RU2773067C1 - Vehicle control method and vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: automotive industry.

SUBSTANCE: information about the environment of the considered vehicle (V) is obtained using a sensor provided in the considered vehicle (V). The location of the entrance is set, located on the second lane (L2), adjacent to the first lane (L1), along which the considered vehicle (V) moves, in accordance with the information about the environment in front of the considered vehicle (V). The entry location indicates the location into which the vehicle in question is entering (V). A front vehicle (X2) located in front of the entry location and a rear vehicle (X3) located behind the entry location are specified, among other vehicles. The running state of the front vehicle (X2) and the rear vehicle (X3) are determined. It is determined whether there is an entry space for the vehicle in question (V) at the entry location. It is predicted whether the front vehicle (X2) starts moving by determining that the front vehicle (X2) and the rear vehicle (X1) are stopped and there is no space at the entrance location. The movement of the considered vehicle (V) is started to the location of the entrance when the start of the movement of the front vehicle (X2) is predicted. A vehicle control device is also proposed.

EFFECT: reduction of the probability of skipping a lane change is achieved.

15 cl, 17 dwg

Description

[0001] The field of technology to which the invention relates

The present invention relates to a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A vehicle traffic control device is known for changing lanes to an adjacent lane in a traffic jam (traffic congestion) adjacent to the lane in which it is moving, while the vehicle is moving along the lane in which it occurs its movement (Patent Document 1). When the control device determines that there is no space for the vehicle to pass, the control device moves the vehicle along a predetermined path to change lanes, and keeps the vehicle in a waiting state at the lane boundary between the lane in which it is traveling. , and an adjacent lane or at a holding location within a predetermined distance from the lane boundary line in the lane in which it travels. When the control device detects a space while the vehicle is in standby mode, the control device moves the vehicle from the standby location to the space.

[PRIOR ART DOCUMENT]

[PATENT DOCUMENT]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP2016-203745A

[SUMMARY]

[PROBLEM THAT THE INVENTION SOLVES]

[0004] The vehicle control device starts moving the vehicle after detecting a space. This can lead to the possibility of missing a lane change due to the disappearance of space immediately after the start of the movement.

[0005] The problem solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device that reduce the likelihood of skipping a lane change.

[TOOLS]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention obtains information about the environment of the considered vehicle, sets the location of the entrance located in the second lane adjacent to the first lane on which the considered vehicle is traveling, in accordance with the information about the environment of the considered vehicle , wherein the entry location indicates the location at which the vehicle in question enters, specifies the front vehicle located in front of the entry location and the rear vehicle located behind the entry location among other vehicles, determines the driving state of each of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle , determines whether there is an entry space of the subject vehicle at the entry location, predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving when the front The port vehicle and the rear vehicle are determined to be stopped, and it is determined that there is no space at the entrance location, and starts moving the vehicle in question to the entrance location when the front vehicle is predicted to start moving.

[INVENTION EFFECT]

[0007] An aspect of the present invention can reduce the likelihood of skipping a lane change.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an example of a vehicle system including a vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 2A is a flowchart of a control process executed by the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2B is a flowchart of a control process executed by the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an example of the movement of the considered vehicle when the process shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2b.

Fig. 4 is an example of the movement of the vehicle in question when the process shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2b.

Fig. 5A is a flowchart of a control process executed by a vehicle control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5B is a flowchart of a control process executed by the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 6 is an example of the movement of the vehicle in question when the process shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5V.

Fig. 7 is an example of the movement of the considered vehicle when the process shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5V.

[EXAMPLE(S) OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION]

[0009]<First Embodiment>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment will be described using a vehicle control device installed on a vehicle as an example.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle system 200 including a vehicle controller 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle system 200 according to the present embodiment is installed in the vehicle. The vehicle system 200 is a system that allows a vehicle to automatically change lanes.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 200 according to the present embodiment includes an environmental sensor group 10, a vehicle sensor group 20, a navigation system 30, a mapping database 40, an HMI 50, an actuator controller 60, a vehicle control actuator group 70, a direction indicator 80; and a vehicle controller 100. These devices or systems are connected to each other using a control network (CAN) or other local area network (LAN) in the vehicle for the mutual exchange of information.

[0012] The environment sensor group 10 is a sensor group for determining the state (external state) of the environment of the vehicle in question, it is provided in the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, environmental sensor group 10 may include, for example, a radar 11 and an imaging device 12.

[0013] Radar 11 detects objects around the vehicle in question. The radar 11 may include, for example, a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, an ultrasonic radar, and a laser rangefinder. The radar 11 detects the object, for example, by transmitting radio waves into the environment of the vehicle in question and receiving the radio waves reflected by the object. In particular, the radar 11 determines the direction and distance to the object. The radar 11 also determines the relative speed (including the direction of movement) of an object relative to its vehicle based on the direction to the object and the change in distance to the object over time. The radar 11 outputs the detected results to the vehicle controller 100.

[0014] In the present embodiment, the radar 11 is designed to detect in all directions from the vehicle in question. For example, the radar 11 is provided at the front, side, and rear of the vehicle, respectively, and is composed of a front radar for detecting an object in front of the vehicle, a side radar for detecting an object at the side of the vehicle, and a rear radar for detecting an object at the rear of the vehicle. The number and type of radars 11 included in the vehicle in question are not particularly limited.

[0015] The imaging device 12 forms an image of an object around the vehicle. The imaging device 12 may include, for example, a camera containing a CCD or CMOS imaging device. The captured image captured by the imaging apparatus 12 is output to the vehicle controller 100 .

[0016] In the present embodiment, the imaging device 12 is designed to form an image in all directions from the vehicle in question. For example, the imaging device 12 is provided in front of the vehicle, side and rear, respectively, and is composed of a front camera for imaging an object in front of the vehicle, a side camera for displaying an object at the side of the vehicle. vehicle, rear camera to detect an object in the rear of the vehicle. The number and type of imaging devices 12 included in the considered vehicle is not particularly limited.

[0017] Objects detected by the environmental sensor group 10 include, for example, bicycles, motorcycles, vehicles (hereinafter also referred to as other vehicles), road obstacles, traffic lights, road markings (including lane boundaries), and pedestrian crossings. For example, when another vehicle moves along the direction of travel of the subject vehicle near the subject vehicle, the radar 11 determines the direction and distance of the other vehicle, as well as the relative speed of the other vehicle relative to the subject vehicle, based on the location of the subject vehicle. In addition, the imaging apparatus 12 captures an image capable of determining the vehicle type of the other vehicle, the size of the other vehicle, and the shape of the other vehicle.

[0018] In addition, for example, when the vehicle in question is driving in a particular lane of the plurality of lanes, the radar 11 detects a lane boundary line separating the lane in which the vehicle in question is traveling and the lane located on the side of the lane. , and also determines the distance from the subject to the edge of the lanes. In addition, the image forming apparatus 12 captures an image on which the type of lane boundary line can be indicated. When the lane on which the subject vehicle is traveling has lane boundary lines on both sides, the radar 11 detects each of the distances from the subject vehicle to the lane boundary lines. In addition, in the following description, the lane on which the subject vehicle is traveling is referred to as the subject lane, and the lane located on the side of the subject lane is referred to as the adjacent lane.

[0019] The vehicle sensor group 20 is a sensor group for determining the state of the vehicle in question (internal state). As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle sensor group 20 may include a vehicle speed sensor 21, an accelerometer 22, a gyro sensor 23, a steering angle sensor 24, an accelerator sensor 25, and a brake sensor 26.

[0020] The vehicle speed sensor 21 measures the rotation speed of a drive system such as a drive shaft, and determines the travel speed of the subject vehicle based on the measurement result. The vehicle speed sensor 21 is provided, for example, on a drive shaft which rotates integrally with the wheels or wheels of the vehicle in question. The accelerometer 22 determines the acceleration of the vehicle in question. Accelerometer 22 includes a longitudinal accelerometer for detecting longitudinal acceleration of the subject vehicle and a lateral accelerometer for detecting lateral acceleration of the subject vehicle. The gyro sensor 23 detects the rotation speed of the vehicle in question, that is, the amount of movement (angular velocity) at the angle of the vehicle in question per unit time. The steering angle sensor 24 detects the angle of the steering wheel. The steering angle sensor 24 is for example provided on the steering shaft of the vehicle in question. The accelerator sensor 25 detects the amount of depression (accelerator pedal position) of the accelerator pedal. An accelerator sensor 25 is provided, for example, on the accelerator pedal shaft. The brake sensor 26 detects the amount of brake pedal depression (brake pedal position). The brake sensor 26 is provided, for example, on the axle of the brake pedal.

[0021] The detection result detected by the vehicle sensor group 20 is output to the vehicle controller 100. The detection results may include, for example, vehicle speed, acceleration (including longitudinal and lateral acceleration), angular velocity, accelerator pedal depression amount, and brake pedal depression amount of the vehicle in question.

[0022] The navigation system 30 is a system for guiding a person (including a driver) in a subject vehicle by guiding a route from the current location of the subject vehicle to a destination based on current location information of the subject vehicle. The navigation system 30 receives map information input from a map database 40, which will be described below, and destination information input via HMI 50 from a person in the vehicle in question. The navigation system 30 generates a route for the vehicle in question based on the information entered. Then, the navigation system 30 outputs the driving path information of the subject vehicle to the vehicle controller 100, and presents the driving path information of the subject vehicle to the person in the subject vehicle via the HMI 50. In this way, the driving route is provided to the person in the vehicle from current location to destination.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation system 30 includes a GPS 31, a communicator 32, and a navigation controller 33.

[0024] The GPS 31 obtains position data (Global Positioning System, GPS) that indicates the current location of the vehicle in question. The GPS 31 obtains the position of the vehicle in question by receiving by the receiver radio waves periodically transmitted from a plurality of satellite communication systems. In addition, the GPS 31 can detect changes in the positional information of the vehicles in question by receiving radio waves periodically transmitted from a plurality of satellite communication systems.

