculation unit 12c that sets a target course (target course) for the vehicle M.

[0028] The high-precision road map database 16 is a large-capacity storage medium such as a HDD, and stores high-precision, well-known road map information (local dynamic map). This high-precision road map information has a hierarchical structure in which additional map information required to support automated driving is superimposed on the lowest layer of static information, which serves as the base.

[0029] The map information acquisition unit 12b acquires the current location and road map information ahead from the road map information stored in the high-precision road map database 16. This road map information includes surrounding environment information. This surrounding environment information includes not only static location information such as road type (general road, expressway, etc.), road shape, left and right dividing lines, road signs, stop lines, intersections, and traffic lights, but also dynamic location information such as traffic congestion information, accidents, or traffic restrictions due to construction.

[0030] Then, for example, based on the destination set by the driver during automatic driving, route map information from the vehicle position (current location) estimated by the above-mentioned vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a to the destination is obtained from this road map information, and the obtained route map information (lane data on the route map and its surrounding information) is transmitted to the vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a.

[0031] The vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a acquires the position coordinates of the vehicle M based on the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver 13, and map-matches these position coordinates on the route map information to estimate the vehicle position (current location) on the road map and identify the driving lane, acquires the road shape of the driving lane stored in the route map information, and stores them sequentially.

[0032] Furthermore, in an environment where it is not possible to receive valid positioning signals from positioning satellites due to reduced sensitivity of the GNSS receiver 13, such as when driving inside a tunnel, the vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a switches to autonomous navigation and performs localization using the autonomous driving sensor 14.

[0033] The target route setting calculation unit 12c first sets a target route for automatically driving the vehicle M along the lane markings based on the current position map-matched by the map information acquisition unit 12b. If the driver has input a destination, the target route is set along a driving route connecting the current position and the destination.

[0034] This target route is set several hundred meters to several kilometers ahead of the vehicle M, and is updated successively during driving. The target route set by the target route setting calculation unit 12c is read by the driving control unit 25, which is an automatic driving control unit.

[0035] The driving control unit 25 is connected on the input side to the target route setting calculation section 12c of the map locator calculation section 12 and the driving environment recognition section 11d of the stereo camera device.

[0036] In addition, this driving control unit 25 is connected to a steering control unit 31 on the output side that drives the vehicle M along a target travel path, a brake control unit 32 that decelerates the vehicle M by applying forced braking, an acceleration / deceleration control unit 33 that controls the vehicle speed of the vehicle M, and an alarm device 34, and to a turn signal (blinker) control unit 36, which is a turn signal control device, on the input side.

[0037] The turn indicator control unit 36 ​​receives an ON signal from a turn indicator lever 35 of a turn indicator operation unit (winker lever) operated by the driver. The warning device 34 issues warnings such as voice and buzzer, and displays a warning on the instrument panel.

[0038] The driving control unit 25 controls the steering control unit 31, the brake control unit 32, and the acceleration / deceleration control unit 33 in a predetermined manner to automatically drive the vehicle M along the target route on the road map set by the target route setting calculation unit 12c, based on the positioning signal indicating the vehicle position received by the GNSS receiver 13.

[0039] At that time, based on the driving environment ahead recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 11d, the well-known adaptive cruise control (ACC) and active lane keep (ALK) are performed, and if a preceding vehicle is detected, the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle, and if no preceding vehicle is detected, the vehicle travels within the speed limit. Furthermore, if a moving object attempting to cross just in front of the host vehicle M is detected, the brake control unit 32 is operated to stop the host vehicle M.

[0040] The turn indicator control unit 36 ​​also includes a relay circuit, which causes two of the four turn indicators (blinkers) 37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b (front, rear, left, and right) that make a pair on the left and right to flash when the driver operates the turn indicator lever 35. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the right front turn indicator 37a and the right rear turn indicator 38a make a pair, and the left front turn indicator 37b and the left rear turn indicator 38b make a pair.

[0041] Here, we will briefly explain the types of lane markings that are laid on roads to define lanes, and the road traffic regulations that accompany each type of lane marking.

