Periphery monitoring device, program, and periphery monitoring method

Abstract

A surroundings monitoring device (30) is to be used on a vehicle (40) that comprises a detection device (21, 22) that detects objects in the surroundings of the vehicle. When the detection device has detected an approaching object that is approaching from behind the vehicle, the surroundings monitoring device performs a contact suppression operation that suppresses contact with the approaching object caused by opening of a side door of the vehicle. The surroundings monitoring device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires contact warning information that indicates a level for the possibility of contact with the approaching object were the side door of the vehicle opened; and a setting unit that, on the basis of the contact warning information, sets an execution area for performing the contact suppression operation in the surroundings of the vehicle.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Application No. 2022-016503, filed on February 4, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical Field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a perimeter monitoring device. 、 program and surrounding area monitoring method Regarding. [Background technology]

[0003] A known example of this type of surroundings monitoring device is one that alerts the driver when a detection device detects an approaching vehicle approaching from behind the vehicle in an adjacent lane next to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-85567 Summary of the Invention

[0005] For example, when a vehicle is stopped and a passenger opens a side door, the detection device may detect an approaching object from behind the vehicle. In this case, the situation when the side door is opened may not be taken into consideration and the passenger may be notified. This may result in an unnecessary notification to the passenger, even though the possibility of contact with the approaching object is low when the side door is opened, which may be annoying to the passenger.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its main object is to provide a periphery monitoring device that can appropriately perform a contact suppression operation against an approaching object. 、 program and surrounding area monitoring method The purpose is to provide

[0007] The present disclosure provides: The present invention is applied to a vehicle equipped with a detection device that detects objects around the vehicle, A surroundings monitoring device that, when an approaching object approaching from behind a vehicle is detected by the detection device, performs a contact prevention operation to prevent contact with the approaching object due to opening of a side door of the vehicle, an acquisition unit that acquires contact warning information that indicates a degree of possibility of contact with the approaching object when the side door of the host vehicle is opened; a setting unit that sets an implementation area in which the contact prevention operation is to be performed around the host vehicle based on the contact warning information; Equipped with.

[0008] When an approaching object approaches from behind the vehicle, there is a risk of contact with the approaching object due to the opening of a side door of the vehicle, and a contact prevention operation is performed to prevent such contact. In this case, the possibility of contact with the approaching vehicle due to the opening of the side door may vary depending on various conditions.

[0009] In the above configuration, contact warning information indicating the degree of possibility of contact with an approaching object when a side door of the host vehicle is opened is acquired, and an implementation area for performing contact prevention operation around the host vehicle is set based on the contact warning information. This allows the contact prevention operation to be performed appropriately according to the degree of possibility of contact between the side door and the approaching object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the perimeter monitoring system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detection area around a host vehicle; [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method for setting a warning area. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method for setting a warning area. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for contact suppression control; [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining the contact suppression control in more detail. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of contact prevention control in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method for setting a warning area in the third embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a time chart for explaining the contact prevention control in more detail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of a periphery monitoring device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. A periphery monitoring system 10 according to this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle and monitors approaching objects from the rear and sides of the vehicle.

[0012] 1, a periphery monitoring system 10 according to the embodiment includes a radar device 21, an imaging device 22, a vehicle speed sensor 23, a steering angle sensor 24, a yaw rate sensor 25, a receiving device 26, an ECU 30, and a controlled device 31. In this embodiment, the radar device 21 corresponds to the detection device, and the ECU 30 corresponds to the periphery monitoring device.

[0013] The radar device 21 is, for example, a known millimeter-wave radar that transmits high-frequency signals in the millimeter wave band. The radar device 21 is installed, for example, at the rear end of the vehicle, and defines an area within a predetermined detection angle as a detection range in which objects can be detected, and detects the position of an object within the detection range. Specifically, the radar device 21 transmits search waves at a predetermined cycle and receives reflected waves using multiple antennas. The radar device 21 calculates the distance to the object based on the transmission time of the search waves and the reception time of the reflected waves. The radar device 21 also calculates the relative speed of the object based on the frequency of the reflected waves reflected by the object, which is changed due to the Doppler effect. In addition, the radar device 21 calculates the direction of the object based on the phase difference between the reflected waves received by the multiple antennas. The radar device 21 outputs detection data, such as the distance to the object, the relative speed, and the direction of the object, to the ECU 30.

[0014] 2, the radar devices 21 are installed at one location on the left and one location on the rear end of the vehicle 40, and detect objects behind and to the rear sides of the vehicle 40. The radar device 21L installed at the left rear end of the vehicle 40 detects objects in a detection area 70L. The radar device 21R installed at the right rear end of the vehicle 40 detects objects in a detection area 70R.

[0015] The imaging device 22 may be, for example, a monocular camera such as a CCD camera, a CMOS image sensor, or a near-infrared camera, or may be a stereo camera. Only one imaging device 22 may be installed on the host vehicle, or multiple imaging devices 22 may be installed. The imaging device 22 is attached, for example, at a predetermined height in the center of the vehicle width direction, and captures an image of an area extending within a predetermined angular range toward the rear of the host vehicle from a bird's-eye view. The imaging device 22 sequentially outputs the captured images to the ECU 30.

[0016] The vehicle speed sensor 23 is a sensor that detects the traveling speed of the host vehicle 40 and outputs a traveling speed signal corresponding to the traveling speed of the host vehicle 40 to the ECU 30. The steering angle sensor 24 is a sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel and outputs a steering angle signal corresponding to a change in the steering angle to the ECU 30. The yaw rate sensor 25 is a sensor that detects the turning angular velocity of the host vehicle 40 and outputs a yaw rate signal corresponding to the turning angular velocity of the host vehicle 40 to the ECU 30.