[0025] The communicator 32 receives information about the state of the environment of the vehicle outside. The communicator 32 is, for example, a server or system installed outside the vehicle, or a device capable of communicating with a communicator installed on another vehicle.

[0026] For example, the communicator 32 receives traffic information from a traffic information communication system (Vehicle Information and Communication System, VICS (registered trademark), hereinafter the same) using a communication device (beacon) or FM multiplex broadcast or the like provided on the road. The traffic information may include, for example, traffic jam information in traffic lanes, accident information, vehicle breakdown information, building information, speed control information, lane control information, and so on. It should be noted that the traffic information does not necessarily include each of the above information, and may include at least any of the above information.

[0027] Examples of the traffic jam information may include information about the area where the traffic jam occurs, the distance to the traffic jam, and the required time until the vehicle passes through the traffic jam. Examples of accident information may include information about the zone where the accident occurred, the content of the accident, and the time it takes to leave the zone. Examples of information about the disabled vehicle may include information about the area where the disabled vehicle exists, the number of the disabled vehicle, and the time it takes to leave the area. Examples of the rate control information may include information on the area to be rate controlled and the rate control time zone. Examples of construction information may include information about the area under construction, the time zone in which the construction is taking place, and the time required to leave the area.

[0028] In addition, for example, the communicator 32 receives from the communicator installed on the other vehicle information about the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle under consideration, information about the relative location of the other vehicle relative to the vehicle under consideration, and the like. Such communication between the vehicle in question and another vehicle is referred to as vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The communicator 32, through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, obtains information such as the speed of another vehicle as vehicle environment information.

[0029] Information such as the relative speed of another vehicle may be obtained in another way. For example, the communicator 32 may receive information including the location of another vehicle, the speed of the vehicle, and the direction of travel from the VICS as information about the environment of the vehicle in question. The type of information received by the communicator 32 is not limited to the above type. For example, the communicator 32 may also receive weather information about the area where the vehicle in question is traveling from a weather information server.

[0030] The navigation controller 33 is a computer that generates a driving route from the current location of the vehicle in question to the destination. For example, the navigation controller 33 may include a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program for generating a driving path is stored, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) which executes the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) which functions as random access storage device.

[0031] The navigation controller 33 receives current location information of the vehicle in question input from GPS 31, traffic information input from communicator 32, map information input from map database 40, and vehicle destination information input from HMI 50. For example, it is assumed that the occupant of the subject vehicle has set the destination of the subject vehicle through the HMI 50. The navigation controller 33 generates a route from the current location to the destination in the lane as the route of the subject vehicle according to the the location of the vehicle in question, information about the destination of the vehicle in question, map information and traffic information. The navigation controller 33 outputs the generated driving route information to the vehicle controller 100, and presents the information to the occupant of the vehicle via the HMI 50.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the travel route of the vehicle in question may be any route, provided that the vehicle can arrive at the destination from the current location, and other conditions are not limited. For example, the navigation controller 33 may generate a route for the vehicle in question according to the conditions set by the occupant of the vehicle. For example, when the occupant of the vehicle prefers to use the toll road to arrive at the destination, the navigation controller 33 may generate a driving route using the toll road based on the map information. In addition, for example, the navigation controller 33 can generate a driving route for the vehicle in question based on the traffic information. For example, when a traffic jam occurs on the way of the shortest route to the destination, the navigation controller 33 may search for a detour route and generate a route having the shortest required time from among the plurality of detour routes, thus found as a driving route.

[0033] The cartographic database 40 stores cartographic information. Map information includes traffic information and traffic information. Road and traffic information is defined by nodes and junctions (also called road junctions) connecting nodes. Connections are identified at the lane level.

[0034] Traffic information refers to roads on which vehicles can travel. Each road junction is associated with road-related information such as, for example, road type, road width, road shape, straight ahead correctness, traffic priority, overtaking correctness (crossing lane or not) and lane change correctness, although it is not limited to this. In addition, information about the location of traffic lights, the location of intersections, the direction of entrance to intersections, the type of intersections, and other intersections, for example, is associated with each road junction.

[0035] Traffic information refers to traffic rules that a vehicle must follow while driving. Traffic rules may include, for example, pause on route, no parking/stopping, slow motion, speed limit, no lane change. Traffic information in a section defined by a road junction is associated with each road junction. For example, the no lane change information is linked to the road reference in the no lane change section. Information about traffic rules can be associated not only with the road, but also with a specific location (latitude, route) in a junction or, for example, on a map.

[0036] The traffic rule information may include not only traffic rule information but also traffic light information. For example, information about the color currently displayed by the traffic light and/or information about the display cycle of the traffic light may be associated with the road junction of the intersection at which the traffic light is installed. The traffic signal information is obtained from the VICS, for example by the communicator 32, or from an information transmission device (for example, an optical beacon) installed on the roadway. The information on the traffic light display changes over time. Thus, the traffic rule information is updated every predetermined cycle.

[0037] The map information stored in the map database 40 may be high-precision map information suitable for automatic driving. High-precision cartographic information is obtained, for example, by communication with a server or a system installed outside the vehicle. In addition, high-precision map information, information obtained in real time using the environment sensor group 10 (for example, information about an object detected by the radar 11, an image of the vehicle environment captured by the imaging device 12) can be generated on this basis. Anytime.

[0038] Here, autonomous driving in the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, autonomous driving means a driving mode other than a driving mode in which only the driver controls the traffic. For example, autonomous driving may include the case where a controller (not shown) assists the driver to control traffic, or a controller (not shown) controls traffic on behalf of the driver.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the vehicle system 200 includes a map database 40, but the map database 40 may be provided outside of the vehicle system 200. For example, map information may be previously stored in a portable storage device (eg, external hard drive, flash memory). In this case, the storage device functions as the map database 40, electrically connecting the vehicle controller 100 and the storage device storing the map information.

[0040] HMI 50 is an interface for data output and input between an occupant of a vehicle and a vehicle system 200 (Human Machine Interface, HMI). Examples of the HMI 50 may include a display for displaying text or video information and a speaker for outputting audio such as music or sound.

[0041] The transmission and reception of data via the HMI 50 will be described. For example, when a person in a vehicle enters a destination into the HMI 50, the destination is output from the HMI50 to the navigation system 30. This allows the navigation system 30 to obtain information about the vehicle's destination. . In addition, for example, when the navigation system 30 generates a driving route to a destination, the navigation system 30 outputs the driving route data to the HMI 50. The HMI 50 then outputs the driving route information using the display and/or speaker. Thus, information about the route of movement to the destination is provided to the person in the considered vehicle. The route information to the destination may include, for example, route guidance and required time to reach the destination.

[0042] In addition, for example, when the occupant of the vehicle inputs a lane change execution command to the HMI 50, the command is output from the HMI 50 to the vehicle controller 100. This allows the vehicle controller 100 to start the lane change control process. In addition, for example, when the vehicle controller 100 sets the target trajectory for a lane change, the target trajectory information is output from the vehicle controller 100 to the HMI 50. Then, the HMI 50 outputs the target trajectory information using the display and/or speaker. This presents information about the target trajectory for a lane change to the occupant of the vehicle in question. The lane change target trajectory information may include, for example, an entry location indicated in an adjacent lane and a target trajectory at the time of a lane change. The target trajectory and entry location will be described later.

[0043] The actuator controller 60 controls the movement of the vehicle in question. The actuator controller 60 includes a steering control mechanism, an accelerator control mechanism, a brake control mechanism, an engine control mechanism, and the like. The actuator controller 60 receives an input control signal from the vehicle controller 100, which will be described below. The actuator controller 60 provides autonomous driving of the subject vehicle by controlling the vehicle actuator group 70 in response to a control signal from the vehicle controller 100. For example, the actuator controller 60 calculates the steering angle required to drive the vehicle and the amount of accelerator pedal depression or the amount of brake pedal depression in accordance with the driving speed in response to a control signal to move the vehicle under consideration from the considered lane to an adjacent lane. movement. The actuator controller 60 outputs the calculated various parameters to the vehicle actuator group 70 .

[0044] The control of each mechanism may be performed fully automatically, or may be performed in such a way as to assist in controlling the movement of the driver. The control of each mechanism can be interrupted or stopped by the intervention of the driver. The motion control method by the actuator controller 60 is not limited to the above-described control method, and other well-known methods may be used.

[0045] The vehicle actuator group 70 are various actuators for driving the subject vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle actuator group 70 may include a steering actuator 71, an accelerator actuator 72, and a brake control actuator 73.

[0046] The steering actuator 71 controls the steering direction and steering amount of the subject vehicle in response to an input signal from the actuator controller 60. The accelerator actuator 72 adjusts the rate of acceleration of the vehicle in question in response to input from the actuator controller 60 . The brake control actuator 73 controls the braking device of the subject vehicle in response to an input signal from the actuator controller 60 .

[0047] The turn indicator 80 has a flashing lamp inside, when the driver of the vehicle operates the turn indication switch (not shown), it lights up in orange. The direction indicator 80 is a device for indicating the turn of the vehicle in question to surrounding objects when the vehicle in question is turning right and left or changing lanes. For example, the turn signal 80 is built into the left and right portions of the front and rear of the vehicle. For example, turn signal 80 is composed of a left turn signal and a right turn signal.

[0048] In addition, in the present embodiment, the control signal is input from the vehicle controller 100 to the direction indicator 80 . The control signal may include, for example, a signal for flashing the turn signal 80 that is off (also referred to as a flash signal) and a signal for turning off the flash of the turn signal 80 (also referred to as an off signal). For example, when a flash signal is applied to the turn signal 80 so that the left turn light flashes, the turn light 80 turns on the left turn light. When the signal to turn off the left turn indicator is applied to the turn indicator 80, the turn indicator 80 turns off the left turn indicator. Thus, the direction indicator 80 is controlled by the vehicle controller 100 in addition to the driver of the vehicle.