[0042] For example, as shown in Figure 3, when there are multiple lanes in the same direction of travel, in this case the lane boundary line separating the boundary between the first vehicle lane and the second vehicle lane, is a white dashed line DWL, the vehicle M may overtake a vehicle ahead, or may extend into the other vehicle lanes to avoid stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones, or may cross over to change lanes.

[0043] For example, as shown in Figure 4, if the center line (DWL) that separates the lane from the oncoming lane is a dashed white line, it is permissible to drive into the lane when overtaking a vehicle ahead or avoiding stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones.

[0044] For example, as shown in Figure 5, when there are multiple lanes in the same direction of travel, and the lane boundary line separating the first and second lanes is a solid white line SWL, a vehicle may cross into the other lanes to overtake a vehicle ahead, or to avoid stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones, or may cross over to change lanes.

[0045] For example, as shown in Figure 6, when the center line of a lane that separates the lane from the oncoming lane is a solid white line SWL, the vehicle M is prohibited from overtaking the vehicle ahead by protruding into the lane. However, this does not apply when the vehicle M must protrude into the lane to avoid stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones.

[0046] For example, as shown in Figure 7, when there are multiple lanes in the same direction of travel, and the lane boundary line that separates the boundary between the first and second vehicle lanes is a solid yellow line SYL, overtaking and changing lanes to other vehicle lanes are prohibited, and in principle, passing into other vehicle lanes is prohibited. However, this does not apply when passing through without passing into other vehicle lanes to avoid stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones.

[0047] For example, as shown in Figure 8, when the center line of a lane that separates the lane from the oncoming lane is a solid yellow line SYL, vehicle M is prohibited from crossing into the lane of other vehicles when overtaking a vehicle ahead, etc. However, this does not apply when vehicle M must cross into the lane of other vehicles to avoid stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones.

[0048] For example, as shown in Figure 9, when there are multiple lanes in the same direction of travel, in this case multiple lane boundary lines that serve as lane dividing lines separating the boundary between the first vehicle lane and the second vehicle lane, and there is a dashed white line DWL on the side of vehicle M and a solid yellow line SYL on the side of the other vehicle lane, vehicle M may overtake a vehicle ahead or cross into the other vehicle lane to avoid stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones, or may cross over to change lanes.

[0049] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, if there are multiple lane center lines that separate the lane from the oncoming lane, and a dashed white line DWL is on the side of vehicle M and a solid yellow line SYL is on the side of the other vehicle lane, vehicle M may cross over into the other vehicle lane when overtaking a vehicle ahead and avoiding stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles and construction zones.

[0050] As shown in Figure 11, when the solid yellow line SYL and the dashed white line DWL are laid in the opposite direction, i.e. when the solid yellow line SYL is on the side of the vehicle M and the dashed white line DWL is on the side of the lane for other vehicles, overtaking and changing lanes into the lane for other vehicles are prohibited, and in principle, passing into the lane for other vehicles is prohibited. However, this does not apply when passing through without crossing into the lane for other vehicles to avoid stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles or construction zones.

[0051] Also, as shown in Fig. 12, for example, when the vehicle M is traveling in the second vehicle lane, there is a solid yellow line SYL on the vehicle M side and a broken white line DWL on the other vehicle lane side, so changing lanes to the first vehicle lane is prohibited and in principle, passing over into the other vehicle lane is prohibited. However, this does not apply when passing over into the first vehicle lane to avoid a stationary obstacle such as a broken-down vehicle or a construction zone.

[0052] An example of control for activating the warning device 34 of the driving assistance device 1 to encourage the driver to strictly comply with road traffic regulations according to the types of lane markings laid on roads to define lanes as described above will be described in detail below.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 13, the driving assistance device 1 determines whether a lane marking is a lane boundary line or a lane center line, and determines the type of the left and right lane markings.

