JP2021075117A - Vehicle control method and vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device capable of controlling an own vehicle anywhere in preparation to a change in behavior of a preceding vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control method for causing a control device to control travel of an own vehicle: performs following control for enabling the own vehicle to travel with a predetermined distance from a preceding vehicle on the same lane; acquires surrounding information of the own vehicle from a device collecting information around the own vehicle; determines that the preceding vehicle is in following travel operation so as to follow a preceding vehicle thereof on the same lane on the basis of the surrounding information; also determines whether or not the following travel operation of the preceding vehicle is completed on the basis of the surrounding information after determining that the preceding vehicle is in following travel operation; and performs inter-vehicle spacing control for making inter-vehicle spacing with the preceding vehicle longer than that in the following control when determining that the following travel of the preceding vehicle is completed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

A driving support device that calculates a driving pattern of its own vehicle based on information transmitted to and received from a server device is known (Patent Document 1). In the server device, the storage unit stores the traveling pattern for each vehicle for each traveling lane. This driving support device includes a driving pattern correction unit that corrects the driving pattern of the own vehicle based on the driving pattern of the vehicle in front received from the server device by the driving pattern communication unit. If there is a point between the current position of the own vehicle and the reference point where the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front is shorter than the threshold value, the travel pattern correction unit corrects the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front so that the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front is equal to or greater than the threshold value. ..

International Publication No. 2015/159362

In the conventional technology, it is necessary to store the driving pattern for each vehicle in advance in the server device, and in a place where the driving pattern is not stored, it is difficult to control the own vehicle in preparation for a change in the behavior of the preceding vehicle. There is.

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device capable of controlling a own vehicle in preparation for a change in the behavior of a preceding vehicle at an arbitrary location.

The present invention executes follow-up control for driving the own vehicle so as to keep the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle on the same lane at a predetermined distance, and obtains information on the surroundings of the own vehicle from a device that acquires information on the surroundings of the own vehicle. After acquiring, based on the surrounding information, it is determined that the preceding vehicle is performing the following vehicle that travels so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle on the same lane, and after determining that the preceding vehicle is performing the following vehicle. , Based on the surrounding information, it is determined whether or not the following vehicle has finished following the vehicle, and if it is determined that the following vehicle has finished following the vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance control to make the distance to the preceding vehicle longer than the predetermined distance is performed. By executing it, the above problem is solved.

According to the present invention, the own vehicle can be controlled at any place in preparation for a change in the behavior of the preceding vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a travel control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the functions realized by the control device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a flow of control processing of the present embodiment. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a flow of control processing of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an example of a scene in which the control process shown in FIG. 3A is executed. FIG. 5 is an example of a scene in which the control device determines that the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle has been completed. FIG. 6 is an example of a scene after the control device executes inter-vehicle distance control.

Hereinafter, a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention will be described by exemplifying a vehicle control device mounted on the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle travel control system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The travel control system 100 is mounted on the vehicle and controls the travel of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the travel control system 100 includes a vehicle position detection device 1, a map database 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, a distance measurement sensor 4, a camera 5, an input device 6, and a navigation device 7. , The communication device 8, the drive mechanism 9, and the vehicle control device 10. These devices are connected by a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other in-vehicle LAN in order to exchange information with each other.

The own vehicle position detection device 1 includes a GPS unit. The own vehicle position detection device 1 detects radio waves transmitted from a plurality of satellite communications by a locator (GPS antenna), and periodically acquires the position information of the own vehicle. The own vehicle position detection device 1 detects the current position of the own vehicle based on the acquired position information of the own vehicle, the angle change information acquired from the gyro sensor (not shown), and the vehicle speed acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 3. .. In addition, the own vehicle position detection device 1 can also detect the position of the own vehicle by using a well-known map matching technique. The position information of the own vehicle detected by the own vehicle position detection device 1 is output to the vehicle control device 10.

The map database 2 stores map information. The map database 2 outputs map information to the vehicle control device 10 in response to access from the vehicle control device 10. In the present embodiment, the map information includes road attribute information and facility information at each map coordinate, and traffic rule information. This information is associated with nodes and / or links connecting the nodes. Links are identified at the lane level. The map information may be high-precision map information suitable for automatic driving. In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the own vehicle is provided with the map database 2 will be described as an example, but the server provided outside the vehicle may be provided with the map database 2. In this case, the vehicle control device 10 acquires map information from the server via the communication device 8 described later. Further, the map information may be recorded in advance in a portable storage device (for example, an external HDD or a flash memory). In this case, by electrically connecting the vehicle control device 10 and the storage device, the storage device functions as the map database 2.

Examples of road attributes include intersections, curves, slopes, narrow roads, straight roads, and confluences. The map information is configured in such a manner that the attributes of the road at each point on the map can be specified. Information about the facility includes, for example, the type of facility, the presence or absence of a parking lot available when using the facility, and the available time zone of the facility. The map information is configured in such a manner that the facilities at each point on the map can be identified. Traffic rule information includes, for example, traffic rules that a vehicle must comply with when traveling, such as pausing on a route, parking / stopping prohibition, driving, speed limit, and lane change prohibition. The map information is configured in such a manner that the traffic rules at each point on the map can be specified. The above road attributes, facility information, and traffic rule information are examples only, and do not limit these information.

The vehicle speed sensor 3 measures the rotational speed of a drive system such as a drive shaft, and detects the traveling speed of the own vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as vehicle speed) based on the measurement speed. The vehicle speed information of the own vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 is output to the vehicle control device 10.

The distance measuring sensor 4 detects an object existing around the own vehicle. The distance measuring sensor 4 calculates the relative position of the object with respect to the position of the own vehicle, the distance from the own vehicle to the object, and the relative vehicle speed of the object with respect to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. The information of the object detected by the distance measuring sensor 4 is output to the vehicle control device 10. Examples of the object detected by the distance measuring sensor 4 include one or more vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, obstacles, road signs, facilities, etc. traveling in the same lane and / or in the adjacent lane. Not limited to. As the distance measuring sensor 4, a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, or the like (LRF or the like) can be used. The distance measuring sensor 4 is provided, for example, in front of, sideways, and behind the own vehicle, and detects an object existing in the entire periphery of the own vehicle.

The camera 5 captures an object existing around the own vehicle. The captured image of the object captured by the camera 5 is output to the vehicle control device 10. Examples of the object imaged by the camera 5 include one or more vehicles traveling in the same lane and / or adjacent lanes, bicycles, motorcycles, obstacles, road signs, facilities, road markings including white lines, and the like. However, it is not limited to these. The camera 5 is provided, for example, in front of, sideways, and behind the own vehicle, and images an object existing in the entire periphery of the own vehicle.

The detection range of the distance measuring sensor 4 and the imaging range of the camera 5 will be described. In the present embodiment, the distance measuring sensor 4 can detect at least two other vehicles traveling in front of the own vehicle in the same lane. The camera 5 can also image at least two other vehicles traveling in front of the own vehicle in the same lane. In the following description, another vehicle that travels in the same lane as the own vehicle in front of the own vehicle and that travels at the position closest to the own vehicle is referred to as a "preceding vehicle". I will explain. Further, another vehicle that travels in the same lane as the own vehicle in front of the preceding vehicle and that travels at the position closest to the preceding vehicle will be referred to as a "preceding vehicle". The ranging sensor 4 may have a detection range capable of detecting a vehicle other than the preceding vehicle and the vehicle ahead. Further, the camera 5 may also have an imaging range capable of capturing an image of a vehicle other than the preceding vehicle and the vehicle ahead. Further, the detection range of the distance measuring sensor 4 and the imaging range of the camera 5 may be the same or different.

