Driving Support Devices

Abstract

To provide a driving support device improved to reduce the risk of performing an automatic lane change in a situation where another vehicle exists in a detection impossible area where radar sensors cannot detect the other vehicle.SOLUTION: A driving support device includes: a control device for performing an automatic lane change (S110) when it is determined that no other vehicle exists on a lane of a lane change destination based on targe information in the periphery of a vehicle acquired by a peripheral information acquisition device; and a stop device. The peripheral information acquisition device includes a plurality of radar sensors for detecting a target. The driving support device is a device for a vehicle which has detection impossible areas where any of the radar sensors cannot detect the target existing on right and left sides thereof. The driving support device allows a display device visually recognizable by a driver to display at least a part of the detection impossible area on a side of the lane of the lane change destination (S40) when the control device performs the automatic lane change.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device that performs lane change assistance control to improve safety when changing lanes. [Background technology]

[0002] In an automated lane change, in which a vehicle is moved to an adjacent lane by automatic driving, it is necessary to confirm that there are no other vehicles in the adjacent lane that may be obstructing the vehicle, based on target object information around the vehicle acquired by an ambient information acquisition device that acquires target object information around the vehicle.

[0003] For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes a rear side monitoring device that detects another vehicle approaching from the rear side of the vehicle and issues an alarm according to the positional relationship between the vehicle and the other vehicle to alert the driver. This type of driving support device can reduce the risk of the vehicle colliding with another vehicle approaching from the rear side when the vehicle moves to an adjacent lane to change lanes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 20040-341812 A Summary of the Invention

[0005] [Problem to be solved by the invention] Generally, a surrounding information acquisition device includes a plurality of radar sensors, each of which emits millimeter wave band radio waves (hereinafter referred to as "millimeter waves") and detects other vehicles by receiving the waves reflected by three-dimensional objects such as other vehicles. Since the millimeter waves are emitted within a set emission angle range from each radar sensor, there are areas within the emission angle range of each radar sensor where the millimeter waves are not emitted, i.e., non-detectable areas where other vehicles cannot be detected.

[0006] Therefore, in the conventional driving assistance device, there is a risk that the automated lane change will be performed in a situation where another vehicle is present in the undetectable area. When the automated lane change is performed in a situation where another vehicle is present in the undetectable area and the driver recognizes the other vehicle, the driver needs to cancel the automated lane change by operating a switch or the like.

[0007] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved driving assistance device that reduces the risk of automated lane changing in a situation where another vehicle is present in an undetectable area where the other vehicle cannot be detected by a radar sensor.

[0008] [Means for solving the problems and effects of the invention] According to the present invention, a surrounding information acquisition device (16) acquires target object information around a vehicle (102), and when it is determined that there is no other vehicle that may be an obstacle in the lane to which the vehicle is to be changed based on the target object information around the vehicle acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device, the vehicle is automatically driven to move to the lane to which the vehicle is to be changed. Control (S110) a control device (driving assistance ECU 10) that executes the above (S110), and automatic Lane change of A driving assistance device (100) is provided for a vehicle including a canceling device (such as a lane change cancel switch of a setting operator 18) that cancels control, a surrounding information acquisition device including a plurality of radar sensors (14) that detect targets, and a non-detectable area (17R or 17L) in which targets cannot be detected by any of the radar sensors on the left and right sides.

[0009] The driving assistance device (100) has a display device (outer mirrors 36R and 36L, a display 32, outer mirror displays 114L and 114R) that displays a part of the surroundings of the vehicle so that the driver can see it. The display device is a control device (driving assistance ECU 10) that controls lane change Control When executing (S110), the control device is configured to display at least a part of the undetectable area (17R or 17L) on the side of the lane to which the lane is to be changed (S40, S60, S80).

[0010] According to the above configuration, the display device that displays a part of the surroundings of the vehicle so as to be visible to the driver is Control When the lane change is performed, at least a part of the undetectable area on the lane side of the lane to which the lane is to be changed is displayed. Therefore, the driver can determine whether or not another vehicle is present in at least a part of the undetectable area on the lane side of the lane to which the lane is to be changed, based on the information displayed on the display device. Compared to a conventional driving assistance device in which the undetectable area on the lane side of the lane to which the lane is to be changed is not displayed on the display device, the present invention is capable of automatically detecting the presence of another vehicle in the undetectable area when the lane change is being performed in a situation where another vehicle is present in the undetectable area. Control This reduces the risk of this occurring, thereby improving safety during automated lane changing.

