Vehicle control device, vehicle, and control method and program for vehicle control device

Abstract

To improve collision avoidance with an obstacle in comparison with the prior art.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device controlling a vehicle comprises: first detection means which detects a traffic lane outside area which is an outside area of a traffic lane where a vehicle is traveling; second detection means which detects an obstacle; notification means which notifies an operator to request steering control for going out to the traffic lane outside area when the traffic lane outside area is detected by the first detection means, an obstacle is detected by the second detection means, and the vehicle and the obstacle are in a prescribed relation; and determination means which determines that the operator approves steering control in the traffic lane outside area when the vehicle controlled by operator's steering control intrudes into the traffic lane outside area after starting notification by the notification means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle, and a control method and program for a vehicle control device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a technique for controlling steering so as to avoid an obstacle when the obstacle is present ahead of a traveling vehicle (Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-206040 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-151207 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On the other hand, there is also known a technology that controls steering while driving the vehicle while keeping it within the lane (hereinafter, this operation mode will be referred to as lane keeping assist mode). If an obstacle is detected ahead while driving in this lane keeping assist mode, braking and steering will be controlled to avoid a collision with the obstacle, but this control is always performed within the range of the lane in which the vehicle is driving.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology that improves collision avoidance with obstacles more than ever before. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, for example, a vehicle control device according to the present invention has the following configuration. A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle, A first detection means for detecting an outside lane area outside the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; A second detection means for detecting an obstacle; a notification means for notifying a driver of a steering operation to the outside lane area when the first detection means detects an outside lane area, the second detection means detects an obstacle, and the relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle is in a predetermined relationship; and The notification means To After the notification is started, the vehicle moves out of the lane due to steering by the driver. To The vehicle is provided with a determination means for determining that steering control in the outside lane area has been approved in the case where the vehicle has entered the outside lane area. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve collision avoidance with obstacles more than ever before. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle and a control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of a lane keeping mode executed by the vehicle control device. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of a lane keeping mode executed by the vehicle control device. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing details of S309 in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining vehicle running and processing contents in a lane keeping mode in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining vehicle running and processing contents in a lane keeping mode in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of driving when an obstacle is detected; [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the process of S308 in FIG. 3; [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a traveling trajectory based on a processing result for collision avoidance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features among the multiple features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] First Embodiment Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle V and its control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the vehicle V is shown in a schematic plan view and a side view. As an example, the vehicle V is a sedan-type four-wheeled passenger car.

[0011] The vehicle V of this embodiment is, for example, a parallel hybrid vehicle. In this case, a power plant 50, which is a traveling drive unit that outputs a driving force to rotate the drive wheels of the vehicle V, can include an internal combustion engine, a motor, and an automatic transmission. The motor can be used as a drive source to accelerate the vehicle V, and can also be used as a generator during deceleration (regenerative braking).

[0012] <Control device> The configuration of a control device 1, which is an on-board device of a vehicle V, will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The control device 1 includes an ECU group (control unit group) 2. The ECU group 2 includes a plurality of ECUs 20 to 28 that are configured to be able to communicate with each other. Each ECU includes a processor represented by a CPU, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, an interface with an external device, and the like. The storage device stores programs executed by the processor and data used by the processor for processing, and the like. Each ECU may include a plurality of processors, storage devices, interfaces, and the like. The number of ECUs and the functions they are responsible for can be designed as appropriate, and they can be divided into smaller units or integrated more than in this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the names of representative functions of the ECUs 20 to 28 are given. For example, the ECU 20 is described as a "driving control ECU."

[0013] The ECU 20 executes control related to driving assistance including automatic driving of the vehicle V. In automatic driving, the driving (such as accelerating the vehicle V by the power plant 50), steering, and braking of the vehicle V are automatically performed without the driver's operation. In addition, the ECU 20 can execute driving assistance control such as collision mitigation braking and lane departure suppression in manual driving. The collision mitigation braking assists collision avoidance by instructing the brake device 51 to operate when the possibility of a collision with an obstacle ahead increases. The lane departure suppression assists lane departure avoidance by instructing the electric power steering device 41 to operate when the possibility of the vehicle V deviating from the lane increases. In addition, the ECU 20 can execute automatic following control to make the vehicle V automatically follow the preceding vehicle in both automatic driving and manual driving. In the case of automatic driving, all of the acceleration, deceleration, and steering of the vehicle V may be performed automatically. In the case of manual driving, the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle V may be performed automatically.

[0014] The ECU 21 is an environment recognition unit that recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle V based on the detection results of the detection units 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B that detect the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V. In the case of this embodiment, the detection units 31A and 31B are cameras that capture images of the area ahead of the vehicle V (hereinafter, these may be referred to as the camera 31A and the camera 31B), and are attached to the inside of the passenger compartment of the front window at the front part of the roof of the vehicle V. By analyzing the image captured by the camera 31A, it is possible to extract the contours of targets and lane markings (such as white lines) on the road.

