Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

Abstract

In the prior art, when a vehicle travelling ahead of a host vehicle in which a driving assistance system such as ACC or LKAS is in operation is detected as causing water spray, the problem is that, even if the water spray is not affecting a host vehicle lane, the speed is reduced to open up an inter-vehicle gap with respect to an adjacent vehicle, and the vehicle is controlled in a way that is different from that intended by the driver of the vehicle, resulting in a feeling of unease. In order to solve this problem, the vehicle control device according to the present invention comprises: an image acquisition unit for acquiring images outside the host vehicle, said images having been captured by a camera aboard the host vehicle; a demarcating-line recognition unit for using the images to recognise demarcating lines of a host vehicle lane; a vehicle recognition unit for recognising another vehicle that is travelling in a lane adjacent to the host vehicle lane and is located further forward than the host vehicle; and a vehicle control unit for controlling the vehicle on the basis of whether or not portions of the demarcating lines of the host vehicle lane that are further forward of the other vehicle have been recognised.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method used in systems that implement driver assistance control such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LKA (Lane Keep Assist). [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the number of vehicles equipped with driver assistance systems has increased, with the aim of preventing or mitigating traffic accidents. One of the technological elements that makes this type of driver assistance system possible is the external environment recognition function using cameras.

[0003] When using a camera for external environment recognition, if splashes of water, kicked-up snow, or dust clouds are generated by other vehicles within the imaging area, poor visibility may occur in the image area capturing the splashes, making it impossible to accurately recognize objects around the vehicle or the road surface. This could prevent proper vehicle control. Therefore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a vehicle control method to avoid dangers caused by the generation of splashes, etc.

[0004] For example, the abstract of Patent Document 1 states that the problem is "to be able to determine the type of road debris," and the solution is described as "an in-vehicle determination device comprising: a first acquisition means for acquiring surrounding information of the vehicle detected by a first sensor; a second acquisition means for acquiring surrounding information of the vehicle detected by a second sensor of a different type from the first sensor; and a determination means for determining the type of road debris around the vehicle based on both the surrounding information acquired by the first acquisition means and the surrounding information acquired by the second acquisition means."

[0005] Furthermore, paragraph 0027 of the same document states, "Several of the above examples also apply when the debris kicked up on the road is determined to be rainwater, and it is also possible to control the vehicle speed to be reduced when it is determined to be rainwater, and to be reduced even further when it is determined to be snow and ice." Paragraph 0037 states, "Therefore, in S450, the debris kicked up on the road is determined to be snow and ice, and in S460, the debris kicked up on the road is determined to be rainwater. Then, in S470, this determination result is output to the driving control unit 13 (ECU 131~133). Based on this determination result, the driving control unit 13 performs the aforementioned automatic driving and can, for example, adjust the distance between vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle, or decide whether or not to change lanes."

[0006] Thus, Patent Document 1 proposes vehicle control that corresponds to the type of road debris, such as reducing vehicle speed or adjusting the distance to the preceding vehicle when water splashes or the like are detected while an autonomous driving system or driver assistance system is in operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-48530 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that, if the speed of a preceding vehicle traveling in the same direction in an adjacent lane (hereinafter referred to as the "adjacent vehicle") is slower than the speed of the own vehicle, and the adjacent vehicle is generating water spray, even if the water spray does not actually hinder overtaking the adjacent vehicle, the system will decelerate to maintain the distance between itself and the adjacent vehicle (water spray, etc.). This can cause discomfort to the driver of the own vehicle who is expecting to overtake the adjacent vehicle using ACC control.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that appropriately change vehicle control according to the recognition status of lane lines on the own lane when overtaking an adjacent vehicle by ACC control, and realize ACC control that does not give the driver a sense of discomfort.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle control device according to the present invention includes an image acquisition unit that acquires an image outside the vehicle captured by a camera mounted on the host vehicle, a lane line recognition unit that recognizes lane lines of the own lane using the image, a vehicle recognition unit that recognizes other vehicles traveling in a lane adjacent to the own lane and located ahead of the host vehicle, and a vehicle control unit that controls the vehicle based on whether a lane line ahead of the other vehicle among the lane lines of the own lane is recognized.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the vehicle control device and the vehicle control method of the present invention, when overtaking an adjacent vehicle by ACC control, if the adjacent vehicle generates splashes or the like, ACC control that does not give the driver a sense of discomfort can be implemented.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing forward external recognition. [Figure 2] A flowchart showing an example of the processing of the vision-obscured area specifying unit 14. [Figure 3] A conceptual diagram showing an example of step S2 (subdivision of the determination area). [Figure 4] A conceptual diagram showing an example of the processing of the vision-obscured area specifying unit 14. [Figure 5] A conceptual diagram showing an example of step S7 (quantifying the vision-obscured degree for each column). [Figure 6] A flowchart showing an example of the processing of the vehicle control unit 16. [Figure 7] A conceptual diagram showing an example of vehicle control determined by the vehicle control unit 16. [Figure 8] A flowchart showing an example of step S19 (vehicle control decision). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a driver assistance system 100 having the vehicle control device 10 of this embodiment. This driver assistance system 100 is a system for performing driver assistance control such as ACC and LKA, and as shown in the figure, it is a system configured by connecting an imaging device 1 and a vehicle information acquisition device 2 to the vehicle control device 10.

