JP6796047B2 - Vehicle control devices, vehicle control methods, and programs - Google Patents

Description

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

In recent years, research has been conducted on the automatic control of vehicles. There is known a technique of detecting the movement of another vehicle on a route during automatic driving and performing predetermined control on the own vehicle (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-35927

However, the conventional technique does not recognize the state of another vehicle while the vehicle is stopped and determine the start of the other vehicle.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and it is possible to determine whether or not the other vehicle starts based on the state of the other vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, and control the running of the own vehicle. One of the purposes is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program.

(1): Whether the other vehicle starts based on the state of the other vehicle recognition unit that recognizes the other vehicle existing facing the road on which the own vehicle travels and the other vehicle recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit. A start determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle is present, and a driving control unit that controls one or both of the steering or acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle based on the determination result by the start determination unit to drive the own vehicle. It is a vehicle control device provided.

(2): In the vehicle control device according to (1), when the distance between the other vehicle determined to start by the start determination unit and the own vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. Is to decelerate the own vehicle, and when the distance between the other vehicle and the own vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, the other vehicle is bypassed and traveled.

(3): In the vehicle control device according to (1) or (2), the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the winker of the other vehicle is lit, and the start determination unit is the vehicle control device. When it is recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit that the winker of the other vehicle is lit, it is determined that the other vehicle starts.

(4): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the door of the other vehicle is open and starts the vehicle. The determination unit determines that the other vehicle does not start when the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the door of the other vehicle is open.

(5): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes the color of a structure around the other vehicle and starts the vehicle. The determination unit determines that the other vehicle starts when the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the color of at least a part of the structure is a color reflected from the color of the brake lamp of the other vehicle. It is something to do.

(6): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (5), further including a sound collecting unit for collecting sounds around the own vehicle, and the starting determination unit is Among the sounds collected by the sound collecting unit, when the sound from the direction in which the other vehicle exists is the engine sound, it is determined that the other vehicle starts.

(7): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the other vehicle recognition unit is the rotation angle of the wheels of the other vehicle or the wheels with respect to the own vehicle. The start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start when the rotation of the wheels of the other vehicle or the change in the relative angle is recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit. ..

(8): In the vehicle control device according to (7), the driving control unit recognizes the rotation of the wheels of the other vehicle or the change in the relative angle by the start determination unit by the other vehicle recognition unit. When it is determined that the other vehicle will start, the own vehicle is stopped.

(9): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the headlights of the other vehicle are lit. The start determination unit determines that the other vehicle starts when it is recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit that the headlights of the other vehicle are lit.

(10): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (9), further including a communication unit that communicates with the other vehicle, and the start determination unit is the communication unit. When the information indicating that the other vehicle has notified the seatbelt reminder is received, it is determined that the other vehicle starts.

(11): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (10), the image pickup unit that images the other vehicle and the other vehicle recognition unit are imaged by the image pickup unit. The image is analyzed to estimate the amount of subduction from the reference vehicle height of the other vehicle, and the start determination unit determines the amount of subduction from the reference vehicle height of the other vehicle estimated by the other vehicle recognition unit. When it is equal to or more than the threshold value, it is determined that the other vehicle starts.

(12): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of an occupant in the other vehicle, and the above-mentioned. The start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start when the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of an occupant in the other vehicle.

(13): The vehicle control device according to (2), further including a communication unit that communicates with the other vehicle, and the operation control unit is such that the other vehicle is an automatically driven vehicle by the communication unit. When the information indicating the above is received, the own vehicle is driven without the deceleration or the detour.

(14): The other vehicle recognition unit recognizes another vehicle existing facing the road on which the own vehicle travels, and the start determination unit recognizes the other vehicle based on the state of the other vehicle recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit. It is determined whether or not another vehicle starts, and the driving control unit controls one or both of the steering or acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle based on the determination result by the start determination unit to drive the own vehicle. It is a vehicle control method.

(15): A state of another vehicle recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit on a computer mounted on the own vehicle having another vehicle recognition unit that recognizes another vehicle existing facing the road on which the own vehicle travels. Based on the above, it is determined whether or not the other vehicle starts, and based on the determination result, one or both of the steering or acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle is controlled to drive the own vehicle.

