JP2019159541A - Driving support device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a driving support device and improves the convenience of automatic lane change. A driving support device that performs an automatic lane change based on an instruction of an occupant includes a determination unit, a calculation unit, and a control unit. The determination unit 3 permits the automatic lane change when there is no other vehicle within at least a predetermined distance from the own vehicle among the adjacent lanes to which the automatic lane change is to be made. The calculation unit 4 calculates a relative speed and a relative distance of another vehicle existing outside the range. The control unit 5 controls a transition speed that is a speed in the vehicle width direction at the time of the automatic lane change. Further, the control unit 5 decreases the transition speed as the relative distance decreases, and increases the transition speed as the absolute value of the relative speed decreases. [Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device that performs an automatic lane change based on an instruction from a passenger.

  Conventionally, it has been proposed to improve the convenience of automatic driving by reflecting an occupant's input operation to automatic lane change (lane change control by automatic driving). For example, a vehicle control system has been proposed that automatically starts a lane change triggered by an occupant's blinker lever operation. It is also proposed that the driving support device proposes a lane change to the occupant and starts the lane change when the occupant agrees with the proposal. Thereby, the automatic lane change which a passenger | crew does not intend is prevented, and a passenger | crew's anxiety can be suppressed (refer patent document 1, 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-097495 JP 2016-071514

  In the existing automatic lane change, it is confirmed before the start of control that there is no other vehicle in the adjacent lane that is the destination of the lane change. That is, after confirming the safety around the host vehicle, the automatic lane change is started. Further, the transition speed from the currently traveling lane to the adjacent lane is set to a slow predetermined value in consideration of safety. Therefore, it takes a long time to complete the lane change after the lane change is possible, and there is room for improvement in improving convenience.

  One of the objects of the present case was invented in view of the above-described problems, and is to provide a driving assistance device that improves the convenience of automatic lane change. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this purpose, and is an operational effect that is derived from each configuration shown in “Mode for Carrying Out the Invention” to be described later. Can be positioned as a purpose.

  (1) The disclosed driving assistance device is a driving assistance device that performs an automatic lane change based on an instruction from an occupant. The apparatus includes a determination unit that permits the automatic lane change when there is no other vehicle at least within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle among adjacent lanes to which the automatic lane change is to be transferred. In addition, a calculation unit that calculates a relative speed and a relative distance of the other vehicle existing outside the range is provided. Furthermore, a control unit for controlling a transition speed, which is a speed in the vehicle width direction at the time of the automatic lane change, is provided. The control unit decreases the transition speed as the relative distance is smaller, and increases the transition speed as the absolute value of the relative speed is smaller.

(2) It is preferable that the control unit corrects the transition speed in an increasing direction when the relative speed of the other vehicle positioned ahead of the host vehicle has a positive value.
(3) It is preferable that the calculation unit corrects the transition speed in the increasing direction when the relative speed of the other vehicle located behind the host vehicle has a negative value.

(4) It is preferable to provide a database for determining a reference value for the transition speed for each predetermined section of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling. Further, it is preferable that the control unit sets the transition speed based on the reference value acquired from the current position information of the host vehicle and the database.
(5) It is preferable that the reference value of a section adjacent to an intersection among the predetermined sections registered in the database is 0.

  By controlling the transition speed based on the relative speed and relative distance of other vehicles that are outside the range of the predetermined distance from the host vehicle, the lane change speed is set according to the congestion status of the adjacent lanes and the traveling status of the other vehicles. And convenience can be improved.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle to which the driving assistance apparatus of this embodiment is applied. It is a table | surface for demonstrating the reference value of the transition speed defined in the database. It is a figure for demonstrating the implementation conditions of an automatic lane change. It is a graph which concerns on the setting of the target value of transition speed, (A) shows the relationship between a relative distance and a 1st gain, (B) shows the relationship between the absolute value of a relative speed, and a 2nd gain, (C ) Shows the relationship between the vehicle speed and the third gain. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the flow of control implemented by a driving assistance device.

  Hereinafter, an automatic driving control device 1 (driving support device) as an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and there is no intention of excluding various modifications and technical applications that are not explicitly described in the following embodiment. Each configuration of the present embodiment can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. Further, they can be selected as necessary, or can be appropriately combined.

[1. Device configuration]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle 10 (own vehicle) to which the automatic driving control device 1 is applied. The vehicle 10 is provided with a positioning device 11, a communication device 12, a radar device 13, a touch panel 14, and a blinker lever 15. These devices 11 to 15 function as input devices of the automatic operation control device 1. Further, a drive device 21, a brake device 22, a steering device 23, a display 24, and a blinker 25 are provided as output devices (control objects) of the automatic driving control device 1.

