Driving support system, driving support device, driving support method, driving support program

Abstract

This driving assistance system has a processor and controls driving assistance in a host vehicle. The processor is configured to execute deceleration control for decelerating the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area in which the state of the host vehicle transitions between a passage-allowed state in which passage is allowed and a passage-prohibited state in which passage is prohibited. The processor is configured to execute: acquiring state information pertaining to the state of a specific area; and acquiring a driver's instruction operation for instructing passage through the specific area. When the state information pertaining to the passage-allowed state has been acquired, the execution of deceleration control includes prohibiting interruption of deceleration control if the instruction operation is not acquired, and interrupting the deceleration control if the command operation is acquired.

Description

Cross - reference to related applications

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022 - 63129 filed in Japan on April 5, 2022, and the contents of the base application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a driving assistance technology for controlling driving assistance in a host vehicle.

Background Art

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance device that performs deceleration assistance for the host vehicle with respect to a traffic signal. This driving assistance device determines whether the traffic signal has entered a passing - permitted state during the execution of deceleration assistance for the traffic signal. When the driving assistance device determines that the passing - permitted state has been entered, it executes a temporary continuation of deceleration assistance for a preset set time, and interrupts the deceleration assistance when the set time has elapsed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The driving assistance device of Patent Document 1 may interrupt deceleration assistance after the set time has elapsed even when a traffic signal in a non - passing - permitted state is misrecognized as being in a passing - permitted state. As a result, there is a risk of re - accelerating with respect to a traffic signal in a non - passing - permitted state.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving support system capable of avoiding inappropriate re - acceleration. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving support device capable of avoiding inappropriate re - acceleration. Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving support method capable of avoiding inappropriate re - acceleration. Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving support program capable of avoiding inappropriate re - acceleration.

[0007] Hereinafter, the technical means of the present disclosure for solving the problems will be described. Note that the reference numerals in parentheses described in the claims indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments to be described in detail later, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0008] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a driving support system having a processor and controlling driving support in a host vehicle, wherein the processor executes deceleration control to decelerate the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area whose state transitions between a passage - permitted state in which passage is permitted and a passage - prohibited state in which passage is prohibited, acquires state information regarding the state of the specific area, acquires a driver's instruction operation instructing passage through the specific area, and is configured to execute Executing the deceleration control includes prohibiting interruption of the deceleration control when the instruction operation is not acquired and interrupting the deceleration control when the instruction operation is acquired in the case where the state information related to the passage - permitted state is acquired. and when state information related to the passage-allowable state is acquired, if the reliability of the state information is within the allowable range, even if no instruction operation is acquired, interrupt the deceleration control;

[0009] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a driving support device having a processor, configured to be mounted on a host vehicle, and controlling driving support in the host vehicle, wherein the processor Performing deceleration control to decelerate the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area where the state transitions between a passage-permitted state in which passage is permitted and a passage-prohibited state in which passage is prohibited. Obtaining state information regarding the state of the specific area. Obtaining a driver's instruction operation for instructing passage through the specific area. And is configured to perform Performing the deceleration control When state information related to the passage-permitted state is obtained, prohibiting interruption of the deceleration control when the instruction operation is not obtained, and interrupting the deceleration control when the instruction operation is obtained. and when state information related to the passage-allowable state is acquired, if the reliability of the state information is within the allowable range, even if no instruction operation is acquired, interrupt the deceleration control; Including.

[0010] A third aspect of the present disclosure is a driving support method executed by a processor to control driving support in a host vehicle, Performing deceleration control to decelerate the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area where the state transitions between a passage-permitted state in which passage is permitted and a passage-prohibited state in which passage is prohibited. Obtaining state information regarding the state of the specific area. Obtaining a driver's instruction operation for instructing passage through the specific area. Including Performing the deceleration control When state information related to the passage-permitted state is obtained, prohibiting interruption of the deceleration control when the instruction operation is not obtained, and interrupting the deceleration control when the instruction operation is obtained. and when state information related to the passage-allowable state is acquired, if the reliability of the state information is within the allowable range, even if no instruction operation is acquired, interrupt the deceleration control; Including.

