WO2019049189A1

WO2019049189A1 - Vehicle travel determination method and vehicle travel determination device

Info

Publication number: WO2019049189A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/031888
Authority: WO
Inventors: 隆宏野尻; 達弥志野; 勝彦出川
Original assignee: 日産自動車株式会社
Priority date: 2017-09-05
Filing date: 2017-09-05
Publication date: 2019-03-14

Abstract

A vehicle body angle calculation unit (121) obtains, for each lane, a vehicle body angle, which is the angle formed by the line connecting the end point of the lane and a toll gate relative to an extension line extending from the end point of the lane in the direction of travel for the lane. A target selection unit (122) selects, as a lane to be traveled by a vehicle, a lane for which the vehicle body angle is smaller in preference to a lane for which the vehicle body angle is larger.

Description

Vehicle travel judging method and vehicle travel judging device

The present invention relates to a vehicle travel determination method and a vehicle travel determination device.

Conventionally, when passing through a gate at a toll booth, there is a technique of specifying a gate installed in a lane leading to a road on a guidance route and notifying a user that the specified gate should be passed (patent document) 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-220593

The above-mentioned prior art specifies the target gate without considering the traveling lane in which the vehicle travels. Therefore, when traveling on the toll plaza between the traveling lane and the target gate, the vehicle may not be able to travel smoothly depending on the positional relationship between the traveling lane and the target gate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle travel judging method and a vehicle travel judgment device which enable smooth travel of a vehicle in a toll plaza.

In the vehicle travel judging method according to an aspect of the present invention, the vehicle travels on a toll plaza provided in front of a toll booth connected to an end point of a road including a plurality of lanes and including a plurality of toll gate Before entering any toll gate, select the lane in which the vehicle should travel or the toll gate to which the vehicle should enter. First, for each lane or each toll gate gate, a vehicle body angle which is an angle formed by a line connecting the end point of the lane and the toll gate gate and an extension extending in the traveling direction of the lane from the end point of the lane is determined. Then, as a lane on which the vehicle should travel, a lane having a smaller vehicle body angle than a lane having a large vehicle body angle is selected. Alternatively, as a toll gate to which the vehicle should enter, the toll gate with a smaller body angle than the toll gate with a large body angle is selected.

According to the present invention, smooth traveling of a vehicle at a toll plaza can be enabled.

FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram showing a part of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle travel judging device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a detailed functional block diagram of a travel route plan generation circuit. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the vehicle travel determination method in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processes of steps S5 and S7 in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 4 shows another example of the position of the gate, as well as the slope of the curve at the toll plaza. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a part of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle travel determination device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the vehicle travel determination method in the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processes of steps S7 and S9 in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the process of steps S11 and S13 in the flowchart of FIG.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

In the embodiment, Example 1 and Example 2 will be described.
Example 1
In the first embodiment, a vehicle travels at a toll plaza provided at the end of a road including a plurality of lanes and provided in front of a toll gate including a plurality of toll gates and enters one of the toll gates Before you do, select the lane on which the vehicle should travel (called the target lane). Below, the toll booth gate is simply called a gate.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the vehicle includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 1, an external sensor unit 2, an internal sensor unit 3, a GPS (Global Positioning System) radio wave receiving unit 4, a map database 5, a navigation system 6 and an HMI (human). A machine interface section 7 is provided. This vehicle is called "the vehicle" so as not to be confused with other vehicles.

The ECU 1 corresponds to a vehicle travel determination device, and can be realized using a microcomputer including a CPU (central processing unit), a memory, and an input / output unit. A computer program for causing the microcomputer to function as the ECU 1 is installed in the microcomputer and executed. Thus, the microcomputer functions as the ECU 1. Here, although the example which realizes ECU1 by software is shown, of course, it is also possible to prepare ECU1 for exclusive use for performing each information processing shown below, and to constitute ECU1.

The external sensor unit 2 includes a radar device or a camera (both not shown), and outputs, to the ECU 1, an image of the surroundings of the vehicle obtained from the radar device or the camera and position information of an object. The internal sensor unit 3 detects the operation amount of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal of the host vehicle and the steering angle of the steering wheel, and outputs the detected amount to the ECU 1 and the navigation system 6.

The GPS radio wave receiver 4 obtains the position of the vehicle by receiving radio waves from three or more GPS satellites, and outputs the position to the ECU 1 and the navigation system 6.

The map database 5 includes map information of a region where the host vehicle travels, and the ECU 1 and the navigation system 6 refer to the map information. The map information includes the information of the toll booth installed on the toll road.

