JP6406356B2 - Travel control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a data structure of vehicle travel control information and a travel control device.

  With regard to this type of device, a technology is known that refers to a database in which position information and traffic regulations are associated with each other and determines whether or not the traffic regulations are violated at the current position (Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2009/128398 Paragraphs 0112 to 0114

  In actual traffic, there are scenes where there are multiple traffic regulations that apply to situations where an emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle. In such a situation, there is a problem that it is difficult to cause the vehicle to execute the only driving action that should be performed while complying with traffic laws and regulations.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to select a single driving action to be executed by a vehicle in a scene where a plurality of traffic regulations are applied, and a data structure of traveling control information and traveling to appropriately perform traveling control A control device is provided.

  The present invention provides driving behavior information including permitted driving behavior and / or prohibited driving behavior defined by the traffic laws and priority given to each driving behavior for a driving scene in which an emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle. The above problem is solved by providing travel control information having a data structure in which degrees are associated with each other.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to select a driving action having a high priority in one driving scene with reference to the driving control information in which the driving scene, the driving action, and the priority are associated with each other. For this reason, even when an emergency car approaches the own vehicle, even in a scene where there are a plurality of traffic regulations that are applied in one traveling scene, the only driving action that the own vehicle should execute can be selected quickly.

It is a block block diagram of the traveling control system using the traveling control information concerning this embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the traveling control information of this embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the control procedure of the traveling control system of this embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the subroutine of step S104 of the control procedure shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the scene where a some traffic regulation is applied.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where the vehicle travel control apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a travel control system mounted on a vehicle will be described as an example. The embodiment of the travel control device of the present invention is not limited, and can be applied to a mobile terminal device capable of exchanging information with the vehicle side. The travel control device, the travel control system, and the mobile terminal device are all computers that execute arithmetic processing.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of the travel control system 1. The travel control system 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle and includes a travel control device 100, an in-vehicle device 200, and a storage device 300.

The travel control device 100 according to the present embodiment recognizes the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and controls the movement of the host vehicle so that the position of the lane marker in the lane and the position of the host vehicle maintain a predetermined relationship. Equipped with lane departure prevention function (lane keep support function). The travel control device 100 of this embodiment controls the movement of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle travels in the center of the lane. The travel control device 100 may control the movement of the host vehicle so that the distance along the road width direction from the lane marker on the lane to the host vehicle is within a predetermined value range. Note that the lane marker in the present embodiment is not limited as long as it has a function of defining the lane, and may be a diagram drawn on the road surface or may be planted between the lanes. Alternatively, it may be a road structure such as a guardrail, a curb, a sidewalk, or a motorcycle road existing on the shoulder side of the lane. The lane marker may be an immovable object such as a signboard, a sign, a store, or a roadside tree that exists on the shoulder side of the lane.
The travel control device 100 has a communication device 20, the in-vehicle device 200 has a communication device 40, and both devices exchange information with each other by wired communication or wireless communication.

First, the in-vehicle device 200 will be described.
The in-vehicle device 200 of the present embodiment includes a detection device 50, a sensor 60, a vehicle controller 70, a drive device 80, a steering device 90, an output device 110, and a navigation device 120. The devices constituting the in-vehicle device 200 are connected by a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other in-vehicle LAN in order to exchange information with each other.

Hereinafter, each device constituting the in-vehicle device 200 will be described.
The detection device 50 detects the situation around the host vehicle. The detection device 50 detects the presence of an object existing around the host vehicle and the position of the target. Although not particularly limited, the detection device 50 of the present embodiment includes a camera 51. The camera 51 of the present embodiment is an imaging device that includes an imaging element such as a CCD. The camera 51 is installed at a predetermined position of the host vehicle and images an object around the host vehicle. The periphery of the host vehicle includes the front, rear, front side, and rear side of the host vehicle. The camera 51 may be provided behind the host vehicle and may capture an object behind the host vehicle (including right behind and the side). The target imaged by the camera 51 includes a stationary object such as a sign, and a moving object such as a pedestrian or another vehicle. The sign includes a two-dimensional sign displayed on the road surface and a three-dimensional sign such as a signboard. Other vehicles include priority objects such as emergency cars that the vehicle should give way to.

  Further, the detection device 50 may analyze the image data and identify the type of the object based on the analysis result. The detection device 50 identifies whether an object included in the image data is a vehicle, a pedestrian, or a sign using a pattern matching technique or the like. Further, the detection device 50 extracts an image of the object from the image data, and determines the specific type of the object (four-wheeled vehicle, two-wheeled vehicle, bus, truck, construction vehicle, etc.) and the vehicle type from the size and shape of the image. (Small cars, large cars) and special vehicles (emergency cars, etc.) can be identified. Furthermore, the detection device 50 can identify the type and model of the vehicle from the identifiers written on the license plate included in the image data. The detection device 50 can identify attributes of the lane such as a straight lane, a right / left turn lane, and a merge lane from the lane mark shape. The traveling state of the host vehicle can be recognized according to the attribute of the traveling lane of the host vehicle.

  The detection device 50 detects an emergency vehicle approaching the host vehicle. Although the detection method of an emergency vehicle is not specifically limited, the detection apparatus 50 of this embodiment extracts the target object which has the characteristic on the image of the emergency vehicle memorize | stored beforehand as an emergency vehicle. The detection device 50 stores in advance the features on the image of the emergency vehicle (features on the appearance), determines the degree of coincidence with the feature on the image of the object detected as a moving object using a pattern matching technique, If the degree of coincidence is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, it is determined that the detected object is an emergency vehicle.

  In addition, it is preferable to memorize | store each characteristic, such as an emergency car, a police car, and a fire engine. Thereby, it can be identified whether the emergency car approaching the own vehicle is an emergency car, a police car, or a fire engine. In particular, for fire fighting vehicles, features are stored in advance so that they can be identified. For example, the Japanese road traffic law stipulates emergency vehicles in Article 40 of the Law, but Article 41-2 of the Law stipulates special provisions for fire-fighting vehicles. This is because it stipulates that Article 40, Paragraph 1 of the Act shall not apply (Article 41-2, Paragraph 4). For this reason, the detection apparatus 50 can identify and detect a scene where an emergency vehicle (other than a fire engine) is approaching the host vehicle and a scene where the fire engine is approaching the host vehicle as travel scene information. preferable. The detection device 50 detects the position and speed of the emergency vehicle.

  The detection device 50 detects a traffic sign including a lane mark and a pedestrian crossing displayed on the road surface. Based on the image information including the pedestrian crossing, the detection device 50 determines that the current traffic scene is a scene traveling on an intersection. The technique for extracting the object from the image data and the technique for recognizing the attribute of the object are not particularly limited, and the technique known at the time of filing can be used as appropriate.

