JP7722256B2 - Driving assistance devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a driving assistance device.

Technology for displaying guidance information for right or left turns on a vehicle's head-up display is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-014394

With the above-mentioned conventional technology, it is unclear how long the displayed guidance information will remain on display. As a result, for example, if the first and second guidance points are consecutive, the guidance information for the first guidance point may remain displayed even as the vehicle approaches the second guidance point, and the guidance information for the second guidance point may not be presented appropriately to the occupant. For example, if the guidance point is a curve, this may result in a delay in the occupant's steering operation after passing the curve.

A driving assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a curve information acquisition unit that acquires curve information about a curve located ahead in the direction of travel on a road on which the vehicle is traveling, based on vehicle position information and map information; and a notification control unit that controls the vehicle's notification device to notify the vehicle occupants of advance notice information about the curve based on the curve information. The curve information acquisition unit determines a notification start point at which notification of the advance notice information to the occupants begins and a notification end point at which notification of the advance notice information to the occupants ends. The notification control unit controls the notification device to notify the occupants of the advance notice information from the notification start point to the notification end point, which is a clipping point for the curve.

This invention makes it possible to optimize the timing of notifying vehicle occupants of advance notice information about curves.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the interior of a vehicle showing an example of the arrangement of light-emitting units. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the interior of a vehicle as seen forward, showing an example of a light-emitting unit. FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the interior of a vehicle as seen forward, showing another example of a light-emitting unit. FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the interior of a vehicle as seen forward, showing yet another example of a light-emitting unit. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a notification process of the ECU of FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a driving assistance device mounted on an item worn by a vehicle occupant. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a driving assistance device mounted on a moving body other than a vehicle. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of a driving assistance device mounted on a moving body other than a vehicle.

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a driving assistance device 100 according to an embodiment. The driving assistance device 100 shown in Figure 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car, and provides driving assistance by notifying the occupant of information on curves. The driving assistance device 100 may also provide steering assistance as vehicle control for driving assistance.

To notify the occupant (e.g., the driver) of information about a curve, the driving assistance device 100 is configured to notify the occupant (e.g., the driver) of advance notice information. For example, when the vehicle approaches a curve, the driving assistance device 100 notifies the occupant of the steering direction corresponding to the curvature of the curve, and ends notifying the occupant about the curve when the vehicle passes the curve's clipping point (details will be described later).

[Configuration of driving assistance device 100]
As shown in Fig. 1, the driving assistance device 100 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10 that manages vehicle control for driving assistance. The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication circuit, and the like. The ECU 10 realizes various functions by, for example, loading a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded into the RAM with the CPU. The ECU 10 may be composed of multiple electronic control units.

The ECU 10 is connected to a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 1, an external sensor 2, an internal sensor 3, a map database 4, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) (alarm device) 5, and an actuator 6.

The GPS receiver 1 measures the vehicle's position (e.g., the vehicle's latitude and longitude) by receiving signals from three or more GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 1 transmits the measured vehicle position information, which is the vehicle's position on a map, to the ECU 10.

External sensor 2 is a detector that detects the conditions around the vehicle. External sensor 2 includes at least one of a camera and a radar sensor.

The camera is an imaging device that captures images of the vehicle's external conditions. The camera is installed behind the vehicle's windshield. The camera transmits captured images of the vehicle's external conditions to ECU 10. The camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. A stereo camera has two imaging units positioned to reproduce binocular parallax. Images captured by a stereo camera also contain depth information.

A radar sensor is a detector that uses radio waves (e.g., millimeter waves) or light to detect obstacles around the vehicle. Examples of radar sensors include millimeter-wave radar and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). A radar sensor detects obstacles by transmitting radio waves or light around the vehicle and receiving the radio waves or light reflected by obstacles. The radar sensor transmits information about the detected obstacles to ECU 10. Obstacles include fixed obstacles such as guardrails and buildings, as well as moving obstacles such as pedestrians, bicycles, and other vehicles.

The internal sensors 3 are detectors that detect the vehicle's driving state. The internal sensors 3 include a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. The vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the vehicle's speed. For example, a wheel speed sensor is used as the vehicle speed sensor, which is attached to the vehicle's wheels or a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheels and detects the rotational speed of the wheels. The vehicle speed sensor transmits the detected vehicle speed information (wheel speed information) to the ECU 10.

