JP2007223382A - Direction indicator control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a direction indicator control device for a vehicle capable of carrying out the automatic release of a direction indicator at precise and proper timing. <P>SOLUTION: This direction indicator control device for the vehicle is characterized by comprising a travelling lane detection means to detect a travelling lane of an own vehicle, a working state detection means to detect the working state of the direction indicator, a working release means to release the working of the direction indicator and an automatic release control means 50 to carry out automatic release control to control a release means to release the working of the direction indicator when it is determined that the own vehicle changes its lane to a neighboring lane according to the working state of the direction indicator detected by the working state detection means on the basis of a detection result of the travelling lane detection means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular direction indicator control apparatus that controls a direction indicator included in a vehicle.

Conventionally, as this type of device, a device that automatically releases the direction indicator based on the current position of the vehicle detected by the navigation device or the behavior of the vehicle detected by the yaw rate sensor or the like is known ( For example, see Patent Document 1). In this device, when the current position changes by the lane width direction in the lane width direction, or when the output value of the yaw rate sensor shows a predetermined shape suggesting the lane change, it is determined that the lane change is completed and the direction The indicator is automatically released. In addition, the turn signal is automatically released by the same method when turning left or right at the intersection.
JP 11-342808 A

  In general, in a navigation device, it is not easy to accurately detect a change in the current position on the order of the width of a lane, and there is a time lag from when the host vehicle changes the lane until it is detected.

  In actual traffic, there are various road modes such as curved roads with multiple lanes on one side, junction and exit roads on expressways, so the vehicle behavior when changing lanes may not be uniform. First, the method of detecting the vehicle behavior using a yaw rate sensor or the like may assume that the lane change of the host vehicle cannot be detected accurately.

  Therefore, in the above-described conventional apparatus, there is a case where the automatic release of the direction indicator cannot be performed accurately and at an appropriate timing.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve such problems, and it is a main object of the present invention to provide a vehicular direction indicator control device capable of automatically releasing a direction indicator at an accurate and appropriate timing. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention includes a traveling lane detecting unit that detects a traveling lane of the host vehicle, an operating state detecting unit that detects an operating state of the direction indicator, and the operation of the direction indicator is canceled When it is determined that the own vehicle has changed to the adjacent lane based on the detection result of the traveling lane detecting means when the operation of the direction indicator is detected by the operating state detecting means and the operating state detecting means, And automatic release control means for performing automatic release control for controlling the release means so as to release the operation of the direction indicator. Here, the traveling lane detection means preferably has an imaging means for imaging the periphery of the host vehicle, and is a means for detecting the traveling lane based on the image captured by the imaging means. In addition, “lane change” includes various vehicle operations that move across lanes, such as when exiting from the main line to the exit road on a highway or the like, or when merging from the merge path to the main line.

  According to this aspect of the present invention, it is provided with traveling lane detecting means for detecting the traveling lane of the own vehicle, and it is determined that the own vehicle has changed to the adjacent lane based on the detection result of the traveling lane detecting means. In this case, since the operation of the direction indicator is canceled, the automatic release of the direction indicator can be performed accurately and at appropriate timing.

  In the aspect of the present invention, preferably, the automatic release control means is configured such that the own vehicle is in the adjacent lane according to the operation state of the direction indicator detected by the operation state detection means based on the detection result of the travel lane detection means. This is means for performing automatic release control when it is determined that the lane has been changed.

  Further, in this aspect of the present invention, when the traveling lane detecting means includes an imaging means, more preferably, a current position detecting unit for detecting the current position of the host vehicle and map information including the number of lanes on the road are stored. A map database, and further comprising a surrounding situation detecting means for detecting a situation around the vehicle including the number of lanes of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the traveling lane detecting means is detected by the surrounding situation detecting means. This is means for detecting which lane the vehicle is traveling on the road having the number of lanes based on the number of lanes and the image picked up by the image pickup means. In this case, more preferably, the map information stored in the map database includes information regarding the position of the intersection, and the automatic release control means detects the intersection within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the host vehicle by the surrounding state detection means. In such a case, the automatic release control is stopped. In this case, more preferably, the automatic release control means is picked up by the image pickup means when determining the lane change of the own vehicle based on the road condition around the own vehicle detected by the surrounding state detection means. The present invention is characterized in that the criterion applied to the image is changed.

