JP7158268B2 - STOPPABLE PLACE DETECTION METHOD, STOPPABLE PLACE DETECTION DEVICE, AND VEHICLE - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for detecting a possible stop position, a detection device for a possible stop position, and a vehicle equipped with the detection device for a possible stop position.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a technology related to transportation of passengers or articles using an unmanned vehicle that does not require a human driver (see Patent Document 1). Patent document 1 sets a boarding point (pickup area) where an unmanned vehicle picks up a passenger based on positional information of the unmanned vehicle and the passenger.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0277191

However, when the unmanned vehicle arrives at the set boarding point, there is a problem that if another vehicle is stopped at the boarding point, the unmanned vehicle cannot stop at the boarding point.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide a possible stop place detection method, a stop place detection device, and a vehicle that accurately detect a place where a vehicle can be stopped. That is.

A method for detecting a place where a vehicle can stop according to an aspect of the present invention stores correlation data indicating the relationship between the depth and width of a parking space required for stopping a vehicle, and distance information relating to objects around the roadway. is obtained, the depth and width of the empty space adjacent to the roadway are calculated from the distance information, and the vehicle is stopped in the empty space based on the correlation data, the width of the empty space, and the depth of the empty space. Based on the width and depth of the vacant space, calculate the overhang length, which is the length in the width direction of the vehicle that overhangs the vacant space onto the roadway when the vehicle is parked in the vacant space. , based on the overhang length, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can be parked in the empty space.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to accurately detect a place where a vehicle can be parked.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an automated transport system 10 including a stopable place detection device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle 40 of FIG. 1 involved in the automatic transportation service. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the vehicle 40 of FIG. 2 and the detailed configuration of the terminal device 60 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the stop control device 41 and the travel control device 42 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of detailed procedures of steps S6 to S8 in FIG. FIG. 6 is a table showing an example of the correlation data 56. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a zenith view showing an example of a lane Rd1 and an empty space Fs adjacent to the lane Rd1. FIG. 8 is a zenith diagram for explaining a method of calculating the target trajectory and stop position.

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

With reference to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of an automated transportation system 10 including a stopable place detection device according to an embodiment will be described. The automated transportation system 10 is a system that provides an automated transportation service that uses vehicles 40 to transport passengers or goods from one place to another. FIG. 1 shows an example of transporting a passenger (user 50). The automated transportation system 10 includes a vehicle 40 as transportation means, a terminal device 60 held by a user 50 who enjoys the automated transportation service, and a management server 20 that manages the entire automated transportation system 10 . The management server 20 and the vehicle 40 and the management server 20 and the terminal device 60 are connected via the communication network 30 so as to be bidirectionally communicable. Of course, the vehicle 40 and the terminal device 60 may be connected so as to be bidirectionally communicable.

In the automated transport system 10, the vehicle 40 and the terminal device 60 have functions as a mobile communication terminal (mobile information terminal). Therefore, of the communication network 30, at least the part connected to the vehicle 40 and the terminal device 60 is a vehicle-to-vehicle/road-to-road communication in an intelligent transportation system (ITS) or a new traffic management system (UTMS), or 3G, 4G, or the like. is realized by wireless communication including mobile communication. The terminal device 60 includes a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a notebook computer, a mobile phone, and a PHS. In addition, the vehicle 40 is equipped with a communication device for wireless communication. On the other hand, the portion of the communication network 30 connected to the management server 20 is implemented by the Internet. The automated transportation system 10 can also be realized as "cloud computing" that provides the functions of the management server 20 as computer resources (automated transportation service) to the user 50 via the Internet.

The stop possible place detection device according to the present embodiment is mounted on the vehicle 40 . However, as another embodiment, it is also possible to mount the parking possible place detection device on the management server 20 or on the terminal device 60 . Further, it is also possible to divide the vehicle 40, the management server 20, and the terminal device 60 for each function of the detection device for possible stopping places and install them.

2 and 3, the configuration of the vehicle 40 of FIG. 1 involved in the automated transportation service will be described. The vehicle 40 includes a sensor section 43 , a vehicle stop control device 41 (control section), a storage section 55 , a travel control device 42 and a communication section 44 . A stop possible place detection device according to the present embodiment is realized by the stop control device 41 and the storage unit 55 .

The sensor unit 43 includes a plurality of different types of object detection sensors such as a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, a camera, and a lidar (LiDAR: Light Detection and Ranging) mounted on the vehicle 40 . The sensor unit 43 uses a plurality of object detection sensors to detect the roadway on which the vehicle 40 travels and objects around the roadway. The "roadway and surrounding objects" include curbs separating the roadway from the sidewalk, guardrails, building walls, road markings, and parked vehicles. The sensor unit 43 detects the positions, shapes and sizes of these objects with respect to the own vehicle 11 . A "road marking" is a line, symbol, or character drawn on a road surface by road studs, paint, stones, or the like. In FIG. 2, the sensor unit 43 is shown at the front end of the vehicle 40, and other parts such as the side and rear end of the vehicle 40 are omitted. However, in reality, object detection sensors are installed at a plurality of locations including not only the front end of the vehicle 40 but also the side and rear ends of the vehicle 40 . Therefore, the range around the vehicle 40 detected by the sensor unit 43 includes not only the front of the vehicle 40 but also the left and right sides and the rear of the vehicle 40 . Further, the range around the vehicle 40 detected by the sensor unit 43 includes not only the own lane on which the vehicle 40 travels, but also the entire roadway on which the vehicle 40 travels, including lanes adjacent to the own lane and other lanes. shoulders, cycle paths, and sidewalks adjacent to public roads, and structures adjacent to shoulders, cycle paths, and sidewalks. The sensor unit 43 continuously detects the roadway on which the vehicle 40 travels and objects around the roadway in a predetermined repetition cycle.

