JP2022046707A - Travel control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel control device for a vehicle, which makes it possible to continue an automatic steering operation and reduce a burden on a driver and an influence on a traffic flow, even when traffic lane information is lost in front of a highway tollgate, etc.

SOLUTION: A travel control device for a vehicle includes: an environment state estimation unit including a periphery recognition function that recognizes, from information from an external sensor, lane division lines, other vehicles on each lane and a forward direction of an own vehicle, a function that estimates an absolute position of the own vehicle, and a function that acquires a motion of the own vehicle, based on information from an internal sensor; a route generation unit that generates a target route, based on information acquired by the environment state estimation unit; and a vehicle control unit that causes the own vehicle to follow the target route; wherein the environment state estimation unit includes a function that recognizes toll gates (6) ahead of the own vehicle and respective gates (6a to 6e), and a function that selects a target gate from the gates; and the route generation unit includes a function that generates a target entry route for entering the target gate.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle travel control device, and more particularly to a vehicle travel control device having a lane keeping support function, a lane following function by automatic steering, and a lane change function.

For the purpose of reducing the burden on the driver, various techniques that allow the vehicle to partially perform the recognition, judgment, and operation that were conventionally performed by the driver, such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).
) And lane keeping assist (LKA) have been put into practical use, and lane tracking functions (lane trace control, LTC) and lane change functions (lane change, LC) have also been developed with a view to autopilot. Has been done.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a paint line detecting means for detecting paint lines drawn on the left and right road surfaces of the own vehicle and a virtual line are set based on the positions of previously detected boundary lines (partition lines). In the boundary line detecting device provided with the virtual line setting means for setting the boundary line and the boundary line setting means for setting the boundary line by using at least one of the paint line and the virtual line, the own vehicle is placed at the tollhouse. It is described that when the approach information indicating that the vehicle is approaching is acquired and the approach information is acquired, the boundary line setting means prohibits the setting of the virtual line as the boundary line.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-23279

However, in the process of prohibiting the setting of the virtual line as the boundary line when the own vehicle approaches the tollhouse and detecting only the actual paint line as the boundary line, for example, at the end point of the main line of the highway. In a tollhouse with a large number of gates such as a tollhouse, the section without a boundary line is relatively long, and the boundary line of most gates is not continuous with the boundary line of the main line. There was a problem that it could not be done and there was no choice but to switch to manual operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to continue driving by automatic steering even if lane information is lost in front of a tollhouse on a highway, which is a burden on the driver. And to provide a vehicle travel control device that can reduce the impact on traffic flow.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
The surrounding recognition function that recognizes the lane division line and other vehicles on each lane and the front of the own vehicle from the information of the outside world sensor, the function of estimating the absolute position of the own vehicle, and the movement of the own vehicle based on the information of the inside world sensor. Environmental state estimation unit including the function to acquire the state,
A route generation unit that generates a target route based on the information acquired by the environmental state estimation unit, and a route generation unit.
A vehicle control unit that performs speed control and steering control so that the vehicle follows the target route.
In the driving control device of the vehicle equipped with
The environmental state estimation unit includes a function of recognizing a tollhouse in front of the vehicle and its gate, and a function of selecting a target gate from each gate.
The route generation unit is characterized by including a function of generating a target approach route for entering the target gate.

According to the vehicle travel control device according to the present invention, even if lane information is lost in front of a highway tollhouse, each gate of the tollhouse is recognized and a target gate is selected based on the state of the own vehicle and the position of another vehicle. However, by generating a target approach route for entering the target gate, the operation can be continued by automatic steering, which is advantageous in reducing the burden on the driver and the influence on the traffic flow.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the traveling control system of a vehicle. It is a schematic plan view which shows the outside world sensor group of a vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the traveling control system of a vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows the traveling control which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the example of the tollhouse gate recognition and the generation of the target approach route. It is a top view which shows the selection example of the target gate based on the own vehicle position. It is a top view which shows the selection example of the target gate based on the position of another vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows the selection of a target gate and the generation of a target approach route.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The present invention recognizes the vehicle position and the surrounding environment based on the information obtained from the outside world sensor and the inside world sensor, generates a target route based on the information, and controls the route follow-up (vehicle speed control to the target vehicle speed / target steering angle).・ Regarding "automatic steering vehicle" that can follow lanes and change lanes by steering control).