According to (1), (14), and (15), it is possible to determine whether or not the other vehicle starts based on the state of the other vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, and control the running of the own vehicle.

According to (2), it is possible to control the running of the own vehicle according to the distance between the own vehicle and another vehicle.

According to (3), (4), (7), (9), (11), and (12), the start of another vehicle is determined by recognizing a change in the state of another vehicle recognized from the outside. Can be done.

According to (5), even if the brake lamp cannot be directly recognized, the start of the other vehicle can be recognized by recognizing the light of the brake lamp reflected on the wall around the other vehicle.

According to (6), the start of another vehicle can be recognized by the sound emitted from the other vehicle.

According to (8), by recognizing the movement of the other vehicle, it is possible to control the running of the own vehicle according to the movement of the other vehicle.

According to (10) and (13), by communicating with another vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication, it is possible to acquire information on the state of the other vehicle and predict the start of the other vehicle.

It is a block diagram of the vehicle system 1 using the vehicle control device which concerns on embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the 1st control unit 120 and the 2nd control unit 160. It is a figure which shows an example of the other vehicle which the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes. It is a figure which shows an example of the change of the vehicle height of another vehicle m. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process executed in the automatic operation control device 100. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed in step S110. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed in step S130. It is a figure which shows a plurality of configurations which can be used in an automatic operation control device 100.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. When there is another stopped vehicle on the route on which the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling, it is important to determine whether or not the other vehicle is about to start and control the autonomous driving vehicle. If control such as pausing is executed every time a stopped vehicle is recognized, smooth running may be hindered. The vehicle control device controls the running of the own vehicle by determining whether or not to start based on the state of another vehicle that is stopped.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a vehicle such as two wheels, three wheels, or four wheels, and the drive source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. When the electric motor is provided, the electric motor operates by using the electric power generated by the generator connected to the internal combustion engine or the electric power generated by the secondary battery or the fuel cell.

The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10 (an example of an imaging unit), a radar device 12, a finder 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20 (an example of a communication unit), and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30. , Vehicle sensor 40, navigation device 50, MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, driving controller 80, automatic driving control device 100 (an example of vehicle control device), traveling driving force output device 200, and steering wheel. The device 210 and the steering device 220 are provided. These devices and devices are connected to each other by multiplex communication lines such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication lines, serial communication lines, wireless communication networks, and the like. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or another configuration may be added.

The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). One or a plurality of cameras 10 are attached to an arbitrary position of a vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as own vehicle M) on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When photographing the front, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the back surface of the rearview mirror, and the like. The camera 10 periodically and repeatedly images the periphery of the own vehicle M, for example. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves around the own vehicle M, and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by the object to detect at least the position (distance and orientation) of the object. One or a plurality of radar devices 12 may be attached to any position of the own vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and velocity of the object by the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

The finder 14 is a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The finder 14 irradiates the periphery of the own vehicle M with light and measures the scattered light. The finder 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time from light emission to light reception. The light to be irradiated is, for example, a pulsed laser beam. One or a plurality of finder 14s may be attached to any position of the own vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results of a part or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14, and recognizes the position, type, speed, and the like of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic operation control device 100. Further, the object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 to the automatic operation control device 100 as they are, if necessary.

The communication device 20 communicates with another vehicle existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle M by using, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or wirelessly. Communicates with various server devices via the base station.

The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the own vehicle M and accepts input operations by the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys and the like.

The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the own vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the angular velocity around the vertical axis, an orientation sensor that detects the direction of the own vehicle M, and the like.

The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a routing unit 53, and the first map information 54 is stored in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. Holds. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the own vehicle M based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The position of the own vehicle M may be specified or complemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or wholly shared with the above-mentioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53, for example, has a route from the position of the own vehicle M (or an arbitrary position input) specified by the GNSS receiver 51 to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52 (hereinafter,). The route on the map) is determined with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which a road shape is expressed by a link indicating a road and a node connected by the link. The first map information 54 may include road curvature, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like. The map route determined by the route determination unit 53 is output to the MPU 60. Further, the navigation device 50 may provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the map route determined by the route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 may be realized by, for example, the function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by an occupant. Further, the navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20 and acquire the route on the map returned from the navigation server.

