Travel control instruction device and travel control instruction method

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a travel control instruction device and a travel control instruction method with which instructions for appropriate control can be given in accordance with the lane in which a host vehicle is traveling. A travel control instruction device according to the present disclosure comprises: a host vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle information including a host vehicle position, a host vehicle travel road, a host vehicle travel lane, and lane structure information pertaining to lane merge points on the respective lanes of the host vehicle travel road and to change points including lane branch points on the respective lanes; an other-vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other-vehicle information including an other-vehicle position, which is the position of another vehicle traveling in the surroundings of the host vehicle, and an other-vehicle travel lane, which is the lane on which the other vehicle is traveling; and a control instruction unit that gives an instruction to control the position of the host vehicle on the basis of the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, the lane structure information regarding the host vehicle travel lane, and a change point distance, which is the distance between the host vehicle and a change point in the host vehicle travel lane.

Description

Driving control instruction device and driving control instruction method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving control instruction device and a driving control instruction method for instructing control of driving of a vehicle.

[0002] Conventionally, techniques have been disclosed for controlling the position of a vehicle relative to other vehicles traveling around the vehicle in accordance with the positional relationship between the vehicle and other vehicles. One such technique is auto cruise control (ACC), which performs advanced control using map information. For example, a technique has been disclosed in which a change point, such as a branch point or a junction point on a road on which the vehicle is traveling, is acquired from an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system that stores road shapes and road structures for each road, and the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle is controlled in accordance with the positional relationship between the vehicle's position and the change point (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-153153

[0004] In Patent Document 1, because change points are used on a road-by-road basis, the same control is performed in both cases where a change point exists in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and where there is no change point in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling but there is a change point in another lane on the same road. Therefore, Patent Document 1 has the problem of not being able to perform control according to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a driving control instruction device and a driving control instruction method that are capable of issuing appropriate control instructions depending on the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the driving control instruction device according to the present disclosure includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle information including a host vehicle position, which is the position of the host vehicle, a host vehicle driving road, which is the road on which the host vehicle is driving, a host vehicle driving lane, which is the lane on which the host vehicle is driving, and lane structure information related to change points including lane merging points, which are merging points for each lane on the host vehicle driving road, and lane branching points, which are branching points for each lane; a other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information including a other vehicle position, which is the position of another vehicle driving around the host vehicle, and a other vehicle driving lane, which is the lane on which the other vehicle is driving; and a control instruction unit that issues instructions to control the position of the host vehicle based on the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, lane structure information for the host vehicle driving lane, and a change point distance, which is the distance between the host vehicle and the change point in the host vehicle driving lane.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to issue appropriate control instructions depending on the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0008] The objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0009] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle system including a driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 4. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the driving control instruction device according to Embodiment 4. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a driving control instruction device according to a first modified example of embodiment 4. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a driving control instruction device according to a second modified example of embodiment 4. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a driving control instruction device according to embodiments 1 to 4. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a driving control instruction device according to embodiments 1 to 4.

[0010] In the first embodiment, a cruise control instruction device will be described as issuing an instruction to an auto cruise control, which is a cruise control device, to control the distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle. Here, the preceding vehicle refers to the vehicle located in front of the host vehicle and closest to the host vehicle.

[0011] <Configuration> Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle system 1 including a cruise control instruction device 2 according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle system 1 includes the cruise control instruction device 2, a high-precision locator 3, a periphery detection device 4, and a cruise control device 5. In the following description, the vehicle system 1 will be described as being provided in the vehicle itself.

[0012] The driving control instruction device 2 includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit 21, an other vehicle information acquisition unit 22, and a control instruction unit 23. The driving control instruction device 2 may be configured as a system by appropriately combining not only an in-vehicle navigation device, i.e., a car navigation device, but also a portable navigation device (PND) that can be mounted in a vehicle and a server provided outside the vehicle. In this case, each function or each component of the driving control instruction device 2 is distributed and arranged among the functions that configure the system.

[0013] The host vehicle information acquisition unit 21 acquires host vehicle information including the host vehicle position, the host vehicle traveling road, the host vehicle traveling lane, and lane structure information from the high-precision locator 3. The host vehicle position is the position where the host vehicle is traveling. The host vehicle traveling road is the road on which the host vehicle is traveling. The host vehicle traveling lane is the lane on which the host vehicle is traveling and includes the road shape for each lane. The lane structure information is information about change points (road structure information for each lane) including lane merging points, which are merging points for each lanes on the host vehicle traveling road, and lane branching points, which are branching points for each lane. The lane structure information also includes change attributes, which are attributes of the change points. The change attributes include a merging attribute related to the merging of lanes, a branching attribute related to the branching of lanes, a disappearance attribute related to the disappearance of a lane, and an increase attribute related to the addition of a lane.

[0014] The other vehicle information acquisition unit 22 acquires other vehicle information including the other vehicle position and the other vehicle driving lane from the periphery detection device 4. The other vehicle position is the position of the other vehicle traveling around the host vehicle. The other vehicle driving lane is the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling.

[0015] The control instruction unit 23 instructs the driving control device 5 to control the position of the vehicle based on the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and other vehicles, lane structure information for the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and the change point distance, which is the distance between the vehicle and the change point in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0016] The high-precision locator 3 includes a high-precision map database 31, a positioning unit 32, and an information transmission unit 33, and detects the vehicle position with high precision (the vehicle position in units of lanes) including the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0017] The high-precision map DB 31 is a storage medium such as a memory or a hard disk drive (HDD) and stores road shape and lane structure information for each lane. The positioning unit 32 measures the position of the vehicle. The information transmission unit 33 transmits information including the vehicle position, the road on which the vehicle is traveling, the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and lane structure information to the cruise control instruction device 2 as vehicle information.

[0018] The surroundings detection device 4 is configured with a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or an image processing device, and detects the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle.

[0019] The cruise control device 5 is, for example, an auto cruise control device, and controls the traveling of the host vehicle. The cruise control device 5 sets v = Vpset as a constant speed. Then, when a preceding vehicle (another vehicle) cannot be detected within a predetermined distance L(v) ahead of the host vehicle's traveling lane, the cruise control device 5 controls the vehicle to travel at a speed v = Vpset, and when a preceding vehicle is detected within the predetermined distance L(v) ahead of the host vehicle's traveling lane, the cruise control device 5 controls the vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle while maintaining a distance L(v).