(Overview of automatic steering vehicle)
In FIG. 1, in the vehicle 1 provided with the travel control system according to the present invention, in addition to general automobile components such as an engine and a vehicle body, the vehicle side performs recognition, judgment, and operation that have been conventionally performed by a driver. In addition, an outside sensor 21 that detects the environment around the vehicle and an inside sensor 2 that detects vehicle information.
2. It is equipped with a controller / actuator group for speed control and steering control, an ACC controller 14 for constant speed running / following running control, and an automatic driving controller 10 for carrying out path tracking control (LTC). ..

The controller / actuator group for speed control and steering control includes EPS (electric power steering) controller 31 for steering control, engine controller 32 for acceleration / deceleration control, and ESP (registered trademark; stability control system) / ABS. ((
Anti-lock braking system) Includes controller 33.

The outside world sensor 21 is a structure such as a dividing line 5s on the road defining the own lane 51 and the adjacent lane 52, other vehicles and obstacles around the own vehicle, a person, a sign in front of the own vehicle, a signal, and a toll gate. It is composed of a plurality of detection means for inputting the existence and relative distance of the above as image data or point group data to the automatic operation controller 10.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 has millimeter-wave radar (211) and a camera (212), front side detection means 213, and rear side detection means 21 as front detection means 211 and 212.
It is equipped with LIDAR (laser image detection / distance measurement) as 4 and a camera (back camera) as rear detection means 215, covering 360 degrees around the own vehicle, and each vehicle or structure within a predetermined distance in the front-rear, left-right direction of the own vehicle (charge). It is possible to detect the position and distance of (place gate, etc.), lane dividing line position, signs, and signals.

The internal world sensor 22 is composed of a plurality of detection means for measuring physical quantities representing the motion state of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and an acceleration sensor, and as shown in FIG. 3, each measured value is an automatic driving controller 10. Is input to, and is calculated and processed together with the input from the outside world sensor 21.

The automatic driving controller 10 includes an environment / state estimation unit 11, a route generation unit 12, and a vehicle control unit 13. The environment / state estimation unit 11 includes a positioning means 24 such as GPS and a map information 23 (
The absolute position of the own vehicle is acquired by collating with the database), and the position of the own lane or the dividing line of the adjacent lane detected by the outside world sensor 21, the position of another vehicle, and the speed are estimated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the environment / state estimation unit 11 is used at the expressway tollhouse 6.
The position of each gate 6a to 6e and the relative position of the own vehicle to them, the shape of the structure 61 of each gate 6a to 6e, the position and display information (ETC / general) of the display device 63, the position and display information of the signal 62 (ETC / general). (Enterability), the road marking 64 indicating that it is an ETC lane is recognized by image processing such as pattern matching. The recognized information is temporarily stored for each of the gates 6a to 6e, the suitability as the target gate is compared, and the target gate is selected. This point will be described in detail later.

The route generation unit 12 refers to the map information 23, and is a target for performing lane tracking control (lane trace control, LTC) from the vehicle position estimated by the environment / state estimation unit 11 and the dividing line in front of the vehicle. Generate a route. When the lane change function (lane change, LC) is activated, the own vehicle position, the other vehicle position, and the speed estimated by the environment / state estimation unit 11 are used.
Based on the motion state of the own vehicle detected by the internal sensor 22, a target route from the own vehicle position to the arrival target point in the lane change is generated.

Further, in the expressway tollhouse 6, the route generation unit 12 reaches the target gate based on the target gate position estimated by the environment / state estimation unit 11, the position of the own vehicle, the position of another vehicle, and the motion state of the own vehicle. Generate an approach route.

The vehicle control unit 13 calculates a target vehicle speed and a target steering angle based on the target route generated by the route generation unit 12, transmits a steering angle command for following the route to the EPS controller 31, and sends a vehicle speed command to the ACC controller. Send to 14. Vehicle speed is EPS controller 31 and ACC
It is also input to the controller 14. Since the steering torque changes depending on the vehicle speed, the EPS controller 31 transmits a torque command to the steering mechanism 41 with reference to the steering angle-steering torque map for each vehicle speed. By controlling the engine 42, the brake 43, and the steering mechanism 41 by the engine controller 32, the ESP / ABS controller 33, and the EPS controller 31, the vertical and horizontal motion of the vehicle 1 is controlled.