  The positioning device 11 is an electronic control device for measuring the current position of the vehicle 10 based on detection information such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. . Information on the current position measured here is transmitted to the automatic operation control device 1 as needed. The communication device 12 is an electronic control device for communicating with other vehicles and the server 7 by wireless communication via the network 6. A migration speed database 8 is provided on the server 7.

The transition speed database 8 is a database that determines a reference value (reference transition speed V _H ) for the transition speed for each predetermined section of the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling. The transition speed is a movement speed in the vehicle width direction at the time of automatic lane change. For example, if the width of the lane is 3.75 [m] (Shintomei Expressway, etc.), the transition speed will be 1.25 [m] if the time from the start of movement for lane change to the end is 3 seconds. / s] (4.5 [km / h]).

FIG. 2 illustrates the relationship between the road section defined in the transition speed database 8 and the reference transition speed V _H. The section is defined by, for example, a start point and an end point, and each position is specified by latitude and longitude. Also, for each segment, the migration rate suitable for automatic lane change at the interval, is set as the reference migration velocity V _H. Furthermore, the value of the reference transition speed V _H is set to 0 for the section where automatic lane change is prohibited. Examples of sections where automatic lane changes are prohibited include sections adjacent to intersections (sections where the start point or end point is an intersection) or sections near intersections (the number of nodes from the start point or end point to the intersection is less than a predetermined number) A certain section).

The automatic operation control device 1 of the present embodiment refers not only to the transition speed database 8 but also to the target value of the transition speed (target transition speed V _HT in consideration of the vehicle speed of the host vehicle and the traveling state of other vehicles. ) Is set. Further, at the time of automatic lane change, the driving force, braking force, steering angle, etc. of the vehicle 10 are controlled so that the actual transition speed matches the target value. In other words, actual migration rate, not only determined by the reference migration velocity V _H prescribed in migration rates database 8 it is determined according to the running state of the vehicle and the other vehicle.

  The radar device 13 is a distance measuring device that detects a relative distance to other vehicles existing around the vehicle 10. The radar device 13 has a function of irradiating a wide range from diagonally forward to diagonally rear and receiving the reflected wave for each of the left and right sides of the vehicle 10. Based on the reflection time of the received wave, the phase difference of the received wave with respect to the transmitted wave, the relative distance to the object that reflected the reflected wave is grasped. Further, the relative speed of the object is grasped from the change in the distance per unit time. The direction of the object is grasped from the transmission direction of the transmission wave and the reception direction of the reflected wave. Information such as the relative distance, relative speed, and azimuth obtained here is transmitted to the automatic operation control device 1 as needed. Specific examples of the radar device 13 include a millimeter wave radar and a microwave radar.

The display 24 is a display device installed in the passenger compartment, and is a flat display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The touch panel 14 is an input device for detecting an input operation on the surface of the display 24.
The blinker 25 is a flashing direction indicator light attached to the outer surface of the vehicle 10 and is attached at a symmetrical position. For example, the vehicle 10 is disposed at the front end, rear end, side surface, door mirror, or the like. The winker lever 15 is a lever type switch for operating the winker 25. When the automatic operation is not performed, when the blinker lever 15 is operated, the blinker 25 corresponding to the operation direction starts to light up immediately. On the other hand, when the automatic operation is performed, the operation of the blinker lever 15 becomes a trigger for the automatic lane change.

  The drive device 21 controls the driving force of the vehicle 10, and includes, for example, an engine (internal combustion engine), an electric motor, an engine ECU (Electronic Control Unit), a motor ECU, and the like. The brake device 22 controls the braking force of the vehicle 10 and includes, for example, a hydraulic brake device, an air brake device, a brake ECU, and the like. The steering device 23 controls the steering angle, and includes wheels, a steering actuator, a steering ECU, and the like.

[2. Control configuration]
The automatic operation control device 1 is an electronic control device (computer) for performing an automatic lane change. The automatic operation control device 1 includes a processor (central processing unit), a memory (main memory), a storage device (storage), an interface device, and the like, which are connected to each other via an internal bus. Further, the automatic operation control device 1 is provided with a detection unit 2, a determination unit 3, a calculation unit 4, and a control unit 5. These elements are classified functions of the automatic operation control device 1 for convenience, and each element may be described as an independent program, or described as a composite program having these functions. May be.