The input device 6 is an operating member that can be operated by the driver. In the present embodiment, the driver can set on / off of the automatic driving control by operating the input device 6. The automatic driving control is performed by the vehicle control device 10 described later. In the automatic driving control of the vehicle according to the present embodiment, when the preceding vehicle is in front of the own vehicle, the preceding vehicle tracking control is performed. The preceding vehicle tracking control is a control for driving the own vehicle so as to follow the preceding vehicle while keeping the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle at the inter-vehicle distance set by the driver. On the other hand, when there is no preceding vehicle in front of the own vehicle, the speed control for driving the own vehicle at the vehicle speed set by the driver is performed. The driver sets the set inter-vehicle distance (for example, three stages of short, medium, and long) in the preceding vehicle follow-up control and the set vehicle speed (for example, a specific speed value) of the own vehicle in the speed control via the input device 6. can do.

The navigation device 7 is a device that guides the driver by indicating a route from the current position of the own vehicle to the destination based on the position information of the own vehicle detected by the own vehicle position detection device 1. The navigation device 7 acquires map information from the map database 2 and calculates a travel route (also referred to as a travel route) of the own vehicle from the position information of the own vehicle and the position information of the destination. The travel route of the own vehicle is output to the vehicle control device 10. The travel route of the own vehicle includes the route that the own vehicle actually traveled and the route that the own vehicle is scheduled to travel from now on.

The communication device 8 is a device capable of communicating with a communication device mounted on another vehicle, a server or a system provided outside the own vehicle. Examples of the communication device 8 include, but are not limited to, a device having a mobile communication function of 4G LTE, a device having a Wifi communication function, and the like.

The communication device 8 acquires information about the other vehicle from the communication device mounted on the other vehicle. Communication between the own vehicle and another vehicle is called vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Examples of the information regarding the other vehicle include vehicle speed information of the other vehicle, position information of the other vehicle, and travel control information of the other vehicle. The vehicle speed information of another vehicle is represented by the absolute value of the vehicle speed of the other vehicle or the relative vehicle speed of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. The position information of the other vehicle is represented by the coordinates on the map or the relative position (relative coordinates) of the other vehicle with respect to the position of the own vehicle. Examples of the travel control information of the other vehicle include the type of travel control executed by the other vehicle, the set value in each travel control, and the like. The above information on other vehicles is an example and is not limited to these. The information about the other vehicle acquired by the communication device 8 is output to the vehicle control device 10.

The communication device 8 is not limited to vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and is a vehicle information and communication system (VICS (registered trademark)) by means of an information transmission device (beacon) provided on the road, FM multiplex broadcasting, or the like. Can also communicate with (same). For example, when VICS manages traffic information based on probe data including vehicle position information and vehicle speed information, the communication device 8 acquires information about other vehicles as mentioned in the above example from VICS. You can also.

Further, the communication device 8 is not limited to communication with other vehicles, and can also communicate with a server or system provided outside the own vehicle. The communication device 8 can also acquire map information stored in the server or system from a server or system provided outside the own vehicle.

The drive mechanism 9 includes an engine and / or a motor (power system), a brake (braking system), a steering actuator (steering system), and the like for automatically traveling the own vehicle. Further, the drive mechanism 9 includes various control mechanisms for controlling these devices. Various control signals are input to the drive mechanism 9 from the vehicle control device 10. For example, when a control signal for changing the lane of the own vehicle to an adjacent lane is input to the drive mechanism 9, the drive mechanism 9 responds to the steering angle and the moving vehicle speed required for the movement of the own vehicle according to the control signal. Calculate the accelerator depression amount or brake depression amount. The drive mechanism 9 controls the steering direction and steering amount of the steering of the own vehicle according to the calculated steering angle. Further, the drive mechanism 9 controls the accelerator opening degree of the own vehicle according to the calculated accelerator depression amount. Further, the drive mechanism 9 controls the brake opening degree of the own vehicle according to the calculated brake depression amount. By controlling the drive mechanism 9 in this way, the own vehicle can automatically or autonomously change lanes to the adjacent lane. When the lane change control is executed, the drive mechanism 9 also controls turning on and off the direction indicator (not shown).

The control of various mechanisms included in the drive mechanism 9 may be performed completely automatically, or may be performed in a manner of supporting the driving operation of the driver. The control of various mechanisms can be interrupted or stopped by the intervention operation of the driver. The method of traveling control by the drive mechanism 9 is not limited to the above control method, and other well-known methods can be applied.

The vehicle control device 10 is based on the information input from the own vehicle position detection device 1, the map database 2, the vehicle speed sensor 3, the distance measurement sensor 4, the camera 5, the input device 6, the navigation device 7, and the communication device 8. A control signal for controlling the traveling of the vehicle is generated, and the control signal is output to the drive mechanism 9.

The vehicle control device 10 is composed of a computer equipped with hardware and software, and is accessible to a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a program and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program stored in the ROM. It is composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as a storage device. As the operating circuit, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like can be used instead of or in combination with the CPU. .. The control device 11 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to a CPU. The control device 11 includes a ROM and a RAM.

In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the program executed by the control device 11 is stored in the ROM in advance will be described as an example, but the location where the program is stored is not limited to the ROM. For example, the program may be stored on a computer-readable and portable computer-readable recording medium (eg, disk media, flash memory, etc.). In this case, the control device 11 downloads the program from a computer-readable recording medium and executes the downloaded program. In other words, the vehicle control device 10 may be configured to include only an operating circuit and download a program from the outside.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the functions realized by the control device 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 11 includes an information acquisition unit 21, a preceding vehicle follow-up control unit 22, a peripheral situation recognition unit 23, a follow-up travel recognition unit 24, a situation change recognition unit 25, and a movement destination. A candidate identification unit 26, an inter-vehicle distance control unit 27, and a lane change control unit 28 are included. These blocks realize each function described later by the software established in the ROM. In the present embodiment, the functions of the control device 11 are divided into eight blocks, and then the functions of the respective functional blocks are described. However, the functions of the control device 11 do not necessarily have to be divided into eight blocks. It may be divided into the following functional blocks or nine or more functional blocks.

The information acquisition unit 21 will be described. The information acquisition unit 21 acquires various information from each of the own vehicle position detection device 1, the map database 2, the vehicle speed sensor 3, the distance measurement sensor 4, the camera 5, the input device 6, the navigation device 7, and the communication device 8.

The information acquisition unit 21 acquires the position information of the own vehicle from the own vehicle position detection device 1. The information acquisition unit 21 acquires map information from the map database 2. The information acquisition unit 21 acquires vehicle speed information of its own vehicle from the vehicle speed sensor 3. The information acquisition unit 21 acquires information on the travel route of the own vehicle from the navigation device 7.

