WO2023100510A1

WO2023100510A1 - Vehicle control device and warning region setting device

Info

Publication number: WO2023100510A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/038740
Authority: WO
Inventors: 真浩横井; 忠嗣大町; 光紀諏訪部; 雄貴手塚; 晨宇王
Original assignee: 株式会社デンソー; トヨタ自動車株式会社
Priority date: 2021-11-30
Filing date: 2022-10-18
Publication date: 2023-06-08

Abstract

This vehicle control device (110) is installed in a vehicle and comprises a peripheral sensor (120) that detects an object located in a predetermined detection range ahead in a travel lane in which the vehicle is traveling or in an adjacent lane adjacent to the travel lane. The vehicle control device comprises: a setting unit (111) that sets a warning region on the basis of the object detected by the peripheral sensor; and a control unit (112) that performs predetermined control of the vehicle at least when the vehicle is entering the warning region or when the vehicle is leaving the warning region. If a predetermined target subject has been detected in the travel lane and/or the adjacent lane, the setting unit sets a start position of the warning region so that the target subject is included within the warning region and, if a target subject is not newly detected within a predetermined threshold distance from a frontmost target subject, which is the target subject at the most distant position among the target subjects that have been detected, the setting unit sets a position, which is separated by the threshold distance from the frontmost target subject in a direction of advance, as an end position of the warning region.

Description

VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE AND CAUTION AREA SETTING DEVICE

Cross-references to related applications

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from patent application number 2021-193778, filed November 30, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference. incorporated herein by.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and a caution area setting device.

As a vehicle control device, a technology for controlling the running of vehicles in the construction area is known. Patent Literature 1 describes a technique for receiving position information of a construction area from navigation information or the like.

JP 2014-67165 A

The vehicle control device cannot grasp the location information of sudden construction areas and accident sites in advance. Therefore, there is a demand for a technology that can immediately set a construction area according to the situation around the vehicle.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and can be implemented in the following forms.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the peripheral sensor that detects a target located in a predetermined detection range in front of a driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling or an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane is provided. A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle is provided. The vehicle providing device includes a setting unit that sets a caution area requiring more attention than other areas for a certain area in the detection range ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the target detected by the surrounding sensor. and a control unit that performs predetermined control of the vehicle at least one of when entering the caution area and when exiting the caution area. The setting unit, when a predetermined target object is detected in at least one of the driving lane and the adjacent lane, sets the start position of the caution area so that the target object is included in the caution area. and within a predetermined threshold distance in the direction of travel from the end target, which is the target that is the farthest from the vehicle in the direction of travel of the vehicle, among the detected targets. If the target object is not newly detected in the direction of movement, the end position of the attention area is set to a position separated by the threshold distance from the tip target object in the traveling direction.

According to the vehicle control device of this aspect, the setting unit sets the end position of the caution area when the target object is not newly detected in the area within the threshold distance from the tip object. That is, the setting unit determines that the attention area continues until it is confirmed that the target object does not exist at the threshold distance ahead of the leading end object in the traveling direction. Therefore, it is possible to reliably set a region where vehicle control is desired as a caution region, and to suppress excessive setting of a region in which target objects are not continuous as a caution region.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing is
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the automatic operation control system, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a caution area, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of attention area setting processing, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of attention area determination processing, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of attention area continuation determination processing, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of vehicle control processing; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the automatic driving control system in the second embodiment.

A. First embodiment:
As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle 10 has an automatic driving control system 100 . In this embodiment, the automatic driving control system 100 executes automatic driving of the vehicle 10 . In this embodiment, the automatic driving control system 100 includes a vehicle control device 110, a peripheral sensor 120, a notification device 132, an automatic driving control unit 210, a driving force control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 220, and a braking force control. An ECU 230 and a steering control ECU 240 are provided. Vehicle control device 110 , driving force control ECU 220 , braking force control ECU 230 , and steering control ECU 240 are connected via in-vehicle network 250 . The vehicle 10 may be driven not only by automatic driving but also by manual driving performed manually by the driver.

The peripheral sensor 120 is a sensor that can detect a target located in a predetermined detection range in front of the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling or an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane. In the present embodiment, the term “front” is a concept that includes right front and left front in addition to straight front. Perimeter sensor 120 includes camera 122 and object sensor 124 . The camera 122 acquires an image by imaging the front of the vehicle 10 . The object sensor 124 detects conditions ahead of the vehicle 10 . Examples of the object sensor 124 include a laser radar using reflected waves.

