JP7307566B2 - Automated driving support device - Google Patents

Description

In the present invention, when the driver automatically drives the own vehicle by shifting the driving mode from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode before the course change, if the course change along the target course is not in time, a new The present invention relates to an automatic driving support device that sets a target traveling route.

In a car navigation system installed in a vehicle driven by a driver (self-vehicle), when the driver sets a destination, the information is received from positioning satellites such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites represented by GPS satellites. The current position of the vehicle M (own vehicle position) is detected based on the position information, and a travel route from the vehicle position to the destination is set by matching with the road map information and displayed on the monitor.

In manual driving, the driver drives the vehicle to the destination by manipulating the steering wheel using the constructed driving route as a guide. Autonomous driving, on the other hand, builds a driving route from the vehicle's position to the destination by matching the vehicle's position with a high-precision road map (dynamic map). The vehicle is driven by the system instead of the driver.

For example, a driving route from the current position to the destination is constructed, but if the autonomous driving is limited to some sections, such as highways, the driver will reach the autonomous driving section where autonomous driving is possible. Until then, the own vehicle is driven in the manual driving mode by the driver's own driving operation. Then, when the vehicle reaches the automatic driving section, turning on the automatic driving switch causes the driving mode to transition to the automatic driving mode, and the system takes over the driving operation of the own vehicle to continue driving.

In addition, even in an automatic driving section, when the manual driving mode is set as the driving mode, the vehicle is driven by the driver's own driving operation. Then, when the driver turns on the automatic driving switch on the way, the driving mode is changed to the automatic driving mode, and traveling by automatic driving is started. At that time, if the destination has not been set, the system currently drives the host vehicle in a driving support mode using normal lane keeping (ALK: Active Lane Keep) control and following distance control (ACC: Adaptive Cruise Control). drive straight along the lane.

In an autonomous driving section, when the driver, etc., sets a destination while the vehicle is traveling in driving support mode where the destination is not set, the navigation system builds a driving route, and then When the driver turns on the automatic driving switch, the driving mode is changed to the automatic driving mode, and automatic driving along the travel route is started.

For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-28927), in a state where the own vehicle travels in an automatic operation section, and when the operation mode is changed from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode, the automatic operation mode For example, if you are traveling in a section that requires a lane change and you cannot change lanes in automatic driving mode, temporarily suspend automatic driving mode and manually drive Techniques for making mode transitions are disclosed.

JP 2016-28927 A

In the technology disclosed in the above-mentioned document, when the driving mode transitions to the automatic driving mode, the previous driving route is set in the direction of the branch road, and if the route change to the branch road direction is not in time, the driving The mode will automatically transition to the manual operation mode.

However, the driver's expectation that the driving mode will be changed to the manual driving mode immediately after the driver changes the driving mode from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode while traveling in the automatic driving section. Therefore, the driver is confused and uneasy.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention meets the expectations of the driver without causing the operation mode to transition to the manual operation mode immediately after the driver switches the operation mode from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode. To provide an automatic driving support device capable of obtaining a motion and alleviating the confusion and uneasiness of a driver.

The present invention includes an automatic driving selection unit that changes the driving mode from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode by an external operation, a storage unit that stores road map information, and an own vehicle position estimation unit that estimates the current position of the own vehicle. , a route information input unit operated by a passenger to input destination information, a current position of the vehicle estimated by the vehicle position estimation unit, and the destination input from the route information input unit. In an automatic driving support device comprising: a driving route setting unit that constructs a driving route based on the road map information stored in the storage unit; It has a driving support mode that automatically drives straight along the lane , and the automatic driving control unit changes the driving mode to the automatic driving mode by operating the automatic driving selection unit. A target travel route setting unit for setting a target travel route for automatically driving the own vehicle on the travel route constructed by the route setting unit; a route change determination unit for determining whether or not the vehicle can be changed along the target route when the direction of the branch road is set; and the route change determination unit determines that the route cannot be changed. After the determination, a reroute requesting unit that issues a reroute request to the travel route setting unit to construct a new travel route; and a driving assistance mode execution unit that executes the driving assistance mode until passing through a branch point set at the entrance, wherein the target travel route setting unit responds to the reroute request of the reroute request unit. Set a new target course based on the new travel route constructed in .

