Driving assistance system

Abstract

To allow a vehicle traveling in parallel with a convoy vehicle group, composed of a plurality of vehicles traveling in convoy, to smoothly cut into the convoy vehicle group.SOLUTION: A travel assistance system assists travel of a parallel traveling vehicle that travels in parallel with a convoy vehicle group composed of a plurality of vehicles traveling in convoy and that is capable of traveling while switching between travel in a manual driving mode by an operation of a driver and travel in an automatic driving mode not by the operation of the driver. In the travel assistance system, when the parallel traveling vehicle switches between traveling in the manual driving mode and traveling in the automatic driving mode, the parallel traveling vehicle is inhibited from cutting into the convoy vehicle group. Accordingly, the vehicle traveling in parallel with the convoy vehicle group composed of the plurality of vehicles traveling in convoy is allowed to cut into the convoy vehicle group smoothly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, one such driving assistance system has been proposed that supports the driving of a platoon of vehicles consisting of multiple vehicles traveling in a convoy (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this system, when a vehicle cuts in on the convoy, the convoy is divided into a first convoy in front of the cutting-in vehicle and a second convoy behind the cutting-in vehicle, and an instruction is sent to the lead vehicle of the second convoy to cut in front of it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 186520 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned driving assistance system does not provide driving assistance to vehicles that cut in. When a vehicle that cuts in switches between a manual driving mode operated by the driver and an autonomous driving mode not operated by the driver, if the vehicle tries to cut in while switching driving modes, the vehicle's behavior may become unstable, preventing smooth cutting in.

[0005] The main purpose of the driving assistance system of the present invention is to allow a vehicle traveling parallel to a platoon of vehicles, which is made up of a plurality of vehicles traveling in a convoy, to smoothly cut into the convoy of vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The driving assistance system of the present invention employs the following means to achieve the above-mentioned main object.

[0007] The driving assistance system of the present invention comprises: A driving assistance system that assists a vehicle traveling alongside a platoon of vehicles that are traveling in a platoon, and that can switch between driving in a manual driving mode operated by a driver and driving in an automatic driving mode not operated by the driver, When the parallel running vehicle switches between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode, the parallel running vehicle is prohibited from cutting in to the group of vehicles traveling in a convoy. The gist of this is as follows.

[0008] The cruise assistance system of the present invention prohibits a parallel vehicle from cutting in to the platoon of vehicles when the parallel vehicle switches between driving in manual driving mode and driving in autonomous driving mode. This prevents the behavior of the parallel vehicle from becoming unstable due to cutting in when switching between driving in manual driving mode and driving in autonomous driving mode. As a result, a vehicle traveling parallel to a platoon of vehicles consisting of multiple vehicles traveling in a platoon can smoothly cut in to the platoon of vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a vehicle 20 equipped with a driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an interrupt permission / prohibition setting routine executed by an ECU 230 of a vehicle 20. [Figure 3] 10 is a timing chart for explaining an example of time-dependent changes in the driving mode, the state of the blinker 240, the automatic driving permission condition, and whether or not to allow interruption. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described using examples. [Example]

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a vehicle 20 equipped with a driving assistance system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 20 includes a drive unit 200, a navigation device 210, an inter-vehicle communication device 220, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") 230. In addition to these, the vehicle 20 also includes a braking device such as a brake for applying braking force, a steering device for steering, and the like, although these are not shown.

[0012] The drive unit 200 includes a power source that outputs power for traveling, a transmission, and the like, and outputs the power to a drive shaft (the axle and drive shaft are not shown) connected to the axle.

[0013] The navigation device 210 sets a planned driving route from the current location of the vehicle (vehicle 20) to the destination based on stored map information, the current location of the vehicle from the GPS antenna, and the destination set by the user, and displays the set planned driving route on a display (not shown) to provide route guidance.

[0014] The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 220 performs wireless communication between the vehicle 20 and surrounding vehicles.

[0015] Although not shown, the ECU 230 is configured as a microprocessor centered around a CPU, and in addition to the CPU, includes a ROM for storing processing programs, a RAM for temporarily storing data, and input / output ports.

[0016] The ECU 230 receives signals from various sensors, necessary for controlling the drive unit 200, the braking unit, the steering unit, and four turn signals (directional indicators) 240 attached to the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle, via an input port. Examples of signals input to the ECU 230 include a vehicle speed V from a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 20, information about the vehicle 20 and its surroundings from a surroundings recognition device 250 (e.g., inter-vehicle distances D1 and D2 between the vehicle 20 and other vehicles ahead and behind the vehicle 20, the vehicle 20's position on the lane, and images of the surroundings of the vehicle 20), a steering wheel holding signal Sh from a steering wheel holding sensor 260 that is built into a steering wheel (not shown) that forms part of the steering device and detects whether the driver is holding the steering wheel, and an automatic driving instruction signal Sareq from an automatic driving instruction switch 270. The surroundings recognition device 250 includes a camera, millimeter-wave radar, quasi-millimeter-wave radar, infrared laser radar, sonar, and the like. The ECU 230 exchanges data with surrounding vehicles via wireless communication via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 220.

