JP6696379B2 - Driver intention specifying method and driver intention specifying device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driver intention specifying method and a driver intention specifying device.

  In Patent Document 1, the brain activity data of the driver is detected, the target operation amount of the operation target (steering, brake, etc.) is specified based on the detected brain activity data, and the operation target is driven based on the specified target operation amount. Proposes control.

JP, 2008-247118, A

As described above, the drive control of the operation target may be different from the driver's intention simply by considering the brain activity data of the driver.
An object of the present invention is to more accurately specify the behavior intended by the driver with respect to the traveling environment around the vehicle.

  A driver intention identifying method and a driver intention identifying apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention detect a traveling environment around a vehicle and estimate actions that the driver can intend for the traveling environment. Further, the action timing when the driver tries to act is detected, and the action that matches the action timing is specified as the action intended by the driver from the actions that the driver can intend.

  According to the present invention, in order to estimate the behavior that the driver can intend and to identify the behavior that coincides with the behavior timing of the driver from the behavior, the behavior that the driver intends with respect to the driving environment around the vehicle is determined. More accurate identification is possible.

It is a block diagram which shows a driving assistance device. It is a flowchart which shows a driving assistance process. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a running scene. It is a flow chart which shows an example of a procedure which specifies a driver's intention. It is a schematic diagram showing another example of a running scene.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is schematic and may differ from the actual one. In addition, the following embodiments exemplify devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the configurations are not limited to the following. That is, the technical idea of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.

<< Embodiment >>
"Constitution"
In the embodiment, as driving assistance, even if there is no artificial driving operation, the surrounding environment is recognized by the camera, the radar, etc. mounted on the vehicle, and the vehicle's traveling system plays a main role in autonomous driving (automatic driving). ) It is possible. Particularly, the behavior intended by the driver is specified with respect to the driving environment around the own vehicle and reflected in the driving. Even in the automatic driving state, the driver can control the vehicle by arbitrarily intervening operations such as winker operation, brake operation, accelerator operation, and steering operation.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a driving support device.
The driving support device 11 includes a driver intention specifying device 12, a sensor group 13, a steering actuator 14, an accelerator opening actuator 15, and a brake control actuator 16.
The driver's intention identifying device 12 includes a traveling environment sensor 21 (first sensor), an electroencephalogram sensor 22 (second sensor), and a controller 23. The traveling environment sensor 21 includes a camera 24, a radar 25, a map database 26, and a GPS receiver 27.

The camera 24 images the front of the vehicle body. The camera 24 is, for example, a CCD wide-angle camera provided in the upper portion of the front window in the vehicle interior, and outputs the imaged image data in front of the vehicle body to the controller 23.
The radar 25 detects a distance, a relative speed, and a direction to a front object existing in front of the host vehicle. The radar 25 is, for example, a millimeter wave radar provided in the front grill, and outputs various detected data to the controller 23. Regarding the distance and the relative speed, for example, an FM-CW (Frequency Modulation-Continuous Wave) method is used, and the distance and the relative speed are detected according to the frequency difference due to the Doppler effect. As for the azimuth, for example, a DBF (Digital Beam Forming) method is used, and the azimuth is detected according to the phase difference of the reflected waves received by a plurality of channels.

The map database 26 is composed of a DVD-ROM drive, a hard disk drive, a flash memory drive, etc., and stores road map information including road types, road alignments, lane widths, vehicle passing directions, etc. in a non-volatile electronic storage medium. I remember. Note that the road map information database may be managed by the server, and only the updated difference data of the road map information may be acquired through, for example, a telematics service, and the road map information stored in the map database 26 may be updated.
The GPS receiver 27 acquires the current position information of the own vehicle. The GPS receiver 27 receives radio waves from four or more GPS receiver satellites, and determines the current position (longitude, latitude, altitude) of the vehicle based on the distance from each GPS receiver satellite obtained from the time difference between transmission and reception. ) Is measured and the direction of travel is determined. The controller 23 sets the travel route to the destination input by the user while matching the current position information with the road map information, and provides the user with route guidance according to the travel route.

