Driving control device

Abstract

To reduce cut-in amounts at the time when an own vehicle travels following a precedent vehicle.SOLUTION: A travel control device comprises one or more processors. The processor comprises an operation support control part that performs steering control for causing change of a lateral position of a precedent vehicle to be delayed, and then, causing an own vehicle to follow the precedent vehicle on the basis of a delayed lateral position of the precedent vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cruise control device mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a driving control device has been proposed that uses radar or the like to detect objects in front of the vehicle, selects a preceding vehicle that the vehicle should follow from among the detected objects, and performs driving control to follow the selected preceding vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-71361 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above-mentioned driving control device, for example, when the vehicle is traveling straight while the preceding vehicle is traveling around a curve, the steering wheels may be turned early to follow the preceding vehicle, which may increase the amount of in-cut, which is the amount of movement to the inside of the curve.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of in-cut when following a preceding vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A cruise control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes one or more processors, and the processor includes a driving assistance control unit that delays a change in the lateral position of a leading vehicle and performs steering control to make a host vehicle follow the leading vehicle based on the delayed lateral position of the leading vehicle. The driving assistance control unit calculates the amount of lateral movement of the preceding vehicle based on the relative amount of lateral change of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle and the amount of lateral movement of the host vehicle with respect to the driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle, and delays the change in the lateral position of the preceding vehicle based on the lateral position of the preceding vehicle relative to the host vehicle and the amount of lateral movement of the preceding vehicle. This allows the cruise control device to delay steering of the host vehicle relative to the lateral position of the preceding vehicle, for example, when the preceding vehicle is approaching a curve and the host vehicle is still traveling straight, the cruise control device can delay steering of the host vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of in-cut when following a preceding vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a cruise control device; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a driving control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of steering control for following a preceding vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of steering control for following a preceding vehicle. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating steering control for following a leading vehicle when only a leading vehicle is traveling along a curve. [Figure 6] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating steering control for following a preceding vehicle according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for steering control to follow a preceding vehicle according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <1. Configuration of driving control device 1> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle 100 equipped with a cruise control device 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the cruise control device 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the cruise control device 1 is equipped in the vehicle 100 and controls the cruise of the vehicle 100. Although FIG. 1 shows only a portion of the driving control device 1, in reality the driving control device 1 includes other components.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 2, the driving control device 1 includes an imaging unit 2, an image processing unit 3, a memory 4, a driving assistance control unit 5, a display control unit 6, an engine control unit 7, a transmission control unit 8, a brake control unit 9, a steering control unit 10, a display unit 11, an engine-related actuator 12, a transmission-related actuator 13, a brake-related actuator 14, a steering-related actuator 15, a sensor 16, a bus 17, and a communication unit 18.

[0011] The driving assistance control unit 5, the display control unit 6, the engine control unit 7, the transmission control unit 8, the brake control unit 9, and the steering control unit 10 are connected to one another via a bus 17.

[0012] The image processing unit 3 is configured by a microcomputer equipped with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit: Processor), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and performs predetermined image processing related to recognition of the environment outside the vehicle based on image data obtained by capturing images of the traveling direction (forward in this example) and sides of the vehicle by the imaging unit 2. The image processing by the image processing unit 3 is performed using a memory 4, which is, for example, a non-volatile memory.

[0013] The imaging unit 2 is, for example, a stereo camera, which is two cameras that capture images in approximately the same direction. Each camera is configured with a camera optical system and an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera optical system forms an image of the subject on the imaging surface of the imaging element, and an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of received light is obtained for each pixel.

[0014] Each camera is installed so as to enable distance measurement by the so-called stereo imaging method. The electrical signals obtained by each camera are subjected to A / D conversion and predetermined correction processing, and are supplied to an image processing unit 3 as digital image signals (image data) representing brightness values ​​at predetermined gradations on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

[0015] The imaging unit 2 may be configured with a single camera equipped with an imaging element capable of measuring distances. The imaging unit 2 may also be configured with a camera that images the area in front of the vehicle 100, a camera that images the area behind the vehicle 100, a camera that images the area to the side of the vehicle 100, and the like.

