Driving support system

Abstract

A driving support system according to the present invention comprises an image capture unit that captures a first image of what is ahead of a first vehicle, a first position information acquisition unit that can acquire first position information that is position information for the first vehicle, a storage unit that stores travel history information that includes a travel trajectory that is a trajectory that was traveled by a second vehicle that is different from the first vehicle, a first determination unit that determines the travel history information that is similar to the first position information, a generation unit that acquires the travel history information determined by the first determination unit, acquires the travel trajectory of the second vehicle from the travel history information, generates a planned travel trajectory that is a planned trajectory that is based on the travel trajectory and is to be traveled by the first vehicle, and generates a second image that superimposes the planned travel trajectory onto the first image acquired by the image capture unit, and a display unit that displays the second image.

Description

Driver assistance systems

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving assistance system.

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a system that assists vehicle navigation by storing location information collected from a plurality of vehicles in a server and providing this location information to the vehicles (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The navigation assistance system of Patent Document 1 utilizes the location information collected from a plurality of vehicles to identify road closures on a route used for navigation.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-135266

[0004] On roads with poor road conditions or unpaved roads where the driving lanes are unclear, the vehicle user may not be able to determine where on the road they should drive. In such cases, it is preferable to display a planned driving path so that the vehicle user can recognize their driving position. Patent Document 1 does not disclose a system for displaying such a planned driving path.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving assistance system that can display a planned travel path of a vehicle.

[0006] The driving assistance system according to the present disclosure includes an imaging unit that captures a first image ahead of a first vehicle, a first position information acquisition unit that can acquire first position information that is position information of the first vehicle, a memory unit that stores driving history information including a driving trajectory that is a trajectory traveled by a second vehicle different from the first vehicle, a first determination unit that determines whether the driving history information is similar to the first position information, a generation unit that acquires the driving history information determined by the first determination unit, acquires the driving trajectory of the second vehicle from the driving history information, generates a planned driving trajectory that is a trajectory along which the first vehicle is planned to travel based on the driving trajectory, and generates a second image in which the planned driving trajectory is superimposed on the first image acquired by the imaging unit, and a display unit that displays the second image.

[0007] According to this driving assistance system, a planned driving path, which is a path along which the first vehicle is planned to travel, can be superimposed on a first image, which is an image of the front of the first vehicle. This allows the driving assistance system to display the planned driving path of the vehicle on the display unit. As a result, the user of the first vehicle can easily recognize where to drive the first vehicle.

[0008] FIG. 1 is an overall system diagram of a driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a system diagram of a first control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a system diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a storage unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a first control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a first image with an object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a first image with no object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a second image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 , in this embodiment, the driving assistance system 1 includes a first vehicle C1, a plurality of second vehicles C2, and a server S. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the driving assistance system 1 includes an imaging unit 2, a first position information acquisition unit 4, a storage unit 6, a first determination unit 8, a second determination unit 10, a planned driving route acquisition unit 12, a generation unit 14, a display unit 16, and a communication unit 18.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1 , the first vehicle C1 includes a first control device E1, a first GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver E2, a camera E3, a transceiver E4, and a display E5. The first control device E1 is electrically connected to the first GPS receiver E2, the camera E3, the transceiver E4, and the display E5. The first control device E1 is actually an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) configured by a microcomputer including a timer, a computing device, memory (ROM, RAM, non-volatile RAM, etc., the on-board memory 22 in FIG. 2 ), an input / output buffer, etc. As shown in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the imaging unit 2, the first position information acquisition unit 4, the first determination unit 8, the second determination unit 10, the planned driving route acquisition unit 12, the generation unit 14, and the display unit 16 are functional components realized by software stored in the first control device E1.

[0012] The first control device E1 generates first vehicle internal information, which is information related to the main body of the first vehicle C1, first vehicle external information, which is information different from the main body of the first vehicle C1, and first installation position information, which is information about the installation position of the first GPS receiver E2, and stores these in the on-board memory 22. The first vehicle internal information includes vehicle specifications, such as the overall length, width, and height of the first vehicle C1. The first vehicle external information is information including the weather, date, time, and driving time when the first vehicle C1 is traveling. The first control device E1 may obtain the weather and date and time from the server S or a server separate from the server S via the Internet 20. The first control device E1 may count the driving time using a timer.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , the second vehicle C2 includes at least a second control device F1, a second GPS receiver F2, and a transceiver F4. The second control device F1 is electrically connected to the second GPS receiver F2 and the transceiver F4. The first control device E1 is actually an ECU configured by a microcomputer including an arithmetic unit, memory (ROM, RAM, non-volatile RAM, etc.), an input / output buffer, etc. The second control device F1 includes a second position information acquisition unit that acquires second position information, which is position information of the second vehicle C2, from the second GPS receiver F2. The second position information acquisition unit is a functional configuration realized by software stored in the second control device F1.

