JP2010076460A - Control device for blinker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device for blinker that turns off or suggests turning off by a more adequate timing. <P>SOLUTION: In the control device 1 for a blinker of a vehicle 2, a control device 10 performs either changeover or suggestive annunciation for the changeover to turning off a lighted blinker 11, or both, as predetermined condition of forgetting to turn off is satisfied in such a state that the blinker 11 is lighting and the lane change of the vehicle 2 has been determined to be possible. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle direction indicator lamp control device.

JP 2007-50865 A JP 2003-252112 A

  A direction indicator lamp (turn lamp) is attached to the vehicle in order to inform the surroundings of the traveling direction when the course is changed to the left or right. Generally, the lighting operation is performed by selecting which side of the direction indicator lamps provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle is lit (flashing) by a lever switch attached in the vicinity of the steering wheel. When the steering wheel is steered beyond a predetermined angle after the light is turned on, the lighted direction indicator lamp is automatically turned off.

  However, there are rare cases where the vehicle with the turn signal lights on continues to travel in that state. In such a case, the driver of the surrounding vehicle is forced to drive in consideration of the course change of the vehicle, which hinders traffic.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for warning that the switch is forgotten to be turned off when a predetermined time has elapsed since the switch for turning on the direction indicator lamp is operated or the vehicle travels a predetermined distance. ing. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for turning off a direction indicator lamp when a vehicle moves left and right by a certain distance. However, in any of these cases, the situation of the vehicle and the driver's intention are not considered at all. For example, in Patent Document 1, when a lane change is made, in a situation where there is a lot of traffic in adjacent lanes and there is no timing for changing the lane, when a certain period of time elapses, the direction indicator lamp is turned off without permission. Lighting operation becomes necessary. Further, in Patent Document 2, there is no way to turn off or warn in a situation where the direction indicator lamp is turned on and then forgotten to turn it off.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a direction indicator lamp control device capable of turning off a direction indicator lamp at a more appropriate timing or proposing to turn it off.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

In order to solve the above problems, the direction indicator control device of the present invention is:
Direction indicator lights that indicate the left and right directions of the vehicle,
A lane changeable determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in a lane changeable state;
Forgetting-off condition determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle satisfies a predetermined forgetting-off condition;
When the direction indicator lamp is lit, and when it is determined that the lane change is possible, the directional indicator lamp that is lit is switched off and switched when the forgetting to turn off condition is satisfied. A turn-off control means for performing either or both of the proposal notifications of
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the configuration of the present invention described above, the direction indicator lamp is never turned off without permission in a situation where the direction indicator lamp continues to be lit because the lane cannot be changed. If a predetermined forget-to-turn-off condition is satisfied in a state where the lane can be changed, such as a situation in which the lane can be changed but not continued, it is determined that the user has forgotten to turn off, and a turn-off or turn-off proposal is immediately implemented. Accordingly, the direction indicator lamp control device can be surely turned off when the direction indicator lamp is not turned off at a timing when it is not desired to be turned off and when it is forgotten to be turned off.

  The lane change possibility determination means of the present invention can determine that the vehicle is not in a lane changeable state when the number of traveling lanes excluding the oncoming lane is specified as one. In this case, the vehicle road is configured to include a lane number specifying unit that specifies the number of traveling lanes excluding the oncoming lane, and the lane changeable determining unit refers to the specification result and performs a lane changeable determination. By determining that there is no lane changeable state when the number of lanes is specified as 1, the lane changeable determination process can be simplified.

  When it is determined that there is no adjacent lane excluding the opposite lane adjacent to the current traveling lane, the lane changeable determination means of the present invention can determine that the vehicle is not in a lane changeable state. . In this case, the travel lane identifying means for identifying the current travel lane of the vehicle on the travel road of the vehicle and the presence / absence of an adjacent lane other than the opposite lane adjacent to the identified travel lane on the travel road are determined. And an adjacent lane presence determining unit, and the lane changeable determining unit refers to the determination result and performs a lane changeable determination. By determining that there is no lane changeable state when it is determined that there is no adjacent lane excluding the opposite lane adjacent to the current traveling lane, the lane changeable determination process can be simplified.

  The lane change possibility determination means of the present invention can determine that the vehicle is not in a lane changeable state when it is determined that the adjacent lane is not present on the direction instructed to turn on the direction indicator lamp. In this case, a lighting instruction direction specifying means for specifying the lighting instruction direction of the direction indicator lamp is provided, and the lane change possibility determination means refers to the specification result and performs the lane change possibility determination. Judgment that lane change is possible by determining that there is no lane changeable state at the time when it is determined that there is no adjacent lane excluding the opposite lane that is adjacent to the direction instructed to turn on the direction indicator lamp in the current traveling lane Processing can be simplified.

