In-vehicle device, intersection passage assistance method, and computer program

Abstract

This in-vehicle apparatus includes: a recommendation information acquisition unit for acquiring first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit for determining, on the basis of an output from a sensor installed in the vehicle, whether or not a vehicle following the vehicle to be supported has cooperative processing functionality; and a first calculation unit for providing, using the output from the sensor and a determined result from the first determination unit, either one of the first recommendation information and second recommendation information that is calculated regarding the vehicle to be supported to a driving support device of the vehicle to be supported. The first calculation unit includes: a dynamic information detection unit for detecting, on the basis of the output from the sensor, dynamic information of the following vehicle; a first decision unit for deciding, responsive to a determination that the following vehicle has cooperative processing functionality, a speed and an acceleration of the vehicle to be supported by cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit for determining, responsive to a determination that the following vehicle does not have cooperative processing functionality, whether or not the vehicle to be supported is able to pass through the intersection according to the first recommendation information, using the output from the sensor and the dynamic information; and a second calculation unit for providing, using a determined result from the second determination unit, either one of the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information to the driving support device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device, an intersection passage assistance method, and a computer program. This application claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2021-131903 filed on August 13, 2021, and incorporates by reference all of the contents of that Japanese application. [Background technology]

[0002] Various systems for assisting drivers of automobiles, motorcycles, and the like (hereinafter referred to as "vehicles") have been proposed, and some of them have been implemented. These systems aim to reduce the burden on drivers in dealing with various problems they encounter when driving a vehicle. One such system is an intersection assistance system.

[0003] It is generally known that traffic accidents occur frequently at intersections. For example, according to the 2020 White Paper on Traffic Safety, head-on collisions, a typical type of accident that occurs at intersections, account for 12.8% of all accidents, and collisions when turning right or left account for 6.0%. It is also estimated that rear-end collisions and accidents involving pedestrians crossing the street also account for accidents at intersections. Therefore, there is a need for systems that support drivers or vehicles so that they can safely pass through intersections or stop.

[0004] One known intersection assistance system is one that installs optical beacons on roads in conjunction with traffic lights at intersections. These optical beacons transmit traffic signal information to vehicles. The traffic signal information includes, for example, the traffic signal cycle length and the green light flashing time. The traffic signal information may also include a recommended speed. The recommended speed refers to the speed recommended for a vehicle to safely pass through an intersection while the light is green. The recommended speed may also include recommended acceleration for accelerating or decelerating within the intersection. Some systems also install LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and cameras on traffic lights and transmit the processed information to vehicles via wireless communication. Such devices, which are primarily installed on roadsides and provide traffic information to vehicles to assist them in driving, are called traffic infrastructure devices. For clarity, traffic infrastructure devices will be referred to simply as "infrastructure devices" hereinafter.

[0005] When an in-vehicle device or a car navigation system (hereinafter referred to as "in-vehicle device") receives information from an infrastructure device, the in-vehicle device performs intersection assistance based on the traffic light information and the vehicle's position, speed, etc. Intersection assistance includes, for example, intersection passage assistance and red light deceleration assistance.

[0006] Intersection passage assistance refers to providing a function that, for example, indicates to the driver the recommended speed for safely and smoothly passing through an intersection when proceeding straight through the intersection. If the traffic light information does not include a recommended speed, the on-board device calculates the recommended speed for passing through the intersection based on the vehicle's position and speed, the output of sensors mounted on the vehicle, and information about the intersection obtained from a high-precision map, and indicates this to the driver. If the traffic light information includes a recommended speed, the on-board device indicates this recommended speed to the driver.

[0007] Red light deceleration assistance is a function that allows a vehicle to decelerate gradually and safely stop at the stop line by releasing the accelerator early when it is unable to pass through an intersection before the light turns green based on the timing of the light changing to red and the vehicle's position and speed.

[0008] By utilizing such intersection assistance, it is expected that accidents at intersections will be prevented.

[0009] Such an intersection assistance device is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (see below). The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 aims to provide appropriate information to assist drivers in passing through traffic lights (abstract). The traffic light passing assistance device disclosed in Patent Document 1 displays a message such as "Maintain vehicle speed" on the display if the vehicle can pass through the traffic light ahead at the current vehicle speed based on traffic light information and the output of a vehicle speed sensor. If the vehicle cannot pass the traffic light ahead while the light is green at the current vehicle speed, the traffic light passing assistance device displays a predictive message such as "Slow down" or "Stop." However, if the route guidance displayed based on the route information includes the above-mentioned "Slow down" or "Stop" messages, or if there is a possibility of a discrepancy between the information expected to be displayed by the route guidance and the predicted information, the display of the predicted information is stopped. This occurs, for example, when the route guidance predicts that "turn right" will be displayed, but the traffic light passing assistance processing predicts that "Maintain vehicle speed." It is believed that this processing prevents the driver from feeling uncomfortable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-80190 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] An in-vehicle device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: a recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information related to a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether or not a following vehicle of the assisted vehicle has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the assisted vehicle; and a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the assisted vehicle to a driving assistance device of the assisted vehicle using the output of the sensor and a determination result by the first determination unit according to whether or not the assisted vehicle can safely pass through the intersection without stopping. The driving assistance device includes a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output; a first determination unit that, in response to a determination that the following vehicle has the cooperative processing function, determines the speed and acceleration of the vehicle to be assisted based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to a determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the vehicle to be assisted can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the sensor output and the dynamic information; and a second calculation unit that, in accordance with the determination result by the second determination unit, provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information. An intersection passage assistance method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes: a recommendation information acquisition step in which a computer acquires first recommendation information related to a speed for passing through the intersection; a first determination step in which the computer determines whether a following vehicle of the assisted vehicle has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted in the assisted vehicle; and a first calculation step in which the computer provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the assisted vehicle to a driving assistance device of the assisted vehicle, according to whether the assisted vehicle can safely pass through the intersection without stopping, using the output of the sensor and the determination result of the first determination step. a first determination step in which the computer determines the speed and acceleration of the vehicle to be assisted based on first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle in response to a determination that the following vehicle has the cooperative processing function; a second determination step in which the computer determines whether the vehicle to be assisted can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the sensor output and the dynamic information in response to a determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function; and a second calculation step in which the computer provides either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information to the driving assistance device in accordance with the determination result in the second determination step.

[0012] A computer program according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includes: a recommendation information acquisition step of acquiring first recommendation information related to a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination step of determining whether or not a vehicle following the vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted in the vehicle to be assisted; and a first calculation step of providing either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, using the output of the sensor and the determination result in the first determination step, according to whether or not the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping. a first determination step of determining the speed and acceleration of the vehicle to be assisted based on the first recommendation information by cooperative processing with the following vehicle in response to determining that the following vehicle has the cooperative processing function; a second determination step of determining whether the vehicle to be assisted can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the sensor output and the dynamic information in response to determining that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function; and a second calculation step of providing the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information in accordance with the determination result in the second determination step. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an intersection passage assistance method according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an in-vehicle device that implements the intersection passage assistance method according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a hardware block diagram of the in-vehicle device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a program for determining a vehicle travel plan for intersection passage support, executed by the on-board device shown in FIG. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a more detailed control structure of the process for determining the recommended host vehicle speed in the program shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing one aspect of the intersection passage assistance method according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another aspect of the intersection passage assistance method according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing still another aspect of the intersection passage assistance method according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a graph that schematically shows the speed changes of the assistance target and the following vehicle in FIGS. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating one aspect of the intersection passage assistance method according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a program for determining a vehicle travel plan for intersection passage assistance according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] [Problem this disclosure aims to solve] If a vehicle has the capability to receive and use information transmitted by infrastructure devices, the vehicle can enjoy the above-mentioned intersection passage assistance function. Naturally, if a vehicle does not have such a device, it cannot enjoy the intersection passage assistance function.

[0015] However, that is not the only problem. Vehicles that can enjoy intersection passage assistance can stop smoothly at intersections using information such as recommended speeds, but if a vehicle following such a vehicle is not equipped with a device that can enjoy intersection passage assistance, the following problems arise.

[0016] Assume that a vehicle capable of utilizing the intersection passage assistance function is traveling toward the intersection at a certain distance from the intersection. Because such a vehicle is connected to an infrastructure device via communication, it is hereinafter referred to as a "connected vehicle." Connected vehicles are generally capable of communicating not only with infrastructure devices but also with other connected vehicles. Connected vehicles are also referred to as cooperative vehicles because they exchange information with infrastructure devices and other connected vehicles and travel cooperatively. Assume that a vehicle that does not utilize the intersection passage assistance function is traveling at a relatively long distance behind the connected vehicle. Vehicles that do not utilize the intersection passage assistance function are hereinafter referred to as "non-connected vehicles" or "non-cooperative vehicles."

