WO2017199775A1

WO2017199775A1 - Vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and vehicle control program

Info

Publication number: WO2017199775A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/017355
Authority: WO
Inventors: 正明阿部; 正彦朝倉; 尚人千
Original assignee: 本田技研工業株式会社
Priority date: 2016-05-20
Filing date: 2017-05-08
Publication date: 2017-11-23
Also published as: JPWO2017199775A1; JP6582339B2

Abstract

This vehicle control system comprises: an action plan generation unit which generates an action plan for the autonomous driving of a vehicle; a drive mode selection unit which, on the basis of the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit, preselects a drive mode for each stage of the action plan from among a plurality of drive modes each having a different operational state of the plurality of drive sources of the vehicle; and a travel control unit which controls the running of the vehicle on the basis of the drive mode at each stage of the action plan selected by the drive mode selection unit.

Description

Vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and vehicle control program

The present invention relates to a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-101336 filed on May 20, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In recent years, research has been conducted on a technology (hereinafter referred to as “automatic driving”) that automatically controls at least one of acceleration / deceleration and steering of a vehicle so that the vehicle travels along a route to a destination. ing. In addition, a technique is known in which the driving environment is specified and the automatic driving control is executed with reference to the learning result of the driving operation in the driving environment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-89801

A vehicle having a plurality of drive sources such as an engine and a travel motor can travel in a plurality of drive modes in which the operation states of the plurality of drive sources are different from each other. However, the conventional vehicle control system may not be able to realize a suitable drive mode at each stage of the action plan.

An object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program capable of realizing a drive mode suitable for each stage of an action plan.

(1) According to one aspect of the present invention, an action plan generation unit that generates an action plan for automatic driving of a vehicle, and operations of a plurality of drive sources included in the vehicle based on the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit A drive mode selection unit that preselects a drive mode at each stage of the action plan from a plurality of drive modes that are in different states, and a drive mode at each stage of the action plan that is selected by the drive mode selection unit. And a travel control unit that controls travel of the vehicle.

(2) In the vehicle control system, the drive mode selection unit may previously select a drive mode in each of the plurality of sections based on energy efficiency considered through a plurality of sections having different traveling environments.

(3) In the vehicle control system, the plurality of drive sources include a travel motor, and the drive mode selection unit includes a plurality of different travel environments based on a charging rate of a battery that supplies power to the travel motor. The drive mode in each of the sections may be selected in advance.

(4) In the vehicle control system, the drive mode selection unit selects a drive mode of a second section on the near side of the first section based on a travel environment of the first section where the vehicle is scheduled to travel. Also good.

(5) In the vehicle control system, the plurality of drive sources include a travel motor, and the drive mode selection unit selects a drive mode for traveling by the travel motor as the drive mode of the first section. In addition, as the driving mode of the second section, a driving mode in which a necessary amount of the charging rate of the battery that supplies power to the traveling motor exists in the first section may be selected.

(6) In the vehicle control system, the plurality of drive sources may further include an engine, and the drive mode selection unit may select a drive mode in which the engine runs as the drive mode of the second section.

(7) In the vehicle control system, the plurality of drive sources include an engine and a traveling motor, and the drive mode selection unit is configured such that the first section is a specific section and the second section is the specific section. When the vehicle is a section capable of traveling at high speed, the drive mode for traveling by the traveling motor is selected as the drive mode for the first section, and the drive mode for traveling by the engine is selected as the drive mode for the second section. You may choose.

(8) In the vehicle control system, the plurality of drive sources include an engine and a traveling motor, and the drive mode selection unit is configured such that the second section is a specific section and the first section is the specific section. When the vehicle is in a section capable of traveling at a higher speed, the driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor is selected as the driving mode for the second section, and the traveling is performed by the engine as the driving mode for the first section. A drive mode for charging a battery that supplies power to the motor for use may be selected.

(9) In the vehicle control system, the plurality of drive sources include a travel motor, and the drive mode selection unit includes a battery that supplies power to the travel motor on a destination or a route to the destination. When there is a place where charging is possible, the driving mode at each stage of the action plan may be selected in advance so that the charging rate of the battery approaches the allowable lower limit value of the charging rate when reaching the place.

(10) In another aspect of the present invention, the in-vehicle computer generates an action plan for automatic driving of the vehicle, and the operation states of the plurality of drive sources included in the vehicle are different based on the generated action plan. A vehicle control method for pre-selecting a drive mode at each stage of the action plan from a plurality of drive modes, and controlling travel of the vehicle based on the selected drive mode at each stage of the action plan. is there.

(11) According to still another aspect of the present invention, an in-vehicle computer generates an action plan for automatic driving of a vehicle, and based on the generated action plan, operation states of a plurality of drive sources included in the vehicle are respectively set. A vehicle control program for causing a driving mode at each stage of the action plan to be selected in advance from a plurality of different driving modes, and controlling the traveling of the vehicle based on the selected driving mode at each stage of the action plan. It is.

According to the above aspects (1), (10), and (11), the drive mode at each stage of the action plan is selected in advance based on the generated action plan. Thus, measures necessary for realizing the selected drive mode can be performed in advance for each stage of the action plan. Thereby, the drive mode suitable for each step of the action plan can be realized.

According to the above aspect (2), the drive mode in each of the plurality of sections is selected in advance based on the energy efficiency considered through the plurality of sections. For this reason, it can drive | work in the drive mode with favorable energy efficiency considered through the several area from which driving environments differ.

According to the above aspect (3), the driving mode in each of the plurality of sections is selected in advance based on the charging rate of the battery that supplies power to the traveling motor. For this reason, in a traveling environment suitable for traveling by the traveling motor, it is possible to travel by the traveling motor while suppressing the battery from being discharged. As a result, a driving mode suitable for the traveling environment or the like in each section scheduled to travel can be more reliably realized.

According to the above aspect (4), the drive mode of the second section closer to the first section than the first section is selected based on the traveling environment of the first section where the vehicle is scheduled to travel. For this reason, a desired drive mode can be reliably realized in the first section. As a result, a driving mode suitable for the traveling environment or the like in each section scheduled to travel can be more reliably realized.

According to the above aspect (5), as the driving mode of the second section, the driving mode in which the charging rate of the battery that supplies power to the travel motor is present in the first section is selected. . Accordingly, it is possible to travel the first section by the traveling motor while suppressing the battery from being discharged. As a result, a driving mode suitable for the traveling environment or the like in each section scheduled to travel can be more reliably realized.

According to the above aspect (6), the drive mode in which the engine travels is selected as the drive mode of the second section. For this reason, battery consumption can be saved in the second section. Thereby, running out of the battery can be suppressed and the first section can be more reliably traveled by the travel motor.

According to the aspect of the above (7), the driving mode in which the driving motor travels in the first section which is the specific section is selected, and the driving mode in which the engine travels in the second section capable of traveling at a higher speed than the specific section. Is selected. As a result, it is possible to properly use a driving source suitable for the traveling environment and the like, and it is possible to more reliably realize a driving mode suitable for the traveling environment.

According to the above aspect (8), the drive mode in which the vehicle is driven by the driving motor in the second zone, which is the specific zone, is selected, and the drive mode in which the engine runs in the first zone where the vehicle can run at a higher speed than the specific zone. Is selected. In addition, since the battery is charged during traveling in the first section, the traveling motor can be actively used in the specific section. As a result, a drive mode suitable for the traveling environment and the like can be realized more reliably.

According to the above aspect (9), the drive mode at each stage of the action plan is selected in advance so that the battery charge rate approaches the allowable lower limit value of the charge rate when reaching a predetermined location. For this reason, it is possible to travel as much as possible by the travel motor. As a result, a driving mode suitable for each stage of the action plan can be realized more reliably.

