Driving assistance device

Abstract

The present invention provides a driving assistance device comprising a vehicle control device (100) having at least one processor. When a signal indicating that a vehicle is expected to make a left / right turn is detected, the processor generates, on the basis of external information acquired by an external recognition device (20), a left / right turn path (224) for making a left turn or a right turn from a first road (210) on which the vehicle is traveling onto a second road (220) intersecting the first road, and starts driving assistance for automatically making the left turn or the right turn along the left / right turn path when the vehicle is located in an area (212) of predetermined range defined on the basis of the location of the second road and an assistance start request from the driver is detected.

Description

Driving assistance devices

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device that assists a vehicle in turning right or left.

[0002] Many driving assistance devices for expressways and main roads have been commercialized and are becoming increasingly popular. Driving assistance devices specialized for parking at low speeds are also already in practical use.

[0003] Known devices for highways include adaptive cruise control, which maintains vehicle speed and distance from the vehicle ahead, and lane keep support, which detects lane markers and assists with steering to stay in lane.

[0004] Known examples of parking assistance include parking assist, which detects parking spaces, calculates routes, and realizes autonomous driving within the range of parking maneuvers.

[0005] The driving assistance devices described above ensure safety and robustness by limiting the areas and scenes in which they operate, such as on expressways and when parking at extremely low speeds.

[0006] When turning right or left at an intersection or the entrance to a parking lot, insufficient deceleration, insufficient steering, or delayed steering timing can cause the vehicle to collide with an obstacle on the inside wheel.

[0007] In order to avoid such cases from occurring, Patent Document 1 discloses a right / left turn assist device that, when turning a vehicle, acquires an avoidance point at which contact with the side of the vehicle in the turning direction should be avoided, calculates a steering position at which contact between the avoidance point and the side of the vehicle in the turning direction can be avoided by steering the vehicle at its maximum steering angle, and notifies the driver of the calculated steering position.

[0008] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-217360

[0009] In Patent Document 1, the vehicle only provides assistance by notifying the driver of the steering timing, and the actual steering is performed by the driver, and there is no mention of a driving assistance device intervening to automatically perform steering.

[0010] When using a right-left turn assist device to automatically steer when turning right or left, it is possible to use a parking assistance system that identifies nearby obstacles, generates a route that avoids them, and guides the vehicle at low speed.

[0011] However, parking assistance systems require additional operations for driving assistance, such as specifying a target parking position and instructing the driver to start assistance, using a human-machine interface (HMI) device such as a switch or touch panel. Requiring these operations when turning right or left can cause the driver to feel that an additional operation is unnecessary. Furthermore, operating the HMI device while driving can cause the driver to take their eyes off the road, so this should be avoided from the perspective of accident prevention. While the above problem does not occur if the HMI device is operated while the vehicle is stopped, stopping the vehicle before an intersection to operate the HMI device when turning right or left can potentially disrupt surrounding traffic. Therefore, when performing right or left turn assistance, it is desirable not to specify a target position or start the HMI device.

[0012] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance device that can perform right / left turn assistance without requiring an additional operation for driving assistance.

[0013] The present application includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and one example thereof is a vehicle control device having at least one processor, which, when a signal indicating that the vehicle is about to make a right or left turn is detected, generates a right or left turn route for turning right or left from a first road on which the vehicle is traveling to a second road that intersects with the first road based on external information acquired by an external environment recognition device, and when the vehicle is located within a predetermined range based on the position of the second road and a driver's request to start assistance is detected, starts driving assistance to automatically make the right or left turn along the right or left turn route.

[0014] According to the present invention, right / left turn assistance can be performed without performing any additional operation for driving assistance.

[0015] 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 10 equipped with a driving assistance device according to the present disclosure. A block diagram of the vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1. A block diagram of a driving assistance travel control unit 120 shown in FIG. 2. A flow diagram showing the behavior of a processor of the vehicle control device 100. A diagram showing an example of a method for generating a left turn route 224 in step S4. A diagram showing an example of a method for generating a left turn route 224 in step S4. A diagram showing an example of a method for setting an assistance start range 212 in step S6. A diagram showing an example of vehicle behavior in a situation where two left turn possible points are close to each other. A diagram showing an example of vehicle behavior when a stationary obstacle such as a parked vehicle is detected on an intersecting road 220. A diagram showing an example of vehicle behavior when a stationary obstacle such as a parked vehicle is detected on an intersecting road 220. A diagram showing an example of vehicle behavior when a moving obstacle such as an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian is detected during left turn assistance. A diagram showing an example of vehicle behavior when a moving obstacle such as an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian is detected during left turn assistance. A diagram showing an example of vehicle behavior when a moving obstacle such as an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian is detected during left turn assistance. A block diagram of a driving assistance travel control unit 120 according to a second embodiment. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of a vehicle according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a driving assistance travel control unit 120 according to a third embodiment.

[0016] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 10 equipped with a driving assistance device according to the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle 10 shown in FIG.

[0018] The vehicle 10 includes, for example, a power source 11 , wheels 12 , a steering wheel 13 , a power steering 14 , a shift lever 15 , an accelerator pedal 16 , a brake pedal 17 , a brake caliper 18 , and a turn signal lever 19 .

[0019] The vehicle 10 also includes, for example, an external sensor (external environment recognition device) 20, a vehicle sensor 30, a navigation system 40, an HMI device 60, and a vehicle control device 100. The configuration of each part of the vehicle 10 will be described in detail below.

[0020] The power source 11 is, for example, at least one of an engine and a motor, and drives a plurality of wheels 12 via a transmission.

[0021] Each wheel 12 has a tire which is the ground contact part of the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 in Fig. 1 has a total of four wheels 12, two at the front (front wheels) and two at the rear (rear wheels).

[0022] The steering wheel 13 is used by the driver to control the steering angle of the vehicle 10 and is operated by the driver of the vehicle 10 during normal driving.

[0023] The power steering 14 generates a steering force according to the operation of the steering wheel 13 .

