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

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device that can set a suitable inter-vehicle distance, between a preceding vehicle and an own vehicle or between an adjacent vehicle and the own vehicle, so that the adjacent vehicle can safely move to a lane between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle in a merging terrain.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises: an estimating unit that, when a preceding vehicle exists and also an adjacent vehicle exists, estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to a travel lane in front of an own vehicle in a merging terrain, on the basis of a distance to the preceding vehicle from the own vehicle and a distance to the adjacent vehicle from the own vehicle and speed of the own vehicle; and a setting unit that, when it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the own vehicle, sets a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle on the travel lane, on the basis of the distance to the preceding vehicle from the own vehicle and the speed of the own vehicle, or sets a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the own vehicle on the travel lane, on the basis of the speed of the own vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control computer program, and a vehicle control method.

Background Art

[0002] An automatic control system mounted on a vehicle generates a navigation route for the vehicle based on the current position of the vehicle, the destination position of the vehicle, and a navigation map. The automatic control system estimates the current position of the vehicle using map information and controls the vehicle to travel along the navigation route.

[0003] The navigation route may include a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane on which the host vehicle is traveling merges into the driving lane and disappears. In the merging terrain, an adjacent vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane moves into the driving lane. Also, in front of the host vehicle, there may be a preceding vehicle traveling in the driving lane. In such a case, the automatic control system of the host vehicle generates a space in which the adjacent vehicle can move between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the merging terrain, when an adjacent vehicle moves between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, it is preferable to set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle or between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. Thereby, safe travel of each vehicle is ensured.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device that can set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, or between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, so that an adjacent vehicle can safely move between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle in a merging terrain.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] (1) According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device is provided. This vehicle control device includes: a first determination unit that determines, based on map information, whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane on which the host vehicle is traveling disappears due to merging with the driving lane within a first predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle; when the first determination unit determines that there is a merging terrain, a second determination unit that determines, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling on the driving lane in front of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle; an estimation unit that estimates, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, whether the adjacent vehicle will move to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain when the second determination unit determines that there is a preceding vehicle and an adjacent vehicle; and a setting unit that sets a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane, or sets a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane based on the speed of the host vehicle, when the estimation unit estimates that the adjacent vehicle will move to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle.

[0008] (2) In the vehicle control device of (1), it is preferable that the setting unit sets, as the first inter-vehicle distance, a value obtained by adding a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle when the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle, to the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle.

[0009] In the vehicle control device of (3)(2), it is preferable that the setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance so that an adjacent vehicle is positioned between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle.

[0010] In the vehicle control device of (4)(2) or (3), the second determination unit determines whether there is another adjacent vehicle traveling behind an adjacent vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle. When the second determination unit determines that there is another adjacent vehicle, and the estimation unit estimates that the adjacent vehicle moves to the traveling lane in front of the host vehicle, it is preferable that the setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the host vehicle and the other adjacent vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, so that the length is such that the other adjacent vehicle cannot be positioned between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle.

[0011] In the vehicle control device of any one of (5)(2) to (4), it is preferable that the setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance to be equal to or less than the distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle.

[0012] In the vehicle control device of any one of (6)(1) to (5), it is preferable that the estimation unit estimates whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the traveling lane in front of the host vehicle using a regression equation having as variables the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle.

[0013] In the vehicle control device of (7)(1), it is preferable that the setting unit sets, as the second inter-vehicle distance, the distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle when the adjacent vehicle moves to the traveling lane in front of the host vehicle.

[0014] (8) In any of the vehicle control devices (1) to (7), when the absolute value of the relative speed of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the first reference speed, the estimation unit estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in a merging terrain based on the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle. When the absolute value of the relative speed of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is less than the first reference speed, it is preferable to estimate whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in a merging terrain based on the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle and the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle.

[0015] (9) In any of the vehicle control devices (1) to (8), when the speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the second reference speed, the estimation unit estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in a merging terrain based on the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle. When the speed of the host vehicle is less than the second reference speed, it is preferable to estimate whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in a merging terrain based on the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle and the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle.

[0016] (10) In any of the vehicle control devices (1) to (9), when the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined reference distance, it is preferable to set a first inter-vehicle distance, and when the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle exceeds the predetermined reference distance, to set a second inter-vehicle distance.

[0017] (11)According to another embodiment, a vehicle control computer program is provided. This vehicle control computer program determines, based on map information, whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane on which the host vehicle is traveling disappears by merging into the driving lane within a first predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is a merging terrain, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, it is determined whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling on the driving lane in front of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle and an adjacent vehicle, based on the distance of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, the distance of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, it is estimated whether the adjacent vehicle will move into the driving lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain. When it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle will move into the driving lane in front of the host vehicle, based on the distance of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle, a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane is set, or based on the speed of the host vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane is set, and causes a processor to execute a process including this.

[0018] (12) According to another embodiment, a vehicle control method is provided. The vehicle control method includes: a vehicle control device determining, based on map information, whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to a driving lane on which the host vehicle is traveling disappears due to merging into the driving lane within a first predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle; when it is determined that there is a merging terrain, determining, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, whether there is a leading vehicle traveling on the driving lane ahead of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and determining whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle; when it is determined that there is a leading vehicle and an adjacent vehicle, estimating, based on the distance between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, whether the adjacent vehicle will move into the driving lane ahead of the host vehicle in the merging terrain; when it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle will move into the driving lane ahead of the host vehicle, setting a first inter-vehicle distance between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane based on the distance between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle, or setting a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane based on the speed of the host vehicle.

Effect of the Invention

[0019] The vehicle control device according to the present disclosure can set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the leading vehicle or between the vehicle and the adjacent vehicle so that the adjacent vehicle can safely move between the vehicle and the leading vehicle in a merging terrain.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the operation of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, the outline of the operation regarding the vehicle control process of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the first embodiment disclosed in this specification will be explained. The inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 is an example of a vehicle control device.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is traveling on the lane 51 of the road 50 having lanes 51 and 52. The lane 51 and the lane 52 are partitioned by a lane dividing line (lane boundary line) 53. The vehicle 10 is traveling on the lane 51 of the road 50. The lane 51 of the road 50 is an example of a driving lane. The vehicle 10 is an example of the host vehicle.

[0023] The vehicle 10 includes a driving plan device 15 and an inter-vehicle distance setting device 17. The inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 sets the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and another vehicle located ahead in the lane on which the vehicle 10 is traveling. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the map information, the information acquired by sensors such as the camera 2a, the inter-vehicle distance, etc. The driving plan represents the planned travel trajectory of the vehicle 10 up to a predetermined time ahead. The vehicle 10 may be an autonomous vehicle.

[0024] Based on the current position of the vehicle 10 and the map information, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 determines that there is a merging terrain J within the most recent driving section. And the vehicle 10 is currently traveling within the merging terrain J. The most recent driving section is an example of a predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle 10.

[0025] In the merging terrain J, the road 60 merges with the road 50. The road 60 has a lane 61. In the merging terrain J, between the merging start position 62 and the merging end position 63, the lane 61 of the road 60 and the lane 51 of the road 50 are connected. The lane 61 of the road 60 is adjacent to the lane 51 of the road 50 on which the vehicle 10 is traveling. The lane 61 and the lane 51 are partitioned by a lane dividing line (lane boundary line) 54. In the merging terrain J, the lane 61 of the road 60 disappears by merging with the lane 51. The lane 61 is an example of an adjacent lane.

[0026] Based on the information acquired by sensors such as camera 2a, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 determines that there is a vehicle 70 traveling in the lane 51 in front of the vehicle 10 within a predetermined range from the vehicle 10. The vehicle 70 is an example of a preceding vehicle.

[0027] Also, based on the information acquired by sensors such as camera 2a, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 determines that there is a vehicle 80 traveling in the lane 61 of the road 60 within a predetermined range from the vehicle 10. In the merging terrain J, the vehicle 80 traveling in the lane 61 of the road 60 moves from the lane 61 to the lane 51. The vehicle 80 is an example of an adjacent vehicle.

[0028] Based on the distance L1 between the vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10, the distance L2 between the vehicle 80 and the vehicle 10, and the speed of the vehicle 10, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 estimates whether the vehicle 80 will move to the lane 51 in front of the vehicle 10 in the merging terrain J.

[0029] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 estimates that the vehicle 80 will move to the lane 51 in front of the vehicle 10. Based on the distance L1 between the vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10, the distance L2 between the vehicle 80 and the vehicle 10, and the speed of the vehicle 10, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 sets a first inter-vehicle distance M1 between the vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10 on the lane 51.