According to the present invention, the automatic driving control unit, when the driving mode is changed to the automatic driving mode by an external operation, the target set for automatically driving the own vehicle on the driving route constructed by the driving route setting unit It is determined whether or not the vehicle can be changed along the course, and after determining that the course cannot be changed, a reroute request is made to the travel route setting unit to construct a new travel route, and this reroute is performed. A new target travel route is set based on a new travel route constructed in response to a request, so the target travel route set immediately after the driver changes the driving mode from manual to automatic Even if it is not possible to change the course of the own vehicle according to It can help alleviate the confusion and anxiety you experience.

Functional block diagram of automated driving support system Flowchart showing navigation input processing routine Flowchart showing automatic driving support control routine (part 1) Flowchart showing automatic driving support control routine (part 2) Flowchart showing automatic driving support control routine (Part 3) Explanatory diagram showing whether it is possible to change lanes when the driving mode is changed from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode in an automated driving section

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. The automatic driving support system shown in FIG. 1 is installed in a vehicle M (see M1 to M5 in FIG. 6). This automatic driving support system 1 includes a locator unit 11 that detects the current position of the own vehicle M (own vehicle position), a camera unit 21 that recognizes the running environment in front of the own vehicle M, and monitors the running environment around the own vehicle M. It has a peripheral monitoring unit 22 and an automatic operation control unit 26 as an automatic operation control section. When one of the locator unit 11 and the camera unit 21 malfunctions, a redundant system is constructed in which the other unit temporarily continues automatic driving assistance.

The automatic driving control unit 26 compares the information obtained from the locator unit 11 and the camera unit 21 while driving in an automatic driving section where automatic driving is possible, and constantly monitors whether the road shape currently being driven is the same. and continue automatic operation if they are the same.

The locator unit 11 estimates the position of the vehicle on the road map and acquires road map data around and in front of the vehicle position. On the other hand, the camera unit 21 obtains the road curvature at the center of the lane dividing the left and right of the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (own vehicle driving lane), and also determines the curvature of the vehicle M based on the center of the left and right lane. lateral position deviation in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the camera unit 21 can detect a preceding vehicle in front of the own vehicle M, three-dimensional objects including moving objects such as pedestrians and two-wheeled vehicles (bicycles, motorcycles), division lines that divide the left and right of the own vehicle's traveling lane, and road signs. , signal indication (lighting color), etc.

The locator unit 11 has a map locator calculation section 12 and a high-precision road map database 16 as a storage section. The map locator calculation unit 12, the forward running environment recognition unit 21d, the surrounding environment recognition unit 22b, and the automatic driving control unit 26, which will be described later, are a well-known microcomputer equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, nonvolatile storage unit, etc. It is composed of peripheral devices, and the ROM stores in advance programs to be executed by the CPU, fixed data such as data tables, and the like.

An input side of the map locator calculation unit 12 is connected with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 13, an autonomous traveling sensor 14, and a route information input device 15 as a route information input unit. The GNSS receiver 13 receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites. In addition, the autonomous traveling sensor 14 enables autonomous traveling in an environment where the reception sensitivity from the GNSS satellite is low and the positioning signal cannot be effectively received, such as traveling in a tunnel. It consists of an acceleration sensor and the like. That is, the map locator calculation unit 12 performs localization based on the movement distance and direction based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor, the yaw rate (yaw angular velocity) detected by the yaw rate sensor, and the longitudinal acceleration detected by the longitudinal acceleration sensor.

The route information input device 15 is a terminal device operated by a passenger (mainly a driver). That is, the route information input device 15 is used to set a destination and waypoints, and to set ON/OFF of an auto-reroute function provided in a travel route setting calculation unit 12b, which will be described later. A series of information required for setting can be collected and entered.

Specifically, the route information input device 15 is an input unit of a car navigation system (for example, a touch panel of a monitor), a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a personal computer, or the like. Or connected wirelessly.

The passenger operates the route information input device 15 to input destination and transit point information (facility name, address, telephone number, etc.), delete the input destination and transit point, and turn on the auto-reroute function. When /OFF is performed, this input information is read by the map locator calculation unit 12 .