[0011] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a driving support program stored in a storage medium and including instructions for causing a processor to execute to control driving support in a host vehicle, The instructions Executing deceleration control to decelerate the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area where the state transitions between a pass-permitted state in which passing is permitted and a pass-prohibited state in which passing is prohibited Obtaining state information regarding the state of the specific area Obtaining a driver's instruction operation for instructing passage through the specific area including Executing the deceleration control When state information related to the pass-permitted state is obtained, if the instruction operation is not obtained, prohibiting interruption of the deceleration control, and if the instruction operation is obtained, interrupting the deceleration control and when state information related to the passage-allowable state is acquired, if the reliability of the state information is within the allowable range, even if no instruction operation is acquired, cause the deceleration control to be interrupted; including

[0012] According to these first to fourth aspects, even when state information related to the pass-permitted state of the specific area is obtained, interruption of the deceleration control is prohibited until an instruction operation for passing through the specific area by the driver is obtained. Therefore, it is possible to leave it to the driver's judgment whether to interrupt the deceleration control for passing through the specific area. Accordingly, inappropriate re-acceleration due to the driving support control can be avoided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (First Embodiment) The driving support system 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 controls the driving support of the host vehicle A. From the perspective centered on the host vehicle A, the host vehicle A can be said to be an ego-vehicle. The host vehicle A is a moving body such as an automobile that can travel on a road in a state where a passenger is on board.

[0016] In the host vehicle A, an automatic driving mode is provided, which is classified according to the degree of manual intervention of the passenger in the dynamic driving task. The automatic driving mode may be realized by autonomous driving control in which the system during operation executes all dynamic driving tasks, such as conditional driving automation, highly automated driving, or fully automated driving. The automatic driving mode may be realized by advanced driving assistance control in which the passenger executes some or all of the dynamic driving tasks, such as driving assistance or partial driving automation. The automatic driving mode may be realized by either one, combination, or switching of the autonomous driving control and the advanced driving assistance control.

[0017] The host vehicle A is equipped with a sensor system 10, a communication system 20, a map database (hereinafter, "DB") 30, an interface system 40, and an information presentation system 50 shown in FIG. 2. The sensor system 10 acquires sensor information available to the driving support system 100 for the outside and inside of the host vehicle A. For this purpose, the sensor system 10 is configured to include an outside sensor 11 and an inside sensor 12.

[0018] The external sensor 11 acquires external information that can be used by the driving assistance system 100 from the external environment that is the periphery of the host vehicle A. The external sensor 11 may acquire external information by detecting an object existing in the external environment of the host vehicle A. The external sensor 11 of the object detection type is at least one of, for example, a camera, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), a radar, and a sonar.

[0019] The internal sensor 12 acquires internal information as sensor information from the internal environment that is the interior of the host vehicle A. The internal sensor 12 may be of the physical quantity detection type that detects a specific motion physical quantity in the interior of the host vehicle A. The internal sensor 12 of the physical quantity detection type is at least one of, for example, a traveling speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

[0020] The communication system 20 acquires communication information that can be used by the driving assistance system 100 by wireless communication. The communication system 20 may be of the positioning type that receives a positioning signal from an artificial satellite of the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) existing in the external environment of the host vehicle A. The communication system 20 of the positioning type is, for example, a GNSS receiver. The communication system 20 may be of the V2X type that transmits and receives communication signals to and from a V2X system existing in the external environment of the host vehicle A. The communication system 20 of the V2X type is at least one of, for example, a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) communicator and a cellular V2X (C-V2X) communicator. The communication system 20 may be of the terminal communication type that transmits and receives communication signals to and from a terminal existing in the interior of the host vehicle A. The communication system 20 of the terminal communication type is at least one of, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) device, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) device, and an infrared communication device.

[0021] The map DB30 stores map information that can be used by the driving support system 100. The map DB30 is configured to include at least one type of non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic medium, and an optical medium. The map DB30 may be a database of a locator that estimates a self-state quantity including the self-position of the host vehicle A. The map DB30 may be a database of a navigation unit that navigates the travel route of the host vehicle A. The map DB30 may be configured by a combination of multiple types among these databases etc.

