JP6987167B2 - Lane change judgment device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a lane change determination device mounted on a vehicle and determining the appropriateness of a lane change.

Patent Document 1 discloses a merging support device that supports a driving operation by a driver when a own vehicle traveling in a merging lane joins the main lane. That is, the merging behavior characteristic learning means in the merging support calculation unit learns the merging behavior characteristics based on the driving characteristics of the driver at the time of merging execution. Next, the situation of the own vehicle and the situation of the surrounding vehicles at the end of the merging when the own vehicle immediately executes the merging based on the current merging environment and the learning value by the merging result prediction means in the merging support calculation unit. Predict. Then, the risk calculation means in the merging support calculation unit calculates the risk according to the prediction result of the merging result prediction means, and the information indicating the calculated risk is transmitted to the driver of the own vehicle via the information presenting device. Present to.

Japanese Patent No. 4735430

As described above, in Patent Document 1, the risk calculation means calculates the risk according to the prediction result of the merging result prediction means, so that the possibility of contact at the time of merging, that is, changing lanes is determined, that is, the lane. It judges the suitability of the change and supports the driving operation.

In Patent Document 1, the merging behavior characteristic of the own vehicle is learned and the merging result is predicted, but the merging behavior characteristic is based on the time-series data at the time of merging of the own vehicle stored in the storage unit. There was a possibility that it was not always possible to make a safe lane change decision because only the behavior characteristics were extracted.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a lane change determination device capable of making a safe lane change determination.

The lane change determination device of the present disclosure is a lane change determination device mounted on a vehicle and determining whether or not to change lanes, and includes at least vehicle information including vehicle speed and winker operation information of the vehicle, and at least the periphery of the vehicle. The first judgment is made by determining the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the peripheral target when the lane of the vehicle is changed, based on the road surface environment of the vehicle and the peripheral information including the information of the peripheral target around the vehicle. The resulting contact determination unit, the driver characteristic storage unit that acquires and stores the driver's lane change characteristic at the time of lane change based on the vehicle information and the peripheral information, the vehicle information, and the peripheral area. Based on the information and the lane change characteristic, the driver characteristic determination unit that determines the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the peripheral target when the vehicle changes lane and uses the second determination result, and the self. Based on at least one of the vehicle information and the peripheral information, the driver's psychological state determination unit that determines the driver's psychological state and the second determination result are received, and corrections are made as necessary and output. The lane change judgment result that mediates between the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit, the first judgment result and the second judgment result output from the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit, and is used as the third judgment result. The driver characteristic determination result correction unit includes an arbitration unit, and determines whether or not to correct the second determination result based on the determination result of the driver psychological state determination unit.

According to the lane change determination device of the present disclosure, since it is determined whether or not the lane can be changed in consideration of the psychological state of the driver, it is possible to make a safe lane change determination according to the psychological state of the driver.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the lane change determination apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a figure explaining the calculation method of the contact margin time. It is a figure explaining the calculation method of the contact margin time. It is a flowchart which shows the whole operation of the lane change determination apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the driver characteristic storage part of the lane change determination device which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the lane change determination apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the lane change determination apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3. It is a figure which shows the driver psychological state score of the lane change determination apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3. It is a figure which shows the passenger attention necessity score of the lane change determination apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the whole operation of the lane change determination apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration which realizes the lane change determination apparatus of Embodiments 1-3. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration which realizes the lane change determination apparatus of Embodiments 1-3.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, the lane change determination device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lane change determination device 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the lane change determination device 100 includes the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 1 that acquires the information of the own vehicle, the road surface environment around the own vehicle acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 2, and the road surface environment around the own vehicle. It is equipped with multiple parts that make various judgments based on peripheral information such as peripheral targets.

That is, the physical contact determination unit 3 that determines the possibility of physical contact between the vehicle and the surrounding target when the lane is changed based on the vehicle information and the surrounding information, and the vehicle information and the peripheral information. Based on the driver characteristic storage unit 4 that stores the lane change characteristics of the driver of the own vehicle at the time of lane change, and the lane change characteristics stored in the own vehicle information, peripheral information, and the driver characteristic storage unit 4. The driver's psychological state is determined based on the driver characteristic determination unit 5 that determines the possibility of contact between the vehicle and surrounding objects when changing lanes, and at least one of the vehicle information and the surrounding information. It is equipped with a driver psychological state determination unit 6.

Further, the judgment result (second judgment result) of the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7 and the physical contact judgment unit 3 that corrects the judgment result with respect to the judgment result (second judgment result) in the driver characteristic judgment unit 5. 1) and a lane change determination result arbitration unit 8 that arbitrates the determination result of the driver characteristic determination result correction unit 7. The driver characteristic determination result correction unit 7 corrects the determination result of the driver characteristic determination unit 5 in consideration of the determination result of the driver psychological state determination unit 6.

