Vehicle driving assistance device

Abstract

To provide a driving support device that appropriately controls traveling of a vehicle when entering an intersection with poor visibility.SOLUTION: A vehicle driving support device includes: surrounding situation information acquisition devices 20 and 21 that acquire surrounding situation information of a vehicle; and a travel control unit 22 that controls traveling of the vehicle. When an intersection is detected in front of the vehicle based on output information of the surrounding situation information acquisition device, the travel control unit sets a predetermined temporary stop position according to the surrounding situation of the vehicle, and executes stop control to bring the vehicle to a temporary stop targeting the predetermined temporary stop position, executes travel control in which a series of control to resume traveling of the vehicle after checking the surrounding situation is repeated multiple times. In this case, first acceleration A1 when resuming traveling from a first stop position [A], second acceleration A2 when resuming traveling from a second stop position [B], and third acceleration A3 when resuming traveling from a third stop position [C] are set to be the third acceleration≥the first acceleration≥the second acceleration.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device for a vehicle that performs driving control to assist a driver in driving operations based on surrounding situation information acquired using a surrounding situation information acquisition device or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, development of automatic driving control technology for vehicles such as automobiles that allows the vehicle to travel automatically without the need for driver operation has been progressing. In addition, various driving assistance devices that can perform various driving controls to assist the driver in driving operations using this type of automatic driving control technology have been proposed and are becoming generally put into practical use.

[0003] For example, a driving assistance device disclosed in JP 2007-200052 A detects the behavior of other vehicles on the intersection when a vehicle enters an intersection, estimates the degree to which the other vehicles are aware of the presence of the vehicle based on changes in the behavior of the other vehicles, and stops the vehicle at an appropriate position based on the estimated degree of awareness.

[0004] Generally, when a vehicle enters an intersection or the like where there are no traffic lights and visibility is poor, the vehicle is first stopped immediately before a stop sign or stop line or at a predetermined position immediately before the intersection, and then the surrounding conditions are checked and, once safety is confirmed, the vehicle is started at a slow speed, moved to a position where visibility is good, stopped again, and safety of the surroundings is confirmed again. Finally, once it is confirmed that the surrounding conditions are sufficiently safe, the vehicle is quickly driven into the intersection and passed through the intersection. This type of driving control is a procedure performed by a driver when the driver is manually driving the vehicle, and is also considered a basic procedure of driving assistance control performed by conventional driving assistance devices. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-200052 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the driving assistance device disclosed in the above-mentioned JP 2007-200052 A and the like discloses that the vehicle is gradually stopped depending on the degree to which the vehicle is recognized by other vehicles on the intersection, but does not take into consideration driving control when the vehicle is stopped and then resumes driving, such as acceleration when driving is resumed.

[0007] In particular, when a vehicle is entering an intersection where there are no traffic lights and visibility is poor, and when performing the above-mentioned stepwise stopping and driving control, even if the stopping position is appropriately controlled, if driving control is not appropriately performed when resuming driving after safety has been confirmed at the stopping position, not only will it be impossible to enter the intersection smoothly, but the driver may feel uncomfortable or uneasy, and there is also the possibility that the driver of other vehicles in the vicinity may feel uncomfortable or uneasy.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a vehicle driving assistance device that can appropriately perform driving control, including vehicle temporary stop control, particularly when the vehicle is entering an intersection with poor visibility and no traffic lights. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, a driving assistance device for a vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance device for a vehicle, comprising: a surrounding situation information acquisition device that acquires surrounding situation information of the vehicle; and a driving control unit that performs overall control of the vehicle and performs driving control based on output information from the surrounding situation information acquisition device, wherein when an intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle based on the output information from the surrounding situation information acquisition device, the driving control unit sets a predetermined stop position in accordance with the surrounding situation of the vehicle, executes stop control to bring the vehicle to a temporary halt with the predetermined stop position as a target, and executes driving control to repeat a series of controls multiple times to resume driving of the vehicle after checking the surrounding situation at the predetermined stop position, and in this case: When the intersection is detected, the stop position based on a road sign or road marking is set as a first stop position, and after resuming travel from the first stop position, if the visibility of the surrounding situation by at least the surrounding situation information acquisition device is ensured, the stop position is set as a second stop position at a line drawn horizontally from the tip of an obstruction, and after resuming travel from the second stop position, if the visibility by the driver is ensured, the stop position is set as a third stop position at a position where the front part of the driver's head protrudes into the area of ​​the intersection, and a first acceleration when resuming traveling from the first stop position; The aforementioned a second acceleration when resuming travel from the second stop position; The aforementioned The third acceleration when resuming driving from the third stopping position is: 3rd acceleration ≧ 1st acceleration ≧ 2nd acceleration It is set to be. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle driving assistance device that can appropriately perform driving control, including control to stop the vehicle, particularly when entering an intersection with poor visibility and no traffic lights. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the surroundings of a vehicle when explaining the operation of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] A conceptual diagram showing a different situation from Figure 2 (a situation where a crosswalk is present but no stop line exists). [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display of an image captured by an on-board camera of a vehicle in the situation of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] A conceptual diagram showing the surroundings when a moving vehicle stops at the first stop position [A] in the situation shown in Figure 2. [Figure 6] A conceptual diagram showing the surroundings when the vehicle stops at the second stop position [B] after Figure 5. [Figure 7] A conceptual diagram showing the surroundings when the vehicle stops at the third stop position [C] after Figure 6. [Figure 8] A conceptual diagram showing a different situation from Figures 2 and 3 (a situation where a stop sign is present but no stop line is present). [Figure 9] A conceptual diagram showing a different situation from Figures 2, 3, and 8 (a situation where there are no stop signs or stop lines). [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart showing a main routine of the operation of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the first stop position stop control (step S12) of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the second stop position stop control (step S16) of FIG. 10. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the third stop position stop control (step S20) of FIG. 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationships and scales of the components may be different for each component in order to show each component at a size that allows it to be recognized on the drawing. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments in terms of the number of components shown in the drawings, the shapes of the components, the size ratios of the components, the relative positional relationships of the components, and so on.

[0013] A driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device that is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile and performs driving control to assist the driver of the vehicle in driving operations. The driving assistance device according to this embodiment acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings (e.g., information about the vehicle's surroundings including other vehicles, moving objects such as bicycles and pedestrians, various structures such as buildings and side walls, three-dimensional obstacles, road signs, road markings on the road surface, etc.; hereinafter, simply referred to as surroundings information, etc.) using a surroundings information acquisition device including a sensing device such as an on-board camera unit or a radar device.

[0014] Furthermore, the driving assistance device of this embodiment recognizes road conditions and the like including information about preceding vehicles, following vehicles, various structures, three-dimensional obstacles, road signs, road surface markings, etc., based on high-precision map information and the like acquired by communicating with an external device such as a high-precision road map database, in addition to the surrounding situation information acquisition device described above. The driving assistance device of this embodiment then appropriately uses this various information (surrounding situation information, etc., map information, etc., recognition information, etc.) as information when executing cruise control to assist the driver in driving operations.

[0015] The driving assistance device of one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by its vehicle driving control, which is particularly effective when the vehicle is stopped temporarily and then resumes driving at an intersection with poor visibility and no traffic lights.

[0016] First, the schematic configuration of a driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the block diagram of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The configuration of the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment is basically substantially the same as the configuration of a conventional driving assistance device of the same type. Therefore, when describing the configuration of the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment, the main components related to the present invention will be briefly described, and detailed descriptions of the detailed components will be omitted as they are the same as those of conventional driving assistance devices. Also, in Figure 1, only the main components of the driving assistance device of this embodiment are shown, and other detailed components are not shown.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment includes, as main components, a locator unit 11, a periphery monitoring unit 20, a camera unit 21, a driving control unit 22 as a driving control unit, an engine control unit 23, a power steering control unit 24, a brake control unit 25, etc.

[0019] Here, the locator unit 11, the periphery monitoring unit 20, and the camera unit 21 are sensor units for recognizing the inside and outside conditions of the vehicle, and are constituent units that function as situation recognition devices. Each of these units (11, 20, 21) exists as a completely independent constituent unit without depending on each other.

[0020] Each control unit, namely, the driving control unit 22, the engine control unit 23, the power steering control unit 24, and the brake control unit 25, together with the locator unit 11, the surroundings monitoring unit 20, and the camera unit 21, are connected to each other via an in-vehicle communication line 10 such as a CAN (Controller Area Network), and share data as appropriate and as needed.

[0021] Locator unit 11 is a map information acquisition device that estimates the position of the vehicle (vehicle position) on a road map and acquires road map information mainly ahead of the estimated vehicle position.

[0022] Locator unit 11 includes a map locator calculation unit 12, an acceleration sensor 13, a wheel speed sensor 14, a gyro sensor 15, a GNSS receiver 16, a road information receiver 17, a high-precision road map database (DB; Data Base; abbreviated as road map DB in FIG. 1) 18 as a map information storage device, and a route information input unit 19.