The information on the toll booth includes the type of each gate provided in the toll booth, and information on the toll plaza in front of and before the toll booth. The type of gate can be an "automatic fee gate" that can be used to send and receive fares and tickets via wireless communication between vehicles without stopping the vehicle, or the vehicle can be stopped once the vehicle is stopped and fares and tickets can be delivered. Indicate the difference between “manual gate” or “automatic fee gate” and “manual gate”. Hereinafter, the type of gate will be described as indicating the function of such a gate. Also, the toll booth information includes the latest information on whether each gate is available or not, that is, the gate open / close state. The open / close state of the gate can be obtained from a notice antenna installed on the road in front of the toll gate. Information on the toll plaza will be described later.

The navigation system 6 provides guidance to a destination set by an occupant such as a driver of the host vehicle. The navigation system 6 estimates the position of the vehicle based on the information output from the external sensor unit 2, the internal sensor unit 3, and the GPS radio wave receiving unit 4, calculates a planned travel route to the destination, and calculates the destination I will guide you to. Further, information on the planned travel route is output to the ECU 1.

The ECU 1 includes a vehicle position estimation circuit 11, a travel route plan generation circuit 12, and a display circuit 13 as functional components realized by execution of a computer program.

The own vehicle position estimation circuit 11 is based on, for example, odometry or dead based on each information output from the external sensor unit 2, the internal sensor unit 3, and the GPS radio wave receiving unit 4 and the map information obtained by referring to the map database 5. Reckoning and Kalman filter are combined to estimate the position of the vehicle.

The travel route plan generation circuit 12 uses the position of the host vehicle estimated by the host vehicle position estimation circuit 11, the map information obtained by referring to the map database 5, and the information of the planned travel route calculated by the navigation system 6. Then, select a lane (referred to as a target lane) to be traveled before the vehicle enters the toll gate gate. Then, a travel route plan for changing the lane to the target lane is generated and output to the display circuit 13.

The display circuit 13 performs display control of lane change on the HMI unit 7 based on the travel route plan input from the travel route plan generation circuit 12.

The HMI unit 7 inputs and outputs information between the occupant of the host vehicle and the ECU 1, and displays lane change on the screen of the navigation system 6 by display control from the display circuit 13.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the travel route plan generation circuit 12 is a functional component realized by execution of a computer program, such as a vehicle body angle calculation unit (vehicle body angle calculation circuit) 121, a target selection unit (target selection circuit) 122 and a travel route plan generation unit 123.

The vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 obtains, for each lane of the road, a vehicle body angle with respect to a lane when the host vehicle travels on the toll gate open space after traveling on the road to the toll gate open space. The information on the toll plaza includes the positional relationship between each lane, the toll plaza and the gates, the extending direction of each lane at the end of the road, and the approach angle of each gate. The vehicle body angle in the first embodiment is an angle formed by the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with respect to the extending direction of each lane.

The target selecting unit 122 selects a lane having a smaller vehicle body angle than a lane having a large vehicle body angle calculated by the vehicle body angle calculating unit 121 as a target lane.

The travel route plan generation unit 123 generates a travel route plan for changing the lane from the currently traveled lane to the target lane, and outputs the generated travel route plan to the display circuit 13.

Next, with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 2, a vehicle travel determination method for selecting a target lane in the first embodiment will be described.

Step S1: The travel route plan generation circuit 12 detects the position of the host vehicle estimated by the host vehicle position estimation circuit 11, map information obtained by referring to the map database 5, and information on the planned travel route calculated by the navigation system 6. It is determined whether there is a toll booth in a predetermined range (for example, 200 m or more and less than 1 km in front) ahead of the host vehicle. If there is no tollgate (S1: NO), the process is ended, and if there is tollgate (S1: YES), the process proceeds to step S3.

Step S3: The travel route plan generation circuit 12 sets one gate at the toll gate that is the target of the determination at Step S1 as a target gate k. For example, based on the type of each gate included in the information of the toll booth, the traveling route plan generation circuit 12 targets from the gates of the toll booth a gate whose type matches the type of gate previously set as a policy. Choose as gate k. Step S3 may be performed before step S1.

Step S5: Next, based on the information of the toll plaza in front of the toll plaza, the vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 of the travel route plan generation circuit 12 determines the end point of the lane i for each lane i on the road in front of the toll plaza A distance Xi in the traveling direction of the vehicle between (the connection point to the toll plaza) and the target gate k, and a distance Yi in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle between the end of the lane i and the target gate k are determined.
Step S7: Next, the vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 obtains an absolute value (| Yi / Xi |) of the value ti = Yi / Xi for each lane i.