[0011] In addition, the driver can operate the automatic Lane change of A switch for suspending the control is provided, and when the driver determines that another vehicle is present in at least a portion of the undetectable area, automatic Lane change of By operating the cancel device that stops control, the automatic lane change Control Therefore, compared to a conventional driving support device in which the undetectable area on the side of the lane to which the lane is to be changed is not displayed on the display device, the presence of another vehicle can be determined at an early stage, and the automatic lane change can be stopped at an early stage. Control can be discontinued.

[0012] In this application, "automated driving" does not only mean that all of steering control, acceleration control, and braking control are automatically controlled, but also means that at least one of steering control, acceleration control, and braking control is automatically controlled. Also, the cancel device is not limited to a lane change cancel switch, and may be a turn signal, a steering wheel, a brake pedal, etc., as described later.

[0013] In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the names and / or symbols used in the embodiments described below are added in parentheses to the configurations of the invention corresponding to those embodiments. However, each component of the present invention is not limited to the components of the embodiments corresponding to the names and / or symbols added in parentheses. Other objects, other features, and associated advantages of the present invention will be easily understood from the description of the embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a driving assistance device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an area detected by a plurality of radar sensors and an undetectable area; [Diagram 3] This shows the range that can be seen diagonally rearward from the driver's seat when the orientation of the outer mirror surface is set to the standard orientation. [Figure 4] This shows the range that can be seen diagonally rearward from the driver's seat when the orientation of the outer mirror surface is set to a specified orientation for lane changing. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a lane change assist control routine in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing four camera sensors and areas in which right and left side overhead images are formed by these camera sensors. [Figure 7] 11 is a diagram showing a normal area and an extended area photographed by a camera of an electronic outer mirror and displayed on an outer mirror display. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a lane change assist control routine in a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a driving assistance device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing a lane change assist control routine in a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] <Configuration> As shown in Fig. 1, a driving assistance device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle 102 and includes a driving assistance ECU 10. The vehicle 102 includes an electric power steering ECU 20, a meter ECU 30, and a steering ECU 40. The ECU means an electronic control unit including a microcomputer as a main part. In the following description, the vehicle 102 will be referred to as the host vehicle 102 as necessary to distinguish it from other vehicles, and the electric power steering will be referred to as EPS.

[0017] The microcomputer of each ECU includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, a readable / writable non-volatile memory (N / M), and an interface (I / F). The CPU realizes various functions by executing instructions (programs, routines) stored in the ROM. Furthermore, these ECUs are connected to each other via a Controller Area Network (CAN) 104 so that they can exchange data (communicate). Therefore, the detection values ​​of sensors (including switches) connected to a specific ECU are also sent to other ECUs.

[0018] The driving assistance ECU 10 is a central control device that performs driving assistance control such as lane departure prevention control, following distance control, etc. In the first to third embodiments, the driving assistance ECU 10 executes a safety improvement control during lane change as a part of the lane departure prevention control in cooperation with other ECUs, as will be described in detail later.

[0019] The driving assistance ECU 10 is connected to a camera sensor 12 and a radar sensor 14. The camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 function as a surrounding information acquisition device 16 that acquires target information around the vehicle 102. The camera sensor 12 includes four camera sensors that capture images of the front, rear, right side, and left side, but is not limited to four. As shown in FIG. 2, the radar sensor 14 includes five radar sensors 14F, 14FR, 14FL, 14RR, and 14RL, but is not limited to five. The radar sensors 14F, 14FR, 14FL, 14RR, and 14RL detect three-dimensional targets that exist in a front area 15F, a right front area 15FR, a left front area 15FL, a right rear area 15RR, and a left rear area 15RL, respectively. In FIG. 2, 17R and 17L indicate undetectable areas on the right and left sides of the vehicle 102 where targets cannot be detected by any of the radar sensors.

[0020] Although not shown in the figure, each camera sensor of the camera sensor 12 includes a camera unit that captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 102, and a recognition unit that analyzes image data captured by the camera unit to recognize targets such as white lines on the road and other vehicles. The recognition unit supplies information about the recognized targets to the driving assistance ECU 10 at predetermined time intervals.