  In this aspect of the present invention, the automatic release control means operates so as to release the operation of the direction indicator when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of operation of the direction indicator was detected by the operation state detection means. The release means may be controlled.

  According to the present invention, the automatic release of the direction indicator can be performed at an accurate and appropriate timing.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the vehicular direction indicator control device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a vehicular direction indicator control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicular direction indicator control device 1 includes, as main components, a rear camera 10, a navigation device 20, a vehicle speed sensor 30, a yaw rate sensor 35, a turn signal lever 40, and a right turn signal lamp group. 42, a left turn signal lamp group 44, a controller 46, and an automatic release control electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as an automatic release control ECU) 50. Note that communication between devices in the vehicle in the following description is performed using an appropriate serial communication protocol such as CAN (Controller Area Network).

  The rear camera 10 is disposed, for example, in the vicinity of a bumper, a grill, a license plate, and the like at the rear of the vehicle body, and has an optical axis directed obliquely downward at the rear of the vehicle, and images the rear of the vehicle. The image captured by the rear camera 10 is transmitted to the automatic release control ECU 50 by communication. The rear camera 10 may be shared with a rear recognition camera used in a well-known back guide monitor system.

  The navigation device 20 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 22 for detecting the current position of the host vehicle, a map database 24 that holds map data on a storage medium such as a hard disk, DVD, CD-ROM, and navigation. And a navigation device electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as navigation device ECU) 26 for controlling the entire device 20, and outputs a map display and a route guidance display by a display unit such as a liquid crystal display, and also provides a route guidance by voice. Etc. The map data held by the map database 24 stores the number of lanes along with each road. Therefore, the navigation device 20 can detect the number of lanes on the road on which the host vehicle is currently traveling based on the current position of the host vehicle and the map data. In addition, when detecting the current position of the host vehicle, the navigation device ECU 26 appropriately determines the sensor output value input by communication from the vehicle speed sensor 30 or the yaw rate sensor 35 in addition to the input signal input from the GPS receiver 22. Correction is being performed. Moreover, it is good also as a thing provided with a beacon receiver and FM multiplex broadcast receiver, and detecting the present position of the own vehicle.

  As will be described later, the navigation device ECU 26 transmits information such as the current position of the host vehicle, the number of lanes, and the position of the intersection to the automatic release control ECU 50 in response to a request signal from the automatic release control ECU 50.

  The vehicle speed sensor 30 is attached to, for example, a transmission unit and transmits a pulse signal corresponding to the vehicle speed. The yaw rate sensor 35 is attached, for example, below the center console portion of the vehicle, and detects the rotational angular velocity (yaw rate) about the vertical axis of the vehicle based on the distortion amount and direction of the piezoelectric ceramic.

  The turn signal lever 40 forms, for example, a part of a combination switch disposed on the side of the steering wheel, and the driver inputs a direction instruction in either the left or right direction. The turn signal lever 40 is operated by switching between a state in which a left turn is instructed, a state in which a right turn is instructed, and a state in which neither is instructed (neutral state).

  The turn signal lever 40, when a direction instruction is input by the driver, (1) is manually returned to a neutral state, or (2) a steering operation is performed in a direction opposite to the instructed direction by a predetermined angle or more ( (Hereinafter referred to as “returning the steering wheel”) or (3) until the automatic release described later is performed, the direction instruction is input in any direction. In the automatic release, an actuator (not shown) is driven by an instruction from the controller 46, and the turn signal lever 40 is returned to the neutral state. The state of the turn signal lever 40 is converted into an electric signal and transmitted to the controller 46.

  The right turn signal lamp group 42 includes, for example, a right front turn signal lamp incorporated in a headlamp, a right side turn signal lamp disposed at the rear of the front fender panel, and a right rear turn signal incorporated in a rear combination lamp. And a lamp. Similarly, the left turn signal lamp group 44 includes a left front turn signal lamp built into the head lamp, a left side turn signal lamp disposed at the rear of the front fender panel, and a left rear turn built into the rear combination lamp. And a signal lamp.

  The controller 46 outputs a blinking instruction signal to the right turn signal lamp group 42 or the left turn signal lamp group 44 according to the state of the turn signal lever 40 input as described above. Therefore, the right turn signal lamp group 42 and the left turn signal lamp group 44 perform a blinking operation according to the direction in which the turn signal lever 40 is held. When the controller 46 detects that the turn signal lever 40 has been operated, the controller 46 transmits the fact that the turn signal lever 40 has been operated and the operated direction to the automatic release control ECU 50 by communication.