[0049] Next, the vehicle controller 100 will be described. The vehicle controller 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is configured with a computer on which hardware and software are installed. Specifically, the server 1 is configured to include a read-only memory (ROM) that stores programs, a central processing unit (CPU) that executes programs stored in the ROM, and a random access memory (RAM) that serves as a storage device. random access device. MPU (microprocessor), DSP (digital signal processor), ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) and FPGA (field programmable gate array) can be used as operating circuits instead of or in addition to the CPU. The controller 101 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to the CPU. Storage 110 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to ROM and RAM.

[0050] In the present embodiment, the program to be executed by the controller 101 is stored in the storage device 110 in advance, but the program may be stored in another device. For example, the program may be stored on a computer-readable and portable computer-readable storage medium (eg, disk storage, flash memory, etc.). In this case, the controller 101 executes the program downloaded from the computer-readable recording medium. In other words, the vehicle controller 100 may be configured to include only the operating circuit and download the program from outside.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 101 includes an information acquisition unit 102, a situation recognition unit 103, a setting unit 104, a motion state determination unit 105, a space presence determination unit 106, a prediction unit 107, and a motion control unit 108. These blocks enable the functions described later using the software installed in the ROM. In the present embodiment, the functions of the controller 101 are divided into seven function blocks, and the functions of the respective function blocks are described. However, the functions of the controller 101 need not be divided into seven blocks, and may be divided into six or less function blocks, or eight or more function blocks. The function of the controller 101 is not limited to the function of the function block described below, but may include, for example, a navigation system control function.

[0052] The function of the information acquisition unit 102 will be described. The information acquisition unit 102 receives various information from the environmental sensor group 10, the vehicle sensor group 20, the navigation system 30, the mapping database 40, and each of the HMI 50.

[0053] The information acquisition unit 102 acquires environmental information (also referred to as external information of the vehicle in question) of the vehicle in question, which is detected by the environment sensor group 10. The environment information of the vehicle in question includes a detection result detected by the radar 11 and an image captured by the imaging device 12 . In addition, the information acquisition unit 102 obtains information (also referred to as internal information of the subject vehicle) about the state of the subject vehicle, which is detected by the vehicle sensor group 20. The internal information of the subject vehicle includes vehicle speed, acceleration, angular velocity, accelerator pedal depression amount, and brake pedal depression amount. In addition, the information acquisition unit 102 obtains the current location of the vehicle in question, the route of the vehicle in question, and traffic information from the navigation system 30. The information acquisition unit 102 obtains map information (including traffic information and traffic information) from the map database. 40 data. The information acquisition unit 102 receives the lane change command from the HMI 50. Various types of information obtained by the information acquisition unit 102 are used in the respective functions described below.

[0054] The function of the situation recognition unit 103 will be described. The situation recognition unit 103 recognizes the situation around the vehicle in question based on various information obtained by the information acquisition unit 102, and identifies the lane change location of the vehicle in question.

[0055] The situation recognition unit 103 recognizes the situation around the vehicle in question. For example, the situation recognition unit 103 recognizes the presence or absence of an obstacle in the vicinity of the vehicle in question, the direction to the obstacle, the distance to the obstacle, and the relative speed of the obstacle relative to the vehicle in question from the detection result detected by the radar 11 and the captured image captured by the imaging device 12. This allows the situation recognition unit 103 to determine the number of obstacles, the relative position of each obstacle and the vehicle under consideration, and the speed of the obstacle.

[0056] In addition, for example, the situation recognition unit 103 recognizes the distance between the vehicle in question and the lane boundary line from the detection result detected by the radar 11 and from the captured image captured by the imaging apparatus 12. This allows the situation recognition unit 103 to determine at which location the vehicle in question is traveling in the lane in question in the lane width direction. Hereinafter, the position of the vehicle within the lane is also referred to as the horizontal position of the vehicle relative to the lane. The situation recognition unit 103, for example, sets the specific position on the center line of the vehicle to be the horizontal position of the vehicle with respect to the lane, although this is not particularly limited.

[0057] In addition, for example, the situation recognition unit 103 indicates the number of lanes of the road on which the vehicle in question is traveling according to the detection result of the radar 11, the captured image captured by the imaging device 12, and the map information in the map database 40 . By specifying a plurality of lanes in the same direction as the driving direction of the subject vehicle, the situation recognition unit 103 indicates the lane in which the subject vehicle is moving among the plurality of lanes.

[0058] The situation recognition unit 103 sets the lane change location according to the environment of the subject vehicle and the driving route of the subject vehicle after recognizing the environment of the subject vehicle. The situation recognition unit 103 obtains the current location of the subject vehicle and the route of the subject vehicle from the navigation system 30, and sets the lane change location according to the current location of the subject vehicle and the route. The lane change location indicates the location at which the vehicle needs to be moved from the lane in question to an adjacent lane when traveling along a traffic route. The situation recognition unit 103 specifies the location at which to change the lane in the driving route by referring to the driving route of the vehicle in question.

[0059] The situation recognition unit 103 specifies a target location on the driving route, such as an intersection, which is a place to change direction, or an interchange, which is a place to change course in a direction other than that of the vehicle. Then, the situation recognition unit 103 for changing the direction of the vehicle under consideration at the target location specifies a lane change location at which the vehicle is to be moved to the adjacent lane from the considered lane.

[0060] For example, a vehicle that is moving in the leftmost lane of a plurality of lanes needs to change to the right lane to turn right at an intersection before the current location according to the traffic route. In such a scene, the situation recognition unit 103 sets an intersection requiring a right turn as a target location. The situation recognition unit 103 sets a location that is a predetermined short distance from an intersection (target location) at which to turn right as a lane change location on the driving route. For example, a lane change site is set at a distance of several hundred meters from the target location on the route. The lane change location does not have to be set at a point, it can be done at a predetermined section. As another example, the lane change location may include a predetermined area before a junction provided on an expressway, a predetermined area before a confluence provided on an expressway, and a predetermined area before a road vehicle terminus. The junction provided on the expressway may include junctions in each direction and junctions between the main line and the ramp. In the present embodiment, the length of the lane change portion is not particularly limited.

[0061] In the present embodiment, the subject vehicle automatically changes lane as described below when the lane change location is set by the situation recognition unit 103 and the subject vehicle reaches the location, or when the occupant of the vehicle inputs the lane change execution command .

[0062] The function of the job block 104 will be described. The setting block 104 sets the entry location, which indicates the location of the entry destination of the subject vehicle, and is in a lane adjacent to the subject lane, according to the environment information of the subject vehicle. For example, the setting block 104 sets an entry location that has a predetermined length (distance) or more in the direction of the vehicle in the adjacent lane based on the detection result of the radar 11 and the captured image captured by the imaging device 12. The predetermined distance is a predetermined distance and is an experimentally determined distance. In the present embodiment, the predetermined distance is set so that the location of the entrance can be set with respect to the adjacent lane in the traffic jam.

[0063] In addition, the setting block 104 sets, among other vehicles located in front and behind the entry location, the front as the front vehicle and the rear as the rear vehicle when setting the entry location. Thus, the setting block 104 specifies the front vehicle, the other vehicle located in front of the entry location, and the rear vehicle being the other vehicle located behind the entry location. For example, setting block 104 specifies the vehicle in front that is closest to the entry location among the plurality of other vehicles ahead of the entry location in the adjacent lane. In addition, the setting block 104 specifies the rear vehicle that is closest to the entry location among the plurality of other vehicles located behind the entry location in the adjacent lane. The setting block 104 may set another vehicle in a predetermined area in front of the entry location as the front vehicle. For example, the setting block 104 defines a predetermined region whose length corresponds to the speed of the considered vehicle in a direction along the running direction of the considered vehicle. The predetermined area may be stored in a storage device such as a ROM, although not limited to this.

[0064] The setting block 104 specifies the target vehicle located in front of the front vehicle in the adjacent lane after setting the front vehicle and the rear vehicle. For example, the setting block 104 specifies the target vehicle closest to the front vehicle among other vehicles in front of the front vehicle in the adjacent lane according to the detection result of the radar 11 and the image captured by the imaging device 12.

[0065] In the present embodiment, the target vehicle is used to predict the behavior of the front vehicle. The behavior of the front vehicle means that the stopped front vehicle starts moving. The target vehicle is used to predict the start of the front vehicle.

[0066] The setting block 104, when any of the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle cannot be set, uses only the information of the identified vehicle for lane change processing. For example, when there is no vehicle in front of the front vehicle although a front vehicle and a rear vehicle have been specified, the identification unit 104 uses only the information of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle for lane change processing.

[0067] Next, the function of the motion state determination unit 105 will be described. The driving state determination unit 105 determines the driving state of each vehicle set by the setting unit 104 in accordance with the environment information of the considered vehicle. For example, when the setting unit 104 specifies the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle, the driving state determination unit 105 determines the driving state of the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle based on the detection result by the radar 11 and the captured image captured the imaging device 12 . When the front vehicle is described as an example, the driving state determination unit 105 determines the driving state of the front vehicle as stopped when the speed of the front vehicle is zero, km/h, the distance traveled by the front vehicle per unit time is zero km, stop- The front vehicle signal is on, or the traffic light for the adjacent lane is red. The driving state determination unit 105 similarly determines the driving state for the rear vehicle and the target vehicle.

[0068] Next, the function of the block 106 to determine the presence of space will be described. The space presence determination unit 106 determines whether the entry location specified by the setting unit 104 according to the environment information of the subject vehicle has the space into which the subject vehicle enters (hereinafter also referred to as the entry space). The entry space is a space between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, and the length of the space along the vehicle's running direction is a predetermined distance or more.