The information acquisition unit 21 acquires information on an object existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle from the distance measuring sensor 4, the camera 5, and the communication device 8 as the peripheral information of the own vehicle. Examples of the information acquired from the distance measuring sensor 4 include the relative vehicle speed of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the position of the own vehicle, and the distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle. Examples of the information acquired from the camera 5 include an image of another vehicle, an image of a facility, an image of a road sign, an image of a road surface, and the like. The information acquired from the communication device 8 includes, for example, the relative vehicle speed of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the position of the own vehicle, the distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle, and the travel control information of the other vehicle. Can be mentioned. In the above description, the other vehicle is not limited to the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle, but also includes other other vehicles. Examples of the travel control information of the other vehicle include information indicating whether or not the other vehicle is performing the follow-up travel that follows and travels so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle in front by the travel control.

The information acquisition unit 21 acquires information regarding the setting of the automatic operation control from the input device 6. For example, when the automatic driving control is set to on by the driver, the information acquisition unit 21 acquires information indicating that the automatic driving control is effective. Further, when the driver sets the set inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control and the set vehicle speed in the speed control, the information acquisition unit 21 acquires the information of the set inter-vehicle distance and the set vehicle speed.

The preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 will be described. The preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 executes preceding vehicle tracking control for driving the own vehicle so as to keep the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle at a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is, for example, a set inter-vehicle distance set by the driver. When the presence of the preceding vehicle is recognized by the surrounding situation awareness unit 23, which will be described later, the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 targets the own vehicle for maintaining the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by using, for example, the method described below. The vehicle speed is set and the target vehicle speed is output to the drive mechanism 9.

For example, the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 calculates the inter-vehicle time (THW: Time Head Way) of the own vehicle and the margin time (TTC: Time to Collision) of the own vehicle. The preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 calculates the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle based on, for example, the information acquired from the distance measuring sensor 4. Then, the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 calculates the inter-vehicle time of the own vehicle by dividing the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. Further, the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 calculates the margin time of the own vehicle by dividing the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle by the relative vehicle speed of the own vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle.

The preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle so that the inter-vehicle time of the own vehicle is within a predetermined range. The predetermined range may be a range obtained by converting the inter-vehicle distance set by the driver, or may be a predetermined range. Examples of the predetermined range include a range of 1 second to 3 seconds. Further, the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle so that the margin time of the own vehicle becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined threshold value is a predetermined threshold value and is not particularly limited. As a predetermined threshold value, for example, a value of 4 seconds can be mentioned. The preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle so as to satisfy the above conditions in both the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the own vehicle. The inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control becomes longer as the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is higher.

Next, the preceding vehicle tracking control will be described with reference to a specific example. An example is a scene in which the preceding vehicle decelerates from a state in which the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle travel at a constant speed without accelerating or decelerating and the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is maintained. In this scene, the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 calculates the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the own vehicle. Since the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is shorter than before the preceding vehicle decelerates, the inter-vehicle time of the own vehicle is calculated to be smaller than before the preceding vehicle decelerates. For example, when the inter-vehicle time of the own vehicle becomes smaller than a predetermined range, the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle at a constant speed in order to keep the inter-vehicle time of the own vehicle within the predetermined range. Set lower than. Further, since the relative vehicle speed of the own vehicle to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle is higher than that before the preceding vehicle decelerates, the margin time of the own vehicle is calculated to be smaller than before the preceding vehicle decelerates. For example, when the margin time of the own vehicle becomes smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle to a constant speed in order to make the margin time of the own vehicle larger than the predetermined threshold value. Set lower than when driving. Since the own vehicle decelerates according to the target vehicle speed, the own vehicle can perform follow-up running so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. As for the method of calculating the inter-vehicle distance, the inter-vehicle time, and the margin time with the preceding vehicle, a known technique can be applied to the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22.

The surrounding situation recognition unit 23 will be described. The surrounding situation recognition unit 23 recognizes the surrounding situation of the own vehicle based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. The surrounding situational awareness unit 23 recognizes the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling and the adjacent lane adjacent to the lane. For example, when the surrounding situation recognition unit 23 detects white lines located within a predetermined distance from each of the left and right sides of the own vehicle from the captured image of the road surface captured by the camera 5, the own vehicle covers the area between the white lines. Recognize as a driving lane.

Further, the surrounding situation recognition unit 23 recognizes the existence or nonexistence of the preceding vehicle. For example, the surrounding situational awareness unit 23 extracts one or more objects located in front of the own vehicle from the one or more objects detected by the distance measuring sensor 4. The surrounding situational awareness unit 23 determines whether or not the object is located in the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling from the relative position of the extracted object. When the surrounding situation recognition unit 23 determines that the object is located in the same lane, it executes image processing on the captured image in which the object appears, and determines whether or not the object is a vehicle. Well-known techniques such as pattern matching are used for image processing. When the surrounding situation recognition unit 23 determines that the object is a vehicle, it recognizes that the preceding vehicle exists.

In addition, the surrounding situational awareness unit 23 recognizes the existence or nonexistence of the vehicle ahead. When the peripheral situational awareness unit 23 determines that there are a plurality of objects located in front of the own vehicle on the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling in the process of determining the existence of the preceding vehicle, is it a vehicle for each object? Determine if not. When the surrounding situation recognition unit 23 determines that a plurality of vehicles exist, the vehicle located closest to the own vehicle is designated as the preceding vehicle, and the vehicle closest to the preceding vehicle is designated as the leading vehicle among the plurality of vehicles. recognize.

The following travel recognition unit 24 will be described. The follow-up travel recognition unit 24 recognizes the follow-up travel of the preceding vehicle based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. The follow-up running of the preceding vehicle means that the preceding vehicle travels so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. In the present embodiment, the subject that follows the preceding vehicle is not particularly limited. The main body that follows the preceding vehicle includes a driver (human), a driving support device that assists the driver's driving, and a traveling control device that controls the driving of the vehicle without requiring the driver's driving.

The following travel recognition unit 24 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. For example, the following travel recognition unit 24 calculates the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle and the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle. The following travel recognition unit 24 calculates the inter-vehicle time (THW) of the preceding vehicle by dividing the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle by the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle. Further, the following travel recognition unit 24 calculates the relative vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle based on the relative vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle and the relative vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. The following travel recognition unit 24 calculates the margin time (TTC) of the preceding vehicle by dividing the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle by the relative vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle.

The following travel recognition unit 24 determines whether or not the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle is within a predetermined range. Further, the following travel recognition unit 24 determines whether or not the margin time of the preceding vehicle is larger than a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined range may be the same as or different from the predetermined range used in the description in the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22. Further, the predetermined threshold value may be the same as or different from the predetermined threshold value used in the description in the preceding vehicle tracking control unit 22.

When the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle is within a predetermined range and the margin time of the preceding vehicle is larger than a predetermined threshold value for a certain period of time, the following traveling recognition unit 24 is performing the following traveling. Is determined. On the other hand, in the follow-up travel recognition unit 24, if there is a period during which at least one of the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the preceding vehicle does not satisfy the above conditions, the preceding vehicle does not perform the follow-up travel. Is determined. The expression of the fixed period is not particularly limited, and the fixed period may be a time (for example, 20 seconds) or a period in which the own vehicle travels in a specific area (for example, between intersections). .. If the inter-vehicle time and margin time of the preceding vehicle satisfy the conditions within a certain period of time, it can be predicted that there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle will continue to follow the vehicle by determining that the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle. .. This is based on the viewpoint that it is unlikely that the preceding vehicle will behave differently (for example, parking on the shoulder, turning left at an intersection, changing lanes) while following the vehicle.

