JP2020152130A - Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve safety against flying objects.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 400 includes: a flying object information acquisition unit 402 that acquires information on flying objects flying toward a vehicle; a collision position estimation unit 404 that estimates a collision position between a flying object and the vehicle; and a control unit 406 that controls the vehicle based on the estimated collision position. The control unit 406 controls a vehicle drive device 900 to avoid a collision of the flying object with the vehicle and controls the collision position of the flying object with the vehicle. Further, the control unit 406 controls an interior display device 500, a speaker 600, a wiper drive device 700, and a washer fluid ejection device 800 based on the collision position of the flying object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 below describes that the possibility of a collision is determined in consideration of the movement of a moving object around the own vehicle to improve safety.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-18162

However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is a technique assuming the movement of a vehicle, a person, or the like, and does not consider the safety of the vehicle against flying objects such as stepping stones.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is a new and improved vehicle control device and vehicle capable of improving safety against flying objects. The purpose is to provide a control method and a program for the above.

In order to solve the above problem, according to a certain viewpoint of the present invention, a flying object information acquisition unit that acquires information on a flying object flying toward a vehicle and a collision position between the flying object and the vehicle are estimated. A collision position estimation unit, a control unit that controls the vehicle based on the estimated collision position, and a control unit.
A vehicle control device is provided.

The control unit may control the vehicle so that the flying object does not collide with the vehicle if the collision with the flying object can be avoided based on the collision position.

Further, when the collision position is a position other than the windshield of the vehicle, the control unit may cause the flying object to collide with a position other than the windshield.

Further, the control unit may control the vehicle so that the flying object collides with a position other than the windshield of the vehicle when the collision position is the windshield of the vehicle.

Further, the control unit may control the vehicle so that the flying object collides with the outside of the windshield when the collision position is the windshield of the vehicle.

Further, the control unit may control the vehicle so that the collision position is within the operating range of the wiper when the collision position is within the range of the windshield of the vehicle.

Further, the control unit may move the wiper to the collision position.

Further, the control unit may move the wiper to the collision position when the collision position is within the operating range of the windshield wiper.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to another viewpoint of the present invention, a step of acquiring information on a flying object flying toward a vehicle and a step of estimating a collision position between the flying object and the vehicle. A vehicle control method is provided that comprises a step of controlling the vehicle based on the estimated collision position.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to another viewpoint of the present invention, a means for acquiring information on a flying object flying toward a vehicle, a means for estimating a collision position between the flying object and the vehicle, A program for operating a computer as a means for controlling the vehicle based on the estimated collision position is provided.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the safety against flying objects.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle system 1000 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed in the system 1000 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed in the system 1000 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the trajectory calculation of a flying object. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the trajectory calculation of a flying object. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the own vehicle 10 by taking a straight line running as an example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the method of estimating the collision position P where a flying object collides with the own vehicle in step S24. It is a schematic diagram which shows the method of avoiding a flying object by vehicle control. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the collision position P when the vehicle 10 is seen from the information. It is a schematic diagram which shows the method of determining whether the collision position of a flying object 20 can be adjusted out of the range of a windshield by vehicle control. It is a schematic diagram which shows the method of making a flying object 20 collide with the operating range of a wiper 710. It is a schematic diagram which shows the specific method of adjusting by the vehicle control when the collision position P is located in the adjustable area 762 of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the method of applying a wiper 710 to a flying object 20.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, so that duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a vehicle system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle system 1000 is basically a system configured in a vehicle such as an automobile. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 1000 includes an external sensor 100, a vehicle sensor 200, a control device 400, an in-vehicle display device 500, a speaker 600, a wiper drive device 700, a washer fluid ejection device 800, and a vehicle drive device 900. It is composed of.

The vehicle exterior sensor 100 is composed of a stereo camera, a monocular camera, a millimeter wave radar, an infrared sensor, and the like, and measures the position and speed of a person or vehicle around the own vehicle. When the vehicle exterior sensor 100 is composed of a stereo camera, the stereo camera is configured to have a pair of left and right cameras having image pickup elements such as a CCD sensor and a CMOS sensor, and images the external environment outside the vehicle. The image information is sent to the control device 400. As an example, a stereo camera is composed of a color camera capable of acquiring color information and is installed on the upper part of the windshield of a vehicle. In the present embodiment, the vehicle exterior sensor 100 detects a flying object flying from the front toward the vehicle.