[0020] Here, L(v) is a distance according to the speed v of the host vehicle. L(v) may be based on, for example, the stopping distance, and when the speed of the host vehicle is 80 km / h, L(v) may be set to 80 m. However, L(v) may be set by the user, may be set independently by the system, or may be set based on various other parameters.

[0021] <Operation> Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cruise control instruction device 2 according to embodiment 1. The operation shown in Fig. 2 starts when the cruise control device 5 executes auto-cruise control.

[0022] In step S101, the host vehicle information acquisition unit 21 acquires host vehicle information from the high-precision locator 3. The host vehicle information includes the host vehicle position P, the host vehicle traveling road, the host vehicle traveling lane n, and the change point X(n) that is closest to the host vehicle in the host vehicle traveling lane n.

[0023] In step S102, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 22 acquires other vehicle information including the other vehicle position and the other vehicle's driving lane from the periphery detection device 4. The other vehicle position includes the preceding vehicle position Q, and the other vehicle's driving lane includes the lane in which the preceding vehicle is traveling. The other vehicle's driving lane may be detected by the periphery detection device 4, or the periphery detection device 4 may detect a lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, using the host vehicle as a base point, and compare the detected lane with the host vehicle's driving lane n acquired by the host vehicle information acquisition unit 21 to determine the other vehicle's driving lane.

[0024] In step S103, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information based on the host vehicle information and the other vehicle information. The formulation of the control instruction information by the control instruction unit 23 will be described in detail later.

[0025] In step S104, the control instruction unit 23 transmits the formulated control instruction information to the driving control device 5. The driving control device 5 controls the driving of the vehicle (autonomous driving) in accordance with the control instruction information acquired from the control instruction unit 23. Although not shown, the driving control device 5 executes control in accordance with the control instruction information based on various information acquired from the high-precision locator 3, the periphery detection device 4, and the vehicle sensors.

[0026] In step S105, the cruise control instruction device 2 determines whether or not the auto-cruise control by the cruise control device 5 has ended. If the auto-cruise control by the cruise control device 5 has ended, the operation in Fig. 2 ends. On the other hand, if the auto-cruise control by the cruise control device 5 has not ended, the process returns to step S101.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the details of step S103 in FIG.

[0028] In step S201, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth1(v). Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the distance Dis (Dis = X(n) - P) between the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle's driving lane n and the host vehicle position P is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance Xth1(v). If the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth1(v) (if Dis ≥ Xth1(v)), the process proceeds to step S202. On the other hand, if the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is not equal to or greater than Xth1(v) (if Dis < Xth1(v)), the process proceeds to step S205.

[0029] Here, the transition point is, for example, a merging point where a merging lane that merges into the host vehicle's lane merges with the host vehicle's own lane. Furthermore, Xth1(v) is a distance threshold value according to the host vehicle's speed, and may be, for example, a constant multiple of the reference stopping distance. For example, if the host vehicle's speed is 80 km / h, the constant may be set to 2.0, and in this case, 80 m (stopping distance) × 2 (constant) = 160 m (Xth1(v)).

[0030] In step S202, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether or not a preceding vehicle is present within a predetermined distance L0(v). If a preceding vehicle is not present within L0(v), the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if a preceding vehicle is present within L0(v), the process proceeds to step S204. Here, L0(v) is, for example, a standard inter-vehicle distance at a speed v. Specifically, if the speed v is 80 km / h, L0(80 km / h)=80 m, and if the speed v is 100 km / h, L0(100 km / h)=100 m.

[0031] In step S203, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0032] In step S204, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle follow the leading vehicle at a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L0(v).

[0033] 4 is a diagram showing a situation in which the cruise control device 5 controls the driving of the host vehicle in accordance with the control instruction information formulated in step S204. In the example of FIG. 4, the host vehicle 6 is driving in the first lane, and a leading vehicle 7 is driving ahead of the host vehicle 6. As shown in FIG. 4, when the distance Dis between the merging point X1 ahead in the host vehicle driving lane (first lane) and the host vehicle position P is equal to or greater than the distance Xth1(v) (when Dis≧Xth1(v)), the cruise control device 5 controls the inter-vehicle distance (Q−P) between the host vehicle 6 and the leading vehicle 7 to be L0(v).

[0034] In step S205, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether a preceding vehicle is present within a predetermined distance L1(v). If a preceding vehicle is not present within L1(v), the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, if a preceding vehicle is present within L1(v), the process proceeds to step S207. Here, L1(v) is a distance longer than L0(v). For example, L1(v) = 1.5 (coefficient) × L0(v). Specifically, if the speed v is 80 km / h, L1 (80 km / h) = 1.5 × L0 (80 km / h) = 1.5 × 80 = 120 m.

[0035] In step S206, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0036] In step S207, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle follow the leading vehicle at a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L1(v).

[0037] 5 is a diagram showing a situation in which the cruise control device 5 controls the driving of the host vehicle in accordance with the control instruction information formulated in step S207. In the example of FIG. 5, the host vehicle 6 is driving in the first lane, and a leading vehicle 7 is driving ahead of the host vehicle 6. As shown in FIG. 5, if the distance Dis between the merging point X1 ahead in the host vehicle's driving lane (first lane) and the host vehicle position P is not equal to or greater than the distance Xth1(v) (if Dis<Xth1(v)), the cruise control device 5 controls the inter-vehicle distance (Q-P) between the host vehicle 6 and the leading vehicle 7 to be L1(v).

[0038] In addition, if the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is shorter than L1(v) in step S207, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to gradually bring the inter-vehicle distance closer to L1(v) (variant example 6 described below).

[0039] When the distance Dis between the merging point X1 and the host vehicle position P is not equal to or greater than the distance Xth1(v) (when Dis<Xth1(v)), the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is made wider than when the distance Dis between the merging point X1 and the host vehicle position P is equal to or greater than the distance Xth1(v) (when Dis≧Xth1(v)). This allows the host vehicle to be controlled with ample time to avoid a merging vehicle merging from a merging lane into the host vehicle's driving lane.