The acceleration sensor is a detector that detects the acceleration of the vehicle. The acceleration sensor includes, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration of the vehicle. The acceleration sensor, for example, transmits vehicle acceleration information to ECU 10. The yaw rate sensor is a detector that detects the yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) around the vertical axis of the vehicle's center of gravity. A gyro sensor, for example, can be used as the yaw rate sensor. The yaw rate sensor transmits the detected vehicle yaw rate information to ECU 10.

The internal sensor 3 may include a steering sensor that detects the steering amount of the steering unit. The steering unit is a component into which the driver inputs operations for steering the vehicle. The steering unit is, for example, a steering wheel. The steering unit is not limited to being wheel-shaped. The steering amount of the steering unit includes the steering angle. The steering amount of the steering unit may also include steering torque. The steering amount of the steering unit includes at least one of the steering amount generated by the driver's operation and the steering amount generated by the operation of the steering actuator of actuator 6, which will be described later. The steering sensor transmits the detected steering amount information of the steering unit to ECU 10.

Map database 4 is a database that stores map information. Map database 4 is stored, for example, in a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) installed in the vehicle. The map information includes road shape information (e.g., curves, type of straight section, curvature of curves, etc.) and road position information (position of straight sections, position of curves, boundary positions between straight sections and curves, etc.). Note that map database 4 may also be stored in a computer at a facility such as a management center that can communicate with the vehicle.

The HMI 5 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the driving assistance device 100 and an occupant (e.g., the driver). The HMI 5 includes a light-emitting unit that uses light to notify the occupant of information. The light-emitting unit is a light source, such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the interior of a vehicle, showing an example of the arrangement of the light-emitting unit. As shown in Figure 2, the light-emitting unit is arranged, for example, between the vehicle's front windshield W and the dashboard. The light-emitting unit emits light along a direction L that is not directly opposite the line of sight F1 of the driver D. The light-emitting unit may be configured to be able to change the light emission direction.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the interior of a vehicle viewed from the front, showing an example of a light-emitting unit. As shown in Figure 3, the light-emitting unit of the HMI 5 includes, as an example, a pair of LEDs 5a and 5b and a pair of BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) lamps 5c and 5d. LEDs 5a and 5b are arranged on the left and right of a meter hood on the dashboard as seen by driver D. BSM lamp 5c is arranged to the left of LED 5a as seen by driver D. BSM lamp 5d is arranged to the right of LED 5b as seen by driver D.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the interior of a vehicle viewed from the front, showing another example of a light-emitting unit. As shown in Figure 4, the light-emitting unit of the HMI 5A may have a pair of LED tapes 5Aa, 5Ab and a BSM lamp 5Ac. In the example of Figure 4, the LED tapes 5Aa, 5Ab are arranged on the left and right sides of the meter hood on the dashboard as seen by the driver D. The BSM lamp 5Ac is arranged to the right of the LED tape 5Ab as seen by the driver D. The LED tapes 5Aa, 5Ab are configured in a tape-like shape with multiple LEDs connected together.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the interior of a vehicle viewed from the front, showing yet another example of a light-emitting unit. As shown in Figure 5, the light-emitting unit of the HMI 5B may have a pair of LED tapes 5Ba, 5Bb and a BSM lamp 5Bc. In the example of Figure 5, the LED tapes 5Ba, 5Bb are arranged approximately symmetrically on the left and right with respect to the center of the vehicle on the dashboard as seen by driver D. The BSM lamp 5Bc is arranged to the right of the LED tape 5Bb as seen by driver D. The LED tapes 5Ba, 5Bb may be configured in a tape-like shape by connecting a larger number of LEDs than the LED tapes 5Aa, 5Ab.

The HMI 5 may also include a display, a speaker, and the like. The display is a display device installed in the vehicle so that it can be seen by the driver. The display is installed, for example, on the dashboard of the vehicle. The display has a display screen for displaying images to the driver. The display may also be a HUD (Head Up Display) that projects images onto the vehicle's windshield or a projection screen. The speaker is an audio output device installed in the vehicle that outputs audio to the driver. The speaker is installed, for example, inside the driver's door.

The HMI 5 outputs light from the light-emitting element, images from the display, and audio from the speaker in response to control signals from the ECU 10.

