JPH06174846A - Safe driving system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent mis-operation of an alarm and automatic braking, etc., while keeping safety by properly judging the possibility of a vehicle making contact with any obstacles ahead. CONSTITUTION:If a radar 3 stops outputting information about obstacles, an estimation means 22 estimates the current value of the distance between at least the vehicle on which it is mounted and an obstacle according to information previously stored in a storage portion 21, and a contact possibility judgment means 12 judges the possibility of the vehicle making contact with the obstacle from the information delivered from the estimation means 22. A detection means 23 for detecting the position of the obstacle relative to the vehicle in case the information about obstacles is not output from the radar 3, and a restraint means 24 for restraining the estimation means 22 from making estimations, are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traveling safety device for avoiding contact with an obstacle such as a preceding vehicle existing in front of a host vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle and an obstacle using a radar device. It is related to the improvement of the one that detects the distance and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a traveling safety device for a vehicle of this type, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-16230, a radar device is used to provide a space between an own vehicle and an obstacle ahead. The distance and relative speed are continuously detected, and based on the detection results, it is judged whether or not the own vehicle may come into contact with a front obstacle, and the automatic braking device is activated when there is a possibility of contact. It is known that a braking force is applied to each wheel or an alarm device is activated to give an alarm to a driver.

In particular, in the above-mentioned publications, when information on an obstacle is no longer output from a radar device, the information obtained up to that point is used to determine the distance and relative velocity to the obstacle. It is disclosed that the present value is estimated and the possibility of contact is determined based on that value.

[0004]

However, when the information about the obstacle is no longer output from the radar device, the current value such as the distance to the obstacle is always estimated by using the information up to that time to judge the possibility of contact. There is a problem to do. That is, when the obstacle information is no longer output, when the obstacle is relatively close to the host vehicle but is relatively moving laterally from the traveling path of the host vehicle, contact may occur. Although there is no possibility of this, there is a possibility that the contact value may be mistakenly judged by unnecessarily guessing the current value of the distance to the obstacle, etc. Will be invited. Also, while making unnecessary guesses,
The possibility of contact with other obstacles cannot be determined, and quick and appropriate determination of the possibility of contact cannot be ensured.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to determine the present distance of an obstacle depending on the situation when the information of the obstacle is not output from the radar device. By estimating the value and restricting the possibility of contact based on this value, the possibility of contact is appropriately determined, and while maintaining safety, it is possible to prevent vehicle malfunctions such as alarms and automatic braking. It is intended to provide a device.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a radar device for transmitting a radar wave toward the front of the host vehicle to detect an obstacle existing in the front. A vehicle running safety device that determines the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the obstacle from information on the obstacle detected by the radar device, when the obstacle information is no longer output from the radar device. Based on the information up to at least the estimation means for estimating the current value of the distance between the own vehicle and the obstacle, and based on the information from the estimation means when the information of the obstacle is not output from the radar device The possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the obstacle is determined by the contact possibility determination means, and the estimation by the estimation means is restricted according to the situation when the obstacle information is no longer output from the radar device. A configuration and a control unit.

The invention according to claim 2 is dependent on the invention according to claim 1, and detects a relative positional relationship of the obstacle with respect to the own vehicle as a situation when the information of the obstacle is not output from the radar device. It is provided with a detection means for doing so.

The inventions according to claims 3 to 5 are all dependent on the invention according to claim 2, and more specifically show the detecting means and the restricting means, which are the components thereof.

That is, in the third aspect of the present invention, the detection means divides the detection area of the obstacle by the radar device into the central area on the traveling path of the vehicle and the end areas on both sides thereof, and the obstacle is detected by the radar apparatus. When the information of the object is no longer output, it is to detect whether the obstacle exists in the central region or the end region, and the regulating means includes
When the obstacle is present in the central area when the obstacle information is not output and the obstacle is present in the central area when the obstacle information is not output, the estimation means is permitted, while when the obstacle information is not output, the obstacle is the end area. It is provided so that the guessing by the guessing means is prohibited when it exists.

According to another aspect of the invention, when the radar device outputs no information about the obstacle, the detecting means uses the information up to that time to move the obstacle toward the vehicle. The regulation means receives the signal from the detection means, and when the obstacle is in the direction of contacting the host vehicle when the obstacle information is not output, the estimating means uses the estimating means. While the estimation is allowed, when the obstacle information is not output, the estimation by the estimation means is prohibited when the obstacle is not heading in the direction of contacting the host vehicle.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5, the detection means expands the detection area of the obstacle by the radar device to the left and right when the information of the obstacle is not output from the radar device, and within the expanded region. Is to detect whether or not the obstacle exists, the regulation means receives a signal from the detection means, and speculates when the obstacle is not present in the enlarged area when the obstacle information is not output. While the estimation by the means is permitted, the estimation by the estimation means is prohibited when the obstacle is present in the enlarged area when the obstacle information is not output.