[0022] The map DB30 stores map information that can be used by the driving support system 100. The map DB30 is configured to include at least one type of non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic medium, and an optical medium. The map DB30 may be a database of a locator that estimates a self-state quantity including the self-position of the host vehicle A. The map DB30 may be a database of a navigation unit that navigates the travel route of the host vehicle A. The map DB30 may be configured by a combination of multiple types among these databases etc.

[0023] The map DB30 acquires and stores the latest map information, for example, by communicating with an external center via a V2X type communication system 20. Here, the map information is digitized in two dimensions or three dimensions as information representing the driving environment of the host vehicle A. In particular, as the three-dimensional map data, digital data of a high-precision map may be adopted. The map information may include road information representing at least one of, for example, the position, shape, and road surface condition of the road itself. The map information may include sign information representing at least one of, for example, the position and shape of signs and lane markings attached to the road. The map information may include structure information representing at least one of, for example, the position and shape of buildings and traffic lights facing the road.

[0024] The map information may include position information regarding a specific area where the state transitions between a passage-permitted state where passage is allowed and a passage-prohibited state where passage is prohibited. Here, the state transitioning between the passage-permitted state and the passage-prohibited state may include the state being mechanically switched by a device that defines passage permission and prohibition. Such devices are, for example, traffic signal lights, level crossing barriers, etc. The state transitioning between the passage-permitted state and the passage-prohibited state may also include the state naturally changing depending on the presence or absence of moving objects (pedestrians, other vehicles, etc.) that impede the progress of the host vehicle A. Such specific areas include, for example, intersections, crosswalks, level crossings, etc.

[0025] The interface system 40 receives operations by the occupant. The interface system 40 may be, for example, one that receives driving operations by the driver such as an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a steering wheel. The interface system 40 may be installed in in-vehicle devices such as an on-off switch, a touch panel, etc. For example, the interface system 40 installed in an in-vehicle device may be a resume switch of an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) function described later. The interface system 40 may be a non-contact operation device that non-contact recognizes operations by the occupant's voice, gesture, etc.

[0026] The information presentation system 50 presents notification information to the passengers of the host vehicle A. The information presentation system 50 may be of a visual stimulation type that stimulates the passengers' vision. The information presentation system 50 of the visual stimulation type is at least one of, for example, a HUD (Head-Up Display), an MFD (Multi-Function Display), a combination meter, a navigation unit, and a light-emitting unit. The information presentation system 50 may be of an auditory stimulation type that stimulates the passengers' hearing. The information presentation system 50 of the auditory stimulation type is at least one of, for example, a speaker, a buzzer, and a vibration unit. The information presentation system 50 may be of a skin stimulation type that stimulates the passengers' skin sensation. The skin sensation stimulated by the information presentation system 50 of the skin stimulation type includes at least one of, for example, a tactile sensation, a sense of temperature, and a sense of wind. The information presentation system 50 of the skin stimulation type is at least one of, for example, a vibration unit of a steering wheel, a vibration unit of a driver's seat, a reaction force unit of a steering wheel, a reaction force unit of an accelerator pedal, a reaction force unit of a brake pedal, and an air-conditioning unit.

[0027] The driving support system 100 is connected to the sensor system 10, the communication system 20, the map DB 30, the interface system 40, and the information presentation system 50 via at least one of, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) line, a wire harness, an internal bus, and a wireless communication line. The driving support system 100 is configured to include at least one dedicated computer.

[0028] The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be a driving control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the driving of the host vehicle A. The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be a navigation ECU that navigates the driving route of the host vehicle A. The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be a locator ECU that estimates the self-state quantity of the host vehicle A. The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be an actuator ECU that controls the driving actuator of the host vehicle A. The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be an HCU (HMI (Human Machine Interface) Control Unit) that controls the information presentation by the information presentation system 50 in the host vehicle A. The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be a computer other than the host vehicle A that constitutes, for example, an external center or a mobile terminal that can communicate via the V2X type communication system 20.

[0029] The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be an integrated ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that integrates the driving control of the host vehicle A. The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be a judgment ECU that judges the driving tasks in the driving control of the host vehicle A. The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be a monitoring ECU that monitors the driving control of the host vehicle A. The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may be an evaluation ECU that evaluates the driving control of the host vehicle A.