[0017] The receiver 26 is a receiver of a positioning signal from a satellite positioning system, such as a GPS receiver. The receiver 26 receives a positioning signal corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 40 and outputs the received positioning signal to the ECU 30.

[0018] The functions provided by the ECU 30 can be provided by software recorded in a physical memory device and a computer executing the software, by software alone, by hardware alone, or a combination thereof. For example, when the ECU 30 is provided by hardware electronic circuits, the functions can be provided by digital circuits including a large number of logic circuits or analog circuits. For example, the ECU 30 executes programs stored in a non-transitory tangible storage medium serving as a storage unit included in the ECU 30. The programs include programs for each arithmetic process described below. Execution of the programs results in the execution of a method corresponding to the programs. The storage unit is, for example, a non-volatile memory. The programs stored in the storage unit can be updated, for example, via a network such as the Internet.

[0019] When an approaching object approaches from behind the vehicle 40, the ECU 30 performs a contact prevention operation to prevent contact with the approaching object due to the opening of a side door of the vehicle 40, depending on whether a predetermined implementation condition is met. In this embodiment, the implementation condition for the contact prevention operation is met when an approaching object is present within a warning area set on the rear side of the vehicle 40 and the collision prediction time TTC (Time to Collision) for the approaching object is below a predetermined threshold. Approaching objects include vehicles such as four-wheeled automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles, as well as pedestrians.

[0020] Specifically, the ECU 30 sets an alert area to the rear and both left and right sides of the host vehicle 40, at least partially overlapping with the detection areas 70 (70L, 70R) of each radar device 21 (21L, 21R), and determines whether an approaching object detected by the radar device 21 is present within the alert area. The ECU 30 also calculates a collision prediction time TTC based on the relative distance and relative speed between the approaching object and the host vehicle 40, and determines whether the TTC of the approaching object is below a predetermined threshold. If the approaching object is present within the alert area and the collision prediction time TTC is below the predetermined threshold, the ECU 30 performs an approach suppression operation to suppress contact with the approaching object.

[0021] In this embodiment, the controlled device 31 includes an alarm device 32, a door lock device 33, a brake device 34, and a steering device 35. The alarm device 32 is a device that issues an alarm to occupants of the host vehicle 40, and is, for example, a device that issues an auditory alert such as a speaker or buzzer installed in the vehicle cabin, or a device that issues a visual alert such as a display or a warning light. For example, the alarm device 32 issues an alert to occupants of the host vehicle 40 by emitting an alarm sound, turning on an indicator provided on a door mirror or an instrument panel, or notifying the lock state of the vehicle doors. In this embodiment, the alarm issued by the alarm device 32 corresponds to a contact suppression operation.

[0022] The door lock device 33 is a device that locks the doors so that they cannot be opened from inside the vehicle, and door locking operation restricts getting out of the vehicle 40. The brake device 34 is a device that brakes the vehicle 40 by operating a hydraulic actuator or the like. The steering device 35 is a device that steers the vehicle 40 by operating a steering motor or the like.

[0023] In this embodiment, an alarm is issued as a contact prevention operation for each side door provided on the vehicle 40. Specifically, the ECU 30 notifies the driver of which side door is likely to be contacted when opened by the alarm device 32 using a voice or an indicator display.

[0024] However, an in-vehicle alert may be issued to occupants without considering the situation when a side door is opened in the vehicle 40. In this case, even though the possibility of contact with an approaching object is low when the side door is opened, an unnecessary in-vehicle alert may be issued to occupants, which may be annoying to the occupants.

[0025] Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to properly issue an in-vehicle alert to occupants of the host vehicle 40, contact alert information indicating the degree of possibility of contact with an approaching object when a side door of the host vehicle 40 is opened is acquired, and a warning area (implementation area) in which a contact suppression operation is performed is set around the host vehicle 40 based on the contact alert information. Also, if the host vehicle 40 has multiple side doors in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, contact alert information for each door is acquired, and a warning area is set for each door based on the contact alert information for each door. The configuration for setting the warning area around the host vehicle 40 will be described in detail below.

[0026] First, an overview of a method for setting a warning area will be explained using Figures 3 and 4. Note that the warning area in which contact suppression operation is performed around the host vehicle 40 can be set on both the left and right sides of the host vehicle 40, but here we will explain a warning area set on the right side of the host vehicle 40. In Figure 3, another vehicle 50 is the approaching object, and in Figure 4, a person 51 is the approaching object, but these approaching objects are arbitrary.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle 40 has side doors, a front door 41 and a rear door 42. The front door 41 is a swing door that rotates around the front end of the door, and the rear door 42 is a slide door that can slide in the front-rear direction along the side of the vehicle body. Fig. 3 shows the doors 41, 42 in an open state. When the doors 41, 42 are open, the protrusion width W1 of the front door 41 toward the side of the vehicle, and the protrusion width W2 of the rear door 42 toward the side of the vehicle are smaller than the protrusion width W1 of the front door 41 toward the side of the vehicle (W1>W2).

[0028] Here, when another vehicle 50 approaches the host vehicle 40 from behind, the possibility that the other vehicle 50 will come into contact with each of the doors 41, 42 in an open state is considered to differ for each of the doors 41, 42. That is, the front door 41, which is a swing door, has a large protrusion width W1, so the possibility of contact with the other vehicle 50 is relatively high, while the rear door 42, which is a sliding door, has a small protrusion width W2, so the possibility of contact with the other vehicle 50 is relatively low. For this reason, in this embodiment, a security area is set for each door according to the difference in the protrusion width of each door 41, 42 in an open state.

[0029] That is, the ECU 30 acquires, as the contact warning information, protrusion width information relating to the protrusion width to the side of the host vehicle when each door 41, 42 is opened, and sets the width of the host vehicle in the vehicle width direction in the warning area based on the protrusion width information. In this case, as shown in Fig. 3, a warning area RA having a width WA is set for the front door 41, and a warning area RB having a width WB is set for the rear door 42 (WA>WB). Note that the protrusion width information relating to the protrusion width of each door 41, 42 may be the protrusion widths W1, W2 of each door 41, 42, or may be information indicating the door type (swing type or sliding type) of each door 41, 42.

