JP2015072650A - Route calculation device, vehicle control device, vehicle driving support device, vehicle, route calculation program, and route calculation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an enhanced route calculation device.SOLUTION: An automatic driving vehicle 100 has a route calculation device comprising: a condition acquisition unit 14 which acquires conditions such as a surrounding condition of the vehicle 100, an enterable area map, conditions of other vehicles (routes of the other vehicles, positions of the other vehicles, etc.), and road conditions (conditions such as presence of intersection, road width, and traffic rules); a route calculation unit 15 which calculates a route on which the vehicle is recommended to travel on the basis of the road conditions; and an enterable point calculation unit 16 which calculates an enterable point to which the vehicle is authorized to travel on the route calculated by the route calculation unit 15.

Description

  The present invention relates to a route calculation device, a route calculation program, and a route calculation method for calculating a route on which a vehicle should travel, and also relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle driving support device including the route calculation device.

  In order to realize automatic driving of a vehicle, a route calculation device that calculates a route on which the vehicle should travel is known (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). Automatic driving is realized by controlling the vehicle according to the calculated route. Further, by guiding the calculated route to the driver, it becomes possible to assist the driver in driving the vehicle.

  In addition, there exist the following prior art documents as a prior art relevant to this invention.

JP2013-129328A

"Path Planning for Autonomous Vehicle in Unknown Semi-Structured Environments", The International Journal of Robotics Research 2010 29: 485, 25 January 2010, Dmitri Dolgov, Sebastian Thrun, Michael Montemerlo, James Diebel "Motion Planning for Urban Driving using RRT", Yoshiaki Kuwata, Gaston A. Fiore, Justin Teo, Emilio Frazzoli, and Jonathan P. How

  However, in the conventional route calculation device, the route on which the vehicle should travel is calculated, but the timing at which the vehicle may travel on the route is not sufficiently considered, or can proceed at this time Only the route to the point determined to be is calculated. In the former case, if the vehicle travels at any timing according to the calculated route, there is a risk of interference with the travel of other vehicles, and an accident may occur if the vehicle travels without confirming safety. . In the latter case, the route calculation is performed on an ad hoc basis, and if the vehicle travels along the route, the vehicle may behave unreasonably.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an improved route calculation device and the like.

  The route calculation device according to the present invention includes a route calculation unit that calculates a route along which the vehicle should travel, and a travel that is a point where the vehicle is allowed to travel to the middle of the route calculated by the route calculation unit. It has the structure provided with the advancing point calculation part which calculates a point. According to this configuration, not only a route is calculated, but also a point on the route that can be traveled is calculated, so a route with good driving efficiency is not necessarily calculated without completely considering safety. In addition, by calculating the travelable point, the vehicle can be driven without causing interference with other vehicles or causing an accident.

  The route calculation device may further include a situation grasping unit that grasps a situation around the vehicle, and the travelable point calculation unit is configured to determine the situation around the vehicle grasped by the situation grasping unit. Based on this, the travelable point may be calculated. According to this configuration, the end point on the route where the vehicle can travel safely without causing an accident can be set as the travelable point according to the situation around the vehicle.

  The situation grasping unit may grasp an approachable area around the vehicle based on an output of the sensor, and the travelable point calculating unit may be configured to obtain a route calculated by the route calculating unit from the vehicle. The travelable point may be calculated so that only the approachable area grasped by the situation grasping unit is included between the travelable points. According to this configuration, passing through an area that should not be traveled in the process of traveling along a route to a travelable point is avoided.

  The travelable point calculation unit may calculate a next travelable point when or before the vehicle reaches the travelable point. According to this configuration, since the travelable point is updated, it is possible to travel along the route.

  The route calculation unit may calculate the route again when or before the vehicle reaches the travelable point, and the travelable point calculation unit may re-calculate the route at the route calculation unit. When calculated, a travelable point regarding the route may be calculated. According to this configuration, even when there is a change in the situation during traveling, an optimal route can be calculated, and safe and smooth traveling is possible.

  The route calculation device may further include a situation grasping unit that grasps a situation of another vehicle, and the travelable point calculation unit is based on the situation of the other vehicle grasped by the situation grasping unit, The travelable point may be calculated. According to this configuration, the end point on the route on which the vehicle can travel without interfering with the traveling of another vehicle can be set as the travelable point.

