Notification device

Abstract

To provide a notification device capable of appropriately performing notification to an oncoming vehicle according to situations.SOLUTION: A notification device 100 includes: an abnormality recognition unit 13 for recognizing abnormality existing in an opposite lane or a road shoulder of the opposite lane based on detection results of an external sensor 1 provided in a vehicle; an external notification unit 5 that is provided in the vehicle and outputs at least one of sound and light to the outside of the vehicle; and a notification control unit 14 that performs notification by the external notification unit 5 to an oncoming vehicle traveling on an opposite lane so as to approach the vehicle in front of the vehicle. The notification control unit 14 determines notification time according to at least one of estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle and a degree of risk set in advance according to a type of abnormality.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when information on a breakdown vehicle parked on the oncoming lane is received from the breakdown vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, there is known a breakdown vehicle notification device that notifies the oncoming vehicle traveling toward the breakdown vehicle on the oncoming lane of the information on the breakdown vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above prior art is premised on the oncoming vehicle being configured to enable vehicle-to-vehicle communication. For an oncoming vehicle that cannot perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication, it is conceivable to notify of an abnormality existing on the oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane by outputting at least one of sound and light. When performing such notification automatically, since the information available is more limited than vehicle-to-vehicle communication, there is room for improvement in appropriately performing notification to the oncoming vehicle according to the situation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The notification device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an abnormality recognition unit that recognizes an abnormality existing in an oncoming lane or the shoulder of an oncoming lane based on a detection result of an external sensor provided in a vehicle, an external notification unit that is provided in the vehicle and outputs at least one of sound and light outward, and a notification control unit that performs notification by the external notification unit to an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane so as to approach the vehicle in front of the vehicle. The notification control unit determines the notification time according to at least one of the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle and a risk level preset according to the type of abnormality.

[0006] According to the notification device according to one aspect of the present invention, since the notification time is determined according to at least one of the estimated vehicle speed and the risk level, for example, when the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle is high, by lengthening the notification time, it becomes easier to notify the oncoming vehicle in the distance of the existence of an abnormality. In this way, the notification to the oncoming vehicle can be appropriately performed according to the situation.

[0007] In one embodiment, the notification control unit may determine the notification time according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle as the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle. In this case, taking advantage of the fact that the vehicle speed of the vehicle and the vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle usually tend not to be very different between the own lane and the oncoming lane, the vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle can be simply estimated.

[0008] In one embodiment, the notification control unit may determine, as the notification time, a notification preparation period that is the duration of the notification preparation mode, and when an oncoming vehicle is recognized during the notification preparation mode, perform notification by the external notification unit. In this case, it is possible to appropriately perform notification according to the situation to the recognized oncoming vehicle while omitting the notification until the oncoming vehicle is recognized.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the notification device according to one aspect of the present invention, the notification to the oncoming vehicle can be appropriately performed according to the situation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a notification device according to an embodiment. The notification device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a device mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car, and notifies an oncoming vehicle of an abnormality existing in the oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane. The oncoming lane is a lane in the opposite traveling direction to the own lane on which the vehicle is traveling, and includes a lane adjacent to the own lane. The oncoming lane does not necessarily have to be adjacent to the own lane. It is assumed that, for example, there is no planting or fence provided between the own lane and the oncoming lane, but poles or the like may be provided.

[0013] The vehicle may be capable of executing autonomous driving. Autonomous driving is vehicle control that automatically runs the vehicle toward a preset destination. The destination may be set by an occupant such as a driver, or may be automatically set by the vehicle. In autonomous driving, the driver does not need to perform a driving operation, and the vehicle automatically runs. In the notification device 100, it may automatically notify an oncoming vehicle during autonomous driving of the vehicle.

[0014] [Configuration of Notification Device] As shown in FIG. 1, the notification device 100 includes a notification control ECU 10. The notification control ECU 10 is an electronic control unit having a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], a CAN [Controller Area Network] communication circuit, and the like. In the notification control ECU 10, for example, a program stored in the ROM is loaded into the RAM, and various functions are realized by executing the program loaded into the RAM with the CPU. The notification control ECU 10 may be composed of a plurality of electronic units.

[0015] The notification control ECU 10 is connected to an external sensor 1, an internal sensor 2, a GPS receiver 3, a map database 4, and an external notification unit 5.

[0016] The external sensor 1 is a detection device that detects the situation around the vehicle. The external sensor 1 includes at least one of a camera and a radar sensor. The camera is an imaging device that images the situation around the vehicle. The camera is provided, for example, on the back side of the front glass of the vehicle. The camera acquires imaging information regarding the situation around the vehicle. The camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. The stereo camera has two imaging units arranged to reproduce binocular parallax. The imaging information of the stereo camera also includes information in the depth direction.