[0024] The shift lever 15 is used by the driver to switch the transmission state, such as "D (forward)," "N (neutral)," "P (parking)," and "R (reverse)," when manually driving the vehicle 10.

[0025] During normal driving of the vehicle 10 , the driver increases or decreases the amount of operation (depression) of the accelerator pedal 16 to increase or decrease the driving force output from the power source 11 .

[0026] During normal driving of the vehicle 10 , the driver increases or decreases the amount of operation (depression) of the brake pedal 17 , thereby increasing or decreasing the braking force generated by the brake caliper 18 .

[0027] The turn signal lever 19 is used by the driver to flash the turn signal (direction indicator (not shown)) to notify those around him / her of a right / left turn or lane change during normal driving of the vehicle 10. When the turn signal is flashing, a signal indicating whether the left or right turn signal is flashing is sent to the vehicle control device 100 (driver assistance travel control unit 120).

[0028] The external sensor (external environment recognition device) 20 is a sensor that acquires external environment information around the vehicle 10. The external environment sensor 20 includes, for example, a monocular camera 21, a stereo camera 22, a millimeter-wave radar 23, a laser radar 24, and a sonar sensor 25, and these sensors can acquire external environment information such as the distance and direction from the vehicle 10 to an object, the relative speed of the object with respect to the vehicle 10, and the width of the road.

[0029] The vehicle sensor 30 includes, for example, a steering angle sensor 31, a gyro sensor 32, an acceleration sensor 33, and a speed sensor 34, and acquires driving information of the vehicle 10, including the steering angle, the angular velocity of roll, pitch, and yaw, the acceleration and deceleration in the forward / backward direction of the vehicle 10, the lateral acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle 10, and the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0030] The speed sensor 34 may be, for example, a wheel speed sensor.

[0031] The navigation system 40 includes a GNSS receiver 41 that receives radio waves from a plurality of positioning satellites and calculates the position information of the vehicle 10, a storage device that stores map data 42, and a processor 43 that searches for a route from the current location of the vehicle 10 to a desired destination based on the position information of the vehicle 10 and the map data 42. The map data 42 may be downloaded from a network via a wireless communication device and then stored in the storage device.

[0032] The navigation system 40 searches for a route to a destination set by the driver or externally, and can instruct the driver about the route via a display device 61 (display, indicator, etc.) and / or provide road-level route information to the vehicle control device 100 (driving assistance driving control unit 120).

[0033] The vehicle control device 100 is an electronic control device configured by a microcomputer including, for example, a processor (e.g., a CPU), a memory, a program (stored in a non-volatile memory), a timer, an input / output unit (input / output circuit), and the like.

[0034] The vehicle control device 100 also includes, for example, an external environment recognition unit 110, a driving assistance driving control unit 120, a vehicle motion control unit 130, a brake control unit 140, a steering control unit 150, and a driving force control unit 160, by executing a program stored in memory on a processor.

[0035] Each of the units 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, and 160 of the vehicle control device 100 may be configured by a microcomputer, or two or more of them may be integrated into a single microcomputer. Furthermore, each of the units 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, and 160 of the vehicle control device 100 may represent a function of the vehicle control device 100 that is realized by, for example, executing a program using a processor. The same applies to the internal configuration of each of the units 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, and 160.

[0036] The HMI device 60 is composed of a display device (e.g., a monitor, a touch panel) 61, a speaker 62, and an input device 63, and notifies the driver of information input from the vehicle control device 100, such as instructions, warnings, and guidance, by displaying the information as an image on the display device 61 or by emitting a warning sound or voice guidance from the speaker 62.

[0037] The input device 63 is realized by the driver touching and operating a physical switch or an icon displayed on a touch panel (display device 61), and is used by the driver to give instructions such as setting, starting, and stopping various functions of the vehicle 10, including this function.

[0038] The external environment recognition unit 110 integrates and selects information acquired from the multiple sensors 21-25 that make up the external environment sensor 20, recognizes objects and road markings necessary for driving assistance of the vehicle 10, and outputs the recognition results to the driving assistance travel control unit 120 in an appropriate format.

[0039] Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the driving assistance driving control unit 120 shown in Fig. 2. The driving assistance driving control unit 120 includes a self-position estimation unit 121, a right / left turn route generation unit 122, a driving control instruction calculation unit 123, and an HMI control unit 124.

[0040] The self-position estimation unit 121 is a part that estimates the position of the vehicle 10, and estimates the position of the vehicle 10 based on, for example, the position data of the vehicle 10 input from the navigation system 40, the detection results of the vehicle sensor 30, and the comparison results between the detection results of the external sensor 20 and the map data 42, and outputs the estimated position of the vehicle 10 to the right / left turn route generation unit 122.

[0041] The right / left turn route generation unit 122 generates a route for the vehicle 10 to turn right or left using as input the position of the vehicle 10 estimated by the self-position estimation unit 121 and the position information of three-dimensional objects and dividing lines output from the external environment recognition unit 110.

[0042] The behavior of the processor of the vehicle control device 100 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the driving assistance travel control unit 120) will be described below using the flow diagram shown in FIG. 4. The processor of the vehicle control device 100 executes the flow of FIG. 4 at a predetermined cycle. Here, as shown in FIG. 5 and other figures, the description will be given taking as an example driving assistance when the vehicle 10 turns left from a left-hand traffic road (first road) 210 onto an intersecting road (second road) 220 that intersects with the road 210. However, this embodiment can also be applied when turning right in left-hand traffic, and when turning right or left in right-hand traffic. However, this embodiment is most effective when turning left in left-hand traffic and when turning right in right-hand traffic, where wheel difference between the inside and outside of the road is likely to be a problem.

[0043] In step S1, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 monitors whether a signal indicating that the vehicle 10 is planning to make a right or left turn (right or left turn planned signal) has been detected. In step S1, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 of this embodiment monitors the vehicle speed signal of the speed sensor 34 and the turn signal activation signal (output, for example, according to the position of the turn signal lever 19 (right turn position, neutral position, left turn position)) at a predetermined time interval. If the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value (first predetermined value) V1 and the turn signal is activated, the right or left turn planned signal is output. The predetermined value V1 is preferably a value that indicates that the vehicle 10 is moving slowly or stopped. For example, a speed of 10 km / h, preferably 5 km / h, or more preferably 0 km / h can be selected. The right or left turn planned signal may be output when the turn signal is activated, regardless of whether the vehicle speed is V1 or not.