When a destination or waypoint is input, the map locator calculation unit 12 sets the position coordinates (latitude and longitude). The map locator calculation unit 12 includes a vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a as a vehicle position estimation unit for estimating the vehicle position, and a driving route setting unit for setting a driving route from the vehicle position to the destination (and intermediate points). A travel route setting calculation unit 12b is provided as.

The high-precision road map database 16 is a large-capacity storage medium such as an HDD, and stores high-precision well-known road map information (local dynamic map). This high-precision road map information has a hierarchical structure in which additional map information necessary to support automatic driving is superimposed on the static information layer of the lowest layer as a base. Additional map information includes types of roads (general roads, expressways, etc.), road shapes, left and right division lines, road signs, stop lines, intersections, static position information such as traffic signals, and traffic information, accidents, or Dynamic location information such as traffic restrictions due to construction is included.

The own vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a acquires the current position coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the own vehicle M based on the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver 13, map-matches the position coordinates on the map information, Estimate the vehicle position (current position) on the road map. Further, the vehicle driving lane is specified, and the road shape of the driving lane stored in the map information is acquired and stored sequentially.

Furthermore, the vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a switches to autonomous navigation in an environment in which it is not possible to receive an effective positioning signal from the positioning satellite due to a decrease in the sensitivity of the GNSS receiver 13, such as when traveling in a tunnel. Localization is performed by the sensor 14 .

The travel route setting calculation unit 12b uses the position information (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle position estimated by the vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a and the position information (latitude and longitude) of the input destination (and waypoint). , the local dynamic map stored in the high-precision road map database 16 is referenced. Then, the travel route setting calculation unit 12b preliminarily sets a travel route connecting the vehicle position and the destination (the destination via the transit point if the transit point is set) on the local dynamic map. Build according to the route conditions (recommended route, fastest route, etc.). Then, the constructed travel route is displayed on a road map displayed on the navigation display device (navigation monitor) 35 of the car navigation system together with an icon indicating the current position of the vehicle. This travel route is rerouted every predetermined time according to traffic conditions (congestion, traffic regulation, etc.) even if an auto-reroute function, which will be described later, is set to OFF, and an optimal travel route is always constructed.

On the other hand, the camera unit 21 is fixed to the upper center of the front part of the passenger compartment of the vehicle M, and consists of a main camera 21a and a sub-camera 21b arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to the center in the vehicle width direction. It has an in-vehicle camera (stereo camera), an image processing unit (IPU) 21c, and a forward traveling environment recognition section 21d. The camera unit 21 captures reference image data with the main camera 21a and captures comparison image data with the sub-camera 21b.

Then, the IPU 21c performs predetermined image processing on both of the image data. The forward driving environment recognition unit 21d reads the reference image data and the comparison image data image-processed by the IPU 21c, recognizes the same object in both images based on the parallax, and recognizes the distance data (from the own vehicle M). distance to the object) is calculated using the principle of triangulation to recognize forward driving environment information.

The forward driving environment information includes the road shape of the lane (driving lane) in which the vehicle M travels (the lane dividing the left and right, the road curvature [1/m] at the center between the lanes, and the width between the left and right lanes. (lane width)), intersections, crosswalks, traffic lights, road signs, and roadside obstacles (telephone poles, poles, guardrails, fences, parked vehicles, etc.).

On the other hand, the perimeter monitoring unit 22 monitors moving objects (vehicles, pedestrians, two-wheeled vehicles, etc.) in the vicinity of the vehicle M, and is composed of an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, a lidar (LIDAR; Light Detection and Ranging), and the like. It has a surrounding environment recognition sensor 22a and a surrounding environment recognition unit 22b that recognizes surrounding environment information such as moving bodies around the vehicle M based on signals from the surrounding environment recognition sensor 22a.

In addition, the automatic driving control unit 26 is connected to the front driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21, the surrounding environment recognition unit 22b of the surrounding monitoring unit 22, and the automatic driving switch 23 as the automatic driving selection unit on the input side. there is Further, the automatic driving control unit 26 is connected to the map locator calculation unit 12 through an in-vehicle communication line (for example, CAN: Controller Area Network) so as to be capable of two-way communication.