The automatic driving controller 10 has a displacement and lateral displacement caused by vehicle motion due to the position of the vehicle and the motion characteristics of the vehicle, that is, the front wheel steering angle δ generated when the steering torque T is applied to the steering mechanism 41 while traveling at the vehicle speed V. From the relationship of acceleration, the speed, attitude, and lateral displacement of the vehicle after Δt seconds are estimated, and a steering angle command is given to the EPS controller 31 so that the lateral displacement becomes yy after Δt seconds.
A speed command is given to the ACC controller 14 so that the speed becomes Vt after Δt seconds.

If the lane change function is activated, it is possible to change lanes by determining whether or not lane change is possible based on the distance between vehicles and relative speeds based on the generated target route and target vehicle speed. If it is determined that the vehicle has a "lane changeable flag", the lane change is executed only when the driver has an intention to change lanes (winker operation, etc.) in that state.

The driver is required to continuously monitor during the lane change, and the lane change function is immediately canceled by the driver's operation (override). That is, when the steering torque (steering angle) by the driver's manual steering 34 is input to the EPS controller 31 during the lane change, the steering angle command from the vehicle control unit 13 is invalidated and the steering angle is switched to the manual steering 34. The end of the lane change is
It is determined that the vehicle position is in the center of the adjacent lane and the distance between the vehicle and the overtaking vehicle is larger than the predetermined rear distance determined by the vehicle speed and the vehicle speed behind.

(Relationship between ACC, EPS, ESP / ABS, engine control and automatic steering function)
The automatic steering function mainly consists of vertical control (speed control) by the ACC controller 14 and E.
It is carried out by combining lateral control (steering control) by the PS controller 31, but the ACC controller 14, EPS controller 31, engine controller 32,
And, the ESP / ABS controller 33 can operate independently of the automatic steering.

The EPS controller 31 that received the steering angle command from the automatic driving controller 10 has a vehicle speed-
With reference to the steering angle-steering torque map, a torque command is issued to the actuator (EPS motor), and the steering mechanism 41 gives a target front wheel steering angle. In addition, the automatic operation controller 10
The ACC controller 14 that receives the speed command from the vehicle issues a deceleration command for brake control or an acceleration / deceleration command for engine control according to the vehicle speed acquired from the internal sensor 22.

The ESP / ABS controller 33 that received the deceleration command from the ACC controller 14
The vehicle speed is controlled by issuing a hydraulic pressure command to the actuator and controlling the braking force of the brake 43. Further, the engine controller 32 that received the acceleration / deceleration command from the ACC controller 14.
Controls the actuator output (throttle opening) to give a torque command to the engine 42, and controls the driving force to control the vehicle speed.

The ACC function includes a millimeter-wave radar 211 as an external sensor 21 and an ACC controller 14.
, Engine controller 32, ESP / ABS controller 33, and other hardware and software combinations. That is, if there is no preceding vehicle, the vehicle runs at a constant speed at the target vehicle speed (cruise control set speed), and if it catches up with the preceding vehicle (when the preceding vehicle speed is less than or equal to the target vehicle speed), it is set according to the preceding vehicle speed. It follows the preceding vehicle while maintaining the inter-vehicle distance according to the time gap (inter-vehicle time = inter-vehicle distance / own vehicle speed).

In addition, LK as a lane keeping support function using steering control by EPS controller 31.
There is A (lane keeping assist). LKA is an external sensor 21 (camera 212, 2).
Based on the image data acquired in 15), the environment / state estimation unit 11 of the automatic driving controller 10 detects the lane (lane dividing line) in front of the own vehicle, estimates the road shape, and is detected by the internal sensor 22. The reaching position of the own vehicle estimated from the motion state of the own vehicle and the road shape are compared, and the steering force is assisted by the EPS controller 31 so as not to cause a deviation, and automatic steering is not performed.

(Issues when the lane division line is lost in front of the expressway tollhouse)
By the way, LTC (lane trace control) and LKA (lane keeping assist) recognize the lane dividing line in front of the own vehicle and implement follow-up control (or steering force assist) to the target route generated based on the lane dividing line. Therefore, as already described, automatic steering and lane keeping support cannot be performed in a section where a lane dividing line does not exist, such as a confluence section 60 (course selection section) such as in front of an expressway tollhouse.