[0015] The imaging device 1 is a camera mounted on the vehicle V0 to capture images of the area in front of the vehicle, and specifically, it is a monocular camera or a stereo lamella. In the following explanation, the imaging device 1 will be assumed to be a stereo camera.

[0016] The vehicle information acquisition device 2 is a device such as a vehicle speed sensor that acquires driving status information (vehicle speed v0, etc.) of the vehicle V0.

[0017] The vehicle control device 10 is a device that determines vehicle control of the vehicle V0 based on information acquired from the imaging device 1 and the vehicle information acquisition device 2. Specifically, it is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) equipped with hardware such as a CPU and other computing devices, a storage device such as semiconductor memory, and a communication device. The computing device then executes a predetermined program to realize each functional unit (image acquisition unit 11, etc.) shown in Figure 1. In the following, each functional unit of the vehicle control device 10 will be described in detail sequentially, while appropriately omitting such well-known technologies.

[0018] <Image acquisition unit 11> The image acquisition unit 11 is a functional unit that controls the imaging device 1 and acquires images captured by the imaging device 1. In this embodiment, the imaging device 1 is a stereo camera, so the image acquisition unit 11 in this embodiment acquires a pair of synchronized left and right images by controlling the left and right cameras of the imaging device 1 to capture images simultaneously.

[0019] <Road line recognition unit 12> The lane marking recognition unit 12 is a functional unit that recognizes the left and right lane markings of the lane in which the vehicle V0 is currently traveling (hereinafter referred to as "the vehicle's lane") based on a pair of left and right images acquired from the image acquisition unit 11. Here, lane markings are lines painted in white, orange, or other colors on the asphalt road surface. Therefore, since the asphalt road surface and the lane markings have different colors and brightness, the lane marking recognition unit 12 can extract the lane markings by analyzing the images.

[0020] For example, if the imaging device 1 has a CMOS image sensor, brightness information and RGB values ​​can be obtained from the acquired image. If lane markings are visible in the captured image, the brightness will be higher in the lane marking area than in the asphalt road surface area, causing an edge to appear in the brightness. In addition, RGB values ​​indicating white and orange characteristics will be obtained in the lane marking area. Since lane markings are painted in a linear fashion, the brightness feature quantities and RGB feature quantities have a continuity characteristic. Lane markings may be recognized based on these feature quantities. The lane marking recognition unit 12 acquires information such as the lane width, the furthest distance and position of the recognized lane markings for each of the left and right lane markings.

[0021] <Vehicle recognition unit 13> The vehicle recognition unit 13 is a functional unit that recognizes preceding vehicles traveling in the same direction as the vehicle V0 in adjacent lanes (hereinafter referred to as "adjacent vehicle V1") and preceding vehicles traveling in the vehicle's own lane (hereinafter referred to as "preceding vehicle in the vehicle's own lane V2") based on the vehicle's driving status information acquired from the vehicle information acquisition device 2, the captured images acquired from the image acquisition unit 11, and the lane marking recognition information acquired from the lane marking recognition unit 12. It also acquires information such as the vehicle speed, position, and tracking information of the recognized other vehicles. A preceding vehicle refers to a vehicle whose front front end is ahead of the front front end of the vehicle's own lane in the direction of travel.