[0030] Furthermore, the ECU 30 acquires position information of each door 41, 42 in the vehicle length direction of the host vehicle 40 as contact warning information, and sets the front end position of each warning area RA, RB in the vehicle length direction based on that position information. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the front end position of the warning area RA on the front door 41 side is FA, and the front end position of the warning area RB on the rear door 42 side is FB. The rear end positions of the warning areas RA, RB should be the same. Each warning area RA, RB is set in a strip shape that follows the shape of the road, and for example, the length of the warning area RA in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction should be approximately 70 m. Note that FIG. 3 shows an example in which the road around the host vehicle 40 is a straight road and each warning area RA, RB is set in a rectangular strip shape.

[0031] As described above, the vehicle 40 is provided with left and right radar devices 21L, 21R at the rear end of the vehicle 40, and detection areas 70L, 70R are defined for each radar device 21L, 21R (see FIG. 2). In this case, it is conceivable that non-detection areas in which object detection by the radar devices 21L, 21R is impossible are included on the sides of each door 41, 42 within each of the surveillance areas RA, RB, and there is a concern that if an approaching object moves from the detection area of ​​the radar devices 21L, 21R to the non-detection area within the surveillance areas RA, RB, contact suppression operations such as issuing an alarm may be stopped even though the approaching object is present within the surveillance areas RA, RB.

[0032] Therefore, in this embodiment, in the surveillance areas RA, RB, there are non-detection areas on the sides of the side doors where object detection is not performed by the radar devices 21L, 21R, and when an approaching object detected by the radar devices 21L, 21R in the surveillance areas RA, RB moves into the non-detection area, the contact prevention operation is continued in the non-detection area. Specifically, when an approaching object moves from the radar detection area to the non-detection area in the surveillance areas RA, RB, an extension time for continuing the contact prevention operation is set, and the contact prevention operation is continued for a period until the extension time has elapsed.

[0033] 4 shows the alert area RB on the rear door 42 side and the detection area 70R of the right radar device 21R, and the alert area RB includes a non-detection area where object detection by the radar device 21R is impossible. In this state, assume that a person 51, which is an approaching object, passes by on the right side of the vehicle 40. Note that FIG. 4 shows a state in which the presence range of the person 51 is recognized as a rectangular area.

[0034] The person 51 approaches the vehicle 40 from behind and enters the alert area RB. In this case, when the radar device 21R detects the person 51 in the alert area RB, a warning is issued to the occupants as a contact prevention operation. When the person 51 subsequently moves to the side of the vehicle 40, the state in which the person 51 is detected by the radar device 21R in the alert area RB changes to a non-detection state. At this time, even if the person 51 is in the non-detection area, the contact prevention operation continues until the person 51 completely leaves the alert area RB.

[0035] When the person 51 moves to position A1 on the side of the host vehicle 40, the person 51 enters a radar non-detection state. When the person 51 then moves to position A2 in the figure, the person 51 passes outside the surveillance area RB. In this case, the distance D1 from when the person 51 enters the radar non-detection state until the person 51 passes outside the surveillance area RB is the distance from the boundary position between radar detection and non-detection to the front end position FB of the surveillance area RB. The time from when the person 51 enters the radar non-detection state until the person 51 passes outside the surveillance area RB can be calculated from the distance D1 and the moving speed of the person 51, and the contact prevention operation is continued based on that time. The contact prevention operation of the rear door 42 is stopped when the person 51 moves to position A2.

[0036] The contact prevention operation of the front door 41 is performed for a longer time than the contact prevention operation of the rear door 42. In other words, the contact prevention operation of the front door 41 continues even after the person 51 has moved to position A2, and is stopped when the person 51 has moved to position A3.

[0037] 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the contact prevention control, and this process is executed at a predetermined cycle by the ECU 30. Note that this process is executed equally on the left and right sides of the host vehicle 40, but for convenience, the contact prevention operation on the right side of the host vehicle 40 will be described, similar to FIGS.

[0038] In step S11, side door protrusion width information and door position information are acquired as contact warning information. In step S12, warning areas RA and RB are set based on the side door protrusion width information and door position information. At this time, the warning areas RA and RB are set for each door 41 and 42 based on, for example, the front and rear door positions on the sides of the vehicle 40 and door form information (swing type / slide type information) (see FIG. 3).

[0039] In step S13, it is determined whether an approaching object has moved from the radar detection area to the non-detection area within the warning areas RA and RB, and the implementation of the contact prevention operation has been extended due to this movement. Specifically, it is determined whether the value of an extension counter C, which will be described later, is greater than 0 and the object detection flag F is off. The object detection flag F is initially off and is turned on when an object is detected by the radar devices 21L and 21R within the warning areas RA and RB. If the extension counter C is 0 or the object detection flag F is on, the process proceeds to step S14 if a negative judgment is made in step S13. If a positive judgment is made in step S13, the process proceeds to step S28.

[0040] In step S14, it is determined whether or not the object detection flag F is on. If the object detection flag F is off, the process proceeds to step S15, and if the object detection flag F is on, the process proceeds to step S25.

[0041] In step S15, it is determined whether or not an object has been detected by the radar devices 21L, 21R within the surveillance areas RA, RB. At this time, the widths of the surveillance areas RA, RB may differ between the front and rear doors 41, 42, so it is preferable to determine whether or not an object has been detected for each surveillance area RA, RB of each door 41, 42. If an object has not been detected within the surveillance areas RA, RB, the process proceeds to step S16, and if an object has been detected within the surveillance areas RA, RB, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0042] In step S16, the object detection flag F is turned off, and in the following step S17, the alarm suppression operation is performed so that no alarm is issued, and then the process is temporarily terminated.

