Driving assistance device, driving assistance method, and program

Abstract

To provide a driving support device, driving support method, and program, capable of detecting the presence of a curved road present in the distance and appropriately suppressing driving support according to the detected curved road.SOLUTION: A driving support device includes: a recognition section for recognizing a road division line of a lane where a vehicle travels, and an obstacle present around the vehicle, using at least one of a camera and a radar mounted on the vehicle; a determination section for determining whether the road division line indicates a curved road, on the basis of a length of the recognized road division line; and a driving support section for executing driving support for the vehicle according to the recognized obstacle. When it is determined by the determination section that the road division line indicates the curved road, the driving support section makes a correction to narrow a determination region as a range where the recognition section recognizes the obstacle for the driving support.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving support device, a driving support method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, efforts have been actively made to provide access to a sustainable transportation system that takes into account people in vulnerable positions among traffic participants. Toward this realization, research and development have focused on further improving traffic safety and convenience through research and development related to preventive safety technologies.

[0003] By the way, in preventive safety technologies, it is an issue to detect a predetermined section such as a curved road in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and to execute or suppress driving support such as deceleration according to the detected predetermined section. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for estimating whether the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling is a curved road from the change in the curvature of the lane lines constituting the lane. Patent Document 2 describes a technique for matching an object detected by a radar and an object detected by a camera, and executing or suppressing driving support according to the matching result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the prior art, there are cases where it is not possible to detect the presence of a curved road existing in the distance and appropriately suppress driving support according to the detected curved road.

[0006] This invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a driver assistance device, a driver assistance method, and a program that can detect the presence of curved roads in the distance and appropriately suppress driver assistance according to the detected curved roads. Ultimately, this will contribute to the development of a sustainable transportation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The driver assistance device, driver assistance method, and program according to this invention employ the following configuration. (1) A driving assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a recognition unit that uses at least one of a camera and radar mounted on the vehicle to recognize road markings in the lane on which the vehicle is traveling and obstacles present around the vehicle; a determination unit that determines whether or not the road markings indicate a curved road based on the length of the recognized road markings; and a driving assistance unit that performs driving assistance for the vehicle according to the recognized obstacles, wherein if the determination unit determines that the road markings indicate a curved road, the driving assistance unit corrects the determination area in which the recognition unit recognizes the obstacles for the purpose of driving assistance by narrowing the determination area.

[0008] (2) In the embodiment of (1) above, the driving support unit corrects the width of the determination area to be narrower when the determination unit determines that the road markings indicate a curved road.

[0009] (3) In the embodiment of (2) above, the driving support unit corrects the length of the determination area to be narrower when the determination unit determines that the road markings indicate a curved road.

[0010] (4): In the embodiment of (1) above, the determination unit determines that the recognized road markings indicate a curved road if the length of the recognized road markings becomes shorter than a predetermined amount.

[0011] (5) In the embodiment of (1) above, the determination unit determines that the recognized road markings indicate a curved road if the period during which the length of the recognized road markings has been shortened by a predetermined amount or more has elapsed for a predetermined time or longer.

[0012] (6): In the embodiment of (1) above, the driving support unit decelerates the vehicle when the collision margin time between the vehicle and the recognized obstacle falls below a threshold.

[0013] (7): A driving assistance method according to another aspect of the present invention involves a computer using at least one of a camera and radar mounted on the vehicle to recognize road markings in the lane the vehicle is traveling in and obstacles present around the vehicle, determining whether the road markings indicate a curved road based on the length of the recognized road markings, performing driving assistance for the vehicle according to the recognized obstacles, and, if it is determined that the road markings indicate a curved road, correcting the determination area which is the range in which the obstacles are recognized by narrowing it.