[0021] Each radar sensor of the radar sensor 14 includes a radar transmission / reception unit and a signal processing unit (not shown). The radar transmission / reception unit emits millimeter wave band radio waves and receives millimeter waves (i.e., reflected waves) reflected by a three-dimensional object (e.g., another vehicle, a bicycle, a guardrail, etc.) present within the emission range. The signal processing unit acquires information indicating the distance between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object, the relative speed between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object, the relative position (direction) of the three-dimensional object with respect to the vehicle, etc., based on the phase difference between the transmitted millimeter wave and the received reflected wave, the attenuation level of the reflected wave, and the time from transmitting the millimeter wave to receiving the reflected wave, and supplies the information to the driving assistance ECU 10 at predetermined time intervals. Note that a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) may be used in addition to the radar sensor.

[0022] Furthermore, a setting operation device 18 is connected to the driving assistance ECU 10, and the setting operation device 18 is provided at a position where it can be operated by the driver. Although not shown in Fig. 1, the setting operation device 18 includes a lane change cancel switch, and the driving assistance ECU 10 cancels the vehicle lane change when the lane change cancel switch is operated. Furthermore, the setting operation device 18 includes an adjustment button for adjusting the direction of the mirror surface of the outer mirror, which will be described later.

[0023] An EPS device 22 is connected to the EPS-ECU 20. The EPS-ECU 20 controls the EPS device 22 in a manner known in the art based on the steering torque Ts and vehicle speed V detected by a driving operation sensor 50 and a vehicle state sensor 60 described below, thereby controlling the steering assist torque and reducing the steering burden on the driver. The EPS-ECU 20 also controls the EPS device 22 to steer the steered wheels as necessary. Thus, the EPS-ECU 20 and the EPS device 22 function as a steering device that automatically steers the steered wheels as necessary.

[0024] A display 32, turn signal lamps 34R, 34L, and outer mirrors 36R, 36L are connected to the meter ECU 30. The display 32 may be, for example, a head-up display or a multi-information display that displays meters and various information, or may be a display of a navigation device.

[0025] The outer mirrors 36R and 36L are provided on the right and left doors or fenders, respectively. Each outer mirror has a built-in electric actuator for adjusting the orientation of the mirror surface, and the orientation of the mirror surface of each outer mirror is normally set to a standard orientation that allows the driver to view the diagonally rearward area of ​​the vehicle from the driver's seat. Figure 3 shows the ranges 36Rn and 36Ln that allow the driver to view the diagonally rearward area of ​​the vehicle from the driver's seat when the orientation of the mirror surfaces of the outer mirrors 36R and 36L is set to the standard orientation.

[0026] The meter ECU 30 adjusts the orientation of the mirror surface by driving the electric actuator in response to the driver's operation of the adjustment button. When the meter ECU 30 receives a command signal from the driving assistance ECU 10, the meter ECU 30 drives the electric actuator to set the orientation of the mirror surface to a predetermined orientation for lane changing, as will be described in detail later.

[0027] Fig. 4 shows ranges 36Rc and 36Lc (ranges during lane changing) that the driver can see diagonally rearward from the driver's seat by slightly changing the position of his / her head when the mirror surfaces of the outer mirrors 36R and 36L are set to a predetermined direction during lane changing. As shown in Fig. 4, the ranges 36Rc and 36Lc during lane changing cover the main parts of the rear side of the undetectable areas 17R and 17L, respectively. Therefore, the outer mirrors 36R and 36L function as display devices that display a part of the surroundings of the vehicle 102 (ranges 36Rc and 36Lc during lane changing) so that the driver can see it.

[0028] A winker lever 42 provided on a steering column (not shown) is connected to the steering ECU 40. When the winker lever 42 is tilted up or down corresponding to the right or left turn direction, a signal indicating this is sent to the meter ECU 30, which causes the right and left winker lamps 34R and 34L, respectively, to flash.

[0029] 1, a drive ECU that controls a drive device such as an engine and a brake ECU that controls a brake device are connected to the CAN 104. The drive ECU controls the drive device to control the drive force of the vehicle, and the brake ECU controls the brake device to control the braking force of the vehicle.