  The detection device 50 processes the acquired image data, and acquires the distance from the host vehicle to the target object based on the position of the target object existing around the host vehicle. The detection device 50 acquires the relative speed between the host vehicle and the target object and the relative acceleration between the host vehicle and the target object as travel scene information from the change in the position of the target object over time. As the driving scene information derivation process based on the image data, a technique known at the time of filing this application can be used as appropriate. The camera 51 may be an infrared camera or a stereo camera.

  The “travel scene information” in the present embodiment is information that identifies the travel scene of the host vehicle. The driving scene information includes information that an emergency vehicle is approaching the host vehicle, information that the host vehicle is approaching an intersection, information that another vehicle is parked on the shoulder, and other vehicles on the adjacent lane side. Contains information that you are parked.

  Note that the radar apparatus 52 may be used as the detection apparatus 50 of the present embodiment. As the radar device 52, a system known at the time of filing such as a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, and an ultrasonic radar can be used. The detection device 50 of this embodiment may use the microphone 53. This is for recognizing the siren sound emitted by emergency cars. By detecting the siren sound, it can be recognized that the emergency vehicle is in emergency operation. It can be recognized that the emergency vehicle is approaching the host vehicle by the change of the siren sound.

  The sensor 60 of this embodiment includes a steering angle sensor 61 and a vehicle speed sensor 62. The steering angle sensor 61 detects steering information related to steering such as the steering amount, steering speed, and steering acceleration of the host vehicle, and sends the steering information to the vehicle controller 70 and the travel control device 100. The vehicle speed sensor 62 detects the vehicle speed and acceleration of the host vehicle and sends them to the vehicle controller 70 and the travel control device 100.

  The vehicle controller 70 of this embodiment is an in-vehicle computer such as an engine control unit (ECU), and electronically controls the driving state of the vehicle. Examples of the vehicle of the present embodiment include an electric vehicle including an electric motor as a travel drive source, an engine vehicle including an internal combustion engine as a travel drive source, and a hybrid vehicle including both the electric motor and the internal combustion engine as a travel drive source. Note that electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles using an electric motor as a driving source include a type using a secondary battery as a power source for the electric motor and a type using a fuel cell as a power source for the electric motor.

  The drive device 80 of this embodiment includes a drive mechanism for the host vehicle V1. The drive mechanism includes an electric motor and / or an internal combustion engine that are the above-described travel drive sources, a power transmission device including a drive shaft and an automatic transmission that transmits output from these travel drive sources to the drive wheels, and brakes the wheels. A braking device 81 and the like are included. The drive device 80 generates control signals for these drive mechanisms based on input signals from the accelerator operation and the brake operation, and control signals acquired from the vehicle controller 70 or the travel control device 100, and performs travel control including acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle. Run. By sending control information to the driving device 80, traveling control including acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle can be automatically performed. In the case of a hybrid vehicle, torque distribution output to each of the electric motor and the internal combustion engine corresponding to the traveling state of the vehicle is also sent to the drive device 80.

  The steering device 90 of this embodiment includes a steering actuator. The steering actuator includes a motor and the like attached to the column shaft of the steering. The steering device 90 executes change control of the traveling direction of the vehicle (also referred to as turning control, hereinafter the same) based on a control signal acquired from the vehicle controller 70 or an input signal by a steering operation. The vehicle controller 70 executes control for changing the traveling direction by sending control information including the steering amount to the steering device 90. Moreover, the traveling control apparatus 100 may execute turn control that changes the traveling direction by controlling the braking amount of each wheel of the vehicle. In this case, the vehicle controller 70 executes turning control of the vehicle by sending control information including the braking amount of each wheel to the braking device 81.

  The navigation device 120 according to the present embodiment sets a route from the current position of the host vehicle to the destination, and outputs route guidance information via the output device 110 described later. The navigation device 120 includes a position detection device 121, road type, road width, road shape, and other road information 122, and map information 123 in which the road information 122 is associated with each point. The position detection device 121 according to the present embodiment includes a global positioning system (GPS) and detects a traveling position (latitude / longitude) of a traveling vehicle. The navigation device 120 specifies a road link on which the host vehicle travels based on the current position of the host vehicle detected by the position detection device 121. The road information 122 of the present embodiment stores information on the position of the intersection, the traveling direction of the intersection, the type of the intersection, and other information about the intersection for each road link identification information. In addition, the road information 122 of the present embodiment associates road type, road width, road shape, passability (possibility of entry into adjacent lanes), and other road-related information for each road link identification information. Remember. The navigation device 120 refers to the road information 122, acquires information regarding the road to which the road link on which the vehicle travels belongs, as “travel scene information”, and sends it to the travel control device 100.

  The travel control device 100 recognizes that the host vehicle is approaching the intersection based on the travel scene information. The travel control device 100 causes the host vehicle to execute a driving action in consideration of the recognized scene. Note that the road type, road width, and road shape on which the host vehicle travels are used for calculating a target route on which the host vehicle travels in the travel control process. Note that the target route in the present embodiment includes specific information (coordinate information) of one or more points where the host vehicle V1 will pass in the future. The target route of this embodiment includes at least one point that suggests the next traveling position of the host vehicle V1. The target path may be constituted by continuous lines or may be constituted by discrete points.

  The output device 110 according to the present embodiment outputs various types of information relating to driving support to a user or a passenger in a surrounding vehicle. In the present embodiment, the output device 110 outputs information related to travel control based on driving behavior. As information corresponding to the control information for causing the host vehicle to travel on the target route, the steering operation and acceleration / deceleration are executed via the display 111, the speaker 112, the vehicle interior lamp, and the vehicle interior lamp. Notify passengers or passengers of other vehicles in advance. Further, the output device 110 of the present embodiment may output various types of information related to driving support to an external device such as an intelligent transportation system (ITS) via the communication device 40. An external device such as an intelligent road traffic system uses information related to travel support including vehicle speed, steering information, travel route, and the like for traffic management of a plurality of vehicles. Thereby, the passenger | crew of the own vehicle and / or the passenger | crew of another vehicle can respond | correspond according to the behavior of the own vehicle by which traveling control is carried out.

  The storage device 300 stores travel control information 310 described later in a readable state. The storage device 300 may be configured as a part of the in-vehicle device, or may be configured as a device physically different from the in-vehicle device. Since the traveling control information 310 only needs to exist in a state where it can be accessed via a communication line, the traveling control information 310 may be distributed in association with information.

  Hereinafter, the traveling control apparatus 100 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the travel control device 100 of this embodiment includes a control device 10, a communication device 20, and an output device 30. The communication device 20 exchanges information with the in-vehicle device 200. The output device 30 has the same function as the output device 110 of the in-vehicle device 200 described above. As the output device 30, the output device 110 of the in-vehicle device 200 may be used.