It is a figure which shows the component of a vehicle. It is a functional lineblock diagram centering on a vehicle control system. It is a block diagram of HMI. It is a figure which shows a mode that the relative position of the vehicle with respect to a driving lane is recognized by the own vehicle position recognition part. It is a figure which shows an example of the action plan produced | generated about a certain area. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a track generation part. It is a figure which shows an example of the track | orbit candidate produced | generated by a track | orbit candidate generation part. FIG. 6 is a diagram representing trajectory candidates generated by a trajectory candidate generation unit using trajectory points. It is a figure which shows a lane change target position. It is a figure which shows the speed production | generation model at the time of assuming that the speed of three surrounding vehicles is constant. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation availability information according to mode. It is a figure which shows an example of drive mode information. It is a figure which shows an example of drive mode information. It is a functional block diagram which shows the component regarding selection of a drive mode. It is a figure which shows an example of the drive mode of each area of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows some examples of the drive mode in which a required amount exists in the 1st area in the charge ratio of a battery in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process of the automatic operation control part of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the control regarding the charging rate of the battery of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the drive mode of each area of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the drive mode when there exists a chargeable place on the path | route to the destination in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process of the automatic operation control part of 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the component regarding selection of the drive mode of the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the control regarding the charging rate of the battery of the modification of 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Common configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing components of a vehicle M (also referred to as a first vehicle M) on which the vehicle control system 100 is mounted. The vehicle on which the vehicle control system 100 is mounted is, for example, an automobile such as a two-wheel, three-wheel, or four-wheel vehicle. The vehicle M is, for example, a hybrid vehicle that includes an engine (internal combustion engine) 201 and a traveling motor 202 as a plurality of driving sources that output traveling driving force (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle M is equipped with sensors such as a finder 20-1 to 20-7, radars 30-1 to 30-6, and a camera 40, a navigation device 50, and a vehicle control system 100. Is done.

The finders 20-1 to 20-7 are, for example, LIDARs (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) that measure the scattered light with respect to the irradiation light and measure the distance to the target. For example, the finder 20-1 is attached to a front grill or the like. The viewfinders 20-2 and 20-3 are attached to the side of the vehicle body, the door mirror, the interior of the headlamp, the vicinity of the side lamp, and the like. The finder 20-4 is attached to a trunk lid or the like. The viewfinders 20-5 and 20-6 are attached to the side surface of the vehicle body, the interior of the taillight, or the like. The viewfinders 20-1 to 20-6 have a detection area of about 150 degrees in the horizontal direction, for example. The finder 20-7 is attached to a roof or the like. The finder 20-7 has a detection area of 360 degrees in the horizontal direction, for example.

Radars 30-1 and 30-4 are, for example, long-distance millimeter-wave radars that have a wider detection area in the depth direction than other radars. Radars 30-2, 30-3, 30-5, and 30-6 are medium-range millimeter-wave radars that have a narrower detection area in the depth direction than radars 30-1 and 30-4.

Hereinafter, when the finders 20-1 to 20-7 are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as “finder 20”. When the radars 30-1 to 30-6 are not particularly distinguished, they are simply described as “radar 30”. The radar 30 detects an object by, for example, FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

The camera 40 is a digital camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 40 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the rear surface of the rearview mirror, or the like. For example, the camera 40 periodically images the front of the vehicle M repeatedly. The camera 40 may be a stereo camera including a plurality of cameras.

Note that the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted, or another configuration may be added.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram centering on the vehicle control system 100. The vehicle M includes a detection device DD including a finder 20, a radar 30, and a camera 40, a navigation device 50, a communication device 55, a vehicle sensor 60, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 70, and a vehicle control system 100. A traveling driving force output device 200, a steering device 210, and a brake device 220 are mounted. These devices and devices are connected to each other by a multiple communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, or the like. The vehicle control system does not only indicate “vehicle control system 100”, but a configuration other than vehicle control system 100 (detection device DD, navigation device 50, communication device 55, vehicle sensor 60, HMI 70, travel drive, etc. Force output device 200, steering device 210, brake device 220, etc.).

The navigation device 50 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, map information (navigation map), a touch panel display device that functions as a user interface, a speaker, a microphone, and the like. The navigation device 50 identifies the position of the vehicle M with the GNSS receiver, and derives a route from the position to the destination specified by the user. The route derived by the navigation device 50 is provided to the target lane determining unit 110 of the vehicle control system 100. The position of the vehicle M may be specified or supplemented by INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 60. In addition, the navigation device 50 provides guidance on the route to the destination by voice or navigation display when the vehicle control system 100 is executing the manual operation mode. The configuration for specifying the position of the vehicle M may be provided independently of the navigation device 50. Moreover, the navigation apparatus 50 may be implement | achieved by the function of terminal devices, such as a smart phone and a tablet terminal which a user holds, for example. In this case, information is transmitted and received between the terminal device and the vehicle control system 100 by wireless or wired communication.

The communication device 55 includes an antenna and an antenna circuit (wireless circuit) electrically connected to the antenna. The communication device 55 performs wireless communication with, for example, a communication satellite or a communication device installed on a road, and acquires information (for example, traffic jam information) indicating a traffic volume state of each section scheduled to travel. The “traffic volume state” is an example of a traveling environment of the vehicle M. Further, the communication device 55 may perform wireless communication with a communication satellite or a communication device installed on a road, and acquire information on other travel environments in each section scheduled to travel. “Other information related to the travel environment” is, for example, information such as a destination or a place on the route to the destination where the battery 203 that supplies power to the travel motor 202 can be charged. The “place where the battery can be charged” refers to a road having a non-contact charging lane in addition to a facility having a charging facility, or a battery 203 using a part of the output of the engine 201 when the engine 201 travels. Including roads that can be charged. The non-contact charging lane is, for example, a charging facility that has a power transmission coil embedded in a road and that can receive power while a vehicle having the power receiving coil travels on the road. Note that all or part of the communication device 55 may be realized by a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal held by the user. In this case, information is transmitted and received between the terminal device and the vehicle control system 100 by wireless or wired communication.

The vehicle sensor 60 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular velocity around a vertical axis, a direction sensor that detects the direction of the vehicle M, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the HMI 70. The HMI 70 includes, for example, a driving operation system configuration and a non-driving operation system configuration. These boundaries are not clear, and the configuration of the driving operation system may have a non-driving operation system function (or vice versa).

The HMI 70 has, for example, an accelerator pedal 71, an accelerator opening sensor 72, an accelerator pedal reaction force output device 73, a brake pedal 74, and a brake pedal amount sensor (or a master pressure sensor or the like) 75 as a driving operation system configuration. A shift lever 76, a shift position sensor 77, a steering wheel 78, a steering angle sensor 79, a steering torque sensor 80, and other driving operation devices 81.

Accelerator pedal 71 is an operation unit for receiving an acceleration instruction (or a deceleration instruction by a return operation) from a vehicle occupant. The accelerator opening sensor 72 detects the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 71 and outputs an accelerator opening signal indicating the depression amount to the vehicle control system 100. Instead of outputting to the vehicle control system 100, the output may be directly output to the travel driving force output device 200, the steering device 210, or the brake device 220. The same applies to the configurations of other driving operation systems described below. The accelerator pedal reaction force output device 73 outputs a force (operation reaction force) in a direction opposite to the operation direction to the accelerator pedal 71 in response to an instruction from the vehicle control system 100, for example.

The brake pedal 74 is an operation unit for receiving a deceleration instruction from the vehicle occupant. The brake depression amount sensor 75 detects the depression amount (or depression force) of the brake pedal 74 and outputs a brake signal indicating the detection result to the vehicle control system 100.

The shift lever 76 is an operation unit for receiving a shift stage change instruction from a vehicle occupant. The shift position sensor 77 detects the shift stage instructed by the vehicle occupant and outputs a shift position signal indicating the detection result to the vehicle control system 100.

The steering wheel 78 is an operation unit for receiving a turning instruction from a vehicle occupant. The steering angle sensor 79 detects the operation angle of the steering wheel 78 and outputs a steering angle signal indicating the detection result to the vehicle control system 100. The steering torque sensor 80 detects the torque applied to the steering wheel 78 and outputs a steering torque signal indicating the detection result to the vehicle control system 100.

Other operation device 81 is, for example, a joystick, a button, a dial switch, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) switch, or the like. The other driving operation device 81 receives an acceleration instruction, a deceleration instruction, a turning instruction, and the like, and outputs them to the vehicle control system 100.

The HMI 70 has, for example, a display device 82, a speaker 83, a contact operation detection device 84, a content reproduction device 85, various operation switches 86, a seat 88, and a seat drive device 89 as a non-driving operation system configuration. The window glass 90, the window drive device 91, and the vehicle interior camera 95 are included.

The display device 82 is a display device visually recognized by a passenger in the vehicle interior. The display device 82 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display device, or the like that is attached to each part of the instrument panel, an arbitrary position facing the passenger seat or the rear seat. The display device 82 may be a HUD (Head-Up-Display) that projects an image onto a front windshield or other window so that the display device 82 can be viewed from inside the vehicle.