[0023] Of these, the acceleration sensor 13, wheel speed sensor 14, and gyro sensor 15 are various sensors required to estimate the position of the host vehicle (host vehicle position). For example, the acceleration sensor 13 is a sensor that detects the longitudinal acceleration of the host vehicle. The wheel speed sensor 14 is a sensor that detects the rotational speed of each of the front, rear, left, and right wheels (in the case of a four-wheeled vehicle). The gyro sensor 15 is a sensor that detects the angular velocity or angular acceleration of the host vehicle. These sensors (13, 14, 15) are a group of autonomous driving sensors that function as a driving state acquisition unit, and are connected to the input side of the map locator calculation unit 12.

[0024] The autonomous driving sensor group (sensors 13, 14, 15) is a sensor group provided to enable autonomous driving when, for example, the receiving sensitivity from GNSS satellites (not shown) decreases and the positioning signal cannot be effectively received, such as when driving through a tunnel. In addition to the above-mentioned sensors (13, 14, 15), the autonomous driving sensor group also includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, etc., although not shown.

[0025] The GNSS receiver 16 functions as a vehicle position acquisition unit and is a receiving device that receives various information from, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). That is, the GNSS receiver 16 receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites. The GNSS receiver 16 outputs the acquired positioning signals to the map locator calculation unit 12 of the locator unit 11. The map locator calculation unit 12 estimates the vehicle position (latitude, longitude) based on the positioning signals received by the GNSS receiver 16 from the plurality of positioning satellites. For this reason, the GNSS receiver 16 is connected to the input side of the map locator calculation unit 12.

[0026] Furthermore, the map locator calculation unit 12 is connected to a road information receiver 17, a high-precision road map database 18, a route information input unit 19, and the like.

[0027] Road information receiver 17 is a receiving device that receives and acquires various information, such as information necessary for autonomous driving and map information, stored in a predetermined base station (not shown) or a cloud server (not shown) connected via the Internet. Road information receiver 17 outputs the acquired various information to map locator calculation section 12 of locator unit 11. Note that road information receiver 17 may also have a function of transmitting various information held by the vehicle to the base station or cloud server (not shown), and may take the form of a road information transmitting and receiving device.

[0028] The map locator calculation unit 12 performs map matching of the vehicle's position on a map based on map information received by the road information receiver 17, and constructs a target driving route connecting the input destination and the vehicle's position.

[0029] Furthermore, the map locator calculation unit 12 sets a target driving route for executing autonomous driving up to several kilometers ahead of the vehicle on the constructed target driving route. Here, items to be set as the target driving route include various items such as the lane in which the vehicle will travel (for example, which lane to travel in if there are three lanes), lane changes to overtake a preceding vehicle, and the timing to start lane changes.

[0030] The high precision road map database 18 is mainly composed of large-capacity storage media such as HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and SSDs (Solid State Drives). Well-known high precision road map information (local dynamic maps) is stored in this high precision road map database 18. Here, the high precision road map information has the same layer structure as a global dynamic map stored in, for example, a cloud server (not shown), and forms a hierarchical structure in which additional map information necessary to support automated driving is superimposed on the lowest static information layer that serves as the base.

[0031] Here, the additional map information includes road type (general road, expressway, etc.), road shape, left and right dividing lines (e.g., center line, outer line, lane boundary, etc.), exits of expressways and bypass roads, entrance and exit lengths (start and end positions) of branch lanes and merging lanes that lead to junctions, service areas, parking areas, etc., as well as static location information such as road signs and road surface markings, and dynamic location information such as traffic congestion information and traffic restrictions due to accidents or construction work.

[0032] When a target driving route is set by the map locator calculation unit 12, this additional map information is continuously acquired from the global dynamic map and sequentially updated as surrounding situation information required for the vehicle to autonomously drive along the set target driving route.

[0033] High-precision road map information also contains lane data required for autonomous driving, such as lane width data, lane center position coordinate data, lane heading angle data, and speed limit information. This lane data and other information is stored at intervals of several meters for each lane on the road map.

[0034] Route information input unit 19 is a terminal device operated by a person on board the vehicle, such as a driver or a passenger. This route information input unit 19 can collect and input a series of information required when setting a target driving route in map locator calculation unit 12, such as setting a destination and intermediate points (such as service areas to stop at on a highway).

[0035] Specifically, route information input unit 19 is an input unit of a car navigation system (for example, a touch panel of a monitor), a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a personal computer, etc. Route information input unit 19 is connected to map locator calculation unit 12 by wire or wirelessly. As a result, when the driver or passenger operates route information input unit 19 to input information about the destination and intermediate points (facility name, address, telephone number, etc.), the input information is read into map locator calculation unit 12. Map locator calculation unit 12 sets the position coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the destination and intermediate points input from route information input unit 19.

[0036] The map locator calculation unit 12 includes a vehicle position estimation unit 12a, a map information acquisition unit 12b, and the like.

[0037] The vehicle position estimation unit 12a is a component that has a function of estimating the vehicle position. The vehicle position estimation unit 12a acquires the position coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle based on the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver 16. Then, the vehicle position estimation unit 12a performs map matching of the acquired position coordinates on route map information to estimate the vehicle position (current position) on the road map.

[0038] In addition, in an environment where it is not possible to receive valid positioning signals from positioning satellites due to reduced sensitivity of the GNSS receiver 16, such as when driving inside a tunnel, the vehicle position estimation unit 12a switches to autonomous navigation, which estimates the vehicle position based on various data such as vehicle speed data obtained based on the wheel speed detected by the wheel speed sensor 14, angular velocity data detected by the gyro sensor 15, and longitudinal acceleration data detected by the acceleration sensor 13, and estimates the vehicle position (latitude, longitude) on a road map.

[0039] The map information acquisition unit 12b constructs information on a target driving route from the current location to the destination (target driving route information connecting the vehicle's position on the high-precision road map information with the destination (or the destination via the via point if a via point is set)) based on the position information (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle's position estimated by the vehicle position estimation unit 12a and the position information (latitude, longitude) of the destination and the via point input by the driver or the like via the route information input unit 19, in accordance with preset route conditions (recommended route, fastest route, etc.). At this time, the vehicle position estimation unit 12a identifies the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling, acquires road shapes such as driving lanes and merging lanes stored in the road map data, and sequentially stores this information. In addition, the map information acquisition unit 12b transmits the target driving route information to the vehicle position estimation unit 12a.

[0040] In this way, the map locator calculation unit 12 identifies the current location of the vehicle by map-matching the vehicle position estimated by the vehicle position estimation unit 12a onto a road map, acquires road map information including information about the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, and sets a target driving route for the vehicle by the map information acquisition unit 12b.

[0041] The camera unit 21 constitutes a part of a surrounding situation information acquisition device that recognizes the situation mainly in the traveling direction (forward) of the vehicle and acquires it as image information.

[0042] Specifically, the camera unit 21 recognizes various road surrounding conditions, such as other vehicles traveling in front of or to the side of the vehicle (leading vehicles, oncoming vehicles, vehicles traveling alongside, following vehicles, etc.), as well as three-dimensional objects including moving objects such as bicycles and motorcycles traveling alongside, traffic light indicators (lighting color, flashing state, arrow direction, etc.), road signs, stop lines, and dividing lines (e.g., center line of the road, outer line of the road, lane boundary line, etc.).

[0043] The camera unit 21 is fixed to the upper center of the front part of the vehicle interior, and is configured with an on-board camera (stereo camera) consisting of a main camera 21a and a sub-camera 21b arranged symmetrically on either side of the center of the vehicle width, an image processing unit (IPU) 21c, a driving environment recognition unit 21d, etc.

[0044] The camera unit 21 captures reference image data with the main camera 21a and captures comparison image data with the sub-camera 21b. The two image data acquired by the two cameras 21a and 21b are subjected to predetermined image processing by the IPU 21c.

[0045] The driving environment recognition unit 21d reads the reference image data and comparison image data that have been image-processed by the IPU 21c, recognizes the same object in both images based on the parallax between the two images, calculates distance data (distance information from the vehicle to the object) from the positional deviation of the object in both images using the principle of triangulation, and generates forward situation image information (distance image information) that includes this distance information.

[0046] Furthermore, the driving environment recognition unit 21d recognizes various road markings, including, for example, lane markings (e.g., road center lines, road outer lines, lane boundary lines, etc.) that separate the left and right sides of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, as surrounding situation information, based on distance image information acquired by the camera unit 21 and processed by the IPU 21c. In this case, the driving environment recognition unit 21d functions as a lane marking detection unit that detects lane markings, etc.

[0047] The driving environment recognition unit 21d also obtains the road curvature [1 / m] at the center of the left and right dividing lines (lane boundary lines, etc.) of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (the vehicle's driving lane), the width between the left and right dividing lines (lane width), and the like.