  The control device 10 of the travel control device 100 is configured as a travel control device 100 by executing a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 in which a program for executing travel control of the host vehicle is stored, and a program stored in the ROM 12. The computer includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 as a functioning operation circuit and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 functioning as an accessible storage device.

  The control device 10 of the travel control device 100 according to the present embodiment has an information acquisition function, a selection function, and a control function. The control apparatus 10 of this embodiment performs each function by cooperation of the software for implement | achieving the said function, and the hardware mentioned above.

  Hereinafter, each function of the traveling control apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, the information acquisition function of the control device 10 will be described. The control device 10 acquires information that configures the situation around the host vehicle. The control device 10 acquires travel scene information that identifies the travel scene of the host vehicle from the surrounding situation. The control device 10 acquires travel scene information from the detection device 50 and / or the navigation device 120 described above. The traveling scene information includes information that identifies a traveling scene in which an emergency vehicle is approaching the host vehicle. The traveling scene information includes information that identifies a traveling scene in which the host vehicle is approaching the intersection. The traveling scene information includes information that identifies a traveling scene indicating whether another vehicle exists on the shoulder of the traveling lane of the host vehicle or on the adjacent lane side. The traveling scene information includes the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle, the positional relationship between the host vehicle and another vehicle, and the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the intersection. The positional relationship includes a change in position over time (relative speed) and a change in speed over time (relative acceleration).

  If the other vehicle including the emergency vehicle and the own vehicle can communicate between the vehicles, the control device 10 of the own vehicle uses the vehicle speed and acceleration of the other vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor of the other vehicle as traveling scene information. You may get it. Of course, the control device 10 can also acquire travel scene information including the position, speed, and acceleration of another vehicle from an external device of the intelligent transportation system.

  Here, the own vehicle information acquisition function of the control device 10 will be described. The control device 10 acquires host vehicle information including the position of the host vehicle. The position of the host vehicle can be acquired by the position detection device 121 of the navigation device 120. The own vehicle information includes the vehicle speed and acceleration of the own vehicle. The control device 10 acquires the speed of the host vehicle from the vehicle speed sensor 62. The speed of the host vehicle can also be acquired based on the change over time of the position of the host vehicle. The acceleration of the host vehicle can be obtained from the speed of the host vehicle. The host vehicle information includes the position of the host vehicle at a future time determined from the current position of the host vehicle and the vehicle speed. Based on the position of the host vehicle at a future time, the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the object at a future time can be obtained.

  Next, the reference function of the control device 10 will be described. The control device 10 refers to the readable travel control information 310.

Here, the traveling control information 310 of this embodiment will be described. The travel control information 310 in the present embodiment is information related to traffic regulations that are applied in a situation where an emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle.
An example of the traveling control information 310 of this embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the travel control information 310 of the present embodiment has a data structure in which travel scene information, driving action information, and priority are associated with each other.

  The travel control information 310 shown in FIG. 2 is travel control information 310 created based on the road traffic law in force in Japan. The travel control information 310 shown in FIG. 2 stipulates a scene where an emergency vehicle approaches the own vehicle in the Japanese Road Traffic Law, Article 35 Paragraph 1, Law 40 Paragraph 1, Paragraph 1 Prepared based on the provisions of Paragraph 2, Article 41-2 Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2 of the Act.

  For reference, Article 35 Paragraph 1 of the Japanese Road Traffic Act, Article 40 Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2 of the Law, and Article 41-2 Paragraph 2 of the Act, which is the base of the travel control device 310 of FIG. The provisions of items 1 and 2 are transcribed below. In the present embodiment, the travel control information 310 is exemplified based on the road traffic law of Japan. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the traffic regulations applied in each country, each state, and each district are exemplified. Based on this, it is possible to use an appropriately created one.

(Designated traffic classification)
Article 35
Vehicles (except motorbikes where motorized bicycles turn left or right at intersections where light vehicles and right-turned motorbikes are subject to the provisions of paragraph 5 of the preceding article) When a traffic classification related to the direction of travel at the intersection is specified by a sign, etc., the vehicle traffic zone shall be passed according to the traffic classification regardless of the provisions of paragraph 1, paragraph 2 and paragraph 4 of the preceding article. There must be. Provided, however, that this shall not apply to comply with the provisions of Article 40 or when it is unavoidable due to road damage, road construction or other obstacles.
(The second paragraph of the same article is omitted.)
(Emergency car priority)
Article 40 When an emergency vehicle approaches at or near an intersection, a tram avoids the intersection, vehicles (excluding emergency vehicles, hereinafter the same in this article) avoid the intersection, and You must stop on the left side (on the right side of the road if the stop on the left side of a road that is one-way traffic prevents the emergency car from passing), the same applies in the next section).
(2) When an emergency vehicle approaches in a place other than the preceding paragraph, the vehicle must approach the left side of the road and give way to it.
(Priority for fire fighting vehicles)
Article 41-2
At or near the intersection, a fire-fighting vehicle (a vehicle used for fire-fighting purposes other than a fire-fighting vehicle, which is in operation as defined by a Cabinet Order for fire-fighting services; hereinafter the same applies in this Article) When you do so, vehicles (except for emergency vehicles and fire fighting vehicles for vehicles) must stop temporarily avoiding intersections.
(2) When a fire-fighting vehicle approaches in a place other than the preceding paragraph, the vehicle (excluding emergency vehicles and fire-fighting vehicles) must not obstruct the passage of the fire-fighting vehicle.
3. The provisions of Article 39 shall apply mutatis mutandis to fire-fighting vehicles.
4 For fire-fighting vehicles, Article 8, Paragraph 1, Article 17, Paragraph 6, Article 18, Article 20, Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Article 25 Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2 , Article 25-2, Paragraph 2, Article 26-2, Paragraph 3, Article 29, Article 30, Article 34, Paragraphs 1 to 5, The provisions of Article 35, paragraph (1), Article 38, paragraph (1) and the third paragraph, Article 40, paragraph (1), Article 63-6, and Article 63-7 apply. do not do.

  The “emergency vehicle” in the present embodiment is a vehicle used for public emergency services. The emergency car includes at least a car that performs a lifesaving emergency service, a car that performs a fire fighting / fire fighting / rescue service, and a car that performs a police service. In addition, emergency vehicles designated by public security authorities such as the Japan Public Safety Commission are also included in the “emergency vehicles” of this embodiment. The definition of “emergency car” can be appropriately defined based on the traffic regulations of each country. For example, in Article 39 of the Road Traffic Act of Japan, “emergency vehicles” are “fire-fighting vehicles, emergency vehicles, and other vehicles specified by a government ordinance. It means the inside. " In addition, according to the Japanese government ordinance (Road Traffic Law Enforcement Ordinance Article 13), “Emergency automobiles under Article 39 of the Road Traffic Law” are listed as follows. It shall be designated by the Public Safety Commission based on the application of the person who uses the car. " The definition of “emergency vehicle” is not particularly limited, and is appropriately defined based on laws and regulations applicable to each country, each state, and each region.