When the display device 82 is a touch panel, the contact operation detection device 84 detects a contact position (touch position) on the display screen of the display device 82 and outputs it to the vehicle control system 100. When the display device 82 is not a touch panel, the contact operation detection device 84 may be omitted.

Speaker 83 outputs sound. The speaker 83 emits sound into the vehicle interior. The speaker 83 is a speaker built in the vehicle interior that emits sound into the vehicle interior.

The content playback device 85 includes, for example, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) playback device, a CD (Compact Disc) playback device, a television receiver, and various guidance image generation devices.
The display device 82, the speaker 83, the contact operation detection device 84, and the content playback device 85 may have a configuration in which a part or all of them are common to the navigation device 50.

The various operation switches 86 are arranged at arbitrary locations in the passenger compartment. The various operation switches 86 include an automatic operation changeover switch 87 for instructing start (or future start) and stop of automatic operation. The automatic operation changeover switch 87 may be either a GUI (Graphical User Interface) switch or a mechanical switch. The various operation switches 86 may include switches for driving the sheet driving device 89 and the window driving device 91.

The seat 88 is a seat on which a vehicle occupant is seated. The seat driving device 89 freely drives the reclining angle, the front-rear direction position, the yaw angle, and the like of the seat 88. The window glass 90 is provided at each door, for example. The window driving device 91 drives the window glass 90 to open and close.

The vehicle interior camera 95 is a digital camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS. The vehicle interior camera 95 is attached to a position where an image of at least the head of a vehicle occupant who performs a driving operation, such as a rearview mirror, a steering boss, or an instrument panel, can be taken. The vehicle interior camera 95, for example, periodically and repeatedly images the vehicle occupant.

Prior to the description of the vehicle control system 100, the driving force output device 200, the steering device 210, and the brake device 220 will be described with reference to FIG.

The driving force output device 200 outputs a driving force (torque) for driving the vehicle to driving wheels. The travel driving force output device 200 of this embodiment includes an engine 201, a transmission, an engine ECU (Electronic Control Unit), a travel motor 202, a motor ECU, a battery 203, and a battery charge rate detection unit 204.

The engine 201 is a diesel engine, a gasoline engine, or the like. The engine ECU controls the operation of the engine 201 by adjusting the throttle opening, shift stage, and the like of the engine 201 in accordance with information input from a travel control unit 160 described later.
The traveling motor 202 is operated by electric power supplied from the battery 203. The motor ECU controls the operation of the traveling motor 202 by adjusting the duty ratio of the PWM signal supplied to the traveling motor 202 according to the information input from the traveling control unit 160. In addition, the engine ECU and the motor ECU control the driving force in cooperation with each other according to information input from the driving control unit 160.

The battery 203 is connected to the engine 201 via an alternator (not shown), and is charged using a part of the output of the engine 201. The battery 203 may be rechargeable at a facility with a charging facility or a road having a non-contact charging lane. The battery charging rate detection unit 204 is electrically connected to the battery 203 and detects the charging rate (SOC: State Of Charge) of the battery 203 and the like. The “charge rate” may be read as “charge amount”.

The steering device 210 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor.
For example, the electric motor changes the direction of the steered wheels by applying a force to a rack and pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor in accordance with information input from the vehicle control system 100 or information of the input steering steering angle or steering torque, and changes the direction of the steered wheels.

The brake device 220 is, for example, an electric servo brake device that includes a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a braking control unit. The braking control unit of the electric servo brake device controls the electric motor according to the information input from the travel control unit 160 so that the brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The electric servo brake device may include, as a backup, a mechanism that transmits the hydraulic pressure generated by operating the brake pedal to the cylinder via the master cylinder. The brake device 220 is not limited to the electric servo brake device described above, but may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device. The electronically controlled hydraulic brake device controls the actuator in accordance with information input from the travel control unit 160 and transmits the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder. Further, the brake device 220 may include a regenerative brake by a traveling motor that can be included in the traveling driving force output device 200.

[Vehicle control system]
Hereinafter, the vehicle control system 100 will be described. The vehicle control system 100 is realized by, for example, one or more processors or hardware having an equivalent function. The vehicle control system 100 includes a combination of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) in which a communication interface is connected by an internal bus, or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). It may be.

The vehicle control system 100 includes, for example, a target lane determining unit 110, an automatic driving control unit 120, a travel control unit 160, an HMI control unit 170, and a storage unit 180. The automatic driving control unit 120 includes, for example, an automatic driving mode control unit 130, a vehicle position recognition unit 140, an external environment recognition unit 142, an action plan generation unit 144, a trajectory generation unit 146, and a drive mode selection unit 148. And a switching control unit 150. A part or all of the target lane determination unit 110, each part of the automatic driving control unit 120, the travel control unit 160, and the HMI control unit 170 is realized by a processor executing a program (software). Some or all of these may be realized by hardware such as LSI (Large Scale Integration) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

The storage unit 180 stores, for example, information such as high-precision map information 182, target lane information 184, action plan information 186, mode-specific operation availability information 188, and drive mode information 189. The storage unit 180 is realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or the like. The program executed by the processor may be stored in the storage unit 180 in advance, or may be downloaded from an external device via an in-vehicle Internet facility or the like. The program may be installed in the storage unit 180 by mounting a portable storage medium storing the program on a drive device (not shown). Further, the vehicle control system 100 may be distributed by a plurality of computer devices (on-vehicle computers).

The target lane determining unit 110 is realized by an MPU, for example. The target lane determination unit 110 divides the route provided from the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, every 100 [m] with respect to the vehicle traveling direction), and refers to the high-precision map information 182 for each block. Determine the target lane. For example, the target lane determining unit 110 determines that the vehicle M travels in the lane number from the left. For example, the target lane determination unit 110 determines the target lane so that the vehicle M can travel on a reasonable travel route for proceeding to the branch destination when there is a branch point or a merge point in the route. The target lane determined by the target lane determining unit 110 is stored in the storage unit 180 as target lane information 184.

The high-precision map information 182 is map information with higher accuracy than the navigation map that the navigation device 50 has. The high-precision map information 182 includes, for example, information on the center of the lane or information on the boundary of the lane. The high-accuracy map information 182 includes road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address / postal code), facility information (for example, information on a place where the battery 203 can be charged), telephone number information, and the like. Good. Road information includes information indicating the type of road, such as urban roads, toll roads (including highways), national roads, prefectural roads, the number of lanes of each road, the width of each lane, the gradient of the road, the position of the road (longitude , Latitude and height (three-dimensional coordinates), lane curve curvature, lane merging and branch point positions, road markings, and other information. The traffic regulation information includes information that the lane is blocked due to construction, traffic accidents, traffic jams, or the like.

From another viewpoint, the high-precision map information 182 includes information on the presence / absence of a specific section SS and a non-specific section NSS on the route to the destination (see FIG. 14). The “specific section” is a section in which the vehicle M travels at a low speed or stops frequently, or is a section in which quiet traveling is required, for example, an urban area. In other words, the specific section SS is a section in which traveling by the traveling motor 202 is more suitable than the engine 201. On the other hand, the non-specific section NSS is, for example, a section capable of traveling at a higher speed than the specific section SS, or a section having a smaller population density in comparison with the specific section SS, such as an automobile-only road or a national road. The “section” means each divided element when the route (stroke) to the destination is arbitrarily divided for automatic driving or other purposes.

The automatic operation mode control unit 130 determines an automatic operation mode performed by the automatic operation control unit 120. The modes of automatic operation in the present embodiment include the following modes. Note that the following modes are merely examples, and the number of modes of automatic operation may be arbitrarily determined.
[Mode A]
Mode A is the mode with the highest degree of automatic driving. When the mode A is implemented, all vehicle control such as complicated merge control is automatically performed, so that the vehicle occupant does not need to monitor the surroundings and state of the vehicle M.
[Mode B]
Mode B is a mode in which the degree of automatic driving is the second highest after Mode A. When mode B is implemented, in principle, all vehicle control is performed automatically, but the driving operation of the vehicle M is left to the vehicle occupant depending on the scene. For this reason, the vehicle occupant needs to monitor the periphery and state of the vehicle M.
[Mode C]
Mode C is a mode in which the degree of automatic driving is the second highest after mode B. When mode C is implemented, the vehicle occupant needs to perform confirmation operation according to the scene with respect to HMI70.
In mode C, for example, when the vehicle occupant is notified of the lane change timing and the vehicle occupant performs an operation to instruct the HMI 70 to change the lane, the automatic lane change is performed. For this reason, the vehicle occupant needs to monitor the periphery and state of the vehicle M.