Moreover, it is necessary to select a gate to pass from among a plurality of tollhouse gates according to conditions such as the traveling position of the own vehicle, the position of another vehicle, the course after passing through the tollhouse, and the congestion situation.

(Passing the highway tollhouse by automatic steering)
Therefore, in the present invention, as described below, (1) the tollhouse gate is detected, (2) the target gate to be passed is selected from the gates, and (3) the target approach route is generated based on the target gate. , Allows you to pass through the tollhouse gate by automatic steering.

(1) Tollhouse gate detection As shown in FIG. 5, the detection of gates 6a to 6e at the tollhouse 6 on the expressway 5 (main line or rampway) is performed by the environment / state estimation unit 11 in front of the tollhouse 6. Front camera (2
From the image data acquired in 12), the gate structure 61, the signal 62 indicating whether or not to enter, the gate type (ETC / general) display device 63, E by image processing such as pattern matching.
This is done by recognizing a road marking 64 or the like indicating that the lane is a TC lane.

Position information (61) of gates 6a to 6e recognized by the environment / state estimation unit 11, and whether or not to enter (accessability)
62), the display information such as the gate type (63, 64) is temporarily stored in the data table for each of the gates 6a to 6e.

(2) Extraction of target gate candidates and selection of target gates Next, when target gate candidates are extracted from the detected tollhouse gates 6a to 6e and one target gate is selected from them, individual gates 6a are used. The location information and display information of up to 6e are compared and evaluated based on conditions such as exclusivity, comfort, and congestion, and gates that do not meet those conditions are excluded or the evaluation (priority) is lowered, and finally. The optimum gate is selected as the target gate.

(I) Exclusive condition An exclusive area around the own vehicle is set based on the stopping distance of the vehicle, and the gate is evaluated to have higher exclusivity as it is located in a direction in which no other vehicle invades or approaches the exclusive area.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the own vehicle 1 moves to the left side, a partial circular region (fan-shaped region) 7a to 7c is defined in the left direction of the own vehicle 1, and another vehicle exists within that range. In that case, the exclusivity evaluation of the gates 6a and 6b on the left side is lowered or excluded from the target gate candidates and moved to the left side according to the relative distance to the own vehicle 1 (radius of the partial circular regions 7a to 7c). Is prohibited.

For example, in FIG. 7, there is another vehicle 2 in front of the left, but a relatively distant partial circular region 7a.
Therefore, the influence on the exclusivity of the gates 6a and 6b on the left side is small. As a matter of course, the other vehicle 3'in front of the own vehicle 1 and the other vehicle 4'in the rear have partial circular regions 7a to 7c and partial circular regions 7d to 7g.
It is outside of and does not affect the movement to the left or the right. On the other hand, although there is no other vehicle in the front right, the other vehicle 4'exists in the partial circular region 7e relatively close to the rear right, so that the gates 6e to 6g on the right side are all evaluated as having low exclusivity.

Here, the radius (threshold value) of the partial circular regions 7a to 7c may be changed depending on the required lateral movement distance and the vehicle speed of other surrounding vehicles. Further, instead of setting a constant threshold value in all directions, the front and rear threshold values may be increased, and in that case, the regions 7a to 7c become a partially elliptical region.

(Ii) Comfort condition The lateral movement required to reach the gate is compared, and it is evaluated that the smaller the required lateral movement (steering amount), the higher the comfort of the gate.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the relative distance 70x in the traveling direction from the own vehicle 1 to the tollhouse gates 6a to 6e and the distance 70y, 7 in the left-right direction from the center of the traveling direction (no lateral movement) of the own vehicle 1
When the region 70 defined by y is assumed and the steering amount = (distance in the left-right direction) / (distance in the front-rear direction) is equal to or greater than the threshold value (70y / 70x) (when the region 70 is outside the region 70), Since relatively steep lateral movement (steering angle) is required, it is possible to guarantee a certain level of comfort by evaluating it as low in comfort or excluding it from the target gate candidates.

(Iii) Congestion degree condition Sensing the position information of other vehicles in the vicinity, it is evaluated that the gate is less congested as the number of other vehicles that are not present or decelerating is smaller.