[0030] Preferably, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 sets the first inter-vehicle distance M1 so that a large speed change or acceleration change does not occur in the vehicle 10. Also, preferably, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 sets the first inter-vehicle distance M1 so that the driver of the vehicle 10 does not feel that the distance between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 70 is too far. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so that the first inter-vehicle distance M1 is maintained between the vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10 on the lane 51.

[0031] As described above, in the merging terrain J, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 can set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 70 so that the vehicle 80 can move safely between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 70.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle 10 in which the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the present embodiment is implemented. The vehicle 10 includes cameras 2a and 2b, LiDAR sensors 3a and 3b, a positioning information receiver 4, a navigation device 5, a user interface (UI) 6, a vehicle speed sensor 7, a map information storage device 11, a position estimation device 12, an object detection device 13, a traveling lane planning device 14, a driving plan device 15, a vehicle control device 16, an inter-vehicle distance setting device 17, and the like. Further, the vehicle 10 may include a distance measuring sensor (for example, a millimeter wave radar) for measuring the distance to an object around the vehicle 10. The vehicle control system 1 includes at least the cameras 2a and 2b, the LiDAR sensors 3a and 3b, and the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17.

[0033] The cameras 2a and 2b, the LiDAR sensors 3a and 3b, the positioning information receiver 4, the navigation device 5, the UI 6, the vehicle speed sensor 7, the map information storage device 11, the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, the traveling lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, the vehicle control device 16, and the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network 18 compliant with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0034] The cameras 2a and 2b are an example of an imaging unit provided in the vehicle 10. The camera 2a is attached to the vehicle 10 so as to face the front of the vehicle 10. The camera 2b is attached to the vehicle 10 so as to face the rear of the vehicle 10. The cameras 2a and 2b capture camera images representing the environment of an area within a predetermined field of view in front of and behind the vehicle 10, for example, at a camera image capture time set at a predetermined cycle. The camera images may represent a road included in a predetermined area in front of and behind the vehicle 10 and road features such as lane dividing lines on the road surface. The cameras 2a and 2b include a two-dimensional detector configured by an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, such as a CCD or a C-MOS. Further, the cameras 2a and 2b include an imaging optical system that forms an image of an area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The camera image is an example of peripheral environment information.

[0035] Each time cameras 2a and 2b capture a camera image, they output the camera image and the camera image capture time to the position estimation device 12, the driving plan device 15, etc. via the in-vehicle network 18. The camera image is used in the position estimation device 12 for the process of estimating the position of the vehicle 10. Also, the camera image is used in the driving plan device 15 for the process of detecting other objects around the vehicle 10.

[0036] The LiDAR sensor 3a is attached to, for example, the outer surface of the vehicle 10 so as to face the front of the vehicle 10. The LiDAR sensor 3b is attached to, for example, the outer surface of the vehicle 10 so as to face the rear of the vehicle 10. The LiDAR sensors 3a and 3b emit a laser to scan a predetermined field of view in front of and behind the vehicle 10 at the reflection wave information acquisition time set at a predetermined cycle. Then, the LiDAR sensors 3a and 3b receive the reflected wave reflected by the reflector. The time required for the reflected wave to return has distance information between the vehicle 10 and other objects located in the direction where the radar is irradiated. The LiDAR sensors 3a and 3b output the reflected wave information to the driving plan device 15, etc. via the in-vehicle network 18 together with the reflection wave information acquisition time when the radar was emitted. The reflected wave information includes the irradiation direction of the radar and the time required for the reflected wave to return. The reflection wave information acquisition time represents the time when the radar was emitted. The reflected wave information is used in the driving plan device 15 for the process of detecting other objects around the vehicle 10. The reflected wave information is an example of the surrounding environment information.

[0037] The positioning information receiver 4 outputs positioning information representing the current position of the vehicle 10. For example, the positioning information receiver 4 can be a GNSS receiver. Each time the positioning information receiver 4 acquires positioning information at a predetermined reception cycle, it outputs the positioning information and the positioning information acquisition time to the navigation device 5, the map information storage device 11, etc. The positioning information acquisition time represents the time when the positioning information was acquired.

[0038] The navigation device 5 generates a navigation route from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the destination position based on the navigation map information, the destination position of the vehicle 10, and the positioning information. The positioning information represents the current position of the vehicle 10 input from the positioning information receiver 4. The navigation route includes information regarding positions such as right turns, left turns, merges, and bifurcations. The navigation device 5 newly generates the navigation route of the vehicle 10 when the destination position is newly set, or when the current position of the vehicle 10 deviates from the navigation route, etc. Each time the navigation device 5 generates a navigation route, it outputs the navigation route to the position estimation device 12, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17, etc. via the in-vehicle network 18. Note that the navigation device 5 does not generate a navigation route when the destination position is not set.

[0039] The UI 6 is an example of a notification unit. The UI 6 is controlled by the navigation device 5, the driving plan device 15, etc., and notifies the driver of the driving information of the vehicle 10, etc. The driving information of the vehicle 10 includes the current position of the vehicle, information regarding the route of the vehicle, etc. The information regarding the route of the vehicle includes the navigation route. The UI 6 has a display device 6a such as a liquid crystal display or a touch panel in order to display the driving information, etc. Also, the UI 6 may have an acoustic output device (not shown) for notifying the driver of the driving information, etc. Further, the UI 6 generates an operation signal corresponding to an operation on the vehicle 10 by the driver. Examples of the operation information include the destination position, the waypoint, the speed of the vehicle, etc. The UI 6 has, as an input device for inputting the operation information from the driver to the vehicle 10, for example, a touch panel or an operation button. The UI 6 outputs the input operation information to other devices via the in-vehicle network 18. The other devices include the navigation device 5, the driving plan device 15, etc.

[0040] The vehicle speed sensor 7 detects speed information representing the speed of the vehicle 10. The vehicle speed sensor 7 has, for example, a measuring unit that measures the rotation speed of the tires of the vehicle 10. The vehicle speed sensor 7 outputs the speed information to the driving plan device 15, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17, etc. via the in-vehicle network 18. The speed information is used in the driving plan device 15 and the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 for processing to obtain the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0041] The map information storage device 11 stores wide-area map information of a relatively wide range (for example, a range of 10 km to 30 km square) including the current position of the vehicle 10. This map information has high-precision map information including three-dimensional information of the road surface, speed limits of roads, curvature of roads, road features such as lane dividing lines on the road, information representing the type and position of structures, etc.

[0042] The map information storage device 11 receives wide-area map information from an external server via a base station by wireless communication via a wireless communication device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10 according to the current position of the vehicle 10 and stores it in the storage device. Each time the map information storage device 11 inputs positioning information from the positioning information receiver 4, it refers to the stored wide-area map information and includes a relatively narrow area (for example, 100 m 2 ~10 km 2 range) of map information to other devices via the in-vehicle network 18. Other devices include the position estimation device 12, the travel lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, the vehicle control device 16, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17, etc.

[0043] The position estimation device 12 estimates the position of the vehicle 10 at the time of camera image shooting based on the road features around the vehicle 10 represented in the camera image captured by the camera 2a or the camera 2b. For example, the position estimation device 12 compares the lane dividing lines identified in the camera image with the lane dividing lines represented in the map information input from the map information storage device 11 to obtain the estimated position and estimated azimuth angle of the vehicle 10 at the time of camera image shooting. Further, the position estimation device 12 estimates the driving lane on the road where the vehicle 10 is located based on the lane dividing lines represented in the map information and the estimated position and estimated azimuth angle of the vehicle 10. The position estimation device 12 outputs the estimated position, estimated azimuth angle, and driving lane of the vehicle 10 to other devices. The other devices include a driving lane planning device 14, a driving plan device 15, a vehicle control device 16, a vehicle-to-vehicle distance setting device 17, and the like.

[0044] The object detection device 13 detects the objects around the vehicle 10 and their types based on the camera image. The objects include vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10. The object detection device 13 has, for example, a discriminator that detects the objects represented in the image by inputting the camera image.

[0045] As the discriminator, for example, a deep neural network (DNN) pre-trained to detect the objects represented in the input image can be used. The object detection device 13 may use a discriminator other than the DNN. For example, the object detection device 13 may use a support vector machine (SVM) as the discriminator. Alternatively, the object detection device 13 may detect the object area by performing template matching between the template representing the object to be detected and the image.