[0030] The dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 has at least one memory 101 and at least one processor 102. The memory 101 is at least one type of non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic medium, and an optical medium, that non-temporarily stores programs, data, etc. that can be read by a computer. Here, storage may be an accumulation in which data is retained even when the host vehicle A is turned on and off, or it may be a temporary storage in which data is erased when the host vehicle A is turned on and off. The processor 102 includes at least one type, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)-CPU, a DFP (Data Flow Processor), and a GSP (Graph Streaming Processor), as a core.

[0031] In the driving support system 100, the processor 102 executes a plurality of instructions included in the driving support program stored in the memory 101 to support the running of the host vehicle A. As a result, the driving support system 100 constructs a plurality of functional blocks for controlling the driving support of the host vehicle A. The plurality of functional blocks constructed in the driving support system 100 include a state information acquisition block 110, an operation acquisition block 120, a running control block 130, and a notification block 140, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0032] The status information acquisition block 110 acquires status information regarding the status of a specific area. The status information is information regarding whether the specific area is in a passable state or a non-passable state. The status information acquisition block 110 acquires, for example, the status information included in the external information. Specifically, when the specific area is an intersection with a traffic signal, the recognition result of the lighting state of the traffic signal becomes the status information. Also, when the specific area is a railroad crossing, the recognition result of the operating states of the barrier and the warning device becomes the status information. Also, when the specific area is a crosswalk, the recognition result of the pedestrians crossing the crosswalk becomes the status information. It can also be said that the status information acquisition block 110 determines that the specific area is in a passable state by acquiring such status information.

[0033] The operation acquisition block 120 acquires from the interface system 40 a driver's instruction operation for instructing passage through a specific area during deceleration control described later. For example, the instruction operation may be an operation of stepping on the accelerator pedal. Or, the instruction operation may be a resume switch for ACC control. Or, the instruction operation may be a non-contact operation such as a voice operation or a gesture operation of the driver. It can also be said that the operation acquisition block 120 determines that there has been an instruction operation by acquiring such an instruction operation.

[0034] The driving control block 130 executes the driving control of the host vehicle A during the implementation of driving support. The driving control block 130 executes various driving controls according to the situation as driving support. The driving controls executed by the driving control block 130 at least include ACC control, safety control, deceleration control, and stop control. The ACC control is a cruise control for controlling the driving speed of the host vehicle A and the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. Specifically, in the ACC control, when there is no preceding vehicle, the driving control block 130 causes the host vehicle A to travel at a constant speed at the set speed. Then, when there is a preceding vehicle, the driving control block 130 causes the host vehicle A to follow the preceding vehicle while securing the set inter-vehicle distance. The above ACC control is started based on a start operation of the ACC control by the driver.

[0035] The safety control is a driving control for coping with risks during driving. The safety control is, for example, pre-crash safety (PCS) control, automatic emergency braking (AEB) control, etc. The driving control block 130 stores the execution history of such safety control in a storage medium such as the memory 101.

[0036] The deceleration control is a control that is executed after interrupting the ACC control when a predetermined condition is satisfied during the ACC control. The deceleration control is a control for decelerating the host vehicle A in response to approaching a specific area. The driving control block 130 changes whether or not to execute the deceleration control according to the execution history of the above-described safety control. Specifically, the driving control block 130 executes the deceleration control when there is an execution history of safety control within a predetermined period such as the period after the host vehicle A starts, and does not execute the deceleration control when there is no execution history within the period.

[0037] Such deceleration control includes, for example, first deceleration control and second deceleration control. The first deceleration control is a deceleration control executed prior to the second deceleration control. The driving control block 130 determines whether or not the first deceleration condition is satisfied, and starts the first deceleration condition when the first deceleration condition is satisfied. The first deceleration condition is a condition that is satisfied when the distance to the specific area is within the first deceleration distance range. The driving control block 130 may determine whether or not the first deceleration condition is satisfied based on the position information of the specific area included in the map information and the current position of the host vehicle A. The driving control block 130 starts the first deceleration control at a stage where it is impossible to determine whether the specific area is in a passage-permitted state or a passage-prohibited state.

