KR102658906B1 - Emergency control system for self driving cars - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle that disseminates information to surrounding vehicles when an emergency situation occurs and controls the driving of all surrounding vehicles. Accordingly, an emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention is an autonomous vehicle that displays internally or externally that an emergency situation is real-time or augmented, and a device that receives the displayed emergency situation so that it is output internally or externally in real-time or augmented form. It includes at least one other autonomous vehicle and a server that manages emergency situations of the autonomous vehicle.

Description

Emergency control system for autonomous vehicles {EMERGENCY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR SELF DRIVING CARS}

The present invention relates to an emergency control system, and more specifically, to an emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle that displays the emergency situation by disseminating it to the surrounding area when an emergency situation occurs and supports the quick and safe movement of the emergency vehicle. .

Depending on the type of motor used, automobiles can be classified as internal combustion engine vehicles, external combustion engine vehicles, gas turbine vehicles, or electric vehicles.

Self-driving vehicles are cars that can drive automatically without human driving. Driverless cars drive autonomously by simply recognizing the surrounding environment using radar, LIDAR (light detection and ranging), GPS, and cameras and specifying a destination. Driverless cars that are already in practical use include unmanned vehicles that patrol preset routes operated by the Israeli military and unmanned operation systems such as dump trucks that are operated in overseas mines and construction sites.

The first core technologies for these self-driving vehicles are the unmanned vehicle system and the Actual System. It is a technology that not only simulates in the laboratory but also actually builds an unmanned car system. It implements the driving devices such as accelerator, decelerator, and steering device to suit unmanned operation, and enables control using computers, software, and hardware installed in the unmanned car. do.

The second core technology is vision, which uses sensors to receive and process visual information. It is the basis of autonomous driving for unmanned operation, and is a technology that accepts video information and extracts necessary information from this video. This uses not only a CCD (charge-coupled device) camera but also sensors such as ultrasonic sensors and range filters to fuse the information required for distance and driving, enabling obstacle avoidance and coping with unexpected situations through analysis and processing.

The third core technology is the integrated control system and operation monitoring and fault diagnosis system technology. This technology establishes a driving monitoring system that monitors vehicle operation and issues appropriate commands according to frequently changing situations, and analyzes various situations occurring in individual processors and sensors to diagnose system failures and provide appropriate information to the operator. or perform the function of notifying an alarm.

The fourth core technology is intelligent control and intelligent operation devices. This technology is an unmanned operation technique that generates control commands based on mathematical analysis using an actual vehicle model. The first application technology currently being applied to driverless cars is the intelligent cruise control (ACC: Adaptive Cruise Control) system. Intelligent forward control is a system based on radar guide technology that automatically adjusts the speed without the driver having to operate the pedals to maintain the distance from the vehicle in front or obstacles. When the driver inputs the distance to the car in front, the long-distance radar attached to the front of the car detects the position of the car in front and maintains a constant speed or slows down or accelerates, and stops completely when necessary, making it useful in weather where visibility is difficult.

The fifth applied technology is the lane departure prevention system. This is a technology in which a camera installed inside detects lanes and informs the driver of unintentional departure situations. In driverless cars, it distinguishes between pedestrians and the center line, allowing the car to drive safely along the lane.

The sixth applied technology is the parking assistance system. This is a system that assists reverse parallel parking by adjusting the steering system when the driver presses the assist button, puts the vehicle in reverse gear, and presses the brake pedal. Based on vehicle-mounted sensors as well as infrastructure, it automatically guides the vehicle from the departure point to the parking space, saving unnecessary time and energy when parking, minimizing costs and environmental pollution.

The seventh applied technology is the automatic parking system. This is a technology that allows the driver to stop the car in front of the parking lot, turn off the engine, get out, and press the remote control lock switch twice in succession, and the camera installed in the car detects the reflector previously attached to the opposite wall of the garage, calculates the appropriate approach route, and parks on its own. am.

The eighth applied technology is the blind spot information guidance system. This is because sensors mounted on both sides of the car determine whether there are other vehicles in the blind spot that are not visible through the side mirror and warn the driver. It is used to change lanes by checking obstacles and vehicles on both sides in complex road situations. .

The biggest advantage of autonomous driving is that since driving speed and traffic management data are consistent, it helps fuel efficiency by avoiding repeated stops by adjusting the control device more evenly, and that it can also be used by people who cannot drive, such as the elderly, children, and the disabled. will be. In addition, it has the advantage of relieving fatigue caused by long-term driving, greatly reducing the risk of traffic accidents, speeding up traffic flow on the road, and reducing traffic congestion.