[0022] For example, when a disparity image is created from a pair of left and right images captured synchronously by imaging device 1, the same cluster of disparities is detected in the region where a three-dimensional object exists. By cutting out the same region as the area where the cluster of disparities exists from the captured image and using a classifier that has already been trained to recognize three-dimensional objects such as cars and people on the cut-out image, a vehicle can be recognized. By determining whether the recognized vehicle is traveling in its own lane based on the lateral position of the recognized vehicle and the position of the recognized lane markings, it is possible to classify adjacent vehicle V1 and preceding vehicle V2 in the same lane. As a result, if water splashes etc. are captured in the image, it becomes possible to distinguish between water splashes etc. caused by adjacent vehicle V1 and water splashes etc. caused by preceding vehicle V2 in the same lane and make decisions regarding vehicle control.

[0023] Furthermore, the vehicle recognition unit 13 in this embodiment also has a function to reset the count value of the overtaking permission count C, which will be described later, if it does not recognize an adjacent vehicle V1 for a predetermined period of time. The significance of this function will be explained later.

[0024] <Poor visibility area identification unit 14> The visibility-impaired area identification unit 14 is a functional unit that, based on the image acquired from the image acquisition unit 11, acquires brightness information within the imaging area, determines from that brightness information whether or not visibility impairment occurs in a part of the imaging area, and calculates the degree of visibility impairment if visibility impairment occurs.

[0025] Here, the specific processing by the poor visibility area specifying unit 14 will be described in detail while referring to FIGS. 2 to 5. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the poor visibility area specifying unit 14 operates in the following procedure.

[0026] Step S1: First, the poor visibility area specifying unit 14 sets a target area (hereinafter referred to as "poor visibility determination area A") in the image acquired from the image acquisition unit 11 to determine whether poor visibility has occurred. The vertical width of this poor visibility determination area A is based on the positions of the uppermost end and the lowermost end of the detection frame B 25 , 21 (n = 1, 2,...: the maximum number is the number of other recognized vehicles) of the recognized vehicle, and its horizontal width is set based on the position information of the lane dividing lines of the own lane recognized by the lane dividing line recognition unit 12.

[0027] Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the vertical width of the poor visibility determination area A is set based on the position of the upper side of the detection frame B3 of the preceding vehicle V2 in the own lane corresponding to the uppermost end of the detection frame B in FIG. 3 and the position of the lower side of the detection frame B1 of the adjacent vehicle V1 on the right corresponding to the lowermost end of the detection frame B in FIG. 3. Next, the horizontal width of the poor visibility determination area A is set based on the positions where the extension line of the lower side of the detection frame B1 intersects the lane dividing lines on the left and right of the own lane. By this procedure, a poor visibility determination area A of a predetermined size is set in front of the own lane.

[0028] Step S2: The poor visibility area specifying unit 14 divides the poor visibility determination area A set in Step S1 into an arbitrary number. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, by dividing the poor visibility determination area A into 5 equal parts in the horizontal direction and 5 equal parts in the vertical direction, it is divided into a total of 25 divided areas a (a1 to a 25 ). In FIG. 3, the divided areas a1 to a5 are arranged from the upper left of the poor visibility determination area A in the right direction, and below that, in sequence, the divided areas a6 to a 10 , the divided area a 11 to a 15 , the divided area a 16 to a 20 , the divided area a 21 to a 25 are arranged.

[0029] Step S3: The poor visibility area identification unit 14 calculates the brightness ratio, which is the ratio of the average brightness value within the divided region a divided in step S2 to the average brightness value of the entire image. As will be described later, this step is repeated multiple times, and ultimately the brightness ratio is calculated for all 25 divided regions a.

[0030] Step S4: The poor visibility area identification unit 14 calculates the luminance dispersion ratio, which is the ratio of the luminance dispersion amount within the divided region a divided in step S2 to the luminance dispersion amount of the entire image. As will be described later, this step is repeated multiple times, and ultimately the luminance dispersion ratio is calculated for all 25 divided regions a.

[0031] Step S5: The visibility-impaired area identification unit 14 calculates the degree of visibility impairment p in the divided area a based on the luminance ratio obtained in step S3 and the luminance dispersion ratio obtained in step S4. As will be described later, this step is repeated multiple times, so ultimately the degree of visibility impairment p is calculated for all 25 divided areas a.

[0032] In general, in image areas where visibility is impaired due to water splashes, etc., the average brightness value is higher compared to image areas where water splashes, etc., are not present. Therefore, in segmented area a, where the brightness ratio is higher than a predetermined threshold, n By extracting these elements, it is possible to identify image regions where poor visibility due to water splashes or similar factors is likely to occur.