The automatic driving mode control unit 130 determines the mode of automatic driving based on the operation of the vehicle occupant with respect to the HMI 70, the event determined by the action plan generation unit 144, the travel mode determined by the trajectory generation unit 146, and the like. The automatic operation mode is notified to the HMI control unit 170. Moreover, the limit according to the performance etc. of the detection device DD of the vehicle M may be set to the mode of automatic driving | operation. For example, when the performance of the detection device DD is low, the mode A may not be performed. In any mode, it is possible to switch to the manual operation mode (override) by an operation on the configuration of the driving operation system in the HMI 70.

The vehicle position recognition unit 140 of the automatic driving control unit 120 includes high-precision map information 182 stored in the storage unit 180 and information input from the finder 20, the radar 30, the camera 40, the navigation device 50, or the vehicle sensor 60. Based on the above, the lane (traveling lane) in which the vehicle M is traveling and the relative position of the vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane are recognized.

The own vehicle position recognition unit 140, for example, a road lane marking pattern recognized from the high-accuracy map information 182 (for example, an array of solid lines and broken lines) and a periphery of the vehicle M recognized from an image captured by the camera 40. The traveling lane is recognized by comparing the road marking line pattern.
In this recognition, the position of the vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by INS may be taken into consideration.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how the vehicle position recognition unit 140 recognizes the relative position of the vehicle M with respect to the travel lane L1. The own vehicle position recognition unit 140, for example, an angle θ formed with respect to a line connecting the deviation OS of the reference point (for example, the center of gravity) of the vehicle M from the travel lane center CL and the travel lane center CL in the traveling direction of the vehicle M. Is recognized as the relative position of the vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane L1. Instead of this, the vehicle position recognition unit 140 may recognize the position of the reference point of the vehicle M with respect to any side end portion of the lane L1 as the relative position of the vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. The relative position of the vehicle M recognized by the host vehicle position recognition unit 140 is provided to the target lane determination unit 110.

The external environment recognition unit 142 recognizes the state of the surrounding vehicle such as the position of the surrounding vehicle, the speed of the surrounding vehicle, and the acceleration of the surrounding vehicle based on information input from the finder 20, the radar 30, the camera 40, and the like. The peripheral vehicle is, for example, a vehicle that travels around the vehicle M and travels in the same direction as the vehicle M. The position of the surrounding vehicle may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or corner of the surrounding vehicle, or may be represented by a region expressed by the outline of the surrounding vehicle. The “state” of the surrounding vehicle may include the acceleration of the surrounding vehicle, whether the lane is changed (or whether the lane is going to be changed), which is grasped based on the information of the various devices. In addition to the surrounding vehicles, the external environment recognition unit 142 may recognize the positions of guardrails, utility poles, parked vehicles, pedestrians, people riding bicycles, and other objects.

The action plan generation unit 144 sets a starting point of automatic driving and / or a destination of automatic driving. The starting point of automatic driving may be the current position of the vehicle M, or a point where an operation for instructing automatic driving is performed. The action plan generation unit 144 generates an action plan in a section between the start point and the destination for automatic driving. In addition, not only this but the action plan production | generation part 144 may produce | generate an action plan about arbitrary sections.

The action plan is composed of a plurality of events that are executed sequentially, for example. Events include, for example, a deceleration event that decelerates the vehicle M, an acceleration event that accelerates the vehicle M, a lane keep event that causes the vehicle M to travel without departing from the traveling lane, a lane change event that changes the traveling lane, and a vehicle M Vehicles in the overtaking event for overtaking the preceding vehicle, the branching event for changing the vehicle to the desired lane at the branch point, or the vehicle M traveling so as not to deviate from the current driving lane, the merging lane for joining the main line A merging event that accelerates or decelerates M, changes the driving lane, shifts from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode at the start point of automatic driving, or shifts from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode at the point where automatic driving is scheduled to end Handover events to be included. That is, the action plan includes a plan such as a destination, a travel lane, a speed, and a steering angle. The action plan also includes a plan related to a route (running route) between the starting point of the automatic driving and the destination. The action plan generation unit 144 sets a lane change event, a branch event, or a merge event at a location where the target lane determined by the target lane determination unit 110 is switched. Information indicating the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit 144 is stored in the storage unit 180 as action plan information 186. Moreover, the action plan production | generation part 144 produces | generates an action plan so that it may drive | work preferentially in a non-contact charge lane, when the vehicle M needs charging during automatic driving | operation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an action plan generated for a certain section. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the action plan generation unit 144 generates an action plan necessary for the vehicle M to travel on the target lane indicated by the target lane information 184. Note that the action plan generation unit 144 may dynamically change the action plan regardless of the target lane information 184 according to a change in the situation of the vehicle M. For example, the action plan generation unit 144 determines that the speed of the surrounding vehicle recognized by the external recognition unit 142 during traveling of the vehicle exceeds a threshold or the moving direction of the surrounding vehicle traveling in the lane adjacent to the traveling lane of the vehicle M travels. When the vehicle heads in the lane direction, the event set in the driving section where the vehicle M is scheduled to travel is changed. For example, when the event is set so that the lane change event is executed after the lane keep event, the vehicle is more than the threshold from the rear of the lane to which the lane is changed during the lane keep event according to the recognition result of the external recognition unit 142. When it is determined that the vehicle has traveled at a speed, the action plan generation unit 144 may change the event next to the lane keep event from a lane change event to a deceleration event, a lane keep event, or the like. As a result, the vehicle control system 100 can safely automatically drive the vehicle M even when a change occurs in the state of the outside world.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the trajectory generation unit 146. The track generation unit 146 includes, for example, a travel mode determination unit 146A, a track candidate generation unit 146B, and an evaluation / selection unit 146C.

For example, when the lane keeping event is performed, the travel mode determination unit 146A determines one of the travel modes from constant speed travel, follow-up travel, low-speed follow-up travel, deceleration travel, curve travel, obstacle avoidance travel, and the like. . In this case, the traveling mode determination unit 146A determines that the traveling mode is constant speed traveling when there is no other vehicle ahead of the vehicle M. In addition, the traveling mode determination unit 146A determines the traveling mode to follow running when traveling following the preceding vehicle. In addition, the traveling mode determination unit 146A determines the traveling mode to be low-speed following traveling in a traffic jam scene or the like. In addition, the travel mode determination unit 146A determines the travel mode to be decelerated when the external environment recognition unit 142 recognizes deceleration of the preceding vehicle or when an event such as stopping or parking is performed. In addition, when the outside recognition unit 142 recognizes that the vehicle M has reached a curved road, the travel mode determination unit 146A determines the travel mode as curve travel. In addition, when the outside recognition unit 142 recognizes an obstacle in front of the vehicle M, the driving mode determination unit 146A determines the driving mode as obstacle avoidance driving. In addition, when executing a lane change event, an overtaking event, a branching event, a merging event, a handover event, and the like, the traveling mode determination unit 146A determines a traveling mode according to each event.

The trajectory candidate generation unit 146B generates trajectory candidates based on the travel mode determined by the travel mode determination unit 146A. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of trajectory candidates generated by the trajectory candidate generation unit 146B. FIG. 7 shows candidate tracks generated when the vehicle M changes lanes from the lane L1 to the lane L2.

The trajectory candidate generation unit 146B takes a trajectory as shown in FIG. 7, for example, at a target position (orbit point K) at which the reference position (for example, the center of gravity or the center of the rear wheel axis) of the vehicle M should reach every predetermined time in the future. Decide as a gathering. FIG. 8 is a diagram in which trajectory candidates generated by the trajectory candidate generation unit 146B are expressed by trajectory points K. The speed of the vehicle M increases as the distance between the track points K increases, and the speed of the vehicle M decreases as the distance between the track points K decreases. Therefore, the trajectory candidate generation unit 146B gradually widens the distance between the trajectory points K when it wants to accelerate and gradually narrows the distance between the trajectory points when it wants to decelerate.

Thus, since the trajectory point K includes a velocity component, the trajectory candidate generation unit 146B needs to give a target speed to each of the trajectory points K. The target speed is determined according to the travel mode determined by the travel mode determination unit 146A.