[0014] 3, the server S is a computer including an arithmetic unit, a memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD) or other large-capacity storage, an input / output buffer, etc. The storage unit 6 is the memory of the server S. The server S is connected to the Internet 20 via a server communication unit 24, and is communicably connected to the first control device E1 and the second control device F1.

[0015] 2, the imaging unit 2 controls the camera E3 (see FIG. 1) of the first vehicle C1. The imaging unit 2 controls the camera E3 to capture a first image of the area ahead of the first vehicle C1.

[0016] The first position information acquisition unit 4 receives a signal from the first GPS receiver E2 and acquires first position information, which is position information of the first vehicle C1.

[0017] The storage unit 6 stores driving history information including a driving trajectory, which is a trajectory traveled by a second vehicle C2 different from the first vehicle C1. Specifically, the second control device F1 of the second vehicle C2 acquires location information from the second GPS receiver F2 and generates a driving trajectory, which is a trajectory traveled by the second vehicle C2. The second control device F1 transmits the driving trajectory to the server S. Furthermore, the second control device F1 generates second vehicle internal information, which is information related to the body of the second vehicle C2, and second vehicle external information, which is information different from the body of the second vehicle C2, and transmits the information to the server S. As shown in FIG. 4 , the second vehicle internal information includes vehicle specifications, such as the overall length, width, and height of the second vehicle C2. The second vehicle internal information further includes, for example, installation position information of the second GPS receiver F2. The second vehicle external information is information including the weather, date, time, and driving time when the driving trajectory was acquired. The driving time is the driving time required for the second vehicle C2 to travel to the destination or near the destination set by the user in the planned driving route acquisition unit 12 described later, or the driving time required for the first vehicle C1 to travel to the intermediate point assuming that it has traveled toward the destination or near the destination for a predetermined time, and is updated by the first control device E1.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the server S acquires driving trajectories from a plurality of second vehicles C2 and generates a database of driving history information including the driving trajectories. As shown in Fig. 3, the server S stores the driving history information in the storage unit 6. As shown in Fig. 4, the driving history information is a database that lists the driving trajectories of a plurality of second vehicles C2, linked to the identification information, second vehicle interior information, and second vehicle exterior information of the second vehicles C2.

[0019] The first determination unit 8 determines driving history information similar to the first location information. Specifically, the first determination unit 8 downloads driving history information similar to the location information of the first vehicle C1 from the server S based on the location information of the first vehicle C1. Details will be described later using the flowchart of FIG. 5.

[0020] The second determination unit 10 determines whether or not there is an object from the first image that the user of the first vehicle C1 can recognize in the traveling direction. The generation unit 14 acquires a traveling trajectory of the second vehicle C2, generates a planned traveling trajectory that is a trajectory along which the first vehicle is planned to travel based on the traveling trajectory, and generates a second image in which the planned traveling trajectory is superimposed on the first image acquired by the imaging unit 2. Details will be described later using the flowchart of FIG.

[0021] The planned driving route acquisition unit 12 acquires a route along which the first vehicle C1 will pass, based on a destination set by the user. Specifically, the planned driving route acquisition unit 12 is a navigation system that allows the user to set a destination by operating the display E5, and that can generate route information, which is the route along which the first vehicle C1 will pass, from pre-stored map data based on the set destination. The planned driving route acquisition unit 12 displays the route information on the display E5, and modifies the route information based on first position information, which is position information of the first vehicle C1, transmitted from the first position information acquisition unit 4.

[0022] The display unit 16 controls the display E5 to display the second image. The display E5 may be a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence display. Alternatively, the display E5 may be a head-up display.

[0023] The communication unit 18 controls the transceiver E4 to access the server S and acquire the driving history information from the storage unit 6.