[0017] The radar sensor is a detection device that detects an object around the vehicle using radio waves (e.g., millimeter waves) or light. The radar sensor includes, for example, a millimeter wave radar or a lidar (LiDAR: Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). The radar sensor transmits radio waves or light around the vehicle and detects the object by receiving the radio waves or light reflected by the object.

[0018] The internal sensor 2 is a detection device that detects the driving state of the vehicle. The internal sensor 2 includes a vehicle speed sensor. The vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the speed of the vehicle. As the vehicle speed sensor, for example, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of a wheel of the vehicle or a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheel is used. The internal sensor 2 may include an acceleration sensor and a yaw rate sensor.

[0019] The GPS receiver 3 measures the position (for example, latitude and longitude) of the vehicle V1 by receiving signals from three or more GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 3 transmits the measured position information of the vehicle V1 to the notification control ECU 10.

[0020] The map database 4 is a database that stores map information. The map database 4 is formed, for example, in a HDD [Hard Disk Drive] mounted on the vehicle. The map database 4 may be provided in a management center or the like that can communicate with the host vehicle. The map information includes road position information, road shape information (for example, types of curves, straight sections, curvature of curves, etc.), intersection and branch point position information, and structure position information. The map information may also include road type information (for example, roads within residential areas, motorways, and other general roads). A general road is a road other than a motorway, for example, a road connecting between residential areas.

[0021] The external notification unit 5 is provided on the vehicle and outputs at least one of sound and light outward. The external notification unit 5 has, for example, a sound output device that outputs sound to the outside of the vehicle and a light output device that outputs light to the outside of the vehicle. As the sound output device of the external notification unit 5, for example, a horn provided at the front of the vehicle can be used. The sound output device of the external notification unit 5 may be, among others, a sound output device such as an external speaker separately provided for notification to oncoming vehicles.

[0022] As the light output device of the external notification unit 5, for example, a lighting device provided at the front of the vehicle can be used. The type of the lighting device is not particularly limited. For example, a headlamp (headlamp) using an LED [Light Emitting Diode] can be used. The light output device of the external notification unit 5 is composed of, for example, a plurality of LEDs, and may be controlled so that light hits an oncoming vehicle coming from the front of the vehicle. The light output device of the external notification unit 5 may be, among others, a light output device such as an external display separately provided for notifying an oncoming vehicle.

[0023] Next, the functional configuration of the notification control ECU 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the notification control ECU 10 includes a vehicle position recognition unit 11, a surrounding situation recognition unit 12, an abnormality recognition unit 13, and a notification control unit 14.

[0024] The vehicle position recognition unit 11 recognizes the position of the vehicle on the map based on the position information of the GPS reception unit 3 and the map information of the map database 4. Further, the vehicle position recognition unit 11 may recognize the position of the vehicle by SLAM [Simultaneous Localization and Mapping] technology using the position information of fixed obstacles such as utility poles included in the map information of the map database 4 and the detection result of the external sensor 1. The vehicle position recognition unit 11 may recognize the position of the vehicle on the map by other well-known methods.

[0025] The surrounding situation recognition unit 12 recognizes the situation around the vehicle based on the detection result of the external sensor 1. The situation around the vehicle includes an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane so as to approach the vehicle in front of the vehicle. The surrounding situation recognition unit 12 may recognize the relative speed and relative position of the oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane so as to approach the vehicle in front of the vehicle based on the detection result of the external sensor 1.

[0026] The abnormality recognition unit 13 recognizes an abnormality existing in the oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane based on the detection result of the external sensor 1. The abnormality here means an object or a situation that can obstruct the progress of an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining the notification to the oncoming vehicle by the notification device. FIG. 2 shows the own lane L1 on which the vehicle V1 is traveling, and the oncoming lane L2 which is a lane adjacent to the own lane L1 and has a traveling direction opposite to that of the own lane L1. In the oncoming lane L2, an oncoming vehicle V2 is traveling so as to approach the vehicle V1 in front of the vehicle V1. As shown in FIG. 2, an abnormality 200 existing in the oncoming lane L2 is detected as a situation around the vehicle V1 by the external sensor 1 of the vehicle V1.