[0040] 6 and 7 show a situation in which the host vehicle 6 is following a preceding vehicle 7 in the second lane. In FIG. 6, Dis > Xth1(v) in the first lane, and in FIG. 7, Dis < Xth1(v) in the first lane. However, in FIGS. 6 and 7, the change point in the second lane is far away (i.e., Dis > Xth1(v)), so the host vehicle 6 follows the preceding vehicle with a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L0(v). As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the influence of a merging vehicle merging from the merging lane is small in the second lane, so control can be performed to prevent the vehicle-to-vehicle distance from becoming unnecessarily large.

[0041] In this way, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to issue appropriate control instructions for the driving of the host vehicle depending on the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling.

[0042] In the first embodiment, when the host vehicle is traveling in a first lane where a change point exists, following a preceding vehicle at a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L0(v), if the distance from the host vehicle position to the change point becomes less than a predetermined distance Xth1(v), the host vehicle is controlled to maintain a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L1(v) (L1(v) > L0(v)). In the second lane where no change point exists, the host vehicle is controlled to follow a preceding vehicle at a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L0(v).

[0043] In variant example 1, even if the vehicle is traveling in the second lane where there is no change point, if there is a change point in the first lane, the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle in the second lane may be shorter than L1(v) and longer than L0(v).

[0044] Specifically, even if the vehicle is traveling in the second lane where there is no change point, if the distance between the change point in the first lane and the vehicle's position becomes less than Xth1(v), the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle in the second lane is changed from L0(v) to L2(v), and the relationship L0(v) < L2(v) < L1(v) is satisfied.

[0045] This makes it possible to control one's own vehicle so that when another vehicle traveling in the first lane changes lanes to the second lane due to the influence of a merging vehicle merging from the merging lane, the vehicle can be controlled to maintain an appropriate inter-vehicle distance.

[0046] If the number of lanes is three or more, the inter-vehicle distance may be controlled to be closer to L0(v) than to L2(v) for lanes farther from the merging lane.

[0047] Although the first embodiment has described a case where the change point is a merging point, the change point may also be a branch point. A branch point is, for example, a point where the host vehicle's own lane branches off from a branching lane that branches off from the host vehicle's own lane.

[0048] There is a possibility that another vehicle ahead of the preceding vehicle will reduce its speed when entering the branching lane. Therefore, by increasing the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle in preparation for such a case, it is possible to control the inter-vehicle distance appropriately for the branching lane. On the other hand, even if there is a branch point in an adjacent lane adjacent to the host vehicle's lane, if there is no branch point in the host vehicle's lane, the impact on the host vehicle of the reduction in speed of another vehicle ahead of the preceding vehicle is small, so there is no need to change the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

[0049] Furthermore, the inter-vehicle distance in a lane where a branch point exists may be set to be different from the inter-vehicle distance in a lane where a merging point exists. For example, the inter-vehicle distance in a lane where a branch point exists may be set to be shorter than the inter-vehicle distance in a lane where a merging point exists.

[0050] Furthermore, the distance between vehicles may be different between a branch lane where a vehicle exits an interchange onto the expressway and a junction (a branch lane on a peer road) where the vehicle can travel without slowing down. Specifically, the distance between vehicles may be set longer when the junction is not a branch lane on a peer road.

[0051] <Variation 3> In the first embodiment, a case where there is only one merging point X1 as shown in FIG. 4 has been described. However, in the case of a lane with a complex lane structure in which the merging point X1 and the branching point X2 are close to each other as shown in FIG. 8, the inter-vehicle distance may be controlled to be longer than L1(v). That is, the inter-vehicle distance may be controlled according to the complexity of the lane structure. Here, "close" refers to a case where X2-X1≦Xthα holds. Xthα may be, for example, 100 m, a fixed value, or a value that changes according to the speed of the host vehicle.

[0052] Furthermore, if lanes other than the lane in which the vehicle is traveling have a complex lane structure, the above-described variant example 1 may be applied to increase the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle even if there is no change point in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0053] <Variation 4> Figure 9 is a diagram showing a change point X2 where the number of lanes decreases. As shown in Figure 9, the first lane does not disappear, but the second lane disappears at the change point X2. When the host vehicle 6 is following the preceding vehicle 7 in the second lane, it is desirable to set the inter-vehicle distance longer than when the host vehicle 6 is following the preceding vehicle 7 in a lane that has a merging point or branching point. In other words, the inter-vehicle distance L1(v) may be changed according to lane structure information. A lane that disappears, such as the second lane shown in Figure 9, is also called a disappearing lane.

[0054] Furthermore, when the host vehicle 6 is following the preceding vehicle 7 in a vanishing lane where a change point exists, it is desirable to set the predetermined distance Xth1(v) from the change point to a longer distance than when the host vehicle 6 is following the preceding vehicle 7 in a lane where a merging point or a change point exists (a lane other than the vanishing lane). In other words, Xth1(v) may be changed according to the lane structure information.

[0055] <Modification 5> In the first embodiment, a case has been described in which the inter-vehicle distance L1(v) when the distance between the host vehicle position and the change point in the host vehicle's lane is less than Xth1(v) is set to a constant multiple (1.5 times) of the inter-vehicle distance L0(v) when there is no change point in the host vehicle's lane. In modification 5, L1(v) does not have to be a constant multiple, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the vehicle characteristics, the driver characteristics, the driver's level of concentration on driving, the driver's level of alertness, the density of other vehicles around the host vehicle, or the presence or absence of other vehicles traveling in an adjacent lane adjacent to the host vehicle's lane. When changing L1(v), one of these pieces of information may be used, or any combination of these pieces of information may be used.

[0056] For example, if another vehicle is traveling within a predetermined range in the adjacent lane, the host vehicle cannot change lanes to the adjacent lane when a merging vehicle enters from the merging lane, so the inter-vehicle distance may be controlled to be longer than L1(v). Also, if the driver's reaction speed slows due to a decrease in the driver's level of alertness, the inter-vehicle distance may be controlled to be longer than L1(v).

[0057] <Variation 6> In the first embodiment, the case where the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is changed between two values, L0(v) or L1(v), depending on whether the distance Dis from the host vehicle position P to the change point X(n) is equal to or greater than Xth1(v) or less, has been described. In Variation 6, when Dis = Xth1(v), the inter-vehicle distance may be set to L0(v), and as Dis becomes shorter than Xth1(v), the inter-vehicle distance may be controlled to approach L1(v) continuously or discretely. This allows for smooth control of the inter-vehicle distance.

[0058] The point where the inter-vehicle distance is L1(v) may be any suitable point between Dis=Xth1(v) and X(n), for example, Dis=Xth1(v) / 2.

