JP2020163986A - Vehicle control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control system which can execute a lane change with relatively high safety even when part of an external environment recognition device does not normally function, in automated driving executed when a request for intervention in driving is not accepted, although a driver's intervention is necessary.SOLUTION: A vehicle control system can execute an ordinary automated driving mode and an automated stop mode which is executed when a driver cannot intervene in driving, although the driver's intervention in driving is necessary. During the execution of the automated stop mode, when part of an external environment recognition device does not normally function, although a lane change is necessary, the vehicle control system makes lateral movement at the time of the lane change slower than when the external environment recognition device normally functions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control system capable of switching between an automatic driving state and a state in which at least a part of driving tasks are performed by a human driver (hereinafter, simply referred to as "driver").

According to the definition of SAE, the level of automatic driving of a vehicle is set to 6 levels from level 0 (no automatic driving) to level 5 (fully automatic driving). Further, according to Non-Patent Document 1, the level 3 autonomous vehicle automatically drives the vehicle when the system determines that it is difficult to continue the automatic driving and the driver cannot take over the driving from the system. It is required to set a minimal risk maneuver (MRM) to stop safely at.

In relation to this, Patent Document 1 describes that in the emergency evacuation mode corresponding to the operating state based on the minimal risk maneuver, the upper limit speed is suppressed as compared with the normal automatic operation. Further, Patent Document 2 describes that the warning sound is increased in the same operation mode.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-115356 JP-A-2017-144808

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Automobile Bureau "Safety Technology Guidelines for Autonomous Vehicles", September 2018, p. 5

Minimal risk maneuver-based autonomous driving, which is carried out when the driver's intervention is required but the request for intervention is not accepted, requires the vehicle to be stopped immediately, and the vehicle is required to stop immediately. An attempt is made to stop the vehicle at a stop position such as a roadside zone or an emergency stop zone selected by the control system. Roadside zones and emergency stop zones are often provided on the outside of the road. On a road with multiple lanes on one side, if the vehicle shifts to such an automatic stop mode while driving in the inner lane, the vehicle will change lanes in order to stop in the roadside zone or emergency stop zone. You need to do and move to the outermost lane. At this time, if the outside world recognition device that detects other vehicles in the vicinity is out of order, there is a risk of contact with other vehicles when changing lanes. On the other hand, even if the vehicle stops in the lane without changing lanes in order to avoid contact with other vehicles, there is a risk of being hit by another vehicle.

In view of such problems, the present invention provides at least a part of the external world recognition device in the automatic driving performed when the driver's intervention is required but the driving intervention request is not accepted. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control system capable of performing lane change with relatively high safety even when it does not function normally.

At least some embodiments of the present invention are a vehicle control system (1), the control device (15) for steering, accelerating, and decelerating the vehicle, and external recognition for detecting obstacles around the vehicle. The control device includes an automatic driving mode in which at least one of steering, acceleration, deceleration, and peripheral monitoring of the vehicle is performed, and the vehicle control system or the driver while the vehicle is running. It is possible to execute an automatic stop mode in which the vehicle is stopped within a predetermined stop area when a predetermined condition that makes it difficult for the vehicle to continue traveling is satisfied, and at least a part of the outside world recognition device. Is not functioning normally, and when changing lanes from the first lane (62) running in the automatic stop mode to the second lane (63) adjacent to the first lane, the control device Is characterized in that the lateral movement of the vehicle when changing lanes is slowed down as compared with the case where the outside world recognition device is functioning normally. Here, "lateral movement" means a lateral (lateral) component of speed, acceleration, or jerk (jerk), and "slowing lateral movement" means speed, acceleration, or acceleration. It means to reduce the absolute value of the left-right component of (jerk).

According to this configuration, when the automatic stop mode is being executed and at least a part of the outside world recognition device does not function normally, the moving speed in the left-right direction when changing lanes becomes slow, so that another vehicle is driven. The driver of another vehicle can drive another vehicle in such a way that he / she has more time to operate another vehicle so that his / her hand does not notice the change of lane of the vehicle running the automatic stop mode and does not interfere with the movement of this vehicle. Since it can be expected, it is possible to improve the safety of changing lanes of the vehicle during the automatic stop mode.

At least some embodiments of the present invention are characterized in that, in the above configuration, the outside world recognition device for detecting the situation in the second lane includes an outside world sensor provided on the rear side of the vehicle. Preferably, the external sensor provided on the side of the rear end of the vehicle includes a camera (19), a radar (17) and / or a rider (18).

According to this configuration, when the outside world recognition device is functioning normally, it is possible to obtain information on the surroundings of the vehicle necessary for changing lanes.

At least some embodiments of the present invention are characterized in that, in the above configuration, the control device slows down the lateral movement when changing lanes as the detectable distance of the obstacle in the external sensor decreases. To do.

According to this configuration, as the area where the other vehicle can be detected by the sensor becomes narrower, the moving speed of the vehicle in the left-right direction becomes slower, and the driver of the other vehicle does not notice the lane change of the vehicle and obstruct the course. Since the time required to operate another vehicle is increased, the safety of changing lanes of the vehicle is improved.

In at least some embodiments of the present invention, in the above configuration, the control device does not change lanes when the detectable distance of the obstacle by the external sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined value in the automatic stop mode. It is characterized in that the predetermined stop area is set in the first lane.

If the detectable distance of the external sensor is too low, the risk of lane change increases, but with this configuration, dangerous lane change can be suppressed.

In at least some embodiments of the present invention, in any of the above configurations, when at least a part of the outside world recognition device is not functioning normally and the lane change is performed in the automatic stop mode, the control device Is characterized in that the lateral movement of the vehicle is slowed down by increasing the moving distance of the vehicle from the start to the completion of the lane change as compared with the case where the outside world recognition device is functioning normally. To do.