The brain wave sensor 22 detects the brain waveform of the driver. In the electroencephalogram sensor 22, for example, a plurality of electrodes are provided on the headrest, and the electrical activity generated in the brain, that is, the action potential generated in nerve cells (neurons) and the synaptic potential when signals are transmitted between nerve cells, It is input to the controller 23 as a potential difference signal generated between the electrodes. The controller 23 detects the action preparation potential by analyzing the frequency of the input potential difference signal.
The controller 23 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer and executes a driving support process described later. That is, the behavior intended by the driver is specified and reflected in the automatic driving. For automatic driving, the steering actuator 14, the accelerator opening actuator 15, and the brake control actuator 16 are drive-controlled while observing the detection values of the sensor group 13.

The sensor group 13 includes a vehicle speed sensor 31, an acceleration sensor 32, a yaw rate sensor 33, an accelerator opening sensor 34, a brake switch 35, and a steering operation amount sensor 36.
The vehicle speed sensor 31 detects the vehicle speed. The vehicle speed sensor 31 is provided, for example, in an output driven gear in a transmission, detects magnetic lines of force of the sensor rotor by a detection circuit, converts a change in the magnetic field due to rotation of the sensor rotor into a pulse signal, and outputs the pulse signal to the controller 23. .. The controller 23 determines the vehicle speed from the input pulse signal.

The acceleration sensor 32 detects acceleration / deceleration in the vehicle front-rear direction. The acceleration sensor 32 detects, for example, a positional displacement of the movable electrode with respect to the fixed electrode as a change in capacitance, converts the voltage signal into a voltage signal proportional to the acceleration / deceleration and the direction, and outputs the voltage signal to the controller 23. The controller 23 determines the acceleration / deceleration from the input voltage signal.
The yaw rate sensor 33 detects a yaw angle change speed (yaw rate) of the vehicle body. The yaw rate sensor 33 is provided on the body that is a sprung body, and vibrates a vibrator made of, for example, a crystal tuning fork by an AC voltage, and converts the amount of distortion of the vibrator generated by Coriolis force at the time of inputting an angular velocity into an electric signal to control the controller. To 23. The controller 23 determines the yaw rate of the vehicle from the input electric signal.

The accelerator opening sensor 34 detects a pedal opening (operation position) corresponding to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal. The accelerator opening sensor 34 is, for example, a potentiometer, and converts the pedal opening of the accelerator pedal into a voltage signal and outputs the voltage signal to the controller 23. The controller 23 determines the pedal opening of the accelerator pedal from the input voltage signal.
The brake switch 35 detects ON / OFF of the brake. The brake switch 35 outputs a voltage signal according to ON / OFF of the brake to the controller 23 through, for example, a normally closed contact detection circuit. The controller 23 determines ON / OFF of the brake from the input voltage signal.

The steering operation amount sensor 36 includes a rotary encoder and detects the steering angle of the steering shaft. The steering operation amount sensor 36 detects the light transmitted through the slit of the scale by the two phototransistors when the disc-shaped scale rotates together with the steering shaft, and outputs a pulse signal accompanying the rotation of the steering shaft to the controller 23. To do. The controller 23 determines the steering angle of the steering shaft from the input pulse signal.
The steering actuator 14 is composed of a motor capable of transmitting torque to the steering shaft. The controller 23 sets a required target steering angle when traveling along a curve, changing lanes, or turning left or right at an intersection, and drives the steering actuator 14 according to the target steering angle. Control.

The accelerator opening actuator 15 is composed of, for example, an electronically controlled throttle valve that controls the opening of the throttle valve. The controller 23 sets a required target driving force when starting or accelerating the host vehicle, and drives and controls the accelerator opening actuator 15 according to the target driving force.
The brake control actuator 16 includes a hydraulic circuit used for anti-skid control (ABS), traction control (TCS), stability control (VDC: Vehicle Dynamics Control), and the like. The controller 23 sets a required target braking force when decelerating or stopping the host vehicle, and drives and controls the brake control actuator 16 according to the target braking force.

Next, an example of the driving support process executed by the controller 23 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the driving support process.
In step S101, the traveling environment sensor 21 detects the traveling environment around the vehicle. That is, from the image captured by the camera 24, the object existing around the own vehicle is recognized, and the radar 25 detects the distance to the object existing around the own vehicle, the relative speed, and the azimuth. Further, the map database 26 and the GPS receiver 27 detect the road type, road alignment, traveling lane position, etc. at the current position of the vehicle.