Here, a method for determining a target speed when a lane change (including a branch) is performed will be described.
The track candidate generation unit 146B first sets a lane change target position (or a merge target position). The lane change target position is set as a relative position with respect to the surrounding vehicles, and determines “which lane change is to be made between the surrounding vehicles”. The trajectory candidate generation unit 146B pays attention to three surrounding vehicles with the lane change target position as a reference, and determines a target speed when the lane change is performed. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the lane change target position TA.
In FIG. 9, L1 represents a traveling lane and L2 represents an adjacent lane. Here, in the same lane as that of the vehicle M, the surrounding vehicle that runs immediately before the vehicle M is the preceding vehicle mA, the surrounding vehicle that runs immediately before the lane change target position TA is the front reference vehicle mB, and immediately after the lane change target position TA. A surrounding vehicle traveling on the vehicle is defined as a rear reference vehicle mC. The vehicle M needs to perform acceleration / deceleration in order to move to the side of the lane change target position TA, but it is necessary to avoid catching up with the preceding vehicle mA at this time. For this reason, the trajectory candidate generation unit 146B predicts the future state of the three neighboring vehicles and determines the target speed so as not to interfere with each neighboring vehicle.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a speed generation model when the speeds of the three surrounding vehicles are assumed to be constant. In the figure, straight lines extending from mA, mB, and mC indicate displacements in the traveling direction when it is assumed that the respective surrounding vehicles have traveled at a constant speed. The vehicle M must be between the front reference vehicle mB and the rear reference vehicle mC at the point CP at which the lane change is completed, and be behind the preceding vehicle mA before that. Under such restrictions, the track candidate generation unit 146B derives a plurality of time-series patterns of the target speed until the lane change is completed. Then, a plurality of trajectory candidates as shown in FIG. 8 are derived by applying the time-series pattern of the target speed to a model such as a spline curve. The motion patterns of the three surrounding vehicles are not limited to the constant speed as shown in FIG. 10, and may be predicted on the assumption of a constant acceleration and a constant jerk (jumping degree).

The evaluation / selection unit 146C evaluates the track candidates generated by the track candidate generation unit 146B from, for example, two viewpoints of planability and safety, and selects a track to be output to the travel control unit 160. . From the viewpoint of planability, for example, the track is highly evaluated when the followability to the already generated plan (for example, action plan) is high and the total length of the track is short. For example, when it is desired to change the lane in the right direction, a trajectory in which the lane is once changed in the left direction and returned is evaluated as low. From the viewpoint of safety, for example, at each track point, the distance between the vehicle M and the object (such as a surrounding vehicle) is long, and the higher the acceleration / deceleration, the change amount of the steering angle, etc., the higher the evaluation.

The drive mode selection unit 148 selects each of the action plans of the vehicle M from a plurality of drive modes in which the operation states of the plurality of drive sources (the engine 201 and the travel motor 202) that generate the travel drive force in the vehicle M are different from each other. Select the drive mode at the stage. The drive mode selection unit 148 will be described later in detail.

The switching control unit 150 switches between the automatic operation mode and the manual operation mode based on a signal input from the automatic operation switch 87. Further, the switching control unit 150 switches from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode based on an operation instructing acceleration, deceleration, or steering for the configuration of the driving operation system in the HMI 70. For example, the switching control unit 150 switches from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode when the operation amount indicated by the signal input from the configuration of the driving operation system in the HMI 70 exceeds the threshold for a reference time or longer ( override). Further, the switching control unit 150 may return to the automatic operation mode when an operation for the configuration of the driving operation system in the HMI 70 is not detected for a predetermined time after switching to the manual operation mode by the override. .

The traveling control unit 160 controls the traveling driving force output device 200, the steering device 210, and the brake device 220 so that the vehicle M passes through the track generated by the track generating unit 146 as scheduled. In addition, the travel control unit 160 controls the travel of the vehicle M in each section S on the route to the destination based on the drive mode at each stage of the action plan selected by the drive mode selection unit 148. That is, the travel control unit 160 sends a control instruction for realizing the drive mode selected by the drive mode selection unit 148 to the engine ECU, the motor ECU, or the like of the travel drive force output device 200. As a result, the travel driving force output device 200 operates the engine 201 and the travel motor 202 so as to realize the drive mode selected by the drive mode selection unit 148.

When the automatic operation control unit 120 is notified of the information on the automatic driving mode, the HMI control unit 170 refers to the mode-specific operation availability information 188 and controls the HMI 70 according to the type of the automatic driving mode.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation permission / inhibition information 188 for each mode. The mode-specific operation availability information 188 shown in FIG. 11 includes “manual operation mode” and “automatic operation mode” as operation mode items. Further, the “automatic operation mode” includes the above-mentioned “mode A”, “mode B”, “mode C”, and the like. The mode-specific operation propriety information 188 includes “navigation operation” that is an operation for the navigation device 50, “content reproduction operation” that is an operation for the content reproduction device 85, and an operation for the in-vehicle display 82A as non-driving operation system items. And “instrument panel operation”. In the example of the mode-by-mode operation availability information 188 shown in FIG. 11, whether or not the vehicle occupant can operate the non-driving operation system is set for each operation mode described above, but the target interface device is limited to this. is not.

The HMI control unit 170 refers to the mode-specific operation availability information 188 based on the mode information acquired from the automatic driving control unit 120, and is permitted to be used (a part or all of the navigation device 50 and the HMI 70). And a device that is not permitted to be used.
Further, the HMI control unit 170 controls whether or not to accept an operation from the vehicle occupant for the non-driving operation type HMI 70 or the navigation device 50 based on the determination result.

For example, when the driving mode executed by the vehicle control system 100 is the manual driving mode, the vehicle occupant operates the driving operation system of the HMI 70 (for example, the accelerator pedal 71, the brake pedal 74, the shift lever 76, the steering wheel 78, etc.). To do. Further, when the operation mode executed by the vehicle control system 100 is the mode B, the mode C or the like of the automatic operation mode, the vehicle occupant is obliged to monitor the periphery of the vehicle M. In such a case, in order to prevent distraction (driver distraction) due to actions other than driving of the vehicle occupant (for example, operation of the HMI 70), the HMI control unit 170 is one of the non-driving operation systems of the HMI 70. Control is performed so as not to accept operations on all or part of the document. At this time, the HMI control unit 170 displays the presence of the surrounding vehicle of the vehicle M recognized by the outside recognition unit 142 and the state of the surrounding vehicle on the display device 82 with an image or the like in order to perform the surrounding monitoring of the vehicle M. While displaying, you may make HMI70 accept confirmation operation according to the scene at the time of the driving | running | working of the vehicle M. FIG.

In addition, when the driving mode is the automatic driving mode A, the HMI control unit 170 relaxes the restriction of the driver distraction and performs control for receiving the operation of the vehicle occupant for the non-driving operation system that has not received the operation. For example, the HMI control unit 170 displays video on the display device 82, outputs audio to the speaker 83, and causes the content reproduction device 85 to reproduce content from a DVD or the like. The content reproduced by the content reproduction device 85 may include, for example, various contents related to entertainment and entertainment such as a TV program in addition to the content stored on the DVD or the like. Further, the “content reproduction operation” shown in FIG. 11 may mean such a content operation related to entertainment and entertainment.

Next, processing of the automatic driving control unit 120 for realizing a driving mode suitable for each stage of the action plan will be described. In the present embodiment, the drive mode selection unit 148 has a plurality of different operating states of the plurality of drive sources (the engine 201 and the travel motor 202) of the vehicle M based on the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit 144. The drive mode at each stage of the action plan is selected in advance from among the drive modes.

Hereinafter, based on the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit 144, the drive mode selection unit 148 selects the drive mode in each of the plurality of sections S where the vehicle M is scheduled to travel from the plurality of drive modes. The case of selecting in advance will be described as an example. The “drive mode at each stage of the action plan” selected by the drive mode selection unit 148 is not limited to the drive mode in each section in which the vehicle M is scheduled to travel, and each behavior that the vehicle M is scheduled to perform, for example, an action The drive mode in each event (lane keep event, lane change event, etc.) determined by the plan generation unit 144 or the drive mode in each travel mode determined by the track generation unit 146 may be used.