According to this configuration, the lateral movement can be slowed down without significantly reducing the speed in the front-rear direction.

In at least some embodiments of the present invention, in any of the above configurations, the control device is on the side of the second lane in the first lane before the lane change from the first lane to the second lane. It is characterized in that the state in which the vehicle is brought close to the vehicle is maintained for a predetermined time.

According to this configuration, the outside world recognition device 6 can easily detect the situation behind the side of the second lane.

At least some embodiments of the present invention further include an out-of-vehicle notification device (14) that notifies the outside of the vehicle by sound or light in any of the above configurations, and the control device is in the automatic stop mode. The faster the speed of the vehicle, the higher the intensity of the notification by the outside notification device.

According to this configuration, the higher the speed of the vehicle, the stronger the alert to the driver of the other vehicle in the vicinity, and the driver of the other vehicle can easily notice that some problem has occurred in the vehicle.

At least some embodiments of the present invention are characterized in that, in the above configuration, the out-of-vehicle notification device includes a warning light and / or a horn.

According to this configuration, the driver of another vehicle can easily notice the warning notification.

At least some embodiments of the present invention further include a communication device (8) capable of communicating with the outside of the vehicle in any of the above configurations, wherein the control device stops the vehicle in the automatic stop mode. After that, the communication device is used to notify the outside.

According to this configuration, even if the driver of the vehicle is in a state where he / she cannot contact the outside by himself / herself due to a sudden illness or the like, an outside person can go to rescue the driver.

According to the present invention, at least a part of the external world recognition device is normal during execution of the automatic stop mode, which is performed when the driver's intervention is required but the driving intervention request is not accepted. It is possible to provide a vehicle control system capable of carrying out a relatively safe lane change even if it does not function.

Functional configuration diagram of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control system according to an embodiment Flowchart of stop processing of vehicle control system according to the embodiment The figure which shows the trajectory of the vehicle controlled by the vehicle control system which concerns on embodiment. Flow chart showing modification of the track of the vehicle control system according to the embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, an example in which the vehicle control system according to the present invention is applied to a system for controlling a vehicle traveling in a country or region where left-side driving is adopted will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control system 1 is included in the vehicle system 2 mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle system 2 includes a propulsion device 3, a braking device 4, a steering device 5, an outside world recognition device 6, a vehicle sensor 7, a communication device 8, a navigation device 9 (map device), a driving operation device 10, an occupant monitoring device 11, and an HMI 12 ( Human Machine Interface), an automatic driving level changeover switch 13, an outside notification device 14, and a control device 15. Each configuration of the vehicle system 2 is connected to each other so that signals can be transmitted by a communication means such as CAN 16 (Control Area Network).

The propulsion device 3 is a device that applies a driving force to the vehicle, and includes, for example, a power source and a transmission. The power source has at least one of an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine and a diesel engine and an electric motor. The brake device 4 is a device that applies braking force to a vehicle, and includes, for example, a brake caliper that presses a pad against a brake rotor and an electric cylinder that supplies hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper. The brake device 4 may include a parking brake device that regulates the rotation of the wheels by a wire cable. The steering device 5 is a device for changing the steering angle of the wheels, and includes, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism for steering the wheels and an electric motor for driving the rack and pinion mechanism. The propulsion device 3, the brake device 4, and the steering device 5 are controlled by the control device 15.

The outside world recognition device 6 is a device that detects an object or the like outside the vehicle. The outside world recognition device 6 includes sensors for detecting electromagnetic waves and light from the periphery of the vehicle to detect objects outside the vehicle, for example, a radar 17, a lidar 18, and an outside camera 19. The outside world recognition device 6 may also be a device that receives a signal from the outside of the vehicle and detects an object or the like outside the vehicle. The outside world recognition device 6 outputs the detection result to the control device 15.

The radar 17 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle and captures the reflected waves to detect the position (distance and direction) of the object. At least one radar 17 is attached to any part of the vehicle. The radar 17 includes at least a front radar that irradiates radio waves toward the front of the vehicle, a rear radar that irradiates radio waves toward the rear of the vehicle, and a pair of left and right side radars that irradiate radio waves toward the sides of the vehicle. Is preferable.

The rider 18 irradiates the surroundings of the vehicle with light such as infrared rays and captures the reflected light to detect the position (distance and direction) of the object. At least one rider 18 is provided at any position on the vehicle.

The outside camera 19 captures the surroundings of the vehicle including objects existing around the vehicle (for example, surrounding vehicles and pedestrians), guardrails, curbs, walls, medians, road shapes, road markings drawn on the roads, and the like. Take an image. The vehicle exterior camera 19 may be, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS. At least one external camera 19 is provided at an arbitrary position in the vehicle. The outside camera 19 may include at least a front camera that images the front of the vehicle, a rear camera that images the rear of the vehicle, and a pair of side cameras that image the left and right sides of the vehicle. The external camera 19 may be, for example, a stereo camera.

The vehicle sensor 7 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the angular velocity around the vertical axis, an orientation sensor that detects the direction of the vehicle, and the like. The yaw rate sensor is, for example, a gyro sensor.

The communication device 8 mediates communication between the control device 15 and the navigation device 9 and peripheral vehicles and servers located outside the vehicle. The control device 15 can perform wireless communication with neighboring vehicles via the communication device 8. Further, the control device 15 can communicate with a server that provides traffic regulation information via the communication device 8. Further, the control device 15 can communicate with a mobile terminal owned by a person existing outside the vehicle via the communication device 8. Further, the control device 15 can communicate with the emergency call center that receives an emergency call from the vehicle via the communication device 8.