[0017] The ECU 230 outputs control signals required to control the drive unit 200, the braking unit, the steering unit, and four turn signals 240 attached to the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle body via an output port.

[0018] The vehicle 20 configured in this manner runs by switching between an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle 20 runs without the driver's operation, and a manual driving mode in which the vehicle 20 runs with the driver's operation.

[0019] In the autonomous driving mode, the ECU 230 sets a target vehicle speed V* based on the planned driving route from the navigation device 210, the current location of the vehicle, map information (e.g., legal speed limit), and the inter-vehicle distances D1, D2 between the vehicle and other vehicles in front and behind the vehicle from the surrounding recognition device 250 (if other vehicles are present around the vehicle), sets a target torque Td* so that the vehicle speed V becomes the target vehicle speed V*, and controls the drive device 200 and a steering device (not shown) to drive the vehicle along the planned driving route at the target torque Td*.

[0020] When the autonomous driving permission conditions are no longer met while the vehicle is traveling in the autonomous driving mode, a first handover is initiated. Examples of the autonomous driving permission conditions include the autonomous driving instruction switch 270 being on and the surroundings recognition device 250 being normal. In the first handover, while the vehicle is traveling without the driver's operation, a message indicating that the driving right will be handed over to the driver is displayed on a monitor (not shown) near the driver's seat, and a first transition process is executed to wait for the input of a holding signal Sh from the steering wheel holding sensor 260, i.e., for the driver to hold the steering wheel. Then, when the holding signal Sh from the steering wheel holding sensor 260 detects that the driver is holding the steering wheel, the vehicle transitions to traveling in the manual driving mode. This process switches the driving mode from the autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode.

[0021] In the manual driving mode, the ECU 230 sets a target torque Td* based on the accelerator pedal opening and the vehicle speed V, and controls the drive device 200 so that the vehicle travels at the target torque Td*.

[0022] When the autonomous driving permission condition is met while the vehicle is traveling in manual driving mode, a second handover is initiated. In the second handover, a second transition process is executed in which various information required for traveling in autonomous driving mode, such as input of map information (for example, legal speed limits), is input while the vehicle is traveling under the driver's control. Then, when the second transition process is completed, the vehicle transitions to traveling in autonomous driving mode. This process switches the driving mode from manual driving mode to autonomous driving mode.

[0023] Next, the operation of the vehicle 20, particularly the operation when setting whether or not to allow a vehicle to cut into a group of vehicles (platooning vehicle group) Gv traveling in a formation, will be described. First, the configuration of the platooning vehicle group Gv will be described, and then the setting of whether or not to allow a vehicle to cut into a group of vehicles Gv will be described.

[0024] The platooning vehicle group Gv is made up of multiple vehicles 30. Each vehicle 30 is equipped with a drive unit, a navigation unit, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit, a surrounding recognition unit, an ECU, a braking unit, a steering unit, etc. The drive unit, navigation unit, vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit, surrounding recognition unit, ECU, braking unit, and steering unit of the vehicle 30 have the same configuration as the drive unit 200, navigation unit 210, vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 220, ECU 230, braking unit, and steering unit of the vehicle 20.

[0025] Each vehicle 30 travels in the autonomous driving mode described above using its ECU. The ECU of the lead vehicle 30a among the multiple vehicles 30 sets a target inter-vehicle distance D* in the platoon based on the planned travel route from the vehicle's navigation device, the vehicle's current location, map information (e.g., legal speed limit), information about the vehicle's surroundings from a surroundings recognition device, and the like, and transmits the target inter-vehicle distance D* to a subordinate vehicle 30b that is subordinate to the lead vehicle 30a among the multiple vehicles 30 via an inter-vehicle communication device. The subordinate vehicle 30b that receives the target inter-vehicle distance D* executes platooning control, controlling the drive unit 200 and a steering device (not shown) so that the inter-vehicle distance to the vehicle 30 ahead becomes the target inter-vehicle distance D*. When vehicle 30 detects a request to cut in to the platooning vehicle group Gv by a vehicle traveling parallel to it (such as the illumination of blinker 240 or receipt of a cut-in request via vehicle-to-vehicle communication), vehicle 30 increases the distance between itself and the vehicle 30 in front to allow the parallel traveling vehicle to cut in, and then becomes the new lead vehicle 30an and travels in platoon with the following vehicle 30. The configuration of the platooning vehicle group Gv has been described above.

[0026] Next, a setting of whether or not to allow an interruption into the platooning vehicle group Gv will be described. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an interruption permission / prohibition setting routine executed by the ECU 230 of the vehicle 20. This routine is executed repeatedly when an interruption request is made. Examples of interruption requests include when the turn signal 240 on the platooning vehicle group Gv is manually turned on while the vehicle is traveling in manual driving mode, or when the surroundings recognition device 250 detects an obstacle ahead while the vehicle is traveling in autonomous driving mode.