[0012]

With the above construction, in the invention according to claim 1,
When the situation when the information of the obstacle is not output from the radar device needs to be inferred, for example, the obstacle is heading in the direction of contact with the host vehicle, the inference means determines the obstacle. Based on the information obtained before the information is not output, at least the current value of the distance between the own vehicle and the obstacle is estimated, and the contact possibility determination means is based on the information from the estimation means. , Determine the possibility of contact between your vehicle and obstacles. And when there is a possibility of contact,
Contact avoidance measures such as an alarm and automatic braking are taken to avoid contact between the vehicle and the obstacle.

On the other hand, when the situation when the information of the obstacle is not output requires the estimation, the restriction means prohibits the estimation by the estimation means. The possibility of contact will not be judged based on the information of. This can prevent unnecessary contact avoidance measures such as alarms and automatic braking. Further, since the determination of the possibility of contact with the obstacle is stopped at the estimation stage, the possibility of contact with the obstacle can be determined by the contact possibility determination means.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a block configuration of a vehicle running safety device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this figure,
Reference numeral 1 denotes a radar head unit provided at a front portion of a vehicle body. The radar head unit 1 emits pulsed laser light as a radar wave from a transmitting portion toward the front of the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle existing in front of the vehicle. The receiving unit receives reflected waves reflected by obstacles such as the above. Further, the radar head unit 1 is of a scan type in which the pulsed laser light emitted from its emission portion is scanned in a horizontal direction at a relatively wide angle. The signal of the radar head unit 1 is input to the calculation unit 2 and the calculation unit 2
In the above, the distance between each obstacle existing within the scanning range and the host vehicle, the direction of the obstacle with respect to the host vehicle, and the like are calculated based on the delay time from the time when the laser received light is emitted. The radar head unit 1 and the computing unit 2 constitute a scanning radar device 3 that detects an obstacle existing in front of the host vehicle.

Reference numeral 4 is a steering angle sensor for detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel (hereinafter, simply referred to as steering steering angle), and 5 is a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. Both signals are input to the traveling route prediction means 6. The traveling path predicting means 6 predicts the traveling path of the host vehicle based on the steering angle θH and the vehicle speed v0, and specifically calculates the radius of curvature R of the traveling path. Further, the traveling road predicting means 6 also calculates the sideslip angle β of the vehicle. The radius of curvature R and the sideslip angle β are calculated by the following formula 1.

[0017]

[Equation 1] Further, 11 is an obstacle (hereinafter, recently referred to as an obstacle, which is present in the region along the traveling route predicted by the traveling route predicting means 6 and is closest to the own vehicle, among the obstacles detected by the radar device 3. The information of the closest obstacle identified by the identifying means 11 is input to the contact possibility determining means 12, and the determining means 1
At 2, the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the obstacle is judged. When there is a possibility of contact, the actuator 13 of the automatic braking device is actuated based on the control signal output from the determination means 12 to apply the braking force to each wheel,
Further, prior to the braking, the warning device 14 is activated to give a warning to the driver.

In addition, 21 is a storage unit for storing the information of obstacles output from the radar device 3 (calculation unit 2) for a predetermined period, and 22 is an estimation means for receiving the obstacle information from the radar device 3. Then, the estimating means 22 uses the radar device 3
When the obstacle information is no longer output from the vehicle, the present value of the distance between the host vehicle and the obstacle is estimated based on the obstacle information stored in the storage unit 21 up to that point. Is. The contact possibility determination means 12 automatically detects the obstacle based on the information from the estimation means 22 when the obstacle information is not output from the radar device 3 and the closest obstacle cannot be grasped by the identification means 11. It is designed to judge the possibility of contact between the vehicle and obstacles.

Reference numeral 23 is a detecting means for detecting the relative positional relationship of the obstacle with respect to the own vehicle when the information on the obstacle is not output from the radar device 3, and 24 is a regulation for receiving a signal from the detecting means 23. The restriction means 24 restricts the estimation by the estimation means 22 according to the relative positional relationship of the obstacle with respect to the own vehicle when the obstacle information is not output.

Next, the identification of the closest obstacle by the identification means 11, the detection of the relative positional relationship by the detection means 23, and the restriction of estimation by the restriction means 24 will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. I will describe.