The navigation device 9 is a device that acquires the current position of the vehicle and guides the route to the destination, and has a GNSS receiving unit 21, a map storage unit 22, a navigation interface 23, and a route determining unit 24. The GNSS receiving unit 21 identifies the position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle based on the signal received from the artificial satellite (positioning satellite). The map storage unit 22 is configured by a known storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk, and stores map information. The navigation interface 23 accepts input such as a destination from the occupant, and presents various information to the occupant by display or voice. The navigation interface 23 may include, for example, a touch panel display, a speaker, or the like. In other embodiments, the GNSS receiver 21 may be configured as part of the communication device 8. Further, the map storage unit 22 may be configured as a part of the control device 15, or may be configured as a part of a server device capable of communicating via the communication device 8.

Map information includes road types such as highways, toll roads, national roads, and prefectural roads, the number of lanes on the road, the central position of each lane (three-dimensional coordinates including longitude, latitude, and height), and road lane markings and lanes. The shape of road markings such as boundaries, the presence or absence of sidewalks, edge stones, fences, etc., the position of intersections, the position of lane confluences and branch points, the area of emergency parking zones, the width of each lane, roads such as signs provided on the road Contains information. In addition, the map information may include traffic regulation information, address information (address / zip code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like.

The route determination unit 24 determines the route to the destination based on the position of the vehicle specified by the GNSS receiving unit 21, the destination input from the navigation interface 23, and the map information. Further, when determining the route, the route determining unit 24 may determine the target lane, which is the lane in which the vehicle should travel, by referring to the positions of the lane merging and branching points in the map information.

The driving operation device 10 receives an input operation performed by the driver to control the vehicle. The driving operation device 10 includes, for example, a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal. Further, the driving operation device 10 may include a shift lever, a parking brake lever, and the like. A sensor for detecting the amount of operation is attached to each operation operation device 10. The operation operation device 10 outputs a signal indicating the operation amount to the control device 15.

The occupant monitoring device 11 monitors the condition of the occupants in the vehicle interior. The occupant monitoring device 11 includes, for example, an indoor camera 26 that captures an image of an occupant sitting on a seat in the vehicle interior, and a grip sensor 27 provided on the steering wheel. The indoor camera 26 is a digital camera that uses a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS. The grip sensor 27 is a sensor that detects whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel and outputs the presence or absence of gripping as a detection signal. The grip sensor 27 may be formed by, for example, a capacitance sensor or a piezoelectric element provided on the steering wheel. The occupant monitoring device 11 may include a heart rate sensor provided on the steering wheel or the seat and a seating sensor provided on the seat. The occupant monitoring device 11 may also be a wearable device worn by the occupant and capable of detecting vital information including at least one of the worn occupant's heart rate and blood pressure. At this time, it is preferable that the occupant monitoring device 11 is configured to be able to communicate with the control device 15 by a known wireless communication means. The occupant monitoring device 11 outputs the captured image and the detection signal to the control device 15.

The vehicle outside notification device 14 is a device that notifies the outside of the vehicle by sound or light, and includes, for example, a warning light and a horn. Headlights (front lights), tail lights (tail lights), brake lights, hazard lights, and interior lights may function as warning lights.

The HMI 12 notifies the occupant of various information by display or voice, and accepts input operations by the occupant. The HMI 12 includes, for example, at least one of a display device 31 such as a touch panel or indicator light containing a liquid crystal or organic EL, a sound generator 32 such as a buzzer or a speaker, and an input interface 33 such as a GUI switch or a mechanical switch on the touch panel. Including. The navigation interface 23 may be configured to function as the HMI 12.

The automatic operation level changeover switch 13 is a switch that receives an instruction from the occupant to start execution of automatic operation. The automatic operation level changeover switch 13 may be a mechanical switch or a GUI switch displayed on the touch panel, and is arranged at an appropriate position in the vehicle interior. The automatic operation level changeover switch 13 may be configured by the input interface 33 of the HMI 12, or may be configured by the navigation interface 23.

The control device 15 is an electronic control unit (ECU) composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The control device 15 executes various vehicle controls by executing arithmetic processing according to the program by the CPU. The control device 15 may be configured as one hardware, or may be configured as a unit composed of a plurality of hardware. Further, at least a part of each functional unit of the control device 15 may be realized by hardware such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

The control device 15 combines various vehicle controls to perform at least level 0 to level 3 automatic driving control (hereinafter referred to as automatic driving). Levels are based on the definition of SAE J3016 and are defined in relation to the degree of intervention of the driver in driving maneuvers and vehicle perimeter monitoring.

In level 0 automatic driving, the control device 15 does not control the vehicle, and the driver performs all driving operations. That is, level 0 automatic operation means so-called manual operation.

In the level 1 automatic driving, the control device 15 performs a part of the driving operation, and the driver performs the remaining driving operation. For example, Level 1 autonomous driving includes constant speed driving and inter-vehicle distance control (ACC; Adaptive Cruise Control) and lane keeping support control (LKAS; Lane Keeping Assistance System). The level 1 automatic driving is executed when various devices (for example, the outside world recognition device 6 and the vehicle sensor 7) required for executing the level 1 automatic driving satisfy the condition that there is no abnormality.

In level 2 automatic operation, the control device 15 performs all operation operations. Level 2 autonomous driving is when the driver monitors the surroundings of the vehicle and satisfies the condition that the vehicle is within a predetermined area and that there are no abnormalities in various devices required to execute level 2 autonomous driving. Will be executed.

In level 3 automatic operation, the control device 15 performs all operation operations. Level 3 autonomous driving is a posture in which the driver can monitor the surroundings of the vehicle as needed, the vehicle is within a predetermined area, and various devices required to perform level 3 autonomous driving. It is executed when the condition that there is no abnormality in is satisfied. The conditions under which level 3 autonomous driving is executed include, for example, when the vehicle is traveling on a congested road. Whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a congested road may be determined based on the traffic regulation information provided from the server outside the vehicle, and the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed sensor may be determined over a predetermined time. , The determination may be made based on a predetermined slow-moving determination value (for example, 30 km / h) or less.