  The forgetting-off condition determining means of the present invention determines that the forgetting-off condition is satisfied when it is detected that the lane change from the current travel lane of the vehicle to the adjacent lane adjacent to the travel lane is detected, and the lane If the completion of the change is not detected, it can be determined that the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied. In this case, the vehicle is configured to include a lane change completion detection unit that detects completion of the lane change from the current travel lane of the vehicle to the adjacent lane, and the forgetting-off condition determining unit is configured to detect the forgetting-off condition based on the detection result. The above-mentioned determination related to is performed. According to this configuration, when the lane change is completed, the direction indicator lamp that has been turned on for that purpose is automatically turned off, so that forgetting to turn off can be prevented. Also, if the lane change is not made, the direction indicator light will not be turned off or no suggestion will be made, so the direction indicator light will turn off without permission even though the driver intends to change lanes There is no.

  The forgetting-off condition determining means of the present invention determines that the forgetting-off condition is satisfied when the completion of execution of the lane change toward the lighting instruction direction of the turn signal lamp is detected, and the completion of execution of the lane change is detected. If not, it can be determined that the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied. In this case, a lighting instruction direction specifying means for specifying the lighting instruction direction of the direction indicator lamp and a lane change completion detecting means for detecting the completion of the lane change from the current traveling lane of the vehicle to the adjacent lane are configured. Then, the forgetting-off condition determining means performs the above-described determination relating to the forgetting-off condition based on the identification result and the detection result. According to this configuration, when the lane change in the direction intended by the driver's vehicle is completed, the direction indicator lamp that has been turned on for that purpose is automatically turned off, so that forgetting to turn off can be prevented. Also, if the lane change is not made, the direction indicator light will not be turned off or no suggestion will be made, so the direction indicator light will turn off without permission even though the driver intends to change lanes There is no.

  The forgetting to turn off condition determining means detects a completion of a lane change to an adjacent lane adjacent to the current driving lane of the vehicle and adjacent to the lighting instruction direction of the direction indicator lamp. When it is determined that there is no adjacent lane, it is determined that the forgetting-off condition is satisfied, and when it is determined that there is a new adjacent lane on the lighting instruction direction side, the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied. On the other hand, if the completion of the execution of the lane change is not detected, it can be determined that the forgetting to erase condition is not satisfied. In this case, the lighting instruction direction specifying means for specifying the lighting instruction direction of the direction indicator lamp, the traveling lane specifying means for specifying the current traveling lane of the vehicle on the traveling road of the vehicle, and the specified in the traveling road Adjacent lane presence determination means for determining the presence or absence of an adjacent lane excluding the opposite lane adjacent to the travel lane, and lane change completion detection means for detecting the completion of the lane change from the current travel lane of the vehicle to the adjacent lane The forgetting-off condition determination means performs the above-described determination related to the forgetting-off condition based on the identification result, the determination result, and the detection result. According to this configuration, after a lane change is made, if it is desired to change the lane again in the same direction, it is determined that there is a new adjacent lane, the blinking of the direction indicator light is maintained, and the new adjacent lane is If there is not, the turn-off of the direction indicator lamp or a turn-off proposal is made, so that forgetting to turn off can be prevented. Also, if the lane change is not made, the direction indicator light will not be turned off or no suggestion will be made, so the direction indicator light will turn off without permission even though the driver intends to change lanes There is no.

  The lane change completion detection means includes a lane boundary specifying means for specifying a lane boundary line and a lane crossing movement specification for specifying that the vehicle has moved across the specified lane boundary line on the traveling road of the vehicle. And means. According to this configuration, when a white line or the like (lane boundary line) on the road is recognized and the vehicle moves from the left side area of the white line to the right side area after overlapping the white line, or conversely, the vehicle When the vehicle moves from the right side area to the left side area after overlapping the white line, it can be detected that the lane change has been completed. Specifically, it is configured to detect completion of lane change by image processing in the form of recognizing a white line or the like (lane boundary line) on the road based on an image taken by a photographing means for photographing the front or rear of the vehicle. it can.

  The forgetting to erase condition determination means of the present invention is a process in which measurement is started in the state where the vehicle holds the current lane and the lane changeable state is maintained and the lane changeable state is entered. When the period exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the forget-to-delete condition is satisfied, and when the period is not exceeded, it is determined that the forget-to-delete condition is not satisfied. In this case, the travel road of the vehicle is configured to include a travel lane identifying unit that identifies the current travel lane of the vehicle and a measurement unit that measures an elapsed period after the vehicle is in a lane changeable state. The forgetting-off condition determining means performs the above-described determination relating to the forgetting-off condition based on the identification result and the measurement result. According to this configuration, when a predetermined period of time has passed without changing the lane with the direction indicator lights on even though the vehicle can change lanes, it is determined that the direction indicator lights are forgotten to be turned off. Can be turned off or proposed to be turned off.

  The elapsed period can be determined based on the elapsed time after the vehicle is in a lane changeable state, the travel distance, the number of arrivals in the lane changeable state, and the like.