[0054] Specifically, the driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 executes a lane boundary / center line determination (S1) of the lane dividing line, a right lane dividing line type determination (S2) for the host vehicle M, a left lane dividing line type determination (S3) for the host vehicle M, and a warning device activation determination (S4). Note that the order of the right lane dividing line type determination (S2) and the left lane dividing line type determination (S3) may be reversed.

[0055] First, the driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 executes a control example shown in Fig. 14 in the lane boundary line / lane center line determination (S1) of the lane boundary line in Fig. 13. The driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 determines whether the right lane boundary line for the host vehicle M is a lane boundary line or a lane center line based on forward driving environment image information of the area ahead of the host vehicle M captured by both cameras 11a, 11b by the IPU 11c of the driving environment recognition unit 11 of the external recognition device.

[0056] The driving control unit 25 determines whether or not there is a lane marking on the left side of the lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling (S11).

[0057] When there is a lane marking on the left side, the driving control unit 25 determines whether or not there is a vehicle lane and a lane marking on the left side of the lane marking (S12). When there is no lane marking on the left side, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to a routine of step S15 described later.

[0058] If there is a vehicle lane to the left of the nearest lane marking on the left, and no lane marking to the left of this vehicle lane, the driving control unit 25 recognizes the left lane marking as the outer side line of the road (S13) and proceeds to the routine of step S15 described below.

[0059] If there is a vehicle lane to the left of the nearest left lane marking and another lane marking to the left of this vehicle lane, the driving control unit 25 recognizes the left lane marking as the lane boundary line (S14) and proceeds to the next step S15 of the routine.

[0060] In step S15, the driving control unit 25 determines whether or not there is a road marking in the forward direction to the right of the right lane marking (S15). If there is a road marking in the forward direction, such as an arrow, a speed indicator, a no U-turn indicator, or a right turn indicator, to the right of the right lane marking, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to a routine in step S20, which will be described later.

[0061] On the other hand, if there is no road marking to the right of the right lane marking, the driving control unit 25 determines whether or not there is a vehicle lane further to the right of the right lane marking (S16).

[0062] If there is no vehicle lane further to the right of the right lane dividing line, the driving control unit 25 recognizes the right lane dividing line as the lane center line (S17) and ends the lane boundary line / lane center line determination routine for the lane dividing line.

[0063] On the other hand, when there is a vehicle lane further to the right of the right lane marking, the driving control unit 25 determines whether or not an oncoming vehicle has been detected in the right vehicle lane (oncoming vehicle lane) (S18).

[0064] If an oncoming vehicle is detected, the driving control unit 25 recognizes the lane dividing line on the right side as the lane center line (S17) and ends the lane boundary line / lane center line determination routine for the lane dividing line.

[0065] On the other hand, when an oncoming vehicle is not detected, the driving control unit 25 judges whether or not a parallel vehicle is detected in the vehicle lane on the right side (adjacent vehicle lane / parallel vehicle lane) (S19). When a parallel vehicle is not detected in the vehicle lane on the right side, the driving control unit 25 recognizes the lane dividing line on the right side as the lane center line (S17) and ends the lane boundary line / lane center line judgment routine of the lane dividing line.

[0066] In this case, no oncoming vehicles or vehicles traveling parallel to the vehicle are detected in the right-hand lane, and the lane dividing line on the right cannot be recognized as a lane boundary line or a lane center line; therefore, to prioritize safety, the lane dividing line is recognized as the lane center line.

[0067] Also, in step S19, if a vehicle traveling parallel to the vehicle in the right-hand lane is detected, the driving control unit 25 recognizes the lane dividing line on the right-hand side as a lane boundary line (S20) and ends the lane dividing line / lane center line determination routine.

[0068] As described above, the driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 recognizes and stores the left and right lane markings as lane boundary lines, lane center lines, or road outer edges.

[0069] The driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 executes the control example shown in Fig. 15 in the right lane marking type determination (S2) and the left lane marking type determination (S3). Note that the driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 also determines the types of lane markings on the left and right (right lane marking type determination and left lane marking type determination) based on color image information, which is forward driving environment image information of the area ahead of the vehicle M captured by both cameras 11a, 11b using the IPU 11c of the driving environment recognition unit 11 of the external recognition device.