The MPU 60 functions as, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and holds the second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, divides the route every 100 [m] with respect to the vehicle traveling direction), and refers to the second map information 62 for each block. Determine the recommended lane. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines which lane to drive from the left. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the own vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route to proceed to the branch destination when there is a branch point, a merging point, or the like on the route.

The second map information 62 is more accurate map information than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of the lane, information on the boundary of the lane, and the like. Further, the second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address / zip code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by accessing another device using the communication device 20.

The driving controller 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a deformed steering wheel, a joystick, and other controls. A sensor for detecting the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation is attached to the operation operator 80, and the detection result is the automatic operation control device 100 or the traveling driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device. It is output to one or both of 220.

The automatic operation control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. Each of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 is realized by executing a program (software) by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). In addition, some or all of these components are hardware (circuits) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). It may be realized by the part (including circuitry), or it may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware.

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. The first control unit 120, for example, realizes a function by AI (Artificial Intelligence) and a function by a model given in advance in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing an intersection" is executed in parallel with recognition of an intersection by deep learning or the like and recognition based on predetermined conditions (pattern matching signals, road markings, etc.), both of which are executed. It is realized by scoring and comprehensively evaluating. This ensures the reliability of autonomous driving.

First, the basic functions of the recognition unit 130 and the action plan generation unit 140 will be described. The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, speed, acceleration, and other states of objects around the own vehicle M based on the information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via the object recognition device 16. To do. The position of the object is recognized as, for example, a position on absolute coordinates with the representative point (center of gravity, center of drive axis, etc.) of the own vehicle M as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by a represented area. The "state" of an object may include acceleration or jerk of the object, or "behavioral state" (eg, whether or not the vehicle is changing lanes or is about to change lanes). Further, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the shape of the curve that the own vehicle M is about to pass based on the image captured by the camera 10. The recognition unit 130 converts the shape of the curve from the image captured by the camera 10 into a real plane, and for example, two-dimensional point sequence information or information expressed using a model equivalent thereto is information indicating the shape of the curve. Is output to the action plan generation unit 140.

Further, the recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, the lane (traveling lane) in which the own vehicle M is traveling. For example, the recognition unit 130 has a road marking line pattern (for example, an arrangement of a solid line and a broken line) obtained from the second map information 62 and a road marking line around the own vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. By comparing with the pattern of, the driving lane is recognized. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the traveling lane by recognizing not only the road marking line but also the running road boundary (road boundary) including the road marking line, the shoulder, the curb, the median strip, the guardrail, and the like. .. In this recognition, the position of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by the INS may be added. In addition, the recognition unit 130 recognizes a stop line, an obstacle, a red light, a tollhouse, another vehicle, and other road events.

When recognizing the traveling lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. The recognition unit 130 determines, for example, the deviation of the reference point of the own vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle formed by the center of the lane in the traveling direction of the own vehicle M with respect to the relative position of the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. And may be recognized as a posture. Further, instead of this, the recognition unit 130 sets the position of the reference point of the own vehicle M with respect to any side end portion (road division line or road boundary) of the traveling lane, and the relative position of the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. May be recognized as.

Further, the recognition unit 130 may derive the recognition accuracy in the above recognition process and output it to the action plan generation unit 140 as the recognition accuracy information. For example, the recognition unit 130 generates recognition accuracy information based on the frequency with which the road lane marking can be recognized in a certain period of time.

In addition, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the state of the other vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, and determines whether or not the other vehicle starts. The recognition of other vehicles of the recognition unit 130 will be described later.

In principle, the action plan generation unit 140 travels in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61, and the own vehicle M further executes automatic driving corresponding to the surrounding conditions of the own vehicle M. Generate a target track to run in the future. The target trajectory includes, for example, a velocity element. For example, the target track is expressed as a sequence of points (track points) to be reached by the own vehicle M.

The second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires the information of the target trajectory (orbit point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the traveling driving force output device 200 or the braking device 210 based on the speed element associated with the target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the degree of bending of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized by, for example, a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 executes a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road in front of the own vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target trajectory.

In the automatic driving control device 100, a combination of the action plan generation unit 140, the acquisition unit 162, the speed control unit 164, and the steering control unit 166 is an example of the “operation control unit”.

The traveling driving force output device 200 outputs a traveling driving force (torque) for traveling the vehicle to the drive wheels. The traveling driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU that controls them. The ECU controls the above configuration according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation operator 80.

