JPH09319999A - Drive-supporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive-supporting device, capable of providing information necessary for safety drive in any state and supporting efficient drive by obtaining long distance traffic state information. SOLUTION: A sensor means 12 detects an inter-vehicle distance from a preceding vehicle as near distance information. A rear side sensor means 14 detects a distance or a direction to a vehicle flowing as the rear side information. A receiving means 16 receives long distance traffic state information as the long distance information. A generating means 28 generates drive helping information from the near distance information, the rear side information and the long distance information and calculates the control quality of a traveling control means 34. A notifying means 36 informs a driver of the drive-helping information obtained from the means 28 by a voice, a headup display or the like. Themeans 34 controls a brake or an accelerator, in accordance with the control quantity obtained from the means 28.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving assistance device, and more particularly to a driving assistance device for generating driving assistance information based on short-distance traffic state information and long-distance traffic state information and notifying the driver. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a first conventional example of a driving support device, there is an automatic vehicle as shown in FIG. The autonomous vehicle has one CCD camera 100. The CCD camera is fixed at the rear-view mirror mounting position above the driver's seat, and allows a monocular view of the vehicle traveling direction. The radar unit 102 composed of a millimeter wave radar includes a front radar 102a attached to the front of the vehicle, three side radars 102b attached to the side of the vehicle, and two rear radars (not shown) attached to the side of the vehicle. ) Consisting of a total of 10 radar groups. The radar unit 102 detects the presence of a three-dimensional obstacle such as another vehicle through the reflected wave.

A steering angle control motor 112 is attached to the steering shaft 110. A throttle actuator 114 including a pulse motor is attached to the throttle valve (not shown). A brake pressure actuator (not shown) is attached to the brake (not shown). Further, the vehicle is equipped with a computer unit (not shown) that processes data obtained from each camera, sensor, and the like.

Lane boundary line data is extracted based on the image obtained by the CCD camera 100, and the radar unit 102
Obstacle data is extracted based on the data obtained from.
The positional relationship between the lane boundary line and the self-position and the positional relationship between the lane boundary line and a plurality of obstacles are obtained from the lane boundary line data and the obstacle data. From the positional relationship between the lane boundary line and the self-position and the positional relationship between the lane boundary line and multiple obstacles,
Extract lane information and obstacle information in the lane.

The computer calculates the target route and the target speed from the extracted lane information and obstacle information in the lane. Based on this target route and target speed, the steering angle control motor 112, the throttle actuator 11
4. Control the brake pressure actuator to drive automatically. That is, in a road environment in which there are a plurality of lanes and obstacles including other vehicles exist, the vehicle automatically recognizes the traveling environment including the other vehicles and automatically changes the lanes.

A second conventional example of the driving support device is an adaptive cruise (not shown). This is an extended version of the auto-cruise function that keeps the set speed until the brake is activated if the speed is set constant on highways.

Adaptive cruise operates as follows. When the host vehicle is traveling at the set speed, it is assumed that there is a preceding vehicle in front of the traveling lane that is slower than the traveling speed of the host vehicle. At this time, the own vehicle will approach the preceding vehicle,
When the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle becomes shorter than a certain value, the accelerator or the like is controlled so that the speed becomes the same as that of the preceding vehicle, and the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle.

[0008]

The drive assist system of the first conventional example has the following drawbacks. First, lane boundary line data is extracted based on the image obtained by the CCD camera 100 as described above. That is, the CCD camera 100 is used to recognize the traveling environment. The range that can be recognized by the CCD camera 100 is at most 100 m
Limited to the extent. This range is such that, for example, if the vehicle is traveling on an expressway at a speed of 100 km / h, it will pass in less than 4 seconds. In this case, there is a shortage of information for safe driving.

Further, since the CCD camera 100 has a limited recognizable range, it is not possible to obtain traffic state information of a distance from the own vehicle. Therefore, there is a problem that it is not possible to drive in anticipation.

Further, the recognizable range limit of the CCD camera 100 becomes a problem in the following cases, for example. That is, when changing lanes to overtake the preceding person, there is a confluence point or construction work in front of the lane to change lanes. In this case, changing lanes is dangerous and should not be changed. However, the CCD camera 100 has a problem that it cannot recognize the confluence point and the construction work, and makes a dangerous lane change.

The second conventional driving assistance device has the following drawbacks. For example, assume that the adaptive cruise is activated while traveling on a multi-lane road or a road that can pass. At this time, if there is a vehicle traveling at a slower speed than the own vehicle ahead of the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling,
Even if it is possible to pass the vehicle, it will follow a slower preceding vehicle due to an adaptive cruise. That is, there is a problem that efficient driving cannot be performed.