[0070] The driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 determines whether or not the lane marking on the vehicle's side (the vehicle M side) in the width direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle lane in which the vehicle is traveling is a solid line from the forward driving environment image information (S21). If the driving control unit 25 determines that the lane marking is not a solid line, the process proceeds to a routine of step S26 described later.

[0071] If the driving control unit 25 determines that the lane marking is a solid line, it determines whether the lane marking is yellow (S22). If the driving control unit 25 determines that the lane marking is a solid yellow line SYL, it recognizes it as a no-stray line including lane change (S23) and ends the determination of the type of lane marking on the right or left side. That is, the lane marking here is a solid yellow line SYL that is either a lane boundary line or a lane center line.

[0072] On the other hand, when the driving control unit 25 determines that the lane marking is not a solid yellow line SYL such as a solid white line SWL, it determines whether or not the lane marking is a lane boundary line (S24). Here, the driving control unit 25 determines whether or not the lane marking is a lane boundary line by referring to the lane boundary line / lane center line determination result of the lane marking stored by the above control example shown in Fig. 14. If the lane marking is a lane boundary line, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to a routine of step S27 described later.

[0073] If the lane marking is not a lane boundary line, the driving control unit 25 recognizes it as a no-go line that does not include lane change (S25) and ends the determination of the type of lane marking on the right or left side. That is, the lane marking here is a lane center line in solid white SWL.

[0074] In step S21, when the driving control unit 25 determines that the lane marking on the vehicle's side in the width direction of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling is not a solid line, the driving control unit 25 determines whether the lane marking is a lane center line (S26). Here, too, the driving control unit 25 determines whether the lane marking is a lane marking by referring to the lane marking / lane center line determination result of the lane marking stored by the above control example shown in Fig. 14.

[0075] If the lane dividing line is not a lane center line, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to the next step S27. In step S27, the driving control unit 25 recognizes the lane dividing line as a line where deviation is permitted, including lane changing (S27).

[0076] Then, the driving control unit 25 ends the routine for determining the type of right or left lane marking. That is, the lane marking in this case is a broken white line DWL or a solid white line SWL.

[0077] On the other hand, if the lane marking is a lane center line, the driving control unit 25 recognizes it as a line that does not include lane changing and allows deviation (S28) and ends the routine for determining the type of lane marking on the right or left side. That is, the lane marking here is recognized as a lane center line of a dashed white line DWL.

[0078] As described above, the driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 recognizes and stores whether the left and right lane dividing lines are no-stray lines including lane changes, no-stray lines without lane changes, lane-permitted lines including lane changes, or lane-permitted lines without lane changes.

[0079] Then, in the warning device activation determination (S4), the driving control unit 25 of the driving assistance device 1 executes a control example of activating the warning device 34 shown in FIG. 16 when the host vehicle M departs from the vehicle lane in which it is traveling, in order to encourage the driver to comply with road traffic regulations based on the above-mentioned recognition of the lane marking types and lane boundary lines / lane center lines.

[0080] 16, the driving control unit 25 of the driving support device 1 determines whether or not the direction indicators are blinking (ON) (S31). If any pair of the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b is not blinking, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to a routine of step S40 described later.

[0081] On the other hand, when the driver operates the turn signal lever and a signal is input from the turn signal control unit 36 ​​to cause the turn signal to flash (ON), the driving control unit 25 determines whether the lane dividing line on the flashing side of the pair of turn signals 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b on the left and right is a lane boundary line (S32).

[0082] At this time, the driving control unit 25 judges whether the lane dividing line is a lane dividing line or not by referring to the result of the lane dividing line / lane center line judgment stored by the above control example shown in Fig. 14. If the lane dividing line on the blinking side of the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b is not a lane dividing line, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to a routine of step S37 described later.

[0083] On the other hand, when the lane dividing line on the blinking side of the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b is a lane dividing line, the driving control unit 25 determines whether the lane dividing line is a deviation prohibition line (S33).