[0030] The driving operation sensor 50 and the vehicle condition sensor 60 are connected to the CAN 104. Information detected by the driving operation sensor 50 and the vehicle condition sensor 60 (called sensor information) is transmitted to the CAN 104. The sensor information transmitted to the CAN 104 can be used appropriately in each ECU. Note that the sensor information may be information of a sensor connected to a specific ECU and transmitted to the CAN 104 from the specific ECU.

[0031] The driving operation sensor 50 includes a driving operation amount sensor that detects the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal, a braking operation amount sensor that detects the master cylinder pressure or the depression force on the brake pedal, and a brake switch that detects whether the brake pedal is operated. The driving operation sensor 50 further includes a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle θ, a steering torque sensor that detects the steering torque Ts, and a shift position sensor that detects the shift position of the transmission.

[0032] The vehicle condition sensor 60 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 102, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate of the vehicle.

[0033] When the driver tilts the turn signal lever 42 while the driving assistance ECU 10 is executing lane keeping assistance control, which automatically controls steering so that the vehicle 102 travels along a lane on a motorway or the like, the driving assistance ECU 10 starts lane change assistance control (Figure 5, Figure 8, or Figure 10).

[0034] [First embodiment] 5 is a flowchart showing a lane change assist control routine in the first embodiment. The lane change assist control according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0035] First, in step S10, the CPU determines whether or not the driver has returned the winker lever 42 to the neutral position. If the CPU makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S30, and if the CPU makes a positive determination, the control proceeds to step S20.

[0036] In step S20, the CPU stops the lane change control for automatically driving the vehicle 102 to the adjacent lane on the side where the turn signal lever 42 is tilted, ends this control, and returns to the lane keeping control. Note that, if the orientation of the mirror surface of the outer mirror 36R or 36L is set to a predetermined orientation for lane change, it is returned to the standard orientation.

[0037] In step S30, the CPU determines whether the orientation of the mirror surface of the outer mirror 36R or 36L on the side to which the turn signal lever 42 has been tilted has been changed to a predetermined orientation for lane changing. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it advances this control to step S90, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it advances this control to step S40.

[0038] In step S40, the CPU outputs a command signal to the meter ECU 30 to change the orientation of the mirror surface of the outer mirror 36R or 36L on the side where the winker lever 42 has been tilted to a predetermined orientation for lane changing.

[0039] In step S90, the CPU judges whether the cancel device has been operated. If the CPU judges yes, the control proceeds to step S120, and if the CPU judges no, the control proceeds to step S100. The cancel device may be judged to have been operated when the lane change cancel switch of the setting operation device 18 is operated, when the turn signal lever 42 is operated to the neutral position or in the opposite direction, when the steering wheel is operated in the opposite direction to the direction of the lane change, or when the brake pedal is depressed. Therefore, the cancel device may be any of the lane change cancel switch, the turn signal lever 42, the steering wheel, and the brake pedal.

[0040] In step S100, the CPU determines whether or not the lane change of the vehicle 102 has been completed. If the CPU makes an affirmative determination, the control proceeds to step S120, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S110.

[0041] In step S110, the CPU executes control of the vehicle lane change by outputting a command signal to the EPS ECU 20, the drive ECU, and the brake ECU. That is, the CPU automatically drives the vehicle 102 to the adjacent lane on the side where the turn signal lever 42 is tilted, in a manner known in the art, for example as described in JP 2008-149855 A. When the entire vehicle 102 has moved to the adjacent lane, a command signal may be output to the meter ECU 30 to turn off the blinking turn signal lamp.

[0042] In step S120, the CPU ends the control of the automated lane change by ending the output of command signals to the EPS·ECU 20, the drive ECU, and the brake ECU, and returns to the lane keeping assist control. At this stage, the turn signal lever 42 may be returned to the neutral position.

[0043] In step S130, the CPU outputs a command signal to the meter ECU 30 to return the mirror surface orientation of the outer mirror 36R or 36L, whose orientation has been changed, to the standard orientation, terminates this control, and returns to lane keeping control.

[0044] According to the first embodiment, when the turn signal lever 42 is tilted (S10), the direction of the mirror surface of the outer mirror 36R or 36L on the side where the lane change is to be made is changed to a predetermined direction for an automated lane change (S30, S40). When the cancel device is not operated (S90) and the lane change is not completed (S100), the automated lane change control is executed, and the vehicle 102 is automatically driven to move to the adjacent lane on the side where the turn signal lever 42 is tilted (S110).

