Driving control system

Abstract

To provide a travelling control device that executes support for enabling an own vehicle to travel to a destination, while making the vehicle pass on a narrow route just before a crossing, according to a width of an advancing route on which the vehicle is travelling.SOLUTION: A travelling control device is provided with: a first on-street-parking determination part 120 that when an obstacle is sensed at a left side just before a crossing, determines whether the obstacle is other vehicle parked on a street; a first target lateral position determination part 130 that when the obstacle is other vehicle OV which is highly likely to have been parked on the street, determines a first target lateral position for an own vehicle MV to pass over other vehicle OV; a second on-street-parking determination part 140 that determines whether the obstacle is other vehicle OV parked on the street, after the own vehicle MV starts to pass over other vehicle MV; a second target lateral position determination part 150 that when the obstacle is other vehicle OV parked on the street, determines a second target lateral position for the own vehicle MV to pass over other vehicle OV; and a travelling control part 200 that executes travelling control of the own vehicle MV, on the basis of a determined result by the first target lateral position determination part 130 or by the second target lateral position determination part 150.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a travel control device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, for the purpose of contributing to safe travel of vehicles while reducing the burden on the driver's vehicle operation for vehicles including automobiles and the like, driving support systems that support the driving operation of vehicle drivers have been put into practical use and are widely prevalent.

[0003] In this type of driving support system, driving support systems that perform driving support while suppressing giving the driver a sense of discomfort in accordance with the driving characteristics of the driver have also emerged and evolved (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, even in the evolved driving support system as described in Patent Document 1, when there is a vehicle that may be parked on the road before the intersection where the host vehicle intends to turn left, there is a problem that the host vehicle can only be stopped by ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), and the travel of the host vehicle cannot be supported up to the destination.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a travel control device that, even when there is a vehicle that may be parked on the road before the intersection where the host vehicle intends to turn left, causes the host vehicle to pass through the narrow road before the intersection in accordance with the width of the traveling path on which the host vehicle travels, and executes travel support up to the destination.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] Embodiment 1; One or more embodiments of the present invention are a driving control device that performs driving control at an intersection in which the vehicle intends to turn left, comprising: an obstacle detection unit that detects whether or not there is an obstacle to the left front of the intersection; a first on-street parking determination unit that determines whether or not the obstacle is another vehicle parked on the street when the obstacle is detected; a first target lateral position determination unit that determines a first target lateral position of the vehicle when passing the other vehicle, if the determination result of the first on-street parking determination unit indicates that the obstacle is likely to be another vehicle parked on the street; and the tracking of the vehicle The proposed driving control device comprises: a second roadside parking determination unit that determines whether the obstacle is another vehicle parked on the road after overtaking has begun; a second target lateral position determination unit that determines a second target lateral position for the vehicle when passing the other vehicle if the obstacle is another vehicle parked on the road based on the determination result of the second roadside parking determination unit; and a driving control unit that performs driving control including overtaking, straight driving, and left turning of the vehicle based on the determination result of the first target lateral position determination unit or the second target lateral position determination unit.

[0008] Embodiment 2; One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a driving control device characterized in that, when the first roadside parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is likely to be a roadside parked vehicle, the driving control unit illuminates the right turn signal and controls the overtaking driving of the own vehicle according to the first target lateral position, and when the second roadside parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is a roadside parked vehicle, the right turn signal is turned off and the driving control of the own vehicle is performed in line with the second target lateral position.

[0009] Embodiment 3; One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a driving control device characterized in that the driving control unit, when the first roadside parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is likely to be a roadside parked vehicle, illuminates the right turn signal and controls the overtaking driving of the own vehicle according to the first target lateral position, and when the second roadside parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is not a roadside parked vehicle, executes the inter-vehicle distance control.

[0010] Embodiment 4; One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a driving control device characterized in that the driving control unit performs the inter-vehicle distance control when the first roadside parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is a vehicle with a low probability of being parked on the road.