[0016] The image processing unit 3 performs various image processing based on image data obtained by stereo imaging, recognizes forward information such as three-dimensional objects and dividing lines (center lines, lane boundaries, etc.) ahead of the vehicle, and recognizes the road and lane on which the vehicle is traveling (the vehicle's travel path) based on this recognition information, etc. Furthermore, the image processing unit 3 recognizes a preceding vehicle to be followed based on the recognized three-dimensional objects, etc.

[0017] Specifically, the image processing unit 3 performs the following processing, for example, based on the stereoscopically captured image data. First, the image processing unit 3 generates distance information for each pixel from the amount of displacement (parallax) between corresponding positions for a pair of captured images as image data, using the principle of triangulation. Then, the image processing unit 3 performs a well-known grouping process on the distance information, and compares the grouped distance information with pre-stored three-dimensional road shape data and three-dimensional object data, etc., to recognize white lines, guardrails along the road, side walls such as curbs, three-dimensional objects such as vehicles, stop lines, traffic signals, railroad crossings, crosswalks, lanes, etc.

[0018] Furthermore, the image processing unit 3 recognizes a recognized vehicle located ahead as a preceding vehicle when the overlap ratio of the recognized vehicle located ahead is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The overlap ratio indicates the degree of lateral overlap between the lateral position of the vehicle 100 and the vehicle located ahead. The overlap ratio is 100% when the vehicle located ahead is completely overlapped with the vehicle 100, 50% when they are located so that half the width of the vehicle body overlaps, and 0% when the width of the vehicle body does not overlap.

[0019] In this way, the image processing unit 3 can recognize surrounding objects based on the images captured by the imaging unit 2, and can also recognize their behavior. For example, the image processing unit 3 can also recognize the position, speed, acceleration (positive and negative acceleration due to acceleration or deceleration), changes in direction of travel, blinker flashing, etc. of the preceding vehicle relative to the host vehicle 100.

[0020] The image processing unit 3 recognizes the above-mentioned various types of external environment information for each frame of image data, for example, and stores (holds) the recognized information in the memory 4 one by one.

[0021] The driving assistance control unit 5 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and performs various driving assistance controls for driving assistance based on the results of image processing by the image processing unit 3 stored in the memory 4, detection signals obtained by the sensor 16, operation input information, etc., and communication information by the communication unit 18.

[0022] The driving assistance control unit 5 is connected to each of the control units, which are also configured with a microcomputer, namely a display control unit 6, an engine control unit 7, a transmission control unit 8, a brake control unit 9, and a steering control unit 10, via a bus 17, and is capable of mutual data communication with each of these control units. The driving assistance control unit 5 issues instructions to the necessary control units among the above control units to perform operations related to driving assistance.

[0023] Examples of driving assistance control that the driving assistance control unit 5 may perform include lane keeping control, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control (ACC), and adaptive cruise control (ADAP). Note that lane keeping control, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), and adaptive cruise control can be realized by known methods, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Further, adaptive cruise control will be described in detail later.

[0024] The display control unit 6 controls the display operation of the display unit 11 based on a detection signal from the sensor 16, operation input information from an operator, or instructions from the driving assistance control unit 5. For example, the display control unit 6 is capable of causing the display unit 11 to display a predetermined attention message as part of driving assistance based on instructions from the driving assistance control unit 5.

[0025] The display unit 11 collectively refers to various meters such as a speedometer and a tachometer provided in a meter panel installed in front of the driver, the MFD, and a display device for presenting information to the driver. The MFD can simultaneously or switchably display various information such as the total mileage of the vehicle, outside temperature, and instantaneous fuel consumption.

[0026] The engine control unit 7 controls various actuators provided as engine-related actuators 12 based on detection signals from sensors 16, operation input information from operators, instructions from the driving assistance control unit 5, or the like.

[0027] The engine-related actuators 12 include various actuators related to engine driving, such as a throttle actuator that drives a throttle valve and an injector that injects fuel.

[0028] For example, the engine control unit 7 controls the start / stop of the engine in response to the operation of an ignition switch. The engine control unit 7 also controls the fuel injection timing, fuel injection pulse width, throttle opening, etc. based on detection signals from predetermined sensors such as an engine rotation speed sensor 16c and an accelerator opening sensor 16d, which will be described later. In addition, the engine control unit 7 determines the target throttle opening from, for example, a map, based on the required torque calculated and output by the driving assistance control unit 5 based on the target acceleration and the gear ratio of the transmission, and controls the throttle actuator (controls the engine output) based on the determined throttle opening.