[0044] In step S1, if it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value V1 and the blinker is operating in the left turn direction, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 acquires the recognition result of the boundary of the intersecting road 220 (second road) from the external environment recognition unit 110 (step S2), and determines whether at least one of the boundaries of the intersecting road 220, the boundary on the right side of the traveling direction after the vehicle 10 turns left (e.g., 221 in FIG. 5) or the boundary on the left side of the same (e.g., 222 in FIG. 5), is recognized (step S3). Note that the condition for a boundary to be "recognized" may also be that the length of each boundary is longer than a predetermined length (e.g., 1 m).

[0045] Here, the boundary of the intersecting road 220 is the boundary between the area of ​​the intersecting road 220 through which the vehicle 10 can pass and the area through which the vehicle 10 cannot pass, and is, for example, the edge of the intersecting road 220, an obstacle on the intersecting road 220 (e.g., a vehicle or a utility pole), or a dividing line drawn on the road surface of the intersecting road 220.

[0046] In step S3, if at least one of the boundaries of the intersecting road 220, that is, the boundary on the right side or the boundary on the left side in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 after the left turn, is recognized, the driving assistance traveling control unit 120 generates a left-turn route (right / left turn route) 224 based on the boundary information of the intersecting road 220 (step S4). The method of generating the left-turn route 224 will be described later.

[0047] In the case other than the above in step S3 (when neither the boundary on the right side nor the boundary on the left side in the direction of travel of the vehicle after turning left can be recognized), the process returns to step S2.

[0048] In step S5, the driving assistance traveling control unit 120 determines whether the generation of the left turn route 224 in step S4 was successful. The success of the generation of the left turn route 224 can be determined, for example, by whether a route can be drawn that passes through the current position of the vehicle 10, makes one left turn, and reaches the target passing point (e.g., 223 in FIG. 5) on the intersecting road 220. In other words, if such route generation is not possible, the result is "failed."

[0049] If the route generation is successful in step S5, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 sets a predetermined range of area (hereinafter referred to as the "assistance start range") 212 (see, for example, FIG. 7) based on the position of the intersecting road 220, based on the boundary information of the intersecting road 220 acquired in step S3 (step S6). It is preferable to set the assistance start range 212 closer to the road 210 on which the vehicle is traveling than the intersecting road 220.

[0050] The method for setting the support start range 212 will be described later.

[0051] If the route generation fails in step S5, the process returns to step S2.

[0052] Following step S6, the driving assist travel control unit 120 determines whether the vehicle 10 is within the assistance start range 212 set in step S6 (step S7).

[0053] If the vehicle 10 is determined to be within the assistance start range 212 in step S7, the following steps S8 and S9 determine whether an assistance start request from the driver is detected. The assistance start request is a general term for a signal that triggers the start of driving assistance (vehicle guidance) to automatically turn the vehicle 10 left along the left-turn path 224 generated in step S4. The assistance start request can be output based on the driver's operation of the brake pedal 17. For example, the assistance start request may be output when the driver presses and then releases the brake pedal 17. In this embodiment, the assistance start request is output when a temporary stop of the vehicle 10 and a subsequent brake release operation are detected. Step S8 determines whether the vehicle has been temporarily stopped, and step S9 determines whether the brake release operation has been performed.

[0054] First, in step S8, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 determines whether the vehicle 10 has stopped (temporarily stopped). Whether the vehicle 10 has stopped can be determined by monitoring the speed of the vehicle 10 and determining whether the speed reaches zero. Instead of determining whether the vehicle 10 has stopped, it may be determined whether the driver has performed a temporary stop operation on the vehicle 10. In this case, for example, if the speed of the vehicle 10 reaches zero with the brake pedal 17 depressed, it can be determined that the driver has performed a temporary stop operation on the vehicle 10. Instead of determining whether the vehicle has stopped, it may be determined that the speed of the vehicle 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined value (e.g., V1) that indicates that the speed is close to zero.

[0055] If it is determined in step S8 that the vehicle 10 has stopped, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 determines whether or not the driver has performed a brake release operation (i.e., released the brake pedal 17) (step S9). The depression amount of the brake pedal 17 can be input from the brake control unit 140. Alternatively, the depression amount may be detected using a brake depression force sensor that detects the depression force applied to the brake pedal 17, a brake stroke sensor that detects the depression amount of the brake pedal 17, or a brake switch that outputs a signal according to whether or not the brake pedal 17 is being depressed.

[0056] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S8 that the vehicle 10 is not stopped, the process returns to step S7.

[0057] If it is determined in step S9 that a brake release operation has occurred, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 starts driving assistance (vehicle guidance) to automatically turn left along the left turn route 224 generated in step S4 (step S10).

[0058] In the driving assistance (vehicle guidance) of step S10, the driving control instruction calculation unit 123 calculates the target steering angle using the data of the left-turn route 224 input from the right / left turn route generation unit 122, and automatically performs steering by generating a steering torque from the steering control unit 150 to the power steering 14 via the vehicle motion control unit 130.

[0059] In addition, the driving control instruction calculation unit 123 may calculate a target acceleration / deceleration by referring to the data on the left-turn route 224 and the vehicle speed profile stored internally, and automatically adjust the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 by causing the driving force control unit 160 to generate acceleration / deceleration torque to the power source 11 via the vehicle motion control unit 130, or by causing the brake control unit 140 to generate braking force to the brake caliper 18.

[0060] In parallel with the vehicle guidance in step S10, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 determines whether or not an assistance end condition (described later) is met (step S11), and if the assistance end condition is met, ends the vehicle guidance and hands over driving to the driver (step S12). This prevents the driving assistance travel control unit 120 from continuing to intervene in driving even after the vehicle has entered the intersecting road 220, and prevents the driver from feeling uncomfortable.

