Patent ID: 8620025

Claim:
A traveling environment recognition device including a processor, comprising: a measurement unit which measures a target object, wherein the measurement unit corresponds to at least one of an image pick-up unit, a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, and an ultrasonic sensor; the processor which implements: an object detection unit which detects an object on the basis of a signal acquired by the measurement unit; a road shape prediction unit which predicts a road shape on which a target vehicle is traveling; a three-dimensional object selection unit which selects, from among the objects detected by the object detection unit, only a three-dimensional object within a predetermined range from a point of the road predicted by the road shape prediction unit; and a road shape estimation unit which estimates the road shape on the basis of position information of the three-dimensional object selected by the three-dimensional object selection unit; wherein the road shape prediction unit predicts a road shape within a predetermined range from the target vehicle on the basis of at least one of a traffic lane, a curb, a guardrail, a central reservation, a border between asphalt and a road end, a line of trees, and a traffic sign, and predicts a road shape outside of the predetermined range from the target vehicle on the basis of calculation results of the road shape within the predetermined range from the target vehicle; and the road shape estimation unit detects the number of traffic lanes next to a target vehicle traveling lane, and corrects a position of the three-dimensional object in accordance with the number of detected traffic lanes, to thereby estimate the road shape on the basis of the corrected position information of the three-dimensional object.