The actuators 6 are devices used to control the vehicle. The actuators 6 include at least a steering actuator. The steering actuator is an actuator that controls the assist torque of the steering section of the vehicle. The steering actuator is, for example, an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor provided on the steering shaft of an electric power steering system. The steering actuator controls the drive of the EPS motor in response to a control signal from the ECU 10. In this way, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the vehicle.

Next, the functional configuration of the ECU 10 will be described. The ECU 10 has a vehicle state recognition unit 11, a vehicle position recognition unit 12, an external environment recognition unit 13, a curve information acquisition unit 14, and a notification control unit 15. Some of the functions of the ECU 10 may be executed by a server that can communicate with the vehicle.

The vehicle state recognition unit 11 recognizes the vehicle state, which is the state of the vehicle while it is moving, based on the detection results of the internal sensor 3. The vehicle state includes the vehicle speed and steering amount. The vehicle state recognition unit 11 can recognize the vehicle speed based on vehicle speed information from the vehicle speed sensor and steering amount information from the steering sensor.

The vehicle position recognition unit 12 recognizes the vehicle's position on the map based on the position information from the GPS receiver 1 and the map information from the map database 4. The vehicle position recognition unit 12 may also recognize the vehicle's position using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology, using position information of fixed obstacles such as utility poles included in the map information from the map database 4 and the detection results from the external sensor 2. The vehicle position recognition unit 12 may also recognize the vehicle's position on the map using other well-known methods.

The external environment recognition unit 13 may recognize the external environment of the vehicle based on the detection results of the external sensor 2 (camera images and/or radar sensor object information) and the vehicle position, or map information. The external environment is the situation around the vehicle that is used when performing driving assistance or autonomous driving. The external environment may include road conditions around the vehicle (such as recognition of white lines on the road) and the situation of other vehicles traveling nearby (such as the presence or absence of other vehicles, their positions, and their relative speeds to the vehicle).

The curve information acquisition unit 14 acquires curve information about curves located ahead in the direction of travel on the road on which the vehicle is traveling, based on the vehicle position recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 12 and map information. The curve information includes the position and curvature of curves located ahead in the direction of travel on the road on which the vehicle is traveling. The curve information also includes the position of the clipping point of the curve located ahead in the direction of travel on the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

As an example, the curve information acquisition unit 14 may identify the position of the clipping point of a curve by performing a process to optimize the vehicle's driving trajectory on the curve. A known method can be used for the optimization process, such as SCGRA (Sequential Conjugate Gradient Restoration Algorithm). SCGRA performs a convergence calculation based on the steepest descent method until a predetermined constraint condition is satisfied, and then performs a convergence calculation based on the conjugate gradient method until the evaluation value of a predetermined evaluation function is minimized. Alternatively, the curve information acquisition unit 14 may identify the position of the clipping point using machine learning using past driving trajectories of the vehicle (host vehicle and other vehicles). For a curve that is a series of complex corners, the curve information acquisition unit 14 may identify the positions of multiple clipping points, for example, an S-shaped curve, or may identify the position of a clipping point by treating a U-shaped curve as a single corner. The curve information acquisition unit 14 may adjust the position of the clipping point depending on the vehicle's drive system, whether vehicle control is being executed, weather, tire conditions (e.g., installed tire size), etc.

The curve information acquisition unit 14 may, for example, move a clipping point on the vehicle's curved driving trajectory from the center of the curve to the entrance side of the curve in accordance with the upper deceleration value and the upper acceleration value. The curve information acquisition unit 14 may, for example, move a minimum vehicle speed point (maximum curvature point) at the center of the curve on the vehicle's curved driving trajectory to the exit side of the curve in accordance with the upper deceleration value and the upper acceleration value. The curve information acquisition unit 14 may, for example, move a minimum vehicle speed point (maximum curvature point) at the center of the curve on the vehicle's curved driving trajectory to the exit side of the curve. The curve information acquisition unit 14 may connect the moved clipping point and minimum vehicle speed point with a smooth curve (for example, a clothoid curve) to generate a driving trajectory for use in driving assistance, etc.