[0038] When the driving control block 130 determines that the second deceleration condition is satisfied during the execution of the first deceleration control, the driving control block 130 executes the second deceleration control. The second deceleration condition is a condition that is satisfied when state information related to the specific area being in a passage-prohibited state is acquired. The second deceleration condition may be added with the distance to the specific area being within a second deceleration distance range shorter than the first deceleration distance range.

[0039] The travel control block 130 may change the control mode between the first deceleration control and the second deceleration control. For example, the travel control block 130 may set the first deceleration control to a less severe deceleration control than the second deceleration control.

[0040] The travel control block 130 interrupts the above deceleration control according to the situation and returns to the ACC control. Specifically, the travel control block 130 interrupts the deceleration control when state information related to the passing allowable state is acquired during the execution of the deceleration control and when an instruction operation is acquired. On the other hand, the travel control block 130 prohibits the interruption of the deceleration control when no instruction operation is acquired.

[0041] However, during the execution of the first deceleration control, the travel control block 130 allows the interruption of the first deceleration control regardless of the presence or absence of an instruction operation when state information related to the passing allowable state is acquired and it is determined that the vehicle conditions described below are satisfied. That is, in the present embodiment, the travel control block 130 determines whether to allow the interruption of the deceleration control based on the presence or absence of an instruction operation in the passing permitted state during the execution of the second deceleration control.

[0042] In addition, during the execution of the second deceleration control, the travel control block 130 allows the interruption of the deceleration control when state information related to the passing allowable state is acquired and the vehicle conditions described below are satisfied even when no instruction operation is acquired.

[0043] Here, the vehicle conditions are conditions that are satisfied when the reliability of the state information is within the allowable range and no failure of the external sensor 11 that acquired the state information is detected. The reliability of the state information is the accuracy of the determination that discriminates between the passing permitted state and the passing prohibited state. The reliability is estimated based on, for example, the state of the data used for acquiring the state information, the comparison between the statistical information in the state classification and the current state information, etc. Note that the allowable range here is a range where the reliability exceeds or is equal to the threshold value. The failure of the external sensor 11 is detected based on a predetermined failure diagnosis process such as the presence or absence of abnormality in the detection result of the external sensor 11.

[0044] Further, even when the travel control block 130 has acquired state information related to the prohibited passage state, if an instruction operation has been acquired, the interruption of the deceleration control is permitted.

[0045] Also, when a stop condition is satisfied during the deceleration control, the travel control block 130 performs stop control to stop the host vehicle A. The stop condition is a condition that is satisfied when the speed of the host vehicle A is equal to or less than a threshold value and the distance from the current position of the host vehicle A to a specific area is within a stop distance range smaller than the second deceleration distance range. In the stop control, the travel control block 130 may maintain the stopped state until an operation of the driver instructing a start is acquired.

[0046] When the notification block 140 has acquired state information related to the prohibited passage state and an instruction operation has been acquired, the notification block 140 notifies the driver of the prohibited passage state. The notification block 140 may execute the notification, for example, when the above conditions are satisfied during the second deceleration control. The notification block 140 may perform the notification by stimulating at least one of the driver's visual, auditory, and tactile senses that the specific area is in the prohibited passage state.

[0047] By these blocks 110, 120, 130, and 140 together, the driving support method for the driving support system 100 to support the travel of the host vehicle A is executed according to the driving support flow shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This driving support flow is repeatedly executed during the ACC control of the host vehicle A. Note that each "S" in this processing flow means a plurality of steps executed by a plurality of instructions included in the driving support program.

[0048] First, in S10 of FIG. 3, the driving control block 130 determines whether there is an execution history of safety control within a predetermined period. If it is determined that there is no execution history, this flow ends. In other words, when the driver's driving safety level is relatively high, the vehicle operation of the host vehicle A when passing through the passing area during ACC control is entrusted to the driver without executing the deceleration control described later. Note that this driving support flow may skip S10 and shift to S20 regardless of the presence or absence of the execution history.