[0033] Furthermore, in image areas where visibility is impaired due to water splashes, etc., the amount of luminance dispersion is higher compared to image areas where water splashes, etc., are not present. Therefore, in segmented area a, where the luminance dispersion ratio is higher than a predetermined threshold, n By extracting these elements, it is possible to identify image regions where poor visibility due to water splashes or similar factors is likely to occur.

[0034] Therefore, in this embodiment, thresholds Th1 and Th2 (Th1 < Th2) for the luminance ratio and threshold Th a , Th b (Th a < Th b ) for the luminance dispersion ratio are provided. Based on these thresholds, the degree of visibility impairment of each divided area a is classified into three levels: "severe visibility impairment", "minor visibility impairment", and "no visibility impairment". A specific method of this classification is illustrated in FIG. 4. (1) A divided area a where the luminance ratio is equal to or greater than threshold Th2 and the luminance dispersion ratio is equal to or greater than Th b is classified as having "severe" visibility impairment and is given 2 points. (2) A divided area a (excluding the divided area a determined to have "severe" visibility impairment) where the luminance ratio is equal to or greater than threshold Th1 and the luminance dispersion ratio is equal to or greater than Th a is classified as having "minor" visibility impairment and is given 1 point. (3) A divided area a where the luminance ratio is less than threshold Th1 or the luminance dispersion ratio is less than Th a is classified as having "no" visibility impairment and is given 0 points.

[0035] Step S6: The visibility impairment area specifying unit 14 determines whether there is a remaining divided area a for which the processing from step S3 to step S5 has not been executed. If there is a remaining unprocessed divided area a n , the process returns to step S3; otherwise, it proceeds to step S7. Therefore, finally, the visibility impairment degree p is determined for all divided areas a n . n

[0036] Step S7: The visibility impairment area specifying unit 14 groups the divided areas a prepared in step S2 for each column, and then specifies the visibility impairment area on the host vehicle lane by quantifying the visibility impairment degree P for each group G.

[0037] For example, as shown in Figure 3, if in step S2 the area where the visibility is poor is determined is divided into 5 equal parts horizontally and 5 equal parts vertically, thereby generating a total of 25 divided areas a, then in this step, as shown in Figure 5, five groups G1 to G5 are generated by grouping the divided areas a by column. In this case, group G1 consists of divided areas a1, a6, a 11 a 16 a 21 Since it is a group that combines these, the degree of visual impairment p1, p6, and p assigned to each divided region 11 , p 16 , p 21 By summing these values, the visibility impairment P1 for group G1 can be calculated. The visibility impairment P2 to P5 for the remaining groups G2 to G5 can be calculated in the same way.

[0038] However, since the flowchart in Figure 2 is a process for identifying group G where splashes of water etc. are occurring from the adjacent vehicle V1, in this step, for group G (group G3 in the example in Figure 5) where the detection frame B3 of the preceding vehicle V2 in the same lane occupies a certain proportion or more, the visibility impairment P is set to 0 points instead of the sum of the visibility impairment p values ​​for each divided region. By setting the visibility impairment P for each group in this way, it is possible to distinguish whether the visibility impairment in each group is due to splashes of water etc. from the adjacent vehicle V1 or due to splashes of water etc. from the preceding vehicle V2 in the same lane, and the vehicle control unit 16, which will be described later, will be able to make a vehicle control decision to suppress the effects of visibility impairment caused by splashes of water etc. from the adjacent vehicle V1.

[0039] <Adjacent vehicle overtaking determination unit 15> The adjacent vehicle overtaking determination unit 15 is a functional unit that determines whether or not to overtake the adjacent vehicle V1 if the vehicle V0 continues to use ACC, based on the vehicle speed v0 obtained from the vehicle information acquisition device 2 using ACC and the adjacent vehicle speed v1 obtained from the vehicle recognition unit 13, and sets an overtaking flag F according to the determination result.

[0040] For example, if the vehicle speed v0 is greater than the adjacent vehicle speed v1, the system determines that vehicle V0 will overtake adjacent vehicle V1 and sets the overtaking flag F to "overtaking". On the other hand, if the vehicle speed v0 is less than the adjacent vehicle speed v1, the system determines that vehicle V0 will not overtake adjacent vehicle V1 and sets the overtaking flag F to "no vehicle overtaking".