The curve information acquisition unit 14 determines the notification start point at which to begin notifying the occupant of advance notice information. Here, as an example, if there is a curve with a curvature equal to or greater than a curvature threshold within a predetermined distance in the vehicle's direction of travel, the curve information acquisition unit 14 determines the position where the curve begins as the notification start point. The curvature threshold is a predetermined curvature threshold used to determine whether to notify the occupant of curve information.

The curve information acquisition unit 14 determines the notification end point at which to end the notification of advance notice information to the occupants. Here, as an example, the curve information acquisition unit 14 determines the position of the curve's clipping point as the notification end point.

The notification control unit 15 controls the HMI 5 to notify the vehicle occupants of advance notice information about the curve based on the curve information. The advance notice information is information that notifies the occupants of at least the steering direction for the curve the vehicle is entering. The advance notice information may also include information that notifies the occupants of the amount of steering for the curve the vehicle is entering.

The warning information may be visual information using the light-emitting unit of the HMI 5, for example. The warning information may be presented in different ways depending on the curvature of the curve. The warning information may be presented in different ways depending on the remaining distance or time to the clipping point. Examples of different ways of presenting the warning information from the light-emitting unit include changing the color of the light, the light-emitting time, the blinking cycle (light-emitting frequency), the brightness, the direction of illumination, the length of the light-emitting portion of the LED tape, and the flow speed of the light-emitting portion of the LED tape. The warning information may be visual information using a light-emitting device such as the display of the HMI 5, for example.

The advance notice information may be audio information (spoken information) using a speaker or the like of the HMI 5. The advance notice information may be presented in different notification modes depending on the remaining distance or remaining time to the clipping point. For example, if the remaining distance or remaining time to the clipping point is too short to output all of the predetermined audio information, the advance notice information may be presented in a notification mode that outputs only part of the audio information (for example, limited to or first outputting a portion with a high predetermined priority). The volume of the advance notice information may be increased depending on the importance of the information.

The notification control unit 15 may determine that warning information should be notified to the occupant when, for example, there is a curve with a curvature equal to or greater than a curvature threshold within a predetermined distance in the vehicle's direction of travel. When the notification control unit 15 determines that warning information should be notified to the occupant, it controls the light-emitting unit of the HMI 5 to notify the occupant of the warning information from the warning start point to the warning end point. The warning end point here is the clipping point of the curve.

In the example of FIG. 3, for example, when the vehicle enters a curve that requires the steering wheel to be steered counterclockwise, the notification control unit 15 may turn on LED 5a located on the left side as seen by driver D. On the other hand, when the vehicle enters a curve that requires the steering wheel to be steered clockwise, the notification control unit 15 may turn on LED 5b located on the right side as seen by driver D. The notification control unit 15 may change the light color of LED 5a or LED 5b in the order green, yellow, orange, and red as the absolute value of the required steering angle increases. The notification control unit 15 may also use BSM lamp 5c or BSM lamp 5d, or may use BSM lamp 5c or BSM lamp 5d instead of LED 5a or LED 5b.

4, for example, when the vehicle enters a curve that requires the steering wheel to be steered counterclockwise, the notification control unit 15 may illuminate the LED tape 5Aa located on the left side as seen by the driver D. On the other hand, when the vehicle enters a curve that requires the steering wheel to be steered clockwise, the notification control unit 15 may illuminate the LED tape 5Ab located on the right side as seen by the driver D. The notification control unit 15 may change the light color of the LED tape 5Aa or the LED tape 5Ab in the order green, yellow, orange, and red as the absolute value of the required steering angle increases. The notification control unit 15 may also use the BSM lamp 5Ac, or may use the BSM lamp 5Ac instead of the LED tape 5Aa or the LED tape 5Ab. The notification control unit 15 may cause the LED tapes 5Aa and 5Ab to emit light in the different notification modes described above depending on the bending direction of the curve, the radius of curvature of the curve, the depth of the curve, etc.

5, for example, when the vehicle enters a curve that requires the steering wheel to be steered counterclockwise, the notification control unit 15 may illuminate the LED tape 5Ba located on the left side of the center of the vehicle on the dashboard. On the other hand, when the vehicle enters a curve that requires the steering wheel to be steered clockwise, the notification control unit 15 may illuminate the LED tape 5Bb located on the right side of the center of the vehicle on the dashboard. The notification control unit 15 may change the light color of the LED tape 5Ba or the LED tape 5Bb in the order green, yellow, orange, and red as the absolute value of the required steering angle increases. The notification control unit 15 may also use the BSM lamp 5Bc, or may use the BSM lamp 5Bc instead of the LED tape 5Ba or the LED tape 5Bb. The notification control unit 15 may cause the LED tapes 5Ba and 5Bb to emit light in different notification modes described above depending on the bending direction of the curve, the radius of curvature of the curve, the depth of the curve, etc.