The automatic driving switch 23 indicates the intention of the driver to select the automatic driving mode as the driving mode by an external operation, and is arranged at a position such as near the spokes of the steering wheel that is easy for the driver to operate. For example, by turning on the automatic operation switch 23 after the own vehicle M traveling in the manual operation mode enters the automatic operation section, the operation mode transitions to the automatic operation mode, and it is possible to travel in automatic operation. Become. In addition to the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode, the operation mode includes a driving support mode in which the host vehicle M automatically travels straight along the driving lane by ACC and ALK control.

Further, on the output side of the automatic driving control unit 26, a steering control unit 31 for driving the own vehicle M along the travel route, a brake control unit 32 for decelerating the own vehicle M by forced braking, and controlling the vehicle speed of the own vehicle M. Acceleration/deceleration control unit 33 and notification device 34 such as a monitor and a speaker are connected.

The automatic driving control unit 26 controls the steering control unit 31, the brake control unit 32, and the acceleration/deceleration control unit 33 in a predetermined manner in the automatic driving section, based on the positioning signal indicating the vehicle position received by the GNSS receiver 13. , the host vehicle M is caused to automatically travel along the target travel route for automatic driving set on the travel route constructed by the travel route setting calculation unit 12b.

At that time, based on the forward running environment recognized by the forward running environment recognizing unit 21d, when the preceding vehicle is detected by well-known following vehicle distance control (ACC) and lane keeping (ALK) control, the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle. , when the preceding vehicle is not detected, the own vehicle M is driven at the set vehicle speed within the speed limit.

By the way, when a part of the driving route leading the own vehicle M from the current position to the destination is set as an automatic driving section, the driver operates in the manual driving mode until reaching the automatic driving section. Drive along the driving route. Even after entering the automatic operation section, if the automatic operation switch 23 is turned off, the manual operation mode is continued. On the other hand, if the automatic operation switch 23 is turned on after entering the automatic operation section, the operation mode transitions to the automatic operation mode. Therefore, even if the entire travel route is an automatic operation section, the operation mode is the manual operation mode when the automatic operation switch 23 is OFF.

When the driving mode transitions from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving control unit 26 first displays on the travel route that the target progress for automatically driving the own vehicle M is a predetermined distance (number of 100 meters to several kilometers away).

When this target travel route is set in the direction of a branch road (junction, exit of a highway or bypass road, etc.), the distance from the current position of the own vehicle M to the branch point set at the entrance of the branch road is calculated. Then, it is checked whether or not it is possible to change the course from the lane in which the host vehicle M is currently traveling to the branch road direction. In the following, for the sake of convenience, changing the traveling route within the main line is referred to as "lane change", and changing the traveling route from the main line toward the branch road is referred to as "course change".

Then, when the course can be changed to the branch road direction, the automatic driving mode is continued. When the route cannot be changed, the driving mode is changed to the driving support mode, the current lane is driven straight, and the driving route is reconstructed when the vehicle passes through a branch point.

Specifically, the automatic driving support control executed by the automatic driving control unit 26 described above is executed according to the automatic driving support control routine shown in FIGS.

Before executing the automatic driving support in this routine, the navigation input processing routine executed by the travel route setting calculation section 12b of the locator unit 11 will be described.

In this routine, first, in step S1, it is checked whether or not ON/OFF of auto-reroute is set. ON/OFF of the auto-reroute is set by the route information input device 15 having a function as a reroute-on/off input section. A selection screen is displayed first. If the passenger has set ON/OFF of auto-reroute, the process jumps to step S3. On the other hand, if ON/OFF of the auto-reroute is not set, the process advances to step S2 to request the setting of the auto-reroute and wait until it is set.

Then, when the passenger sets ON/OFF of auto-reroute, the process proceeds to step S3. This auto-reroute ON/OFF request is displayed on the navigation display device (navigation monitor) 35 of the car navigation system. Then, the selection screen displayed on the navigation display device 35 is touched to set. The ON/OFF of this auto-reroute is read in step S21 of the automatic driving support control routine, which will be described later.