[0061] Examples of the assistance termination conditions in step S11 include: the distance traveled by the vehicle 10 from the point where the vehicle 10 completed the turn due to driving assistance has exceeded a predetermined value; the speed of the vehicle 10 has exceeded a predetermined value (a second predetermined value (greater than V1)) V2 after the vehicle 10 completed the turn due to driving assistance; and the orientation of the vehicle 10 (e.g., yaw angle) has become parallel to the extension direction of the intersecting road 220 after the vehicle 10 completed the turn due to driving assistance. Note that "completion of the turn" may be detected, for example, by the steering angle of the vehicle 10 returning to neutral (zero).

[0062] If the vehicle 10 is not within the assistance start area 212 in step S7, it is determined whether the vehicle 10 has passed through the assistance start area 212 based on the position data of the vehicle 10 and the position data of the assistance start area 212 (step S13).

[0063] If it is determined in step S13 that the vehicle 10 has already passed through the assistance start range 212, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 does not provide driving assistance according to the left turn route 224 generated in step S4.

[0064] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the vehicle 10 has not yet passed through the assistance start range 212, the process returns to step S2.

[0065] Although not shown in Fig. 4, the left turn assist (driving assist) may be stopped according to the driver's intention. For example, before an assist start request is detected (between steps S2 and S9), whether or not a signal indicating the suspension of left turn assist (assistance stop request) is output based on the driver's operation may be monitored, and if the assist stop request is detected, driving assist may be stopped thereafter even if an assist start request is detected.

[0066] Here, examples of requests to stop assistance include a stop instruction by the driver via the HMI device 60, or the driver returning the turn signal lever 19 to the neutral position (i.e., the driver stopping the turn signal).

[0067] The generation of the left-turn route 224 in step S4 and the setting of the assistance start range 212 in step S6 will be described in detail below.

[0068] (Generation of Left-Turn Route 224) An example of a method for generating the left-turn route 224 in step S4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG.

[0069] 5 and 6, it is assumed that the vehicle 10 turns left at an intersection 200 from the road 210 on which it is traveling onto a road (cross road) 220 that intersects with the road 210.

[0070] When the external sensor 20 detects the roads 210 and 220, due to the characteristics of the external sensor, there are two possible cases: when viewed from the vehicle 10 before turning left, only the boundary 211 on the left side of the road 210 and the boundary 221 on the far side of the road 220 are detected, and the boundary 222 on the near side of the road 220 is not detected (see Figure 5); and when the boundary 211, boundary 221, and boundary 222 are all detected (see Figure 6).

[0071] 5 , the right / left turn path generation unit 122 acquires, from the external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110), position information of at least an endpoint 211a of the boundary 211 ahead in the vehicle traveling direction, an endpoint 221a on the left side of the boundary 221, and an endpoint 221b on the right side of the boundary 221. The range in which the boundary 221 is recognized by the external environment sensor 20 is the range from the endpoint 221a to the endpoint 221b.

[0072] Next, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 sets a target passing point (end point of the right / left turn route 224) 223 of the reference point of the vehicle 10 on the intersecting road 220 as follows.

[0073] The lateral position (position in the transverse direction of the intersecting road 220) of the target passing point 223 as seen from vehicle 10A after turning left may be the position of the reference point of vehicle 10 when the right end of vehicle 10A is a predetermined margin away from the boundary 221, as shown in Figure 5.

[0074] Furthermore, the longitudinal position of the target passing point 223 as seen from the vehicle 10A after turning left (the position in the longitudinal direction of the intersecting road 220) may be made to coincide with the longitudinal position of the end point 221a as shown in FIG.

[0075] The reason for setting the lateral position of the target passing point 223 as described above is to avoid the risk of colliding with an undetected obstacle that may exist along the boundary 221, such as behind the end point 221a.

[0076] After setting the target passing point 223, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 makes one left turn with the minimum turning radius of the vehicle 10 starting from the current position of the vehicle 10, and generates a left turn route 224 that passes through the target passing point 223.

[0077] On the other hand, in the case of Figure 6, the right / left turn path generation unit 122 acquires position information of at least the boundary point 211a ahead of the boundary 211 in the vehicle's traveling direction, the left end point 221a of the boundary 221, the right end point 221b of the boundary 221, and the left end point 222a of the boundary 222 from the external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110).

[0078] The right end point of the boundary 222 coincides with the boundary point 211 a of the boundary 211 .

[0079] Next, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 sets a target passing point 223 of the reference point of the vehicle 10 on the road 220 as follows.

[0080] The lateral position of the target passing point 223 as seen from the vehicle 10A after turning left can be set to the center between the boundary 221 and the boundary 222 as shown in FIG.

[0081] 6, the vertical position of the target passing point 223 can be the position of either the end point 221a of the boundary 221 or the end point 222a of the boundary 222, whichever is further to the right (closer to the intersection 200) as seen from the vehicle 10 before turning right. That is, in the example of FIG. 6, this corresponds to the end point 222a of the boundary 222.

[0082] After setting the target passing point 223, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 makes one left turn with the minimum turning radius of the vehicle 10 starting from the current position of the vehicle 10, and generates a left turn route 224 that passes through the target passing point 223.

[0083] 5 and 6, if the width of the intersecting road 220 is narrower than the overall width of the vehicle 10, the vehicle 10 cannot pass through the intersecting road 220, and therefore left turn assistance should not be performed.

[0084] On the other hand, particularly in the case of FIG. 5, the route is closer to the right side of the intersecting road 220 (towards the boundary 221), which may cause the driver to feel uncomfortable if the intersecting road 220 is wide.

[0085] Therefore, it is preferable that the right / left turn route generation unit 122 calculates the width of the intersecting road 220 before starting to generate the left turn route 224 .

[0086] The width of the intersecting road 220 can be calculated from the difference between the vertical position (position in the longitudinal direction of the road 210) of the end point 211a of the boundary 211 as seen by the vehicle 10 before turning left and the vertical position of the end point 221b of the boundary 221 as seen by the vehicle 10 before turning left.