[0017] When cooperative vehicles stop at an intersection based on traffic light information, they release the accelerator early and slowly to slow down. When a vehicle in front slows down, the driver of the following vehicle unconsciously slows down in the same way in an attempt to maintain the same distance between their vehicles. This can then cause the following vehicles to slow down, and so on, and so on. This phenomenon is called deceleration propagation. Furthermore, it has been reported that this deceleration propagation is amplified, and it is known that the further back a vehicle is, the more rapidly it decelerates. As a result, if a cooperative vehicle starts to decelerate slowly, the speed of a series of vehicles may unnecessarily slow down, causing congestion, increasing the possibility of a rear-end collision, or requiring sudden deceleration.

[0018] Conversely, if the distance between a leading cooperative vehicle and a following non-cooperative vehicle is short, when the cooperative vehicle starts to decelerate or applies the brakes, the following non-cooperative vehicle must also decelerate. Even if the cooperative vehicle decelerates slowly, the following non-cooperative vehicle cannot determine the degree of deceleration of the cooperative vehicle, nor can it predict the degree of future deceleration. As a result, the non-cooperative vehicle may suddenly decelerate, causing discomfort to the occupants of the non-cooperative vehicle.

[0019] Although various proposals have been made so far regarding the functions of cooperative vehicles, the impact on surrounding non-cooperative vehicles has not been addressed.

[0020] Therefore, an object of this disclosure is to provide an in-vehicle device, an intersection passage assistance method, and a computer program that can reduce the impact on vehicles that do not have the function of cooperative processing.

[0021] [Effect of this disclosure] As described above, this disclosure provides an in-vehicle device, an intersection passage assistance method, and a computer program that can reduce the impact on vehicles that do not have the cooperative processing function.

[0022] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] The following are examples of embodiments of this disclosure. These embodiments may be combined in any manner. In the following description, acceleration includes deceleration. (1) An in-vehicle device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: a recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information related to a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of the vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; and a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, using the output of the sensor and a determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping. a first determination unit that determines the speed and acceleration of the vehicle to be assisted based on the first recommendation information by cooperative processing with the following vehicle in response to a determination that the following vehicle has the cooperative processing function; a second determination unit that determines whether the vehicle to be assisted can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the sensor output and the dynamic information in response to a determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function; and a second calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information to the driving assistance device in accordance with the determination result by the second determination unit.

[0023] When the following vehicle is unable to cooperate, the behavior of the vehicle at the intersection is controlled using the dynamic information of the following vehicle through cooperation, thereby minimizing the impact on the vehicle that cannot cooperate.

[0024] (2) In the above (1), the second calculation unit may include a first providing unit that provides first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determination unit determining that the assisted vehicle can pass through the intersection; an impact prediction unit that predicts the impact on following vehicles caused by the assisted vehicle stopping at a stopping position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information in response to the second determination unit determining that the assisted vehicle cannot pass through the intersection; and a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information so as to reduce the predicted impact in accordance with the magnitude of the impact predicted by the impact prediction unit and outputs second recommendation information.

[0025] When the vehicle to be assisted cannot pass through the intersection, the impact prediction unit predicts the impact on following vehicles when the vehicle to be assisted stops at the stopping position according to the first recommendation information. The correction unit corrects the first recommendation information to generate second recommendation information so as to reduce the predicted impact. As a result, when the vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, the vehicle can safely stop at the stopping position at the intersection while reducing the impact on following uncooperative vehicles.

[0026] (3) In the above (1), the recommended information acquisition unit may include a recommended information receiving unit that receives first recommended information from a data providing device that provides infrastructure data for providing driving assistance to vehicles at intersections, and the second calculation unit may include a first providing unit that provides the first recommended information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determination unit determining that the assisted vehicle can pass through the intersection, an impact prediction unit that predicts the impact on following vehicles caused by the assisted vehicle stopping at a stopping position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommended information in response to the second determination unit determining that the assisted vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, and a correction unit that corrects the first recommended information so as to reduce the predicted impact in accordance with the magnitude of the impact predicted by the impact prediction unit and outputs second recommended information.

[0027] The impact on following vehicles caused by a vehicle stopping at a stop position in an intersection is predicted. According to the magnitude of this predicted impact, the first recommendation information is corrected to become the second recommendation information so that the predicted impact is reduced. This correction reduces the possibility that following vehicles will be forced to accelerate unreasonably.

[0028] (4) In (1) or (2) above, the impact prediction unit may include an discomfort prediction unit that predicts the impact of the discomfort felt by the occupants of the following vehicle when the vehicle to be assisted stops at a stopping position in accordance with the first recommendation information until the following vehicle safely stops.

[0029] The degree of discomfort felt by the occupants of the following vehicle is predicted as the impact on the following vehicle. The first recommendation information is corrected to reduce the degree of discomfort. As a result, even if the following vehicle is a non-cooperative vehicle, discomfort for the occupants of the following vehicle can be prevented.

[0030] (5) In (4) above, the first recommendation information may include a recommended acceleration for the assisted vehicle to safely stop at the stopping position and a recommended acceleration start time for starting acceleration at the recommended acceleration, and the correction unit may include a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is less than a first threshold value, and a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start time of the first recommendation information to a later time and outputs it as second recommendation information when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

[0031] Simple control can reduce the impact on following vehicles.

[0032] (6) In the above (4), the first recommendation information may include a recommended acceleration for the vehicle to be assisted to safely stop at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started, and the correction unit may correct the following vehicle when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is less than a first threshold value. Note 1 The system may include a first output unit that outputs the recommended information as is, a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommended information to a later position when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as second recommended information, and a third output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration of the first recommended information to a value greater than 0 when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration as second recommended information.

[0033] The vehicle can safely stop at a stopping position while minimizing the impact on following vehicles, and if the impact on following vehicles becomes too great, the vehicle can accelerate and pass through the intersection.With simple control, the impact on following vehicles can be reduced, and problems caused by the vehicle stopping at an intersection can be avoided.

[0034] (7) In the above (1), the first recommendation information may include a recommended acceleration for the assisted vehicle to stop at the stopping position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration should begin. The intersection passage assistance method may further include a cooperative vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle having cooperative processing capabilities that is present in a group of vehicles following the assisted vehicle based on sensor output and results of data communication with other vehicles. The second calculation unit may include a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determination unit determining that the assisted vehicle can pass through the intersection; an impact prediction unit that predicts, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assisted vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, the impact on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles when the assisted vehicle stops at the stopping position in accordance with the first recommendation information, based on information on the group of following vehicles received from the cooperative vehicle detected by the cooperative vehicle detection unit; a maximum impact determination unit that determines the largest impact among the impacts predicted by the impact prediction unit; and a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information so as to reduce the largest impact according to the magnitude of the largest impact.

[0035] The first recommendation information for determining the behavior of the own vehicle at an intersection can be corrected using not only information acquired by the own vehicle but also information obtained from a cooperative vehicle, if such a vehicle is in a group of following vehicles, so as to reduce the influence of all vehicles in a group of non-cooperative vehicles that exist between the own vehicle and the cooperative vehicle. As a result, even when multiple non-cooperative vehicles are following the own vehicle, the behavior of the own vehicle at an intersection can be determined while reducing the influence on the non-cooperative vehicles.

[0036] (8) In the above (1), the recommended information acquisition unit may include a recommended information acquisition unit that receives first recommended information from a data providing device that provides infrastructure data for providing driving assistance for a vehicle at an intersection, and the first determination unit may include a cooperative vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle having a cooperative processing function that is present in a group of vehicles following the assisted vehicle based on the output of the sensor and the infrastructure data from the data providing device, and the second calculation unit, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assisted vehicle can pass through the intersection, provides the first recommended information to the driving assistance device as information for the assisted vehicle to pass through the intersection. the first recommendation information; an impact prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assisted vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, predicts the impact on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles caused by the assisted vehicle stopping at a stopping position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information based on information received from the cooperative vehicle detected by the cooperative vehicle detection unit; a maximum impact determination unit that determines the largest impact of the impacts predicted by the impact prediction unit; and a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information so as to reduce the predicted impact according to the magnitude of the largest impact and outputs the corrected information as second recommendation information.

[0037] This intersection passage assistance method utilizes not only information acquired by the host vehicle, but also information obtained from a cooperative vehicle if such a vehicle is in a group of following vehicles. That is, this method corrects first recommendation information that determines the behavior of the host vehicle at an intersection and outputs second recommendation information so as to minimize the impact on the most affected vehicle among the vehicles in a group of non-cooperative vehicles that exist between the host vehicle and the cooperative vehicle. As a result, even when multiple non-cooperative vehicles are following the host vehicle, the behavior of the host vehicle at an intersection can be determined while minimizing the impact on the most affected vehicle.