[0011] Embodiment 5; One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a driving control device characterized in that the first road parking determination unit and the second road parking determination unit determine whether or not the other vehicle is parked on the road based on information about the other vehicle, including the dynamic behavior of the other vehicle, the status of the illumination of the hazard lights of the other vehicle, the status of the illumination of the turn signals of the other vehicle, the direction of the illumination of the turn signals of the other vehicle, the direction of the tires of the other vehicle, the presence of a driver in the other vehicle, and the behavior of the driver in the other vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, even if there is a vehicle that may be parked on the road before an intersection where the vehicle wishes to turn left, the vehicle can be guided through the narrow road before the intersection according to the width of the road it is traveling on, and driving assistance can be performed to reach the destination. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a driving control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]This figure shows the processing flow of a driving control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows the processing flow of a driving control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure schematically shows the first road parking determination process of a driving control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure schematically shows the first road parking determination process and the second road parking determination process of a driving control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure schematically shows the processing at the start of overtaking control in the driving control unit of a driving control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] <Embodiment> The driving control device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the following explanation, we will use the example of vehicles driving on the left side of the road, but this can, of course, be implemented in countries and regions where vehicles drive on the right side of the road by simply reversing the left and right sides.

[0015] <Configuration of the travel control device 1> As shown in Figure 1, the driving control device 1 according to this embodiment includes an obstacle detection unit 110, a first roadside parking determination unit 120, a first target lateral position determination unit 130, a second roadside parking determination unit 140, a second target lateral position determination unit 150, and a driving control unit 200.

[0016] The obstacle detection unit 110 detects whether or not there is an obstacle on the left front of the intersection where the vehicle MV is about to turn left. The obstacle detection unit 110 is, for example, an image capturing device that detects whether or not there is an obstacle on the left front of the intersection before the vehicle MV is about to turn left by analyzing image information in front of the vehicle MV. Furthermore, the obstacle detection unit 110 may be equipped with a LiDAR or millimeter-wave radar, etc., to prepare for adverse weather conditions. When the obstacle detection unit 110 detects an obstacle, the detection result is output to the below-described first on-street parking determination unit 120.

[0017] The first on-street parking determination unit 120 determines whether the obstacle is another vehicle OV when the obstacle detection unit 110 detects an obstacle on the front left side before the intersection where the host vehicle MV is about to make a left turn. Further, when the obstacle is another vehicle OV, the first on-street parking determination unit 120 determines whether the other vehicle OV is parked on the street. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, in the first on-street parking determination section, the first on-street parking determination unit 120 uses information on the other vehicles OV1 and OV2 including, for example, the dynamic behavior of the other vehicles OV1 and OV2, the lighting state of the hazard lamps of the other vehicles OV1 and OV2, the lighting state of the turn signals of the other vehicles OV1 and OV2, the lighting direction of the turn signals of the other vehicles OV1 and OV2, the tire orientation of the other vehicles OV1 and OV2, the presence of a driver in the other vehicles OV1 and OV2, and the behavior of the driver in the other vehicles OV1 and OV2 as indicators, to determine that the other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are parked on the street, are likely to be parked on the street, or are not parked on the street. The determination method in the first on-street parking determination unit 120 may perform determination based on how many of the above indicators are met, or for example, the above three determinations may be performed using an overall evaluation value weighted to indicators with a high degree of influence in the determination, such as "presence of a driver". The determination result from the first on-street parking determination unit 120 is output to the below-described first target lateral position determination unit 130.

[0018] When the determination result of the first on-street parking determination unit 120 indicates that the obstacle is another vehicle OV parked on the street, the first target lateral position determination unit 130 determines the first target lateral position of the host vehicle MV when passing the other vehicle OV. Specifically, for example, the first target lateral position determination unit 130 determines the first target lateral position to be narrow relative to other vehicles' over-vehicle (OV) if the determination result of the first road parking determination unit 120 is likely to be "road parked," determines the first target lateral position to be moderate relative to other vehicles' OV if the determination result of the first road parking determination unit 120 is "possible road parked," and determines that overtaking is not possible if the determination result of the first road parking determination unit 120 is likely to be "not road parked." More specifically, as shown in Figure 5, if there is a high probability that other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are "parked on the road", the target lateral position, that is, the distance in the vehicle width direction between your vehicle MV and other vehicles OV1 and OV2, is determined to be narrower. Furthermore, if there is a possibility that other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are parked on the street, the target lateral position, i.e., the distance in the vehicle width direction between your vehicle MV and other vehicles OV1 and OV2, will be determined to be moderate. The decisions made by the first target lateral position determination unit 130 are output to the driving control unit 200, which will be described later. Furthermore, if the first target lateral position determination unit 130 determines that the vehicle is parked on the street or there is a possibility of street parking, it will also output turn signal illumination control information in addition to the above determination.