[0045] Therefore, when the control of the lane change is being executed, the orientation of the mirror surface of the outer mirror 36R or 36L is changed to a predetermined orientation for lane change, and the driver can use the outer mirror to view the main part on the rear side of the undetectable area 17R or 17L. In other words, the visibility of the main part on the rear side of the undetectable area can be improved compared to the conventional case in which the orientation of the mirror surface of the outer mirror is not changed to a predetermined orientation for lane change.

[0046] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, in a situation where another vehicle 106 such as a motorcycle is present in a position where it is difficult to detect by the radar sensor 14RR or 14RL, the driver can recognize the other vehicle by using the outer mirror. Furthermore, the driver can end the control of the automated lane change by operating the cancel device, thereby improving safety during the automated lane change.

[0047] [Second embodiment] In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the camera sensor 12 includes four camera sensors 12F, 12B, 12R, and 12L that capture the front, rear, right side, and left side, respectively. These camera sensors can form an all-around overhead image around the vehicle 102, and the camera sensors 12R and 12L can form side overhead images of the right and left sides of the vehicle 102, respectively. The side overhead images are displayed on the display 32. Thus, the display 32 functions as a display device that displays a part of the surroundings of the vehicle 102 (the range of the side overhead image) so that it can be viewed by the driver.

[0048] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a lane change assist control routine in the second embodiment. The lane change assist control according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 8 is also executed by the CPU of the driving assist ECU 10. In Fig. 8, the same steps as those shown in Fig. 2 are assigned the same step numbers as those assigned in Fig. 2. This also applies to Fig. 10 described later.

[0049] In step S50, which corresponds to step S30 in the first embodiment, the CPU determines whether or not a side overhead image (not shown) formed by the camera sensor 12R or 12L on the side to which the winker lever 42 is tilted is displayed on the display 32. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it advances this control to step S90, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it advances this control to step S60.

[0050] In step S60, the CPU outputs a command signal to the meter ECU 30 to display the side overhead image formed by the camera sensor 12R or 12L on the side to which the winker lever 42 is tilted, on the display 32. In this case, the displayed side overhead image 108 may be only the rear portion 108R or 108L of the side of the vehicle 102, as shown in FIG.

[0051] In step S20, the lane change control is stopped, and this control is terminated to return to lane keeping control. However, if the side overhead image is being displayed on the display 32, the display of the side overhead image is also terminated.

[0052] According to the second embodiment, when the turn signal lever 42 is tilted (S10), a side overhead image of the side to which the lane change is to be made is displayed on the display 32 (S50, S60). When the cancel device is not operated (S90) and the lane change is not completed (S100), the control of the automated lane change is executed, and the vehicle 102 is automatically driven to move to the adjacent lane on the side to which the turn signal lever 42 is tilted (S110).

[0053] Therefore, when the control of the automated lane change is being executed, a side overhead image of the side where the lane change is to be made is displayed on the display 32. The driver can visually confirm the main part on the rear side of the undetectable area 17R or 17L by looking at the side overhead image displayed on the display 32. In other words, compared to the conventional case where the side overhead image 108 is not displayed on the display 32, the visibility of the main part on the rear side of the undetectable area can be improved.

[0054] 6, in a situation where another vehicle 106 such as a motorcycle is present in a position where it is difficult to detect by the radar sensor 14RR or 14RL, the driver can recognize the other vehicle by looking at the side overhead image displayed on the display 32. Furthermore, the driver can end the control of the automated lane change by operating the cancel device, thereby improving safety during the automated lane change.

[0055] [Third embodiment] In the third embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, electronic outer mirrors 110L and 110R are attached to the left and right front doors 102L and 102R of a vehicle 102, respectively. The electronic outer mirrors 110L and 110R incorporate cameras that capture images of normal areas 112L and 112R, respectively. Images of the electronic outer mirror captured by these cameras are displayed on outer mirror displays 114L and 114R (see Fig. 9) installed near the left and right front pillars (not shown) inside the vehicle cabin.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 9, the cameras of the electronic outer mirrors 110L and 110R and the outer mirror displays 114L and 114R are connected to the meter ECU 30. When the meter ECU 30 receives a command signal from the driving assistance ECU 10, it changes the area photographed by the camera to the extended areas 116L and 116R which are wider than the normal areas 112L and 112R. The extended areas 116L and 116R cover the main part of the rear side of the undetectable area 17R or 17L, respectively. Therefore, the outer mirror displays 114L and 114R function as a display device that displays a part of the surroundings of the vehicle 102 (the extended areas 116L and 116R) so that the driver can see it.