[0014] (8) Another aspect of the present invention involves a program that causes a computer to recognize road markings in the lane the vehicle is traveling in and obstacles present around the vehicle using at least one of a camera and radar mounted on the vehicle, to determine whether the road markings indicate a curved road based on the length of the recognized road markings, to perform driving assistance for the vehicle according to the recognized obstacles, and, if it is determined that the road markings indicate a curved road, to correct the determination area which is the range in which the obstacles are recognized by narrowing it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to (1) to (8), it is possible to provide a driver assistance device, a driver assistance method, and a program that can detect the presence of curved roads in the distance and appropriately suppress driver assistance according to the detected curved roads. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 100 mounted on the host vehicle M. [Figure 2] This is a diagram for explaining the outline of the driving support executed by the driving support unit 130. [Figure 3] This is a diagram for explaining the excessive operation of the CMBS. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing an example of the method for determining a curved road by the determination unit 120. [Figure 5] This is a diagram for explaining an example of the method for changing the determination area by the driving support unit 130 when it is determined that the road marking indicates a curved road. [Figure 6] This is a diagram for explaining another example of the method for changing the determination area by the driving support unit 130 when it is determined that the road marking indicates a curved road. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow executed by the driving support device 100. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing another example of the processing flow executed by the driving support device 100. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing another example of the processing flow executed by the driving support device 100.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the driving support device, driving support method, and program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] [Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 100 mounted on the host vehicle M. The host vehicle M includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a vehicle sensor 14, a driving operator 20, a steering wheel 22, a traveling driving force output device 30, a brake device 32, a steering device 34, and a driving support device 100.

[0019] Camera 10 is a digital camera that uses a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). Camera 10 is mounted at any location on the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle M") on which the driver assistance system 100 is installed. When imaging the area in front, camera 10 is mounted on the top of the front windshield, behind the rearview mirror, etc. Camera 10 periodically and repeatedly images the area around vehicle M. Camera 10 may also be a stereo camera. Camera 10 transmits the captured images to the driver assistance system 100, and the driver assistance system 100 stores the received images as camera image data 140A in the storage unit 140.

[0020] The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle M and detects radio waves reflected by objects (reflected waves) to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of an object. The radar device 12 can be attached to any location on the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may also detect the position and speed of an object using the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method. The radar device 12 transmits the detection results to the driver assistance device 100, and the driver assistance device 100 stores the detection results as radar detection data 140B in the storage unit 140.

[0021] The vehicle sensor 14 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the speed of the vehicle M, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration, a yaw rate sensor for detecting angular velocity around the vertical axis, and an orientation sensor for detecting the orientation of the vehicle M.

[0022] The driver control elements 20 include, for example, a steering wheel 22, as well as an accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, and other controls. Sensors are attached to the driver control elements 20 to detect the amount of operation or whether or not an operation is performed, and the detection results are output to the driver assistance device 100, or to some or all of the driving force output device 30, brake device 32, and steering device 34. The controls do not necessarily have to be ring-shaped and may take the form of an irregularly shaped steering wheel, joystick, buttons, etc.

[0023] The driving force output device 30 outputs driving force (torque) to the drive wheels for the vehicle M to move. The driving force output device 30 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls them. The ECU controls the above configuration according to information input from the driver assistance device 100 or information input from the driver control device 20.

[0024] The brake system 32 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the driver assistance device 100 or from the driver control unit 20, so that brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake system 32 may also include a backup mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the driver control unit 20 to the cylinder via a master cylinder. The brake system 32 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake system that controls an actuator according to information input from the driver assistance device 100 to transmit hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder to the cylinder.

[0025] The steering device 34 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, applies force to a rack and pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheels. The steering ECU drives the electric motor to change the direction of the steering wheels according to information input from the driver assistance device 100 or from the driver control device 20.

[0026] The driver assistance device 100 includes, for example, a recognition unit 110, a determination unit 120, a driver assistance unit 130, and a storage unit 140. The recognition unit 110, the determination unit 120, and the driver assistance unit 130 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or SOC (System On Chip), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device. The storage unit 140 is, for example, an HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 140 stores, for example, camera image data 140A and radar detection data 140B.

[0027] The recognition unit 110 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results obtained from some or all of the camera image data 140A and radar detection data 140B to recognize the position, type, speed, etc., of an object. For example, the recognition unit 110 recognizes pedestrians, other vehicles, road structures (road markings, walls, etc.) that are captured in the camera image by applying image processing to the camera image data 140A. In addition, the recognition unit 110 recognizes pedestrians, other vehicles, road structures (walls, etc.) that are present around the vehicle M based on the radar detection data 140B.