[0029] The transmission control unit 8 controls various actuators provided as transmission-related actuators 13 based on detection signals from sensors 16, operation input information from operators, instructions from the driving assistance control unit 5, or the like. The transmission-related actuator 13 is, for example, an actuator for controlling the shifting of an automatic transmission.

[0030] For example, the transmission control unit 8 outputs a predetermined shift signal to the transmission-related actuator 13 to perform shift control. When the automatic transmission is a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), the gear ratio is continuously changed as the gear change control.

[0031] The brake control unit 9 controls various actuators provided as brake-related actuators 14 based on detection signals from sensors 16, operation input information from an operator, or instructions from the driving assistance control unit 5, etc. The brake-related actuator 14 includes various brake-related actuators, such as a hydraulic pressure control actuator for controlling the output hydraulic pressure from the brake booster to the master cylinder and the hydraulic pressure in the brake fluid pipes.

[0032] For example, the brake control unit 9 controls the hydraulic pressure control actuator to brake the vehicle based on hydraulic pressure instruction information output from the driving assistance control unit 5. The brake control unit 9 also calculates the slip ratio of the wheels based on detection signals from predetermined sensors (for example, an axle rotation speed sensor or a vehicle speed sensor 16a), and increases or decreases the hydraulic pressure using the hydraulic pressure control actuator according to the slip ratio, thereby realizing so-called ABS (Antilock Brake System) control.

[0033] The steering control unit 10 controls various actuators provided as steering-related actuators 15 based on detection signals from sensors 16, operation input information from an operator, or instructions from the driving assistance control unit 5, etc. As the steering-related actuator 15, for example, an actuator for steering steered wheels such as front wheels is provided.

[0034] For example, the steering control unit 10 steers the steered wheels by controlling the steering-related actuator 15 based on the steering angle detected by a steering angle sensor 16f (described later). The steering control unit 10 also realizes automatic steering by controlling the steering-related actuator 15 based on instruction information provided from the driving assistance control unit 5.

[0035] The sensor 16 collectively represents various sensors provided on the vehicle 100, which is the host vehicle. The sensors 16 include a vehicle speed sensor 16a, a wheel speed sensor 16b, an engine rotation speed sensor 16c, an accelerator opening sensor 16d, a brake sensor 16e, a steering angle sensor 16f, a yaw rate sensor 16g, a G sensor 16h, a millimeter wave radar 16i, and a position information receiver 16j. Note that these are merely examples, and various other sensors may be provided.

[0036] The vehicle speed sensor 16a detects the speed of the vehicle. The wheel speed sensor 16b detects the rotation speed of the wheel. The engine speed sensor 16c detects the engine speed. The accelerator opening sensor 16d detects the accelerator opening from the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal. The brake sensor 16e detects the amount of braking operation from the amount of depression of the brake pedal. The steering angle sensor 16f detects the steering angle of the steering wheel. The yaw rate sensor 16 g detects the yaw rate applied to the vehicle 100 . The G sensor 16h detects acceleration acting on the vehicle 100 in the traveling direction, the width direction, and the vertical direction. The millimeter wave radar 16i detects the surrounding situation by emitting millimeter waves to the outside and performing sensing. The position information receiver 16j is, for example, a receiver for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a receiver that receives information from a roadside device, and acquires current position information.

[0037] Various detection signals from the sensor 16 are supplied to the necessary parts, such as the image processing part 3, the driving assistance control part 5, the display control part 6, the engine control part 7, the transmission control part 8, the brake control part 9, and the steering control part 10.

[0038] The communication unit 18 performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication and network communication. The driving assistance control unit 5 can acquire information about other vehicles received by the communication unit 18. The communication unit 18 can also acquire various information, such as surrounding environment information about the current location and road information, through network communication such as the Internet.

[0039] <2. Leading vehicle following steering control> The steering control for following the preceding vehicle according to the embodiment will be described. In the following description, the vehicle 100 in the above configuration will be referred to as the "host vehicle 100" to distinguish it from the preceding vehicle 200.

[0040] When the image processing unit 3 cannot identify the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling while the ACC is being executed and lane keeping control cannot be performed, the driving assistance control unit 5 performs steering control to follow the preceding vehicle instead of lane keeping control. However, the steering control to follow the preceding vehicle may be executed when the ACC is not being executed, or may be executed with priority over lane keeping control while the ACC is being executed.