12A and 12B are diagrams illustrating an example of drive mode information 189 stored in the storage unit 180. FIG. As shown in FIG. 12A, the drive mode information 189 includes each drive mode registered in advance, information indicating the type of drive source in each drive mode, and the rate of decrease of the charging rate of the battery 203, and the like. In the drive mode information 189, these pieces of information are managed in association with each drive mode. For example, the first drive mode is a drive mode in which the engine 201 travels. The “driving mode driven by the engine” refers to a case where there is assistance from the driving motor 202 in some driving scenes such as when leaving the engine from a stopped state, in addition to the case where the driving is completely performed only by the engine 201. May be included. Further, the “driving mode driven by the engine” may be a driving mode in which the battery 203 is charged by using a part of the output of the engine 201 while running by the engine 201. For example, the second drive mode is a drive mode in which the vehicle is driven by the driving motor 202. Further, for example, the third drive mode is a drive mode in which the vehicle travels by driving both the engine 201 and the travel motor 202. The drive modes that can be selected by the vehicle M are not limited to the above example. For example, an energy-saving travel mode in which acceleration during acceleration is smaller than that in the normal travel mode, or a sport in which acceleration during acceleration is greater than that in the normal travel mode. A driving mode or the like may be included.

Also, as shown in FIG. 12B, the drive mode information 189 includes, for example, information indicating the energy efficiency of each drive mode. For example, the drive mode information 189 manages each drive mode in association with information indicating the energy efficiency of each drive mode for each travel environment.

FIG. 13 is a functional configuration diagram showing the components related to the selection of the drive mode in the vehicle control system 100 and the traveling drive force output device 200. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the drive mode selection unit 148 includes a travel environment deriving unit 300, a required charge rate deriving unit 302, and a drive mode determining unit 304.

The traveling environment deriving unit 300 derives the traveling environment of each section S where the vehicle M is scheduled to travel based on the behavior plan generated by the behavior plan generating unit 144. For example, the traveling environment deriving unit 300 includes the action plan generated by the action plan generating unit 144, the high-precision map information 182 stored in the storage unit 180 (for example, information indicating whether the area is an urban area), and the communication device 55. The driving environment of each section S is derived on the basis of information (for example, information indicating the state of traffic volume) acquired through. The traveling environment derived by the traveling environment deriving unit 300 corresponds to, for example, the above-described specific section SS (such as an urban area or a section where traffic congestion occurs), or the above-described non-specific section NSS (automobile road or road Whether it is a place where the battery 203 can be charged or not. The travel environment of each section S is not limited to that derived by the travel environment deriving unit 300 based on the behavior plan, and may be included in advance in the behavior plan generated by the behavior plan generation unit 144. In this case, the traveling environment deriving unit 300 can be omitted.

The required charging rate deriving unit 302, when the driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor 202 is selected as the driving mode of each section S, the charging rate (required amount of charging rate) of the battery 203 necessary for traveling of each section S. ) Is derived. For example, the required charging rate deriving unit 302 is included in the action plan (distance of each section S, scheduled behavior of the vehicle M (for example, planned traveling speed)) and drive mode information 189 generated by the action plan generating unit 144. Based on information indicating the rate of decrease of the charging rate of the battery 203 (for example, information indicating the rate of decrease of the charging rate according to each scheduled behavior of the vehicle M), the charging rate of the battery 203 required for traveling in each section S is derived. To do.

The drive mode determination unit 304 selects and determines a drive mode in each section S from among a plurality of drive modes registered in the drive mode information 189. In the present embodiment, the drive mode determination unit 304 determines the drive mode in each of a plurality of sections S (for example, a plurality of sections S constituting the entire process from the starting point of automatic driving to the destination) at one time point (for example, Select at once (at the start of automatic operation). In other words, the drive mode determination unit 304 selects a combination of drive modes for a plurality of sections S in advance.

In the present embodiment, the drive mode determination unit 304 selects a drive mode in each of the plurality of sections S based on energy efficiency that is considered through a plurality of sections S (for example, the entire journey to the destination) having different traveling environments. . Note that “selecting a drive mode based on energy efficiency considered through a plurality of sections” means, for example, the case where the section A travels in the first drive mode and the section B travels in the second drive mode, and the section When the energy efficiency is different as a total when the vehicle travels in the second drive mode and the vehicle travels in the first drive mode, the combination of the section S and the drive mode with better energy efficiency is selected. Means that. Specifically, the drive mode determination unit 304 includes the travel environment of each section S derived by the travel environment deriving unit 300 and the energy of each drive mode for each travel environment stored in the storage unit 180 as the drive mode information 189. Based on the information indicating the efficiency and the planned behavior (for example, the planned traveling speed) of the vehicle M included in the action plan, the assumed energy consumption when each drive mode is selected in each section S is derived. . Then, the drive mode determination unit 304 selects a combination of each section S and the drive mode based on information indicating the energy consumption assumed in each section S.

In this embodiment, the drive mode determination unit 304 receives information indicating the charging rate of the battery 203 from the battery charging rate detection unit 204. Then, the drive mode determination unit 304 preselects a drive mode in each of the plurality of sections S having different traveling environments based on the energy efficiency considered through the plurality of sections S having different traveling environments and the charging rate of the battery 203. To do.

Specifically, the drive mode determination unit 304 of the present embodiment is configured so that each drive mode for each travel environment stored in the storage unit 180 as the travel environment of each section S derived by the travel environment deriving unit 300 and the drive mode information 189. Based on the information indicating the energy efficiency of the battery, the charging rate of the battery 203 necessary for traveling in each section S derived by the required charging rate deriving unit 302, the information indicating the charging rate of the battery 203 received from the battery charging rate detecting unit 204, and the like The drive mode for each section S is selected in advance. Then, the drive mode determination unit 304 outputs information indicating the drive mode of each selected section S to the travel control unit 160.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the drive mode of each section S selected by the drive mode selection unit 148. In the example shown in FIG. 14, for convenience of explanation, the first drive mode (drive mode driven by the engine 201) and the second drive mode (drive mode driven by the travel motor 202) are used. The case where the drive mode applied to each section S is selected will be described. The drive mode selection unit 148 may select a drive mode applied to each section S from among three or more types of drive modes.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of sections S (a plurality of sections S scheduled to travel) included in the route to the destination are automobile-only roads (sections A, B, and C) as an example of the non-specific section NSS. And an urban area (section D) as an example of the specific section SS. The urban area (section D) is an example of a “first section”. Each of the automobile-only roads (sections A, B, and C) is an example of a “second section” on the near side of the first section.

Generally, the traveling motor 202 is driven by using a battery 203 charged with electricity that is cheaper than gasoline fuel or the like. In other words, the traveling motor 202 is more energy efficient (lower energy cost) than the engine 201. For this reason, ideally, when the traveling motor 202 travels the entire distance to the destination, the energy efficiency is improved. Further, the energy efficiency of the engine 201 is particularly deteriorated when the frequency of low speed running or stopping is generally increased. That is, energy efficiency can be improved by driving the traveling motor 202 instead of the engine 201 in an urban area or a section where traffic congestion occurs. From another viewpoint, the driving motor 202 is quieter than the engine 201. Therefore, when traveling in a section such as an urban area, it may be preferable that the traveling motor 202 is driven instead of the engine 201.

Therefore, the drive mode determination unit 304 of the present embodiment, based on the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit 144, when there is a specific section SS (for example, an urban area (section D)) on the route to the destination, First, a driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor 202 is selected as the driving mode for the specific section SS. When the charging rate of the battery 203 is low (see (i) in FIG. 14), the drive mode determination unit 304, for example, only in a partial section of the non-specific section NSS (for example, only the section A of the automobile-only road). A driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor 202 is selected as the driving mode, and a driving mode for traveling by the engine 201 is selected as the driving mode for the remaining sections of the non-specific section NSS (for example, sections B and C of the exclusive road for automobiles). In addition, when the charging rate of the battery 203 is low, the drive mode determination unit 304 sets the drive mode in which the engine 201 travels as the drive mode of all sections of the non-specific section NSS (for example, sections A, B, and C of the automobile exclusive road). You may choose.

Further, when the charging rate of the battery 203 is medium (see (ii) in FIG. 14), the drive mode determination unit 304 is, for example, a partial section of the non-specific section NSS (for example, sections A and B of an automobile-only road). ) Is selected as the driving mode, and the driving mode for operating the engine 201 is selected as the driving mode of the remaining section of the non-specific section NSS (for example, section C of the exclusive road for automobiles). In addition, when the charging rate of the battery 203 is high (see (iii) in FIG. 14), the drive mode determination unit 304, for example, all the sections of the non-specific section NSS (for example, sections A, B, and C of a dedicated road for automobiles). ) May be selected as the driving mode for driving the traveling motor 202.