This will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 3, the toll booth 20 includes gates 21 to 25 and a toll plaza 30 is provided in front of the toll booth 20. The toll plaza 30 is connected to the end of the road 40 including the lanes 41-43. Each gate is separated by an island 26 which is a base of a building for receiving and receiving a charge or a ticket or a person receiving a charge. The traveling direction of the vehicle on the road 40 (the traveling direction of the lane) is indicated by reference numeral 45. Each

end point

411, 421, 431 is a connection point of the

lanes

41, 42, 43 to the toll plaza 30 and is, for example, the end point of the lane center line.

Here, the gate 22 is the target gate k. Further, the side position of the end of the toll plaza 30 on the side of the island 26 in the gate 22 (k) is referred to as a gate position 221. For example, it is assumed that the gate position 221 is on the center line of the gate 22 (k). The gate position 221 is not limited to the side of the end of the island 26 on the side of the toll plaza 30. This example will be described later.

In step S5, distances X1 and Y1 between the end point 411 of the lane 41 and the gate position 221, distances X2 and Y2 between the end point 421 of the lane 42 and the gate position 221, and an end point 431 of the lane 43 and the gate position The distances X3 and Y3 between H.221 and H.221 are determined. X1 to X3 are obtained as the distance between the intersection point and the end point of the perpendicular and the extension when the perpendicular is drawn from the gate position 221 with respect to the extension extending in the traveling direction of the lane from the end points 411 to 431 of the lanes 41 to 43 . The distances Y1 to Y3 are obtained as the distance between the intersection and the gate position 221. In FIG. 3, X1, X2, and X3 are the same distance. Distance Y (Y1, Y2, Y3) sets

end point

411, 421, 431 as the reference (0 m) of distance, respectively, and the distance Y when the gate position is on the right in the traveling direction of the lane at the end point is a positive value Let the distance Y in the case of the left be a negative value.

In step S7, t1 = | Y1 / X1 |, t2 = | Y2 / X2 |, and t3 = | Y3 / X3 | are obtained. Here, with the extended line of the lane 41 as a reference (angle 0 degree), the angle in the clockwise direction formed by the end point 411 and the line 31 connecting the gate position 221 is taken as θ1. The angle in the clockwise direction formed by the end point 421 and the line 32 connecting the gate position 221 is set as θ2 with the extension line of the lane 42 as a reference (angle 0 degree). With the extension of the lane 43 as a reference (angle 0 degree), the angle in the clockwise direction formed by the end point 431 and the line 33 connecting the gate position 221 is θ3. In the example of FIG. 3, each angle is a positive value. In step S7, the tangent of the absolute value of each angle θ1, θ2, θ3 is determined. In other words, the absolute values (the vehicle body angles in the first embodiment) of the respective angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 are determined indirectly.

In addition, each

line

31, 32, 33 is the course of the vehicle when traveling on the toll plaza 30 after traveling on the

lanes

41, 42, 43, respectively, and in step S7, traveling on the toll plaza 30 The body angle of the body of the host vehicle with respect to the gate 22 (k) (the traveling direction of the vehicle at the gate 22 (k)) is obtained. The body angle is also the angle for each lane. The information on the toll plaza includes information such as distances X and Y for obtaining such a vehicle body angle.
The vehicle body angle calculated in this way may be stored in advance in the information of the toll plaza and the vehicle body angle may be obtained by simply reading out the vehicle body angle from the information of the toll plaza. The same applies to a vehicle body angle and a second vehicle body angle in Example 2 described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, for the gate position 221 when the gate 22 is the gate k, if the straight section 35 is installed in front of the gate, move to the road 40 side by the distance of the straight section 35 It is also good. The straight section 35 is a section where the vehicle travels in a straight line facing the gate, and the distance of the straight section 35 is set to, for example, about 30 m.

That is, the distance X1 between the gate position 221 and the end point 411, the distance X2 between the gate position 221 and the end point 421, and the distance X3 between the gate position 221 and the end point 431 As compared with the case of the above, it may be shorter by the distance of the straight section 35 respectively. Moreover, not only the gate 22 but any gate is the same.