[0069] The space presence determination unit 106 determines whether there is any entry space at the entry location according to the distance between the vehicles of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle. For example, the space presence determination unit 106, when the vehicle-to-vehicle distance of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, determines that an entry space is present. On the other hand, the space presence determination unit 106, when the distance between the vehicles of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, determines that there is no entry space at the entry location. The predetermined distance is configured in advance to prevent any disturbance to the driver of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle when the vehicle in question enters the entry space. The predetermined distance may include a value obtained by adding a margin to a distance (vehicle length in the driving direction) between the front end and the rear end of the vehicle in a direction along the driving direction of the considered vehicle.

[0070] Next, the function of the prediction block 107 will be described. The prediction block 107 predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving when the entry space is not determined at the driving location by the space determination block 106 . The prediction block 107 predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving, as described below, when the driving state determination block 105 determines that the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are stopped.

[0071] For example, the prediction block 107 predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving depending on whether the front vehicle's brake light is turned off. The prediction unit 107 determines whether the brake light of the front vehicle is turned off based on the captured image captured by the imaging apparatus 12 . When the brake light is turned off, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle is about to start moving. On the other hand, when the brake light off is not detected, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle continues to stand without moving. The prediction block 107 predicts the start of the front vehicle according to the operation of the driver of the front vehicle.

[0072] In addition, the prediction block 107 predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving when the target vehicle is set by the setting block 104 in addition to the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, in accordance with the behavior of the target vehicle. For example, the prediction unit 107 determines whether the distance covered by the target vehicle per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, and then predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving in response to the determination result.

[0073] The prediction unit 107 measures the distance traveled by the target vehicle per unit time according to the detection result detected by the radar 11. When the measured travel distance of the target vehicle is a predetermined distance or more, the prediction unit 107 predicts that the front vehicle is about to start traffic. On the other hand, when the measured driving distance of the target vehicle is less than the predetermined distance, the prediction unit 107 predicts that the front vehicle continues to stand without moving. The prediction block 107 predicts the start of the front vehicle in accordance with the distance between the front vehicle and the target vehicle necessary for the start of the front vehicle. The unit of time is determined experimentally. The predictor 107 may appropriately change the unit of time.

[0074] In addition, the predictor 107 predicts whether the front vehicle starts to move, depending on whether the brake light off of the target vehicle is detected. The prediction unit 107 determines whether the brake light of the target vehicle is off according to the image captured by the imaging apparatus 12 . When the brake light is turned off, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle is about to start moving. On the other hand, when the brake light off is not detected, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle continues to stand without moving. The prediction block 107 predicts the start of the movement of the front vehicle in accordance with the start order of the vehicle in which the front vehicle starts moving after the start of the movement of the target vehicle.

[0075] The prediction block 107 can also predict whether the front vehicle starts moving in response to changes in the situation in the adjacent lane in addition to the behavior of the front vehicle or the target vehicle.

[0076] For example, the prediction unit 107 predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving according to the traffic light display that is provided in front of the front vehicle, and organizes traffic in the adjacent lane. The predictor 107, for example, detects whether the signal display of the target signal is switched from red to blue according to information from the VICS. When the signal display is switched, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle is about to start moving. On the other hand, when the signal display switching is not detected, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle continues to stand without moving. The predictor 107 predicts the start of the front vehicle according to the display of the signal required to start the front vehicle.

[0077] In addition, for example, when there is a cause of a traffic jam in front of the front vehicle in the adjacent lane, the prediction unit 107 determines whether the target vehicle or another vehicle in front of the target vehicle has passed through the place, in the event of a traffic jam occurring according to with the result detected by the radar 11. When the prediction unit 107 detects that the target vehicle or another vehicle in front of the target vehicle has passed through the traffic jam location, the prediction unit 107 predicts that the vehicle in front is about to start moving. On the other hand, when the prediction unit 107 does not detect any vehicle passing through the place, the prediction unit 107 predicts that the front vehicle continues to stand without moving. Examples of causes of traffic congestion may include road construction, accidents, and lane diversion. The prediction unit 107 can predetermine the cause of the traffic jam in the adjacent lane and the cause according to the traffic information.

[0078] For example, when a pedestrian crossing is in front of a vehicle ahead, the prediction unit 107 determines whether a pedestrian or a bicycle crosses the crossing according to the captured image captured by the imaging device 12. When the prediction unit 107 detects a pedestrian or the like crossing the pedestrian crossing, the prediction unit 107 may predict that the vehicle in front is about to start moving. On the other hand, when the prediction unit 107 does not detect a pedestrian or the like crossing the pedestrian crossing, the prediction unit 107 predicts that the front vehicle continues to stand without moving.

[0079] The prediction block 107 may predict that the front vehicle does not start moving using the following method. The prediction block 107 determines whether the current situation corresponds to a situation in which the start of the movement of the front vehicle is unpredictable. The prediction block 107 predicts that the front vehicle does not start moving when the start of the front vehicle is unpredictable. Situations in which the start of the front vehicle is unpredictable may include, for example, the case where the road shape of the adjacent lane is curved and the case where the front vehicle is classified as a large vehicle. For example, when the adjacent lane road shape is determined to be curved based on the map information, or when the front vehicle is detected as a large vehicle based on the captured image captured by the imaging apparatus 12, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle does not start moving because predicting the start of the front vehicle is unpredictable.

[0080] Next, the functions of the motion control unit 108 will be described. The traffic control unit 108 controls the movement of the subject vehicle in the lane change control process.

[0081] The motion control unit 108 sets the waiting location of the considered vehicle in the considered lane to predict whether the front vehicle starts moving. The waiting location is a location for waiting for the subject vehicle before changing lanes for the subject vehicle, and a location at which the prediction unit 107 performs prediction processing. For example, the traffic control unit 108 locates the waiting position on the side of the adjacent lane relative to the center line of the traffic lane under consideration along the direction of travel of the vehicle under consideration. In addition, for example, the traffic control unit 108 sets a waiting location in the lane under consideration which is behind the front vehicle and can allow the subject vehicle to move smoothly to the entry location. In addition, for example, the traffic control unit 108 sets the waiting position so that the front end of the vehicle is behind the rear end of the front vehicle, and the front end of the vehicle is in front of the front end of the rear vehicle. It should be noted that the waiting location is not a location that satisfies all of the above conditions, and may be a location that satisfies at least one of the above conditions.

[0082] When the waiting location of the considered vehicle is set, the motion control unit 108 moves the considered vehicle to the waiting location. For example, the traffic control unit 108 sets the vehicle speed and steering angle to the waiting location, the speed of the vehicle at the waiting location, the angle at which the front end of the vehicle in question faces the waiting location, and the like. and outputs a control signal including the set contents to the actuator controller 60 .

[0083] When another vehicle located in the adjacent lane, including the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, is stopped, the traffic control unit 108 sets the speed of the vehicle at the waiting location to zero km/h. This allows the predictor 107 to predict whether the front vehicle starts moving in the state where the vehicle in question is stopped at the waiting position.

[0084] In addition, the motion control unit 108 generates a control signal to turn on the direction indicator 80 provided from the adjacent lane when the start of the movement of the front vehicle is predicted by the prediction unit 107 and when the rear vehicle is determined to be stopped by the driving state determination unit 105 in the moment of predicting the start of the movement of the front vehicle. In addition, the traffic control unit 108 generates a target trajectory for the vehicle to change lanes using the current location of the vehicle as the start location and the entry location as the end location. The motion control unit 108 sets the speed of the subject vehicle and the steering angle when the vehicle travels along the target path. The motion control unit 108 outputs various control signals to the actuator controller 60 and the direction indicator 80 . When the location of the vehicle in question reaches the entry location, the traffic control unit 108 stops flashing the turn indicator 80 and stops the lane change control.

[0085] In addition, the traffic control unit 108 controls the vehicle in question to wait at a predetermined location before reaching the entry location when the space presence determination unit 106 detects that there is no entry space at the entry location. For example, the traffic control unit 108 generates an imaginary boundary line by connecting the nearest location of the front end of the rear vehicle to the considered lane and the nearest location of the rear end of the front vehicle to the considered lane on the target trajectory. The motion control block 108 specifies a location at which the vehicle under consideration does not go beyond the imaginary boundary line on the target trajectory. The motion control unit 108 controls the subject vehicle to wait until the subject vehicle is at a predetermined location. This allows the driver of the rear vehicle to be informed that the vehicle in question is waiting in front of the rear vehicle to change lanes to an adjacent lane.

[0086] In addition, the motion control unit 108, when the target vehicle is specified, sets the travel distance of the subject vehicle along the target path according to the travel distance of the target vehicle. For example, the motion control unit 108 determines the traveled distance of the target vehicle per unit time according to the detection result detected by the radar 11. The motion control unit 108 sets the travel distance of the subject vehicle to be larger because the travel distance of the target vehicle per unit time is longer. The motion control unit 108, referring to the detection result of the vehicle sensor group 20, controls the vehicle in question to move the set travel distance.

[0087] In addition, the motion control unit 108 sets the speed of the subject vehicle and the steering angle to move along the target path when the space determination unit 106 detects an entry space at the entry location. The motion control unit 108 outputs various control signals to the actuator controller 60 . This allows the vehicle in question to change lane from the traffic lane in question to an adjacent lane along the target path and thus enter the space between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle. The vehicle in question is allowed to move to the entry location at any time the process can be performed. The traffic control unit 108 allows the vehicle in question to move to the entry location when the entry space is detected at the entry location.

[0088] Next, the control flow of the controller 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B. Fig. 2A and FIG. 2B are flowcharts illustrating the control processes performed by the controller 101. In addition, with reference to FIG. 3 and 4, an example of the movement of the subject vehicle performed by the controller 101 will be described. Each of them may be controlled fully automatically or may be performed in such a way as to assist the driver in driving.