The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation operator 80 so that the brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include, as a backup, a mechanism for transmitting the hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the operation operator 80 to the cylinder via the master cylinder. The brake device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above, and is an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to the information input from the second control unit 160 to transmit the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder. There may be.

The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, applies a force to the rack and pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation operator 80, and changes the direction of the steering wheel.

[About the start judgment of other vehicles]
Next, the content of the process recognized by the recognition unit 130 will be described. The recognition unit 130 includes, for example, another vehicle recognition unit 131 and a start determination unit 132.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes, for example, the presence or absence of another vehicle m existing facing the road on which the own vehicle M travels, and its state based on the recognition result recognized by the object recognition device 16. .. The start determination unit 132 determines whether or not the other vehicle m starts based on the recognition result of the other vehicle recognition unit 131.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of another vehicle recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit 131. Although the case where the other vehicle m is stopped in a direction orthogonal to the own vehicle M is shown, the other vehicle m may be parallel parked with respect to the own vehicle M. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes, for example, a vehicle facing the road as another vehicle m.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 may recognize a vehicle parked with most of the vehicle body placed in a parking space other than the road as another vehicle m, or other vehicles including a vehicle stopped in an alley or the like. It may be recognized as m.

Hereinafter, more specific processing will be described. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes the rotation angle of the wheel m4 of the other vehicle m, the relative angle of the wheel m4 with respect to the own vehicle M, or the amount of change thereof. For example, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 compares a plurality of images of the other vehicle m output by the object recognition device 16 at predetermined sampling intervals, and recognizes whether or not the wheels m4 of the other vehicle m are rotating.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 compares the rotation angle estimated at a certain time point with the rotation angle estimated after a predetermined time, and recognizes whether or not the wheel m4 of the other vehicle m is rotating. The rotation angle estimated at each time point is corrected so as to cancel the change accompanying the position change of the own vehicle M.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 generates, for example, a three-dimensional model showing the relative positional relationship between the recognized other vehicle m and the own vehicle M at the position of the own vehicle M at a certain time point. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 has, for example, the wheel m4 in the model of the other vehicle m in the three-dimensional space whose appearance has changed from the own vehicle M after traveling to some extent, and the wheel m4 of the other vehicle m acquired from the camera 10. If the appearance of the vehicle m4 in the image is different from that of the wheel m4 in the model, it is recognized that the wheel m4 has rotated.

The start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts when, for example, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes the rotation of the wheels m4 of the other vehicle m or the change in the relative angle. This is because when the rotation angle of the wheel m4 of the other vehicle m or the relative angle of the wheel with respect to the own vehicle M changes, there is a high possibility that the other vehicle m will start and come out to the lane L.

Further, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 may recognize that the door m2 of the other vehicle m is open. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes that the door m2 of the other vehicle m is open by using, for example, a state determination algorithm using deep learning or the like. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 may recognize that any door m2 such as the front door or the rear door of the other vehicle m is open.

For example, when the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes that the door m2 of the other vehicle m is open, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m does not start. This is because there is a high possibility that the vehicle will not start yet when the door m2 of the other vehicle m is open.

Further, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 may recognize that the winker m1 of the other vehicle m is blinking. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 compares, for example, a plurality of images of the other vehicle m output by the object recognition device 16 at predetermined sampling intervals, and the winker m1 of the other vehicle m is blinking and turned off. When it is recognized that the state is repeated, the blinking is recognized. The winker m1 is any or all of the front winker, the side winker, the tail winker, and the like of the other vehicle m.

The start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts when, for example, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes that the winker m1 of the other vehicle m is lit. The blinker m1 of the other vehicle m is blinking because there is a high possibility that the other vehicle m will start.

Further, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 may recognize the lighting of the brake lamp m3 of the other vehicle m. However, when the brake lamp m3 cannot be directly recognized due to the positional relationship of the brake lamp m3 of the other vehicle m, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes the change in the color of the structure H around the brake lamp m3 of the other vehicle m. You may.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 turns on the brake lamp m3 by recognizing that the color of at least a part of the area such as the wall H1 around the other vehicle m has changed to the color of the brake lamp m3 of the other vehicle m. You may recognize it. For example, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 compares the images of the other vehicle m output by the object recognition device 16 at predetermined sampling intervals, and the color of the wall H1 of the structure H around the other vehicle m is the brake lamp. The lighting of the brake lamp m3 may be recognized based on the change in color and the change in brightness.