  The automatic release control ECU 50 is, for example, a computer centered on a CPU, and includes storage means such as a ROM and a RAM. When the automatic release control ECU 50 receives a signal from the controller 46 indicating that the turn signal lever 40 has been operated in any direction, the automatic release control ECU 50 transmits a request signal to the navigation device ECU 26 while referring to the input response signal. The image captured by the rear camera 10 is analyzed. Then, as a result of the image analysis, when it is determined that the host vehicle has finished changing the lane in the direction in which the turn signal lever 40 is operated, the blinking operation of the left and right turn signal lamp groups is automatically canceled.

  Image analysis performed by the automatic release control ECU 50 is performed as follows. That is, binarization processing and feature point extraction processing are performed based on an image captured by the rear camera 10, and pixels (road divisions) that are considered to correspond to road division lines (white lines, yellow lines, broken lines, botsdots, etc.) on the road. Line candidate points) are selected, and the selected road marking line candidate points that are linearly arranged in the longitudinal direction of the road are recognized as road marking lines. Then, the area defined by the road lane marking is recognized as a lane.

  Further, the automatic release control ECU 50 is configured to use a plurality of patterns (for example, a solid line pattern, a broken line pattern A, and a broken line as typical ones) stored in the storage unit based on the mode in which the road marking line candidate points are arranged. Pattern matching processing is performed using a pattern B or the like), a solid line (for example, drawn at both ends of the road), a broken line A (for example, drawn to divide the lane on a multi-lane road on one side), And a broken line B (for example, drawn on a boundary between a main line and a combined flow path or an exit path on a highway; thicker than the broken line A) are recognized and distinguished.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by the rear camera 10. In this case, since the road dividing line closest to the left-right direction from the center line M of the image is a broken line A, the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a road with three lanes on one side based on information input from the navigation device ECU 26. If it is found that the vehicle is in the middle lane (the second lane from the left lane), it can be determined. It is also possible to recognize the road marking line using only the image captured by the rear camera 10 without taking into account the information from the navigation device ECU 26. However, since it may be possible that the road cannot be imaged due to the presence of another vehicle, it is more preferable in terms of accuracy to recognize the road lane marking in consideration of both.

  Further, the automatic release control ECU 50 detects a lane change of the host vehicle. An example of a specific method for detecting the lane change will be described with reference to FIG. First, a range that is considered to correspond to the width of the host vehicle in the lower end portion of the image captured by the rear camera 10 is set in advance as the host vehicle range. For example, the own vehicle range is divided into three equal parts, and regions extending from the respective three divided ranges toward the rear of the road are defined as region A, region B, and region C.

  In this way, by defining three areas in advance, if a road lane line is first detected in area A, then detected in area B, and finally detected in area C, the host vehicle becomes a lane on the right side. It can be determined that the lane has been changed. Needless to say, the reverse is also true. In such a detection, the position of the road lane marking detected from the captured image is stored in the storage means such as the RAM described above and referred to later.

  In addition to this, it is possible to recognize a lane or detect a lane change by various methods. For example, a road lane line may be detected by a method such as pattern matching for a road shoulder or a median strip, and this may be added to lane recognition. Further, in a region where there is no road lane marking on the road (such as in an intersection), a virtual lane may be set based on a history of lanes recognized in the past to complement the lane recognition. Further, the lane change is not limited to the method of dividing the own vehicle range into three equal parts, for example, the behavior of the vehicle in the road width direction may be analyzed more accurately by differentiating the position of the road marking line in the road width direction. .

  As described above, by detecting the lane change based on the image captured by the rear camera 10 or the information including the number of lanes from the navigation device ECU 26, the lane change is detected using only the navigation device, the vehicle The lane change can be detected at an accurate and appropriate timing as compared with the case where the lane change is detected based on the behavior of the vehicle. This is because, in general, in a navigation device, it is not easy to accurately detect a change in the current position about the width of the lane, and there is a time lag from when the own vehicle changes the lane until it is detected. Because.