[0012] Therefore, the present invention provides a driving support device that provides information necessary for safe driving to a driving vehicle in any situation by obtaining traffic state information of a long distance and enables efficient driving. The purpose is to do.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving assistance device for detecting near-distance information indicating a traffic condition in a forward direction of a host vehicle and at a relatively short distance of at least a safe inter-vehicle distance. Sensor means, receiving means for receiving long-distance information indicating a relatively long-distance traffic condition from the own vehicle, short-distance information obtained by the sensor means and long-distance information obtained by the receiving means. It is characterized by further comprising: a generating unit configured to generate the driving assistance information by means of the driving unit;

A driving support device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the first aspect.
In the driving support apparatus according to the present invention, the navigation means for obtaining the current position information of the own vehicle, the current position information obtained by the navigation means, and the long-distance information obtained by the receiving means are used to check the current position of the own vehicle. A required long-distance information extracting means for extracting necessary long-distance information in front of the same lane or in the vicinity lane, wherein the generating means includes the short-distance information obtained by the sensor means and the necessary long-distance information. It is characterized in that the driving assistance information is generated using the necessary long-distance information obtained by the information extraction means.

A driving support device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the first aspect.
In the driving support apparatus according to the first aspect, the adjacent lane information indicating the traffic state of the adjacent lane adjacent to the traveling lane of the host vehicle is extracted from the short distance information obtained by the sensor means and the long distance information obtained by the receiving means. Adjacent lane information extraction means, based on the adjacent lane information extracted by the adjacent lane information extraction means, a determination means for generating determination information whether or not it is dangerous for the own vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane A driving support device, wherein the generation unit generates driving assistance information based on the determination,
It is characterized by:

A driving support device according to a fourth aspect is the first aspect.
Alternatively, in the driving support apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, the receiving means receives traffic state information from an information transmission source installed on the road.

A driving support device according to a fifth aspect is the first aspect.
Alternatively, in the driving support apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, the receiving means receives traffic state information from an information transmission source provided in another vehicle.

A driving support device according to a sixth aspect is the first aspect.
The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising rear-side sensor means for detecting rear-side information indicating rear-direction information of the vehicle, wherein the generation means is obtained by the sensor means. The driving assistance information or the determination information is generated by adding the rear side information obtained by the rear side sensor means to the short distance information obtained and the long distance information obtained by the receiving means.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving support device, which is a sensor means for detecting near-distance information indicating a traffic condition in a front direction of the own vehicle and at a relatively short distance of at least a safe inter-vehicle distance, the own vehicle. Driving information is generated by using navigation means that holds long-distance information indicating a relatively long-distance traffic state, short-distance information obtained by the sensor means, and long-distance information held by the navigation means. And a notifying unit for notifying the driver of the driving assistance information generated by the generating unit.

A driving support device according to an eighth aspect is the seventh aspect.
In the driving assistance device according to the above, there is provided rear side sensor means for detecting rear side information indicating rearward direction information of the own vehicle, and the generating means includes the short distance information and the short distance information obtained by the sensor means. The driving assist information is generated by using the long-distance information held in the navigation means and the rear side information obtained by the rear side sensor means.

A driving support device according to a ninth aspect is the first aspect.
The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: travel control means for controlling the operation of the drive device and the control device of the own vehicle based on the driving assistance information generated by the generation means. The traveling control means is installed in the host vehicle instead of the notification means or in addition to the notification means.

The "safe inter-vehicle distance" means the distance at which the sensor means can detect the preceding vehicle, and also the distance from the time when the driver senses a danger until the vehicle stops completely. Say.

The phrase "relatively close to the vehicle" means a distance at which the sensor means and the rear side sensor means can detect the object to be detected.

The term "relatively far from the own vehicle" means a distance that cannot be detected by the sensor means and the rear side sensor means.

The "traffic condition" means a condition relating to traffic such as a condition of another vehicle (position, speed, etc.) and a condition of a road (lane width, presence or absence of a merging point, existence of a sharp curve, etc.).

Further, "driving assistance information" refers to information that serves as a guide or reference for the driving operation of the driver.

The generating means is for generating driving assistance information, and in the embodiment, S1 and S in FIG.
2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S21 in FIG.
S22, S26, S27, S28, S4 in FIG.
8, corresponding to the operation of S52.

The required long-distance information extraction means is the front of the same lane or the near lane as seen from the current position of the own vehicle, based on the current position information obtained by the navigation means and the long-distance information obtained by the receiving means. The necessary long distance information is extracted, and in the embodiment, it corresponds to the operations of S23, S24, and S25 in FIG.

The adjacent lane information extraction means is an adjacent lane indicating the traffic state of the adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, from the short distance information obtained by the sensor means and the long distance information obtained by the receiving means. Information is extracted, and in the embodiment, S4 in FIG.
It corresponds to the operations of S3, S44, and S45.