The start determination unit 132, for example, when the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes that the color of at least a part of the structure H is the color reflected by the color of the brake lamp m3 of the other vehicle m, the other vehicle It is determined that m starts. The fact that the brake lamp m3 including the tail lamp and the high mount stop lamp of the other vehicle m lights up is because there is a high possibility that the other vehicle m is in the state before starting.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the vehicle height of another vehicle m. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 may estimate the vehicle height of the other vehicle m. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 analyzes, for example, an image captured by the camera 10 and estimates the amount of subduction (h0-h1) of the other vehicle m from the reference vehicle height (h0).

When the other vehicle m is parked in the residential premises, the reference vehicle height of the other vehicle m may be set by machine learning based on the past image captured by the camera 10. Further, the reference vehicle height of the other vehicle m may be acquired from the other vehicle m by inter-vehicle communication via the communication device 20, or acquired from the network based on the recognized vehicle type information of the other vehicle m. You may. Then, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 may set the reference vehicle height of the other vehicle m based on the acquired information.

The start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m will start when, for example, the amount of subduction of the other vehicle m from the reference vehicle height estimated by the other vehicle recognition unit 131 is equal to or greater than the threshold value. This is because when the amount of subduction of the other vehicle m from the reference vehicle height is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is estimated that the occupant is in the vehicle, and the probability that the other vehicle m starts will increase.

Further, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 may recognize the existence of an occupant who is on the other vehicle m. The start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle will start when, for example, the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of an occupant riding in the other vehicle. This is because there is a high possibility that the other vehicle m will start when the occupant is in the other vehicle m.

Further, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts based on the change in the state of the sound around the own vehicle M collected by the microphone 15 (see FIG. 1) provided in the own vehicle M. May be good. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 extracts, for example, the engine sound generated by the other vehicle m from the sound data around the own vehicle M collected by the microphone 15.

Then, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes, for example, the direction of the sound source of the extracted engine sound. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 estimates the direction in which the sound source of the engine sound exists, for example, based on the reception time of the engine sound collected by the microphones 15 provided at a plurality of positions of the own vehicle M. For example, when the engine sound is extracted from the direction in which the other vehicle m exists from the sounds collected by the microphone 15, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts. This is because when the engine sound is emitted from the other vehicle m, the probability that the other vehicle m will start increases.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 may recognize that the headlight m5 (see FIG. 3) of the other vehicle m is lit. The start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts when, for example, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes that the headlights of the other vehicle m are lit.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 compares, for example, the images of the other vehicle m output by the object recognition device 16 at predetermined sampling intervals, and the brightness of the image of the headlight m5 of the other vehicle m changes brightly. Based on this, the lighting of the headlight m5 may be recognized. This is because when the headlight m5 of the other vehicle m is turned on, there is a high possibility that the other vehicle m is in the state before starting.

Further, the start determination unit 132 determines that, for example, as a result of communication with the other vehicle m via the communication device 20, the other vehicle m starts based on the information acquired from the other vehicle m. When the other vehicle m is a communicable vehicle, the own vehicle M may communicate with the other vehicle m and acquire information on the traveling of the other vehicle m. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes the existence of the other vehicle m and the state of the other vehicle m based on the acquired information.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 receives, for example, information indicating that it has notified a seatbelt reminder for encouraging the wearing of the seatbelt, and information indicating that the other vehicle m is an autonomous driving vehicle. The other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes whether or not the seatbelt reminder has been notified based on the acquired information.

The start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m will start when, for example, the communication device 20 receives information indicating that the other vehicle m has notified the seatbelt reminder. This is because when the seatbelt reminder is notified, the probability that the other vehicle m will start increases.

Further, the start determination unit 132 may change the determination criteria based on the place where the other vehicle m is parked. For example, when another vehicle m is parked in the residential premises, there is a higher probability that the same vehicle is parked as compared with a vehicle parked in a parking facility such as so-called coin parking. Therefore, since the accuracy of learning of the other vehicle m by the other vehicle recognition unit 131 becomes high, the start determination unit 132 adjusts the threshold value and the number of conditions for determining the start so that the start can be more easily determined. May be good. As a result, the automatic driving control device 100 can determine the start of the other vehicle m parked in the residential premises at an early stage.