[0038] (9) In (7) or (8) above, the impact prediction unit may include an discomfort prediction unit that predicts the impact of, when the assisted vehicle stops in accordance with the first recommendation information, the discomfort felt by each occupant of a vehicle in the group of following vehicles until all of the vehicles in the group of following vehicles have safely stopped, based on information received from the cooperative vehicle detected by the cooperative vehicle detection unit.

[0039] The degree of discomfort felt by occupants of all vehicles in the group of following vehicles is predicted as an impact based on information from the cooperative vehicle, and the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled to reduce that discomfort. As a result, even when multiple uncooperative vehicles are following the host vehicle, the behavior of the host vehicle at the intersection can be determined while minimizing the impact on the vehicle that is most affected.

[0040] (10) In (9) above, the first recommendation information may include a recommended acceleration for stopping the vehicle to be assisted at the stopping position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration should begin, and the correction unit may include a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the largest discomfort level of each vehicle in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value, and a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be slower and outputs it as the second recommendation information when the largest discomfort level is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

[0041] The vehicle that will have the greatest discomfort felt by the occupants of the following vehicle group is predicted as the influence, and the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled in a simple manner to reduce that discomfort. As a result, even if the following vehicle group is all uncooperative vehicles, the influence of the behavior of the host vehicle can be suppressed so that none of the occupants feel discomfort.

[0042] (11) In (9) above, the first recommendation information may include a recommended acceleration for stopping the vehicle to be assisted at a stopping position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration should begin, and the correction unit may include a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the largest discomfort level of each vehicle in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value, a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be slower and outputs it as second recommendation information when the largest value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and less than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, and a third output unit that changes the recommended acceleration of the first recommendation information to a value greater than 0 and outputs it as second recommendation information when the largest value is equal to or greater than the second threshold value.

[0043] The system predicts the greatest discomfort felt by the occupants of the following vehicle group as the impact, and controls the behavior of the own vehicle in a simple yet detailed manner to reduce that discomfort. As a result, even if the following vehicle group is entirely uncooperative, the impact of the behavior of the own vehicle can be suppressed so that none of the occupants feel discomfort.

[0044] (12) An intersection passage assistance method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes: a recommendation information acquisition step in which a computer acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through the intersection; a first determination step in which the computer determines whether a following vehicle of the assisted vehicle has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the assisted vehicle; and a first calculation step in which the computer provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated regarding the assisted vehicle to a driving assistance device of the assisted vehicle, based on whether the assisted vehicle can safely pass through the intersection without stopping, using the output of the sensor and the determination result of the first determination step. The method includes a dynamic information detection step in which the computer detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination step in which the computer determines the speed and acceleration of the vehicle to be assisted based on the first recommendation information through collaborative processing with the following vehicle in response to determining that the following vehicle has the collaborative processing capability; a second determination step in which the computer determines whether the vehicle to be assisted can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information in response to determining that the following vehicle does not have the collaborative processing capability; and a second calculation step in which the computer provides either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information to the driving assistance device in accordance with the determination result in the second determination step.

[0045] With this intersection passage assistance method, even if the following vehicle is unable to cooperate, the behavior of the vehicle at the intersection is controlled using the dynamic information of the following vehicle, thereby reducing the impact on the vehicle that cannot cooperate.

[0046] (13) A computer program according to a second aspect of this disclosure includes: a recommendation information acquisition step of acquiring first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination step of determining whether a vehicle following the vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; and a first calculation step of providing either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated regarding the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, using the output of the sensor and the determination result of the first determination step, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping. The first calculation step is The control unit is caused to function to execute an intersection passage assistance method, which includes: a dynamic information detection step of detecting dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output; a first determination step of determining the speed and acceleration of the vehicle to be assisted based on first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle in response to determining that the following vehicle has the cooperative processing function; a second determination step of determining whether the vehicle to be assisted can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the sensor output and the dynamic information in response to determining that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function; and a second calculation step of providing either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information to the driving assistance device in accordance with the determination result in the second determination step.

[0047] By executing this computer program on an in-vehicle device, even if a vehicle following a vehicle equipped with a computer programmed with this computer program is unable to perform cooperative processing, the computer controls the behavior of the vehicle at an intersection using dynamic information about the following vehicle, thereby reducing the impact on the vehicle that is unable to perform cooperative processing.

[0048] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] Specific examples of an intersection passage assistance method and a computer program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description and drawings, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, and any combination of features in the embodiments is also included in the present disclosure. In other words, the present disclosure is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0049] 1. First embodiment (1) Composition A. Overview 1 shows a schematic configuration of an intersection passage assistance system 50 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the intersection passage assistance system 50 is for performing intersection passage assistance processing at an intersection 60 for a cooperative vehicle.

[0050] The intersection passage assistance system 50 includes an infrastructure device 62 installed at an intersection 60. The infrastructure device 62 includes a traffic light 80, a camera 82, and a LiDAR 84, and has a function of transmitting signal information from the traffic light 80 to cooperative vehicles via a wireless communication device (not shown). The traffic light information here includes recommended information regarding the speed for passing through the intersection, in addition to the traffic light cycle length, green light flashing time, and other information. In this embodiment, the recommended speed information includes the speed for passing through the intersection at a constant speed, the acceleration required for safely passing through the intersection, the negative acceleration (i.e., deceleration) required to start accelerating while traveling and stop smoothly and safely at the stop line, and the acceleration start time for stopping at the stop line using that acceleration. Note that in the following embodiments, the term "speed, etc." is a concept that also includes acceleration unless specifically referred to together with acceleration. In this specification, the position at which acceleration, including deceleration, begins is referred to as the acceleration start position, and the time at which acceleration begins is referred to as the acceleration start time. The acceleration start position is determined by the vehicle's traveling speed and the acceleration start time. The infrastructure device 62 can also communicate with a traffic assistance server (not shown). The traffic signal information may be transmitted to each cooperative vehicle from the traffic assistance server, rather than directly from the infrastructure device 62.

[0051] Assume that a vehicle 64 and a following vehicle 66 are traveling toward an intersection 60. The vehicle 64 is a cooperative vehicle, and the following vehicle 66 is a non-cooperative vehicle. The vehicle 64 has an on-board camera 68 that monitors the rear. The on-board camera 68 has a field of view 70 that captures vehicles following the vehicle 64, such as the following vehicle 66. In each case where the vehicle 64 stops at or passes through the intersection 60 in cooperation with the infrastructure device 62, the impact on the following vehicle 66 becomes an issue. That is, it is necessary to consider what impact the following vehicle 66 will have depending on the distance between the vehicle 64 and the following vehicle 66, the distance between the vehicle 64 and the intersection 60, the speed of the vehicle 64 and the following vehicle 66, and the like.

[0052] B. Vehicle configuration 2 is a block diagram showing functional elements of the portion related to the cooperative processing among the components of the vehicle 64. Referring to Fig. 2, the vehicle 64 includes an exterior wireless communication device 102 that performs data communication via wireless communication between the infrastructure device 62 and the vehicle 65, various sensors 104, a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 106 that electronically control each functional unit of the vehicle, and an autonomous driving ECU 108 that controls the vehicle 64 to a certain extent. The vehicle 64 further includes an in-vehicle / exterior interconnection unit 100 for controlling the autonomous driving ECU 108, and an in-vehicle network 110.

[0053] The in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle interconnection unit 100 has the function of generating information for controlling the autonomous driving ECU 108 based on information received from the exterior vehicle wireless communication device 102, various sensors 104, ECU 106, etc., and providing the information to the autonomous driving ECU 108. The in-vehicle network 110 is a communication network that connects the in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle interconnection unit 100, various sensors 104, ECU 106, and autonomous driving ECU 108.

[0054] C. Internal and external interconnection section 100 3, the in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle interconnection unit 100 is essentially a computer, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 150, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 152, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 154, and a bus 156 to which these are commonly connected and which handles the communication of both commands and data between them. The in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle interconnection unit 100 further includes an input / output I / F (Interface) 158 connected to the bus 156 and connected to the exterior wireless communication device 102 shown in FIG. 2, and a network I / F 160 connected to the bus 156 and connected to the in-vehicle network 110 shown in FIG. 2.

[0055] The ROM 152 is a rewritable non-volatile memory. The ROM 152 stores a vehicle travel plan determination program executable by the CPU 150 for implementing the intersection passage assistance system according to the first embodiment. At least a part of this program can be rewritten with a new program received from the outside via the exterior wireless communication device 102.