Recently, research is being conducted on how to drive these autonomous vehicles in emergency situations. However, as in prior art literature, it is still limited to driving control of the autonomous vehicle itself in case of emergency.

Korean Patent No. 10-2184598 (December 3, 2020), Driving Prediction and Safety Driving System Based on Judgment of Driver Emergency Situation of Autonomous Driving Vehicle}

The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art described above. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle that disseminates information to surrounding vehicles when an emergency situation occurs and controls the driving of all surrounding vehicles. to provide.

An emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes an autonomous vehicle that displays an emergency situation internally or externally in real or augmented form, and another system that receives the displayed emergency situation so that it is output internally or externally in real or augmented form. It includes at least one autonomous vehicle and a server that manages emergency situations of the autonomous vehicle.

At this time, the server may transmit identification information of the autonomous vehicle in which the emergency situation occurred to a vehicle adjacent to the autonomous vehicle in which the emergency situation occurred.

Additionally, the emergency situation may be propagated to at least one other autonomous vehicle through short-distance communication.

Additionally, the server can control the output unit of each autonomous vehicle to create and display the driving path of the autonomous vehicle in which an emergency situation occurs.

Additionally, the server may transmit an emergency drive control signal to the autonomous vehicle traveling on the generated driving path.

In the present invention, emergency information is transmitted from an emergency vehicle to surrounding vehicles, a path for the emergency vehicle is created, and the vehicle in front is controlled to prevent the vehicle from approaching the path, thereby allowing the emergency vehicle to move quickly.

1 is a configuration diagram of an autonomous vehicle emergency control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the autonomous vehicle in FIG. 1 in more detail.
Figure 3 is a configuration diagram showing the detection unit in Figure 2 in more detail.
Figure 4 is a configuration diagram showing the output unit in Figure 2 in more detail.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the control unit in FIG. 2 in more detail.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing the server in FIG. 1 in more detail.
7 to 10 are diagrams illustrating the operation of an emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, identical or similar components will be assigned the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The suffixes “module” and “part” for components used in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the ease of preparing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles in themselves.

Additionally, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed descriptions will be omitted.

In addition, the attached drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are not limited. , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms containing ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When a component is said to be "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but that other components may exist in between. It should be. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component is “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, an emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an autonomous vehicle emergency control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the autonomous vehicle in FIG. 1 in more detail, and FIG. 3 is a detection diagram in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the output unit in FIG. 2 in more detail, FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the control unit in FIG. 2 in more detail, and FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing the output unit in FIG. 2 in more detail. This is a configuration diagram showing the server in more detail, and FIGS. 7 to 10 are diagrams illustrating the operation of an emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, first, the emergency control system 1000 for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention largely includes a plurality of autonomous vehicles 100_1 to 100_n and a server 200. At this time, the server 200 manages the emergency situation of each autonomous vehicle 100, determines the emergency situation, creates a path for the emergency vehicle, and allows it to be driven. It displays this situation in various ways to perform quick emergency drive control.

To this end, the autonomous vehicle 100 for emergency control consists of an input unit 110, a detection unit 120, an output unit 130, a control unit 140, a communication unit 150, and a drive unit 160.

The input unit 110 is a device that receives user input for driving. In the manual mode, the input unit 110 of the autonomous vehicle 100 may include a steering input device, an acceleration input device, and a brake input device. In addition, the input unit 110 serves to input the destination of the autonomous vehicle, and the control unit 140 controls driving or receives information from the server 200 according to the input destination and continuously sets the route. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in an emergency situation, the server determines that it is an emergency and then sets the route in relation to other autonomous vehicles around it. If other autonomous vehicles exist in the route, the direction is set so as not to interfere with the rapid movement of the emergency vehicle. It can be controlled to be slightly spaced apart.

The detection unit 120 includes a radar 121 and LIDAR 122, and may further include a camera 123. First, the radar 121 can generate information about objects outside the autonomous vehicle 100 using radio waves. The radar 121 may include an electromagnetic wave transmitting unit, an electromagnetic wave receiving unit, and at least one processor that is electrically connected to the electromagnetic wave transmitting unit and the electromagnetic wave receiving unit, processes the received signal, and generates data about the object based on the processed signal. there is.