  The situation grasping unit may grasp the route of the other vehicle as the state of the other vehicle, and the travelable point calculating unit may not interfere with the route of the other vehicle grasped by the situation grasping unit. The travelable point may be calculated. According to this configuration, when a route is calculated in another vehicle and traveling according to the route, it is possible to travel so as not to interfere with the traveling of the other vehicle in consideration of the route of the other vehicle. .

  The situation grasping unit may grasp the route of the other vehicle based on information acquired from the other vehicle through communication. According to this structure, said structure is realizable by cooperation between vehicles.

  The situation grasping unit may grasp the route of the other vehicle based on information acquired by communication. According to this structure, said structure is realizable by cooperation with a management server or another vehicle.

  The route calculation apparatus may further include a situation grasping unit that grasps a road situation, and the travelable point calculation unit is configured to allow the progress based on the road situation grasped by the situation grasping unit. A point may be calculated. According to this configuration, the end point on the route where the vehicle can travel safely without causing an accident can be set as the travelable point according to the road condition.

  The road condition may include the presence or absence of an intersection, the road width, and / or the condition of traffic rules. According to this configuration, an end point on a route where the vehicle can travel safely without causing an accident can be set as a travelable point according to the presence / absence of an intersection, road width, and / or traffic rules.

  The situation grasping unit may grasp a road situation by acquiring information related to the road situation by communication. According to this configuration, the road condition can be acquired with certainty.

  The vehicle control device of the present invention controls the travel of the vehicle based on the route calculation device, the route calculated by the route calculation unit, and the travelable point calculated by the travelable point calculation unit. And a vehicle control unit. According to this configuration, by traveling based on the calculated travelable point, the vehicle can be traveled without causing interference with other vehicles or causing an accident.

  A vehicle driving support device according to the present invention is based on the above route calculation device, the route calculated by the route calculation unit, and the travelable point calculated by the travelable point calculation unit. And a driving support unit that performs the operation. According to this configuration, driving assistance can be performed so that the vehicle travels without causing interference or an accident with traveling of another vehicle by performing driving assistance based on the calculated travelable point.

  The vehicle of the present invention has a configuration including the vehicle control device or the vehicle driving support device. According to this configuration, the vehicle can travel without causing interference or an accident with the traveling of another vehicle.

  The route calculation program according to the present invention includes a route calculation unit that calculates a route along which the vehicle should travel, and a point in the middle of the route calculated by the route calculation unit that the vehicle is allowed to travel to. It has a configuration that functions as a travelable point calculation unit that calculates a travelable point. According to this configuration, not only a route is calculated, but also a point on the route that can be traveled is calculated, so a route with good driving efficiency is not necessarily calculated without completely considering safety. In addition, by calculating the travelable point, the vehicle can be driven without causing interference with other vehicles or causing an accident.

  The route calculation method of the present invention includes a route calculation step for calculating a route along which the vehicle should travel, and a progress possible at a point where the vehicle is allowed to travel to the middle of the route calculated in the route calculation step. And a travelable point calculating step for calculating a point. According to this configuration, not only a route is calculated, but also a point on the route that can be traveled is calculated, so a route with good driving efficiency is not necessarily calculated without completely considering safety. In addition, by calculating the travelable point, the vehicle can be driven without causing interference with other vehicles or causing an accident.

  According to the present invention, not only simply calculating a route, but also calculating to which point on the route it is possible to proceed, so that a route with good driving efficiency is not necessarily calculated without completely considering safety. In addition, by calculating the travelable point, the vehicle can be driven without causing interference with other vehicles or causing an accident.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the autonomous driving vehicle in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the 1st example of the route calculation of the 1st Embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the 2nd example of the route calculation of the 1st Embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the 3rd example of the route calculation of the 1st Embodiment of this invention The flowchart of the vehicle control processing of the 1st Embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows the structure of the autonomous driving vehicle in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of the route calculation of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the example of the approachable area | region map of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention Flow chart of vehicle control processing of the second embodiment of the present invention

  Hereinafter, an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below shows an example when the present invention is implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the specific configuration described below. In carrying out the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be adopted as appropriate.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an autonomous driving vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The automatic driving vehicle 100 includes a communication unit 11, an in-vehicle sensor 12, a map data storage unit 13, a situation grasping unit 14, a route calculation unit 15, a travelable point calculation unit 16, a vehicle control unit 17, and an in-vehicle actuator 18. .