The notification device 132 notifies the occupants of the vehicle 10 of information regarding the running of the vehicle 10 . The notification device 132 notifies, for example, the start and end of the attention area. The notification device 132 can be implemented using, for example, a lamp such as an LED, a display device such as a car navigation system that displays characters or pictures, or an audio device such as a speaker. Alternatively, it may be realized by a device that notifies by vibrating the steering wheel or the seat. In this embodiment, notification device 132 is an audio device.

The vehicle control device 110 includes a setting section 111 and a control section 112 . The vehicle control device 110 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a microcomputer configured with a RAM and a ROM, and the like. The microcomputer executes pre-installed programs to realize the functions of these units. However, some or all of the functions of these units may be realized by hardware circuits.

The setting unit 111 sets a caution area for a certain area in the detection range ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 based on the target detected by the peripheral sensor 120 . A “caution area” is an area that requires more attention than other areas, and includes, for example, an area including an accident site and a construction area. In this embodiment, the caution area is a construction area.

The setting unit 111 sets the start position of the caution area so that the detected target object is included in the caution area when a predetermined target object is detected in either the driving lane or the adjacent lane. do. Further, the setting unit 111 sets a predetermined threshold distance in the direction of travel from the leading end target, which is the target farthest from the vehicle 10 in the direction of travel of the vehicle 10, among the detected targets. If no target object is newly detected within this period, the end position of the caution area is set to a position that is a threshold distance away from the leading end target object in the traveling direction.

Also, the setting unit 111 can adopt, for example, one or more of the following targets as the "predetermined target target" in setting the caution area.

<Target 1>
Road Cone <Target 2>
Road Barrel <Target 3>
Direction indicator plate <Target 4>
Construction sign <Target 5>
Electric display board <Target 6>
Warning light <Target 7>
Stop display equipment <Target 8>
Man

The load cone in Target 1 above is, for example, a cone-shaped cone.

The load barrel in Target 2 is, for example, a cylindrical barrel made of plastic with stripes alternately arranged in orange and white.

The electric display board in the target 5 is, for example, a signboard that uses LEDs to indicate the presence or absence of construction work and to indicate the direction.

The person in the above target 8 includes a mannequin and a humanoid animation displayed on an electric display board.

In addition, the targets 1 to 8 above and other targets can be appropriately combined to form target targets. In this embodiment, the targets 1, 2, and 8 described above are employed as target targets.

The control unit 112 performs predetermined control of the vehicle 10 when entering the caution area set by the setting unit 111 and when exiting the caution area. In this embodiment, the control unit 112 performs first control and second control as predetermined controls. The first vehicle control is vehicle control of the vehicle 10 when entering the caution area. For example, as first vehicle control, the control unit 112 controls the notification device 132 to notify the passenger of the vehicle 10 that the vehicle has entered the caution area. A second vehicle control is a vehicle control of the vehicle 10 when exiting the caution zone. For example, as second vehicle control, the control unit 112 controls the notification device 132 to notify the passengers of the vehicle 10 that they have left the caution area.

The automatic driving control unit 210 consists of a central processing unit (CPU), a microcomputer configured with a RAM and a ROM, etc. The microcomputer executes pre-installed programs to realize automatic driving functions. The automatic driving control unit 210 realizes an automatic driving function by controlling the driving force control ECU 220, the braking force control ECU 230, and the steering control ECU 240. The automatic driving control unit 210, for example, controls the driving force control ECU 220 and the braking force control ECU 230, and automatically changes lanes using the steering control ECU 240.

The driving force control ECU 220 is an electronic control unit that controls actuators that generate driving force for the vehicle 10, such as the engine. When the driver manually drives the vehicle, the driving force control ECU 220 controls the power source such as the engine or the electric motor according to the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal. On the other hand, when performing automatic operation, the driving force control ECU 220 controls the power source according to the required driving force calculated by the control unit 112 .

The braking force control ECU 230 is an electronic control device that controls the brake actuator that generates the braking force of the vehicle 10 . When the driver manually drives the vehicle, the braking force control ECU 230 controls the brake actuator according to the amount of operation of the brake pedal. On the other hand, when performing automatic driving, the braking force control ECU 230 controls the brake actuator according to the required braking force calculated by the control unit 112 .