[0019] The second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines whether the obstacle is another vehicle OV after the vehicle MV begins overtaking. Furthermore, the second on-street parking determination unit 140 determines whether or not another vehicle OV is parked on the street when the obstacle is another vehicle OV. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the second on-street parking determination unit 140 determines whether vehicles OV1 and OV2 are "definitely parked on the street" or "definitely not parked on the street" in the second on-street parking determination section, using information about other vehicles OV1 and OV2, including their dynamic behavior, the status of their hazard lights, the status of their turn signals, the direction of their turn signals, the direction of their tires, the presence of their drivers, and the behavior of their drivers, as indicators. The method of determination in the second road parking determination unit 140 may be determined by how many of the above indicators apply, or the above three determinations may be made based on an overall evaluation value that weights the indicators with the greatest influence in the determination, such as "presence of a driver". The determination result from the second on-street parking determination unit 140 is output to the second target lateral position determination unit 150, which will be described later.

[0020] The second target lateral position determination unit 150 determines the second target lateral position of the own vehicle MV when passing over another vehicle OV, based on the determination result of the second roadside parking determination unit 140, if the obstacle is another vehicle OV parked on the road. Specifically, for example, the second target lateral position determination unit 150 determines a narrower second target lateral position if the determination result of the second roadside parking determination unit 140 is "roadside parking confirmed," and determines that overtaking is not possible if the determination result of the second roadside parking determination unit 140 is "not roadside parking confirmed." The decisions made by the second target lateral position determination unit 150 are output to the driving control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0021] The driving control unit 200 performs driving control of its own vehicle MV, including overtaking, driving straight, turning left, and adaptive cruise control (ACC control). Furthermore, the driving control unit 200 also controls the illumination of the turn signals according to the driving control mode. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the driving control unit 200, for example, if the first roadside parking determination unit 120 determines that other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are likely to be parked on the road, turns on the right turn signal before starting lateral movement for overtaking, and controls the overtaking of its own vehicle MV according to the first target lateral position. If the second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines that other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are parked on the road, it turns off the right turn signal and performs straight-ahead driving control and left-turn driving control of its own vehicle MV according to the second target lateral position. Furthermore, the driving control unit 200, for example, if the first roadside parking determination unit 120 determines that other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are highly likely to be parked on the road, will activate the right turn signal before starting lateral movement for overtaking, and will control the overtaking of its own vehicle MV according to the first target lateral position. If the second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines that other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are not parked on the road, it will perform adaptive cruise control (ACC) control. Here, "before the start of lateral movement" can be exemplified as, for example, 3 seconds before the start of lateral movement. Japanese road traffic law mandates that when a vehicle (MV) begins to move laterally in order to change lanes, the turn signal on the side of the lane being entered must be activated at least 3 seconds before the lateral movement begins. In other words, after activating the turn signal, you must remain in your current lane for at least 3 seconds without changing lanes. Furthermore, the driving control unit 200 performs adaptive cruise control (ACC control) if, for example, the first roadside parking determination unit 120 determines that other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are unlikely to be parked on the road. As shown in Figure 6, when the driving control unit 200 executes left-turn driving control for its own vehicle MV, it illuminates the left turn signal 30m before turning left at the intersection.

[0022] <Processing by the travel control device 1> The processing of the driving control device 1 according to this embodiment will be explained using Figures 2 and 3.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the obstacle detection unit 110 detects an obstacle just before the intersection where the vehicle MV is about to turn left (step S101). The obstacle detection unit 110 outputs the obstacle detection information to the first on-street parking determination unit 120.

[0024] The first on-street parking determination unit 120 determines that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 110 is another vehicle OV, and determines whether or not the other vehicle OV is a vehicle parked on the street (step S102). Then, if the first on-street parking determination unit 120 determines that another vehicle OV is a vehicle parked on the street, it notifies the first target lateral position determination unit 130 of that fact.

