JP7155978B2 - AUTOMATIC PARKING CONTROL METHOD AND AUTOMATIC PARKING CONTROL DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic parking control method and an automatic parking control device.

Patent Literature 1 describes a parking assistance device that automatically parks a vehicle to a predetermined parking position when an automatic parking switch is pressed.

JP 2013-241088 A

However, in the parking assistance device described in Patent Document 1, after the vehicle stops at the time of turning back during automatic parking, the parking operation is resumed regardless of the occupant's intention. Therefore, the parking operation may be restarted at a timing not intended by the occupant.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an automatic parking control method and an automatic parking control device that can restart the parking operation at a timing close to the occupant's intention after the vehicle stops at the time of turning back during parking. With the goal.

According to one aspect of the present invention, at least when the start control of the vehicle during parking is executed, the sense of discomfort of the vehicle occupant is detected from the brain activity information of the vehicle occupant, and the sense of discomfort is detected after the vehicle stops at the time of turning. To provide an automatic parking control method and an automatic parking control device for starting a vehicle.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic parking control method and an automatic parking control device capable of resuming the parking operation at a timing close to the intention of the occupant after the vehicle stops at the time of turning back during parking.

It is a block diagram showing an example of an automatic parking control device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of electrode arrangement of an electroencephalogram sensor; It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an application scene of the automatic parking control method concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a control map. 4 is a timing chart for explaining an example of automatic parking control processing; FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining another example of automatic parking control processing; FIG. FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining another example of automatic parking control processing; FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of an electroencephalogram waveform; It is a graph for explaining an example of the discomfort detection process. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of discomfort detection processing; 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of an automatic parking control method according to an embodiment of the present invention; It is a flow chart for explaining an example of an automatic parking control method concerning the 1st modification of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart for explaining an example of an automatic parking control method concerning the 2nd modification of an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. Various modifications can be made to the technical idea of the present invention within the technical scope defined by the claims.

As used herein, the term "passenger" includes, for example, a driver who drives a vehicle. Furthermore, the "passenger" may be a fellow passenger who does not drive the vehicle other than the driver, or a passenger in the case of an automatically driving vehicle.

<Automatic parking control device>
An automatic start control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, for example. The automatic start control device according to the embodiment of the present invention can execute start control of a vehicle at least during parking, and can be applied, for example, to a parking assistance system that executes automatic parking, an automatic driving system that includes automatic parking, and the like. is.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic parking control device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a controller 1, an ambient sensor 2, a vehicle sensor 3, an electroencephalogram sensor 4, an occupant sensor 5, a storage device 6, an operation device 7, a presentation device ( user interface) 8 and an actuator 9. The controller 1, the surrounding sensor 2, the vehicle sensor 3, the electroencephalogram sensor 4, the occupant sensor 5, the storage device 6, the operation device 7, the presentation device 8, and the actuator 9 are wired or wirelessly such as a controller area network (CAN) bus. It can send and receive data and signals.

The ambient sensor 2 is a sensor that detects (monitors) the ambient environment (ambient situation) of the vehicle. The surrounding sensor 2 detects, for example, the relative position, distance, and relative speed between the vehicle and a target existing around the vehicle, the shape of the road around the vehicle, etc. as data of the surrounding conditions, and detects the detected surrounding conditions. Data is output to the controller 1. Targets include, for example, other vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, white lines, curbs, utility poles, walls, guardrails, buildings, and the like.

The ambient sensor 2 includes, for example, a camera, radar, positioning device and communication device. A CCD camera or the like can be used as the camera, and it may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. Examples of radar that can be used include millimeter wave radar, laser radar, and laser range finder (LRF). The positioning device may comprise a Global Positioning System (GNSS) receiver, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. A GNSS receiver receives radio waves from a plurality of navigation satellites and acquires the current position of the vehicle. The controller 1 can compare the current position of the vehicle acquired by the GNSS receiver with the map data stored in the storage device or the like of the controller 1 to acquire the current position of the vehicle on the map data. The communication device performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles, road-to-vehicle communication with a roadside device, and the like, and acquires data such as the surrounding conditions of the vehicle. The type and number of surrounding sensors 2 are not particularly limited.

The vehicle sensor 3 is a sensor that detects the control amount of the vehicle. The vehicle sensor 3 includes a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor. The vehicle speed sensor detects the vehicle speed from the wheel speed of the vehicle and outputs the detected vehicle speed (vehicle speed) to the controller 1 . The acceleration sensor detects acceleration in the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the vehicle and outputs the detected acceleration to the controller 1 . The angular velocity sensor detects the angular velocity of the vehicle and outputs the detected angular velocity to the controller 1 . The type and number of vehicle sensors 3 are not particularly limited.