Return to FIG. 2 and continue the description.
Step S9: Next, the target selecting unit 122 determines whether the value ti (referred to as tL) obtained in step S7 is larger than a predetermined threshold T for the lane (referred to as the lane L) in which the host vehicle is currently traveling. . If the value tL is less than the threshold T (tL ≦ T) (S9: NO), the process ends, and if the value tL is larger than the threshold T (tL> T) (S9: YES), the process proceeds to step S11.

If the value tL is less than the threshold T (tL ≦ T) (S9: NO), after traveling on the lane L, the vehicle body angle with respect to the target gate k when traveling on the tollgate square is small. Smooth running is easy. In other words, no lane change is necessary, thus ending the process.

On the other hand, if the value tL is larger than the threshold T (tL> T) (S9: YES), the vehicle angle with respect to the target gate k when traveling in the toll booth square after traveling in the lane L is large. Smooth running of the vehicle is difficult. That is, it is preferable to change lanes, and therefore, the process proceeds to step S11.

In FIG. 3, it is assumed that the lane 43 is the currently running lane L, and tL> T. In this case, it is necessary to perform a large steering operation before reaching the target gate 22 (k), that is, the required steering angle is large, and stable traveling is difficult. In addition, since the crossing points with the traveling tracks of the other vehicles entering the toll plaza 30 from the

other lanes

41 and 42 increase, smooth traveling becomes difficult.

In particular, in the case of an autonomous driving vehicle, there are the following problems. When the steering angle when going from the current lane to the target gate is large, the vehicle body angle with respect to the target gate becomes large, and the target gate can not enter into the range that can be recognized by the front recognition sensor such as a camera. It will be recognized immediately before. Therefore, recognition of gate information (for example, lane width and presence or absence of an entry bar) may be delayed, which may cause problems in automatic travel.

However, if the steering angle can be suppressed to a certain level or less, such possibility can be reduced and smooth travel route guidance can be performed.

On the other hand, when the value tL is less than the threshold T (tL ≦ T) (S9: NO), a large steering operation is not required (the steering angle is small), and there are few crossing points with the traveling tracks of other vehicles and smooth traveling The process is finished because it is easy and there are few inconveniences in the autonomous driving vehicle. That is, the vehicle body angle represents the ease of entering the gate from the lane on which the vehicle is currently traveling. The vehicle body angle can also be said to be the approach angle from the current lane.

The threshold value T can be determined experimentally from the structure of the toll booth. For example, the threshold value T can be determined based on the taper rate of the toll plaza set by the country or another group. Specifically, when there is a criterion that the taper rate is 1/7 or less, tan θ = 1 / (7 × 2) = 0.071, where θ is the slope of the curved portion 36 shown in FIG. Can be made 0.1 (approximate value of 0.071).

Return to FIG. 2 and continue the description.
Step S11: The target selection unit 122 selects a set S of lanes i whose value ti is equal to or less than the threshold T (ti ≦ T). The set S is a set of lanes i that can be entered at a vehicle body angle tan ⁻¹ T or less with respect to the target gate k.
Step S13: The target selection unit 122 next determines whether the number of elements in the set S (the number of lanes) is 0, that is, whether the set S includes at least one lane, and the number of elements is 1 or more. In the case of (S13: NO), the process proceeds to step S15, and when the number of elements is 0 (S13: YES), the process proceeds to step S17.

Step S15: Among the lanes included in the set S, the target selection unit 122 selects one lane that can be reached by the least number of lane changes from the currently traveling lane L, and proceeds to step S19. The selected lane is called a target lane M.
Step S17: The target selection unit 122 selects a lane i (referred to as a target lane M) having the smallest value ti, and proceeds to step S19. In step S15, there is no lane that can enter at a vehicle body angle tan ^-1 T or less with respect to the target gate k (S13: YES), so the target lane M with the smallest value ti is selected.

Step S19: The travel route plan generation unit 123 generates a travel route plan for changing the lane from the lane L to the target lane M, outputs it to the display circuit 13, and ends the processing.

The display circuit 13 performs display control of lane change on the HMI unit 7 based on the travel route plan input from the travel route plan generation circuit 12. The HMI unit 7 displays lane change on the screen of the navigation system 6. Thus, the driver of the host vehicle can change lanes from the lane L to the target lane M.

The target lane M may be displayed on the screen of the navigation system 6 without generating a travel route plan. Alternatively, the target lane M may be notified by voice. In addition, as in the second embodiment described later, steering or acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle may be automatically performed based on the travel route plan.

Thus, in the first embodiment, it is connected to the end point of the road (40) including the plurality of lanes (41 to 43) and in front of the toll booth (20) including the plurality of toll gate gates (21 to 25). The vehicle travels on the provided toll plaza (30), and before entering any of the toll gate gates, the lane on which the vehicle should travel is selected.