[0059] <Seventh Modification> In the first embodiment, the case where the high-accuracy locator 3 is configured external to the driving control instruction device 2 has been described (see FIG. 1 ). In the seventh modification, the driving control instruction device 2 may be configured to include the high-accuracy locator 3. Furthermore, the driving control instruction device 2 may be configured to include not only the high-accuracy locator 3 but also the periphery detection device 4 and the driving control device 5. In other words, the driving control instruction device 2 may be configured to include any combination of the high-accuracy locator 3, the periphery detection device 4, and the driving control device 5.

[0060] <Modification 8> In the first embodiment, the case where the host vehicle information acquisition unit 21 acquires the host vehicle's traveling lane and lane structure from the high-accuracy locator 3 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0061] The host vehicle information acquisition unit 21 may acquire the host vehicle position (position information) from a device having a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), acquire the host vehicle's traveling lane (lane information) from an image processing sensor that detects lane boundary lines, transmit the position information and the lane information to a high precision map distribution server, and acquire the lane structure of the host vehicle's traveling lane from the high precision map distribution server. Note that examples of devices having a GNSS include an in-vehicle information system (e.g., a car navigation system) and a mobile communication terminal.

[0062] <Embodiment 2> In embodiment 2, a case will be described in which, when the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle and the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle becomes less than a predetermined speed Vd (following limit speed Vd) that is slower than the set constant traveling speed Vpset, control is performed to automatically change lanes for the host vehicle.

[0063] Note that a vehicle system including a cruise control instruction device according to the second embodiment is similar to vehicle system 1 shown in Fig. 1, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The following description will be given using the vehicle system shown in Fig. 1.

[0064] <Operation> The driving control instruction device 2 according to the second embodiment differs from the driving control instruction device 2 according to the first embodiment in the details of the process of step S103 in Fig. 2. The other processes (steps S101, S102, and S104 in Fig. 2) are the same as those of the driving control instruction device 2 according to the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0065] Specifically, when the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle that the host vehicle is following is less than the following limit speed Vd, the cruise control instruction device 2 according to the second embodiment instructs the cruise control device 5 to perform control so that the host vehicle automatically changes lanes and overtakes the preceding vehicle. Furthermore, when the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle that the host vehicle is following is equal to or greater than the following limit speed Vd, the cruise control instruction device 2 according to the second embodiment instructs the cruise control device 5 to perform control so that the host vehicle continues to follow the preceding vehicle.

[0066] The following limit speed Vd may be any value, but is a value smaller than the set constant traveling speed Vpset. For example, Vd = α × Vpset, where α is a coefficient smaller than 1, for example, 0.8. The determination of whether to overtake by changing lanes is not limited to Vd = α × Vpset, but may be "Vd = Vpset - a predetermined speed (for example, 15 km / h)," or the like.

[0067] Alternatively, the control may be such that the lane is changed only and the vehicle does not automatically return to the original lane.

[0068] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving control instruction device 2 according to the second embodiment, and corresponds to details of the process of step S103 in FIG.

[0069] In step S301, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth2(v). Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the distance Dis (Dis = X(n) - P) between the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle's driving lane n and the host vehicle position P is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance Xth2(v). If the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth2(v) (if Dis ≥ Xth2(v)), the process proceeds to step S302. On the other hand, if the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is not equal to or greater than Xth2(v) (if Dis < Xth2(v)), the process proceeds to step S307.

[0070] Note that Xth2(v) may be the same as or different from Xth1(v). Preferably, Xth2(v) > Xth1(v), taking into account the distance required for the host vehicle to overtake the preceding vehicle. For example, Xth2(v) = 1.25 × Xth1(v).

[0071] In step S302, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle in the host vehicle's lane. Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether a preceding vehicle is present within L0(v) ahead of the host vehicle's lane and whether the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle. If the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S303. On the other hand, if the host vehicle is not following the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S306.

[0072] In step S303, it is determined whether the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the following limit speed Vd0 (i.e., whether Vq≧Vd0). Here, Vd0 is, for example, Vd0=α0×Vpset, where α0=0.8. If the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle is not equal to or greater than the following limit speed Vd0 (if Vq<Vd0), the process proceeds to step S304. On the other hand, if the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the following limit speed Vd0 (if Vq≧Vd0), the process proceeds to step S305.

[0073] In step S304, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to overtake the preceding vehicle. Here, the speed at which the host vehicle overtakes the preceding vehicle is Vd0. For example, if α0 is 0.8 and Vpset is 80 km / h, then "Vd0 = 0.8 × 80 km / h = 64 km / h." Furthermore, if Vd0 is a fixed value, such as "Vd = Vpset - predetermined speed (for example, 15 km / h)," then if Vpset is 80 km / h, then "Vd0 = Vpset - 15 km / h = 65 km / h."

[0074] In step S305, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle follow the leading vehicle at a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L0(v).

[0075] 11 shows a situation in which the host vehicle 6 is following a preceding vehicle 7 in lane 2. In the example of Fig. 11, Dis<Xth2(v) in lane 1, but the change point is far away in lane 2 (i.e., Dis>Xth2(v)), so the host vehicle 6 follows the preceding vehicle at a distance L0(v).

[0076] In step S306, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0077] In step S307, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle in the host vehicle's lane. Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether a preceding vehicle is present within L0(v) ahead of the host vehicle's lane and whether the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle. If the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S308. On the other hand, if the host vehicle is not following the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S311.

[0078] In step S308, it is determined whether the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the following limit speed Vd1 (i.e., whether Vq≧Vd1). Here, Vd1 is a speed that is faster than Vd0 and slower than Vpset. For example, Vd1=α1×Vpset, where 1>α1>α0 and α1=0.9. If the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle is not equal to or greater than the following limit speed Vd1 (if Vq<Vd1), the process proceeds to step S309. On the other hand, if the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the following limit speed Vd1 (if Vq≧Vd1), the process proceeds to step S310.

[0079] In step S309, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to overtake the preceding vehicle. Here, the speed at which the host vehicle overtakes the preceding vehicle is Vd1. For example, if α1 is 0.9 and Vpset is 80 km / h, then "Vd1 = 0.9 × 80 km / h = 72 km / h." Furthermore, if Vd1 is a fixed value, such as "Vd = Vpset - predetermined speed (e.g., 7 km / h)," then if Vpset is 80 km / h, then "Vd1 = Vpset - 7 km / h = 73 km / h."