The determining means is for generating, based on the adjacent lane information extracted by the adjacent lane information extracting means, determination information as to whether or not it is dangerous for the own vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane. In the embodiment, the operations correspond to S46, S47, and S51 in FIG.

[0031]

In the driving support system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the receiving means receives the long distance information indicating the traffic condition of a relatively long distance from the host vehicle. Therefore, it becomes possible to generate driving assistance information in consideration of long-distance information that cannot be detected by the sensor means, and thus it is possible to provide the driver with a driving environment in which the driver can drive with a margin.

Further, the driver can be provided with the driving assistance information necessary for safe driving even in a situation where the short-distance information is not enough, for example, in bad weather.

In the driving support device according to claim 2,
Extraction means, from the current position information obtained by the navigation means, and the long-distance information obtained from the receiving means,
The necessary long-distance information in front of the same lane or the adjacent lane as viewed from the current position of the vehicle is extracted. Further, the generation unit generates the driving assistance information by using the short distance information obtained by the sensor unit and the necessary long distance information obtained by the extraction unit.

Therefore, only the traffic condition information that is closely related to the traveling lane of the own vehicle is extracted and notified to the driver. Therefore, the driver can be provided with the driving assistance information necessary for safe driving.

Since more accurate driving assistance information can be provided to the driver, a highly reliable driving support device can be provided.

In the driving support device according to claim 3,
The extracting means extracts, as the adjacent lane information, the traffic state of the adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling from the short distance information obtained by the sensor means and the long distance information obtained by the receiving means. Further, the determining means generates determination information based on the adjacent lane information extracted by the extracting means, whether or not it is dangerous for the own vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane. Furthermore, the generation means generates driving assistance information based on the determination information.

That is, the driver is informed of the determination information indicating whether or not the lane can be changed in consideration of the long-distance information which cannot be detected only by the sensor means, as the driving assistance information. Therefore, the driver can be provided with a driving environment in which the lane can be changed safely and efficient driving can be performed.

In the driving support device according to claim 4,
The receiving means receives the traffic state information from the information transmission source installed on the road. Therefore, during driving, it is possible to obtain the traffic state information regarding the road in real time (whether or not there is a traffic jam ahead, whether there is a confluence point, etc.). Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with the driving assistance information that immediately responds to a situation that is difficult to predict, such as a sudden accident or road construction.

In the driving support system according to claim 5,
The receiving means can receive the traffic state information from the information source provided in the other vehicle. Therefore, during driving, it is possible to obtain traffic state information (driving speed, traveling position, etc.) about the surrounding vehicles in real time. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the driver from making an erroneous decision on the surrounding vehicles (for example, a decision on the speed of the preceding vehicle).

In the driving support device according to claim 6,
The rear side sensor means detects rear side information indicating rearward direction information of the host vehicle. In addition, the generation means is any one of a combination of short-distance information obtained by the sensor means, long-distance information obtained by the reception means, necessary long-distance information obtained by the extraction means, and judgment information obtained by the judgment means, Rear-side information obtained by the rear-side sensor means is added to generate driving assistance information.

Therefore, driving assistance information is generated which takes into consideration not only the traffic condition in the front direction but also the traffic condition in the rear direction from the own vehicle and notifies the driver. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with a driving environment in which the lane can be changed more safely.

In the driving support system according to claim 7,
The navigation means holds traffic state information of a relatively long distance from the vehicle. Therefore, the driver can be provided with the driving assistance information in consideration of the traffic condition information of a long distance that cannot be detected by the sensor.

Further, even in a situation where the short-distance traffic condition information alone is not sufficient, such as in bad weather, the driver can be provided with information necessary for safe driving.

In the driving support device according to claim 8,
The rear side sensor means detects rear side information indicating rearward direction information of the host vehicle. Further, the generating means adds the rear side information obtained by the rear side sensor means to the short distance information obtained by the sensor means and the long distance information held in the navigation means to generate driving assistance information.

Therefore, not only the traffic condition in the front direction from the own vehicle but also the traffic condition in the rear direction is taken into consideration to generate the driving assistance information and inform the driver. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with a driving environment in which the lane can be changed more safely.

In the driving support device according to claim 9,
The traveling control means controls the operation of the drive device and the control device of the own vehicle based on the driving assistance information generated by the generation means. That is, before the host vehicle falls into a dangerous state, the traveling control means controls the operation of the drive device and control device of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle can travel safely. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with the driving support device that can avoid the danger without performing the operation by himself and also to provide the driving environment in which the driver can drive safely.

[0047]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the mutual relation of each unit. The short distance information obtained from the sensor means 12, the long distance information obtained from the reception means 16 and the rear side information obtained from the rear side sensor means 14 are sent to the generation means 28. The generation unit 28 generates driving assistance information based on the information, and transmits the information to the traveling control unit 34 and the notification unit 36.