Further, the follow-up travel recognition unit 24 is not limited to the above method, and may determine the follow-up travel of the preceding vehicle by other methods. For example, when the following vehicle recognition unit 24 acquires information indicating that the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle from the preceding vehicle via the communication device 8, it determines that the preceding vehicle is performing the following vehicle. You may. On the other hand, when the following travel recognition unit 24 acquires information indicating that the preceding vehicle is not following traveling from the preceding vehicle via the communication device 8, it determines that the preceding vehicle is not following traveling. You may. The information indicating that the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle includes information on the following control executed by the preceding vehicle and information on the set inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle when executing the following vehicle.

The situation change recognition unit 25 will be described. The situation change recognition unit 25 recognizes whether or not the situation in which the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle has changed based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. Specifically, the situation change recognition unit 25 determines whether or not the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle has been completed based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. When the situation change recognition unit 25 determines that the following vehicle has finished following the vehicle, it recognizes that the situation in which the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle has changed. On the other hand, when the situation change recognition unit 25 determines that the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle has not been completed, it recognizes that the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle is continuing.

The situation change recognition unit 25 determines that the following vehicle has finished following the preceding vehicle if the preceding vehicle does not accelerate within a certain period of time in response to the increase in the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle. For example, the situation change recognition unit 25 calculates the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the preceding vehicle for each predetermined cycle after the following travel recognition unit 24 determines that the preceding vehicle is following the traveling. The situation change recognition unit 25 determines that the following vehicle has finished following the preceding vehicle when the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle is longer than a predetermined range and the margin time of the preceding vehicle is a negative value for a certain period of time. .. On the other hand, the situation change recognition unit 25 ends the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle when there is a period during which at least one of the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the preceding vehicle does not satisfy the above conditions. Judge not.

A scene in which the preceding vehicle accelerates from a state in which the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle travel at a constant speed without accelerating or decelerating and the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is maintained will be described as an example. In this scene, the situation change recognition unit 25 calculates the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the preceding vehicle. Since the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is longer than before the preceding vehicle accelerates, the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle is calculated to be larger than before the preceding vehicle accelerates. Further, the relative vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle is lower than that before the acceleration of the preceding vehicle and becomes a negative value. Therefore, the margin time of the preceding vehicle becomes a negative value.

Further, the fixed period, which is a condition for determining the following running of the preceding vehicle, is a preset period and is not particularly limited. For example, as a fixed period, a time of 2 seconds can be mentioned. As described above, in the scene where the vehicle is following while maintaining a predetermined distance, the inter-vehicle distance becomes longer or shorter than the predetermined distance as the vehicle to be followed accelerates or decelerates, and then is maintained at the predetermined distance. Dripping. Therefore, if the end of the follow-up running is determined without providing a certain period of time, it may be erroneously determined that the follow-up run of the preceding vehicle has ended even though the following vehicle is following the running. .. For example, when the vehicle ahead of the vehicle accelerates, the condition for ending the follow-up running is satisfied immediately after the acceleration of the vehicle ahead of the vehicle, so even if it is determined that the following vehicle has finished following the vehicle, the preceding vehicle accelerates in order to maintain the inter-vehicle distance. May be done. In consideration of such a situation, in the present embodiment, a certain period is provided in determining the follow-up running. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility of erroneous determination.

Further, the situation change recognition unit 25 is not limited to the above method, and may determine that the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle has been completed by another method. For example, when the situation change recognition unit 25 acquires information indicating that the preceding vehicle is not following the preceding vehicle from the preceding vehicle via the communication device 8, it determines that the following vehicle has finished following the traveling. May be good. On the contrary, when the situation change recognition unit 25 acquires information indicating that the preceding vehicle is following the preceding vehicle from the preceding vehicle via the communication device 8, it determines that the preceding vehicle is following the following vehicle. You may.

The movement destination candidate identification unit 26 will be described. The movement destination candidate identification unit 26 determines the existence or nonexistence of the movement destination candidate of the preceding vehicle based on at least one of the map information and the peripheral information of the own vehicle. When the movement destination candidate identification unit 26 determines that the movement destination candidate of the preceding vehicle exists, the movement destination candidate identification unit 26 specifies the position of the movement destination candidate. The destination candidate of the preceding vehicle is a candidate of the destination to which the preceding vehicle heads after the following running is completed. Candidates for the destination of the preceding vehicle may be inside or outside the lane in which the preceding vehicle is traveling.

Examples of destination candidates for the preceding vehicle include parking lots of facilities (restaurants, convenience stores, etc.), gas stations, and the like. In addition, when the preceding vehicle is traveling on a road with two or more lanes, the preceding vehicle may change lanes. In such situations, destination candidates include adjacent lanes. Further, when the preceding vehicle is traveling in a lane where parking on the road is possible, the preceding vehicle may park on the road. In such situations, destination candidates include spaces that can be parked on the street. Further, if there is an intersection in front of the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is traveling in a lane capable of turning left at the intersection, the preceding vehicle may turn left at the intersection. In such a situation, the destination candidate includes an intersection.

Based on the map information, the movement destination candidate identification unit 26 searches for the movement destination candidate of the preceding vehicle, for example, within a predetermined range ahead of the position of the preceding vehicle as a search condition. When the movement destination candidate of one or more preceding vehicles is obtained as the search result, the movement destination candidate identification unit 26 determines that the movement destination candidate of the preceding vehicle exists. On the other hand, the movement destination candidate identification unit 26 determines that the movement destination candidate of the preceding vehicle does not exist when no movement destination candidate is obtained as a search result. Further, the movement destination candidate identification unit 26 may determine that the movement destination candidate of the preceding vehicle exists when one or more movement destination candidates of the preceding vehicle are detected from the captured image captured by the camera 5. When it is determined that the movement destination candidate exists, the movement destination candidate identification unit 26 identifies the position of the movement destination candidate of the preceding vehicle based on at least one of the map information and the captured image. In addition, only the map information may be used or only the captured image may be used for specifying the movement destination candidate. Further, map information and captured images may be used to identify the movement destination candidate.

The inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 will be described. When the situation change recognition unit 25 determines that the following vehicle has finished following the vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 performs inter-vehicle distance control to make the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle longer than the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control. The inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 stops the execution of the preceding vehicle follow-up control, and performs the inter-vehicle distance control for increasing the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle. For example, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle lower than the target vehicle speed when the preceding vehicle follow-up control is being executed. The inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 outputs the set target vehicle speed to the drive mechanism 9. As a result, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle starts to decelerate from the vehicle speed when the preceding vehicle tracking control is being executed. As a result, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is longer than when the preceding vehicle tracking control is being executed.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the above-mentioned inter-vehicle distance control, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 increases the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle with respect to the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control based on the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control. Change (also called level or ratio). For example, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 controls so that the lower the vehicle speed of the own vehicle when executing the preceding vehicle follow-up control, the longer the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle with respect to the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control. .. In this case, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle following control and the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle are in a proportional relationship, and the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle is continuously increased according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle following control. For example, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 controls the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle so that the inter-vehicle time of the own vehicle is added by 0.5 seconds to 2 seconds according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle tracking control. Set lower than the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in.