[0041] Here, first, the steering control to follow the leading vehicle of a comparative example will be described, and then the processing of the steering control to follow the leading vehicle in the embodiment will be described. Note that the steering control to follow the leading vehicle in the comparative example and the embodiment is executed every time an image is captured by the imaging unit 2 and image processing is performed by the image processing unit 3, and the interval is defined as processing time t. Therefore, the steering control to follow the leading vehicle is executed every processing time t.

[0042] [2.1 Comparative example of steering control to follow the preceding vehicle] 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating an overview of the steering control for following the preceding vehicle. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a case where the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 are traveling straight. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a case where the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 are traveling with a constant radius of curvature.

[0043] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the driving assistance control unit 5 acquires information indicating the position (X, Z) of the preceding vehicle 200 in the XZ coordinate system based on an origin O, which is a predetermined position of the vehicle 100, stored in the memory 4 as a result of image processing by the image processing unit 3. Here, the origin O is set, for example, at the center in the lateral direction (left and right direction) of the host vehicle 100 and at the leading edge in the traveling direction. In the XZ coordinate system, the X axis direction is the direction along the lateral direction of the host vehicle 100, with the right direction being the positive direction, and the Z axis direction is the direction along the longitudinal direction of the host vehicle 100, with the forward direction being the positive direction.

[0044] The driving assistance control unit 5 sets the acquired position of the leading vehicle 200 as a control target point, and calculates the curvature k using equation (1).

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[0045] The driving assistance control unit 5 instructs the steering control unit 10 to make the host vehicle 100 travel at the calculated curvature k. That is, the driving assistance control unit 5 causes the steering control unit 10 to perform steering control to drive the steering-related actuator 15 so that the host vehicle 100 travels at the calculated curvature k.

[0046] 3, when the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 are traveling straight, the curvature k in equation (1) is approximately 0, and therefore the driving assistance control unit 5 performs steering control so that the host vehicle 100 travels approximately straight. This enables the host vehicle 100 to follow the preceding vehicle 200 while traveling straight.

[0047] 4, when the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 are traveling at a constant radius of curvature, the driving assistance control unit 5 performs steering control so that the host vehicle 100 makes a curve at a curvature k, which is the reciprocal of the constant radius of curvature. This enables the host vehicle 100 to follow the preceding vehicle 200 while making a curve at a constant radius of curvature.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the steering control for following the preceding vehicle when only the preceding vehicle 200 is traveling around a curve. Now, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the leading vehicle 200 is traveling around a curve, and the host vehicle 100 is traveling straight. In such a case, if the curvature k is calculated based on the above equation (1) and steering control is performed so that the vehicle 100 travels at the calculated curvature k, the curvature k in equation (1) will become large because the preceding vehicle 200 is moving laterally (in the X-axis direction).

[0049] Therefore, the host vehicle 100 will turn early to follow the preceding vehicle 200, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 5, and will end up taking a shortcut due to the shape of the road. In other words, the host vehicle 100 will be traveling on a route inside the route traveled by the preceding vehicle 200.

[0050] Therefore, in the embodiment, the steering control for following the preceding vehicle delays the change in the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200, and the steering control of the host vehicle 100 is performed so that the host vehicle 100 follows the preceding vehicle 200 based on the delayed position.

[0051] 2.2 Leading vehicle following steering control in the embodiment Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the steering control for following the preceding vehicle in the embodiment. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, when the driving assistance control unit 5 acquires information indicating the position (X, Z) of the preceding vehicle 200 from the memory 4, the driving assistance control unit 5 calculates an approximate curve as the traveling trajectory 201 of the preceding vehicle 200 by the least squares method using the positions (X, Z) of the preceding vehicle 200 acquired up to the last time and the position (X, Z) of the preceding vehicle 200 acquired this time. The approximate curve may have any number of dimensions.

[0052] The driving assistance control unit 5 also calculates the deviation Xdiff of the host vehicle 100 in the X-axis direction with respect to the travel trajectory 201. The deviation Xdiff is a value indicating how much the host vehicle 100 has moved laterally from the travel trajectory 201 of the preceding vehicle 200, and indicates the amount of deviation of the host vehicle 100 in the X-axis direction from the travel trajectory 201.