The vehicle sensor 200 acquires information communicated by CAN (Control Area Network) in the vehicle, such as vehicle speed, acceleration, angular velocity, and yaw rate. In addition, these information can be acquired from various sensors.

The control device 400 controls the system 1000 in response to the detection of a flying object by the external sensor 100. Therefore, the control device 400 has a flying object information acquisition unit 402, a collision position estimation unit 404, and a control unit 406. The flying object information acquisition unit 402 acquires information on flying objects flying toward the vehicle. The flying object information acquisition unit 402 mainly acquires information on flying objects from the external sensor 100. The collision position estimation unit 404 estimates the collision position between the flying object and the vehicle. The control unit 406 controls the vehicle based on the collision position. The control unit 406 controls the vehicle driving device 900 to avoid the collision of the flying object with the vehicle and control the collision position of the flying object with the vehicle. Further, the control unit 406 controls the in-vehicle display device 500, the speaker 600, the wiper drive device 700, and the washer fluid ejection device 800 based on the collision position of the flying object. Each component of the control device 400 can be configured by a circuit (hardware), a central processing unit such as a CPU, and a program (software) for functioning the central processing unit.

The in-vehicle display device 500 is, for example, a device that displays on a dash panel in the vehicle, around a meter, or the like. The in-vehicle display device 500 may be composed of a HUD (Head-up Display) device. A HUD (Head-up Display) device is a display device that directly displays information in a human visual field, and displays a real image on glass such as a windshield or a rear glass of an automobile.

The wiper drive device 700 is a device that drives the wiper of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the wiper drive device 700 drives the wiper to the collision position between the flying object and the windshield under the control of the control unit 406. As a result, it is possible to prevent the flying object from colliding with the wiper and damaging the windshield.

The washer fluid ejection device 800 ejects the washer fluid onto the glass of the vehicle, particularly the windshield, under the control of the control unit 406. The vehicle drive device 900 is a device that drives the vehicle for acceleration / deceleration or steering. The vehicle drive device 900 drives for acceleration / deceleration or steering of the vehicle under the control of the control unit 406.

Next, the processing performed by the system 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 2A and 2B. The processes shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B are mainly performed by the control device 400 at predetermined intervals. First, in step S10, the operation of the vehicle is started. In the next step S12, the vehicle system 1000 is turned on. In the next step S14, the monitoring of the front of the vehicle by the vehicle exterior sensor 100 is started. In the next step S16, it is determined whether or not a flying object is detected by the external sensor 100, and if a flying object is detected, the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if no flying object is detected in step S16, the process returns to step S14.

In step S18, the trajectory (trajectory) of the flying object is calculated. 3A and 3B are schematic views showing an example of ballistic calculation of a flying object. This calculation assumes a parabolic model that does not consider air resistance. However, a parabolic model in which air resistance is added may be used. As for the mass and drag coefficient of the flying object, assuming that the flying object is a stone of a sphere, the volume is calculated from the size of the detected flying object, and the mass and the resistance coefficient are determined.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the traveling direction Y component of the flying object, the traveling direction X component of the flying object, and the Z component in the vertical direction can be obtained from the external sensor 100. The traveling direction XY of the flying object is the X component and the Y component. Calculated from the composite vector.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing a trajectory image of a flying object. Here, the parabolic model represented by the following equations (1) and (2) is used.
XY (t) = VXYO * T
Z (t) = VZO * T- (1/2) * g * T

The definitions of variables are as follows.
VXYO: Initial velocity in the XY direction VZO: Initial velocity in the Z direction.
g: Gravitational acceleration T: Elapsed time since the flying object started to move t: Time (time in the vehicle system 1000)