[0043] In step S18, the object detection flag F is turned on. In step S19, a collision prediction time TTC is calculated based on the relative distance and relative speed between the approaching object and the host vehicle 40, and in the following step S20, it is determined whether the collision prediction time TTC is below a threshold value TH. If the collision prediction time TTC is below the threshold value TH, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0044] Here, the time to collision (TTC) for collision prediction is determined based on the rear end of the host vehicle 40, and is calculated as the time until the approaching object reaches the rear end of the host vehicle 40 in the longitudinal direction of the host vehicle 40. Also, the time until the approaching object reaches the front door 41 and the time until the approaching object reaches the rear door 42 are different. Therefore, as threshold values TH, a first threshold value TH1 for the front door 41 and a second threshold value TH2 for the rear door 42 are determined, and collision determination based on the TTC is performed for each of the doors 41 and 42. When considering an approaching object approaching from behind, since the rear door 42 is closer than the front door 41, it is preferable that TH2 > TH1. In this case, when TTC < TH1, an alarm for the front door 41 is implemented, and when TTC < TH2, an alarm for the rear door 42 is implemented.

[0045] Note that, instead of calculating the TTC based on the rear end of the host vehicle 40, it is also possible to calculate the TTC based on the mounting position of the radar device 21 in the host vehicle 40.

[0046] In step S21, as information on the approaching object, the distance D1 from the radar detection / non-detection boundary position to the front end position of the warning area in the moving direction of the approaching object, that is, the distance until the approaching object goes outside the warning area, is calculated. At this time, when the warning areas RA and RB are set as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the distance D1 is calculated for each of the warning areas RA and RB.

[0047] In step S22, as information on the approaching object, the moving speed of the approaching object is acquired. At this time, the moving speed of the approaching object may be calculated based on the detection results of the radar device 21 or the imaging device 22, or the type of the approaching object may be determined based on a camera image or the like, and a prescribed speed determined for each type may be set as the moving speed of the approaching object.

[0048] In step S23, an extension time for extending the implementation of the contact prevention operation is calculated based on the distance D1 and the movement speed of the approaching object, and the extension time is set in an extension counter C, which is a decrement counter. At this time, an extension time for the front door 41 and an extension time for the rear door 42 are determined taking into account the difference in distance D1 between the front door 41 and the rear door 42. These extension times are then set in an extension counter C1 for the front door 41 and an extension counter C2 for the rear door 42, respectively. It is also possible to set the extension time for the contact prevention operation to a fixed time regardless of the movement speed of the approaching object. Then, the process proceeds to step S24, where an alarm is issued.

[0049] On the other hand, if the object detection flag F is on and the result of step S14 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S25, where it is determined whether or not an approaching object has moved from a radar detection area to a non-detection area within each of the alert areas RA and RB. For example, in Fig. 4, if a person 51 as an approaching object has moved from a radar detection area to a non-detection area within the alert area RB, the result of step S25 is affirmative.

[0050] In step S26, the object detection flag F is turned off. In step S27, it is determined whether the value of the extension counter C is greater than 0. If the value of the extension counter C is greater than 0, the process proceeds to step S24, and if the value of the extension counter C is 0, the process proceeds to step S17.

[0051] If the result of step S13 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the extension counter C is decremented, and the process proceeds to step S24. Thereafter, the decrement process of the extension counter C is repeatedly performed, and when the extension counter C reaches 0, the result of step S13 is negative, and the process proceeds to step S17 via steps S14 to S16, where the contact prevention operation is stopped. At this time, the alarm for the front door 41 and the alarm for the rear door 42 are controlled individually.

[0052] 6 is a time chart for explaining the contact prevention control in more detail, assuming a situation in which the host vehicle 40 is stopped and an approaching object passes beside it.

[0053] 6, at time t1, the radar device 21 detects an approaching object within the alert areas RA and RB, and upon detection of the approaching object, the object detection flag F is switched from OFF to ON. At this point, the extension counter C is 0.

[0054] Thereafter, the collision prediction time TTC gradually decreases as the approaching object moves from the rear to the front of the host vehicle 40. At time t2, the collision prediction time TTC reaches the second threshold value TH2 for the rear door 42, so that an alarm for the rear door 42 is issued and an extension counter C2 for the rear door 42 is set. At time t3, the collision prediction time TTC reaches the first threshold value TH1 for the front door 41, so that an alarm for the front door 41 is issued and an extension counter C1 for the front door 41 is set.

[0055] At time t4, the approaching object reaches the rear end position of the host vehicle 40, and the collision prediction time TTC becomes zero.

[0056] After that, at time t5, as the approaching object moves from the radar detection area to the non-detection area in each of the warning areas RA and RB, the object detection flag F is switched off. Also, after time t5, the values ​​of the counters C1 and C2 are gradually decremented.

[0057] After time t5, the contact prevention operation continues to be performed for approaching objects present in the alert areas RA and RB, even if detection by the radar device 21 has stopped. In this case, the extension time for the contact prevention operation is set based on the movement speed of the approaching object, so the contact prevention operation continues while taking into account the time required for the approaching object to pass through.

[0058] Thereafter, at time t6, the extension counter C2 for the rear door 42 becomes 0, and the alarm for the rear door 42 is stopped. In this case, even if the rear door 42 is opened, a situation arises in which the rear door 42 will not come into contact with an approaching object, and the alarm for the rear door 42 is immediately stopped. Also, at time t7, the extension counter C1 for the front door 41 becomes 0, and the alarm for the front door 41 is stopped. In this case, even if the front door 41 is opened, a situation arises in which the front door 41 will not come into contact with an approaching object, and the alarm for the front door 41 is immediately stopped.