Instead of the number of other vehicles, the larger the length of the train (relative distance to the end of the train), the higher the congestion level of the gate. Further, in any case, it is preferable to make each gate correspond to another vehicle that is decelerating or lining up on the approach road, but instead of making a strict correspondence, it is referred to as the own vehicle 1. It is also possible to detect the presence or absence of other vehicles or the number of other vehicles detected between the gates 6a to 6e.

(Iv) Other conditions Priority is given to gates whose gate type is "ETC (electronic toll collection system) only", and "ETC / general" and "general" only when "ETC only" is difficult to use due to other conditions. Add to the candidates in the order of.

Since the driving control is based on the premise of automatic steering, "general" that requires a temporary stop should be basically excluded, and "ETC / general" that may stop due to the temporary stop of another preceding vehicle should be excluded as much as possible. Is. Also, of course, gates with a red light are excluded from the candidates.

According to each of the above conditions, each toll gate 6a to 6e is evaluated individually, and each evaluation value is temporarily stored in the data table for each gate 6a to 6e, and as soon as the evaluation of each condition is confirmed, the evaluation is performed. The data table is sorted or excluded from the data table in descending order, and finally one or several gates remain as candidates, and the gate with the highest evaluation is selected as the target gate.

When the above conditions are comprehensively evaluated, the target gate may be selected from the calculation result obtained by adding or multiplying the points of each condition by using the points weighted for the evaluation for each condition.

(3) Generation of target approach route When a target gate is selected, a target approach route for entering the target gate is generated based on the position information of the target gate.

For example, in FIG. 5, when the second gate 6b from the left is selected as the target gate, the tollgate structure including the plurality of gates in the image space acquired by the camera 212 is in the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1. Since it can be approximated to a three-dimensional structure extending in the lateral direction orthogonal to 5a, the gate reference line 6y extending in the lateral direction (gate arrangement direction) orthogonal to the traveling direction 5a of the own vehicle 1 along the vicinity of the ground surface of this three-dimensional structure. Is defined.

In the ground plane in the image space, the center line (6bx) that passes through the center of the target gate 6b, is orthogonal to the gate reference line 6y, and extends to the proximal side (near view side) is used as a virtual approach route toward the target gate 6b. Target route 5x from the current position of own vehicle 1 toward the proximal side of this virtual approach route 6bx
(Steering angle) is obtained, and this target path 5x and the virtual approach path 6bx are continuously connected to the target approach path 5.
Generate x-6bx.

Since this target approach route 5x-6bx is generated based on the front image including the tollhouse gates 6a to 6e, even if the information of the lane dividing line 5s is lost at that time, the target approach route 5
Automatic steering can be continued according to x-6bx.

If the information on the lane dividing line 5s is maintained, that is, if the lane keeping driving by automatic steering is continued based on the information on the lane dividing line 5s, the target approach route 5x-6.
While updating the generation of bx, when the information of the lane dividing line 5s is lost, the target approach route 5x-
It may be possible to shift to automatic steering that follows 6bx.

On the way to the target gate 6b according to the target approach route 5x-6bx, the target gate 6b
When the road marking 64 of the lane entering the vehicle, the dividing line 6s, or the median strip 6t is recognized, the vehicle shifts to automatic steering (lane keeping driving) based on these and enters the target gate 6b.

(Control flow from the front of the highway tollhouse to the passage of the tollhouse)
Hereinafter, the control flow from the front of the expressway tollhouse to the passage through the tollhouse will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 8 based on the above embodiment.

In the vehicle 1 provided with the travel control device according to the present invention, when the automatic steering operation is started by the driver's operation (step 100), the lane dividing line 5s by the outside world sensor 21, the other vehicle, the surrounding environment, and the front of the own vehicle Is constantly sensed (step 101).

When driving on the highway main line 5, until the system limit of the ACC / LTC function is reached, the ACC / LTC function is used together to maintain the constant speed lane, and if there is a preceding vehicle, the preceding vehicle follows the lane. (Step 102).

The detection of the lane division line is continued during the automatic steering operation (step 103), and even when approaching the expressway tollhouse, if the lane division line can be detected, the ACC / LTC function maintains the following vehicle lane. Continue running (step 104).