The stop control device 41 detects a place adjacent to the roadway where the vehicle 40 can be stopped (stopable place) when transporting passengers or goods from one place to another. Specifically, the stop control device 41 detects where the vehicle 40 can be stopped when the vehicle 40 picks up passengers, unloads passengers, loads goods into the vehicle 40, or unloads goods. do. The stop control device 41 does not disturb the traffic of others (including people and other vehicles) around the vehicle 40 by stopping the vehicle 40 at the place, and as a result, the traffic violation or traffic violation of others is prevented. To detect a place where there is no risk of causing a traffic accident as a place where a vehicle can be stopped.

The stop control device 41 is a general-purpose microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memories such as RAM and ROM, and an input/output unit. A computer program (vehicle stop control program) for functioning as the vehicle stop control device 41 is installed in the microcomputer. By executing the computer program, the microcomputer functions as a plurality of information processing circuits (45 to 49, 51) included in the stop control device 41. FIG. Here, an example of realizing a plurality of information processing circuits (45 to 49, 51) provided in the stop control device 41 by software is shown. Of course, it is also possible to configure the information processing circuits (45 to 49, 51) by preparing dedicated hardware for executing each information processing described below. Also, the plurality of information processing circuits (45 to 49, 51) may be configured by individual hardware. Further, the information processing circuits (45 to 49, 51) may also be used as an electronic control unit (ECU) used for other controls related to the vehicle 40. FIG. In this embodiment, as an example, the microcomputer also implements a travel control device 42 that executes automatic driving of the host vehicle 11 .

The storage unit 55 stores correlation data 56 that is referred to when the stop control device 41 detects possible stop locations. "Correlation data" 56 indicates the relationship between the depth and width of a parking space adjacent to the roadway required to park the vehicle 40 in the parking space. The "depth of the parking space" is the length of the parking space in the direction perpendicular to the width of the roadway. "Width of parking space" is the length of the parking space in the width direction of the roadway. "Stop the vehicle 40 in the parking space" means to stop the vehicle 40 while the entire vehicle 40 is in the parking space. In other words, it means that the vehicle 40 is stopped in a state where even a part of the vehicle 40 does not protrude from the parking space to the roadway.

FIG. 7 is a zenith view showing an example of a lane Rd1 and an empty space Fs adjacent to the lane Rd1. FIG. 7 shows the vehicle 40 stopped with the right side portion of the vehicle 40 overhanging the dashed line 7 onto the roadway Rd1. In the scene shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle 40 cannot be stopped in the empty space Fs. The empty space Fs is an area defined by the other vehicles 5a1 and 5a2 and the curb 5b, and is an area where the vehicle 40 can travel without obstacles.

FIG. 6 is an example of the correlation data 56 stored in the storage unit 55 and shows the relationship between the width (Wps) of the parking space and the depth (Dps) of the parking space. The width (Wps) increases from α1 to α6, and the depth (Dps) increases from β1 to β6. In FIG. 6, combinations of width (Wps) and depth (Dps) of parking spaces that allow the vehicle 40 to stop in the parking spaces are indicated by circles (◯).

As shown in FIG. 6, if the depth (Dps) of the parking space is sufficiently long (β5), the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the parking space even if the width (Wps) of the parking space is short (α2). can. Conversely, if the width (Wps) of the parking space is long enough (α6), the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the parking space even if the depth (Dps) of the parking space is short (β1). Note that the relationship between the depth (Dps) and width (Wps) of the parking space required to stop the vehicle 40, that is, the "correlation data" 56 is the external dimensions, the maximum steering angle, and the minimum rotation It can be predetermined based on the radius. Therefore, the “correlation data” 56 can be stored in advance in the storage unit 55 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the stop control device 41 includes a distance acquisition unit 45, an empty space detection unit 46, an empty space depth calculation unit 47, an empty space width calculation unit 48, an empty space size determination unit 49, A roadway width calculation unit 51 is provided.

The distance acquisition unit 45 acquires distance information related to the roadway on which the vehicle 40 travels and objects around the roadway. The "distance information" includes information indicating the position, shape, and size of the curb that separates the roadway from the sidewalk, guardrails, walls of buildings, road markings, and other parked vehicles relative to the own vehicle 11. In this embodiment, the distance acquisition unit 45 can acquire distance information from the roadway and objects around the roadway detected by the sensor unit 43 . As another embodiment, the distance acquisition unit 45 may extract distance information around the vehicle 40 from information that the communication unit 44 can receive from outside the vehicle 40 . In this case, the vehicle 40 may acquire information indicating its own position using a device for detecting its own position, such as a GPS receiver.

The empty space detection unit 46 detects an empty space Fs adjacent to the roadway from the distance information acquired by the distance acquisition unit 45 . "Vacant space Fs" refers to an exposed road surface area where other vehicles, curbs, guardrails, color cones (registered trademark), walls, and other obstacles do not exist on the road surface. The empty space detection unit 46 first detects an empty space Fs as a candidate for a place where the vehicle can stop. For example, the empty space detector 46 detects the empty space Fs based on the overall length and width of the vehicle 40 . Specifically, an empty space Fs larger than the total length and width of the vehicle 40 is detected. As a result, an empty space that is too small to accommodate the vehicle 40 can be excluded from candidates for possible parking locations. Data indicating the overall length and width of the vehicle 40 is pre-stored in the storage unit 55 .