[0080] 12 is a diagram showing a situation in which the cruise control device 5 controls the driving of the host vehicle in accordance with the control instruction information formulated in step S309. In the example of Fig. 12, the host vehicle 6 is driving in the first lane, and a leading vehicle 7 is driving ahead of the host vehicle 6. As shown in Fig. 12, when the distance Dis between the merging point X1 ahead in the host vehicle driving lane (first lane) and the host vehicle position P is less than the distance Xth2(v) (when Dis<Xth2(v)), the cruise control device 5 controls the host vehicle 6 to overtake the leading vehicle 7.

[0081] In step S310, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle follow the leading vehicle at a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L0(v).

[0082] In step S311, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0083] In this way, in the second embodiment, when change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle's driving lane is less than Xth2(v) (NO in step S301), a lane change is performed under the condition that the speed difference between the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle and the constant traveling speed Vpset is small, compared to when change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth2(v) (YES in step S301). Therefore, for example, there is a reduced possibility that the preceding vehicle will decelerate due to the influence of a merging vehicle merging from a merging lane entering ahead of the preceding vehicle, causing a large difference between the speed Vq of the preceding vehicle and the constant traveling speed Vpset, and then the host vehicle will suddenly be controlled to change lanes, thereby ensuring smooth driving of the host vehicle.

[0084] <Variation 1> Although the second embodiment does not mention the control of the inter-vehicle distance according to the position of the change point, the control of the inter-vehicle distance according to the position of the change point described in the first embodiment may be applied to the second embodiment.

[0085] For example, the following distance in steps S307 and S310 of FIG. 10 may be set to L1(v), and the following distance in steps S302 and S305 may be set to L0(v).

[0086] <Modification 2> Modifications 3 and 4 of Embodiment 1 have been described with respect to a complex lane structure (see FIG. 8 ) and an increase and decrease in the number of lanes (see FIG. 9 ), but these may also be applied to Embodiment 2. In this case, in the case of a complex lane structure, overtaking control may be performed even if the speed difference between the speed Vd of the preceding vehicle and the constant traveling speed Vpset is small, and if the number of lanes decreases, control may be performed to change lanes to a lane that is not decreasing and to overtake even if the speed difference between the speed Vd of the preceding vehicle and the constant traveling speed Vpset is small, or control may be performed to change lanes from a lane that is not decreasing to a lane that is decreasing and not to overtake.

[0087] <Modification 3> Furthermore, as long as there is no contradiction, each modification of Embodiment 1 may be applied to Embodiment 2. For example, as in Modification 6 of Embodiment 1, when Dis<Xth2(v), the speed difference allowable for overtaking (the speed difference between the speed Vd of the preceding vehicle and the constant cruising speed Vpset) may be gradually reduced as Dis becomes shorter.

[0088] <Embodiment 3> In embodiment 3, the auto cruise control described in embodiment 1 is described in a case where, when the preceding vehicle that the host vehicle is following changes lanes and meets predetermined lane change following conditions, the host vehicle instructs control to change lanes to follow the preceding vehicle.

[0089] Note that a vehicle system including a cruise control instruction device according to the third embodiment is similar to the vehicle system 1 shown in Fig. 1, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The following description will be given using the vehicle system shown in Fig. 1.

[0090] <Operation> The driving control instruction device 2 according to the third embodiment differs from the driving control instruction device 2 according to the first embodiment in the details of the process of step S103 in Fig. 2. The other processes (steps S101, S102, and S104 in Fig. 2) are the same as those of the driving control instruction device 2 according to the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0091] Specifically, the driving control instruction device 2 according to the third embodiment determines whether or not to change lanes when the preceding vehicle changes lanes, depending on whether or not a change point exists within a predetermined distance Xth3(v) ahead of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0092] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving control instruction device 2 according to the third embodiment, and corresponds to details of the process of step S103 in FIG.

[0093] In step S401, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth3(v). Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the distance Dis (Dis = X(n) - P) between the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle's driving lane n and the host vehicle position P is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance Xth3(v). If the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth3(v) (if Dis ≥ Xth3(v)), the process proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, if the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is not equal to or greater than Xth3(v) (if Dis < Xth3(v)), the process proceeds to step S407.

[0094] Note that Xth3(v) may be the same as or different from Xth1(v). Preferably, Xth3(v) > Xth1(v), taking into account the distance required for the host vehicle to overtake the preceding vehicle. For example, Xth3(v) = 1.2 × Xth1(v).

[0095] Also, Xth3(v)<Xth2(v) may be satisfied. When the leading vehicle changes lanes, there is a margin of distance ahead, so the distance for overtaking is set to be slightly shorter.

[0096] In step S402, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle in the host vehicle's lane. Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether a preceding vehicle is present within L0(v) ahead of the host vehicle's lane and whether the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle. If the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S403. On the other hand, if the host vehicle is not following the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S406.

[0097] In step S403, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the preceding vehicle has changed lanes. If the preceding vehicle has changed lanes, the process proceeds to step S405. On the other hand, if the preceding vehicle has not changed lanes, the process proceeds to step S404.

[0098] In step S404, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle follow the leading vehicle at a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L0(v).

[0099] In step S405, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0100] 14 shows a situation in which the host vehicle 6 is following the preceding vehicle 7 in the second lane. In the example of FIG. 14, the change point in the second lane is located far away (i.e., Dis>Xth3(v)). In this case, even if the preceding vehicle 7 changes lanes, the host vehicle 6 follows the preceding vehicle 7 and travels at a constant speed v=Vpset without changing lanes.

[0101] In step S406, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0102] In step S407, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle in the host vehicle's lane. Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether a preceding vehicle is present within L0(v) ahead of the host vehicle's lane and whether the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle. If the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S408. On the other hand, if the host vehicle is not following the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S411.

[0103] In step S408, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the preceding vehicle has changed lanes. If the preceding vehicle has changed lanes, the process proceeds to step S410. On the other hand, if the preceding vehicle has not changed lanes, the process proceeds to step S409.

[0104] In step S409, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle follow the leading vehicle at a vehicle-to-vehicle distance L0(v).

[0105] In step S410, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to change lanes to follow the leading vehicle.