Specifically, first, one tollgate gate (22 (k)) is set out of a plurality of tollgate gates (S3), a plurality of lanes (41 to 43), and toll gate gates (22 (k)) ), The body angle which is the angle between the end of the lane (411 to 431) and the line connecting the tollgate gate (gate position 221) (31 to 33) and the extension extending from the end of the lane to the traveling direction of the lane Then, (θ1 to θ3) are obtained (S7). Then, as a lane to be traveled (target lane M), a lane having a smaller vehicle body angle than a lane having a large vehicle body angle is selected (S11).

As a result, there is no need for a large steering operation (small steering angle), there are few crossing points with the traveling tracks of other vehicles, smooth traveling is easy, and inconveniences in an autonomous driving vehicle are small. Therefore, smooth traveling of the vehicle can be enabled in the toll plaza.

In particular, by selecting the target lane (M) from a plurality of lanes based on the vehicle body angle obtained for a specific gate (target gate k), the target gate k can be selected depending on the type of gate and whether or not toll payment device. Even in the case of selecting the same, it is possible to enable smooth traveling on the toll plaza in the same way.
In addition, by changing the lane, the option of the gate that can be approached increases, so it is possible to guide the traveling route more smoothly.

(Example 2)
Next, Example 2 will be described.
In the second embodiment, the host vehicle travels on the toll plaza, and before entering any gate, a gate (referred to as a target gate) to which the host vehicle should enter is selected. The same or similar elements as or to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted or simplified.

As shown in FIG. 5, the host vehicle includes an actuator unit 9 in addition to the components of the host vehicle of the first embodiment. The actuator unit 9 is an actuator that changes the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 8A that is a control device for controlling the operation of the vehicle, an actuator that changes the operation amount of the brake pedal 8B that is a similar control device, and the same control device. It includes an actuator that changes the steering angle of a certain steering wheel 8C.
In addition to the components (11 to 13) of the ECU 1 of the first embodiment, the ECU 1 also includes a vehicle travel control circuit.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 obtains the vehicle body angle (the approach angle from the currently traveled lane to the gate) when traveling on the toll plaza in front of the toll booth. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the vehicle body angle (exit angle from the gate) when traveling on the second toll plaza provided at the end of the toll plaza is obtained. Each vehicle body angle is an angle formed by the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with respect to the traveling direction at each gate.

The target selection unit 122 selects a gate whose vehicle body angle is smaller than a gate whose vehicle body angle calculated by the vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 is larger as a target gate. In addition, the target selection unit 122 is an absolute value of the vehicle body angle (vehicle body angle) when traveling on the toll booth square in front of the toll booth and a vehicle body angle when traveling on the second toll plaza ahead of the toll booth square. The gate whose absolute value of difference is smaller than the gate whose absolute value of difference with the absolute value of (second vehicle body angle) is large is selected.
The travel route plan generation unit 123 generates a travel route plan for entering the target gate selected by the target selection unit 122, and outputs the generated travel route plan to the vehicle travel control circuit 14.

The vehicle travel control circuit 14 performs travel control of the vehicle based on the travel route plan input from the travel route plan generation circuit 12, and transmits a vehicle control signal to the actuator unit 9.
The actuator unit 9 changes the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 8A and the brake pedal 8B and the steering angle of the steering wheel 8C based on the vehicle control signal, and causes the host vehicle to travel along the route planning.

Next, with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 6, a vehicle travel determination method for selecting a target gate in the second embodiment will be described.

Step S1: The travel route plan generation circuit 12 acquires toll booth information from the map information as in the first embodiment, and the toll booth gate is open or closed from communication equipment installed near the host vehicle. Get passability information that indicates whether there are any.

Step S3: Next, the traveling route plan generation circuit 12 sets the type of gate i in advance as a policy from each gate i of the toll gate based on the type of gate and passability information included in the information of the toll gate A set G (set of gate candidates) that matches the type of gate and can pass through is selected. Here, for example, when the own vehicle has a toll payment apparatus, a gate G having a function of an automatic toll gate and a set G of passable gates i are selected. In addition, when it is possible to acquire the open / close state of the gate and the type of the gate from a nearby communication facility (for example, a notice antenna installed on a road in front of a toll gate), it may be acquired from the communication facility instead of map information. .
In step S3, that is, based on the gate open / close state and the type of the gate, the gate candidates included in the set G are narrowed down.