[0048] While various methods for determining the road curvature and lane width at the center between lane lines are known, for example, the driving environment recognition unit 21d recognizes the left and right lane lines by binarizing the road curvature based on the brightness difference based on forward situation image information, determines the curvature of the left and right lane lines for each predetermined section using a curve approximation formula based on the least squares method, and calculates the lane width from the difference in curvature between the two lane lines.The driving environment recognition unit 21d then determines the road curvature at the center of the lane based on the curvature of the left and right lane lines of the current lane and the lane width.

[0049] Furthermore, the driving environment recognition unit 21d performs predetermined pattern matching on the distance image information to recognize guardrails, curbs, various three-dimensional objects (pedestrians, motorcycles, vehicles other than motorcycles, etc., present around the vehicle), road signs, etc., that exist along the road. Here, when recognizing three-dimensional objects, the driving environment recognition unit 21d recognizes, for example, the type of three-dimensional object, the distance between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object, the moving speed of the three-dimensional object, and the relative speed between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object. Various surrounding situation information recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 21d is output to the driving control unit 22.

[0050] The periphery monitoring unit 20 is a part of a surrounding situation information acquisition device that recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle and acquires the information. The periphery monitoring unit 20 is configured with a surrounding environment recognition sensor 20a, a surrounding environment recognition unit 20b, etc.

[0051] The surrounding environment recognition sensor 20a includes, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a camera, and other sensing devices. The autonomous sensors are combined together to act as a means for detecting the surrounding environment.

[0052] Specifically, for example, a plurality of millimeter-wave radars serving as the surrounding environment recognition sensor 20a are disposed at the four corners of the vehicle (for example, the left front side, the right front side, the left rear side, the right rear side, etc.). Of these, the left and right front-side millimeter-wave radars are provided, for example, on the left and right sides of the front bumper, and are used to monitor some areas around the vehicle that are difficult to recognize using images acquired by the two cameras 21a and 21b of the camera unit 21 (areas diagonally forward and to the left and right of the vehicle).

[0053] In addition, the left and right rear side millimeter wave radars are provided, for example, on the left and right sides of the rear bumper, and are used to monitor some areas around the vehicle (areas from the sides to the rear of the vehicle) that cannot be monitored by the left and right front side millimeter wave radars.

[0054] The surrounding environment recognition unit 20b acquires surrounding situation information, which is information about moving bodies (for example, a vehicle traveling alongside, a following vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, etc.) present around the vehicle, based on an output signal from the surrounding environment recognition sensor 20a.

[0055] The periphery monitoring unit 20 and the camera unit 21 constitute a surrounding situation information acquisition device in the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment. Here, the driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21 and the surrounding environment recognition unit 20b of the periphery monitoring unit 20 are connected to the input side of the cruise control unit 22 via the in-vehicle communication line 10. Furthermore, the cruise control unit 22 and the map locator calculation unit 12 are connected via the in-vehicle communication line 10 so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally.

[0056] The input side of the driving control unit 22 is connected to a plurality of switches or a group of sensors that detect information about the vehicle's internal environment, such as a mode change switch 33, a steering wheel touch sensor 34, a steering torque sensor 35, a brake sensor 36, and an accelerator sensor 37.

[0057] The mode selector switch 33 refers to a group of switches that the driver turns on and off to select various driving modes and multiple control functions related to driving assistance control. By operating the mode selector switch 33, the driver can selectively turn on and off various driving modes.

[0058] The steering wheel touch sensor 34 is a sensor for detecting a state in which the driver is gripping a steering wheel (not shown; hereinafter simply referred to as the steering wheel) of a steering device, i.e., a state in which the driver is holding the steering wheel. The steering wheel touch sensor 34 is provided at a predetermined position on the steering wheel of the vehicle. The steering wheel touch sensor 34 outputs an ON signal when the driver is gripping a predetermined position on the steering wheel (when the driver is in a holding steering state).

[0059] The steering torque sensor 35 is a sensor that detects the steering torque amount and steering angle as the driving operation amount by the driver, and is provided on a steering shaft (not shown) of a steering device of the vehicle.

[0060] The steering wheel touch sensor 34 and the steering torque sensor 35 are sensors for recognizing the state of the steering wheel maintained by the driver of the vehicle and function as a steering state recognition unit. The output signals of these two sensors (34, 35) are output to the cruise control unit 22.

[0061] The brake sensor 36 is a sensor that detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal as an amount of driving operation by the driver.

[0062] The accelerator sensor 37 is a sensor that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal as a driving operation amount by the driver.

[0063] Meanwhile, an alarm device 38 equipped with a monitor panel, a speaker, etc. is connected to the output side of the driving control unit 22. The alarm device 38 is a device that issues an alarm to the driver (for example, a visual alarm display on a display device such as a monitor panel, or an auditory alarm display using a sound device such as a speaker or a horn) according to the surrounding situation recognized by the driving control unit 22 based on the surrounding situation information acquired by the driving environment recognition unit 21 d, the surrounding environment recognition unit 20 b, etc.

[0064] In addition, the notification device 38 displays various types of indications to the driver as needed, such as indications that suggest the operation that the driver should perform (specifically, indications such as "Please press the brake pedal," "Please release the accelerator," "Please make steering corrections," etc.), which can be perceived audibly or visually.

[0065] The driving control unit 22 is a component unit that performs overall control of the vehicle and constitutes a driving control unit that performs predetermined driving control based on output information from a surrounding situation information acquisition device, etc. For example, the driving control unit 22 drives the vehicle along a target driving route that is set based on various information (surrounding situation information, etc.) acquired by the driving environment recognition unit 21 d, the surrounding environment recognition unit 20 b, etc., and contributes to driving control when executing lane keeping driving assist control that safely continues driving the vehicle while maintaining the driving lane.

[0066] For this purpose, the driving control unit 22 is configured to include a steering assistance control unit 22a, a target driving path setting unit 22b, and the like.

[0067] The steering assist control unit 22a performs steering operations to stably drive the vehicle within the driving lane, as well as controls to assist the driver in steering operations when avoiding collisions or contact with dangers that the vehicle may encounter while driving or obstacles on the driving route, among the various controls that can be executed by the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment, such as assisting in driving controls that involve steering operations.

[0068] For example, the steering assist control unit 22a performs steering assist control as needed during execution of lane keeping driving assist control for driving the vehicle along a set target driving route.

[0069] The target driving route setting unit 22b virtually sets target setting lines on the left and right sides along the inner edges of the recognized left and right dividing lines of the vehicle's driving lane based on information about the left and right dividing lines of the vehicle's driving lane, which is obtained based on surrounding situation information recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21, and sets the center position of these target setting lines as the target driving route based on lane width data, etc.

[0070] Then, the target driving path setting unit 22b recognizes the area between the target setting lines as the driving lane that the host vehicle will be traveling in. The target driving path drawn in the center position of the recognized driving lane is set within the host lane, and becomes a virtual driving line that is the target when the lane keeping driving assist control is executed and the host vehicle is made to travel.

[0071] Furthermore, the driving control unit 22 performs various predetermined situation determinations based on output information from the driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21 and the surrounding environment recognition unit 20b (surrounding situation information acquisition device) of the surrounding monitoring unit 20, as well as various information obtained through the map locator calculation unit 12, and vehicle internal situation information obtained from the mode changeover switch 33 and various sensors (34, 35, 36, 37), etc., and controls the driving of the vehicle through the engine control unit 23, power steering control unit 24, brake control unit 25, etc., based on the results of these determinations.

[0072] If an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control is permitted is set within the target driving route set by the map locator calculation section 12, the driving control unit 22 sets a driving route for performing automatic driving control in the automatic driving section. In the automatic driving section, the driving control unit 22 also has a function of appropriately controlling the engine control unit 23, power steering control unit 24, brake control unit 25, etc. to automatically drive the vehicle in the second driving assistance mode along the target driving route set from the vehicle position estimated based on various information.

[0073] At that time, the driving control unit 22 makes the vehicle follow the preceding vehicle when a preceding vehicle is detected, or makes the vehicle travel at a set vehicle speed within the speed limit when a preceding vehicle is not detected, for example, by using preceding vehicle following control, lane keeping driving assist control, etc. based on the surrounding situation information recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 21d. In addition, the driving control unit 22 executes steering assist control selected appropriately, such as lane keeping driving assist control, lane departure suppression control, lane change control, etc., and further performs driving control such as driver abnormality response control in some cases.

[0074] As described above, the cruise control unit 22 is connected to each of the control units, such as the engine control unit 23, the power steering control unit 24, and the brake control unit 25, via the in-vehicle communication line 10. In this way, the cruise control unit 22 controls each of the control units (23, 24, 25), etc.