[0028] The determination unit 120 determines whether or not the recognized road markings indicate a curved road, based on the length of the road markings. Details of the determination process by the determination unit 120 will be described later.

[0029] The driving support unit 130 performs driving support for the vehicle M in accordance with the obstacles recognized by the recognition unit 110. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the overview of the driving support performed by the driving support unit 130. In Figure 2, the code CL represents a road lane marking recognized based on camera image data 140A, the code M1 represents another vehicle, and the area enclosed by the code DR represents a determination area for recognizing obstacles to be subject to driving support. In Figure 2, as an example, the width of the determination area is shown to be the same as the width of the vehicle M, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration and may be different.

[0030] The driver assistance unit 130 provides driving assistance for the vehicle M based on the recognition results from the recognition unit 110. In this embodiment, "driving assistance" refers to a collision mitigation brake system (CMBS) that automatically operates the brake device 32 to avoid a collision with an obstacle in the direction of travel of the vehicle M (in other words, an obstacle in the determination area DR) or to reduce the collision speed. More specifically, the driver assistance unit 130 determines whether or not there is an obstacle such as a pedestrian or another vehicle in the determination area DR based on the recognition results from the recognition unit 110. If it is determined that there is an obstacle in the determination area DR, the driver assistance unit 130 calculates the time to collision (TTC), which is the time until the vehicle M collides with the object, based on information obtained from the recognition unit 110 and the vehicle sensor 14 (for example, the relative distance to the object and the relative speed).

[0031] For example, in the case of Figure 2, the driver support unit 130 calculates TTC = d1 / v based on the distance d1 between the vehicle M and the other vehicle M1 and the relative speed v of the vehicle M with respect to the other vehicle M1. After the driver support unit 130 calculates TTC, it then determines whether the calculated TTC is below a threshold. If the calculated TTC is below the threshold, the driver support unit 130 activates CMBS on the vehicle M.

[0032] [Restriction of driver assistance] In this way, the driver assistance unit 130 calculates the vehicle's time to travel (TTC) for obstacles in the judgment area DR, and activates the CMBS for the vehicle M if the calculated TTC falls below a threshold. However, since the radar device 12 can detect obstacles at a relatively long distance, in conventional technology, obstacles that should not be subject to driver assistance may be detected, and the CMBS may be activated excessively.

[0033] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the overactivation of the CMBS. In Figure 3, the symbol OB represents an obstacle located outside the curved road. In conventional driving assistance systems, the CMBS would sometimes activate unnecessarily in response to obstacles OB located outside the curved road, even though the CMBS should not be activated in that case. As a result, braking force was applied to the vehicle M at an unnecessary time, causing discomfort to the occupants of the vehicle M.

[0034] Against the backdrop of the circumstances described above, the determination unit 120 first determines whether the recognized road markings indicate a curved road based on the length (detection distance) of the road markings. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of how the determination unit 120 determines whether a road is curved. Figure 4 is obtained, for example, by converting the road markings captured in the camera image data 140A from the camera coordinate system to the bird's-eye view coordinate system. The left part of Figure 4 represents the road markings CL recognized while the vehicle M is traveling on a straight road, and the right part of Figure 4 represents the road markings CL recognized while the vehicle M is traveling on a curved road.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, generally, the length L1 of the road marking CL recognized when the vehicle M is traveling on a straight road tends to be longer than the length L2 of the road marking CL recognized when the vehicle M is approaching a curved road. This is because, as the vehicle M approaches a curved road, the road marking CL becomes a blind spot, and the length of the recognized road marking CL decreases. Therefore, the determination unit 120 calculates the length of the recognized road marking CL in a predetermined control cycle while the vehicle M is traveling, and determines that the recognized road marking CL indicates a curved road if the calculated length of the road marking CL is shorter than the previous length by a predetermined amount or more. Alternatively, for example, the determination unit 120 may determine that the recognized road marking CL indicates a curved road if the period during which the calculated length of the road marking CL is shorter than the previous length by a predetermined amount or more has elapsed for a predetermined time or longer. This makes it possible to accurately detect curved roads that are far away from the vehicle M.