Further, for example, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 determines whether or not the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control is lower than a predetermined determination threshold value, and when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control is lower than the determination threshold value, the vehicle leads. The vehicle tracking control may be controlled so that the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is longer than when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is higher than the determination threshold value. In this case, the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle changes with the determination threshold as the boundary. For example, by setting a plurality of determination thresholds in stages, the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is changed according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle tracking control. The inter-vehicle distance is gradually increased. In the above-mentioned control of the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle in the preceding vehicle following control, the vehicle speed of the target own vehicle may be a period during which the preceding vehicle following control is performed. .. For example, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 determines the vehicle speed of the own vehicle at the time when the following vehicle has finished following the preceding vehicle, in other words, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle at the time when the following vehicle following control ends. It is the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in.

Further, in the present embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 controls the own vehicle at a deceleration set according to the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate (also referred to as the planned movement distance of the preceding vehicle) in the above-mentioned inter-vehicle distance control. Decelerate. When the movement destination candidate of the preceding vehicle is specified by the movement destination candidate identification unit 26, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 determines the distance from the preceding vehicle to the moving destination candidate (preceding vehicle) based on the position of the preceding vehicle and the position of the moving destination candidate. (Also called the planned travel distance) is calculated. The deceleration of the own vehicle in the inter-vehicle distance control is preset according to the planned travel distance of the preceding vehicle.

For example, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle so that the shorter the planned movement distance of the preceding vehicle is, the greater the deceleration of the own vehicle is. In this case, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle and the planned movement distance of the preceding vehicle are in a proportional relationship, and the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is continuously increased according to the planned movement distance of the preceding vehicle. Further, for example, the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 determines whether or not the planned travel distance of the preceding vehicle is shorter than the predetermined determination threshold value, and when the planned travel distance of the preceding vehicle is shorter than the determination threshold value, the planned travel distance of the preceding vehicle is determined. The target vehicle speed of the own vehicle may be set so that the deceleration of the own vehicle becomes larger than the case where the deceleration is longer than the threshold value. In this case, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle changes with the determination threshold as the boundary. For example, by setting a plurality of determination thresholds step by step, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is set according to the planned movement distance of the preceding vehicle. Becomes progressively longer. The deceleration of the own vehicle in the inter-vehicle distance control may be a value set in consideration of not only the planned movement distance of the preceding vehicle but also the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle. For example, the deceleration of the own vehicle may be a value set according to the margin time of the preceding vehicle (the value obtained by dividing the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate by the relative vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the destination candidate).

The lane change control unit 28 will be described. The lane change control unit 28 controls the lane change of the own vehicle based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. In the present embodiment, the lane change control unit 28 determines whether or not the own vehicle can change lanes to the adjacent lane based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. When the lane change control unit 28 determines that the lane can be changed, the lane change control unit 28 determines the influence of the lane change on the route of the own vehicle. When the lane change control unit 28 determines that the lane change does not affect the route of the own vehicle, the lane change control unit 28 determines the own vehicle after the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle becomes longer than the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control. Change lanes at the right time. The lane change control unit 28 may change the lane of the own vehicle after the distance to the preceding vehicle becomes longer than the distance between the preceding vehicles in the following vehicle tracking control, and determines whether or not the lane can be changed. The timing of determining the influence on the route of the vehicle is not particularly limited. For example, the lane change control unit 28 determines whether or not the lane can be changed while the inter-vehicle distance control unit 27 is executing the inter-vehicle distance control, that is, while the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is long. The influence on the route of the own vehicle may be determined.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing a flow of control processing of the present embodiment. The control process shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is executed by the control device 11 of the vehicle control device 10.

In step S1, the control device 11 executes the preceding vehicle follow-up control. In executing the preceding vehicle tracking control, the control device 11 includes the own vehicle position detection device 1, the map database 2, the vehicle speed sensor 3, the distance measurement sensor 4, the camera 5, the input device 6, the navigation device 7, and the communication device 8, respectively. Obtain various information from. The information acquired by the control device 11 includes peripheral information of the own vehicle, map information, and the like.

The control device 11 recognizes the surrounding situation of the own vehicle and recognizes the existence or nonexistence of the preceding vehicle based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. When the control device 11 recognizes the existence of the preceding vehicle, the control device 11 executes the preceding vehicle tracking control and causes the own vehicle to travel so as to keep the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle at a predetermined distance.

In step S2, the control device 11 determines the existence or nonexistence of the vehicle ahead. The control device 11 determines the existence or nonexistence of the vehicle ahead based on the information acquired in step S1. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S3, and if a negative determination is made, the control device 11 ends the control process.

In step S3, the control device 11 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. For example, the control device 11 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle by using the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the preceding vehicle. The control device 11 determines that the preceding vehicle is following the vehicle when the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle is within a predetermined range and the margin time of the preceding vehicle is larger than a predetermined threshold value for a certain period of time. To do. On the other hand, if there is a period during which at least one of the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the preceding vehicle does not satisfy the above conditions, the control device 11 does not follow the preceding vehicle. judge. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S4, and if a negative determination is made, the process of step S3 is repeated.

FIG. 4 is an example of a scene in which the control process shown in FIG. 3A is executed. Figure 4 shows a scene in which the vehicle V is one two-lane (lane L _1, lane L ₂₎ traveling lane L ₁ of the road shoulder side of the. As shown in FIG. 4, also running lane L ₁ other vehicles A and another vehicle B. The other vehicle A is traveling in front of the own vehicle V, and the other vehicle B is traveling in front of the other vehicle A.

In the situation shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 11, based on the peripheral information of its own vehicle, with the vehicle to recognize that the traveling lane L _1, the preceding vehicle and another vehicle A, wherever row vehicle other vehicles B Recognize each as. Hereinafter, the other vehicle A will be referred to as a preceding vehicle A, and the other vehicle B will be referred to as a preceding vehicle B. When the driver of the own vehicle V is set to enable the automatic driving control, the control device 11 first calculates the inter-vehicle time (THW) and the margin time (TTC) of the own vehicle. Next, the control device 11 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle so that the inter-vehicle time of the own vehicle is within a predetermined range and the margin time of the own vehicle is larger than a predetermined threshold value. When the target vehicle speed of the host vehicle V is set, the vehicle V is followed to travel to the preceding vehicle A to maintain the inter-vehicle distance D ₁ of the the preceding vehicle A. Since the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle V is set at predetermined intervals, the own vehicle V travels at a vehicle speed corresponding to the acceleration / deceleration of the preceding vehicle A. The inter-vehicle distance D ₁ becomes longer as the vehicle speed of the own vehicle V increases.

Further, in the scene shown in FIG. 4, the control device 11 calculates the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the preceding vehicle A. The control device 11 is, for example, when the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle A is within a predetermined range and the margin time of the preceding vehicle A is larger than a predetermined threshold value while the own vehicle V is traveling between the intersections. , It is determined that the preceding vehicle A is performing the follow-up running so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance D _{2 with the preceding vehicle B.}

Returning to FIG. 3A, the control process will be described. In step S4, the control device 11 determines whether or not the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle has been completed based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. For example, if the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle is longer than a predetermined range and the margin time of the preceding vehicle is a negative value for a certain period of time, the control device 11 determines that the following vehicle has finished traveling. .. On the other hand, the control device 11 does not end the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle when there is a period during which at least one of the inter-vehicle time and the margin time of the preceding vehicle does not satisfy the above conditions. Is determined. If a positive judgment is made, the process proceeds to step S5, and if a negative judgment is made, the process returns to step S3.