  Hereinafter, “travel scene information”, “driving action information”, and “priority”, which are components of the travel control information 310 illustrated in FIG. 2, will be described.

  The travel scene information of the present embodiment is information that identifies the travel scene of the host vehicle, including the situation around the host vehicle. The travel scene information included in the travel control information 310 of the present embodiment is information for specifying the traffic situation in which the host vehicle will travel. The traveling control information 310 of this example includes traveling scene information that identifies a scene in which an emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle. The traveling scene information includes that there is a vehicle approaching the host vehicle and that the vehicle approaching the host vehicle is an emergency vehicle. For emergency cars, it is preferable to identify whether it is an emergency car, a police car or a fire engine. Thereby, the scene where an emergency vehicle approaches the own vehicle can be specified. The traveling scene information may include that the distance from the host vehicle to the emergency vehicle is less than a predetermined value, and that the relative speed of the emergency vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. As a result, it is possible to identify a driving scene in which an emergency vehicle is present in the vicinity of the host vehicle or the emergency vehicle is approaching the host vehicle and a driving action for preferentially driving the approaching emergency vehicle must be taken. .

The traveling scene information includes information that identifies the traveling state of the host vehicle. Although not particularly limited, the traveling scene information includes that the host vehicle is approaching the intersection and that the vehicle is passing the intersection. This traveling scene information can be obtained by comparing the current position of the host vehicle with the position information of the intersection included in the road information 122. Further, the traveling scene information can be obtained from the position of an image of an object such as a pedestrian crossing or a signal included in a captured image of the camera 51.
The information specifying the traveling state of the host vehicle includes information on whether the host vehicle goes straight or turns left or right. This information may be determined based on the route to the destination obtained by the navigation device 120, or may be determined based on the blinker lamp operation information obtained from the vehicle controller.
The information specifying the traveling state of the host vehicle includes the attribute of the lane on which the host vehicle travels. That is, the information specifying the traveling state of the host vehicle includes whether the host vehicle is traveling on a highway or whether the host vehicle is traveling on a one-way road. This information can be determined by referring to the road information 122 of the navigation device 120 based on the road attribute of the road to which the current position of the host vehicle belongs.
It is possible to determine whether or not an actual traffic scene corresponds to a scene stipulated by traffic laws and regulations based on the information specifying the traveling state.

Next, “driving behavior information” will be described. Driving behavior is defined on the assumption that the situation of the scene that the vehicle encounters will be recognized and that traffic regulations will be observed.
In the traveling control information 310 of the present embodiment, the driving behavior information is classified into permitted driving behavior and prohibited / forced driving behavior for each traveling scene.

  The following three items are stipulated in Article 40, Paragraph 1 of the Road Traffic Law. That is, in a travel scene “when an emergency vehicle approaches at or near an intersection,” (1) the vehicle must stop temporarily avoiding the intersection. (2) The vehicle must pause on the left side of the road. (3) The vehicle must stop temporarily on the right side of the road if the road on the left side of the road is blocked on the left side of the road that would prevent the emergency vehicle from passing. By the way, according to the road traffic law in Japan, vehicles are required to run on the left side of the road.

  The travel control information 310 according to the present embodiment includes (1) a prohibited driving action of “must not stop at an intersection” based on the prescribed contents that the vehicle must stop temporarily avoiding an intersection; The compulsory driving behavior that “you must stop before passing the intersection or after passing the intersection” is defined as driving behavior information. In this way, by defining the driving behavior information including the driving behavior permitted in the driving scene and / or the driving behavior prohibited in the driving scene, the appropriate driving behavior is determined based on the recognized driving scene. It becomes easy to do.

  For example, according to the travel control information 310 shown in FIG. 2, if the emergency vehicle approaching the host vehicle is a fire engine, refer to the information associated with Article 41-2 instead of Article 40 of the Road Traffic Law. (Article 41-2, paragraph 4). On the other hand, if the emergency vehicle is an ambulance vehicle, the information associated with Article 40 of the Road Traffic Law is referred to. Furthermore, if the traveling scene is an intersection, the information associated with the 40th clause, first item identified by the clause ID is referred to. Furthermore, if the traveling scene is a one-way road, the information associated with Article 40, Paragraph 1 identified by the Article ID is referred to.

  Next, “priority” will be described. In this embodiment, a higher priority is given to a driving action that is more likely to be executed in a recognized driving scene. The “priority” given to the driving action corresponds to the possibility of the driving action executed in the recognized driving scene. That is, a driving action with a high priority is highly likely to be selected as a driving action that is executed with high probability in an actual driving scene.

  As described above, the traffic regulations are applied to the driving scene by being configured as the driving control information 310 having a data structure in which “driving scene information”, “driving behavior information”, and “priority” are associated with each other. Can be extracted quickly, and driving behavior that is likely to be executed in the driving scene can be selected.

  In the travel control information 310 of the present embodiment, if the wording of the traffic regulation that defines the driving action includes an expression that allows an exceptional driving action different from the driving action specified in principle, The priority given to the driving action prescribed by the traffic regulations is set lower than when the expression allowing the driving action is not included.

  For example, in Article 35 of the Road Traffic Act above, it is compulsory that the vehicle must follow the specified traffic classification at the intersection, but in the subsequent “provided”, the provision of Article 40 Provides an exception that is not the case. In the present embodiment, the priority of the driving action associated with the text including the exception “how to” is set low. In the present embodiment, the driving behavior of a clause including exemption words such as “not limited to this”, “when it is unavoidable”, “excludes”, “does not apply” in the clause The priority given to is set to be lower than the priority given to the driving action of the text including the wording of these exemptions. For example, if the driving scene is “emergency car approaching” and “the vehicle is driving near the intersection” and related road traffic law Article 40 and Article 35 are extracted, it is applied. The priority of the driving action based on Article 40 that does not include the exclusion wording is set high.

  For example, in Article 40 of the Road Traffic Act above, when an emergency vehicle approaches at an intersection, it is compulsory that the vehicle must stop temporarily at the left side of the road. If the road on the left side of the road will hinder the passage of emergency cars, the road will stop at the right side of the road. In the present embodiment, the priority of the driving action associated with the clause including the “parentheses” as an exception is set low. In this case, only the priority of the driving action of “stop to the left” where there is an exception may be set low, or the exceptionally specified driving of “stop to the right” The action priority may also be set low.