[0075] A throttle actuator 27 is connected to the output side of the engine control unit 23. This throttle actuator 27 opens and closes a throttle valve of an electronically controlled throttle provided in a throttle body of the engine, and generates a desired engine output by opening and closing the throttle valve in response to a drive signal from the engine control unit 23 to adjust the intake air flow rate.

[0076] An electric power steering motor 28 is connected to the output side of the power steering control unit 24. This electric power steering motor 28 applies steering torque to the steering mechanism by the rotational force of the electric motor. In driving modes other than the manual mode, the electric power steering motor 28 is controlled and operated by a drive signal from the power steering control unit 24. This allows various steering assist controls to be performed to assist the steering operation (i.e., steering). In addition, a steering torque sensor 35 indicates a steering torque value by detecting changes in the drive amount of the electric power steering motor 28 or the drive amount of the steering mechanism.

[0077] A brake actuator 29 is connected to the output side of the brake control unit 25. This brake actuator 29 adjusts the brake hydraulic pressure supplied to the brake wheel cylinders provided on each wheel, and when the brake actuator 29 is driven by a drive signal from the brake control unit 25, the brake wheel cylinders generate braking force on each wheel, forcibly decelerating the vehicle.

[0078] In addition, all or part of the map locator calculation unit 12, surrounding environment recognition unit 20b, driving environment recognition unit 21d, driving control unit 22, engine control unit 23, power steering control unit 24, brake control unit 25, etc. are configured by a processor including hardware.

[0079] Here, the processor is composed of a well-known microcomputer and its peripheral devices, for example, including a central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), non-volatile memory, non-volatile storage, and non-transitory computer readable medium.

[0080] Furthermore, software programs to be executed by the CPU and fixed data such as data tables are stored in advance in ROM, nonvolatile memory, nonvolatile storage devices, etc. The CPU reads out the software programs stored in ROM, etc., expands them into RAM, and executes them, and the software programs refer to various data, etc. as appropriate, thereby realizing the functions of the above-mentioned components and components units (12, 20b, 21d, 22, 23, 24, 25), etc.

[0081] The processor may be configured with a semiconductor chip such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. Furthermore, the above-mentioned components and component units (12, 20b, 21d, 22, 23, 24, 25) may be configured with electronic circuits.

[0082] Furthermore, the software program may be in a form in which the whole or part of the software program is recorded as a computer program product on a portable storage medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, or a DVD-ROM, or on a non-transitory computer readable medium such as a card-type memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD).The above is the general configuration of the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment.

[0083] The operation of the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described below. Figs. 2 to 9 are conceptual diagrams showing the surrounding conditions of a vehicle when explaining the operation of the driving assistance device of one embodiment of the present invention. Of these, Fig. 2 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of the surrounding conditions of a vehicle when explaining the operation of the driving assistance device of this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing another example of a surrounding condition different from that of Fig. 2 (a situation where a pedestrian crossing is present but a stop line is not present). Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display image acquired by an on-board camera of a vehicle in the situation of Fig. 2.

[0084] In the following description of this embodiment, a road system based on left-hand traffic, where the vehicle's traffic zone is on the left side, is used as an example. Therefore, the configuration of the present invention can be easily applied to a road system based on right-hand traffic, simply by switching the left and right sides.

[0085] First, the symbols used in Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 will be explained. The same symbols are used in Fig. 5 to Fig. 9 described later. In the figures, symbol M indicates a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle) equipped with the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment. Symbol 201 indicates the road on which the host vehicle M is traveling (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle travel path). Symbol 202 indicates an intersection that intersects with the host vehicle travel path 201. Note that the intersection 202 illustrates a situation in which another vehicle M2 is traveling. Symbol 200 indicates an intersection where the host vehicle travel path 201 and the intersection 202 intersect.

[0086] Further, reference numerals 203, 204, and 205 indicate obstacles or the like provided outside the side road or on the road edge of the vehicle's travel path 201 or the intersection 202. In the illustrated example, these are shown as side walls or the like 203, buildings or the like 204, and utility poles or the like 205. These side walls or the like 203, buildings or the like 204, utility poles or the like 205, etc. may become obstructions that block the forward or lateral visibility of the vehicle M.

[0087] Reference numeral 206 denotes a road sign. In the illustrated example, a stop sign is used as an example of a road sign (see FIG. 4; hereinafter, referred to as stop sign 206). Reference numerals 207, 208, 209, and 210 denote road markings. In the illustrated example, a "stop sign 207" and a "stop line 208" are shown as examples of road markings. In addition, in the example of FIG. 3, a "crosswalk 209" and a "road center line 210" are shown as examples of road markings.

[0088] 2 and 3, the symbol S (dash-dotted line) indicates the detection range of the onboard camera of the camera unit 21 included in the driving assistance device 1 mounted on the vehicle M. Similarly, the symbols Rr and Rl (dash-two-dotted line) in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicate the detection range of the surrounding environment recognition sensor 20a (millimeter-wave radar) of the periphery monitoring unit 20 included in the driving assistance device 1 mounted on the vehicle M. Here, the symbol Rr indicates the right front-side millimeter-wave radar, and the symbol Rl indicates the left front-side millimeter-wave radar. To avoid cluttering the drawings, the symbols S, Rr, and Rl are omitted in FIGS. 5 to 9, and only the dash-dotted line and the dash-two-dotted line indicating the detection range are shown. Furthermore, in FIG. 4, the symbol F indicates an image frame.

[0089] Next, an overview of the situation shown in Figures 2 and 4 will be described. In Figure 2, the host vehicle M is traveling on a host vehicle travel path 201. At this time, there are obstacles such as side walls 203, buildings 204, and utility poles 205 on the left and right sides of the host vehicle travel path 201. At this time, ahead of the host vehicle M traveling on the host vehicle travel path 201, there is an intersection 200 where the host vehicle travel path 201 intersects with an intersection 202. This intersection 200 is illustrated as an intersection with poor visibility and no traffic lights installed.

[0090] A stop sign 206 is installed on the vehicle's travel path 201 just before the intersection 200. In addition, an example is shown in which a stop sign 207 and a stop line 208 are installed near the stop sign 206 (for example, within a predetermined range before and after it).

[0091] On the other hand, the situation shown in Fig. 3 is basically the same as the situations shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. The example shown in Fig. 3 differs from the examples in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 in that the intersection 202 is a two-lane road divided by a road center line 210. The example in Fig. 3 also differs from the examples in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 in that a crosswalk 209 is installed just before the intersection 200 on both the vehicle's lane 201 and the intersection 202. Furthermore, Fig. 3 shows an example in which no stop sign or stop line is installed on the vehicle's lane 201 side.

[0092] The operation of the driving assistance device 1 mounted on the vehicle M in such a situation will be described below with reference to the conceptual diagrams of FIGS. 5 to 9 and the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0093] 5 to 9 are diagrams illustrating the operation of a driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Of these, FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the surrounding situation when a traveling vehicle stops at a first stop position [A] in the situation shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the surrounding situation when the vehicle stops at a second stop position [B] after the situation shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing the surrounding situation when the vehicle stops at a third stop position [C] after the situation shown in FIG. 6. Furthermore, FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a surrounding situation that is even different from that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 (a situation where a stop sign is present but no stop line is present). Furthermore, FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a surrounding situation that is even different from that shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 8 (a situation where neither a stop sign nor a stop line is present).

[0094] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a main routine of the operation of a driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the first stop position stop control (step S12) in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the second stop position stop control (step S16) in Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the third stop position stop control (step S20) in Fig. 10.

[0095] In the following explanation of the operation of the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment, the flow is basically illustrated as the process in which the vehicle M, which is traveling under the conditions illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, approaches an intersection 200 recognized ahead and passes through the intersection 200.

[0096] First, it is assumed that the host vehicle M is traveling on the host vehicle travel path 201 while acquiring information about the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M using a locator unit 11 (map information acquisition device), a periphery monitoring unit 20, a camera unit 21 (surrounding condition information acquisition device), etc. In the following description, the locator unit 11 (map information acquisition device), the periphery monitoring unit 20, the camera unit 21 (surrounding condition information acquisition device), etc. will be collectively referred to as information acquisition devices, etc.

[0097] At this time, in step S11 of Fig. 10, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether or not there is an intersection in the traveling direction (ahead) of the host vehicle M based on surrounding situation information that can be acquired by the information acquisition device, etc. (11, 20, 21). If it is confirmed that there is an intersection ahead, the process proceeds to step S12. If there is no intersection ahead, the same process is repeated.

[0098] In step S12, the driving control unit 22 executes a first stop position stop control process, the subroutine of which is as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0099] First, in step S31 of Fig. 11, the cruise control unit 22 starts slow-down control while checking the surrounding conditions using an information acquisition device, etc. The slow-down control performed at this time is normal deceleration cruise control performed by the cruise control unit 20 by controlling the throttle actuator 27 through the engine control unit 23 and by controlling the brake actuator 29 through the brake control unit 25. Therefore, a detailed description of this control will be omitted.