The own vehicle information acquisition unit 1 is a general term for various in-vehicle sensors mounted on the own vehicle, and includes a vehicle speed sensor, a winker sensor, a torque sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, a brake pressure sensor, and the like. , Acquire information necessary for changing lanes, such as the vehicle speed of the own vehicle and winker operation information. In addition, information such as yaw rate, steering angle, accelerator opening, and brake pressure can be acquired. Further, a high-precision locator may be included, and the position of the own vehicle may be acquired by the high-precision locator.

The peripheral information acquisition unit 2 includes, for example, a camera attached to the vehicle, and acquires peripheral information necessary for changing lanes by the camera. For example, by analyzing an image taken by a camera, the lane on the road surface around the own vehicle is recognized, and the shape and lane width of the lane are acquired. Further, the peripheral information acquisition unit 2 may include a millimeter-wave radar, and the millimeter-wave radar can acquire the position and speed of a target existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle. In addition to these, the peripheral information acquisition unit 2 may include LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), ultrasonic sonar, laser radar, and the like. In addition, in-vehicle communication devices such as V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) that can communicate with the outside communicate between vehicles and lanes to acquire information on surrounding targets and lanes on the road surface. You may.

Next, the operation of calculating the contact margin time until the contact between the own vehicle and the peripheral target in the physical contact determination unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between _{the own vehicle VEH 1} and the peripheral target OBJ traveling on a straight road, and FIG. 3 is _{a diagram showing the positional relationship between the own vehicle VEH 1 and the peripheral target OBJ traveling on a curve.}

In FIGS. 2 and 3, _{the distance in the traveling direction (x direction) from the tip of the own vehicle VEH 1} in the lane TL1 to the rear end of the peripheral target OBJ in front of the own vehicle in another lane TL2 is the relative vertical distance Dsx. Is defined as. The relative and side peripheral target object OBJ side of the vehicle VEH _1, between the vehicle VEH ₁ side surface of the peripheral target object OBJ, the distance in the traveling direction (x-direction) and vertical direction (y-direction) It is defined as the lateral distance Dsy. Further, the speed along the traveling direction of the own vehicle is defined as the vertical speed, and the speed in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the own vehicle is defined as the lateral speed.

The physical contact determination unit 3 is based on the following mathematical formula (1) based on the relative vertical speed Vs [m / sec] and the relative vertical distance Dsx [m] between the own vehicle and the peripheral target acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 2. ) Is used to calculate the contact margin time TTC [sec].
TTC = Dsx / Vs ... (1)

In this way, the contact margin time TTC is a value obtained by dividing the relative vertical distance between the own vehicle and the surrounding target by the relative vertical speed, and represents the time until the contact between the own vehicle and the peripheral target, and the own vehicle and the surrounding area. It is easy to handle and understand as an index until contact with a target.

When the physical contact determination unit 3 implements a lane change, if the contact margin time between the own vehicle and the peripheral target existing at the lane change destination is less than a predetermined threshold value, the physical contact determination unit 3 makes physical contact. Judge that there is a possibility and judge that the lane cannot be changed. Further, regarding the setting of the threshold value, based on the vehicle speed acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 1, the faster the vehicle speed, the larger the threshold value, that is, the longer the time is set, so that the safety can be improved.

Here, as a method of setting the threshold value, a method of setting the horizontal axis as the relative vehicle speed and the vertical axis as the threshold value and increasing the threshold value by a constant multiple of the relative vehicle speed, or a method of increasing the threshold value by the square of the relative vehicle speed can be mentioned. Further, by setting the horizontal axis as the vehicle speed and the vertical axis as the threshold value and setting the threshold value for each vehicle speed, the threshold value may be increased as the vehicle speed increases. Furthermore, in consideration of the acceleration of the own vehicle, if the vehicle is suddenly accelerating or decelerating, it is judged that the driving situation is not stable and safe, and the threshold value is set high to improve safety. You may do it.

The driver characteristic storage unit 4 changes the lane of the driver when the lane is changed by changing the vehicle speed V _{1 m of the own vehicle when the lane is changed and the contact margin time TTC m} calculated in the same manner as the mathematical formula (1). It is stored as a characteristic (vehicle speed V _{1 m} , contact margin time TTC _m). Here, when the lane is changed, the winker operation is performed and the relative lateral distance is set to a certain level or less. One of the conditions for determining a lane change is that the relative lateral distance is below a certain level. Before the lane change, the own vehicle and the surrounding target are traveling in different lanes, so the relative lateral distance This is because the relative lateral distance gradually shortens when changing lanes.

The driver characteristic storage unit 4 stores the lane change characteristic every time the lane is changed in the past driving history in units of time, and when there are a plurality of characteristics in which the vehicle speed is close to each other in the stored lane change characteristic, the driver characteristic storage unit 4 stores the lane change characteristic. , The most contact margin time is stored as the driver's lane change characteristic.

Further, when there are a plurality of characteristics in which the vehicle speeds are close to each other in the lane change characteristics of the driver stored in the driver characteristic storage unit 4, the average value, the median value, or the maximum value of the vehicle speed and the contact margin time is set by the driver. It may be stored as a lane change characteristic of.

In addition, information on vehicle speed, inter-vehicle distance, curve curvature, and road type may also be stored in the driver characteristic storage unit 4, and the driver's lane change characteristics may be classified based on these information.