[0046] In addition, the object detection device 13 may detect an object around the vehicle 10 based on the reflected wave information. Further, the object detection device 13 may determine the orientation of the object with respect to the vehicle 10 based on the position of the object in the camera image, and determine the distance between the object and the vehicle 10 based on this orientation and the reflected wave information. The object detection device 13 estimates the position of the object, for example, represented in the world coordinate system, based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the distance and orientation to the object with respect to the vehicle 10. Further, the object detection device 13 may track the object detected from the latest camera image by associating the object detected from the latest camera image with the object detected from the past image according to the tracking process based on the optical flow. Then, the object detection device 13 may obtain the trajectory of the object being tracked based on the position represented in the world coordinate system of the object in the past image to the latest image. The object detection device 13 can estimate the speed of the object with respect to the vehicle 10 based on the change in the position of the object over time. Further, the object detection device 13 can estimate the acceleration of the object based on the change in the speed of the object over time. Furthermore, the object detection device 13 specifies the driving lane in which the object is traveling based on the lane division lines represented in the map information and the position of the object. For example, the object detection device 13 determines that the object is traveling in the lane specified by two adjacent lane division lines positioned so as to sandwich the center position of the object in the horizontal direction.

[0047] In addition, the object detection device 13 may have a discriminator that inputs the reflected wave information to detect the object represented by the reflected wave information. As the discriminator, for example, a deep neural network (DNN) pre-trained to detect the object represented by the input reflected wave information from the input reflected wave information can be used. The object detection device 13 may detect an object around the vehicle 10 and its type based on the camera image and the reflected wave information. Further, the object detection device 13 may detect an object around the vehicle 10 and its type based on the camera image. Furthermore, the object detection device 13 may detect an object around the vehicle 10 and its type based on the reflected wave information.

[0048] The object detection device 13 notifies the driving plan device 15, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17, etc. of the object detection information. The object detection information includes information indicating the type of the detected object, information indicating its position, speed, acceleration, and information indicating the driving lane. When a plurality of adjacent vehicles are detected, the object detection device 13 notifies the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the object detection information including the vehicle identification information for identifying each of the plurality of adjacent vehicles.

[0049] At the driving lane planning generation time set at a predetermined cycle, the driving lane planning device 14 selects a lane within the road on which the vehicle 10 travels based on the map information, the navigation route and the surrounding environment information, and the current position of the vehicle 10 in the immediately preceding driving section (for example, 10 km) selected from the navigation route, and generates a driving lane plan representing the planned driving lane on which the vehicle 10 travels. The driving lane planning device 14 generates, for example, a driving lane plan such that the vehicle 10 travels in a lane other than the overtaking lane. Each time the driving lane planning device 14 generates a driving lane plan, it outputs this driving lane plan to the driving plan device 15 and the like.

[0050] At the driving plan generation time set at a predetermined cycle, the driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan representing the planned travel trajectory of the vehicle 10 up to a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) ahead based on the driving lane plan, the map information, the current position of the vehicle 10, the surrounding environment information, and the vehicle state information. The driving plan is preferably generated so as to satisfy a predetermined limit. Examples of the predetermined limit include acceleration, deceleration, yaw rate, etc. The surrounding environment information includes the position and speed of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10. The vehicle state information includes the current position of the vehicle 10, the vehicle speed, acceleration, and traveling direction, etc. Also, when there is a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle 10, the driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance set by the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17. The driving plan is represented as a set of the target position of the vehicle 10 and the target vehicle speed at this target position at each time from the current time to a predetermined time ahead. The cycle at which the driving plan is generated is preferably shorter than the cycle at which the driving lane plan is generated. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so as to maintain an interval of a predetermined distance or more between the vehicle 10 and an object. This object includes a vehicle. Each time the driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan, it outputs the driving plan to the vehicle control device 16.

[0051] The vehicle control device 16 controls each part of the vehicle 10 based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the vehicle speed and yaw rate, and the driving plan. For example, the vehicle control device 16 obtains the steering angle, acceleration, and angular acceleration of the vehicle 10 according to the driving plan, vehicle speed, and yaw rate. The vehicle control device 16 sets the steering amount, accelerator opening, or brake amount so as to be the steering angle, acceleration, and angular acceleration. Then, the vehicle control device 16 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set steering amount to an actuator (not shown) that controls the steering wheel of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 18. Also, the vehicle control device 16 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set accelerator opening to a drive device (not shown) of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 18. The drive device includes an engine or a motor. Alternatively, the vehicle control device 16 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set brake amount to a brake (not shown) of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 18.

[0052] The inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 executes a determination process, an estimation process, and a setting process. For this purpose, the driving plan device 15 includes a communication interface (IF) 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 are connected via a signal line 24. The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 to the in-vehicle network 18.

[0053] The memory 22 is an example of a storage unit and includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 22 stores a computer program of an application and various data used in information processing executed by the processor 23.

[0054] All or part of the functions of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 are function modules realized by, for example, a computer program operating on the processor 23. The processor 23 includes a determination unit 231, an estimation unit 232, and a setting unit 233. Alternatively, the function module of the processor 23 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 23. The processor 23 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and peripheral circuits thereof. The processor 23 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit.

[0055] The map information storage device 11, the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, the vehicle control device 16, and the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 are, for example, electronic control units (ECUs). In FIG. 2, the map information storage device 11, the position estimation device 12, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, the vehicle control device 16, and the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 are described as separate devices, but all or part of these devices may be configured as one device.

[0056] Figure 3 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the vehicle control process of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the present embodiment. With reference to Figure 3, the vehicle control process of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 will be described below. The inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 executes a vehicle control process according to the operation flowchart shown in Figure 3 at a vehicle control time having a predetermined cycle.

[0057] First, the determination unit 231 determines whether there is a merging terrain within a predetermined range from the current position of the vehicle 10 toward the front of the driving route of the vehicle 10 (step S101). The merging terrain is a terrain that disappears when an adjacent lane merges with the driving lane. The driving lane is the lane in which the vehicle 10 travels. The adjacent lane is a lane adjacent to the driving lane. Specifically, the determination unit 233 determines whether there is a merging terrain within the latest driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the navigation route, and the map information. The determination unit 231 is an example of a first determination unit. The determination unit 231 may recognize the area between the merging start position and the merging end position as the merging terrain. The determination unit 231 may determine that there is a merging terrain until the vehicle 10 passes through the merging end position where the connection between the driving lane and the adjacent lane ends.

[0058] The merging terrain includes a terrain where another road merges into the road on which the vehicle 10 travels, and the adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane merges with the driving lane and disappears. An example of this merging terrain is shown in Figure 1. Further, the merging terrain includes a terrain where, within the road on which the vehicle 10 travels, the adjacent adjacent lane merges with the driving lane and disappears. As this merging terrain, for example, there is a terrain including a boarding lane.

[0059] When there is a merging terrain (step S101 - Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in the driving lane ahead of the vehicle 10 within a predetermined range based on the surrounding environment information of the vehicle 10 (step S102). The surrounding environment information includes object detection information. This predetermined range is a range within which the object detection device 13 can detect a preceding vehicle based on a camera image or reflected wave information. When a preceding vehicle is detected, the object detection information includes the current position of the preceding vehicle and information indicating the lane in which the preceding vehicle is traveling. The determination unit 231 determines whether there is a preceding vehicle based on the object detection information and the map information. This preceding vehicle means a vehicle located immediately ahead of the vehicle 10 in the driving lane.

[0060] When there is a preceding vehicle (step S102 - Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane within a predetermined range from the vehicle based on the surrounding environment information of the vehicle 10 (step S103). The surrounding environment information includes object detection information. This predetermined range is a range within which the object detection device 13 can detect an adjacent vehicle based on a camera image or reflected wave information. When an adjacent vehicle is detected, the object detection information includes the current position of the adjacent vehicle and information indicating the lane in which the adjacent vehicle is traveling. The determination unit 231 determines whether there is an adjacent vehicle based on the object detection information and the map information.

[0061] When there is an adjacent vehicle (step S103 - Yes), the estimation unit 232 estimates whether the adjacent vehicle will move into the driving lane ahead of the vehicle 10 in the merging terrain based on the distance L1, the distance L2, and the speed of the vehicle 10 (step S104). The distance L1 is the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10. The distance L2 is the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10. The estimation unit 232 acquires the speed of the vehicle 10 based on the speed information.

[0062] The distances L1 and L2 are, for example, distances along the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the distance L1 is the distance between the position where the preceding vehicle is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10 and the position where the vehicle 10 is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10. The distance L1 may be the distance between the front end of the vehicle 10 and the rear end of the preceding vehicle. The estimation unit 232 obtains the distance L1 based on the position of the preceding vehicle, the current position of the vehicle 10, and the map information.