The electroencephalogram sensor 4 detects (measures) the electroencephalogram (brain activity) of the occupant and outputs the detected electroencephalogram data (brain activity information) to the controller 1 . The electroencephalogram sensor 4 includes a plurality of electroencephalogram measurement electrodes (electrode group), an amplifier that amplifies a plurality of electroencephalogram signals that are potential changes collected by the plurality of electrodes, and a plurality of electroencephalogram signals output from the amplifier. and an A/D converter that samples analog data of the extracted electroencephalogram signal at a predetermined sampling period and converts it into digital data.

A plurality of electrodes of the electroencephalogram sensor 4, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, are arranged on the top of the head Fz, Fcz, Cz, and CPz of the occupant involved in cognitive functions in compliance with the International 10-20 Law. In addition, the number and attachment position of the plurality of electrodes are not particularly limited. Also, the method of attaching the plurality of electrodes of the electroencephalogram sensor 4 to the head is not particularly limited. For example, a wearable electrode cap or band provided with a plurality of electrodes may be used.

The occupant sensor 5 is a sensor that detects the state of the occupant. For example, the occupant sensor 5 may be configured by a camera, and the occupant's line of sight direction, eye open rate, etc. may be detected based on the captured image captured by the camera.

The storage device 6 is composed of a semiconductor memory, disk media, or the like, and may include storage media such as a register, a cache memory, and a ROM and RAM used as a main storage device. At least part of the storage device 6 may be built in the controller 1 or may be installed outside the vehicle. The storage device 6 may store in advance a program for executing a series of processes by the automatic parking control system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The storage device 6 includes a map information storage section 61 and a control map storage section 62 . The map information storage unit 61 stores map data that can be used for automatic parking, such as high-precision maps and navigation maps. The control map storage unit 62 stores control information (control map) used for vehicle control during automatic parking.

The operation device 7 can be composed of switches, buttons, a touch panel, a microphone, and the like. The operation device 7 receives an instruction by a passenger's operation or voice. The presentation device 8 can be configured with a display, a speaker, and the like. The display may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) of a navigation system, a display section of an instrument panel, a head-up display (HUD), or the like. The operation device 7 and the presentation device 8 may be composed of, for example, a smartphone or the like, and may not necessarily be fixed to the vehicle.

Actuator 9 executes vehicle control according to a control command from controller 1 . The actuator 9 can be composed of an accelerator actuator, a brake actuator or a steering actuator. The accelerator actuator is composed of, for example, a throttle valve, and controls the accelerator opening (driving amount) of the vehicle. The brake actuator consists of, for example, a hydraulic circuit, and controls the amount of braking of the vehicle. The steering actuator is composed of, for example, a motor capable of transmitting torque to the steering shaft, and controls the steering amount of the steering shaft. The number and types of actuators 9 are not limited and can be used as appropriate.

The controller 1 is a processing circuit such as an electronic control unit (ECU) that performs processing necessary for operations performed by the automatic parking control system according to the embodiment of the present invention. good too. The processor can correspond to a microprocessor equivalent to a central processing unit (CPU) including an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a control circuit (control device), various registers, and the like.

Here, an example of a parking scene to which the automatic parking control method according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, there is a parking space S1 around the vehicle 100, and the vehicle 100 automatically parks in the parking space S1 from its current position. In automatic parking, the vehicle 100 moves forward along the parking path L1 from the current position to the turning position P1, turns back at the turning point P1, and then moves backward along the parking path L2 to reach the parking position P2. At this time, after the vehicle 100 reaches the turning position P1 and stops, the occupant visually confirms the safety of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100, and adjusts the posture (preparation) as the vehicle 100 switches between forward and backward movements. ). In this case, it is considered that the timing at which the passenger completes safety confirmation and prepares for the posture is the timing at which the parking operation is resumed as intended by the passenger.

Therefore, if the parking operation of the vehicle 100 is restarted before the occupant completes safety confirmation and posture preparation, the restart timing is earlier than the occupant's intended timing, giving the occupant a sense of discomfort. On the other hand, if the parking operation of the vehicle 100 is not restarted even though the passenger has already completed safety confirmation and posture preparation, the restart timing is later than the timing intended by the passenger. will take time. Furthermore, the timing at which the occupant intends to restart the parking operation varies depending on the surrounding environment and there are individual differences among the occupants. Therefore, it is difficult to uniformly set the timing for resuming the parking operation. . In addition, it is troublesome for the occupant if the occupant needs to perform actions such as button operation and voice input to express his/her intention.

Therefore, in the automatic parking control system according to the embodiment of the present invention, the electroencephalogram sensor 4 measures the brain activity of the occupant at least when executing the start control of the vehicle at the time of parking, and the controller 1 detects the measured brain activity. The discomfort of the occupant is detected from the information, and the vehicle 100 is started when the discomfort is detected after the vehicle 100 stops when turning back. That is, by adjusting the stop time at the time of turning in accordance with the detection result of the sense of discomfort of the occupant, it is possible to resume the parking operation at a timing close to the occupant's intention even if the surrounding environment and the occupant are different. do.