[0100] In step S32, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether or not a stop sign 206 has been detected. If a stop sign 206 has been detected, the process proceeds to step S33. If a stop sign 206 has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S39.

[0101] In step S33, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether a stop line 208 is present within a predetermined range before and after the detected stop sign 206. If the stop line 208 is detected, the process proceeds to step S34. If the stop line 208 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S38.

[0102] In step S34, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether or not a crosswalk 209 has been detected in front of the detected stop line 208. If a crosswalk 209 has been detected in front of the stop line 208, the process proceeds to step S35. If a crosswalk 209 has not been detected in front of the stop line 208, the process proceeds to step S37.

[0103] In step S35, the driving control unit 22 sets the first stop position to a position immediately before the crosswalk 209 (see FIG. 3). Then, the process proceeds to step S36.

[0104] If the stop line 208 is not confirmed in the processing of step S33 described above and the process proceeds to step S38, the cruise control unit 22 sets a first stop position in step S38 using the stop sign 206 as a reference. The first stop position set in this case is set, for example, by assuming an imaginary straight line extending laterally from a position lateral to the stop sign 206. The situation at this time is one in which the stop sign 206 is present but the stop line 208 is not present, as shown in FIG. 8. In this case, an imaginary line such as the two-dot chain line [A] in FIG. 8 is assumed and set as the first stop position [A]. Then, the process proceeds to step S36.

[0105] If the process of step S34 above does not detect a crosswalk 209 before the stop line 208 and the process proceeds to step S37, the cruise control unit 22 sets the first stop position to a position immediately before the detected stop line 208 in step S37 (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S36.

[0106] In step S36, the cruise control unit 22 executes stop control to stop the host vehicle M with the set first stop position as the target. The stop control executed at this time is normal cruise control in which the cruise control unit 20 controls the throttle actuator 27 via the engine control unit 23 and also controls the brake actuator 29 via the brake control unit 25 to stop the host vehicle M at the target stop position. Therefore, a detailed description of this control will be omitted. Thereafter, the series of processes is ended, and the process proceeds to step S13 in FIG. 10 (return). At this time, the host vehicle M is in the situation shown in FIG. 5.

[0107] The situation after the stop control in step S36 is executed and the host vehicle M is brought to a stopped state is as follows.

[0108] If the first stop position [A] is set immediately before the crosswalk 209 in step S35, the vehicle M is in the situation shown in Fig. 3. If the first stop position [A] is set immediately before the stop line 208 in step S37, the vehicle M is in the situation shown in Fig. 5. If the first stop position [A] is set to the side of the stop sign 206 in step S38, the vehicle M is in the situation shown in Fig. 8.

[0109] On the other hand, if the stop sign 206 is not detected in the processing of step S32 described above and the process proceeds to step S39, the cruise control unit 22 checks in step S39 whether or not the stop line 208 has been detected. If the stop line 208 has been detected, the process proceeds to step S34. If the stop line 208 has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S40.

[0110] In step S40, the cruise control unit 22 sets a stop position at a position immediately before the intersection 200. Here, the position immediately before the intersection 200 is assumed to be, for example, a position immediately before a line (shown by a two-dot chain line [D] in FIG. 9) connecting the left and right road edges (hereinafter referred to as road edge portions) 201a of the host vehicle's travel path 201, as shown in FIG. 9. Here, the road edge portion 201a is defined to refer to a position at the intersection 200 between the host vehicle's travel path 201 and an intersection 202 where the roadside edge on the host vehicle's travel path 201 side intersects with the roadside edge of the intersection 202 (see FIG. 9).

[0111] In step S41, the cruise control unit 22 executes stop control to stop the host vehicle M at the set stop position [D]. The stop control executed at this time is the same as the control executed in step S36 described above. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S16 in FIG. 10 (see circled number 10A in FIGS. 11 and 10).

[0112] As described above, in the sequence from step S32 through step S39 to step S41, the stop sign 206 is not detected (step S32), and the stop line 208 is not detected (step S39), so it is determined that neither the stop sign 206 nor the stop line 208 could be confirmed. Therefore, at this time, the cruise control unit 22 stops the host vehicle M at the stop position [D] set at a predetermined position just before the intersection 200 (a position just before an imaginary line based on the road edge portion 201a) (see FIG. 9). The stop position [D] set in this case is substantially the same as the second stop position [B] (see FIG. 6), which will be described later. Therefore, the processes of steps S13 to S15 in FIG. 10 can be omitted. Therefore, in this case, after the process of step S41 in FIG. 11, the process proceeds to step S16 in FIG. 9. The host vehicle M is in the situation shown in FIG. 9, which is the same situation as that in FIG. 6.

[0113] As described above, the first stop position [A] is set depending on the surrounding circumstances, for example, to a position just before the crosswalk 209 (step S35, FIG. 3), a position just before the stop line 208 (step S37, FIG. 5), or a position next to the stop sign 206 (step S38, FIG. 8). Also, depending on the surrounding circumstances, a position just before the intersection 200 (step S41, FIG. 9) may be set as the first stop position [D] when approaching the intersection 200. All of these stop positions are set in accordance with traffic regulations regarding stopping.

[0114] Generally, the crosswalk 209, stop line 208, stop sign 206, etc. are usually installed a predetermined distance from the intersection 200, closer to the intersection 200. Therefore, the host vehicle M, which is stopped temporarily at the first stop position [A], is not in a situation where it protrudes into the area of ​​the intersection 202. Therefore, there is no risk of contact with other vehicles traveling on the intersection 202. In addition, the host vehicle M, which is stopped at the stop position [D], is also within a safety area. Therefore, the host vehicle M first makes a temporary stop at the first stop position [A] to check the surrounding situation while ensuring the safety of the host vehicle M.

[0115] Returning to Fig. 10, in step S13 of Fig. 10, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether other vehicles, etc. passing through the intersection 200 have been detected, based on the detection results of the information acquisition device, etc. Here, other vehicles, etc. passing through the intersection 200 include, for example, other vehicles currently passing within the area of ​​the intersection 200, other vehicles that have stopped in the same area and are waiting to turn right or left, and other vehicles approaching the intersection 200 from the left or right. Therefore, after passing through the intersection 200, there is no need to pay attention to other vehicles moving away from the intersection 200. Here, in addition to other vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, etc. ahead of the host vehicle M are also continuously checked.

[0116] In step S13, if another vehicle or the like passing through the intersection 200 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S14. In addition, in step S13, if another vehicle or the like passing through the intersection 200 is detected, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0117] In step S14, the cruise control unit 22 starts to slowly move at a predetermined acceleration A1a, and then proceeds to the processing of step S16.

[0118] In step S15, the cruise control unit 22 starts to slowly move at a predetermined acceleration A1b, and then proceeds to the processing of step S16.

[0119] Here, the predetermined accelerations A1a and A1b are set as follows. First, the acceleration when the host vehicle M resumes traveling after being temporarily stopped at a first stop position [A] is indicated by symbol A1 and will be referred to as the first acceleration A1. Further, the acceleration when the host vehicle M resumes traveling after being temporarily stopped at a second stop position [B] (described later) is indicated by symbol A2 and will be referred to as the second acceleration A2. Finally, the acceleration when the host vehicle M resumes traveling after being temporarily stopped at a third stop position [C] (described later) is indicated by symbol A3 and will be referred to as the third acceleration A3.

[0120] The first acceleration A1, the second acceleration A2, and the third acceleration A3 do not each indicate a predetermined inherent value, but can be changed appropriately within a predetermined range depending on the surrounding conditions when traveling is resumed, etc. Specific examples will be described below.

[0121] For example, if no other vehicle or the like passing through the upcoming intersection 200 is detected within a predetermined time while the host vehicle M is temporarily stopped at the first stop position [A] (Y in step S13), it can be estimated that the traffic volume at the intersection 200 is low. Therefore, in this case, it can be determined that there is a low possibility that other vehicles will appear in the intersection 200. Considering this, the first acceleration A1 of the host vehicle M at this time can be set to a relatively high predetermined acceleration A1a, and the host vehicle M can start traveling slowly.

[0122] On the other hand, if another vehicle or the like passing through the upcoming intersection 200 has been detected at least once while the host vehicle M is temporarily stopped at the first stop position [A] (if N in step S13), it can be estimated that the traffic volume at the intersection 200 is relatively heavy. Therefore, in this case, it can be determined that there is a high possibility that another vehicle will appear following the previously detected other vehicle. Considering this, it is desirable to start slow travel by setting the first acceleration A1 of the host vehicle M at this time to a predetermined acceleration A1b that is somewhat suppressed compared to the acceleration A1a when traffic volume is low.

[0123] Therefore, the predetermined acceleration A1a (when traffic volume is low) and the predetermined acceleration A1b (when traffic volume is high) are: Acceleration A1a>Acceleration A1b The relationship is set as follows.