[0063] Similarly, the distance L2 is the distance between the position where the adjacent vehicle is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10 and the position where the vehicle 10 is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10. The distance L2 may be the distance between the front end of the vehicle 10 and the rear end of the adjacent vehicle. Alternatively, the distance L2 may be the distance between the rear end of the vehicle 10 and the front end of the adjacent vehicle. The estimation unit 232 obtains the distance L2 based on the position of the adjacent vehicle, the current position of the vehicle 10, and the map information. This estimation process will be described in further detail below with reference to FIG. 4.

[0064] When it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle moves to the traveling lane in front of the vehicle 10 (step S104 - Yes), the setting unit 233 sets the first inter-vehicle distance M1 based on the distance L1, the distance L2, and the speed of the vehicle 10 (step S105), and a series of processes ends. The distance L1 is the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10. The distance L2 is the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10. The first inter-vehicle distance M1 is the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle 10 on the traveling lane.

[0065] The first inter-vehicle distance M1 is, for example, a distance along the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the first inter-vehicle distance M1 is the distance between the position where the preceding vehicle is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10 and the position where the vehicle 10 is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10. The first inter-vehicle distance M1 may be the distance between the front end of the vehicle 10 and the rear end of the preceding vehicle. This setting process will be described in further detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0066] In the above-described step S103, when it is determined that there are a plurality of adjacent vehicles, the processes of step S104 and step S105 may be performed for each of the plurality of adjacent vehicles. In this case, the setting unit 233 may select the maximum value among the first inter-vehicle distances obtained for each of the plurality of adjacent vehicles as the first inter-vehicle distance M1 used in the driving plan.

[0067] The setting unit 233 notifies the driving plan device 15 of the first inter-vehicle distance M1 via the in-vehicle network 18. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so as to maintain the first inter-vehicle distance M1 with respect to the vehicle ahead.

[0068] On the other hand, when there is no merging terrain (step S101 - No), when there is no vehicle ahead (step S102 - No), when there are no adjacent vehicles (step S103 - No), or when it is estimated that the adjacent vehicles do not move to the travel lane ahead of the vehicle 10 (step S104 - No), the series of processes ends.

[0069] When there are no adjacent vehicles (step S103 - No), the setting unit 233 can set the first inter-vehicle distance M1 based on the distance L1 between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle 10 and the speed of the vehicle 10. Even when there is no vehicle ahead and the adjacent vehicles have moved ahead in the travel lane, the setting unit 233 can set the inter-vehicle distance of the vehicle 10 with respect to the adjacent vehicles based on the distance between the adjacent vehicles and the vehicle 10 and the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0070] Even in terrains other than the merging terrain, the setting unit 233 can set the inter-vehicle distance of the vehicle 10 with respect to the vehicle ahead based on the distance L1 between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle 10 and the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0071] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the estimation process of the estimation unit 232 will be described below. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the estimation process of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the present embodiment.

[0072] In an actual merging terrain as shown in FIG. 1, a number of relationships between the position where an adjacent vehicle moves from an adjacent lane to a driving lane, distance L1 and distance L2 were measured, and the data shown in FIG. 4 was obtained. In FIG. 1, the host vehicle corresponds to vehicle 10, the adjacent vehicle corresponds to vehicle 80, and the leading vehicle corresponds to vehicle 70. Also, in FIG. 1, the driving lane corresponds to lane 51, and the adjacent lane corresponds to lane 61.

[0073] FIG. 4 schematically shows this measurement result. The vertical axis of FIG. 4 represents the distance L1 of the leading vehicle with respect to vehicle 10, and the horizontal axis represents the distance L2 of the adjacent vehicle with respect to vehicle 10. Also, the relationship shown in FIG. 4 includes data on the speeds of different vehicles 10.

[0074] Distance L1 and distance L2 are associated with the position where the adjacent vehicle moves from the adjacent lane to the driving lane. The adjacent vehicle moving into the driving lane includes the adjacent vehicle moving in front of vehicle 10 and the adjacent vehicle moving behind vehicle 10.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 4, the relationship with distance L1 and distance L2 is distributed like region R1, region R2, and region R2. Here, the adjacent vehicle moving in front of vehicle 10 was frequently observed in region R2. The adjacent vehicle moving in front of vehicle 10 includes the adjacent vehicle moving in front of the leading vehicle and the adjacent vehicle moving between vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle.

[0076] Therefore, an expression B1(L1, L2, V) representing the boundary line B1 that divides region R1 and region R2, and an expression B2(L1, L2, V) representing the boundary line B2 that divides region R2 and region R3 were obtained using multivariate analysis. Here, V is the speed of vehicle 10. Expression B1(L1, L2, V) and expression B2(L1, L2, V) are stored in memory 22. As the speed of vehicle 10, the average speed of the most recent vehicle 10 may be used.

[0077] As will be described below, the estimation unit 232 estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves into the travel lane in front of the vehicle 10 by using a regression equation having the distance L1, the distance L2, and the speed V of the vehicle 10 as variables.

[0078] The formula B1(L1, L2, V) is represented by the following formula (1).

[0079] B1(L1, L2, V) = a1L1 + b1L2 + c1V + d1 (1)

[0080] Here, a1, b1, c1, and d1 are parameters obtained by multivariate analysis.

[0081] The formula B2(L1, L2, V) is represented by the following formula (2).

[0082] B2(L1, L2, V) = a2L1 + b2L2 + c2V + d2 (2)

[0083] Here, a2, b2, c2, and d2 are parameters obtained by multivariate analysis.

[0084] And when the relationship of the following formula (3) is satisfied, the adjacent vehicle moves in front of the vehicle ahead in the travel lane.

[0085] B1(L1, L2, V) ≥ 0 (3)

[0086] Also, when the relationship of the following formula (4) is satisfied, the adjacent vehicle moves between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle ahead.

[0087] B1(L1, L2, V) < 0 (4)

[0088] When the relationship of the following formula (5) is satisfied, the adjacent vehicle moves behind the vehicle ahead.

[0089] B2(L1, L2, V) ≥ 0 (5)

[0090] Further, when the relationship of the following formula (6) is satisfied, the adjacent vehicle moves between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle ahead.

[0091] B2(L1, L2, V) < 0 (6)

[0092] Therefore, when the relationship of the following formula (7) is satisfied, the adjacent vehicle moves between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle ahead.

[0093] B1(L1, L2, V) < 0 and B2(L1, L2, V) < 0 (7)

[0094] Based on the above formula (7), the estimation unit 232 estimates whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the vehicle 10 in the merging terrain based on the distance L1, the distance L2, and the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0095] Note that a discriminator learned using the measurement results shown in FIG. 4 as teacher data may be used to estimate whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the vehicle 10 in the merging terrain.

[0096] Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, the inter-vehicle distance setting process of the setting unit 233 will be described below. FIG. 5 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the inter-vehicle distance setting process of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the present embodiment. The setting unit 233 executes the inter-vehicle distance setting process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 5 in step S105 described above.

[0097] First, the setting unit 233 obtains the inter-vehicle distance X between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle 10 on the travel lane based on the distances L1, L2, and L3 (step S201). The distance L3 is a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10 and the speed of the vehicle 10 when the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the vehicle 10.

[0098] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the distance of an adjacent vehicle from vehicle 10 and the speed of vehicle 10 when the adjacent vehicle moves into the travel lane in front of vehicle 10. The relationship shown in FIG. 6 was obtained by measuring a number of relationships between the distance of an adjacent vehicle from a vehicle in the travel lane and the speed of the vehicle when the adjacent vehicle moves into the travel lane in front of the vehicle in an actual merging terrain as shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the host vehicle corresponds to vehicle 10, and the adjacent vehicle corresponds to vehicle 80. Also, in FIG. 1, the travel lane corresponds to lane 51, and the adjacent lane corresponds to lane 61.

[0099] In a merging terrain as shown in FIG. 1, the adjacent vehicle moves into the travel lane in front of vehicle 10. At this time, the driver driving vehicle 10 sets the distance of the adjacent vehicle from vehicle 10 on the travel lane so that no large speed change or acceleration change occurs to vehicle 10. Also, at this time, the driver driving vehicle 10 sets the distance of the adjacent vehicle from vehicle 10 on the travel lane so that the distance between vehicle 10 and the adjacent vehicle does not become too large.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 6, the distance of the adjacent vehicle from vehicle 10 shows a relationship proportional to the speed of vehicle 10. In a merging terrain, the driver driving vehicle 10 sets, as the distance of the adjacent vehicle from vehicle 10 on the travel lane, a distance proportional to the speed of vehicle 10. The distance of the adjacent vehicle from vehicle 10 is represented by the product of a predetermined coefficient and the speed of vehicle 10. The distance L3(V) is a function of the speed of vehicle 10.