  In addition, when detecting a vehicle behavior by a yaw rate sensor or the like and detecting a lane change, it is usually considered that a lane change is detected when a vehicle behavior that matches a vehicle behavior indicating a lane change prepared in advance is performed. However, there is a case where the lane change is not detected when the lane change is performed with a vehicle behavior different from that prepared in advance. The cause of this is, for example, that the vehicle behavior changes depending on the driving habit when the driver changes the lane, or that the vehicle behavior is different from the straight road when the lane is changed in the middle of the curve. is assumed.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to detect the lane change directly and accurately, the image captured by the rear camera 10 is analyzed, and in case the road cannot be captured due to the presence of other vehicles, etc. By considering information including the number of lanes from the ECU 26, a lane change is detected at a more accurate and appropriate timing.

  Hereinafter, an operation when the automatic release control ECU 50 automatically releases the blinking operation of the left and right turn signal lamp groups will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of characteristic processing executed by the automatic release control ECU 50. This flowchart is repeatedly executed while the turn signal lever 40 is held in any direction, that is, while any turn signal lamp group is blinking.

  First, the automatic release control ECU 50 transmits a request signal to the navigation device ECU 26 (S100). The navigation device ECU 26 that has received the request signal transmits information such as the current position of the host vehicle, the number of lanes, the position of the intersection, the presence of a junction or exit path to an expressway, etc. Input to the release control ECU 50 (S110).

  When the information from the navigation device ECU 26 is input, it is determined whether or not there is an intersection within a predetermined range in front of the host vehicle (S120). If there is an intersection within the predetermined range in front of the host vehicle, no processing is performed. 1 routine of this flow is finished without performing the above. This is because when turning right or left at the intersection, the turn signal lever 40 is likely to be returned to the neutral state by the above-mentioned "return of the steering wheel", and the lane change is made and further left and right turn is made. This is based on the fact that there is a low possibility that automatic release by the automatic release control ECU 50 is necessary.

  When there is no intersection within a predetermined range in front of the host vehicle, the host vehicle is traveling along a junction that joins the expressway, and the main road of the expressway is present in the predetermined range ahead, or the host vehicle Whether or not the vehicle is traveling on the main road of the highway and the exit road exists within a predetermined range ahead is determined (S130).

  If none of the conditions is satisfied in S130, it is determined that the road marking line to be detected is a solid line and a broken line A, and the above-described pattern matching is performed using the solid line pattern and the broken line pattern A (S140). Thereby, the addition of the apparatus which concerns on an image analysis can be reduced.

  If any of the conditions is satisfied in S130, it is determined that the road marking lines to be detected are the solid line, the broken line A, and the broken line B, and the above-described pattern matching is performed using the solid line pattern and the broken line patterns A and B. (S150). Thereby, it is possible to appropriately detect the broken line B having a pattern different from the broken line A drawn on the general road at the boundary between the main road of the highway and the combined flow path or the exit path.

  When the road marking line is detected in this way and the lane is recognized, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has changed the lane in the direction indicated by the turn signal lever 40 (S160). An example of this specific method is as described above, but the processing of this step may be executed over a plurality of routines of this flow. This is because while this flow is repeatedly executed, the lane change is accompanied by the passage of time.

  When a positive determination is obtained in S160, an instruction signal is transmitted to the controller 46 so as to return the turn signal lever 40 to the neutral state, and the blinking operation of the left and right turn signal lamp groups is automatically canceled (S170). . As described above, the controller 46 drives an actuator (not shown) to return the turn signal lever 40 to the neutral state and stops blinking of the turn signal lamp group.

  Thus, according to the vehicular direction indicator control device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the lane change is performed based on the image captured by the rear camera 10 and the information including the number of lanes from the navigation device ECU 26. Since the detection is performed, the blinking operation of the turn signal lamp group can be canceled at a more accurate and appropriate timing.

  As mentioned above, although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described using one embodiment, the present invention is not limited to such one embodiment, and within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention, Various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, when the vehicle changes lanes in the direction indicated by the turn signal lever 40, the blinking operation is automatically canceled (S160, 170). Is the direction indicated by the turn signal lever 40? Regardless of whether or not the vehicle has changed its lane, the blinking operation may be automatically canceled. If the lane is changed in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the turn signal lever 40, there is a high possibility of erroneous operation by the driver, and the driver manually releases the turn signal lever 40 by automatically releasing the blinking operation. This is because it is possible to avoid the troublesomeness of returning to this state.

