Driving assistance systems

Abstract

To provide an operation support device which supports end of operation support for lane keeping and vehicular gap on an ordinary road.SOLUTION: An operation support device supports at least any one of lane keeping and a vehicular gap, and has: an acquisition part which acquires vehicle related information concerning a vehicle and a vehicle periphery; and a control part which controls at least one support for lane keeping and the vehicular gap. The control part gradually reduces a speed of the vehicle on the basis of the vehicle related information acquired by the acquisition part, and finishes at least any one operation support for the lane keeping and the vehicular gap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving support device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles have driving support functions such as an LKA (registered trademark) (Lane Keeping Aid) function that suppresses deviation from the lane during driving and an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) function that follows a preceding vehicle while maintaining a vehicle-to-vehicle distance. Such driving support functions related to lane keeping and vehicle-to-vehicle distance are assumed to be used during driving on highways and motorways. In other words, such driving support functions are not assumed to be used during driving on ordinary roads.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when a vehicle exits a highway or a motorway and enters an ordinary road, if it does not accept an operation to end the driving support function, the driving support function will be activated during driving on the ordinary road.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a driving support device that supports the end of driving support for lane keeping and vehicle-to-vehicle distance on ordinary roads.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the driver assistance device according to the present invention is a driver assistance device that assists with at least one of lane keeping and / or following distance, and comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires vehicle-related information concerning the vehicle and the area around the vehicle, and a control unit that controls the assistance of at least one of lane keeping and / or following distance, The aforementioned vehicle-related information includes information indicating the content of road signs around the vehicle and information indicating the vehicle's speed. The control unit, In the vehicle-related information acquired by the acquisition unit, if the speed indicated by the road sign is less than the first threshold, and the vehicle's driving speed acquired by the acquisition unit is also less than the first threshold, then it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a public road, and if it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a public road, By lowering the vehicle's set speed each time it travels a predetermined distance, the vehicle's speed is gradually reduced, and the driving assistance for at least one of the lane keeping and following distance functions is terminated.

[0007] With this configuration, the driver assistance system can assist in ending lane keeping and following distance driving assistance on ordinary roads.

[0008] Furthermore, in the driving assistance device according to the present invention, the vehicle-related information includes at least one of the following: information indicating the content of road signs around the vehicle and information regarding the vehicle's driving state. The control unit, based on the vehicle-related information acquired by the acquisition unit, determines that the vehicle is traveling on a public road and gradually reduces the vehicle's speed.

[0009] In this configuration, the driver assistance system gradually reduces the vehicle's speed when it determines, based on surrounding road signs and the vehicle's speed, that it is traveling on a public road. In other words, the driver assistance system does not reduce the vehicle's speed on roads where the use of driver assistance functions is intended, such as highways and expressways. This allows the driver assistance system to suppress unintended deceleration, thereby reducing accidents.

[0010] Furthermore, in the driving assistance device according to the present invention, the control unit reduces the set speed of the vehicle each time the vehicle travels a predetermined time or distance, and when the vehicle's travel speed falls below a threshold, it terminates the assistance for at least one of the lane keeping and the following distance.

[0011] In this configuration, the driver assistance system gradually reduces the vehicle's speed, and terminates the assistance when the speed falls below a threshold. Therefore, the driver assistance system can prevent accidents caused by the sudden termination of driver assistance. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The driver assistance device according to the present invention has the effect of being able to terminate the functions that assist with lane keeping and following distance on general roads. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functions of an ECU installed in a vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the determination process performed by the ECU according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] An example of an embodiment of the driver assistance device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. Vehicle 1 is equipped with an EPS (Electric Power Steering) 11, an EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) 12, a brake actuator 13, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 20.

[0016] The EPS11 is a device that steers the steering wheels (for example, the left and right front wheels) of vehicle 1 by applying torque generated by an electric motor to the steering.

[0017] EFI 12 is a device that controls the output of the engine. More specifically, EFI 12 controls the output of the engine by controlling fuel injection into the engine.