The empty space depth calculator 47 calculates the depth of the empty space detected by the empty space detector 46 from the distance information acquired by the distance acquirer 45 . As shown in FIG. 7, the "depth (Dfs) of the empty space Fs" indicates the length of the empty space Fs in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the roadway (Rd1, Rd2).

The empty space width calculator 48 calculates the width of the empty space detected by the empty space detector 46 from the distance information acquired by the distance acquirer 45 . As shown in FIG. 7, "the width of the empty space Fs (Wfs)" indicates the length of the empty space Fs in the width direction of the roadway (Rd1, Rd2).

The empty space size determination unit 49 uses at least two determination methods to determine whether or not the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs. The two determination methods are called "first determination method" and "second determination method". The "first determination method" is a method of determining whether or not the vehicle 40 can be stopped so that the entire vehicle 40 can be accommodated within the empty space Fs. "Second determination method" is the length in the width direction of the vehicle 40 projected from the empty space Fs to the roadway (Rd1, Rd2) when the vehicle 40 is parked in the empty space Fs (hereinafter referred to as "overhang length"). ), it is determined whether or not the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs. The "second determination method" is used when the "first determination method" is negatively determined. If at least one of the "first determination method" and the "second determination method" makes an affirmative determination, the empty space dimension determination unit 49 can stop the vehicle 40 in the empty space Fs. I judge. On the other hand, when both the "first determination method" and the "second determination method" are negatively determined, the empty space dimension determination unit 49 determines that the vehicle 40 cannot be stopped in the empty space Fs. do. Hereinafter, the "first determination method" and the "second determination method" will be described in detail.

<First determination method>
The empty space size determination unit 49 determines whether or not the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs based on the correlation data 56, the width (Wfs) of the empty space Fs, and the depth (Dfs) of the empty space Fs. judge. Specifically, the empty space size determination unit 49 determines the relationship between the width (Wps) and depth (Dps) of the parking space shown in the correlation data 56, and the width (Wfs) and depth (Dfs) of the empty space. Then, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the empty space Fs. That is, the empty space size determination unit 49 determines whether or not the empty space Fs corresponds to the parking space Ps. When the empty space corresponds to the parking space, it is determined that the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the empty space Fs, and when the empty space Fs does not correspond to the parking space Ps, the vehicle 40 is stopped in the empty space Fs. determine that it cannot be done.

Specifically, the empty space size determining unit 49 determines the relationship between the width (Wps) and depth (Dps) of the parking space shown in the correlation data 56 and the width (Wfs) and depth (Dfs) of the empty space Fs. By comparing, it is determined whether or not the empty space Fs corresponds to the parking space.

A specific example of the "comparison between the parking space and the vacant space Fs" is described below. The correlation data shown in FIG. 6 indicates the minimum relationship between the depth (Dps) of the parking space and the minimum width (Wps) of the parking space required to stop the vehicle 40 in the parking space having the depth (Dps). It can be said that it is data that shows For example, when the depth of the parking space is "β3", the minimum width of the parking space required to stop the vehicle 40 in the parking space having the depth (β3) is "α3". Thus, each of the depths (β1, β2, β3, β4, β5) of the parking space corresponds to the minimum width of the parking space (α6, α5, α3, α3, α2).

The vacant space dimension determination unit 49 identifies the minimum value of the width (Wps) of the stop space corresponding to the depth (Dfs) of the vacant space by referring to the correlation data 56 shown in FIG. For example, identify the depth of the stop space (Dps) in FIG. 6, which corresponds to the depth of the empty space (Dfs). Then, by referring to the correlation data in FIG. 6, the minimum value of the width (Wps) of the stop space corresponding to the specified depth (Dps) of the stop space is specified.

Then, the vacant space dimension determining unit 49 compares the vacant space width (Wfs) with the minimum value of the parking space width (Wps), and the vacant space width (Wfs) is the minimum value of the parking space width (Wps). Determines whether the value is greater than or equal to the value. When the width of the empty space is equal to or greater than the minimum value of the width of the parking space (Wps), the empty space size determination unit 49 determines that the empty space Fs corresponds to the parking space, and the width of the empty space (Wfs) determines that the vehicle is stopped. If the width (Wps) of the space is less than the minimum value, it is determined that the empty space Fs does not correspond to the parking space.

The correlation data is data indicating the relationship between the depth of the parking space and the minimum width of the parking space required to stop the vehicle 40 in the parking space having the depth. and the minimum depth of the parking space required to stop the vehicle 40 in the parking space having the width.

<Second determination method>
Since the vacant space is not wide enough, the vehicle 40 cannot be stopped so that the entire vehicle 40 can be accommodated in the vacant space, and the vehicle 40 is parked in a state where a part of the vehicle 40 protrudes from the vacant space onto the roadway. 40 may be forced to stop. In this case, if the stopping of the vehicle 40 does not disturb the traffic of others (including people and other vehicles) around the vehicle 40, it is permissible to determine that the empty space can be stopped. be done.