As described above, in the level 1 to level 3 automatic operation, the control device 15 executes at least one of steering, acceleration, deceleration, and peripheral monitoring. When the control device 15 is in the automatic operation mode, the control device 15 executes level 1 to level 3 automatic operation. In the following, steering, acceleration and deceleration will be described as driving operations, and driving operations and peripheral monitoring will be described as driving, if necessary.

In the present embodiment, when the control device 15 receives the execution instruction of the automatic driving in the automatic driving level changeover switch 13, the vehicle is based on the detection result of the outside world recognition device 6 and the position of the vehicle acquired by the navigation device 9. Select the level of automatic driving according to the driving environment and change the level. However, the control device 15 may change the level according to the input to the automatic operation level changeover switch 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 15 includes an automatic operation control unit 35, an abnormal state determination unit 36, a state management unit 37, a travel control unit 38, and a storage unit 39.

The automatic driving control unit 35 includes an outside world recognition unit 40, a vehicle position recognition unit 41, and an action planning unit 42. The outside world recognition unit 40 recognizes obstacles located around the vehicle, the shape of the road, the presence or absence of sidewalks, and road markings based on the detection result of the outside world recognition device 6. Obstacles include, for example, people such as guardrails, utility poles, peripheral vehicles, and pedestrians. The outside world recognition unit 40 can acquire states such as the position, speed, and acceleration of surrounding vehicles from the detection result of the outside world recognition device 6. The position of the peripheral vehicle may be recognized as a representative point such as the position of the center of gravity or the corner of the peripheral vehicle, or a region represented by the outline of the peripheral vehicle.

The own vehicle position recognition unit 41 recognizes the traveling lane, which is the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and the relative position and angle of the vehicle with respect to the traveling lane. The own vehicle position recognition unit 41 may recognize the traveling lane based on, for example, the map information held by the map storage unit 22 and the position of the vehicle acquired by the GNSS receiving unit 21. Further, it is preferable to extract the lane marking around the vehicle drawn on the road surface from the map information and compare it with the shape of the lane marking imaged by the outside camera 19 to recognize the relative position and angle of the vehicle with respect to the traveling lane. ..

The action planning unit 42 sequentially creates an action plan for driving the vehicle along the route. More specifically, the action planning unit 42 first determines an event for traveling in the target lane determined by the route determination unit 24 without the vehicle coming into contact with an obstacle. The event includes a constant-speed driving event in which the vehicle travels in the same driving lane at a constant speed, a preceding vehicle traveling in the same driving lane at a speed less than or equal to the speed set by the occupant or the speed determined based on the driving environment of the vehicle. Follow-up event to follow, lane change event to change the driving lane of the vehicle, overtaking event to overtake the vehicle in front, merging event to join the vehicle at the merging point of the road, drive the vehicle in the desired direction at the junction of the road When a branching event, an automatic driving end event that ends automatic driving to manual driving, and a predetermined condition indicating that it is difficult for the control device 15 or the driver to continue driving while the vehicle is running are satisfied. Includes a stop event to stop the vehicle.

The conditions for the action planning unit 42 to determine the stop event are the indoor camera 26, the grip sensor 27, or the grip sensor 27 from the driver in response to the driver's intervention request (handover request) for driving while driving in automatic driving. The case where the input to the automatic operation level changeover switch 13 is not detected is included. An intervention request is a warning that notifies the driver that part of the driving authority will be delegated and requires the driver to perform at least one of the driving operation and vehicle peripheral monitoring corresponding to the delegated driving authority. is there. The condition for the action planning unit 42 to determine the stop event is that the action planning unit 42 determines that the driving operation and the vehicle peripheral monitoring corresponding to the driving authority that the driver should bear are not executed while the vehicle is running. May be included. Further, the condition for the action planning unit 42 to determine the stop event is that while the vehicle is running, the action planning unit 42 states that the driver has stopped heartbeat based on, for example, a signal from a heartbeat sensor or an indoor camera 26. It is preferable to include the case where it is determined that there is an abnormality in which the driving operation cannot be executed.

During the execution of these events, the action planning unit 42 determines an avoidance event for avoiding obstacles, etc., based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle (presence of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians, lane narrowing due to road construction, etc.). You may.

The action planning unit 42 generates a target trajectory for the vehicle to travel in the future based on the determined event. The target track is a sequence of track points that the vehicle should reach at each time. The action planning unit 42 may generate a target trajectory based on the target speed and the target acceleration set for each event. At this time, the information of the target velocity and the target acceleration is expressed by the interval of the orbital points.

The travel control unit 38 controls the propulsion device 3, the brake device 4, and the steering device 5 so that the vehicle passes the target track generated by the action planning unit 42 on time.

The storage unit 39 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, or the like, and stores information required for processing by the automatic operation control unit 35, the abnormal state determination unit 36, the state management unit 37, and the travel control unit 38.

The abnormal state determination unit 36 includes a vehicle condition determination unit 51 and an occupant condition determination unit 52. The vehicle state determination unit 51 analyzes the signals of various devices (for example, the outside world recognition device 6 and the vehicle sensor 7) that affect the level of automatic driving during execution, and it is difficult to maintain the automatic driving during execution by the various devices. Judge whether or not an abnormality has occurred.