[0027] Examples of the object or situation corresponding to the abnormality 200 include a falling object, a person, a broken-down vehicle, road construction, a road abnormality such as a depression, and a vehicle running in the opposite direction in the oncoming lane. The person corresponding to the abnormality 200 includes a person sitting in the oncoming lane or on the shoulder of the oncoming lane, and a person lying on the oncoming lane or on the shoulder of the oncoming lane. The broken-down vehicle may include a fallen two-wheeled vehicle. The vehicle running in the opposite direction means a vehicle traveling in the same direction as the own vehicle in the oncoming lane. The abnormality recognition unit 13 recognizes the abnormality 200, for example, by analyzing the detected object or situation and the pre-stored object or situation corresponding to the abnormality 200 by pattern matching or the like. The abnormality recognition unit 13 may recognize the position of the abnormality in the oncoming lane. The abnormality recognition unit 13 may recognize the relative position of the abnormality 200 with respect to the vehicle V1 and the position of the abnormality 200 on the map as the position of the abnormality in the oncoming lane.

[0028] The abnormality recognition unit 13 may determine the degree of risk of the recognized abnormality according to, for example, the size or type of the recognized object, or the degree of the recognized situation. The degree of risk is an index (risk rank) used for determining whether to notify the oncoming vehicle of the recognized abnormality. For example, the degree of risk is a value representing the magnitude of the influence that an abnormality existing in the oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane has on the progress of the oncoming vehicle, and is stored in advance in the notification control ECU 10. The degree of risk may be set to a larger value as, for example, the size of the recognized object is larger. The degree of risk may be set to the maximum value possible when, for example, the recognized situation corresponds to a multiple accident or the like.

[0029] The abnormality recognition unit 13 may determine a risk threshold according to the type of road based on the position of the abnormality on the map and the map information. The risk threshold is a threshold of the degree of risk for determining whether the recognized object or situation is an abnormality to be notified to the oncoming vehicle. As an example, on a road within a residential area, there is a relatively high tendency for an object to exist on the road. On an expressway, there is a relatively low tendency for an object to exist on the road. On a general road, it can be considered that the possibility of an object existing on the road is at an intermediate level between that on a road within a residential area and an expressway. Therefore, the abnormality recognition unit 13 may determine the risk threshold when the recognized object or situation exists on an expressway to be smaller than the risk threshold when the recognized object or situation exists on a general road. The abnormality recognition unit 13 may determine the risk threshold when the recognized object or situation exists on a general road to be smaller than the risk threshold when the recognized object or situation exists on a road within a residential area.

[0030] The notification control unit 14 performs notification by the external notification unit 5 to an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane so as to approach the vehicle in front of the vehicle. The notification control unit 14 determines, for example, whether the degree of risk is greater than the risk threshold, and when it is determined that the degree of risk is greater than the risk threshold, performs notification to the oncoming vehicle by the external notification unit 5.

[0031] The notification control unit 14 estimates the vehicle speed (estimated vehicle speed) of the oncoming vehicle. For example, the notification control unit 14 uses the vehicle speed detected by the internal sensor 2 as the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle, taking advantage of the fact that the vehicle speed of the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle usually tend not to differ significantly.

[0032] The notification control unit 14 determines, for example, a notification preparation period (notification time) according to at least one of the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle and the risk level. The notification preparation period means the duration of the notification preparation mode in a state where the external notification unit 5 is ready to output at least one of sound and light to the outside of the vehicle. In the notification preparation mode, the external notification unit 5 only needs to be ready to output sound and light, and does not necessarily always output sound and light. The notification preparation period and the notification preparation mode may be determined for each recognized abnormality.

[0033] For example, the notification control unit 14 determines that the higher the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle, the longer the notification preparation period. Therefore, the higher the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle, the longer the distance calculated by the product of the estimated vehicle speed and the notification preparation period. This distance corresponds to the distance from the abnormality along the oncoming lane where the oncoming vehicle can be notified to the oncoming vehicle. The higher the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle, the earlier the oncoming vehicle at a farther distance from the abnormality along the oncoming lane can be notified. Also, this distance becomes shorter according to the estimated vehicle speed if the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle is low even for an oncoming vehicle at a far distance from the abnormality along the oncoming lane. Therefore, it is possible to suppress giving a notification that is too early to the oncoming vehicle at a far distance. Note that the notification control unit 14 may determine that the higher the risk level, the longer the notification preparation period.

[0034] The notification control unit 14 sets a notification preparation mode, for example, when the position of an object recognized as an abnormality 200 and the vehicle V1 are side by side (see the dashed line NT1 in FIG. 2), and releases the notification preparation mode after the notification preparation period has elapsed since the setting. When a oncoming vehicle V2 traveling in the oncoming lane L2 and approaching the vehicle V1 is recognized in front of the vehicle V1 during the notification preparation mode (see the dashed line NT2 in FIG. 2), the notification control unit 14 may control the external notification unit 5 to output at least one of sound and light toward the outside of the vehicle. Thereby, the oncoming vehicle V2 is notified of the abnormality 200 existing in the oncoming lane L2. When passing by the oncoming vehicle V2, the notification control unit 14 may control the external notification unit 5 to stop outputting at least one of the sound and light that has been output.