The steering control ECU 240 is an electronic control unit that controls a motor that generates steering torque for the vehicle 10 . When the driver manually drives the vehicle, the steering control ECU 240 controls the motor according to the operation of the steering wheel to generate an assist torque for the steering operation. As a result, the driver can operate the steering with a small amount of force, and steering of the vehicle 10 is realized. On the other hand, when performing automatic driving, the steering control ECU 240 performs steering by controlling the motor according to the required steering angle calculated by the control unit 112 .

In FIG. 2, the detection range of the peripheral sensor 120 is the hatched area. The vehicle 10 changes lanes from the driving lane Ln1 to the adjacent lane Ln2 in order to avoid colliding with the first target object S1. The start position of the caution area D1 set by the setting unit 111 is the position of the first target object S1. The end position of the caution area D1 set by the setting unit 111 is the farthest position from the vehicle 10 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 among the detected target targets including the first target target S1 and the second target target S2. It is a position separated by a threshold distance Lth from the position of the tip target S1a, which is the target at . The threshold distance Lth is, for example, 100m. In this embodiment, the first target object S1 is a load cone and a load barrel. The second object S2 is a person.

The caution area setting process shown in FIG. 3 is a process in which the setting unit 111 sets the caution area D1. In this embodiment, this process is a process that is repeatedly executed by the setting unit 111 while the vehicle 10 is running, for example, a process that is repeatedly executed every 500 ms.

In step S100, the setting unit 111 determines whether or not there is a caution area D1 based on the target detected by the surrounding sensor 120. When the setting unit 111 determines that there is a caution area D1, that is, when a target object is detected ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, the process proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, if the setting unit 111 determines that there is no attention area D1, that is, if no target object is detected ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, the process returns to step S100. That is, the setting unit 111 repeats the process of step S100 until the caution area D1 is detected.

The attention area determination process shown in FIG. 4 is an example of a process in which the setting unit 111 determines whether or not there is a attention area D1 in step S100 (see FIG. 3). In step S101, the setting unit 111 determines whether or not the first target object S1 has been continuously detected within the detection range in the driving lane Ln1 for the time t1. Time t1 is, for example, 0.5 seconds. When the first target object S1 is continuously detected in the driving lane Ln1 for the time t1, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S105 and determines that the caution area D1 is in front of the vehicle 10 in the driving lane Ln1. , stores the position of the first object S1. On the other hand, when the first target object S1 is not detected in the driving lane Ln1 continuously for the time t1, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S102.

In step S102, the setting unit 111 determines whether or not the first object S1 has been continuously detected within the detection range of the adjacent lane Ln2 for the time t2. The time t2 is, for example, 1 second. When the first target object S1 is continuously detected on the adjacent lane Ln2 for the time t2, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S105, determines that there is a caution area D1, and determines that the first target object S1 is positioned memorize On the other hand, when the first target object S1 is not detected on the adjacent lane Ln2 continuously for the time t2, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S103.

In step S103, the setting unit 111 determines whether or not the second target object S2 has been continuously detected within the detection range of the driving lane Ln1 or the adjacent lane Ln2 for the time t3. Time t3 is, for example, 0.3 seconds. When the second target object S2 is continuously detected in the driving lane Ln1 or the adjacent lane Ln2 for the time t3, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S105, determines that there is the caution area D1, and determines that the second target object Store the position of the mark S2. On the other hand, when the second target object S2 is not detected in the driving lane Ln1 and the adjacent lane Ln2 continuously for the time t3, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S104 and determines that there is no caution area D1.

It should be noted that the time t3 is preferably shorter than the time t1, and the time t1 is preferably shorter than the time t2. Since the load cone and the load barrel, which are the first target S1, are the targets 1 installed on the road, the false detection can be prevented by setting the detection judgment threshold to be continuously detected for a long period of time. can be avoided. Also, since the person who is the second object S2 may move, it is preferable to determine that the person has been detected if detected even for a short period of time.

In step S110 (see FIG. 3), the setting unit 111 sets the start position of the attention area D1. For example, the setting unit 111 sets the start position of the attention area D1 to the position of the first target object S1 stored in step S105 (see FIG. 4). In step S110, the setting unit 111 may provisionally set the end position of the caution area D1 to the farthest position from the vehicle 10 within the detection range in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 .

In step S120, the setting unit 111 determines whether or not the attention area D1 continues. When the setting unit 111 determines that the caution area D1 has not continued, that is, when it determines that the caution area D1 has ended, the process proceeds to step S140. On the other hand, when the setting unit 111 determines that the caution area D1 has started, in step S130, the end position of the caution area D1 is reset to the farthest position from the vehicle 10 within the detection range in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. After setting, the process returns to step S120. In other words, the setting unit 111 repeats the processing of steps S120 to S130 while the attention area D1 continues.