  The purpose of setting the priority of driving behavior in rules that have no exceptions or are not exceptional, that is, rules that must be observed in any situation, higher than the priority of driving behavior that is allowed depending on conditions It is. When the driving scene is "Emergency car approaches to own vehicle", it is positioned as a general rule among several driving behaviors stipulated in Article 40, Paragraph 1 of the relevant road traffic law. The priority of is set high.

  By setting the priority of the driving action specified by the wording that does not include an exception relatively high, the driving action specified in principle can be preferentially selected as the driving action to be adopted by the host vehicle. . By considering the driving behavior defined in principle as a priority, it is possible to obtain an appropriate driving behavior (solution) to be taken by the driving behavior own vehicle in a short time. As a result, it is possible to determine appropriate driving behavior in accordance with the principles stipulated by traffic regulations. By the way, it takes time to finely define the driving scene and search for a rule that matches the detected driving scene. In addition, when the driving scene is not accurately detected, the driving behavior may be erroneously determined. Furthermore, since it takes time to compare all the driving scenes including the exception rules with the actual driving scenes, there is a possibility that the driving action cannot be executed quickly. In the present embodiment, since the driving control information 310 that defines the priority of driving action selection is defined depending on whether or not an exception is included, it is possible to quickly make an appropriate determination for a recognized driving scene.

  Further, in the travel control information 310 of the present embodiment, when the expression of forcing the driving action is included in the wording of the traffic regulation that regulates the driving action, the expression for forcing the driving action is not included. Set a high priority for driving behavior stipulated by traffic regulations. The priority of the driving action defined by the compulsory expression “MUST” in the traffic regulations is not defined by such compulsory expression, for example, “may (MAY)”, “ It is set higher than the priority of the driving action defined by the expression of allowance such as “Can (CAN)”.

  In this embodiment, the priority of the driving action defined by the compulsory wording is set relatively high. That is, by defining the driving control information 310 in which the priority of the driving action specified by the compulsory language is set relatively high, the driving action that the vehicle must adopt is determined to be the driving action that the host vehicle should adopt. Can be preferentially selected. By prioritizing the forced driving behavior, it is possible to quickly determine the appropriate driving behavior that the host vehicle should take.

  Since the priority setting method described above is a method for defining the relative level of priority, a priority value may be obtained by combining a plurality of setting methods.

  Note that the conditions included in the driving scene information, the contents of the driving action information, and the priority in the driving control information 310 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2, and are appropriately determined based on laws and regulations applied to each country, each state, and each region. Defined in

Next, the selection function of the control apparatus 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
Among the driving behaviors of the vehicle associated with the acquired traveling scene information of the own vehicle, the driving behavior with high priority assigned to each driving behavior is preferentially selected. The control device 10 may select a driving action with the highest priority, may select a driving action with a priority equal to or higher than a predetermined value, or is Nth from the highest priority. You may select the driving action to which the priority of was attached. When a plurality of driving actions are selected, the determination function described below is narrowed down to one driving action.

Furthermore, the determination function of the control apparatus 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
When a plurality of driving actions are selected, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment obtains an evaluation value when the own vehicle executes each driving action, and based on the evaluation value, the control apparatus 10 executes one Determine driving behavior.

First, the evaluation value calculation process will be described.
The evaluation value when the host vehicle in the present embodiment executes the driving action is calculated in consideration of the position of the host vehicle and the position of the target object. Specifically, the control device 10 of the present embodiment predicts the movement of the host vehicle and the object based on the situation around the host vehicle in the detected current traveling scene information. The control device 10 generates a plurality of trajectories of the moving own vehicle and positions and trajectories of the target object according to predetermined calculation conditions, and simulates a combination thereof. The evaluation method of the simulation result is not particularly limited, and a known method for vehicle travel control can be appropriately applied. In the present embodiment, the driving behavior of the host vehicle is evaluated using the following evaluation formula.

Evaluation formula: F = a * S + b * L1 + c * L2 (1)
However,
F is the execution cost
S secures emergency car routes,
L1 is the amount of movement of the vehicle,
L2 is the amount of movement of surrounding vehicles.
Here, the emergency vehicle route securing (S) is a value indicating whether or not the emergency vehicle can pass the side of the host vehicle when a simulation of a certain combination pattern is executed.
Here, the amount of movement of the vehicle (L1) is the purpose when the driving action according to the regulation of the law is executed without the prohibition action prescribed by the traffic regulations (for example, the Road Traffic Law of Japan). This is an integrated value of the amount of movement of the host vehicle until the driving action is executed.
Here, the movement amount (L2) of the surrounding vehicle is an integral value of the amount of movement of the other vehicle (target object) around the own vehicle until the own vehicle executes the driving action according to the regulations of the traffic law.
Here, when there are a plurality of other vehicles (objects) around the host vehicle, this is the sum of the movement amounts of the other vehicles.

  With this evaluation formula, when an emergency vehicle approaches, it is possible to evaluate the cost of movement of the own vehicle and the object that are simulated on the assumption that the traffic laws are observed. In order to efficiently evaluate the simulation result, conditions regarding the behavior of the host vehicle, conditions regarding the behavior of other vehicles, and conditions regarding the lane may be additionally set. In order to efficiently evaluate the simulation result and determine the driving behavior, various machine learning (reinforcement learning) may be performed by a method known at the time of filing.

  The control device 10 according to the present embodiment performs a driving action in which the host vehicle executes the one having the lowest evaluation value (the one with the lowest cost) among the simulated combinations of the plurality of tracks of the host vehicle and the target object. Determine as. The determined driving action is used in the execution process of the traveling control of the host vehicle.

Finally, the control function of the control apparatus 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
The control device 10 outputs control information for causing the host vehicle to execute the driving action. The driving action may be the driving action with the highest priority selected by the selecting means or the driving action having the highest evaluation value determined by the determining means.

  The control device 10 according to the present embodiment acquires own vehicle information for acquiring the position, speed, steering angle (change angle of the traveling direction of the vehicle, turning amount of the vehicle), etc. in order to control the traveling of the own vehicle. It has a function. The control device 10 of the present embodiment outputs control information that causes the host vehicle V1 to travel on the target route to the vehicle controller 70, the drive device 80, and the steering device 90 on the vehicle side.