FIG. 2 shows a hardware configuration when each function of FIG. 1 is realized by using a CPU. Sensor means 1
The vehicle-to-vehicle distance sensor 13 and the rear-side monitoring sensor 15 as the rear-side sensor means 14 are sensor I /
It is connected to the CPU 51, the memory 54, and the hard disk 57 via O41. Further, the receiver 17 as the receiving means 16 is a CPU via the receiver I / O 43.
51, a memory 54 and a hard disk 57. The hard disk 57 stores programs related to the processing performed by the CPU 51.

The output device 37 as the notification means 36 is output via the output device I / O 45, and the actuator 35 as the traveling control means 34 is connected to the actuator I / O 47.
And a CPU 51, a memory 54 and a hard disk 57, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with the driving support system according to this embodiment. An inter-vehicle distance sensor 13 is mounted in front of the vehicle. A rear side monitoring sensor 15 is mounted on the side and rear of the vehicle (a rear side monitoring sensor is also mounted on the rear portion of the vehicle, but is not shown). Each sensor uses a millimeter wave radar or light, and detects the presence of a three-dimensional obstacle such as a preceding vehicle or a following vehicle through reflected waves and reflected light.

A receiver 17 is mounted on the upper part of the vehicle. The receiver 17 receives traffic state information from, for example, a road infrastructure. Here, the on-road infrastructure is a transmitter installed beside the road, and the shape of the road (confluence point,
It provides information on whether there are sharp curves, uphill slopes etc.) and traffic conditions (whether road construction or traffic jams etc.). Also,
The vehicle is equipped with a computer unit (not shown) that processes data obtained from each sensor and receiver.

A throttle actuator (not shown) is attached to the throttle valve (not shown), and a brake pressure actuator (not shown) is attached to the brake (not shown). In addition, a speaker and head-up display (not shown) are provided to provide the driver with auditory and visual information.

Next, the operation of the CPU 51 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The inter-vehicle distance sensor 13 detects short distance information. The short-distance information is information indicating a traffic state in the front direction of the own vehicle and at a relatively short distance of at least about a safe inter-vehicle distance, and is specifically the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle. This information is sent to the CPU 51, the memory 54 and the hard disk 57 via the sensor I / O 41.
(S1). The CPU 51 detects the preceding vehicle based on the input short distance information (S2).

The receiver 17 detects long-distance information from the road infrastructure installed on the road. The long-distance information is information indicating a relatively long-distance traffic condition from the own vehicle, and specifically, whether or not there is a confluence point where the own vehicle is traveling, whether road construction is performed, number of lanes, lane width, etc. Is. This information is sent to the CPU 51, the memory 54 and the hard disk 57 via the receiver I / O 43. The CPU 51 extracts road conditions based on the input long-distance information (S
3). In this road condition extraction work, the following conditions are extracted from the long distance information.

Is the lane width sufficient? Isn't it a road that is prohibited to pass? Is there a confluence point within the range of several hundred meters?
Is there a sharp curve within a few hundred meters? Is there a steep downhill within a few hundred meters? Is the lane blocked by construction or an accident?

Based on the extracted conditions, it is determined whether or not the road condition allows the lane change (S4). If it is determined that the lane cannot be changed, actuator control is performed so as to follow the preceding vehicle (S9). Subsequently, driving assistance information indicating that the lane cannot be changed is generated and the driver is informed (S10).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the lane can be changed, the rear side information detected by the rear side monitoring sensor 15 is sent to the CPU 51, the memory 54 and the hard disk 57 via the sensor I / O 41 (S5). Then, the following vehicle is detected based on the input rear side information (S6).
If it is determined that there is a following vehicle, actuator control is performed (S9). Subsequently, driving assistance information indicating that the lane cannot be changed is generated and the driver is informed (S10).

If it is determined that there is no following vehicle, the driver is informed of which driving assistance information that can change the lane (S
7). Then, actuator control is performed so as not to collide with the preceding vehicle (S8).

In the present embodiment, the receiver 17 receives long-distance information indicating a relatively long-distance traffic condition from the own vehicle. Further, the rear side monitoring sensor 15 detects rear side information indicating information on the rear side of the own vehicle. Therefore, it becomes possible to generate the driving assistance information in consideration of the long-distance information and the rear side information that cannot be detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 13. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with a driving environment in which the driver can drive more safely and change lanes more safely.

Further, the actuator 35 controls the operation of the drive device and the control device of the own vehicle based on the driving assistance information generated by the generating means 28. That is, the actuator 35 controls the operation of the drive device and the control device of the own vehicle before the own vehicle falls into a dangerous state so that the own vehicle can travel safely. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with the driving support device that can avoid the danger without performing the operation by himself and also to provide the driving environment in which the driver can drive safely.