2 and 3, after the start,
First, in step S1, the data from the traveling road predicting means 6 (that is, the turning radius R and the sideslip angle β of the traveling road) is obtained, and in step S2, the data from the radar device 3 (calculation unit 2) is obtained. The data of this radar device 3 is M
It is composed of individual obstacle data, and as each of the obstacle data, the distance Li (i = 1 to M between the obstacle and the own vehicle).
), The horizontal angle φi of the obstacle from the center line of the radar device 3 (substantially coincident with the center line of the own vehicle) and the no echo counter Ci. It should be noted that the no-echo counter Ci is required between one obstacle (i = n) when scanning the radar device 3 in one direction and an obstacle (i = n -1) adjacent to the leading side in the scanning direction. It indicates the time taken.

Then, in step S3, ln is set to infinity, t
Initial values are set with n being 0 and i being 0. Where ln
Means the distance from the obstacle closest to the host vehicle among the obstacles existing on the traveling path.

After setting the initial value, i is incremented by 1 in step S4, and then it is determined in step S5 whether i is M or less. If this determination is YES, in step S6, ψ o, ψ min, ψ max, ψ
Calculate A and ψA '.

Ψo = (Li / 2R) -βψmin = ψo- (W / 2Li) ψmax = ψo + (W / 2Li) ψA = ψo- (W '/ 2Li) ψA' = ψo + (W '/ 2Li Here, as shown in FIG. 4, ψo is a straight line a2 connecting the host vehicle C and the center line CL of the traveling path in front of Li with respect to the center line (center line of the radar device 4) a1 of the host vehicle C. It is the included angle. The traveling path of the host vehicle has a central region A having a width W ′ substantially equal to the vehicle width along the center line CL, and a width W of W on both sides of the central region A with the center line CL interposed therebetween. It is divided into an end region B having the same. And ψ min and ψ
For max, each straight line connecting the host vehicle C and the left and right ends (boundary line shown by the broken line) of the end area B of the traveling road ahead of Li with respect to the center line a1 of the host vehicle C (center line of the radar device 4) The straight lines connecting the host vehicle C and the left and right ends of the central area A of the forward road ahead of Li (the boundary line between the end area B shown by the solid line) are the vehicle included in the vehicle C. Is the included angle with respect to the center line (a1) of the center line (the center line of the radar device 4). However, the sign is positive in the clockwise direction. In addition, in FIG. 4, R
Is the radius of curvature of the traveling road, β is the side slip angle of the host vehicle C, and is the included angle between the traveling direction of the host vehicle C (speed vector vo) and the center line a1.

Then, in step S7, the no echo counter Ci is added to to, and the added value is newly set as to. Then, in step S8, it is determined whether or not the horizontal angle φi of the obstacle is a value between ψmin and ψmax, that is, whether the obstacle is within the areas A and B on the traveling path. , The horizontal angle φi of the obstacle is ψA in step S9.
And ψA ′, that is, whether the obstacle is in the central area A on the traveling path. Then, when the determination in step S9 is YES, that is, when the obstacle on the traveling path exists in the central area A, the flag F is set to "1" in step S10, while when the determination is NO, that is, the traveling When the obstacle on the road exists not in the central area A but in the end area B, the flag F is set to "0" in step S11. Subsequently, in step S12, it is determined whether or not the distance Li between the obstacle on the traveling path and the host vehicle is smaller than ln. If the determination is YES, the distance Li is set to ln in step S13, and to To tn respectively. Then, the process returns to step S4. Also,
Even when the determination in step S8 or S12 is NO, the process returns to step S4.

By repeating the above steps S4 to S13, the obstacle closest to the own vehicle on the traveling paths A and B of the own vehicle C is identified from the M obstacles detected by the radar device 3. , The distance between the closest obstacle and the vehicle is ln
It is designed to be set.

When all the M obstacle data have been checked, the value obtained by subtracting tn from to is newly set as to (= to-tn) in step S14. Here, the previous to is the addition value of the no echo counter of all the data from the time when the closest obstacle is detected during the previous frame scanning of the radar device 3, and tn is 1 of the radar device 3 from the replacement in step S13. This is the time required to scan the nearest obstacle during frame scanning. Therefore, the new to is the time from the detection time of the closest obstacle to the detection time of the obstacle detected last, and the latest obstacle is detected when the radar device 3 scans the next one frame with respect to this time to. By adding the no echo counter Ci until the object is detected, the time required to detect the nearest obstacle twice in two frame scanning is measured. This time is used for calculating the relative speed V between the own vehicle and the closest obstacle in step S24 described later.