[0124] After the host vehicle M at the first stop position [A] starts to move slowly in this manner, the cruise control unit 22 executes the second stop position stop control in step S16 of Fig. 10. Here, the subroutine of the second stop position stop control process is as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 12.

[0125] First, in step S51 of FIG. 12, the cruise control unit 22 checks the surrounding situation using an information acquisition device or the like while continuing to drive slowly.

[0126] In step S52, the driving control unit 22 checks whether or not an obstruction such as a side wall 203 or a building 204 has been detected on the left or right side based on the detection results of the information acquisition device, etc. Here, if an obstruction has been detected on at least one or both of the left and right sides, the process proceeds to step S53. On the other hand, if an obstruction has not been detected on either the left or right side, the process proceeds to step S60.

[0127] In step S53, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the detected obstacle extends further in the traveling direction (forward) of the host vehicle M than the currently set first stop position [A]. If the obstacle extends further forward than the first stop position [A], the process proceeds to step S54. If the obstacle does not exist forward than the first stop position [A], the process proceeds to step S60.

[0128] In step S54, the cruise control unit 22 checks the position of the front edge (the position where the obstacle ends in front) of the detected obstacle (on one or both of the left and right sides) in the longitudinal direction. If the edge of the obstacle detected on the right side is closer to the subject (closer to the subject vehicle M), the process proceeds to step S55. If the edge of the obstacle detected on the left side is closer to the subject vehicle M, the process proceeds to step S57.

[0129] In step S57, the cruise control unit 22 checks the front tip position in the longitudinal direction of the detected obstacle, and if the tip position of the obstacle detected on the left side is closer to the subject (closer to the vehicle M), the process proceeds to step S58. If the tip positions of the obstacles detected on both the left and right sides are in approximately the same position, the process proceeds to step S59.

[0130] In this case, consider the situation shown in FIG. 6, for example. In the situation shown in FIG. 6, a side wall or the like 203 is detected as an obstruction on the right side of the host vehicle M. Furthermore, a building or the like 204 is detected as an obstruction on the left side of the host vehicle M. At this time, the leading edge of the side wall or the like 203 is located at the position indicated by reference symbol 203a in FIG. 6. Furthermore, the leading edge of the building or the like 204 is located at the position indicated by reference symbol 204a in FIG. 6. Both of these leading edge positions 203a and 204a are located forward of the first stop position [A]. Furthermore, the leading edge position 203a of the side wall or the like 203 on the right side is located closer to the host vehicle M than the leading edge position 204a of the building or the like 204 on the left side. In such a situation, the processing in step S54 determines that "the leading edge of the obstruction on the right side is closer to the host vehicle M," and the process branches to step S55, where the second stop position [B] is set.

[0131] 6, obstacles (203, 204) are detected on both the left and right sides of the vehicle M, and it can be determined that both obstacles (203, 204) extend forward of the first stop position [A], and that the leading edge position 203a of the side wall etc. 203 on the right side is closer to the leading edge position 204a of the building etc. 204 on the left side. In this case, as described above, the process proceeds to step S55.

[0132] On the other hand, although not shown in the figure, for example, if an obstruction (a building, etc. 204 in the example of Figure 6) is detected on only one of the left and right sides of the vehicle M (for example, the left side), and the detected obstruction (204) extends forward of the first stopping position [A], the side on which the obstruction is not detected (the right side) is conveniently determined to be the "near side" and set as the second stopping position [B].

[0133] On the other hand, although not shown, for example, if obstacles (a side wall or the like 203 and a building or the like 204 in the example of FIG. 6) are detected on both the left and right sides of the vehicle M, and both of the detected obstacles (203, 204) extend forward of the first stop position [A], and if the leading edge position 203a of the side wall or the like 203 on the right side and the leading edge position 204a of the building or the like 204 on the left side are at approximately the same position in the vertical direction, then both leading edge positions 203a, 204a are set as the second stop position [B]. In this case, for example, a line connecting the left and right road edges 201a (see FIG. 6) is assumed. In this case, the process branches to the processing of step S59 described above.

[0134] In this way, after determining which of the detected obstructions has its tip position closer to the user, in steps S55, S58, and S59, a line drawn horizontally from the tip position of the obstruction closer to the user is set as the second stop position [B].

[0135] That is, in step S55, the driving control unit 22 sets a line drawn laterally from the position of the leading edge 203a of the obstacle (side wall 203 in the example of FIG. 6) detected on the right side as the second stop position [B] (see the situation in FIG. 6). Then, the process proceeds to step S56.

[0136] In step S58, the driving control unit 22 sets a line drawn horizontally from the leading edge 204a of the obstacle (building or the like 204 in the example of FIG. 6) detected on the left side as the second stop position [B] (not shown). Then, the process proceeds to step S56.

[0137] Then, in step S59, the cruise control unit 22 sets a line drawn laterally from the tip positions of the obstacles detected on the left and right sides, or a line connecting the left and right road edge portions 201a (see FIG. 6), as the second stop position [B] (not shown). Then, the process proceeds to step S56.

[0138] Next, in step S56, the cruise control unit 22 executes stop control to stop the host vehicle M at the set second stop position [B] as a target. The stop control executed at this time is normal cruise control in which the cruise control unit 20 controls the throttle actuator 27 via the engine control unit 23 and also controls the brake actuator 29 via the brake control unit 25 to stop the host vehicle M at the target stop position. Thereafter, the series of processes ends, and the process proceeds to step S17 in FIG. 10 (return). At this time, the host vehicle M is in the situation shown in FIG. 6.

[0139] In this way, the second stop position [B] is set at the tip of the nearest obstruction because it is a position that prevents the vehicle M from entering the intersection 200 area, ensures visibility in front and to the sides of the vehicle M, and also ensures that the vehicle M is visible to other vehicles at the intersection 202.

[0140] On the other hand, if no obstructions are detected on the left or right sides in the processing of step S52 described above, or if the obstructions detected in the processing of step S53 described above are not located ahead of the first stop position [A], the processing proceeds to step S60, in which the driving control unit 22 determines that there is good visibility to the left and right, terminates the series of processing, and proceeds to the processing of step S20 in Figure 10 (see circled number 10B in Figure 12 and Figure 10).

[0141] In this case, the second stop position is not set and stop control is not performed. Therefore, at this time, the host vehicle M continues to travel slowly while checking the surrounding conditions, skips the processes of steps S17 to S19 in Fig. 10, and proceeds to the process of step S20 in Fig. 10. In other words, at this time, the host vehicle M will reach the situation in Fig. 7 without stopping in the situation in Fig. 6 (described later).

[0142] As described above, the second stop position [B] is set depending on the surrounding circumstances, for example, at the leading edge position 203a of the obstruction (side wall, etc. 203) on the right side (step S55, FIG. 6), the leading edge position 204a of the obstruction (building, etc. 204) on the left side (step S58, not shown), or the leading edge positions 203a, 204a of the obstructions (side wall, etc. 203, building, etc. 204) on both the left and right sides (step S59, not shown). None of these stop positions are in a situation where the host vehicle M protrudes into the area of ​​the intersection 202. Therefore, in this case as well, there is no risk of contact with other vehicles traveling on the intersection 202.

[0143] At the same time, in this situation, the visibility of the information acquisition device, etc., is improved compared to when the host vehicle M is stopped at the first stop position [A]. In particular, the detection of other vehicles traveling at the intersection 202 is more reliable. At the same time, it is considered that the visibility of the host vehicle M from other vehicles M2 traveling at the intersection 202 is also improved. Then, at this second stop position [B], the host vehicle M makes another temporary stop while ensuring its safety, and checks the surrounding situation again.

[0144] 10, in step S17 in Fig. 10, the cruise control unit 22 checks the surrounding conditions using an information acquisition device or the like to check whether or not there are other vehicles or the like around the host vehicle M. If it is confirmed that there are no other vehicles or the like around the host vehicle M, the process proceeds to step S18. If it is confirmed that there are other vehicles or the like around the host vehicle M, the process proceeds to step S19.

[0145] In step S18, the cruise control unit 22 starts to slowly move at a predetermined acceleration A2a, and then proceeds to the processing of step S20.

[0146] In step S19, the cruise control unit 22 starts to slowly move at a predetermined acceleration A2b, and then proceeds to the processing of step S20.

[0147] Here, the predetermined accelerations A2a and A2b are set as follows: For example, if no other vehicles are detected when the host vehicle M checks the surrounding conditions while temporarily stopping at the second stop position [B] (Y in step S17), it can be assumed that the host vehicle M can immediately start moving. Therefore, the second acceleration A2 of the host vehicle M at this time can be set to a relatively high predetermined acceleration A2a to start slow travel.