FIG. 5 is an example of a scene in which the control device 11 determines that the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle has been completed. The scene shown in FIG. 5 is a scene after a predetermined time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. The preceding vehicle B accelerates from the scene shown in FIG. 4, and the preceding vehicle A maintains the same vehicle speed as the scene shown in FIG. Therefore, in FIG. 5, the preceding vehicle A and distance to the before last row vehicle B D ₂ ^'is longer than the inter-vehicle distance D ₂ shown in FIG. In such a situation, the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle A is larger than the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle A in FIG. 4, and the margin time of the preceding vehicle A is a negative value. The control device 11 determines that the follow-up travel of the preceding vehicle A has been completed, assuming that the inter-vehicle time of the preceding vehicle A is longer than the predetermined range and the margin time of the preceding vehicle A is a negative value.

Returning to FIG. 3A, the control process will be described. In step S5, the control device 11 executes the inter-vehicle distance control in which the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is longer than the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control. The control device 11 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle according to a predetermined deceleration according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. The control device 11 outputs the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle to the drive mechanism 9. As a result, the own vehicle starts decelerating, so that the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle becomes longer with the passage of time than the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle when the preceding vehicle tracking control is being executed.

In step S6, the control device 11 identifies a candidate for the destination of the preceding vehicle based on at least one of the peripheral information and the map information of the own vehicle. For example, the control device 11 refers to the map information, and after finishing the follow-up running, determines the existence or nonexistence of a candidate to which the preceding vehicle heads. When the control device 11 determines that there is a candidate for the destination of the preceding vehicle, the control device 11 calculates the distance from the preceding vehicle to the candidate for the destination. Even if the move destination candidate is not specified in this step, the process proceeds to the next step.

In step S7, the control device 11 determines whether or not the distance from the preceding vehicle to the moving destination candidate of the preceding vehicle calculated in step S5 is less than a predetermined distance. If a positive judgment is made, the process proceeds to step S8, and if a negative judgment is made, the process proceeds to step S9. The predetermined threshold value is a predetermined threshold value for determining whether or not to increase the deceleration of the own vehicle. This step is to determine whether or not the time required for the own vehicle to increase the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is shorter than the time required for the preceding vehicle to change its behavior after the following running is completed. It is a step of.

In step S8, the control device 11 executes deceleration control. The deceleration control in this step is included in the inter-vehicle distance control shown in step S5. The control device 11 decelerates the own vehicle at a deceleration higher than the deceleration in the inter-vehicle distance control in step S5. For example, the control device 11 sets the target vehicle speed of the own vehicle so that the shorter the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate of the preceding vehicle, the greater the deceleration of the own vehicle. By this step, for example, even if the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate is short and the time from the end of the following vehicle to the change in behavior is short, the deceleration of the own vehicle is increased. can do. In a shorter time, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle can be made longer than the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control.

FIG. 6 is an example of a scene after the control device 11 executes inter-vehicle distance control. The scene shown in FIG. 6 is a scene after a predetermined time has elapsed from the scene shown in FIG. The own vehicle V starts decelerating by the inter-vehicle distance control by the control device 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the inter-vehicle distance D ₁ of the the preceding vehicle A ^'is longer than the inter-vehicle distance D ₁ of the the preceding vehicle A shown in FIG. 4 or 5. In the example of FIG. 6, the inter-vehicle distance D ₂ ^″ between the preceding vehicle A and the preceding vehicle B becomes longer than the _{inter-vehicle distance D 2} ^′ shown in FIG. 5 due to the acceleration of the preceding vehicle B.

Returning to FIG. 3B, the control process will be described. In step S9, the control device 11 determines whether or not the own vehicle can change lanes to the adjacent lane based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. For example, the control device 11 determines from the image captured by the camera 5 whether or not there is a space (accessible area) in front of the own vehicle in the adjacent lane where the own vehicle can enter. When the control device 11 determines that the approachable area exists, the control device 11 determines whether or not there is a vehicle traveling in front of or behind the approachable lane. When the control device 11 determines that such a vehicle does not exist, the control device 11 determines that the own vehicle can change lanes. In this case, the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, the control device 11 determines that the own vehicle cannot change lanes when there is no approachable area or there is a vehicle traveling in front of or behind the approachable lane. In this case, the process returns to step S7.

In step S10, the control device 11 determines whether or not the lane to which the lane is changed is other than the right turn dedicated lane based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. For example, the control device 11 determines whether or not the lane to which the lane is changed is other than the right turn dedicated lane by referring to the map information. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S11, and if a negative determination is made, the process returns to step S7. In this step, for example, after the preceding vehicle finishes following the driving, it is a step for determining the possibility of changing lanes to turn right at the intersection and traveling in the right turn dedicated lane.

In step S11, the control device 11 determines the influence of the lane change on the traveling route of the own vehicle. For example, the control device 11 acquires the travel route of the own vehicle when the own vehicle changes lanes from the navigation device 7. The control device 11 compares the travel routes of the own vehicle before and after the lane change, and for example, if the road on which the own vehicle is scheduled to travel does not change, the lane change does not affect the travel route of the own vehicle. judge. On the other hand, the control device 11 determines from the comparison result that, for example, when the road on which the own vehicle is scheduled to travel changes, the change in lane affects the travel route of the own vehicle. If it is determined that there is no influence on the traveling route of the own vehicle, the process proceeds to step S12, and if it is determined that there is an influence on the traveling route of the own vehicle, the process returns to step S7.

In step S12, the control device 11 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle has approached the road shoulder side based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle. For example, the control device 11 calculates the change in the position of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction in the lane based on the change in the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the position of the own vehicle per unit time. When the position of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction moves to the road shoulder side, the control device 11 determines that the preceding vehicle has moved to the road shoulder side. In this case, the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, when the position of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction has not moved to the road shoulder side, the control device 11 determines that the preceding vehicle is not close to the road shoulder side. In this case, the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S13, the control device 11 executes lane change control for changing the lane of the own vehicle to an adjacent lane. For example, the control device 11 calculates a control amount (including a target vehicle speed and a steering angle) for changing lanes, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the calculated control amount to the drive mechanism 9. The own vehicle automatically or autonomously changes lanes to the adjacent lane by the drive mechanism 9. When this step is completed, the control device 11 ends the control process. At the time of executing the process in this step, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is longer than the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle in the preceding vehicle following control by the process in step S5 or step S8.

If a negative determination is made in step S12, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the control device 11 determines whether or not the direction indicator on the road shoulder side of the preceding vehicle is lit. For example, the control device 11 can determine whether or not the direction indicator on the road shoulder side of the preceding vehicle is lit by performing image processing on the captured image of the rear part of the preceding vehicle captured by the camera 5. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S13, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S15.

If a negative determination is made in step S14, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S14, the control device 11 determines whether or not the inter-vehicle time of the own vehicle is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. This step is a step for determining whether or not the lane change control can be executed without decelerating as a result of the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle becoming longer than the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control. .. The predetermined time is a time for determining that the lane change control can be executed without decelerating, and is a predetermined time. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S13, and if a negative determination is made, the process returns to step S7.