The radar 121 may be implemented as a pulse radar or continuous wave radar based on the principle of transmitting radio waves. The radar 121 may be implemented in a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) method or a frequency shift keyong (FSK) method depending on the signal waveform among the continuous wave radar methods. The radar 121 detects an object based on a time of flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method using electromagnetic waves, and determines the location of the detected object, the distance to the detected object, and the relative speed. It can be detected. At this time, the radar 121 may be placed at an appropriate location outside the vehicle to detect objects located in front, behind, or on the sides of the vehicle.

Lidar 122 can generate information about objects outside the autonomous vehicle 100 using laser light. Lidar 122 is electrically connected to the light transmitter (not shown), the light receiver (not shown), and the light transmitter and light receiver, processes the received signal, and generates data about the object based on the processed signal. It may include at least one processor.

LiDAR 122 may be implemented in a time of flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method. LiDAR 122 may be implemented in a driven or non-driven manner. When implemented in a driven manner, LiDAR 122 is rotated by a motor and can detect objects around the autonomous vehicle 100. When implemented in a non-driven manner, the LIDAR 122 can detect objects located within a predetermined range based on the vehicle by optical steering. The autonomous vehicle 100 may include a plurality of non-driven LIDARs. LiDAR 122 detects an object based on a time of flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method using laser light, and determines the position of the detected object, the distance to the detected object, and the relative speed. It can be detected. At this time, the LIDAR 122 may be placed at an appropriate location outside the vehicle to detect objects located in front, behind, or on the sides of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the camera 123 may generate information about objects outside the autonomous vehicle 100 using images. At this time, the camera 123 can capture images of a target outside the vehicle.

The camera 123 may include at least one lens, at least one image sensor, and at least one processor that is electrically connected to the image sensor, processes a received signal, and generates data about the object based on the processed signal. You can.

The camera 123 may be at least one of a mono camera, a stereo camera, and an Around View Monitoring (AVM) camera. The camera 123 may use various image processing algorithms to obtain location information of the object, distance information to the object, relative speed information to the object, motion information of the object, etc.

For example, the camera 123 may obtain distance information and relative speed information with an object based on changes in the size of the object over time in the acquired image. Additionally, the camera 123 can obtain distance information and relative speed information with an object through a pinhole model, road surface profiling, etc.

In addition, the camera 123 can acquire basic information about motion such as distance information with an object, relative speed information, and other people's hand gestures or gestures based on disparity information in the stereo image acquired from the stereo camera. there is.

The camera 123 may be mounted in a position in the vehicle where a field of view (FOV) can be secured in order to photograph the exterior of the vehicle. The camera 123 may be placed close to the front windshield inside the vehicle to obtain an image of the front of the vehicle. Furthermore, the camera 123 may be placed around the front bumper or radiator grill. The camera 123 may be placed close to the rear glass inside the vehicle to obtain an image of the rear of the vehicle. At this time, the camera 123 may be placed around the rear bumper, trunk, or tailgate. In order to obtain an image of the side of the vehicle, the camera 123 may be placed close to at least one of the side windows inside the vehicle. Alternatively, the camera 123 may be placed around a side mirror, fender, or door.

Meanwhile, generally, the drive is controlled to avoid objects detected by the radar 121, lidar 122, and camera 123, but the emergency control system according to this embodiment is capable of avoiding objects detected by the radar 121, lidar 122, and camera 123. Under the control of the server, the drive can be controlled in a direction away from the direction of travel of the emergency vehicle, so the drive is controlled by waiting for the object itself to move.

In addition, since the detection unit 120 must utilize the location information of the autonomous vehicle, it necessarily further includes the GPS 124. In this embodiment, after the location information of the emergency vehicle is collected, the server 200 transmits the identification information of the emergency vehicle, such as the license plate number, to a vehicle within a set distance (approximately 5 km radius) from the location. In this embodiment, when an emergency situation occurs, the emergency situation is communicated through short-distance communication from the emergency vehicle or from another autonomous vehicle that received the message from the emergency vehicle. If a short-range signal matching the signal transmitted by this server is collected, the emergency vehicle This is because the consistency of judgment is further improved.

Additionally, the GPS 124 generates location data of the autonomous vehicle 100 and may include at least one of a general Global Positioning System (GPS) and a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS). Location data of the autonomous vehicle 100 may be generated based on signals generated from at least one of GPS and DGPS.

At this time, the GPS 124 may correct the location data based on at least one of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and the camera 123 of the detection unit 120. Additionally, the GPS 124 may be named GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System).