  In the present embodiment, all the configurations shown in FIG. 1 are provided in an automatic driving vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “vehicle”) 100, but some of these configurations are provided outside the vehicle 100. It may be. For example, some or all of the situation grasping unit 24, the route calculating unit 15, and the travelable point calculating unit 16 may be provided in a computer outside the vehicle 100. In this case, the configuration of FIG. 1 may be realized by communication between the vehicle 100 and the external computer to transmit and receive various data.

  The situation grasping unit 14, the route calculating unit 15, and the travelable point calculating unit 16 constitute a route calculating device of the present invention. Further, the situation grasping unit 14, the route calculating unit 15, the travelable point calculating unit 16, and the vehicle control unit 17 constitute a vehicle control device of the present invention. In addition, instead of or in addition to the vehicle control unit 17 and the vehicle-mounted actuator 18, a driving support unit that performs driving support for the driver may be provided. In this case, the situation grasping unit 14, the route calculating unit 15, The travelable point calculation unit 16 and the driving support unit constitute the vehicle driving support device of the present invention. Note that the driving support unit may support driving by showing the route calculated by the route calculation unit 15 and the travelable point calculated by the travelable point calculation unit 16 to the driver by video.

  The route calculation device, the vehicle control device, and the vehicle driving support device described above may be realized by a computer executing a predetermined computer program. A program for realizing the route calculation device corresponds to the route calculation program of the present invention.

  The communication unit 11 performs wireless communication with an external management server, which will be described later, and other vehicles, and transmits and receives necessary information. Specific contents of the transmitted / received information will be described later. The in-vehicle sensor 12 includes a millimeter wave radar device that is provided in front of the vehicle and recognizes an obstacle ahead of the vehicle, a camera that captures the periphery of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed, and the like. The map data storage unit 13 stores map information. The map data storage unit 13 includes, as map information, road link and node information, building information, traffic rule information such as speed limit and one-way traffic, road width (number of lanes), accident-prone points ( Information) is stored.

  The situation grasping unit 14 indicates the situation where the vehicle is placed based on the information received by the communication unit 11, the sensing information acquired by the in-vehicle sensor 12, and the map information stored in the map data storage unit 13. To grasp. The situation grasping unit 14 generates an approachable area map indicating an approachable area around the vehicle based on the sensing information from the in-vehicle sensor 12.

  The route calculation unit 15 calculates a route on which the vehicle should travel based on the information grasped by the situation grasping unit 14. Note that the route calculated by the route calculation unit 15 according to the present embodiment knows how to travel in the travel direction, acceleration, and deceleration specifically within a relatively short distance range. This information is different from a route indicating which link or node is used to reach the destination as in route search in normal navigation.

  The travelable point calculation unit 16 calculates a travelable point that is a point in the middle of the route calculated by the route calculation unit 15. A travelable point is a point where the vehicle is allowed to travel to that point. This possible travel point is determined by the situation grasping unit 14, the situation around the vehicle 100, the accessible area map (described later), the situation of other vehicles (the route of other vehicles, the position of other vehicles, etc.), the road It is calculated based on the situation (existence of intersection, road width, traffic rules, etc.).

  The vehicle control unit 17 controls the travel of the vehicle based on the route calculated by the route calculation unit 15 and the travelable point calculated by the travelable point calculation unit 16. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 17 controls an in-vehicle actuator 18 for causing the vehicle 100 to travel. The on-vehicle actuator 18 causes the vehicle 100 to travel.

  Hereinafter, an example of route calculation by the vehicle 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first example of route calculation according to the first embodiment of this invention. In this example, in a facility such as a condominium, the vehicle V2 automatically travels and automatically travels from the parking lot PL to the charging station CS, and the charged vehicle V1 automatically travels from the charging station CS to the parking lot PL. Is shown. The vehicles V1 and V2 are each provided with the configuration shown in FIG. In this example, calculation of a route in the vehicle V2 will be described.

  In this example, a roadside communication device 200 and a management server 300 are provided. The roadside communication device 200 communicates with each of the vehicle V1 and the vehicle V2. Each vehicle transmits information such as its route and current position to other vehicles via the roadside communication device 200, and receives information such as its route and current position from other vehicles.