Subsequently, in step S15, it is determined whether or not ln is infinity, that is, whether the initial value is still set. If the initial value is still set, ln is set to 0 in step S16, and step S21 Move to. When ln is a finite value, the process directly proceeds to step S21.

In step S21, it is determined whether or not there is an obstacle (closest obstacle) in the traveling path. If the determination is YES, the n count is set to 0 in step S22, and the relative speed is set in step S23. After performing various replacements for calculating, the distance (that is, the current value) lo between the current vehicle and the closest obstacle is calculated by the interpolation method such as the least square method in step S24, and The relative velocity V between the current vehicle and the closest obstacle is calculated using the distance l0, and the process returns thereafter.

On the other hand, when the determination in step S21 is NO, after the n count is incremented by 1 in step S25, it is determined in step S26 whether the n count is less than or equal to the predetermined number N, and in step S27 the flag is set. F is "1"
Or not. And both of the above judgments are Y
In the case of ES, that is, shortly after the disappearance time when the information of the nearest obstacle is no longer output and before the disappearance, the obstacle exists in the central area A of the traveling path, the data up to the previous time is calculated in step S28. Is used to calculate the distance l0 between the current vehicle and the nearest obstacle by the extrapolation method. The current value of this distance lo is estimated by the following equation using the distance ln between the closest obstacle and the obstacle immediately before the closest obstacle disappears and the relative velocity V.

Lo = ln + VT where T is the elapsed time from the time when the closest obstacle disappeared.

The estimation of the distance lo is performed by the estimation means 22.
Done in. It returns after this guess.

When either one of the steps S26 and S27 is NO, the n count is set to 0 in step S29 and both lj and tj are set to 0 in step S30. Further, in step S31, both the distance l0 and the relative speed V between the host vehicle and the closest obstacle are set to 0, and then the process returns.

In the above flow chart, particularly, steps S6, S9 to S11 show concrete contents of the detection of the relative positional relationship by the detection means 23, and the radar device 3 detects the obstacle detection area. The radar device 3 is divided into a central region A on the traveling path of the vehicle C and end regions B on both sides thereof.
When the information on the obstacle is no longer output from, it is detected whether the obstacle exists in the central area A or the end area B. Also, steps S27 to S
Reference numeral 31 shows the specific content of the restriction of the estimation by the restriction means 24. When the obstacle is present in the central area A on the traveling road when the obstacle information is not output, the estimation means 22 is shown.
While the obstacle is present in the end region B on the traveling path when the obstacle information is not output, the estimation by the estimating means 22 is prohibited.

Next, to explain the operation and effect of the first embodiment, normally, the identifying means 11 selects the traveling path B of the host vehicle C from the M obstacles detected by the radar device 3.
The obstacle closest to the own vehicle is identified above, and information on the closest obstacle (the distance lo between the own vehicle and the obstacle and the current value of the relative speed V) is output to the contact possibility determination means 12. To do. Then, the judging means 12 judges the possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the closest obstacle based on the obstacle information from the identifying means 11, and when there is the possibility of contact, the actuator of the automatic braking device 13 is activated to apply a braking force to each wheel to apply a braking force, and the alarm device 14 is activated prior to the braking to issue an alarm to the driver. As a result, it is possible to avoid contact between the own vehicle and the closest obstacle on the traveling road, and ensure safety.

On the other hand, when the radar device 3 no longer outputs the obstacle information, the detecting means 23 causes the obstacle to exist in the central area A or the end area B on the traveling path of the vehicle until then. It is determined whether or not it was done. When the obstacle is present in the central area A, the estimating unit 22 determines that the vehicle is the vehicle based on the information stored in the storage unit 21 before the obstacle information is not output. While maintaining the current value of the relative speed V with respect to the obstacle to the previous value, the current value of the distance lo between the host vehicle and the obstacle is estimated, and the contact possibility determination means 12
Based on the information from the estimating means 22, the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the obstacle is determined. Then, when there is a possibility of contact, the contact possibility determination means 12 issues an alarm and an automatic contact avoidance measure as in the case of the contact possibility determination based on the obstacle information from the identification means 11. Since braking is applied, it is possible to avoid contact between the vehicle and the obstacle.