[0056] The exterior vehicle wireless communication device 102 periodically receives a dynamic map containing information about nearby moving objects from a traffic assistance server (not shown). This dynamic map is stored in the RAM 154 shown in FIG. 3 and is used for general driving assistance to the driver. A program for realizing such general driving assistance is also stored in the ROM 152 and can be updated in accordance with information from outside. General driving assistance also includes a CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control) function. Cooperative vehicles equipped with the CACC function can control the speeds of leading and following vehicles to maintain a constant inter-vehicle distance according to their speeds, etc.

[0057] D. Structure of the vehicle travel plan decision program 4, the vehicle travel plan determination program for realizing the intersection passage assistance system according to the first embodiment has the following control structure. This program is for assisting in intersection passage, and as described above, assists driving when the vehicle is going straight through the intersection. This program is executed repeatedly at sufficiently short fixed time intervals, for example, at fixed intervals of 100 milliseconds or less.

[0058] This program includes step 200 of acquiring traffic signal information from the infrastructure device 62 shown in FIG. 1 and step 202 of detecting dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the various sensors 104 shown in FIG. 2 mounted on the host vehicle. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the following vehicle is the following vehicle 66. Here, the dynamic information of the following vehicle refers to the position, speed, and acceleration of the following vehicle. Similar information about the host vehicle is obtained from the various sensors 104 and the like. The acquisition route for the dynamic information of the following vehicle differs depending on whether the following vehicle is a cooperative vehicle or a non-cooperative vehicle. If the following vehicle is a cooperative vehicle, the dynamic information of the following vehicle is obtained through direct communication with the following vehicle. If the following vehicle is a non-cooperative vehicle, in this embodiment, the information about the host vehicle is obtained primarily from the various sensors 104 and the like, and from the results of image processing of images captured by the on-board camera 68, both of which are also shown in FIG. 1. If the various sensors 104 include a rear-facing millimeter-wave radar, the dynamic information of the following vehicle is preferably obtained from the output of the millimeter-wave radar.

[0059] This program further includes step 204, which branches the control flow depending on whether the following vehicle is a cooperative vehicle, and step 206, which, if the determination in step 204 is positive, i.e., if the following vehicle is a cooperative vehicle, executes cooperative processing for passing through an intersection via wireless communication with the following vehicle. For example, the technology described in International Publication No. 2020 / 136894 can be used for the determination in step 204. For example, the aforementioned CACC can be used for the cooperative processing in step 206.

[0060] The program further includes step 208, which is executed in response to a negative determination in step 204, for predicting a travelable distance while the traffic light 80 at the intersection 60 is green, using the recommended speed included in the signal information received from the infrastructure device 62. The program further includes step 210 for determining whether the vehicle 64 can safely pass through the infrastructure device 62 while the traffic light 80 is green, based on the result predicted in step 208, and branching the flow of control in accordance with the determination result.

[0061] This program further includes step 212, in which if the determination in step 210 is positive, i.e., in response to the determination that the vehicle 64 can pass through the intersection 60 at the recommended speed, the vehicle 64 is accelerated by the necessary acceleration in order to pass through the intersection 60 at the recommended speed, and if the determination in step 210 is negative, step 214, in which the recommended host vehicle speed is determined by correcting the recommended host vehicle speed received from the infrastructure device 62 based on the states of the host vehicle and the following vehicle. After step 214, this program further includes step 216, in which the recommended host vehicle speed is provided to a host vehicle driving control unit (not shown) in the autonomous driving ECU 108, and execution of this program is terminated.

[0062] Figure 5 shows a more detailed control structure of a program routine that realizes step 214 of Figure 4. Referring to Figure 5, this program includes step 250, which calculates a recommended speed, a recommended acceleration, and a recommended position for starting acceleration, i.e., an acceleration start position, for stopping at the stop line of intersection 60 by smooth acceleration, based on traffic light information and dynamic information of the host vehicle. The program further includes step 252, which calculates a discomfort level, which is an index representing the degree of discomfort that the occupants of the following vehicle will feel, based on the recommended speed, recommended acceleration, and recommended acceleration start position calculated in step 250, and branches the control flow according to the level of this discomfort level.

[0063] In this embodiment, the discomfort level is calculated using the position, speed, and acceleration of the vehicle itself, the position, speed, and acceleration of the following vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle itself and the following vehicle as inputs. The discomfort level is calculated using a function such that the discomfort level increases as the absolute value of the maximum acceleration (deceleration) experienced by the following vehicle until it safely stops increases, and the discomfort level also increases as the probability of so-called deceleration propagation increases. A specific calculation formula may be used to determine this function, or the calculation formula may be specified based on statistical information. Alternatively, a table created based on such a formula may be used. However, since there are many variables to consider in calculating the discomfort level, using a table may result in complex processing. When there is a large amount of basic data for calculating the discomfort level, a neural network may be trained to calculate the discomfort level for each input value, and the neural network may be used to calculate the discomfort level.

[0064] In this embodiment, the discomfort level is divided into three levels based on two thresholds A and B. That is, if the discomfort level is less than the first threshold A, control proceeds to step 254. If the discomfort level is equal to or greater than the first threshold A and less than the second threshold B, control proceeds to step 256. If the discomfort level is equal to or greater than the second threshold B, control proceeds to step 258. Here, a case where the discomfort level is less than the first threshold A corresponds to a case where the distance between the host vehicle and the following vehicle is appropriate or there is no following vehicle. A case where the discomfort level is equal to or greater than the first threshold A and less than the second threshold B refers to a situation where the distance between the host vehicle and the following vehicle is somewhat short, making it likely that the following vehicle will unnecessarily accelerate or that deceleration propagation will occur. A case where the discomfort level is equal to or greater than the second threshold B refers to a situation where the distance between the host vehicle and the following vehicle is too small compared to the host vehicle's speed, and therefore the acceleration (deceleration) required for the following vehicle to stop will be very large when the host vehicle attempts to stop at a stop position at an intersection.

[0065] In step 254, execution of this routine is terminated without correcting the recommended speed, recommended acceleration, or recommended acceleration start position. This is because the host vehicle can safely stop at the stop position according to the recommended values ​​and there is no impact on following vehicles. In step 256, execution of this routine is terminated by moving the host vehicle's acceleration start position later, i.e., delaying the acceleration start time from the recommended value. Even if the acceleration start position is moved later than the recommended value, there is still a margin in the original recommended value. Therefore, the host vehicle can stop safely. Meanwhile, the following vehicle's acceleration start is delayed. As a result, the possibility of deceleration propagation occurring in the line of vehicles behind the following vehicle is reduced, and the possibility of a situation in which a following vehicle near the rear must suddenly accelerate is also reduced. In step 258, execution of this routine is terminated by avoiding the acceleration behavior of the host vehicle and selecting to enter the intersection 60 at the current speed or to pass through the intersection with positive acceleration. In other words, the acceleration value in the recommended information is changed from a negative value to a value greater than or equal to zero. The discomfort level increases when the following vehicle must accelerate very rapidly. In such a case, even if the recommended acceleration start position is moved backward and the following vehicle attempts to stop suddenly, there is a risk that the following vehicle will collide with the host vehicle from behind. This is the reason why acceleration behavior is avoided in step 258.

[0066] (2) Operation A. Overview In the intersection passage assistance system 50 configured as described above, the in-vehicle / external interconnection unit 100 mounted on the vehicle 64 operates as follows. Referring to FIG. 4, in step 200, the in-vehicle / external interconnection unit 100 acquires traffic light information from the infrastructure device 62 shown in FIG. 1. In the subsequent step 202, the in-vehicle / external interconnection unit 100 detects dynamic information of the following vehicle from outputs of the various sensors 104 shown in FIG. 2 mounted on the vehicle itself. If the following vehicle is a cooperative vehicle, the dynamic information of the following vehicle is obtained by direct communication with the following vehicle. If the following vehicle is a non-cooperative vehicle, the dynamic information of the following vehicle is obtained mainly from information about the vehicle itself obtained from the various sensors 104 and the like and from the results of image processing of images captured by the on-board camera 68, both of which are also shown in FIG. 1. The dynamic information of the following vehicle may also be obtained from the output of a millimeter-wave radar.

[0067] The vehicle interior / external interconnection unit 100 further determines whether the following vehicle is a cooperative vehicle in step 204. If the following vehicle is determined to be a cooperative vehicle in step 204, the vehicle interior / external interconnection unit 100 executes cooperative processing regarding intersection passage through wireless communication with the following vehicle in step 206. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned CACC is used for this cooperative processing. The subsequent operation of the vehicle interior / external interconnection unit 100 is not related to the present disclosure, and therefore the details thereof will not be repeated here.