The attention area continuation determination process shown in FIG. 5 is an example of a process in which the setting unit 111 determines whether or not the attention area D1 continues in step S120 (see FIG. 3). In step S121, the setting unit 111 determines whether or not at least one of the first target object S1 and the second target object S2 has been continuously detected within the detection range of the driving lane Ln1 or the adjacent lane Ln2 for the time t4. determine whether When the first target object S1 or the second target object S2 is detected in the driving lane Ln1 or the adjacent lane Ln2 at the time t4, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S124, and determines that the caution area D1 continues. judge. On the other hand, when the first target object S1 and the second target object S2 are not detected in the driving lane Ln1 and the adjacent lane Ln2 at the time t4, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S122.

In step S122, the setting unit 111 determines whether or not a target object has been newly detected within a threshold distance Lth in the traveling direction from the tip target object. When a target target is newly detected within the threshold distance Lth in the traveling direction from the tip target target, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S124. On the other hand, if no new target is detected within the threshold distance Lth in the direction of travel from the leading end target, the setting unit 111 proceeds to the process of step S123, determines that the caution region D1 has ended, and Store the position of the tip target target.

In step S140 (see FIG. 3), the setting unit 111 sets the end position of the caution area D1 to a position ahead of the threshold distance Lth in the traveling direction from the position of the tip target stored in step S123 (see FIG. 5). set.

The vehicle control process shown in FIG. 6 is a series of processes in which the vehicle control device 110 controls the vehicle 10 . In this embodiment, this process is a process that is repeatedly executed by the vehicle control device 110 while the vehicle 10 is running, for example, a process that is repeatedly executed every 500 ms. Also, this process may be executed in parallel with the attention area setting process.

At step S200, the vehicle control device 110 determines whether or not the vehicle 10 has entered the caution area D1. When the vehicle control device 110 determines that the vehicle 10 has entered the caution area D1, that is, when the vehicle 10 has passed the start position of the caution area D1, the process proceeds to step S210. On the other hand, when the vehicle control device 110 determines that the vehicle 10 has not entered the caution area D1, that is, when the vehicle 10 has not reached the start position of the caution area D1, the process returns to step S200. That is, the vehicle control device 110 repeats the process of step S200 until the vehicle 10 enters the caution area D1.

At step S210, the control unit 112 performs the first vehicle control.

In step S220, the vehicle control device 110 determines whether or not the vehicle 10 has left the caution area D1. When the vehicle control device 110 determines that the vehicle 10 has left the caution area D1, that is, when the vehicle 10 has passed the end position of the caution area D1, the process proceeds to step S230. On the other hand, when the vehicle control device 110 determines that the vehicle 10 has not left the caution area D1, that is, when the vehicle 10 has not reached the end position of the caution area D1, the process returns to step S220. That is, the vehicle control device 110 repeats the process of step S220 until the vehicle 10 leaves the attention area D1.

At step S230, the control unit 112 performs the second vehicle control.

According to the vehicle control device 110 of the present embodiment described above, when the target object S1 is not newly detected in the area within the threshold distance Lth from the leading object, the end position of the caution area D1 is set. That is, the setting unit 111 determines that the attention area D1 continues until it is confirmed that the target objects S1 and S2 do not exist at a threshold distance ahead of the leading end target object S1a in the traveling direction. Therefore, it is possible to surely set the area where the vehicle control of the vehicle 10 is desired as the caution area D1, and suppress the excessive setting of the area where the target objects S1 and S2 are not continuous as the caution area D1.

Also, the setting unit 111 employs a load cone and a load barrel as the first target S1. Since these targets are unique to the construction site, the construction area can be determined more reliably.

In addition, the control unit 112 notifies the start of the construction area that is the caution area D1 as the first control, and notifies the end of the construction area that is the caution area D1 as the second control. Therefore, it is possible to notify the passengers of the vehicle 10 of the existence of the construction area.

B. Second embodiment:
The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the vehicle control device 110B includes a caution area setting device 300, and the rest of the configuration is the same. As shown in FIG. 7 , the vehicle control device 110B has a caution area setting device 300 and a control section 112 . Attention area setting device 300 includes setting unit 111 and output unit 113 . The output unit 113 outputs the caution area D<b>1 set by the setting unit 111 to the control unit 112 . This second embodiment also has substantially the same effect as the first embodiment.