Meanwhile, the sensing unit 120 may further be equipped with a microphone 125 so that passengers in addition to the guardian can intervene in autonomous driving through voice, etc. even if the passenger does not perform a steering operation. Additionally, the microphone 125 according to this embodiment acquires information about the voices of others outside the vehicle. This is to collect commands made by other people's voices.

Furthermore, the biometric information sensor 126 detects the passenger's heart rate, pressure, brain waves, etc. to determine an emergency situation. At this time, the biometric information sensor 126 operates periodically to detect passengers, and if the signal is maintained for more than a set time after detecting an abnormal signal, the communication unit 150 transmits the biometric information to the server 200 to determine whether it is an emergency situation. do.

Meanwhile, the biometric information sensor 126 can additionally perform a function of preventing erroneous boarding by sensing fingerprint and iris information when entering and exiting the vehicle. Using the biometric information sensor 126, the autonomous vehicle 100 can detect whether a passenger has boarded or disembarked.

The output unit 130 is placed inside or outside the autonomous vehicle 100 to display driving-related situations and further displays any one of the shapes, shapes, and colors on the outside of the vehicle to provide information to the vehicle's passengers and others around them. It can provide predictability.

In more detail, the output unit 130 according to this embodiment includes an abnormality display module 141, a path display module 142, and a movement display module 143.

The abnormality display module 141 can display such information in real-time or augmented reality on the outside or inside of the vehicle when a passenger's health problem or another emergency situation occurs. At this time, the augmented reality display refers to the emergency situation displayed on the actual image of the vehicle when the emergency vehicle is seen from another vehicle. Additionally, the indication for an emergency situation may be a specific shape, shape, color, or text as shown above.

Meanwhile, the emergency control system according to this embodiment is characterized by disseminating an indication of such an emergency situation to surrounding vehicles through a communication unit. In other words, other autonomous vehicles nearby receive emergency situation information, and similarly, a display of the emergency situation is output in real or augmented form on the inside or outside of the vehicle. Accordingly, when you see a place where an emergency situation has occurred from a certain distance away, you can see that the emergency situation is displayed on a group of vehicles.

The route display module 142 displays the route of the emergency vehicle. At this time, the path display module 142 is characterized by allowing a plurality of autonomous vehicles to display the path of the emergency vehicle, thereby displaying the overall path along which the emergency vehicle passes. The server 200, which detects an emergency situation, sets the route on the road in front of the emergency vehicle, and a specific lane may be set in more detail. At this time, it is desirable for the server to set a route in the center of the road and drive at a small distance to make way for the emergency vehicle even when other vehicles are driving.

The movement display module 143 is used to indicate predictability to the following vehicle by displaying the movement when another vehicle moves to the right or left to avoid interfering with the path of the emergency vehicle. At this time, the movement of each vehicle can be based on signals from the server to ensure smoother movement.

Meanwhile, the control unit 140 includes a drive control module 141 and an input/output control module 142. First, the drive control module 141 may be configured as a main ECU and controls the drive unit 160 of the autonomous vehicle 100. At this time, the drive control module 141 may include a power train drive control device, a chassis drive control device, a door/window drive control device, a safety device drive control device, a lamp drive control device, and an air conditioning drive control device. The power train drive control device may include a power source drive control device and a transmission drive control device. The chassis drive control device may include a steering drive control device, a brake drive control device, and a suspension drive control device. Meanwhile, the safety device drive control device may include a seat belt drive control device for seat belt control.

Additionally, the drive control module 141 includes at least one electronic control device (eg, a control ECU (Electronic Control Unit)). In particular, the vehicle driving device can be controlled based on the received signal. For example, the drive control module 141 can control the power train, steering device, and brake device based on the signal received from the sensing unit 120.

The input/output control module 142 controls the output unit 130 described above to control the display of emergency situations, control to display a route in collaboration with other vehicles, and display the movement when an emergency drive control signal is received from the server. perform control.

The communication unit 150 may exchange signals with at least one of the server 200, another vehicle, or a terminal located outside the autonomous vehicle 100. In particular, the communication unit 150 performs short-distance communication with other surrounding vehicles in order to extend the indication of an emergency situation to surrounding vehicles.

The communication unit 150 may include at least one of a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, a radio frequency (RF) circuit capable of implementing various communication protocols, and an RF element to perform communication.

For example, a communication device can exchange signals with an external device based on C-V2X (Cellular V2X) technology. In addition, the communication unit 150 communicates with external devices and signals based on DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) technology based on IEEE 802.11p PHY/MAC layer technology and IEEE 1609 Network/Transport layer technology or WAVE (Wireless Access in Vehicular Environment) standard. can be exchanged.