If the lane dividing line is no longer detected during automatic steering operation using the ACC / LTC function, the absolute position of the own vehicle is immediately estimated by matching the GPS 24 and the map information 23 (
Step 105) If it is determined that the vehicle position is in front of the expressway tollhouse, the environment /
The tollhouse gate position detection function of the state estimation unit 11 detects one or more gates of the tollhouse (step 110).

If the lane division line is no longer detected and it is determined that the absolute position of the vehicle is not in front of the tollhouse, or if the tollhouse gate cannot be detected, the driver is requested to take over and the authority is transferred. Then, the automatic steering operation is stopped (step 127).

When the environment / state estimation unit 11 detects a plurality of gate positions (6a to 6e) of the tollhouse 6 from the front image acquired by the camera 212 (step 111), the environment / state estimation unit 1
With the target gate candidate extraction function of 1, the position information and display information of individual gates 6a to 6e are compared and evaluated under conditions such as exclusivity, comfort, and congestion, and gates that do not meet those conditions are excluded. , The rating is lowered (step 112).

If the target gate candidate remains after the comparative evaluation (step 113), it is finally selected as the target gate (step 114). If there are no more target gate candidates,
Request the driver to take over, transfer authority, and stop automatic steering operation.

Next, based on the position information of the selected target gate (6b), the target gate (6b)
A target approach route (5x-6bx) to the target entry route (5x-6bx) is generated (step 120), and the target approach route (5) is generated.
Automatic steering is continued according to x-6bx) (step 121).

At this time, if the speed regulation sign is recognized in front of the target gate (6b), the ACC vehicle speed setting value is changed according to the regulation value. If the speed regulation cannot be recognized, the specified vehicle speed (for example, 40)
Decelerate to km / h).

In addition, when the approach lane division line to the gate is recognized or the road surface guidance display is recognized, the target gate (6b) is entered along the lane by the LTC control based on them, and the vehicle speed is 20 km / km /. Decelerate to about h.

Next, it is determined whether or not the target gate (6b) has been reached (step 122), and if it has been reached (step 123), the target gate is passed by the automatic gate passage function (step 122).
Step 124). If the preceding vehicle can be recognized while following the route toward the target gate,
Shift to driving following the vehicle in front. If you pass the target gate and a lane dividing line is detected ahead,
The automatic steering operation is continued by the LTC control based on it (step 130).

While traveling along the route toward the target gate, the exclusivity of the target approach route is always verified (step 125), and if it is predicted that the exclusivity of the target approach route will be lost due to a change in the course of another vehicle or the like. (Step 126) At that time, the driver is requested to take over and the authority is transferred (step 126).
Step 127), the automatic steering operation is stopped (step 128).

If the bar does not open when passing through the target gate, the bar is detected as an obstacle, the vehicle is stopped by the collision prevention function, and as soon as the bar opens, automatic operation is resumed and the vehicle passes through the gate.

If there are no ETC-compatible gates left when the target gate is selected and a general gate that does not support ETC is selected as the target gate, the vehicle will stop once at the ticket receiving position or toll payment position before passing through the gate.

(Action and effect)
As described in detail above, in the vehicle travel control device according to the present invention, even if the lane information is lost in front of the expressway tollhouse, each gate of the tollhouse is used as a surrounding recognition means (environment / state estimation unit 1).
121) Recognize, select the optimum target gate based on the condition of the own vehicle and the position of other vehicles, and generate the target approach route to enter the target gate based on the tollhouse gate ahead. Therefore, the automatic steering operation can be continued, which is advantageous in reducing the burden on the driver and the influence on the traffic flow.

Further, in the present invention, the route generation means (12) for automatic steering is the target gate (6b).
) To generate a virtual approach route (6bx) extending to the proximal side, and a function to generate a target approach route (5x-6bx) continuously on the proximal side of the virtual approach route. Regardless of the position of, it is possible to generate a suitable target approach route suitable for automatic steering that can enter the target gate in a straight line.

Further, in the present invention, when the surrounding recognition means (21) recognizes the approach lane to the target gate or its dividing lane (6s) while traveling along the target approach route, the vehicle owns the vehicle in the approach lane. By including the function of following the target gate and passing through the target gate, it is possible to quickly shift from the follow-up driving to the target approach route generated based on the toll gate to the lane keeping driving based on the actually recognized dividing line.