[0015] In this embodiment, the detection unit 32A is a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) (hereinafter, may be referred to as LIDAR 32A) that detects targets around the vehicle V and measures the distance to the targets. In this embodiment, five LIDARs 32A are provided, one at each corner of the front of the vehicle V, one at the rear center, and one on each side of the rear. The detection unit 32B is a millimeter wave radar (hereinafter, may be referred to as RADAR 32B) that detects targets around the vehicle V and measures the distance to the targets. In this embodiment, five RADARs 32B are provided, one at the front center of the vehicle V, one at each front corner, and one at each rear corner.

[0016] The ECU 22 is a steering control unit that controls the electric power steering device 41. The electric power steering device 41 includes a mechanism that steers the front wheels in response to the driver's driving operation (steering operation) with respect to the steering wheel ST. The electric power steering device 41 includes a drive unit 41a including a motor that generates a driving force (sometimes called steering assist torque) for assisting the steering operation or for automatically steering the front wheels, a steering angle sensor 41b, a torque sensor 41c that detects the steering torque borne by the driver (called steering burden torque and distinguished from steering assist torque), and the like. The ECU 22 can also obtain the detection result of a sensor 36 that detects whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel ST, and can monitor the driver's gripping state.

[0017] Blinker levers 51, 52 are provided near the steering wheel ST. The occupant operates the blinker levers 51, 52 to activate the corresponding left and right direction indicators (not shown). In this embodiment, the occupant can instruct the vehicle V to automatically change course by operating the blinker levers 51, 52. As an instruction for an automatic course change, for example, the occupant can instruct the vehicle V to change to a lane on the left by operating the blinker lever 51, and can instruct the vehicle V to change to a lane on the right by operating the blinker lever 52. An instruction for a course change by the occupant may be accepted during automatic driving or automatic following control.

[0018] The ECU 23 is a brake control unit that controls the hydraulic device 42. The driver's braking operation using the brake pedal BP is converted into hydraulic pressure in the brake master cylinder BM and transmitted to the hydraulic device 42. The hydraulic device 42 is an actuator that can control the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic oil supplied to the brake devices (e.g., disc brake devices) 51 provided on each of the four wheels based on the hydraulic pressure transmitted from the brake master cylinder BM, and the ECU 23 performs drive control of the solenoid valves and the like provided in the hydraulic device 42. In addition, the ECU 23 can turn on the brake lamps 43B during braking. This can increase the attention of following vehicles to the vehicle V.

[0019] The ECU 23 and the hydraulic device 42 can configure an electric servo brake. The ECU 23 can control, for example, the distribution of braking force by the four brake devices 51 and braking force by regenerative braking of the motor included in the power plant 50. The ECU 23 can also realize an ABS function, traction control, and a posture control function for the vehicle V based on the detection results of a wheel speed sensor 38, a yaw rate sensor (not shown), and a pressure sensor 35 that detects the pressure in the brake master cylinder BM, which are provided on each of the four wheels.

[0020] The ECU 24 is a stop maintenance control unit that controls an electric parking brake device (e.g., a drum brake) 52 provided on the rear wheels. The electric parking brake device 52 has a mechanism for locking the rear wheels. The ECU 24 can control the electric parking brake device 52 to lock and unlock the rear wheels.

[0021] The ECU 25 is an in-vehicle notification control unit that controls an information output device 43A that notifies information inside the vehicle. The information output device 43A includes, for example, a head-up display or a display device provided on an instrument panel, or a sound output device. It may further include a vibration device. The ECU 25 causes the information output device 43A to output, for example, various types of information such as vehicle speed and outside air temperature, information such as route guidance, and information regarding the state of the vehicle V.

[0022] The ECU 26 includes a communication device 26a for inter-vehicle communication. The communication device 26a performs wireless communication with other surrounding vehicles and exchanges information between the vehicles.

[0023] The ECU 27 is a drive control unit that controls the power plant 50. In this embodiment, one ECU 27 is assigned to the power plant 50, but one ECU may be assigned to each of the internal combustion engine, the motor, and the automatic transmission. The ECU 27 controls the output of the internal combustion engine and the motor, and switches the gear stage of the automatic transmission in response to the driving operation of the driver and the vehicle speed detected by, for example, an operation detection sensor 34a provided on the accelerator pedal AP and an operation detection sensor 34b provided on the brake pedal BP. Note that the automatic transmission is provided with a rotation speed sensor 39 that detects the rotation speed of the output shaft of the automatic transmission as a sensor that detects the running state of the vehicle V. The vehicle speed of the vehicle V can be calculated from the detection result of the rotation speed sensor 39.

[0024] The ECU 28 is a position recognition unit that recognizes the current position and course of the vehicle V. The ECU 28 controls the gyro sensor 33, the GPS sensor 28b, and the communication device 28c, and processes information on the detection results or communication results. The gyro sensor 33 detects the rotational motion of the vehicle V. The course of the vehicle V can be determined based on the detection results of the gyro sensor 33, etc. The GPS sensor 28b detects the current position of the vehicle V. The communication device 28c wirelessly communicates with a server that provides map information and traffic information to obtain this information. The database 28a can store highly accurate map information, and the ECU 28 can identify the position of the vehicle V on the lane with high accuracy based on this map information, etc.