[0025] When the first target lateral position determination unit 130 receives notification from the first roadside parking determination unit 120 that another vehicle OV is a roadside parked vehicle, it determines the first target lateral position to be narrower ("smaller") relative to the other vehicle OV (step S103). The first target lateral position determination unit 130 outputs to the driving control unit 200 that it has determined the first target lateral position to be narrower than that of other vehicles OV.

[0026] When the driving control unit 200 receives information from the first target lateral position determination unit 130 that the first target lateral position has been determined to be narrower relative to another vehicle OV, it performs control to illuminate the right turn signal (step S104) and performs overtaking control for its own vehicle MV (step S105).

[0027] Next, the second on-street parking determination unit 140 determines, after the on-street vehicle MV has started overtaking, whether the obstacle before the intersection where the on-street vehicle MV is about to turn left is another vehicle OV, and whether the other vehicle OV is a parked vehicle (step S106). If the second on-street parking determination unit 140 determines that the other vehicle OV is a parked vehicle (confirmed on-street parking), it notifies the second target lateral position determination unit 150 of this fact.

[0028] When the second target lateral position determination unit 150 receives notification from the second roadside parking determination unit 140 that the other vehicle OV is a roadside parked vehicle, it determines the second target lateral position to be narrower ("smaller") relative to the other vehicle OV (step S107). The second target lateral position determination unit 150 outputs to the driving control unit 200 that it has determined the second target lateral position to be narrower than that of other vehicles (OV).

[0029] When the driving control unit 200 receives information from the second target lateral position determination unit 150 that the second target lateral position has been determined to be narrower relative to another vehicle OV, it executes control to turn off the right turn signal (step S108) and executes straight-line driving control for its own vehicle MV (step S109).

[0030] The driving control unit 200 checks whether the vehicle MV has reached the target position for turning left (30m before the intersection). If it determines that the vehicle MV has reached the target position, it controls the illumination of the left turn signal (step S110), and then controls the vehicle MV to turn left (step S111), thus ending the series of processes.

[0031] On the other hand, if the second on-street parking determination unit 140 determines that another vehicle OV is not a vehicle parked on the street (step S106), it notifies the second target lateral position determination unit 150 of this fact.

[0032] When the second target lateral position determination unit 150 receives notification from the second roadside parking determination unit 140 that the other vehicle OV is not a roadside parked vehicle, it determines the second target lateral position to be zero (step S112). The second target lateral position determination unit 150 outputs to the driving control unit 200 that it has determined the second target lateral position to be zero.

[0033] When the driving control unit 200 receives information from the second target lateral position determination unit 150 that the second target lateral position has been determined to be zero relative to the other vehicle OV, it executes adaptive cruise control (ACC) control for its own vehicle MV (step S113) and ends the series of processes.

[0034] Furthermore, in Figure 2, if the first on-street parking determination unit 120 determines that another vehicle OV is a vehicle that may be parked on the street, it notifies the first target lateral position determination unit 130 of this fact.

[0035] When the first target lateral position determination unit 130 receives notification from the first roadside parking determination unit 120 that another vehicle OV is a vehicle that may be parked on the roadside, it determines the first target lateral position to be moderate ("medium") relative to the other vehicle OV (step S114). The first target lateral position determination unit 130 outputs to the driving control unit 200 that the first target lateral position has been determined to be moderate relative to other vehicles OV.

[0036] When the driving control unit 200 receives information from the first target lateral position determination unit 130 that the first target lateral position has been determined to be narrower relative to another vehicle OV, it performs control to illuminate the right turn signal (step S104) and performs overtaking control for its own vehicle MV (step S105).

[0037] Next, the second on-street parking determination unit 140 determines, after the on-street vehicle MV has started overtaking, whether the obstacle before the intersection where the on-street vehicle MV is about to turn left is another vehicle OV, and whether the other vehicle OV is a parked vehicle (step S106). If the second on-street parking determination unit 140 determines that the other vehicle OV is a parked vehicle (confirmed on-street parking), it notifies the second target lateral position determination unit 150 of this fact.

[0038] When the second target lateral position determination unit 150 receives notification from the second roadside parking determination unit 140 that the other vehicle OV is a roadside parked vehicle, it determines the second target lateral position to be narrower ("smaller") relative to the other vehicle OV (step S107). The second target lateral position determination unit 150 outputs to the driving control unit 200 that it has determined the second target lateral position to be narrower than that of other vehicles (OV).