  In the following step S102, the controller 23 estimates the behavior that the driver may intend for the traveling environment. Here, the behavior that the driver may intend within the preset time (for example, 7 seconds) from the present time is estimated. For example, the time between the own vehicle and another vehicle (THW: Time-Headway), the estimated collision time (TTC: Time To Collision), and the time until the own vehicle changes lanes or makes a right or left turn from the traveling route information of the own vehicle. According to, the driver's expected behavior is estimated. THW is a value obtained by dividing the inter-vehicle distance by the own vehicle speed, and TTC is a value obtained by dividing the inter-vehicle distance by the relative vehicle speed.

Here, the set time will be described.
It is said that the driver makes a decision about what happens to his vehicle within the next 5 to 10 seconds. To put it the other way around, we have not (or cannot) make decisions about the future beyond 10 seconds. Therefore, for example, it is estimated that the phenomenon may occur within 7 seconds, and in the event that the phenomenon may occur, the driver intends to perform control according to the behavior intended by the driver. It should be noted that 7 seconds is an example, and is set as a time zone in which most drivers are satisfied if the vehicle controls the driver's decision making.

In the following step S103, the brain wave sensor 22 detects the action timing when the driver tries to take action. That is, when the driver tries to take some action, the action preparation potential is generated in the brain wave prior to the movement of the body, and this is detected.
In the subsequent step S104, the controller 23 identifies, as the behavior intended by the driver, the behavior that matches the behavior timing among the behaviors that the driver may intend.
In the following step S105, the controller 23 performs driving assistance in accordance with the behavior intended by the driver and then returns to the predetermined main program.
The above is the driving support processing.

《Action》
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a traveling scene.
Here, the vehicle V0 is traveling in the traveling lane L1 on a two-lane road including the traveling lane L1 and the overtaking lane L2. The host vehicle V0 is approaching the branch lane L3 branched to the left side, and the lane is planned to be changed to this branch lane L3. Further, the preceding vehicle V1 exists immediately in front of the host vehicle V0. With respect to this traveling environment, an action that the driver of the own vehicle V0 can intend is estimated (S102), the action timing of the driver is detected (S103), and the action timing is selected from among the actions that the driver can take. The matching behavior is identified as the behavior intended by the driver (S104).

Here, a specific identifying procedure will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for identifying the driver's intention.
In step S111, it is determined whether or not THW required for the vehicle V0 to reach the position where the vehicle lane L1 branches off from the lane L3 is 7 seconds or more. Here, when it is less than 7 seconds before reaching the branch position, it is determined that it is desirable to keep traveling in the traveling lane L1, and the process ends. On the other hand, when it takes 7 seconds or more to reach the branch position, it is determined that there is room to consider passing the preceding vehicle V1, and the process proceeds to step S112.

  In step S112, it is determined whether the preceding vehicle V1 is slow. For example, it is determined whether the THW for the preceding vehicle V1 is within 7 seconds and the TTC for the preceding vehicle V1 is within 7 seconds. Here, when THW exceeds 7 seconds or TTC exceeds 7 seconds, it is determined that the preceding vehicle V1 is not later than the own vehicle V0 and it is not necessary to overtake the preceding vehicle V1. , It ends. On the other hand, when THW is within 7 seconds and TTC is within 7 seconds, the preceding vehicle V1 is slower than the host vehicle V0, and it is determined that it is desirable to overtake the preceding vehicle V1, and the process proceeds to step S113.

  In step S113, it is determined whether or not there is a margin to pass the preceding vehicle V1. For example, the time required for overtaking is calculated, and it is determined whether or not one second or more can be left as THW from the position where the overtaking is completed to the branch position. The time required for overtaking is two lane changes, that is, the time until the lane is first changed from the traveling lane L1 to the overtaking lane L2 and then the lane is changed from the overtaking lane L2 to the traveling lane L1. Is calculated including. Here, when it is less than 1 second from the position where the overtaking is completed to the branch position, it is determined that there is no margin to overtake the preceding vehicle V1, and the process ends. On the other hand, when one second or more can be left from the position where the overtaking is completed to the branch position, it is determined that there is room to overtake the preceding vehicle V1, and the process proceeds to step S114.