  The detection unit 2 acquires various information used at the time of automatic lane change. First, the detection unit 2 has a function of detecting that an automatic lane change instruction has been given by the occupant based on the state of the blinker lever 15. When an automatic lane change instruction is given, the lane change direction (right direction or left direction) is detected from the operating state of the blinker lever 15. The detection unit 2 acquires information on the current position of the vehicle 10 measured by the positioning device 11 and also acquires information on the vehicle speed. The vehicle speed may be a detection value of a vehicle speed sensor, or may be calculated based on the movement amount and movement time of the current position measured by the positioning device 11.

Further, the detection unit 2 refers to the transition speed database 8 and acquires information on the reference transition speed V _H corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 10. The value of the reference transition speed V _H can vary as the travel zone of the vehicle 10 changes. Further, the detection unit 2 acquires information such as a relative distance, a relative speed, and an azimuth angle with respect to other surrounding vehicles detected by the radar device 13. The detection unit 2 acquires information on the relative distance and the relative speed for at least another vehicle existing in an adjacent lane that is the destination of the automatic lane change.

  The determination unit 3 permits the automatic lane change when there is no other vehicle within a predetermined distance from the vehicle 10 among the adjacent lanes to which the automatic lane change is to be made. Here, for example, in a top view as shown in FIG. 3, the automatic lane change is permitted only when there is no other vehicle in the adjacent lane included in the range centered on the vehicle 10 with the predetermined distance as the radius. . When the automatic lane change is performed, the vehicle 10 moves in the direction of the black arrow to the broken line position. At this time, the component in the black arrow direction in the moving speed of the vehicle 10 corresponds to the above-described transition speed. Note that automatic lane change is prohibited when there is another vehicle within a predetermined distance from the vehicle 10 in the adjacent lanes.

  The calculation unit 4 calculates a relative speed and a relative distance of another vehicle existing outside the predetermined distance from the vehicle 10. When there are a plurality of other vehicles, for example, the relative speed and the relative distance are calculated for each of the other vehicles 31, 32 in the adjacent lane shown in FIG. The other vehicle 31 is a preceding vehicle located ahead of the host vehicle 10 in the adjacent lane. On the other hand, the other vehicle 32 is a subsequent vehicle located behind the host vehicle 10 in the adjacent lane. In the present embodiment, other vehicles that exist in areas other than adjacent lanes are excluded from the relative speed and relative distance calculation targets. However, other vehicles existing in all lanes may be used as targets for calculating the relative speed and the relative distance.

The control unit 5 controls the transition speed at the time of automatic lane change. Here, the transition speed is controlled based on at least the relative distance and the relative speed calculated by the calculation unit 4. The control unit 5 has a function of decreasing the transition speed as the relative distance is smaller and increasing the transition speed as the absolute value of the relative speed is smaller. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, as the relative distance is smaller, the “first gain G ₁ ” that is one of the correction coefficients multiplied by the transition speed is set to decrease. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, as the absolute value of the relative speed is smaller, the “second gain G ₂ ” that is one of the correction coefficients multiplied by the transition speed is set to increase. When there are a plurality of other vehicles 31 and 32, gains G ₁ and G ₂ for the other vehicles 31 and 32 are set. The initial values of the gains G ₁ and G ₂ are G ₁ = G ₂ = 1. When the other vehicles 31 and 32 do not exist, the initial value is used.

  By decreasing the relative speed as the relative distance is smaller, a sudden change in the position of the vehicle 10 at the time of an automatic lane change is suppressed, and the other vehicles 31 and 32 can be alerted. Further, by increasing the transition speed as the absolute value of the relative speed is smaller, the relative position of the other vehicles 31, 32 existing around the vehicle 10 does not change (the position of the other vehicles 31, 32 as viewed from the vehicle 10). In a state where the vehicle has not changed, that is, in a state where the formation is stable), the automatic lane change can be completed quickly.

Upon setting the second gain G _2, the correction may be added in accordance with the relative position of the other vehicle 31 as well as the absolute value of the relative velocity. For example, when the relative speed of the other vehicle 31 positioned in front of the vehicle 10 in the adjacent lane has a positive value, the other vehicle 31 is moving away from the vehicle 10, and therefore, an automatic lane change may be performed quickly. Absent. Therefore, as indicated by the broken line in FIG. 4 (B), the second gain G ₂ may be set so that the migration speed is corrected in the increasing direction. That is, when the relative speed of the other vehicle 31 positioned ahead of the host vehicle has a positive value, the transition speed may be corrected in the increasing direction. Similarly, when the relative speed of the other vehicle 32 located behind the vehicle 10 in the adjacent lane has a negative value, the other vehicle 32 is moving away from the vehicle 10, so even if the automatic lane change is performed quickly. There is no problem. Therefore, as indicated by the broken line in FIG. 4 (B), the second gain G ₂ may be set so that the migration speed is corrected in the increasing direction. That is, when the relative speed of the other vehicle 32 located behind the host vehicle has a negative value, the transition speed may be corrected in the increasing direction.