[0101] The relationship shown in FIG. 6 is stored in the memory 22. The setting unit 233 acquires the relationship shown in FIG. 6 from the memory 22. The setting unit 233 acquires, as the distance L3, the distance of the adjacent vehicle from vehicle 10 corresponding to the current speed of vehicle 10 based on the relationship shown in FIG. 6. As the speed of vehicle 10, the average speed of the most recent vehicle 10 may be used.

[0102] For example, the setting unit 233 may set, as the inter-vehicle distance X, a value obtained by adding the distance L3 to the distance L1 of the preceding vehicle from vehicle 10.

[0103] Further, the setting unit 233 may obtain the inter-vehicle distance X such that an adjacent vehicle is positioned between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle 10.

[0104] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining setting of the inter-vehicle distance. FIG. 7 shows obtaining, as the inter-vehicle distance, X at which the objective function F1(X) indicates a minimum value.

[0105] The objective function F1(X) is represented by the following formula (8).

[0106] F1(X)=G1(X)+G2(X) (8)

[0107] Here, each of G1(X) and G2(X) is represented by the following formulas (9) and (10). L1 is the distance of the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10. L2 is the distance of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10. V is the speed of the vehicle 10. A1 is a predetermined parameter. The distance L3(V) is a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10 when the adjacent vehicle moves to the preceding travel lane in front of the vehicle 10 and the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0108] G1(X)=(X-(L1+L3(V)))^2 (9)

[0109] G1(X) defines that a value obtained by adding the distance L3(V) to the distance L1 of the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle is set as the inter-vehicle distance X.

[0110] G2(X)=exp(A1(X+L2)) (10)

[0111] G2(X) defines that the inter-vehicle distance X is set such that an adjacent vehicle is positioned between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle 10.

[0112] X at which the objective function F1(X) indicates a minimum value is obtained using, for example, the Newton method.

[0113] The first inter-vehicle distance M1 is set such that an adjacent vehicle can move between the leading vehicle and vehicle 10. Also, the first inter-vehicle distance M1 is set so that when the adjacent vehicle moves into the driving lane, vehicle 10 does not experience a large speed change or acceleration change. Therefore, the adjacent vehicle can move safely between vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle.

[0114] Note that the objective function F1(X) may have only G1(X). In this case, the inter-vehicle distance X is a value obtained by adding the distance L3(V) to the distance L1 of the leading vehicle with respect to the vehicle.

[0115] Next, the setting unit 233 acquires a distance L4 determined based on the relationship between the distance of the leading vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 and the speed of vehicle 10 (step S202).

[0116] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance of the leading vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 and the speed of vehicle 10. The relationship shown in FIG. 8 was actually obtained by measuring a number of relationships between the speed of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling behind the leading vehicle and the distance between the leading vehicle and the vehicle on the driving lane.

[0117] The driver driving vehicle 10 sets the distance of the leading vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 on the driving lane so that a large speed change or acceleration change does not occur with respect to vehicle 10. Also, at this time, the driver driving vehicle 10 sets the distance of the leading vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 on the driving lane so that the distance between vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle does not become too large.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 8, the distance of the leading vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 shows a relationship proportional to the speed of vehicle 10. The driver driving vehicle 10 sets the distance proportional to the speed of vehicle 10 as the distance of the leading vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 on the driving lane. The distance of the leading vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 is represented by the product of a predetermined coefficient and the speed of vehicle 10.

[0119] The relationship shown in FIG. 8 is stored in the memory 22. The setting unit 233 acquires the distance L4 based on the speed of the vehicle 10 and the relationship shown in FIG. 8. As the speed of the vehicle 10, the average speed of the vehicle 10 most recently may be used.

[0120] Next, the setting unit 233 determines whether or not the inter-vehicle distance X is less than or equal to the distance L4 (step S203). When the distance to the vehicle ahead of the vehicle 10 is such that the vehicle 10 is farther away than the distance L4, the driver of the vehicle 10 may feel that the vehicle 10 is too far away from the vehicle ahead. Therefore, it is preferable that the first inter-vehicle distance M1 is set to be less than or equal to the distance L4.

[0121] When the inter-vehicle distance X is less than or equal to the distance L4 (step S203-Yes), the setting unit 233 sets the inter-vehicle distance X as the first inter-vehicle distance M1 (step S203), and ends the series of processes.

[0122] On the other hand, when the inter-vehicle distance X is not less than or equal to the distance L4 (step S203-No), the setting unit 233 sets the distance L4 as the first inter-vehicle distance M1 (step S204), and ends the series of processes.

[0123] As described in detail above, according to the inter-vehicle distance setting device of the present embodiment, in a merging terrain, an appropriate inter-vehicle distance can be set between the host vehicle and the vehicle ahead so that an adjacent vehicle can move safely between the host vehicle and the vehicle ahead.

[0124] In the above-described embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance X has been compared with the distance L4. However, the inter-vehicle distance X may be set as the first inter-vehicle distance M1 without comparing it with the distance L4.

[0125] Next, a modified example of the inter-vehicle distance setting device of the present embodiment described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of a modified example of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the first embodiment.

[0126] In FIG. 9, it is different from FIG. 1 in that there is another vehicle 90 traveling behind the vehicle 80 traveling in the lane 61.

[0127] The longer the first inter-vehicle distance M1 is, the easier it is for the vehicle 80 to move between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 70. However, if the first inter-vehicle distance M1 is too long, there is a possibility that the vehicle 90 traveling behind the vehicle 80 will also move between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 70 together with the vehicle 80.

[0128] Therefore, in this modified example, the setting unit 233 sets the first inter-vehicle distance M1 so that the vehicle 90 cannot be positioned between the vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10.

[0129] FIG. 10 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the inter-vehicle distance setting process in a modified example of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the first embodiment. In this modified example, steps S301 and S307 are added to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 5 described above. The processes from step S302 to S306 are the same as the processes from step S201 to S205 described above.

[0130] First, the determination unit 231 determines whether there is another adjacent vehicle traveling behind an adjacent vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane within a predetermined range from the vehicle 10 based on the surrounding environment information of the vehicle 10 (step S301). The surrounding environment information includes object detection information. This predetermined range is a range in which the object detection device 13 can detect other adjacent vehicles based on the camera image or the reflected wave information. When another adjacent vehicle is detected, the object detection information includes the current position of the other adjacent vehicle and information indicating the lane in which the other adjacent vehicle is traveling. The determination unit 231 determines whether there is another adjacent vehicle based on the object detection information and the map information.

[0131] When there is another adjacent vehicle (step S301 - Yes), the setting unit 233 obtains the inter-vehicle distance X between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle 10 on the traveling lane based on the distances L1, L2, L3(V), and L5 (step S307).

[0132] The distance L5 is the distance to another adjacent vehicle traveling behind the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10. The distance L5 is the distance between the position where the other adjacent vehicle is projected with respect to the center line of the travel lane of the vehicle 10 and the position where the vehicle 10 is projected with respect to the center line of the travel lane of the vehicle 10. The distance L5 may be the distance between the rear end of the vehicle 10 and the front end of the other adjacent vehicle. Alternatively, the distance L5 may be the distance between the front end of the vehicle 10 and the rear end of the other adjacent vehicle. The setting unit 233 obtains the distance L5 based on the position of the other adjacent vehicle, the current position of the vehicle 10, and the map information.

[0133] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining setting the inter-vehicle distance. FIG. 11 shows obtaining, as the inter-vehicle distance, X at which the objective function F2(X) shows the minimum value.

[0134] The objective function F2(X) is represented by the following formula (11).

[0135] F1(X)=G1(X)+G2(X)+G3(X) (11)

[0136] Here, each of G1(X) and G2(X) is represented by the above formulas (9) and (10). G3(X) is represented by the following formula (12). A2 is a predetermined parameter.

[0137] G3(X)=exp(-A2(X-L5)) (12)

[0138] X at which the objective function F2(X) shows the minimum value is obtained, for example, using the Newton method. Then, the process proceeds to step S303.

[0139] On the other hand, when there is no other adjacent vehicle (step S301-No), the process proceeds to step S302. The other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

[0140] According to the inter-vehicle distance setting device of this modified example, the first inter-vehicle distance can be set so that another adjacent vehicle traveling behind the adjacent vehicle does not move between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Note that F1(X) may be the sum of G1(X) and G3(X). That is, the setting unit 233 sets the first inter-vehicle distance M1 based on the distance L1, the distance L5, and the speed of the vehicle 10 so that the length between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle 10 is such that another adjacent vehicle cannot be positioned.

[0141] Next, a second embodiment of the inter-vehicle distance setting device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 12 to 14. Regarding points not particularly described in the second embodiment, the descriptions detailed for the above-described first embodiment are appropriately applied as appropriate.

