Driving Support Device, Driving Support Method, and Recording Medium

Abstract

This driving assistance device that assists driving of a vehicle by a driver performs: an acquisition process for acquiring, from at least one environment recognition device provided separate from the vehicle, information relating to the measurement range of the environment recognition device and information relating to a measurement result by the environment recognition device; and a display process for superimposing, on map data, on a real space, or on an image obtained by capturing a real space, the information relating to the measurement result and the information relating to the measurement range recognizable by the driver of the vehicle, and for causing an image display unit to display the superimposed information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving support device, a driving support method, and a recording medium.

Background Art

[0002] As a technique for preventing head-on collisions at intersections, a vehicle being supported acquires information on other vehicles detected by sensors, cameras, etc. other than the vehicle being supported by using vehicle-to-vehicle communication means or road-to-vehicle communication means, and a technique of giving a warning light to the driver is known.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a peripheral vehicle information providing device that appropriately displays the peripheral traffic situation including peripheral vehicles to the driver by using vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Specifically, in Patent Document 1, information indicating the situation around the host vehicle such as the presence or absence of an obstacle ahead is obtained from a radar device, information indicating the driving state such as the driving speed of the host vehicle is obtained from vehicle-mounted sensors, the position and driving road of the host vehicle are grasped by a navigation device, information on intersections that the host vehicle should pay attention to during operation is extracted, and information indicating the driving state of other vehicles such as the relative position and azimuth with respect to the host vehicle is obtained from other vehicles around the host vehicle by using a wireless communication device. The position, vehicle type, etc. of other vehicles heading for the identified intersection are determined from the information indicating the driving state of the other vehicles, the possibility that the driving of the host vehicle affects the other vehicles is determined, and information for extracting and displaying the other vehicles likely to have an impact on a display means is provided as characters.

[0004] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an information providing device that provides information on a moving object without a vehicle-to-vehicle communication function that may approach a vehicle having a vehicle-to-vehicle communication function on the driving route of the vehicle. Specifically, the host vehicle information, the moving object information including the position, driving speed, and driving direction of the moving object, and the time when these information are obtained are transmitted to a base station, and prediction information on the moving object existing within a predetermined range including the host vehicle position obtained at the base station is received, and an information providing device that provides information to the passengers of the host vehicle is proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is a gap between the area recognizable by the system of each vehicle and the area recognizable by the driver, and the driver may not recognize the display by the device as correct, and there is a risk that the avoidance behavior expected by the driving support may not be performed. For example, when a vehicle is traveling toward an intersection with poor visibility, the vehicle system may be able to recognize the left blind spot among the left and right blind spots of the intersection as seen from the vehicle, while not being able to recognize the right blind spot. In this case, in the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since there is no means for the driver to grasp the area recognizable by the vehicle system, when driving support is performed for the left blind spot while no driving support is performed for the right blind spot, the driver may judge that there is no danger such as a pedestrian jumping out from the right blind spot and may not take an avoidance action. This is the same when using the measurement results by a camera or the like installed on the road, and there is a gap between the area recognizable by the camera or the like and the area recognizable by the driver, and there is a risk that the avoidance behavior expected by the driving support may not be performed.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving support device, a driving support method, and a recording medium recording a program capable of causing a driver to execute an appropriate driving action by displaying information on the surrounding environment acquired by a vehicle to be supported from an external environment recognition device together with the measurement range of the environment recognition device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, in order to solve the above problems, in a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle by a driver, there are provided one or more processors and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors. The one or more processors execute an acquisition process of acquiring information on a measurement range of the environment recognition device and information on a measurement result by the environment recognition device from at least one environment recognition device provided outside the vehicle, and a display process of causing an image display unit to display, by superimposing, the information on the measurement range and the information on the measurement result that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle on map data, in the real space, or on a captured image of the real space. A driving support device is provided.

[0009] Further, according to another aspect of the present disclosure, in order to solve the above problems, in a driving support method for supporting driving of a vehicle by a driver, a computer acquires information on a measurement range of the environment recognition device and information on a measurement result by the environment recognition device from at least one environment recognition device provided outside the vehicle, and causes an image display unit to display, by superimposing, the information on the measurement range and the information on the measurement result that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle on map data, in the real space, or on a captured image of the real space. A driving support method is provided.

[0010] Further, according to another aspect of the present disclosure, in order to solve the above problems, there is provided a non-transitory tangible recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to acquire information on a measurement range of the environment recognition device and information on a measurement result by the environment recognition device from at least one environment recognition device provided outside the vehicle, and to cause an image display unit to display, by superimposing, the information on the measurement range and the information on the measurement result that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle on map data, in the real space, or on a captured image of the real space.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] As described above, according to the present disclosure, by displaying the information on the surrounding environment acquired by the vehicle to be supported from an external environment recognition device together with the measurement range of the environment recognition device, a driver can be made to execute appropriate driving actions.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0014] <1. Basic Configuration of Driving Support System> First, the basic configuration of the driving support system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0015] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the basic configuration of the driving support system 100. The driving support system 100 includes a first vehicle 1a and a second vehicle 1b, a road camera 150 installed on the road, for example, and an information processing device 110. For ease of understanding the technology of the present disclosure, the driving support system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to include the first vehicle 1a, the second vehicle 1b, the road camera 150, and the information processing device 110, but a plurality of vehicles, road cameras 150, and information processing devices 110 may be provided. Hereinafter, unless otherwise distinguished, the first vehicle 1a and the second vehicle 1b are collectively referred to as the vehicle 1, and the driving support devices 50a and 50b are denoted as the driving support device 50.

[0016] The first vehicle 1a and the second vehicle 1b each include a driving support device 50a and 50b configured to include one or more processors. The road camera 150 includes a control device 160 configured to include one or more processors.

[0017] The driving support devices 50a and 50b and the control device 160 of the road camera 150 are communicably connected to the information processing device 110 via one or more communication networks 105, respectively. For example, the driving support devices 50a and 50b are communicably connected to the information processing device 110 via a mobile communication network. The control device 160 of the road camera 150 is communicably connected to the information processing device 110 via a wireless or wired communication network. Further, the driving support device 50a of the first vehicle 1a and the driving support device 50b of the second vehicle 1b are communicably connected to each other by vehicle-to-vehicle communication means 120.

[0018] The vehicle 1 transmits the position information of the vehicle 1 to the information processing device 110 at a predetermined calculation cycle. The position information of the vehicle 1 includes information on the current position of the vehicle 1 on the map data, information on the moving direction of the vehicle 1, and information on the moving speed of the vehicle 1. The driving support device 50 acquires information on latitude and longitude based on a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite system such as GPS (Global Positioning System) as information on the current position of the vehicle 1. Further, the driving support device 50 calculates information on the moving direction and moving speed of the vehicle 1 based on, for example, the change in the current position of the vehicle 1 acquired in time series.

[0019] In addition, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a surrounding environment recognition device. When the first vehicle 1a is the vehicle to be supported, the surrounding environment recognition device provided in the second vehicle 1b corresponds to the environment recognition device provided outside the first vehicle 1a. The surrounding environment recognition device is configured to include one or more sensors among, for example, a camera, LiDAR, a radar sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor. The driving support device 50 of the vehicle 1 acquires measurement data from each surrounding environment recognition device at a predetermined calculation cycle and executes a surrounding environment recognition process for detecting the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1.

[0020] For example, the driving support device 50 detects moving objects such as vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, guardrails, curbs, buildings, and other stationary objects, and the boundary lines of the driving lane, etc. that exist within the recognition range of each surrounding environment recognition device through the surrounding environment recognition process. Also, the driving support devices 50a and 50b of the first vehicle 1a and the second vehicle 1b transmit and receive information on the measurement results based on the measurement data of the surrounding environment recognition device, together with the information on the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device and the position information of the vehicle 1, to each other via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication means 120.

[0021] The "information on the measurement results by the surrounding environment recognition device" includes information on the type of the recognized object, the position, moving direction, and moving speed of the object within the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device. The "information on the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device" is set in advance according to the specifications of the sensor, etc. as a range that can guarantee the accuracy of the measurement results for each sensor, and is recorded in the driving support device 50. The "information on the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device" includes, for example, information on the inclination of the central axis of the measurement range with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1, information on the angle of the measurement range centered on the central axis, and information on the distance of the measurement range in the direction along the central axis.

[0022] The road camera 150 is one aspect of the environment recognition device and is installed on the road or on a building, etc. The control device 160 of the road camera 150 acquires imaging data obtained by imaging the measurement range at a predetermined operation cycle, and executes object recognition processing using the imaging data. However, the environment recognition device is not limited to the road camera 150, and may be a LiDAR, radar sensor, ultrasonic camera, or other device capable of executing object recognition processing installed at a predetermined position.

[0023] In the present disclosure, the control device 160 of the road camera 150 detects moving objects such as vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians at a predetermined operation cycle, and executes object recognition processing for obtaining the moving direction and moving speed of the detected moving object based on the temporal change in the position of the moving object. The control device 160 of the road camera 150 transmits the information on the measurement results by the object recognition processing and the information on the measurement range of the road camera 150 on the map data to the information processing device 110 at a predetermined operation cycle.