  Each vehicle also communicates with the management server 300, and acquires information on the positions of the parking lot PL and the charging station CS and the space in which they can travel from the management server 300. The communication unit 11 is used for these communications. In addition, the position of parking lot PL and charging station CS, and the information of the space which can drive between them are memorize | stored in the map data storage part 13 as map information, and each vehicle reads from the map data storage part 13 You may get it.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the optimal route for the vehicle V2 in the parking lot PL to move to the charging station CS is as shown by the solid line, and the optimal route for the vehicle V1 in the charging station CS to move to the parking lot PL. A simple route looks like a dotted line. However, when both vehicles travel along this route, there are places where the route of the vehicle V1 and the route of the vehicle V2 intersect. Therefore, depending on the travel timing of each vehicle, the travel of both vehicles may interfere with each other, and both vehicles Will collide.

  Here, the vehicle V1 first travels on the route R11 to the point P and then stops there, then the vehicle V2 travels on the route R2 to the charging station CS, and then the vehicle V1 travels on the route R12 and is parked. If it moves to PL, the position of both vehicles can be changed, without both vehicles colliding. Hereinafter, the configuration of the vehicle V1 for realizing such traveling will be described.

  The communication unit 11 acquires information on the positions of the parking lot PL and the charging station CS and the space in which the vehicle can travel between them from the management server 300 and provides the information to the situation grasping unit 14. Further, the communication unit 11 acquires information on the route of the vehicle V <b> 2 (route R <b> 2) and the current position of the vehicle V <b> 2 from the roadside communication device 200, and provides the information to the situation grasping unit 14. The in-vehicle sensor 12 provides sensing information around the vehicle V1 to the situation grasping unit 14.

  The situation grasping unit 14 confirms whether there are any obstacles such as passers-by, traveling vehicles, and structures based on the sensing information acquired from the in-vehicle sensor 12, and generates an accessible area map. The approachable area map is a map showing an area where there is no obstacle around the vehicle V1 and entry is permitted.

  The situation grasping unit 14 divides the area around the vehicle (the ground surface) into a grid arranged in a matrix, determines whether or not the grid can be entered for each grid, and the grid can be entered (safe). An accessible area map is generated by giving information on whether or not there is an entry impossible (danger, unknown). The situation grasping unit 14 provides various types of information acquired by the communication unit 11 to the route calculation unit 15 and the travelable point calculation unit 16, and further provides the generated approachable area map to the travelable point calculation unit 16. .

  The route calculation unit 15 calculates a route from the charging station CS to the parking lot PL based on various information acquired by the communication unit 11. For this route calculation, a route generation algorithm such as hybridA * introduced in Non-Patent Document 1 or RRT introduced in Non-Patent Document 2 can be employed. The route calculation unit 15 may calculate a plurality of routes, but in this example, it is assumed that only one route is generated for simplicity of explanation. The route calculation unit 15 provides the calculated route to the travelable point calculation unit 16. In this example, as a result of considering the route (R2) of the vehicle V2, routes (R11 to R12) indicated by dotted lines are calculated as the route of the vehicle V1.

  The travelable point calculation unit 16 proceeds based on information acquired from the situation grasping unit 14 (particularly, information on the route and the current position of the vehicle V2), an accessible area map, and the route calculated by the route calculation unit 15. Calculate possible points. The travelable point calculation unit 16 superimposes the route and the enterable region map, follows the route from the position of the host vehicle, and is the point before entering the inaccessible grid first, and the route of the vehicle V2 A point that does not interfere with traveling along the road is determined as a travelable point. The point thus obtained is a point P shown in FIG.

  As a result, the vehicle control unit 17 first controls the in-vehicle actuator 18 to travel along the route R11 to the travelable point P, and the vehicle V1 travels in such a manner and stops at the travelable point P. When the vehicle V2 travels along the route R2 and enters the charging station CS from which the vehicle V1 has exited, the travelable point calculation unit 16 of the vehicle V1 calculates the travelable point again. In this example, since there is no vehicle V2 already in the parking lot PL, the travelable point is the parking lot PL, and the vehicle V1 travels to the parking lot PL.

  In the above example, the vehicle V1 includes the situation grasping unit 14, the route calculating unit 15, and the travelable point calculating unit 16, and the in-vehicle sensor 12 senses the situation around the vehicle V1, and the communication unit 11 is the management server. Information on the position of the parking lot PL and the charging station CS and the travelable space between them is obtained from 300, and the route (route R2) and current position information of the vehicle V2 is obtained from the roadside communication device 200. Thus, the situation grasping part 14 grasps the situation and creates an accessible area map, the route calculating part 15 calculates the route, and the advanceable point calculating part 16 calculates the advanceable point. The functions of the situation grasping unit 14, the route calculating unit 15, and the travelable point calculating unit 16 may be provided in an external device.