[0142] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, an outline of the operation regarding the vehicle control process of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 according to the second embodiment disclosed in this specification will be described.

[0143] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is traveling on the lane 51 of the road 50 having lanes 51 and 52 in the merging terrain J.

[0144] Based on the information acquired by a sensor such as the camera 2a, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 determines that there is a vehicle 70 traveling on the lane 51 in front of the vehicle 10 within a predetermined range from the vehicle 10.

[0145] Also, based on the information acquired by a sensor such as the camera 2a, the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 determines that there is a vehicle 80 traveling on the lane 61 of the road 60 within a predetermined range from the vehicle 10.

[0146] The inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 estimates that the vehicle 80 will move to the lane 51 in front of the vehicle 10. The inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 sets the second inter-vehicle distance M2 between the vehicle 80 and the vehicle 10 on the lane 51 based on the distance L1 between the vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10 and the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0147] The inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 preferably sets the second inter-vehicle distance M2 so that a large speed change or acceleration change does not occur in the vehicle 10. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so that the second inter-vehicle distance M2 is maintained between the vehicle 80 and the vehicle 10.

[0148] FIG. 12 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the vehicle control process of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 of the present embodiment. With reference to FIG. 12, the vehicle control process of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 will be described below. The inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 executes a vehicle control process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 12 at a vehicle control time having a predetermined period.

[0149] In the operation flowchart of FIG. 12, the processes of steps S401 to S404 are the same as the processes of steps S101 to S104 of FIG. 3 described above.

[0150] In the present embodiment, when it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle moves to the traveling lane in front of the vehicle 10 (step S404-Yes), the setting unit 233 sets the second inter-vehicle distance M2 based on the distance L1 and the speed of the vehicle 10 (step S405), and a series of processes ends. The distance L1 is the distance to the vehicle ahead of the vehicle 10. The second inter-vehicle distance M2 is the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the vehicle 10 on the traveling lane.

[0151] The second inter-vehicle distance M2 is, for example, a distance along the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the second inter-vehicle distance M2 is the distance between the position where the adjacent vehicle is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10 and the position where the vehicle 10 is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10. The second inter-vehicle distance M2 may be the distance between the front end of the vehicle 10 and the rear end of the adjacent vehicle. This setting process will be further described later with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.

[0152] On the other hand, when there is no merging terrain (step S401 - No), when there is no vehicle ahead (step S402 - No), when there is no adjacent vehicle (step S403 - No), or when it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle will not move to the driving lane in front of vehicle 10 (step S404 - No), the series of processes ends.

[0153] The setting unit 233 notifies the driving plan device 15 of the second inter - vehicle distance M2 via the in - vehicle network 18. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so as to maintain the second inter - vehicle distance M2 with respect to the adjacent vehicle before the adjacent vehicle moves into the driving lane. Also, the driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so as to maintain the second inter - vehicle distance M2 with respect to the adjacent vehicle that has moved into the driving lane.

[0154] The second inter - vehicle distance M2 is set such that the adjacent vehicle can move between the vehicle ahead and vehicle 10. Also, the second inter - vehicle distance M2 is set so that vehicle 10 does not have a large speed change or acceleration change when the adjacent vehicle moves into the driving lane. Therefore, the adjacent vehicle can move safely between vehicle 10 and the vehicle ahead.

[0155] In step S403 described above, when it is determined that there are a plurality of adjacent vehicles, the processes of step S404 and step S405 may be performed for each of the plurality of adjacent vehicles. In this case, the setting unit 233 notifies the driving plan device 15 of the second inter - vehicle distance M2 obtained for each of the plurality of adjacent vehicles and the vehicle identification information representing the adjacent vehicle via the in - vehicle network 18. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan using the second inter - vehicle distance M2 corresponding to the adjacent vehicle that has moved immediately in front of vehicle 10. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so as to maintain the second inter - vehicle distance M2 with respect to this adjacent vehicle.

[0156] FIG. 13 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the inter - vehicle distance setting process of the inter - vehicle distance setting device 17 of the present embodiment. The setting unit 233 executes the inter - vehicle distance setting process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 13 in step S405 described above.

[0157] First, the setting unit 233 obtains the inter-vehicle distance X between the preceding vehicle on the driving lane and the vehicle 10 based on the distance L1 and the distance L3(V) (step S501). The distance L1 is the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10.

[0158] As shown in FIG. 6, the setting unit 233 may determine the distance L3 based on the relationship between the distance of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10 when the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the vehicle 10 and the speed of the vehicle 10, and the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0159] The relationship shown in FIG. 6 is stored in the memory 22. The setting unit 233 acquires the relationship shown in FIG. 6 from the memory 22. The setting unit 233 acquires the distance L3(V) of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10 corresponding to the current speed of the vehicle 10 based on the relationship shown in FIG. 6. As the speed of the vehicle 10, the average speed of the most recent vehicle 10 may be used.

[0160] Further, the setting unit 233 may set the inter-vehicle distance X such that an adjacent vehicle is positioned between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle 10.

[0161] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining setting the inter-vehicle distance. FIG. 14 shows obtaining, as the inter-vehicle distance, X at which the objective function F3(X) shows the minimum value. X at which the objective function F3(X) shows the minimum value is obtained, for example, using the Newton method.

[0162] The objective function F3(X) is represented by the following formula (13).

[0163] F3(X)=H1(X)+H2(X) (13)

[0164] Here, each of H1(X) and H2(X) is represented by the following formulas (14) and (15). L1 is the distance to the vehicle ahead with respect to vehicle 10. V is the speed of vehicle 10. B1 is a predetermined parameter. L3 is a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 when the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane ahead of vehicle 10 and the speed of vehicle 10, and the speed of vehicle 10.

[0165] H1(X)=(X - L3(V))^2 (14)

[0166] H1(X) stipulates that the distance L3 is set as the inter-vehicle distance X.

[0167] H2(X)=exp(B1(X + L1)) (15)

[0168] H2(X) stipulates that the inter-vehicle distance X is set such that an adjacent vehicle is positioned between the vehicle ahead and vehicle 10.

[0169] Note that the objective function F3(X) may have only H1(X). In this case, the inter-vehicle distance X is a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 when the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane ahead of vehicle 10 and the speed of vehicle 10, and the speed of vehicle 10.

[0170] Next, the setting unit 233 sets the inter-vehicle distance X as the second inter-vehicle distance M2 (step S502) and ends a series of processes.

[0171] Note that the setting unit 233 may set the second inter-vehicle distance M2 by comparing the inter-vehicle distance X with a distance L4 determined based on the relationship between the distance to the vehicle ahead with respect to vehicle 10 and the speed of vehicle 10, in the same manner as the inter-vehicle distance setting process shown in FIG. 5. Thereby, the setting unit 233 can set the second inter-vehicle distance M2 so that the driver of vehicle 10 does not feel that vehicle 10 is too far away from the adjacent vehicle.

[0172] As described above, the inter-vehicle distance setting device according to the present embodiment can set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and an adjacent vehicle so that the adjacent vehicle can safely move between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle in a merging terrain.

[0173] Next, a modified example of the inter-vehicle distance setting device according to the second embodiment described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9, 15, and 16. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of a modified example of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 according to the second embodiment.

[0174] In FIG. 9, a point different from FIG. 1 is that there is another vehicle 90 traveling behind the vehicle 80 traveling in the lane 61.

[0175] The longer the second inter-vehicle distance M2 is, the easier it is for the vehicle 80 to move to the lane 51 while keeping a distance from the vehicle 10. However, if the second inter-vehicle distance M2 is too long, there is a possibility that the vehicle 90 traveling behind the vehicle 80 may also move to the lane 51 in front of the vehicle 10 together with the vehicle 80.

[0176] Therefore, in this modified example, the setting unit 233 sets the second inter-vehicle distance M2 so that the vehicle 90 cannot be positioned between the vehicle 80 and the vehicle 10.

[0177] FIG. 15 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the inter-vehicle distance setting process in a modified example of the inter-vehicle distance setting device 17 according to the second embodiment. In this modified example, steps S601 and S604 are added to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 13 described above. The processes of steps S602 and S603 are the same as the processes of steps S501 and S502 described above.

[0178] First, based on the surrounding environment information of the vehicle 10, the determination unit 231 determines whether there is another adjacent vehicle traveling behind an adjacent vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane within a predetermined range from the vehicle 10 (step S601). The surrounding environment information includes object detection information. This predetermined range is a range in which the object detection device 13 can detect other adjacent vehicles based on the camera image or the reflected wave information. When another adjacent vehicle is detected, the object detection information includes the current position of the other adjacent vehicle and information representing the lane in which the other adjacent vehicle is traveling. The determination unit 231 determines whether there is another adjacent vehicle based on the object detection information and the map information.