[0025] The input device 45 is disposed inside the vehicle so as to be operable by the driver, and receives input of instructions and information from the driver.

[0026] <Control example> vehicle V The driving control mode of the vehicle includes an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode that can be selected by the driver. V and a lane keeping assist system (LKAS) mode for maintaining the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The driver operates the input device 45 to turn on the LKAS mode, and the ECU 20 performs driving control in accordance with the LKAS mode. The main focus of this embodiment is collision avoidance processing when an obstacle is detected while driving in the LKAS mode. Therefore, a description of the manual driving mode will be omitted.

[0027] The process of the ECU 20 during running in the LKAS mode will be described below. The flowcharts of Figures 2 to 4 show the process procedure of the ECU 20 during running in the LKAS mode in this embodiment.

[0028] In S201, the ECU 20 judges whether or not the driver has operated the turn signal lever 51 or 52. Since the operation of the turn signal lever 51 or 52 can be regarded as an active expression of the driver's intention to turn right or left, or to change to an adjacent lane, the ECU 20 advances the process to S207 and K Turn off the AS mode and end this process (switch to manual operation mode).

[0029] If there is no operation of the turn signal lever 51 or 52, the ECU 20 determines in S202 whether the distance between the lane boundary line and the vehicle V (in this embodiment, the distance is the center position of both front wheels of the vehicle V) is equal to or less than a preset threshold. If it is equal to or less than the threshold, the ECU 20 performs a support operation to warn the driver in S203. For example, the ECU 20 controls the information output device 43A to display a warning message and generate an alarm sound. Alternatively, the ECU 20 may notify the driver of the warning by energizing a drive unit (not shown) to vibrate the steering wheel ST, for example.

[0030] In S204, the ECU 20 determines whether the vehicle V has crossed the lane boundary line. The threshold value used in the determination in S204 may be a value smaller than the threshold value used in S202. If it is determined that the vehicle V has crossed the lane boundary line, the ECU 20 proceeds to S207, turns off the LKAS mode, and ends this process.

[0031] In S205, the ECU 20 recognizes the dividing lines on both sides of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling based on information from the ECU 21 (cameras 31A, 31B), calculates a trajectory passing through the center of the dividing lines as a target trajectory, and updates the previously calculated target trajectory.

[0032] Then, in S206, the ECU 20 calculates the amount of deviation between the calculated target trajectory and the current position of the vehicle V. Then, the ECU 20 controls the ECU 22 so that the amount of deviation falls within an allowable range. E Steering is controlled under the control of CU20.

[0033] Next, in S208, the ECU 20 determines whether or not there is a lane adjacent to the lane currently being traveled in, based on information from the ECU 21 (cameras 31A, 31B). If it is determined that there is an adjacent lane, in S209, the ECU 20 calculates the travel trajectory in the adjacent lane, and updates the previously calculated travel trajectory of the adjacent lane (if there is one).

[0034] In S210, the ECU 20 determines whether or not there is an obstacle (typically a person) ahead in the lane the vehicle is traveling in, based on information from the ECU 21 (cameras 31A and 31B). If there is no obstacle, the ECU 20 returns the process to S201 and repeats the process of S201.

[0035] Here, specific control processing of the ECU 20 in the LKAS mode will be described with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the vehicle V running in the LKAS mode and the road. In the figure, the ECU 20 of the vehicle V detects the boundary lines 201, 202 of the lane based on the images from the cameras 31A, 31B supplied from the ECU 21. Then, the ECU 20 sequentially calculates and updates a trajectory passing through the center of the boundary lines 201, 202 as a target trajectory 210 (S205). Then, the ECU 20 controls the vehicle V so that it moves on the target trajectory 210 (S206). For example, while the vehicle V is running within a predetermined allowable range centered on the target trajectory 201, the current state is maintained. Also, when the vehicle V deviates beyond the allowable range, for example, to the right, the ECU 20 controls the ECU 22 to control the steering according to the amount of deviation and the vehicle speed, thereby maintaining the running along the target trajectory 210.

[0037] Also, when the driver operates the turn signal lever 51 or 52 or performs an operation to turn off the LKAS mode via the input device 45 while driving in the LKAS mode, the ECU 20 transitions from the LKAS mode to the manual driving mode. Also, when the driver operates the steering wheel ST without operating the turn signal lever 51 or 52 and the vehicle V approaches the boundary line 202 beyond the allowable range as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the ECU 20 warns the driver via a notification means such as sound, display, or vibration (S203) and controls the ECU 22 to guide the vehicle V within the allowable range. Then, when the driver still performs an operation to cross the boundary line 202 against the guidance without operating the turn signal lever, the ECU 20 transitions from the LKAS mode to the manual driving mode.

[0038] The above is the basic control process in the LKAS mode by the ECU 20. One of the features of the process performed by the ECU 20 in this embodiment is that the processes of S208 and S209 are performed during the control in the LKAS mode. The following description will be given with reference to FIG. 5 again.