  In the case of this example, these functions may be provided in the management server 300. In this case, the vehicle V1 transmits the sensing information of the in-vehicle sensor 12 to the management server 300 via the communication unit 11, and the roadside communication device 200 also acquires information on the route (route R2) and the current position of the vehicle V2. It transmits to the management server 300. In the management server 300, the situation grasping unit 14 creates an enterable area map as described above, the route calculating unit 15 calculates a route, and the travelable point calculating unit 16 calculates a travelable point. Then, the management server 300 transmits information on the calculated route and the travelable point to the vehicle V1. In the vehicle V1, the communication unit 11 receives these pieces of information, and the vehicle control unit 17 drives the vehicle-mounted actuator 18 based on these pieces of information.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a second example of route calculation according to the first embodiment of this invention. Consider the case where two vehicles V1 and V2 travel in this example as well. In this example, the vehicle V1 and the vehicle V2 perform direct wireless communication with each other. The communication unit 11 of each vehicle is used for this wireless communication. The communication unit 11 of the vehicle V1 acquires information on the route R2 from the vehicle V2.

  In the vehicle V1, the following processing is performed. The situation grasping unit 14 confirms whether there are any obstacles such as passers-by, traveling vehicles, and structures based on the sensing information acquired from the in-vehicle sensor 12, and generates an accessible area map. In addition, the situation grasping unit 14 acquires information on roads around the host vehicle from the map data storage unit 13. Further, the situation grasping unit 14 acquires information on the route and the current position of the vehicle V2 from the communication unit 11. The situation grasping unit 14 provides road information to the route calculation unit 15, and generates road information, route and position information of the vehicle V2, and an approachable area map to the travelable point calculation unit 16.

  The route calculation unit 15 calculates the route of the vehicle V <b> 1 based on the road information and the designated purpose and provides the route to the travelable point calculation unit 16. The travelable point calculation unit 16 calculates the travelable point based on the route acquired from the route calculation unit 15, the approachable area map, the route of the vehicle V <b> 2, and the current position information.

  In this example, the vehicle V1 calculates a route to turn right at the T-shaped intersection ahead, but the vehicle V2 also travels along the route R2. The travelable point calculation unit 16 of the vehicle V1 recognizes from the map information stored in the map data storage unit 13 that the host vehicle is not prioritized, and sets the travel point P before the intersection on the route. Calculate as

  The vehicle V1 travels to the travelable point P according to the route and stops. In the vehicle V1, the current position information of the vehicle V2 is acquired, and the travelable point P is updated. When the vehicle V2 passes the intersection, a new travelable point is calculated and travels to that point. When the vehicle V1 reaches the travelable point P and the vehicle V2 has not yet passed the intersection, the vehicle V1 remains stopped at the travelable point P.

  As in this example, information on other vehicles may be obtained directly from the other vehicles by wireless communication. Further, after the vehicle V2 passes the intersection, a new travelable point is obtained, and the vehicle travels to the travelable point. At that time, the map data storage unit 13 stores the link and node information. In addition, there is a request for traffic regulations according to laws and regulations such as temporary stop, so it is possible to stop according to it. Also in this case, the route that can be traveled smoothly can be calculated since the route R12 including the route R12 that exceeds the temporary stop point (progress point) is calculated first.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a third example of route calculation according to the first embodiment of this invention. Consider the case where two vehicles V1 and V2 travel in this example as well. In this example, the vehicle V1 and the vehicle V2 are traveling in tandem with each other, and are traveling according to a straight path. Further, the vehicle V1 and the vehicle V2 communicate with each other and share information on each other's route and a travelable point.

  In the vehicle V2, the route calculation unit 15 calculates the route R2 and travels accordingly. Also in the vehicle V1 ahead, the route is calculated and the vehicle travels accordingly. At this time, when the travelable point calculation unit 16 of the vehicle V1 ahead calculates the travelable point P1, the information is transmitted to the vehicle V2. In the vehicle V2, the route calculation unit 15 calculates a new route R2 ′ in consideration of the travelable point P1 of the vehicle V1, and the travelable point calculation unit 16 calculates the travelable point P2 for this route. .