[0024] The "information on measurement results by the roadside camera 150" includes information on the type of the recognized object, the position, moving direction, and moving speed of the object within the measurement range of the roadside camera 150. The "information on the measurement range of the roadside camera 150" includes, for example, information on the installation position of the roadside camera 150, and information on the angle of view and shooting direction of the roadside camera 150. The information on the installation position of the roadside camera 150 is, for example, pre-recorded in the control device 160 as information on longitude and latitude on the map data. Also, the information on the angle of view and shooting direction of the roadside camera 150 may be recorded in the control device 160 as vector values in a coordinate system with longitude and latitude as the xy axes. The information on the angle of view and shooting direction of the roadside camera 150 may be recorded in the control device 160 as information on the inclination with respect to the direction in which the road on which the roadside camera 150 is installed extends.

[0025] The information processing device 110 is communicably connected to the control device 160 of the roadside camera 150 and the driving support devices 50a, 50b via the communication network 105, for example, by means of cloud computing technology. The information processing device 110 receives, from the control device 160 of the roadside camera 150, the information on the measurement range of the roadside camera 150 and the information on the measurement results at a predetermined operation cycle. The information on the measurement results includes information on the type of the detected moving object, and the position, moving direction, and moving speed of the moving object.

[0026] Also, the information processing device 110 receives the position information of the vehicle 1 from the driving support device 50 at a predetermined operation cycle. The information processing device 110 identifies the roadside camera 150 existing within a predetermined area corresponding to the position of the vehicle 1 to be supported. Then, the information processing device 110 transmits the information on the measurement range of the roadside camera 150 and the information on the measurement results by the roadside camera 150 received from the control device 160 of the roadside camera 150 to the driving support device 50. That is, the information processing device 110 collects information from the roadside camera 150 and provides information on other moving objects existing within the area around the traveling position of the vehicle 1 to be supported to the vehicle 1 to be supported.

[0027] When the first vehicle 1a is the vehicle to be supported, the driving support device 50a of the first vehicle 1a acquires information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150 via the communication network 105. Further, the driving support device 50a of the first vehicle 1a to be supported acquires information on the measurement range and measurement results of the environmental recognition device provided in the second vehicle 1b by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication 120. Based on the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150 and the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the environmental recognition device provided in the second vehicle 1b, the first vehicle 1a performs a predetermined display visible to the driver of the first vehicle 1a and executes a process to prompt the driver to pay attention.

[0028] Hereinafter, the functional configurations and operations of the road camera 150, the information processing device 110, and the driving support device 50 will be specifically described.

[0029] <2. Road Camera> First, the road camera 150 as an aspect of the environmental recognition device will be described in detail.

[0030] (2-1. Functional Configuration) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the road camera 150. The road camera 150 includes an image generation unit 151 and a control device 160. The image generation unit 151 includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor), and generates image data of the measurement range. The image generation unit 151 generates image data at a predetermined operation cycle and transmits it to the control device 160.

[0031] The control device 160 includes a communication unit 161, a processing unit 163, and a storage unit 169. The communication unit 161 is an interface for communicating with the information processing device 110 via the communication network 105. The processing unit 163 is configured to include one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processing unit 163 transmits information on measurement results based on the image data transmitted from the image generation unit 151 to the information processing device 110 at a predetermined operation cycle by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 169.

[0032] The storage unit 169 includes one or more memories and stores computer programs executed by the processing unit 163, various parameters used for arithmetic processing, and information on arithmetic results. A part of the storage unit 169 is used as a work area for the processing unit 163.

[0033] The storage unit 169 may be a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, and a magnetic tape, an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and a Blu-ray (registered trademark), a magneto-optical medium such as a floptical disk, a storage element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory and an SSD (Solid State Drive), or other recording media.

[0034] The processing unit 163 includes an image processing unit 165 and a communication control unit 167. The functions of these units are realized by executing a computer program by a processor. The image processing unit 165 executes object recognition processing based on the image data transmitted from the image generation unit 151 at a predetermined operation cycle. The road camera 150 mainly recognizes moving objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles. Further, the image processing unit 165 executes processing for obtaining the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the recognized moving object.

[0035] The communication control unit 167 transmits the information on the measurement result of the object by the image processing unit 165 to the information processing device 110 at a predetermined operation cycle. The information on the measurement result of the object includes information on the type of the object, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the object within the measurement range of the road camera 150. At this time, the communication control unit 167 also transmits the information on the measurement range of the road camera 150 to the information processing device 110. The information on the measurement range of the road camera 150 includes information on the installation position, angle of view, and shooting direction of the road camera 150, and is recorded in the storage unit 169 in advance. When the information processing device 110 has a database in which the information on the measurement range of each road camera 150 is recorded, the road camera 150 may transmit only the identification information for identifying each road camera 150 to the information processing device 110.

[0036] (2-2. Processing operation) FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the processing operation by the control device 160 of the road camera 150. The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined operation cycle.

[0037] The image processing unit 165 of the processing unit 163 acquires the image data transmitted from the image generation unit 151 (step S11).

[0038] Next, the image processing unit 165 executes object recognition processing based on the received image data (step S13). For example, the image processing unit 165 extracts feature points by using techniques such as edge detection processing from the image data, and performs matching (also referred to as pattern matching processing) with the data of the feature points of various objects stored in advance, and executes processing for recognizing the objects existing in the measurement range. The road camera 150 mainly recognizes moving objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles.

[0039] In addition, the image processing unit 165 calculates the moving speed and moving direction of the recognized moving object in the real space through computation. For example, the image processing unit 165 can calculate the moving speed and moving direction of the moving object in the real space through computation based on the temporal changes in the position and size of the moving object in the image data transmitted at a predetermined computation cycle. However, the method for obtaining the speed and moving direction of the recognized moving object may be executed using a conventionally known technique and is not particularly limited.

[0040] Next, the communication control unit 167 transmits the information on the measurement result of the object by the image processing unit 165 and the information on the measurement range of the road camera 150 to the information processing device 110 (step S15). The control device 160 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S11 to S15 above at a predetermined computation cycle.

[0041] Note that the control device 160 may always transmit the information on the measurement range of the road camera 150 and the measurement result information to the information processing device 110. Alternatively, the control device 160 may transmit the information on the measurement range of the object and the measurement result information after receiving a transmission request from the information processing device 110.

[0042] <3. Information Processing Device> Subsequently, the information processing device 110 will be described in detail.

[0043] (3-1. Functional Configuration) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 110. The information processing device 110 includes a communication unit 111, a processing unit 113, and a storage unit 119. The communication unit 111 is an interface for communicating with the road camera 150 and the driving support device 50 via the communication network 105. The processing unit 113 includes one or more CPUs, acquires information transmitted from the road camera 150 and the driving support device 50 at a predetermined computation cycle, and transmits the information acquired from the road camera 150 existing within a predetermined area corresponding to the position of the driving support device 50 of the vehicle 1 to be supported to the driving support device 50.

[0044] The storage unit 119 includes one or more memories and stores computer programs executed by the processing unit 113, various parameters used for arithmetic processing, and information on arithmetic results. A part of the storage unit 119 is used as a work area of the processing unit 113. The storage unit 119 may be a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, and a magnetic tape, an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, and a Blu-ray (registered trademark), a magneto-optical medium such as a floptical disk, a storage element such as a RAM and a ROM, a flash memory such as a USB memory and an SSD, and other recording media.

[0045] The processing unit 113 includes a data processing unit 115 and a communication control unit 117. The functions of these units are realized by executing a computer program by a processor. The data processing unit 115 specifies the position of the vehicle 1 on the map data of the vehicle 1 to be supported based on the position information of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the driving support device 50, and specifies a road camera 150 existing within an area of a predetermined radius from the position of the vehicle 1. The communication control unit 117 transmits the information on the measurement range and the measurement result of the road camera 150 received from the specified road camera 150 to the driving support device 50.

[0046] The data processing unit 115 may specify a road camera 150 installed on a road that leads to (intersects) the road in the moving direction of the vehicle 1 based on the position information, moving direction, and moving speed of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the driving support device 50. Thereby, it is possible to prevent information other than the information for predicting a collision between the vehicle 1 to be supported and a moving object that may collide from being transmitted to the driving support device 50, and it is possible to reduce the arithmetic processing load on the information processing device 110 and the driving support device 50.

[0047] (3-2. Processing operation) FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the processing operation by the information processing device 110. The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined arithmetic cycle. In the following description, an example in which the first vehicle 1a is the vehicle to be supported will be described.

[0048] The data processing unit 115 of the processing unit 113 acquires information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150 transmitted from one or more road cameras (environment recognition devices) 150 (step S21). The information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150 is information that can be used to grasp which type of moving object is moving at what speed in which direction at what position.

[0049] Next, the data processing unit 115 acquires information on the position, moving direction, and moving speed of the first vehicle 1a from the driving support device 50a mounted on the first vehicle 1a to be supported (step S23). The position information of the first vehicle 1a is information indicating the position of the first vehicle 1a on the map data, and is indicated by, for example, longitude and latitude.