[0148] On the other hand, if another vehicle or the like is detected when the host vehicle M checks the surrounding situation while temporarily stopping at the second stop position [B] (if N in step S17), the host vehicle M needs to start moving according to the situation of the detected other vehicle or the like. Therefore, it is desirable to start slow traveling by setting the second acceleration A2 of the host vehicle M at this time to a predetermined acceleration A2b that is somewhat suppressed compared to the acceleration A2a when there are no other vehicles or the like in the surroundings.

[0149] Therefore, the predetermined acceleration A2a (when there are no other vehicles around) and the predetermined acceleration A2b (when there are other vehicles around) are as follows: Acceleration A2a>Acceleration A2b The relationship is set as follows.

[0150] After the host vehicle M at the second stop position [B] starts to move slowly in this manner, the cruise control unit 22 executes the third stop position stop control in step S20 of Fig. 10. Here, the subroutine of the third stop position stop control process is as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 13.

[0151] First, in step S61 of FIG. 13, the cruise control unit 22 checks the surrounding situation using an information acquisition device or the like while continuing to drive slowly.

[0152] In step S62, the cruise control unit 22 checks the vehicle information of the host vehicle M and the head position of the driver of the host vehicle M. This check is performed in order to set the third stop position [C] at a position a predetermined distance away from the second stop position [B].

[0153] As described above, the second stop position [B] is set approximately immediately before the intersection 200. At this second stop position [B], visibility is ensured to the extent that the surrounding situation can be confirmed using an information acquisition device or the like, but visual visibility for the driver is not reliably ensured.

[0154] To this end, in the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment, a third stop position [C] is set at a position where the vehicle M is moved a predetermined distance in the direction of travel from the second stop position [B], and the vehicle M is stopped at this third stop position [C] to check the surrounding conditions again.

[0155] Here, in order to ensure the driver's visual visibility of the surrounding situation, it is considered desirable that the head position of the driver of the host vehicle M be positioned around a position immediately before the intersection 200. When the head position of the driver sitting in the driver's seat of the host vehicle M is positioned immediately before the intersection 200, the front part of the host vehicle M from the position of the driver's head (i.e., the part up to the tip of the front bumper) protrudes into the area of ​​the intersection 200 (see FIG. 7). The tip position of the host vehicle M at this time is defined as the third stop position [C].

[0156] Therefore, the distance traveled by the host vehicle M from the second stop position [B] to the third stop position [C] shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to the distance from the front edge of the bumper of the host vehicle M to the position of the driver's head. For this reason, in the processing of step S62 in FIG. 13, vehicle information about the host vehicle M and the position of the driver's head of the host vehicle M are confirmed. Examples of vehicle information acquired in this case include the distance from the front edge of the front bumper to the center position of the driver's seat. Note that the vehicle information about the host vehicle M (such as unique data for each vehicle) is referenced from information previously stored in a predetermined storage area in the driving assistance device 1 (such as an internal storage area (not shown) of the cruise control unit 22).

[0157] In addition, an onboard camera (not shown) for acquiring in-vehicle information may be further provided, which is installed facing the driver and passengers of the vehicle M, and based on the distance image information acquired by the onboard camera, position information of the driver's head may be acquired and the desired distance information may be calculated.

[0158] In the above example, the position of the driver's head is merely one example of a reference position for calculating the movement distance from the second stop position [B] to the third stop position [C]. Therefore, the reference position may be, for example, the center position of the driver's seat or the headrest position of the driver's seat, or the apex position of the steering wheel. These data may be stored in advance in a predetermined storage area as part of vehicle information about the vehicle M, and may be referenced as needed.

[0159] Subsequently, in step S63, the cruise control unit 22 calculates the required travel distance of the host vehicle M and sets the third stop position [C].

[0160] Next, in step S64, the cruise control unit 22 executes stop control to stop the host vehicle M at the set third stop position [C] as a target. The stop control executed at this time is normal cruise control in which the cruise control unit 20 controls the throttle actuator 27 via the engine control unit 23 and also controls the brake actuator 29 via the brake control unit 25 to stop the host vehicle M at the target stop position. Thereafter, the series of processes ends, and the process proceeds to step S21 in FIG. 10 (return). At this time, the host vehicle M is in the situation shown in FIG. 7.

[0161] Returning to Fig. 10, in step S21 of Fig. 10, the cruise control unit 22 checks whether the direction indicators (winker devices; simply referred to as winkers in Fig. 10) of the host vehicle M are in the off state. If it is confirmed that the direction indicators of the host vehicle M are in the off state, the process proceeds to step S22. If the direction indicators of the host vehicle M are in the on state, the process proceeds to step S23.

[0162] In step S22, the driving control unit 22 starts the vehicle at a predetermined acceleration A3a.

[0163] In step S23, the cruise control unit 22 starts moving at a predetermined acceleration A3b. At the same time, steering control is performed according to the direction indicated by the turn signal. The steering control performed at this time is normal cruise control in which the cruise control unit 20 controls the electric power steering motor 28 via the power steering control unit 24 and also controls the throttle actuator 27 via the engine control unit 23, thereby moving the host vehicle M in the target traveling direction. Thereafter, the series of processes ends (return).

[0164] Here, the predetermined accelerations A3a and A3b are set as follows: For example, after the host vehicle M temporarily stops at the third stop position [C], it is desirable for the host vehicle M to merge into traffic within the area of ​​the intersection 200 quickly and smoothly. At this time, the acceleration is changed according to the traveling direction of the host vehicle M.

[0165] That is, when the direction indicator is in the off state (Y in step S21), it can be estimated that the host vehicle M is going to travel straight. Therefore, the third acceleration A3 of the host vehicle M at this time can be set to a relatively high predetermined acceleration A3a and the host vehicle M can start traveling.

[0166] On the other hand, if the direction indicator is on (N in step S21), it can be estimated that the host vehicle M is about to turn right or left. Therefore, it is desirable to set the third acceleration A3 of the host vehicle M at this time to a predetermined acceleration A3b that is somewhat suppressed compared to the acceleration A3a when traveling straight through the intersection 200, and start traveling.

[0167] Therefore, the predetermined acceleration A3a (when going straight) and the predetermined acceleration A3b (when turning right or left) are: Acceleration A3a>Acceleration A3b The relationship is set as follows.

[0168] In the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment, when the host vehicle M enters an intersection or the like with no traffic lights and poor visibility, the driving control is performed by repeatedly making multiple temporary stops while driving slowly. In this case, the first acceleration A1 when resuming driving from the first stop position [A], the second acceleration A2 when resuming driving from the second stop position [B], and the third acceleration A3 when resuming driving from the third stop position [C] are 3rd acceleration A3≧1st acceleration A1≧2nd acceleration A2 The relationship is set as follows.

[0169] This is due to the following reasons. As described above, the first stop position [A] is set to a position a predetermined distance before the intersection 200, depending on the surrounding conditions, such as a position immediately before the crosswalk 209 (step S35, FIG. 3), a position immediately before the stop line 208 (step S37, FIG. 5), or a position next to the stop sign 206 (step S38, FIG. 8). In this case, the predetermined distance is, for example, about several meters.

[0170] As described above, the second stop position [B] is set approximately immediately before the intersection 200, depending on the surrounding conditions, such as at the leading edge 203a of the obstruction (side wall, etc. 203) on the right side (step S55, FIG. 6), the leading edge 204a of the obstruction (building, etc. 204) on the left side (step S58, not shown), or the leading edge positions 203a, 204a of the obstructions (side wall, etc. 203, building, etc. 204) on both the left and right sides (step S59, not shown). Therefore, the distance between the first stop position [A] and the second stop position [B] is generally short (several meters).

[0171] As described above, the third stop position [C] is set at the leading edge of the vehicle M, for example, when a front portion of the vehicle M (a portion from the position of the driver's head to the tip of the front bumper) protrudes into the intersection 202. In the case of a typical passenger car, the distance from the position of the driver's head to the tip of the front bumper is usually a relatively short distance (about 1 to 2 meters). Therefore, the distance from the second stop position [B] to the third stop position [C] is also short.

[0172] Generally, it is desirable to set the acceleration and deceleration rate slowly when a vehicle travels a short distance. For this reason, if sudden acceleration control is performed when restarting the host vehicle M that has stopped at the first stop position [A] or the second stop position [B], the driver may feel uncomfortable or uneasy. Therefore, the first acceleration A1 and the second acceleration A2 are set to be slow.

[0173] In this case, the first stop position [A] is set to reliably stop the host vehicle M at a predetermined position before the intersection 200. Therefore, at an intersection with poor visibility, the host vehicle M may not have good visibility of the surroundings when stopped at the first stop position [A]. However, the host vehicle M stopped at the first stop position [A] is located a predetermined distance (several meters) away from the intersection 200, and is therefore not protruding into the area of ​​the intersection 200, and is therefore in a safe situation with respect to other vehicles M2 traveling on the crossroads 202.