The driver characteristic determination unit 5 compares _{the driver's lane change characteristics (vehicle speed V 1 m} , contact margin time TTC _m ) stored in the driver characteristic storage unit 4 at the time of lane change with the current vehicle speed V _1. Then, the contact margin time TTC _m stored as a set with the closest vehicle speed V _{1 m} stored is selected, and the contact margin time TTC _m1 is set. Compare the selected contact margin time TTC _m1 with the current contact margin time TTC, and if the current contact margin time TTC is shorter, the driver should judge the possibility of contact and change lanes. Judge as impossible.

The driver psychological state determination unit 6 determines the psychological state of the driver based on the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 1. For example, in the case of a vehicle having an automatic steering function, it can be determined based on the driving mode information indicating whether the vehicle is in the automatic steering mode or the driver's manual driving mode. In the case of the automatic steering mode, if the driver has a cautious personality, the driver is likely to be anxious about the automatic steering mode. Therefore, when the driving mode information is the automatic steering mode, it is determined that the driver should change lanes with more emphasis on safety than usual.

However, in situations other than the automatic steering mode where the driver feels uneasy, it may be determined that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual. For example, in a situation where the vehicle speed is high, it is assumed that the driver feels uneasy when the danger level at the time of contact is higher than in the state where the vehicle speed is low. You may decide that you should implement a lane change with emphasis. Also, based on information such as the navigation system or high-precision locator, it is determined whether the road is familiar to the driver, and when changing lanes on an unfamiliar road, the driver is compared to changing lanes on a familiar road. You may decide that you should change lanes with more emphasis on safety than usual, assuming that you feel uneasy.

Further, the driver psychological state determination unit 6 may determine the psychological state of the driver based on the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 2. For example, when the lane width of the own vehicle or the lane to which the lane is changed is equal to or less than the threshold value, it can be determined that the driver is likely to feel uneasy. Examples of the method for setting the threshold value include a method of setting a constant value, for example, a lane width of 3 [m], and a method of setting a lane width that is a constant multiple of the vehicle width of the own vehicle. In addition, considering the vehicle speed information, the faster the vehicle speed, the more uneasy the driver is unless the lane width is wide, and the threshold value can be set variably by increasing the threshold value by a constant multiple of the vehicle speed. Can be mentioned.

In addition to the lane width, if the number of surrounding objects is large, it can be determined that the driver is likely to feel uneasy. For example, if the target for changing lanes is only in front of the vehicle, the driver should be careful only in front, but if there are targets in front of and behind the vehicle, both in front and behind. Since it is necessary to pay attention to the target, it can be judged that the driver is likely to feel uneasy.

When the driver psychological state judgment unit 6 determines that the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7 should carry out a lane change that emphasizes safety more than usual, the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7 is based on the judgment result of the driver characteristic judgment unit 5. Correct the lane change so that it is safe.

Specifically, when it is determined in the determination result of the driver characteristic determination unit 5 that the lane can be changed, the value TTC _{m2 obtained by increasing the contact margin time TTC m1 selected by the driver characteristic determination unit 5 by a certain percentage.} (= αTTC _m1 : α is a positive coefficient) is compared with the current contact margin time TTC, and if the current contact margin time TTC is smaller, it is corrected to the judgment that the lane cannot be changed.

As a result, it is possible to determine that the lane can be changed when the relative distance to the surrounding target is secured wider than the driving characteristics of a normal driver in consideration of the psychological state of the driver.

Here, the calculation of _{TTC m2 includes a method of offsetting a constant value with respect to TTC m1} and a method of creating a map based on the current vehicle speed or acceleration and determining the value of _{TTC m2 according to this map.} Another method may be used as long as it is set to a value larger than TTC _m1.

The lane change judgment result arbitration unit 8 mediates between the judgment result of the physical contact judgment unit 3 and the judgment result of the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7, and finally the judgment result (third judgment). Result) is output. The judgment in the physical contact judgment unit 3 is a judgment as to whether or not the lane can be changed based on the possibility that the own vehicle and the surrounding target are physically in contact with each other, while the judgment in the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7 is It is a judgment on whether or not to change lanes based on the characteristics of the driver when changing lanes and the psychological state. In order to emphasize safety, if it is judged that the lane change is not possible in either the judgment result of the physical contact judgment unit 3 or the judgment result of the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7, the lane change judgment result mediation In Part 8, the final decision on whether or not to change lanes is made not possible to change lanes.

The lane change determination result arbitration unit 8 presents the final lane change determination to the driver via a display device (not shown) or the like to reconsider the lane change, or the vehicle has an automatic driving function. For example, by outputting to a vehicle control device (not shown) such as ADAS-ECU (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems-Electronic Control Unit) that controls the vehicle, it is possible to take measures such as prohibiting lane change.

As described above, according to the lane change determination device 100 of the first embodiment, it is possible to change the lane in consideration of not only the possibility of physical contact and the driving characteristics of the driver but also the psychological state of the driver. Since the judgment is made, it is possible to make a safer lane change judgment than the conventional lane change judgment device according to the psychological state of the driver.

