KR20220146261A - Apparatus and method for controlling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus and a method thereof. The vehicle control apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a video acquisition unit acquiring a front video of a vehicle; and a control unit which determines whether or not there is a speed bump based on the obtained front video, and generates a confirmation message for controlling a traveling status of the vehicle based on a determination result. An objective of the present invention is to provide the vehicle control apparatus, capable of improving riding comfort, and the method thereof.

Description

VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLE

The present invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus and method.

In general, a speed bump is a device that is installed to protrude to a predetermined height on the road surface in order to forcibly lower the driving speed of the vehicle.

In addition to limiting the speed of the vehicle in terms of functionality, the speed bump also has ancillary functions such as reducing traffic volume, securing pedestrian space, and suppressing on-street parking.

However, although the speed bump provides several good advantages in terms of safe driving of vehicles and pedestrians, it is a big obstacle for vehicles traveling on roads. In particular, if the driver fails to detect the speed bump while driving the vehicle at high speed and passes over it, it not only gives a big shock to the vehicle, but also gives a big shock to the occupants and objects in the vehicle.

Accordingly, the driver should reduce the vehicle speed by recognizing the speed bump or other curvature of the ground in advance while looking ahead.

In particular, since the driver has to prevent abrupt brake operation to prevent a collision when there is a subsequent vehicle, the driver should be able to recognize the curve of the ground in front as quickly as possible, such as a speed bump, etc. There is a problem in that it is not easy for a driver to detect in advance when driving at high speed.

One object of the present invention is to detect a speed bump sign and the amount of height change of the preceding vehicle in advance to check the presence of a speed bump, and to improve riding comfort by changing the driving mode and adjusting the speed through interlocking with smart cruise control when crossing the speed bump An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling a vehicle capable of doing so.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention determines whether a speed bump exists based on an image acquisition unit acquiring a front image of the vehicle and the acquired front image, and based on the determination result, the driving state of the vehicle A control unit for generating a confirmation message for control may be included.

In an embodiment, the controller may determine that a speed bump exists when a speed bump sign is recognized in the acquired front image.

In an embodiment, when the speed bump sign is not recognized in the acquired front image, the controller may determine whether a speed bump exists by using a height change of the vehicle in front.

In an embodiment, the controller may determine that a speed bump exists when the height change of the front vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference value.

In an embodiment, when the controller determines that a speed bump exists through the acquired front image and the vehicle is operating the smart cruise control, the confirmation message may include a set speed deceleration request.

In an embodiment, when the controller determines that a speed bump exists through the acquired front image, the confirmation message may include a driving mode change request.

A vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes obtaining a front image of the vehicle, determining whether a speed bump exists based on the obtained front image, and a driving state of the vehicle based on the determination result It may include generating a confirmation message for control.

In an embodiment, determining whether a speed bump exists based on the acquired front image may include determining that a speed bump exists when a speed bump sign is recognized in the acquired front image. can

In an embodiment, the determining of the existence of the speed bump based on the acquired front image may include: when the speed bump sign is not recognized in the acquired front image, the speed bump using the height change of the vehicle in front It may include the step of determining the presence.

In an embodiment, determining whether the speed bump exists based on the acquired front image may include determining that the speed bump exists when the height change of the vehicle in front is greater than or equal to a reference value.

In an embodiment, the generating of the confirmation message for controlling the driving state of the vehicle based on the determination result may include determining that a speed bump exists through the acquired front image and performing the smart cruise control operation of the vehicle. If it is in progress, the confirmation message may include a setting speed deceleration request step.

In an embodiment, the generating of the confirmation message for controlling the driving state of the vehicle based on the determination result may include, when it is determined that a speed bump exists through the acquired front image, the confirmation message is a driving mode It may include requesting a change.

This technology detects the speed bump sign and the amount of change in the height of the preceding vehicle in front, checks the presence of the speed bump in advance, and when crossing the speed bump, the driving mode is changed and the speed is adjusted by interlocking with smart cruise control to improve the riding comfort. .

In addition, various effects identified directly or indirectly through this document may be provided.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a view for explaining the recognition of a speed bump sign through the vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a view for explaining recognition of a change in height of a front vehicle through a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a view for explaining the recognition of the speed bump height through the vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention are included.

The various embodiments of this document and terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but it should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of the embodiments.

In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of the noun corresponding to the item may include one or more of the item, unless the relevant context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C", and "A , B, or C," each of which may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding one of the phrases, or all possible combinations thereof.

Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "second" may simply be used to distinguish an element from other elements in question, and may refer elements to other aspects (e.g., importance or order) is not limited. It is said that one (eg, first) component is “coupled” or “connected” to another (eg, second) component, with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively”. When referenced, it means that one component can be connected to the other component directly (eg by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (eg, a program) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (eg, an internal memory or an external memory) readable by a machine. For example, the device may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This makes it possible for the device to be operated to perform at least one function according to the called at least one command. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter.