[0039] While controlling the vehicle V to travel along a target trajectory 210 in the LKAS mode, if the ECU 20 detects a boundary line 203 outside the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, the ECU 20 determines that an adjacent lane exists (Yes in S208), and calculates and updates a traveling trajectory 211 that passes through the center of the adjacent lane between the boundaries 202 and 203. The ECU 20 then uses this traveling trajectory 211 to avoid a collision when an obstacle (such as a person) is detected. The process of the ECU 20 when an obstacle is detected will be described below.

[0040] The flowchart in FIG. 3 shows the process of the ECU 20 when an obstacle is detected during driving in the LKAS mode (when the determination in S210 in FIG. 2 is Yes).

[0041] In S301, the ECU 20 starts a collision avoidance assist process that mainly involves braking control. As a result, a collision avoidance process is started by deceleration or stopping process as necessary within the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. Please note that the process described below is performed in parallel with this collision avoidance assist process.

[0042] In S302, the ECU 20 determines whether or not an adjacent lane has already been detected. Then, in S303, the ECU 20 determines whether or not to guide the vehicle V to the trajectory 211 of the adjacent lane. In this embodiment, the ECU 20 calculates a probability value of avoiding a collision with an obstacle only by braking and steering control in the lane currently traveling based on the traveling speed of the vehicle V and the position and distance between the vehicle V and the obstacle in the lane currently traveling. Then, if the calculated probability value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (if the probability of collision in the current lane is high), it is determined to guide the vehicle V to the adjacent lane.

[0043] When it is determined that the vehicle should be guided to the adjacent lane, the ECU 20 advances the process to S304. In S304, the ECU 20 calculates a transition trajectory to the trajectory 211 of the adjacent lane (hereinafter, referred to as a transition trajectory) based on the current positional relationship between the vehicle V and the obstacle and the vehicle's traveling speed.

[0044] The line segment 700 in Fig. 7 is the transition trajectory calculated in S304. This transition trajectory 700 is a gentle curve from the current trajectory 210 to the trajectory 211 of the adjacent lane while avoiding obstacles. Forecast The range between allowable range trajectories 701 and 702, which indicate the distance range set for the transition trajectory 700, is the allowable range of the transition trajectory 700.

[0045] In S305, ECU 20 controls ECU 25 to guide the vehicle to travel along transition trajectory 700 (or within an allowable range of the transition trajectory). The guidance mentioned here includes a steering assist process to guide the vehicle to travel along transition trajectory 700, and further includes, in the embodiment, a process to highlight (for example, flash in red) a symbol such as “>>” on the screen that intuitively encourages the vehicle to move to the right lane and to generate a warning sound to call attention.

[0046] Here, the process of S305 will be described in more detail.

[0047] 7, the vehicle V is traveling to the left of the allowable range trajectory 701 of the transition trajectory 700, between the allowable range trajectory 701 and 702, or to the right of the allowable range trajectory 702. When the ECU 20 of the embodiment determines that the vehicle V is traveling to the left of the allowable range trajectory 701 of the transition trajectory 700, it determines that the amount of operation of the steering wheel ST by the driver to avoid a collision with the obstacle 500 is insufficient, calculates a steering amount to make up for the insufficiency, and performs steering control accordingly to guide the vehicle V into the adjacent lane.

[0048] On the other hand, the ECU 20 of the embodiment detects that the vehicle is traveling to the right of the allowable range trajectory 702 of the transition trajectory 700 when the driver operates the steering wheel ST excessively to avoid a collision with the obstacle 500. The angle of entry into the adjacent lane becomes too large, and depending on the vehicle speed, the vehicle may cross the boundary between the adjacent lanes. line It will reach 203. line If there is a wall or some other object in 203, the boundary line 203, there is a possibility of a secondary collision with an object present near 203. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle V starts traveling to the right of the allowable range trajectory 702 of the transition trajectory 700 due to excessive operation of the steering wheel ST by the driver, the steering is controlled to reduce the angle of entry into the adjacent lane.

[0049] In step S306, the ECU 20 determines whether or not the vehicle V has crossed the boundary line 202 and entered the adjacent lane. The determination of the vehicle V entering the adjacent lane is based on whether or not a preset position of the vehicle V (e.g., one of the front wheels, a front corner position of the vehicle, etc.) has reached the boundary line of the adjacent lane.

[0050] When intrusion into the adjacent lane is detected, in S307, the ECU 20 determines that the driver's request to guide into the adjacent lane has been approved, and controls the ECU 25 to notify the driver that lane switching processing is to begin. For example, a message indicating that the vehicle is moving to the adjacent lane may be displayed. Also, instead of (or in addition to) displaying a message, a voice may be output to indicate that authorization to move into the adjacent lane has been confirmed. Then, in S308, the ECU 20 sets the trajectory 211 calculated in the most recent S209 as a new target trajectory while maintaining the LKAS mode ON state.

[0051] Now, even after entering the adjacent lane, the vehicle V at that time is not necessarily traveling along the transition trajectory 700. Rather, even at this stage, the driver may operate the steering wheel ST excessively when he or she discovers an obstacle. If the steering wheel ST is operated excessively, depending on the speed at that time, it may move to the boundary line 203 as shown by reference numeral 710 in FIG. 7. If an obstacle happens to be present at that position on the boundary line 203, this may develop into a secondary collision.