In addition, the control unit 5 of the present embodiment also has a function of decreasing the transition speed as the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 increases. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, the “third gain G ₃ ”, which is one of the correction coefficients multiplied by the transition speed, decreases as the vehicle speed increases. In addition, a value obtained by multiplying the first gain G ₁ , the second gain G ₂ , and the third gain G ₃ by the reference transition speed V _H is calculated as the target transition speed V _HT . When a plurality of other vehicles 31, 32 are present, along with the target transition rate V _HT for each of the other vehicles 31, 32 is calculated, the average value thereof is calculated as the final target migration rate V _HT . The gains G _{1 to} G ₃ are set to have a value of 1 or less. That is, the upper limit value of the target transition speed V _HT is the reference transition speed V _H determined in the transition speed database 8. Such a setting prevents the target transition speed _VHT from excessively increasing and improves the stability of automatic lane change.

[3. flowchart]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a control procedure related to automatic lane change. This flow is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle when the vehicle 10 is being driven automatically. The detection unit 2 of the automatic driving control device 1 acquires information on the current position of the vehicle 10 and also acquires information on the vehicle speed (step A1). Further, the transition speed database 8 is accessed, and information on the reference transition speed V _H corresponding to the current position is acquired (step A2).

  Subsequently, information such as a relative distance, a relative speed, and an azimuth angle with respect to other surrounding vehicles 31, 32 detected by the radar device 13 is acquired (step A3). At this time, the automatic lane change has not started, and it is not specified whether the adjacent lane to which the automatic lane change is transferred is the left or right. Therefore, the detection unit 2 acquires the relative distance and the relative speed for all the other vehicles 31 and 32 existing in the left and right adjacent lanes.

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the winker lever 15 has been operated (step A4). If this condition is not satisfied, the automatic lane change is not started, and this flow ends. On the other hand, if this condition is satisfied, it is determined whether or not the reference transition speed V _H exceeds 0 (step A5). At this time, whether the adjacent lane is left or right is specified by the operation direction of the blinker lever 15. Here, if V _H = 0, the occupant is informed that the vehicle is a place where automatic lane change is not possible (step A6), and this flow ends. Thereby, for example, an automatic lane change near an intersection is prevented.

If V _H > 0 in step A5, the determination unit 3 confirms that there are no other vehicles 31, 32 within a predetermined distance from the vehicle 10 in the adjacent lane (step A7). If there are other vehicles 31 and 32 within the range, the process proceeds to step A6, where an automatic lane change is prevented. When there are no other vehicles 31, 32 in the vicinity of the vehicle 10, the calculation unit 4 calculates the relative distance and relative speed of the other vehicles 31, 32 located outside the range (step A8). Subsequently, the control unit 5 calculates the first gain G ₁ based on the relative distance, calculates the second gain G ₂ based on the absolute value of the relative speed, and calculates the third gain G ₃ based on the vehicle speed. (Step A9). When a plurality of other vehicles 31, 32 is present, the gain G _1, G ₂ for each of the other vehicles 31 and 32 are calculated separately.

Further, the target transition speed V _HT is calculated by multiplying the reference transition speed V _H by the first gain G ₁ , the second gain G ₂ , and the third gain G ₃ (step A10). When a plurality of other vehicles 31, 32 is present, calculates a target migration velocity V _HT for each of the other vehicles 31 and 32, it calculates the average value thereof. Thereafter, the controller 5 controls the driving force, braking force, steering angle, etc. of the vehicle 10 so that the actual transition speed matches the target transition speed _VHT . As a result, the automatic lane change is performed at a transition speed suitable for the section of the road on which the vehicle 10 travels and the traveling conditions of the other surrounding vehicles 31 and 32 (step A11).

[4. Action / Effect]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the distribution of the other vehicles 31 and 32 outside the range of the predetermined distance from the vehicle 10 is grasped, and the transition speed is reduced as the relative distance between the other vehicles 31 and 32 is smaller. Thereby, the sudden change of the position of the vehicle 10 can be suppressed, and the stability of the automatic lane change can be improved. Also, attention can be urged to other vehicles 31 and 32 in FIG. Therefore, the convenience of automatic lane change can be improved.