The position of the flying object can be estimated by obtaining the unknown T, VXYO, and VZO from the above model. These can be calculated by the following equations (3) to (5).
VXYO = (XY (t) -XY (t-1)) / Δt ... (3)
VZO = Z (t) -Z (t-1) + (1/2) * g * Δt
T = Z (t) / (VZO- (1/2) * g)

In the next step S20, it is determined whether or not the trajectory of the flying object and the own vehicle overlap. Then, when the trajectory of the flying object and the own vehicle overlap, the process proceeds to step S22 to activate the wiper. On the other hand, if the tracks of the flying object and the own vehicle do not overlap in step S20, the process returns to step S14. At the time of steps S20 and S22, the position of the wiper is moved to the center of the operating range, and the flying object collides with the wiper as described later. Therefore, preparations may be made in advance.

In other words, in step S20, it is predicted whether or not the flying object and the vehicle collide with each other. Specifically, the positions X (t), Y (t), and Z (t) of the flying object calculated in step S18 are calculated for each time step. Further, the positions Xv (t), Yv (t), and Zv (t) of the own vehicle 10 are also calculated for each time step. As the shape of the own vehicle 10, three-dimensional information and point cloud data based on the three-dimensional information are used. Then, if the shapes of the flying object and the own vehicle overlap in the same time step, it is determined that they collide.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the own vehicle 10 by taking a straight line traveling as an example. Immediately after detecting the flying object 20, the movement of the own vehicle 10 is predicted from the following equation.
Xv (t) = Vv0 * t
Yv (t) = 0
Zv (t) = 0
From the above equation, the position of the own vehicle 10 at time t can be predicted.

It should be noted that, during a curve running or the like, it is assumed that the steering angle at the time of detection is constant, and the change value is predicted as a circular motion.

If the road gradient is not 0, the change in Zv (t) is predicted based on the following equation. Note that θ is an angle indicating the road slope.
Zv (t) =
Vv0 * t ** sinθ
θ: Road slope (angle)

In the next step S24, the position P at which the flying object collides with the own vehicle is estimated. The collision position P is a function (P (t)) that changes with time, and the collision position P is continuously estimated. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a method of estimating a collision position P in which a flying object collides with the own vehicle in step S24. In the description of FIG. 4, when it is determined that the flying object 20 and the own vehicle 10 overlap, the point where the straight line connecting the time plot and the position one step before and the shape of the own vehicle 10 intersect is defined as the collision position P. Predict. The shape of the own vehicle 10 is a 3D model, and the own vehicle 10 measured by a 3D scanner, drawing data, and the like are used. The collision position P is obtained by calculating the intersection of the straight line and the surface by the method described above.

In the next step S26, it is determined whether or not the flying object can be avoided by the vehicle control, and if the flying object can be avoided by the vehicle control, the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the vehicle drive device 900 is controlled, and the flying object is avoided by the vehicle control. In the next step S30, the in-vehicle display device 500 and the speaker 600 transmit to the driver the content of avoiding flying objects by vehicle control. On the other hand, if the flying object cannot be avoided by vehicle control in step S26, the process proceeds to step S32. The determination of avoidability in step S26 is premised on not deviating from the lane, causing a vehicle failure, and not colliding with vehicles or people in front or behind.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a method of avoiding a flying object by controlling a vehicle. From the position P where the flying object and the own vehicle collide with each other as described in FIG. 5, a direction to avoid by vehicle control is set. At that time, the angle φ formed by the traveling direction of the flying object 20 and the traveling direction of the own vehicle 10 is also used. The direction of avoidance is determined by a preset avoidance schedule or by calculating a vehicle motion formula.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an avoidance schedule. For example, φ0 ° (when colliding from the front) is avoided by changing the movement of the vehicle mainly in the yaw direction. In FIG. 6, in the case of φ0 °, avoidance is performed by steering. Further, φ90 degrees (when colliding from the side) is avoided by mainly changing the movement of the vehicle in the front-rear direction. In FIG. 6, in the case of φ90 °, avoidance is performed by a brake. If it is determined by the avoidance action that there is no collision, the avoidance action is terminated and the original state is restored. Regarding the possibility of collision, the collision position P is continuously determined by the method described with reference to FIG. 5 even during the avoidance action. If there is no solution for the calculation (no intersecting points), it is determined that there is no collision. However, priority is given to avoiding the danger of contact with lanes, vehicles, and pedestrians by avoidance behavior, and the avoidance behavior is terminated when a device such as pre-crash safety reacts.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an example of the collision position P when the vehicle 10 is viewed from above. Cases 1 to 4 shown in FIG. 7 correspond to cases 1 to 4 shown in FIG. 6, respectively. Case 1 shows a case where the flying object 20 collides with the windshield 750 from the front of the vehicle 10. Case 2 shows a case where the flying object 20 collides with the right side of the front part (near the bonnet) of the vehicle 10 from the right side of the vehicle 10. Case 3 shows a case where the flying object 20 collides with the left side of the front portion (near the bonnet) of the vehicle 10 from the right front of the vehicle 10. Case 4 shows a case where the flying object 20 collides from the left side of the vehicle 10 to the right side of the rear part (near the trunk) of the vehicle 10.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the avoidance direction and the control addition amount are predetermined according to the collision position P. The control unit 406 of the control device 400 controls the vehicle drive device 900 based on the avoidance schedule of FIG. As a result, it is possible to take appropriate measures so that the flying object does not hit the vehicle.