In step S114, it is determined whether the overtaking lane L2 is empty. That is, in the overtaking lane L2, it is determined whether there is another vehicle in the vicinity of the host vehicle V0 and the preceding vehicle V1 or whether another vehicle is approaching from behind. If there is another vehicle in the overtaking lane L2 that may interfere with the overtaking of the host vehicle V0, it is determined that the lane cannot be changed to the overtaking lane L2, and the process ends. On the other hand, when there is no other vehicle in the overtaking lane L2 that may interfere with the overtaking of the host vehicle V0, it is determined that the lane can be changed to the overtaking lane L2, and the process proceeds to step S115.
In step S115, it is estimated that the driver may intend to overtake the current traveling environment.

In a succeeding step S116, it is determined whether or not the action timing when the driver tries to take an action is detected. Here, when the action timing is not detected, it is determined that the driver does not intend to overtake the preceding vehicle V1, and the process ends. On the other hand, when the action timing is detected, the driver determines that the driver intends to overtake the preceding vehicle V1 and proceeds to step S117.
In step S117, the driver specifies that the driver intends to overtake the current traveling environment, and then ends.
When it is determined that the driver does not intend to overtake, automatic driving is performed to maintain the traveling lane L1 as driving assistance (S105). On the other hand, when the driver specifies that he / she intends to overtake, automatic driving is performed to change the lane to the overtaking lane L2 as driving assistance (S105).

In the above procedure, the processes of steps S111 to S115 correspond to the process of step S102 for estimating the behavior that the driver may intend. That is, it is estimated whether or not to overtake. Further, the processing of steps S116 and S117 corresponds to the processing of step S104 that identifies, from the behavior that the driver can intend, the behavior that matches the behavior timing of the driver as the behavior that the driver intended.
In this way, the behavior that the driver intends is estimated, and then the behavior that matches the behavior timing of the driver is specified. Therefore, the behavior that the driver intends with respect to the traveling environment around the vehicle V0 is more accurate. Can be specified.

Also, the behavior that the driver can intend is estimated according to the relative relationship of the host vehicle V0 with respect to the preceding vehicle V1, such as THW and TTC. In addition, referring to the traveling route information, the behavior that the driver can intend is estimated according to the time until the vehicle V0 changes lanes. Furthermore, it estimates the behavior that the driver can intend within 7 seconds from the present time. With such an estimation method, it is possible to accurately estimate the behavior that the driver can intend. Since the surrounding traveling environment is very complicated and diverse, the amount of information to be handled is enormous. However, by narrowing down the choices as described above, the calculation load can be reduced.
It should be noted that if the past behavior history of the driver is recorded and the behavior that the driver can intend is estimated from the behavior history, it is possible to make a more accurate estimation. In this case, since the behavior history needs to be recorded for each driver, it is recorded together with the driver's identification information. In addition, when a plurality of options can be estimated as the behavior that the driver can intend, a ranking is given to each of them and candidates are presented in order from those intended by a general (majority) driver. This makes it possible to more accurately estimate the behavior that the driver can intend.

In addition, by detecting the action preparation potential of the driver with the electroencephalogram sensor 22, the action timing when the driver attempts to act can be detected in advance.
In this way, by identifying the behavior intended by the driver with respect to the traveling environment around the vehicle V0 and reflecting the behavior in the traveling, the traveling intended by the driver is realized, and the vehicle is driven by its own will. It is possible to give the driver a feeling. Therefore, it is possible to improve the driver's confidence in the traveling system of the vehicle.

Here, the case of specifying whether or not to pass the preceding vehicle V1 on the road with two lanes on each side has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to other traveling scenes.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a traveling scene.
Here, the own vehicle V0 is traveling in the traveling lane L5 on a one-lane three-lane road including the traveling lane L4, the traveling lane L5, and the overtaking lane L6. In the overtaking lane L6 on the right, another vehicle V2 traveling slightly ahead of the host vehicle V0 exists, and in the traveling lane L4 on the left, another vehicle V3 traveling slightly behind the host vehicle V0. At this time, continue traveling in the current traveling lane L5, move to the left traveling lane L4, move to the right overtaking lane L6, maintain the current vehicle speed, accelerate or decelerate, etc. Alternatively, a plurality of options may be estimated as the behavior that the driver may intend, and the behavior that the driver intends may be specified from there.