[0106] 15 is a diagram showing a situation in which the cruise control device 5 controls the traveling of the host vehicle in accordance with the control instruction information formulated in step S410. In the example of Fig. 15, the host vehicle 6 is traveling in the first lane, and a leading vehicle 7 is traveling ahead of the host vehicle 6. As shown in Fig. 15, when the distance Dis between the merging point X1 ahead in the host vehicle's traveling lane (first lane) and the host vehicle position P is less than the distance Xth3(v) (when Dis<Xth3(v)), the cruise control device 5 controls the host vehicle 6 to change lanes to follow the leading vehicle 7.

[0107] In step S411, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0108] As described above, in the third embodiment, when the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle in its own lane, if the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is less than Xth3(v) and the preceding vehicle changes lanes to avoid a merging vehicle merging from a merging lane, the host vehicle is made to change lanes to follow the preceding vehicle. On the other hand, when the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle and the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth3(v), the host vehicle is not made to change lanes to follow the preceding vehicle, thereby achieving appropriate driving control without unnecessary lane changes.

[0109] <Modification 1> Although the third embodiment does not mention control for overtaking a preceding vehicle that is the target of follow-up traveling, the second embodiment may be applied to the third embodiment. For example, when the speed Vd of the preceding vehicle is slower than the constant traveling speed Vpset by a predetermined speed, control for overtaking the preceding vehicle may be performed in accordance with the distance between the position of the host vehicle and the change point.

[0110] Moreover, the first embodiment may be applied to the third embodiment to control the inter-vehicle distance in accordance with the distance between the vehicle position and the change point.

[0111] <Modification 2> When the host vehicle's lane disappears and the preceding vehicle changes lanes from the host vehicle's lane to a lane that does not disappear, the host vehicle may be controlled to change lanes proactively to follow the preceding vehicle. Here, "proactively" may mean, for example, setting the distance Xth3(v) to the change point described in the third embodiment to be longer, or may mean unconditionally controlling the host vehicle to change lanes to follow the preceding vehicle.

[0112] In addition, when the preceding vehicle changes lanes into a lane that disappears, the host vehicle may be controlled to follow the preceding vehicle and not change lanes.

[0113] When the number of lanes increases from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, the host vehicle may be controlled so as not to forcefully follow the preceding vehicle and change lanes, or may be controlled so as to follow the preceding vehicle and change lanes.

[0114] <Modification 3> Embodiment 3 and its modifications 1 and 2 may be combined as appropriate as long as there is no contradiction between Embodiments 1 and 2 and their modifications. When control of the inter-vehicle distance (inter-vehicle distance control), control of overtaking (overtaking control), and control of changing lanes to follow a preceding vehicle (control of following a preceding vehicle) are used together, and if these controls conflict with each other, priorities may be assigned to the controls to be instructed. For example, the priorities may be set in the order of control of the inter-vehicle distance, control of changing lanes to follow a preceding vehicle, and overtaking control.

[0115] Fourth Embodiment In a fourth embodiment, a case will be described in which a command for parallel running avoidance control is given to avoid running parallel to another vehicle running in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling.

[0116] Note that a vehicle system including a cruise control instruction device according to the fourth embodiment is similar to the vehicle system 1 shown in Fig. 1, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The following description will be given using the vehicle system shown in Fig. 1.

[0117] <Operation> The driving control instruction device 2 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the driving control instruction device 2 according to the first embodiment in the details of the process of step S103 in Fig. 2. The other processes (steps S101, S102, and S104 in Fig. 2) are the same as those of the driving control instruction device 2 according to the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0118] Specifically, the driving control instruction device 2 according to the second embodiment changes the degree of parallel driving avoidance control depending on whether or not a change point exists within a predetermined distance Xth4(v) ahead of the vehicle's driving lane.

[0119] Here, parallel driving avoidance control (parallel driving avoidance control) refers to control that keeps a distance between the vehicle and another vehicle ahead in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, equal to an avoidance distance LN(v) that corresponds to the speed of the vehicle.

[0120] The avoidance distance LN(v) is set according to the standard inter-vehicle distance L0(v) between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle in the host vehicle's lane. For example, when there is no change point less than Xth4(v), the avoidance distance LN0(v) is set to approximately 1 / 4 of the standard inter-vehicle distance L0(v). That is, LN0(v) = L0(v) / 4. On the other hand, when there is a change point less than Xth4(v), the avoidance distance LN1(v) is set to a distance longer than LN0(v), for example, LN1(v) = 1.5 × LN0(v). If the vehicle speed is 80 km / h, then "LN0 (80 km / h) = L0 (80 km / h) / 4 = 80 m / 4 = 20 m" and "LN1 (80 km / h) = 1.5 x LN0 (80 km / h) = 1.5 x 20 m = 30 m."

[0121] 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cruise control instruction device 2 according to the fourth embodiment, which corresponds to the processing of step S103 in FIG. 2. For ease of explanation, it is assumed that there is no preceding vehicle ahead in the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. If there is a preceding vehicle, the control is instructed to maintain a certain distance from the preceding vehicle and follow the preceding vehicle.

[0122] In step S501, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth4(v). Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether the distance Dis (Dis = X(n) - P) between the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle's driving lane n and the host vehicle position P is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance Xth4(v). If the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is equal to or greater than Xth4(v) (if Dis ≥ Xth4(v)), the process proceeds to step S502. On the other hand, if the change point X(n) ahead of the host vehicle is not equal to or greater than Xth4(v) (if Dis < Xth4(v)), the process proceeds to step S505.

[0123] Note that Xth4(v) may be the same as or different from Xth1(v). When there is no preceding vehicle in the host vehicle's lane, Xth4(v)<Xth1(v) should be satisfied. For example, Xth4(v)=Xth1(v) / 2.

[0124] In step S502, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether a preceding vehicle is present ahead in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether a preceding vehicle is present ahead in the adjacent lane within L0(v). If a preceding vehicle is present ahead in the adjacent lane, the process proceeds to step S504. On the other hand, if a preceding vehicle is not present ahead in the adjacent lane, the process proceeds to step S503.

[0125] In step S503, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0126] In step S504, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to avoid parallel running at an avoidance distance LN0(v).