The controller 1 functionally or physically integrates logical blocks such as a parking position setting unit 11, a parking route generation unit 12, a turning judgment unit 13, a stop time setting unit 14, a vehicle control unit 15, a discomfort detection unit 16, and a presentation control unit 17. provided as a general hardware resource. These logic blocks may be physically configured by a programmable logic device (PLD) such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or the like, and can be equivalently processed by software in a general-purpose semiconductor integrated circuit. A functional logic circuit or the like that is set to . Also, these logical blocks may be composed of a single piece of hardware, or may be individually composed of a plurality of pieces of hardware. For example, the controller 1 can be configured with a car navigation system such as an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system and a driving assistance system such as an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).

The parking position setting unit 11 sets a parking position in a parking space such as a parking space in a parking lot or a garage based on the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2 and map information stored in the storage device of the controller 1 or the like. do. The parking position setting unit 11 presents one or more parking position candidates to the occupant via the presentation device 8, and sets the presented candidate selected by the occupant via the operation device 7 as the parking position. good too. The parking position setting unit 11 sets a parking position P2 in the parking space S1 based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100, etc., as shown in FIG. 3, for example.

The parking path generation unit 12 generates a parking path from the current position of the vehicle to the parking position set by the parking position setting unit 11 based on the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2 so as to avoid obstacles. . The parking path generator 12 generates parking paths L1 and L2 including the switching position P1 from the current position of the vehicle 100 to the parking position P2, as shown in FIG. 3, for example.

Based on the parking route generated by the parking route generation unit 12, the turning determination unit 13 determines whether or not to turn the vehicle when parking. In other words, the turning-back determining section 13 determines whether or not the parking path generated by the parking-path generating section 12 includes a turning-back operation. For example, when the parking paths L1 and L2 are generated as shown in FIG. 3, the turning determination unit 13 determines that the turning is necessary during parking because the parking paths L1 and L2 include the turning point P1.

A stop time setting part 14 sets a stop time from when the vehicle stops at the time of turning back to when the turning back operation is restarted when the turning back determination part 13 determines that the turning back is necessary. When setting the initial value of the stop time, the stop time setting unit 14 may set the stop time to a time that is considered long enough for the crew to confirm safety. The stop time setting unit 14 uses parameters such as the width of the parking frame, the width of the area used for turning, and the presence or absence of moving objects such as other vehicles and pedestrians running around as coefficients, and a function that weights each coefficient. may be used to calculate the stop time.

The stop time setting unit 14 may set the stop time using the control map stored in the control map storage unit 62 based on the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2, for example. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the control map may include a stop time according to the surrounding environment such as the width of the parking frame, the width of the area used for turning, and the presence or absence of a moving object. The stop time setting unit 14 may select and set a stop time corresponding to the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2 .

The vehicle control unit 15 executes vehicle parking control by outputting a control signal for controlling the actuator 9 . The vehicle control unit 15 may perform automatic driving in which all of the braking/driving control and the steering control are performed while the vehicle is running, or may perform driving assistance in which at least part of the braking/driving control and the steering control are performed. . When parking, the vehicle control unit 15 moves the vehicle from the current position of the vehicle to the parking position set by the parking position setting unit 11 along the parking route generated by the parking route generation unit 12. good. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle control unit 15 may perform stop control of the vehicle for the stop time set by the stop time setting unit 14 after reaching the turning point P1 along the parking path L1. good. Then, after the stop time has elapsed, the vehicle starts moving to resume the parking operation, and reaches the parking position P2 along the parking path L2.

The discomfort detection unit 16 detects the discomfort of the occupant based on the brain activity information detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 4 . For example, during automatic parking control, the discomfort detection unit 16 detects the discomfort of the occupant within the stop time set by the stop time setting unit 14 after the vehicle is stopped at the time of turning. If the occupant's discomfort is detected during the stop time, it means that the occupant has already completed safety confirmation and posture preparation, and the stop time is longer than the occupant's intention, so the occupant feels uncomfortable with the stop time. Conceivable. Therefore, when the discomfort of the occupant is detected within the stop time, the vehicle control unit 15 cancels the stop control of the vehicle immediately after the detection of the discomfort of the occupant, starts the start control, and starts the parking operation. let it resume. Then, the stop time setting unit 14 adjusts the currently set stop time to be short so that the restart timing of the parking operation after the stop at the time of turning back approaches the timing intended by the occupant in the next and subsequent parkings. The control map stored in the storage unit 62 is updated.

On the other hand, if the occupant's sense of discomfort is not detected during the stop time during the turnaround and the stop time elapses, the occupant has just completed safety confirmation and posture preparation, and the stop time is close to the occupant's intention. Otherwise, it is conceivable that the crew has not completed safety confirmation and system preparation, and the stop time is shorter than the crew intended. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 15 starts the start control when the stop time has elapsed without detecting the sense of discomfort of the occupant.