  The lane change possibility determination means of the present invention, when it is determined that there is an obstacle that prevents the lane change of the vehicle within a predetermined range of the driving lane on the lighting instruction side by the direction indicator lamp, It can be determined that the vehicle is not in a lane changeable state. In this case, the vehicle is configured to include an obstacle determination unit that determines whether there is an obstacle that hinders the lane change of the vehicle within a predetermined range of the driving lane on the lighting instruction side by the direction indicator lamp, The lane changeable determination means executes the lane changeable determination based on the result of the obstacle presence / absence determination. According to this configuration, for example, when there is a side-by-side vehicle that prevents lane change in the adjacent lane, this is detected as an obstacle and it is determined that the lane cannot be changed. . For example, even if there is a large amount of traffic in adjacent lanes and there is no lane change timing, the direction indicator lamp will not be turned off without permission even if a certain period has passed.

  The lane change possibility determination means of the present invention may determine that the vehicle is not in the lane changeable state when it is determined that the vehicle has approached the branch path to the predetermined distance. In this case, the vehicle is configured to include a branch path approach determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle has approached the branch path up to a predetermined distance, and the lane change possibility determination unit is configured based on the result of the branch path approach determination. A lane change possibility determination is performed. Since the lane change on the branch road is prohibited, the lane change possibility determination process can be simplified by determining that the lane change is not possible when the branch road approaches. In addition, the situation where the direction indicator lamp is turned on on the branch road is highly likely to be related to a right or left turn. For general left and right turns, it is important to consider forgetting to turn off in such a scene because the direction indicator light automatically turns off as the steering angle of the steering wheel returns to the predetermined angle position when the right or left turn is completed. It is not necessary to see, but rather, it is provided with a branch passage detection means for detecting passage of a branch road, and whether or not the vehicle is in a lane changeable state by a lane change possibility determination means after the branch road passage is detected The determination as to whether or not the vehicle satisfies the predetermined forgetting-off condition can be resumed by the forgetting-off condition determining means.

  The forgetting-off condition determining means of the present invention can determine that the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied when it is determined that the vehicle has approached a predetermined distance on a highway to a predetermined distance. In this case, the vehicle is provided with high-speed doorway approach determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle has approached a predetermined distance on a highway, and the forgetting-off condition determining means is based on the result of the doorway approach determination. Then, the forgetting to erase condition determination is performed. Here, the predetermined entrance / exit on the expressway includes a branch / junction point such as a parking area, a service area, an interchange, a junction, and an express bus stop. In the vicinity of these sections, there is a high probability of changing the lane to the overtaking lane in order to avoid vehicles traveling in the branching direction or merging vehicles, so there is a possibility that the lit direction indicator lights are intentionally made high. According to the above configuration, the direction indicator lamp is not turned off without permission in such a situation.

  In the present invention, the vehicle is provided with highway travel specifying means for specifying that the vehicle is traveling on an expressway, and the turn-off control means switches the lighted direction indicator lamp to off, and the switching Implementation of either or both of the proposed notifications may be performed only when the vehicle is traveling on the expressway. Alternatively, when the forgetting-off condition determining means determines that the forgetting-off condition is satisfied when the vehicle is traveling on the expressway, and the vehicle is not traveling on the expressway, It may be determined that the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied. Whether or not the vehicle is on an expressway can be easily grasped by a navigation device or the like, and the configuration can be simplified by implementing the characteristic function of the present invention only on the expressway. In addition, since the problem of the present invention is likely to occur in a vehicle traveling on an expressway, a sufficient effect can be expected even when the function of the feature is limited to the expressway.

  One embodiment of a direction indicator lamp control device of the present invention is described based on a drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the vehicular direction indicator lamp control device of the present embodiment. A direction indicator lamp control device 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a direction indicator lamp (turn lamp) 11 that instructs the controller 10 to turn on the left and right directions of the vehicle, and a direction indicator lamp operation unit (turn) of the left and right direction indicator lamps 11. Lane boundary on the road on which the vehicle 2 travels, the ramp SW) 12, the adjacent lane obstacle detection unit 13 that identifies the presence of the obstacle 3 (see FIG. 4) on the adjacent lane that prevents the vehicle 2 from changing lanes A proposal comprising one or both of a lane boundary detection unit 14 for identifying the line 4 (for example, a white line), a known vehicle speed sensor (vehicle speed detection unit) 15 for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2, and a display device and an audio output device. The output unit 16 and the navigation device 17 are configured to be communicably connected.

  The direction indicator lamp (turn lamp) 11 includes a left direction indicator lamp 11L and a right direction indicator lamp 11R, and is provided outside the vehicle on the left and right sides.

  The direction indicator lamp operation unit (turn lamp SW) 12 includes a left side lighting operation unit for lighting (flashing) the left direction indicator lamp 11L, and a right side lighting operation unit for lighting (flashing) the right direction indicator lamp 11R. Is provided.