Here, when the own vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle time required for the own vehicle to smoothly change lanes without decelerating will be described. Hereinafter, although specific numerical values will be described, each numerical value is an example and does not limit the present invention.

It is said that the lower the vehicle speed of the own vehicle when executing the preceding vehicle follow-up control, the more difficult it is to change lanes without decelerating the own vehicle. The time required to change lanes without decelerating includes the time required to perform preparatory control for changing lanes, such as turning on the turn signals. The time required to change lanes without decelerating is 6 seconds from the experimental results.

As an example, the own vehicle is following the preceding vehicle so as to keep the inter-vehicle time at 2 seconds by the preceding vehicle tracking control, and the preceding vehicle decelerates at 0.15 G (G: a unit based on standard gravity). I will list it. For example, when the own vehicle is traveling at 40 km / h by the preceding vehicle follow-up control, the spare time of the own vehicle while maintaining the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is about 5.5 seconds, and the vehicle changes lanes without decelerating. Approximately 0.5 seconds is insufficient for the time required for (6 seconds). Further, for example, when the own vehicle is traveling at 30 km / h by the preceding vehicle follow-up control, the spare time of the own vehicle while maintaining the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is about 4.8 seconds, and the lane is changed without decelerating. It is about 1.2 seconds short of the time required to do (6 seconds). Further, for example, when the own vehicle is traveling at 20 km / h by the preceding vehicle follow-up control, the spare time of the own vehicle while maintaining the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is about 3.9 seconds, and the lane is changed without decelerating. It is about 2.1 seconds short of the time required to do (6 seconds). From these results, it is necessary to predict that the preceding vehicle will decelerate and secure more spare time for the own vehicle than the time required to change lanes without decelerating before the preceding vehicle starts decelerating. There is.

In the vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment, the end of the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle is regarded as a sign that the behavior of the preceding vehicle changes, and the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is reduced before the preceding vehicle changes its behavior. The own vehicle is controlled so as to be longer than the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control. As a result, as a change in the behavior of the preceding vehicle, for example, when the preceding vehicle decelerates, the margin time of the own vehicle is longer than the time required to change lanes without decelerating before the preceding vehicle starts decelerating. Many can be secured. As a result, it is possible to prevent the own vehicle from decelerating due to the deceleration of the preceding vehicle, and to control the own vehicle in preparation for the behavior of the preceding vehicle. For example, if the lane can be changed, the lane can be changed without decelerating the own vehicle.

The change in the behavior of the preceding vehicle before the intersection will be described as an example. Take, for example, a scene in which a preceding vehicle that is following a vehicle finishes following a vehicle and turns left at an intersection. The preceding vehicle, for example, has a pedestrian crossing, so it temporarily stops at an intersection to turn left. In this scene, the driver of the preceding vehicle is said to change the driving operation 8 seconds to 10 seconds before the preceding vehicle reaches the intersection (TTI = 8 seconds to 10 seconds, TTI: Time To Intersection). .. Then, the driver of the preceding vehicle is said to start deceleration 4 seconds to 5 seconds (TTI = 4 seconds to 5 seconds) before the preceding vehicle reaches the intersection.

In such a situation, according to the vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment, it is determined that the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle is completed 8 seconds to 10 seconds before reaching the intersection. Then, for example, when the own vehicle decelerates at 0.05 G (<deceleration of the preceding vehicle: 0.15 G) by the vehicle control device 10, about 4 seconds after the deceleration of the own vehicle starts, the own vehicle The spare time is greater than the time required to change lanes without slowing down. That is, according to the vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment, 4 seconds to 6 seconds before the preceding vehicle reaches the intersection, it is more than the time required to change lanes without decelerating the spare time of the own vehicle. Can be secured in large numbers. Therefore, even if the preceding vehicle starts decelerating 4 to 5 seconds before the preceding vehicle reaches the intersection, the lane can be smoothly changed without decelerating the own vehicle. Since it is possible to prepare for changes in the behavior of the preceding vehicle (for example, stopping of the preceding vehicle, sudden deceleration of the preceding vehicle), the possibility of sudden braking or sudden steering of the own vehicle is suppressed, and the running behavior of the own vehicle is suppressed. It can be stabilized.

As described above, in the vehicle control method executed by the vehicle control device 10 and the control device 11 of the vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment, the own vehicle keeps the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle on the same lane at a predetermined distance. The peripheral information of the own vehicle is acquired from the distance measuring sensor 4, the camera 5, and the communication device 8 that execute the preceding vehicle tracking control for driving the vehicle and acquire the information around the own vehicle. Then, based on the surrounding information of the own vehicle, it is determined that the preceding vehicle is performing the follow-up running so as to maintain the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle on the same lane, and it is determined that the preceding vehicle is following the following vehicle. After that, it is determined whether or not the following vehicle of the preceding vehicle has finished following the vehicle based on the surrounding information of the own vehicle. When it is determined that the following vehicle of the preceding vehicle has finished, the inter-vehicle distance control is executed so that the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle is longer than the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle in the preceding vehicle following vehicle control. Since the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle can be made longer than the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control by using the trigger that the preceding vehicle has finished the following vehicle, it is not necessary to accumulate the vehicle traveling pattern in the server or the like in advance. As a result, the own vehicle can be controlled at any place in preparation for a change in the behavior of the preceding vehicle.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle can change lanes based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle, and when it is determined that the own vehicle can change lanes, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is controlled to follow the preceding vehicle. The lane change control is executed after the distance from the preceding vehicle is longer than that of the preceding vehicle. Since the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle can be made longer than the inter-vehicle distance in the preceding vehicle follow-up control before the behavior of the preceding vehicle begins to change, the lane can be changed smoothly without decelerating the own vehicle.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the own vehicle changes lanes, it is determined whether or not the route of the own vehicle is changed, and when it is determined that the route of the own vehicle is changed, the lane change control is not executed. Since it is possible to suppress the change of the route of the own vehicle due to the change of lane, it is possible to suppress giving a sense of discomfort to the behavior of the own vehicle to the occupants of the own vehicle.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the destination candidate of the preceding vehicle is specified based on at least one of the map information and the peripheral information of the own vehicle, and in the inter-vehicle distance control, according to the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate. Decelerate your vehicle with the set deceleration. As a result, the time required to increase the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle can be changed according to the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate. For example, when the deceleration is set to increase as the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate increases, the shorter the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate, the shorter the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Can be lengthened. As a result, the own vehicle can be controlled in preparation for a change in the behavior of the preceding vehicle regardless of the type of behavior of the preceding vehicle.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the inter-vehicle distance control, the own vehicle is controlled so that the lower the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control, the longer the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. The inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle can be continuously increased according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle tracking control. As described above, the lower the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control, the more time the spare time of the own vehicle is insufficient for the time required to change lanes without decelerating. For example, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control is the vehicle speed of the own vehicle when the preceding vehicle follow-up control ends, the inter-vehicle distance of the preceding vehicle is secured according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle immediately before deceleration. Can be done.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the inter-vehicle distance control, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control is lower than the predetermined determination threshold value, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is larger than when the vehicle speed is higher than the determination threshold value. Control your vehicle so that it is longer. By setting a plurality of determination threshold values stepwise, the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle can be stepwise increased according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle tracking control. For example, even if the vehicle speed of the own vehicle in the preceding vehicle follow-up control changes each time the vehicle to be followed changes, the same inter-vehicle distance control can be executed if the vehicle speed of the own vehicle does not exceed the determination threshold value. .. It is possible to prevent the vehicle-to-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle from being executed every time the vehicle to be followed changes, and to prevent the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control from becoming complicated.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is specified based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle, and the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle becomes longer for a certain period of time. If the preceding vehicle does not accelerate during that time, it is determined that the following vehicle has finished following. After the following vehicle finishes the following running, the preceding vehicle may behave differently from the following running, and the own vehicle can be controlled in preparation for a change in the behavior of the preceding vehicle.