[0089] In step S1, the controller 101 obtains information about the environment of the vehicle in question. For example, the controller 101 receives information from the environmental sensor group 10 about the direction of the other vehicle and the distance to the other vehicle, the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle in question, the type of vehicle of the other vehicle, the size of the other vehicle, and the shape another vehicle as information about the surroundings of the vehicle in question. In addition, for example, the controller 101 receives information about a traffic congestion on the road, including the considered lane, as information about the environment of the considered vehicle from the communicator 32. The controller 101 acquires external information and internal information of the considered vehicle in a predetermined cycle when processing control after step S2. The driving state is expressed, for example, by the location of the vehicle and the speed of the vehicle.

[0090] In step S2, the controller 101 recognizes the situation around the subject vehicle in accordance with the environment information of the subject vehicle acquired in step S1.

[0091] In step S3, the controller 101 specifies a section (lane change location) where the vehicle in question is to change lane. In addition, the controller 101 compares the current location of the subject vehicle with the lane change location, and determines whether the subject vehicle reaches the lane change location. When the controller 101 determines that the vehicle has reached the lane change location, the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle in question has not reached the lane change location, the system is in the standby mode in step S3.

[0092] In step S4, the controller 101 sets the entry location, which indicates the entry location of the subject vehicle and is located in the adjacent lane according to the environment information of the subject vehicle. For example, the setting block 104 specifies the location of the entrance, where the distance in the direction along the direction of travel of the vehicle is a predetermined distance or more in the adjacent lane.

[0093] In step S5, the controller 101 specifies the front vehicle, which is the other vehicle that is located in front of the entry location, and sets the rear vehicle, which is the other vehicle that is behind the entry location, according to the environment information of the vehicle in question. In addition, the controller 101 specifies the target vehicle, which is another vehicle in front of the front vehicle. Incidentally, when any of the front vehicle, rear vehicle, and target vehicle cannot be specified, the controller 101 only uses the target vehicle information for lane change processing when the controller 101 cannot specify in subsequent steps.

[0094] In step S6, the controller 101 determines the driving state of the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle. In particular, the controller 101 determines whether all of these vehicles are stopped. For example, the controller 101 determines the driving state of each vehicle from the detection result of the environment sensor group 10. When the controller 101 determines that all vehicles are stopped, the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, when the controller 101 determines that at least one of the vehicles is moving, the controller 101 ends the vehicle change process.

[0095] When all vehicles are determined to be stopped in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7. In subsequent steps S7 to S19, the controller 101 executes the lane change process when the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle are stopped.

[0096] FIG. 3(A) is an example of a scene in which the subject vehicle V changes lane from lane L ₁ to lane L ₂ on a road with two lanes on one side (lane L ₁ , lane L ₂ ). The traffic lane L ₂ is a traffic lane adjacent to the traffic lane L ₁ to the right of the vehicle V. A lane boundary L ₁₂ is formed between the traffic lane L ₁ and the traffic lane L ₂ . The vehicle moving in the traffic lane L ₁ is the vehicle V in question. The vehicles stopped in the traffic lane L ₂ are other vehicles X ₁ - X ₄ . The scene in Fig. 3A is an exemplary scene after the processes of steps S1-S6 in FIG. 2A. The center line C ₁ indicates the center line of the lane L ₁ along the direction of travel of the considered vehicle V, and the center line C ₂ indicates the center line of the lane L ₂ along the direction of travel of the considered vehicle V.

[0097] Into the scene in FIG. 3A, the controller 101 determines that the vehicle V in question has reached a lane change location (not shown) (determined YES in step S3), and sets an entry location between the other vehicle X ₂ and the other vehicle X ₃ (step S4). In addition, the controller 101 specifies the front vehicle being the vehicle X ₂ located in front of the entry location, specifies the rear vehicle being the vehicle X ₃ located behind the entry location, and specifies the target vehicle being the vehicle X ₁ located in front of the vehicle X ₂ (step S5). The controller 101 determines that the vehicles X ₁ to X ₃ are stopped according to the environment information of the vehicle in question (YES is determined in step S6). Incidentally, parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2A.

[0098] Returning to FIG. 2A, a flowchart of a lane change process will be described. In step S7, the controller 101 determines whether there is an entry space at the entry location set in step S4. The controller 101, according to whether the distance between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is within a predetermined distance, determines whether there is an entry space. For example, the controller 101, when the distance between the vehicles of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, determines that an entry space is present at the entry location. On the other hand, the controller 101, when the distance between the vehicle of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, determines that there is no entry space at the entry location. When it is determined that an entrance space exists at the entrance location, the process proceeds to step S16, and the controller 101 executes the lane change control to change from the considered lane to the adjacent lane, and completes the vehicle change process. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no space at the entrance location, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0099] In step S7, when no space is determined at the entrance location, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the controller 101 sets the waiting location. For example, the controller 101 locates the waiting location on the side of the adjacent lane with respect to the center line of the lane in question along the direction of travel of the vehicle in question. In FIG. 3A, the waiting position is set to the traffic lane L ₂ relative to the center line C ₁ of the traffic lane L ₁ .

[0100] In step S9, the controller 101 performs the wait control to wait for the vehicle in question at the waiting location set in step S8. For example, the controller 101 sets the speed and steering angle of the vehicle to the waiting location, the speed of the vehicle at the waiting location (zero km/h), the angle at which the front end of the vehicle in question faces the waiting location, and the like. Then, the controller 101 outputs a control signal including the predetermined content to the actuator controller 60 .

[0101] FIG. 3B is a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene in FIG. 3A and is an exemplary scene after the processes of steps S7-S9 in FIG. 2A.

[0102] In the scene shown in FIG. 3B, the controller 101 determines that there is no space at the entry location because the distance between the vehicle X ₂ and the vehicle X ₃ (l1) is less than a predetermined distance (determined "No" in step S7). In addition, the controller 101 sets the waiting location of the subject vehicle V in the considered lane (step S8), and stops the subject vehicle V at the waiting location (step S9). The controller 101 predicts whether the front vehicle (vehicle X ₂ ) starts moving while the vehicle V is stopped at the waiting position. The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2A.

[0103] The target trajectory R shown in FIG. 3B represents the trajectory of the considered vehicle V, planned for movement. The target trajectory R (dashed line) is shown to facilitate visual understanding that there is no entry space between vehicle X ₂ and vehicle X ₃ . Thus, the target trajectory R cannot be generated in the scene shown in FIG. 3B. The dashed line D connecting the subject vehicle V and the vehicle X ₁ indicates that the vehicle X ₁ can be detected by the radar 11 installed on the subject vehicle V. That is, the target vehicle (vehicle X ₁ ) is stopped within range radar detection 11.

[0104] Returning to FIG. 2B, a flowchart of the lane changing process will be described. In step S10, the controller 101 determines whether the start of movement of the front vehicle can be predicted. For example, the controller 101 predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving according to the stop light of the target vehicle. When the start of movement of the front vehicle can be predicted, the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, when the start of movement of the front vehicle is unpredictable or when the current situation corresponds to a situation in which the start of movement of the front vehicle is unpredictable, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0105] In step S10, when the start of the front vehicle is unpredictable or when the current situation corresponds to a situation in which the start of the front vehicle is unpredictable, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the controller 101 detects the beginning of the movement of the front vehicle in accordance with the information about the environment of the considered vehicle. For example, the controller 101 determines the start of movement of the front vehicle when the position of the front vehicle moves in the direction of travel of the vehicle. At this point, the vehicle in question waits until the start of the vehicle in front is detected.

[0106] In step S10, when the start of the front vehicle is predicted, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the controller 101 determines whether the rear vehicle is stopped. In this step, the stop of the rear vehicle is determined, which is again determined to be stopped in step S6. When it is determined that the rear vehicle is stopped, the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, when it is determined that the rear vehicle is to move, the controller 101 ends the vehicle change process.

[0107] When the rear vehicle is determined to be stopped in step S11, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the controller 101 turns on the direction indicator provided on the adjacent lane side. This allows the driver of the rear vehicle to be informed that the vehicle will change lanes before he releases the brake pedal. As a result, the driver of the rear vehicle continues to press the brake pedal even after the front vehicle starts moving, thereby increasing the likelihood that the vehicle in question will enter ahead of the rear vehicle.

[0108] FIG. 3C illustrates a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 3B and is an exemplary scene after the processes of steps S10-S13 illustrated in FIG. 2B have been performed.

[0109] In the scene shown in FIG. 3C, the controller 101 predicts the start of the vehicle X ₂ by detecting the start of the vehicle X ₁ (eg, detects turning off the brake light of the vehicle X ₁ ) (determined YES in step S10). In addition, the controller 101 determines that the vehicle X ₃ (rear vehicle) is to be stopped (YES in step S11). In step S13, the controller 101 turns on the turn signal provided in the driving lane L ₂ . The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2B.

[0110] Returning to FIG. 2B, a flowchart of the lane changing process will be described. In step S14, the controller 101 starts executing traffic control to move the vehicle to the entry location. For example, the controller 101 generates a lane change target trajectory and sets the speed of the subject vehicle and the steering angle to drive the vehicle along the target trajectory. The controller 101 then starts moving the vehicle in question to the entry location.

[0111] In step S15, the controller 101 determines whether an entry space is present at the entry location. This step corresponds to step S7. Thus, the description of the determination method, etc. mentioned above. When it is determined that space is present at the entrance location, the process proceeds to step S16, and the controller 101 executes the lane change control to move the subject vehicle from the subject lane to the adjacent lane, and completes the vehicle change process. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no space at the entrance location, the process proceeds to step S17.