[0084] At this time, the driving control unit 25 judges whether the lane marking is a deviation prohibition line by referring to the result of the lane marking type judgment of the lane marking stored by the above control example shown in Fig. 15. The deviation prohibition line here is a lane boundary line including a lane change prohibition line that is a yellow solid line SYL that is not a white solid line SWL or a white dashed line DWL.

[0085] If the lane boundary is a no-departure line, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to the routine of step S35. On the other hand, if the lane boundary line on the blinking side of the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b is not a lane boundary line, the driving control unit 25 determines whether or not a parallel vehicle is detected in the adjacent vehicle lane (parallel vehicle lane) on the blinking side of the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b (S34).

[0086] Here, the driving control unit 25 determines the presence or absence of a parallel running vehicle by receiving information about the parallel running vehicle present on the side of the host vehicle M, on the side where the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, and 38b are flashing, from the driving environment recognition unit 11d. If a parallel running vehicle is detected in the adjacent vehicle lane, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to a routine of step S39 and activates the warning device 34 (S39).

[0087] On the other hand, if a parallel running vehicle has not been detected, the driving control unit 25 does not activate the warning device 34 in step S39, and returns to step S31.

[0088] Furthermore, in step S32, if the lane marking on the side where the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b are flashing is a lane center line, the driving control unit 25 judges whether the lane center line is a deviation prohibition line (S37). In this case, the driving control unit 25 judges whether the lane center line is a deviation prohibition line by referring to the result of the lane marking type judgment of the lane marking line stored by the above control example shown in Fig. 15. Note that the deviation prohibition line in this case is a lane center line that is a yellow solid line SYL or a white solid line SWL, not a white dashed line DWL.

[0089] If the lane center line is a no-stray line, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to the routine of step S35 described above, and determines whether or not a preceding vehicle is detected ahead of the vehicle lane that is the road on which the host vehicle M is traveling (S35). Here, the driving control unit 25 determines the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle by receiving information about the preceding vehicle that is present ahead of the host vehicle M from the driving environment recognition unit 11d.

[0090] If a preceding vehicle is detected, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to a routine of step S39 and activates the warning device 34 (S39). On the other hand, if a preceding vehicle is not detected, the driving control unit 25 determines whether or not a stationary obstacle is detected ahead of the vehicle lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling (S36). Here, the driving control unit 25 determines the presence or absence of a stationary obstacle by receiving information about stationary obstacles such as parked vehicles and construction zones ahead of the host vehicle M from the driving environment recognition unit 11d.

[0091] If a stationary obstacle is not detected, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to the routine of step S39 and activates the alarm device 34 (S39). On the other hand, if a stationary obstacle is detected, the driving control unit 25 does not activate the alarm device 34 in step S39 and returns to step S31. That is, the driving control unit 25 cancels the activation of the alarm device 34.

[0092] When the driving control unit 25 determines in step S37 that the lane boundary is not a deviation-prohibited line, it determines whether or not an oncoming vehicle is detected in the vehicle lane on the right side (oncoming vehicle lane) (S38). Here, the driving control unit 25 determines the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle by receiving detection information of the oncoming vehicle from the driving environment recognition unit 11d.

[0093] If an oncoming vehicle is detected, the driving control unit 25 proceeds to the routine of step S39 and activates the warning device 34 (S39). On the other hand, if an oncoming vehicle is not detected, the driving control unit 25 does not activate the warning device 34 in step S39 and returns to step S31. That is, the driving control unit 25 cancels the activation of the warning device 34.

[0094] In step S31, if the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b are not flashing (ON) and the distance between the vehicle M and either the left or right lane marking is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (S40), the driving control unit 25 determines whether the nearby lane marking is a no-departure line (S41). If the distance between the vehicle M and either the left or right lane marking is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the driving control unit 25 returns to step S31.

[0095] If the lane marking is a deviation-prohibited line, the driving control unit 25 activates the warning device 34 (S39), and if the lane marking is not a deviation-prohibited line, the driving control unit 25 does not activate the warning device 34 and returns to step S31.