<Overall processing of lane change judgment device>
Hereinafter, the processing in the lane change determination device 100 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 by using the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the overall processing of the lane change determination device 100.

When the operation of the lane change determination device 100 is started, first, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle and the presence / absence of the winker operation are acquired by the vehicle-mounted sensor of the vehicle information acquisition unit 1 (step S1).

Next, the relative vertical speed Vs [m / s], the relative vertical distance Dsx [m], and the relative lateral distance between the _{own vehicle VEH 1} and the peripheral target OBJ are used by the vehicle-mounted sensors of the vehicle information acquisition unit 1 and the peripheral information acquisition unit 2. Acquire Dsy [m] (step S2).

Next, in the physical contact determination unit 3, the current contact margin time TTC is calculated using the relative vertical velocity Vs [m / s] and the relative vertical distance [m] (step S3).

Then, the calculated current contact margin time TCC it is determined whether or less than the threshold value (step S4), (case of Yes) if it is less than the threshold, the physical lane change propriety judgment result lane change Call to A ₁ based on contact (Step S13), and the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, (in the case of No) when it is determined not to be less than the threshold value in step S4, the judgment result of the A ₁ to enable the lane change (step S5), and the flow proceeds to a determination process in step S6.

The driver characteristic storage unit 4 determines whether or not the current situation is in the lane change ready state (step S6), and if it is in the lane change ready state (in the case of Yes), the vehicle speed V1 _m and the contact margin time TTC _{m1 at that time.} Is stored as the driver's lane change characteristic at the time of lane change, and the process proceeds to the determination process of step S7. Here, the lane change preparation state is a state in which the winker operation is performed and the relative lateral distance Dsy is below a certain level. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S6 that the vehicle is not in the lane change ready state (No), the process of step S1 or less is repeated.

The driver characteristic determination unit 5 includes the driver's lane change characteristics (vehicle speed V _{1 m} , contact margin time TTC _m ) stored in the driver characteristic storage unit 4 at the time of past lane changes, and the current vehicle speed V ₁ . , And select the closest vehicle speed V _{1 m} stored and the contact margin time TTC _m stored as a set, and set the contact margin time TTC _m1 . It is determined whether the current contact margin time TTC is smaller than the selected contact margin time TTC _m1 (step S7), and when the current contact margin time TTC is smaller (in the case of Yes), it is based on the driving characteristics of the driver. the lane change propriety judgment result _{a 2} and lane changes allowed (step S14). On the other hand, (in the case of No) if it is determined that the contact time margin _{TTC m1} or more in step S7, the lane change propriety judgment result _{A 2} to allow lane change (step S8), and the process proceeds to step S9.

The driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7 determines whether it is necessary to correct the judgment result of the driver characteristic judgment unit 5 based on the judgment result of the driver's psychological state in the driver psychological state judgment unit 6 (step S9). ), If correction is necessary (in the case of Yes), the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S9 that correction is unnecessary (No), the process proceeds to step S12.

The driver characteristic determination result correction unit 7 determines whether the value TTC _{m2 obtained by increasing the contact margin time TTC m1} selected by the driver characteristic determination unit 5 by a certain percentage is smaller than the current contact margin time TTC (step). In S10), if the current contact margin time TTC is smaller (in the case of Yes), the process proceeds to the process of step S11, and if not, the process proceeds to the process of step S12.

Driver characteristic determining result correction unit 7, in step S11, the lane change propriety judgment result A ₂ based on the driving characteristics of the driver is corrected to a determination that a lane change is impossible., The process proceeds to step S12.

Lane change determination result arbitrator 8, the judgment result A ₁ in physical contact determination unit 3, out of the driver's characteristic determination result correction unit 7 determination result in A _2, it is determined that the lane changes allowed in either one If this is the case, the final decision on whether or not to change lanes is made impossible to change lanes (step S12). If the lane can be changed in both the judgment result A ₁ and the judgment result A ₂ , the final judgment result can be changed in the lane.

<Memory processing of driver driving characteristics>
Next, the memory processing of the driver driving characteristic in the driver characteristic storage unit 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the driver characteristic storage unit 4 acquires the vehicle speed of the vehicle and the presence / absence of the winker operation as the vehicle information by the vehicle-mounted sensor of the vehicle information acquisition unit 1 (step S21).

Next, the relative vertical speed Vs [m / s], the relative vertical distance Dsx [m], and the relative lateral distance between the _{own vehicle VEH 1} and the peripheral target OBJ are used by the vehicle-mounted sensors of the vehicle information acquisition unit 1 and the peripheral information acquisition unit 2. Acquire Dsy [m] (step S22).

_{Then, the contact margin time TTC m} is calculated in the same manner as in the mathematical formula (1) (step S23), and it is determined whether or not the current situation is in the lane change ready state (step S24). At this time, the turn signal operation is performed and the situation where the relative lateral distance is below a certain level is set as the lane change preparation state.

When it is determined in step S24 that the vehicle is in a lane change ready state (yes), the vehicle speed V _{1 m} and the contact margin time TTC _m are stored as the driver's lane change characteristics at the time of lane change (step S25). If it is not determined in step S24 that the vehicle is in the lane change ready state (No), the series of processes is terminated.