[0052] Therefore, in this embodiment, stronger steering assist control is started in S309 until the vehicle reaches a normal driving state along the trajectory 211. Then, the assist process in S309 is continued until it is determined in S310 that the vehicle is stably driving along the driving trajectory 211.

[0053] The assist process in S309 will now be described.

[0054] If vehicle V is traveling along transition trajectory 700, it is sufficient to maintain that traveling state. Traveling along transition trajectory 700 in this case means traveling while simultaneously satisfying the following conditions. First, vehicle V is traveling within a range sandwiched between allowable range trajectories 701 and 702 of transition trajectory 700. Second, the angle between the tangent direction at a point on transition trajectory 700 corresponding to the position of vehicle V on a coordinate axis perpendicular to trajectory 211 and the traveling direction of vehicle V is equal to or smaller than a preset threshold value.

[0055] When at least one of the above conditions is not satisfied, the ECU 20 in the embodiment determines that it is impossible to travel along the transition trajectory 700. For example, this is the case when the driver operates the steering wheel ST excessively. In this case, instead of performing travel control on the transition trajectory 700, the ECU 20 switches to a steering assist process for smoothly transitioning to the trajectory 211 without reaching the boundary line 203. The steering assist process in this case will be described with reference to FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b).

[0056] 8(a) shows a state where the driver turns the steering wheel ST excessively, causing the vehicle V to intrude into the adjacent lane. In the figure, reference numeral 800 indicates the center position of both front wheels, and the line segment of reference numeral 801 indicates the traveling direction of the vehicle V. θ and d are defined as follows:

[0057] θ represents the angle between the traveling direction 801 of the vehicle V and (the extension of) the track 211. d represents the distance between the vehicle V and the extension of the track 211. Note that this distance d is defined with the origin on the track 211 as a positive value on the left side and a negative value on the right side. Furthermore, although not shown, the vehicle speed of the vehicle V is defined as v.

[0058] In this case, it is clear that the possibility that the vehicle V moves to the boundary line 203 is higher as the vehicle speed v is higher, as the distance d is smaller (as the negative absolute value is larger), and as the angle is larger (up to 90 degrees). For example, even if the vehicle speed v and angle θ in FIG. 8(b) are the same as those in FIG. 8(a), the possibility that the vehicle V moves to the boundary line 203 is much higher in FIG. 8(b) than in FIG. 8(a). In other words, the control amount when controlling the steering so that the vehicle V does not reach the boundary line 203 can be obtained by a function f(θ, d, v) with these three parameters θ, d, and v as arguments.

[0059] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the assist process of S309 in Fig. 3. The process of the ECU 20 will be described below with reference to the drawing.

[0060] In S401, the ECU 20 determines whether the vehicle V is traveling along the transition trajectory 700. The conditions for determining whether the vehicle V is traveling along the transition trajectory 700 are as described above. If the determination in S401 is Yes, the ECU 20 does not perform the processing described below, and proceeds to S310 in FIG. 3.

[0061] If the determination in S401 is No, that is, if the vehicle V is not traveling along the transition trajectory 700, the ECU 20 advances the process to S402.

[0062] In S402, the ECU 20 acquires the vehicle speed v via the ECU 27, and calculates the approach angle θ of the vehicle V with respect to the target trajectory 211 and the distance d between the target trajectory 211 and the vehicle V based on information from the ECU 21 and the like.

[0063] Next, in S403, the ECU 20 calculates the steering control amount for avoiding reaching the boundary line 203 in accordance with a previously prepared function from the vehicle speed v, angle θ, and distance d. Note that if a lookup table with v, θ, and d as inputs is used instead of calculating the control amount, the time required for calculation can be ignored.

[0064] Then, in S404, the ECU 20 controls the ECU 22 so as to obtain the determined steering amount.

[0065] The above is the details of the process of S309. The determination of whether to end the assist process in S310 of Fig. 3 is made when the following two conditions 1 and 2 are met simultaneously. Condition 1: Distance d is within the allowable range for orbital running in LKAS mode. Condition 2: The angle θ is equal to or smaller than a threshold value.

[0066] According to the above description, when the vehicle V is traveling within the permissible range of the transition track 700 (the range between reference symbols 701 and 702), if the driver performs an operation that deviates from this permissible range, the determination in S401 is No That is, the ECU 20 switches the target from the transition trajectory 700 to the traveling trajectory 211. However, if the driver performs an operation to approach the boundary of the permissible range while the vehicle is traveling within the permissible range of the transition trajectory 700 (the range sandwiched between reference symbols 701 and 702), the ECU 20 may perform steering control to return to the transition trajectory 700.