[0050] Next, the data processing unit 115 identifies the road cameras 150 existing within a predetermined distance from the position of the first vehicle 1a to be supported (step S25). For example, the data processing unit 115 identifies the road cameras 150 existing within an area with a predetermined radius from the position of the first vehicle 1a. In the present embodiment, the data processing unit 115 further identifies the road cameras 150 installed on the road that leads to (intersects) the road in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a based on the information on the moving direction and moving speed of the first vehicle 1a.

[0051] Next, the communication control unit 117 transmits the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road cameras 150 respectively acquired from the identified road cameras 150 to the vehicle 1 to be supported (step S27). The information processing device 110 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S21 to S27 at a predetermined calculation cycle.

[0052] Note that after identifying the road camera 150 existing within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle 1 to be supported, the information processing apparatus 110 may request the road camera 150 to transmit information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150. In this case, after making the transmission request, the information processing apparatus 110 acquires the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150 transmitted from the road camera 150 at a predetermined calculation cycle.

[0053] <4. Driving Support Device> (4-1. Vehicle) Before explaining the configuration of the driving support device 50 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, an example of the overall configuration of the vehicle 1 to be supported equipped with the driving support device 50 will be explained.

[0054] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the vehicle 1 equipped with the driving support device 50. The vehicle 1 is configured as a two-wheel drive four-wheel automobile that transmits the driving torque output from the driving power source 9 that generates the driving torque to the left front wheel and the right front wheel. The driving power source 9 may be an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine, or may be a driving motor. Further, the vehicle 1 may include both an internal combustion engine and a driving motor as the driving power source 9.

[0055] Note that the vehicle 1 may be a four-wheel drive vehicle that transmits the driving torque to the front wheels and the rear wheels. Further, the vehicle 1 may be an electric vehicle equipped with two driving motors, for example, a front-wheel driving motor and a rear-wheel driving motor, or may be an electric vehicle equipped with a driving motor corresponding to each wheel. Further, when the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a secondary battery that stores electric power supplied to the driving motor, a generator such as a motor or a fuel cell that generates electric power for charging the battery.

[0056] Vehicle 1 includes, as devices used for driving control of Vehicle 1, a driving force source 9, an electric power steering device 15, and brake devices 17LF, 17RF, 17LR, 17RR (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "brake device 17" when no particular distinction is required). The driving force source 9 outputs a driving torque transmitted to the front-wheel drive shaft 5F via a transmission and a differential mechanism 7 (not shown). The driving of the driving force source 9 and the transmission is controlled by a vehicle control unit 41 configured to include one or more electronic control units (ECUs: Electronic Control Unit).

[0057] An electric power steering device 15 is provided on the front-wheel drive shaft 5F. The electric power steering device 15 includes an electric motor and a gear mechanism (not shown), and adjusts the steering angle of the front wheels by being controlled by the vehicle control unit 41. During manual driving, the vehicle control unit 41 controls the electric power steering device 15 based on the steering angle of the steering wheel 13 by the driver. Also, during automatic driving, the vehicle control unit 41 controls the electric power steering device 15 based on a set steering angle or steering angular velocity.

[0058] The brake devices 17LF, 17RF, 17LR, 17RR apply braking force to their respective wheels. The brake device 17 is configured as, for example, a hydraulic brake device, and the vehicle control unit 41 adjusts the hydraulic pressure supplied to each brake device 17 by controlling the drive of the hydraulic unit 16. When Vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, the brake device 17 is used in combination with regenerative braking by the drive motor.

[0059] The vehicle control unit 41 includes one or more electronic control units that control the drive of the driving force source 9, the electric power steering device 15, and the hydraulic unit 16. When Vehicle 1 is equipped with a transmission that shifts the output from the driving force source 9 and transmits it to the wheels 3, the vehicle control unit 41 has a function of controlling the drive of the transmission. The vehicle control unit 41 is configured to be able to acquire information transmitted from the driving assistance device 50 and is configured to be able to execute automatic driving control of Vehicle 1.

[0060] The vehicle 1 also includes front cameras 31LF and 31RF, a rear camera 31R, a vehicle position detection sensor 33, and a display device 43.

[0061] The front cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear camera 31R constitute a surrounding environment recognition device for acquiring information on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The front cameras 31LF and 31RF capture the front of the vehicle 1 and generate image data. The rear camera 31R captures the rear of the vehicle 1 and generates image data. The front cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear camera 31R are equipped with imaging elements such as CCD (Charged Coupled Devices) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and transmit the generated image data to the driving support device 50. In the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 6, the front cameras 31LF and 31RF are configured as a stereo camera including a pair of left and right cameras, but the front camera may be a monocular camera.

[0062] In addition to the front cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear camera 31R, the surrounding environment recognition device may include, for example, a camera provided on a side mirror that captures the left rear or right rear. In addition, the surrounding environment sensor may include any one or a plurality of sensors among radar sensors such as LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and millimeter-wave radar and ultrasonic sensors.

[0063] The vehicle position detection sensor 33 receives satellite signals from positioning satellites of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) represented by GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. The vehicle position detection sensor 33 transmits the position information of the vehicle 1 included in the received satellite signals to the driving support device 50. In addition to the GPS sensor, the vehicle position detection sensor 33 may be provided with an antenna that receives satellite signals from other satellite systems for specifying the position of the vehicle 1.

[0064] The display device 43 is driven by the driving assistance device 50 and displays various information visible to the driver. The display device 43 may be, for example, a display device provided in the instrument panel or a display device of a navigation system. When the display device 43 is a display panel or the like, the display screen corresponds to the image display unit. Further, the display device 43 may be a HUD (Head-Up Display) that superimposes information visible to the driver on the real space around the vehicle 1 and displays it on the front window. When the display device 43 is a HUD, the front window corresponds to the image display unit.

[0065] Note that in the following description, the case where the display device 43 is a display device capable of displaying map data and is not a HUD will be described as an example.

[0066] (4-2. Driving Assistance Device) Subsequently, the driving assistance device 50 according to the present embodiment will be specifically described.

[0067] (4-2-1. Configuration Example) The driving assistance device 50 functions as a device that supports the driving of the vehicle 1 by a driver when one or more processors such as a CPU execute a computer program. The computer program is a computer program for causing the processor to execute the operations described later that the driving assistance device 50 should execute. The computer program executed by the processor may be recorded on a recording medium that functions as a storage unit (memory) 53 provided in the driving assistance device 50, or may be recorded on a recording medium built into the driving assistance device 50 or any recording medium externally attachable to the driving assistance device 50.

[0068] Examples of the recording medium for recording the computer program include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and Blu-ray (registered trademark), magneto-optical media such as floppy optical disks, storage elements such as RAM and ROM, and flash memories such as USB memories and SSDs, and other media capable of storing programs.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the driving support device 50 according to the present embodiment. The driving support device 50 is connected to a surrounding environment recognition device (front cameras 31LF and 31RF, rear camera 31R, etc.) 31, a vehicle position detection sensor 33, a vehicle control unit 41, and a display device 43 via dedicated lines or communication means such as CAN (Controller Area Network) and LIN (Local Inter Net). Note that the driving support device 50 is not limited to an electronic control device mounted on the vehicle 1, and may be a terminal device such as a touch pad or a wearable device.

[0070] The driving support device 50 includes a communication unit 51, an inter-vehicle communication unit 53, a processing unit 55, a storage unit 57, and a map data storage unit 59. The processing unit 55 includes one or more processors such as a CPU and various peripheral components. Part or all of the processing unit 55 may be configured with updatable components such as firmware, or may be program modules executed according to instructions from a CPU or the like.

[0071] (Communication unit) The communication unit 51 is an interface for communicating with the information processing device 110. The driving support device 50 transmits and receives information to and from the information processing device 110 via the communication unit 51.

[0072] (Inter-vehicle communication unit) The inter-vehicle communication unit 53 is an interface for communicating with other vehicles existing within a predetermined distance from the vehicle 1. The driving support device 50 transmits and receives information to and from other vehicles via the inter-vehicle communication unit 53.

[0073] (Storage unit) The storage unit 57 is composed of one or more RAMs or ROMs that are communicably connected to the processing unit 55, and storage media such as HDDs, CDs, DVDs, SSDs, USB flash drives, and storage devices. However, the type and number of the storage unit 57 are not particularly limited. The storage unit 57 stores computer programs executed by the processing unit 55, various parameters used for arithmetic processing, detection data, arithmetic results, and other information. A part of the storage unit 57 is used as a work area for the processing unit 55.

[0074] In the present embodiment, the storage unit 57 stores information on the measurement ranges of the front cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear camera 31R that constitute the surrounding environment recognition device 31. The information on the measurement ranges of the front cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear camera 31R includes, for example, information on the inclination of the central axis of the measurement range with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1, information on the angle of the measurement range centered on the central axis, and information on the distance of the measurement range in the direction along the central axis.

[0075] (Map data storage unit) The map data storage unit 59 is composed of a storage element such as a RAM or ROM that is communicably connected to the processing unit 55, or a storage medium such as an HDD, CD, DVD, SSD, USB flash drive, or storage device. The map data stored in the map data storage unit 59 is configured to be associable with the position of the vehicle 1 based on the position information detected by the vehicle position detection sensor 33. For example, the map data is associated with latitude and longitude information, and the processing unit 55 can specify the position of the vehicle 1 on the map data based on the latitude and longitude information of the vehicle 1 detected by the vehicle position detection sensor 33.