  In addition, the host vehicle is traveling along a junction that joins the expressway, and the main road of the expressway is within a predetermined range ahead, or the host vehicle is traveling the main road of the expressway and Whether the exit path exists within the predetermined range is determined (S130). The process is omitted, and the pattern matching process is always performed using all the patterns such as the solid line pattern and the broken line patterns A and B. You may do it.

  In addition, although the automatic release control ECU 50 transmits a request signal and inputs a response signal from the navigation device ECU 26, the navigation device ECU 26 may constantly transmit information.

  In addition, although the lane is recognized from an image captured by the rear camera 10, the same processing may be performed by a camera that captures the front of the vehicle. Further, a camera that images the front and a camera that images the rear may be used together for more accuracy.

  Further, the method is not limited to the method of recognizing the lane with the camera, and for example, the lane may be recognized by detecting a magnetic marker embedded in the road.

  The automatic release control ECU 50 may be integrated into either the navigation device ECU 26 or the controller 46.

  Further, in addition to the above-described flowchart, it is also possible to concurrently perform control for unconditionally automatically releasing when a predetermined time has elapsed after the turn signal lever 40 is operated. By doing so, it is possible to avoid the troublesomeness of manually returning the turn signal lever 40 to the neutral state due to the erroneous operation of the driver.

  The present invention can be used for an apparatus that controls at least a direction indicator. The appearance, weight, size, running performance, etc. of the vehicle to be mounted are not limited.

It is a figure which shows an example of the whole structure of the direction indicator control apparatus for vehicles 1 concerning one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the image which the back camera 10 imaged. It is explanatory drawing explaining an example of the specific method of detection of a lane change. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the characteristic process which ECU50 for automatic cancellation | release control performs.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle direction indicator control apparatus 10 Rear camera 20 Navigation apparatus 22 GPS receiver 24 Map database 26 Electronic control unit 30 for navigation apparatuses Vehicle speed sensor 35 Yaw rate sensor 40 Turn signal lever 42 Right turn signal lamp group 44 Left turn signal lamp group 46 Controller 50 Electronic control unit for automatic release control

Claims (7)

Traveling lane detecting means for detecting the traveling lane of the host vehicle;
An operating state detecting means for detecting an operating state of the direction indicator;
An operation release means for releasing the operation of the direction indicator;
When it is determined that the own vehicle has changed to an adjacent lane based on the detection result of the traveling lane detecting means when the operation of the direction indicator is detected by the operating state detecting means, the direction indicator Automatic release control means for performing automatic release control for controlling the release means to release the operation of
A vehicular direction indicator control device comprising: The vehicle direction indicator automatic release control means according to claim 1,
The automatic release control means, based on the detection result of the traveling lane detection means, when it is determined that the host vehicle has changed to the adjacent lane according to the direction indicated by the direction indicator detected by the operating state detection means The means for performing the automatic release control,
Vehicle direction indicator control device. The vehicle direction indicator automatic release control means according to claim 1 or 2,
The travel lane detection means includes image capturing means for capturing an image of the periphery of the host vehicle, and is a means for detecting the travel lane based on an image captured by the image capturing means.
Vehicle direction indicator control device. The vehicle direction indicator automatic release control means according to claim 3,
A situation around the vehicle including a current position detection unit for detecting the current position of the host vehicle and a map database storing map information including the number of lanes of the road, and including the number of lanes of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling Further comprising a surrounding state detection means for detecting
The travel lane detection means detects which lane is running on a road having the number of lanes based on the number of lanes detected by the surrounding state detection means and an image captured by the imaging means. Is a means to
Vehicle direction indicator control device. The vehicle direction indicator automatic release control means according to claim 4,
The map information stored in the map database includes information on the position of the intersection,
The automatic release control means stops the automatic release control when an intersection is detected within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the host vehicle by the surrounding state detection means.
Vehicle direction indicator control means. The vehicle direction indicator automatic release control means according to claim 4 or 5,
The automatic release control unit is applied to an image captured by the imaging unit when determining a lane change of the host vehicle based on a road aspect around the host vehicle detected by the surrounding state detection unit. Change the criteria
A vehicular direction indicator control device characterized by the above. The vehicle direction indicator automatic release control means according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The automatic release control means controls the operation release means so as to release the operation of the direction indicator when a predetermined time elapses after the start of operation of the direction indicator is detected by the operation state detection means. ,
Vehicle direction indicator control device.

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