If the occupant's sense of discomfort is not detected within a predetermined period of time after the start control is executed, it is assumed that the occupant has just completed safety confirmation and posture preparation, and that the stop time is close to the occupant's intention. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 15 may continue the parking operation. Then, since the stop time set this time is close to the passenger's intention, the stop time setting unit 14 sets the same stop time for the next and subsequent parking. do not update.

On the other hand, if the occupant's sense of discomfort is detected within a predetermined period of time after execution of the start control, it is considered that the occupant did not complete safety confirmation and system preparation, and the stop time was shorter than the occupant's intention. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 15 may decelerate and stop the vehicle. Then, when the sense of discomfort is detected after the vehicle stops, the vehicle starting control may be started and the parking operation may be restarted. Then, the stop time setting unit 14 adjusts the currently set stop time longer so that the restart timing of the parking operation after the stop at the time of turning back approaches the timing intended by the occupant in the next and subsequent parkings. The control map stored in the storage unit 62 is updated.

Next, an example of automatic parking control processing will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 5A. The stop time setting unit 14 calculates in advance the stop time T1 from the time t1 when the vehicle stops at the time of turning back to the time t2 when the parking operation is resumed. At time t1, the vehicle control unit 15 stops the vehicle when turning back. From time t1 to t2, the discomfort detection unit 16 does not detect the discomfort of the occupant. At time t2, the stop time T1 has elapsed, so the vehicle control unit 15 starts control to start the vehicle and restarts the parking operation. After that, the uncomfortable feeling of the passenger is not detected by the uncomfortable feeling detection unit 16, and the vehicle control unit 15 continues the parking operation.

Next, an example of automatic parking control processing will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 5B. The stop time setting unit 14 calculates in advance the stop time T1 from the time t1 when the vehicle stops at the time of turning back to the time t4 when the parking operation is resumed. At time t1, the vehicle control unit 15 stops the vehicle when turning back. At time t2 within the stop time T1, the discomfort detection unit 16 detects the discomfort of the occupant. At time t3 immediately after time t2, the vehicle control unit 15 starts vehicle start control and restarts the parking operation. The stop time setting unit 14 adjusts the stop time T1 at the time of switching back from the next time to be short. For example, the stop time T1 is adjusted to be short so that the start control of the vehicle is started a predetermined time before the time t2 at which the discomfort is detected.

Next, an example of automatic parking control processing will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 5C. The stop time setting unit 14 calculates in advance the stop time T1 from the time t1 when the vehicle stops at the time of turning back to the time t2 when the parking operation is resumed. At time t1, the vehicle control unit 15 stops the vehicle when turning back. From time t1 to t2, the discomfort detection unit 16 does not detect the discomfort of the occupant. At time t2, the stop time T1 has elapsed, so the vehicle control unit 15 starts control to start the vehicle and restarts the parking operation. At time t3 within a predetermined period of time from time t2, the discomfort detection unit 16 detects the discomfort of the occupant, so at time t4 immediately after time t3, the vehicle control unit 15 executes deceleration control of the vehicle, and stops at time t5. . At time t6, the discomfort detection unit 16 detects the discomfort of the occupant, so at time t7 immediately after time t6, the vehicle control unit 15 restarts the parking operation of the vehicle. The stop time setting unit 14 adjusts the stop time T1 to be longer at the time of switching back from the next time onward. For example, the stop time T1 is adjusted to be short so that the start control of the vehicle is started a predetermined time before the time t6 when the discomfort is detected.

<Discomfort detection processing>
Next, an example of occupant discomfort detection processing by the discomfort detection unit 16 will be described. The discomfort detection unit 16 performs frequency analysis on the occupant's electroencephalogram data detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 4, and detects event-related potentials (ERPs) that indicate brain reactions that appear as a result of thinking and cognition, thereby to detect the occurrence of discomfort. For example, an electroencephalogram pattern when the occupant feels discomfort is stored in advance in the storage device 6 or the like, and the sense of discomfort of the occupant is determined based on the degree of matching between the stored electroencephalogram pattern and the electroencephalogram pattern detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 4. The presence or absence may be determined.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the discomfort detection unit 16 extracts N feature amounts p1, p2, . An electroencephalogram feature vector P=(p1, p2, . . . , pN) is generated. For example, a value sampled at regular intervals can be used as the feature amount. The discomfort detection unit 16 further determines a feature amount region D when the feature amount of the electroencephalogram when feeling discomfort is arranged in the feature space, as shown in FIG. For example, if there are a plurality of samples, a circle centered on the barycentric point of the vector set {P} and containing the set {P} is determined as the feature region D. FIG. The discomfort detection unit 16 compares the feature vector P of the occupant's electroencephalogram measured in real time by the electroencephalogram sensor 4 with the feature amount region D of discomfort. It is judged that there is a sense of incongruity. On the other hand, when the feature vector P of the electroencephalogram does not belong to the feature amount region D, the discomfort detection unit 16 determines that the occupant does not feel discomfort.