  In the example of FIG. 4, since the vehicle V1 is scheduled to stop at the travelable point P1, the vehicle V2 calculates a route R2 'overtaking the vehicle V1. Thus, in the vehicle V2, the route calculation unit 15 calculates the route in consideration of the travelable point P1 of the other vehicle V1. In addition, although description was abbreviate | omitted above, also in the 1st example and the 2nd example, the route calculation part 15 of the vehicle V2 considers the travelable point of the vehicle V1, and calculates its route. .

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the vehicle control process according to the first embodiment of this invention. In the first to third examples, the vehicle 100 performs the above-described route calculation and travelable point calculation by performing processing according to the flowchart of FIG. First, the situation grasping unit 14 grasps the situation based on the information received by the communication unit 11, the sensing information obtained by the in-vehicle sensor 12, and the map information acquired from the map data storage unit 13, and can enter. A region map is generated (step S51).

  Next, the route calculation unit 15 calculates a route based on the map information (step S52). Then, the travelable point calculation unit 16 calculates the travelable point by superimposing the route calculated by the route calculation unit 15 on the approachable region map generated by the situation grasping unit 14 (step S53). ). The vehicle control unit 15 controls the in-vehicle actuator 18 so as to travel along the route to the travelable point. As a result, the vehicle travels according to the route (step S54).

  Next, the situation grasping unit 14 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 has reached a travelable point (step S55). When the travelable point has not been reached (NO in step S55), the situation grasping unit 14 determines whether or not to update the travelable point (step S56). When the travelable point is updated, the other vehicle does not travel as planned based on the information on the other vehicle acquired by the communication unit 11, or the vehicle sensor detects a failure. This is when an object is detected.

  When it is determined that the travelable point is updated (YES in step S56), the process returns to step S53 to calculate the travelable point. If it is determined not to update the travelable point (NO in step S56), the process returns to step S54 to continue traveling according to the route. If the vehicle continues to travel and reaches a travelable point (YES in step S55), it is determined whether the end point of the route calculated by route calculating unit 15 has been reached (step S57). If the end point of the route has not been reached (NO in step S57), the process returns to step S53 to calculate the next travelable point.

  If the end point of the route has been reached (YES in step S57), the process ends. If the vehicle is traveling on a road as in the second example and the third example, the route is updated one after another before the processing is completed, and the above steps S51 to S57 are continuously performed. By repeating the above, automatic driving is realized in the vehicle 100.

  As described above, according to the vehicle 100 of the first embodiment, not only the route is calculated and the travel control is performed according to the calculated route, but also the travelable point is calculated after calculating the route. There is no need to calculate a completely safe route, and a route that can be smoothly traveled can be calculated. Then, the travelable point is calculated and the vehicle travel control to the travelable point is performed, so that safe travel is possible.

  In addition, when a plurality of vehicles travels according to a route, each vehicle does not simply travel according to the route, but travels to a travelable point set in the middle of the route and pauses. Therefore, even if the routes of a plurality of vehicles intersect, the routes of these vehicles can travel safely without interference (vehicles collide).

  Furthermore, it is possible to calculate its own route through the roadside communication device 200 or according to a travelable point of another vehicle that is communicating directly. Thereby, a more efficient and safe route can be obtained in each of the plurality of vehicles.

  In the above description, in the first example, the management server 300 and the roadside communication device 200 are used to obtain information on the space that can be traveled from the outside and exchange information between vehicles. Also in the second and third examples, instead of acquiring map information from the map data storage unit 13, map information may be acquired from the management server 300, and instead of directly communicating between vehicles, roadside communication Communication between vehicles may be performed via the device 200. Conversely, also in the first example, map information may be acquired from the map data storage unit 13 as in the second and third examples, and direct communication may be performed between vehicles. Furthermore, in the second and third examples, when the management server 300 is used, the functions of the situation grasping unit 14, the route calculation unit 15, and the travelable point calculation unit 16 may be included in the management server 300. This is as described in the first example.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same components as those of the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The vehicle 100 ′ according to the present embodiment includes a route selection unit 19 in addition to the configuration of the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment.

  The route calculation unit 15 of the present embodiment calculates a plurality of routes, and the travelable point calculation unit 16 calculates travelable points for each route calculated by the route calculation unit 15. Then, the route selection unit 19 selects the route by evaluating the set of the plurality of routes and the travelable points.