In the above, when the preceding other vehicle is recognized while traveling along the target approach route or approach lane, the tollhouse gate is included by including the function of following the preceding other vehicle and passing through the target gate. It is possible to quickly shift from the follow-up run to the target approach route generated based on the above to the follow-up run of the preceding vehicle.

Further, in the present invention, in the route generation means (12), there is no other vehicle approaching the target approach route (good exclusivity), and there is no or less preceding other vehicle in the target approach route (low congestion degree). By including a function to select a gate as the target gate that minimizes the steering amount (good comfort) when traveling along the target approach route, it is possible to easily and surely select a suitable target gate for driving. It is advantageous in reducing the burden on people and the impact on traffic flow.

In the above embodiment, the case where the final target gate (6b) is selected and then the target approach route (5x-6bx) is generated is described, but when some gate candidates are extracted, the target gate candidate is generated. , Virtual centerlines about them (reference numerals 6ax, 6bx, 6cx · of FIG. 5
・), The generation of continuous approach routes on the proximal side of them may be performed in parallel, the exclusivity and congestion of each approach route may be evaluated, and the final target gate may be selected. ..

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. I will add.

1 Vehicle (own vehicle)
2,3,3', 4,4'Other vehicles 5 Expressway 5a Travel direction 5s, 6s Dividing line 5x Target route 5x-6bx Target approach route 6 Toll office 6a-6g Gate 6b Target gate 6bx Virtual approach route 6y Gate reference Lines 7a-7g Partial circular area (fan-shaped area), partial elliptical area 10 Automatic driving controller 11 Environment / state estimation unit 12 Route generation unit 13 Vehicle control unit 14 ACC controller 21 External sensor 22 Internal sensor 22 Internal sensor 51, 52, 53 Lane 60 Confluence section (course selection section)
61 Gate structure 62 Signal 63 Gate type 64 Road marking 70x Relative distance in the direction of travel 70y Distance in the left-right direction

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
The surrounding recognition function that recognizes the lane division line and other vehicles on each lane and the front of the own vehicle from the information of the outside world sensor, the function of estimating the absolute position of the own vehicle, and the movement of the own vehicle based on the information of the inside world sensor. Environmental state estimation unit including the function to acquire the state,
A route generation unit that generates a target route based on the information acquired by the environmental state estimation unit, and a route generation unit.
A vehicle control unit that performs speed control and steering control so that the vehicle follows the target route.
In the driving control device of the vehicle equipped with
The environmental state estimation unit includes a function of recognizing a tollhouse located in front of the vehicle and its gate, and a function of evaluating from each gate under conditions including exclusivity to select a target gate. The evaluation under such conditions includes evaluating that the gate is so high that it is located in a direction in which no other vehicle invades or approaches the exclusive area set around the own vehicle.
The route generation unit is characterized by including a function of generating a target approach route for entering the target gate.

Claims (5)

The surrounding recognition function that recognizes the lane division line and other vehicles on each lane and the front of the own vehicle from the information of the outside world sensor, the function of estimating the absolute position of the own vehicle, and the movement of the own vehicle based on the information of the inside world sensor. Environmental state estimation unit including the function to acquire the state,
A route generation unit that generates a target route based on the information acquired by the environmental state estimation unit, and a route generation unit.
A vehicle control unit that performs speed control and steering control so that the vehicle follows the target route.
In the driving control device of the vehicle equipped with
The environmental state estimation unit includes a function of recognizing a tollhouse in front of the vehicle and its gate, and a function of selecting a target gate from each gate.
The route generation unit is a vehicle travel control device including a function of generating a target approach route for entering the target gate. The route generation unit is characterized by including a function of generating a virtual approach route extending proximally from the target gate and a function of continuously generating the target approach route on the proximal side of the virtual approach route. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1. When the approach lane to the target gate or its dividing line is recognized while traveling along the target approach route, the function of making the own vehicle follow the approach lane and passing through the target gate is included. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1 or 2. A claim including a function of following the preceding other vehicle and passing through the target gate when the preceding other vehicle is recognized while traveling along the target approach route or the approach lane. The vehicle travel control device according to any one of Items 1 to 3. In the environmental state estimation unit, there is no other vehicle approaching the target approach route, there is no or few preceding vehicles in the target approach route, and the steering amount when traveling along the target approach route is small. The vehicle travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a function of selecting a gate that becomes the minimum as the target gate.

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