Next, an example of discomfort detection processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S1, the electroencephalogram sensor 4 measures the electroencephalogram signal of the passenger in real time. In step S2, the electroencephalogram signal measured for the predetermined time T is stored in the storage device of the controller 1. FIG. In step S3, the discomfort detection unit 16 extracts N feature amounts from the electroencephalogram signal for a predetermined time T, and generates an electroencephalogram feature vector P=(p1, p2, . . . , pN). In step S4, the discomfort detection unit 16 reads the feature amount region D when arranged in the feature space from the storage device of the controller 1, and detects the feature vector P of the electroencephalogram measured from the occupant in real time and the feature amount region D of the discomfort. compare. If the electroencephalogram feature vector P belongs to the feature amount region D, the procedure proceeds to step S5, and it is determined that the occupant feels uncomfortable. On the other hand, if the electroencephalogram feature vector P does not belong to the feature amount region D in step S4, the procedure proceeds to step S6, and it is determined that the occupant does not feel discomfort.

Further, if there is data of the occupant's normal electroencephalogram and the occupant's electroencephalogram data when the occupant feels uncomfortable, the discomfort detection unit 16 sets a plane P0 shown in FIG. You may determine the presence or absence of discomfort. Further, the controller 1 may determine whether or not the occupant feels discomfort by machine learning such as a support vector machine (SVM) or a neural network method.

Further, the discomfort detection unit 16 may quantify and calculate the strength (degree) of the discomfort of the passenger from the electroencephalogram data of the passenger detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 4 . For example, based on the relative position between the arrangement position of the electroencephalogram feature vector P and the center of the feature amount region D in the feature space shown in FIG. For example, as the arrangement position of the electroencephalogram feature vector P in the feature space shown in FIG. The intensity of discomfort is calculated to be weaker as the distance from the center increases.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, it may be determined whether or not the output voltage of the electroencephalogram is less than a predetermined threshold at a predetermined time T0 shown in FIG. 6, for example. When the output voltage of the electroencephalogram is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the discomfort detection unit 16 determines that the passenger feels discomfort. On the other hand, when the output voltage of the electroencephalogram is less than the predetermined threshold value, the discomfort detection unit 16 determines that the occupant does not feel discomfort. Moreover, the discomfort detection unit 16 may calculate the intensity of discomfort based on the magnitude of the output voltage of the electroencephalogram. For example, the discomfort detection unit 16 may calculate the degree of discomfort as the maximum value of the electroencephalogram output voltage in the predetermined time T0 increases.

<Automatic parking control method>
Next, an example of an automatic parking control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S<b>10 , the controller 1 determines whether or not automatic parking is being executed based on the presence or absence of an automatic parking instruction from the occupant via the operation device 7 . The process is repeated until it is determined that automatic parking is being executed, and when it is determined that automatic parking is being executed, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the ambient sensor 2 detects the ambient environment of the vehicle. In step S<b>12 , the parking position setting unit 11 sets the parking position of the vehicle based on the ambient environment detected by the ambient sensor 2 . In step S<b>13 , the parking route generator 12 generates a parking route from the current position of the vehicle to the parking position based on the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2 .

In step S<b>14 , the turnaround determination unit 13 determines whether or not a turnaround is necessary during automatic parking based on the parking route generated by the parking route generation unit 12 . If it is determined that switching back is unnecessary, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the controller 1 determines whether or not the vehicle has reached the parking position based on the ambient environment detected by the ambient sensor 2 and the like. If it is determined that the vehicle has reached the parking position, the process is completed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle has not reached the parking position, the process returns to step S14.

Returning to the description of step S14, when the steering-back determination unit 13 determines that the steering-back is necessary during automatic parking, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the stop time setting unit 14 uses the control map stored in the control map storage unit 62 based on the surrounding environment and the like detected by the surrounding sensor 2, and starts the parking operation after the vehicle stops at the time of turning back. Set the pause time before restarting. In step S17, the vehicle control unit 15 outputs a control signal to the actuator 9, moves the vehicle 100 along the parking path set by the parking path generation unit 12, and stops the vehicle at the turning position.

In step S<b>18 , the discomfort detection unit 16 detects the discomfort of the passenger based on the brain activity information detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 4 , thereby detecting the discomfort of the passenger. If the sense of incongruity detection unit 16 detects the sense of incongruity of the occupant within the stop time after the vehicle stops at the time of turning back, it is considered that the stop time is longer than the occupant intends, so the process proceeds to step S19. In step S19, the vehicle control unit 15 immediately cancels the stop control of the vehicle, executes start control, and restarts the parking operation of the vehicle. In step S<b>20 , the stop time setting unit 14 updates the control map so that the stop time at the time of switching back from the next time onwards is shortened. After that, the process returns to step S14.