[0076] (Processing unit) The processing unit 55 includes a communication control unit 61, an inter-vehicle communication control unit 63, a vehicle information acquisition unit 65, a surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67, and a display control unit 69. The functions of these respective units are realized by the execution of a computer program by a processor. Note that a part of the communication control unit 61, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 63, the vehicle information acquisition unit 65, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67, and the display control unit 69 may be configured by hardware such as an analog circuit.

[0077] The communication control unit 61 transmits the position information of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the vehicle position detection sensor 33 to the information processing device 110 at a predetermined calculation cycle. The communication control unit 61 may transmit the information on the moving direction and moving speed of the vehicle 1 to the information processing device 110 together with the position information of the vehicle 1. Further, the communication control unit 61 acquires the information on the measurement range and the measurement result information of the road camera 150 transmitted from the information processing device 110.

[0078] The inter-vehicle communication control unit 63 communicates with other vehicles existing within a predetermined distance from the vehicle 1 at a predetermined calculation cycle, and transmits the position information of the vehicle 1, the information on the measurement range and the measurement result information of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 mounted on the vehicle 1 to the other vehicles. The information on the measurement result by the surrounding environment recognition device 31 is information indicating the result of the surrounding environment recognition processing by the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67. The information on the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 is recorded in the storage unit 57 in advance.

[0079] Further, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 63 communicates with other vehicles existing within a predetermined distance from the vehicle 1, and acquires the position of the other vehicle, the information on the measurement range and the measurement result information of the surrounding environment recognition device mounted on the other vehicle.

[0080] The vehicle information acquisition unit 65 acquires information related to the running of the vehicle 1. The vehicle information acquisition unit 65 acquires the position information of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the vehicle position detection sensor 33. Further, the vehicle information acquisition unit 65 calculates the moving direction and moving speed of the vehicle 1 based on the change in the position information of the vehicle 1. The vehicle information acquisition unit 65 can calculate the moving speed of the vehicle 1, for example, by dividing the distance from the position of the vehicle 1 acquired in the previous calculation cycle to the position of the vehicle 1 acquired in the current calculation cycle by the unit time corresponding to the calculation cycle. The vehicle information acquisition unit 65 may calculate the moving speed of the vehicle 1 based on the sensor signals of a wheel speed sensor or a vehicle speed sensor (not shown).

[0081] The surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 executes surrounding environment recognition processing using the measurement data transmitted from the surrounding environment recognition device 31 mounted on the vehicle 1. The surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 detects moving objects and stationary objects around the vehicle 1 by the surrounding environment recognition processing. The processing content by the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 will be described in detail later.

[0082] The display control unit 69 executes a process of superimposing the information on the measurement range and the measurement result of the environment recognition device provided outside the vehicle 1 on the map data as information visible to the driver of the vehicle 1 and displaying it on the display device 43. The information on the measurement range and the measurement result of the environment recognition device provided outside the vehicle 1 includes the information on the measurement range and the measurement result of the road camera 150 acquired from the information processing device 110 and the information on the measurement range and the measurement result of the surrounding environment recognition device mounted on another vehicle acquired from another vehicle.

[0083] (4-2-2. Processing operation) FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of the main routine of the processing operation by the processing unit 55 of the driving support device 50. The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined calculation cycle in a state where the function of the technology of the present disclosure is activated. Further, in the following description, an example will be described in which the first vehicle 1a is the vehicle to be supported and the second vehicle 1b is another vehicle.

[0084] When the processing unit 55 of the driving support device 50a mounted on the first vehicle 1a detects the activation of the support function by the driving support device 50a (step S31), the vehicle information acquisition unit 65 acquires the position information of the first vehicle 1a transmitted from the vehicle position detection sensor 33 (step S33). The support function according to the technology of the present disclosure may be activated along with the activation of the system of the first vehicle 1a, or may be activated by an input operation by the driver or the like. The position information of the first vehicle 1a is specified as, for example, information on latitude and longitude.

[0085] Next, the vehicle information acquisition unit 65 calculates the moving direction and moving speed of the first vehicle 1a (step S35). Specifically, the vehicle information acquisition unit 65 calculates the moving direction and moving speed of the first vehicle 1a based on the acquired position information of the first vehicle 1a and the position information of the first vehicle 1a acquired before the previous calculation cycle. The moving direction of the first vehicle 1a is obtained as the direction in which the position indicated by the position information of the first vehicle 1a changes. The moving speed of the first vehicle 1a is obtained, for example, by dividing the distance from the position of the first vehicle 1a acquired in the previous calculation cycle to the position of the first vehicle 1a acquired in the current calculation cycle by the unit time corresponding to the calculation cycle.

[0086] However, the vehicle information acquisition unit 65 can also calculate the moving speed of the first vehicle 1a based on the sensor signal of the wheel speed sensor or the vehicle speed sensor. Further, when the position information of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the vehicle position detection sensor 33 includes the information on the direction of the vehicle 1, the vehicle information acquisition unit 65 may obtain the moving direction of the vehicle 1 based on the information.

[0087] Next, the communication control unit 61 transmits the position information, moving direction, and moving speed information of the first vehicle 1a acquired in the current calculation cycle to the information processing device 110 (step S37). The position information, moving direction, and moving speed information of the first vehicle 1a transmitted here correspond to the information acquired by the information processing device 110 in step S23 of the processing operation of the information processing device 110 shown in FIG. 5.

[0088] Next, the communication control unit 61 acquires information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera (environment recognition device) 150 from the information processing device 110 (step S39). The information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera (environment recognition device) 150 received here corresponds to the information transmitted by the information processing device 110 in step S27 of the processing operation of the information processing device 110 shown in FIG. 5. That is, the driving support device 50a acquires information on an object detected by the road camera 150 existing within a predetermined distance from the position of the first vehicle 1a from the information processing device 110 together with information on the measurement range of the road camera 150.

[0089] Next, the inter-vehicle communication control unit 63 acquires information on the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device mounted on the other vehicle (second vehicle 1b) from the other vehicle (second vehicle 1b) by means of inter-vehicle communication (step S41). That is, the driving support device 50a communicates with the second vehicle 1b existing within a predetermined distance from the first vehicle 1a, and acquires information on an object detected by the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b from the driving support device 50b of the second vehicle 1b together with information on the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b.

[0090] Note that the information on the recognition range acquired from the second vehicle 1b in step S41 is information obtained as a result of the surrounding environment recognition process executed in the second vehicle 1b. The second vehicle 1b transmits the information on the result of the surrounding environment recognition process to the first vehicle 1a together with the information on the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device.

[0091] For example, when the second vehicle 1b has the same configuration as the first vehicle 1a, the driving support device 50b of the second vehicle 1b transmits, for example, information on the inclination of the central axis of the measurement ranges of the front imaging cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear imaging camera 31R with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1, information on the angle of the measurement range centered on the central axis, and information on the distance of the measurement range in the direction along the central axis to the driving support device 50a of the first vehicle 1a. Further, the driving support device 50b of the second vehicle 1b transmits information on the position, moving direction, and moving speed within the measurement range of the object detected by the front imaging cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear imaging camera 31R to the driving support device 50a of the first vehicle 1a.

[0092] Next, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 acquires the measurement data transmitted from the surrounding environment recognition device 31 (in this embodiment, the front imaging cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear imaging camera 31R) provided in the first vehicle 1a (step S43). Next, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 executes surrounding environment recognition processing using the acquired measurement data (step S45).

[0093] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the surrounding environment recognition processing by the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67. The surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 extracts feature points from the measurement data acquired from the surrounding environment recognition device 31 (step S51). For example, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 extracts feature points using a technique such as edge detection processing from the image data generated by the front imaging cameras 31LF and 31RF and the rear imaging camera 31R.

[0094] Next, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 performs matching (also referred to as pattern matching processing) between the extracted feature points and the data of the feature points of various objects stored in advance by the matching processing to detect an object, and specifies the type of the object and the position of the object in the real space (step S53). The surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 specifies the type of the detected object by matching, for example, the data of the feature point group representing a moving body such as a vehicle, a bicycle, a pedestrian, a guard rail, a curb, a building, or other stationary objects, and the extracted feature point group. Further, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 specifies the position of the object in the real space based on the position of the object in the measurement range and the distance to the object.

[0095] Next, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 calculates the moving direction and moving speed of the detected object in the real space (step S55). For example, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 calculates the moving direction and moving speed of the object in the real space based on the time change of the position of the same object using the measurement data acquired in the current calculation cycle and the measurement data acquired in the calculation cycles before the previous one.

[0096] Note that the surrounding environment recognition processing executed in steps S51 and S53 may be executed using a conventionally well-known technique and is not particularly limited. For example, when one of the surrounding environment recognition devices is a LiDAR, since the information of the measurement data includes the information of the speed of the measurement points, the process of calculating the moving speed by the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 may be omitted.