Further, in the present embodiment, when information indicating that the preceding vehicle is not following the preceding vehicle is acquired from the preceding vehicle or the like from the preceding vehicle or the like as peripheral information of the own vehicle, the following vehicle follows the preceding vehicle. Is determined to have ended. Since it can be determined that the following vehicle has finished following the vehicle without monitoring the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the preceding vehicle can be determined without depending on the detection range of the distance measuring sensor 4 and the imaging range of the camera 5. It is possible to control the own vehicle in preparation for changes in behavior.

It should be noted that the embodiments described above are described for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above-described embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, as a modification of the above-described embodiment, the control device 11 executes lane change control to change the lane of the own vehicle, and then executes control for the own vehicle to pass by the side of the preceding vehicle. May be good. For example, the control device 11 determines whether or not the own vehicle can pass the side of the preceding vehicle based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle, and when it is determined that the own vehicle can pass the side of the preceding vehicle, the lane. After the own vehicle changes lanes by the change control, acceleration control for passing the own vehicle to the side of the preceding vehicle may be executed. Thereby, for example, even when the preceding vehicle decelerates after finishing the following running, the own vehicle can smoothly pass by the side of the preceding vehicle without decelerating. After passing the side of the preceding vehicle, the lane change control may be executed again to execute the overtaking control to enter the front of the preceding vehicle. If it is determined that the route of the preceding vehicle is not affected, control may be performed to drive the vehicle in the lane to which the lane is changed after passing the side of the preceding vehicle.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, when it is determined that the following vehicle of the preceding vehicle has finished, the configuration for executing the inter-vehicle distance control has been described as an example. Even if there is, the preceding vehicle follow-up control may be executed. When the control device 11 determines that the preceding vehicle has accelerated to exceed the speed limit based on the peripheral information of the own vehicle, the control device 11 executes the preceding vehicle following control even if it determines that the following vehicle has finished following the preceding vehicle. You may. For example, the control device 11 can compare the vehicle speed of the vehicle ahead and the speed limit based on the detection result of the distance measuring sensor 4 and identify that the speed of the vehicle ahead exceeds the speed limit. One of the factors that increase the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is the acceleration of the preceding vehicle. For example, if the vehicle ahead of the vehicle accelerates to exceed the speed limit for some reason, the driver of the preceding vehicle may not follow the vehicle in order to comply with the speed limit. In such a case, it is highly possible that the behavior of the preceding vehicle does not change. Nevertheless, when the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is increased by inter-vehicle distance control, the occupants of the own vehicle feel uncomfortable with the behavior of the own vehicle. It is possible to suppress giving the occupants of the own vehicle a sense of discomfort with respect to the behavior of the own vehicle.

1 ... Vehicle position detection device 2 ... Map database 3 ... Vehicle speed sensor 4 ... Distance measurement sensor 5 ... Camera 6 ... Input device 7 ... Navigation device 8 ... Communication device 9 ... Drive mechanism 10 ... Vehicle control device 11 ... Control device 100 ... Driving control system

Claims (11)

It is a vehicle control method that is executed by a control device that controls the running of the own vehicle.
Follow-up control for driving the own vehicle is executed so as to keep the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle on the same lane at a predetermined distance.
The peripheral information of the own vehicle is acquired from the device for acquiring the peripheral information of the own vehicle, and the peripheral information of the own vehicle is acquired.
Based on the peripheral information, it is determined that the preceding vehicle is performing follow-up traveling so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle on the same lane.
After determining that the preceding vehicle is following the following vehicle, it is determined whether or not the following vehicle of the preceding vehicle has completed based on the peripheral information.
A vehicle control method for executing inter-vehicle distance control in which the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is made longer than the predetermined distance when it is determined that the following traveling of the preceding vehicle has been completed. Based on the peripheral information, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle can change lanes.
The vehicle control according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the own vehicle can change lanes, the lane change control for changing the lane of the own vehicle is executed after the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle becomes longer than the predetermined distance. Method. Based on the peripheral information, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle can pass by the side of the preceding vehicle.
The second aspect of claim 2, wherein when it is determined that the own vehicle can pass by the side of the preceding vehicle, control for the own vehicle to pass by the side of the preceding vehicle is executed after the own vehicle changes lanes. Vehicle control method. When the own vehicle changes lanes, it is determined whether or not the route of the own vehicle is changed.
The vehicle control method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein when it is determined that the route of the own vehicle is changed, the lane change control is not executed. Based on at least one of the map information and the peripheral information, the candidate for the destination of the preceding vehicle is specified.
The vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the inter-vehicle distance control, the own vehicle is decelerated at a deceleration set according to the distance from the preceding vehicle to the destination candidate. Claims 1 to 5 for executing the follow-up control even if it is determined that the follow-up running of the preceding vehicle has ended when it is specified that the preceding vehicle has accelerated to exceed the speed limit based on the peripheral information. The vehicle control method according to any one of. In the inter-vehicle distance control, any one of claims 1 to 6 for controlling the own vehicle so that the lower the vehicle speed of the own vehicle when the follow-up control is executed, the longer the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. The vehicle control method described in. In the inter-vehicle distance control, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is lower than a predetermined threshold value when the follow-up control is executed, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is compared with the case where the vehicle speed is higher than the threshold value. The vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the own vehicle is controlled so that the distance becomes longer. Based on the peripheral information, the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is specified, and the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is specified.
Claim 1 for determining that the following traveling of the preceding vehicle has been completed if the preceding vehicle does not accelerate within a predetermined time with respect to the increase in the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle. 8. The vehicle control method according to any one of 8. The vehicle control according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when the information indicating that the preceding vehicle is not following the preceding vehicle is acquired as the peripheral information, it is determined that the following vehicle has completed the following traveling. Method. Equipped with a control device that controls the running of the own vehicle
The control device is
Follow-up control for driving the own vehicle is executed so as to keep the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle on the same lane at a predetermined distance.
The peripheral information of the own vehicle is acquired from the device for acquiring the peripheral information of the own vehicle, and the peripheral information of the own vehicle is acquired.
Based on the peripheral information, it is determined that the preceding vehicle is performing follow-up traveling so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle on the same lane.
After determining that the preceding vehicle is following the following vehicle, it is determined whether or not the following vehicle of the preceding vehicle has completed based on the peripheral information.
A vehicle control device that executes inter-vehicle distance control to make the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle longer than the predetermined distance when it is determined that the following traveling of the preceding vehicle has been completed.

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