[0174] On the other hand, the visibility of the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M stopped at the second stop position [B] is considered to be improved compared to the visibility of the surrounding conditions when the host vehicle M is at the first stop position [A]. However, at intersections with poor visibility, the host vehicle M may not be able to reliably see the surrounding conditions even at the second stop position [B]. Furthermore, the second stop position [B] is located closer to the intersection 200 than the first stop position [A]. Moving from this state to the third stop position [C] would result in the host vehicle M being partially exposed within the intersection 200 without being able to fully check the surrounding conditions. For this reason, it is desirable to suppress the second acceleration A2 when resuming travel from the second stop position [B].

[0175] Therefore, taking these things into consideration, 1st acceleration A1 ≧ 2nd acceleration A2 The relationship is set as follows.

[0176] On the other hand, when the host vehicle M, which is stopped at the third stop position [C], resumes traveling, it is considered that the surrounding conditions have been checked and it has been confirmed that it is safe. Here, if the host vehicle M starts traveling again with a suppressed acceleration, there is a possibility that other vehicles may appear. For this reason, it is desirable to start the host vehicle M quickly after checking the surrounding safety at the third stop position [C]. Therefore, taking these into consideration, in the driving assistance device 1 of this embodiment, the accelerations when resuming traveling from each stop stage are as follows: 3rd acceleration A3≧1st acceleration A1≧2nd acceleration A2 The relationship is set as follows.

[0177] As mentioned above, each acceleration (A1, A2, A3) does not indicate a predetermined unique value, but a predetermined range is set according to the surrounding conditions when traveling is resumed. Therefore, depending on the surrounding conditions, the predetermined ranges for each acceleration (A1, A2, A3) may be set to overlap. For example, if the setting range of the first acceleration A1 and the setting range of the second acceleration A2 overlap, the relationship between the lower limit value of the first acceleration A1 and the upper limit value of the second acceleration A2 may be reversed. That is, for example, Upper limit of second acceleration A2≧Lower limit of first acceleration A1 It is possible that the relationship will be as follows.

[0178] Specifically, in the above description, the predetermined acceleration A2a set within the range of the second acceleration A2 (when there are no surrounding vehicles, etc.; step S18 in FIG. 10) and the predetermined acceleration A1b set within the range of the first acceleration A1 (when traffic volume is heavy; step S15 in FIG. 10) are different from each other. Predetermined acceleration A2a ≧ Predetermined acceleration A1b It may be possible to have a relationship with

[0179] After starting to travel at the third acceleration A3 from the third stop position [C], it is necessary to quickly and smoothly merge with traffic within the area of ​​the intersection 200. In this case, the control for switching from the third acceleration A3 to the normal travel control mode may be performed based on, for example, the following determination.

[0180] For example, if the steering angle is small and there is little change in the steering angle when resuming driving from the third stop position [C] (i.e., a nearly straight driving state) continues for a predetermined time (A3m), and it is detected that the vehicle M has moved a predetermined distance during that time, the mode will be switched to normal driving control mode.

[0181] Furthermore, for example, if it is detected based on the detection results of the camera unit 21 or the like that a state in which the left and right lane markings of the host vehicle M are not recognized continues for a predetermined time (A3n) and the host vehicle M has moved a predetermined distance during that time, the mode is switched to the normal driving control mode. In this case, the predetermined time A3n is set to be greater than the predetermined time A3m.

[0182] Furthermore, the first acceleration A1 is set, for example, in proportion to the road width of the vehicle's driving path 201. For example, the wider the road width of the vehicle's driving path 201, the higher the value the first acceleration A1 can be set to. Furthermore, the second acceleration A2 is set in proportion to the distance from the first stop position [A] to the second stop position [B]. For example, the longer the distance from the first stop position [A] to the second stop position [B], the higher the value the second acceleration A2 can be set to. The third acceleration A3 is set in proportion to the road width of the intersection 202. For example, the wider the road width of the intersection 202, the higher the value the third acceleration A3 can be set to.

[0183] As described above, according to the above embodiment, for example, when a vehicle is entering an intersection with no traffic lights and poor visibility, and driving control is performed in which the vehicle travels slowly while repeatedly making multiple temporary stops, the first acceleration A1 when resuming driving from the first stop position [A], which is a temporary stop position specified by traffic laws and regulations, the second acceleration A2 when resuming driving from the second stop position [B], which is a temporary stop position in a situation where visibility is not sufficiently ensured, such as a position just before an intersection, and the third acceleration A3 when resuming driving from the third stop position [C], which is a temporary stop position in a situation where visibility is sufficiently ensured by protruding part of the vehicle into the intersection area and visibility from other vehicles is also ensured, are each set to an acceleration according to the surrounding conditions, so that safe and smooth driving control can be performed at all times.

[0184] Furthermore, at each temporary stop stage, the acceleration setting is changed according to the respective surrounding conditions, so safer and smoother driving control can be achieved.

[0185] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining the disclosed multiple constituent elements. For example, if the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved and the effects of the invention can be obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in one embodiment, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention. Furthermore, constituent elements from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The present invention is not limited by specific embodiments other than as limited by the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0186] 1...Driving assistance device 10...In-vehicle communication line 11...Locator unit (map information acquisition device) 12...Map locator calculation unit 12a... Vehicle position estimation unit 12b...Map information acquisition section 13...Acceleration sensor 14...Wheel speed sensor 15...Gyro sensor 16...GNSS receiver 17...Road information receiver 18...High-precision road map database 19...Route information input section 20...Perimeter monitoring unit 20...Driving control unit (surrounding situation information acquisition device) 20a...Surrounding environment recognition sensor 20b…Surrounding Environment Awareness Department 21...Camera unit (surrounding situation information acquisition device) 21a…Main camera 21b...Sub camera 21c...Image Processing Unit (IPU) 21d…Driving environment recognition section 22...Travel control unit (travel control section) 22a...Steering assist control unit 22b...Target driving path setting unit 23...Engine control unit 24...Power steering control unit 25...Brake control unit 27...Throttle actuator 28...Electric power steering motor 29...Brake actuator 33...Mode switch 34...Handle touch sensor 35...Steering torque sensor 36...Brake sensor 37...Accelerator sensor 38...Alarm device 200...Intersection 201...Vehicle driving lane 201a...Road edge section 202...Intersection 203…Side wall etc. 204...Buildings, etc. 203a,204a...Tip position 205... Utility poles, etc. 206…stop sign 207...Stop sign 208…stop line 209...Crosswalk 210...Road center line A1...First acceleration A2…Second acceleration A3…Third acceleration M...Vehicle volume M2...Other vehicles

Claims

1. A driving assistance device for a vehicle, a surrounding situation information acquisition device for acquiring surrounding situation information of the vehicle; a driving control unit that performs overall control of the vehicle and performs driving control based on output information from the surrounding situation information acquisition device; Equipped with When an intersection is detected ahead of the vehicle based on the output information of the surrounding situation information acquisition device, the driving control unit: A predetermined stop position is set in accordance with the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, stop control is executed to stop the vehicle with the predetermined stop position as a target, and after checking the surrounding conditions at the predetermined stop position, travel control is executed to repeat a series of controls multiple times to resume travel of the vehicle, in this case, When the intersection is detected, the stop position based on a road sign or road marking is set as a first stop position; After resuming traveling from the first stop position, at a position where visibility of the surrounding situation by at least the surrounding situation information acquisition device is ensured, the temporary stop position is set as a second stop position at a position of a line drawn horizontally from the tip of an obstacle; If visibility by the driver is ensured after resuming travel from the second stop position, the temporary stop position is set at a position where a front part of the driver's head protrudes into the area of ​​the intersection as a third stop position, a first acceleration when resuming traveling from the first stop position; a second acceleration when resuming travel from the second stop position; The third acceleration when resuming travel from the third stop position is 3rd acceleration ≧ 1st acceleration ≧ 2nd acceleration A driving assistance device for a vehicle, characterized in that the device is set so that:

2. Further comprising a map information acquisition device for acquiring map information, The driving control unit sets the first stop position, the second stop position, and the third stop position based on output information from the surrounding situation information acquisition device as well as output information from the map information acquisition device, and performs predetermined stop control and predetermined driving control.

2. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 1.

3. The traveling control unit When another vehicle passing through the intersection is detected while the vehicle is temporarily stopped at the first stop position, the first acceleration is changed to a suppressed acceleration setting when the vehicle resumes traveling from the first stop position, When another vehicle is detected around the vehicle while the vehicle is temporarily stopped at the second stop position, the second acceleration is changed to a suppressed acceleration setting when the vehicle resumes traveling from the second stop position.

3. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance device is a vehicle driving assistance device.

4. The traveling control unit When an on state of a direction indicator of the vehicle is detected while the vehicle is temporarily stopped at the third stop position, the third acceleration is changed to a suppressed acceleration setting when the vehicle resumes traveling from the third stop position.

4. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance device is a vehicle driving assistance device.

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