[0087] The right / left turn route generation unit 122 (processor of the vehicle control device 100) may generate a left turn route 224 if, as a result of the width calculation of the intersecting road 220, the width w of the intersecting road 220 is greater than or equal to a first threshold value W1 and less than or equal to a second threshold value W2 that is greater than the first threshold value, or may abort the generation of the left turn route 224 if the width w is any other value.

[0088] Here, the first threshold value W1 can be set to, for example, a value obtained by adding twice the detection error of the external sensor 20 to the overall width of the vehicle 10. As a result, even if the detection error of the external sensor 20 is added to the detection results of the boundary 221 and the boundary 222, right / left turn assistance can be performed only when the width of the road 220 is wider than the overall width of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the second threshold value W2 can be set to, for example, a value obtained by doubling the overall width of the vehicle 10. As a result, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 10A from unnaturally moving to the right side of the intersecting road 220 when the width w of the intersecting road 220 is wide.

[0089] (Setting of Support Start Area 212) Next, an example of a method for setting the support start area 212 in step S6 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0090] As shown in Fig. 7 , the assistance start range 212 is preferably positioned closer to the position of the vehicle 10 at the time of generating the left-turn path 224 than a position 213 where the vehicle 10 starts turning on the left-turn path 224 generated in step S4. This is because the left-turn assistance is started before the point 213 where the steering control (turning control) by the driving assistance travel control unit 120 (the processor of the vehicle control device 100) starts. Note that, as shown in Fig. 7 , the leading position of the assistance start range 212 may coincide with the point (position) 213 where the vehicle 10 starts turning on the left-turn path 224 generated in step S4.

[0091] Furthermore, the length of the assistance start range 212 in the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction of the road 210) is preferably equal to or greater than the overall length of the vehicle 10, and more specifically, equal to or greater than the distance that an average driver travels straight from receiving various notifications to stopping the vehicle while the speed of the vehicle 10 is maintained at or below a predetermined value (first predetermined value) V1 in step S1. This distance is longer than the distance that the driver travels from being notified of the assistance start range 212 to stopping the vehicle while traveling at the predetermined vehicle speed V1 in step S1. Therefore, the probability of successfully temporarily stopping the vehicle 10 within the assistance start range 212 increases.

[0092] One possible method for notifying the driver of the assistance start area 212 is to display it on the display device 61 in a superimposed manner on a map of the navigation system together with the left turn position.

[0093] (Control in a Situation Where Two Possible Left Turn Points Are Close to Each Other) Next, the operation of the driving assistance travel control unit 120 in a situation where two possible left turn points are close to each other will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

[0094] In FIG. 8, a parking lot 230 is located adjacent to the cross road 220 in front of it (at the rear in the longitudinal direction of the road 210).

[0095] Parking lot 230 is separated from road 210 by boundaries 231 and 232 , and can be accessed from road 210 through entrance 233 located between boundaries 231 and 232 .

[0096] At this time, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 generates a left turn route 224 for the intersecting road 220, turning left from the road 210 and entering the intersecting road 220, in the same manner as in the case of Figure 5, and sets the turning start point 213 and the assistance start area 212.

[0097] Furthermore, when the external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110) detects the forward end point 231a of the boundary 231 and the rear end point 232a of the boundary 232, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 generates a route 234 that turns left from the road 210 and enters the parking lot 230 via the entrance 233, and sets the turning start point 215.

[0098] The driving assistance travel control unit 120 sets an assistance start area 214 in the same manner as in FIG. 7, using the turning start point 215 as a reference.

[0099] Next, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 monitors whether the vehicle 10 has stopped in the two assistance start areas 212, 214, and when it detects a stop, it selects a left-turn route corresponding to the assistance start area to which the stopping position belongs, and guides the vehicle along that route.

[0100] If the vehicle 10 passes through the assistance start area without detecting that it has stopped, monitoring for stopping in that area will be terminated and left turn assistance will not be provided along the route corresponding to that assistance start area.

[0101] As described above, even if multiple left-turn locations are close to each other as in Figure 8, assistance start areas corresponding to the multiple left-turn locations are set, and whether or not an assistance start request from the driver has been detected is determined for each of the multiple assistance start areas, and left-turn assistance is performed according to the determination result. This prevents left-turn assistance from being performed at a location other than the driver's intention.

[0102] (Operation when a new obstacle is detected during a left turn) Up to this point, the basic operation of the left turn assistance in this embodiment has been described. The operation when a new obstacle is detected during a left turn will be described below.

[0103] The operation when a stationary obstacle such as a parked vehicle is detected on the crossroad 220 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0104] FIG. 9 shows a situation in which the boundary 211 and the boundary 221 are detected, as in FIG. 5, but the parked vehicle 225 on the cross road 220 is not detected.

[0105] In this case, the right / left turn route generating unit 122 generates a left turn route 224 using the detected road boundary, similar to FIG.

[0106] On the other hand, FIG. 10 shows a situation in which the boundary 211 and the boundary 221 are detected as in FIG. 5, and a parked vehicle 225 on an intersecting road 220 is also detected.

[0107] In this case, the right / left turn path generation unit 122 considers the right end of the parked vehicle 225 to be the boundary of the road 220 instead of the boundary 221 (boundary 226), measures the distance between the right end point 226b of the boundary 226 as seen from the vehicle 10 and the end point 211a of the boundary 211, and calculates the width w of the road 220.

[0108] If the width w of the road 220 is equal to or greater than the first threshold W1, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 generates a left turn route 224 in the same manner as in Figure 5 using the boundary 226 and the boundary 211 as references, and if the width w of the road 220 is less than the first threshold W1, the stationary obstacle 225 makes the actual width of the road 220 narrower than the overall width of the vehicle 10, so no left turn route is generated.

[0109] Next, the operation of the vehicle 10 when a moving obstacle such as an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian is detected during left turn assistance will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0110] FIG. 11 shows a situation in which the external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110) detects a vehicle 227 traveling on an intersecting road 220 before the front end of the vehicle 10 traveling on the road 210 passes the boundary point 211a.