[0097] Next, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 records the information on the type, position, moving direction, and moving speed of the detected object in the storage unit 57 together with the data of the time as the information of the measurement result (step S57).

[0098] Next, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 determines whether there is another vehicle (the second vehicle 1b) that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the first vehicle 1a (step S59). For example, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 determines whether there is another vehicle with which the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control unit 63 is performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication. If the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 determines that there is no other vehicle performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication (S59 / No), the surrounding environment recognition processing ends.

[0099] On the other hand, if the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 determines that there is another vehicle performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication (S59 / Yes), it causes the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control unit 63 to transmit to the other vehicle the information on the detection range of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 recorded in the storage unit 57 in advance and the information on the detection result recorded in the storage unit 57 in step S57. The information on the detection range and the information on the detection result transmitted here correspond to the information acquired by the vehicle to be supported in step S41 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8. After the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 causes the information on the detection range and the information on the detection result to be transmitted to the other vehicle, the surrounding environment recognition processing ends.

[0100] Returning to FIG. 8, next, the display control unit 69 executes a display process of superimposing and displaying on the map data, as information visible to the driver of the first vehicle 1a, the information on the measurement range and the measurement result of the road camera 150 acquired from the information processing device 110, and the information on the measurement range and the measurement result of the surrounding environment recognition device of the other vehicle acquired from the other vehicle on the display device 43 (step S47).

[0101] In the present embodiment, the environment recognition devices for which the driving support device 50a acquires the information on the measurement range and the measurement result include an environment recognition device whose position moves and an environment recognition device whose position does not move. Specifically, the road camera 150 is an environment recognition device with a fixed installation position, and the surrounding environment recognition device of the other vehicle is an environment recognition device whose position moves.

[0102] Next, the display process by the display control unit 69 will be described by dividing it into a first display process for displaying information on the measurement range and measurement results of the environment recognition device in an environment where the position does not move, and a second display process for displaying information on the measurement range and measurement results of the environment recognition device in an environment where the position moves. However, the display control unit 69 may execute either the first display process or the second display process, or may execute both simultaneously.

[0103] First, the first display process will be described. The first display process is a process when the measurement range of the environment recognition device in the real space does not change.

[0104] FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the first display process by the display control unit 69. The display control unit 69 reads out the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150 acquired from the information processing device 110 and recorded in the storage unit 57 (step S71).

[0105] Next, the display control unit 69 determines whether there is a moving object ahead in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a based on the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150 and the information on the position and moving direction of the first vehicle 1a (step S73). Specifically, the display control unit 69 maps the first vehicle 1a and the detected moving object on the map data according to the position information (latitude and longitude) of the first vehicle 1a and the detected moving object. Further, the display control unit 69 determines whether there is a moving object moving forward on the road on which the first vehicle 1a is traveling based on the information on the moving direction (vector on the map data) of the first vehicle 1a and the moving object.

[0106] The display control unit 69 may limit the area for determining whether there is a moving object based on at least one of the moving direction or moving speed of the first vehicle 1a. Further, the display control unit 69 may exclude from the determination target a moving object that has no possibility of colliding with or approaching the first vehicle 1a based on the trajectory estimated from the moving direction and moving speed of the moving object and the trajectory estimated from the moving direction and moving speed of the first vehicle 1a.

[0107] When the display control unit 69 determines that there is a moving object moving forward in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a (S73 / Yes), the detected moving object is superimposed and displayed on the map data according to the detection position in the real space (step S75). Further, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement range of the road camera 150 on the map data (step S77). The display control unit 69 converts the position information included in the measurement range and measurement result of the road camera 150 acquired from the information processing device 110 and the position information included in the measurement range and measurement result of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a into latitude and longitude information, respectively, and superimposes and displays them on the map data.

[0108] FIGS. 11 to 12 are diagrams shown to explain the operation of the first display process. FIG. 11 shows a driving scene in which a second road 143 intersects a first road 141 on which the first vehicle 1a travels, and from the position of the first vehicle 1a, the second road 143 beyond the intersection of the first road 141 and the second road 143 is a blind spot area 121a, 121b. Note that FIG. 11 does not show the content of the display by the display device 43.

[0109] In FIG. 11, a road camera 150 with a measurement direction facing the first road 141 is installed at a point where a third road 145, which is separated from the first road 141 on which the first vehicle 1a travels by a section, intersects the second road 143. The blind spot area 121a close to the road camera 150 is included in the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150, while the blind spot area 121b is outside the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150.

[0110] In this situation, it is assumed that a first other vehicle 90 without vehicle-to-vehicle communication means passes from the upper side to the lower side in the illustration of the second road 143. At this time, the first vehicle 1a that has acquired the information of the measurement result of the road camera 150 notifies the driver of the presence of the first other vehicle 90. Therefore, the driver can recognize in advance that the first other vehicle 90 will pass through the intersection. However, after the first other vehicle 90 has passed through the intersection, if there is a second other vehicle passing from the lower side to the upper side in the illustration of the second road 143, the road camera 150 does not detect the second other vehicle, so the first vehicle 1a does not notify the driver of the presence of the second other vehicle. For this reason, the driver may assume that there are no further other vehicles passing after the first other vehicle 90 has passed, and may enter the intersection with insufficient confirmation or avoidance actions.

[0111] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the content of the display by the first display process. FIG. 12 shows an example in which information on the first other vehicle 90 detected in the situation shown in FIG. 11, the measurement range 125 of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a, and the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150 are superimposed and displayed on the map data.

[0112] The display control unit 69 superimposes and displays, at the detection position on the map data, information indicating the first other vehicle 90 identified based on the information of the measurement result of the road camera 150 acquired via the information processing device 110. Further, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays, on the map data, information indicating the measurement range 125 of the first vehicle 1a and information indicating the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the entire range of the map data is shown as a gray semi-transparent display, and the measurement range 125 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150 are shown in white.

[0113] Thereby, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can easily understand which areas are covered by the information of the measurement result of the road camera 150 acquired from the information processing device 110 and the information of the measurement result of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a. Therefore, the reliability of the driver with respect to the information on the presence or absence of the moving object displayed by the driving support device 50a can be increased.

[0114] In addition to prompting the driver to pay attention to the detected moving object, the driver can also be prompted to pay attention to areas that are not measured by the road camera 150 or the surrounding environment recognition device 31. Therefore, even after the first other vehicle 90 has passed, the driver can pay attention to the possibility that another other vehicle may enter the intersection from outside the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150.

[0115] In the example shown in FIG. 12, even in areas that fall within the measurement range 125 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150 in terms of specifications, areas where vehicles or pedestrians cannot pass are shown in a semi-transparent gray. As a result, the driver can easily understand the ranges measured by the first vehicle 1a and the road camera 150 among the areas where moving objects such as other vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians can move.

[0116] The information of the moving object to be superimposed on the map data may be in the form of a graphic, character, or icon as long as it can distinguish the type of the moving object. Alternatively, the information of the moving object to be superimposed on the map data may be an image of the moving object captured by the road camera 150.

[0117] In addition, the information on the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150 and the measurement range 125 of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 is not particularly limited as long as it can be distinguished from areas outside the measurement range. For example, the display control unit 69 may display the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150 and the measurement range 125 of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 in a different color from other areas. Alternatively, the display control unit 69 may display the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150 and the measurement range 125 of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 clearly and display other areas unclearly.

[0118] Returning to FIG. 10, when the display control unit 69 determines that there is no moving object moving forward in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a (S73 / No), it determines whether a moving object moving forward in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a was detected before the previous calculation cycle (step S79). That is, the display control unit 69 determines whether there is a moving object that was detected until the previous calculation cycle but is not detected in the current calculation cycle.

[0119] When the display control unit 69 determines that no moving object was detected before the previous calculation cycle (S79 / No), it proceeds to step S77 and superimposes and displays the measurement ranges of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the on-road camera 150 on the map data (step S77). The display control unit 69 converts the position information included in the measurement range and measurement result of the on-road camera 150 acquired from the information processing device 110 and the position information included in the measurement range and measurement result of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a into latitude and longitude information, respectively, and superimposes and displays them on the map data. Thereby, the driver can understand that there is no moving object at least within the measurement range of the on-road camera 150 and that the presence or absence of a moving object is unknown outside the measurement range of the on-road camera 150.

[0120] On the other hand, when the display control unit 69 determines that a moving object moving forward in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a was detected before the previous calculation cycle (S79 / Yes), it calculates the moving range in which the moving object is estimated to exist (step S81). The display control unit 69 obtains the moving direction and moving distance of the moving object from when it was last detected until the current calculation cycle based on the information on the moving direction and moving speed of the moving object included in the measurement result information of the on-road camera 150 acquired before the previous calculation cycle, and estimates the position of the moving object.

[0121] Next, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the moving object at the estimated position on the map data (step S83). Further, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement range of the road camera 150 on the map data (step S77). The display control unit 69 converts the position information included in the measurement range and measurement results of the road camera 150 acquired from the information processing device 110 and the position information included in the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a into latitude and longitude information, respectively, and superimposes and displays them on the map data.