[0035] The output of sound toward the outside of the vehicle may be a warning sound of a horn. The warning sound of the horn may be output continuously or intermittently. As the output of light toward the outside of the vehicle, the high beam state of the headlight may be used for the light hitting the oncoming vehicle. The high beam state of the headlight may be continuous irradiation or intermittent irradiation.

[0036] When the notification control unit 14 recognizes a plurality of consecutive oncoming vehicles during the notification preparation mode, the notification control unit 14 may control the external notification unit 5 to continuously output at least one of sound and light toward the outside of the vehicle until the oncoming vehicles are interrupted. When the notification control unit 14 does not recognize an oncoming vehicle until the end of the notification preparation period during the notification preparation mode, the notification control unit 14 may extend the notification preparation period.

[0037] For example, when the recognized abnormality is a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction in the oncoming lane, the notification control unit 14 may notify the oncoming vehicle of the abnormality existing in the oncoming lane by outputting light toward the outside of the vehicle before the vehicle traveling in the opposite direction and the vehicle are side by side. Thereby, compared with the case of outputting sound, the oncoming vehicle in the distance can be notified promptly.

[0038] When the recognized abnormality is a vehicle running in the oncoming lane, for example, when the vehicle speed is slower than that of the oncoming vehicle, the notification control unit 14 may notify the oncoming vehicle of the abnormality existing in the oncoming lane by outputting a sound toward the outside of the vehicle for a longer time than when the vehicle speed is faster than that of the oncoming vehicle. This makes it easier for the sound to reach the oncoming vehicle.

[0039] [Operation of the Notification Device] Subsequently, the operation of the notification device 100 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of oncoming vehicle notification processing. The oncoming vehicle notification processing is executed, for example, when the vehicle is traveling on its own lane where an oncoming lane exists.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, in step S10, the notification control ECU 10 of the notification device 100 causes the peripheral situation recognition unit 12 to perform detection by the external sensor 1. When the peripheral situation recognition unit 12 detects an oncoming vehicle traveling on the oncoming lane approaching the vehicle in front of the vehicle by the external sensor 1, the relative speed and relative position of the oncoming vehicle are recognized.

[0041] In step S11, the notification control ECU 10 causes the abnormality recognition unit 13 to recognize an abnormality. When the abnormality recognition unit 13 detects an abnormality existing in the oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane by the external sensor 1, for example, the abnormality is recognized. The abnormality recognition unit 13 may recognize the position of the abnormality on the map.

[0042] In step S12, the notification control ECU 10 causes the abnormality recognition unit 13 to determine the degree of risk. The abnormality recognition unit 13 determines the degree of risk of the recognized abnormality according to, for example, the size or type of the recognized object, or the degree of the recognized situation.

[0043] In step S13, the notification control ECU 10 causes the abnormality recognition unit 13 to determine a risk threshold. The abnormality recognition unit 13 determines a risk threshold according to, for example, the position of the abnormality on the map and the map information, for example, according to the type of the driving route.

[0044] In step S14, the notification control ECU 10 determines, by the notification control unit 14, whether the risk level is greater than the risk threshold. When the notification control ECU 10 determines, by the notification control unit 14, that the risk level is greater than the risk threshold (S14: YES), it proceeds to step S15. When the notification control ECU 10 determines, by the notification control unit 14, that the risk level is less than or equal to the risk threshold (S14: NO), it ends the processing of FIG. 3 this time. After that, the notification control ECU 10 repeats the processing from S10 again after a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0045] As step S15, the notification control ECU 10 estimates, by the notification control unit 14, the vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle. The notification control unit 14 uses, for example, the vehicle speed of the vehicle as the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle.

[0046] As step S16, the notification control ECU 10 determines, by the notification control unit 14, the notification time. The notification control unit 14 determines the notification preparation period according to at least one of the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle and the risk level.

[0047] As step S17, the notification control ECU 10 sets, by the notification control unit 14, the notification preparation mode. The notification control unit 14 sets the notification preparation mode, for example, when the position of the object recognized as abnormal and the vehicle are side by side.