[0018] The brake actuator 13 distributes hydraulic pressure to the wheel cylinders of the brakes provided on each wheel, and applies braking force to the wheels including the drive wheels from each brake by that hydraulic pressure. Also, the brake actuator 13 has an electric pump, and when the automatic brake is actuated, the electric pump is driven by electric power from the battery, and the brake hydraulic pressure generated by the electric pump is supplied to each wheel cylinder.

[0019] ECU 20 is a driving support device that controls driving support for at least one of lane keeping and inter-vehicle distance. More specifically, ECU 20 controls driving support by controlling EPS 11, EFI 12, and the brake actuator 13.

[0020] ECU 20 includes a microcontroller having a processor, a memory, and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The processor is a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory is a storage device that stores data even when no power is supplied, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a flash memory. The RAM is a storage device that holds data when power is supplied, such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0021] ECU 20 is connected to a detection unit 31, a vehicle speed sensor 32, and an operation unit 33.

[0022] The detection unit 31 detects the state around the vehicle 1. For example, the detection unit 31 is a camera such as a monocular camera or a stereo camera. In this case, the detection unit 31 captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1. Then, the detection unit 31 detects the state around the vehicle 1 from the image. Note that the detection unit 31 may be a radar that detects the surrounding state by millimeter waves, a sensor such as LiDAR, or other sensors. Furthermore, the detection unit 31 may be a combination of any of a camera, a radar, and LiDAR.

[0023] The vehicle speed sensor 32 is a sensor that detects the traveling speed of the vehicle 1. For example, the vehicle speed sensor 32 outputs a pulse signal synchronized with the rotation of a rotating body that rotates as the vehicle 1 travels as a detection signal.

[0024] The operation unit 33 receives operations for driving support functions such as the LKA (registered trademark) function and the ACC function. For example, the operation unit 33 receives operations to start the LKA (registered trademark) function and the ACC function. Also, the operation unit 33 receives operations to end the LKA (registered trademark) function and the ACC function. Further, the operation unit 33 may have a button or the like for starting or ending both the LKA (registered trademark) function and the ACC function, or may have a button or the like for starting or ending the LKA (registered trademark) function and the ACC function at different timings.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functions of the ECU 20 mounted on the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment. The processor of the ECU 20 realizes functional units such as a driving support control unit 21, a vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22, and an end control unit 23 by executing programs stored in a memory or the like. Note that all or part of these functional units may be realized by hardware such as a semiconductor circuit.

[0026] The driver assistance control unit 21 includes a lane keeping support control unit 211 and a vehicle distance support control unit 212. When the driver assistance control unit 21 receives a start operation from the operation unit 33, it instructs the lane keeping support control unit 211 and the vehicle distance support control unit 212 to start driver assistance. When the driver assistance control unit 21 receives a stop operation from the operation unit 33, it instructs the lane keeping support control unit 211 and the vehicle distance support control unit 212 to end driver assistance. Furthermore, when the driver assistance control unit 21 determines that it is time to end, it instructs the lane keeping support control unit 211 and the vehicle distance support control unit 212 to end driver assistance.

[0027] The lane keeping support control unit 211 controls the driving support function that keeps the vehicle 1 in the lane it is traveling in. For example, the lane keeping support control unit 211 controls the LKA (registered trademark) function that prevents the vehicle 1 from deviating from the lane it is traveling in. Based on the lane boundary line detected by the detection unit 31, if the lane keeping support control unit 211 determines that the vehicle 1 is deviating from the lane, it controls the EPS 11 to steer the vehicle to prevent it from deviating from the lane. In this way, the lane keeping support control unit 211 maintains the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0028] The inter-vehicle distance support control unit 212 controls the driving assistance function that maintains a safe distance between vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle while following the preceding vehicle. For example, the inter-vehicle distance support control unit 212 controls the ACC function. The inter-vehicle distance support control unit 212 controls the EFI 12 and brake actuator 13 so that the distance to the preceding vehicle detected by the detection unit 31 becomes the set distance. The inter-vehicle distance support control unit 212 also controls the EPS 11 so that it follows the preceding vehicle detected by the detection unit 31. Furthermore, if the detection unit 31 does not detect a preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance support control unit 212 controls the EFI 12 to make vehicle 1 travel at the set speed.