In step S32, it is determined whether or not the collision position P is outside the range of the windshield, and if the collision position P is outside the range of the windshield, the process ends. In this case, the flying object will collide with a position other than the windshield. If the collision position P is within the range of the windshield in step S32, the process proceeds to step S34.

In step S34, it is determined whether or not the collision position P can be adjusted outside the windshield range by vehicle control, and if the collision position P can be adjusted outside the windshield range by vehicle control, the process proceeds to step S36. In step S36, the vehicle is controlled so that the flying object collides with the outside of the windshield range. In the next step S38, in the next step S40, the in-vehicle display device 500 and the speaker 600 transmit to the driver the content of avoiding flying objects by vehicle control. After step S38, the process ends.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a method of determining whether the collision position of the flying object 20 can be adjusted outside the range of the windshield by vehicle control. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the windshield 750 is viewed from the inside of the vehicle. An avoidable area 752 is set on the windshield 750 along the peripheral edge. The avoidable area 752 is set within a predetermined distance from the edge of the windshield 750, for example. Further, the inside of the avoidable area 752 is an unavoidable area 754.

In the determination of step S34, when the collision position P is located in the avoidable area 752, it is determined that the collision position P can be adjusted outside the range of the windshield 750. On the other hand, when the collision position P is located in the unavoidable area 754, it is determined that the collision position P cannot be adjusted outside the range of the windshield 750. The avoidable area 752 may be a fixed area, or the size and shape may be changed according to the vehicle speed and the like.

If the collision position P cannot be adjusted outside the windshield range by vehicle control in step S34, the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, it is determined whether or not the collision position P is within the operating range of the wiper, and if it is not within the operating range of the wiper, the process proceeds to step S42. In step S42, it is determined by vehicle control whether or not the collision position P can be adjusted within the operating range of the wiper, and if the collision position P can be adjusted within the operating range of the wiper, the process proceeds to step S44. In step S44, the vehicle is controlled so that the flying object collides with the operating range of the wiper.

On the other hand, if the collision position P cannot be adjusted within the operating range of the wiper by vehicle control in step S42, the process proceeds to step S46. In step S46, vehicle control adjusts the direction in which the flying object collides with the outside of the windshield range. That is, in step S46, the vehicle is controlled so that the flying object collides with the periphery of the windshield as much as possible, and the damage to the windshield is minimized. In the next step S48, the in-vehicle display device 500 and the speaker 600 transmit to the driver the content of avoiding flying objects by vehicle control.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a method of colliding the flying object 20 within the operating range of the wiper 710. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the windshield 750 is viewed from the inside of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 9, the operating range 760 of the wiper 710 is set in the unavoidable area 754 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, an adjustable area 762 is set adjacent to the operating range 760 on the outside of the operating range 760 of the wiper 710. Further, in the unavoidable area 754, the non-adjustable area 764 is set in a part of the area outside the adjustable area 762. In step S42, when the collision position P is located in the adjustable area 762, it is determined by vehicle control that the collision position P can be adjusted within the operating range 760 of the wiper. On the other hand, when the collision position P is located in the non-adjustable area 762, it is determined that the collision position P cannot be adjusted within the operating range 760 of the wiper.