[0122] In addition, in order to let the driver understand that the position of the displayed moving object is within the estimated moving range, and also considering the deviation between the estimated moving range and the actual position, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays it in a manner different from the display when the moving object is actually detected. For example, the display control unit 69 may make the color of the moving object different, may display the outline vaguely, may display it blinking, or may display the outline enlarged.

[0123] At this time, the display control unit 69 may gradually change the display of the moving object. For example, the display control unit 69 calculates the required time until the moving object reaches a position that enters the front in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a from the position where the moving object was last detected, based on the position, moving speed, and moving direction information of the moving object when it was last detected. Specifically, the display control unit 69 calculates the above-mentioned required time by dividing the distance from the position where the moving object was last detected to the position that enters the front in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a by the moving speed. The display control unit 69 gradually changes the display of the moving object according to the ratio (%) of the elapsed time since the moving object was no longer detected, with the calculated required time set as 100 (%).

[0124] For example, the display control unit 69 may change the display of the moving object from yellow to red, or may change the outline of the moving object from "thick dark lines" to "thick light lines". Thereby, even after the moving object has left the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150, the estimated position of the moving object is displayed ambiguously as time passes after the moving object is no longer detected, and the driver of the first vehicle 1a can be made aware that the moving object is approaching in front of the first vehicle 1a.

[0125] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a situation where the first other vehicle 90 that had been detected has disappeared in the next operation cycle after the state shown in FIG. 12. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the information indicating the first other vehicle 90 that has disappeared is enlarged and gradually changed compared to the information indicating the first other vehicle 90 shown in FIG. 12, and the outline is ambiguously displayed as a dotted line. For this reason, although the first other vehicle 90 is no longer detected by the road camera 150, the driver can know the position where the first other vehicle 90 is highly likely to exist. Therefore, the driver can be made to continue to pay attention to the first other vehicle 90 as well.

[0126] Note that in FIG. 13, the display of the measurement range 153 of the road camera 150 with a fixed installation position does not change from the display of the measurement range 153 in FIG. 12, while the display of the measurement range 125 of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 that moves together with the first vehicle 1a has changed from the display of the measurement range 125 in FIG. 12.

[0127] The display control unit 69 executes a first display process of displaying information on the measurement range and measurement results of the environment recognition device (road camera 150) whose position does not move, as described above. In the first display process, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement range of the road camera 150 whose position does not move on the map data, and superimposes and displays the moving object detected by the road camera 150 in the measurement range on the map data. Further, even when the detected moving object is no longer detected, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the moving range of the moving object on the map data. Also, in the first display process, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a on the map data.

[0128] Subsequently, the second display process will be described. The second display process is a process when the measurement range of the environment recognition device in the real space changes.

[0129] FIG. 14 shows a flowchart of the second display process by the display control unit 69. The display control unit 69 reads out information on the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment measurement device (hereinafter also referred to as "the measurement range of the second vehicle" or "the measurement results by the second vehicle") acquired from another vehicle (the second vehicle 1b) recorded in the storage unit 57 (step S91).

[0130] Next, the display control unit 69 determines whether there is a moving object heading forward in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a based on the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the second vehicle 1b and the information on the position and moving direction of the first vehicle 1a (step S93). Specifically, the display control unit 69 determines whether there is a moving object heading forward in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a in the same procedure as the process of step S73 of the first display process.

[0131] When the display control unit 69 determines that there is a moving object moving forward in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a (S93 / Yes), the detected moving object is superimposed and displayed on the map data in accordance with the detection position in the real space (step S95). The display control unit 69 converts the position information included in the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device acquired from the second vehicle 1b and the position information included in the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a into latitude and longitude information, respectively, and superimposes and displays them on the map data.

[0132] Also, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b on the map data (step S97). At this time, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays, for example, the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b from the operation cycle before the previous time to the current operation cycle on the map data.

[0133] Figs. 15 to 21 are diagrams shown for explaining the operation of the second display process. Figs. 15 to 17 show diagrams for explaining problems when the technology of the present disclosure is not applied. Note that Figs. 15 to 17 do not show the content of the display by the display device 43.

[0134] As shown in Fig. 15, when the second vehicle 1b is traveling on the first road 141 ahead of the first vehicle 1a, at the time t1 when the second vehicle 1b passes through the intersection of the first road 141 and the second road 143, the dead angle regions 121a, 121b of the second road 143 enter the measurement range 123a of the surrounding environment recognition device provided in the second vehicle 1b. Therefore, the driving support device 50a of the first vehicle 1a that has acquired the information of the measurement result of the second vehicle 1b at this time t1 can recognize that there is no moving object in the dead angle regions 121a, 121b.

[0135] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 17, at times t2 and t3 when time has elapsed, since the second vehicle 1b leaves the intersection of the first road 141 and the second road 143, the blind spot regions 121a and 121b are outside the measurement ranges 123b and 123c. Therefore, the driving support device 50a of the first vehicle 1a that has acquired the information on the measurement results of the second vehicle 1b at times t2 and t3 cannot recognize whether there is a moving object in the blind spot regions 121a and 121b. However, in this case, there is a possibility that other moving objects may enter the blind spot regions 121a and 121b after time t1. Nevertheless, if the driver of the first vehicle 1a has not received a notification that there is a moving object in the blind spot regions 121a and 121b at time t1, there is a risk of passing through the intersection of the first road 141 and the second road 143 without paying attention to the blind spot regions 121a and 121b. Therefore, when a moving object appears from the blind spot regions 121a and 121b when the first vehicle 1a passes through the intersection, there is a risk that a collision cannot be avoided.

[0136] FIGS. 18 to 21 are explanatory diagrams showing the second display process by the display control unit 69, and are explanatory diagrams showing an example in which information on the measurement ranges 125a to 125c of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement ranges 123a to 123d of the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b are superimposed and displayed on the map data. FIGS. 18 to 20 show the display contents at times t1 to t3 shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, respectively, and FIG. 21 shows the display contents at time t4 when more time has elapsed.

[0137] The display control unit 69 superimposes and displays information indicating a moving object specified based on the information on the measurement results of the second vehicle 1b acquired from the second vehicle 1b at the detection position on the map data. However, in the examples shown in FIGS. 18 to 21, since no moving object has been detected by the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b, no moving object is displayed.

[0138] Further, as shown in FIG. 18, at time t1, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays on the map data the information indicating the measurement range 123a of the second vehicle 1b acquired from the driving support device 50b of the second vehicle 1b passing through the intersection of the first road 141 and the second road 143. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the entire range of the map data is shown in a gray transparent display, and the measurement range 123a of the second vehicle 1b is shown in white. At time t1, since the driver of the first vehicle 1a sees the information on the displayed measurement range 123a of the second vehicle 1b and there is no display of a moving object, the driver recognizes that there is no moving object in the blind spot area 121 of the intersection to be passed later.

[0139] As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, at times t2 to t4, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays on the map data the information indicating the measurement ranges 123b to 123d of the second vehicle 1b acquired from the driving support device 50b of the second vehicle 1b, respectively. At this time, the display control unit 69 displays in white the information indicating the latest measurement ranges 123b to 123d acquired at times t2 to t4, respectively.

[0140] Further, the display control unit 69 also displays the information indicating the measurement ranges 123a to 123c acquired at times before the previous time at times t2 to t4, respectively. At this time, the display control unit 69 changes the display so that it sequentially changes from a white display to a gray display as the time goes back. That is, the display control unit 69 changes the display of the non-measurement range outside the measurement range 123 to the display of the non-measurement range over time.

[0141] Therefore, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can recognize the information on the measurement results of the second vehicle 1b along with the changes in the measurement ranges 123a to 123d of the second vehicle 1b. For this reason, not only the measurement results by the second vehicle 1b at times t1 to t4 but also the measurement results by the second vehicle 1b at past times can be recognized simultaneously. As a result, even after the second vehicle 1b has passed through the intersection, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can judge an avoidance action, thinking that the possibility of other vehicles entering the intersection is low.

[0142] The display control unit 69 may determine the setting time until the past measurement range is returned to the same display as the area outside the measurement range (gray display in the above example) based on the recognition performance of the surrounding environment recognition device provided in the second vehicle 1b. That is, the number of measurement ranges in the calculation cycle before the previous one to be displayed may be determined based on the recognition performance of the surrounding environment recognition device.

[0143] For example, in the example shown in FIGS. 18 to 21, assuming that the lateral measurement range of the second vehicle 1b is 50 m and the speed limit of the second road 143 is 30 km / h, the display control unit 69 may assume that another vehicle enters from the second road 143 at 40 km / h and set the above setting time to 4 seconds (rounding down the decimal part of 50 m÷40 km / h×3.6 = 4.5). Thereby, when another vehicle enters the intersection within 4 seconds after entering the intersection, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can be prevented from performing unnecessary avoidance actions (such as a complete stop) based on the information of the past measurement results.

[0144] In addition, also in the example shown in FIGS. 18 to 21, even in the area that enters the measurement range 125 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement range 123 of the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b in terms of specifications, the area where vehicles or pedestrians cannot pass is shown as a gray transparent display. Also, the information of the moving object to be superimposed and displayed on the map data may be in the form of a graphic, character, or icon as long as the type of the moving object can be discriminated. Alternatively, the information of the moving object to be superimposed and displayed on the map data may be an image of the moving object captured by the second vehicle 1b.