[ECU Notification Processing]
Next, an example of the notification process of the ECU 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the notification process of the ECU of Fig. 1. The process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is repeatedly performed at a predetermined interval while the vehicle is running, for example.

As shown in FIG. 6, in step S10, the ECU 10 recognizes the vehicle state using the vehicle state recognition unit 11. The vehicle state recognition unit 11 recognizes the vehicle speed and steering amount as the vehicle state of the traveling vehicle, for example, based on the detection results of the internal sensor 3.

In addition, in step S10, the ECU 10 recognizes the vehicle position using the vehicle position recognition unit 12. The vehicle position recognition unit 12 recognizes the vehicle's position on the map, for example, based on the position information from the GPS receiver 1 and the map information from the map database 4.

In step S11, the ECU 10 recognizes the external environment using the external environment recognition unit 13. The external environment recognition unit 13 may recognize the external environment of the vehicle based on, for example, the detection results of the external sensor 2 (camera images and/or radar sensor object information) and the vehicle's position on a map or map information recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 12. The recognized external environment of the vehicle may be used when providing driving assistance or autonomous driving of the vehicle, in addition to notifying the occupants.

In step S12, the ECU 10 acquires curve information using the curve information acquisition unit 14. The curve information acquisition unit 14 acquires, as curve information, the position and curvature of the curve located ahead in the direction of travel on the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and the position of the clipping point, based on, for example, the vehicle position recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 12 and map information.

In step S13, the ECU 10 determines, via the notification control unit 15, whether or not to notify the occupant of advance warning information. The notification control unit 15 may determine whether or not to notify the occupant of advance warning information, for example, based on whether or not a curve with a curvature equal to or greater than a curvature threshold exists within a predetermined distance in the vehicle's traveling direction. If the ECU 10 determines that advance warning information should be notified to the occupant (step S13: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the ECU 10 does not determine that advance warning information should be notified to the occupant (step S13: NO), the ECU 10 ends the current processing of FIG. 6.

In step S14, the ECU 10 determines the notification start point using the curve information acquisition unit 14. For example, if there is a curve with a curvature equal to or greater than a predetermined curvature threshold within a predetermined distance in the vehicle's direction of travel, the curve information acquisition unit 14 determines the position where the curve begins as the notification start point.

In step S15, the ECU 10 determines the notification end point using the curve information acquisition unit 14. The curve information acquisition unit 14 determines, for example, the position of the curve's clipping point as the notification end point.

In step S16, the ECU 10 controls the vehicle's notification device via the notification control unit 15 to notify the occupants of advance warning information. As an example, when the vehicle is entering a curve that requires the steering wheel to be steered counterclockwise, the notification control unit 15 turns on LED 5a located on the left side as seen by driver D. On the other hand, when the vehicle is entering a curve that requires the steering wheel to be steered clockwise, the notification control unit 15 turns on LED 5b located on the right side as seen by driver D.

In step S17, the ECU 10 determines, via the notification control unit 15, whether the vehicle has reached the clipping point. The notification control unit 15 may determine whether the vehicle has reached the clipping point, for example, based on the vehicle position and the notification end point. If the ECU 10 does not determine that the vehicle has reached the clipping point (step S17: NO), it proceeds to step S16 and continues to notify the occupant of the warning information. On the other hand, if the ECU 10 determines that the vehicle has reached the clipping point (step S17: YES), it ends the current processing of FIG. 6.

As described above, according to the driving assistance device 100, the notification control unit 15 controls the HMI 5 to notify the occupant of advance warning information from the notification start point to the notification end point. Here, the notification end point is the curve's clipping point. This prevents advance warning information about the curve from being notified to the occupant after the curve's clipping point. This prevents delays in the end of notification of advance warning information about the curve, for example, when another curve follows the current curve, making it possible to notify the occupant of advance warning information about the other curve at an appropriate time. As a result, the occupant can prepare in advance for steering operations for the other curve or prepare for lateral acceleration. In this way, the driving assistance device 100 makes it possible to optimize the timing of notifying the occupant of advance warning information about curves.