The occupant state determination unit 52 determines whether or not the driver's condition is in an abnormal state based on the signal from the occupant monitoring device 11. The abnormal state includes a state in which it is difficult for the driver to steer in the automatic driving in which the driver of level 1 or lower is obliged to steer. The states in which it is difficult for the driver to steer are specifically the state in which the driver is sleeping, the state in which the driver is immobile or unconscious due to illness or injury, and the state in which the driver is in cardiac arrest. Including state etc. The occupant state determination unit 52 determines that the driver's condition is in an abnormal state when there is no input from the occupant to the grip sensor 27 in the automatic driving in which the driver of level 1 or lower is obliged to steer. You may. In addition, the occupant state determination unit 52 determines the open / closed state of the driver's eyelids from the extracted face image. The occupant state determination unit 52 sleeps when the driver's eyelids are closed for a predetermined time or when the number of times the eyelids are closed per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Even if it is determined that the driver is in a state where it is difficult to perform a driving operation and the driver's state is abnormal because he / she feels strong drowsiness, is unconscious, or is in a state of cardiac arrest. Good. The occupant state determination unit 52 further acquires the driver's posture from the captured image, and operates when the driver's posture is not suitable for the driving operation and the state in which the posture does not change is maintained for a predetermined time. It may be determined that the person is unable to move due to illness or injury and the driver's condition is abnormal.

Further, in automatic driving at a level where there is an obligation to monitor the surroundings, that is, in automatic driving at level 2 or lower, the abnormal state includes a state in which the driver neglects the obligation to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle. The state in which the driver neglects to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle includes either a state in which the driver does not hold the steering wheel or a state in which the driver's line of sight does not face the front of the vehicle. The occupant state determination unit 52 detects whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel based on, for example, a signal from the grip sensor 27, and when the driver is not gripping the steering wheel, the driver It is determined that the vehicle is in an abnormal state where the obligation to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle is neglected. Further, the occupant state determination unit 52 determines whether or not the driver's condition is in an abnormal state based on the image captured by the indoor camera 26. For example, the occupant state determination unit 52 extracts the driver's face region from the captured image by using a known image analysis means. The occupant state determination unit 52 further extracts an iris portion (hereinafter, black eye) including the inner corner of the eye, the outer corner of the eye, and the pupil from the extracted face region. When the occupant state determination unit 52 acquires the driver's line-of-sight direction based on the extracted positions of the inner and outer corners of the eye, the black eye, the contour shape of the black eye, and the like, and the driver's line of sight is not facing the front of the vehicle. It is determined that the driver is neglecting the obligation to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle.

In addition, in automatic driving at a level where there is no obligation to monitor the surroundings, that is, in level 3 automatic driving, an abnormal state is a state in which a driver cannot change driving promptly when a request for changing driving occurs. means. The state in which the driver cannot change the driving includes the state in which the system cannot be monitored, and the situation in which the system cannot be monitored is the situation in which the driver cannot monitor the screen display for displaying the alarm, and the driver is sleeping. , And the situation of looking backwards. In the present embodiment, in the level 3 automatic driving, the abnormal state includes a state in which the duty of vehicle peripheral monitoring cannot be fulfilled when the driver is notified to perform vehicle peripheral monitoring. In the present embodiment, the occupant state determination unit 52 causes the display device 31 of the HMI 12 to display a predetermined screen, and instructs the driver to look at the display device 31. After that, the occupant state determination unit 52 detects the driver's line of sight with the indoor camera 26, and when it is determined that the driver's line of sight is not toward the display device 31 of the HMI 12, the duty of monitoring the surroundings of the vehicle cannot be fulfilled. Determined to be in a state.

The occupant state determination unit 52 detects whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel based on, for example, a signal from the grip sensor 27, and when the driver is not gripping the steering wheel, the driver It is determined that the vehicle is in an abnormal state where the obligation to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle is neglected. Further, the occupant state determination unit 52 determines whether or not the driver's condition is in an abnormal state based on the image captured by the indoor camera 26. For example, the occupant state determination unit 52 extracts the driver's face region from the captured image by using a known image analysis means. The occupant state determination unit 52 further extracts an iris portion (hereinafter, black eye) including the inner corner of the eye, the outer corner of the eye, and the pupil from the extracted face region. When the occupant state determination unit 52 acquires the driver's line-of-sight direction based on the extracted positions of the inner and outer corners of the eye, the black eye, the contour shape of the black eye, and the like, and the driver's line of sight is not facing the front of the vehicle. It is determined that the driver is neglecting the obligation to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle.

The state management unit 37 determines the level of automatic driving based on at least one of the position of the own vehicle, the operation of the automatic driving level changeover switch 13, and the determination result of the abnormal state determination unit 36. Further, the state management unit 37 controls the action planning unit 42 based on the determined level to perform automatic operation according to each level. For example, when the state management unit 37 executes level 1 automatic driving and constant speed running control, the event determined by the action planning unit 42 is limited to the constant speed running event.

The state management unit 37 raises and lowers the level in addition to executing the automatic operation according to the set level.

More specifically, when the condition for performing automatic operation of the level after the transition is satisfied, and the automatic operation level changeover switch 13 is input to instruct the level of automatic operation to increase, the state management unit 37 satisfies the condition. , Raise the level.

When the condition for performing automatic operation of the level being executed is not satisfied, or when an input instructing the level to be lowered is made to the automatic operation level changeover switch 13, the state management unit 37 performs intervention request processing. In the intervention request processing, the state management unit 37 first notifies the driver of the handover request. The notification to the driver may be performed by displaying a message or an image on the display device 31 or generating a voice or a warning sound from the sound generator 32. The notification to the driver may be configured to continue for a predetermined time after the intervention request processing is started. Further, the notification to the driver may be configured to be continued until the input is detected by the occupant monitoring device 11.