[0112] When it is determined that there is no space at the entry location in step S15, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, the controller 101 causes the vehicle in question to wait at a predetermined location. For example, the controller 101 generates an imaginary boundary line by connecting the nearest location of the front end of the rear vehicle to the lane in question and the closest location of the rear end of the front vehicle to the lane in question. Then, the controller 101 sets a location where the subject vehicle does not go beyond the imaginary boundary line on the target trajectory, and waits until the subject vehicle is at the set location.

[0113] FIG. 4A illustrates a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 3C, and is an exemplary scene after the processing of step S14, step S15, and step S17 illustrated in FIG. 2B.

[0114] In the scene in FIG. 4A, the controller 101 generates the path that the vehicle V plans to travel when changing lane as the target path R, and moves the vehicle V to the entry location (step S14). In addition, the controller 101 determines that there is no entry space at the entry location (determining No in step S15) and waits until the vehicle V in question is at the predetermined location (step S17). The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2B. In the process of step S14 or step S17, it is assumed that the controller 101 does not move the vehicle V closer to the driving lane L ₂ than the dotted line E. The dotted line E shown in FIG. 4A is an imaginary boundary line connecting the corner located on the lane L ₁ side of the rear end of the vehicle X ₂ and the corner located on the side of the lane L ₁ of the rear end of the vehicle X ₃ .

[0115] FIG. 4B illustrates a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 4A and is an exemplary scene after the execution of process S15 shown in FIG. 2B. In the scene in Fig. 4B, the controller 101 determines that an entry space is present at the entry location (determined as YES in step S15). The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2B.

[0116] FIG. 4C illustrates a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 4B and is an exemplary scene after the execution of process S16 illustrated in FIG. 2B. In the scene in Fig. 4C, the controller 101 moves the subject vehicle V along the target path R to cause the subject vehicle V to enter the location between vehicle X ₂ and vehicle X ₃ (S16). The subject vehicle V is changing lane from lane L ₁ to lane L ₂ in a traffic jam. The bracketed labels indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2B.

[0117] Returning to FIG. 2B, a flowchart of the lane changing process will be described. In step S18, the controller 101 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed. When it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S19. When it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S15. The predetermined time is a time determined experimentally and is not specifically limited time. The controller 101 may change the predetermined time accordingly.

[0118] When the predetermined time is determined to have elapsed in step S18, the process proceeds to step S19. In step S19, the controller 101 sets the driving location of the vehicle in question. For example, the controller 101 sets the driving location of the subject vehicle to a predetermined location near the center of the subject lane, and moves the subject vehicle from the waiting location set in step S17 to the vicinity of the center of the subject lane. When the process in step S19 ends, the process returns to step S1, and the processing in step S1 and subsequent steps is performed again. This makes it possible to process the lane change again even when it is determined in step S15 that there is no space at the entrance location and the subject vehicle cannot change lane.

[0119] As described above, in the vehicle control method executed by the vehicle controller 100 according to the present embodiment, the controller 101 obtains the environment information of the vehicle in question through the environment sensor group 10, and sets the entry location, which indicates the location of the entry destination. of the considered vehicle and is located in the adjacent lane adjacent to the considered lane, in accordance with the obtained information about the surroundings of the considered vehicle. In addition, the controller 101 defines the front vehicle being the other vehicle located in front of the entry location, and sets the rear vehicle being the other vehicle located behind the entry location, among other vehicles located in front of and behind the entry location. The controller 101 determines the driving state of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, and determines whether an entry space is present at the entry location. Then, when it is determined that the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are stopped, and it is determined that there is no entry space at the entrance location, the controller 101 predicts whether the front vehicle is stopped. When the start of the front vehicle is predicted, the controller 101 starts moving the vehicle in question to the entry location. This allows the vehicle in question to start moving to the entry location before the rear vehicle starts moving, ie while the rear vehicle is stopped. When the front vehicle actually starts moving, the vehicle moves to the entry location or waits at the predetermined location. This increases the likelihood that the driver of the rear vehicle will stop the rear vehicle to cause the vehicle to enter. As a result, for example, even in a situation where it is difficult to enter an adjacent lane due to a traffic jam, the subject vehicle enables a lane change at an appropriate time, and the probability of skipping a lane change can be reduced.

[0120] In addition, in the present embodiment, another vehicle in front of the front vehicle is set as the target vehicle, and it is determined whether the distance traveled by the target vehicle per unit time is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance. When the driving distance of the target vehicle per unit time is determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, it is predicted that the front vehicle will start moving. This makes it possible to correctly predict the start of the movement of the front vehicle before the actual start of movement.

[0121] In addition, in the present embodiment, when it is detected that the stop light of the target vehicle is turned off, the controller 101 predicts that the front vehicle starts moving. This makes it possible to correctly predict the beginning of the movement of the front vehicle before it actually starts.

[0122] In the present embodiment, when it is detected that the brake light of the front vehicle is turned off, the controller 101 predicts that the front vehicle starts moving. Detection of the behavior of the front vehicle before the start of movement allows the start of movement of the front vehicle to be predicted with good accuracy.

[0123] In the present embodiment, the prediction block 107 obtains information about traffic lights that determine the traffic flow in adjacent lanes. The prediction block 107 predicts that the front vehicle will start moving when the traffic light display changes from red to blue. This makes it possible to predict the start of the movement of the front vehicle faster than the prediction of the start of the movement of the front vehicle according to the behavior of the target vehicle.

[0124] In the present embodiment, when it is determined that there is no entry space at the entry locations, the controller 101 locates the waiting location of the considered vehicle in the considered lane, and predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving while the considered vehicle is waiting at the waiting position. This allows the vehicle in question to smoothly start moving towards the entry location. The waiting location meets at least one of the requirements below. (i) The waiting location is a predetermined location on the side of the adjacent lane with respect to the center line of the traffic lane in question along the direction of travel of the vehicle in question. (ii) The holding position is a predetermined position behind the rear of the front vehicle. (iii) The front end of the vehicle in question located at the holding position is behind the end of the front vehicle, and the front end of the vehicle in question located at the holding position is ahead of the front end of the rear vehicle.

[0125] In the present embodiment, it is determined that there is no entry space at the entry locations, the controller 101 sets the waiting location of the considered vehicle in the considered lane, and predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving while the considered vehicle is waiting at the waiting position. The waiting location is the location at which the environmental sensor group 10 is able to determine the state of the target vehicle. This allows the behavior of the target vehicle to be properly determined.

[0126] In the present embodiment, when the start of the front vehicle is predicted, the controller 101 moves the vehicle in question to a predetermined location. This makes it possible, if the subject vehicle starts moving towards the entry location, to prevent the driver of the rear vehicle from feeling any anxiety and to accurately inform the driver of the rear vehicle that the subject vehicle is planning to change lanes to an adjacent lane. The predefined location satisfies the following requirements. The side end of the considered vehicle, located at the predetermined location, is on the side of the considered lane with respect to an imaginary boundary line formed by connecting the nearest location of the front end of the rear vehicle to the considered lane and the nearest location of the rear end of the front vehicle to the considered lane .

[0127] In the present embodiment, when the driving distance of the target vehicle per unit time is less than the predetermined distance, the prediction unit 107 predicts that the front vehicle will not start moving. When the start of motion of the front vehicle is not predicted, the motion control unit 108 waits for the vehicle in question. When the driving distance of the subject vehicle is short, it is unlikely that the subject vehicle will change lanes because the space between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle is not increased. The present embodiment makes it possible to prevent the subject vehicle from moving to the entry location in situations where a lane change is unlikely.

[0128] In the present embodiment, when the movement distance of the target vehicle per unit time is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, the prediction unit 107 predicts the start of movement of the front vehicle in accordance with the traveled distance of the target vehicle, and the movement control unit 108 sets the movement distance to the vehicle entry point. This makes it possible, if the subject vehicle starts moving, to prevent the subject vehicle from unnecessarily entering the front vehicle since the front vehicle travels a distance corresponding to the target vehicle's traveling distance.

[0129] In the present embodiment, when the present situation corresponds to a situation in which the start of the front vehicle is unpredictable, the controller 101 moves the vehicle in question to the entry location after detecting the start of the front vehicle. This makes it possible to prevent the subject vehicle from moving before the front vehicle starts moving, when the start of the front vehicle is difficult to predict, for example, for large cars.

[0130] In the present embodiment, the situation in which the departure of the front vehicle is unpredictable satisfies at least one of the following requirements. The adjacent traffic lane has a curved shape. The front vehicle is a large vehicle. Thus, for example, in a situation where the start of the front vehicle is difficult to detect, such as a large car, the vehicle controller 100 can prevent the subject vehicle from moving before the front vehicle starts to move.

[0131] In the present embodiment, the controller 101 turns on the adjacent lane direction indicator when the front vehicle is predicted to start moving. This allows the driver of another vehicle located near the vehicle to be accurately informed that the vehicle is planning to change lane from this lane to an adjacent lane before the rear vehicle starts moving.

[0132]<Second Embodiment>

Next, a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, part of the functions of the motion state determination unit 105, the prediction unit 107, and the motion control unit 108 differ from the first embodiment described above. Other configurations and control processes are the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore, reference will be made to the above description. In the following description, it is assumed that a front vehicle, a rear vehicle, and a target vehicle are specified, but as described in the first embodiment, when any vehicle cannot be specified, the vehicle controller 100 only uses the specified vehicle information to lane change processing.

[0133] The driving state determination unit 105 of the present embodiment determines whether the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle are moving. For example, when the speed of the front vehicle is less than the predetermined speed, when the driving distance of the front vehicle per unit time is less than the predetermined distance, and when the brake lights of the front vehicle are repeatedly turned on or off at predetermined intervals, the driving state determination unit 105 determines the driving state of the front vehicle. vehicle as slow motion. The predetermined speed, the unit of time, the predetermined distance, and the predetermined interval are experimentally determined values and are not particularly limited values. The motion state determination unit 105 may change these values accordingly. In the following description, slow motion is described as an example of one embodiment of vehicle motion, but the present invention is not specifically limited thereto. The driving state determination unit 105, even when the front vehicle is moving at a speed other than the speed called slow moving, can determine that the driving state of the front vehicle is moving.