[0049] In the subsequent S20, the driving control block 130 determines whether the first deceleration condition for executing the first deceleration control is satisfied. If the first deceleration condition is not satisfied, it waits until it is satisfied.

[0050] If it is determined that the first deceleration condition is satisfied, this flow shifts to S30. In S30, the driving control block 130 executes the first deceleration control. In the first deceleration control, the driving control block 130 decelerates the host vehicle A in response to approaching the passing area.

[0051] In S40 after the start of the first deceleration control, the state information acquisition block 110 determines whether it has acquired the state information related to the passing permission state of the specific area. If it is determined that the state information related to the passing permission state of the specific area has not been acquired, this flow shifts to S50. In S50, the operation acquisition block 120 determines whether it has acquired the instructed operation. If it is determined that the instructed operation has not been acquired, this flow shifts to S70. If it is determined that the instructed operation has been acquired, this flow shifts to S160 of FIG. 4.

[0052] On the other hand, if it is determined in S40 that the state information related to the passing permission state has been acquired, this flow shifts to S60. In S60, the driving control block 130 determines whether the vehicle condition is satisfied. If it is determined that the vehicle condition is not satisfied, this flow shifts to S70. If it is determined that the vehicle condition is satisfied, this flow shifts to S160 of FIG. 4.

[0053] In S70, the driving control block 130 determines whether the second deceleration condition is satisfied. If it is determined that the second deceleration condition is not satisfied, this flow returns to S30 and the first deceleration control continues.

[0054] On the other hand, if it is determined in S70 that the second deceleration condition is satisfied, this flow transitions to S80 in FIG. 4. In S80, the driving control block 130 executes the second deceleration control. The driving control block 130 adjusts the deceleration of the host vehicle A so that the host vehicle A stops at a stop point defined in front of the passing area, for example.

[0055] In the subsequent S90, the driving control block 130 determines whether the stop condition is satisfied. If it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied, this flow proceeds to S100. In S100, the driving control block 130 executes the stop control. When the host vehicle A enters the stopped state by executing the stop control, this flow ends. Note that the stopped state of the host vehicle A may be released by an acceleration instruction operation by the driver.

[0056] On the other hand, if the stop condition is not satisfied in S90, this flow transitions to S110. In S110, the state information acquisition block 110 determines whether state information related to the passing permission state of the specific area has been acquired. If it is determined that the state information related to the passing permission state has been acquired, this flow transitions to S120.

[0057] In S120, the operation acquisition block 120 determines whether an instruction operation has been acquired. If it is determined that the instruction operation has been acquired, this flow transitions to S160 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the instruction operation has not been acquired, this flow transitions to S130.

[0058] In S130, the driving control block 130 determines whether the vehicle condition is satisfied. If it is determined that the vehicle condition is not satisfied, this flow returns to S80 and the second deceleration control continues. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle condition is satisfied, this flow transitions to S160 described later.

[0059] On the other hand, if it is determined at S110 that the status information related to the passage permission state has not been acquired, this flow proceeds to S140. At S140, the operation acquisition block 120 determines whether or not an instruction operation has been acquired. If it is determined that the instruction operation has not been acquired, this flow returns to S80 and the second deceleration control is continued.

[0060] On the other hand, if it is determined at S140 that the instruction operation has been acquired, this flow proceeds to S150. At S150, the notification block 140 notifies the driver that the specific area is in a passage prohibited state. After executing the notification, this flow proceeds to S160.

[0061] At S160, the travel control block 130 ends the deceleration control and executes the resumption (restart) of the ACC control.

[0062] According to the above first embodiment, even when the status information related to the passage allowable state of the specific area is acquired, the interruption of the deceleration control is prohibited until an instruction operation for passing through the specific area by the driver is acquired. Therefore, it is possible to leave it to the driver's judgment whether or not to interrupt the deceleration control for passing through the specific area. Accordingly, inappropriate re-acceleration due to the driving support control can be avoided.