When the conditions for performing autonomous driving at the running level are not met, when the vehicle moves to an area where only autonomous driving at a level lower than the level currently running is feasible, or when the abnormal state determination unit 36 is the driver or This includes when it is determined that a difficult abnormality has occurred in order to continue automatic driving of the vehicle.

After notifying the driver, the state management unit 37 detects whether the indoor camera 26 or the grip sensor 27 has received an input indicating intervention in driving from the driver. The method of detecting the presence or absence of input is determined depending on the level after migration. When shifting to level 2, the state management unit 37 extracts the driver's line of sight from the image acquired by the indoor camera 26, and when the driver's line of sight is facing the front of the vehicle, the driver changes to driving. It is determined that there was an input indicating the intervention of. When shifting to level 1 or level 0, the state management unit 37 determines that there is an input indicating intervention in driving when the grip sensor 27 detects the grip of the driver's steering wheel. That is, the indoor camera 26 and the grip sensor 27 function as an intervention detection device that detects the driver's intervention in driving. Further, the state management unit 37 may detect whether or not there is an input indicating intervention in operation based on the input to the automatic operation level changeover switch 13.

The state management unit 37 lowers the level when an input indicating intervention in driving is detected within a predetermined time from the start of the intervention request processing. At this time, the level of automatic operation after descent may be level 0, or may be the highest level in the feasible range.

The state management unit 37 causes the action planning unit 42 to generate a stop event when the input corresponding to the driver's intervention in driving is not detected within a predetermined time from the execution of the intervention request processing. The stop event is an event in which the vehicle is stopped at a safe position (for example, an emergency parking zone, a roadside zone, a shoulder, a parking area, etc.) while degenerating the vehicle control. Here, a series of procedures executed in this stop event is referred to as MRM (Minimal Risk Maneuver).

When the stop event is generated, the control device 15 shifts from the automatic operation mode to the automatic stop mode, and the action planning unit 42 executes the stop process. Hereinafter, an outline of the stop processing will be described with reference to FIG.

In the stop process, the notification process is executed first (ST1). In the notification process, the action planning unit 42 operates the vehicle outside notification device 14 to notify the outside of the vehicle. For example, the action planning unit 42 operates the horn included in the outside notification device 14 to periodically generate a warning sound. The notification process continues until the stop process is completed. After the notification process is completed, the action planning unit 42 may operate the horn according to the situation and continue to generate the warning sound.

Next, the degeneracy process is executed (ST2). The degeneracy process is a process of limiting the events that can be generated by the action planning unit 42. The degeneration process prohibits the generation of, for example, a lane change event to an overtaking lane, an overtaking event, a merging event, and the like. Further, the degeneracy process may limit the upper limit speed and the upper limit acceleration of the vehicle in various events as compared with the case where the stop process is not executed.

Next, the stop area determination process is executed (ST3). The stop area determination process refers to map information based on the position of the own vehicle, and extracts a plurality of stop areas that are suitable for stopping, such as a road shoulder and an evacuation space in the traveling direction of the own vehicle. Then, one stop area is selected from the plurality of stop areas based on the size of the stop area, the distance between the stop area and the own vehicle position, and the like.

Next, the move process is executed (ST4). In the movement process, a route for reaching the stop area is determined, various events for traveling on the route are generated, and a target trajectory is determined. The travel control unit 38 controls the propulsion device 3, the brake device 4, and the steering device 5 based on the target trajectory determined by the action planning unit 42. As a result, the vehicle travels along the route and reaches the stop area.

Next, the stop position determination process is executed (ST5). In the stop position determination process, the stop position is determined based on obstacles located around the vehicle recognized by the outside world recognition unit 40, road markings, and the like. In the stop position determination process, the stop position may not be determined within the stop area due to the presence of surrounding vehicles and obstacles. When the stop position cannot be determined in the stop position determination process (the determination in ST6 is No), the stop area determination process (ST3), the movement process (ST4), and the stop position determination process (ST5) are repeated in this order.

When the stop position can be determined in the stop position determination process (the determination in ST6 is Yes), the stop execution process is executed (ST7). The action planning unit 42 generates a target trajectory based on the current location of the vehicle and the stop position in the stop execution process. The travel control unit 38 controls the propulsion device 3, the brake device 4, and the steering device 5 based on the target trajectory determined by the action planning unit 42. As a result, the vehicle moves toward the stop position and stops at the stop position.

After the stop execution process is executed, the stop maintenance process is executed (ST8). In the vehicle stop maintenance process, the travel control unit 38 drives the parking brake device in response to a command from the action planning unit 42 to maintain the vehicle at the stop position. After that, the action planning unit 42 may send an emergency call to the emergency call center by the communication device 8. When the stop maintenance process is completed, the stop process ends.

In the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control system 1 performs at least one of steering, acceleration, deceleration, and peripheral monitoring of the vehicle. The automatic stop mode is implemented when the driver's acceptance of the driver's request for intervention in driving issued while driving in the automatic driving mode is not detected, and the vehicle control system 1 determines the stop position and determines the stop position. The vehicle is stopped at this stop position. Here, the roadside zone and the emergency stop zone are preferentially selected as the stop positions. Roadside zones are often adjacent to the outermost lane on the road (the leftmost lane for left-hand traffic), and emergency stop zones are often located adjacent to the roadside zone. Therefore, if the vehicle shifts to the automatic stop mode while traveling in the inner lane on a road having a plurality of lanes on one side, it is necessary to change lanes. With reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, a lane change will be described when at least a part of the outside world recognition device 6 fails in the automatic stop mode. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the vehicle 61 in the automatic stop mode is traveling in the inner (right) lane 62 on a road with two lanes on each side for left-hand traffic, and the outer (left) lane 63 in the automatic stop mode. It shows how it moves to and stops at the roadside zone.