Step S5: Next, the traveling route plan generation circuit 12 determines whether the number of elements of the set G (the number of gates) is 0, that is, whether the set G includes at least one gate, and the number of elements is In the case of 0 (S5: YES), the process ends. In this case, selection of a target gate has failed. If the number of elements is one or more (S5: NO), the process proceeds to step S7.

Step S7: Based on the information on the toll plaza in front of the toll plaza, the vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 determines the end point (connection point to the toll plaza) and the gate i for each gate i of the set G. A distance Xi in the vehicle traveling direction between the above and the distance Yi in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle traveling direction between the end point of the lane L and the gate i is obtained.
Step S9: Next, the vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 obtains the value ti = Yi / Xi for each gate i.

This will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
7, the

gates

22, 23, 24, 25 of the toll booth 20 are elements of the set G, and the vehicle is traveling on the lane 43 (L) of the road 40 connected to the toll plaza 30 in front. . The traveling direction of the vehicle on the road 40 (the traveling direction of the lane) is indicated by reference numeral 45.

The end point 431 is the end point of the lane 43 (L), and the gate positions 221, 231, 241, and 251 are determined as the positions of the

gates

22, 23, 24, 25, respectively. The setting method of the end point and the gate position is the same as that of the first embodiment. The gate position may move toward the road 40 by the distance of the straight section 35 as shown in FIG.

In step S7, the distances X1 and Y1 between the end point 431 and the gate position 221, the distances X2 and Y2 between the end point 431 and the gate position 231, and the distances X3 and Y3 between the end point 431 and the gate position 241 And distances X 4 and Y 4 between the end point 431 and the gate position 251. In FIG. 7, X1, X2, X3 and X4 are the same distance. The distance Y (Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4) has the end point 431 as the reference (0 m) for the distance, and at the end point the distance Y when the gate position is on the right in the traveling direction of the lane is a positive value. The distance Y of the case is taken as a negative value. In the example of FIG. 7, each distance Y is also a positive value.

In step S9, t1 = Y1 / X1, t2 = Y2 / X2, t3 = Y3 / X3, and t4 = Y4 / X4 are obtained. Here, with the extension of the lane 43 as a reference (angle 0 degree), the angle in the clockwise direction formed by the end point 431 and the line 31 connecting the gate position 221 is θ1. With the extension of the lane 43 as a reference (angle 0 degree), the angle in the clockwise direction formed by the end point 431 and the line 32 connecting the gate position 231 is θ2. With the extension of the lane 43 as a reference (angle 0 degree), the angle in the clockwise direction formed by the end point 431 and the line 33 connecting the gate position 241 is θ3. With the extension of the lane 43 as a reference (angle 0 degree), the angle in the clockwise direction formed by the end point 431 and the line 34 connecting the gate position 251 is θ4. In the example of FIG. 6, each angle is a positive value. In step S9, the tangent of each of the angles θ1, θ2, θ3 and θ4 is determined. In other words, the angles θ1, θ2, θ3 and θ4 are indirectly determined.

Each of the

lines

31, 32, 33, 34 is the route of the vehicle when traveling on the toll plaza 30 after traveling on the lane 43, and in step S9, each gate on traveling the toll plaza 30 The vehicle body angle of the vehicle body of the own vehicle with respect to (the traveling direction of the vehicle at the gate) is obtained. The vehicle body angle is also an angle with respect to the lane 43.

Returning to FIG. 6, the description will be continued.
Step S11: Next, based on the information on the toll plaza after passing the toll plaza, the vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 for each gate i of the set G tries to enter lanes after passing the toll plaza (referred to as lane N). A distance Ui in the vehicle traveling direction between the start point (a connection point to the toll plaza) and the gate i, and a distance Vi in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle traveling direction between the start point of the lane N and the gate i are determined.
Step S13: Next, the vehicle body angle calculation unit 121 obtains the value si = Vi / Ui for each gate i of the set G.

This will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 8,

gates

22, 23, 24, 25 of toll booth 20 are elements of set G, and the vehicle is in

lanes

61, 62 of road 60 connected to toll plaza 50 after passing the toll plaza, You are about to enter lane 61 (N). That is, the target route 601 of the vehicle is set to the lane 61. The traveling direction of the vehicle on the road 60 is indicated by reference numeral 45.