[0127] 17 shows a situation in which the host vehicle 6 is traveling in the second lane and the preceding vehicle 7 is traveling in the third lane (adjacent lane). In the example of FIG. 17, the change point in the second lane is located far away (i.e., Dis>Xth4(v)). In this case, the cruise control device 5 controls the vehicle distance between the host vehicle 6 and the preceding vehicle 7 traveling in the adjacent lane to be LN0(v), thereby preventing the host vehicle 6 and the preceding vehicle 7 from traveling side by side.

[0128] In step S505, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether or not a preceding vehicle is present ahead in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. Specifically, the control instruction unit 23 determines whether or not a preceding vehicle is present ahead in the adjacent lane within L1(v). If a preceding vehicle is present ahead in the adjacent lane, the process proceeds to step S507. On the other hand, if no preceding vehicle is present ahead in the adjacent lane, the process proceeds to step S506.

[0129] In step S506, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to make the host vehicle travel at a constant speed v=Vpset.

[0130] In step S507, the control instruction unit 23 formulates control instruction information including an instruction to avoid parallel running at the avoidable inter-vehicle distance LN1(v).

[0131] 18 shows a situation in which the host vehicle 6 is traveling in the first lane and the preceding vehicle 7 is traveling in the second lane (adjacent lane). In the example of FIG. 18, the host vehicle 6 is located less than Xth4(v) (i.e., Dis<Xth4(v)). In this case, the cruise control device 5 controls the host vehicle 6 so that the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 6 and the preceding vehicle 7 traveling in the adjacent lane becomes LN1(v), thereby preventing the host vehicle 6 and the preceding vehicle 7 from traveling side by side.

[0132] In this way, in the fourth embodiment, when a change point (e.g., a merging point) is present ahead of the host vehicle's lane, the following distance is set longer to avoid parallel driving than when there is no change point. This makes it possible to change lanes into the adjacent lane with ample time to spare, even if a merging vehicle merges into the host vehicle's lane from the merging lane, thereby enabling smooth control of the host vehicle's travel. On the other hand, when there is no change point ahead of the host vehicle's lane, control can be performed to prevent an unnecessarily long following distance.

[0133] <Modification 1> In the fourth embodiment, when Dis ≥ Xth4(v), the inter-vehicle distance for avoiding parallel running is set to LN0(v), but this is not limiting. For example, when Dis ≥ Xth4(v), an instruction may be given not to perform control for avoiding parallel running, as shown in Figure 19.

[0134] <Variation 2> When a preceding vehicle 7 is traveling ahead in an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and the distance Dis (Dis = X1 - Q) between the preceding vehicle 7 and the merging point X1 is less than Xth4(v), an instruction may be given to perform control to avoid parallel traveling by setting the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 6 and the preceding vehicle 7 to LN0(v).

[0135] <Variation 3> When the host vehicle's driving lane disappears, control may be instructed to proactively avoid parallel driving. Here, "proactively" refers to, for example, setting a shorter inter-vehicle distance to avoid parallel driving when the change point disappears, compared to the inter-vehicle distance LN1(v) to avoid parallel driving when the change point is a merging point or branching point. Also, Xth4(v) may be set longer. In other words, control may be performed to change the control parameters depending on the attributes of the change point.

[0136] In addition, even when the lane in which the vehicle is traveling does not disappear but the adjacent lane disappears, the inter-vehicle distance to avoid parallel driving may be controlled to be set shorter than when the lane in which the vehicle is traveling does disappear.

[0137] <Variation 4> When there are many other vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes, the control to avoid parallel driving may be suspended, or control to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle may be instructed to change the positional relationship between the other vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes and the vehicle itself so that parallel driving can be avoided.

[0138] Furthermore, if it is possible to avoid parallel running by changing lanes, the control unit 102 may instruct the host vehicle to change lanes.

[0139] <Modification 5> Embodiment 4 and its modifications 1 to 4 may be combined as appropriate as long as there is no contradiction with Embodiments 1 to 3 and their modifications. When control of the distance between vehicles (vehicle distance control), control of overtaking (overtaking control), control of changing lanes to follow a preceding vehicle (control of following a preceding vehicle), and control of avoiding parallel running (parallel running avoidance control) are used in combination, if each control conflicts, the control to be instructed may be prioritized. For example, the priority may be set to control of the distance between vehicles, control of avoiding parallel running, control of changing lanes to follow a preceding vehicle, and overtaking control, in that order.

[0140] <Hardware Configuration> The functions of the host vehicle information acquisition unit 21, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 22, and the control instruction unit 23 in the driving control instruction device 2 described in the first embodiment are realized by processing circuits. That is, the driving control instruction device 2 includes a processing circuit for acquiring host vehicle information, acquiring other vehicle information, and issuing instructions to control the position of the host vehicle. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware, or may be a processor (also referred to as a CPU, central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in a memory.

[0141] 21 , the processing circuit 101 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. The functions of the host vehicle information acquisition unit 21, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 22, and the control instruction unit 23 may be realized by the processing circuit 101 respectively, or the functions may be realized collectively by a single processing circuit 101.

[0142] When the processing circuit 101 is the processor 102 shown in FIG. 22 , the functions of the host vehicle information acquisition unit 21, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 22, and the control instruction unit 23 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is written as a program and stored in the memory 103. The processor 102 realizes each function by reading and executing the program recorded in the memory 103. That is, the driving control instruction device 2 includes the memory 103 for storing a program that ultimately executes steps for acquiring host vehicle information, acquiring other vehicle information, and issuing instructions to control the position of the host vehicle. It can also be said that these programs cause a computer to execute the procedures or methods of the host vehicle information acquisition unit 21, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 22, and the control instruction unit 23. Here, the memory may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or any storage medium that will be used in the future.

[0143] It should be noted that some of the functions of the subject vehicle information acquisition unit 21, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 22, and the control instruction unit 23 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and other functions may be realized by software or firmware.

[0144] Thus, the processing circuitry can implement each of the above-described functions through hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0145] Within the scope of the present disclosure, the embodiments can be freely combined, modified, or omitted as appropriate.

[0146] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all respects and is not restrictive. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned.

[0147] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Vehicle system, 2 Driving control instruction device, 3 High-precision locator, 4 Surroundings detection device, 5 Driving control device, 6 Host vehicle, 7 Leading vehicle, 21 Host vehicle information acquisition unit, 22 Other vehicle information acquisition unit, 23 Control instruction unit, 31 High-precision map DB, 32 Positioning unit, 33 Information transmission unit, 101 Processing circuit, 102 Processor, 103 Memory.