[0041] <Vehicle Control Unit 16> The vehicle control unit 16 is a functional unit that determines vehicle control for the vehicle V0 based on lane marking information of the own lane acquired from the lane marking recognition unit 12, other vehicle information acquired from the vehicle recognition unit 13, and poor visibility area information acquired from the poor visibility area identification unit 14.

[0042] Here, the specific processing performed by the vehicle control unit 16 will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 6 to 8. As shown in the flowchart of Figure 6, the vehicle control unit 16 operates in the following procedure. Note that the processing in Figure 6 is performed each time the image acquisition unit 11 acquires an image from the imaging device 1, so as the processing in Figure 6 is repeatedly executed during ACC, the count value of the overtaking permission count C, which will be described later, will increase or decrease within a predetermined range, which will be described later.

[0043] Step S11: The vehicle control unit 16 determines whether the preceding vehicle V2 in its lane is generating water splashes or the like. If water splashes or the like are being generated, the system proceeds to step S12; otherwise, it proceeds to step S13.

[0044] The determination here is made specifically as follows: In step S7 of Figure 2, the divided regions a3, a8, a that belong to group G (group G3 in the example of Figure 5) and overlap with the detection frame B of the preceding vehicle V2 in the same lane by a predetermined percentage or more are identified. 13 a 18 a 23Within the area, it is checked whether there are areas with a high or low degree of visibility p (areas of 2 points or 1 point). If such areas exist, it is determined that the vehicle V2 in the preceding lane is splashing water. On the other hand, if such divided areas a do not exist, it is determined that the vehicle V2 in the preceding lane is not splashing water.

[0045] Step S12: If the vehicle V2 in the same lane is splashing water, the vehicle control unit 16 performs vehicle control (deceleration control) to increase the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle V2 in the same lane. By increasing the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle V2 in the same lane that is generating water splashes within the vehicle's lane, it is possible to expand the area within the vehicle's lane where visibility is not impaired by water splashes, thereby suppressing the impact of water splashes on the perception of the outside world.

[0046] Step S13: The vehicle control unit 16 determines whether the overtaking flag F set by the adjacent vehicle overtaking determination unit 15 is "overtaking in progress" or "no vehicle to overtake". If the overtaking flag F is "overtaking in progress", the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the overtaking flag F is "no vehicle to overtake", the process proceeds to step S19.

[0047] Step S14: The vehicle control unit 16 determines, based on the furthest distance information of the recognized lane markings obtained from the lane marking recognition unit 12 and the adjacent vehicle location information obtained from the vehicle recognition unit 13, whether the lane markings on the side where the adjacent vehicle V1 is located can be recognized to a greater distance than the adjacent vehicle V1. If recognized, the unit proceeds to step S17; otherwise, it proceeds to step S15.

[0048] For example, in the environment shown in Figure 7, where adjacent vehicle V1 is driving in the left lane (adjacent lane) while generating splashes of water, and preceding vehicle V2 in the current lane is driving in the right lane (current lane) while generating splashes of water, the furthest distance of the lane marking recognition result on the left side of the current lane is closer than the current position of adjacent vehicle V1 due to the splashes of water, so the decision in this step is No.

[0049] Step S15: If the lane markings on the adjacent vehicle cannot be recognized beyond the distance of the adjacent vehicle V1 (see Figure 7), the vehicle control unit 16 uses other information to determine whether it is possible to overtake the adjacent vehicle V1.

[0050] Specifically, the vehicle control unit 16 determines whether the lane markings on the opposite side of the adjacent vehicle can be recognized beyond the adjacent vehicle V1, based on the furthest distance information of the recognized lane markings obtained from the lane marking recognition unit 12 and the adjacent vehicle location information obtained from the vehicle recognition unit 13. If they can be recognized, the unit proceeds to step S16; otherwise, it proceeds to step S18.

[0051] For example, in the environment shown in Figure 7, the furthest distance from the lane marking recognition result to the right of the current lane is further back than the current position of the adjacent vehicle V1, so the decision in this step is Yes.

[0052] Step S16: If the lane markings on the opposite side of the adjacent vehicle can be recognized further than adjacent vehicle V1 (see Figure 7), then when overtaking adjacent vehicle V1, LKA can be continued using the lane markings on the opposite side of the adjacent vehicle as a reference. However, if this step is reached, the lane markings on the adjacent lane side cannot be recognized further than adjacent vehicle V1, so there is a possibility that adjacent vehicle V1 is changing lanes from the adjacent lane to the current lane. Therefore, in this step, a decision is made as to whether or not overtaking is possible, taking into account the recognition status of adjacent vehicle V1.

