KR20230114766A - System for self driving cars - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention enables a driver of an autonomous vehicle to issue a warning from another vehicle when a cause such as drowsy driving occurs while driving manually, and when such warnings accumulate, the server interferes with the driving of the vehicle. It is to provide an autonomous vehicle system that allows safe driving to continue. Accordingly, an autonomous vehicle system according to an aspect of the present invention includes at least one autonomous vehicle and a server assisting driving of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the server operates the autonomous vehicle according to a warning received toward the autonomous vehicle. Assists in the driving of the driving vehicle.

Description

Autonomous vehicle system {SYSTEM FOR SELF DRIVING CARS}

The present invention relates to an autonomous vehicle system, and more particularly, to an autonomous vehicle system that allows the autonomous vehicle to be safely controlled when a warning is given to an autonomous vehicle having a problem.

Vehicles may be classified into internal combustion engine vehicles, external combustion engine vehicles, gas turbine vehicles, electric vehicles, and the like, depending on the type of prime mover used.

Autonomous vehicles are vehicles that can drive automatically without human intervention. Driverless cars drive autonomously by recognizing the surrounding environment with radar, LIDAR (light detection and ranging), GPS, and camera and designating a destination. Unmanned vehicles that are already in practical use include unmanned vehicles operated by the Israeli military that patrol preset routes and unmanned operation systems such as dump trucks that are operated at overseas mines or construction sites.

The first core technologies of these self-driving vehicles are the unmanned car system and the actual system. It is a technology that builds an unmanned car system in reality as well as simulation in the laboratory. It implements driving devices such as accelerators, decelerators, and steering devices to suit unmanned operation, and enables control using computers, software, and hardware installed in unmanned cars. do.

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

The third core technology is the integrated control system and operation monitoring fault diagnosis system technology. This technology establishes an operation monitoring system that monitors vehicle operation and gives appropriate commands according to frequently changing situations, analyzes various situations generated by individual processors and sensors, diagnoses system failures, and provides appropriate information to the operator. or to perform the function of notifying an alarm.

The fourth key technology is intelligent control and intelligent driving devices. This technology generates control commands based on mathematical analysis using actual vehicle models as an unmanned driving technique. Intelligent forward control is a system based on radar guide technology that maintains the distance from the vehicle in front or obstacles by adjusting the speed on its own without the driver manipulating the pedals. When the driver inputs the distance to the vehicle in front, the long-range radar attached to the front of the vehicle detects the location of the vehicle in front, maintains a constant speed, decelerates or accelerates, and comes to a complete stop if necessary, which is useful in poor visibility weather.

The fifth applied technology is the lane departure prevention system. This is a technology in which a camera installed inside detects the lane and informs the driver of an unintended deviation situation.

The sixth applied technology is a parking assist system. When the driver searches for the assist button, puts the reverse gear in and presses the brake pedal, the car adjusts the steering to assist in parallel parking in reverse. It automatically guides the vehicle from the starting point to the parking space based on infrastructure as well as vehicle-mounted sensors to save unnecessary time and energy when parking, thereby minimizing cost and environmental pollution.

The seventh applied technology is an automatic parking system. This is a technology in which the driver stops the car in front of the parking lot, turns off the engine, gets off, and presses the remote control lock switch twice in a row. am.

The eighth applied technology is a blind spot information guidance system. Sensors mounted on both sides of the car determine if there is another vehicle in the blind spot that is not visible through the side mirror and warn the driver. .

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

However, since complete autonomous driving technology has not yet been commercialized, a control method that harmonizes manual driving and autonomous driving may be important. In particular, even in the case of autonomous driving, it is necessary to ensure thorough safety for drowsy driving in a state where autonomous driving is not perfect, but so far, as in prior art literature, it is still limited to driving control of the autonomous vehicle itself in an emergency.

Korea Patent No. 10-2184598 (2020. 12. 3.), Driving Prediction and Safety Driving System Based on Judgment of Driver Emergency Situation of Autonomous Driving Vehicle}

The present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to be able to warn other vehicles when a cause such as drowsy driving occurs when a driver of an autonomous vehicle performs manual driving. It is an object of the present invention to provide an autonomous vehicle system in which a server interferes with driving of a vehicle when such warnings are accumulated so that driving can continue safely.

An autonomous vehicle system according to an aspect of the present invention includes at least one autonomous vehicle and a server assisting driving of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the server operates according to a warning received toward the autonomous vehicle. assist in driving the vehicle.

In this case, the self-driving vehicle may include an output unit, and the output unit may output a color or mark according to the received warning.

In addition, the server may transmit a driving control signal of the self-driving vehicle when the number of received warnings exceeds a predetermined number.