[0053] Furthermore, the driving assistance control unit 5 performs first-order differentiation on the currently acquired position of the preceding vehicle 200 in the X-axis direction, and calculates the relative lateral movement amount X'_TGT of the preceding vehicle 200. The driving assistance control unit 5 also performs first-order differentiation on the deviation Xdiff to calculate the lateral movement amount X'_OWN of the host vehicle 100 relative to the preceding vehicle 200.

[0054] Here, the lateral movement amount X'_TGT is the amount of relative lateral change of the preceding vehicle 200 with respect to the host vehicle 100, and therefore is a value that changes even if the host vehicle 100 moves in the lateral direction. Therefore, the driving assistance control unit 5 calculates the lateral movement amount of the preceding vehicle 200 (X'_TGT-X'_OWN) by subtracting the lateral movement amount X'_OWN, which is the amount of lateral movement of the host vehicle 100 with respect to the traveling trajectory 201, from the lateral movement amount X'_TGT.

[0055] Thereafter, the driving assistance control unit 5 calculates a corrected lateral position X_COR by delaying the change in the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200 using the following equation (2).

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[0056] Then, the driving assistance control unit 5 calculates the curvature k by substituting the corrected lateral position X_COR for X in equation (1). The driving assistance control unit 5 causes the steering control unit 10 to perform steering control to drive the steering-related actuator 15 so that the host vehicle 100 travels with the calculated curvature k.

[0057] As a result, when the preceding vehicle 200 starts to turn from a straight traveling state, the change in lateral position is delayed based on the lateral speed, thereby making it possible to suppress the amount of lateral movement of the vehicle 100 when the preceding vehicle 200 starts to turn from a straight traveling state.

[0058] Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, movement toward the inside of the lane can be suppressed more than in the case shown by the dashed line.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 3, when the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 are traveling straight, the position of the preceding vehicle 200 in the X direction does not change, and therefore there is almost no effect from calculating the corrected lateral position X_COR and substituting it into equation (1).

[0060] 4, when the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 are traveling with a constant radius of curvature, the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 does not change, and therefore the first-order differentiated values ​​of the lateral position X and the deviation Xdiff are approximately 0. Therefore, there is almost no effect when the corrected lateral position X_COR is calculated and substituted into equation (1).

[0061] 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for steering control to follow a preceding vehicle in an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 7, when steering control to follow a preceding vehicle is started, in step S1, the driving assistance control unit 5 acquires information (leading vehicle information) indicating the position (X, Z) of the preceding vehicle 200 from the memory 4. In step S2, the driving assistance control unit 5 calculates the traveling trajectory 201 of the preceding vehicle 200 by the least squares method using the position (X, Z) of the preceding vehicle 200 acquired up to the previous time and the position (X, Z) of the preceding vehicle 200 acquired this time.

[0062] Then, the driving assistance control unit 5 calculates the lateral deviation Xdiff of the host vehicle 100 in step S3, calculates the relative lateral movement amount X'_TGT of the preceding vehicle 200 in step S4, and calculates the lateral movement amount X'_OWN with respect to the driving trajectory 201 in step S5.

[0063] In addition, the driving assistance control unit 5 calculates the corrected lateral position X_COR using equation (2) in step S6.

[0064] Then, in step S7, the driving assistance control unit 5 calculates the curvature k by substituting the corrected lateral position X_COR for X in equation (1), and in step S8, performs steering control so that the host vehicle 100 travels with the curvature k, and then ends the processing.

[0065] <3. Modifications> The above embodiment is merely an example of how the present invention can be implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the above example, and various modifications are possible.

[0066] For example, in the steering control for following the preceding vehicle in the above-described embodiment, the corrected lateral position X_COR is calculated to delay the change in the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200. However, the method for delaying the change in the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200 is not limited to this, and other methods may be used.

[0067] 7 may be stored in a storage medium such as a nonvolatile memory in the driving assistance control unit 5 or a nonvolatile memory provided in the driving control device 1. The program may also be stored in a portable storage medium, or may be downloaded to the vehicle 100 from a server device via network communication.

[0068] Furthermore, the image processing unit 3, the driving assistance control unit 5, the display control unit 6, the engine control unit 7, the transmission control unit 8, the brake control unit 9, and the steering control unit 10 are configured by different microcomputers, but they may be configured by a single microcomputer. Furthermore, some of the image processing unit 3, the driving assistance control unit 5, the display control unit 6, the engine control unit 7, the transmission control unit 8, the brake control unit 9, and the steering control unit 10 may be configured by a single microcomputer.