[0024] Next, the control procedure executed by the first control device E1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0025] In step S1, the first control device E1 causes the first position information acquisition unit 4 to acquire first position information, which is position information of the first vehicle C1. Specifically, the first position information acquisition unit 4 acquires a signal from the first GPS receiver E2 and acquires the first position information. After acquiring the first position information, the first control device E1 proceeds to step S2.

[0026] In step S2, the first control device E1 performs a road condition determination to determine whether a predetermined condition is met. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the predetermined condition is met when it is determined that the first vehicle C1 is located on a road with poor road surface conditions or an unpaved road with an unclear driving lane based on the first position information, which is the position information of the first vehicle C1, or when the second determination unit 10 determines that there is no object. Therefore, in step S2, the first control device E1 causes the first position information acquisition unit 4 to compare the first position information, which is the position information of the first vehicle C1, with map data to determine whether the road is located on a road with poor road surface conditions or an unpaved road with an unclear driving lane, or causes the second determination unit 10 to acquire a first image and determine whether an object serving as a driving target has been detected in the first image.

[0027] The road surface condition determination in step S2 may be performed by the first control device E1 comparing first position information, which is position information of the first vehicle C1, with map data to determine whether the first vehicle C1 is located on a road with poor road surface conditions or an unpaved road with unclear driving lanes. The first control device E1 may determine whether the first vehicle C1 is located on a road with poor road surface conditions or an unpaved road with unclear driving lanes by executing a process in which the first position information acquisition unit 4 compares the first position information obtained in step S1 with pre-stored map data. As shown in FIG. 5 , when the first control device E1 determines that the first vehicle C1 is located on a road with poor road surface conditions or an unpaved road with unclear driving lanes based on the determination executed by the first position information acquisition unit 4 (YES in step S2), the first control device E1 proceeds to step S3. If the first control device E1 determines, based on the determination made by the first position information acquisition unit 4, that the first vehicle C1 is not located on a road with poor road surface conditions or an unpaved road with an unclear driving lane (NO in step S2), the process proceeds to step S1 and the generation of a planned driving trajectory is not executed. In this way, by performing a road surface condition determination to determine whether a predetermined condition is met, the generation of a planned driving trajectory is not executed when it is not necessary, and the load on the first control device E1 can be reduced.

[0028] The road surface condition determination in step S2 may be performed by the first control device E1 having the second determination unit 10 acquire a first image and determining whether a driving target object has been detected in the first image. FIG. 6 shows an example of the first image. The driving target object may be, for example, an edge X1 indicating a road boundary or a line X2 indicating a lane. The first control device E1 may acquire the first image using the imaging unit 2, and perform image processing using the second determination unit 10 to determine the presence or absence of a driving target object. As shown in FIG. 5 , if the first control device E1 determines that the second determination unit 10 determines that there is no driving target object (YES in step S2), the first control device E1 proceeds to step S3. If the second determination unit 10 determines that there is a driving target object (NO in step S2), the first control device E1 proceeds to step S1, and does not generate a planned driving trajectory. In this way, by performing a road surface condition determination to determine whether a predetermined condition is met, generation of a planned driving trajectory is not performed when it is not necessary, thereby reducing the load on the first control device E1. The road surface condition determination in step S2 may be performed by either or both of the following: a determination by the first position information acquisition unit 4 of whether the first vehicle C1 is located on a road with poor road surface conditions or an unpaved road with an unclear driving lane, and a determination by the second determination unit 10 of whether an object that will be a driving target has been detected. By providing two determinations, if one of the two determinations is difficult to make, the other determination can be made, and if both of the two determinations can be made, more accurate road surface condition determination can be performed.

[0029] In step S3, the first control device E1 causes the planned driving route acquisition unit 12 to acquire route information. After acquiring the route information, the first control device E1 proceeds to step S4.