[0067] In addition, in the description of FIG. 4, when the vehicle V enters the adjacent lane and the traveling position at that time deviates from the transition trajectory, the ECU 20 performs steering control with θ, v, and d as parameters. However, for example, when an obstacle 850 exists in the traveling direction in the state of FIG. 8(a), the ECU 20 may calculate a collision avoidance trajectory to avoid a secondary collision, and may issue a notification to, for example, urge the driver to turn the steering wheel ST to the left according to the calculated collision avoidance trajectory. In response to this, when the driver turns the steering wheel ST to the left, the ECU 20 may consider the notification to be acknowledged and start an assist process by steering control in the operation direction of the steering wheel ST. In addition, when the collision avoidance trajectory for the obstacle 850 cannot be calculated, braking control may be performed.

[0068] Reference numeral 900 in Fig. 9 indicates a movement trajectory of the vehicle V until the vehicle V starts traveling along the trajectory 211 when the driver operates the steering wheel ST excessively to avoid an obstacle. The figure shows a case in which the traveling trajectory when the driver operates the steering wheel ST deviates from the transition trajectory 700 from the beginning. As shown in the figure, even if the driver operates the steering wheel ST in such a way as to deviate from the transition trajectory 700 prepared by the system when an obstacle is discovered, according to this embodiment, it is possible to perform steering control to smoothly transition to the trajectory 211 while avoiding reaching the boundary line 203.

[0069] In summary, when an obstacle 500 appears in the traveling direction while traveling along the trajectory 210 in the LKAS mode, in the embodiment, it is determined whether to retreat to the adjacent lane. If it is determined that switching to the adjacent lane is desirable, the driver is prompted to travel along the transition trajectory 700. If the driver actually performs an operation to enter the adjacent lane, the EUC 20 determines that the driver's switching assistance to the adjacent lane has been approved, and switches to the traveling trajectory 211 while maintaining the ON state of the LKAS mode. In the embodiment, it is possible to know that the system is performing safe processing for collision avoidance, and a sense of security can be obtained. Furthermore, even if the steering wheel is operated more than necessary to avoid a collision with an obstacle, in the initial stage after entering the adjacent lane, stronger steering control than LKAS is performed, and traveling outside the lane can be suppressed, and the possibility of a secondary collision can also be suppressed.

[0070] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the condition is that the vehicle is traveling with the LKAS mode ON. Normally, when the vehicle moves to an adjacent lane without operating the turn signal handle (when changing lanes) while traveling with the LKAS mode ON, the LKAS mode is turned OFF. However, according to the above embodiment, when the vehicle enters an adjacent lane to avoid a collision with an obstacle, the LKAS mode can be maintained in the ON state in the adjacent lane without any special operation, which is an advantage. However, if the LKAS does not need to be maintained before and after switching the traveling lane, the processing related to avoiding a collision with an obstacle described in the above embodiment may exclude the condition that the vehicle is traveling with the LKAS mode ON. In this case, it is sufficient to determine that the driver's approval has been obtained for steering control in the adjacent lane on the condition that the value representing the probability of avoiding a collision with an obstacle is smaller than a threshold value and the driver has entered the adjacent lane by steering the steering wheel ST (regardless of the LKAS mode).

[0071] In addition, the driving trajectory when the transition to the adjacent lane is completed is set to trajectory 211 passing through the center of the adjacent lane, but if the LKAS mode is not required, the position of the trajectory after this transition is completed is not particularly important as long as it is a trajectory that allows collision with the original obstacle to be avoided.

[0072] In addition, in the above embodiment, it is described that there are no other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane, but if there is an object in the adjacent lane and it is estimated that the distance between the object and vehicle V is less than a predetermined distance, guidance to the adjacent lane may not be performed.

[0073] Specifically, for example, if the adjacent lane is an overtaking lane, a step of determining whether or not another vehicle traveling within a predetermined distance behind the vehicle in the overtaking lane has been detected (can be detected by the radar 32B) may be provided immediately after S303 in FIG. 3. Then, if the result of this determination indicates that there is no vehicle, the process may proceed to S304. Also, if the adjacent lane is an oncoming lane, a step of determining whether or not there is another vehicle approaching from the front within a predetermined distance (can be detected by the camera 32A) may be provided immediately after S303 in FIG. Then, if the result of this determination indicates that there is no vehicle, the process may proceed to S304. Furthermore, if safe driving is performed in both cases where the adjacent lane is an overtaking lane and an oncoming lane, the above two determinations may be arranged consecutively immediately after S303. Then, if the result of either determination indicates that there is no vehicle, the process may proceed to S304.

[0074] The determination of whether the lane is an overtaking lane or an oncoming lane may be made based on information from the ECU 28 (the current position of the vehicle V and information from the navigation system).

[0075] In addition, in the above embodiment, when an obstacle is detected, braking control is performed in S301. However, this braking control may be performed when it is determined not to avoid the vehicle into an adjacent lane, when the result of the determination in S302 is No, or when the result of the determination in S303 is No.

[0076] In the embodiment, the object to be used for avoiding a collision with an obstacle is an adjacent lane, but this is not limiting. For example, it may be a certain amount of open space such as a road shoulder.

[0077] <Summary of the embodiment> The above embodiment discloses at least the following embodiments.