[0111] In this case, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 automatically stops the vehicle 10 and waits until the vehicle 227 leaves the area 228 through which the vehicle 10 is scheduled to pass along the route 224 .

[0112] When it is determined from the output of the self-position estimation unit 121 that the vehicle 227 has left the area 228, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 resumes guiding the vehicle along the same route 224 as before the vehicle stopped.

[0113] In the case of FIG. 11, a vehicle 227 crosses in front of the vehicle 10, but the same operation can be performed when a pedestrian crosses the vehicle 10 instead of the vehicle 227.

[0114] Figure 12 shows a situation in which the front end of a vehicle 10 traveling on a road 210 passes a boundary point 211a and the vehicle 10 is turning to enter an intersecting road 220, and the external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110) detects a vehicle 227 traveling on an intersecting road 220.

[0115] In this case, the driving assistance driving control unit 120 stops the vehicle 10, acquires the position of the boundary point 221b via the external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110), and determines the distance along the vehicle travel direction (longitudinal direction of the road 210) between this boundary point 221b and the front end of the vehicle 10 as the passage width 229.

[0116] If the passage width 229 is equal to or greater than a third threshold value W3 (described later), the driving assistance travel control unit 120 waits until the vehicle 227 leaves the area 228.

[0117] When the external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110) detects that the vehicle 227 has left the area 228, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 resumes guiding the vehicle along the same left turn route 224 as before the vehicle stopped.

[0118] If the passage width 229 is less than the third threshold value W3, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 preferably suspends vehicle guidance and prompts the driver to reverse via the HMI device 60, the display device 61, the speaker 62, etc.

[0119] The vehicle guidance that has been interrupted may be resumed by the driver issuing a command to resume via the HMI device 60 .

[0120] When vehicle guidance is resumed, it is preferable to generate a new left-turn route for vehicle guidance using information on the latest boundaries 221 and 222 detected by the external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110) at that time and the current position of the vehicle 10 estimated by the self-position estimation unit 121.

[0121] Here, the third threshold value W2 of the passage width 229 can be, for example, the maximum vehicle width defined by the Road Transport Vehicle Act plus the detection error of the external sensor 20 and the estimation error of the self-position estimation unit 121.

[0122] This allows the vehicle 10 to remain at the stopped position even if it stops in a manner that blocks a part of the road 220 if the width is secured so that the vehicle 227 can pass, and allows the driver of the vehicle 10 to take appropriate measures to allow the vehicle 227 to pass if the width is not secured so that the vehicle 227 can pass.

[0123] Figure 13 shows a situation in which vehicle 10 enters intersecting road 220 from road 210, and after the rear end of vehicle 10 passes boundary point 221b, external environment sensor 20 (external environment recognition unit 110) detects vehicle 227 traveling on intersecting road 220 from in front of vehicle 10 toward vehicle 10.

[0124] In this case, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 stops the vehicle 10, ends vehicle guidance, and prompts the driver to take the following action via the HMI device 60, the display device 61, the speaker 62, etc.

[0125] Possible countermeasures by the driver include backing up vehicle 10, or, if road 220 is wide enough to allow vehicle 227 to pass vehicle 227, moving vehicle 10 as far to the left as possible and stopping it.

[0126] (Effects) As described above, the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment includes a vehicle control device 100 having at least one processor. When a signal indicating that the vehicle 10 is planning to make a right or left turn (right or left turn planned signal) is detected, the processor generates a right or left turn route 224 for making a right or left turn from the road (first road) 210 on which the vehicle 10 is traveling to an intersecting road (second road) 220 that intersects with the road 210, based on external world information acquired by the external world sensor (external world recognition device) 20. When the vehicle 10 is located within an assistance start range 212, which is a predetermined range based on the position of the intersecting road 220, and a request to start assistance from the driver is detected, the processor starts driving assistance to automatically make a right or left turn along the right or left turn route 230.

[0127] According to the driving assistance device configured in this manner, when the vehicle is planning to make a right or left turn toward the intersecting road 220, a right or left turn path 224 is generated. If an assistance start request from the driver is detected while the vehicle 10 is within the assistance start range 212, the vehicle control device 100 automatically makes a right or left turn along the right or left turn path 224. That is, according to this embodiment, right or left turn assistance can be performed without any additional operation for driving assistance. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a signal indicating that the vehicle 10 is planning to make a right or left turn (right or left turn planned signal) and an assistance start request are output based on an operation (e.g., operation of a turn signal and brake pedal) performed by the driver when turning right or left without driving assistance. That is, since driving assistance is started based on an operation that the driver normally performs when turning right or left, right or left turn assistance can be achieved with an operation that is natural for the driver, without the driver having to avert their eyes from the road ahead.

[0128] In addition, the support start range 212 is set closer to the vehicle than the position where the vehicle 10 starts turning on the right / left turn route 224, and support for turning right / left is started when a support start request is detected in the support start range 212, so that support for turning right / left can be achieved at the location intended by the driver even when multiple locations where right / left turns are possible are close to each other.

[0129] In particular, in this embodiment, when a right or left turn is initiated by the driver's will on a narrow road, right or left turn assistance can be initiated by simply performing the operations that a driver normally performs when turning right or left, such as operating the turn signal, slowing down, stopping temporarily, and restarting, and by performing operations related to the assistance start request within the assistance start range 212, right or left turn assistance can be performed at the location intended by the driver, even when multiple locations where right or left turns are possible are close together.

[0130] <Embodiment 2> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 2 and Figures 14 to 15. This embodiment relates to a driving assistance device that assists in turning right or left on an L-shaped road (L-shaped road), for example.

[0131] The configuration of this embodiment is generally the same as that of the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that a map information processing unit 125 that refers to map data 42 and recognizes locations where right and left turns are possible is added to the driving assistance travel control unit 120 shown in Figure 14.