[0145] Returning to FIG. 14, when the display control unit 69 determines that there is no moving object moving forward in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a (S93 / No), it determines whether a moving object was detected before the previous calculation cycle (step S99). That is, the display control unit 69 determines whether there is a moving object that was detected until the previous calculation cycle but is not detected in the current calculation cycle.

[0146] When the control unit 69 determines that no moving object has been detected before the previous calculation cycle (S99 / No), it proceeds to step S97, and superimposes and displays the measurement range 125 of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement range 123 of the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b on the map data (step S97). The display control unit 69 converts the position information included in the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device acquired from the second vehicle 1b and the position information included in the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a into latitude and longitude information, respectively, and superimposes and displays them on the map data.

[0147] In addition, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays, for example, the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b from the previous calculation cycle before this calculation cycle on the map data. Thereby, the driver can understand that there is no moving object in at least the measurement range 123 of the second vehicle 1b and that the presence or absence of a moving object is unknown outside the measurement range 123 of the second vehicle 1b.

[0148] On the other hand, when the display control unit 69 determines that a moving object has been detected before the previous calculation cycle (S99 / Yes), it calculates the moving range where the moving object is presumed to exist (step S101). The display control unit 69 obtains the moving direction and moving distance from when the moving object was last detected to this calculation cycle based on the information on the moving direction and moving speed of the moving object included in the information on the measurement results of the second vehicle 1b acquired before the previous calculation cycle, and estimates the moving range of the moving object.

[0149] Next, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the moving range of the moving object on the map data (step S103). Also, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement range 125 of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement range 123 of the second vehicle 1b on the map data (step S97). The display control unit 69 converts the position information included in the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device obtained from the second vehicle 1b and the position information included in the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a into latitude and longitude information, respectively, and superimposes and displays them on the map data.

[0150] At this time, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays, for example, the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b from the previous operation cycle before the previous time to the current operation cycle on the map data. Also, in order to make the driver understand that the position of the displayed moving object is the estimated moving range, and considering the deviation between the estimated moving range and the actual position, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays it in a manner different from the display when the moving object is actually detected. For example, the display control unit 69 may change the color of the moving object, may display the outline vaguely, may display it blinking, or may display the outline enlarged. At this time, the display control unit 69 may gradually change the display of the moving object in the same manner as the first display process.

[0151] Figs. 22 to 25 show examples of displays in the situation shown in Figs. 18 to 21, where a pedestrian 127 was detected by the second vehicle 1b at time t1 (Fig. 22), but the pedestrian 127 was no longer detected after the subsequent time t2 (Figs. 23 to 25).

[0152] In the example shown in FIGS. 23 to 25, the information indicating the pedestrian 127 that has disappeared from detection is enlarged compared to the information indicating the pedestrian 127 shown in FIG. 22, and the outline is ambiguously displayed with a dotted line. Also, since the movement range of the pedestrian 127 spreads over time, the size of the information indicating the displayed pedestrian 127 gradually changes while expanding over time. For this reason, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can know the position where there is a high possibility that the pedestrian 127 exists even though the pedestrian 127 is no longer detected by the second vehicle 1b. Therefore, the driver can be made to continue paying attention to the pedestrian 127 as well.

[0153] The display control unit 69 executes a second display process for displaying information on the measurement range and measurement results of the environment recognition device (the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b) whose position moves as described above. In the second display process, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement range 123 of the second vehicle 1b on the map data, and superimposes and displays the moving object detected by the road camera 150 in the measurement range 123 on the map data. Further, the display control unit 69 also superimposes and displays the measurement range of the second vehicle 1b acquired in the calculation cycle before the previous time on the map data. Further, even when the detected moving object disappears from detection, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the movement range of the moving object on the map data. Also, in the second display process, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a on the map data.

[0154] Returning to FIG. 8, in step S47, after the display control unit 69 executes either one or both of the first display process and the second display process, the processing unit 55 determines whether or not the activation of the support function by the driving support device 50a has stopped (step S49). If the processing unit 55 determines that the activation of the support function has not stopped (S49 / No), it returns to step S33 and repeats the execution of the processes of each step described so far. On the other hand, if the processing unit 55 determines that the activation of the support function has stopped (S49 / Yes), it ends the series of processes.

[0155] As described above, the driving support device 50a according to the present embodiment acquires information on the measurement ranges 123 and 153 and information on the measurement results from environmental recognition devices (the road camera 150 and the surrounding environment recognition device of the second vehicle 1b) provided outside the first vehicle 1a that is the support target. Further, the driving support device 50a superimposes and displays information on the measurement ranges 123 and 153 visible to the driver of the first vehicle 1a and information on the detected moving object on the map data.

[0156] Thereby, the driver of the first vehicle 1a, which is the support target, can recognize not only the presence or absence of a moving object by the environmental recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a but also the measurement range of the environmental recognition device. Therefore, the reliability of the driver with respect to the information on the presence or absence of the moving object displayed by the driving support device 50a can be enhanced. As a result, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can be induced to perform an avoidance action expected by the driving support executed by the driving support device 50a.

[0157] Further, the driving support device 50a according to the present embodiment superimposes and displays information on the measurement range 125 of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 provided in the first vehicle 1a, which is the support target, and information on the detected moving object on the map data. Thereby, the driver of the first vehicle 1a, which is the support target, can recognize the measurement range and the measurement result of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a, and the driver of the first vehicle 1a can be induced to perform an avoidance action expected by the driving support executed by the driving support device 50a.

[0158] Further, when the measurement range in the real space of the environmental recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a changes, the driving support device 50a according to the present embodiment causes the display of the non-measurement range outside the measurement range to transition to the display of the non-measurement range over time. Thereby, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can simultaneously recognize the measurement results by the second vehicle 1b at past times, and can determine an avoidance action considering the presence or absence of past moving objects in the area outside the measurement range.

[0159] In addition, even after a moving object that has been detected by an environmental recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a is no longer detected, the driving support device 50a according to the present embodiment continues to display the moving object. Thereby, even when a moving object that cannot be recognized from the first vehicle 1a is no longer measured by an environmental recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can be made to continue paying attention to the moving object.

[0160] In addition, when a moving object detected by an environmental recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a moves to a region in front of the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a, the driving support device 50a according to the present embodiment gradually changes the display of the moving object after the moving object is no longer detected. Thereby, even when a moving object that cannot be recognized from the first vehicle 1a is no longer measured by an environmental recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can know the position where the moving object is likely to exist and can determine an appropriate avoidance action.

[0161] In addition, after a moving object is no longer detected by an environmental recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a, the driving support device 50a according to the present embodiment estimates the moving range of the moving object based on the position and moving speed of the detected moving object, and displays the assumed existence range of the moving object. Thereby, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can be made to determine an avoidance action assuming the range where the moving object may exist.

[0162] In the description of the above embodiment, an example in which the display control unit 69 executes the first display process when the measurement range of the road camera 150 does not change has been described. However, for example, when the shooting direction of the road camera 150 changes and the measurement range of the road camera 150 changes, the display control unit 69 executes the second display process using the information on the measurement range of the road camera 150 and the information on the measurement result. Thereby, even when the measurement range of the road camera 150 changes, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can be made to determine an appropriate driving action based on the information on the measurement range and the measurement result at each time.

[0163] <5. Other Embodiments> So far, the driving support device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. However, the above embodiment can be variously modified. Some modification examples will be described below.

[0164] (5-1. First Modification Example) When the display control unit 69 of the driving support device 50a detects that the moving object detected by the environmental recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a is about to disappear, if the moving object stops or moves away from the area in front of the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a, the display of the moving object at the position immediately before the moving object disappears from the detection by the environmental recognition device may be continued.

[0165] FIG. 26 shows a flowchart applied to the display process by the display control unit of the driving support device according to the first modification example. The flowchart shown in FIG. 26 is executed after the step S79 of the first display process shown in FIG. 10 is determined to be negative, and after the step S99 of the second display process shown in FIG. 14 is determined to be negative.

[0166] When the step S79 or step S99 is determined to be negative (S79 / No or S99 / No), the display control unit 69 determines whether there was a moving object that had stopped or was moving away from the front in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a before the previous calculation cycle (step S111).

[0167] When the display control unit 69 makes a negative determination in step S111 (S111 / No), it proceeds to step S77 in FIG. 10 or step S97 in FIG. 14 to display the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement ranges of the environment recognition devices other than the first vehicle 1a. On the other hand, when the display control unit 69 makes an affirmative determination in step S111 (S111 / Yes), the display control unit 69 continues to display the moving object on the map data at the position where the moving object was detected immediately before it disappeared, when the moving object that had stopped or was moving away in the above-described direction away from the first vehicle 1a was no longer detected (step S113). After that, the display control unit 69 proceeds to step S77 in FIG. 10 or step S97 in FIG. 14 to display the measurement range of the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the measurement ranges of the environment recognition devices other than the first vehicle 1a.