On the other hand, when the obstacle is present in the end area B when the obstacle information is not output, the obstacle is recognized by the identifying means 11 because the obstacle is outside the traveling paths A and B of the own vehicle. In most cases, the obstacle information will not be output. At this time, since the estimation by the estimation unit 22 is prohibited by the restriction unit 24, the contact possibility determination unit 12 does not determine the possibility of contact based on the information from the estimation unit 22. As a result, it is possible to prevent the alarm and the automatic braking from being unnecessarily applied. Further, since the determination of the possibility of contact with the obstacle is stopped at the estimation stage, the possibility of contact with the obstacle 12 can be determined by the contact possibility determination means 12.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are flow charts showing a modified example of the detection of the relative positional relationship by the detection means 23 and the restriction of the estimation by the restriction means 24 as the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that, in the second embodiment, the basic configuration of the traveling safety device is the same as that in the first embodiment, so the reference numerals shown in FIG.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, after the start,
First, in step S41, the data from the traveling road predicting means 6 (that is, the turning radius R and the sideslip angle β of the traveling road) is obtained, and in step S42, the data from the radar device 3 is obtained. The data of the radar apparatus 3 is composed of M pieces of obstacle data. As each obstacle data, the distance Li (i = 1 to M) between the obstacle and the own vehicle, the radar apparatus 3
With the horizontal angle .phi.i of the obstruction from the center line and the no echo counter Ci.

Then, in step S43, ln is set to infinity, t
After setting the initial values by setting n to 0 and i to 0, step S
After i is incremented by 1 in 44, it is determined in step S45 whether i is M or less. If this determination is YES, in step S46, ψ o and ψ min are calculated by the following equations.
And ψ max are calculated.

Ψo = (Li / 2R) -β ψmin = ψo- (W '/ 2Li) ψmax = ψo + (W' / 2Li) Here, as shown in FIG. 4, ψo is the front of the host vehicle C and Li. A straight line a2 connecting the center line CL of the traveling road of is the included angle with respect to the center line a1 of the host vehicle C. W'is the width of the road on the way (corresponding to the width of the central area A in the first embodiment).
In addition, the vehicle width of the host vehicle C is set to be substantially equal.
In ψmin and ψmax, the straight lines connecting the host vehicle C and the left and right ends of the road ahead of Li are the center lines a1 of the host vehicle C.
It is the included angle against.

Then, in step S47, the no echo counter Ci is added to to, and the added value is newly set as to. Then, in step S48, it is determined whether or not the horizontal angle φi of the obstacle is a value between ψmin and ψmax, that is, whether or not the obstacle is on the traveling path A. If this determination is YES, it is determined in step S49 whether or not the distance Li between the obstacle on the traveling path and the host vehicle is smaller than In, and if the determination is YES, step S49 is performed.
At 50, the distance Li is set to ln and to is set to tn. Then, the process returns to step S44. Also, if the determination in step S48 or S49 is NO, the process returns to step S44.

By repeating the above steps S44 to S50, the obstacle closest to the host vehicle on the traveling path A of the host vehicle C is identified from among the M obstacles detected by the radar device 3, and the The distance between the closest obstacle and the vehicle is set as ln.

When all the M obstacle data have been checked, a value obtained by subtracting tn from to is newly set to to (= to-tn) in step S51, and then ln is infinite in step S52. That is, it is determined whether or not the initial value is still set. If the initial value is still set, ln is set to 0 in step S53, and the process proceeds to step S61. When ln is a finite value, the process directly proceeds to step S61.

In step S61, it is determined whether or not there is an obstacle (closest obstacle) in the traveling path. If the determination is YES, the n count is set to 0 in step S62, and the relative speed is determined in step S63. After performing various replacements for calculating, the distance l0 between the current vehicle and the closest obstacle is calculated by an interpolation method such as the least square method in step S64, and this distance l0 is used. The relative speed V between the current vehicle and the closest obstacle is calculated, and then the process returns.

On the other hand, when the determination in step S61 is NO, after the n count is incremented by 1 in step S65, it is determined in step S66 whether or not the n count is less than or equal to the predetermined number N, and stored in step S67. The past data about the nearest obstacle stored in the unit 21 is obtained.
This data is traced back from the time when the nearest obstacle disappeared to the time before the mth frame scanning, and the distance Lk (k = 1 to m) between the obstacle and the host vehicle for each frame scanning.
), The horizontal angle φk of the obstacle from the center line of the radar device 3
And a straight line connecting the host vehicle C and the center line CL of the traveling path at the front position where the obstacle exists is the center line a1 of the host vehicle C.
The included angle is ψok.

After obtaining the above data, first, step S68.
Then, based on this data, the lateral displacement amount dk of the obstacle is calculated from the center line CL of the traveling path of the own vehicle for each frame scanning. This lateral displacement amount dk is calculated by the following equation.