As described above, by performing the processes of steps S1 to S15 shown in FIG. 4 and the processes of steps S21 to S25 shown in FIG. 5, only the possibility of physical contact and the driving characteristics of the driver are obtained. Instead, it is possible to determine whether or not to change lanes in consideration of the psychological state of the driver, and it is possible to make a safe lane change determination according to the psychological state of the driver.

<Embodiment 2>
Hereinafter, the lane change determination device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lane change determination device 200 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the lane change determination device 100 described with reference to FIG. 1, and duplicate description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lane change determination device 200 is a driver psychological state acquisition unit that monitors the driver and acquires the psychological state of the driver in addition to the configuration of the lane change determination device 100 shown in FIG. The driver's psychological state information acquired by the driver's psychological state acquisition unit 9 is input to the driver's psychological state determination unit 6.

In the driver psychological state determination unit 6, the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 1, the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 2, and the driver's psychological state information acquired by the driver psychological state acquisition unit 9 The psychological state of the driver is determined based on at least one piece of information, and the determination result is output to the driver characteristic determination result correction unit 7.

The driver psychological state acquisition unit 9 sits on a seat, for example, a driver monitor capable of monitoring driver's facial expression, body temperature, and pulse information, a sensor capable of detecting the driver's sweating and pulse when the driver touches the steering wheel, and a seat. This includes sensors that can measure the driver's body temperature, and by using these sensors, driver monitoring information is acquired. Then, from the acquired driver monitoring information, for example, emotions such as anxiety and surprise of the driver and situations such as poor physical condition are acquired as the psychological state of the driver. The sensor included in the driver psychological state acquisition unit 9 does not have to be a sensor provided exclusively for acquiring the driver psychological state, and is used for other purposes such as managing the physical condition of the driver and preventing falling asleep. The sensor used for can be used. Further, a sensor other than the above-mentioned sensor may be used as long as it can acquire the driver's psychological state.

In the driver psychological state determination unit 6, the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 1, the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 2, and the driver's psychological state acquired by the driver psychological state acquisition unit 9 The psychological state of the driver is judged based on at least one of the information, and it is judged that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual depending on the psychological state of the driver.

Judgments based on the driver's psychological state information acquired by the driver's psychological state acquisition unit 9 include, for example, feelings such as driver's anxiety and surprise, and driving such as poor physical condition obtained by sensor information for monitoring the driver. From the psychological state of the person, for example, it can be determined that there is a high possibility of impatience or poor physical condition in a situation where the pulse is high or the body temperature is high. In addition, when emotions such as anxiety and surprise are detected from the facial expression, it can be determined that safe and normal driving may not be possible. Although the information of each sensor may be used in this way, the driver's psychological state may be classified based on the detection results of the plurality of sensors.

In the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7, when the driver psychological state judgment unit 6 determines that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual, the judgment result of the driver characteristic judgment unit 5 is further determined. Correct the lane change so that it is safe.

The process of the lane change determination device 200 of the second embodiment is basically the same as the overall process of the lane change determination device 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, but in the process of step S9, the driver As a specific method of judging the emotional state of the driver, if the vehicle speed is high, the lane width is narrow, or the number of surrounding targets is large, the driver is likely to feel uneasy. , The sensor information that monitors the driver is used to judge the driver's feelings of anxiety and surprise, and the situation such as poor physical condition. , than usual and should implement the lane change with an emphasis on safety, it is determined that it is necessary to correct the judgment result a _2.

As described above, according to the lane change determination device 200 of the second embodiment, not only the possibility of physical contact and the driving characteristics of the driver, but also the own vehicle information or surrounding information or the information of the driver monitoring sensor can be used. By determining whether or not to change lanes in consideration of the driver's psychological state based on the psychological state, it is possible to make a safer lane change determination than the conventional lane change determination device according to the psychological state.

For example, if the driver's psychological state determination unit 6 determines from the driver's psychological state information acquired by the driver's psychological state acquisition unit 9 that he / she is in a state of impatience or poor physical condition, the driver characteristic determination result correction unit In 7, by making a correction that increases the collision margin time selected by the driver characteristic determination unit 5 by a certain percentage, the inter-vehicle distance required for changing lanes is smaller than in the normal time when the driver's psychological state is stable. It will be set wider, reducing the possibility of contact while changing lanes and improving safety.

<Embodiment 3>
Hereinafter, the lane change determination device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lane change determination device 300 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the lane change determination device 200 described with reference to FIG. 2, and duplicate description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, in addition to the configuration of the lane change determination device 200 shown in FIG. 6, the lane change determination device 300 includes a passenger psychological state acquisition unit 10 for acquiring the psychological state of the passenger, and own vehicle information. Passenger's psychological state based on at least one of the information of the own vehicle acquired by the acquisition unit 1, the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 2, and the passenger psychological state acquired by the passenger psychological state acquisition unit 10. It is equipped with a passenger psychological state determination unit 11 for determining. Then, the determination result in the passenger psychological state determination unit 11 is output to the driver characteristic determination result correction unit 7.