<Modification>
In the embodiment, as the driving support, the behavior intended by the driver is specified in the state of performing the automatic driving, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the driver detects a behavior intended by the driver while the driver is driving the vehicle, that is, in a state where the driver is not performing automatic driving. In this case, as driving assistance, for example, an assist torque is applied in the steering direction, a driving force with respect to the accelerator opening is controlled, or a braking force with respect to a brake operation amount is controlled. By providing such driving assistance, it is possible to give the driver a feeling that the driving skill has improved. Further, as driving assistance, an alarm may be output.

"effect"
Next, the main effects of the embodiment will be described.
(1) In the driver intention identifying method, the driving environment around the vehicle is detected, the behavior that the driver can intend for the traveling environment is estimated, and the behavior timing when the driver tries to act is detected. Then, from the behavior that the driver can intend, the behavior that matches the behavior timing is specified as the behavior that the driver intended.
In this way, the driver's expected behavior is estimated, and then the behavior that matches the driver's behavior timing is identified, so that the behavior intended by the driver with respect to the driving environment around the vehicle is more accurately determined. Can be specified.

(2) In the driver intention identifying method, the action timing is detected by detecting the action preparation potential from the brain wave of the driver.
In this way, by detecting the action preparation potential of the driver, the action timing of the driver can be easily and accurately detected.

(3) In the driver intention identifying method, the driver's intentional behavior is estimated according to the relative relationship of the host vehicle to other vehicles.
In this way, by considering the relative relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle, it is possible to accurately estimate the behavior that the driver can intend.

(4) In the driver intention identifying method, the behavior that the driver can intend is estimated by referring to the traveling route information of the own vehicle and according to the time until the own vehicle changes lanes or makes a right or left turn.
In this way, by considering the time until the own vehicle changes lanes or makes a right / left turn, it is possible to accurately estimate the behavior that the driver can intend.

(5) In the driver intention identifying method, the behavior that the driver can intend is estimated within 1 to 10 seconds from the present time.
In this way, by limiting the range to within a few seconds from the present time, it is possible to accurately estimate the behavior that the driver can intend.

(6) The driver's intention specifying device includes a traveling environment sensor 21, an electroencephalogram sensor 22, and a controller 23. The controller 23 estimates the behavior that the driver can intend with respect to the traveling environment detected by the traveling environment sensor 21, and from the behavior that the driver can intend, the behavior that matches the behavior timing detected by the electroencephalogram sensor 22, Identify as the driver's intended behavior.
In this way, the driver's expected behavior is estimated, and then the behavior that matches the driver's behavior timing is identified, so that the behavior intended by the driver with respect to the driving environment around the vehicle is more accurately determined. Can be specified.

  Although the above description has been made with reference to a limited number of embodiments, the scope of rights is not limited thereto, and modifications of the embodiments based on the above disclosure will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

11 Driving Support Device 12 Driver Intention Specification Device 21 Running Environment Sensor (First Sensor)
22 Brain wave sensor (second sensor)
23 controller 24 camera 25 radar 26 map database 27 GPS receiver

Claims (4)

Detects the preceding vehicle with respect to your own vehicle,
Determine whether the preceding vehicle is slower than the own vehicle,
Detecting the action timing when the driver tries to act,
When the action timing is detected when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is slower than the own vehicle, the driver identifies that the driver intends to overtake the preceding vehicle, and the action timing is detected. If not , the driver's intention specifying method is characterized by specifying that the driver does not intend to overtake the preceding vehicle .   The method according to claim 1, wherein the action timing is detected by detecting an action preparation potential from the brain wave of the driver. Referring to the traveling route information of the own vehicle, it is determined whether or not there is room to overtake the preceding vehicle in accordance with the time until the own vehicle changes lanes or turns left or right ,
When it is determined that there is room to overtake the preceding vehicle, and the preceding vehicle is determined to be later than the own vehicle, when the action timing is detected, the driver intends to overtake. as a specific and, when the action timing is not detected, the driver intention particular method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the driver and identifies as not intended to overtake. A first sensor for detecting a preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle;
A determination unit that determines whether the preceding vehicle is slower than the own vehicle,
A second sensor that detects the action timing when the driver tries to act,
When the action timing is detected when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is slower than the own vehicle, the driver identifies that the driver intends to overtake the preceding vehicle, and the action timing is detected. If not, a controller that specifies that the driver does not intend to overtake the preceding vehicle, the driver's intention specifying device.

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