The device-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (eg, electromagnetic wave), and this term is used in cases where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and It does not distinguish between temporary storage cases.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be provided in a computer program product (computer program product). Computer program products may be traded between sellers and buyers as commodities. The computer program product is distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (eg compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed online via an application store or directly between two user devices (eg, : can be downloaded or uploaded). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium such as a memory of a server of a manufacturer, a server of an application store, or a memory of a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (eg, a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a singular or a plurality of entities, and some of the plurality of entities may be separately disposed in other components. have.

According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations among the above-described corresponding components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added.

Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (eg, a module or a program) may be integrated into one component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each component of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. .

According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, program, or other component are executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations are executed in a different order, or omitted. , or one or more other operations may be added.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining recognition of a speed bump sign through the vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an apparatus for controlling a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an image acquisition unit 110 and a control unit 160 .

In addition, the vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a sensor unit 120 , a display 130 , a mode change unit 140 , and a driving unit 150 .

The image acquisition unit 110, referring to FIG. 2 , photograph the speed bump sign 200 located on the roadside, photograph the front vehicle 300 driving in front of the own vehicle 100, or photograph the speed bump located on the road surface. (400) and the like can be photographed.

The sensor unit 120 may include one or more sensors that detect an obstacle located in front of the own vehicle 100 and detect information on the obstacle.

For example, the sensor unit 120 may detect a distance between the own vehicle 100 and the front vehicle 300 or a lidar capable of detecting a distance between the own vehicle 100 and a speed bump 400 . , a laser sensor, and the like.

The display 130 is provided inside the own vehicle 100 , and informs the driver of the presence or absence of the speed bump 400 located in front of the own vehicle 100 , or a message requesting confirmation of the presence or absence of vehicle control according to the speed bump 400 . can be printed out. For example, the display 130 may be an instrument panel, a cluster, or the like.

The mode change unit 140 may change a preset driving mode according to circumstances. For example, in a state in which driving modes such as eco mode for high fuel efficiency, sports mode for fast driving, and comfort mode for comfortable riding are set in advance, the own vehicle 100 will pass the speed bump 400 . In this case, it can be changed to Comfort mode for a comfortable ride.

For reference, when it is changed to the comfort mode and passes through the speed bump 400 , the characteristics of the suspension may be changed so that the shock transmitted from the road surface is alleviated to provide a comfortable ride.

The driving unit 150 may control acceleration or deceleration of the host vehicle 100 . For example, when the own vehicle 100 passes the speed bump 400 , the speed of the own vehicle 100 may be adjusted to pass the speed bump 400 with a comfortable ride.

The controller 160 may recognize in advance that the speed bump 400 is present in front of the own vehicle 100 through the speed bump sign 200 information acquired through the image acquisition unit 110 . Then, if the presence and location of the speed bump 400 is recognized based on the height change information or the road surface condition information of the front vehicle 300 driving in front of the own vehicle 100, it is possible to have a comfortable ride comfort mode, etc. The driving of the host vehicle 100 may be controlled to pass the speed bump 400 in the driving mode.

3 is a view for explaining the height change recognition of the vehicle in front through the vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a speed bump height recognition through the vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a drawing for explanation.

The control unit 160 recognizes in advance that the speed bump 400 is present in front of the own vehicle 100 through the speed bump sign 200 information, and uses the height change information of the front vehicle 300 to the own vehicle 100 In order to recognize the presence or absence of the speed bump 400 in the front, referring to FIG. 3 , the front vehicle 300 may be processed as a block 310 through image processing.

Then, before the height change of the front vehicle 300, the length h1 from the longitudinal midpoint of the block 310 to the ground G, and the front vehicle 300 when there is a change in the height of the block 310 You can compare the length (h2) from the longitudinal midpoint of to the ground (G).

Subsequently, h2 ?? When the difference of h1 exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that the vehicle in front 300 has passed the speed bump 400 , and it can be recognized that the speed bump 400 is present at the corresponding position.

Then, before passing the speed bump 400 , the driving mode may be changed through the mode change unit 140 to provide a comfortable ride, and the speed of the own vehicle 100 may be reduced through the driving unit 150 .

Meanwhile, although the controller 160 recognizes in advance that the speed bump 400 exists in front of the own vehicle 100 through the speed bump sign 200 information, the vehicle may not exist in front.

In this case, the control unit 160 may directly recognize the presence or absence of the speed bump 400 through the road surface condition information obtained from the image acquisition unit 110 and the sensor unit 120 .

4, it can be recognized that the speed bump 400 is present at a position where the height h exceeds a predetermined value in the road surface condition information acquired by the image acquisition unit 110 and the sensor unit 120. can

Then, before passing the speed bump 400 , the driving mode may be changed through the mode change unit 140 to provide a comfortable ride, and the speed of the own vehicle 100 may be reduced through the driving unit 150 .

On the other hand, when the controller 160 recognizes the existence of the speed bump 400, before changing the driving mode of the own vehicle 100 or decelerating the speed of the own vehicle 100, the control unit 160 informs the driver of the own vehicle 100 to the speed bump 400. After announcing the existence of , it is possible to request confirmation of whether the driving mode of the host vehicle 100 is changed or the speed is decelerated.