[0036] In yet another embodiment, the determination unit 120 may calculate the length of the recognized road markings CL in a predetermined control cycle while the vehicle M is in motion, calculate the moving average distance of the road markings CL over the most recent predetermined period (or predetermined number of times), and determine whether the current length of the road markings CL has become shorter by a predetermined amount or more from the calculated moving average distance. Alternatively, for example, the determination unit 120 may determine that the recognized current road markings CL indicate a curved road if a predetermined time has elapsed since the current length of the road markings CL became shorter by a predetermined amount or more from the calculated moving average distance. This allows for more accurate detection of curved roads located far from the vehicle M.

[0037] Figure 5 illustrates the change in the determination area by the driver support unit 130 when it is determined that the road markings indicate a curved road. As shown in Figure 5, when the determination unit 120 determines that the road markings indicate a curved road, the driver support unit 130 corrects the width of the determination area DR by narrowing it, thereby obtaining a corrected determination area DR'. As a result, as shown in Figure 5, the recognition unit 110 does not recognize obstacles OB located outside the curved road in the corrected determination area DR', and the driver support unit 130 can suppress the operation of the CMBS in response to obstacles OB. Furthermore, even if obstacles OB temporarily enter the determination area DR', excessive operation of the CMBS can be suppressed.

[0038] Figure 6 illustrates another example of how the driver assistance unit 130 modifies the determination area when it is determined that the road markings indicate a curved road. As shown in Figure 6, when the determination unit 120 determines that the road markings indicate a curved road, the driver assistance unit 130 may obtain a corrected determination area DR'' by narrowing the length of the determination area DR. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, the driver assistance unit 130 can suppress unnecessary activation of the CMBS for obstacles OB located outside the curved road.

[0039] In Figures 5 and 6, as an example, the driver support unit 130 corrects the width and length of the judgment area DR separately. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the driver support unit 130 may correct the width and length of the judgment area DR together. More generally, the driver support unit 130 only needs to correct so that the area of ​​the judgment area DR is reduced. Even in this way, the driver support unit 130 can prevent the CMBS from being activated in response to the recognition of an obstacle that does not require CMBS operation.

[0040] Furthermore, the above description described, as an example, the case where the obstacle OB is located outside the curved road. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and even when the obstacle OB is located inside the curved road, the driving support unit 130 can prevent the operation of the CMBS for obstacle OB, where operation of the CMBS is unnecessary, according to the control described above.

[0041] [Control flow] Next, the flow of processing performed by the driver assistance device 100 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the driver assistance device 100. The processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 7 is repeatedly performed in a predetermined control cycle while the vehicle M is in motion.

[0042] First, the recognition unit 110 acquires the road markings for the most recent predetermined period based on the camera image data 140A (step S100). Next, the determination unit 120 calculates the moving average value of the length of the road markings for the predetermined period (step S102). Next, the determination unit 120 determines whether the length of the latest road markings has decreased by a first predetermined amount or more from the moving average value (step S104). Here, the first predetermined amount is a smaller value than the second predetermined amount, which will be described later, and is used for preliminary determination.

[0043] If the latest road marking length is determined not to have decreased by a first predetermined amount or more from the moving average value, the determination unit 120 returns to step S100. On the other hand, if the latest road marking length is determined to have decreased by a first predetermined amount or more from the moving average value, the determination unit 120 then determines whether the speed of the vehicle M is above a predetermined speed (step S106). If the speed of the vehicle M is determined to be below the predetermined speed, the determination unit 120 returns to step S100. This is because, if the speed of the vehicle M is below the predetermined speed, there is little need to activate the CMBS in the first place.