When the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts, the action plan generation unit 140 performs control in consideration of the other vehicle m, as described below.

(1) For example, when the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts, and the distance between the other vehicle m and the own vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the speed control unit 164. Controlled to decelerate the own vehicle M and slow it down. The predetermined distance is, for example, a distance at which when the other vehicle m goes out of the stopped position into the lane L, a sufficient time is secured so that the action plan generation unit 140 can execute the control according to the operation of the other vehicle m. .. The predetermined distance is estimated by the object recognition device 16 based on the output results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14, for example.

(2) For example, in the action plan generation unit 140, when the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts, and the distance between the other vehicle m and the own vehicle M is less than a predetermined distance, the speed control unit 164 And the steering control unit 166 is controlled so that the own vehicle M bypasses the other vehicle m. The action plan generation unit 140 generates, for example, a track in which the own vehicle M is separated from the other vehicle m in the lane L in which the own vehicle M is traveling, and causes the own vehicle M to travel.

(3) For example, the action plan generation unit 140 stops the own vehicle when the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes the rotation of the wheels of the other vehicle or the change in the relative angle.

(4) For example, when the communication device 20 receives information indicating that the other vehicle m is an autonomous driving vehicle, the action plan generation unit 140 communicates with the other vehicle m via the communication device 20. Adjustments may be made to each other's travel control. This is because the other vehicle m, which is an autonomous driving vehicle, and the own vehicle M perform traveling control recognizing the existence of each other. For example, when the action plan generation unit 140 communicates with another vehicle m and receives information from the other vehicle m that the communication result regarding the traveling control is "yielded", the action plan generation unit 140 keeps the own vehicle M as it is without decelerating or detouring. You may run it. The information to the effect of "giving away" is, for example, information transmitted to the own vehicle M as a result of the other vehicle m recognizing the own vehicle M and determining that the own vehicle M is preferentially traveled.

Next, the flow of processing executed by the automatic operation control device 100 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic operation control device 100.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes another vehicle existing facing the road on which the own vehicle M travels (step S100). The start determination unit 132 determines whether or not the other vehicle starts based on the state of the other vehicle m recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit 131 (step S110). When the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle will start based on the state of the other vehicle m, the action plan generation unit 140 tells the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 based on the determination result by the start determination unit 132. One or both of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle M is controlled to control the traveling of the own vehicle M (step S130).

Next, the process of determining whether or not the other vehicle m will start, which is executed in step S110, will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed in step S110.

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the change in the wheel state such as the rotation or the relative angle of the wheel m4 of the other vehicle m has been recognized (step S111).

When the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes the rotation of the wheel m4 of the other vehicle m or the change in the relative angle, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts (step S128).

The other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the door m2 of the other vehicle m is open when the rotation of the wheel m4 of the other vehicle m or the change in the relative angle is not recognized (step S112).

When the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines that the door m2 of the other vehicle m is open, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m does not start (step S127).

When it is determined by the other vehicle recognition unit 131 that the door m2 of the other vehicle m is not open, it is determined whether or not the winker m1 of the other vehicle m is lit (step S113).

When the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes that the winker m1 of the other vehicle m is lit, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts (step S128).

If it is not determined that the winker m1 of the other vehicle m is not lit, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the brake lamp m3 is lit (step S114). When the other vehicle recognition unit 131 recognizes that the brake lamp m3 is lit, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m will start (step S128).

When it is determined that the brake lamp m3 is not lit, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the vehicle height of the other vehicle m has been lowered (step S115). When the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines that the vehicle height of the other vehicle m has become low, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m will start (step S128).

If it is not determined that the vehicle height of the other vehicle m has become low, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not an occupant is on the other vehicle m (step S116). When the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines that the occupant is on the other vehicle m, the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m will start (step S128).

When it is determined that the occupant is not on the other vehicle m, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the engine sound is generated from the direction of the other vehicle m (step S117).

When it is determined that the engine sound is not generated from the direction of the other vehicle m, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the headlight m5 of the other vehicle m is lit (step S118).
When it is determined that the headlight m5 of the other vehicle m is not lit, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the seatbelt reminder is notified by the other vehicle m (step S119). When the start determination unit 132 determines that the seatbelt reminder has not been notified by the other vehicle m, it determines that the other vehicle m does not start (step S127).