The passenger psychological state acquisition unit 10 includes, for example, a passenger monitor that can monitor the passenger's facial expression, body temperature, and pulse information, and a sensor that can measure the passenger's body temperature by sitting in a seat. Acquire passenger monitoring information. Then, from the acquired passenger monitoring information, for example, emotions such as anxiety and surprise of the driver and situations such as poor physical condition are acquired as the passenger psychological state. The sensor included in the passenger psychological state acquisition unit 10 does not have to be a sensor provided exclusively for acquiring the passenger psychological state, and is used for other purposes such as physical condition management of the passenger. Sensors can be used. Further, a sensor other than the above-mentioned sensor may be used as long as it can acquire the passenger psychological state.

The passenger's psychological state determination unit 11 determines the passenger's psychological state. The passenger's psychological state based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 1 is, for example, the vehicle speed even in a similar driving scene. If it is high, it can be judged that the passenger is likely to feel uneasy.

Further, as a judgment of the psychological state of the passenger based on the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 2, for example, when the lane width of the traveling lane and the lane to which the lane is changed is narrow, the passenger may feel uneasy. It can be judged that the sex is high. In addition, if the number of surrounding objects is large, it can be judged that there is a high possibility that the passenger will feel uneasy.

The determination of the passenger's psychological state based on the passenger's psychological state acquired by the passenger's psychological state acquisition unit 10 includes, for example, emotions and physical conditions such as anxiety and surprise of the passenger obtained by sensor information for monitoring the passenger. From the driver's psychological state such as poor condition, it can be determined that there is a high possibility of poor physical condition, for example, in a situation where the pulse is high or the body temperature is high. In addition, if emotions such as anxiety and surprise are detected from the facial expression, it can be determined that the driver may not be driving safely and normally, and the passenger is determined to be seeking safer driving. ..

In addition, sensor information that monitors the passenger will be more psychologically relevant to the passenger if the passenger includes children and if a child seat is attached and the passenger is an elderly person, a sick person and a pregnant woman. It can be judged that safe driving is required.

In the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7, when the driver psychological state judgment unit 6 determines that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual, or the passenger psychological state judgment unit 11 rides together. When it is determined that a person wants safer driving, the determination result in the driver characteristic determination unit 5 is corrected to a more safe determination result.

As a specific correction example, the driver psychological state score determination as shown in FIG. 8 is performed. For the driver's condition as shown in FIG. 8, that is, facial expression, pulse, and body temperature, a safety score of 1 to 3 is set based on the detection result by the sensor. Furthermore, which information of the driver's condition is important is set by weighting by multiplying the weighting coefficient, and the safety score reflecting the weight is calculated.

Then, regarding the safety degree score after reflecting the weight, for example, when 3 ≦ score <2, the safety degree is “large”, when 2 ≦ score <1, the safety degree is “medium”, and 1 ≦ score ≦ 0. In this case, the safety level is "small", 3 points are given for the safety level "large", 2 points are given for the safety level "medium", and 1 point is given for the safety level "small".

In FIG. 8, the weighting factor is 0.7 for the driver's facial expression, 0.2 for the pulse, and 0.1 for the body temperature. , The scores after weight reflection are 1.4, 0.2, and 0.3, respectively, and the safety level "medium" is only the facial expression, and the pulse and body temperature are the safety level "small", so the total points are 4. It is 4 points out of 9 points, which is less than half of the maximum safety level. Therefore, as a judgment result of the driver psychological state judgment unit 6, it is considered that a correction so as to be safer is necessary, and a correction request is output to the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7.

Similarly, the passenger psychological state score can be determined for the passenger, and a correction request can be output from the passenger psychological state determination unit 11 to the driver characteristic determination result correction unit 7.

Further, as another correction example, the passenger classification score determination as shown in FIG. 9 is performed. As shown in FIG. 9, passengers are classified into child seats, children, pregnant women, elderly people, adults, and no passengers, and which of them corresponds is determined by sensor information. A caution score of 0 to 10 is set for the classified passengers.

In the example of FIG. 9, the child seat score is 10, the child score is 6, the pregnant woman score is 2, the elderly score is 2, the adult score is 1, and the score without passenger is 0. When the passenger is determined to be a child seat based on the sensor information, the attention requirement score is 10, which is the highest.

The higher the score, the more it can be judged that it is necessary to emphasize safety as passenger psychology, and it is safer according to the score from the passenger psychological state judgment unit 11 to the driver characteristic judgment result correction unit 7. The correction request is output so as to be.

<Overall processing of lane change judgment device>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the overall processing in the lane change determination device 300 according to the third embodiment. Steps S1 to S8 and steps S10 to S14 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 are the same as the lane change determination device 100 shown in FIG. 4, but in the process of step S9, a specific method of determining the emotional state of the driver As a result, if the vehicle speed is high, the lane width is narrow, or the number of surrounding objects is large, the driver or passenger is likely to feel uneasy, and the driver or passenger is also likely to feel uneasy. The sensor information that monitors the lane determines the driver's or passenger's feelings of anxiety and surprise, and the situation such as poor physical condition. , than usual and should implement the lane change with an emphasis on safety, it is determined that it is necessary to correct the judgment result a _2.