When the automatic stop mode is executed (ST11), the control device 15 issues a warning to surrounding vehicles by the vehicle outside notification device 14. For example, the control device 15 blinks the hazard lamp and sounds the horn at predetermined intervals. It is preferable that the faster the speed of the vehicle 61, the higher the intensity of the notification by the vehicle outside notification device 14.

Next, the action planning unit 42 of the control device 15 determines the stop position (ST12). Here, the control device 15 stops the roadside zone or emergency stop zone provided inside the road, or the roadside zone or emergency stop zone provided outside the road, giving priority to the inside of the lane 62 in which the vehicle is traveling. Select as position.

Next, the control device 15 determines whether or not it is necessary to change lanes (ST13). When the own vehicle position recognition unit 41 recognizes that there is another lane between the moving lane 62 and the stop position based on the information from the outside world recognition device 6 and the navigation device 9, the action planning unit 42 It is determined that the lane 63 on the stop position side needs to be changed (Yes in ST13), and it is determined whether or not the outside world recognition device 6 that detects the status of the lane 63 to be moved is functioning normally (ST14). .. The outside world recognition device 6 that detects the situation of the lane 63 to be moved includes an outside world sensor provided on the side of the rear end of the vehicle 61, and this outside world sensor includes an outside camera 19, a radar 17, and / or a rider 18. including. When the vehicle state determination unit 51 determines that the outside world recognition device 6 for detecting the state of the lane 63 to be moved is functioning normally (Yes in ST14), the control device 15 detects the outside world recognition device 6. After confirming the safety according to the situation of other vehicles in the vicinity, the vehicle 61 is changed to the lane 63 to be moved (ST15). At this time, the action planning unit 42 determines the trajectory of the vehicle 61 so that the absolute value of the left-right component of the speed of the vehicle 61 becomes the first value (arrow a in FIG. 3). If the road has three or more lanes on each side, the control device 15 repeats the lane change until the vehicle 61 moves to the lane 63 closest to the stop position. During the lane change, the control device 15 blinks the left and right direction indicators on the moving side in the same manner as during a general lane change, instead of blinking the hazard lamps (both left and right direction indicators). It is preferable to turn off the turn signal on the opposite side of the.

Further, when the vehicle state determination unit 51 determines that the outside world recognition device 6 for detecting the state of the lane 63 to be moved is not functioning normally (No in ST14), the control device 15 is the outside world recognition device 6. It is determined whether or not the degree of abnormal function of the above is the degree to which the lane can be changed (ST16). For example, in the control device 15, only a part of the outside world sensors 6 in the outside world recognition device 6 that detects the situation of the lane 63 to be moved cannot detect the surrounding situation, but the outside world sensor and the detection range partially overlap. When other external sensors are functioning normally, or when the detectable distance of some or all external sensors is shorter than the original distance but is more than the specified value, the detection of the surrounding situation by that sensor itself Judges that it is possible to change lanes if possible. On the other hand, the control device 15 lanes, for example, when all of the outside world recognition devices 6 for detecting the situation of the lane 63 to be moved cannot detect the surrounding situation or when the detectable distance of the outside world sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Judge that the change is impossible.

When it is determined that the lane can be changed (Yes in ST16), the control device 15 moves after confirming the safety to the extent possible based on the situation of other vehicles in the vicinity detected by the outside world recognition device 6. The vehicle 61 is moved to the power lane 63 (ST17). At this time, the action planning unit 42 determines the trajectory of the vehicle 61 so that the absolute value of the left-right component of the speed of the vehicle 61 becomes a second value smaller than the first value, and travels based on this trajectory. The control unit 38 drives the vehicle 61 (arrow b in FIG. 3). That is, when some sensors in the outside world recognition device 6 that detects the situation of the lane 63 to be moved are not functioning normally, the control device 15 is a vehicle as compared with the case where it is functioning normally. Decrease the lateral movement speed of 61. For example, the action planning unit 42 sets the trajectory of the vehicle 61 so that the moving distance from the current location of the vehicle 61 to the position at the end of the lane change is longer than the moving distance at the time of changing the lane of ST15. In other words, the steering angle when changing lanes at low speed, where the moving speed of ST17 in the left-right direction is low, is smaller than the steering angle when changing lanes of ST15. By adjusting the moving speed in the left-right direction by using the steering angle as both controls, the program for controlling the vehicle 61 can be simplified. In addition, the lateral movement speed can be slowed down without significantly reducing the speed in the front-rear direction. Since the vehicle 61 slowly moves in the left-right direction in this way, even if the other vehicle that could not be detected is traveling in a position that hinders the lane change, the driver of the other vehicle is in the process of changing the lane. It takes more time to operate another vehicle so as not to notice that there is and interfere with the lane change of the vehicle 61. Therefore, it can be expected that the driver of the other vehicle will drive the other vehicle so as not to interfere with the lane change of the vehicle 61, and the safety of the lane change of the vehicle 61 is enhanced. In addition, instead of slowing down the lateral movement speed, the lateral (horizontal) component of acceleration or acceleration (jerk) may be reduced.

Further, when the sensor that is not functioning normally can monitor the surrounding situation if the distance is shorter than usual, the control device 15 reduces the second value as the detectable distance becomes shorter, and the left and right of the vehicle 61. The movement in the direction may be slowed down. For example, the action planning unit 42 sets the first value so that the time required for changing lanes is 3 seconds when the sensor is normal (for example, the detectable distance behind is 150 m), and the sensor is mild. At the time of failure (for example, the detectable distance behind is 100 m) and at the time of moderate failure (for example, the detectable distance behind is 50 m), the time required to change lanes is 5 seconds and 7 seconds, respectively. A second value may be set. As a result, the shorter the detectable distance of the sensor, the longer the time for the driver of the other vehicle to notice the lane change of the vehicle 61 and operate the other vehicle so as not to obstruct the course.