[0168] In the display process according to the first modification, even when the moving object that had stopped or was moving away from the area in front of the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a is no longer detected, the display control unit 69 maintains the display of the moving object at the position where the moving object was last detected. For this reason, the driver of the first vehicle 1a can recognize the position where there was a moving object that had no risk of colliding with the first vehicle 1a in the past, and can determine an avoidance action while considering the movement of the moving object after it has moved outside the measurement range of the environment recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a.

[0169] (5-2. Second Modification) In the above-described embodiment, the display control unit 69 superimposed and displayed information visible to the driver on the map data, but information visible to the driver may be superimposed and displayed in the real space. In the second modification, for example, the vehicle 1 includes a head-up display that displays on the front window as the display device 43.

[0170] The surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 acquires information on the position of the driver's eyes and the direction of the line of sight in the real space, which is detected based on the image data transmitted from the in-vehicle camera, and determines a blind spot area as seen by the driver based on the information on the position of the driver's eyes and the direction of the line of sight in the real space and the information on the measurement results by the surrounding environment recognition device 31. For example, the surrounding environment recognition processing unit 67 sets, as the blind spot area, the area behind the three-dimensional object detected by the surrounding environment recognition device 31 as seen by the driver. The position of the driver's eyes and the direction of the line of sight can be detected, for example, by pattern matching processing. The method for determining the blind spot area is not particularly limited.

[0171] Also, the display control unit 69 acquires information on the position of the driver's eyes and the direction of the line of sight in the real space, and identifies the scenery visible to the driver through the front window based on the information on the position of the driver's eyes and the direction of the line of sight and the information on the measurement results by the surrounding environment recognition device 31. Further, the display control unit 69 drives the display device 43 based on the information on the scenery visible to the driver through the front window, the information on the blind spot area, and the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the environment recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a, and superimposes and displays the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the environment recognition device other than the first vehicle 1a on the real space.

[0172] Figs. 27 to 29 are explanatory diagrams showing the display processing according to the second modification. Figs. 27 to 29 show, in time series (times t11 to t13), a situation in which a preceding vehicle 171 capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the first vehicle 1a is traveling in front of the first vehicle 1a.

[0173] At each of the times t11 to t13, the display control unit 69 identifies the scenery visible to the driver through the front window 177 based on the information on the measurement results by the surrounding environment recognition device 31 of the first vehicle 1a and the information on the position of the driver's eyes and the direction of the line of sight. Further, the display control unit 69 acquires the information on the blind spot area as seen by the driver, and calculates the measurement range 173 and the detected moving object in the blind spot area based on the information on the measurement range and measurement results of the surrounding environment recognition device acquired from the preceding vehicle 171.

[0174] The display control unit 69 drives the display device 43 and superimposes and displays information on the measurement ranges 173a to 173c and information on the moving objects (pedestrians in the illustrated example) 175a to 175c that are visible to the driver in the real space. Since the method of driving the display device 43 to superimpose and display predetermined information in the real space may be performed by known techniques, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0175] In the illustrated example, the display control unit 69 superimposes and displays the measurement ranges 173a to 175c of the preceding vehicle 171 from the operation cycle before the previous one to the current operation cycle in the real space. For example, the display control unit 69 makes a transparent display with different colors so that the driver looking ahead can easily notice it even in peripheral vision. Thereby, it becomes easier for the driver to grasp the transition of the measurement range even in peripheral vision, and information can be provided without excessively consuming attention resources from safety confirmations such as forward gazing.

[0176] Also, in the illustrated example, even when the detected moving object has moved out of the measurement range of the preceding vehicle 171, the display control unit 69 sets the required time until the moving object reaches a position that enters the front in the moving direction of the first vehicle 1a from the position where the moving object was last detected as 100 (%) and gradually changes the display of the moving object according to the ratio (%) of the elapsed time since the moving object was no longer detected. Thereby, even after the moving object has moved out of the measurement range 173 of the preceding vehicle 171, the estimated position of the moving object is displayed uncertainly as time elapses after the moving object is no longer detected, and the driver of the first vehicle 1a can be made aware that the moving object is approaching the front of the first vehicle 1a.

[0177] In the second modification example, although predetermined information is superimposed and displayed in the real space, the predetermined information may be superimposed on the captured image of the real space and displayed on a display panel, a front window, or the like.

[0178] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0179] For example, in the above embodiment, the driving assistance device provided the driver with predetermined information by means of display and let the driver judge appropriate driving actions. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above example. For example, the driving assistance device may issue a warning or perform driving assistance or autonomous driving by vehicle control based on the information of the measurement range and the measurement result of an environmental recognition device other than the vehicle to be assisted.

[0180] In addition, a part of the functions respectively possessed by the information processing device and the driving assistance device described in the above embodiment may be provided in other devices.

[0181] In the above embodiment, the environmental recognition device (such as a road camera) is configured to transmit information to the driving assistance device via the information processing device. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. The environmental recognition device (such as a road camera) may be configured to be able to directly transmit information to the driving assistance device via vehicle-to-vehicle communication means. Even in such a configured case, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0182] In the above embodiment, the driving assistance device is constituted by an electronic control device mounted on the vehicle. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above example. For example, the driving assistance device may be constituted by a portable terminal that can communicate with an environmental recognition device other than the vehicle and can transmit a drive command signal to the display device.

[0183] Furthermore, the technology of the present disclosure can also be realized as a vehicle equipped with the driving support device described in the above embodiment, a driving support method by the driving support device, a computer program that causes a computer to function as the above driving support device, and a non-transitory tangible recording medium on which the computer program is recorded.

Explanation of Signs

[0184] 1: Vehicle 1a: First Vehicle 1b: Second Vehicle 31: Surrounding Environment Recognition Device 33: Vehicle Position Detection Sensor 41: Vehicle Control Unit 43: Display Device 50: Driving Support Device 51: Communication Unit 53: Inter-vehicle Communication Unit 55: Processing Unit 57: Storage Unit 59: Map Data Storage Unit 61: Communication Control Unit 63: Inter-vehicle Communication Control Unit 65: Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit 67: Surrounding Environment Recognition Processing Unit 69: Display Control Unit 90: First Other Vehicle 100: Driving Support System 105: Communication Network 110: Information Processing Device 111: Communication Unit 113: Processing Unit 115: Data Processing Unit 117: Communication Control Unit 119: Storage Unit 120: Inter-vehicle Communication Means 121: Blind Spot Area 123: Measurement Range 125: Measurement Range 150: Road Camera 151: Image Generation Unit 153: Measurement Range 160: Control Device 161: Communication unit 163: Processing unit 165: Image processing unit 167: Communication control unit 169: Memory unit 171: Leading vehicle 173: Measurement range

Claims

1. In a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle by a driver, comprising one or more processors and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors, the one or more processors perform an acquisition process of acquiring information on a measurement range of the environment recognition device and information on a measurement result by the environment recognition device from at least one environment recognition device provided outside the vehicle, perform a display process of causing an image display unit to display, by superimposing, the information on the measurement range and the information on the measurement result that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle on a map data, in a real space, or on a captured image of the real space, and when the measurement range of the environment recognition device in the real space changes, a driving support device that causes the display of a non-measurement range outside the measurement range to transition to the display of the non-measurement range over time.

2. The one or more processors superimpose and display the moving object detected by the environment recognition device, and continue to display the moving object even after the moving object is no longer detected by the environment recognition device, The driving support device according to claim 1.

3. When the moving object is moving to a region in front of the moving direction of the vehicle, the one or more processors gradually change the display of the moving object after the moving object is no longer detected by the environment recognition device, The driving support device according to claim 2.

4. The one or more processors after the moving object is no longer detected by the environment recognition device, estimate the moving range of the moving object based on the position and moving speed of the moving object, and display the assumed existence range of the moving object, The driving support device according to claim 3.

5. When the moving object stops or is moving in a direction away from a region in front of the moving direction of the vehicle, the one or more processors continue to display the moving object at the position detected immediately before the moving object is no longer detected by the environment recognition device, The driving support device according to claim 2.

6. The one or more processors further superimpose and display, on the map data, in the real space, or on the captured image of the real space, the measurement range by a surrounding environment recognition device mounted on the vehicle on the image display unit, The driving support device according to claim 1.

7. In a driving support method for supporting driving of a vehicle by a driver, a computer acquires information on the measurement range of the environment recognition device and information on the measurement result by the environment recognition device from at least one environment recognition device provided outside the vehicle; superimposes and displays on a map data, in a real space, or on a captured image of the real space, the information on the measurement range and the information on the measurement result that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle on an image display unit; and when the measurement range of the environment recognition device in the real space changes, the display of the non-measurement range outside the measurement range is transitioned to the display of the non-measurement range over time. A driving support method.

8. A non-transitory tangible recording medium that records a program for causing a computer to acquire information on the measurement range of the environment recognition device and information on the measurement result by the environment recognition device from at least one environment recognition device provided outside the vehicle; superimpose and display on a map data, in a real space, or on a captured image of the real space, the information on the measurement range and the information on the measurement result that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle on an image display unit; and when the measurement range of the environment recognition device in the real space changes, transition the display of the non-measurement range outside the measurement range to the display of the non-measurement range over time.

Images