[0096] As described above, the driving assistance device 1 determines the type of lane dividing line and the lane boundary line or center line of the lane dividing line, and when the vehicle M attempts to deviate from the lane in which the vehicle is traveling in order to avoid a stationary obstacle such as a parked vehicle or a construction zone ahead, the driving assistance device 1 executes control to cancel the operation of the warning device 34 even if the lane boundary line or center line is a no-departure line.

[0097] In addition, when the driving assistance device 1 detects a vehicle traveling parallel in the adjacent vehicle lane on the side where the turn indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b are flashing or an oncoming vehicle in the oncoming vehicle lane when the vehicle M is about to deviate from the vehicle lane in which the vehicle M is traveling to avoid a stationary obstacle such as a parked vehicle or a construction zone, the driving assistance device 1 executes control to activate the warning device 34.

[0098] Furthermore, when the direction indicators 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b are not flashing, the driving assistance device 1 executes control to activate the warning device 34 when the vehicle M approaches the deviation-free line within a distance equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.

[0099] In this way, the driving assistance device 1 encourages the driver to comply with laws and regulations when overtaking a preceding vehicle, avoiding obstacles, changing lanes, etc., and also prevents the driver from feeling annoyed by not issuing (canceling) unnecessary warnings depending on the conditions of the vehicle lane in which the vehicle M is traveling.

[0100] In order to reduce the processing load of the driving control unit 25, the determination process for activating the warning device 34 shown in FIG. 16 may be executed just before an intersection where the lane markings are detected as solid yellow lines SYL.

[0101] Furthermore, when the driving control unit 25 recognizes the center line of the yellow solid line SYL or white solid line SWL and determines not to activate the warning device 34, the driving control unit 25 may be configured to delay activation of the warning device 34 until the vehicle M significantly crosses the yellow solid line SWL or white solid line SWL. In other words, when avoiding stationary obstacles such as construction zones or parked vehicles, it is often sufficient to only slightly cross the center line, so it is possible not to activate the warning device 34 if the vehicle M crosses the center line to that extent.

[0102] In addition, when the driving control unit 25 recognizes the yellow solid line SYL as a lane boundary line and determines that the warning device 34 should be activated, the driving control unit 25 may activate the lane keeping control (ALK: Active Lane Keep) first and then activate the warning device 34.

[0103] In addition, when the driving control unit 25 recognizes the lane boundary line of the solid yellow line SYL and determines not to activate the warning device 34, if the angle between the solid yellow line SYL and the vehicle M is large in the direction in which the vehicle M approaches the solid yellow line SYL, the driving control unit 25 may activate the warning device 34 after first activating lane keeping control (ALK: Active Lane Keep).

[0104] In addition, when the driving control unit 25 recognizes the solid yellow line SYL as a lane boundary line and determines not to activate the warning device 34, if the solid yellow line SYL is on both the left and right sides of the vehicle M, the steering torque of the lane keeping control (ALK: Active Lane Keep) for returning the vehicle to the center of the lane is set low, which means that there is always an adjacent vehicle lane on the opposite left and right side to the deviation side, and deviation into that vehicle lane can also be taken into consideration.

[0105] In addition, when the driving control unit 25 recognizes the yellow solid line SYL as a lane boundary line and determines not to activate the warning device 34, if lane change steering control including automatic driving is in operation, the driving control unit 25 may not execute the determination control to activate the warning device 34 shown in FIG. 16.

[0106] Furthermore, when the driving control unit 25 recognizes the yellow solid line SYL as a lane boundary line and determines not to activate the warning device 34, the driving control unit 25 may delay activation of the warning device 34 by not activating it immediately after the yellow solid line SYL changes from the white line SWL or the white broken line DWL. That is, since there may be some margin immediately after the type of lane boundary line changes, the warning is not issued unless the vehicle M slightly deviates from the yellow solid line SYL.

[0107] In the above embodiment, a configuration is illustrated in which the driving environment is recognized using stereo images from the two cameras 11a and 11b. However, stereo images are not necessarily required, and the movement of other vehicles may be recognized from an image from a monocular camera.