This auto-reroute is to select whether or not to set a new travel route when the host vehicle M cannot travel along the target travel route during travel in the automatic operation mode. Therefore, it differs from a normal reroute function that automatically changes the travel route according to traffic conditions (congestion, traffic regulation, etc.).

Also, ON/OFF of this auto-reroute may be selected on the initial setting screen of the car navigation system. In that case, when the passenger activates the car navigation system, the program of the navigation input processing routine first starts from step S3.

When proceeding to step S3, it is checked whether or not the destination has been input, and if it has been input, the process jumps to step S6. On the other hand, if the destination has not been input, the process proceeds to step S4 to request the input of the destination and wait until it is input. The input of the destination includes the input of the waypoint.

If the passenger inputs the destination, the process proceeds to step S5, and a travel route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination is constructed according to preset conditions (recommended route, fastest route, etc.).

Next, after proceeding to step S6 and displaying the travel route on the navigation display device 35 of the car navigation system, proceeding to step S7, it is checked whether or not there is a reroute request from the automatic driving control unit 26. This reroute request is made in step S20 of the automatic driving support control routine, which will be described later.

When the driving mode transitions from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the target traveling route for automatic driving is set on the traveling route. The distance from the position to the entrance of the branch road is short, and it may not be possible to change the course. In such a case, a reroute request is issued to the travel route setting calculation unit 12b from step S20 of the automatic driving support control routine.

Then, if there is a reroute request, the process proceeds to step S8. Also, if there is no reroute request, the routine exits. Proceeding to step S8, a new travel route connecting the current location and the destination is reconstructed.Proceeding to step S9, the newly constructed travel route is displayed on the map displayed on the navigation display device 35. exit the routine.

Next, the automatic driving support control routine will be explained. In this routine, first, in step S11, the state of the automatic operation switch 23 is read, and in step S12, it is checked whether or not the automatic operation switch 23 is ON. Automatic operation ON/OFF is performed by operating an automatic operation switch 23 arranged near the spokes of the steering wheel or the like.

When the automatic operation switch 23 is OFF, the process branches to step S13, sets the operation mode to the manual operation mode, and exits the routine. In the manual driving mode, the vehicle position and the driving route are displayed on the road map displayed on the monitor of the car navigation system, and the driver drives the vehicle M along the driving route displayed on the monitor.

On the other hand, if the automatic operation switch 23 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S14, and after step S14, the conditions for determining whether or not to execute the automatic operation mode as the operation mode are examined. Execute automatic driving mode.

First, in step S14, the travel route set in the navigation input processing routine is read, and the process advances to step S15 to set a target travel route for advancing the own vehicle M by automatic driving control on the travel route. This target traveling route is set from several hundred meters to several kilometers in front of the own vehicle M, and is necessary to allow the own vehicle M to automatically travel along the travel route without relying on the operation of the driver. set appropriate control conditions. The control conditions include which of the driving lanes (if there are three lanes, the first driving lane, the second driving lane, and the overtaking lane), and a target route for changing lanes when changing the driving lanes. , a target route when entering a branch road (junction, exit of a highway or bypass road, etc.). Incidentally, the processing in step S15 corresponds to the target traveling route setting section of the present invention.

Next, in step S16, it is checked based on the target travel route set in step S15 whether or not the target travel route is set in the branch road direction. If the direction of the branch road is set (see FIG. 6), the process proceeds to step S17. If the direction is set to go straight, the process jumps to step S29.

When proceeding to step S17, the entrance of the nearest branch road read from the target travel route set in the high-precision road map information from the own vehicle position obtained based on the positioning information received by the GNSS receiver 13 is set in advance. A distance (reaching distance) Lk to the position of the current branch point on the driving lane is obtained, and the process proceeds to step S18. In step S18, the reachable distance Lk is compared with the distance required to start the course change to the fork road (course change required distance) Lα, and the course change from the current vehicle position to the fork road direction is performed. check if it is possible. Incidentally, the processing in step S18 corresponds to the course change determination section of the present invention.

In order to change the course of the own vehicle M to the fork road direction, it is necessary to make the own vehicle M travel straight ahead stably in the first travel lane before reaching the fork point L0. Also, when the host vehicle M is traveling in the second lane or the overtaking lane, it is necessary to change lanes and stably travel straight in the first lane.