Returning to the description of step S18, when the discomfort detection unit 16 does not detect the discomfort of the passenger, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S<b>21 , the vehicle control unit 15 determines whether or not the stop time set by the stop time setting unit 14 has elapsed. If it is determined that it is within the stop time, the process returns to step S18. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S21 that the stop time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S21.

In step S21, the vehicle control unit 15 executes vehicle starting control to restart the parking operation of the vehicle. In step S23, based on the brain activity information detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 4, the sense of discomfort detection unit 16 detects the sense of discomfort of the occupant within a predetermined period of time after the parking operation of the vehicle is restarted. To detect an occupant's sense of incongruity with respect to restart timing. If the occupant's discomfort is not detected, it is considered that the timing of resuming the parking operation is close to the occupant's intention. Therefore, the start control is continued as it is, and the process returns to step S14.

On the other hand, if the occupant's sense of discomfort is detected within a predetermined period of time after the start control is started in step S23, it is considered that the stop time was shorter than the occupant intended, so the process proceeds to step S20. In step S<b>20 , the stop time setting unit 14 updates the control map so that the stop time at the time of switching back from the next time onwards becomes longer. After that, the process returns to step S14. It should be noted that the vehicle control unit 15 may execute deceleration control of the vehicle when the occupant's discomfort is detected in step S23.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the electroencephalogram sensor 4 measures the brain activity of the vehicle occupant at least when the vehicle control unit 15 executes vehicle start control during parking. In addition, the discomfort detection unit 16 detects the discomfort of the occupant from the measured brain activity information, and when the discomfort is detected after the vehicle stops when the vehicle turns back, the vehicle control unit 15 starts the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to detect the sense of incongruity caused by the fact that the stop time of the vehicle has become longer than intended by the occupant, so that the vehicle can be started immediately after the sense of incongruity of the occupant is detected. Therefore, the parking operation can be resumed at a timing close to the occupant's intention. In addition, since the occupant does not need to operate the button to restart the parking operation, the occupant's annoyance can be suppressed.

Further, when the discomfort detection unit 16 does not detect discomfort within a predetermined stop time after the vehicle stops at the time of turning, the vehicle control unit 15 starts the vehicle. As a result, if the stop time is set at a timing close to the occupant's intention, the parking operation can be restarted at a timing close to the occupant's intention before detecting the occupant's discomfort. Moreover, even if the detection accuracy of the occupant's discomfort is low and it is difficult to detect the occupant's discomfort, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the parking operation is not restarted because the occupant's discomfort is not detected.

Furthermore, when the discomfort detection unit 16 detects discomfort within the stop time, the stop time setting unit 14 adjusts the stop time to be short when stopping at the next and subsequent switching. As a result, it is possible to adjust the resuming timing of the parking operation after the parking operation is stopped at the time of turning back next time and thereafter to a timing close to the intention of the occupant, and shorten the time required for parking. Therefore, the parking operation can be resumed at a timing close to the occupant's intention when the vehicle is turned back next time.

Further, when the discomfort detection unit 16 detects the discomfort within a predetermined time after the vehicle is started, the vehicle control unit 15 decelerates the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to give the occupants time to confirm safety and prepare for the system. Note that when the vehicle is decelerated and stopped, the start control of the vehicle may be started when a sense of discomfort is detected within a predetermined time after stopping. Alternatively, the parking operation may be continued at low speed without decelerating the vehicle to stop.

Further, when the sense of incongruity detection part 16 detects the sense of incongruity within a predetermined time after starting the vehicle, the stop time setting part 14 adjusts the stop time to be longer when the vehicle is to be stopped at the next turnover. As a result, it is possible to adjust the resuming timing of the parking operation after stopping at the next turnaround to a timing close to the occupant's intention, and it is possible to provide a margin for safety confirmation and system preparation.

(First modification)
In the embodiment of the present invention, a case has been described in which start control is executed immediately after the stop time has elapsed after stopping at the time of steering. On the other hand, in the first modified example of the embodiment of the present invention, a case will be described in which a start notice is given before the start control is started after the stop time has elapsed since the vehicle was stopped at the time of turning back.

For example, the presentation control unit 17 controls the presentation device 8 to present to the occupant the start of the start control by text information or voice information. The sense of incongruity detection unit 16 detects the sense of discomfort of the occupant within a predetermined period of time after the advance notice of the start control is given based on the brain activity information detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 4. do. If the occupant's sense of discomfort is not detected, the vehicle control unit 15 starts start control because the timing of resuming the parking operation is considered to be close to the occupant's intention. On the other hand, when the occupant's sense of discomfort is detected, the vehicle control unit 15 does not start the start control because it is considered that the timing of resuming the parking operation is earlier than the occupant's intention.