[0059] According to the present embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

[0060] Contact warning information indicating the degree of possibility of contact with an approaching object when a side door of the host vehicle 40 is opened is acquired, and based on the contact warning information, warning areas RA, RB (implementation areas) in which contact prevention operation is performed are set around the host vehicle 40. This makes it possible to appropriately perform contact prevention operation according to the degree of possibility of contact between the side door and an approaching object.

[0061] The system acquires protrusion width information about the width of the vehicle's lateral protrusion, and sets the widths WA and WB of the warning areas RA and RB based on that protrusion width information. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary contact suppression operations from being performed on the side doors, which have a short protrusion width and therefore a low possibility of contact with an approaching object.

[0062] Position information of the side doors in the vehicle length direction of the vehicle 40 (i.e., position information of each door 41, 42) is acquired, and front end positions FA, FB in the vehicle length direction of the warning areas RA, RB are set based on that position information. This makes it possible to set appropriate warning areas RA, RB for each door 41, 42 according to the possibility of contact with an approaching object. Therefore, contact suppression operation can be performed appropriately.

[0063] In the alert areas RA and RB, when a non-detection area in which object detection by the radar device 21 is not performed is included to the side of the side door for which position information has been acquired, and when an approaching object detected by the radar device 21 in the alert areas RA and RB moves into the non-detection area, the contact suppression operation is continued in the non-detection area. In this case, in a situation in which the contact suppression operation is being performed because an approaching object has entered each alert area RA and RB from behind the vehicle 40, it is possible to prevent the contact suppression operation from being stopped even though the approaching object is present to the side of the side door.

[0064] When an approaching object detected by the radar device 21 within the alert areas RA and RB moves into a non-detection area, an extension time for continuing the contact prevention operation is set, and the contact prevention operation is continued for a period until the extension time has elapsed. In this case, the movement speed of the approaching object is particularly acquired, and the extension time is set based on the movement speed. This makes it possible to properly grasp the period from when the approaching object becomes undetected within the alert areas RA and RB until it leaves the alert areas RA and RB, and to properly implement the contact prevention operation.

[0065] The warning areas RA and RB are set for each of the doors 41 and 42 based on the contact warning information for each of the doors 41 and 42. This allows the vehicle 40 to appropriately perform contact suppression operations while taking into consideration that the possibility of contact with an approaching object differs for each of the doors 41 and 42.

[0066] (Second embodiment) The second embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0067] In this embodiment, the presence or absence of an occupant's intention to dismount is determined in the host vehicle 40, and if it is determined that there is intention information, the implementation of the contact prevention operation is changed. Furthermore, as the contact prevention operation, if the approaching object is in a first approach state with respect to the host vehicle 40, a warning is issued to the occupant of the host vehicle 40, and if the approaching object is in a second approach state that is closer to the host vehicle 40 than the first approach state, the doors of the host vehicle 40 are locked. Furthermore, if it is determined that the occupant intends to dismount while the approaching object is in the first approach state, a warning is issued to the approaching object in addition to the warning to the occupant.

[0068] The first approach state is a state in which the predicted time to collision TTC of the approaching object falls below a first threshold value TH11, and in this case, a warning is issued by the door indicator serving as the warning device 32, and a first extension counter C11 is set. The second approach state is a state in which the predicted time to collision TTC of the approaching object falls below a second threshold value TH12 that is smaller than the first threshold value TH11, and in this case, the door is locked by the door lock device 33, and a second extension counter C12 is set. A specific configuration thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 7. Note that FIG. 7 is a partial modification of the process of FIG. 5 described above, in which steps S20 and S21 are replaced with steps S31 to S36.

[0069] In Fig. 7, after calculating the collision prediction time TTC in step S19, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, it is determined whether the collision prediction time TTC is below the second threshold value TH12. If the collision prediction time TTC is below the second threshold value TH12, the process proceeds to step S32, where a second extension counter C12 is set. In step S33, the door is locked by the door lock device 33 as a contact prevention operation.

[0070] In step S34, it is determined whether the collision prediction time TTC is less than the first threshold value TH11. If the collision prediction time TTC is less than the first threshold value TH11, the process proceeds to step S35, where a first extension counter C11 is set. When the collision prediction time TTC gradually decreases due to the movement of an approaching object, step S34 is first determined as YES, and then step S31 is determined as YES.

[0071] In step S36, it is determined whether or not the occupant of the host vehicle 40 intends to exit the vehicle. For example, whether or not the occupant intends to exit the vehicle may be determined based on whether or not the side door is opened. If the occupant does not intend to exit the vehicle, the process proceeds to step S37, where a door indicator is used to warn the occupant as a contact prevention operation. If the occupant intends to exit the vehicle, the process proceeds to step S38, where a door indicator is used to warn the occupant and a courtesy lamp is turned on to notify an approaching object as a contact prevention operation. The courtesy lamp is a device provided below the side door of the host vehicle 40 that displays notification information on the road surface. By turning on the courtesy lamp, an approaching object is notified that the side door of the host vehicle 40 has been opened. The courtesy lamp may be flashed to emphasize the notification to the approaching object. In other words, in steps S36 to S38, the implementation of the contact prevention operation is changed based on the occupant's intention to exit the vehicle.

[0072] According to steps S36 to S38, when a side door is opened while an alarm is activated in response to the detection of an approaching object, an alarm is issued not only to the occupants of the vehicle 40 but also to the approaching object, allowing for more appropriate contact prevention operation. In other words, if the occupants intend to get out of the vehicle, it is necessary to alert the approaching object to prevent contact, and by changing the implementation of the contact prevention operation, it is possible to perform appropriate contact prevention operation.

[0073] Furthermore, even if an alarm is issued to the occupants of the vehicle 40, it is possible that the occupants may open the door if there is still a margin of safety before contact with an approaching object (i.e., a state before the door is locked). However, by issuing a warning to the approaching object, safety can be increased when the door of the vehicle 40 is opened.