[0179] When there is another adjacent vehicle (step S601 - Yes), the setting unit 233 obtains the inter-vehicle distance X between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle ahead on the traveling lane based on the distances L1, L3, and L5 (step S604).

[0180] The distance L5 is the distance of another adjacent vehicle traveling behind the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10. The distance L5 is the distance between the position where the other adjacent vehicle is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10 and the position where the vehicle 10 is projected with respect to the center line of the traveling lane of the vehicle 10. The distance L5 may be the distance between the rear end of the vehicle 10 and the front end of the other adjacent vehicle. Or, the distance L5 may be the distance between the front end of the vehicle 10 and the rear end of the other adjacent vehicle. The setting unit 233 obtains the distance L5 based on the position of the other adjacent vehicle, the current position of the vehicle 10, and the map information.

[0181] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining setting the inter-vehicle distance. FIG. 16 shows obtaining, as the inter-vehicle distance, X at which the objective function F4(X) shows the minimum value.

[0182] The objective function F4(X) is represented by the following formula (16).

[0183] F4(X)=H1(X)+H2(X)+H3(X) (16)

[0184] Here, each of H1(X) and H2(X) is represented by the above formulas (14) and (15). H3(X) is represented by the following formula (17). B2 is a predetermined parameter.

[0185] H3(X)=exp(-B2(X-L5)) (17)

[0186] X at which the objective function F4(X) shows the minimum value is obtained, for example, using the Newton method. Then, the process proceeds to step S603.

[0187] On the other hand, when there is no other adjacent vehicle (step S601 - No), the process proceeds to step S602. Other processes are the same as those in the above-described second embodiment.

[0188] According to the inter-vehicle distance setting device of this modified example, the second inter-vehicle distance can be set so that another adjacent vehicle traveling behind an adjacent vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane does not move in front of the vehicle. Note that F4(X) may be the sum of H1(X) and H3(X). That is, the setting unit 233 sets the second inter-vehicle distance M2 based on the distance L5 and the speed of the vehicle 10 so that the length between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle 10 is such that no other adjacent vehicle can be located.

[0189] In the present disclosure, the vehicle control device, the vehicle control computer program, and the vehicle control method of the above-described embodiments can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. Further, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to those embodiments, but extends to the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0190] For example, when the distance L1 from the preceding vehicle to the vehicle 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined reference distance Ma, the setting unit 233 may set the first inter-vehicle distance M1, and when the speed of the vehicle 10 exceeds this reference distance Ma, the second inter-vehicle distance M2 may be set.

[0191] FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining another speed determination process of the setting unit 233. In step S105 shown in FIG. 3 described above, the setting unit 233 executes an inter-vehicle distance setting process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 17.

[0192] First, the setting unit 233 determines whether the distance L1 of the vehicle ahead with respect to the vehicle 10 is less than or equal to the reference distance Ma (step S701). As the reference distance Ma, it can be an inter-vehicle distance for determining whether the travel lane is congested.

[0193] When the distance L1 is less than or equal to the reference distance Ma (step S701-Yes), the setting unit 233 sets the first inter-vehicle distance M1 (step S702) and ends a series of processes.

[0194] On the other hand, when the distance L1 exceeds the reference distance Ma (step S701-No), the setting unit 233 sets the second inter-vehicle distance M2 (step S703) and ends a series of processes.

[0195] When the road is congested, the vehicle 10 stops or moves. Therefore, when the road is congested, even if the instantaneous speed of the vehicle 10 can be detected, there is a possibility that the speed of the vehicle 10 cannot be accurately detected in the sense of the speed of the traveling vehicle 10.

[0196] On the other hand, the distance between the vehicle 10 and the vehicle ahead and the distance between the vehicle 10 and the adjacent vehicle can be detected relatively accurately even when the road is congested.

[0197] Therefore, when the distance L1 is less than or equal to the reference distance Ma, it is preferable to set the first inter-vehicle distance M1 for the vehicle ahead with a short distance from the vehicle 10. Thereby, the safety of the adjacent vehicle, the vehicle ahead, and the vehicle 10 is ensured.

[0198] Also, when the road is not congested, the speed of the traveling vehicle 10 can be detected relatively accurately. Setting the second inter-vehicle distance M2 so that the adjacent vehicle can move into the traveling lane leads to ensuring the safety of the adjacent vehicle, the vehicle ahead, and the vehicle 10.

[0199] Therefore, when the distance L1 exceeds the reference distance Ma, it is preferable to set the second inter-vehicle distance M2 so that the adjacent vehicle can move into the traveling lane. Thereby, with respect to the adjacent vehicle attempting to move into the traveling lane, the vehicle 10 can be controlled to maintain the second inter-vehicle distance M2.

[0200] FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining another estimation process of the estimation unit 232. The estimation unit 232 executes an estimation process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 18 in step S104 shown in FIG. 3 described above.

[0201] First, the estimation unit 232 determines whether or not the absolute value of the relative speed of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference speed Vb (step S801). The reference speed Vb is an example of the first reference speed. The estimation unit 232 acquires the speed of the adjacent vehicle based on the object detection information. The estimation unit 232 obtains the absolute value of the difference between the speed of the vehicle 10 and the speed of the adjacent vehicle.

[0202] When the absolute value of the relative speed is equal to or greater than the reference speed Vb (step S801-Yes), the estimation unit 232 estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves into the traveling lane in front of the vehicle 10 in a merging terrain based on the distance L1, the distance L2, and the speed of the vehicle 10 (step S802), and ends a series of processes. The distance L1 is the distance to the vehicle ahead with respect to the vehicle 10. The distance L2 is the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10.

[0203] On the other hand, when the absolute value of the relative speed is less than the reference speed Vb (step S801-No), the estimation unit 232 estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves into the traveling lane in front of the vehicle 10 in a merging terrain based on the distance L1 and the distance L2 (step S803), and ends a series of processes.

[0204] The estimation unit 232 may estimate whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the vehicle 10 by using a regression equation with the distance L1 and the distance L2 as variables. This regression equation can be obtained by measuring the actual data shown in FIG. 4 in a merging terrain.

[0205] Alternatively, based on the distance L1 and the distance L2, it may be estimated whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the vehicle 10 in a merging terrain by using a discriminator that has learned the measurement results as shown in FIG. 4 as teacher data.

[0206] When the absolute value of the relative speed is less than the reference speed Vb, it is estimated that the road is congested. When the road is congested, the vehicle 10 is either stopped or moving. Therefore, even if the instantaneous speed of the vehicle 10 can be detected when the road is congested, there is a possibility that the speed of the vehicle 10 cannot be accurately detected in the sense of the speed representing the driving state of the vehicle 10.

[0207] Therefore, when the absolute value of the relative speed is less than the reference speed Vb, the estimation unit 232 executes the estimation process without using the speed of the vehicle 10. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an incorrect estimation process from being performed.

[0208] On the other hand, when the absolute value of the relative speed is greater than or equal to the reference speed Vb, the speed of the vehicle 10 is also used to execute the estimation process more accurately.

[0209] FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining another estimation process of the estimation unit 232. In step S104 shown in FIG. 3 described above, the estimation unit 232 executes the estimation process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 19.

[0210] First, the estimation unit 232 determines whether or not the speed V of the vehicle 10 is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference speed Vc (step S901). The reference speed Vc is an example of the second reference speed.

[0211] When the speed V of the vehicle 10 is equal to or higher than the reference speed Vc (step S901 - Yes), the estimation unit 232 estimates whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the vehicle 10 in the merging terrain based on the distance L1, the distance L2, and the speed of the vehicle 10 (step S902), and ends a series of processes. The distance L1 is the distance to the vehicle in front with respect to the vehicle 10. The distance L2 is the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10.

[0212] On the other hand, when the speed V of the vehicle 10 is less than the reference speed Vc (step S901 - No), the estimation unit 232 estimates whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the vehicle 10 in the merging terrain based on the distance L1 and the distance L2 (step S903), and ends a series of processes.

[0213] The estimation unit 232 estimates whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the vehicle 10 by using a regression formula with the distance L1 and the distance L2 as variables. This regression formula can be obtained by measuring the actual data shown in FIG. 4 in the merging terrain.

[0214] Also, it is possible to estimate whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the vehicle 10 in the merging terrain based on the distance L1 and the distance L2 by using a discriminator that has learned the measurement results as shown in FIG. 4 as teacher data.