The start point 611 is the start point of the lane 61 (N), and the gate positions 222, 232, 242, 252 are respectively determined as the positions of the

gates

22, 23, 24, 25 of the set G. The setting method of the start point is the same as the setting method of the lane end point. The gate positions 222, 232, 242, 252 may be, for example, the side positions of the toll plaza 50 side end of the island 26 in each of the

gates

22, 23, 24, 25. For example, the gate position is on the center line of the gate. The gate position may be moved to the side of the road 60 by the distance of the straight section 35 when the straight section 35 as shown in FIG.

In step S11, distances U1 and V1 between the start point 611 and the gate position 222, distances U2 and V2 between the start point 611 and the gate position 232, and distances U3 and V3 between the start point 611 and the gate position 242 And distances U 4 and V 4 between the starting point 611 and the gate position 252. In FIG. 8, U1, U2, U3, and U4 are the same distance. The distance V (V1, V2, V3, V4) uses the gate positions 222, 232, 242, 252 as the reference (0 m) for the distance, and at the gate position, the starting point 611 is on the right in the traveling direction of the vehicle at the gate The distance V in the case is a positive value, and the distance V in the case of a left is a negative value. In the example of FIG. 7, V1 and V2 are negative values, and V3 and V4 are positive values.

In step S13, s1 = V1 / U1, s2 = V2 / U2, s3 = V3 / U3, and s4 = V4 / U4 are determined. Here, a line extending from the gate position 222 in the traveling direction of the vehicle at the gate is taken as a reference (0 degrees), and a clockwise angle formed by the starting point 611 and the line 51 connecting the gate position 222 is θ11. A line extending from the gate position 232 in the traveling direction of the vehicle at the gate is taken as a reference (0 degree), and a clockwise angle formed by the start point 611 and the line 52 connecting the gate position 232 is θ12. A line extending from the gate position 242 in the traveling direction of the vehicle at the gate is taken as a reference (0 degree), and an angle formed by the starting point 611 and the line 53 connecting the gate position 242 is θ13. A line extending from the gate position 252 in the traveling direction of the vehicle at the gate is taken as a reference (0 degree), and a clockwise angle formed by the starting point 611 and the line 54 connecting the gate position 252 is θ14. In the example of FIG. 8, the angles θ11 and θ12 are negative values, and the angles θ13 and θ14 are positive values.

In step S13, tangents of the respective angles θ11, θ12, θ13, and θ14 are obtained. In other words, the angles θ11, θ12, θ13, and θ14 are indirectly determined.

Each of the

lines

51, 52, 53, 54 is the course of the vehicle from leaving the toll booth 20 to entering the lane 61, and in step S15, leaving the toll booth 20, the lane 61 The body angle of the host vehicle with respect to each gate (the traveling direction of the vehicle at the gate) until entering is obtained. The vehicle body angle is also an angle with respect to the lane 61. Moreover, this vehicle body angle can also be called the exit angle from the gate. The exit angle can be said to indicate the ease of return to the target travel route after passing the gate.

Returning to FIG. 6, the description will be continued.
Step S15: Next, the target selection unit 122 determines from the set G that the absolute value of the value ti is less than the threshold T (| ti | <T) and the absolute value of the value si is less than the threshold T (| si | <T). And select a set H of lanes i. The threshold T can be determined by the same method as in the first embodiment. The threshold for the absolute value of the value ti may be different from the threshold for the absolute value of the value si.

Step S17: The target selection unit 122 determines whether the number of elements of the set H (the number of gates) is 0, that is, whether H includes at least one gate, and if the number of elements is 0 (S17 : YES), proceed to step S19, and if the number of elements is 1 or more (S17: NO), proceed to step S21.

Step S19: The target selection unit 122 selects, from the set G, a gate i having the smallest absolute value (|| ti |-| si ||) of the difference between the absolute value of ti and the absolute value of si as a target gate. And finish the process.

Step S21: The target selection unit 122 selects, from the set H, the gate i with the smallest absolute value (|| ti |-| si ||) of the difference between the absolute value of ti and the absolute value of si as a target gate. And finish the process.

In step S19 and step S21, although the set to be selected is different, a gate with the smallest || ti |-| si || is selected. That is, the gate with the smallest difference between the vehicle body angle before entering the toll booth and the vehicle body angle after leaving the toll booth is selected as the target gate. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the difficulty and discomfort of driving due to the difference of the vehicle body angle before and after the toll booth.

The travel route plan generation unit 123 generates a travel route plan for entering the selected target gate, and outputs the generated travel route plan to the vehicle travel control circuit 14.