In the flowchart described above, the order of each step from step S111 to step S119 is not limited to this, and may be appropriately replaced. Further, in the flowchart described above, it is determined that the other vehicle m starts when even one condition is satisfied, but instead, it is determined that the other vehicle m starts when a plurality of conditions are satisfied. May be.

Next, the process of controlling the own vehicle M according to the determination result executed in step S130 will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed in step S130.

The start determination unit 132 determines whether or not the other vehicle m starts (step S131).

When the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the other vehicle m is an autonomous driving vehicle (step S132).

When the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines that the other vehicle m is an autonomous driving vehicle, the other vehicle recognition unit 131 determines whether or not the other vehicle recognition unit 131 has received the information to "give" the travel control from the other vehicle m ( Step S133).

If it is determined that the other vehicle recognition unit 131 has not received the information to "give" about the traveling control from the other vehicle m, or if a negative determination is made in step S132, the start determination unit 132 uses the other vehicle. It is determined whether or not m starts based on the state of the wheel m4 (step S134).

When the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m does not start based on the state of the wheels m4, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the own vehicle M and the other vehicle m based on the estimation result of the object recognition device 16. It is determined whether or not the distance of is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S135).

When it is determined that the distance between the own vehicle M and the other vehicle m is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the action plan generation unit 140 controls the speed control unit 164 to slow down the own vehicle M (step S137).

When the start determination unit 132 determines that the other vehicle m starts, and the action plan generation unit 140 determines that the distance between the other vehicle m and the own vehicle M is less than a predetermined distance, the action plan generation unit 140 and the speed control unit 164 The steering control unit 166 is controlled so that the own vehicle M bypasses the other vehicle m (step S138).

When the start determination unit 132 determines in step S134 that the other vehicle m starts based on the state of the wheels m4, the action plan generation unit 140 controls the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 to control the own vehicle M. Stop (step S136).

When the start determination unit 132 does not determine that the other vehicle m starts in step S131, the action plan generation unit 140 controls the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 to drive the own vehicle M as it is (step S139). ..

In the flowchart described above, the order of each step from step S131 to step S135 is not limited to this, and may be appropriately replaced. Further, in the flowchart described above, step S134 and step S136 may be omitted.

According to the embodiment described above, the vehicle system 1 can determine whether or not the other vehicle starts based on the state of the other vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, and can control the running of the own vehicle.

The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a plurality of configurations that can be used in the automatic operation control device 100. The automatic operation control device 100 includes a communication controller 100-1, a CPU 100-2, a RAM 100-3 used as a working memory, a ROM 100-4 for storing a boot program, a storage device 100-5 such as a flash memory or an HDD, and a drive. The devices 100-6 and the like are connected to each other by an internal bus or a dedicated communication line.

The communication controller 100-1 communicates with a component other than the automatic operation control device 100 shown in FIG. The storage device 100-5 stores a program 100-5a executed by the CPU 100-2. This program is expanded into RAM 100-3 by a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller (not shown) or the like, and is executed by CPU 100-2. As a result, a part or all of the recognition unit 130, the action plan generation unit 140, the acquisition unit 162, the speed control unit 164, and the steering control unit 166 are realized.

The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows.
With a hardware processor
With storage
It comprises a hardware processor that executes a program stored in the storage device.
By executing the program, the hardware processor
Recognize other vehicles that exist facing the road on which your vehicle travels
Based on the recognized state of the other vehicle, it is determined whether or not the other vehicle starts, and
Based on the determination result, one or both of the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle are controlled to drive the own vehicle.
A vehicle control device that is configured to.

Although the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can be added.