Next, an example of the automatic start control method according to the first modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Since the procedures of steps S10 to S21 are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG. 9, redundant explanations are omitted. When it is determined in step S21 that the stop time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the presentation control unit 17 controls the presentation device 8 to notify the occupant that start control will start.

In step S32, based on the brain activity information detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 4, the sense of incongruity detection unit 16 detects the sense of discomfort of the occupant within a predetermined period of time after the advance notice of the start control is given. sense of incongruity. If the occupant's discomfort is not detected, it is considered that the timing of resuming the parking operation is close to the occupant's intention. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S33, and the vehicle control unit 15 starts start control. After that, the process returns to step S14.

On the other hand, if the occupant's sense of discomfort is detected within a predetermined period of time after the start control is announced in step S32, the stop time is considered to be shorter than the occupant's intention, so the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the vehicle control unit 15 suppresses the start control of the vehicle, and continues the stop control until a predetermined time elapses. After that, the process returns to step S31, and the presentation control unit 17 gives an advance notice of start control again.

According to the first modified example of the embodiment of the present invention, the occupant is notified that the vehicle will start after the vehicle stops at the time of turning and before the vehicle executes start control. Then, when the discomfort is not detected within a predetermined time after the notice, the vehicle is started. On the other hand, when the discomfort is detected within a predetermined period of time after the announcement, the start control of the vehicle is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to reliably identify the occupant's discomfort with respect to the restart timing of the parking operation.

(Second modification)
In the embodiment of the present invention, a case has been described where starting control is executed immediately when a sense of discomfort of the occupant is detected after stopping at the time of steering. On the other hand, it is conceivable that an event unrelated to the stop time may occur after the vehicle is stopped at the time of turning, and the occupant may feel uncomfortable with the event that has occurred. Therefore, in the second modified example of the embodiment of the present invention, when an occupant's discomfort is detected after the vehicle stops at the time of turning, whether the detected discomfort is the discomfort due to the stop time, or other occurrences during the stop time. A case will be described in which it is determined whether there is a sense of incongruity with respect to an event.

The term "event" as used herein refers to an object (sensible object) that can be sensed visually, aurally, or tactilely by the occupant when presented to the occupant, and that the occupant feels uncomfortable. It means something that can be remembered. For example, when the presented event differs from the passenger's assumption, the occupant may feel uncomfortable with the presented event. The events include events inside the vehicle and events outside the vehicle. The event outside the vehicle includes, for example, movement (behavior) of objects such as other vehicles or pedestrians, and can be detected by the surrounding sensor 2 . The in-vehicle event includes, for example, information presented by the presentation device 8 , and can be detected from control information of the presentation device 8 by the presentation control unit 17 .

For example, when the sense of discomfort of the occupant is detected during the stop time at the time of steering and an event is detected, the discomfort detection unit 16 determines that the sensed discomfort is related to the event and not related to the stop time. may On the other hand, the sense of incongruity detection unit 16 may determine that the sense of incongruity of the occupant has occurred during the stop time when the steering wheel is changed, but the event is not detected.

Further, when the sense of incongruity detection unit 16 detects the sense of discomfort of the occupant during the stop time at the time of steering and detects an event, the sight line direction of the occupant detected by the occupant sensor 5 is the cause of the occurrence of the event. If it corresponds to the position (orientation) of an object such as a vehicle or a pedestrian, it may be determined that the occupant is uncomfortable with the event and not with the stop time. On the other hand, if the line-of-sight direction of the occupant does not correspond to the position (orientation) of the cause of the occurrence of the event, the discomfort detection unit 16 determines that the occupant's discomfort regarding the stop time is detected instead of the discomfort regarding the event. good. Alternatively, the discomfort detection unit 16 uses various determination methods such as a determination method based on an electroencephalogram feature amount vector, a determination method based on an event-related potential, a determination method based on time-frequency analysis, and the like, to determine whether there is a sense of discomfort with respect to the event or whether the stop is detected. It may be determined whether there is a sense of incongruity with respect to time.

Next, an example of the automatic start control method according to the second modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Since the procedures of steps S10 to S24 are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG. 9, redundant explanations are omitted. In step S18, when the sense of discomfort of the occupant is detected by the sense of discomfort detection unit 16 after the vehicle is stopped at the time of turning, the process proceeds to step S18x.

In step S18x, based on the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2, the discomfort detection unit 16 detects an event occurring during the stop time at the time of switching. In step S18y, the discomfort detection unit 16 determines whether or not the discomfort detected in step S18 is the discomfort associated with the stop time. If it is determined in step S18y that the stop time is uncomfortable, the process proceeds to step S19, and if it is determined in step S18y that the stop time is not uncomfortable, the process proceeds to step S20. It should be noted that the same processes as steps S18x and S18y may be performed after the discomfort detection process of step S23.