  In the first embodiment, the route and the travelable point are calculated by cooperation of a plurality of vehicles. However, in this embodiment, the vehicle does not cooperate with other vehicles, and the route and Find where you can go. Therefore, in the vehicle 100 ′ of the present embodiment, the communication unit 11 may be omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of route calculation according to the second embodiment of this invention. A vehicle V2 is traveling in front of the vehicle V1. Hereinafter, processing such as route calculation in the vehicle V1 will be described. The vehicle-mounted sensor 12 of the vehicle V1 detects the vehicle V2 ahead and provides this sensing information to the situation grasping unit 14. The situation grasping unit 14 provides the sensing information and the map information stored in the map data storage unit 13 to the route calculation unit 15.

  The route calculation unit 15 calculates a route that travels avoiding the vehicle V2 based on the map information and the sensing information that detects the vehicle V2. The routes calculated in this way are the two routes R1 and R2 shown in FIG. The situation grasping unit 14 generates an approachable region map using the sensing information and the map information, and provides the generated approachable region map to the travelable point calculation unit 16.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an accessible area map according to the embodiment of this invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the travelable point calculation unit 16 superimposes the plurality of routes calculated by the route calculation unit 15 on the approachable region map M generated by the situation grasping unit 14. In the approachable area map M of FIG. 8, the shaded grid is a grid (unconfirmed grid) in which it is not confirmed that there is no obstacle as a result of sensing by the in-vehicle sensor 12, and the black grid is an obstacle It is confirmed that there is a lattice (impossible entry lattice), and the open lattice is a lattice confirmed that there is no obstacle (entrance allowed).

  The travelable point calculation unit 16 follows the route R1 from the vehicle V1 for the route R1, and sets the point P1 immediately before entering the unconfirmed lattice or the inaccessible lattice as the travelable point. In addition, for the route R2, the trial allowed point calculation unit 16 follows the route R2 from the vehicle V1, and first sets the point P2 before entering the unconfirmed lattice or the entry impossible lattice as the travelable point.

  Specifically, the route selection unit 19 determines the optimum based on the distance from the viewpoint of the route to the end point, the distance from the viewpoint of the route to the travelable point, the distance to the point closest to the obstacle, and the curvature of the route. Select a set of routes and travel points. Here, the longer the distance from the viewpoint of the route to the end point, the easier it is to select, the longer the distance from the viewpoint of the route to the travelable point, the easier it is to select, and the longer the distance to the point closest to the obstacle is easier to select The smaller the curvature of the route, the easier it is to select. The reason why the smaller the curvature is, the easier the selection is is to prevent the vehicle from behaving excessively.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of vehicle control processing according to the second embodiment of this invention. The situation grasping unit 14 grasps the situation based on the sensing information obtained by the in-vehicle sensor 12 and the map information acquired from the map data storage unit 13, and generates an approachable area map (step S91).

  Next, the route calculation unit 15 calculates a plurality of routes based on the map information (step S92). Here, the route calculation unit 15 may calculate only one route when there are not a plurality of routes that satisfy the condition. The travelable point calculation unit 16 calculates a travelable point for each route by superimposing a plurality of routes calculated by the route calculation unit 15 on the approachable region map generated by the situation grasping unit 14. (Step S93).

  Next, the route selection unit 19 evaluates the set of the route and the travelable point based on the above-described criteria, and selects any set (step S94). The vehicle control unit 15 controls the in-vehicle actuator 18 so as to travel along the route to the travelable point of the route selected by the route selection unit 19. Thus, the vehicle travels according to the route (step S95).

  Next, the situation grasping unit 14 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 ′ has reached a travelable point (step S <b> 96). When the travelable point has not been reached (NO in step S96), the situation grasping unit 14 determines whether or not to update the travelable point (step S97). When it is determined that the travelable point is updated (YES in step S97), the process returns to step S93 to calculate the travelable point.

  If it is determined not to update the travelable point (NO in step S97), it is then determined whether or not to update the route (step S98). The case where the route is updated is, for example, a case where a new obstacle is detected by the in-vehicle sensor. If it is determined not to update the route (NO in step S98), the process returns to step S95 to continue traveling according to the selected route. If the vehicle continues traveling and reaches a travelable point (YES in step S96), it is determined whether or not the end point of the selected route has been reached (step S99). If the end point of the route has not been reached (NO in step S99), the process proceeds to step S98 to determine whether or not to update the route.

  If the end point of the route has been reached (YES in step S98), the process ends. It is to be noted that the path is updated one after another before the process is ended, and the above steps S91 to S99 may be repeated continuously, as in the first embodiment.