Dk = Lk.tan (.phi.ok-.phi.k) Then, in step S69, from the lateral displacement amount dk for each frame scan, the relative movement direction of the obstacle with respect to the own vehicle is the center line of the traveling path. The inclination α with respect to CL is calculated. Then, in step S70, it is determined whether or not the absolute value of the inclination α is smaller than the predetermined value K. This predetermined value K
Is a value for preventing the own vehicle and the obstacle from coming into contact with each other in relation to the inclination α, and is a variable having parameters such as the distance and relative speed between the own vehicle and the obstacle. When the determination in step S70 is YES, that is, when there is a possibility that the host vehicle may come into contact with an obstacle in the relationship with the inclination α, in step S71 the current time is calculated by extrapolation using the data up to the previous time. The distance l0 between the vehicle and the closest obstacle is calculated, and then the process returns.

When the determination in step S66 is NO, that is, when the n count is a predetermined number N or more, or when the determination in step S70 is NO, that is, the inclination α
When there is no possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the obstacle, the n count is set to 0 in step S72, and lj and tj are both set to 0 in step S73.
In step S74, both the distance l0 and the relative speed V between the host vehicle and the closest obstacle are set to 0, and then the process returns.

In particular, steps S67 to S69 in the above flow chart show the specific contents of the detection of the relative positional relationship by the detection means 23, and the radar device 3 no longer outputs the obstacle information. At this time, it is detected that the obstacle is moving toward the direction of contact with the host vehicle. Further, steps S70 to S74 show the specific content of the restriction of the estimation by the restriction means 24, and it is estimated when the obstacle is in the direction of contacting the host vehicle when the obstacle information is not output. While the estimation by the means 22 is permitted, the estimation by the estimation means 22 is prohibited when the obstacle is not heading in the direction of contact with the host vehicle when the obstacle information is not output.

Therefore, in the second embodiment described above,
When the information on the obstacle is no longer output from the radar device 3, the detecting means 23 calculates the inclination α with respect to the center line of the traveling path of the obstacle, and the inclination α moves from the inclination α to the direction in which the obstacle comes into contact with the host vehicle. It is determined whether or not it has come. When the vehicle is coming in the direction of contact, the estimating unit 22 further determines the vehicle and the obstacle based on the information stored in the storage unit 21 before the obstacle information is not output. While maintaining the current value of the relative speed V with respect to the previous value, the current value of the distance lo between the host vehicle and the obstacle is estimated, and the contact possibility determination means 12
Based on the information from the estimating means 22, the possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the obstacle is determined, and when there is the possibility of contact, an alarm and automatic braking are applied to prevent the contact between the host vehicle and the obstacle. It can be avoided.

On the other hand, when judging from the inclination α, when the obstacle is not in the direction of contacting the host vehicle, the estimating by the estimating means 22 is prohibited by the restricting means 24. Means 12 and guessing means 22
The possibility of contact based on information from will not be determined. As a result, it is possible to prevent the alarm and the automatic braking from being unnecessarily applied. Further, since the determination of the possibility of contact with the obstacle is stopped at the estimation stage, the possibility of contact with the obstacle 12 can be determined by the contact possibility determination means 12.

7 and 8 are flow charts showing another modification of the detection of the relative positional relationship by the detection means 23 and the restriction of the estimation by the restriction means 24 as the third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, since the basic structure of the traveling safety device is the same as that of the first embodiment in the third embodiment, the reference numerals shown in FIG. 1 are used for the components such as the detecting means.

In FIGS. 7 and 8, after the start,
First, in step S81, the data from the traveling road predicting means 6 (that is, the turning radius R and the sideslip angle β of the traveling road) is obtained, and in step S82, the data from the radar device 3 is obtained. The data of the radar apparatus 3 is composed of M pieces of obstacle data. As each obstacle data, the distance Li (i = 1 to M) between the obstacle and the own vehicle, the radar apparatus 3
With the horizontal angle .phi.i of the obstruction from the center line and the no echo counter Ci.

Then, in step S83, ln is set to infinity, t
After setting the initial values by setting n to 0 and i to 0, step S
After i is incremented by 1 in 84, it is determined in step S85 whether i is M or less. If this determination is YES, at step S86, ψ o and ψ min are calculated by the following equations.
, Ψmax, ψA and ψA 'are calculated.