[0215] When the road is congested, the vehicle 10 stops and moves. Therefore, when the lane is congested, even if the instantaneous speed of the vehicle 10 can be detected, there is a possibility that it cannot be accurately detected in the sense of the speed of the moving vehicle 10.

[0216] Therefore, when the speed V of the vehicle 10 is less than the reference speed Vb, the estimation unit 232 executes the estimation process without using the speed of the vehicle 10. Thereby, it is possible to prevent incorrect estimation processing.

[0217] On the other hand, when the speed V of the vehicle 10 is equal to or higher than the reference speed Vb, the speed of the vehicle 10 is also used to execute the estimation process more accurately.

[0218] Appendices are described herein. Appendix 1 Based on map information, a first determination unit that determines whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane on which the host vehicle travels disappears by merging into the driving lane within a first predetermined range from the current position of the host vehicle in the traveling direction; When the first determination unit determines that there is the merging terrain, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, it determines whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in the driving lane in front of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and also determines whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle; a second determination unit When the second determination unit determines that there is the preceding vehicle and there is the adjacent vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, an estimation unit that estimates whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain; When the estimation unit estimates that the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle, it sets a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane, or based on the speed of the host vehicle, it sets a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane; a setting unit A vehicle control device, characterized by comprising: Appendix 2 The vehicle control device according to Appendix 1, wherein the setting unit sets, as the first inter-vehicle distance, a value obtained by adding a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle when the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle to the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. Appendix 3 The vehicle control device according to Appendix 2, wherein the setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance such that the adjacent vehicle is located between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. Appendix 4 The second determination unit determines whether there is another adjacent vehicle traveling behind the adjacent vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane within a fourth predetermined range from the host vehicle, When it is determined by the second determination unit that there is the other adjacent vehicle and it is estimated by the estimation unit that the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle, the setting unit determines, based on the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle, the distance between the host vehicle and the other adjacent vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, the first inter-vehicle distance so that the other adjacent vehicle cannot be positioned between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Appendix 2. Appendix 5 The setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance to be equal to or less than a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Appendix 2. Appendix 6 The estimation unit estimates whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle by using a regression equation with the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle, the distance between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle as variables. The vehicle control device according to Appendix 1. Appendix 7 The setting unit sets, as the second inter-vehicle distance, a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle when the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Appendix 1. Appendix 8 The setting unit sets the second inter-vehicle distance so that the adjacent vehicle is positioned between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Appendix 7. Appendix 9 The second determination unit determines whether there is another adjacent vehicle traveling behind the adjacent vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane within a fifth predetermined range from the host vehicle, When it is determined by the second determination unit that there is the other adjacent vehicle, and it is estimated by the estimation unit that the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle, the setting unit sets the second inter-vehicle distance so that the other adjacent vehicle cannot be positioned between the host vehicle and the vehicle in front based on the distance between the other adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Supplementary Note 7. Supplementary Note 10 When the absolute value of the relative speed of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is greater than or equal to a first reference speed, the estimation unit estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain based on the distance between the vehicle in front and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle. When the absolute value of the relative speed of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is less than the first reference speed, the estimation unit estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain based on the distance between the vehicle in front and the host vehicle and the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Supplementary Note 1. Supplementary Note 11 When the speed of the host vehicle is greater than or equal to a second reference speed, the estimation unit estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain based on the distance between the vehicle in front and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle. When the speed of the host vehicle is less than the second reference speed, the estimation unit estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain based on the distance between the vehicle in front and the host vehicle and the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Supplementary Note 1. Supplementary Note 12 When the distance between the vehicle in front and the host vehicle is less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance, the setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance. When the distance between the vehicle in front and the host vehicle exceeds the predetermined reference distance, the setting unit sets the second inter-vehicle distance. The vehicle control device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 11. Supplementary Note 13 Based on the map information, it is determined whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane on which the host vehicle is traveling disappears by merging with the driving lane within a first predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is the merging terrain, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, it is determined whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling on the driving lane in front of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and it is determined whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is the preceding vehicle and there is the adjacent vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, it is estimated whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain. When it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle, a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane is set, or based on the speed of the host vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane is set. A vehicle control computer program characterized by causing a processor to execute a process including this. Appendix 14 A vehicle control device Based on the map information, it is determined whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane on which the host vehicle is traveling disappears by merging with the driving lane within a first predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is the merging terrain, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, it is determined whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling on the driving lane in front of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and it is determined whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle and there is an adjacent vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, it is estimated whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain. When it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, or based on the speed of the host vehicle, a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle on the travel lane is set, or a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the travel lane is set. A vehicle control method, characterized by including the above.

Explanation of Signs

[0219] 1 Vehicle control system 2a, 2b Cameras 3a, 3b LiDAR sensors 4 Position information receiver 5 Navigation device 6 User interface 6a Display device 7 Vehicle speed sensor 10 Vehicle 11 Map information storage device 12 Position estimation device 13 Object detection device 14 Travel lane planning device 15 Driving plan device 16 Vehicle control device 17 Inter-vehicle distance setting device 21 Communication interface 22 Memory 23 Processor 231 Judgment unit 232 Estimation unit 233 Setting unit 18 In-vehicle network

Claims

1. A first determination unit that determines whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane on which the host vehicle travels disappears by merging into the driving lane within a first predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle based on map information; When it is determined by the first determination unit that there is the merging terrain, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, it is determined whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling on the driving lane in front of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and it is determined whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle. A second determination unit; When it is determined by the second determination unit that there is the preceding vehicle and there is the adjacent vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, an estimation unit that estimates whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain; When it is estimated by the estimation unit that the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle, a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane is set, or based on the speed of the host vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane is set. A setting unit; comprising When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined reference distance, the setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance, and when the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle exceeds the predetermined reference distance, the setting unit sets the second inter-vehicle distance. A vehicle control device characterized by this.

2. The setting unit sets, as the first inter-vehicle distance, a value obtained by adding a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle when the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle to the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

3. The setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance so that the adjacent vehicle is located between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 2.

4. The second determination unit determines whether there is another adjacent vehicle traveling behind the adjacent vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane within a fourth predetermined range from the host vehicle. When it is determined by the second determination unit that there is the other adjacent vehicle, and it is estimated by the estimation unit that the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle, the setting unit, based on the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle, the distance between the host vehicle and the other adjacent vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, sets the first inter-vehicle distance such that the other adjacent vehicle cannot be positioned between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 2.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the setting unit sets the first inter-vehicle distance to be equal to or less than a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle.

6. The estimation unit uses a regression equation having, as variables, the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle, the distance between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, to estimate whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets, as the second inter-vehicle distance, a distance determined based on the relationship between the distance between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle when the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle.

8. When the absolute value of the relative speed of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is equal to or higher than a first reference speed, the estimation unit estimates, based on the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle, the distance between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain. When the absolute value of the relative speed of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is less than the first reference speed, the estimation unit estimates, based on the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle and the distance between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

9. When the speed of the host vehicle is greater than or equal to a second reference speed, the estimation unit estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain based on the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle. When the speed of the host vehicle is less than the second reference speed, the estimation unit estimates whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain based on the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle and the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

10. Based on map information, it is determined whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the travel lane on which the host vehicle travels disappears by merging into the travel lane within a first predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is the merging terrain, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, it is determined whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in the travel lane in front of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and it is determined whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is the preceding vehicle and there is the adjacent vehicle, based on the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, the distance to the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, it is estimated whether or not the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain. When it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel lane in front of the host vehicle, based on the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle, a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle on the travel lane is set, or based on the speed of the host vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the travel lane is set. Causing a processor to execute a process including this. When the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance, the first inter-vehicle distance is set. When the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle exceeds the predetermined reference distance, the second inter-vehicle distance is set. A vehicle control computer program characterized by this.

11. A vehicle control device is Based on the map information, it is determined whether there is a merging terrain where an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane on which the host vehicle travels disappears due to merging into the driving lane within a first predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is such a merging terrain, based on the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle, it is determined whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling on the driving lane in front of the host vehicle within a second predetermined range from the host vehicle, and it is determined whether there is an adjacent vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane within a third predetermined range from the host vehicle. When it is determined that there is the preceding vehicle and there is the adjacent vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle, it is estimated whether the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle in the merging terrain. When it is estimated that the adjacent vehicle moves to the driving lane in front of the host vehicle, based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle, a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane is set, or based on the speed of the host vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle on the driving lane is set. This includes When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined reference distance, the first inter-vehicle distance is set. When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle exceeds the predetermined reference distance, the second inter-vehicle distance is set. A vehicle control method characterized by this.

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