[0108] The driving control unit 25 and the various control units 31-33, 36 of the driving support device 1 each have a processor including a central processing unit (CPU) and storage devices such as a ROM and a RAM. All or part of the configuration of the multiple circuits of the processor may be implemented by software. For example, the CPU may read and execute various programs corresponding to the respective functions stored in the ROM.

[0109] Furthermore, all or part of the functions of the processor may be configured using logic circuits or analog circuits, and the processing of various programs may be realized by electronic circuits such as FPGAs.

[0110] In the above embodiment, a road where driving is regulated to the left is shown as an example, but in the case of a road where driving is regulated to the right, the technology of the present application can be applied by reversing the left and right.

[0111] The invention described in the above embodiments is not limited to those embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, each of the above embodiments includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the disclosed constituent elements.

[0112] For example, if some of the constituent elements shown in each form are deleted, and the stated problem can be solved and the stated effect can be obtained, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 1. Driving support device 11...Driving environment recognition unit 11a…Main camera 11b…Sub camera 11d…Driving environment recognition section 11fl…Left front side radar device 11fr…Right front side radar device 11rl…Left rear side radar device 11rr…Right rear side radar device 25...Operation control unit 31...Steering control unit 34…Alarm device 35…Turn signal lever 36...Turn indicator control unit 37a…Right front direction indicator 37b…Left front direction indicator 38a…Right rear direction indicator 38b…Left rear direction indicator M: Vehicle SWL: White solid line SYL…yellow solid line DWL: White dashed line

Claims

1. An external recognition device that acquires driving environment information at least in front of the host vehicle; A turn indicator control device that changes one of the left and right turn indicators from an off state to an on state and causes it to flash based on an operation of a turn indicator operation unit by a driver; a driving control device that recognizes a type of lane marking laid on the left and right of the vehicle lane in which the host vehicle is traveling based on the driving environment information; and An alarm device that provides an alarm or a warning display to the driver; Equipped with When the turn signal is on and the type of the lane marking adjacent to the host vehicle is a deviation prohibition line, There is a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle in the vehicle lane, or There is no stationary obstacle in front of the vehicle in the vehicle lane; When the vehicle is detected, the warning device is activated to warn or display a warning to the driver. There is no preceding vehicle in front of the host vehicle in the vehicle lane, and the obstacle is present ahead of the host vehicle in the vehicle lane; When the above-mentioned detection is made, the activation of the alarm device is cancelled. A driving assistance device comprising:

2. 2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the driving control device activates the warning device when the driving control device recognizes the lane marking as a lane center line of a lane where deviation is permitted and detects, based on the driving environment information, an oncoming vehicle in an oncoming vehicle lane where the host vehicle is attempting to deviate from the vehicle lane.

3. The external recognition device acquires the driving environment information on the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle, 3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the driving control device activates the warning device when the driving control device detects, based on the driving environment information, a vehicle traveling parallel to the host vehicle in an adjacent vehicle lane that is attempting to deviate from the vehicle lane while recognizing the lane marking as a lane boundary line where deviation is permitted.

4. The driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the driving control device recognizes the lane marking as a no-departure line, and when a signal to flash the turn signal is not input from the turn signal control device, the driving control device activates the warning device when the distance between the vehicle and the lane marking becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold based on the driving environment information.

5. The operation control device includes: When the direction indicator is in an off state and the distance between the host vehicle and the lane marking is equal to or smaller than a threshold value, the type of the lane marking adjacent to the host vehicle is determined; When it is determined that the type is a no-go line, the warning device is activated to give a warning or display a warning to the driver, If it is determined that the type is not a deviation prohibition line, activation of the warning device is cancelled.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1 .

6. The external recognition device is a first autonomous sensor that detects the preceding vehicle at least in front of the host vehicle; A second autonomous sensor that detects the obstacle at least in front of the host vehicle; having The driving environment information includes preceding vehicle information based on a detection result of the first autonomous sensor and obstacle information based on a detection result of the second autonomous sensor.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1 .

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