  The vehicle controller 70 of the present embodiment that has acquired the control information from the control device 10 controls the drive device 80 and the steering device 90 to drive the host vehicle V1 along the target route. The vehicle controller 70 uses the road shape detected by the detection device 50 and the lane marker model stored in the road information 122 and the map information 123 of the navigation device 120 to maintain the vehicle in a predetermined lateral position with respect to the lane. The steering device 90 is controlled to travel while traveling. Based on the steering angle acquired from the steering angle sensor 61, the vehicle speed acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 62, and the current information of the steering actuator, the vehicle controller 70 controls the steering control amount (change control amount of the vehicle traveling direction, vehicle turning). Control amount) and a current command is sent to the steering actuator to control the host vehicle to travel in the target lateral position. In addition, as a method for controlling the lateral position of the host vehicle V1, in addition to using the steering device 90 described above, the driving direction of the host vehicle V1 is determined by the difference in rotational speed between the left and right drive wheels using the driving device 80 and / or the braking device 81. (That is, the lateral position) may be controlled. In that sense, the “control for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle” and the “turn control of the vehicle” may be executed by the steering device 90, or may be executed by the driving device 80 and / or the braking device 81.

  By executing the control information on the vehicle side, recognition of the situation around the vehicle, determination of driving behavior, and execution of the operation are completed. Thereby, in the driving | running | working scene where an emergency vehicle approaches the own vehicle, the only driving action which should be performed can be selected and made to carry out by the own vehicle, complying with the applicable traffic regulations. As a result, traveling control that complies with traffic laws and regulations can be executed.

  Subsequently, a control procedure of the travel control device 100 of the present embodiment will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4. In addition, since the content of the process in each step is as above-mentioned, it demonstrates centering on the flow of a process here.

  First, the overall procedure of travel control will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S101, the control device 10 acquires host vehicle information including at least the position of the host vehicle V1. The own vehicle information may include the vehicle speed and acceleration of the own vehicle V1. In step S102, the control device 10 acquires travel scene information including the presence, position, and the like of an object present around the host vehicle V1. The control device 10 acquires the detection result of the object from the detection device 50 and the navigation device 120. Objects in the traveling scene information include stationary objects such as signs and moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles. The traveling scene information may include the presence, position, speed, and acceleration of the object. The signs include pedestrian crossing signs, one-way signs, and lane marks. Other vehicles include other vehicles that are parked, stopped, other vehicles that are moving, and emergency vehicles.

  In step S103, the control device 10 specifies a traveling scene. In the present embodiment, the control device 10 determines that the emergency vehicle has been detected by the host vehicle based on the detection result that the emergency vehicle has been detected and that the distance between the emergency vehicle and the host vehicle has decreased with time. Identify scenes that are approaching. Moreover, the control apparatus 10 can identify the scene of being near the intersection based on the fact that the crossing pavement sign is detected in front of the host vehicle as the object. Furthermore, the control device 10 can specify a scene in which the traveling lane is a one-way road based on the fact that a one-way sign is detected in front of the host vehicle as an object. Of course, the control device 10 may specify each scene based on the detection result of the navigation device 120 based on the map information 123 that stores the current position of the host vehicle, the intersection position, and the one-way restricted position.

  In step S104, the control device 10 determines the driving behavior of the host vehicle. The subroutine of the driving action determination process will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S105, the control device 10 calculates a target route for realizing the driving action. The target route includes one or a plurality of target coordinates on which the host vehicle V1 travels. Each target coordinate includes a target horizontal position (target X coordinate) and a target vertical position (target Y coordinate). A target route is obtained by connecting the calculated one or more target coordinates and the current position of the host vehicle V1. The method for calculating the target coordinates shown in step S105 will be described later.

  In step 106, the control apparatus 10 acquires the target lateral position of the target coordinates calculated in step S105. In step S107, the control device 10 calculates a feedback gain related to the lateral position based on the comparison result between the current lateral position of the host vehicle V1 and the target lateral position acquired in step S106.

  In step S108, the control device 10 moves the target lateral position to the host vehicle V1 based on the actual lateral position of the host vehicle V1, the target lateral position corresponding to the current position, and the feedback gain in step S107. A target control value related to a steering angle, a steering angular velocity, etc. necessary for the movement is calculated. In step S112, the control device 10 outputs the target control value to the in-vehicle device 200. Accordingly, the host vehicle V1 travels on the target route defined by the target lateral position. When a plurality of target coordinates are set in step S105, the processing in steps S106 to S112 is repeated each time the target lateral position is acquired, and the control value for each of the acquired target lateral positions is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 200. Output.

  In step S109, the control device 10 acquires a target vertical position for one or a plurality of target coordinates calculated in step S105. In step S110, the control device 10 determines the current vertical position of the host vehicle V1, the vehicle speed and acceleration / deceleration at the current position, the target vertical position corresponding to the current vertical position, and the vehicle speed and acceleration / deceleration at the target vertical position. Based on the comparison result, a feedback gain related to the vertical position is calculated. In step S111, the control device 10 calculates a target control value related to the vertical position based on the vehicle speed and acceleration / deceleration according to the target vertical position and the feedback gain of the vertical position calculated in step S110. The processing in steps S109 to S112 is repeated every time the target vertical position is acquired, similarly to steps S106 to S108 and S112 described above, and the control values for each of the acquired target horizontal positions are output to the in-vehicle device 200.

  Here, the target control value in the vertical direction means the operation of a drive mechanism for realizing acceleration / deceleration and vehicle speed according to the target vertical position (in the case of an engine vehicle, the operation of an internal combustion engine, in the case of an electric vehicle system). This includes the electric motor operation, and in the case of a hybrid vehicle, also includes torque distribution between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor) and the brake operation control values. For example, in an engine vehicle, the control function calculates a target intake air amount (target opening of the throttle valve) and a target fuel injection amount based on the calculated values of the current and target acceleration / deceleration and vehicle speed. Then, this is sent to the driving device 80. The control function calculates the acceleration / deceleration and the vehicle speed, and sends them to the vehicle controller 70. The vehicle controller 70 operates the drive mechanism for realizing the acceleration / deceleration and the vehicle speed (in the case of an engine vehicle, an internal combustion engine). Control values for engine operation, electric motor operation in an electric vehicle system, and torque distribution between an internal combustion engine and an electric motor in a hybrid vehicle) and brake operation may be calculated.

  Then, the process proceeds to step S112, and the control device 10 outputs the vertical target control value calculated in step S111 to the in-vehicle device 200. The vehicle controller 70 executes change control (vehicle turning control) and drive control of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and causes the host vehicle to travel on the target route defined by the target lateral position and the target longitudinal position.

  In step S113, the control device 10 causes the output device 110 to present information. The information to be presented on the output device 110 is the driving action determined in step S104. For example, it may be the content of the driving action such as “stop to the left and stop after passing the intersection” or according to the driving action calculated in steps S105 to S111. It may be the shape of the target route, or the target control value output to the in-vehicle device 200 in step S112.

  In step S114, it is determined whether or not the driver has performed a steering operation or the like and whether or not the driver has performed an operation intervention. If the driver's operation is not detected, the process returns to step S101, and the setting of a new object, calculation of the target route, and traveling control are repeated. On the other hand, when the driver performs an operation, the process proceeds to step S115, and the traveling control is interrupted. In the next step S116, information indicating that the traveling control has been interrupted is presented.