[0069] <4. Summary> As described above, the driving control device 1 of the embodiment includes one or more processors, and the processor includes a driving assistance control unit 5 that delays changes in the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200 and performs steering control to make the host vehicle 100 follow the preceding vehicle 200 based on the delayed lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200 (corrected lateral position X_COR). This allows the cruise control device 1 to delay (delay the phase of) the steering of the host vehicle 100 relative to the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200. For example, when the preceding vehicle 200 is approaching a curve and the host vehicle 100 is still traveling straight, the steering of the host vehicle 100 can be delayed. Therefore, the cruise control device 1 can reduce the amount of in-vehicle cut when following a preceding vehicle. Furthermore, the cruise control device 1 can start turning the host vehicle 100 closer to the timing when the leading vehicle 200 starts turning, and therefore can provide steering assistance with a more natural feeling.

[0070] In addition, the driving assistance control unit 5 may delay changes in the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200 based on the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200 relative to the vehicle 100 and the amount of lateral movement of the preceding vehicle 200. This allows a simple method to delay changes in the lateral position of the leading vehicle.

[0071] In addition, the driving assistance control unit 5 may calculate the lateral movement amount of the preceding vehicle 200 based on a differential value (lateral movement amount X'_TGT) of the lateral position X of the preceding vehicle 200 relative to the host vehicle 100 and a differential value (lateral movement amount X'_OWN) of the lateral deviation Xdiff of the host vehicle 100 relative to the driving trajectory 201 of the preceding vehicle 200. This reduces the influence of the lateral movement of the host vehicle 100, and makes it possible to accurately calculate the amount of lateral movement of the leading vehicle 200. Here, for example, it is conceivable to perform steering control so as to follow the travel path 201 of the preceding vehicle 200. However, in this steering control, it is necessary to move the point sequence of the position (X, Z) of the preceding vehicle in accordance with the movement of the host vehicle 100, and therefore there is a risk that errors will become large depending on the accuracy of, for example, a gyro sensor. However, the driving assistance control unit 5 can follow the preceding vehicle 200 with high accuracy by using such a method.

[0072] In addition, the driving assistance control unit 5 may calculate the delayed lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200 by subtracting the lateral movement amount of the preceding vehicle 200 from the lateral position of the preceding vehicle 200 relative to the vehicle 100. This reduces the influence of the lateral movement of the host vehicle 100, and makes it possible to accurately delay the lateral position of the leading vehicle 200.

[0073] In addition, the driving assistance control unit 5 may calculate the curvature k based on the lateral position of the delayed preceding vehicle 200, and perform steering control so that the host vehicle 100 travels with the calculated curvature k. This allows the cruise control device 1 to reduce the amount of in-vehicle cut when following the leading vehicle 200. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1. Driving control device 2. Imaging unit 3 Image processing section 5. Driving assistance control unit 10 Steering control unit 100 Vehicles (own vehicle) 200 Leading vehicle

Claims

1. one or more processors; The processor: a driving assistance control unit that delays a change in a lateral position of a preceding vehicle and performs steering control to make the host vehicle follow the preceding vehicle based on the delayed lateral position of the preceding vehicle; The driving assistance control unit calculating a lateral movement amount of the preceding vehicle based on a relative lateral change amount of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle and a lateral movement amount of the host vehicle with respect to a travel path of the preceding vehicle; A change in the lateral position of the preceding vehicle is delayed based on the lateral position of the preceding vehicle relative to the host vehicle and the amount of lateral movement of the preceding vehicle. Driving control device.

2. The driving assistance control unit Calculating the amount of lateral movement of the preceding vehicle based on a differential value of the lateral position of the preceding vehicle relative to the host vehicle and a differential value of the lateral deviation of the host vehicle relative to the travel path of the preceding vehicle. The cruise control device according to claim 1 .

3. The driving assistance control unit The delayed lateral position of the preceding vehicle is calculated by subtracting the amount of lateral movement of the preceding vehicle from the lateral position of the preceding vehicle relative to the host vehicle. The driving control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The driving assistance control unit A curvature is calculated based on the lateral position of the delayed preceding vehicle, and the steering control is performed so that the host vehicle travels with the calculated curvature. The driving control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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