[0063] Also, according to the first embodiment, when the reliability of the status information related to the passage permission state is within the allowable range and the failure of the external sensor 11 for acquiring the status information is not detected, the deceleration control is interrupted even when the instruction operation has not been acquired. Therefore, the deceleration control can be automatically interrupted only when the reliability of the status information is high and there is no failure in the external sensor 11. Accordingly, the annoyance to the driver with respect to the instruction operation can be eliminated.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, during the execution of the ACC control for controlling the traveling speed of the host vehicle A and the inter-vehicle distance from the leading vehicle, deceleration control is executed in response to approaching a specific area, and the ACC control is resumed after the interruption of the deceleration control. Therefore, it is possible to execute deceleration control in response to approaching a specific area during ACC control, and it may be possible to reliably return to the ACC control after the interruption of the deceleration control.

[0065] In addition, according to the first embodiment, whether or not to execute the deceleration control is changed according to the execution history of the safety control corresponding to the risks during traveling. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not to execute the deceleration control according to the presence or absence of past risk response. In particular, by executing the deceleration control when there is an execution history of the safety control, it is possible to surely execute driving support for a driver who may perform driving that may cause a risk.

[0066] Also, according to the first embodiment, when state information related to the prohibited passage state is acquired and an instruction operation is acquired, a notification regarding the prohibited passage state is given to the driver. Therefore, it may be possible to alert a driver who tries to interrupt the deceleration control despite the prohibited passage state.

[0067] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, even if no instruction operation is acquired when state information related to the allowable passage state is acquired during the execution of the first deceleration control, interruption of the deceleration control is allowed. According to this, during the execution of the first deceleration control with relatively sufficient margin until a specific area, the deceleration control can be automatically interrupted according to the state information related to the allowable passage state. Therefore, the annoyance to the driver's instruction operation can be eliminated.

[0068] (Other Embodiments) As described above, although one embodiment has been described, the present disclosure is not construed as being limited to the described embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0069] As a modification, the driving support system 100 may not determine whether the vehicle conditions are satisfied. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when it is determined in S40 that the state information related to the passing permission state has been acquired, the determination regarding the vehicle conditions may be skipped, and the deceleration control may be interrupted in S160. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, when no instruction operation is acquired in the passing permission state in S120, the determination regarding the vehicle conditions may be skipped, and the process may proceed to S80 to continue the deceleration control.

[0070] As a modification, when the driving support system 100 enters the passing permission state during the first deceleration control, it may execute control according to the presence or absence of an instruction operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when it is determined in S40 that the passing permission state is reached, the process proceeds to S55. If an instruction operation is acquired, the process proceeds to S160, and if not, the process may proceed to S60. Still, even in such a modification, the determination (S60) regarding the satisfaction of the vehicle conditions may be skipped, and when no instruction operation is acquired, the process may directly proceed to S70.

[0071] As a modification, the driving support system 100 may not include whether the external sensor 11 has failed as a vehicle condition. That is, in S60 and S30, the driving support system 100 may make an affirmative determination if the reliability is within the allowable range.

[0072] As a modification, the driving support system 100 may change whether to execute the deceleration control during ACC control based on the driver's settings. That is, the driving support system 100 may be configured to execute the deceleration control when the driver has set the deceleration control to on, and not execute the deceleration control when it is set to off.

[0073] As a modification, the driving support system 100 may execute the deceleration control in situations other than during ACC control. For example, the driving support system 100 may execute the deceleration control during manual driving.

[0074] In a modification, the dedicated computer that constitutes the driving support system 100 may have at least one of a digital circuit and an analog circuit as a processor. Here, the digital circuit is, for example, at least one type among ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), SOC (System on a Chip), PGA (Programmable Gate Array), and CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device). Further, such a digital circuit may have a memory that stores a program.

[0075] In addition to the above-described explanatory forms, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be implemented as a driving support device that is configured to be mountable on the host vehicle A and has at least one of the processor 102 and the memory 101. Specifically, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be implemented in the form of a processing circuit (for example, a processing ECU or the like) or a semiconductor device (for example, a semiconductor chip or the like).