Therefore, in order to start the course change at the branch point L0, the own vehicle M must be in a state of traveling straight ahead in the first traveling lane. For that purpose, first, it is checked in which lane the own vehicle M is traveling. Then, the number of lane changes n required to move from the current lane to the first lane (n = 0 when traveling in the first lane of three lanes, the second lane in the center) If the vehicle is running, n=1, if the vehicle is running in the overtaking lane, n=2) is set, and the corresponding course change required distance Lα (α is the lane position) is set. In this embodiment, since three lanes are exemplified for explanation, α=1 to 3 (α=1 for the first lane, α=2 for the second lane, and α=3 for the overtaking lane). ).

Next, this lane change number n is multiplied by a value obtained by adding the time required for one lane change (required lane change time) ts [sec] and the turn signal ON time tw [sec] before starting the lane change. is multiplied by the vehicle speed V [m/sec] of the host vehicle M.

That is, the course change required distance Lα (α = 1 to 3 in this embodiment) is
Lα=n(ts・tw)・V+Lm
becomes.

Here, Lm is a stable section distance before the branch point L0 required for stably traveling straight on the first lane when changing the course of the host vehicle M to the direction of the branch road. It is set to about [m].

In this case, if the required lane change time ts, turn signal ON time tw, and stable zone distance Lm are fixed values, the required course change distance Lα is determined by the number of lane changes n and the vehicle speed V. Incidentally, when the own vehicle M is traveling in the first traveling lane, the stable section distance Lm may be 0 [m].

For example, when ts = 8 [sec], tw = 3 [sec], V = 25 [m/sec] (90 [Km/h]), and Lm = 30 [m], the subject vehicle M In the state of traveling in the lane, the necessary course change distance L1 in the first traveling lane is
L1 = Lα = 30 [m]
becomes. Therefore, when the driving mode transitions from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, and automatic driving is started at the position where the vehicle M1 reaches the reachable distance Lk in the first lane as shown in FIG. If it is longer than the course change required distance L1 (Lk≧L1), the course change is possible.

Further, when the host vehicle M is traveling in the second lane, n=1, so the required course change distance L2 in the second lane is
L2 = 305 [m]
becomes.

Furthermore, when the host vehicle M is traveling in the passing lane, n=2, so the course change required distance L3 in the passing lane is
L3 = 580 [m]
becomes.

Then, the route change required distance Lα and the reachable distance Lk when the automatic driving is started are compared, and if Lk≧Lα (M1, M4, M5 in FIG. 6), it is determined that the route can be changed, and the process proceeds to step S24. branch. If Lk<Lα (M3 in FIG. 6), it is determined that the reachable distance Lk is too short to change course to the direction of the fork, and the process proceeds to step S19.

In addition, the host vehicle M2 in FIG. 6 shows a mode in which the driver changes the driving mode to the automatic driving mode after passing the branch point L0. In this case, in the automatic driving mode, it is not possible to change the course of the host vehicle M2 to the direction of the branch road. Since the mode changes to the manual operation mode, it is possible to manually change the course to the direction of the branch road.

When the process proceeds to step S19, the automatic driving mode is canceled, the driving mode is changed to the driving support mode, the process proceeds to step S20, and continues until the branch point L0 is passed. In this driving support mode, the vehicle M is automatically driven straight along the driving lane by ACC and ALK control, and the target traveling route set in step S15 is cancelled. It should be noted that the processing in steps S19 and S20 corresponds to the driving assistance mode execution section of the present invention.

Therefore, even if the target travel route immediately after the operation mode transitions from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is set in the direction of the branch road, and the vehicle M cannot change the course to the direction of the branch road in time, The driving mode is changed to the driving support mode, and the straight running by automatic driving is continued. As a result, even if the own vehicle M cannot be driven along the target travel route set in the direction of the branch road, the driving mode is not immediately changed to the manual driving mode. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the confusion and uneasiness of the driver.