In addition, the server may divide at least one lane of the road into a safety lane and transmit a driving control signal for driving the autonomous vehicle in the safety lane.

In addition, the server may transmit an escort request signal for escorting the self-driving vehicle, and simultaneously transmit a drive control signal to the self-driving vehicle and the vehicle that accepts the request signal.

According to the present invention, a warning is sent to an autonomous vehicle for reasons such as drowsy driving, and when warnings are accumulated, the server forcibly drives the autonomous vehicle safely, thereby maximizing the driving stability of the autonomous vehicle.

1 is a configuration diagram of an autonomous vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the self-driving vehicle in FIG. 1 in more detail.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the sensing unit in FIG. 2 in more detail.
4 is a configuration diagram showing the output unit in FIG. 2 in more detail.
5 is a configuration diagram showing the control unit in FIG. 2 in more detail.
6 is a configuration diagram showing the server in FIG. 1 in more detail.
7 to 11 are diagrams illustrating an operation of an autonomous vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used together in consideration of ease of writing the specification, and do not have meanings or roles that are distinct from each other by themselves.

In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiment disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

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

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

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in the middle. It should be. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another element, it should be understood that no other element exists in the middle.

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

In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

Hereinafter, an emergency route setting system for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 is a configuration diagram of an autonomous vehicle emergency route setting 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 configuration diagram in FIG. A configuration diagram showing the sensing unit in more detail, 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. 7 to 9 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, an emergency route system 1000 for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an autonomous vehicle 100 and a server 200. At this time, the self-driving vehicle 100 is composed of an emergency vehicle 100a and self-driving vehicles 100_1 to 100_n other than the emergency vehicle. At this time, the emergency vehicle 100a and the autonomous vehicles 100_1 to 100_n other than the emergency vehicle communicate with the server 200 .

Meanwhile, the autonomous vehicle 100 includes an input unit 110, a sensing unit 120, an output unit 130, a control unit 140, a communication unit 150, and a driving unit 160.

The input unit 110 is a device that receives a user input for driving. In case of 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 self-driving vehicle, and the control unit 140 controls driving or receives information from the server 200 according to the input destination and continuously sets a route. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in an emergency situation, after the server 200 determines that it is an emergency situation, the route of the self-driving vehicle 100a in which the emergency situation has occurred is set in relation to other self-driving vehicles around the self-driving vehicle. If it exists, the shortest route of the self-driving vehicle 100a in which an emergency occurs is set by reflecting such a traffic situation. The setting of such a shortest path will be described in detail later.

The detector 120 may include a radar 121 and a lidar 122, and may further include a camera 123. First, the radar 121 may generate information about an object outside the self-driving vehicle 100 by using radio waves. The radar 121 may include an electromagnetic wave transmitter, an electromagnetic wave receiver, and at least one processor electrically connected to the electromagnetic wave transmitter and electromagnetic wave receiver, processing a received signal, and generating data about an object based on the processed signal. there is.

The radar 121 may be implemented in a pulse radar method or a continuous wave radar method in terms of radio wave emission principles. The radar 121 may be implemented in a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) method or a frequency shift keyong (FSK) method according to a signal waveform among continuous wave radar methods. The radar 121 detects an object based on a Time of Flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method through electromagnetic waves, and measures the position of the detected object, the distance to the detected object, and the relative speed. can be detected. In this case, the radar 121 may be disposed at an appropriate location outside the vehicle to detect an object located in front, rear or side of the vehicle.

The lidar 122 may generate information about an object outside the self-driving vehicle 100 by using laser light. The LIDAR 122 is electrically connected to the light transmitter (not shown), the light receiver (not shown), and the light transmitter and the light receiver, processes the received signal, and generates data for an object based on the processed signal. It may include at least one processor that

The lidar 122 may be implemented in a Time of Flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method. The lidar 122 may be implemented as a driven or non-driven type. When implemented as a driven type, the lidar 122 is rotated by a motor and may detect objects around the autonomous vehicle 100. When implemented as a non-driving type, the lidar 122 may detect an object located within a predetermined range with respect to the vehicle by light steering. The autonomous vehicle 100 may include a plurality of non-driven lidars. The lidar 122 detects an object based on a time of flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method using a laser light medium, and calculates the position of the detected object, the distance to the detected object, and the relative speed. can be detected. At this time, the lidar 122 may be disposed at an appropriate location outside the vehicle to detect an object located in the front, rear, or side of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the camera 123 may generate information about an object outside the self-driving vehicle 100 by using an image. At this time, the camera 123 may capture an image 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 electrically connected to the image sensor to process a received signal and to generate object data based on the processed signal. can

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

For example, the camera 123 may obtain distance information and relative speed information with respect to the object based on a change in the size of the object over time in the obtained image. In addition, the camera 123 may obtain distance information and relative speed information with an object through a pinhole model, road profiling, and the like.