[0029] The vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22 acquires vehicle-related information concerning vehicle 1 and its surroundings. The vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22 is an example of an acquisition unit. For example, the vehicle-related information includes at least one of the following: information indicating the content of road signs around vehicle 1, and information regarding the driving status of vehicle 1. The vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22 also includes a surrounding information acquisition unit 221 and a vehicle information acquisition unit 222.

[0030] More specifically, the surrounding information acquisition unit 221 acquires sign information indicating the content of road signs around the vehicle 1 by performing image processing on the image of road signs captured by the detection unit 31. For example, the surrounding information acquisition unit 221 identifies road signs included in the image by performing pattern matching on the image captured by the detection unit 31. Then, the surrounding information acquisition unit 221 acquires sign information that matches the identification result based on a database containing sign information for each road sign. Note that the surrounding information acquisition unit 221 may acquire sign information by other methods, not limited to the method described above.

[0031] Furthermore, the vehicle information acquisition unit 222 acquires information indicating the vehicle's speed as information related to the vehicle's driving state. For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 222 acquires vehicle speed information indicating the vehicle's speed from the vehicle speed sensor 32.

[0032] The termination control unit 23 controls at least one of the driving assistance functions, lane keeping and / or following distance. Furthermore, based on the vehicle-related information acquired by the vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22, the termination control unit 23 gradually reduces the vehicle's speed and terminates at least one of the driving assistance functions, lane keeping and / or following distance. The termination control unit 23 is an example of a control unit.

[0033] The termination control unit 23 determines whether vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road based on the vehicle-related information acquired by the vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22. If the termination control unit 23 determines, based on the vehicle-related information acquired by the vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22, that vehicle 1 is traveling on an expressway or an expressway, it does not reduce the speed of vehicle 1 and does not terminate the driving assistance. On the other hand, if the termination control unit 23 determines, based on the vehicle-related information acquired by the vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22, that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road, it gradually reduces the speed of vehicle 1.

[0034] The termination control unit 23 determines whether vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road based on the content of the road sign indicated by the road sign, if the vehicle-related information includes sign information. For example, the termination control unit 23 determines that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road if the road sign indicated by the sign information is a road sign that restricts the maximum speed, and the maximum speed is below a threshold.

[0035] Furthermore, the termination control unit 23 may determine that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road if the road sign indicated by the sign information is a road sign installed on a public road. Examples of road signs installed on public roads include road signs prohibiting bicycle traffic and road signs prohibiting pedestrian crossing.

[0036] Furthermore, if the vehicle-related information includes vehicle speed information, the termination control unit 23 determines whether or not vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road based on the vehicle speed information indicating the vehicle's travel speed. The termination control unit 23 determines that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road if the vehicle speed information indicating the vehicle's travel speed is less than a first threshold.

[0037] The termination control unit 23, when it determines that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road, gradually reduces the vehicle's speed. Specifically, after a predetermined time or distance has been traveled, the termination control unit 23 lowers the set speed of the driving assistance function that maintains a safe distance between vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle while following the preceding vehicle. Then, after the set speed of vehicle 1 has been lowered after a predetermined time or distance has been traveled, the termination control unit 23 terminates the assistance for at least one of lane keeping and following distance when the vehicle's speed falls below a threshold.

[0038] Furthermore, the termination control unit 23 may determine that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road if both the sign information and the vehicle speed information indicate that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road, or it may determine that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road if either the sign information or the vehicle speed information indicates that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road.

[0039] Next, we will explain the determination process for deciding whether or not to terminate the driver assistance system.

[0040] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a determination process performed by the ECU 20 according to this embodiment. The ECU 20 performs a determination process at regular intervals to determine whether or not to terminate the driving assistance.