Claims

1. A driving assistance system having a processor (102) for controlling driving assistance in a host vehicle (A), wherein the processor is configured to: execute deceleration control to decelerate the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area whose state transitions between a passage - permitted state in which passage is permitted and a passage - prohibited state in which passage is prohibited; acquire state information regarding the state of the specific area; acquire a driver's instruction operation for instructing passage through the specific area; and is configured to execute the following: When executing the deceleration control: when the state information related to the passage - permitted state is acquired, if the instruction operation is not acquired, prohibit interruption of the deceleration control, and if the instruction operation is acquired, interrupt the deceleration control; when the state information related to the passage - permitted state is acquired, if the reliability of the state information is within an allowable range, even if the instruction operation is not acquired, interrupt the deceleration control; A driving assistance system including the above.

2. When executing the deceleration control: The driving assistance system according to claim 1, further including, when a failure of an external sensor (11) for acquiring the state information is detected, prohibiting interruption of the deceleration control even if the reliability is within the allowable range.

3. When executing the deceleration control: execute the deceleration control in response to approaching the specific area during execution of cruise control for controlling the traveling speed of the host vehicle and the inter - vehicle distance from the vehicle ahead; resume the cruise control after interruption of the deceleration control; The driving assistance system according to claim 1, including the above.

4. When executing the deceleration control: The driving assistance system according to claim 1, further including changing whether to execute the deceleration control according to the execution history of safety control for coping with risks during traveling.

5. When the state information related to the passage - prohibited state is acquired, if the instruction operation is acquired, further configured to notify the driver of the passage - prohibited state; When executing the deceleration control: The driving assistance system according to claim 1, further including, when the state information related to the passage - prohibited state is acquired and the instruction operation is acquired, interrupting the deceleration control.

6. When executing the deceleration control: Performing the first deceleration control and the second deceleration control executed in a section closer to the specific area than the first deceleration control as the deceleration control. When the state information related to the passage allowable state is acquired during the execution of the first deceleration control, allowing interruption of the deceleration control even if the instruction operation has not been acquired. The driving support system according to claim 1, including this.

7. A driving support device having a processor (102), configured to be mountable on a host vehicle (A), and controlling driving support in the host vehicle, The processor, Executing deceleration control to decelerate the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area where the state transitions between a passage allowable state where passage is allowed and a passage prohibited state where passage is prohibited. Acquiring state information regarding the state of the specific area. Acquiring an instruction operation of a driver instructing passage through the specific area. Configured to execute, Executing the deceleration control, When the state information related to the passage allowable state is acquired, prohibiting interruption of the deceleration control if the instruction operation has not been acquired, and interrupting the deceleration control if the instruction operation has been acquired. When the state information related to the passage allowable state is acquired, and the reliability of the state information is within an allowable range, interrupting the deceleration control even if the instruction operation has not been acquired. A driving support device including this.

8. A driving support method executed by a processor (102) to control driving support in a host vehicle (A), Executing deceleration control to decelerate the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area where the state transitions between a passage allowable state where passage is allowed and a passage prohibited state where passage is prohibited. Acquiring state information regarding the state of the specific area. Acquiring an instruction operation of a driver instructing passage through the specific area. Including, Executing the deceleration control, When the state information related to the passage allowable state is acquired, prohibiting interruption of the deceleration control if the instruction operation has not been acquired, and interrupting the deceleration control if the instruction operation has been acquired. When the state information related to the passage allowable state is acquired, and the reliability of the state information is within an allowable range, interrupting the deceleration control even if the instruction operation has not been acquired. A driving assistance method including

9. A driving assistance program stored in a storage medium (101) and including instructions to be executed by a processor (102) for controlling driving assistance in a host vehicle (A), wherein the instructions cause execution of deceleration control to decelerate the host vehicle in response to approaching a specific area whose state transitions between a passage-permitted state in which passage is permitted and a passage-prohibited state in which passage is prohibited, cause acquisition of state information regarding the state of the specific area, cause acquisition of a driver's instruction operation instructing passage through the specific area, and include wherein causing execution of the deceleration control prohibits interruption of the deceleration control when the instruction operation has not been acquired and interrupts the deceleration control when the instruction operation has been acquired, when the state information related to the passage-permitted state has been acquired, and interrupts the deceleration control even when the instruction operation has not been acquired when the reliability of the state information is within an allowable range when the state information related to the passage-permitted state has been acquired, A driving assistance program including

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