[0078] 1. According to the above embodiment, A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle includes: A first detection means for detecting an outside lane area outside the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; A second detection means for detecting an obstacle; a notification means for notifying a driver of a steering operation to the outside lane area when the first detection means detects an outside lane area, the second detection means detects an obstacle, and the relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle is in a predetermined relationship; and The vehicle is provided with a determination means for determining that steering control in the outside lane area has been approved when the vehicle enters the outside lane area due to steering operation by the driver after the notification means has started to issue a notification.

[0079] According to this embodiment, the driver can recognize that the device is recommending moving to an area outside the lane in order to improve collision avoidance with an obstacle, and can confidently perform the operation to move to an area outside the lane.

[0080] 2. According to the above embodiment, The vehicle further includes a guiding means for guiding the vehicle to the outside lane area when the notification means issues the notification.

[0081] According to this embodiment, in addition to notifying the driver, the vehicle can also be guided to an outside lane area.

[0082] 3. According to the above embodiment, The guiding means stops the guidance when the amount of steering by the driver is within a predetermined range of the necessary steering amount estimated by the vehicle control device.

[0083] According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent unnecessary guidance.

[0084] 4. According to the above embodiment, The guiding means stops guiding when the steering direction of the driver is the same as the direction required by the vehicle control device within a predetermined range.

[0085] According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent unnecessary guidance.

[0086] 5. According to the above embodiment, The notification means notifies the driver by displaying a symbol to encourage the driver to move into the outside lane area and by an alarm sound.

[0087] According to this embodiment, by displaying symbols instead of sentences, the driver can intuitively understand what operation he or she should perform.

[0088] 6. According to the above embodiment, The display of the symbol and the warning sound continue until the vehicle enters the outside lane area.

[0089] According to this embodiment, the fact that the vehicle has entered the outside lane area acts to relieve the driver from a state of tension.

[0090] 7. According to the above embodiment, The outside lane area is an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling.

[0091] According to this embodiment, the adjacent lanes can be used to avoid a collision with an obstacle.

[0092] 8. According to the above embodiment, A lane running control means for controlling the vehicle to run within a lane; The vehicle further includes a setting means for setting the adjacent lane as a lane to be controlled by the in-lane driving control means when, while the vehicle is traveling under the control of the in-lane driving control means, the first detection means detects an adjacent lane as the out-of-lane area and the second detection means detects an obstacle, causing the vehicle to enter the adjacent lane.

[0093] According to this embodiment, even after switching to the adjacent lane, it becomes possible to maintain in-lane driving without any special operation.

[0094] 9. According to the above embodiment, A means for calculating a transition trajectory during a period from when the vehicle is traveling in a lane until when the vehicle moves to the outside lane area; and a control means for controlling the steering of the vehicle. The notification means includes: While the vehicle is maintaining the lane in which it is traveling, a driver is notified to prompt the driver to enter the outside lane area; The control means After the vehicle enters the outside lane area, if the vehicle is traveling along the transition trajectory, the vehicle travels in accordance with the driver's steering operation; After the vehicle enters the outside lane area, when the vehicle travels on a trajectory deviating from the transition trajectory, a steering control is performed so as not to reach a boundary of the outside lane area. The control means further calculates a collision avoidance trajectory for avoiding a collision with an obstacle if an obstacle is present in the direction of the vehicle's entry after the vehicle has entered the out-of-lane area, notifies the driver to steer the vehicle in the direction indicated by the collision avoidance trajectory, and, if the driver steers in response to the notification, performs steering control in accordance with the collision avoidance trajectory.

[0095] According to this embodiment, the system performs the operation of entering the outside lane area according to the recommendation, which gives the driver a sense of security, and even if the driver performs excessive steering due to nervousness, it is highly likely that a collision with an object in the outside lane area (secondary collision) will be prevented.

[0096] 10. According to the above embodiment, a braking control means for performing an assist process by braking control to avoid a collision with the obstacle in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling when the obstacle is detected by the second detection means, The notification means includes: During the assist process by the braking control means, a value representing the possibility of avoiding a collision with the obstacle in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling is calculated, and if the calculated value is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the notification is given as being in the predetermined relationship.

[0097] According to this embodiment, the outside lane area is switched after assistance is provided by normal braking control for collision avoidance, so that the driver can feel even more secure.

[0098] 11. According to the above embodiment, The notification means does not issue the notification if, after detecting the obstacle, it is predicted that the vehicle will come into contact with another object in the outside-lane area if it continues to travel in the outside-lane area.

[0099] According to this embodiment, a collision with an object in the outside lane area can be avoided in advance.

[0100] 12. According to the above embodiment, By providing a vehicle with a vehicle control device having any one of the configurations 1 to 11 above, the vehicle can achieve the effects shown in 1 to 11 above.

[0101] 13. According to the above embodiment, A control method for a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle includes: A first detection step of detecting an outside lane area outside the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; a second detection step of detecting an obstacle; a notification step of notifying a driver of a steering operation to the outside lane area when the outside lane area is detected by the first detection step, an obstacle is detected by the second detection step, and a relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle is a predetermined relationship; The method further includes a determination step of determining that steering control in the outside lane area has been approved when the vehicle enters the outside lane area due to steering operation by the driver after notification by the notification step has started.