Therefore, when it is determined that the empty space does not correspond to the parking space, the empty space size determination unit 49 determines whether or not the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the empty space based on the "overhang length" of the vehicle 40. judge. As a result, it is possible to flexibly determine the possibility of stopping the vehicle according to the actual situation while sufficiently considering the impact on the surrounding traffic.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the vehicle 40 is parked in an empty space Fs that has been determined not to be a parking space. A portion of the left side of the vehicle 40 is contained within the empty space Fs, but the remaining portion of the right side of the vehicle 40 projects onto the roadway Rd1. The overhang length (Cw) of the vehicle 40 is the length in the vehicle width direction from the boundary line 7 between the empty space Fs and the roadway Rd1 to the right side surface 8 of the vehicle 40 . An empty space depth calculation unit 47 and an empty space width calculation unit 48 calculate the depth (Dfs) and width (Wfs) of the empty space Fs adjacent to the roadway Rd1 from the position and shape of the curbstone 5 around the roadway Rd1. calculate.

The target trajectory calculator 53 calculates the position (stopping position) of the vehicle 40 that can be stopped in the empty space Fs based on the depth Dfs and width Wfs of the empty space Fs. A specific method of calculating the stop position will be described later. The empty space dimension determination unit 49 can calculate the overhang length (Cw) from the stop position. As shown in FIG. 7, the target trajectory calculation unit 53 calculates the closest stop position to the user 50 in the depth Dfs direction and the width Wfs direction of the empty space Fs.

The empty space size determination unit 49 compares the overhang length (Cw) with a threshold determined from the viewpoint of whether or not the vehicle disturbs traffic of others around the vehicle. Then, when the projection length (Cw) is shorter than the threshold value, the empty space dimension determining unit 49 determines that the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs, and the projection length (Cw) is less than the threshold value. If it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is determined that the vehicle 40 cannot be parked in the empty space Fs. A plurality of examples of how to set the threshold value will be described later with reference to FIG.

As described above, the vacant space size determination unit 49 determines whether or not the vacant space Fs corresponds to the parking space by the first determination method. When determining that the vacant space Fs does not correspond to the parking space, the vacant space dimension determination unit 49 determines whether or not the overhang length (Cw) is shorter than the threshold value by the second determination method. The vacant space size determination unit 49 determines that the vehicle 40 can be parked in the vacant space Fs when the vacant space Fs corresponds to the parking space or when the overhang length (Cw) is shorter than the threshold value. . The vacant space size determination unit 49 determines that the vehicle 40 cannot be stopped in the vacant space Fs when the vacant space Fs does not correspond to the parking space and the overhang length (Cw) is equal to or greater than the threshold value. do.

The communication unit 44 is a device that performs at least one of road-to-road communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and mobile communication to the outside of the vehicle 40 . Information received by the communication unit 44 is not particularly limited, and includes all information that can be received by road-to-road communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and mobile communication.

The travel control device 42 includes a target trajectory calculator 53 and a travel controller 54 . The target trajectory calculation unit 53 calculates a target trajectory and a stop position for stopping the vehicle 40 in an empty space determined by the stop control device 41 to stop the vehicle 40 . Specifically, based on the distance information acquired by the distance acquisition unit 45, the outer dimensions unique to the vehicle 40, the maximum steering angle, and the minimum turning radius, the target trajectory and A stop position of the vehicle 40 located at the end of the target trajectory is calculated. The travel control unit 54 controls the steering actuator, the brake pedal actuator, and the accelerator pedal actuator to travel the vehicle 40 along the target trajectory and stop the vehicle 40 at the stop position.

A terminal device 60 possessed by a user 50 includes a communication unit 61 that executes mobile communication, an output device such as a display and a speaker, an input device such as a touch panel and a microphone, and a terminal control unit 62 that controls the entire terminal device 60. and

<Operating procedure of automatic transport service>
Next, a series of procedures for the automatic transportation service according to the embodiment will be described. First, the user 50 who wants to use the automatic transport service uses the terminal device 60 to make a reservation for the vehicle 40 to board. Specifically, the user 50 accesses the boarding reservation site of the management server 20 using the communication unit 61 . Then, using the input device, user identification information such as the name, e-mail address, and telephone number of the user 50 , the current position of the user 50 , the boarding place where the user 50 gets on the vehicle 40 , and the user 50 getting off the vehicle 40 are input. Enter the reservation information such as the place to get off and the desired boarding time. The terminal control unit 62 uses the terminal device 60 to transmit the input user identification information and reservation information to the management server 20 .

Upon receiving the user identification information and the reservation information, the management server 20 calculates the boarding point and the first travel route to the boarding point by a known route search method based on the reservation information, and transmits the calculated route to the vehicle 40 . Further, the management server 20 transmits to the vehicle 40 the drop-off place of the user 50 and the second travel route from the boarding place to the drop-off place based on the reservation information.

The travel control unit 54 automatically travels the vehicle 40 to the boarding point based on the first travel route acquired from the management server 20 . The vehicle 40 arriving at the boarding place searches for the user 50 or the terminal device 60 possessed by the user 50 using the sensor unit 43 based on the user identification information acquired from the management server 20 . After that, the stop control device 41 mounted on the vehicle 40 detects a place close to the user 50 where the vehicle 40 can be stopped. Then, the target trajectory calculator 53 calculates a target trajectory and a stop position for stopping the vehicle 40 at the detected location (empty space Fs). The travel control unit 54 controls the steering actuator, the brake pedal actuator, and the accelerator pedal actuator to travel the vehicle 40 along the target trajectory and stop the vehicle 40 at the stop position. After stopping, the vehicle 40 performs personal authentication of the user 50 and opens the door of the vehicle 40 . After confirming that the user 50 has boarded the vehicle 40, the door is closed.

The travel control unit 54 automatically travels the vehicle 40 along the second travel route from the place of boarding to the place of getting off.