C. Other embodiments:
(C1) In the above-described embodiment, the threshold distance Lth may be set by the setting unit 111 according to whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. For example, the threshold distance Lth may be set to a longer distance in bad weather than in normal weather. Also, the threshold distance Lth may be set to a longer distance when the tip target is a construction signboard than when it is not a construction signboard.

(C2) In the above-described embodiment, the setting unit 111 sets the position of the target object as the starting position of the attention area D1. Alternatively, the setting unit 111 may set a position a predetermined distance before the position of the target object in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 as the start position of the caution area D1.

(C3) In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 112 performs the first vehicle control when entering the caution area D1, and performs the second vehicle control when exiting the caution area D1. Alternatively, the control unit 112 may perform vehicle control at least one of when entering the caution area D1 and when leaving the caution area D1. More specifically, in the vehicle control process (see FIG. 6), steps S220 and S230 may be omitted, and steps S200 and S210 may be omitted.

(C4) In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 112 controls the notification device 132 to notify the start of the caution area D1 as the first vehicle control, and notifies the end of the caution area D1 as the second vehicle control. The notification device 132 is controlled as follows. Not limited to this, for example, the control unit 112 controls the automatic operation control unit 210 to switch from automatic operation to manual operation as the first vehicle control, and automatically switches from manual operation to automatic operation as the second vehicle control. The operation control unit 210 may be controlled. Further, the control unit 112 controls the automatic driving control unit 210 to decelerate the vehicle 10 as the first vehicle control, and controls the automatic driving control unit 210 to accelerate the vehicle 10 as the second vehicle control. good.

(C5) In the above-described embodiment, the first target object S1 is a road cone and a load barrel, and the second target object S2 is a person. For example, the first target object S1 may be a person, and the second target object S2 may be a road cone and a load barrel.

(C6) In the above-described embodiment, the same type of target is adopted as the target object in the attention area determination process and the target target in the attention area continuation determination process. Not limited to this, different types of targets may be adopted as the target target in the attention area determination process and the target target in the attention area continuation determination process.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the outline of the invention are In addition, it is possible to perform replacement and combination as appropriate. Moreover, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

The controller and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by the computer program. may be Alternatively, the controls and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring the processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the limitations and techniques described in this disclosure can be implemented by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. It may also be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured. The computer program may also be stored as computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium.

Claims

Mounted on the vehicle comprising a peripheral sensor (120) for detecting a target located in a predetermined detection range in front of the vehicle in the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling or in an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane A vehicle control device (110) comprising:
a setting unit (111) for setting, based on the target detected by the peripheral sensor, a caution area requiring more attention than other areas for a certain area in the detection range forward in the traveling direction of the vehicle;
a control unit (112) that performs predetermined control of the vehicle at least one of when entering the caution area and when exiting the caution area;
The setting unit
setting a start position of the attention area so that the target object is included in the attention area when a predetermined target object is detected in at least one of the driving lane and the adjacent lane;
Among the detected target objects, the target object is located within a predetermined threshold distance in the traveling direction from the leading target object, which is the target object located farthest from the vehicle in the traveling direction of the vehicle. A vehicle control device that sets, when no new target is detected, a position separated by the threshold distance from the leading end target in the traveling direction as an end position of the caution area.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The vehicle control device, wherein the target includes at least one of a load cone or a load barrel and a person.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The control unit controls a notification device (132) provided in the vehicle to notify the occupant of the vehicle of the start and end of the caution area when entering and exiting the caution area. A vehicle control device that performs control.
A caution area setting device mounted on the vehicle, comprising a peripheral sensor for detecting a target located in a predetermined detection range in front of a driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling or an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane. (300) and
a setting unit that sets a caution area that requires more attention than other areas for a certain area in the detection range ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the target detected by the peripheral sensor;
An output unit (113) that outputs the attention area set by the setting unit,
The setting unit
setting a start position of the attention area so that the target object is included in the attention area when a predetermined target object is detected in at least one of the driving lane and the adjacent lane;
Among the detected target objects, the target object is located within a predetermined threshold distance in the traveling direction from the leading target object, which is the target object located farthest from the vehicle in the traveling direction of the vehicle. A attention area setting device for setting a position separated by the threshold distance from the tip target object in the advancing direction as an end position of the attention area when no new target is detected.