[0027] When the interrupt permission setting routine is executed, the ECU 230 of the vehicle 20 determines whether the vehicle 20 is in the process of switching between the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode, i.e., whether the vehicle 20 is in the period of the first or second handover (step S100). If the driving mode is not being switched, the ECU 230 permits interruption (step S110). If the driving mode is being switched, the ECU 230 prohibits interruption (step S120), and then ends this routine. When switching the driving mode, the behavior of the vehicle 20 is likely to become unstable due to switching between automatic steering and manual steering, etc. If the vehicle 20 attempts to interrupt the platooning vehicle group Gv while its behavior is unstable, the behavior of the vehicle 20 may become even more unstable, preventing smooth interruption. In the embodiment, by prohibiting interruption when the driving mode is being switched and permitting interruption only after the driving mode has completely switched, the behavior of the vehicle 20 is stabilized, and the vehicle 20 can smoothly interrupt the platooning vehicle group Gv.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a timing chart illustrating an example of time-dependent changes in the driving mode, the state of the turn signal 240, the autonomous driving permission condition, and whether or not to allow cutting in. When the turn signal 240 on the side of the platooning vehicle group Gv turns on while the vehicle 20 is traveling parallel to the platooning vehicle group Gv in autonomous driving mode, the ECU 230 of the vehicle 20 executes the cut-in denial setting routine illustrated in FIG. 2 (time t0), assuming that a cut-in request to the platooning vehicle group Gv has been made. At this time, the driving mode is not being switched, so cutting in is permitted. Thereafter, when the autonomous driving permission condition is no longer satisfied (time t1), the first handover is initiated and cutting in is prohibited. Then, when the first handover is completed and the vehicle transitions to driving in manual driving mode, cutting in is permitted. In this way, cutting in is permitted and occurs after switching to driving in manual driving mode, so the vehicle 20 can smoothly cut into the platooning vehicle group Gv. Because cutting in is permitted after switching to driving in manual driving mode, it is guaranteed that cutting in is performed by the driver's driving operation. Furthermore, since the vehicle 20 is permitted to cut in after switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode and then the cut-in occurs, the vehicle 20 can be smoothly cut in to the platooning vehicle group Gv. Also, since the cut-in is permitted after switching to the automatic driving mode, it is possible to ensure that the cut-in occurs without depending on the driving operation of the driver.

[0029] According to the vehicle 20 equipped with the driving assistance system of the embodiment described above, when switching between driving in manual driving mode and driving in automatic driving mode, the vehicle 20 can be prevented from cutting into the platooning vehicle group Gv, thereby allowing the vehicle 20 to smoothly cut into the platooning vehicle group Gv.

[0030] In the driving assistance system of the embodiment, the ECU 230 of the vehicle 20 executes the cut-in permission determination routine illustrated in Fig. 2. However, instead of or in addition to the ECU 230 of the vehicle 20, the ECU of the vehicle 30 that detects the cut-in of the vehicle 20 in the platooning vehicle group Gv may execute the cut-in permission determination routine illustrated in Fig. 2. In this case, the vehicle 20 transmits, via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, information about the driving mode to the vehicle 30 that detected the cut-in of the vehicle 20 in the platooning vehicle group Gv, and the vehicle 30 that detected the cut-in of the vehicle 20 in the platooning vehicle group Gv executes the process of step S100 based on the received information about the driving mode of the vehicle 30. In addition to the ECU 230 of vehicle 20, when the ECU of vehicle 30 that detects vehicle 20 cutting in to the platooning vehicle group Gv executes the cut-in permission determination routine illustrated in Figure 2, vehicle 20 may be permitted to cut in to the platooning vehicle group Gv when cut-in is permitted by both ECU 230 of vehicle 20 and the ECU of vehicle 30.

[0031] The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problems will be described below. In the embodiment, the ECU 230 corresponds to the "driving assistance system."

[0032] The correspondence between the main elements of the Examples and the main elements of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" section does not limit the elements of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" section, since the Examples are examples for specifically explaining the mode for implementing the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" section. In other words, the interpretation of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" section should be based on the description in that section, and the Examples are merely specific examples of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" section.

[0033] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples in any way, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be carried out in various forms within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0034] The present invention can be used in the manufacturing industry of driving assistance systems, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 20, 30 vehicle, 200 drive unit, 210 navigation device, 220 vehicle-to-vehicle communication device, 230 electronic control unit (ECU), 240 turn signal, 250 surrounding recognition device, 260 steering wheel holding sensor, 270 automatic driving instruction switch.

Claims

[Claim 1] A driving assistance system that supports the driving of a vehicle that travels alongside a platoon of vehicles that are traveling in a platoon and is capable of switching between driving in a manual driving mode operated by a driver and driving in an automatic driving mode not operated by the driver, When the parallel running vehicle switches between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode, the parallel running vehicle is prohibited from cutting in to the group of vehicles traveling in a convoy. Driving assistance system.

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