[0132] The vehicle control device 100 of this embodiment executes the flow of FIG. 4 at a predetermined time interval when assisting in right or left turns, which is essentially the same as that of the first embodiment. However, the details of step S1 differ from those of the first embodiment. That is, in step S1, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 of this embodiment determines whether the vehicle 10 can take a route other than turning right or left from the road currently being traveled onto an intersecting road based on map data 42 of the vehicle 10 or data from the external sensor 20. If it is determined that the vehicle 10 cannot take a route other than turning right or left from the road currently being traveled onto an intersecting road (for example, the road currently being traveled and the intersecting road form an L-shaped road), a right or left turn execution plan signal is output. That is, in this embodiment, the right or left turn execution plan signal can be output even if the turn signal is not activated.

[0133] The processing of step S1 will be described in detail. In step S1, the map information processing unit 125 references the map data 42 and the position data of the vehicle 10 at a predetermined time period, and monitors whether or not there is a location where a right or left turn is possible ahead of the vehicle 10. At this time, if the map data 42 detects that there is a location ahead of the vehicle 10 where a right or left turn is necessary and straight ahead is not possible, such as an L-shaped road, a right or left turn execution plan signal is output, and the driving assistance traveling control unit 120 determines that a right or left turn will be made at that location, and performs the operations from step S2 onwards in the first embodiment.

[0134] It should be noted that detection of a location where a right or left turn is required, such as an L-shaped road, may be performed using data acquired by the external sensor 20 without referring to the map data 42 .

[0135] An example of the right / left turn assist operation when passing through an L-shaped road in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0136] In Figure 15, vehicle 10 is traveling on road 300 that bends to the left in the direction of travel, and is about to enter section 300b (intersection road (second road)) that bends from section 300a (the road on which vehicle 10 is traveling (first road)).

[0137] At this time, as viewed from the vehicle 10 before turning left, the left boundary 301 of section 300a and the rear boundary 302 of section 300b are detected by the external sensor 20, and the front boundary 303 of section 300b is not detected.

[0138] In this case, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 acquires from the external sensor 20 position information of at least the forward end point 301 a of the boundary 301 , and the left end point 302 a and the right end point 302 b of the boundary 302 .

[0139] Next, the right / left turn path generation unit 122 preferably sets a target passing point 304 of the reference point of the vehicle 10 on section 300b (intersection road) as follows: The horizontal position of the target passing point 304 as seen from the vehicle 10 after turning left (the position in the transverse direction of section 300b) is preferably set to the position of the reference point of the vehicle 10 when the right end of the vehicle 10 is a predetermined margin away from the boundary 302. Furthermore, the vertical position of the target passing point 304 (the position in the longitudinal direction of section 300b) is preferably set to coincide with the position of the end point 302a.

[0140] Next, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 generates a left turn route 305 that starts from the current position of the vehicle 10 on the section 300 a, makes one left turn with the minimum turning radius of the vehicle 10, and passes through the target passing point 304.

[0141] In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is preferable that the right / left turn route generation unit 122 calculates the width w of the section 300b before starting the left turn route generation 305.

[0142] The width w of section 300b can be calculated from the difference between the vertical position (position in the longitudinal direction of section 300a) of the point closest to vehicle 10 in the section between endpoint 302a and endpoint 302b of boundary 302, as seen from vehicle 10 before turning left, and the vertical position of endpoint 301a (position in the longitudinal direction of section 300a).

[0143] If the result of the above is that the width w of section 300b is greater than or equal to the first threshold W1 and less than or equal to the second threshold W2, the right / left turn route generation unit 122 generates a left turn route 305, and does not generate a left turn route otherwise.

[0144] According to the second embodiment of the present invention, even on a road that requires right and left turning operations, such as an L-shaped road, and the driver does not operate the turn signal, right and left turning assistance is possible without any additional operation.

[0145] <Embodiment 3> A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 2 and 16. This embodiment relates to a driving assistance device that outputs a right / left turn plan signal when a vehicle 10 reaches a location where a right / left turn has been made in the past.

[0146] The configuration of the third embodiment of the present invention is generally the same as that of the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that the driving assistance travel control unit 120 shown in Figure 16 has a right / left turn history memory unit 126 that stores the history of right and left turns made by the vehicle 10, and a right / left turn assistance implementation determination unit 127 that determines whether right / left turn assistance is required by referring to the history of right / left turns made by the vehicle 10 and the vehicle position of the vehicle 10.

[0147] 4 at a predetermined time interval, but the details of step S1 differ from those of the first embodiment. That is, in step S1, the driving assistance travel control unit 120 of the present embodiment determines whether the vehicle 10 has reached a position where the vehicle 10 has made a right or left turn in the past, based on data on positions where the vehicle has made a right or left turn in the past (right or left turn history) and the position data of the vehicle 10, and if it is determined that the vehicle has reached such a position, a right or left turn execution plan signal is output.

[0148] In addition, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the driver be able to enable / disable the function of storing the right / left turn history of the vehicle 10 via the HMI device 60 .

[0149] When the function for storing the right / left turn history is enabled, the right / left turn history storage unit 126 refers to the vehicle position output by the self-position estimation unit 121 and the map data 42 each time the vehicle 10 makes a right / left turn, regardless of whether right / left turn assistance is provided, and stores the position where the right / left turn was made and the direction of the right / left turn.

[0150] The right / left turn support execution determination unit 127 compares the vehicle position output by the self-position estimation unit 121 with the right / left turn history stored in the right / left turn history storage unit 126 .

[0151] As a result, if it is determined that the vehicle 10 has reached a right or left turn position included in the right or left turn history, the right or left turn support execution determination unit 127 determines to start right or left turn support according to the right or left turn direction in the corresponding right or left turn history. Thereafter, the driving support traveling control unit 120 performs the operations from step S2 onwards in the first embodiment.

[0152] According to this embodiment, right / left turn assistance can be automatically started at necessary points on a route that the driver uses daily.

[0153] (Other) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications within the scope of the gist thereof. For example, the present invention is not limited to those having all of the configurations described in the above-described embodiments, and includes those in which some of the configurations are omitted. Furthermore, it is possible to add or replace some of the configurations of one embodiment with the configurations of another embodiment.