[0053] Specifically, the vehicle control unit 16 determines, based on the adjacent vehicle location information obtained from the vehicle recognition unit 13, whether it has lost sight of adjacent vehicle V1 or whether adjacent vehicle V1 is changing lanes. If neither of these applies, it determines that it is safe to overtake adjacent vehicle V1 and proceeds to step S17; otherwise, it determines that it should not approach adjacent vehicle V1 and proceeds to step S18.

[0054] As shown in the example in Figure 7, even if the lane markings on the adjacent vehicle's side cannot be recognized, if the adjacent vehicle V1 can be recognized, it is possible to determine from the adjacent vehicle's location information whether adjacent vehicle V1 is cutting into the vehicle's path, and thus determine whether adjacent vehicle V1 is changing lanes into the vehicle's lane. The vehicle's path can be calculated based on the location information of the lane markings and the lane width information.

[0055] Step S17: If, in step S14 or step S16, it is determined that LKA can be continued and that it is possible to overtake the adjacent vehicle V1 (i.e., the lane markings on the adjacent vehicle's side can be clearly seen, or the lane markings on the opposite side of the adjacent vehicle can be clearly seen and the adjacent vehicle can be seen), the vehicle control unit 16 adds the count value of the overtaking permission count C, which will be used in step S19 described later.

[0056] Step S18: On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 or step S16 that it is not appropriate to overtake the adjacent vehicle V1 (for example, if neither the lane marking on the adjacent vehicle's side nor the lane marking on the opposite side is clearly recognizable, if the lane marking on the opposite side of the adjacent vehicle is clearly recognizable but the adjacent vehicle is lost sight of, or if the adjacent vehicle is changing lanes into the vehicle's lane), the vehicle control unit 16 subtracts the count value of the overtaking permission count C, which will be used in step S19 described later.

[0057] As described above, the process in Figure 6 is performed each time the image acquisition unit 11 acquires an image. Therefore, if either step S17 or step S18 is performed continuously, the count value of the overtaking permission count C will increase or decrease monotonically. However, if the count value becomes excessively large or excessively small, the responsiveness of the vehicle control may be impaired. Therefore, in this embodiment, upper and lower limits are set for the count value of the overtaking permission count C to ensure the responsiveness of the vehicle control.

[0058] Furthermore, as described above, if the vehicle recognition unit 13 does not recognize an adjacent vehicle V1 for a predetermined time, the count value of the overtaking permission count C is reset to a predetermined value (for example, 0). This prevents the count value of an adjacent vehicle V1 that has already been overtaken from affecting future vehicle control.

[0059] Step S19: The vehicle control unit 16 determines vehicle control based on the poor visibility information acquired from the poor visibility area identification unit 14 and the count value of the overtaking permission count C which is added or subtracted in steps S17 and S18. The details of the process in step S19 are shown in the flowchart of Figure 8.

[0060] Step S19a: The vehicle control unit 16 determines whether the overtaking flag F is "overtaking in progress". If the overtaking flag F is "overtaking in progress", the process proceeds to step S19b. On the other hand, if the overtaking flag F is "no adjacent vehicles", the process proceeds to step S19i.

[0061] Step S19b: The vehicle control unit 16 determines whether the current ACC control of its own vehicle V0 is a control that increases the distance between itself and the preceding vehicle V2 in its lane (deceleration control in step S12). If deceleration control is in progress, it proceeds to step S19c; otherwise, it proceeds to step S19d.

[0062] Step S19c: The vehicle control unit 16 determines whether the count value of the overtaking permission count C is greater than a predetermined threshold T1. If the count value is greater than the threshold T1, the process proceeds to step S19e; if the count value is less than or equal to the threshold T1, the process proceeds to step S19f.

[0063] Step S19d: The vehicle control unit 16 determines whether the count value of the overtaking permission count C is greater than a predetermined threshold value T2 (where T1 < T2). If the count value is greater than the threshold value T2, the process proceeds to step S19e, and if the count value is less than or equal to the threshold value T1, the process proceeds to step S19f. It is desirable to set a relatively large difference between the threshold value T1 and the threshold value T2 so that the vehicle controls in steps S19e and S19f described later do not switch within a short period (to prevent chatter).