[0074] The system may be configured to determine whether the passenger intends to exit the vehicle based on contact with the door handle of a side door. Alternatively, if the passenger intends to exit the vehicle, the system may be configured to warn the passenger of an approaching object using a light-emitting device provided in the door mirror or by sound.

[0075] (Third embodiment) The third embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the processing when continuing the contact prevention operation is changed.

[0076] In this embodiment, in the processing of step S25 in Fig. 5, when an approaching object reaches a rear end line LE defined by the rear end position of the host vehicle 40 within the warning areas RA and RB, the approaching object is considered to have moved from the radar detection area to the non-detection area. The rear end line LE is a straight line extending in the vehicle width direction from the rear end position of the host vehicle 40, and is the position where the collision prediction time TTC for the approaching object becomes 0. Below, the processing when continuing the contact prevention operation will be described in detail using Fig. 8.

[0077] 8, similar to the situation in FIG. 4, a situation is assumed in which a person 51 passes on the right side of the vehicle 40. When the person 51 moves to position A11 in the figure, the front end position of the presence range of the person 51 reaches the rear end line LE of the vehicle 40. When the person 51 then moves to position A12 in the figure, the person 51 passes outside the alert area RB.

[0078] In this embodiment, the contact prevention operation is continued from the time when the front end position of the presence range of the person 51 reaches the rear end line LE of the host vehicle 40 until the rear end position of the presence range of the person 51 reaches the front end position FB of the warning area RB. In this case, the time for which the contact prevention operation is continued can be calculated from the distance D2 and the movement speed of the person 51. Here, the distance D2 is the total distance from the rear end position FC of the host vehicle 40 to the front end position FB of the warning area RB and the width of the person 51 in the vehicle length direction. The width of the person 51 in the vehicle length direction may be a value calculated based on the presence range of the person 51.

[0079] 8 shows an example in which person 51, an approaching object, passes on the right side of vehicle 40, but the approaching object may be a four-wheeled vehicle, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc., in addition to person 51. In this case, the type of approaching object may be determined, and a set value determined for each type may be used as the width of the approaching object in the vehicle length direction.

[0080] 9 is a time chart for explaining the contact prevention control in more detail, assuming a situation similar to that shown in FIG.

[0081] In Figure 9, the processing from time t1 to before time t4 is the same as that in Figure 6. At time t4, the front end position of the presence range of the approaching object reaches the rear end line LE of the vehicle 40, and the collision prediction time TTC becomes 0. As a result, the object detection flag F is switched off. Furthermore, after time t4, the values ​​of the counters C1 and C2 are gradually decremented. Thereafter, at time t5, the extension counter C2 for the rear door 42 becomes 0, and the alarm for the rear door 42 is stopped. Furthermore, at time t6, the extension counter C1 for the front door 41 becomes 0, and the alarm for the front door 41 is stopped.

[0082] According to this embodiment, when an approaching object reaches the rear end line LE of the host vehicle 40 within the warning areas RA and RB, it is determined that the approaching object will move from the radar detection area to the non-detection area. This makes it possible to determine that the approaching object will move from the radar detection area to the non-detection area at the time when the approaching object is present within the radar detection area. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately perform the continuation process of the contact suppression operation than when it is determined that the approaching object has actually moved from the radar detection area to the non-detection area.

[0083] When performing object detection using the radar device 21, there is a concern that detecting the rear end position of an object's presence range may result in lower reliability of object detection compared to detecting the front end position of the object. Therefore, the system is configured to execute continuation processing of the contact prevention operation when the front end position of the front and rear end positions of the person 51's presence range reaches the rear end line LE of the host vehicle 40. This increases the reliability of object detection compared to when detecting the rear end position of the person 51's presence range, while also making it possible to determine that an approaching object is moving from the radar detection range to the non-detection range. As a result, continuation processing of the contact prevention operation can be executed accurately.

[0084] In this embodiment, the time for which the contact prevention operation is continued can also be the time from when the rear end position of the presence range of person 51 reaches the rear end line LE of the host vehicle 40 until the rear end position of the presence range of person 51 reaches the front end position FB of the warning area RB. In this case, the time for which the contact prevention operation is continued can be calculated from the distance from the rear end position FC of the host vehicle 40 to the front end position FB of the warning area RB and the movement speed of person 51.

[0085] (Other embodiments) The above embodiment may be modified as follows, for example.

[0086] Visibility information relating to the visibility of the side door from an approaching object may be acquired as contact alert information, and a warning area may be set based on the visibility information.

[0087] In step S11 of Fig. 5, ECU 30 acquires weather information as visibility information in addition to side door protrusion width information and door position information. Furthermore, in step S12, ECU 30 sets alert areas RA and RB based on the side door protrusion width information, door position information, and weather information. In bad weather, such as rain, snow, strong wind, or fog, the visibility of the side doors from approaching objects decreases compared to fair weather. Therefore, in bad weather, the extent (width and length) of alert areas RA and RB is increased compared to fair weather.

[0088] In step S11 of Fig. 5, ECU 30 acquires information on the time period of a day as visibility information in addition to the side door protrusion width information and door position information. At this time, the acquired time period information indicates which time period is currently in one of multiple time periods of the day. In addition, in step S12, alert areas RA and RB are set based on the side door protrusion width information, door position information, and time period information. During times when it is dark outside, such as after sunset, the visibility of the side doors from approaching objects becomes worse compared to times when it is bright outside. Therefore, during times when it is dark outside, the extent (width and length) of the alert areas RA and RB is made larger compared to times when it is bright outside.