[0134] The predictor 107 of the present embodiment predicts whether the front vehicle will accelerate at a predetermined acceleration or higher when the motion state determination unit 105 determines that the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle are moving slowly using the method described below.

[0135] For example, the predictor 107, when the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle are determined to be slow moving, predicts whether the front vehicle will accelerate at a predetermined acceleration or higher according to the behavior of the target vehicle. For example, the prediction unit 107 determines whether the target vehicle's moving distance per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, and predicts whether the front vehicle accelerates at a predetermined acceleration or higher in response to the determination result. When the driving distance of the target vehicle is measured to be a predetermined distance or more, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle accelerates at a predetermined acceleration or higher. On the other hand, when the driving distance of the target vehicle is measured and is less than the predetermined distance, the predictor 107 predicts that the front vehicle maintains a slow motion without acceleration.

[0136] In addition, the predictor 107 can predict whether the front vehicle is accelerating at a predetermined acceleration or higher, similar to the front vehicle start prediction method, in accordance with a change in the situation in the adjacent lane. The above description is included in the description of the method corresponding to changing in an adjacent lane situation.

[0137] In addition, the predictor 107 may determine whether the current situation corresponds to a situation in which the acceleration of the front vehicle is unpredictable. If it is determined that the current situation falls under unpredictable situations, the predictor 107 may predict that the front vehicle maintains a slow motion without acceleration, with a predetermined acceleration or higher. Incidentally, since the situation in which the acceleration of the front vehicle is unpredictable is the same as the situation in which the start of movement of the front vehicle is unpredictable as described above, the above explanation is included.

[0138] The motion control unit 108 sets the waiting location of the considered vehicle when predicting whether the front vehicle is accelerating at a predetermined acceleration or higher in the considered lane. The above description refers to the waiting location. In the present embodiment, the waiting location is represented by a location relative to the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, or the entry location.

[0139] The motion control unit 108 moves the subject vehicle to the waiting location when the waiting location of the considered vehicle is set. The traffic control unit 108 sets the vehicle speed of the subject vehicle at the waiting location so that the relative speed of the subject vehicle with respect to the speed of the rear vehicle is zero km/h when another vehicle located in the adjacent lane is moving slowly. This allows, if the rear vehicle is moving slowly, the predictor 107 to predict whether the front vehicle is accelerating in a state of maintaining the relationship between the rear vehicle and the waiting position.

[0140] In addition, the traffic control unit 108 generates a control signal to turn on the direction indicator provided from the adjacent lane when an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined acceleration of the front vehicle is predicted, and when the rear vehicle is determined to be slow moving by the unit 105 determining the state of motion at the predicted point in time. In addition, the traffic control unit 108 generates a target trajectory at the time of a lane change.

[0141] Next, the vehicle control process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5A and 5B. Fig. 5A and 5B are flowcharts of lane change processes executed by the vehicle controller 100. In addition, with reference to FIG. 6 and 7, the movement of the vehicle in question by the vehicle controller 100 will be described. Incidentally, the above description will refer to the same parts as the vehicle control processing according to the first embodiment.

[0142] Steps S21 to S25 correspond to steps S1 to S5 shown in FIG. 2A. Thus, the description of these steps is mentioned above.

[0143] In step S26, the vehicle controller 100 determines the driving state of the front vehicle, the rear vehicle, and the target vehicle. In particular, the vehicle controller 100 determines whether all of these vehicles are moving. For example, the vehicle controller 100 determines the driving state of each vehicle based on the detection result detected by the environment sensor group 10. When all vehicles are determined to be moving, the process proceeds to step S27. On the other hand, if at least one of the vehicles is determined to be stopped, the vehicle controller 100 ends the vehicle change process.

[0144] FIG. 6A is an example of a scene in which the subject vehicle V changes lane from lane L ₁ to lane L ₂ on a road with two lanes on one side (lane L ₁ , lane L ₂ ). Fig. 6A is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3A. The scene shown in Fig. 6A is characterized in that each vehicle is moving compared to the scene shown in FIG. 3A. Otherwise, the description in FIG. 3A was mentioned. Incidentally, the scene shown in FIG. 6A is an exemplary scene after the processes of steps S21-S26 shown in FIG. 5A. The center line C ₁ indicates the center line of the lane L ₁ along the direction of travel of the considered vehicle V, and the center line C ₂ indicates the center line of the lane L ₂ along the direction of travel of the considered vehicle V.

[0145] In the scene shown in FIG. 6A, the subject vehicle controller 100 determines that the vehicle has reached a lane change location (not shown) (determined as YES in step S23), and sets the location between the other vehicle X ₂ and the other vehicle X ₃ as the entry location ( step S24). In addition, the vehicle controller 100 defines a vehicle X ₂ located in front of the entry location as the front vehicle, a vehicle X ₃ located behind the entry location as the rear vehicle, another vehicle X ₁ located in front of the vehicle X ₂ , respectively. set as the target vehicle (step S25). The vehicle controller 100 determines that the vehicles X ₁ to X ₃ are moving according to the environment information of the vehicle in question (YES is determined in step S26). The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5A.

[0146] Returning to FIG. 5A, a flowchart of the lane changing process will be described. Step S27 corresponds to step S7 shown in FIG. 2A. Thus, the description of step S27 is mentioned above.

[0147] If it is determined that there is no entry space at the entry location in step S27, the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the subject vehicle controller 100 sets a waiting location for waiting for the subject vehicle before changing lanes. For example, the vehicle controller 100 locates the waiting location on the adjacent lane side relative to the center line of the traffic lane in question along the direction of travel of the vehicle in question. The waiting location is represented, for example, at a location relative to the rear vehicle. In FIG. 6A, the waiting position is set on the side of the lane L ₂ with respect to the center line C _{1 of} the lane L ₁ .

[0148] In step S29, the subject vehicle controller 100 executes control to wait for the subject vehicle at the waiting location set in step S28. For example, the vehicle controller 100 sets the vehicle speed and steering angle to the waiting location, the vehicle speed at the waiting location (the relative speed of the considered vehicle to the rear vehicle is zero km/h), the angle at which the front end of the considered the vehicle is turned to the waiting position, etc. Then, the vehicle controller 100 outputs a control signal including the predetermined content to the actuator controller 60 .

[0149] FIG. 6B shows a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 6A and is an exemplary scene after the processing of steps S27 to S29 shown in FIG. 5A. Fig. 6B corresponds to FIG. 3A described in the first embodiment.

[0150] In the scene shown in FIG. 6B, since the distance (l1 ^' ) between vehicle X ₂ and vehicle X ₃ is smaller than a predetermined distance, the vehicle controller 100 determines that there is no entry space at the entry locations (determining NO in step S27). In addition, the vehicle controller 100 sets the waiting location of the subject vehicle V to perform the prediction process in the considered lane (step S28), and causes the subject vehicle V to wait at the waiting location (step S29). Then, the vehicle controller 100 predicts whether the front vehicle (vehicle X ₂ ) is accelerating at a predetermined acceleration or more while vehicle V is at the waiting position. The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5A.

[0151] The target trajectory R' and dashed line D' shown in FIG. 6B correspond to the target trajectory R and the dotted line D shown in FIG. 3B. Thus, the above description will refer to these descriptions.

[0152] Returning to FIG. 5B, a flowchart of the lane changing process will be described. In step S30, the vehicle controller 100 determines whether the acceleration of the front vehicle is predictable. For example, the vehicle controller 100 determines whether the target vehicle's moving distance per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, predicts whether the front vehicle starts moving, in response to the determination result. When the acceleration of the front vehicle is predictable, the process proceeds to step S31. On the other hand, when the acceleration of the front vehicle is unpredictable or when the current situation corresponds to a situation in which the acceleration of the front vehicle is unpredictable, the process proceeds to step S32.

[0153] In step S30, when the acceleration of the front vehicle is unpredictable or when the current situation corresponds to a situation in which the acceleration of the front vehicle is unpredictable, the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the vehicle controller 100 detects the acceleration of the front vehicle (acceleration above the predetermined acceleration) according to the vehicle environment information. Incidentally, at this stage, the process waits until the acceleration of the front vehicle is detected.

[0154] If the acceleration of the front vehicle is predictable in step S30, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the vehicle controller 100 determines whether the rear vehicle is moving while maintaining speed. This step is for determining whether the vehicle determined to be running in step S26 is moving while maintaining speed. When it is determined that the rear vehicle is moving at a constant speed, the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, when the rear vehicle is determined to be moving at a speed change, the vehicle controller 100 terminates the vehicle change process.

[0155] When the rear vehicle is determined to be moving in step S31, the process proceeds to step S33. Step S33 corresponds to step S13 shown in FIG. 2B. Thus, the description of step S33 is mentioned above.

[0156] FIG. 6C illustrates a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 6B and is an exemplary scene after the process of steps S30 to S33 illustrated in FIG. 5V. Fig. 6C corresponds to FIG. 3C described in the first embodiment.

[0157] In the scene shown in FIG. 6C, the vehicle controller 100 predicts that the vehicle X ₂ will accelerate at a predetermined acceleration or more (YES in step S30) by detecting that the driving distance of the vehicle X ₁ is at least a predetermined distance. In addition, the vehicle controller 100 determines that the vehicle X ₃ (rear vehicle) is moving while maintaining the speed (YES in step S31). In step S33, the vehicle controller 100 turns on the turn signal provided on the lane L ₂ side. The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 B.