[0064] Step S19e: When the count value of the overtaking permission count C is large (when it is considered possible to safely overtake the adjacent vehicle V1 by LKA), the vehicle control unit 16 sets the vehicle control of the host vehicle V0 to overtaking control of the adjacent vehicle V1.

[0065] Step S19f: On the other hand, when the count value of the overtaking permission count C is small (such as when it is considered difficult to overtake the adjacent vehicle V1 by LKA), the vehicle control unit 16 sets the vehicle control of the host vehicle V0 to control for increasing the inter-vehicle distance from the adjacent vehicle V1.

[0066] Step S19g: When the host vehicle V0 overtakes the adjacent vehicle V1, the vehicle control unit 16 determines where to travel within the host vehicle lane. Specifically, the following determination is made.

[0067] If poor visibility occurs only on the side of the adjacent vehicle within the host vehicle lane and the dividing line can be detected further away than the adjacent vehicle V1 on the opposite side, it is determined that it is a safe driving method to drive close to the detected dividing line side to avoid splashing water etc., and the process proceeds to step S19h.

[0068] On the other hand, if there is no poor visibility, if poor visibility occurs on both sides of the host vehicle lane, or if the dividing line on the opposite side of the adjacent vehicle cannot be recognized further away than the adjacent vehicle V1, in any of these cases, it is determined that it is a safe driving method to drive in the center of the host vehicle lane, and the process proceeds to step S19i.

[0069] Furthermore, if the decision for step S19g is made based on a single recognition result, the vehicle may sway in the width direction. Therefore, the lane marking information and quantified visibility impairment information used to determine movement in the width direction are judged based on the results of multiple past recognition attempts, thereby suppressing control that causes the vehicle to sway.

[0070] Step S19h: The vehicle control unit 16 is set to control the vehicle to overtake the adjacent vehicle V1, which is generating water splashes, by moving to the lane marking on the opposite side of the adjacent vehicle (see Figure 7). This makes it possible to reduce the proportion of the vehicle's path that is obscured by the water splashes generated by the adjacent vehicle V1 when overtaking, thereby suppressing the impact on the perception of the outside world.

[0071] Step S19i: The vehicle control unit 16 is set to control the vehicle to travel in the center of its own lane.

[0072] If the vehicle has reached this step from step S19a, that is, if the adjacent vehicle V1 is faster than the vehicle V0, the vehicle control unit 16 will continue to drive in the center of its lane at the current speed, regardless of the presence of the adjacent vehicle V1.

[0073] Furthermore, if the vehicle reaches this step from step S19f, that is, if it is set to maintain a distance between itself and an adjacent vehicle V1 that is slower than its own vehicle V0, the vehicle control unit 16 continues to drive in the center of its own lane while decelerating.

[0074] On the other hand, if the vehicle proceeds from step S19g to this step, that is, if there is no visibility problem, the vehicle control unit 16 will overtake the adjacent vehicle V1 while driving in the center of its own lane.

[0075] As explained above, the vehicle control device of this embodiment makes it possible to perform ACC control without causing discomfort to the driver when the adjacent vehicle is generating water splashes or the like during overtaking using ACC control. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0076] 100...Driving support system, 1...Imaging device, 2...Vehicle information acquisition device, 10...Vehicle control device, 11...Image acquisition unit, 12...Lane marking recognition unit, 13...Vehicle recognition unit, 14...Blind visibility area identification unit, 15...Adjacent vehicle overtaking determination unit, 16...Vehicle control unit, B...Detection frame, A...Blind visibility determination area, a...Divided area, p...Degree of blindness in divided area, G...Area formed by grouping divided areas vertically, P...Degree of blindness in the group, V0...Own vehicle, V1...Adjacent vehicle, V2...Vehicle preceding in the own lane

Claims

1. An image acquisition unit that acquires images of the outside of the vehicle captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle, A lane marking recognition unit that recognizes the lane markings of the current lane using the aforementioned image, A vehicle recognition unit that recognizes other vehicles traveling in a lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane and located ahead of the vehicle, A vehicle control unit controls the vehicle based on whether or not a lane marking ahead of the other vehicle has been detected among the lane markings of the vehicle's own lane, A vehicle control device having, The vehicle control device is characterized in that, when the vehicle control unit detects at least one of the lane markings ahead of the other vehicle in its own lane, it controls the vehicle to overtake the other vehicle.