1 ... Vehicle system, 10 ... Camera, 12 ... Radar device, 14 ... Finder, 15 ... Mike, 16 ... Object recognition device, 20 ... Communication device, 40 ... Vehicle sensor, 50 ... Navigation device, 51 ... GNSS receiver, 53 ... Route determination unit, 54 ... First map information, 61 ... Recommended lane determination unit, 62 ... Second map information, 80 ... Driving operator, 100 ... Automatic driving control device 100-1 ... Communication controller, 100-2 ... CPU , 103 ... RAM, 104 ... ROM, 100-5 ... storage device, 100-5a ... program, 100-6 ... drive device, 106 ... management unit, 108 ... operation control unit, 110 ... judgment unit, 114 ... notification unit, 120 ... 1st control unit, 130 ... recognition unit, 131 ... other vehicle recognition unit, 132 ... start judgment unit, 140 ... action plan generation unit, 160 ... second control unit, 162 ... acquisition unit, 164 ... speed control unit, 166 ... Steering control unit, 200 ... Driving drive force output device, 210 ... Brake device, 220 ... Steering device, M ... Own vehicle, m ... Other vehicle, m1 ... Winker, m2 ... Door, m3 ... Brake lamp, m4 ... Wheel , M4a ... front wheel, m5 ... headlight

Claims (15)

Another vehicle recognition unit that recognizes other vehicles that exist facing the road on which the own vehicle travels,
A start determination unit that determines whether or not the other vehicle starts based on the state of the other vehicle recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit.
Based on the determination result by the start determination unit, the operation control unit that controls one or both of the steering or acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle to drive the own vehicle, and
Vehicle control device. When the distance between the other vehicle determined to start by the start determination unit and the own vehicle is equal to or longer than a predetermined distance, the operation control unit decelerates the own vehicle, and the other vehicle and the own vehicle If the distance is less than a predetermined distance, the vehicle is driven by bypassing the other vehicle.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. The other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the winker of the other vehicle is lit, and recognizes that the winker of the other vehicle is lit.
When the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the winker of the other vehicle is lit, the start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2. The other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the door of the other vehicle is open, and recognizes that the door of the other vehicle is open.
When the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the door of the other vehicle is open, the start determination unit determines that the other vehicle does not start.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The other vehicle recognition unit recognizes the color of the structure around the other vehicle and recognizes the color of the structure.
When the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the color of at least a part of the structure is the color reflected from the brake lamp of the other vehicle, the start determination unit starts the other vehicle. Judge,
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Further equipped with a sound collecting unit for collecting sounds around the own vehicle,
The start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start when the sound from the direction in which the other vehicle exists is the engine sound among the sounds collected by the sound collection unit.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The other vehicle recognition unit recognizes the rotation angle of the wheels of the other vehicle or the relative angle of the wheels with respect to the own vehicle.
The start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start when the rotation of the wheels of the other vehicle or the change in the relative angle is recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. When the start determination unit determines that the other vehicle starts when the rotation of the wheels of the other vehicle or the change in the relative angle is recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit, the driving control unit determines that the other vehicle starts. To stop
The vehicle control device according to claim 7. The other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the headlights of the other vehicle are lit, and recognizes that the headlights of the other vehicle are lit.
When the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes that the headlights of the other vehicle are lit, the start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Further equipped with a communication unit that communicates with the other vehicle,
The start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start when the communication unit receives information indicating that the other vehicle has notified the seatbelt reminder.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Further provided with an imaging unit for imaging the other vehicle,
The other vehicle recognition unit analyzes the image captured by the image pickup unit to estimate the amount of subduction from the reference vehicle height of the other vehicle, and then estimates the amount of subduction.
The start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start when the amount of subduction of the other vehicle from the reference vehicle height estimated by the other vehicle recognition unit is equal to or greater than the threshold value.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The other vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of an occupant in the other vehicle and recognizes the presence of the occupant.
When the other vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of an occupant riding in the other vehicle, the start determination unit determines that the other vehicle will start.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. Further equipped with a communication unit that communicates with the other vehicle,
When the communication unit receives information indicating that the other vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle, the operation control unit causes the own vehicle to travel without decelerating or detouring.
The vehicle control device according to claim 2. The other vehicle recognition unit recognizes other vehicles that exist facing the road on which the own vehicle travels,
The start determination unit determines whether or not the other vehicle starts based on the state of the other vehicle recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit.
The driving control unit controls one or both of the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle based on the determination result by the start determination unit to drive the own vehicle.
Vehicle control method. A computer mounted on the own vehicle having another vehicle recognition unit that recognizes another vehicle existing facing the road on which the own vehicle travels.
Based on the state of the other vehicle recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit, it is determined whether or not the other vehicle starts.
Based on the determination result, one or both of the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle are controlled to drive the own vehicle.
program.

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