After the own vehicle M passes through the branch point L0, the process proceeds to step S21 to check whether or not the auto-reroute is ON. ON/OFF of this auto reel is set in step S2 of the navigation input processing routine, and if it is set to ON, the process proceeds to step S22, and a reroute request is transmitted to the traveling route setting calculation unit 12b. Then, the process returns to step S14. Incidentally, the processing in this step S22 corresponds to the reroute request unit of the present invention.

Upon receiving the reroute request from the automatic driving control unit 26, the travel route setting calculator 12b advances from step S7 to step S8 of the navigation input processing routine to reconstruct a new travel route. This new travel route is read in step S14 described above, and a new target course is set in step S15.

In this way, the target travel route is set to the direction of the branch road, but if the host vehicle M cannot change course to the direction of the branch road, the driving assistance mode automatically advances the current lane in a straight line. Let After passing the branch point, a new target traveling route is set based on the rerouted and reconstructed traveling route. Since automatic driving can be continued without requesting manual driving, the operation meets the expectations of the driver, and the discomfort and burden on the driver can be reduced.

If the auto-reroute is set to OFF in step S21, the process branches to step S23, changes the driving mode to the driving support mode or the manual driving mode, and exits the routine. As for the driving mode set in step S23, either the driving assistance mode or the manual driving mode may be selected in advance by the passenger in the initial setting. Alternatively, the driving assistance mode may be taken over from step S19 and continued. It should be noted that the processing in step S23 corresponds to the operation mode transition section of the present invention.

On the other hand, when proceeding from step S18 to step S24, the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling is determined based on the high-precision road map information and the positioning information received by the GNSS receiver 13, and the lane connected to the branch road (Fig. 6), that is, if the vehicle is traveling in a lane that does not require a lane change, the process jumps to step S29. If the vehicle is traveling in a lane other than the lane connected to the branch road, that is, in a lane that requires a lane change, the process proceeds to step S25.

In step S25, information from the front running environment recognition section 21d of the camera unit 21 and the surrounding environment recognition section 22b of the surrounding monitoring unit 22 is acquired. Then, in step S26, based on the forward driving environment information and the surrounding environment information, it is determined whether or not a parallel running vehicle, a following vehicle, a preceding vehicle, etc. that hinder the lane change of the own vehicle M are recognized in the adjacent lane where the lane change is to be made. to examine. Then, if a vehicle that obstructs the lane change of the own vehicle M is recognized in the travel lane after the lane change, the process returns to step S19, the driving mode is changed to the driving support mode, and the target travel route is canceled. . If no vehicle that obstructs the lane change is recognized, the process proceeds to step S27.

In this way, when the driving mode transitions from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, even if it is determined that it is possible to change the course to the branch road direction by automatic driving, the vehicle running in the vicinity Depending on the situation, if the lane cannot be changed in the direction of the lane connected to the branch road (the first driving lane in FIG. 6), the driving mode is changed to the driving support mode, and the automatic driving is continued by driving straight. Therefore, the burden on the driver can be reduced.

For example, in FIG. 6, M5 traveling in the overtaking lane is determined to be able to change lanes, but own vehicle M4 traveling in the second lane is not in the first lane where it is going to change lanes. Since P is recognized, it is determined that the lane cannot be changed.

When it is determined that the lane can be changed and the process proceeds to step S27, auto lane change (ALC) control is executed and the process proceeds to step S28, and the ALC control is continued until the lane change to the first driving lane side is completed. Execute repeatedly. The ALC control includes the steering control unit 31, the brake control unit 32, acceleration/deceleration control, and acceleration/deceleration control in order to cause the vehicle M to travel along the target travel route for changing lanes of the vehicle M set by the automatic driving control unit 26. It controls and operates the unit 33 .

For example, the host vehicle M5 traveling in the overtaking lane starts the ALC control at least before the course change required distance L3, and first executes the lane change to the second lane. After the lane change to the second lane is completed and a predetermined time (for example, 3 [sec]) has elapsed, the lane change to the first lane is started.