Further, in order to make it easier for drivers of other vehicles in the vicinity to notice the lane change of the vehicle 61, during the execution of the low-speed lane change of ST17, the control device 15 determines the intensity of notification by the outside notification device 14, for example, the horn. The intensity of the sound and the intensity of the light of the left and right blinking direction indicators may be increased, or the tone of the horn may be changed to shorten the cycle of emitting sound or light.

Further, the control device 15 moves the vehicle 61 closer to the lane 63 to be moved in the traveling lane 62 before the lane change of ST15 and the low speed lane change of ST17, and the outside world recognition device 6 is left and right. It is preferable to make it easier to detect the situation behind the side of the lane 63 to be moved.

After determining that the lane change is unnecessary (No in ST13), or after executing the lane change (ST15) or the low-speed lane change (ST17), the travel control unit 38 is based on the track calculated by the action planning unit 42. The vehicle 61 is stopped at the stop position (ST18). After the vehicle 61 is stopped, the control device 15 transmits an emergency call to the outside of the emergency call center or the like via the communication device 8 (ST19). In the emergency call, the occupant status determination unit 52 determines that external rescue is necessary, such as when the driver is unable to move due to illness or injury, is unconscious, or the driver is in cardiac arrest. When the occupant status determination unit 52 determines that the driver did not respond to the request for intervention in driving intentionally or negligently (for example, the driver continues to perform other work such as operating the smartphone). In some cases), it may not be done.

If it is determined in ST16 that the lane cannot be changed (No in ST16), the vehicle returns to ST12 and the stop position is changed. Here, as the stopped position after the change, a roadside zone, an emergency parking zone, or the like provided inside the traveling lane 62 is selected with priority over the traveling lane 62, and the traveling lane 62 is selected. If there is no such space inside, or if the required lane change cannot be made as a result of performing ST13 or later even if there is such a space (Yes in ST13, No in ST14, No in ST16) ), The inside of the traveling lane 62 is selected.

ST12 to 14 and 16 in FIG. 4 are processes in ST3 to ST6 in FIG. 2, ST15, 17 and 18 in FIG. 4 are processes in ST7 in FIG. 2, and ST19 is in ST8 in FIG. It is the processing of.

As described above, even when the automatic stop mode is being executed and a part of the outside world recognition device 6 does not function normally, the moving speed of the vehicle 61 in the left-right direction when changing lanes becomes slow. For driving so that the driver of the other vehicle does not notice the lane change of the vehicle 61 and obstruct the movement of the vehicle 61 even if the other vehicle that could not be detected is traveling in a position that hinders the lane change. Since the time is increased and such driving by the driver of another vehicle can be expected, the safety of changing the lane of the vehicle 61 is improved.

Although the description of the specific embodiment is completed above, the present invention can be widely modified without being limited to the above embodiment. The above embodiment is applied to the automatic stop mode when the driver is requested to intervene in driving during not only level 3 automatic driving but also other levels of automatic driving and the driver does not accept it. You may.

1: Vehicle control system 2: Vehicle system 6: External world recognition device 8: Communication device 9: Navigation device 10: Driving operation device (intervention detection device)
11: Crew monitoring device (intervention detection device)
13: Automatic operation level changeover switch (intervention detection device)
14: Outside notification device 15: Control device 17: Radar 18: Rider 19: Outside camera (camera)
33: Input interface (intervention detection device)
61: Vehicle 62: Driving lane (first lane)
63: Lane to move (second lane)

Claims (10)

It ’s a vehicle control system.
Control devices that steer, accelerate, and decelerate the vehicle,
It has an outside world recognition device that detects obstacles around the vehicle.
The control device has an automatic driving mode that performs at least one of steering, acceleration, deceleration, and peripheral monitoring of the vehicle, and it is difficult for the vehicle control system or the driver to continue driving the vehicle while the vehicle is running. It is possible to execute an automatic stop mode in which the vehicle is stopped within a predetermined stop area when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
When at least a part of the outside world recognition device is not functioning normally and the lane is changed from the first lane running in the automatic stop mode to the second lane adjacent to the first lane, the above The control device is a vehicle control system characterized in that the lateral movement of the vehicle when changing lanes is slowed down as compared with the case where the outside world recognition device is functioning normally. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the outside world recognition device that detects the situation in the second lane includes an outside world sensor provided on the rear side of the vehicle. The vehicle control system according to claim 2, wherein the external sensor provided on the side portion of the rear end portion of the vehicle includes a camera, a radar, and / or a rider. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control device slows down the lateral movement when changing lanes as the detectable distance of the obstacle by the external sensor decreases. In the automatic stop mode, when the detectable distance of the obstacle by the outside world sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control device does not change lanes and sets the predetermined stop area in the first lane. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 2 to 4. When at least a part of the outside world recognition device is not functioning normally and the lane is changed in the automatic stop mode, the control device is compared with the case where the outside world recognition device is functioning normally. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lateral movement of the vehicle is slowed down by increasing the moving distance of the vehicle from the start to the completion of the lane change. The control device is characterized in that the state in which the vehicle is brought closer to the second lane side in the first lane is maintained for a predetermined time before the lane is changed from the first lane to the second lane. Item 6. The vehicle control system according to any one of Items 1 to 6. It also has an outside notification device that notifies the outside of the vehicle by sound or light.
The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control device performs notification by the outside notification device with higher intensity as the speed of the vehicle increases in the automatic stop mode. .. The vehicle control system according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle external notification device includes a warning light and / or a horn. Further having a communication device capable of communicating with the outside of the vehicle,
The vehicle control according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control device issues a notification to the outside via the communication device after the vehicle has stopped in the automatic stop mode. system.

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