Ψo = (Li / 2R) -βψmin = ψo- (W '/ 2Li) ψmax = ψo + (W' / 2Li) ψA = ψo- (W / 2Li) ψA '= ψo + (W / 2Li Here, as shown in FIG. 4, ψo is a straight line a2 connecting the host vehicle C and the center line CL of the traveling path in front of Li with respect to the center line (center line of the radar device 4) a1 of the host vehicle C. It is the included angle. W'is the road width of the traveling road (corresponding to the width of the central area A in the first embodiment) and is set to be substantially equal to the vehicle width of the host vehicle C. W is the width of the enlarged region (corresponding to the width of the end region B in the first embodiment) set along the center line CL of the traveling road and larger than the road width W ′ of the traveling road. Then, ψmin and ψmax are the own vehicle C, respectively.
And the left and right ends of the road ahead of Li (boundary lines shown by solid lines) are the included angles with respect to the center line a1 of the host vehicle C, and ψA and ψA 'are the front of the host vehicle C and Li respectively. The straight lines connecting the left and right ends (the boundary line shown by the broken line) of the enlarged region of are the included angles with respect to the center line a1 of the host vehicle C.

Subsequently, in step S87, the no echo counter Ci is added to to, and the added value is newly set as to. Then, in step S88, it is determined whether or not the horizontal angle φi of the obstacle is a value between ψmin and ψmax, that is, whether or not the obstacle is on the traveling path A. Subsequently, in step S89, it is determined whether or not the distance Li between the obstacle on the traveling path A and the vehicle C is smaller than ln. If the determination is YES, the distance Li is determined in step S90.
Is set to ln and to is set to tn. Then, the process returns to step S84. In addition, the above step S88 or S89
When the determination is NO, the process also returns to step S84.

By repeating the above steps S84 to S90, the obstacle closest to the host vehicle on the traveling path A of the host vehicle C is identified from among the M obstacles detected by the radar device 3, and the The distance between the closest obstacle and the vehicle is set as ln.

When all the M obstacle data have been checked, a value obtained by subtracting tn from to is newly set to to (= to-tn) in step S91, and then ln is infinite in step S92. That is, it is determined whether or not the initial value is still set. If the initial value is still set, ln is set to 0 in step S93, and step S101
Move to. When ln is a finite value, the process directly proceeds to step S101.

In step S101, it is judged whether or not there is an obstacle (closest obstacle) in the traveling path A, and the judgment is Y.
In the case of ES, the n count is set to 0 in step S102, and various replacements for calculating the relative speed are performed in step S103. Then, in step S104, an interpolation method such as the least square method is used to compare the current vehicle with the current vehicle. The distance lo between the obstacle and the closest obstacle is calculated, and the relative speed V between the current vehicle and the closest obstacle is calculated using the distance lo.
Then return.

On the other hand, when the determination in step S101 is NO, after the n count is incremented by 1 in step S105, the n count is increased to a predetermined number N in step S106.
It is determined whether or not the following. If this determination is YES, it is further determined in step S107 whether or not the horizontal angle φi of the obstacle is a value between ψA and ψA ', that is, whether the obstacle exists in the enlarged region B or not. judge. And
When this determination is NO, that is, when the obstacle does not exist in the enlarged region B, the distance between the current vehicle and the closest obstacle is determined by extrapolation using the data up to the previous time in step S108. Calculate lo, and then return.

When the determination in step S106 is NO,
That is, when the n count is the predetermined number N or more, or when the determination in step S107 is YES, that is, when the obstacle exists in the enlarged area B, step S109.
And n count is set to 0, and step S110 is performed.
Both lj and tj are set to 0. Also, step S11
At 1, both the distance lo and the relative speed V between the host vehicle and the closest obstacle are set to 0, and then the process returns.

Of the above flow charts, particularly, steps S86 and S107 show the specific contents of the detection of the relative positional relationship by the detection means 23, and the radar device 3 no longer outputs the obstacle information. At this time, the detection area of the radar device 3 is enlarged to the left and right, and whether or not the obstacle is present in the enlarged area B is detected. Further, steps S107 to S111 show the specific contents of the restriction of the estimation by the restriction means 24. If the obstacle is not present in the enlarged area B when the obstacle information is not output, the estimation means 22 does. While allowing speculation,
When the obstacle information is not output, and the obstacle is present in the enlarged area B, the estimation by the estimating means 22 is prohibited.