[0044] If the speed of the vehicle M is determined to be above a predetermined speed, the determination unit 120 then determines whether the length of the latest road markings has decreased by a second predetermined amount or more from the moving average value (step S108). If the length of the latest road markings has decreased by a second predetermined amount or more from the moving average value, the driving support unit 130 determines that the current driving lane is a straight road and sets the determination area DR to its normal size (step S110). On the other hand, if the length of the latest road markings has not decreased by a second predetermined amount or more from the moving average value, the driving support unit 130 sets the determination area DR to a narrower size (step S112). This completes the processing of this flowchart.

[0045] In the flowchart of Figure 7, step S106 determines whether the speed of the vehicle M is above a predetermined speed, but this process may be omitted. Also, in step S108, it is determined whether the current driving lane is a straight road or a curved road based on whether the length of the latest road markings has decreased by a second predetermined amount or more from the moving average value, but multiple thresholds may be set to make a more detailed determination. For example, the driving support unit 130 may determine that if the length of the latest road markings has decreased by a first threshold or less from the moving average value, there is a high probability of it being a straight road (high probability of a straight road); if it has decreased by a large amount greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, there is a possibility of it being a straight road (low probability of a straight road); if it has decreased by a large amount greater than the second threshold and less than or equal to the third threshold, there is a possibility of it being a curved road (low probability of a curved road); and if it has decreased by a large amount greater than the third threshold, there is a high probability of it being a curved road (high probability of a curved road). In that case, the driver assistance unit 130 may set the area of ​​the determination region DR (at least one of its width and length) to be progressively smaller according to the probability of "high probability of going straight," "low probability of going straight," "low probability of going curved," and "high probability of going curved."

[0046] Figures 8 and 9 are flowcharts illustrating another example of the processing flow performed by the driver assistance device 100. Similar to Figure 7, the processing shown in the flowcharts of Figures 8 and 9 is repeatedly executed in predetermined control cycles while the vehicle M is in motion. Unlike Figure 7, however, it utilizes the confidence level of the curved road to determine the curved road with greater accuracy.

[0047] First, the determination unit 120 sets the curve road confidence level and the counter to zero (step S200). Next, the recognition unit 110 increments the counter and obtains the road markings for the most recent predetermined period based on the camera image data 140A (step S202). Next, the determination unit 120 calculates the moving average value of the length of the road markings for the predetermined period (step S204). Next, the determination unit 120 determines whether the length of the latest road markings has decreased by a predetermined amount or more from the moving average value (step S206).

[0048] If the latest road marking length is determined to have decreased by a predetermined amount or more from the moving average value, the determination unit 120 increases the curve confidence level by a predetermined value (step S208). On the other hand, if the latest road marking length is determined not to have decreased by a predetermined amount or more from the moving average value, the determination unit 120 decreases the curve confidence level by a predetermined value (step S210). Next, the determination unit 120 determines whether the counter matches the determination value (step S212). If the counter does not match the determination value, the determination unit 120 returns to step S202. In other words, the process from step S202 to step S212 determines whether the current driving lane is a curved road more accurately by cumulatively increasing or decreasing the curve confidence level.

[0049] If the counter is determined to match the determination value, the determination unit 120 determines whether the confidence level of the curved road is equal to or greater than the first specified value (step S214). If the confidence level of the curved road is determined to be equal to or greater than the first specified value, the determination unit 120 determines that the current driving lane is a "curved road" (step S216). On the other hand, if the confidence level of the curved road is determined to be less than the first specified value, the determination unit 120 determines whether the confidence level of the curved road is equal to or greater than the second specified value (step S218). If the confidence level of the curved road is determined to be equal to or greater than the second specified value, the determination unit 120 determines that the current driving lane has a "possibility of being a curved road" (step S220). On the other hand, if the confidence level of the curved road is determined to be less than the second specified value, the determination unit 120 determines that the current driving lane is a "straight road" (step S222).