Then, when it is determined in step S28 that the lane change to the first driving lane has been completed, the process proceeds to step S29, and an automatic driving system that automatically drives the own vehicle M along the target travel route set by the automatic driving control unit 26 is executed. Execute the operation mode and exit the routine.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the driver turns on the automatic operation switch 23 while traveling in the automatic operation section, and the target travel route is set when the operation mode is changed from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode. Even if the direction of the branch road is set and it is not possible to change the course to the branch road walking in the current driving state, the driving route is reconstructed without transitioning to the manual driving mode, and the driving route is reconstructed. Since the vehicle travels straight in the driving support mode until the target travel route is set to , the operation that meets the expectations of the driver is obtained, the confusion and anxiety that the driver receives is alleviated, and the confusion and anxiety that the driver receives The burden can be reduced.

Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the present embodiment can be applied even when the main road has four or more lanes, for example. When the driving mode is changed, the notification device 34 notifies the driver that the driving mode will be switched.

1... automatic driving support system,
11... Locator unit,
12 ... map locator calculation unit,
12a ... own vehicle position estimation calculation unit,
12b ... travel route setting calculation unit,
13 ... GNSS receiver,
14... Autonomous traveling sensor,
15 ... Route information input device,
16... high-precision road map database,
21... camera unit,
21a... Main camera,
21b... Sub camera,
21c... image processing unit,
21d ... forward traveling environment recognition unit,
22 ... Perimeter monitoring unit,
22a ... Surrounding environment recognition unit sensor,
22b ... surrounding environment recognition unit,
23... Automatic operation switch,
26 ... automatic operation control unit,
31 ... steering control section,
32 ... brake control section,
33 Acceleration/deceleration control unit,
34... notification device 35... navigation display device,
L0... branching point,
L1, L2, L3 ... distance required for course change,
Lk ... reaching distance,
Lm ... stable interval distance,
Lα: required distance for course change,
M (M1 to M5) ... own vehicle,
P... parallel running car,
V...Vehicle speed,
n ... number of lane changes,
ts ... Required lane change time,
tw: turn signal ON time

Claims (4)

an automatic operation selection unit that changes the operation mode from manual operation mode to automatic operation mode by external operation;
a storage unit that stores road map information;
an own vehicle position estimation unit that estimates the current position of the own vehicle;
a route information input unit operated by the passenger to input destination information;
constructing a travel route connecting the current position of the vehicle estimated by the vehicle position estimation unit and the destination input from the route information input unit based on the road map information stored in the storage unit; a travel route setting unit;
In an automatic driving support device comprising an automatic driving control unit,
The driving mode includes a driving support mode that automatically drives the vehicle in a straight line along the current lane ,
The automatic operation control unit is
When the driving mode is changed to the automatic driving mode by operating the automatic driving selection unit, a target travel route for automatically driving the own vehicle is set for the driving route constructed by the driving route setting unit. a target route setting unit for
When the target travel route set by the target travel route setting unit is set in the direction of a branch road from the main line, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle can be changed along the target travel route. a course change determination unit;
a reroute requesting unit that issues a reroute request to the travel route setting unit to construct a new travel route after the route change determination unit determines that the travel route cannot be changed ;
a driving assistance mode execution unit that executes the driving assistance mode until the vehicle passes through a branch point set at the entrance of the branch road when the route change determination unit determines that the route cannot be changed,
The target travel route setting unit sets a new target travel route based on the new travel route constructed by the travel route setting unit in response to the reroute request of the reroute request unit. Device. When the target travel route set by the target travel route setting unit is set in the direction from the main line to the branch road, the route change determination unit sets the current position of the vehicle to the entrance of the branch road. Comparing the reachable distance to the branch point with the distance required to change the course calculated based on the number of lane changes and the vehicle speed in order to move from the lane in which the vehicle is traveling to the lane connected to the branch road. 2. The automatic driving support system according to claim 1, wherein when the reachable distance is shorter than the required distance for course change, it is determined that the course cannot be changed. 3. The automatic vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the reroute requesting unit requests the travel route setting unit to construct a new travel route after the vehicle passes through the branch point. Driving assistance device. a reroute on/off input unit for setting auto reroute on or off by external operation;
When the auto-reroute is set to OFF by the reroute on/off input unit and the route change determination unit determines that the route cannot be changed, the operation mode is changed to the driving support mode or the manual operation without making the reroute request. 4. The automatic driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising an operation mode transition unit that transitions to an operation mode.

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