Next, short distance information, long distance information, and
The detection area of the rear side information and the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the traffic state will be described with reference to FIG. A vehicle 70, a preceding vehicle 75, and a following vehicle 78 are traveling in the direction of arrow 90 on a road with two lanes on each side. The host vehicle 70 is traveling at a higher speed than the preceding vehicle 75. At the end of the road, there are road construction 85, a sharp curve 86, a junction 87, and the like. An on-road infrastructure 80 is installed beside the road.

The inter-vehicle distance sensor mounted on the host vehicle 70 detects the near distance information from the area A1 in the front direction of the host vehicle and at a relatively short distance of at least the safe inter-vehicle distance. Similarly, the rear side sensor detects rear side information from the rear side area A2 of the host vehicle. Also, the receiver is
Long-distance information is received from the area A3, which is relatively far from the own vehicle, from the on-road infrastructure 80 (in FIG. 5, there is road construction 85, a sharp curve 86, a confluence point 87, etc. at the destination of the own vehicle. Information).

The host vehicle 70 detects the preceding vehicle 75 with the inter-vehicle distance sensor (the preceding vehicle 75 is in the area A1). Since the host vehicle 70 is traveling at a speed faster than the preceding vehicle 75, the host vehicle 70 needs to overtake the preceding vehicle 75.
Try to change lanes in the direction of arrow 91. However, the rear side sensor detects the following vehicle 78 (the following vehicle 78 is in the area A2). Therefore, the driving support device notifies the driver that it is dangerous to change lanes. When the rear side sensor does not detect the following vehicle 75, the driver is informed that the lane can be changed.

The inter-vehicle distance sensor and the rear side sensor provide an environment in which the vehicle can be safely driven. However, there is a possibility that the vehicle will be in a dangerous situation in the following cases. FIG. 6 shows the case where there is a confluence point in the front. Own vehicle 70, preceding vehicle 75
Is traveling in the direction of arrow 92. It is assumed that the host vehicle 70 is traveling at a speed faster than the preceding vehicle 75 and there is no following vehicle.

In this case, the vehicle 70 can change the lane in the direction of arrow 93 based on the information from the inter-vehicle distance sensor and the rear side sensor. However, there is a merge point 87 in the front, and it is dangerous to change lanes. In the present embodiment, the presence of the confluence point 87 can be acquired by the receiver as long-distance information, so that even in such a case, it is possible to inform the driver that the lane cannot be changed and avoid the danger.

As a similar case, there is a case where road works are being carried out in the front direction shown in FIG. Own vehicle 70, preceding vehicle 75
Is traveling in the direction of arrow 94. It is assumed that the host vehicle 70 is traveling at a speed faster than the preceding vehicle 75 and there is no following vehicle.

In this case, the vehicle 70 can change the lane in the direction of arrow 95 based on the information from the inter-vehicle distance sensor and the rear side sensor. However, it is dangerous to change lanes because there is road construction 85 ahead. In the present embodiment, the presence of the road construction 85 can be acquired by the receiver as long-distance information, so that even in such a case, the driver can be notified that the lane cannot be changed, and the danger can be avoided.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the receiving means 16 in the first embodiment is used.
The navigation means 18 is used instead of. Therefore, the distance information is obtained from the navigation means 18.

FIG. 9 shows a hardware configuration when each function of FIG. 8 is realized by using a CPU. The long-distance information held by the car navigation system 19 as the navigation means 18 is stored in the CPU 51, the memory 54 and the hard disk 57 via the navigation I / O 44.
Sent to Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the mounting form on the vehicle, the receiver 17 in FIG. Other mounting forms are the same as those in the first embodiment.

Regarding the operation of the CPU 51, FIG.
In S3 in, the following changes are made. The long-distance information held by the car navigation 19 is sent to the CPU 51, the memory 54 and the hard disk 57 via the navigation I / O 44. The CPU 51 extracts road conditions based on the input long distance information. Other operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the car navigation system 19 holds long-distance information indicating a traffic condition relatively long distance from the own vehicle. Further, the rear side monitoring sensor 15 detects rear side information indicating information on the rear side of the own vehicle. Therefore, it becomes possible to generate the driving assistance information in consideration of the long-distance information and the rear side information that cannot be detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 13. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with a driving environment in which the driver can drive more safely and change lanes more safely.