[0068] If it is determined in step 204 that the following vehicle is not a cooperative vehicle, the on-board and off-board interconnection unit 100 further predicts in step 208 the distance that the vehicle 64 can travel while the traffic light 80 at the intersection 60 is green, using the recommended speed included in the traffic light information received from the infrastructure device 62. In the following step 210, the on-board and off-board interconnection unit 100 determines, based on the predicted result, whether the vehicle 64 can safely pass through the infrastructure device 62 while the traffic light 80 is green, and branches the control flow according to the determination result.

[0069] If it is determined in step 210 that the vehicle 64 can pass through the intersection 60 at the recommended speed, the intra-vehicle and external interconnection unit 100 further accelerates the vehicle 64 at the necessary acceleration in step 212 in order to pass through the intersection 60 at the recommended speed. On the other hand, if the determination in step 210 is negative, the intra-vehicle and external interconnection unit 100 determines the recommended host vehicle speed, recommended host vehicle acceleration, and recommended host vehicle acceleration start position by correcting the recommended host vehicle speed, recommended host vehicle acceleration, and acceleration start position (i.e., acceleration start time) received from the infrastructure device 62 based on the states of the host vehicle and the following vehicle in step 214. The recommended host vehicle speed, recommended host vehicle acceleration, and recommended host vehicle acceleration start position are second recommendation information. After step 214, the intra-vehicle and external interconnection unit 100 provides the recommended host vehicle speed, recommended host vehicle acceleration, and acceleration start position to a host vehicle driving control unit (not shown) in the autonomous driving ECU 108, and ends execution of this program.

[0070] 5, in step 214, the vehicle interior / external interconnection unit 100 specifically operates as follows: That is, in step 250, the vehicle interior / external interconnection unit 100 calculates a recommended speed, a recommended acceleration, and a recommended position for starting acceleration, i.e., a recommended acceleration start position, for stopping at the stop line of the intersection 60 with smooth acceleration, based on traffic light information and dynamic information of the vehicle itself. In step 252, the vehicle interior / external interconnection unit 100 further calculates a discomfort level, which is an index representing the degree of discomfort that the occupants of the following vehicle will feel, based on the recommended speed, recommended acceleration, and recommended acceleration start position calculated in step 250, and branches the control flow as described below depending on the level of the discomfort level.

[0071] B. Classification of actions according to the degree of discomfort Hereinafter, the operation of the vehicle interior / exterior interconnection unit 100 will be described by distinguishing it according to the magnitude of the discomfort level.

[0072] (a) When the discomfort level is less than the first threshold A In this case, the vehicle interior / exterior interconnection unit 100 does not correct the recommended speed, recommended acceleration, and recommended acceleration start position, and provides them to the automatic driving ECU 108 as they are. As a result, the vehicle 64 starts accelerating at the recommended speed and from the recommended acceleration start position. If the recommended values ​​are followed, the vehicle can safely stop at the stopping position, and there is no impact on following vehicles.

[0073] This situation will be explained using Figures 6 and 9(A). Referring to Figure 6, it is assumed that a vehicle 64 and a following vehicle 66 are traveling toward an intersection 60 with an appropriate inter-vehicle distance depending on their speeds and the like. In Figure 9(A), a graph 270 shows the change in the speed of vehicle 64 over time. Meanwhile, a graph 272 shows the position of following vehicle 66 relative to vehicle 64 after the driver of following vehicle 66 notices that vehicle 64 is accelerating.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 9(A), let us assume that vehicle 64 begins accelerating at the recommended speed and recommended acceleration start position as shown by graph 270. When the driver of following vehicle 66 notices this acceleration, the following distance LΔ between vehicle 64 and following vehicle 66 is appropriate. Therefore, as shown by graph 272, following vehicle 66 can safely stop at a certain distance behind vehicle 64 without any unpleasant sudden acceleration. In this way, graph 272 shows the position of following vehicle 66 relative to vehicle 64, but graph 272 can also be said to show the change in the speed of following vehicle 66 over time. However, the time axis is not the same as that shown in FIG. 9(A), but is the same as that shown in FIG. 9(A) shifted to the left by a distance equivalent to the distance LΔ shown in FIG. 9(A). The same applies to the graphs relating to following vehicles in FIGS. 9(B) to 9(D).

[0075] (b) When the discomfort level is equal to or greater than the first threshold value A and less than the second threshold value B The vehicle interior / exterior interconnection unit 100 moves the acceleration start position of the host vehicle later than recommended. The original recommended value has a margin. Therefore, even if the acceleration start position is delayed from the initial recommended value, the host vehicle can stop at the stop line of the intersection 60 with acceleration that is safe and comfortable. On the other hand, since the acceleration start position of the host vehicle is closer to the intersection 60, the acceleration start of the following vehicle will be delayed. As a result, the possibility of deceleration propagation occurring in the line of vehicles behind the following vehicle is reduced, and the possibility of a situation occurring in which a following vehicle near the end must suddenly accelerate is also reduced.

[0076] This situation will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 9(B). Referring to FIG. 7, it is assumed that a following vehicle 66 exists behind the vehicle 64, and further behind that, a convoy of vehicles 130 exists. The inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 64 and the following vehicle 66 is large compared to the speed, etc. In this state, it is assumed that the vehicle 64 starts accelerating at the recommended acceleration start position, as shown by graph 274 in the left panel of FIG. 9(B). The driver of the following vehicle 66 unconsciously accelerates to maintain a constant inter-vehicle distance. The absolute value of this acceleration is greater than that of the vehicle 64, as shown by graph 276. The acceleration of the following vehicle 66 being greater than that of the vehicle 64 is a common phenomenon in deceleration propagation. In this example, the deceleration propagation is further amplified in the convoy of vehicles 130 following the following vehicle 66, and the acceleration becomes greater the further back it is, sometimes to the point where the following vehicle needs to suddenly brake.

[0077] In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown by graph 278 in the right panel of Figure 9(B), the acceleration start position of vehicle 64 moves to a position closer to the stop line of intersection 60. As a result, the acceleration start position of following vehicle 66 also moves toward the stop line, as shown by graph 280. The acceleration start positions of vehicles following following vehicle 66 also move toward the intersection 60, making it possible to reduce the possibility of deceleration propagation occurring at positions far from the intersection 60.

[0078] (c) When the discomfort level is equal to or greater than the second threshold B As shown in FIG. 8 , the discomfort level becomes equal to or greater than the second threshold value B when the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 64 and the following vehicle 66 is too small compared to the vehicle speed. In this case, the vehicle interior / external interconnection unit 100 avoids the acceleration behavior of the vehicle itself and selects to enter the intersection 60 at the current speed or to accelerate and pass through the intersection. If this is not done, there is a risk that the following vehicle 66 will collide with the vehicle 64 even if the vehicle 64 shifts the recommended acceleration start position backward and the following vehicle 66 attempts to make an emergency stop. By the vehicle interior / external interconnection unit 100 avoiding the acceleration behavior of the vehicle 64 and selecting to pass through the intersection, the following vehicle 66 can be prevented from colliding with the vehicle 64 from the rear.

[0079] This situation will be explained with reference to Figure 9(C). Referring to the left panel of Figure 9(C), consider a case where vehicle 64 starts accelerating at the recommended acceleration start position as shown by graph 282 when the inter-vehicle distance is short, and attempts to stop at the stop line. As shown by graph 284, following vehicle 66 must stop with an acceleration much greater than the acceleration of vehicle 64, or there is a high risk of rear-ending vehicle 64.

[0080] In this case, as shown by graph 286 in the right panel of FIG. 9(C), the following effect is achieved by vehicle 64 passing through the intersection 60 while avoiding acceleration behavior. That is, as shown by graph 288, the following vehicle 66 can stop at the stop line if it accelerates with a certain degree of acceleration. Vehicle 64 is not stopped near the stop line but is passing through the intersection. Therefore, there is no possibility that the following vehicle 66 will rear-end vehicle 64. However, in this situation, the following vehicle may not stop at the intersection 60 but may pass through the intersection 60 after vehicle 64. This situation is shown in FIG. 9(D). For example, it may be difficult for the following vehicle to stop at the stop line, or stopping may create a dangerous situation. In such cases, depending on the judgment of the driver of the following vehicle, it may be safer for the following vehicle to pass through the intersection by following a trajectory similar to that of vehicle 64, as shown by graph 290 in FIG. 9(D).