[0041] The termination control unit 23 determines whether or not vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road based on the sign information included in the vehicle-related information acquired by the vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22 (step S1). For example, the termination control unit 23 determines that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road if the road sign indicated by the sign information shows a maximum speed of 60 km / h.

[0042] If the system determines that vehicle 1 is not traveling on a public road (step S1; No), the termination control unit 23 terminates the determination process. In other words, the termination control unit 23 does not terminate the driving assistance because vehicle 1 is traveling on a highway or an expressway.

[0043] If the sign information determines that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road (step S1; Yes), the termination control unit 23 determines whether the vehicle's speed is below a first threshold based on the vehicle speed information included in the vehicle-related information acquired by the vehicle-related information acquisition unit 22 (step S2). In other words, the termination control unit 23 determines whether vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road based on whether the vehicle's speed is below the legal speed limit for public roads. For example, the termination control unit 23 determines whether vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road based on whether the speed is below 60 km / h, which is the legal speed limit for public roads.

[0044] If the system determines that vehicle 1 is not traveling on a public road (step S2; No), the termination control unit 23 terminates the determination process. In other words, the termination control unit 23 does not terminate the driving assistance because vehicle 1 is traveling on a highway or an expressway.

[0045] If the vehicle speed information determines that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road (step S2; Yes), the termination control unit 23 determines whether the set speed of the driving assistance function that follows the preceding vehicle while maintaining a safe distance between vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle is below the second threshold (step S3).

[0046] If the set speed is higher than the second threshold (step S3; No), the termination control unit 23 lowers the set speed by a specified value while traveling for a predetermined time or distance (step S4). Then, the termination control unit 23 proceeds to step S3. In this way, the termination control unit 23 gradually lowers the set speed.

[0047] If the set speed is below the threshold (step S3; Yes), the termination control unit 23 terminates the driving assistance (step S5).

[0048] Based on the above, ECU20 terminates the judgment process.

[0049] Thus, when the ECU 20 according to this embodiment determines, based on vehicle-related information, that vehicle 1 is traveling on a public road, it gradually reduces the speed of vehicle 1 and terminates at least one of the driving assistance functions for lane keeping and following distance. Therefore, the ECU 20 can assist in terminating driving assistance functions for lane keeping and following distance on public roads.

[0050] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1 vehicle 11 EPS(Electric Power Steering) 12 EFI(Electronic Fuel Injection) 13 Brake actuator 20 ECU(Electronic Control Unit) 21 Driving Support Control Unit 211 Lane Keeping Assist Control Unit 212 Inter-vehicle distance support control unit 22 Vehicle-related information acquisition unit 221 Peripheral Information Acquisition Unit 222 Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit 23 Termination Control Unit 31 Detection unit 32. Vehicle speed sensor 33 Operation section

Claims

1. A driver assistance device that controls at least one of the following: lane keeping and / or distance between vehicles, An acquisition unit that acquires vehicle-related information concerning the vehicle and its surroundings, It includes a control unit that controls at least one of the driving assistance functions of lane keeping and the following distance, The aforementioned vehicle-related information includes information indicating the content of road signs around the vehicle and information indicating the vehicle's speed. The control unit, In the vehicle-related information acquired by the acquisition unit, if the speed indicated by the road sign is less than the first threshold, and the vehicle's driving speed acquired by the acquisition unit is also less than the first threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a public road. When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the aforementioned public road, the vehicle's set speed is reduced each time a predetermined distance is traveled, thereby gradually lowering the vehicle's speed and terminating at least one of the driving assistance functions: lane keeping and following distance. Driving assistance system.

2. The control unit, When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a public road, it is determined whether the set speed of the driver assistance function that maintains a safe distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle while following the preceding vehicle is below the second threshold. If the set speed is higher than the second threshold, the vehicle's speed is gradually reduced by lowering the set speed by a specified value while traveling a predetermined distance. When the set speed falls below the second threshold, the support for at least one of the lane keeping and the following distance is terminated. The driving support device according to claim 1.

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