Further, the actuator 35 controls the operation of the drive device and the control device of the own vehicle based on the driving assistance information generated by the generating means 28. That is, before the host vehicle falls into a dangerous state, the traveling control means controls the operation of the drive device and control device of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle can travel safely. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with the driving support device that can avoid the danger without performing the operation by himself and also to provide the driving environment in which the driver can drive safely.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the mutual relation of each unit.
The short distance information obtained by the sensor means 12 and the rear side information obtained by the rear side sensor means 14 are sent to the generation means 28. The long distance information obtained by the receiving means 16 and the current position information obtained by the navigation means 18 are sent to the necessary long distance information extracting means 23.

The necessary long-distance information extracting means 23 extracts the necessary long-distance information in the same lane as viewed from the current position of the own vehicle or ahead of the adjacent lane from the long-distance information and the current position information, and sends it to the generating means 28. The generation unit 28 uses the short distance information,
Driving assistance information is generated from the rear side information and the adjacent lane information, and the information is transmitted to the traveling control means 34 and the notification means 36.

FIG. 11 shows a hardware configuration when each function of FIG. 10 is realized by using a CPU. The inter-vehicle distance sensor 13 as the sensor means 12 and the rear side monitoring sensor 15 as the rear side sensor means 14 are sent to the CPU 51, the memory 54 and the hard disk 57 via the sensor I / O 41.

On the other hand, the receiver 17 as the receiving means 16 and the car navigation system 19 as the navigation means 18 are sent to the CPU 53, the memory 56 and the hard disk 59 via the receiver I / O 43 and the navigation I / O 44.

The CPU 53 is connected to the CPU 51. Further, the actuator 35 as the traveling control means 34 is connected to the CPU 5 via the actuator I / O 47.
1 connected. Output device 3 as notification means 36
7 is connected to the CPU 51 via the output device I / O 45.

The vehicle of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle as shown in FIG. 3 with a car navigation system (not shown). .

Next, the operation of the CPU 51 and the CPU 53 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The inter-vehicle distance sensor 13 detects short distance information. This information is sent to the CPU 51, the memory 54 and the hard disk 57 via the sensor I / O 41 (S21). CPU
51 detects a preceding vehicle based on the input short distance information (S22).

The receiver 17 detects long distance information from the road infrastructure installed on the road. This information is
It is sent to the CPU 53, the memory 56 and the hard disk 59 via O43 (S23). The car navigation system 19 also detects the current position information of the vehicle. This information is sent to the CPU 53, the memory 56 and the hard disk 59 via the navigation I / O 44 (S24).

Then, the CPU 53 extracts the necessary long-distance information indicating the traffic condition in front of the same lane as viewed from the current position of the own vehicle from the long-distance information and the current position information (S25). This required long distance information is sent to the CPU 51.

The CPU 51 determines whether the lane can be changed or not based on the required long distance information (S2).
6). If it is determined that the lane cannot be changed, actuator control is performed so as to follow the preceding vehicle (S31). Then, the driver is notified of the driving assistance information (S32).

If it is judged from the necessary long distance information that the lane can be changed, the rear side information detected by the rear side monitoring sensor 15 is sent to the CPU 51, the memory 54 and the hard disk 57 via the sensor I / O 41 ( S2
7). The CPU 51 determines whether or not there is a following vehicle based on the rear side information. (S28). If it is determined that there is a following vehicle, actuator control is performed so as to follow the preceding vehicle (S31). Then, the driver is notified of the driving assistance information (S32).

If it is determined that there is no following vehicle, the driver is informed of the driving assistance information that the lane can be changed (S2).
9). Subsequently, actuator control is performed so as not to collide with the preceding vehicle (S30).

In the present embodiment, the required long distance information extracting means 23 is the same as the long distance information obtained from the receiver 17 and the current position information obtained by the car navigation system 19 when viewed from the current position of the vehicle. The necessary long-distance information in front of the nearby lane is extracted. Also, the generating means 2
Reference numeral 8 is driving assistance information using the short distance information obtained by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 13, the rear side information obtained by the rear side monitoring sensor 15 and the necessary long distance information obtained by the necessary long distance information extracting means 23. To generate.

Therefore, only the traffic state information which is closely related to the traveling lane of the own vehicle is extracted and notified to the driver. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with driving assistance information necessary for safe driving and a driving environment in which the lane can be changed more safely.

The actuator 35 controls the operation of the drive device and control device of the own vehicle based on the driving assistance information generated by the generation means 28. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with the driving support device that can avoid the danger without performing the operation by himself and also to provide the driving environment in which the driver can drive safely.

[Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the mutual relation of each unit.
Short-distance information obtained from the sensor means 12, rear-side information obtained from the rear-side sensor means 14, and receiving means 1
The long-distance information obtained from 6 is the adjacent lane information extraction means 2
Sent to 5.

The adjacent lane information extracting means 25 extracts the adjacent lane information indicating the traffic state of the adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling from the short distance information, the rear side information and the long distance information, and the judging means 26. Send to. The determination unit 26 generates, based on the adjacent lane information, determination information indicating whether it is dangerous for the host vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane, and sends the information to the generation unit 28. The generation unit 28 generates driving assistance information based on the determination information and notifies the traveling control unit 34 and the notification unit 36.