2. An image acquisition unit that acquires images of the outside of the vehicle captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle, A lane marking recognition unit that recognizes the lane markings of the current lane using the aforementioned image, A vehicle recognition unit that recognizes other vehicles traveling in a lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane and located ahead of the vehicle, A vehicle control unit controls the vehicle based on whether or not a lane marking ahead of the other vehicle has been detected among the lane markings of the vehicle's own lane, A vehicle control device having, The vehicle control unit controls the vehicle based on whether or not it can recognize the other vehicle. The vehicle recognition unit is characterized by controlling the vehicle to restrict overtaking the other vehicle if it cannot recognize the other vehicle and cannot detect at least a portion of the lane markings on the other vehicle's side of the lane that are ahead of the other vehicle.

3. An image acquisition unit that acquires images of the outside of the vehicle captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle, A lane marking recognition unit that recognizes the lane markings of the current lane using the aforementioned image, A vehicle recognition unit that recognizes other vehicles traveling in a lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane and located ahead of the vehicle, A vehicle control unit controls the vehicle based on whether or not a lane marking ahead of the other vehicle has been detected among the lane markings of the vehicle's own lane, A unit for identifying areas of poor visibility in the aforementioned image, A vehicle control device having, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the vehicle control unit controls the vehicle in such a way that the area where poor visibility occurs is reduced.

4. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The vehicle control unit is characterized by controlling the vehicle to increase the distance between itself and the other vehicle if no lane markings are detected in its own lane ahead of the other vehicle.

5. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, Furthermore, the vehicle control device is characterized by having an overtaking determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle will overtake the other vehicle in the future based on the vehicle speed of the other vehicle recognized by the vehicle recognition unit and the vehicle speed of the vehicle itself.

6. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The vehicle recognition unit is characterized by recognizing other vehicles traveling in front of its own lane.

7. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The vehicle control unit is characterized by suppressing rapid switching of the vehicle control content.

8. In the vehicle control device according to claim 3, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the visibility-impaired area identification unit determines the degree of the visibility impairment.

9. In the vehicle control device according to claim 8, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the visibility-impaired area identification unit divides the area of ​​the image that includes at least the own lane into a plurality of regions, and determines whether or not the visibility impairment occurs and the degree of the visibility impairment for each of the divided regions.

10. A vehicle control method using an ECU, The image acquisition step involves acquiring images of the area outside the vehicle, captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle, and A lane marking recognition step that recognizes the lane markings of the own lane using the aforementioned image, A vehicle recognition step involves recognizing another vehicle that is traveling in a lane adjacent to the aforementioned lane and is located ahead of the aforementioned vehicle, A vehicle control step that controls the vehicle based on whether or not a lane marking ahead of the other vehicle has been detected among the lane markings of the own vehicle, It has, The vehicle control method is characterized in that, in the vehicle control step, if at least one of the lane markings in the vehicle's own lane that is ahead of the other vehicle is detected, the vehicle is controlled to overtake the other vehicle.

11. A vehicle control method using an ECU, The image acquisition step involves acquiring images of the area outside the vehicle, captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle, and A lane marking recognition step that recognizes the lane markings of the own lane using the aforementioned image, A vehicle recognition step involves recognizing another vehicle that is traveling in a lane adjacent to the aforementioned lane and is located ahead of the aforementioned vehicle, A vehicle control step that controls the vehicle based on whether or not a lane marking ahead of the other vehicle has been detected among the lane markings of the own vehicle, It has, In the aforementioned vehicle control step, the vehicle is controlled based on whether or not the other vehicle can be recognized. A vehicle control method characterized in that, in the vehicle recognition step, if the other vehicle cannot be recognized and at least a portion of the lane markings on the other vehicle's side of the vehicle's lane that are ahead of the other vehicle cannot be detected, the vehicle control method restricts overtaking the other vehicle.

12. A vehicle control method using an ECU, The image acquisition step involves acquiring images of the area outside the vehicle, captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle, and A lane marking recognition step that recognizes the lane markings of the own lane using the aforementioned image, A vehicle recognition step involves recognizing another vehicle that is traveling in a lane adjacent to the aforementioned lane and is located ahead of the aforementioned vehicle, A vehicle control step that controls the vehicle based on whether or not a lane marking ahead of the other vehicle has been detected among the lane markings of the own vehicle, A step to identify the area where poor visibility occurs in the aforementioned image, It has, The vehicle control method is characterized in that, in the vehicle control step, the vehicle is controlled in such a way that the area where poor visibility occurs is reduced.

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