The stop control device 41 detects a place where the vehicle 40 can be stopped at the place of getting off in the same way as the place of getting on. Then, the travel control device 42 calculates a target trajectory and a stop position for stopping the vehicle 40 at the detected location (empty space Fs), causes the vehicle 40 to travel along the target trajectory, and moves the vehicle 40 to the stop position. and stop. After stopping, the vehicle 40 opens the door of the vehicle 40, confirms that the user 50 has gotten off, and then closes the door. After that, the vehicle 40 automatically returns to a predetermined waiting point.

The operations of the stop control device 41 and the travel control device 42 at each of the pick-up and drop-off locations of the automatic transportation service according to the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 4 shows an example of a possible stop location detection method according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an example of detailed procedures of steps S6 to S8 in FIG.

In step S1, the travel control unit 54 allows the vehicle to stop when the remaining time or remaining distance until arrival at the boarding point or the drop-off point (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as the "boarding point") reaches a predetermined value. turn on the control mode for detecting the Proceeding to step S2, the sensor unit 43 detects the road on which the vehicle 40 travels and objects around the road. Then, the distance acquisition unit 45 acquires distance information from the roadway and objects around the roadway detected by the sensor unit 43 . Alternatively, the distance acquisition unit 45 may extract distance information around the vehicle 40 from information that the communication unit 44 can receive from outside the vehicle 40 .

Proceeding to step S3, the empty space detection unit 46 determines from the distance information acquired by the distance acquisition unit 45 that there is an empty space Fs adjacent to the roadway (Rd1, Rd2) that is larger than the total length and width of the vehicle 40. Search the space Fs. If the empty space Fs can be detected (YES in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4, and if the empty space Fs cannot be detected (NO in step S3), the process returns to step S2.

Proceeding to step S4, the empty space depth calculator 47 calculates the depth (Dfs) of the empty space detected in step S3 from the distance information acquired in step S2. Then, the empty space width calculator 48 calculates the width (Wfs) of the empty space detected in step S3 from the distance information acquired by the distance acquirer 45 .

Proceeding to step S<b>5 , the empty space size determination unit 49 reads out the correlation data 56 from the storage unit 55 . Proceeding to step S6, the empty space size determination unit 49 determines whether or not the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs using the first determination method. Specifically, the empty space size determination unit 49 determines whether or not the empty space Fs detected in step S3 corresponds to the stop space indicated in the correlation data 56. If it is determined that the vacant space Fs corresponds to the parking space (YES in S5), the vehicle 40 can be parked in the vacant space, so the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, when it is determined that the empty space Fs does not correspond to the parking space (NO in S5), the process proceeds to step S7.

Proceeding to step S7, the empty space size determination unit 49 obtains information indicating the width of the roadway on which the vehicle 40 travels (hereinafter referred to as "roadway width") from the distance information acquired by the distance acquisition unit 45. to extract

Here, the "roadway width" is the width of the own lane (one lane) on which the vehicle 40 travels, and when the road on which the vehicle 40 travels consists of multiple lanes, the width of the own lane and the adjacent lanes that can be pushed out. This includes the length in the direction, or in the case of two-way running where the road can extend out, the length in the width direction including the oncoming lane. The width of the roadway is determined from the above-mentioned length according to the type (solid line, dashed line, color) of the division line that divides the lane and the type of roadway boundary line. The width of the roadway is defined by the median strip, the solid white line that indicates no overrunning, and the curbs of oncoming lanes that vehicles cannot cross over, or that must not be crossed or overrun by traffic regulations (yellow lines). be. A zebra zone can be included in the carriageway width. In other words, the "roadway width" is an object that the vehicle 40 cannot climb over, or an object that must not be crossed or protruded under traffic regulations, and indicates the distance between the objects on each side of the roadway. When a part of the vehicle 40 overhangs the carriageway from the empty space and stops, other people pass through the remaining width portion obtained by subtracting the overhang length of the vehicle 40 from the width of the carriageway. The minimum value of the remaining width can be determined in advance from the viewpoint of whether or not to disturb the traffic of others.

For example, on the road for two-way driving shown in FIG. When the center line 6 is a broken white line or a solid yellow line, according to traffic regulations, other vehicles traveling in lane Rd1 can run off the center line 6 to the opposite lane Rd2 side in order to avoid the stopped vehicle 40. In this case, the roadway width may be the distance from the left end of lane Rd1 to the right end of oncoming lane Rd2. On the other hand, when the center line 6 is a solid white line, other vehicles traveling in the lane Rd1 cannot run off the center line 6 into the oncoming lane Rd2 in order to avoid the stopped vehicle 40 under traffic regulations. Therefore, the width of the roadway is the distance (Wrd) from the left edge of lane Rd1 to the right edge of lane Rd1, that is, the center line 6 .

Proceeding to step S8, the empty space size determination unit 49 uses the second determination method to determine whether or not the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the empty space Fs based on the "overhang length Cw" of the vehicle 40. judge. If it is determined that the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs (YES in step S8), the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle 40 cannot be parked in the empty space Fs (NO in step S8), the process returns to step S2.

In step S9, the target trajectory calculator 53 calculates the stop position of the vehicle 40 in the empty space from the depth (Dfs) and width (Wfs) of the empty space. In step S10, the target trajectory calculator 53 calculates the target trajectory of the vehicle 40 up to the stop position. In steps S11 and S12, the travel control unit 54 causes the vehicle 40 to travel along the target trajectory and stop the vehicle 40 at the stop position. In step S13, the vehicle 40 executes personal authentication of the user 50 and arrival/departure processing such as door opening/closing, and turns off the control mode for detecting possible stops. The vehicle 40 uses the communication unit 44 to transmit the result of arrival at the boarding/alighting place to the management server 20 .