  The adjacent lane obstacle detection unit 13 detects the presence or absence of an obstacle 3 that prevents the vehicle 2 from changing lanes within a predetermined range of the adjacent lane adjacent to the lighting instruction side by the turn signal lamp 11. It is. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a lateral photographing camera (vehicle lateral photographing means) whose photographing range is the left and right sides and the left and right rear sides (including the left and right front sides) of the vehicle 2 An obstacle identifying unit that identifies, by pattern matching, the presence of an obstacle 3 such as a side-by-side vehicle that prevents a lane change on the adjacent lane on the side of the vehicle 2 based on a captured image captured by the camera; , And the identification result (obstacle identification result) is output to the control device 10. The control device 10 determines the presence of the obstacle 3 based on the identification result (obstacle determination means). In place of the side photographing camera, a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a sonar or the like that uses the left and right sides and the left and right rear sides (including the left and right front sides) of the vehicle 2 as the obstacle detection range is used. Thus, the presence of the obstacle 3 on the adjacent lane may be specified.

  The lane boundary detection unit 14 identifies and detects the lane boundary 4 that is close to a predetermined range of the vehicle 2 on the traveling road of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, a road surface photographing camera (traveling road surface photographing means) for photographing a road surface in front (or rear) of the vehicle 2 in a form including the front end portion (or rear end portion) of the vehicle 2 and the camera. And a lane boundary recognition unit that recognizes and identifies the lane boundary 4 on the road based on the captured image, and outputs the recognition result (lane boundary detection result) to the control device 10. Is done.

  The proposal output unit 16 includes one or both of a well-known display device and a sound output device mounted on the vehicle 2. Note that these may also be used as a display device and an audio output device of the navigation device 17.

  The navigation device 17 has a control unit including a well-known CPU, ROM, and RAM, and performs control using a navigation program and map data stored in the predetermined storage unit 17b. Furthermore, a position detector 17a for detecting the current position of the host vehicle 2 is provided.

  The position detector 17a has a known geomagnetic sensor, a gyroscope that detects the rotational angular velocity of the vehicle, a distance sensor that detects the travel distance of the vehicle, and a GPS receiver that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. Configured.

  When the route guidance process is selected from the menu by executing the above navigation program, the navigation device 17 performs the following process. That is, first, the destination setting by the user is accepted. When the destination is set, the current position of the vehicle is obtained by the position detector 17a, and a process for obtaining an optimum guide route from the current position to the destination is performed. A technique such as the Dijkstra method is known as a technique for automatically setting an optimum guide route. Then, a road map based on the map data is displayed on a screen of a predetermined display device, and the obtained guide route and the current position are displayed on the road map so as to guide the user to an appropriate route. The route guidance is performed in such a manner that a message corresponding to the guidance at the time of operation or the operation state is notified by either or both of display and voice. When the route guidance process is not selected, a road map based on the map data is displayed on the screen of the display device, and the current position obtained by the position detector 17a is displayed on the road map, and if necessary Information notification.

  The map data stored in the navigation device is a map database including road information representing road connections. Map data stores predetermined map image information for display, and link information (predetermined section information constituting each road, including position coordinates, distance, required time, road width, number of lanes, speed limit, Road network information including road type information and node information (information specifying branch roads (branch roads, etc., including position coordinates, number of right / left turn lanes, connecting road links, etc.)) In addition, additional information such as information on the surrounding facilities of the road and information on surrounding display objects is also stored.

  The control device 10 includes a known CPU, ROM, and RAM. The corresponding direction indicator lamp 11 (11L or 11R) is turned on (flashing) based on the lighting operation to the direction indicator lamp operation section 12, and is turned on based on the extinguishing operation to the direction indicator lamp operation section 12. Lighting control is performed to turn off the direction indicator lamp 11 (11L or 11R).

  However, in the control device 10 of the present invention, a process as shown in FIG. 2 is performed as a process for preventing the direction indicator lamp from being turned off. Specifically, this process is performed in such a manner that the CPU of the control unit 10 executes a program stored in a predetermined storage unit. The control unit 10 functions as an extinguishing control unit by performing the processing.

  In S <b> 1, the control device 10 determines whether one of the left and right direction indicator lamps 11 is turned on (direction indicator lamp lighting determination unit). Whether or not the direction indicator lamp 11 is in the lighting state (flashing state) can be determined from the lighting operation state of the direction indicator lamp operation unit 12 or the control state of the left or right direction indicator lamp 11. it can. When it is determined that the direction indicator lamp 11 is not lit, the process proceeds to S9, a count value (described later) stored in a predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 is cleared, and this process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that the direction indicator lamp 11 is turned on, the process proceeds to S2.

  In S2, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 2 is in a lane changeable state. Here, the control device 10 performs the determination in the form of performing the lane change possibility determination process shown in FIG.