Claims

1. a host vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle information including a host vehicle position, a host vehicle road that is a road on which the host vehicle is traveling, a host vehicle lane that is a lane on which the host vehicle is traveling, and lane structure information related to change points including lane merging points that are merging points for each lane on the host vehicle road and lane branching points that are branching points for each lane; an other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information including other vehicle positions that are positions of other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle and other vehicle driving lanes that are lanes in which the other vehicles are traveling; a control instruction unit that issues an instruction to control a position of the host vehicle based on a relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, the presence or absence of the other vehicle traveling in the host vehicle driving lane within a predetermined distance range ahead of the host vehicle driving lane, the lane structure information of the host vehicle driving lane, and a change point distance that is a distance between the host vehicle and the change point in the host vehicle driving lane; A driving control instruction device comprising:

2. The driving control instruction device according to claim 1 , wherein the control instruction unit issues an instruction to control a position of the host vehicle based on the lane structure information of an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the host vehicle driving lane.

3. The host vehicle information acquisition unit acquires the host vehicle information from a high-precision locator, 2. The driving control instruction device according to claim 1, wherein the high-precision locator includes a high-precision map database that stores road shape information and the lane structure information for each lane, a positioning unit that positions the host vehicle position, and an information transmission unit that transmits the host vehicle information.

4. The lane structure information includes, as change attributes which are attributes of the change point, a merging attribute related to a merging of lanes, a branching attribute related to a branching of lanes, a disappearance attribute related to a disappearance of a lane, and an increase attribute related to an increase of a lane, The driving control instruction device according to claim 1 , wherein the control instruction unit issues an instruction to control a position of the host vehicle based on the change attribute.

5. 2. The driving control instruction device according to claim 1, wherein, when the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle, which is the other vehicle, in the host vehicle driving lane, the control instruction unit changes a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle depending on whether the change point is located a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle driving lane.

6. 3. The driving control instruction device according to claim 2, wherein, when the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle, which is the other vehicle, in the host vehicle driving lane, the control instruction unit changes a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle depending on whether the change point is located a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle in the adjacent lane.

7. 2. The driving control instruction device according to claim 1, wherein, when the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle, which is the other vehicle, in the host vehicle driving lane, the control instruction unit changes a condition for overtaking the preceding vehicle depending on whether the change point is located a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle driving lane.

8. 2. The driving control instruction device according to claim 1, wherein, when the preceding vehicle, which is the other vehicle, changes lanes while the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle in the host vehicle driving lane, the control instruction unit determines whether to change lanes to follow the preceding vehicle depending on whether the change point is located a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle driving lane.

9. 9. The driving control instruction device according to claim 8, wherein, when the preceding vehicle changes lanes from the host vehicle driving lane, which is a merging lane or a disappearing lane, to a lane that is neither the merging lane nor the disappearing lane, the control instruction unit relaxes the conditions for changing lanes to follow the preceding vehicle compared to when the preceding vehicle changes lanes to the merging lane or the disappearing lane.

10. 2. The driving control instruction device according to claim 1, wherein the control instruction unit instructs parallel running avoidance control to control the position of the host vehicle so as not to run parallel to another vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane, based on the lane structure information in the host vehicle's lane and the lane structure information in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the host vehicle's lane.

11. The driving control instruction device according to claim 10, wherein when the adjacent lane or the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling is a merging lane, the control instruction unit instructs the parallel driving avoidance control to make the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle longer than when the adjacent lane and the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling are not merging lanes.

12. The driving control instruction device according to claim 10, wherein the control instruction unit causes the content of the parallel driving avoidance control to differ depending on whether the host vehicle's lane is a merging lane, whether the adjacent lane is a merging lane, or whether the host vehicle's lane and the adjacent lane are not merging lanes.

13. The cruise control instruction device of claim 3 , further comprising the high precision locator.

14. acquire host vehicle information including a host vehicle position, a host vehicle driving road, a host vehicle driving lane, and lane structure information related to change points including lane merging points, which are merging points for each lane on the host vehicle driving road, and lane branching points, which are branching points for each lane; Acquire other vehicle information including a vehicle position that is a position of a vehicle traveling around the host vehicle and a vehicle driving lane that is a lane in which the other vehicle is traveling; A driving control instruction method that issues an instruction to control the position of the host vehicle based on the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, the presence or absence of the other vehicle traveling in the host vehicle driving lane within a predetermined distance range ahead of the host vehicle driving lane, the lane structure information for the host vehicle driving lane, and a change point distance that is the distance between the host vehicle and the change point in the host vehicle driving lane.

15. A vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle, a vehicle driving road, which is the road on which the vehicle is driving, a vehicle driving lane, which is the lane on which the vehicle is driving, and lane structure information regarding change points including lane merging points, which are merging points for each lane on the vehicle driving road, and lane branching points, which are branching points for each lane; an other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information including other vehicle positions that are positions of other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle and other vehicle driving lanes that are lanes in which the other vehicles are traveling; a control instruction unit that issues an instruction to control a position of the host vehicle based on a relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, the lane structure information in the host vehicle driving lane, and a change point distance that is a distance between the host vehicle and the change point in the host vehicle driving lane; Equipped with A driving control instruction device in which, when the preceding vehicle, which is another vehicle, changes lanes while the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle in the host vehicle's driving lane, the control instruction unit determines whether to change lanes to follow the preceding vehicle depending on whether the change point is located a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle's driving lane.

16. Acquire vehicle information including a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle, a vehicle driving road, which is the road on which the vehicle is driving, a vehicle driving lane, which is the lane on which the vehicle is driving, and lane structure information regarding change points including lane merging points, which are merging points for each lane on the vehicle driving road, and lane branching points, which are branching points for each lane, Acquire other vehicle information including a vehicle position that is a position of a vehicle traveling around the host vehicle and a vehicle driving lane that is a lane in which the other vehicle is traveling; issuing an instruction to control a position of the host vehicle based on a relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, the lane structure information in the host vehicle driving lane, and a change point distance that is a distance between the host vehicle and the change point in the host vehicle driving lane; A driving control instruction method, which, when the host vehicle is following a preceding vehicle, which is another vehicle, in the host vehicle's driving lane, and the preceding vehicle changes lanes, determines whether to change lanes to follow the preceding vehicle depending on whether the change point is located a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle in the host vehicle's driving lane.