[0081] As described above, according to the first embodiment, a cooperative vehicle selects the behavior of its own vehicle so that it can travel safely, taking into consideration the degree of discomfort experienced by drivers of surrounding non-cooperative vehicles. That is, when a following vehicle is not capable of cooperative processing, an on-board device capable of cooperative processing controls the behavior of its own vehicle at an intersection using dynamic information about the following vehicle. As a result, the impact on vehicles that are not capable of cooperative processing can be reduced. It is possible to prevent a situation in which the behavior of a cooperative vehicle forces drivers of surrounding non-cooperative vehicles to drive in a way that causes discomfort. Therefore, each vehicle can travel safely even in a traffic environment where cooperative and non-cooperative vehicles coexist.

[0082] Furthermore, when the vehicle to be assisted cannot pass through the intersection, the recommendation value calculation unit calculates a recommended speed and a recommended time for stopping at the stopping position.The on-board device predicts the impact on following vehicles when the vehicle to be assisted stops at the stopping position based on the recommended speed and recommended time.The on-board device corrects at least the recommended time so as to reduce the predicted impact.As a result, when the vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, the vehicle can safely stop at the stopping position at the intersection while reducing the impact on following uncooperative vehicles.

[0083] Furthermore, the impact on following vehicles due to the acceleration of the vehicle to be assisted at the acceleration start time to stop at an intersection is predicted. According to the magnitude of this predicted impact, the recommended time is corrected so that the predicted impact is reduced. Because the recommended time is corrected, the possibility that following vehicles will be forced to accelerate unreasonably can be reduced.

[0084] The system predicts the degree of discomfort felt by the occupants of the following vehicle as an impact on the following vehicle. The system corrects the recommended time so that the discomfort is reduced. As a result, even if the following vehicle is a non-cooperative vehicle, discomfort for the occupants can be prevented.

[0085] Simple control can reduce the impact on following vehicles in this way.

[0086] This system allows the vehicle to safely stop at a predetermined position while minimizing the impact on following vehicles, and allows the vehicle to pass through the intersection if the impact on following vehicles would be too great.By using simple control, it is possible to reduce the impact on following vehicles and avoid problems that arise when the vehicle stops at an intersection.

[0087] 2. Second embodiment In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the following vehicle 66 following the vehicle 64 is not a cooperative vehicle. Furthermore, it does not matter whether the vehicle following the following vehicle 66 is a cooperative vehicle or not.

[0088] However, this disclosure is not limited to such an embodiment. Even if the following vehicle 66 is an uncooperative vehicle immediately following the vehicle 64, which is a cooperative vehicle, there may be a cooperative vehicle behind it. In such a case, the vehicle 64 can use not only the information it obtains from the infrastructure device 62 and information obtained from its own vehicle's sensors, but also information from the cooperative vehicle behind it. The second embodiment is such an embodiment. Note that, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that a group of uncooperative vehicles 300 consisting of three uncooperative vehicles exists between the vehicle 64 and the cooperative vehicle 302 behind it.

[0089] In the second embodiment, the vehicle inside / outside interconnection unit 100 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of the first embodiment can be used as is as hardware. However, the control structure of the vehicle travel plan determination program stored in the ROM 152 of FIG. 3 is different from that shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0090] 11, this program differs from those shown in Figures 4 and 5 in that it includes, instead of steps 202 and 204 shown in Figure 4, step 350 for detecting dynamic information of a group of vehicles following the host vehicle based on the host vehicle's sensor output, information received from surrounding cooperative vehicles, and signal information from infrastructure equipment 62. This program also differs from those shown in Figures 4 and 5 in that it includes, following step 350, step 352 for determining whether all the following vehicles are cooperative vehicles or not, and branching the control flow to step 206 and step 208 according to the result.

[0091] This program further includes the following steps instead of step 214 shown in Fig. 4. Specifically, this program includes step 354 of executing step 356 of determining, for each of the uncooperative vehicles detected in steps 350 and 352, the degree of discomfort that the driver of that uncooperative vehicle will likely feel, and step 358 of selecting the greatest degree of discomfort from the degrees of discomfort determined in step 354 after the processing of step 354 is completed. This program further includes step 360 of applying the determination of step 250 shown in Fig. 5 to the degree of discomfort selected in step 358, and correcting the recommended speed, recommended acceleration, and recommended acceleration start position, i.e., acceleration start time, by executing one of steps 254, 256, and 258, and then terminating execution of this program.

[0092] In the second embodiment, vehicle 64 uses information obtained from the following cooperative vehicle 302 to select the non-cooperative vehicle with the highest discomfort level among the non-cooperative vehicles in the group 300 of non-cooperative vehicles between vehicle 64 and cooperative vehicle 302, and operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment based on that discomfort level. In other respects, the operation of this second embodiment is the same as the operation of the first embodiment.

[0093] In this second embodiment, the vehicle's behavior at an intersection is selected using traffic information so that the driver of the vehicle will not feel uncomfortable around multiple following uncooperative vehicles and the vehicle will safely stop at or pass through the intersection. As a result, a traffic environment can be provided in which not only cooperative vehicles but also uncooperative vehicles can drive safely and comfortably.

[0094] 3 Conclusion As described above, according to this disclosure, when a cooperative vehicle uses information obtained from an infrastructure device to select a behavior for its own vehicle, the cooperative vehicle selects a behavior that not only enables the own vehicle to move or stop safely but also ensures that the drivers of surrounding non-cooperative vehicles do not feel uncomfortable. As a result, even if the non-cooperative vehicle cannot share information with the cooperative vehicle, a traffic environment can be provided in which not only the own vehicle but also surrounding non-cooperative vehicles can move safely and comfortably.

[0095] In addition to the information acquired by the vehicle itself, if a cooperative vehicle is present in a group of following vehicles, information obtained from the cooperative vehicle is also used. Using such information, the recommended time for determining the vehicle's behavior at the intersection can be corrected so as to minimize the influence of all vehicles in the non-cooperative vehicle group that exists between the vehicle and the cooperative vehicle. As a result, even if multiple non-cooperative vehicles are following the vehicle, the vehicle's behavior at the intersection can be determined while minimizing the influence on them.

[0096] The recommended time for determining the behavior of the own vehicle at the intersection can be corrected so as to minimize the impact on the most affected vehicle among the vehicles included in the group of non-cooperative vehicles present between the own vehicle and the cooperative vehicle. As a result, even when multiple non-cooperative vehicles are following the own vehicle, the behavior of the own vehicle at the intersection can be determined while minimizing the impact on the most affected vehicle.

[0097] The degree of discomfort felt by the occupants of all vehicles in the following group of vehicles is predicted as an influence, and the behavior of the own vehicle is controlled to reduce that discomfort. As a result, even if all the following group of vehicles are uncooperative, the influence of the behavior of the own vehicle can be suppressed.

[0098] In this case, the vehicle with the greatest discomfort felt by the occupants of the following vehicle group is predicted as the impact, and the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled using a simple yet detailed method to reduce that discomfort. As a result, even if the following vehicle group is all uncooperative vehicles, the impact of the host vehicle's behavior can be suppressed so that none of the occupants feel discomfort.

[0099] 4. Variations In the above description, an embodiment relating to stopping at an intersection has been described as one form of intersection passage assistance. However, this disclosure is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, when selecting a safe route for traveling straight through an intersection, or when checking the surrounding safety and selecting a route for turning right or left at an intersection, the behavior of the vehicle can be selected to minimize the impact on nearby uncooperative vehicles and ensure the safety of the vehicle. Furthermore, the technology disclosed herein is not limited to being applicable to intersection passage assistance. For example, it can also be applied to lane changes on a multi-lane highway, moving a vehicle in a parking lot, and the like.

[0100] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The technical scope of the present disclosure is not defined by the detailed description of the invention, but by the claims of the appended claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the wording of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 50 Intersection Passage Assist System 60 Intersection 62 Infrastructure Equipment 64 vehicles 65 Other cooperative vehicles 66 Following vehicle 68 In-vehicle camera 70 field of view 80 Traffic Light 82 Camera 84 LiDAR 100 Internal and external interconnection section 102 Exterior vehicle radio communication device 104 Various sensors 106 ECU 108 Autonomous Driving ECU 110 In-vehicle network 130 Vehicle Convoy 150 CPU 152 ROM 154 RAM 156 Bus 158 Input / Output Interface 160 Network Interface 200, 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, 216, 250, 252, 254, 256, 258, 350, 352, 354, 356, 358, 360 steps 270, 272, 274, 276, 278, 280, 282, 284, 286, 288, 290 Graphs 300 Non-cooperative Vehicle Groups 302 Cooperative Vehicles

Claims

1. a recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation unit a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the function of the cooperative processing, determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation unit that provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result by the second determination unit; The second calculation unit a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determining unit determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an impact prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, predicts an impact on the following vehicle caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stop position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information; a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information in accordance with the magnitude of the impact predicted by the impact prediction unit so as to reduce the predicted impact, and outputs second recommendation information; the impact prediction unit includes a discomfort prediction unit that predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by an occupant of the following vehicle until the following vehicle safely stops when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, and the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for the assistance target vehicle to safely stop at the stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction unit a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is less than a first threshold value; and a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to a later position when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information.