  In S11 of FIG. 3, the lane number information included in the road information of the road on which the vehicle 2 is currently traveling is acquired from the navigation device 17 by communication. And based on the said information, the number of lanes except the opposite lane of the present driving road is specified (lane number specifying means). In subsequent S12, when the specified number of lanes is specified as 1, the process proceeds to S20, where it is determined that the vehicle 2 is not in a lane changeable state, and whether or not the lane change is provided in the predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 Information indicating that the lane cannot be changed is stored in the information section, and the present process is terminated. On the other hand, in S12, when the number of specified lanes is specified as a plurality rather than one, the process proceeds to S13.

  In S13, the navigation device 17 calculates the reach distance information to the branch road existing in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, which is calculated based on the current position of the vehicle 2 and the branch road position information around the vehicle 2, from the navigation device 17. Get communication. Then, based on the reach distance information, it is determined whether or not a branch path exists within a predetermined distance in the vehicle traveling direction (branch path approach determination means). In S14, if it is determined that there is a branch road within a predetermined distance, the process proceeds to S20, where it is determined that the vehicle 2 is not in a lane changeable state, and the lane change provided in the predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 is determined. Information indicating that the lane cannot be changed is stored in the availability information storage unit, and this process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in S14 that there is no branch path within the predetermined distance, the process proceeds to S15.

  In S15, the lighting instruction direction of the direction indicator lamp is specified based on the lighting operation state of the direction indicator lamp operation unit 12 or the control state of the left or right direction indicator lamp 11 (lighting instruction direction specifying means). In subsequent S16, it is determined whether or not there is an adjacent lane on the lighting instruction direction side of the direction indicator lamp (adjacent lane presence determination means). Specifically, since the navigation device 17 specifies the lane in which the vehicle 2 is currently traveling based on the detection result of the position detection unit 17a and the stored map data (traveling lane specifying means) ), The lane information of the current traveling road of the vehicle 2 and the traveling lane identifying information for identifying the lane on the traveling road are acquired from the navigation device 17, and based on these, the lighting instruction direction side of the direction indicator lamp The presence or absence of an adjacent lane adjacent to is determined. If it is determined in S16 that there is an adjacent lane on the lighting instruction direction side, the process proceeds to S20, where it is determined that the vehicle 2 is not in a lane changeable state, and the lane provided in the predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 Information indicating that the lane cannot be changed is stored in the change enable / disable information storage unit, and this process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in S16 that there is no adjacent lane on the lighting instruction direction side, the process proceeds to S17. In addition, the existence determination of the adjacent lane is performed by specifying another lane boundary line 4 further away from the lane boundary line 4 of the current traveling lane based on the image captured by the side photographic camera of the adjacent lane obstacle detection unit 13. In this case, it may be determined that there is an adjacent lane.

  In S17, the detection result of the adjacent lane obstacle detection unit 13 is acquired. In subsequent S18, as shown in FIG. 4, on the basis of the detection result, an obstacle 3 such as a side-by-side vehicle that prevents the vehicle from changing the lane of the vehicle within a predetermined range of the lane on the lighting instruction side by the direction indicator lamp. Presence / absence (presence) is determined (obstacle determination means). If the obstacle 3 is present, the process proceeds to S20, where it is determined that the vehicle 2 is not in a lane changeable state, and the lane change enable / disable information storage unit provided in the predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 is not updated. Information indicating the possibility is stored, and the present process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in S18 that the obstacle 3 does not exist, the process proceeds to S19, where information indicating that the lane can be changed is stored in the lane change enable / disable information storage unit, and this process ends.

  Returning to FIG. In S3, based on the result of the process in S2, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 2 is in a lane changeable state (lane changeable determination means). Here, the determination is made with reference to the storage contents of the above-described lane change possibility information storage unit. If it is determined that the vehicle is not in a lane changeable state, the process proceeds to S9, a count value (described later) stored in a predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 is cleared, and the present process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle is in a lane changeable state, the process proceeds to S4.

  In S4, it is determined whether or not the vehicle satisfies a predetermined first forgetting-off condition (first forgetting-off condition determining means). The first forgetting to erase condition is that the vehicle 2 completes the lane change from the current travel lane to the adjacent lane adjacent to the travel lane. This lane change completion detection is performed by the control device 10 in the form of performing the lane change execution determination process shown in FIG. 5 (lane change completion detection means).

  In S21 of FIG. 5, the lane boundary line 4 is detected by the lane boundary line detection unit (lane boundary line specifying means) 14. In the subsequent S22, as shown in FIG. 6, it is specified that the host vehicle 2 has moved so as to cross the detected lane boundary line 4 (lane crossing movement specifying means). In the present embodiment, whether or not the vehicle 2 has crossed the lane boundary line 4 is determined based on a captured image captured by the road surface camera when detecting the lane boundary line 4 on the road. Specifically, the front end portion (or the rear end portion) of the vehicle 2 recognized on the photographed image of the road surface camera overlaps the lane boundary line from the region on the left side with respect to the lane boundary line 4 also recognized. When the vehicle moves to the right region through the state, or conversely, the front end portion (or the rear end portion) of the vehicle 2 overlaps the lane boundary line 4 from the right region of the lane boundary line 4, When moving to the left area, it is detected that the lane change is complete.