Detailed procedures of steps S6 to S8 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. In step U1, the empty space size determining unit 49 refers to the correlation data of FIG. 6 to specify the minimum value of the width (Wps) of the stop space corresponding to the depth (Dfs) of the empty space shown in FIG. . Proceeding to step S2, if the width of the empty space (Wfs) shown in FIG. 7 is greater than or equal to the minimum value of the width of the parking space (Wps) (YES in step U2), the empty space size determining unit 49 proceeds to step U3. It is determined that the vacant space Fs corresponds to the stop space. On the other hand, if the width of the empty space (Wfs) is less than the minimum value of the width of the parking space (Wps) (NO in step U2), the process proceeds to step U4. In step U4, the vacant space size determination unit 49 calculates the position (stop position) of the vehicle 40 that can be stopped in the vacant space Fs based on the depth (Dfs) and width (Wfs) of the vacant space Fs, The overhang length (Cw) of the vehicle 40 is calculated from the stop position.

Proceeding to step U5, the empty space size determination unit 49 compares the overhang length (Cw) with the threshold value (Thcw). The threshold value (Thcw) is determined from the viewpoint of whether or not traffic of others around the vehicle 40 is disturbed. If the overhang length (Cw) is shorter than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step U3 and determines that the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs (YES in S8). If the overhang length (Cw) is equal to or greater than the threshold value (Thcw), the process proceeds to step U6 to determine that the vehicle 40 cannot be stopped in the empty space Fs (NO in S8).

Note that the threshold (Thcw) may be a predetermined constant value (for example, 0.5 m) or may be a variable value. When a portion of the vehicle 40 overhangs the roadway and stops, other people pass through the remaining width portion obtained by subtracting the overhang length of the vehicle 40 from the width of the roadway. The minimum value of the remaining width can be determined in advance from the viewpoint of whether or not to disturb the traffic of others. Therefore, the threshold (Thcw) may be changed according to the width of the roadway. Specifically, the empty space size determining unit 49 determines a predetermined minimum roadway width (for example, 2 to 4 m) from the viewpoint of whether or not the traffic of others around the vehicle 40 is disturbed. can be set as the threshold value (Thcw).

<How to calculate stop position and target trajectory>
Next, an example of a method for calculating a target trajectory and a stop position for stopping the vehicle 40 in the empty space Fs by the target trajectory calculation unit 53 will be described. As another embodiment, it is possible to use other target trajectory and stop position calculation methods.

As shown in FIG. 8, the target trajectory calculator 53 calculates the target trajectory 9 in the reverse direction, ie, the direction in which the vehicle 40 moves backward, starting from the final stop position _Pp . The target trajectory 9 is a line segment connecting the center-of-gravity positions (P _c , P _c-1 , P _c-2 , . . . ) of the vehicle 40 . At this time, the distance from the left side of the vehicle 40 at the stop position P _p to the wall 5 is defined as "margin R _mrg ", and the length overhanging the wall 5 when the vehicle 40 turns is "vehicle overhang length R _over ”. The steering angle of the front wheels is restricted by the distance from the position of the vehicle 40 to the wall (margin R _mrg ) and the widthwise overhang of the right front end of the vehicle body (body overhang length R _over ).

First, an initial margin R _mrg is set to 0.3 m, for example. The target trajectory calculator 53 calculates the turning center position at which the turning radius is the minimum and the vehicle body overhang length R _over is less than the margin R _mrg . The calculation model is a two-wheel model in which the two front wheels of the vehicle 40 are simplified to one wheel arranged at their center positions, and the two rear wheels of the vehicle 40 are simplified to one wheel arranged at their center positions. The parameters of vehicle 40 are defined as follows.

δ _f : Front wheel steering angle L: Wheel base L _b : Overall length of vehicle W _b : Overall width of vehicle V: Vehicle speed V _y : Vehicle speed in width direction P _y : Center of gravity position in width direction (absolute coordinates)
θ: Yaw angle (absolute coordinates)
R _mrg : Margin R _over: Body overhang length R _x : Turning center coordinates in the depth direction R _y : Turning center coordinates in the width direction The margin (R _mrg ) is defined by equation (1).

The vehicle body overhang length (R _over ) is defined by equation (2).

The position of the center of gravity in the width direction (P _y ), the yaw angle (θ), the turning center coordinates in the depth direction (R _x ), and the turning center coordinates in the width direction (R _y ) are given by the formulas (3), (4), ( 5) and (6) are defined respectively.

Substituting the equations (3) to (6) into the equations (1) and (2), assume that the vehicle body overhang length R _over is equal to the margin R _mrg . As a result, the target trajectory calculation unit 53 calculates the front wheel steering angle (δ _f ) at which the turning radius is minimized and the vehicle body overhang length R _over is less than the margin R _mrg , as shown in equation (7). _mrg and the dimensions of the vehicle 40 (L, L _b , W _b ).

The target trajectory calculation unit 53 moves the vehicle 40 backward by a predetermined distance at the front wheel steering angle (δ _f ) shown in the equation (7), and calculates the position P _p−1 and the margin R _mrg after the movement again by: Calculate the front wheel steering angle (δ _f ). By repeating this and calculating, the target trajectory 9 is generated. If the vehicle 40 moving along the target trajectory 9 contacts an obstacle 5, the margin R _mrg is increased, for example set to 0.5 m, and the target trajectory 9 is generated again. The margin _{R_mrg} is increased until the vehicle 40 traveling along the target trajectory 9 does not come into contact with the obstacle 5. This makes it possible to calculate the minimum value of the margin _{R_mrg} . In this manner, the target trajectory calculator 53 can calculate the stop position (P _p ) closest to the user 50 and the target trajectory 9 .