[0030] In step S4, the first control device E1 acquires driving trajectory data. Specifically, the first control device E1 causes the communication unit 18 to access the server S and downloads driving history information for positions close to the first position information from the server S. In this embodiment, the first control device E1 uses route information to use the position information of the first vehicle C1 on the route as the first position information. The first control device E1 first acquires driving history information that is closer to a position on the route ahead of the actual position of the first vehicle C1 from the server S. This allows the first control device E1 to download the driving history information without delay. The first control device E1 also acquires the driving time required for the second vehicle C2 to travel from the first position information or a position near the first position information to a destination or a vicinity of the destination set by the user as defined in the route information, and updates the driving history information. At this time, the second vehicle C2 may acquire the driving time required for the second vehicle C2 to travel from the first position information or a position near the first position information to an intermediate point if the first vehicle C1 traveled a predetermined time according to the route information, and update the driving history information. When the first control device E1 acquires the travel locus data, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0031] In step S5, the first control device E1 causes the first determination unit 8 to determine similar driving trajectories from the driving history information downloaded from the server S. Specifically, the first determination unit 8 compares the downloaded driving history information with the first vehicle internal information and the second vehicle internal information, and searches for a second vehicle C2 with body specifications similar to those of the first vehicle C1 from the driving history information of the plurality of second vehicles C2. Furthermore, the first determination unit 8 compares the downloaded driving history information with the first vehicle external information and the second vehicle external information, and searches for a second vehicle C2 with weather and date and time similar to those of the first vehicle C1 from the driving history information of the plurality of second vehicles C2.

[0032] In this case, the first control device E1 performs a similarity determination between the first vehicle internal information and the second vehicle internal information with priority over a similarity determination between the first vehicle external information and the second vehicle external information. In this embodiment, the first control device E1 searches for a second vehicle C2 with similar vehicle specifications from the driving history information of multiple second vehicles C2 and acquires the driving trajectory of the second vehicle C2. This allows for the generation of a planned driving trajectory with higher accuracy.

[0033] Furthermore, the first control device E1 performs the similarity determination between the first vehicle external information and the second vehicle external information based on the priority order of weather and date and time. In this embodiment, the first control device E1 prioritizes obtaining, from among the driving history information of the multiple second vehicles C2, driving history information of the second vehicle C2 in weather similar to the weather in which the first vehicle C1 is driving, and then determines driving history information in the order of similar date and time, i.e., driving history information on a closer date and for the same time period. This enables the generation of a more accurate planned driving trajectory. After executing the process of step S5, the first control device E1 proceeds to step S6.

[0034] In step S6, the first control device E1 causes the first determination unit 8 to determine, from the driving history information of the plurality of second vehicles C2, driving history information with a short driving time. Specifically, the first determination unit 8 determines, from the driving history information of the plurality of second vehicles C2, driving history information with a shortest driving time, and acquires the driving trajectory of this second vehicle C2. This makes it possible to generate a planned driving trajectory in which the second vehicle C2 arrives at the destination, near the destination, or at an intermediate point earlier. After executing the process of step S6, the first control device E1 proceeds to step S7.

[0035] In step S7, the first control device E1 controls the imaging unit 2 to control the camera E3 to acquire a first image. The first control device E1 may use the first image acquired in step S2. As shown in FIG. 7 , the first image acquired in step S7 is an image that does not include objects such as the edge X1 and the white line X2. Therefore, it is difficult for the user of the first vehicle C1 to recognize its traveling position. After acquiring the first image, the first control device E1 proceeds to step S8.

[0036] In step S8, the first control device E1 acquires a driving history from the acquired driving history information of the second vehicle C2, generates a planned driving trajectory in the generation unit 14, and proceeds to step S8. At this time, the generation unit 14 corrects the driving trajectory based on the first mounting position information and the second mounting position information to generate the planned driving trajectory. Specifically, if the mounting positions of the first GPS receiver E2 of the first vehicle C1 and the second GPS receiver F2 of the second vehicle C2 are different, the driving trajectory in the driving history information is recorded based on the mounting position of the second GPS receiver F2. For example, if the first GPS receiver E2 and the second GPS receiver F2 are quasi-zenith GPS receivers, and the mounting positions differ by 3 cm or more, the driving trajectory will be offset by the difference in mounting positions. To correct this offset, the first control device E1 corrects the driving trajectory of the second vehicle C2, which is similar to the first vehicle C1, acquired from the server S by the difference in mounting positions to generate the planned driving trajectory. This allows the generation of a planned traveling path with higher accuracy. After generating the planned traveling path, the first control device E1 advances the process to step S9.