  If the completion of the lane change is detected in S22, the process proceeds to S23, and information indicating the completion of the lane change execution is stored in the lane change execution information storage unit provided in the predetermined storage unit of the control device 10, and this processing is performed. Exit. On the other hand, if the completion of the lane change is not detected in S22, the process proceeds to S24, where information indicating the lane change execution implementation (incomplete) is stored in the lane change execution information storage unit, and this process is terminated. .

  Returning to FIG. In S5, based on the detection result in S4, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 2 has completed the lane change, in other words, whether or not the first forgetting-off condition is satisfied. Here, the determination is made with reference to the storage contents of the above-described lane change execution information storage unit. When it is determined that the lane change has been performed and the first forgetting to turn off condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to S9, the count value (described later) stored in the predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 is cleared, and this process is ended. To do. On the other hand, if it is determined that the lane change is not performed and the first forgetting to erase condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to S6, and the count value stored in the predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 is counted up (measurement means). ).

  In subsequent S7, it is determined whether or not the vehicle satisfies a predetermined second forgetting-off condition (second forgetting-off condition determining means). The second forgetting to erase condition is that the predetermined period elapses while the vehicle 2 holds the current travel lane and the lane changeable state is maintained. Here, when the count value stored in the predetermined storage unit of the control apparatus 10 exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that the predetermined period has elapsed, and thereby the second forgetting to turn off condition is satisfied. It is determined that If it is determined that the second forgetting to erase condition is not satisfied, the process returns to S1, and if it is determined that the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to S8.

  In S <b> 8, one or both of turning off the direction indicator lamp 11 that is turned on (flashing) and turning off the suggestion notification of turning off is performed in the proposal output unit 16. The suggestion notification of turning off can be performed by either or both of voice and screen display. Then, the process proceeds to S9, a count value (described later) stored in a predetermined storage unit of the control device 10 is cleared, and this process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S7 that the second forgetting-off condition is not satisfied, the process returns to S1. In S1, the turn-off operation for turning off the turn signal lamp 11 has been performed since it was determined that the turn signal lamp 11 was turned on in the previous S1, and it has been determined that the turn signal light is turned off. If so, the process proceeds to S2. In subsequent S3, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 2 is in a lane changeable state. If the lane changeable state continues, the process proceeds to S4. Further, in S5, if the state where the lane change has not been performed continues, the process proceeds to S6, and the count-up process is performed. In subsequent S7, if it is determined that the second forgetting to erase condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to S8. If it is determined that the second forgetting to erase condition is not satisfied, the process returns to S1 again. The above process is repeated.

  Note that the processing in FIG. 2 is repeatedly performed at a predetermined cycle even after completion.

  According to the above-described embodiment, after the turn-on lamp 11 is turned on, the turn-off or turn-off proposal of the turn signal lamp 11 is performed when a predetermined period has passed without changing the lane. However, if the lane change is not carried out because the adjacent lane that is the target of the lane change is crowded, it is determined that the user has intentionally continued lighting and the direction is The turn-off or turn-off proposal of the indicator lamp 11 is not implemented. When the lane change is made, the turn-off of the direction indicator lamp 11 and the turn-off proposal are immediately implemented, and the subsequent turn-off of the direction indicator lamp 11 is prevented.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, these are only illustrations to the last, and this invention is not limited to these, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning of a claim. is there.

  For example, in the above embodiment, when the lane change is made, the turn-off of the turn signal lamp 11 and the turn-off proposal are immediately implemented, and the subsequent turn-off of the turn signal lamp 11 is prevented. After the change is made, if the lane change in the same direction as that of the lane change side is possible and the predetermined period has not elapsed, the turn-off of the direction indicator lamp 11 or the turn-off proposal may not be performed. it can. Specifically, the processing in FIG. 2 can be changed to the processing in FIG. In this case, when it is detected that the lane change to the adjacent lane on the direction of lighting direction direction of the direction indicator lamp 11 is detected (S5: No), the count value is always cleared (S9), and the lane change is completed. The turn-off of the direction indicator lamp 11 and the turn-off proposal are not carried out. That is, the forgetting to turn off condition in the process of FIG. 7 is that the predetermined period elapses while the vehicle holds the current traveling lane and the lane changeable state is held.