In this embodiment, only the front wheels of the vehicle 40 are steered wheels, but both the front and rear wheels of the vehicle 40 may be steered wheels.

<Stopping only by moving forward>
The vehicle 40 has an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle 40 automatically travels along a predetermined travel route. In the automatic driving mode, in principle, the vehicle 40 is assumed to only move forward and not to move backward. In this case, stopping in the empty space Fs is performed by forward movement of the vehicle 40, and no backward movement or turning movement is assumed.

Therefore, the travel control device 42 calculates the target trajectory 9 for stopping the vehicle 40 in the empty space Fs only by moving forward.

In addition, the vehicle stop control device 41 calculates the "overhang length Cw" when the vehicle 40 is stopped in the empty space Fs only by moving forward. Thereby, even if the vehicle is an automatic driving vehicle, it is possible to accurately determine the possibility of stopping the vehicle.

Further, the correlation data 56 is data indicating the relationship between the depth (Dps) and width (Wps) of the parking space required to stop the vehicle 40 in the parking space only by moving forward. Thereby, even if the vehicle 40 is an automatic driving vehicle, it is possible to accurately determine the possibility of stopping the vehicle.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the following effects are obtained.

Whether or not the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs can be determined based on the relationship between the width (Wfs) and depth (Dfs) of the empty space. The relationship between the depth (Dps) and width (Wps) of the parking space required to stop the vehicle 40 in the parking space is determined in advance based on the external dimensions, maximum steering angle, and minimum turning radius of the vehicle 40. can be determined. Therefore, the vehicle 40 is stopped using a computer having a storage unit 55 in which correlation data 56 indicating the relationship between the depth (Dps) and width (Wps) of the parking space is stored in advance and a stop control device 41 (control unit). Detect locations where the vehicle can be parked (where the vehicle can be parked). First, the stop control device 41 detects an empty space from distance information related to objects around the roadway, and calculates the width (Wfs) and depth (Dfs) of the empty space. Then, the stop control device 41 determines the relationship between the width (Wps) and depth (Dps) of the stop space shown in the correlation data 56, and the width (Wfs) and depth (Dfs) of the vacant space, based on the vacant space Fs It is determined whether or not the vehicle 40 can be stopped at this time. Specifically, the stop control device 41 determines whether or not the vacant space Fs corresponds to the stop space, and if the vacant space Fs corresponds to the stop space, the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the vacant space Fs. determine that it can be done. Thereby, it is possible to accurately detect the place where the vehicle 40 can be stopped.

For example, by comparing the width (Wfs) and depth (Dfs) of the empty space with the relationship between the width (Wps) and depth (Dps) of the parking space shown in the correlation data 56, the empty space Fs can be determined as the parking space. It is determined whether or not it corresponds to It is possible to accurately determine whether or not the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the empty space Fs.

The stop control device 41 identifies the minimum value of the width (Wps) of the stop space corresponding to the depth (Dfs) of the vacant space by referring to the correlation data 56, and determines that the width (Wfs) of the vacant space is equal to the width (Wps) of the stop space. If the width (Wps) of the vacant space Fs is equal to or greater than the minimum value, it is determined that the vacant space Fs corresponds to the stop space. It is possible to accurately determine whether or not the vehicle 40 can be stopped in the empty space Fs.

When the vehicle 40 is stopped in the vacant space Fs, the vehicle stop control device 41 calculates the "overhang length Cw", which is the length in the width direction of the vehicle 40 extending from the vacant space Fs to the roadway (Ed1). The length Cw is also taken into account to determine the possibility of stopping in the empty space Fs. As a result, even if the vehicle 40 cannot be stopped so that the entire vehicle 40 can be accommodated in the vacant space Fs because the vacant space Fs is not wide enough, the effect on the surrounding traffic can be sufficiently reduced. It is possible to flexibly judge the possibility of stopping according to the actual situation while taking into consideration the

For example, when the overhang length Cw is shorter than a threshold value (Thcw) determined from the viewpoint of whether or not the traffic of others around the vehicle 40 is disturbed, the vehicle 40 can be parked in the empty space Fs. judge. As a result, even if the empty space Fs does not correspond to a parking space, that is, even if the overhang length Cw is not zero, it is determined that the vehicle can stop as long as the traffic of others around the vehicle 40 is not disturbed. be able to.

When a portion of the vehicle 40 overhangs the roadway Rd1 and stops, others pass on the remaining width portion obtained by subtracting the overhang length of the vehicle 40 from the roadway width (Rd1, Rd2). A minimum value of this remaining width can be determined in advance from the viewpoint of whether or not to disturb the traffic of others. Therefore, for example, the minimum value of the roadway width that does not disturb the traffic of others around the vehicle 40 is predetermined, and the value obtained by subtracting the minimum value of the roadway width from the actual roadway width is set as the threshold value (Thcw). set. Thereby, an appropriate threshold value can be set according to the actual width of the roadway.

When the vehicle 40 is an automatic driving vehicle, all stops in the empty space Fs are performed by the forward motion of the vehicle 40, and no backward motion or turning motion is assumed. Therefore, the correlation data 56 is used which indicates the relationship between the depth (Dps) and width (Wps) of the parking space required to stop the vehicle 40 in the parking space only by moving forward. Thereby, even if the vehicle 40 is an automatic driving vehicle, it is possible to accurately determine the possibility of stopping the vehicle.