According to the second modification of the embodiment of the present invention, based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle, an event unrelated to the stop time of the vehicle when turning is detected. Suppress starting. As a result, when the occupant feels uncomfortable with an event that is not related to the stop at the time of turning, it is possible to suppress the start of the vehicle. Then, when the occupant feels uncomfortable with the stop time, the start control of the vehicle can be executed.

(Third modification)
In the embodiment of the present invention, a case has been described in which the stop time is set using a control map, and the control map is updated by adjusting the stop time when discomfort is detected. On the other hand, in the third modification of the embodiment of the present invention, the case of learning the relationship of stop time with respect to the surrounding environment using past data will be described.

The stop time setting unit 14 can use, for example, a function approximator (artificial intelligence) capable of learning the relationship between input and output such as deep learning. The stop time setting unit 14 uses the past data of the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2 and the time from when the vehicle stops when turning in the surrounding environment until the feeling of discomfort is detected by the discomfort detecting unit 16 for learning. It is stored in the storage device 6 as data. The stop time setting unit 14 uses the learning data stored in the storage device 6 to learn the relationship between the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2 and the stop time when stopping at the time of switching. The stop time setting unit 14 uses the learning result to set the stop time according to the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2 .

According to the third modification of the embodiment of the present invention, the stop time setting unit 14 learns the relationship of the stop time with respect to the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding sensor 2 using past data, and uses the learning result to , set the stop time according to the surrounding environment. As a result, the timing intended by the occupant may change dynamically depending on the surrounding environment. can be set.

(Other embodiments)
As noted above, although the present invention has been described by way of embodiments, the discussion and drawings forming part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting the invention. Various alternative embodiments, implementations and operational techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, the electroencephalogram sensor 4 detects an electroencephalogram as an example of brain activity, and the case where the sense of discomfort of the occupant is detected from the detected electroencephalogram was exemplified. I wish I had. For example, by measuring cerebral blood flow, heart rate, breathing rate, or sweating amount, and measuring the brain activity of the occupant from the measured cerebral blood flow, heart rate, breathing rate, or sweating amount, and detecting the occupant's discomfort. good too. Moreover, the occupant's brain activity may be measured from the occupant's face image captured by a camera to detect the occupant's discomfort. In addition, biological information other than brain activity information may be obtained and used as long as it is configured to detect discomfort of the passenger.

Of course, the present invention includes various embodiments and the like that are not described here. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the matters specifying the invention according to the valid scope of claims based on the above description.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Controller, 2... Surrounding sensor, 3... Vehicle sensor, 4... Electroencephalogram sensor, 5... Occupant sensor, 6... Storage device, 7... Operation device, 8... Presentation device, 9... Actuator, 11... Parking position setting part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12...Parking route generation part 13...Turnback determination part 14...Stop time setting part 15...Vehicle control part 16...Incompatibility detection part 17...Presentation control part 61...Map information storage part 62...Control map storage Part, 100... vehicle

Claims (9)

In an automatic parking control method for executing at least starting control of a vehicle during parking,
a sensor measures brain activity of an occupant of the vehicle;
A controller detects the occupant's discomfort from the measured brain activity information,
An automatic parking control method, comprising: starting the vehicle when the discomfort is detected after the vehicle has stopped at the time of turning. 2. The automatic parking control method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is started if the discomfort is not detected within the stop time after the vehicle stops at the time of turning. 3. The automatic parking control according to claim 1 or 2, wherein if the sense of incongruity is detected within the stop time after stopping at the time of turning back, the stop time when stopping at the time of turning back after the next time is shortened. Method. The automatic parking control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle is decelerated when the discomfort is detected within a predetermined time after the vehicle is started. 5. The automatic parking control method according to claim 4, wherein, when the sense of discomfort is detected within the predetermined time, the stopping time when the vehicle is to be stopped at the time of turning back from the next time onward is lengthened. detecting an event after stopping at the time of turning back based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle;
The automatic parking control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: suppressing starting of the vehicle when the sense of incongruity with respect to the event is detected. Notifying the occupant that the vehicle will start after stopping at the time of turning and before the vehicle starts;
The automatic parking control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vehicle is started if the discomfort is not detected after the advance notice. Using the past data of the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the time from stopping at the time of turning to the detection of the discomfort, learning the relationship of the stop time when stopping at the time of turning with respect to the surrounding environment,
The automatic parking control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the learning result is used to set a stop time when stopping at the time of turning back according to the surrounding environment. In an automatic parking control device that executes at least vehicle starting control during parking,
a sensor for measuring brain activity of a vehicle occupant;
A controller that detects the discomfort of the occupant from the measured brain activity information and starts the vehicle when the discomfort is detected after the vehicle stops when turning back. An automatic parking control device.

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