  Further, the transition speed is increased as the absolute value of the relative speed of the other vehicles 31 and 32 is smaller. That is, when the overall arrangement of the other surrounding vehicles 31 and 32 is stable, a quick automatic lane change is performed as compared with the unstable case. As a result, for example, a quick automatic lane change can be realized on an expressway in an urban area that tends to be constantly crowded. Therefore, the convenience of automatic lane change can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the first gain G ₁ , the second gain G ₂ , and the third gain G ₃ are set to have values of 1 or less. Further, a product of these gains G _{1 to} G ₃ multiplied by the reference transition speed V _H is calculated as the target transition speed V _HT . Thus, the maximum value of the target migration velocity V _HT is the reference migration velocity V _H, and the excessively rapid automatic lane change exceeding the reference migration velocity V _H is prevented. Therefore, the stability of automatic lane change can be improved.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, when the relative speed of the other vehicle 31 positioned ahead of the host vehicle has a positive value, it is allowed to correct the transition speed in the increasing direction. For example, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4B, the amount of decrease in the transition speed is slightly smaller than when the relative speed of the other vehicle 31 positioned in front of the host vehicle has a negative value. Is set. Such a setting can prevent an unnecessarily slow automatic lane change and can further improve convenience.

  (3) Similarly, when the relative speed of the other vehicle 31 located behind the host vehicle has a negative value, it is allowed to correct the transition speed in the increasing direction. For example, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4B, the amount of decrease in the transition speed is slightly smaller than when the relative speed of the other vehicle 31 located behind the host vehicle has a positive value. Is set. Such a setting can prevent an unnecessarily slow automatic lane change and can further improve convenience.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the automatic lane change is controlled by referring to the transition speed database 8 that determines the reference transition speed V _H for each predetermined section of the road. With such a configuration, an automatic lane change can be performed at a transition speed suitable for each predetermined section, and convenience can be further improved.
(5) In addition, by setting the reference transition speed V _H of the section adjacent to the intersection to 0, automatic lane changes at positions close to the intersection can be prevented, and inadvertent automatic lane changes can be avoided. Can do. Therefore, convenience can be further improved.

[5. Modified example]
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and there is no intention of excluding various modifications and technical applications that are not explicitly described in the present embodiment. Each configuration of the present embodiment can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. Further, they can be selected as necessary, or can be appropriately combined.

  The minimum configuration of the automatic operation control device 1 is a configuration including at least a determination unit 3, a calculation unit 4, and a control unit 5. That is, the detection unit 2 and the transition speed database 8 can be omitted as appropriate. By controlling at least the transition speed at the time of automatic lane change according to the relative distance and the absolute value of the relative speed, it is possible to realize a system that exhibits the same effect as the above-described embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, a system in which the transition speed database 8 is provided on the server 7 is shown. However, the transition speed database 8 may be built in the automatic operation control device 1. In this case, the transition speed database 8 may be recorded and stored in the storage device (storage) of the automatic operation control device 1.

1 Automatic operation control device (driving support device)
2 Detection unit 3 Determination unit 4 Calculation unit 5 Control unit 8 Transition speed database 10 Vehicle (own vehicle)

Claims (5)

In a driving support device that performs automatic lane change based on passenger instructions,
A determination unit that permits the automatic lane change when there is no other vehicle at least within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle among the adjacent lanes to which the automatic lane change is transferred,
A calculation unit for calculating a relative speed and a relative distance of the other vehicle existing outside the range;
A control unit that controls a transition speed that is a speed in the vehicle width direction at the time of the automatic lane change,
The driving support device, wherein the control unit decreases the transition speed as the relative distance is smaller, and increases the transition speed as the absolute value of the relative speed is smaller. The said control part correct | amends the said transition speed to an increase direction, when the said relative speed of the said other vehicle located ahead of the said own vehicle has a positive value, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Driving assistance device. The said calculation part correct | amends the said transition speed to an increase direction, when the said relative speed of the said other vehicle located back from the said own vehicle has a negative value, The above-mentioned 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The driving assistance apparatus as described. A database for determining a reference value for the transition speed for each predetermined section of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling;
The said control part sets the said transition speed based on the said reference value acquired from the present position information and the said database of the said own vehicle, The any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Driving assistance device. The driving support device according to claim 4, wherein the reference value of a section adjacent to an intersection among the predetermined sections registered in the database is 0.

Images