[0158] Returning to FIG. 5B, a flowchart of a lane change process will be described. Steps S34 to S39 correspond to steps S14 to S19 shown in FIG. 2B. Thus, the description of these steps will refer to the above. Fig. 7A illustrates a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 6C and is an exemplary scene after the process illustrated in FIG. 5V. FIG. 7A corresponds to FIG. 4A described in the first embodiment.

[0160] In the scene in FIG. 7A, the vehicle controller 100 generates the lane change target trajectory R' and moves the vehicle V to the entry location (step S34). In addition, the vehicle controller 100 determines that there is no entry space at the entry location (determining No in step S35), and waits for the vehicle V in question at the predetermined location (step S37). The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 B. The dotted line E&#39;corresponds to the dotted line E shown in FIG. 4A. The explanation for the dashed line E &#39; should be used in conjunction with the explanation given above.

[0161] FIG. 7B illustrates a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 7A and is an exemplary scene after the process illustrated in FIG. 5V. Fig. 7B corresponds to FIG. 4B described in the first embodiment. In the scene in Fig. 7B, the vehicle controller 100 determines that there is no entry space at the entry location (determined as YES in step S35). The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5V.

[0162] FIG. 7C illustrates a scene in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. 7B and is an exemplary scene after the process illustrated in FIG. 5V. Fig. 7C corresponds to FIG. 4C described in the first embodiment. In the scene in Fig. 7C, the vehicle controller 100 causes the subject vehicle V to enter a location between vehicle X ₂ and vehicle X ₃ by moving the subject vehicle V along the target trajectory R'. Vehicle V changes lane from lane L ₁ to lane L ₂ . The parentheses indicate the respective processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5V.

[0163] As described above, in the present embodiment, in the present vehicle control method performed by the vehicle controller 100 according to the present embodiment, when the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are determined to be moving and that there is no entry space at the entry location, the controller 100 the vehicle controller predicts whether the front vehicle will accelerate at a predetermined acceleration or more, and when the front vehicle acceleration is predicted, the vehicle controller 100 moves the vehicle in question to the entry location. This allows the vehicle in question to start moving towards the entry location before the rear vehicle accelerates, that is, while the rear vehicle is moving at a constant speed. When the front vehicle actually accelerates at or above the predetermined acceleration, the vehicle in question moves towards the entry location or waits at the predetermined location. This encourages the driver of the rear vehicle to maintain or slow down the speed of the rear vehicle and allows the vehicle in question to enter easily. As a result, for example, if a traffic jam prevents the vehicle in question from entering an adjacent lane, a lane change is allowed at the appropriate time, and the likelihood of missing a lane change can be reduced.

[0164] It should be appreciated that the previously described embodiments are described to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not described to limit the present invention. Therefore, the elements disclosed in the above embodiments are intended to include all design changes and equivalents falling within the scope of the technical specification of the present invention.

[0165] For example, in the first embodiment described above, the lane change processing is performed when the front vehicle and the target vehicle are stopped, in the second embodiment described above, the lane change processing is performed when the front vehicle and the target vehicle means vehicle are moving. However, this lane change processing can be combined. That is, when the determining unit 105 determines that each vehicle is to be stopped, the lane changing process in the first embodiment can be performed. On the other hand, when it is determined that each vehicle is moving, the lane changing process in the second embodiment can be performed. This allows lane changes to be performed at the proper time in situations where entry into adjacent lanes is difficult due to lack of entry space, regardless of the driving state of each vehicle.

[0166] For example, in this description, the vehicle control device according to the present invention will be described using the vehicle controller 100 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, in this description, the first lane according to the present invention will be described as an example of the lane concerned, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, in this description, the second lane according to the present invention will be described as an example of an adjacent lane, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, in this description, the acquisition unit according to the present invention will be described using the information acquisition unit 102 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, in this description, the first specific block and the second specific block according to the present invention are described as an example with respect to the setting block 104, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In this description, the first determination unit according to the present invention is described using the movement state determination unit 105 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, in this description, the second determination unit according to the present invention is described using the space presence determination unit 106 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In this description, the motion control unit according to the present invention is described using the motion control unit 108 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES]

[0167]

10 ... Ambient sensor group

11... Radar

12 ... Imaging device

20 ... Vehicle sensor group

21 ... Vehicle speed sensor

22 ... Accelerometer

23 ... Gyro sensor

24 ... Steering angle sensor

25 ... Accelerator sensor

26 ... Brake sensor

30 ... Navigation system

31...GPS

32... Communicator

33 ... Navigation controller

40 ... Cartographic database

50 ... HMI

60 ... Actuator controller

70 ... Vehicle actuator group

71 ... Steering actuator

72 ... Accelerator actuator

73 ... Brake actuator

80 ... Turn signal

100 ... Vehicle controller

101 ... Receive block

102 ... Receiver

103 ... Situation recognition block

104 ... Job Block

105 ... Motion state detection block

106 ... Space detection block

107 ... Prediction Block

108 ... Motion control unit

200 ... Vehicle system

Claims (61)

1. A method for controlling a vehicle, performed by a processor configured to perform a lane change of the vehicle in question, comprising the steps of: obtaining information about the environment of the considered vehicle using a sensor provided in the considered vehicle; specifying an entrance location located in a second lane adjacent to the first lane on which the subject vehicle is traveling according to information about the environment in front of the subject vehicle, the entry location indicating a location into which the subject vehicle is entering; specifying a front vehicle located in front of the entry location and a rear vehicle located behind the entry location, among other vehicles; determining the driving state of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, respectively; determining whether there is an entry space for the vehicle in question at the entry location; predicting whether the front vehicle starts moving when determining that the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are stopped and there is no space at the entry location; and start moving the subject vehicle to the entry location when the front vehicle is predicted to start moving. 2. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: setting the target vehicle to be another vehicle in front of the front vehicle; determining whether the travel distance of the target vehicle per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance; and predicting the start of movement of the front vehicle when it is determined that the distance of movement of the target vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance. 3. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the steps of: setting the target vehicle to be another vehicle in front of the front vehicle; and predicting the start of the movement of the front vehicle when it is detected that the brake light of the target vehicle is turned off. 4. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, further comprising the step of: predicting the start of movement of the front vehicle when it is detected that the brake light of the front vehicle is turned off. 5. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of paragraphs. 1-4, further comprising the steps of: receive information about the traffic light signal, which determines the traffic flow in the second lane, from a device configured to communicate with the external environment of the vehicle, and predicting the start of the movement of the front vehicle when the color of the traffic light indicator changes from red to blue. 6. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, further comprising the steps of: setting a waiting location of the vehicle in question in the first lane when it is determined that there is no space at the entry location; and predicting whether the front vehicle will start moving while keeping the vehicle in question waiting at the waiting position, while the waiting location satisfies at least one of the following requirements: the waiting location is on the side of the second lane relative to the center line of the first lane along the direction of travel of the vehicle, the waiting location is behind the front vehicle, the front end of the subject vehicle at the holding position is behind the rear of the front vehicle, and the front end of the subject vehicle at the holding position is in front of the front end of the rear vehicle. 7. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, further comprising the steps of: setting the target vehicle to be another vehicle in front of the front vehicle; setting a waiting location of the vehicle in question in the first lane when it is determined that there is no space at the entry location; and predicting whether the front vehicle will start moving while keeping the vehicle in question waiting at the waiting position, while the waiting location is a location within the detection range of the sensor. 8. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of paragraphs. 1-7, further comprising the step of: moving the vehicle in question to a predetermined location when the front vehicle is predicted to start moving, wherein the predefined location satisfies the requirements below, the side end of the side of the second lane of the considered vehicle, located at a predetermined location, is on the side of the first lane with respect to an imaginary boundary line formed by connecting the closest location to the first lane of the front end of the rear vehicle and the closest location to the first lane of the rear end front vehicle. 9. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of: predicting that the front vehicle does not start moving when the driving distance of the target vehicle is less than a predetermined distance; and keeping the vehicle in question waiting when the front vehicle is predicted not to start moving. 10. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of: predicting the start of movement of the front vehicle when the distance of movement of the target vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance; and setting a travel distance of the subject vehicle to the entry location according to the travel distance of the target vehicle. 11. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of paragraphs. 1-10, further comprising the step of: starting moving the subject vehicle to the entry location after detecting the start of the front vehicle when the current situation falls under the situation in which the start of the front vehicle is unpredictable. 12. The method of driving a vehicle according to claim 11, in which a situation in which the start of the forward vehicle is unpredictable satisfies at least one of the following requirements: the shape of the second lane road is curved and the front vehicle is a large vehicle. 13. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12, further comprising the step of: turn on the direction indicator from the side of the second lane when the start of the movement of the front vehicle is predicted. 14. The method of driving a vehicle according to any one of paragraphs. 1-13, further comprising the steps of: predicting whether the front vehicle is accelerating at a predetermined acceleration or more when the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are determined to be moving and it is determined that there is no space for the vehicle in question to enter; and moving the subject vehicle to the entry location when the acceleration of the subject vehicle is predicted. 15. A vehicle control device configured to change the lane of the vehicle in question using the control device, comprising: an acquisition unit acquiring environment information of the subject vehicle using a sensor provided in the subject vehicle; a first setting block specifying an entry location located in a second lane adjacent to the first lane on which the subject vehicle is traveling according to the vehicle surrounding information, the entry location indicating a location entered by the subject vehicle; a second setting block specifying a front vehicle located in front of the entry location and a rear vehicle located behind the entry location; a first determination unit determining a driving state of each of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, a second determination unit determining whether there is an entry space for the subject vehicle at the entry location; a prediction unit predicting whether the front vehicle starts moving when the first determination unit determines that the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are stopped, and the second determination unit determines that there is no space at the entry location; and a motion control unit starting moving the subject vehicle to the entry location when the forward vehicle is predicted to start moving.

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