[0089] The alert area may be set depending on the occupants of the vehicle 40. Specifically, the ECU 30 determines whether the occupants of the vehicle 40 are predetermined occupants (e.g., children or elderly people) who are assumed to be less safe when getting in and out of the vehicle, and if the occupants are predetermined occupants, the ECU 30 increases the size (width and length) of the alert area compared to when the occupants are not predetermined occupants. The occupants may be determined, for example, based on communication information from a portable device carried by each occupant, based on images from an in-vehicle camera, or based on information input by the user.

[0090] Furthermore, if a child seat is installed in the vehicle 40, it is also possible to make the security area for the boarding door in which the child seat is installed larger than that for other doors.

[0091] · In the above embodiment, in step S20 of FIG. 5, the relationship between the first threshold value TH1 for the front door 41 and the second threshold value TH2 for the rear door 42 is set as TH2 > TH1, but this may be changed. Specifically, TH1 = TH2 may be used. In this case, when TTC < TH1 = TH2, the alarm for the front door 41 is implemented and the alarm for the rear door 42 is implemented.

[0092] · In the above embodiment, in step S23 of FIG. 5, the extension counter C1 for the front door 41 and the extension counter C2 for the rear door 42 are respectively determined, but this may be changed. Specifically, a common extension counter may be determined for the front door 41 and the rear door 42. In this case, when the common extension counter for the front door 41 and the rear door 42 becomes 0, the alarm for the front door 41 is stopped and the alarm for the rear door 42 is stopped.

[0093] · In the above embodiment, as a contact suppression operation for an approaching vehicle from behind the host vehicle, an alarm is performed by the alarm device 32, but this may be changed. For example, as the contact suppression operation, a configuration may be adopted in which any one of door locking by the door lock device 33, braking of the host vehicle 40 by the brake device 34, and steering of the host vehicle 40 by the steering device 35 is performed.

[0094] · It is also possible to obtain contact warning information not only when the host vehicle 40 is stopped but also when the host vehicle 40 is running, and based on the contact warning information, set an implementation area for performing a contact suppression operation around the host vehicle 40.

[0095] The host vehicle 40 may be configured to determine whether or not there is an occupant in each seat in the vehicle interior, and issue a warning or other contact prevention operation depending on the occupant's seating position. For example, the occupant's seating position may be determined using a weight sensor or an interior camera provided for each seat in the vehicle interior. Specifically, when there is an occupant only in the driver's seat of the host vehicle 40, the ECU 30 issues a warning or other contact prevention operation only for the driver's door. Furthermore, when there are occupants in the driver's seat and the seat behind the driver's seat of the host vehicle 40, the ECU 30 issues a warning or other contact prevention operation only for the side door of the seat where the occupant is seated.

[0096] The detection of an approaching object may be performed by an imaging device 22, an ultrasonic sensor, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), or the like, instead of the radar device 21.

[0097] The vehicle control device and method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured with a processor and memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the vehicle control device and method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured with a processor comprising one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the vehicle control device and method described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured with a combination of a processor and memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions executed by the computer.

[0098] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0099] The following describes characteristic configurations extracted from the above-described embodiments. [Configuration 1] The present invention is applied to a vehicle equipped with a detection device (21, 22) that detects objects around the vehicle, A surroundings monitoring device (30) that, when an approaching object approaching from behind a vehicle (40) is detected by the detection device, performs a contact prevention operation to prevent contact with the approaching object due to opening of a side door of the vehicle, an acquisition unit that acquires contact warning information that indicates a degree of possibility of contact with the approaching object when the side door of the host vehicle is opened; a setting unit that sets an implementation area in which the contact prevention operation is to be performed around the host vehicle based on the contact warning information; A perimeter monitoring device comprising: [Configuration 2] the acquisition unit acquires, as the contact warning information, protrusion width information relating to a protrusion width to the side of the host vehicle when the side door is opened, 2. The surroundings monitoring device according to configuration 1, wherein the setting unit sets a width of the host vehicle in the implementation area in a vehicle width direction based on the protrusion width information. [Configuration 3] the acquisition unit acquires position information of the side door in a vehicle length direction of the host vehicle as the contact warning information, 3. The surroundings monitoring device according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the setting unit sets a front end position in the vehicle length direction in the implementation area based on the position information. [Configuration 4] the detection device detects an object in a predetermined area including a rear area of ​​the vehicle; The periphery monitoring device according to configuration 3, further comprising: an operation control unit that, in the implementation area, there is a non-detection area to the side of the side door from which the position information is acquired, in which object detection by the detection device is not performed, and that continues the contact suppression operation in the non-detection area when the approaching object detected by the detection device in the implementation area moves into the non-detection area. [Configuration 5] The operation control unit, when the non-detection area exists to the side of the side door for which the position information has been acquired in the implementation area and the approaching object detected by the detection device within the implementation area moves into the non-detection area, sets an extension time for continuing the contact prevention operation and continues the contact prevention operation for a period until the extension time has elapsed, is a perimeter monitoring device as described in configuration 4. [Configuration 6] The periphery monitoring device according to configuration 5, wherein the operation control unit acquires a movement speed of the approaching object detected by the detection device within the implementation area, and sets the extension time based on the movement speed. [Configuration 7] The surroundings monitoring device according to any one of configurations 4 to 6, wherein the operation control unit considers the approaching object to be moving into the non-detection area when the approaching object detected by the detection device within the implementation area reaches a rear end line extending in the vehicle width direction from the rear end position of the vehicle. [Configuration 8] The vehicle has a plurality of doors (41, 42) in a front-rear direction of the vehicle as the side doors, the acquisition unit acquires the contact warning information for each of the doors, 8. The perimeter monitoring device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the setting unit sets the implementation area for each of the doors based on the contact warning information of each of the doors. [Configuration 9] the acquisition unit acquires visibility degree information regarding a visibility degree of the side door from the approaching object as the contact warning information, 9. The surroundings monitoring device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, wherein the setting unit sets the implementation area based on the visibility information. [Configuration 10] a determination unit for determining whether or not a passenger in the vehicle intends to get off; a mode change unit that changes a mode of the contact prevention operation when it is determined that the driver has the intention to dismount; The periphery monitoring device according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, comprising: [Configuration 11] the contact suppression operation is a periphery monitoring device that issues a warning to a passenger of the host vehicle when the approaching object is in a first approach state with respect to the host vehicle, and that locks the doors of the host vehicle when the approaching object is in a second approach state that is closer to the host vehicle than the first approach state, The surroundings monitoring device described in configuration 10, wherein the state change unit issues an alert to the approaching object in addition to alerting the occupant when it is determined that the occupant intends to disembark while the approaching object is in the first approach state.