  Next, a subroutine of the driving action determination process (S104 in FIG. 3) of the travel control device 100 of the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  After acquiring the own vehicle information and the traveling scene information and specifying the traveling scene (step S103), in step S201, the control device 10 proceeds to step S202 when the emergency vehicle is a traveling scene approaching the own vehicle. move on. In step S202, the control device 10 refers to the travel control information 310 related to the travel scene in which the emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle.

In step S <b> 203, the control device 10 narrows down the travel scene based on the conditions defined in the travel control information 310. For example, the control device 10 may narrow down the traveling scene by adding a condition that the own vehicle exists in the vicinity of an intersection to the condition that the emergency vehicle approaches the own vehicle. Furthermore, the traveling scene may be narrowed down by adding a condition that the traveling road of the host vehicle is one-way. Thereby, the candidate of the driving action which can be taken with a driving | running | working scene can be narrowed down.
In addition, you may progress to step S204 after step S202, without performing step S203.

  In step S <b> 204, the control device 10 reads a driving action corresponding to the traveling scene. In step S205, the control device 10 proceeds to step S206 when there are a plurality of read driving behaviors, and proceeds to step S209 otherwise.

  In step S206, the control device 10 reads the priority assigned to the driving action. In step S207, the control device 10 selects driving behaviors in descending order of priority, and performs a simulation for each combination of the host vehicle and the trajectory of the target object when the selected one or plural driving behaviors are executed. In addition, without performing the process of step S207 and step S208, the driving action with the highest priority may be selected and the process may proceed to step S209.

  In step S208, the control apparatus 10 calculates the evaluation value of the driving action of the own vehicle by the above-described method based on the simulation result executed in step S207. The evaluation value calculation method of the present embodiment is that the travel path of the emergency vehicle is secured, the travel amount of the emergency vehicle is not large, the travel amount of other surrounding vehicles is not large, and the movement of the host vehicle It is defined from the viewpoint of evaluating that the amount is not large.

  In step S209, the control device 10 determines one driving action based on the calculated evaluation value. If the evaluation value (execution cost) is lower than the predetermined value, it is determined that execution is possible, and the process proceeds to step S210. On the other hand, if it is determined that the evaluation value (execution cost) is higher than the predetermined value and cannot be executed, the process proceeds to step S211.

  If the only driving action cannot be determined, in step S211, a driving action with a low priority is read in order to broaden the target of the driving action to be simulated. If the only driving action cannot be determined, in step S211, the control device 10 changes the evaluation formula so that the value of the evaluation formula is calculated to be low. Moreover, you may change low the threshold value which evaluates the moving amount | distance of an emergency vehicle, the moving amount | distance of other surrounding vehicles, and the moving amount | distance of the own vehicle.

  In the travel control information 310 of this embodiment, the priority of the driving action defined by the traffic laws as a rule is defined high. If the priority driving of an emergency vehicle cannot be realized by the driving behavior stipulated in principle by traffic regulations, the driving behavior specified as an exception may be required. In the present embodiment, the driving behavior positioned as an exception is evaluated after the driving behavior positioned as a principle is first evaluated. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately select a driving action that conforms to traffic regulations.

  When the unique driving action can be determined by the changed evaluation method, the process proceeds to step S210. In step S210, the control device 10 executes a travel control process after step S105 shown in FIG.

  The control content of the travel control apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described by applying a specific example.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a scene in which an emergency car (emergency car) approaches the host vehicle. In the scene shown in FIG. 5, the emergency vehicle VP is approaching from behind the host vehicle V1. A sign (object) ZB indicating a pedestrian crossing is present in front of the host vehicle V1. The host vehicle V1 is located in front of the intersection. In addition, another vehicle V2 is parked on the shoulder side of the traveling lane of the host vehicle V1. Further, another vehicle V3 is parked and parked also on the adjacent lane side (left turn lane) of the host vehicle V1.

  First, the control device 10 of the present embodiment acquires travel scene information related to the situation around the host vehicle V <b> 1 detected by the detection device 50. The detection device 50 performs image analysis on the captured image of the camera 51 that captures the rear, and performs matching processing based on features on the image of the emergency car. The detection device 50 determines that the vehicle approaching the host vehicle V1 from the rear is an ambulance car based on a match rate equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Based on the determination result, the control device 10 recognizes that the traveling scene of the host vehicle is a scene where an emergency vehicle approaches. This is a process corresponding to a driving action cognitive action (corresponding to step S201 in FIG. 5).

  Next, the control device 10 of the present embodiment refers to the travel control information 310 (corresponding to step S202 in FIG. 5). The control device 10 reads the driving behavior and priority associated with the recognized traveling scene (corresponding to steps S204 and S206 in FIG. 5). In the driving control information 310, in the driving scene where the emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle, a prohibition action (Article 40, Paragraph 1 of the Japanese Road Traffic Act) “Do not stop at the intersection” and “Road Is compelled to stop at the left side (Article 40, Paragraph 1 of the Japanese Road Traffic Law). Furthermore, in the travel control information 310, for a driving scene where an emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle, there is a rule that cancels the normally applied “follow specified traffic classification” rule (Article 35, Article 35 of the Japan Road Traffic Act). 1 item) may be associated. As a result, the restriction “according to the designated traffic classification” imposed in the normal travel control is lifted.

  Here, there is no exception to the driving behavior of “Do not stop in an intersection” in a traveling scene where an emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle. On the other hand, for the driving action of “stopping to the left of the road”, “stopping to the right side of the road if stopping on the left side of a one-way road prevents the passage of emergency cars. Is an exception. For this reason, the priority of the driving action “Do not stop in the intersection” is higher than the priority of the driving action “Stop by the left side of the road”.

  The control device 10 selects a driving action with a relatively high priority, and simulates the relationship between the trajectory of the host vehicle and the trajectory of the target object when the driving action is executed (corresponding to step S207 in FIG. 5). . Evaluation values are calculated for a plurality of simulation results (corresponding to step S208 in FIG. 5).

  When the calculated evaluation value satisfies a preset criterion, the control device 10 executes a travel control process (corresponding to steps S209 and 210 in FIG. 5).

  When performing simulation processing, if it is determined that the lane on which the vehicle is traveling is congested and cannot be moved to the left side of the road, even if a high priority is given, You may not make it simulate about the driving behavior of approaching. In this case, a simulation is performed for the driving action with the next highest priority (corresponding to step S211 in FIG. 5). This is because even if the simulation is impossible, the processing cost increases. If execution is impossible, the only driving action that is the best solution is determined by executing a low priority driving action simulation. Travel control for performing the determined driving action is executed (corresponding to step S210 in FIG. 5).