[0037] In step S9, the first control device E1 causes the generation unit 14 to generate a second image. The second image is an image in which the planned driving trajectory is superimposed on the first image. As shown in FIG. 8 , the planned driving trajectory X3 is a line traced after correcting the driving trajectory of the second vehicle C2. The generation unit 14 generates an image that includes the bumper 26 of the first vehicle C1, with the planned driving trajectory extending from the bumper 26. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the planned driving trajectory indicates positions where the wheels of the first vehicle C1 should pass. Therefore, the planned driving trajectory includes a line X3L for the left wheel and a line X3R for the right wheel. After causing the generation unit 14 to generate the second image, the first control device E1 causes the generation unit 14 to transmit the second image to the display unit 16. The display unit 16 displays the second image on the display E5. The first control device E1 repeats this flow to display a video of a series of second images on the display E5.

[0038] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a driving assistance system 1 that can display a planned travel path of a vehicle.

[0039] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. In particular, the multiple modifications described in this specification can be combined as needed.

[0040] (a) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the imaging unit 2, first position information acquisition unit 4, first determination unit 8, second determination unit 10, planned driving route acquisition unit 12, generation unit 14, and display unit 16 are functional configurations realized by software stored in the first control device E1, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the first determination unit 8 and the generation unit 14 may be functional configurations realized by a program stored in the server S. In this case, the first control device E1 may acquire the planned driving trajectory from the server S.

[0041] (b) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the predetermined condition is met when the second determination unit 10 determines that an object is not present, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The predetermined condition may be set by the user. For example, if the display E5 is a touch panel type, the user may be able to set the condition for displaying the planned driving trajectory by operating the touch panel.

[0042] 1: driving assistance system, 2: imaging unit, 4: first position information acquisition unit, 6: storage unit, 8: first determination unit, 10: second determination unit, 14: generation unit, 16: display unit, 26: bumper C1: first vehicle, C2: second vehicle E1: first control device, E2: first GPS receiver, E2: receiver E3: camera, E4: transceiver, E5: display S: server, X3: planned driving trajectory

Claims

1. A driving assistance system comprising: an imaging unit that captures a first image ahead of a first vehicle; a first position information acquisition unit that can acquire first position information that is position information of the first vehicle; a memory unit that stores driving history information including a driving trajectory that is a trajectory traveled by a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; a first determination unit that determines whether the driving history information is similar to the first position information; a generation unit that acquires the driving history information determined by the first determination unit, acquires the driving trajectory of the second vehicle from the driving history information, generates a planned driving trajectory that is a trajectory that the first vehicle is scheduled to travel based on the driving trajectory, and generates a second image in which the planned driving trajectory is superimposed on the first image acquired by the imaging unit; and a display unit that displays the second image.

2. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the generating unit generates the second image when a predetermined condition is met.

3. The driving assistance system according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is determined by comparing the information about the first position information with map data.

4. A driving assistance system as described in claim 2, further comprising a second judgment unit that judges whether or not there is an object that can be recognized in the direction of travel by a user of the first vehicle from the first image, and the specified condition is when the second judgment unit judges that the object is not present.

5. The driving assistance system of claim 1, wherein the driving history information includes second vehicle internal information that is information related to the main body of the second vehicle and second vehicle external information that is information different from the main body of the second vehicle, and the first determination unit acquires the first vehicle internal information that is information related to the main body of the first vehicle and the first vehicle external information that is information different from the main body of the first vehicle, and performs a similarity determination between the first vehicle internal information and the second vehicle internal information with priority over a similarity determination between the first vehicle external information and the second vehicle external information.

6. The driving assistance system described in claim 5, wherein the second vehicle external information includes information relating to the weather and date and time when the second vehicle is traveling, and the first vehicle external information includes information relating to the weather and date and time when the first vehicle is traveling, and the first determination unit acquires the first vehicle external information, compares it with the second vehicle external information, and performs a similarity determination based on the priority order of weather and date and time.

7. The driving assistance system described in claim 6, wherein the second vehicle external information includes information regarding the driving time required for the second vehicle to travel, and the first judgment unit compares the second vehicle external information after performing the similarity judgment and makes a judgment based on the driving time.

8. The driving assistance system according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition can be set by a user of the first vehicle.

9. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the second image includes a bumper of the first vehicle, and the planned driving path extends from the bumper.

10. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the planned driving path indicates the position of wheels of the first vehicle.

11. A driving assistance system as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the driving history information includes second mounting position information, which is information on the mounting position of a second position information acquisition unit for acquiring second position information, which is position information of the second vehicle, and the generation unit corrects the driving trajectory and generates the planned driving trajectory based on first mounting position information, which is information on the mounting position of the first position information acquisition unit of the first vehicle, and the second mounting position information.

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