[0102] According to this embodiment, the driver can recognize that the device is recommending moving to an area outside the lane in order to improve collision avoidance with an obstacle, and can confidently perform the operation to move to an area outside the lane.

[0103] 14. According to the above embodiment, A program that is read and executed by a processor in a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle is The processor, A first detection step of detecting an outside lane area outside the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; a second detection step of detecting an obstacle; a notification step of notifying a driver of a steering operation to the outside lane area when the outside lane area is detected by the first detection step, an obstacle is detected by the second detection step, and a relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle is a predetermined relationship; After starting notification by the notification process, if the vehicle enters the outside-lane area due to steering operation by the driver, a determination process is executed in which it is determined that steering control in the outside-lane area has been approved.

[0104] According to this embodiment, if a program that performs these steps is executed by a processor (ECU, etc.) of a vehicle control device, the driver can recognize that the device is recommending moving to an area outside the lane in order to improve collision avoidance with an obstacle, and can confidently perform the operation of moving to an area outside the lane.

[0105] Although the embodiment of the invention has been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] V...vehicle, 1...control device, 20...ECU

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle, A first detection means for detecting an outside lane area outside the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; A second detection means for detecting an obstacle; a notification means for notifying a driver of a steering operation to steer the vehicle into the outside lane area when the first detection means detects an outside lane area, the second detection means detects an obstacle, and the vehicle and the obstacle have a predetermined relationship; a determination means for determining that steering control in the outside lane area is approved when the vehicle enters the outside lane area due to steering operation by the driver after the notification means starts; A vehicle control device comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising a guiding means for guiding the vehicle to the outside lane area when the notification means issues the notification.

3. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the guiding means stops the guidance when the amount of steering by the driver is within a predetermined range of the necessary steering amount estimated by the vehicle control device.

4. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the guiding means stops guiding when the steering direction of the driver is the same as the direction required by the vehicle control device within a predetermined range.

5. 5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the notification means notifies the driver by displaying a symbol for encouraging the driver to move into an area outside the lane and by sounding an alarm.

6. The display of the symbol and the warning sound continue until the vehicle enters the outside lane area. The vehicle control device according to claim 5 .

7. 7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the outside lane area is an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling.

8. A lane running control means for controlling the vehicle to run within a lane; 8. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, further comprising a setting means for setting the adjacent lane as a lane to be controlled by the in-lane driving control means when, while the vehicle is traveling under the control of the in-lane driving control means, the first detection means detects an adjacent lane as the out-of-lane area and the second detection means detects an obstacle, causing the vehicle to enter the adjacent lane.

9. A means for calculating a transition trajectory during a period from when the vehicle is traveling in a lane until when the vehicle moves to the outside lane area; and a control means for controlling the steering of the vehicle. The notification means is While the vehicle is maintaining the lane in which it is traveling, a driver is notified to prompt the driver to enter the outside lane area; The control means After the vehicle enters the outside lane area, if the vehicle is traveling along the transition trajectory, the vehicle travels in accordance with the driver's steering operation; After the vehicle enters the outside lane area, when the vehicle travels on a trajectory deviating from the transition trajectory, a steering control is performed so as not to reach a boundary of the outside lane area. The control means further calculates a collision avoidance trajectory for avoiding collision with an obstacle when the obstacle is present in the direction of the vehicle entering the outside lane area and guides the driver to perform a steering operation so as to travel in a direction indicated by the collision avoidance trajectory, and when the driver performs a steering operation in response to the notification, performs steering control according to the collision avoidance trajectory. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. a braking control means for performing an assist process by braking control to avoid a collision with the obstacle in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling when the obstacle is detected by the second detection means, The notification means is During the assist process by the brake control means, a value representing the possibility of avoiding a collision with the obstacle in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling is calculated, and if the calculated value is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the predetermined relationship is satisfied and the notification is given. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The notification means does not issue the notification when it is predicted that the vehicle will come into contact with another object in the outside lane area if the vehicle enters the outside lane area and travels thereafter after detecting the obstacle. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A vehicle comprising the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A control method for a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle, comprising: A first detection step of detecting an outside lane area outside the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; a second detection step of detecting an obstacle; a notification step of notifying a driver of a steering operation to the outside lane area when the outside lane area is detected by the first detection step, an obstacle is detected by the second detection step, and a relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle is a predetermined relationship; a determining step of determining that steering control in the outside lane area is approved when the vehicle enters the outside lane area due to steering operation by the driver after the notification step is started; A control method for a vehicle control device comprising:

14. A program read and executed by a processor in a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle, The processor, A first detection step of detecting an outside lane area outside the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; a second detection step of detecting an obstacle; a notification step of notifying a driver of a steering operation to the outside lane area when the outside lane area is detected by the first detection step, an obstacle is detected by the second detection step, and a relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle is a predetermined relationship; a determining step of determining that steering control in the outside lane area is approved when the vehicle enters the outside lane area due to steering operation by the driver after the notification step is started; A program for executing.

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