[0039] When the driving control unit 200 receives information from the second target lateral position determination unit 150 that the second target lateral position has been determined to be narrower relative to another vehicle OV, it executes control to turn off the right turn signal (step S108) and executes straight-line driving control for its own vehicle MV (step S109).

[0040] The driving control unit 200 checks whether the vehicle MV has reached the target position for turning left (30m before the intersection). If it determines that the vehicle MV has reached the target position, it controls the illumination of the left turn signal (step S110), and then controls the vehicle MV to turn left (step S111), thus ending the series of processes.

[0041] Meanwhile, the second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines whether the obstacle is another vehicle OV after the vehicle MV begins its overtaking run (step S106). If the second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines that the other vehicle OV is not a vehicle parked on the road, it notifies the second target lateral position determination unit 150 of this fact.

[0042] When the second target lateral position determination unit 150 receives notification from the second roadside parking determination unit 140 that the other vehicle OV is not a roadside parked vehicle, it determines the second target lateral position to be zero (step S112). The second target lateral position determination unit 150 outputs to the driving control unit 200 that it has determined the second target lateral position to be zero.

[0043] When the driving control unit 200 receives information from the second target lateral position determination unit 150 that the second target lateral position has been determined to be zero relative to the other vehicle OV, it executes adaptive cruise control (ACC) control for its own vehicle MV (step S113) and ends the series of processes.

[0044] Furthermore, in Figure 2, when the first target lateral position determination unit 130 receives notification from the first roadside parking determination unit 120 that the other vehicle OV is not a roadside parked vehicle, it determines the first target lateral position to be zero with respect to the other vehicle OV (step S115). The first target lateral position determination unit 130 outputs to the driving control unit 200 that it has determined the first target lateral position to be zero relative to other vehicles OV.

[0045] When the driving control unit 200 receives information from the first target lateral position determination unit 130 that the first target lateral position has been determined to be zero relative to the other vehicle OV, it performs adaptive cruise control (ACC) control on its own vehicle MV (step S116) and ends the series of processes.

[0046] <Effects and Actions> As described above, the driving control device 1 according to this embodiment includes an obstacle detection unit 110 that detects whether or not there is an obstacle to the left front before an intersection, a first roadside parking determination unit 120 that determines whether or not the obstacle is another vehicle OV parked on the road when an obstacle is detected, a first target lateral position determination unit 130 that determines a first target lateral position of the own vehicle when passing another vehicle OV if the determination result of the first roadside parking determination unit 120 indicates that the obstacle is likely to be another vehicle OV parked on the road, and after the overtaking driving of the own vehicle MV has started, The system includes a second roadside parking determination unit 140 that determines whether or not the obstacle is another vehicle OV parked on the road, a second target lateral position determination unit 150 that determines a second target lateral position of the own vehicle MV when passing the other vehicle OV if the obstacle is another vehicle OV parked on the road based on the determination result of the second roadside parking determination unit 140, and a driving control unit 200 that performs driving control of the own vehicle MV, including overtaking, straight driving, left turning, and inter-vehicle distance control, based on the determination result of the first target lateral position determination unit 130 or the second target lateral position determination unit 150. In other words, the first on-street parking determination unit 120 determines whether or not an obstacle is another vehicle OV parked on the road when an obstacle is detected on the left front of an intersection. The first target lateral position determination unit 130 determines the first target lateral position of the own vehicle when passing the other vehicle OV if the determination result of the first on-street parking determination unit 120 indicates that the obstacle is likely to be another vehicle OV parked on the road. Then, the driving control unit 200 starts overtaking driving control of the own vehicle MV based on the determination result of the first target lateral position determination unit 130. Therefore, if the obstacle to the left front before the intersection is likely to be another vehicle OV parked on the road, the system determines a first target lateral position for the vehicle when passing the other vehicle OV. Based on this first target lateral position, the driving control unit 200 starts overtaking control of the vehicle MV. This allows the vehicle MV to pass through the narrow road before the intersection and receive driving assistance to the destination, depending on the width of the road it is traveling on. Furthermore, the second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines whether the obstacle is another vehicle OV parked on the road after the overtaking drive of the own vehicle MV has begun, and the second target lateral position determination unit 150 determines the second target lateral position of the own vehicle MV when passing the other vehicle OV if the obstacle is another vehicle OV parked on the road. Then, the driving control unit 200 controls the overtaking drive of the own vehicle MV based on the determination result of the second target lateral position determination unit 150. In other words, the driving control unit 200 starts the overtaking run of its own vehicle MV based on the determination result of the first target lateral position determination unit 130, and then, based on the determination result of the second target lateral position determination unit 150, it determines whether or not to continue controlling the overtaking run of its own vehicle MV. If it decides to continue the control, it continues the control based on the determination result of the second target lateral position determination unit 150. Therefore, the driving control unit 200 thoroughly determines whether the other vehicle OV parked on the left front of the intersection is parked on the road or not, and then controls the driving of its own vehicle MV. As a result, it can guide the vehicle MV through the narrow road before the intersection according to the width of the road it is traveling on, and provide driving assistance to the destination. Furthermore, by having the driving control unit 200 perform the driving control for its own vehicle MV as described above, it becomes possible to control the vehicle in accordance with the surrounding environment, thereby ensuring the safety of road users in the surrounding area.