  As described above, the vehicle 100 ′ according to the second embodiment not only simply calculates the route and travels in accordance with the route, but also calculates the travelable point after calculating the route. There is no need to calculate a safe route, and a route that can travel smoothly can be calculated. Then, the travelable point is calculated and the vehicle travel control to the travelable point is performed, so that safe travel is possible.

  In addition to simply calculating one optimal route, the vehicle can also control the travel of the vehicle by calculating a plurality of routes and calculating a travelable point, and selecting the optimal route in consideration of the travelable point. It becomes smoother. Further, since the route is updated during traveling, the optimum route can be selected according to the change of the situation.

  In the above description, the process of updating the route in the vehicle control process of the second embodiment has been described. However, this process may also be performed in the vehicle control process of the first embodiment. In the vehicle control process of the second embodiment, the process for updating the route may be omitted.

  The present invention has an effect that it is possible to calculate a route with good traveling efficiency without completely considering safety, and to allow the vehicle to travel without causing interference with other vehicles or causing an accident. In addition, the present invention is useful as a route calculation device that calculates a route on which the vehicle should travel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Auto-driving vehicle 11 Communication part 12 Car-mounted sensor 13 Map data memory | storage part 14 Situation grasping part 15 Path | route calculation part 16 Traveling point calculation part 17 Vehicle control part 18 Car-mounted actuator 19 Path | route selection part

Claims (17)

A route calculation unit for calculating a route along which the vehicle should travel;
A travelable point calculation unit that calculates a travelable point that is a point where the vehicle is allowed to travel to the middle of the route calculated by the route calculation unit;
A route calculation apparatus comprising: A situation grasping part for grasping the situation around the vehicle;
The route calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the travelable point calculation unit calculates the travelable point based on a situation around the vehicle grasped by the situation grasping unit. The situation grasping unit grasps an accessible area around the vehicle based on the output of the sensor,
The travelable point calculation unit includes only the accessible area grasped by the situation grasping unit between the vehicle and the travelable point of the route calculated by the route calculation unit. The route calculation device according to claim 2, wherein the travelable point is calculated.   The route according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the travelable point calculation unit calculates a next travelable point when or before the vehicle reaches the travelable point. Calculation device. The route calculation unit calculates the route again when or before the vehicle reaches the travelable point,
The route according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the travelable point calculation unit calculates a travelable point related to the route when the route is calculated again by the route calculation unit. Calculation device. It is further equipped with a situation grasping part that grasps the situation of other vehicles,
The route calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the travelable point calculation unit calculates the travelable point based on the situation of the other vehicle grasped by the situation grasping unit. The situation grasping unit grasps the route of the other vehicle as the situation of the other vehicle,
The route calculation device according to claim 6, wherein the travelable point calculation unit calculates the travelable point so as not to interfere with a route of another vehicle grasped by the situation grasping unit.   The route calculation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the situation grasping unit grasps a route of the other vehicle based on information acquired from the other vehicle through communication.   The route calculation device according to claim 7, wherein the situation grasping unit grasps a route of the other vehicle based on information acquired by communication. It is further equipped with a situation grasping part that grasps the situation of the road,
The route calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the travelable point calculation unit calculates the travelable point based on a road situation grasped by the situation grasping unit.   The route calculation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the road situation includes presence / absence of an intersection, road width, and / or traffic regulation situation.   The route calculation device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the situation grasping part grasps a road situation by acquiring information on the road situation by communication. A route calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
A vehicle control unit that controls driving of the vehicle based on the route calculated by the route calculation unit and the travelable point calculated by the travelable point calculation unit;
A vehicle control device comprising: A route calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
Based on the route calculated by the route calculation unit and the travelable point calculated by the travelable point calculation unit, a driving support unit that performs driving support for the driver;
A vehicle driving support apparatus comprising:   A vehicle comprising the vehicle control device according to claim 13 or the vehicle driving support device according to claim 14. Computer
A route calculation unit that calculates a route along which the vehicle should travel, and a travelable point calculation that calculates a travelable point that is a point where the vehicle is allowed to travel to the middle of the route calculated by the route calculation unit. Part,
Route calculation program to function as. A route calculating step for calculating a route along which the vehicle should travel;
A travelable point calculating step for calculating a travelable point that is a point where the vehicle is allowed to travel to the middle of the route calculated in the route calculating step;
A route calculation method comprising:

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