[0057] 10 is a flowchart showing a lane change assist control routine in the third embodiment. The lane change assist control according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0058] In step S70, which corresponds to step S30 in the first embodiment, the CPU determines whether or not an image of the extended area 116L or 116R on the side to which the winker lever 42 is tilted is displayed on the outer mirror display 114L or 114R. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it advances this control to step S90, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it advances this control to step S80.

[0059] In step S80, the CPU outputs a command signal to the meter ECU 30 to display, on the outer mirror display 114L or 114R, an image of the extended area 116L or 116R on the side to which the winker lever 42 has been tilted.

[0060] In step S20, the lane change control is stopped, and this control is terminated to return to lane keeping control. However, when an image of the extended area 116L or 116R is displayed on the outer mirror display 114L or 114R, the image display is returned to the image display of the normal area 112L and 112R.

[0061] According to the third embodiment, when the turn signal lever 42 is tilted (S10), an image of the extended area on the side where the lane change is to be made is displayed on the outer mirror display 114L or 114R (S70, S80). When the cancel device is not operated (S90) and the lane change is not completed (S100), the control of the automated lane change is executed, and the vehicle 102 is automatically driven to move to the adjacent lane on the side where the turn signal lever 42 is tilted (S110).

[0062] Therefore, when the control of an automated lane change is being executed, an image of the extended area 116L or 116R on the side where the lane change is to be made is displayed on the outer mirror display 114L or 114R. The driver can visually confirm the main part on the rear side of the undetectable area 17R or 17L by looking at the image of the extended area displayed on the outer mirror display. In other words, the visibility of the main part on the rear side of the undetectable area can be improved compared to the conventional case where the image of the extended area is not displayed on the outer mirror display.

[0063] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 7, in a situation where another vehicle 106 such as a motorcycle is present in a position where it is difficult to detect by the radar sensor 14RR or 14RL, the driver can recognize the other vehicle by looking at the image of the extended area displayed on the outer mirror display. Furthermore, the driver can end the control of the automated lane change by operating the cancel device, thereby improving safety during the automated lane change.

[0064] Although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0065] For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the setting operation device 18 includes a lane change abort switch, and when the lane change abort switch is operated, the vehicle lane change is aborted. However, the lane change abort switch may be omitted.

[0066] In each of the above-described embodiments, in step S110, command signals are output to the EPS ECU 20, the drive ECU, and the braking ECU, so that the vehicle 102 moves to an adjacent lane by automatic driving. However, at least one of the steering control, acceleration control, and braking control required for changing lanes may be performed by the driver's operation.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above description of each embodiment, it has been described that each lane change assist control is executed individually, but the first to third embodiments may be executed in combination. For example, the first embodiment and the third embodiment may be executed in combination, or the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be executed in combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10...driving assistance ECU, 12...camera sensor, 14...radar sensor, 16...surrounding information acquisition device, 17R, 17L...non-detectable area, 20...EPS ECU, 22...EPS device, 30...meter ECU, 32...display, 34R, 34L...turn signal lamp, 36R, 36L...outer mirror, 42...turn signal lever, 50...driving operation sensor, 60...vehicle status sensor, 102...own vehicle, 106...other vehicle, 110R, 110L...electronic outer mirror, 114R, 114L...outer mirror display

Claims

[Claim 1] a control device that executes control of an automated lane change to move the vehicle to a lane to which the lane is to be changed by automatic driving when it is determined that there is no other vehicle that may be an obstacle in the lane to which the lane is to be changed based on the target information around the vehicle acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device; and a canceling device that cancels the control of the automated lane change by being operated by a driver, wherein the surrounding information acquisition device includes a plurality of radar sensors that detect targets, and a driving assistance device for a vehicle in which undetectable areas in which targets cannot be detected by any of the radar sensors exist on both the left and right sides, The driving assistance device has a display device that displays a portion of the surroundings of the vehicle so that it is visible to the driver, and the display device is configured to be controlled by the control device to display at least a portion of the undetectable area on the side of the lane to which the lane is to be changed when the control device executes control of the automobile lane change.

Images