FIG. 14 shows a hardware configuration when each function of FIG. 13 is realized by using a CPU. An inter-vehicle distance sensor 13 serving as the sensor means 12, a rear side monitoring sensor 15 serving as the rear side sensor means 14, and a receiver 17 serving as the receiving means 16 include a CPU 53 via a sensor I / O 41 and a receiver I / O 43. It is connected to the memory 56 and the hard disk 59. The hard disk 59 stores programs related to the processing performed by the CPU 53. The CPU 53 is connected to the CPU 52 and the CPU 51. Further, the hard disk 57 stores a program related to the processing performed by the CPU 51, and the hard disk 58 stores the CPU 5
The program related to the processing performed in 2 is stored.

The output device 37 as the notification means 36 is output via the output device I / O 45, and the actuator 35 as the travel control means 34 is connected to the actuator I / O 47.
And a CPU 51, a memory 54 and a hard disk 57, respectively.

The mounting form of the vehicle of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG.

Next, the operations of the CPU 51, the CPU 52, and the CPU 53 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The inter-vehicle distance sensor 13 detects short distance information. This information is sent to the CPU 53, the memory 56 and the hard disk 59 via the sensor I / O 41 (S4).
1). The CPU 53 detects the preceding vehicle based on the input short distance information (S42).

The receiver 17 detects long-distance information from the road infrastructure installed on the road. This information is
It is sent to the CPU 53, the memory 56, and the hard disk 59 via O43 (S43). The rear side monitoring sensor 15 detects rear side information. This information is sent to the CPU 53, the memory 56 and the hard disk 59 via the sensor I / O 41 (S44). CPU53
The adjacent lane information indicating the traffic state of the adjacent lane adjacent to the traveling lane of the host vehicle is extracted from the information (S4).
5).

The adjacent lane information is stored in the CPU 52.
Sent to Based on this information, the CPU 52 determines whether the lane change is possible (S46). If it is determined that the lane cannot be changed, the determination information is generated (S5
1), Send to CPU 51 The CPU 51 generates driving assistance information that the lane cannot be changed based on the determination information (S52). Based on this information, actuator control is performed so as to follow the preceding vehicle (S53). Then, the driver is notified of the driving assistance information (S54).

On the other hand, if it is judged that the lane can be changed, the CPU generates the judgment information (S47) and sends it to the CPU 51.
51 generates driving assistance information that the lane can be changed based on the determination information (S48). Then, the driver is notified of the driving assistance information (S49). Then, actuator control is performed so as not to collide with the preceding vehicle (S5).
0).

In this embodiment, the adjacent lane information extraction means 2
5 is from the short distance information obtained by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 13, the rear side information obtained by the rear side monitoring sensor 15 and the long distance information obtained by the receiver 17,
The traffic state of the adjacent lane adjacent to the running lane of the host vehicle is extracted as the adjacent lane information. The determining unit 26 also generates determination information based on the adjacent lane information extracted by the adjacent lane information extracting unit 25, whether or not it is dangerous for the host vehicle to change to the adjacent lane. Further, the generation unit 28 generates driving assistance information based on the determination information.

That is, the driving assistance information is generated from the judgment information indicating whether or not the lane can be changed in consideration of the long-distance information and the rear side information that cannot be detected only by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 17, and the driver is informed. Therefore, the driver can be provided with a driving environment in which the lane can be changed safely and efficient driving can be performed.

Further, the actuator 35 controls the operation of the drive device and the control device of the own vehicle based on the driving assistance information generated by the generation means 28. Therefore, it is possible to provide the driver with the driving support device that can avoid the danger without performing the operation by himself and also to provide the driving environment in which the driver can drive safely.

[Other Embodiments] The driving control means 34 may be removed from the driving support devices of the first to fourth embodiments, and the control of the own vehicle may be left to the judgment of the driver. Further, the rear side sensor means 14 may be removed from the driving support devices of the first to fourth embodiments, and the driver may be left to check the safety of the rear side.

In the first embodiment, the CP
Although the flow chart of U51 is shown in FIG. 4, it is not limited to the illustrated one as long as the preceding vehicle can be detected, the road condition can be extracted, and the following vehicle can be surely detected. The third embodiment is not limited to the flowchart of FIG. 12 as long as the preceding vehicle can be detected, the necessary long-distance information can be extracted, and the following vehicle can be detected with certainty. Further, similarly, the fourth embodiment is not limited to the flowchart of FIG. 15 as long as it can detect the preceding vehicle, extract the adjacent lane information, and generate the determination information.