As described above, according to the lane change determination device 300 of the third embodiment, not only the possibility of physical contact and the driving characteristics of the driver, but also the own vehicle information or surrounding information or the information of the driver monitoring sensor can be used. By determining whether or not to change lanes in consideration of the psychological state of the driver based on the psychological state of the passenger or the psychological state of the passenger based on the information of the passenger monitoring sensor, the conventional lane change determination device that is in the psychological state is used. Can also make a safe lane change decision.

<Hardware configuration>
Each part of the lane change determination devices 100 to 300 of the first to third embodiments described above can be configured by using a computer, and is realized by the computer executing a program. That is, the lane change determination devices 100 to 300 are realized by, for example, the processing circuit 1000 shown in FIG. A processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) is applied to the processing circuit 1000, and the functions of each part are realized by executing a program stored in the storage device.

Dedicated hardware may be applied to the processing circuit 1000. When the processing circuit 1000 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 1000 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable). Gate Array) or a combination of these.

Further, FIG. 12 shows a hardware configuration when the lane change determination devices 100 to 300 are configured by using a processor. In this case, the functions of each part of the lane change determination devices 100 to 300 are realized by a combination with software or the like (software, firmware, or software and firmware). The software or the like is described as a program and stored in the memory 1200. The processor 1100, which functions as the processing circuit 1000, realizes the functions of each part by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 1200 (storage device). That is, it can be said that this program causes the computer to execute the procedure and method of operation of the components of the lane change determination devices 100 to 300.

Here, the memory 1200 is, for example, non-volatile such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), or the like. Volatile semiconductor memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and its drive device, etc., or any storage medium used in the future. You may.

The configuration in which the functions of the components of the lane change determination devices 100 to 300 are realized by either hardware or software has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration may be configured in which some components of the lane change determination devices 100 to 300 are realized by dedicated hardware and another part of the components is realized by software or the like. .. For example, for some components, the function is realized by the processing circuit 1000 as dedicated hardware, and for some other components, the processing circuit 1000 as the processor 1100 is stored in the memory 1200. It is possible to realize the function by reading and executing it.

As described above, the lane change determination devices 100 to 300 can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

In the present disclosure, each embodiment can be freely combined, and each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted within the scope of the disclosure.

3 Physical contact judgment unit, 4 Driver characteristic memory unit, 5 Driver characteristic judgment unit, 6 Driver psychological state judgment unit, 7 Driver characteristic judgment result correction unit, 8 Lane change judgment result mediation unit, 9 Driver psychology State acquisition unit, 10 passenger psychological state acquisition unit, 11 passenger psychological state judgment unit.

Claims (8)