  Further, the processing in FIG. 2 may be changed to the processing in FIG. In the process of FIG. 8, when the completion of the lane change is detected (S5: No), it is determined whether or not there is a new adjacent lane on the lighting instruction direction side of the current direction indicator lamp 11 (S10). ) If it is determined that there is a new adjacent lane (S10: YES), it is determined that the forgetting to turn off condition is not satisfied because there may be a lane change to that lane, and the turn-off indicator 11 is turned off. If it is determined that there is no new adjacent lane (S10: No) without performing the turn-off proposal (proceed to S9), it is determined that the forgetting to turn-off condition is satisfied and the turn-off or turn-off proposal for the direction indicator lamp 11 is made. (S8). On the other hand, if the completion of the lane change is not detected, it is determined at this stage that it is determined that the forgetting to turn off condition is not satisfied (proceed to S6). That is, in this case, the first forgetting to turn off condition is a condition related to the lane change execution, and the lane change to the lighting instruction direction side of the direction indicator lamp 11 is executed, and after the execution, the direction indicator lamp 11 is turned on. There is no new adjacent lane on the direction side, and the second condition to forget to erase is a condition related to the passage of a certain period of time, and the lane can be changed while the vehicle holds the current driving lane The predetermined period elapses while the state is maintained.

  Further, the processing in FIG. 2 may be changed to the processing in FIG. 9 is the same as S1 to S4 in FIG. 2, but when the lane change is completed in S105, the turn-off lamp 11 is proposed to be turned off or turned off in S106. When the lane change is not performed, the turn-off of the direction indicator lamp 11 and the turn-off proposal are not performed. That is, the forgetting to turn off condition here is that the completion of the lane change to the adjacent lane on the direction indicating lighting direction direction of the direction indicator lamp is detected.

  By the way, in the embodiments described so far, the elapse of the predetermined period is defined as a period until the count value stored in the control device 10 exceeds the predetermined value, but is defined as a period different from this. Also good. For example, one or both of the elapsed time and the travel distance after the vehicle 2 is in the lane changeable state is measured, and the vehicle 2 holds the current travel lane and the lane changeable state is maintained. If either or both of the elapsed time and the mileage that have been started to measure as the lane changeable state remains in the state exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the forgetting to turn off condition is satisfied, and the threshold If it does not exceed, it can be determined that the condition to forget to erase is not satisfied. The elapsed time is measured by providing a timer function in the control device 10 and starting the measurement as the lane changeable state is specified. In addition, the travel distance is measured by providing a timer function in the control device 10 so that the measurement starts as the lane changeable state is specified, and is integrated based on the measured time and the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 15. Configure. However, the measured elapsed time or travel distance is reset at the timing as shown in FIGS. In addition to the above, the elapsed period can also be determined as the number of arrivals of the lane changeable state (one count when the lane changeable state is changed to the lane changeable state).

  In addition, the branch road in the processing of FIG. 3 may be a branch road such as a three-way road or an intersection on a general road. In addition, a predetermined entrance / exit on a highway (for example, a parking area, a service area, an interchange, a junction, etc.) Branching / merging points). Since the navigation device 17 calculates the reach distance to the doorway based on the current position of the vehicle 2 and the position information of the predetermined doorway on the highway, the control device 10 performs the processing in FIG. The step of acquiring the reach distance information calculated by the navigation device 17 and, based on the step, determine whether or not the doorway exists within a predetermined distance in the vehicle traveling direction (specific identification of highway doorway approach) Means) When the vehicle 2 approaches within a predetermined distance of the doorway, a step of determining that the vehicle 2 is not in a lane changeable state is added. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the turn signal lamp from being turned off arbitrarily even in a predetermined entrance / exit section on the expressway.

  In the present invention, the control device 10 acquires from the navigation device 17 the road type information included in the road information of the road on which the vehicle 2 is currently traveling, and the road type specified based on the road type information is determined. Whether or not it is an expressway may be specified (highway travel specifying means), and the direction indicator lamp 11 may be turned off or turned off only when it is specified as an expressway.

The block diagram which shows roughly the engagement direction indicator light control apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the forgetting to turn off of a direction indicator lamp. The flowchart which shows an example of a lane change possibility determination process. The figure explaining the lane change possibility determination method. The flowchart which shows an example of a lane change implementation determination process. The figure explaining the implementation determination method of a lane change. The flowchart which shows the flow of the forgetting to turn off direction indicator lamp different from FIG. The flowchart which shows the flow of the forgetting to turn off directional indicator lamp different from FIG.2 and FIG.7. The flowchart which shows the flow of the forgetting to turn off directional indicator lamp different from FIG.2, FIG.7, FIG.8.