That is, the drive mode determination unit 304 of the present embodiment is based on the driving environment of the first section where the vehicle M is scheduled to travel (for example, the section D), and the driving mode of the first section and the first mode before the first section. Two drive modes (for example, sections A, B, and C) are selected in advance. For example, when the driving mode determination unit 304 of the present embodiment selects the driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor 202 as the driving mode for the first section, the driving mode determination unit 304 supplies power to the traveling motor 202 as the driving mode for the second section. A driving mode (for example, a driving mode in which the vehicle travels by the engine 201) in which a required amount of the charging rate of the battery 203 to be supplied exists in the first section is selected.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating some examples of drive modes in which the required amount of the charging rate of the battery 203 is present in the first section. As shown in FIG. 15, “the drive mode in which the charging rate of the battery 203 that supplies power to the traveling motor 202 is present in a necessary amount in the first section” is, for example, by traveling by the engine 201, A driving mode in which the charging rate of the battery 203 charged in advance is maintained until the first section (see (a) in FIG. 15), the battery 203 travels by the engine 201 and uses a part of the output of the engine 201. Driving mode (see (b) in FIG. 15) or the driving motor 202 or the driving motor 202 and the engine 201 so that the required amount of the charging rate of the battery 203 exists in the first section. Drive mode (see (c) in FIG. 15) and the like.

Next, an example of the processing flow of the automatic operation control unit 120 of this embodiment will be described. In the following, for convenience of explanation, a case where the battery 203 has a charging rate necessary for traveling in the specific section SS by the traveling motor 202 will be described as an example.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow of the automatic operation control unit 120 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, in the process related to the selection of the drive mode, first, the action plan generation unit 144 generates an action plan (S100). Next, the travel environment derivation unit 300 of the drive mode selection unit 148 has the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit 144, the high-precision map information 182 stored in the storage unit 180, and the information acquired through the communication device 55. Based on (for example, information indicating the traffic state), the driving environment of each section S is derived (S102).
Next, the required charging rate deriving unit 302 determines each section S based on the action plan generated by the action plan generating unit 144, information indicating the rate of decrease of the charging rate of the battery 203 included in the drive mode information 189, and the like. The charging rate of the battery 203 necessary for traveling is derived (S104).

In addition, the drive mode determination unit 304 is based on the travel environment of each section S derived by the travel environment deriving unit 300, and the specific section SS ( It is determined whether or not there is a city area or a section where traffic congestion occurs (S106). Then, when the specific section SS exists on the route to the destination, the drive mode determination unit 304 selects a drive mode in which the traveling motor 202 travels as the drive mode of the specific section SS (S108). Note that at least one of the processes of S106 and S108 may be performed before the process of S104.

Next, the drive mode determination unit 304 specifies based on the necessary charging rate for traveling with the traveling motor 202 in the specific section SS, information indicating the charging rate of the battery 203 received from the battery charging rate detection unit 204, and the like. The drive mode of each section S on the near side of the section SS is selected (S110).

On the other hand, when the specific section SS does not exist on the route to the destination, the drive mode determination unit 304 appropriately selects the drive mode of each section S (S112). As described above, generally, the traveling motor 202 is higher in energy efficiency than the engine 201. For this reason, the drive mode determination unit 304 selects, for example, a drive mode that travels by the travel motor 202 as the drive mode of as many sections S as possible, and a drive that travels by the engine 201 as the drive mode of the remaining sections S. Select a mode.

And the drive mode determination part 304 outputs the information which shows the drive mode of each selected area S to the traveling control part 160 (S114). Thus, travel control unit 160 drives engine 201 and travel motor 202 based on information received from drive mode determination unit 304.

According to such a configuration, the drive mode at each stage of the action plan is selected in advance based on the action plan, so that measures necessary for realizing the selected drive mode at each stage of the action plan are preliminarily set. Can be done. Thereby, the suitable drive mode in each step of an action plan is realizable.

For example, in the present embodiment, the drive mode in each of the plurality of sections S is selected in advance based on the energy efficiency considered through the plurality of sections S having different traveling environments. For this reason, for example, the traveling motor 202 travels in a section where the low-speed traveling or the stop frequency is high, and the engine 201 can travel in a section where high-speed traveling is possible. As a result, it is possible to improve energy efficiency when viewed through a plurality of sections S (for example, the entire journey to the destination) having different traveling environments.

In the present embodiment, the driving mode in each of the plurality of sections S is selected in advance based on the charging rate of the battery 203 that supplies power to the traveling motor 202. For this reason, a traveling environment suitable for traveling by the traveling motor 202 can be traveled by the traveling motor 202 while suppressing the battery 203 from being discharged.

In the present embodiment, the driving mode of the second section in front of the first section is selected based on the traveling environment of the first section where the vehicle M is scheduled to travel. For this reason, a desired drive mode can be reliably realized in the first section. For example, when the driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor 202 is selected as the driving mode for the first section, the charging rate of the battery that supplies power to the traveling motor is required for the first section as the driving mode for the second section. A drive mode present in quantity is selected. As a result, the first section can be reliably traveled by the travel motor 202. As a result, a driving mode suitable for the traveling environment or the like in each section S scheduled to travel can be realized more reliably.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The vehicle control system 100 according to the second embodiment is different from that according to the first embodiment in that the drive mode at each stage of the action plan is selected so that the charging rate of the battery 203 is close to the allowable lower limit value of the charging rate in a predetermined case. Different from the vehicle control system 100. The configurations other than those described below are the same as those in the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram schematically showing control related to the charging rate of the battery 203. As shown in FIG. 17, an allowable upper limit PHV and an allowable lower limit PLV are set for the charging rate of the battery 203. Then, the drive mode selection unit 148 drives the drive mode at each stage of the action plan (for example, the drive mode in each section S) so as to maintain the charging rate of the battery 203 between the allowable upper limit value PHV and the allowable lower limit value PLV. Is selected in advance.

Then, when there is a place where the battery 203 that supplies power to the traveling motor 202 can be charged on the destination or the route to the destination, the drive mode determination unit 304 of the present embodiment reaches that place. The drive mode at each stage of the action plan (for example, the drive mode in each section S scheduled to travel) is selected in advance so that the charging rate of the battery 203 approaches the allowable lower limit value PLV of the charging rate.

More specifically, the drive mode determination unit 304 determines the destination or destination based on information input from the user through the navigation device 50 or information indicating the travel environment of each section S derived by the travel environment deriving unit 300. It is determined whether or not there is a place where the battery 203 that supplies power to the traveling motor 202 can be charged (hereinafter referred to as a chargeable place BP) on the route up to this point. The case where there is a chargeable place BP at the destination is a case where a facility (for example, a home) having a charging facility is set as the destination. In addition, when there is a chargeable place BP on the route to the destination, there is a facility with a charging facility or a road including a non-contact charging lane on the route to the destination, or on the route to the destination. Or when there is a place (for example, a road dedicated to automobiles) that can be charged by regenerative energy by running with the engine 201.

Then, the drive mode determination unit 304 of the present embodiment, when there is a chargeable place BP on the destination or the route to the destination, the travel environment of each section S derived by the travel environment deriving unit 300, the required charging rate When reaching the chargeable place BP based on the charging rate of the battery 203 necessary for traveling in each section S derived by the deriving unit 302 and information indicating the charging rate of the battery 203 received from the battery charging rate detection unit 204 The drive mode of each section S is selected in advance so that the charging rate of the battery 203 approaches the allowable lower limit value PLV of the charging rate.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the drive mode of each section S selected by the drive mode selection unit 148 of the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 18, for convenience of explanation, the first drive mode (drive mode driven by the engine 201) and the second drive mode (drive mode driven by the travel motor 202) are used. The case where the drive mode applied to each section S is selected will be described. The drive mode selection unit 148 may select a drive mode applied to each section S from among three or more types of drive modes.

The example shown in FIG. 18 shows a case where there are a plurality of sections (sections A, B, and C) on the front side of the chargeable place BP on the destination or the route to the destination. For example, when the charging rate of the battery 203 is low (see (i) in FIG. 18), the drive mode determination unit 304 of the present embodiment is a partial section (for example, section A) of the plurality of sections S to the destination. ) Is selected as the driving mode, and the driving mode for driving by the engine 201 is selected as the driving mode for the remaining sections (for example, sections B and C).