It is a lane change judgment device that is installed in a vehicle and determines whether or not a lane can be changed.
At the time of changing lanes of the vehicle, based on the own vehicle information including at least the vehicle speed and the winker operation information of the vehicle, and the peripheral information including at least the information of the road surface environment around the vehicle and the surrounding target objects around the vehicle. A contact determination unit that determines the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the peripheral target and uses it as the first determination result.
A driver characteristic storage unit that acquires and stores a driver's lane change characteristic at the time of lane change based on the own vehicle information and the peripheral information.
Based on the own vehicle information, the peripheral information, and the lane change characteristic, the driver determines the possibility of contact between the vehicle and the peripheral target when the vehicle changes lanes, and uses it as the second determination result. Characteristic judgment unit and
A driver psychological state determination unit that determines the psychological state of the driver based on at least one of the own vehicle information and the peripheral information.
A driver characteristic judgment result correction unit that receives the second judgment result, corrects it as necessary, and outputs it.
A lane change determination result arbitration unit that arbitrates the first determination result and the second determination result output from the driver characteristic determination result correction unit and obtains the third determination result is provided.
The driver characteristic judgment result correction unit is
A lane change determination device that determines whether or not to correct the second determination result based on the determination result of the driver psychological state determination unit. Further provided with a driver psychological state acquisition unit that acquires psychological state information for determining the psychological state of the driver based on driver monitoring information including at least information on the driver's facial expression, body temperature, and pulse.
The driver psychological state judgment unit
The lane change determination device according to claim 1, wherein the lane change determination device determines the psychological state of the driver based on at least one of the own vehicle information and the peripheral information and at least one of the psychological state information of the driver. A passenger psychological state acquisition unit that acquires psychological state information for determining the psychological state of the passenger based on the passenger monitoring information including at least information on the facial expression, body temperature, and pulse of the passenger of the vehicle.
Further equipped with a passenger psychological state determination unit for determining the psychological state of the passenger,
The passenger psychological state judgment unit
The psychological state of the passenger is determined based on at least one of the vehicle information and the peripheral information and at least one of the psychological state information of the passenger.
The driver characteristic judgment result correction unit is
The second aspect of the present invention, wherein it is determined whether or not to correct the second determination result based on the determination result of the driver psychological state determination unit and the determination result of the passenger psychological state determination unit. Lane change judgment device. The contact determination unit
Based on the contact margin time between the vehicle and the peripheral target, the possibility of contact is determined and used as the first determination result.
The driver characteristic storage unit is
The vehicle speed and the contact margin time of the vehicle at the time of changing lanes are stored as the lane change characteristics of the driver.
The driver characteristic judgment unit
The second determination result is determined by determining the possibility of contact based on the lane change characteristic of the driver at the time of the past lane change stored in the driver characteristic storage unit and the current vehicle speed. year,
The driver psychological state judgment unit
When determining the psychological state of the driver based on the own vehicle information, the psychological state of the driver is determined at least based on the steering mode of the vehicle or the vehicle speed.
When determining the psychological state of the driver based on the peripheral information, the psychological state of the driver is determined at least based on the driving lane of the vehicle or the lane width of the lane to which the lane is changed.
Depending on the psychological state of the driver, it was determined that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual.
The driver characteristic judgment result correction unit is
When the driver's psychological state judgment unit determines that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual, the second judgment result is corrected so as to be a safer lane change.
The lane change judgment result arbitration section
The lane change determination device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the lane cannot be changed by either the first determination result or the second determination result, the third determination result is made unchangeable. .. The contact determination unit
Based on the contact margin time between the vehicle and the peripheral target, the possibility of contact is determined and used as the first determination result.
The driver characteristic storage unit is
The vehicle speed and the contact margin time of the vehicle at the time of changing lanes are stored as the lane change characteristics of the driver.
The driver characteristic judgment unit
The second determination result is determined by determining the possibility of contact based on the lane change characteristic of the driver at the time of the past lane change stored in the driver characteristic storage unit and the current vehicle speed. year,
The driver psychological state judgment unit
When determining the psychological state of the driver based on the own vehicle information, the psychological state of the driver is determined at least based on the steering mode of the vehicle or the vehicle speed.
When determining the state of the driver based on the peripheral information, the psychological state of the driver is determined at least based on the driving lane of the vehicle or the lane width of the lane to which the lane is changed.
When determining the psychological state of the driver based on the psychological state information of the driver, at least the driver's impatience, anxiety, and surprise are determined.
Depending on the psychological state of the driver, it was determined that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual.
The driver characteristic judgment result correction unit is
When the driver's psychological state judgment unit determines that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual, the second judgment result is corrected so as to be a safer lane change.
The lane change judgment result arbitration section
The lane change determination device according to claim 2, wherein when it is determined that the lane cannot be changed by either the first determination result or the second determination result, the third determination result is made unchangeable. .. The contact determination unit
Based on the contact margin time between the vehicle and the peripheral target, the possibility of contact is determined and used as the first determination result.
The driver characteristic storage unit is
The vehicle speed and the contact margin time of the vehicle at the time of changing lanes are stored as the lane change characteristics of the driver.
The driver characteristic judgment unit
The second determination result is determined by determining the possibility of contact based on the lane change characteristic of the driver at the time of the past lane change stored in the driver characteristic storage unit and the current vehicle speed. year,
The driver psychological state judgment unit
When determining the psychological state of the driver based on the own vehicle information, the psychological state of the driver is determined at least based on the steering mode of the vehicle or the vehicle speed.
When determining the psychological state of the driver based on the peripheral information, the psychological state of the driver is determined at least based on the driving lane of the vehicle or the lane width of the lane to which the lane is changed.
When determining the psychological state of the driver based on the psychological state information of the driver, at least the impatience, anxiety and surprise of the driver are determined.
Depending on the psychological state of the driver, it was determined that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual.
The passenger psychological state judgment unit
When determining the psychological state of the passenger based on the own vehicle information, the psychological state of the passenger is determined at least based on the vehicle speed.
When determining the psychological state of the passenger based on the peripheral information, the psychological state of the passenger is determined at least based on the lane width of the traveling lane of the vehicle or the lane to which the lane is changed.
When determining the psychological state of the passenger based on the psychological state information of the passenger, at least the anxiety and surprise of the passenger are determined.
It is determined that the passenger wants safer driving depending on the psychological state of the passenger.
The driver characteristic judgment result correction unit is
When it is determined by the driver psychological condition determination unit that the lane change should be carried out with more emphasis on safety than usual, or when the passenger psychological condition determination unit determines that the passenger should drive more safely. If it is determined to be, the second determination result is corrected so that the lane change is safer.
The lane change judgment result arbitration section
The lane change determination device according to claim 3, wherein when it is determined that the lane cannot be changed by either the first determination result or the second determination result, the third determination result is made unchangeable. .. The passenger monitoring information is
Includes information on whether or not a child seat is attached to the vehicle
The passenger psychological state judgment unit
The lane change determination device according to claim 6, wherein when the child seat is attached, it is determined that the passenger is seeking safer driving. The contact margin time between the vehicle and the peripheral target is
Any one of claims 4 to 6, which is a value obtained by dividing the relative vertical distance between the vehicle and the peripheral target by the relative vertical speed, and represents the time until the vehicle comes into contact with the peripheral target. The lane change judgment device described in the section.

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