[Modification]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms, including the above-described embodiments, with various modifications and improvements made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

The driving assistance device 100 described above notifies the occupant using the HMI 5 mounted on the four-wheeled vehicle, but this example is not limiting. The driving assistance device 100 may also notify the occupant of a moving body other than a four-wheeled vehicle of advance notice information. The HMI 5 may be provided on a moving body other than a four-wheeled vehicle, or on an item worn by the occupant of the moving body. The driving assistance device 100 may also provide information to the occupant of a moving body in a virtual space, such as a driving simulator, while assisting them in driving.

For example, FIG. 7 shows an example of a driving assistance device mounted on an item worn by a rider. An example of the item is a helmet. The HMI 5 may include LEDs 5Ca, 5Cb, and 5Cc arranged on the top, bottom, and left and right sides of the helmet shield. The LEDs 5Ca, 5Cb, and 5Cc emit light in a direction that does not directly face the line of sight F2 of the motorcycle rider. FIG. 8 shows an example of a driving assistance device mounted on a moving object other than a vehicle. FIG. 9 shows another example of a driving assistance device mounted on a moving object other than a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 8, the HMI 5D may include an LED tape 5Da arranged on the cowl or windshield of the motorcycle body and an LED tape 5Db arranged on the mirror stay of the motorcycle body. As shown in FIG. 9, the HMI 5E may include an LED tape 5Ea arranged on the handlebar of the motorcycle body and an LED tape 5Eb arranged on the handlebar end of the motorcycle body. In this way, it is also possible to notify passengers of motorcycles, which are moving objects other than four-wheeled vehicles, of advance warning information.

In the driving assistance device 100 described above, an example has been shown in which a clipping point is used as the notification end point, but this is not limited to this. The notification end point may be, for example, a position where the steering amount is maximum based on the vehicle's curved driving trajectory obtained by the curve information acquisition unit 14. When the driving assistance device 100 performs steering assistance (including autonomous driving), the notification end point may be, for example, the timing when the occupant manually intervenes to return the steering wheel, which is operated by the steering actuator, to a straight-ahead state.

When making a similar notification during racing or sports driving (for example, rally driving), it is possible to use a clipping point as the notification end point. However, when making a notification during normal driving in a mass-produced vehicle, such as on public roads, the timing when the occupant begins to return the steering wheel is often almost at the end of the curve, so if the maximum steering position is used as the notification end point, there is a possibility that the notification will not end until the end of the curve. Therefore, using a clipping point as the notification end point is particularly useful to more appropriately end the notification even during normal driving in a mass-produced vehicle.

5...HMI (alarm device), 14...curve information acquisition unit, 15...alarm control unit, 100...driving assistance device.

Claims (3)

a curve information acquisition unit that acquires curve information regarding a curve located ahead in a traveling direction of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, based on vehicle position information and map information;
a notification control unit that controls a notification device of the vehicle based on the curve information so as to notify an occupant of the vehicle of advance notice information regarding steering at the curve into which the vehicle is entering ,
The curve information acquisition unit
determining a notification start point at which notification of the advance notice information to the occupant starts and a notification end point at which notification of the advance notice information to the occupant ends;
The notification control unit
controlling the notification device so as to continuously notify the occupant of the advance notice information from the notification start point to the notification end point;
A driving assistance device, wherein the notification end point is a clipping point of the curve. The advance notice information is audio information,
2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit controls the notification device to output a portion of the audio information having a predetermined high priority when the remaining distance or remaining time to the clipping point is shorter than a predetermined time for outputting all of the audio information. The advance notice information is audio information,
When the remaining distance or remaining time to the clipping point is shorter than the predetermined time for outputting all of the voice information, if there is a curve whose curvature is equal to or greater than a curvature threshold within a predetermined distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the curve information acquisition unit determines a point on the vehicle side of a position where the curve starts as the notification start point,
2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit outputs the audio information from the notification start point on the vehicle side closer to the curve than the position where the curve begins, when the remaining distance or remaining time to the clipping point is shorter than the predetermined time for outputting all of the audio information.