In addition, the drive mode determination unit 304 according to the present embodiment, for example, when the charging rate of the battery 203 is medium (see (ii) in FIG. 18), a part of the plurality of sections S to the destination. For example, the driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor 202 is selected as the driving mode (for example, section A, B), and the driving mode for traveling by the engine 201 is selected as the driving mode for the remaining section (for example, section C). Further, the drive mode determination unit 304, for example, when the charging rate of the battery 203 is high (see (iii) in FIG. 18), the drive modes in all the sections S (for example, the sections A, B, and C) to the destination. A driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor 202 is selected.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a drive mode when there is a chargeable place BP on the route to the destination. As illustrated in FIG. 19, the drive mode determination unit 304 drives the second section when there is a first section as the non-specific section NSS and a second section as the specific section SS in front of the first section. A driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor 202 is selected as the mode, and a driving mode for traveling by the engine 201 and charging the battery 203 is selected as the driving mode for the first section.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow of the automatic operation control unit 120 of the present embodiment. Note that the processes of S100, S102, S104, S106, and S114 are the same as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 20, in the present embodiment, the drive mode determination unit 304 determines the travel environment of each section S derived by the travel environment deriving unit 300 when the specific section SS exists on the route to the destination. Based on the above, it is determined whether there is a non-specific section NSS having a sufficient length that allows the battery 203 to be charged immediately after the specific section SS (S107).

Then, when it is determined that there is a sufficiently long non-specific section NSS that can charge the battery 203 immediately after the specific section SS, the drive mode determination unit 304, as the travel mode of the specific section SS, The drive mode of the specific section SS is selected so that the charging rate of the battery 203 approaches the allowable lower limit value PLV when the non-specific section NSS is reached (S108). Further, the drive mode determination unit 304 selects a drive mode for running the engine 201 and charging the battery 203 as the drive mode of the non-specific section NSS immediately after the specific section SS (S110).

Then, when it is determined that there is no sufficiently long non-specific section NSS that can charge the battery 203 immediately after the specific section SS, the driving mode determination unit 304 further travels in the subsequent section S. Based on the above, the drive mode in each of the plurality of sections S including the specific section SS and the non-specific section NSS is selected (S112).

According to such a configuration, since the driving mode in each section S is selected in advance so that the charging rate of the battery 203 approaches the allowable lower limit value of the charging rate when reaching the chargeable place BP, the distance as much as possible Can be driven by the driving motor 202. For this reason, energy efficiency can be improved.

<Modification>
Next, a modification of the second embodiment will be described. The vehicle control system 100 of the present modification is different from the vehicle control system 100 of the second embodiment in that the allowable lower limit value PLV of the battery 203 is changed when there is a chargeable place BP. The configurations other than those described below are the same as in the second embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a functional configuration diagram showing components relating to selection of the drive mode of the present modification. As illustrated in FIG. 21, the drive mode selection unit 148 includes a charge rate allowable lower limit value changing unit 303 in addition to the travel environment deriving unit 300, the necessary charge rate deriving unit 302, and the drive mode determining unit 304.

FIG. 22 is a diagram schematically showing control related to the charging rate of the battery 203 of the present modification. As shown in FIG. 22, the charging rate allowable lower limit changing unit 303 sets the allowable lower limit PLV of the charging rate of the battery 203 to the allowable lower limit when there is a chargeable place BP on the destination or the route to the destination. Reduce to the value PLV '. The drive mode determination unit 304 of the present modification reduces the charging rate of the battery 203 when reaching the chargeable place BP when the chargeable place BP is on the destination or the route to the destination. The drive mode at each stage of the action plan (for example, the drive mode in each section S) is selected in advance so as to approach the allowable lower limit value PLV ′.

In other words, the drive mode determination unit 304 of the present modification includes the travel environment and the required charging rate of each section S derived by the travel environment deriving unit 300 when there is a chargeable place BP on the destination or the route to the destination. When reaching the chargeable place BP based on the charging rate of the battery 203 necessary for traveling in each section S derived by the deriving unit 302 and information indicating the charging rate of the battery 203 received from the battery charging rate detection unit 204 The drive mode (for example, the drive mode of each section S) at each stage of the action plan is selected in advance so that the charge rate of the battery 203 approaches the allowable lower limit value PLV ′ of the charge rate.

For example, the drive mode determination unit 304 of the present modified example has the charge rate of the battery 203 before the charge rate is lowered when reaching the chargeable location BP when there is a chargeable location BP on the destination or the route to the destination. The drive mode in each section S is selected in advance so as to be smaller than the allowable lower limit value PLV. The “allowable lower limit before reduction” is, for example, the allowable lower limit of the charging rate when there is no chargeable place BP on the destination or the route to the destination, and “normal allowable lower limit” or “ It may be referred to as “allowable lower limit in initial setting” or the like.

According to such a configuration, the driving mode in each section S is selected in advance so that the charging rate of the battery 203 approaches the lowered allowable lower limit value when reaching the chargeable place BP. The distance can be traveled by the travel motor 202. For this reason, energy efficiency can further be improved.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described using drawing, this invention is not limited to such embodiment at all and can add various deformation | transformation and substitution within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Vehicle control system, 144 ... Action plan production | generation part, 148 ... Drive mode selection part, 160 ... Traveling control part, 201 ... Engine (drive source), 202 ... Driving motor (drive source), 203 ... Battery.

Claims

An action plan generator for generating an action plan for automatic driving of the vehicle;
Drive that pre-selects drive modes at each stage of the action plan from among a plurality of drive modes in which operation states of the plurality of drive sources of the vehicle are different based on the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit A mode selector,
A travel control unit that controls the travel of the vehicle based on the drive mode at each stage of the action plan selected by the drive mode selection unit;
A vehicle control system comprising:
The drive mode selection unit pre-selects a drive mode in each of the plurality of sections based on energy efficiency considered through a plurality of sections having different traveling environments.
The vehicle control system according to claim 1.
The plurality of drive sources include a traveling motor,
The drive mode selection unit preselects a drive mode in each of a plurality of sections having different travel environments based on a charging rate of a battery that supplies power to the travel motor.
The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2.
The drive mode selection unit selects a drive mode of a second section on the near side of the first section based on a traveling environment of the first section where the vehicle is scheduled to travel.
The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The plurality of drive sources include a traveling motor,
When the driving mode selection unit selects the driving mode for traveling by the traveling motor as the driving mode for the first section, the driving mode selection unit is configured to supply a power to the traveling motor as the driving mode for the second section. Selecting a drive mode in which a required amount of charge rate is present in the first interval;
The vehicle control system according to claim 4.
The plurality of drive sources further include an engine;
The drive mode selection unit selects a drive mode that is driven by the engine as a drive mode of the second section.
The vehicle control system according to claim 5.
The plurality of drive sources include an engine and a traveling motor,
When the first section is a specific section and the second section is a section capable of traveling at a higher speed than the specific section, the drive mode selection unit is configured to use the travel motor as a drive mode of the first section. To select the driving mode for traveling, and to select the driving mode for traveling by the engine as the driving mode of the second section,
The vehicle control system according to claim 4.
The plurality of drive sources include an engine and a traveling motor,
When the second section is a specific section and the first section is a section capable of traveling at a higher speed than the specific section, the drive mode selection unit is configured to use the travel motor as the drive mode of the second section. Selecting a driving mode for traveling, and selecting a driving mode for charging a battery that travels by the engine and supplies power to the traveling motor as the driving mode of the first section.
The vehicle control system according to claim 4.
The plurality of drive sources include a traveling motor,
The drive mode selection unit may charge the battery when reaching the location when there is a location where the battery for supplying power to the traveling motor can be charged on the destination or the route to the destination. Pre-select the drive mode at each stage of the action plan so that is close to the allowable lower limit of the charging rate,
The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
In-vehicle computer
Generate an action plan for automatic vehicle driving,
Based on the generated action plan, a drive mode at each stage of the action plan is selected in advance from among a plurality of drive modes in which operation states of a plurality of drive sources of the vehicle are different from each other,
Controlling the driving of the vehicle based on the driving mode in each stage of the selected action plan;
Vehicle control method.
On-board computer
Generate an action plan for automated driving of the vehicle,
Based on the generated action plan, the drive mode in each stage of the action plan is selected in advance from a plurality of drive modes in which the operation states of the plurality of drive sources of the vehicle have different from each other,
Based on the driving mode at each stage of the selected action plan, the driving of the vehicle is controlled.
Vehicle control program.