Meanwhile, the server 200 includes a situation determination module 210, a route creation module 220, and an emergency drive control module 230 in more detail.

The situation determination module 210 performs the role of checking emergency situations of passengers. This is because the emergency system according to this embodiment controls the overall driving of the vehicle, so if the emergency situation is determined only by the vehicle itself, a risk to the transportation system may occur. Accordingly, the situation judgment module 210 receives the passenger's emergency situation based on data collected from the camera 123 or the biometric information sensor 126, and determines the final emergency situation if the possibility of an emergency situation exceeds the set standard. Confirm. At this time, as described above, the situation judgment module 210 transmits information about the emergency vehicle to other vehicles operating around the emergency vehicle (within a radius of 5 km).

The route creation module 220 creates a route on the road in front of the emergency vehicle. At this time, as described above, a specific lane on the road may be set. At this time, it is desirable for the route creation module 220 to set a route in the center of the road so that even when other vehicles are driving in front, they drive at a small distance to make way for the emergency vehicle. Additionally, the route creation module 220 can directly control the output unit of each autonomous vehicle to display the driving route of the emergency vehicle.

As described above, the emergency drive control module 230 transmits a temporary emergency drive signal by specifying a vehicle placed on the path in front of the emergency vehicle. At this time, it is desirable that the emergency drive signal is a signal that prevents the vehicle from being driven in the direction of the center lane where the emergency vehicle's route is set.

Below, the operation of the present invention is exemplified. 7 to 10 are diagrams illustrating the operation of an emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 7, it is shown that after an emergency situation is determined, the emergency vehicle 100a transmits emergency information to surrounding vehicles through short-distance communication. At this time, in order to prevent indiscriminate information being received, as mentioned above, when the server determines that the emergency vehicle is in an emergency, it transmits the emergency vehicle information to vehicles traveling within a set distance from the emergency vehicle, so this information is not transmitted by other vehicles. Since reception of short-distance communication is permitted only in this case, emergency information is received. Furthermore, the received emergency information is spread to other vehicles.

Referring to Figure 8, the emergency information is spread to other vehicles, so that the vehicle receiving the emergency information actually appears red on the outside or appears red on the windshield display depending on the augmented output.

The server sets the route of the emergency vehicle 100a, where the output unit of each vehicle collaborates as shown in the drawing to output the route R using color on the outside of the vehicle or in augmented form inside each vehicle. .

Referring to FIG. 9 , when the emergency vehicle 100a is urgently moved along the route, the front vehicle 100b is separated from the route to make way for the emergency vehicle. In this case, the above-mentioned output unit may display that the front vehicle 100b that clears the way is displayed in a different color from the vehicle that simply received emergency information, thereby indicating that different driving control is performed.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 10, in the case of a vehicle located behind an emergency vehicle, it can be recognized as an emergency vehicle through augmented reality in front. Additionally, at this time, it can be seen that the vehicle on the right front of the emergency vehicle is temporarily controlled to restrict driving to the center lane.

As such, a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing its technical idea or essential features.

In addition, the specification and drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the present invention, and although specific terms are used, these are merely used in a general sense to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and aid understanding of the present invention. It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention can be implemented.

1000: Emergency control system for autonomous vehicles
100: Self-driving vehicle
110: input unit
120: detection unit
130: output unit
140: control unit
150: Department of Communications
160: driving unit
200: server

Claims (5)

In the emergency control system of an autonomous vehicle when multiple autonomous vehicles are driving,
Autonomous vehicles that provide visual or augmented internal or external indication that an emergency situation is present;
At least another autonomous vehicle that receives the displayed emergency situation information to be output internally or externally in real or augmented form; and
A server that manages emergency situations for autonomous vehicles;
Including,
The server controls the output unit of each autonomous vehicle to generate and display the driving path of the autonomous vehicle in which an emergency situation occurs, so that the path along which the emergency vehicle passes as a whole for each autonomous vehicle is displayed as one. emergency control system.
According to paragraph 1,
An emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle, wherein the server transmits identification information of the autonomous vehicle in which an emergency situation occurs to a vehicle adjacent to the autonomous vehicle in which an emergency situation occurs.
According to paragraph 1,
An emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle, wherein the emergency situation is propagated to at least one other autonomous vehicle through short-distance communication.
delete According to paragraph 1,
An emergency control system for an autonomous vehicle, wherein the server transmits an emergency drive control signal to the autonomous vehicle traveling on the generated driving path.