[0050] The process then transitions to the flowchart in Figure 9, where the driver assistance unit 130 determines whether the current driving lane is determined to be a "curved road" (step S224). If the current driving lane is determined to be a "curved road," the driver assistance unit 130 narrows the determination area (step S226). On the other hand, if the current driving lane is not determined to be a "curved road," the driver assistance unit 130 determines whether the duration of the "possibility of a curved road" is longer than a predetermined period (step S228). If the duration of the "possibility of a curved road" is longer than a predetermined period, the driver assistance unit 130 narrows the determination area in step S226. On the other hand, if the duration of the "possibility of a curved road" is not longer than a predetermined period, the driver assistance unit 130 sets the determination area to its normal size (step S230). This completes the processing of this flowchart.

[0051] As described above, according to this embodiment, the determination unit determines whether the road markings indicate a curved road based on the length of the recognized road markings, and the driving support unit, if it determines that the road markings indicate a curved road, corrects the determination area, which is the range in which obstacles are recognized for driving support, by narrowing it. This makes it possible to detect the presence of curved roads that are far away and to appropriately suppress driving support according to the detected curved roads. In turn, this can contribute to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

[0052] The embodiments described above can be expressed as follows. A storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions, A processor connected to the storage medium, The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to: Using at least one of the cameras and radar mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle recognizes the road markings of the lane in which it is traveling and obstacles present around the vehicle. Based on the recognized length of the road markings, it is determined whether or not the road markings indicate a curved road. In response to the recognized obstacle, the vehicle's driving assistance is performed. If the aforementioned road markings are determined to indicate a curved road, the determination area for recognizing the obstacle is narrowed. A driver assistance system configured in such a way.

[0053] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10 Cameras 12 Radar equipment 14 Vehicle Sensors 20. Operating controls 22 Steering Wheel 30. Driving force output device 32 Brake system 34. Steering system 100 Driving support devices 110 Recognition part 120 Judgment section 130 Driver Support Department 140 Storage section 140A Camera Image Data 140B Radar Detection Data

Claims

1. A recognition unit that uses at least one of a camera and radar mounted on the vehicle to recognize the road markings of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and obstacles present around the vehicle, A determination unit that determines whether or not the road markings indicate a curved road by comparing the recognized length of the road markings with a value calculated based on the previously recognized lengths of the road markings, The system includes a driver assistance unit that performs driver assistance for the vehicle in accordance with the recognized obstacle, If the driver assistance unit determines that the road markings indicate a curved road, it corrects the determination area, which is the range in which the recognition unit recognizes the obstacle for the purpose of driver assistance, by narrowing it. Driving assistance system.

2. If the driver assistance unit determines that the road markings indicate a curved road, it corrects the width of the determination area by narrowing it. The driving support device according to claim 1.

3. If the driver assistance unit determines that the road markings indicate a curved road, it corrects the length of the determination area by narrowing it. The driving support device according to claim 2.

4. The determination unit determines that the recognized road markings indicate a curved road if the length of the recognized road markings becomes shorter than a predetermined amount. The driving support device according to claim 1.

5. The determination unit determines that the recognized road markings indicate a curved road if the length of the recognized road markings has been shortened by a predetermined amount or more for a predetermined period of time or longer. The driving support device according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned driving support unit decelerates the vehicle when the collision margin time between the vehicle and the recognized obstacle falls below a threshold. The driving support device according to claim 1.

7. Computers Using at least one of the cameras and radar mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle recognizes the road markings of the lane in which it is traveling and obstacles present around the vehicle. By comparing the recognized length of the road marking with a value calculated based on previously recognized lengths of the road marking, it is determined whether or not the road marking indicates a curved road. In response to the recognized obstacle, the vehicle's driving assistance is performed. If it is determined that the road markings indicate a curved road, the determination area, which is the range in which obstacles are recognized for the purpose of driver assistance, is narrowed. Driving assistance methods.

8. On the computer, Using at least one of the cameras and radar mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle recognizes the road markings of the lane in which it is traveling and obstacles present around the vehicle. By comparing the recognized length of the road marking with a value calculated based on previously recognized lengths of the road marking, it is determined whether or not the road marking indicates a curved road. Depending on the recognized obstacle, the vehicle's driving assistance is performed. If it is determined that the road markings indicate a curved road, the determination area for recognizing the obstacle for the purpose of driver assistance is narrowed. program.

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