In addition, the camera 123 may obtain basic information about motion, such as distance information to an object, relative speed information, and other people's hand gestures, based on disparity information from a stereo image obtained from a stereo camera. there is.

The camera 123 may be mounted in a position where a field of view (FOV) can be secured in the vehicle in order to photograph the outside of the vehicle. The camera 123 may be disposed close to the front windshield inside the vehicle to obtain an image of the front of the vehicle. Furthermore, the camera 123 may be disposed around a front bumper or a radiator grill. The camera 123 may be disposed close to the rear glass inside the vehicle to obtain an image behind the vehicle. In this case, the camera 123 may be disposed around a rear bumper, a trunk, or a tailgate. The camera 123 may be disposed close to at least one of the side windows in the interior of the vehicle in order to acquire an image of the side of the vehicle. Alternatively, the camera 123 may be disposed around side mirrors, fenders, or doors.

In addition, since the sensing unit 120 needs to utilize the location information of the self-driving vehicle, the GPS 124 is essentially further included. In this embodiment, in order to set the shortest path of the emergency vehicle 100a, the location information of the emergency vehicle 100a and the location information of non-emergency vehicles 100_1 to 100_n are sensed. Accordingly, in this case, the server 200 sets the shortest path of the emergency vehicle 100a in consideration of the fact that the route overlaps with the emergency vehicle 100a among non-emergency vehicles 100_1 to 100_n.

In addition, the GPS 124 may include at least one of a general GPS (Global Positioning System) and DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) to generate location data of the autonomous vehicle 100 . Location data of the self-driving vehicle 100 may be generated based on a signal generated by at least one of the GPS and DGPS.

In this case, 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 sensing unit 120 . Also, the GPS 124 may be referred to as a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

Meanwhile, the sensing unit 120 may further include a microphone 125 so that the occupant, in addition to the guardian, may intervene in autonomous driving by voice or the like even if the occupant does not perform a steering operation. In addition, the microphone 125 according to the present embodiment may acquire voice information of a passenger in an emergency. This is because the emergency situation can be determined more accurately due to the acquisition of voice information or the absence of voice information.

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

Meanwhile, the biometric information sensor 126 may additionally perform a function of preventing erroneous boarding by sensing fingerprint and iris information when entering and exiting a vehicle. Utilizing the biometric information sensor 126, the self-driving vehicle 100 can detect that a passenger has boarded or alighted.

The output unit 130 is disposed inside or outside the self-driving vehicle 100 to display a driving-related situation, and furthermore, to display any one of the shape, shape, and color on the outside of the vehicle to the passengers of the vehicle and others around. It can provide predictability.

In more detail, the output unit 130 according to this embodiment further includes a relief message display module 141 and a route display module 142.

The relief message display module 141 can display these contents inside the vehicle when a passenger's health problems or other emergencies occur. Passengers respond to these relief messages and receive relief measures promptly.

In addition, the path display module 142 displays the passing path of the emergency vehicle. At this time, the route is set on the road ahead of the emergency vehicle by the server 200 that has detected the emergency situation, and a specific lane may be set in more detail. At this time, it is also preferable that the server 200 sets a path in the center of the road and controls other self-driving vehicles to drive at a slight distance from each other to give way to emergency vehicles.

Meanwhile, the controller 140 includes a drive control module 141, an input/output control module 142, and an emergency decision module 143. First, the driving control module 141 may be configured as a main ECU and controls the driving unit 160 of the autonomous vehicle 100 . In this case, 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 driving control device may include a power source driving control device and a transmission driving 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 controlling seat belts.

In addition, 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 may be controlled based on the received signal. For example, the driving control module 141 may control a power train, a steering device, and a brake device based on a signal received from the sensing unit 120 .

The input/output control module 142 controls the above-described output unit 130, and performs control to display an emergency situation, control to display a route, and control to display the movement when an emergency drive control signal is received from the server. .

On the other hand, the emergency situation determination module 143 serves to determine whether the current state of the passenger is an emergency situation according to the detection value of the above-described detection unit 120. However, since an emergency may infringe on the rights of other vehicles or other users, it is preferable that the emergency determination module 143 primarily determines that it is an emergency and then has the server 200 determine the final emergency. .

The communication unit 150 may exchange signals with at least one of the server 200 located outside the self-driving vehicle 100, other vehicles 100_1 to 100_n, and terminals. In particular, the communication unit 150 may perform short-range communication with other nearby vehicles in order to extend the display of an emergency situation to surrounding vehicles.