2. a recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a function of cooperative processing based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation unit a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the function of the cooperative processing, determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation unit that provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result by the second determination unit; the recommendation information acquisition unit includes a recommendation information receiving unit that receives the first recommendation information from a data providing device that provides infrastructure data for providing driving assistance for a vehicle at the intersection; The second calculation unit a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device as information for the assistance target vehicle to pass through the intersection in response to the second determining unit determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information; an impact prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection if the assistance target vehicle follows the first recommendation information, predicts an impact on the following vehicle caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stop position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information; a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information according to the magnitude of the impact predicted by the impact prediction unit so that the predicted impact becomes smaller, and outputs the corrected first recommendation information as second recommendation information; the impact prediction unit includes a discomfort prediction unit that predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by an occupant of the following vehicle until the following vehicle safely stops when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, and the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for the assistance target vehicle to safely stop at the stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction unit a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is less than a first threshold value; and a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to a later position when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information.

3. A recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a function of cooperative processing based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation unit a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the function of the cooperative processing, determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation unit that provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result by the second determination unit; The second calculation unit a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determining unit determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an impact prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, predicts an impact on the following vehicle caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stop position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information; a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information in accordance with the magnitude of the impact predicted by the impact prediction unit so as to reduce the predicted impact, and outputs second recommendation information; the impact prediction unit includes a discomfort prediction unit that predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by an occupant of the following vehicle until the following vehicle safely stops when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, and the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for the assistance target vehicle to safely stop at the stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction unit a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is less than a first threshold value; a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to a later position when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and is less than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information; and a third output unit that, when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, corrects the recommended acceleration of the first recommendation information to a value equal to or greater than 0 and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration as the second recommendation information.

4. A recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a function of cooperative processing based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation unit a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the function of the cooperative processing, determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation unit that provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result by the second determination unit; the recommendation information acquisition unit includes a recommendation information receiving unit that receives the first recommendation information from a data providing device that provides infrastructure data for providing driving assistance for a vehicle at the intersection; The second calculation unit a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device as information for the assistance target vehicle to pass through the intersection in response to the second determining unit determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information; an impact prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection if the assistance target vehicle follows the first recommendation information, predicts an impact on the following vehicle caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stop position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information; a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information according to the magnitude of the impact predicted by the impact prediction unit so that the predicted impact becomes smaller, and outputs the corrected first recommendation information as second recommendation information; the impact prediction unit includes a discomfort prediction unit that predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by an occupant of the following vehicle until the following vehicle safely stops when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, and the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for the assistance target vehicle to safely stop at the stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction unit a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is less than a first threshold value; a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to a later position when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and is less than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information; and a third output unit that, when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, corrects the recommended acceleration of the first recommendation information to a value equal to or greater than 0 and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration as the second recommendation information.

5. A recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a function of cooperative processing based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation unit a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the function of the cooperative processing, determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation unit that provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result by the second determination unit; the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; the on-board device further includes a cooperative vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle that is present in a group of vehicles following the assistance target vehicle and has a cooperative processing function, based on the output of the sensor and a result of data communication with other vehicles; The second calculation unit a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determining unit determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an influence prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, predicts an influence on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, based on information on the group of following vehicles received from the cooperative vehicle detected by the cooperative vehicle detection unit; a maximum influence determination unit that determines the largest influence among the influences predicted by the influence prediction unit; a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information according to the magnitude of the greatest influence so that the greatest influence is reduced, the impact prediction unit includes a discomfort prediction unit that predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by each occupant of a vehicle in the group of following vehicles until all of the vehicles in the group of following vehicles safely stop when the assistance target vehicle stops in accordance with the first recommendation information, the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction unit a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the largest discomfort level of each vehicle in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value; and a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be slower when the largest value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information.

6. A recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a function of cooperative processing based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation unit a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the function of the cooperative processing, determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation unit that provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result by the second determination unit; the recommended information acquisition unit includes a recommended information receiving unit that receives the first recommended information from a data providing device that provides infrastructure data for providing driving assistance for a vehicle at the intersection; the first determination unit includes a cooperative vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle that is present in a group of vehicles following the assistance target vehicle and has a cooperative processing function, based on the output of the sensor and infrastructure data from the data providing device; The second calculation unit a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device as information for the assistance target vehicle to pass through the intersection in response to the second determining unit determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an influence prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, predicts an influence on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles that will be caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stopping position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information, based on information received from the cooperative vehicle detected by the cooperative vehicle detection unit; a maximum influence determination unit that determines the largest influence among the influences predicted by the influence prediction unit; a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information and outputs the corrected first recommendation information as the second recommendation information so that the predicted impact becomes smaller according to the magnitude of the largest impact, the impact prediction unit includes a discomfort prediction unit that predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by each occupant of a vehicle in the group of following vehicles until all of the vehicles in the group of following vehicles safely stop when the assistance target vehicle stops in accordance with the first recommendation information, the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction unit a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the largest discomfort level of each vehicle in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value; and a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be slower when the largest value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information.

7. A recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a function of cooperative processing based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation unit a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the function of the cooperative processing, determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation unit that provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result by the second determination unit; the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; the on-board device further includes a cooperative vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle that is present in a group of vehicles following the assistance target vehicle and has a cooperative processing function, based on the output of the sensor and a result of data communication with other vehicles; The second calculation unit a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determining unit determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an influence prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, predicts an influence on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, based on information on the group of following vehicles received from the cooperative vehicle detected by the cooperative vehicle detection unit; a maximum influence determination unit that determines the largest influence among the influences predicted by the influence prediction unit; a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information according to the magnitude of the greatest influence so that the greatest influence is reduced, the impact prediction unit includes a discomfort prediction unit that predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by each occupant of a vehicle in the group of following vehicles until all of the vehicles in the group of following vehicles safely stop when the assistance target vehicle stops in accordance with the first recommendation information, the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction unit a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the largest discomfort level of each vehicle in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value; a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be later when the largest value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and is less than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information; and a third output unit that, when the largest value is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, changes the recommended acceleration of the first recommendation information to a value equal to or greater than 0 and outputs the changed value as the second recommendation information.

8. A recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination unit that determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a function of cooperative processing based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation unit that provides either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the determination result by the first determination unit, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation unit a dynamic information detection unit that detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the function of the cooperative processing, determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperative processing with the following vehicle; a second determination unit that, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation unit that provides the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result by the second determination unit; the recommended information acquisition unit includes a recommended information receiving unit that receives the first recommended information from a data providing device that provides infrastructure data for providing driving assistance for a vehicle at the intersection; the first determination unit includes a cooperative vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle that is present in a group of vehicles following the assistance target vehicle and has a cooperative processing function, based on the output of the sensor and infrastructure data from the data providing device; The second calculation unit a first providing unit that provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device as information for the assistance target vehicle to pass through the intersection in response to the second determining unit determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an influence prediction unit that, in response to the second determination unit determining that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, predicts an influence on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles that will be caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stopping position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information, based on information received from the cooperative vehicle detected by the cooperative vehicle detection unit; a maximum influence determination unit that determines the largest influence among the influences predicted by the influence prediction unit; a correction unit that corrects the first recommendation information and outputs the corrected first recommendation information as the second recommendation information so that the predicted impact becomes smaller according to the magnitude of the largest impact, the impact prediction unit includes a discomfort prediction unit that predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by each occupant of a vehicle in the group of following vehicles until all of the vehicles in the group of following vehicles safely stop when the assistance target vehicle stops in accordance with the first recommendation information, the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction unit a first output unit that outputs the first recommendation information as is when the largest discomfort level of each vehicle in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value; a second output unit that corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be later when the largest value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and is less than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, and outputs the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information; and a third output unit that, when the largest value is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, changes the recommended acceleration of the first recommendation information to a value equal to or greater than 0 and outputs the changed value as the second recommendation information.