[0154] Furthermore, the components of the vehicle control device 100, as well as the functions and execution processes of the components, may be partially or entirely implemented by hardware (for example, by designing logic for executing each function using an integrated circuit). The components of the vehicle control device 100 may also be implemented as programs (software) that are read and executed by an arithmetic processing device (for example, a CPU) to implement the functions of the components of the vehicle control device 100. Information related to the programs may be stored in, for example, semiconductor memory (flash memory, SSD, etc.), magnetic storage devices (hard disk drives, etc.), and recording media (magnetic disks, optical disks, etc.).

[0155] In addition, in the above description of each embodiment, the control lines and information lines are those that are considered necessary for the description of the embodiment, but they do not necessarily represent all the control lines and information lines related to the product. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected.

[0156] 10...vehicle, 11...power source, 12...wheel, 13...steering wheel, 14...power steering, 15...shift lever, 16...accelerator pedal, 17...brake pedal, 18...brake caliper, 19...turn signal lever, 20...external sensor, 21...monocular camera, 22...stereo camera, 23...millimeter wave radar, 24...laser radar, 25...sonar sensor, 30...vehicle sensor, 31...steering angle sensor, 32...gyro sensor, 33...acceleration sensor, 34...speed sensor, 40...navigation system, 41...GNSS receiver, 42...map data , 43... Processor (route search unit), 60... HMI device, 61... Display device, 62... Speaker, 63... Input device, 100... Vehicle control device, 110... External environment recognition unit, 120... Driving assistance driving control unit, 121... Self-position estimation unit, 122... Right / left turn route generation unit, 123... Driving control instruction calculation unit, 124... HMI control unit, 125... Map information processing unit, 126... Right / left turn history storage unit, 127... Right / left turn support implementation determination unit, 130... Vehicle motion control unit, 140... Brake control unit, 150... Steering control unit, 160... Driving force control unit, 200... Intersection, 210... Road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling before turning left, 211...left boundary of road 210, 211a...front end point of boundary 211, 212...assistance start area, 213...turning start position, 214...assistance start area, 215...turning start position, 220...road intersecting road 210, 221...back boundary of road 220, 221a...left end point of boundary 221, 221b...right end point of boundary 221, 222...front boundary of road 220, 222a...left end point of boundary 222, 223...target passing point, 224...left turn route, 225...parked vehicle, 226...virtual boundary of road 220 formed by parked vehicle 225, 226a...boundary 226 226a...left end point of boundary 226, 227...traveling vehicle, 228...area through which vehicle 10 passes when turning left, 230...parking lot, 231...front boundary of parking lot 230, 231a...front end point of boundary 231, 232...back boundary of parking lot 230, 232a...rear end point of boundary 232, 233...entrance to parking lot 230, 234...left turn route to parking lot 230, 300...road bending left, 300a...section of road 300 before bending, 300b...section of road 300 after bending, 301...left boundary of section 300a, 301a...front end point of boundary 301,302... the boundary on the far side of the section 300b, 302a... the left end point of the boundary 302, 302b... the right end point of the boundary 302, 303... the boundary on the near side of the section 300b, 304... the target passing point, 305... the left turn route,

Claims

1. A driving assistance device comprising: a vehicle control device having at least one processor, wherein the processor, when a signal indicating that the vehicle is about to make a right or left turn, generates a right or left turn route for turning right or left from a first road on which the vehicle is traveling to a second road that intersects with the first road based on external information acquired by an external recognition device, and, when the vehicle is located within a predetermined range based on the position of the second road and a driver's request to start assistance is detected, starts driving assistance to automatically make the right or left turn along the right or left turn route.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the signal indicating that the vehicle is about to make a right or left turn and the assistance start request are output based on an operation performed by the driver when making a right or left turn in a state without driving assistance.

3. A driving assistance device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the signal indicating that the vehicle is planning to make a right or left turn is a signal indicating that a turn indicator of the vehicle is activated, and a signal indicating that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a first predetermined value.

4. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein the processor generates the right / left turn route if the width of the second road obtained from the external information is equal to or greater than a first threshold and equal to or less than a second threshold greater than the first threshold, and interrupts generation of the right / left turn route if the width is any other value.

5. A driving assistance device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the area is set on the vehicle side at the time of generating the right / left turn route relative to a position where the vehicle starts turning on the right / left turn route.

6. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the assistance start request is output based on the driver's brake pedal operation.

7. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the assistance start request is a temporary stop of the vehicle followed by a brake release operation by the driver.

8. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein the signal indicating that the vehicle is planning to make a right or left turn is a signal indicating that it has been determined, based on map information around the vehicle or the external environment information, that the vehicle has no option other than to turn right or left from the first road to the second road.

9. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein the signal indicating that the vehicle is about to make a right or left turn is a signal indicating that the vehicle has reached a position where the vehicle previously made a right or left turn, based on data on positions where the vehicle previously made a right or left turn and position data of the vehicle.

10. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein the processor terminates the driving assistance when the vehicle speed exceeds a second predetermined value that is greater than the first predetermined value after the vehicle has turned due to the driving assistance.

11. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor terminates the driving assistance when a distance traveled by the vehicle from a point at which the vehicle has turned due to the driving assistance exceeds a predetermined value.

12. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein the processor terminates the driving assistance when the vehicle turns due to the driving assistance and the orientation (e.g., yaw angle) of the vehicle becomes parallel to the extension direction of the second road.

13. The driving assistance device of claim 1, characterized in that, after receiving a signal indicating that the vehicle is planning to make a right or left turn, the processor does not perform the driving assistance if a driver's request to stop assistance is detected before the request to start assistance is detected.

14. The driving assistance device according to claim 13, wherein the assistance stop request is an operation by the driver to stop a turn signal.

15. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein the processor automatically stops the vehicle when it detects a moving obstacle approaching the vehicle while the vehicle is entering the second road through the driving assistance, and outputs a notification to the driver urging the driver to back up the vehicle if the distance between the vehicle and the edge of the second road in the longitudinal direction of the first road is less than a predetermined threshold.

Images