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

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

Meanwhile, the server 200 includes a situation determination module 210 and a path creation module 220 in more detail.

First of all, the situation determination module 210 plays a role in confirming an emergency situation of a passenger. As described above, since the emergency system according to the present embodiment controls driving of the vehicle as a whole, when an emergency situation is determined only by the vehicle itself, danger to the traffic system may occur. Accordingly, the situation determination module 210 receives the passenger's emergency situation based on the data collected from the camera 123 or the biometric information sensor 126, and determines the final emergency situation when the possibility of an emergency exceeds the set standard. confirm At this time, as described above, the situation determination module 210 may also transmit emergency vehicle information to other vehicles operating around the emergency vehicle (radius of 5 km).

The path creation module 220 creates a path on the road ahead of the emergency vehicle. At this time, as described above, a specific lane of the road may be set. At this time, it is preferable that the path creation module 220 sets a path in the center of the road so that the emergency vehicle can drive at a slight distance even when another vehicle is driving in front. In addition, the path creation module 220 may directly control the output unit of each autonomous vehicle so that the driving path of the emergency vehicle is displayed.

In addition, the path generation module 220 is characterized by setting the shortest path according to the emergency situation of the self-driving vehicle in which the emergency situation has occurred. Here, it is preferable to calculate the shortest route in consideration of a distance from an emergency vehicle to an adjacent destination or an emergency vehicle that can approach the emergency vehicle. Here, the destination may be a hospital or the like disposed in the shortest distance, and the emergency vehicle refers to an ambulance or the like that is moved to the emergency vehicle when an emergency situation is confirmed.

Furthermore, the route generation module 220 calculates the expected arrival time from the emergency vehicle to a nearby destination or the expected contact time of an emergency vehicle that can approach the emergency vehicle. it is desirable This is because the possibility of relief increases when both the shortest distance condition and the shortest time condition are satisfied.

Furthermore, since the server 200 continuously communicates with the self-driving vehicle, it is desirable to set a route by further examining traffic conditions around the destination. Therefore, when the traffic conditions around the destination are congested or when it is determined that the traffic conditions fluctuate greatly, it is desirable to form a plurality of shortest routes instead of one, but change the route depending on the traffic conditions in the future.

However, in this case, when the emergency vehicle approaches the destination or the emergency vehicle, it is preferable that the number of shortest paths be reduced. In other words, if the length of the route is relatively long, there is uncertainty, so there is a possibility of passing through multiple routes, but just before reaching the destination or just before contacting an emergency vehicle, the uncertainty becomes smaller, so the route in this case is smaller than the original multiple. It is set small and finally the number of paths is set to be one.

The operation of the present invention is exemplified below. 7 to 9 are diagrams illustrating an operation of an emergency route setting system for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First of all, referring to FIG. 7 , after an emergency situation is determined, the emergency vehicle 100a detects an emergency situation of a passenger, outputs it, and shows an appearance in which relief measures are output from the inside of the vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 8 , when a passenger responds that rescue measures are necessary or the passenger exists but fails to respond due to a coma, etc., the occurrence of an emergency is notified through the server, and the contents are transmitted to a hospital or the like.

Referring to FIG. 9 thereafter, according to the reception of the previous emergency, the server generates the shortest route to drive the emergency vehicle to the destination by autonomous driving, and outputs the shortest path to the passengers so that they can be relieved. It has already been described that a plurality of shortest routes are formed and the number of routes decreases as the destination is approached.

As such, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to understand that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without changing its technical spirit or essential features.

In addition, the present specification and drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the present invention, and although specific terms are used, they are only used in a general sense to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and help 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 other modified examples based on the technical spirit of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

1000: autonomous vehicle system
100: autonomous vehicle
110: input unit
120: sensing unit
130: output unit
140: control unit
150: communication department
160: driving unit
200: server

Claims (5)

at least one autonomous vehicle; and
a server assisting driving of the self-driving vehicle;
including,
The self-driving vehicle system, characterized in that the server assists the driving of the self-driving vehicle according to the warning received toward the self-driving vehicle.
According to claim 1,
The self-driving vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the autonomous vehicle includes an output unit, and the output unit outputs a color or mark according to the received warning.
According to claim 1,
The self-driving vehicle system, characterized in that the server transmits a driving control signal of the self-driving vehicle when the number of warnings received is greater than or equal to a predetermined number.
According to claim 3,
The autonomous vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the server divides at least one lane of the road into a safety lane and transmits a driving control signal for driving the autonomous vehicle in the safe lane.
According to claim 3,
The autonomous vehicle system, characterized in that the server transmits an escort request signal for escorting the autonomous vehicle, and simultaneously transmits a driving control signal to a vehicle that has accepted the request signal and the autonomous vehicle.