[0047] Furthermore, in the driving control device 1 according to this embodiment, the driving control unit 200, when the first roadside parking determination unit 120 determines that another vehicle OV is likely to be parked on the road, turns on the right turn signal and controls the vehicle's overtaking drive according to the first target lateral position. When the second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines that another vehicle OV is parked on the road, it turns off the right turn signal and performs straight-ahead driving control and left-turn driving control of the vehicle MV according to the second target lateral position. Therefore, by automatically controlling the lateral position of the vehicle MV relative to other vehicles OV that are likely to be parked on the road, or are parked on the road, as well as whether the turn signals are activated and the timing of the turn signal activation, the driving control unit 200 can ensure the safe passage of the vehicle MV on narrow roads and assist in driving to the destination. Furthermore, by having the driving control unit 200 perform the driving control described above, it becomes possible to control the vehicle in accordance with the surrounding environment, thereby ensuring the safety of road users in the surrounding area.

[0048] Furthermore, in the driving control device 1 according to this embodiment, the driving control unit 200, when the first roadside parking determination unit 120 determines that the other vehicle OV is likely to be a roadside parked vehicle, illuminates the right turn signal and controls the overtaking driving of the own vehicle MV according to the first target lateral position, and when the second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines that the other vehicle OV is not a roadside parked vehicle, it performs distance control between vehicles. In other words, if the first roadside parking determination unit 120 determines that the other vehicle OV is likely to be parked on the road, the driving control unit 200 will turn on the right turn signal and start overtaking control of its own vehicle MV. However, if the second roadside parking determination unit 140 determines that the other vehicle OV is not parked on the road, the driving control mode will immediately be changed to adaptive cruise control (ACC) control. Therefore, the driving control unit 200 can perform optimal control according to the situation, enabling control that is appropriate to the surrounding environment and ensuring the safety of surrounding road users. Furthermore, by providing accurate notification to the occupants of the vehicle's MV regarding changes in the driving control mode, the system can help occupants understand the situation and provide them with a sense of security.

[0049] Furthermore, in the driving control device 1 according to this embodiment, the driving control unit 200 executes adaptive cruise control (ACC control) when the first roadside parking determination unit 120 determines that the other vehicle OV is a vehicle with a low probability of being parked on the road. Therefore, the driving control unit 200 can perform optimal control according to the situation, enabling control that is appropriate to the surrounding environment and ensuring the safety of surrounding road users. Furthermore, by providing accurate notification to the occupants of the vehicle's MV regarding changes in the driving control mode, the system can help occupants understand the situation and provide them with a sense of security.