Considering the driving scene shown in FIG. 5, according to the road traffic law of Japan, the own vehicle V1 that recognizes that the emergency vehicle VP has approached from the rear is in front of the pedestrian crossing sign ZB, on the left side in the direction of travel. You have to stop by.
According to human intelligence, it is easy to repeat the driving action of recognizing the driving scene, determining the most appropriate driving action according to the driving scene, and executing it. In the situation shown in FIG. 3, a passenger (human) can easily determine whether the vehicle can park and stop before the intersection, and evacuate and park there.

  However, it is not easy to make the driving control device 100, which is a computer, read the text information of the full text of the traffic regulation and make the judgment of the only driving action based on the recognition result of the driving scene, and the processing time may be increased. There is sex. Since the situation around the vehicle during driving changes every moment, and the driving behavior of the host vehicle affects the driving behavior of other vehicles, the judgment of the driving behavior must be made promptly.

  In the present embodiment, the driving behavior is determined using the driving control information 310 having a data structure in which the driving scene information, the driving behavior information, and the priority are associated in advance. Even if it is possible, the only driving behavior can be determined appropriately and quickly.

  Since the traveling control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured and operates as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

[1] By using the traveling control information 310 of the present embodiment, in the traveling scene where the emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle, the only driving action that the host vehicle should execute is selected while complying with applicable traffic regulations. It can be made easier.

[2] By using the travel control information 310 of the present embodiment, the driving action priority specified in the wording that does not include an exception is set relatively high, so that the driving action specified in principle It can be preferentially selected as a driving action to be adopted by the vehicle. By considering the driving behavior defined in principle as a priority, it is possible to quickly determine the appropriate driving behavior that the host vehicle should take. As a result, it is possible to determine appropriate driving behavior in accordance with the principles stipulated by traffic regulations.

[3] By using the travel control information 310 of the present embodiment, compliance is enforced by defining the travel control information 310 in which the priority of the driving action specified by the compulsory language is set relatively high. The driven driving behavior can be preferentially selected as the driving behavior to be adopted by the host vehicle. By prioritizing the forced driving behavior, it is possible to quickly determine the appropriate driving behavior that the host vehicle should take.
Can be suppressed.

[4] According to the travel control device 100 of the present embodiment, in a travel scene where an emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle, the only driving action to be executed is selected while complying with applicable traffic laws and regulations, and the host vehicle is selected. Can be executed. As a result, it is possible to promote the automation of travel control that complies with traffic regulations.

[5] According to the travel control device 100 of the present embodiment, when a plurality of driving actions are selected, one driving action to be adopted is determined based on an evaluation value when each driving action is executed. The driving behavior can be determined in consideration of the content.

  The embodiment described above is described for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

  That is, in the present specification, as an example of the travel control device according to the present invention, the travel control device 100 that constitutes the travel control system 1 together with the in-vehicle device 200 will be described as an example, but the present invention is limited to this. It is not a thing.

  In this specification, the traveling control information according to the present invention will be described as traveling control information 310 stored in the storage device 300, but the manner in which the traveling control information can be read is not particularly limited.

In this specification, a reference function, an information acquisition function, a selection function, and a control are provided as an example of a travel control device including a reference unit, an information acquisition unit, a selection unit, and a control unit according to the present invention. The travel control device 100 including the control device 10 that performs the functions will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.
In the present specification, as an example of a travel control device further including a determination unit according to the present invention, a travel control device 100 in which the control device 10 executes a determination function will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Travel control system 100 ... Travel control apparatus 10 ... Control apparatus 11 ... CPU
12 ... ROM
13 ... RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Communication apparatus 30 ... Output device 31 ... Display 32 ... Speaker 200 ... In-vehicle apparatus 40 ... Communication apparatus 50 ... Detection apparatus 51 ... Camera 52 ... Radar apparatus 53 ... Microphone 60 ... Sensor 61 ... Steering angle sensor 62 ... Vehicle speed sensor 70 ... Vehicle controller 80 ... Drive device 90 ... Steering device 110 ... Output device 111 ... Display 112 ... Speaker 113 ... Out-of-vehicle lamp 114 ... In-vehicle lamp 120 ... Navigation device 121 ... Position detection device 122 ... Road information 123 ... Map information 300 ... Memory Device 310 ... travel control information

Claims (3)

Includes the situation around the vehicle, the traveling scene information specifying the travel scene of the vehicle,
Driving behavior information including the driving behavior permitted in the traveling scene and / or the driving behavior prohibited in the traveling scene, defined by traffic regulations governing the driving behavior of the vehicle for each traveling scene,
When a plurality of traffic regulations are applied to the one driving scene, according to the possibility of being executed in the driving scene, the priority given to each of the driving actions included in the driving action information , Rutotomoni There associated with each other,
When the driving behavior is defined by traffic regulations and the wording of the traffic regulations defining the driving behavior includes an expression that allows the exceptional driving behavior different from the driving behavior defined in principle, More than the case where the expression that allows the exceptional driving behavior is not included, the driving control information that is set lower than the priority given to the driving behavior that the traffic regulations prescribe exceptionally, and
Reference means for referring to the travel control information;
Information acquisition means for acquiring driving scene information for specifying the driving scene of the host vehicle, including a situation around the host vehicle;
Selection means for selecting the driving behavior based on the priority assigned to the driving behavior of the vehicle associated with the travel scene information of the acquired vehicle;
And a control unit that outputs control information for causing the host vehicle to execute the selected driving action. Includes the situation around the vehicle, the traveling scene information specifying the travel scene of the vehicle,
Driving behavior information including the driving behavior permitted in the traveling scene and / or the driving behavior prohibited in the traveling scene, defined by traffic regulations governing the driving behavior of the vehicle for each traveling scene,
When a plurality of traffic regulations are applied to the one driving scene, according to the possibility of being executed in the driving scene, the priority given to each of the driving actions included in the driving action information , Rutotomoni There associated with each other,
The driving behavior is defined by traffic regulations, and when the expression of forcing the driving action is included in the wording of the traffic regulations defining the driving behavior than when the expression for forcing the driving action is not included , The driving control information that is set to a high priority to be attached to the driving action that the traffic regulations regulate by expression of compulsion, and
Reference means for referring to the travel control information;
Information acquisition means for acquiring driving scene information for specifying the driving scene of the host vehicle, including a situation around the host vehicle;
Selection means for selecting the driving behavior based on the priority assigned to the driving behavior of the vehicle associated with the travel scene information of the acquired vehicle;
And a control unit that outputs control information for causing the host vehicle to execute the selected driving action. 3. The determination unit according to claim 1 , further comprising: a determination unit that determines the driving behavior of the vehicle based on an evaluation value when the driving behavior is executed when a plurality of the driving behaviors are selected. Travel control device.

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