Further, in the third embodiment, the required long distance information extracting means 23 and the generating means 28 are respectively provided with Cs.
It has a PU, a memory and a hard disk,
They may be integrated into one and installed. Similarly, in the fourth embodiment, the CPU, the memory, and the hard disk separately provided in the adjacent lane information extraction unit 25, the determination unit 26, and the generation unit 28 may be integrated and installed.

Further, as the receiving means 16, inter-vehicle communication which will be provided in the future may be used to acquire the short distance information, the long distance information and the rear side information.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a driving support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram when each function of the driving support device shown in FIG. 1 is realized by using a CPU.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with the driving support device shown in FIG.

4 is a flowchart showing an operation of a CPU of the driving support device shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a relative positional relationship diagram between a host vehicle and an information detection area and a host vehicle and a traffic state.

FIG. 6 is a diagram when a lane change is dangerous and there is a confluence point ahead.

FIG. 7 is a diagram in the case where lane change is dangerous and road construction is being performed in front.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the driving support device according to the present invention.

9 is a hardware configuration diagram when each function of the driving support device shown in FIG. 8 is realized by using a CPU.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the driving support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing each function of the driving support device shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram in the case of being realized by using FIG.

12 is a flowchart showing an operation of a CPU of the driving support device shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the driving support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing each function of the driving support device shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram in the case of being realized by using FIG.

15 is a flowchart showing an operation of a CPU of the driving assistance device shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a first conventional example of a driving support device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 ... Sensor means 14 ... Rear side sensor means 16 ... Reception means 18 ... Navigation means 23 ... Necessary long distance information extraction means 24 ...・ ・ ・ Extracting means 25 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Adjacent lane information extracting means 26 ・ ・ ・ Determination means 28 ・ ・ ・ Generating means 34 ・ ・ ・ Running control means 36 ・ ・ ・ Notifying means

Claims (9)

[Claims] Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A sensor means for detecting short-distance information indicating a relatively short-distance traffic condition in the front direction of the own-vehicle and at least about a safe inter-vehicle distance, and traffic relatively far from the own-vehicle. Receiving means for receiving long-distance information indicating the state, generating means for generating driving assistance information using the short-distance information obtained by the sensor means and the long-distance information obtained by the receiving means, by the generating means A driving support device comprising: a notification unit that notifies a driver of the generated driving assistance information. 2. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein: navigation means for obtaining current position information of the vehicle, current position information obtained by the navigation means, and long-distance information obtained from the receiving means A driving assistance device comprising: necessary distance information extracting means for extracting necessary distance information ahead of the same lane as the current position of the host vehicle or in front of a nearby lane, wherein the generating means is obtained by the sensor means. A driving assistance device, wherein driving assistance information is generated using short-distance information and necessary long-distance information obtained by the necessary long-distance information extraction means. 3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein, based on the short distance information obtained by the sensor means and the long distance information obtained by the receiving means, the traffic state of the adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. Adjacent lane information extraction means for extracting adjacent lane information indicating, based on the adjacent lane information extracted by the adjacent lane information extraction means, the judgment information whether or not it is dangerous for the own vehicle to change to the adjacent lane A driving support device comprising: a determination unit that generates the driving assistance information, wherein the generation unit generates the driving assistance information based on the determination. 4. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the receiving unit receives traffic state information from an information transmission source installed on a road. 5. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit receives traffic state information from an information transmission source provided in another vehicle. apparatus. 6. The driving support device according to claim 1, further comprising rear-side sensor means for detecting rear-side information indicating rear-direction information of the vehicle, The means generates short-distance information obtained by the sensor means, long-distance information obtained by the receiving means, and rear-side information obtained by the rear-side sensor means to generate driving assistance information or determination information, A driving support device characterized by the above. 7. A sensor means for detecting short-distance information indicating a relatively short-distance traffic condition in the front direction of the own-vehicle and at least about a safe inter-vehicle distance, and traffic relatively far from the own-vehicle. Navigation means for holding long-distance information indicating a state, generation means for generating driving assistance information using short-distance information obtained by the sensor means and long-distance information held by the navigation means, by the generation means A driving support device, comprising: a notification unit that notifies the driver of the generated driving assistance information. 8. The driving support device according to claim 7, further comprising rear side sensor means for detecting rear side information indicating rearward direction information of the vehicle, wherein the generating means includes the sensor means. Driving assistance information is generated by using the short-distance information obtained by the above, the long-distance information held in the navigation means, and the rear-side information obtained by the rear-side sensor means. . 9. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the travel control means controls the operation of the drive device and the control device of the own vehicle based on the driving assistance information generated by the generation means. A driving support device comprising: the driving control device, wherein the traveling control unit is installed in the host vehicle instead of the notification unit or in addition to the notification unit.