For example, the confirmation request is displayed on the display 130 "Do you want to control speed bump detection, speed and ride comfort?" Text such as OK button and CANCEL button can be printed.

If the driver selects the CANCEL button input, the existing speed and the existing driving mode can be maintained without changing the driving mode or decelerating the speed.

However, when the driver selects the OK button input, the preset driving mode and driving speed may perform vehicle control so as to minimize the impact when passing the speed bump 400 .

In addition, although not shown in the drawings, according to embodiments, the vehicle control apparatus may further include a storage unit.

The storage unit may store a command for controlling the vehicle control device, a control command code, control data, or user data. For example, the storage unit may include at least one of an application program, an operating system (OS), middleware, and a device driver.

The storage unit may include one or more of volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

Volatile memory includes dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), phase-change RAM (PRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), and ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM). may include

The nonvolatile memory may include a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a flash memory, and the like.

The storage unit may further include a nonvolatile medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), an embedded multi media card (eMMC), and a universal flash storage (UFS). can

Hereinafter, a vehicle control method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 .

5 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, it is assumed that the vehicle control apparatus of FIG. 1 performs the process of FIG. 5 .

First, after the driver gets on the own vehicle 100 and starts the engine (S110), while driving, an image of the front of the own vehicle 100 may be acquired through the image acquisition unit 110 while driving.

The control unit 160 can recognize in advance that the speed bump 400 is present in front of the own vehicle 100 through the speed bump sign 200 information acquired through the image acquisition unit 110 (S120), the front The presence or absence of the speed bump 400 in front of the own vehicle 100 may be recognized using the height change information of the vehicle 300 ( S130 ).

Subsequently, when the change in the height of the front vehicle 300 exceeds a predetermined value, it may be determined that the front vehicle 300 has passed the speed bump 400 ( S140 ).

On the other hand, although the control unit 160 recognizes in advance that the speed bump 400 is present in front of the own vehicle 100 through the speed bump sign 200 information, but there is no vehicle in front, overspeeding through the road surface condition information The presence or absence of the bump 400 can be directly recognized (S150).

Then, when the controller 160 recognizes the presence of the speed bump 400 through the height change of the front vehicle 300 or the road surface condition information (S160), the controller 160 informs the driver of the speed bump 400 of the existence of the speed bump 400 (S160). Afterwards, it is possible to request confirmation of whether the driving mode of the host vehicle 100 is changed or the speed is decelerated (S170).

Then, before passing the speed bump 400, the driving mode may be changed through the mode changing unit 140 to provide a comfortable ride, and the speed of the own vehicle 100 may be reduced through the driving unit 150 (S180).

As described above, according to the present invention, by detecting the amount of change in the height of the speed bump sign and the preceding vehicle in front, the presence or absence of the speed bump is checked in advance, and when the speed bump is crossed, the driving mode is changed and the speed is controlled through interlocking with smart cruise control. This can improve riding comfort.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present invention, and various modifications and variations will be possible without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (12)

an image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of the front of the vehicle; and
Determining the presence of a speed bump based on the acquired front image,
A control unit for generating a confirmation message for controlling the driving state of the vehicle based on the determination result
A vehicle control device comprising a. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit is
When the speed bump sign is recognized in the acquired front image, it is determined that the speed bump exists. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit is
When the speed bump sign is not recognized in the acquired front image, the vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presence of the speed bump is determined by using a height change of the vehicle in front. 4. The method of claim 3,
The control unit is
The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein it is determined that a speed bump exists when the height change of the vehicle in front is greater than or equal to a reference value. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit is
When it is determined through the acquired front image that a speed bump exists and the vehicle is operating the smart cruise control, the confirmation message includes a set speed deceleration request. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit is
When it is determined that a speed bump exists through the acquired front image, the confirmation message includes a driving mode change request. acquiring a front image of the vehicle;
determining whether there is a speed bump based on the acquired front image; and
generating a confirmation message for controlling the driving state of the vehicle based on the determination result
A vehicle control method comprising a. 8. The method of claim 7,
The step of determining whether there is a speed bump based on the acquired front image includes:
and determining that a speed bump exists when a speed bump sign is recognized in the acquired front image. 8. The method of claim 7,
The step of determining whether there is a speed bump based on the acquired front image includes:
and determining whether a speed bump exists by using a height change of the vehicle in front when the speed bump sign is not recognized in the acquired front image. 10. The method of claim 9,
The step of determining whether there is a speed bump based on the acquired front image includes:
and determining that a speed bump exists when the height change of the vehicle in front is greater than or equal to a reference value. 8. The method of claim 7,
The step of generating a confirmation message for controlling the driving state of the vehicle based on the determination result includes:
When it is determined through the acquired front image that a speed bump exists and the vehicle is operating the smart cruise control, the confirmation message includes a setting speed deceleration request step. 8. The method of claim 7,
The step of generating a confirmation message for controlling the driving state of the vehicle based on the determination result includes:
When it is determined that a speed bump exists through the acquired front image, the confirmation message includes requesting a driving mode change.

Images