[0050] Furthermore, the first roadside parking determination unit 120 and the second roadside parking determination unit 140 in the driving control device 1 according to this embodiment determine whether or not the other vehicle OV is parked on the road based on information about the other vehicle OV, including the dynamic behavior of the other vehicle OV, the status of the hazard lights on the other vehicle OV, the status of the turn signals on the other vehicle OV, the direction of the turn signals on the other vehicle OV, the direction of the tires on the other vehicle OV, the presence of a driver on the other vehicle OV, and the behavior of the driver on the other vehicle OV. In other words, the first on-street parking determination unit 120 and the second on-street parking determination unit 140 evaluate all conceivable judgment factors to determine whether or not another vehicle OV is parked on the street. Therefore, the first on-street parking determination unit 120 and the second on-street parking determination unit 140 are expected to accurately determine whether or not another vehicle OV is parked on the street. As a result, the driving control unit 200 can be controlled according to the surrounding environment, thereby ensuring the safety of surrounding road users.

[0051] <Example 1> In this embodiment, the driving control unit 200 is shown as illuminating the right turn signal 3 seconds before starting lateral movement for overtaking when the first roadside parking determination unit 120 determines that other vehicles OV1 and OV2 are likely to be parked on the road. However, the driving control unit 200 may advance the timing of illuminating the right turn signal in the above case. By accelerating the timing of the right turn signal activation, it becomes possible to control driving in accordance with the surrounding conditions, thereby ensuring the safety of road users in the surrounding area.

[0052] Furthermore, the driving control device 1 of the present invention can be realized by recording the processing of the driving control unit 200 on a recording medium readable by a computer system, and then having the driving control unit 200 read and execute the program recorded on this recording medium. The computer system referred to here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0053] Furthermore, "computer system" includes the homepage provisioning environment (or display environment) if the WWW (World Wide Web) system is being used. The above program may also be transmitted from the computer system in which the program is stored to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves within the transmission medium. Here, "transmission medium" for transmitting the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

[0054] Furthermore, the above program may be intended to implement some of the functions described above. It may also be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the aforementioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system.

[0055] While embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1; Driving control device 110; Obstacle detection unit 120; First street parking determination unit 130; First target lateral position determination unit 140; Second street parking determination unit 150; Second target lateral position determination unit 200; Driving control unit MV; Own vehicle OV; Other vehicles

Claims

1. A driving control device that performs driving control at an intersection where the vehicle intends to turn left, An obstacle detection unit that detects whether or not there is an obstacle to the left front of the intersection, A first roadside parking determination unit determines whether or not the obstacle is another vehicle parked on the road when the obstacle is detected, If the determination result of the first on-street parking determination unit indicates that the obstacle is likely to be another vehicle parked on the street, the first target lateral position determination unit determines the first target lateral position of the vehicle when passing the other vehicle, A second roadside parking determination unit determines whether the obstacle is another vehicle parked on the road after the vehicle has started overtaking, If the obstacle is determined to be another vehicle parked on the road based on the determination result of the second road parking determination unit, the second target lateral position determination unit determines the second target lateral position of the vehicle when passing the other vehicle, A driving control unit that performs driving control of the vehicle, including overtaking, straight driving, and left turning, based on the determination result of the first target lateral position determination unit or the second target lateral position determination unit, A driving control device characterized by being equipped with

2. The driving control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving control unit, when the first roadside parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is likely to be a roadside parked vehicle, illuminates the right turn signal and controls the overtaking driving of the own vehicle according to the first target lateral position, and when the second roadside parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is a roadside parked vehicle, turns off the right turn signal and performs straight driving control and left turning driving control of the own vehicle according to the second target lateral position.

3. The driving control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the driving control unit illuminates the right turn signal and controls the overtaking driving of its own vehicle according to the first target lateral position when the first road parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is likely to be a vehicle parked on the road, and when the second road parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is not a vehicle parked on the road, it performs distance control between vehicles.

4. The driving control device according to claim 3, wherein the driving control unit executes the inter-vehicle distance control when the first on-street parking determination unit determines that the other vehicle is a vehicle with a low probability of being parked on the street.

5. The driving control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first on-street parking determination unit and the second on-street parking determination unit determine whether or not the other vehicle is parked on the street based on information about the other vehicle, including the dynamic behavior of the other vehicle, the status of the illumination of the hazard lights of the other vehicle, the status of the illumination of the turn signals of the other vehicle, the direction of the illumination of the turn signals of the other vehicle, the direction of the tires of the other vehicle, the presence of a driver in the other vehicle, and the behavior of the driver in the other vehicle.

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