[0048] As step S18, the notification control ECU 10 notifies the oncoming vehicle, by the notification control unit 14. The notification control unit 14 notifies the oncoming vehicle of the abnormality existing in the oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane by outputting at least one of sound and light to the outside of the vehicle, for example, when it recognizes an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane approaching the vehicle in front of the vehicle during the notification preparation mode. After that, the notification control ECU 10 ends the processing of FIG. 3 this time and repeats the processing from S10 again after a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0049] According to the notification device 100 described above, the notification time is determined according to at least one of the estimated vehicle speed and the risk degree of the oncoming vehicle V2. Therefore, for example, when the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle V2 is high, by lengthening the notification time, it becomes easier to notify the distant oncoming vehicle V2 of the presence of an abnormality. In this way, the notification to the oncoming vehicle V2 can be appropriately performed according to the situation.

[0050] In the notification device 100, the notification control unit 14 determines the notification time according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle V1 as the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle V2. Thereby, taking advantage of the fact that the vehicle speed of the vehicle V1 and the vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle V2 usually tend not to be very different between the own lane L1 and the oncoming lane L2, the vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle V2 can be simply estimated.

[0051] In the notification device 100, the notification control unit 14 determines the notification preparation period, which is the duration of the notification preparation mode, as the notification time, and when the oncoming vehicle V2 is recognized during the notification preparation mode, the external notification unit 5 performs the notification. Thereby, while appropriately performing the notification according to the situation for the recognized oncoming vehicle V2, the notification until the oncoming vehicle V2 is recognized can be omitted.

[0052] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms with various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the above-described embodiments.

[0053] For example, although the notification control unit 14 determines the notification time according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle as the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle, it is not limited to this example. The notification control unit 14 may calculate the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle based on the relative speed of the oncoming vehicle recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 12 with respect to the vehicle and the vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by the internal sensor 2. The notification control unit 14 may recognize the speed limit of the host lane or the oncoming lane based on the position of the recognized vehicle on the map and the map information, and use this speed limit as the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle. The notification control unit 14 may calculate the average vehicle speed of a plurality of oncoming vehicles traveling in the oncoming lane based on the detection result of the external sensor 1, and use this average vehicle speed as the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle. In this case, the notification control unit 14 may calculate the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle by using not only the average vehicle speed but also the vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by the internal sensor 2.

[0054] The notification preparation period and the notification preparation mode are not essential. The notification control unit 14 may directly determine the notification time as the time for outputting at least one of sound and light to the outside of the vehicle according to at least one of the estimated vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle V2 and the risk level.

[0055] When the notification control unit 14 recognizes an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane so as to approach the vehicle in front of the vehicle during the notification preparation mode, the external notification unit 5 is controlled to output at least one of sound and light to the outside of the vehicle, but it is not limited to this example. The notification control unit 14 may control the external notification unit 5 to output at least one of sound and light to the outside of the vehicle even when no oncoming vehicle is recognized during the notification preparation mode.

[0056] The abnormality recognition unit 13 recognizes an abnormality existing in the oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane in front of the vehicle based on the detection result of the external sensor 1, but may also recognize an abnormality (for example, a vehicle running in reverse in the oncoming lane on the side or rear of the vehicle) existing in the oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane on the side or rear of the vehicle.

[0057] The notification device 100 may perform notifications according to the position of the vehicle on the map. For example, the notification device 100 may be configured to not perform oncoming vehicle notification processing on an expressway dedicated to automobiles and to perform oncoming vehicle notification processing on a general road, based on the position of the vehicle on the map and map information.

[0058] When the recognized abnormality has a sufficiently high probability of obstructing the progress of an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane, such as a person sitting down, a person lying down, or a large falling object, for example, the notification device 100 may automatically issue a predetermined emergency notification separately from the oncoming vehicle notification processing.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0059] 1... External sensor, 5... External notification unit, 13... Abnormality recognition unit, 14... Notification control unit, 100... Notification device, 200... Abnormality, L2... Oncoming lane, V1... Vehicle, V2... Oncoming vehicle.

Claims

1. An abnormality recognition unit that recognizes an abnormality existing in an oncoming lane or the shoulder of the oncoming lane based on a detection result of an external sensor provided in the vehicle; An external notification unit provided in the vehicle that outputs at least one of sound and light toward the outside of the vehicle; A notification control unit that performs notification by the external notification unit to an oncoming vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane so as to approach the vehicle in front of the vehicle, comprising: The notification control unit determines the notification time according to at least one of a predicted vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle and a risk level preset according to the type of the abnormality; The notification control unit uses the vehicle speed of the vehicle as the predicted vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle and determines the notification time, a notification device.

2. The notification control unit: Determines a notification preparation period, which is a duration of a notification preparation mode, as the notification time; When the oncoming vehicle is recognized during the notification preparation mode, the notification device according to claim 1, which performs the notification by the external notification unit.

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