9. A recommendation information acquisition step in which the computer acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination step in which a computer determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation step in which a computer uses the output of the sensor and a determination result in the first determination step to provide either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation step includes: a dynamic information detection step in which a computer detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination step in which, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the cooperation processing capability, the computer determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperation processing with the following vehicle; a second determination step in which, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing capability, the computer determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation step of the computer providing the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result in the second determination step; The second calculation step includes: a first providing step in which the computer provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determining step determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an impact prediction step in which the computer predicts an impact on the following vehicle caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stop position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information in response to the assistance target vehicle being determined to be unable to pass through the intersection in the second determination step; a correction step of outputting second recommendation information obtained by correcting the first recommendation information in accordance with the magnitude of the impact predicted in the impact prediction step so as to reduce the predicted impact, the impact prediction step includes a discomfort prediction step of predicting, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by an occupant of the following vehicle until the following vehicle safely stops when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for the assistance target vehicle to safely stop at the stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction step a first output step in which the computer outputs the first recommendation information as is when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is less than a first threshold value; and a second output step in which, when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the computer corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to a later position and outputs the corrected position as the second recommendation information.

10. A recommendation information acquisition step in which the computer acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination step in which a computer determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation step in which a computer uses the output of the sensor and a determination result in the first determination step to provide either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation step includes: a dynamic information detection step in which a computer detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination step in which, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the cooperation processing capability, the computer determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperation processing with the following vehicle; a second determination step in which, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing capability, the computer determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation step of the computer providing the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result in the second determination step; the recommendation information obtaining step includes a recommendation information receiving step in which a computer receives the first recommendation information from a data providing device that provides infrastructure data for providing driving assistance for a vehicle at the intersection; The second calculation step includes: a first providing step in which, in response to the second determining step determining that the assisted vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information, the computer provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device as information for the assisted vehicle to pass through the intersection; an impact prediction step in which the computer predicts an impact on the following vehicle caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stop position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information in response to the determination in the second determination step that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection if the assistance target vehicle follows the first recommendation information; a correction step of correcting the first recommendation information and outputting the first recommendation information as second recommendation information according to the magnitude of the impact predicted in the impact prediction step so that the predicted impact becomes smaller, the impact prediction step includes a discomfort prediction step of predicting, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by an occupant of the following vehicle until the following vehicle safely stops when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for the assistance target vehicle to safely stop at the stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction step a first output step in which the computer outputs the first recommendation information as is when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is less than a first threshold value; and a second output step in which, when the discomfort level of the following vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the computer corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to a later position and outputs the corrected position as the second recommendation information.

11. A recommendation information acquisition step in which the computer acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination step in which a computer determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation step in which a computer uses the output of the sensor and a determination result in the first determination step to provide either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation step includes: a dynamic information detection step in which a computer detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination step in which, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the cooperation processing capability, the computer determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperation processing with the following vehicle; a second determination step in which, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing capability, the computer determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation step of the computer providing the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result in the second determination step; the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The method further includes a cooperative vehicle detection step in which the computer detects a vehicle having a cooperative processing function that is present in a group of vehicles following the vehicle to be assisted, based on the output of the sensor and the result of data communication with other vehicles; The second calculation step includes: a first providing step in which the computer provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determining step determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an impact prediction step in which, in response to the determination in the second determination step that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, the computer predicts an impact on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, based on information about the group of following vehicles received from the cooperative vehicle detected in the cooperative vehicle detection step; a maximum impact determination step in which a computer determines the largest impact among the impacts predicted in the impact prediction step; a correction step of correcting the first recommendation information according to the magnitude of the greatest impact so as to reduce the greatest impact, the impact prediction step includes an discomfort prediction step in which, when the assistance target vehicle stops in accordance with the first recommendation information, the computer predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by each occupant of a vehicle in the following group of vehicles until all of the vehicles in the following group of vehicles safely stop; the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction step a first output step in which the computer outputs the first recommendation information as is when the largest value of the discomfort levels of each of the vehicles in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value; and a second output step in which, when the largest value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the computer corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be slower and outputs the corrected position as the second recommendation information.

12. A recommendation information acquisition step in which the computer acquires first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination step in which a computer determines whether a following vehicle of a vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation step in which a computer uses the output of the sensor and a determination result in the first determination step to provide either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping; The first calculation step includes: a dynamic information detection step in which a computer detects dynamic information of the following vehicle based on the output of the sensor; a first determination step in which, in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the cooperation processing capability, the computer determines a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information through cooperation processing with the following vehicle; a second determination step in which, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing capability, the computer determines whether the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation step of the computer providing the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result in the second determination step; the recommended information obtaining step includes a recommended information receiving step of receiving, by a computer, the first recommended information from a data providing device that provides infrastructure data for providing driving assistance for a vehicle at the intersection; the first determination step includes a cooperative vehicle detection step of detecting a vehicle having a cooperative processing function that is present in a group of vehicles following the assistance target vehicle, based on the output of the sensor and infrastructure data from the data providing device; The second calculation step includes: a first providing step in which, in response to the second determining step determining that the assisted vehicle can pass through the intersection, the computer provides the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device as information for the assisted vehicle to pass through the intersection; an impact prediction step in which, in response to the determination in the second determination step that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, the computer predicts an impact on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles caused by the assistance target vehicle stopping at a stopping position at the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information, based on information received from the cooperative vehicle detected in the cooperative vehicle detection step; a maximum impact determination step in which a computer determines the largest impact among the impacts predicted in the impact prediction step; a correction step of correcting the first recommendation information by a computer in accordance with the magnitude of the greatest impact so as to reduce the predicted impact, and outputting the corrected first recommendation information as the second recommendation information; the impact prediction step includes an discomfort prediction step in which, when the assistance target vehicle stops in accordance with the first recommendation information, the computer predicts, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by each occupant of a vehicle in the following group of vehicles until all of the vehicles in the following group of vehicles safely stop; the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction step a first output step in which the computer outputs the first recommendation information as is when the largest value of the discomfort levels of each of the vehicles in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value; and a second output step in which, when the largest value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the computer corrects the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be slower and outputs the corrected position as the second recommendation information.

13. Computer, a recommendation information acquisition step of acquiring first recommendation information regarding a speed for passing through an intersection; a first determination step of determining whether a vehicle following the vehicle to be assisted has a cooperative processing function based on an output of a sensor mounted on the vehicle to be assisted; a first calculation step of providing either the first recommendation information or second recommendation information calculated for the vehicle to be assisted to a driving assistance device of the vehicle to be assisted, according to whether the vehicle to be assisted can safely pass through the intersection without stopping, using an output from the sensor and a determination result in the first determination step, The first calculation step includes: a dynamic information detection step of detecting dynamic information of the following vehicle based on an output of the sensor; a first determination step of determining a speed and an acceleration of the assistance target based on the first recommendation information by a collaborative process with the following vehicle in response to the determination that the following vehicle has the collaborative process capability; a second determination step of determining, in response to the determination that the following vehicle does not have the cooperative processing function, whether or not the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection in accordance with the first recommendation information using the output of the sensor and the dynamic information; a second calculation step of providing the driving assistance device with either the first recommendation information or the second recommendation information according to a determination result in the second determination step; the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The intersection passage assistance method further includes a cooperative vehicle detection step of detecting a vehicle having a cooperative processing function that is present in a group of vehicles following the assistance target vehicle based on the output of the sensor and a result of data communication with other vehicles; The second calculation step includes: a first providing step of providing the first recommendation information to the driving assistance device in response to the second determining step determining that the assistance target vehicle can pass through the intersection; an impact prediction step of predicting, in response to the determination in the second determination step that the assistance target vehicle cannot pass through the intersection, an impact on each vehicle in the group of following vehicles when the assistance target vehicle stops at the stop position in accordance with the first recommendation information, based on information on the group of following vehicles received from the cooperative vehicle detected in the cooperative vehicle detection step; a maximum impact determination step of determining the largest impact among the impacts predicted in the impact prediction step; a correcting step of correcting the first recommendation information according to the magnitude of the greatest influence so as to reduce the greatest influence, the impact prediction step includes a discomfort prediction step of predicting, as the impact, a degree of discomfort felt by each occupant of a vehicle in the following group of vehicles until all of the vehicles in the following group of vehicles safely stop when the assistance target vehicle stops in accordance with the first recommendation information, the first recommendation information includes a recommended acceleration for stopping the assistance target vehicle at a stop position and a recommended acceleration start position at which acceleration at the recommended acceleration is started; The correction step a first output step of outputting the first recommendation information as is when the largest discomfort level of each vehicle in the group of following vehicles is less than a first threshold value; and a second output step of correcting the recommended acceleration start position of the first recommendation information to be later and outputting the corrected recommended acceleration start position as the second recommendation information when the largest value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

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