Explanation of symbols

1 Direction indicator control device 2 Vehicle 3 Obstacle (Parallel vehicle etc.)
4 Lane boundary 10 Control device (light-off control means)
11 Direction indicator (turn lamp)
12 Direction indicator operation section (turn lamp SW)
13 Adjacent lane obstacle detection unit 14 Lane boundary detection unit (lane boundary specifying means)
15 Vehicle speed sensor (vehicle speed detector)
16 Proposal output unit 17 Navigation device 17a Position detector 17b Storage unit

Claims (12)

Direction indicator lights that indicate the left and right directions of the vehicle,
A lane changeable determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in a lane changeable state;
Forgetting-off condition determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle satisfies a predetermined forgetting-off condition;
When the direction indicator lamp is lit, and when it is determined that the lane change is possible, the directional indicator lamp that is lit is switched off and switched when the forgetting to turn off condition is satisfied. A turn-off control means for performing either or both of the proposal notifications of
A direction indicator lamp control device comprising: In the travel road of the vehicle, comprising lane number specifying means for specifying the number of travel lanes excluding the oncoming lane,
The direction indicator lamp control device according to claim 1, wherein the lane change possibility determination means determines that the vehicle is not in the lane changeable state when the number of travel lanes is specified as one. A travel lane identifying means for identifying the current travel lane of the vehicle on the travel road of the vehicle;
In the travel road, the adjacent lane presence determination means for determining the presence or absence of the adjacent lane excluding the opposite lane adjacent to the identified travel lane,
The direction indicator lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lane changeable determination means determines that the vehicle is not in the lane changeable state when it is determined that there is no adjacent lane. Control device. A lighting instruction direction specifying means for specifying a lighting instruction direction of the direction indicator lamp;
The said lane change possible determination means determines that the said vehicle is not in the said lane change possible state, when it determines with the said adjacent lane not being in the specified said lighting instruction | indication direction side. Direction indicator light control device. Lane change completion detection means for detecting completion of lane change from the current driving lane of the vehicle to the adjacent lane,
The forgetting to erase condition determining means determines that the forgetting to erase condition is satisfied when the completion of the execution of the lane change is detected, and does not satisfy the forgetting to delete condition when the completion of the execution of the lane change is not detected. The direction indicator lamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the direction indicator lamp control device is determined. Lighting instruction direction specifying means for specifying the lighting instruction direction of the direction indicator lamp;
Lane change completion detection means for detecting completion of lane change from the current driving lane of the vehicle to the adjacent lane, and
The forgetting to erase condition determining means determines that the forgetting to erase condition is satisfied when the completion of the execution of the lane change to the specified lighting instruction direction is detected, and the completion of the execution of the lane change is not detected The direction indicator lamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein it is determined that the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied. Lighting instruction direction specifying means for specifying the lighting instruction direction of the direction indicator lamp;
A travel lane identifying means for identifying the current travel lane of the vehicle on the travel road of the vehicle;
In the travel road, adjacent lane presence determination means for determining the presence or absence of an adjacent lane excluding the opposite lane adjacent to the identified travel lane,
Lane change completion detection means for detecting completion of lane change from the current driving lane of the vehicle to the adjacent lane, and
The forgetting to turn off condition determining means, when it is determined that there is no new adjacent lane on the lighting instruction direction side when the completion of execution of the lane change to the specified lighting instruction direction side is detected. When it is determined that the forgetting-off condition is satisfied and it is determined that there is a new adjacent lane on the lighting instruction direction side, it is determined that the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied, and the specified The direction indication according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the completion of the lane change to the lighting indication direction side is not detected, it is determined that the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied. Light control device. A travel lane identifying means for identifying the current travel lane of the vehicle on the travel road of the vehicle;
Measuring means for measuring an elapsed period after the vehicle is in the lane changeable state,
The forgetting-off condition determining means starts measuring as the vehicle is in a state where the current lane can be changed, while the lane changeable state is maintained and the lane changeable state is maintained. 2. If the elapsed period exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the forget-to-delete condition is satisfied, and if it does not exceed the threshold, it is determined that the forget-to-delete condition is not satisfied. The direction indicator light control device according to any one of claims 7 to 9. The vehicle comprises obstacle determination means for determining whether or not there is an obstacle that prevents a lane change of the vehicle within a predetermined range of the driving lane on the lighting instruction side by the direction indicator lamp,
The lane change possibility determination means determines that the vehicle is not in the lane changeable state when it is determined that the obstacle exists. The direction indicator light control device described. A branch path approach determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle has approached the branch path to a predetermined distance;
10. The lane changeable determination means determines that the vehicle is not in the lane changeable state when it is determined that the vehicle has approached the predetermined distance to the branch road. The direction indicator light control device according to any one of the above. High speed doorway approach determining means for determining whether the vehicle has approached a predetermined distance on a highway to a predetermined distance;
11. The forgetting-off condition determining means determines that the forgetting-off condition is not satisfied when it is determined that a predetermined distance has been approached to the doorway. The direction indicator control device according to the item. Comprising highway travel identifying means for identifying that the vehicle is traveling on a highway,
The extinguishing control means determines that the vehicle is traveling on the expressway, and either or both of switching to turning off the direction indicator lamp that is on and suggesting the switching are performed. The direction indicator lamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which is implemented only in a case.

Images