Further, the vehicle stop control device 41 calculates an overhang length Cw when the vehicle 40 is stopped in the empty space Fs only by moving forward. Thereby, even if the vehicle 40 is an automatic driving vehicle, it is possible to accurately determine the possibility of stopping the vehicle.

Note that the above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and even if it is a form other than this embodiment, as long as it does not deviate from the technical idea according to the present invention, according to design etc. It goes without saying that various modifications are possible.

9 target trajectory 40 vehicle 41 stop control device (control unit)
42 Travel control device 55 Storage unit 56 Correlation data Dps Depth of parking space Wps Width of parking space Fs Empty space Dfs Depth of empty space Wfs Width of empty space Cw Overhang length Thcw Threshold

Claims (12)

A possible stop location detection method for detecting a location adjacent to a roadway on which a vehicle travels, where the vehicle can be stopped, using a computer having a control unit and a storage unit,
The storage unit stores correlation data indicating the relationship between the depth of the parking space and the width of the parking space necessary for stopping the vehicle in the parking space adjacent to the roadway, wherein the width of the roadway is The correlation data indicating the relationship between the depth, which is the length in the direction perpendicular to the direction, and the width, which is the length in the width direction of the roadway, is stored;
The control unit
obtaining distance information related to objects around the roadway, detecting an empty space adjacent to the roadway from the distance information, calculating the depth of the empty space from the distance information, and calculating the depth of the empty space from the distance information calculating the width of the vacant space, and determining whether the vehicle can be parked in the vacant space based on the correlation data, the width of the vacant space, and the depth of the vacant space ;
calculating, based on the width and depth of the vacant space, an overhang length, which is a length in the width direction of the vehicle overhanging the roadway from the vacant space when the vehicle is parked in the vacant space; and determining whether or not the vehicle can be parked in the vacant space based on the overhang length . When the controller determines that the vehicle cannot be parked in the vacant space based on the correlation data, the width of the vacant space, and the depth of the vacant space, the control unit determines, based on the extension length, 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: determining whether or not the vehicle can be parked in the vacant space . The control unit
By comparing the relationship between the depth and width of the parking space shown in the correlation data and the width and depth of the empty space, it is possible to determine whether the empty space corresponds to the parking space. 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining that the vehicle can be parked in the vacant space if the vacant space corresponds to the parking space. The correlation data are
Data showing the relationship between the depth of the parking space and the minimum width of the parking space required to stop the vehicle in the parking space having the depth,
The control unit
A minimum value of the width of the parking space corresponding to the depth of the vacant space is specified by referring to the correlation data, and the width of the vacant space is equal to or greater than the minimum value of the width of the parking space. 4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising the step of: judging that said empty space corresponds to said parking space if there is one. The controller determines that the vehicle can be parked in the empty space when the overhang length is shorter than a threshold determined from the viewpoint of whether or not the vehicle disturbs the traffic of others around the vehicle. 2. The method for detecting a possible stop place according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of: The control unit acquires a roadway width, which is the length of the roadway in the width direction, and determines the roadway width from the roadway width, which is determined in advance from the viewpoint of whether or not to disturb the traffic of others around the vehicle. 6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein a value obtained by subtracting a minimum value of is set as said threshold value. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein said correlation data is data indicating a relationship between a depth and a width of said parking space required to stop said vehicle in said parking space only by moving forward. The method for detecting a place where a vehicle can stop according to any one of the items. The control unit calculates the overhang length, which is the length in the width direction of the vehicle overhanging the roadway from the vacant space, when the vehicle is stopped in the vacant space by moving forward only. A method for detecting a possible stop position according to any one of claims 5 to 7 . A stop possible place detection device having a computer comprising a control unit and a storage unit, and detecting a place adjacent to a roadway on which the vehicle travels, where the vehicle can be stopped,
The storage unit stores correlation data indicating the relationship between the depth of the parking space and the width of the parking space necessary for stopping the vehicle in the parking space adjacent to the roadway, wherein the width of the roadway is The correlation data indicating the relationship between the depth, which is the length in the direction perpendicular to the direction, and the width, which is the length in the width direction of the roadway, is stored;
The control unit
Obtaining distance information related to objects around the roadway, detecting an empty space adjacent to the roadway from the distance information, calculating the depth of the empty space from the distance information, and calculating the depth of the empty space from the distance information. calculating the width of the vacant space, and determining whether the vehicle can be parked in the vacant space based on the correlation data, the width of the vacant space, and the depth of the vacant space ;
calculating, based on the width and depth of the vacant space, an overhang length, which is a length in the width direction of the vehicle overhanging the roadway from the vacant space when the vehicle is parked in the vacant space; and determining whether or not the vehicle can be stopped in the empty space based on the overhang length . When the controller determines that the vehicle cannot be parked in the vacant space based on the correlation data, the width of the vacant space, and the depth of the vacant space, the control unit determines, based on the extension length, 10. The system for detecting a possible parking place according to claim 9, wherein it is determined whether or not the vehicle can be stopped in the vacant space . 10. The vehicle comprising the stop possible place detection device according to claim 9 and a travel control device that automatically travels the vehicle,
The travel control device calculates a target trajectory for stopping the vehicle in the vacant space determined to be able to stop the vehicle, and causes the vehicle to travel along the target trajectory. vehicle to do. 12. The travel control device according to claim 11 , wherein the target trajectory is calculated for stopping the vehicle in the vacant space determined to be able to stop the vehicle by moving forward only. vehicle.

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