Therefore, in the third embodiment described above,
When the obstacle information is no longer output from the radar device 3, the detection unit 23 enlarges the detection area of the radar device 3 to the left and right, and whether the obstacle exists in the enlarged area B or not. To be judged. When the obstacle is not present in the enlarged area B, the obstacle may still be present on the traveling path A of the host vehicle, and therefore the estimating unit 22 is stored in the storage unit 21. , While maintaining the current value of the relative speed V of the own vehicle and the obstacle to the previous value based on the information obtained before the obstacle information is not output,
While estimating the current value of the distance lo between the host vehicle and the obstacle, the contact possibility determination means 12 determines the possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the obstacle based on the information from the estimation means 22. to decide. When there is a possibility of this contact, an alarm and automatic braking are applied, and it is possible to avoid contact between the vehicle and the obstacle.

On the other hand, when the obstacle is present in the enlarged area B, the obstacle has already moved to the outside of the traveling path A of the own vehicle. Is prohibited by the contact possibility judging means 12 and the possibility of contact based on the information from the estimating means 22 is not judged. As a result, it is possible to prevent the alarm and the automatic braking from being unnecessarily applied. Further, since the determination of the possibility of contact with the obstacle is stopped at the estimation stage, the possibility of contact with the obstacle 12 can be determined by the contact possibility determination means 12.

[0066]

As described above, according to the vehicle running safety system of the present invention, when the radar device does not output the information about the obstacle, the situation at that time can be estimated when the information needs to be estimated. The current value of the distance between the host vehicle and the obstacle is estimated based on the information to determine the possibility of contact, but when the situation at that time does not require estimation, the above estimation and the determination of the possibility of contact are prohibited. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine the possibility of contact, and it is possible to prevent the contact avoidance measures such as an alarm and automatic braking from being unnecessarily taken while ensuring safety.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a vehicle running safety device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method for identifying a closest obstacle.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of calculating a distance between a host vehicle and a closest obstacle.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a host vehicle and a traveling road.

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a modified example.

FIG. 6 is a view equivalent to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 according to another modification.

FIG. 8 is a view equivalent to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Radar device 12 Contact possibility judging means 22 Estimating means 23 Detecting means 24 Restricting means

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toru Yoshioka No. 3 Shinchi Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenichi Okuda No. 3 Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Mazda Corporation (72) Inventor Yasunori Yamamoto 3-1, Shinchi Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Satoshi Morioka 3-1-1 Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture (72) Invention Tomohiko Adachi 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda Motor Corporation

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A radar device for transmitting a radar wave to the front of the host vehicle to detect an obstacle existing in front of the host vehicle,
In a vehicle running safety device that determines the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the obstacle from information on the obstacle detected by the radar device, when the obstacle information is no longer output from the radar device until then Based on the information from at least the estimating means for estimating the current value of the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, and based on the information from the estimating means when the information on the obstacle is no longer output from the radar device. Contact possibility determining means for determining the possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the obstacle, and regulation for restricting the estimation by the estimating means according to the situation when the information of the obstacle is not output from the radar device. A traveling safety device for a vehicle, comprising: 2. A detection means for detecting a relative positional relationship of an obstacle with respect to the own vehicle as a situation when information of the obstacle is not output from the radar device.
The vehicle safety device described. 3. The detection means divides the obstacle detection area by the radar device into a central region on the traveling path of the host vehicle and end regions on both sides thereof, and the radar device no longer outputs the obstacle information. At this time, it is to detect whether the obstacle exists in the central region or the end region, and the regulation means receives a signal from the detection means, and the obstacle is detected when the obstacle information is not output. It is provided so as to allow the estimation by the estimating means when the obstacle is present in the central area, while prohibiting the estimation by the estimating means when the obstacle is present in the end area when the obstacle information is not output. Item 2. A vehicle safety device according to item 2. 4. The detecting means detects, when the information about the obstacle is no longer output from the radar device, whether or not the obstacle has come in a direction of contacting the host vehicle by using the information up to that time. The restriction means receives the signal from the detection means, and when the obstacle is in the direction of contacting the host vehicle when the obstacle information is not output, while allowing the estimation by the estimation means, 3. The vehicle running safety device according to claim 2, wherein when the obstacle information is not output, when the obstacle is not in the direction of coming into contact with the host vehicle, the estimation by the estimating means is prohibited. 5. The detection means expands a detection area of an obstacle by the radar device to the left and right when the information of the obstacle is no longer output from the radar device, and the obstacle exists in the expanded region. Is to detect whether there is a signal from the detection means, when the obstacle information is not output when the obstacle is not present in the enlarged region while permitting the estimation by the estimation means, 3. The vehicle running safety device according to claim 2, wherein when the obstacle information is not output, when the obstacle is present in the enlarged area, the estimation by the estimating means is prohibited.