Further, FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a specific method of adjusting by vehicle control when the collision position P is located in the adjustable area 762 of FIG. 9 in step S46. In FIG. 10, when the collision position P is the positions 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 9, the adjustment direction of the vehicle and the additional control amount are shown. For example, when the collision position P is the position 1 shown in FIG. 9, the flying object 20 collides with the left side of the windshield 750 when viewed from the driver. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the adjustment direction is set to "left", and steering is performed to the left at a steering angle of 10 °. As a result, the flying object 20 can collide with the operating range 760 of the wiper.

After step S44, the process proceeds to steps S50 and S52. Further, even if the wiper is out of the operating range in step S40, the process proceeds to steps S50 and S52. In step S50, the wiper drive device 700 is controlled to move the wiper to the collision position P. The movement of the wiper, the steering of the vehicle, and the acceleration / deceleration may be used in combination to adjust the wiper and the collision position P so as to approach each other. Further, in step S52, the washer fluid ejection device 800 is controlled to eject the washer fluid onto the windshield. By ejecting the washer fluid onto the windshield, damage can be minimized if a flying object hits the windshield after hitting the wiper.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a method of applying the wiper 710 to the flying object 20. In FIG. 10, the position of the wiper 710 is indicated by the center line L. It is assumed that the wiper 710 rotates about the rotation center O. When the collision position P is predicted by the method described above, the rotation angle ω when the center line L of the wiper 710 rotates to the collision position P with the rotation center O as the center is calculated. The wiper drive device 700 rotates the wiper 710 so that the angle of the center line L of the wiper 710 is ω at the timing when the flying object 20 collides. As a result, the flying object 20 can be applied to the wiper 710.

After steps S50 and S52, the process proceeds to step S54. In step S54, the in-vehicle display device 500 and the speaker 600 notify the driver that the process has been executed in order to reduce the collision of flying objects. After step S54, the process ends.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the field of technology to which the present invention belongs can come up with various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims. , These are also naturally understood to belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

400 Control device 402 Flying object information acquisition unit 404 Collision position estimation unit 406 Control unit

Claims (10)

The flying object information acquisition unit that acquires information on flying objects flying toward the vehicle,
A collision position estimation unit that estimates the collision position between the flying object and the vehicle,
A control unit that controls the vehicle based on the estimated collision position,
A vehicle control device, characterized in that. The control unit is characterized in that, when a collision with the flying object can be avoided based on the collision position, the control unit controls the vehicle so that the flying object does not collide with the vehicle. The vehicle control device described. The vehicle control according to claim 1, wherein the control unit collides the flying object with a position other than the windshield when the collision position is a position other than the windshield of the vehicle. apparatus. The control unit is characterized in that, when the collision position is the windshield of the vehicle, the control unit controls the vehicle so that the flying object collides with a position other than the windshield of the vehicle. The vehicle control device described in. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the vehicle so that the flying object collides with the outside of the windshield when the collision position is the windshield of the vehicle. Vehicle control device. The control unit is characterized in that, when the collision position is within the range of the windshield of the vehicle, the control unit controls the vehicle so that the collision position is within the operating range of the wiper. The vehicle control device described. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit moves the wiper to the collision position. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit moves the wiper to the collision position when the collision position is within the operating range of the windshield wiper. Steps to get information about flying objects flying toward the vehicle,
The step of estimating the collision position between the flying object and the vehicle,
A step of controlling the vehicle based on the estimated collision position, and
A vehicle control method, characterized in that. A means of obtaining information on flying objects flying toward a vehicle,
A means for estimating the collision position between the flying object and the vehicle,
A means for controlling the vehicle based on the estimated collision position,
A program to make your computer work as.

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