Claims

1. The present invention is applied to a vehicle equipped with a detection device (21, 22) that detects an object in a predetermined area around the vehicle, including the rear of the vehicle, In a surroundings monitoring device (30), when an approaching object approaching from behind a vehicle (40) is detected by the detection device, a contact suppression operation is performed to suppress contact with the approaching object due to opening of a side door of the vehicle, an acquisition unit that acquires position information of the side door in a vehicle length direction of the host vehicle as contact warning information that indicates a degree of possibility of contact with the approaching object when the side door of the host vehicle is opened; a setting unit that sets an implementation area in which the contact prevention operation is to be performed around the host vehicle based on the contact warning information; an operation control unit that, when a non-detection area in which object detection by the detection device is not performed exists to the side of the side door for which the position information is acquired in the implementation area and the approaching object detected by the detection device in the implementation area moves to the non-detection area, sets an extension time for continuing the contact prevention operation and continues the contact prevention operation in the non-detection area for a period until the extension time has elapsed; Equipped with The operation control unit of the surroundings monitoring device considers the approaching object to be moving into the non-detection area when the approaching object detected by the detection device within the implementation area reaches a rear end line extending in the vehicle width direction from the rear end position of the vehicle.

2. the acquisition unit acquires, as the contact warning information, protrusion width information relating to a protrusion width to the side of the host vehicle when the side door is opened, The surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit sets a width of the host vehicle in the implementation area in a vehicle width direction based on the protrusion width information.

3. The peripheral monitoring device described in Claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the front end position in the vehicle length direction in the implementation area based on the position information.

4. The periphery monitoring device according to claim 1 , wherein the operation control unit acquires a moving speed of the approaching object detected by the detection device within the implementation area, and sets the extension time based on the moving speed.

5. The vehicle has a plurality of doors (41, 42) in a front-rear direction of the vehicle as the side doors, the acquisition unit acquires the contact warning information for each of the doors, 5. The perimeter monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the implementation area for each of the doors based on the contact warning information for each of the doors.

6. the acquisition unit acquires visibility degree information regarding a visibility degree of the side door from the approaching object as the contact warning information, 5. The perimeter monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the implementation area based on the visibility information.

7. a determination unit for determining whether or not a passenger in the vehicle intends to get off; a mode change unit that changes a mode of the contact prevention operation when it is determined that the driver has the intention to dismount; The periphery monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:

8. the contact suppression operation is to issue a warning to a passenger of the host vehicle when the approaching object is in a first approach state with respect to the host vehicle, and to lock the doors of the host vehicle when the approaching object is in a second approach state that is closer to the host vehicle than the first approach state, 8. The surroundings monitoring device according to claim 7, wherein the mode change unit issues an alert to the approaching object in addition to issuing an alert to the occupant when it is determined that the occupant has an intention to disembark while the approaching object is in the first approach state.

9. The present invention is applied to a vehicle equipped with a detection device (21, 22) that detects an object in a predetermined area around the vehicle, including the rear of the vehicle, A program executed by a computer (30) for performing a contact prevention operation to prevent a side door of a host vehicle (40) from coming into contact with the approaching object when the detection device detects the approaching object from behind the host vehicle (40), comprising: an acquiring step of acquiring position information of the side door in a vehicle length direction of the host vehicle as contact warning information indicating a degree of possibility of contact with the approaching object when the side door of the host vehicle is opened; a setting step of setting an implementation area in which the contact prevention operation is to be performed around the host vehicle based on the contact warning information; an operation control step of setting an extension time for continuing the contact prevention operation and continuing the contact prevention operation in the non-detection area until the extension time has elapsed when a non-detection area in which object detection by the detection device is not performed exists to the side of the side door for which the position information has been acquired in the implementation area and the approaching object detected by the detection device in the implementation area moves into the non-detection area; Including, In the operation control step, when the approaching object detected by the detection device within the implementation area reaches a rear end line extending in the vehicle width direction from the rear end position of the vehicle, the program considers the approaching object to be moving into the non-detection area.

10. The present invention is applied to a vehicle equipped with a detection device (21, 22) that detects an object in a predetermined area around the vehicle, including the rear of the vehicle, In a periphery monitoring method, when an approaching object approaching from behind a vehicle (40) is detected by the detection device, a contact suppression operation is performed to suppress contact with the approaching object by opening a side door of the vehicle, an acquiring step of acquiring position information of the side door in a vehicle length direction of the host vehicle as contact warning information indicating a degree of possibility of contact with the approaching object when the side door of the host vehicle is opened; a setting step of setting an implementation area in which the contact prevention operation is to be performed around the host vehicle based on the contact warning information; an operation control step of setting an extension time for continuing the contact prevention operation and continuing the contact prevention operation in the non-detection area until the extension time has elapsed when a non-detection area in which object detection by the detection device is not performed exists to the side of the side door for which the position information has been acquired in the implementation area and the approaching object detected by the detection device in the implementation area moves into the non-detection area; Including, In the operation control step, when the approaching object detected by the detection device within the implementation area reaches a rear end line extending in the vehicle width direction from the rear end position of the vehicle, the approaching object is deemed to move into the non-detection area.

Images