The vehicle travel control circuit 14 transmits a vehicle control signal to the actuator unit 9 based on the travel route plan input from the travel route plan generation unit 123.
The actuator unit 9 changes the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 8A and the brake pedal 8B and the steering angle of the steering wheel 8C based on the vehicle control signal, and causes the host vehicle to approach the target gate.

The target gate may be displayed on the screen of the navigation system 6 without generating a travel route plan. Alternatively, the target gate may be notified by voice.

In that case, the vehicle travel control circuit 14 and the actuator unit 9 may not be provided in the host vehicle. Conversely, in the first embodiment, the vehicle travel control circuit 14 and the actuator unit 9 may be provided to automatically change lanes.
Further, in the second embodiment, after step S9, the gate with the smallest absolute value of the value ti may be selected as the target gate. In this case, the process after step S11 is unnecessary.

Thus, in the second embodiment, it is connected to the end point of the road (40) including the plurality of lanes (41 to 43) and in front of the toll booth (20) including the plurality of toll gate gates (21 to 25). The vehicle travels on the provided toll plaza (30), and before entering any toll gate, the gate to which the vehicle should enter is selected.

Specifically, the lane end point (431) and the toll gate gate (gate positions 221 to 251) are connected for the lane (43 (L)) on which the vehicle is currently traveling and the plurality of toll gate gates (22 to 25). A body angle (| ti | (| θ1 | to | θ4 |)) which is an angle formed by the line (31 to 34) and an extension extending in the traveling direction of the vehicle from the end point of the lane is obtained (S9). Then, as the tollgate gate to which the host vehicle traveling in the lane (43 (L)) should enter, the tollgate gate having a smaller body angle than the toll gate with a large body angle is selected (S15).

This eliminates the need for a large steering operation when entering from the lane to the toll plaza (30) or entering from the toll plaza (30) to the toll gate. That is, the steering angle is reduced. In addition, the crossing point with the traveling track of the other vehicle is small, and the inconvenience in the autonomous driving vehicle can be reduced, so that the own vehicle can smoothly travel in the toll plaza (30). In addition, while maintaining the lane currently traveled, it can travel smoothly toward an appropriate gate.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the second lane (61 (N)), which is the lane in which the vehicle travels after passing the toll gate, and the second lane for the plurality of toll gate (22 to 25). The second body, which is the angle between the starting point (611) and the line (51-54) connecting the tollgate gates (gate positions 222-252) and the line from the tollgate gate to the direction of travel of the vehicle at the tollgate gate. The angle (si (θ11 to θ14)) is obtained (S13). Then, as a tollgate gate to which the vehicle should enter, the difference is greater than the tollgate gate where the absolute value (|| ti |-| si ||) of the difference between the absolute value of the vehicle body angle and the absolute value of the second vehicle body angle is large. The toll gate whose absolute value is small is selected (S19, S21).

Thereby, the change of the steering angle before and behind a toll gate gate can be made small, and the smooth driving | running | working of the own vehicle in not only a toll gate open space (30) but a toll gate open space (50) can be enabled. In other words, a large steering operation is not required (the steering angle is small) when entering the toll booth square (50) from the toll booth gate or leaving the toll booth square (50). In addition, the crossing point with the traveling track of the other vehicle is small, and the inconvenience in the autonomous driving vehicle can be reduced, so that the own vehicle can smoothly travel in the toll plaza (50).

In the present embodiment, the vehicle travel determination device is mounted on the target vehicle traveling on the toll plaza. However, the vehicle travel determination device is mounted on a server device that can communicate with the target vehicle or other vehicle that is not the target vehicle, and necessary information and instructions are transmitted and received by communication between the server device or the other vehicle and the target vehicle The vehicle travel judgment method of may be performed remotely. Communication between the server device and the target vehicle can be performed by wireless communication or road-vehicle communication. Communication between the other vehicle and the target vehicle can be performed by so-called inter-vehicle communication.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should not be understood that the descriptions and the drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples and operation techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

1 ECU (Electronic Control Unit)
Reference Signs List 2 external sensor unit 3 internal sensor unit 4 GPS (Global Positioning System) radio wave receiving unit 5 map database 6 navigation system 7 HMI (human machine interface) unit 9 actuator unit 11 vehicle position estimation circuit 12 travel route plan generation circuit 13 display circuit 14 Vehicle Driving Control Circuit 121 Vehicle Body Angle Calculator (Car Body Angle Calculator)
122 Target Selection Unit (Target Selection Circuit)
123 travel route plan generation unit 20 toll booth 21 to 25 gate 30 toll booth 50 second toll plaza 41 to 43, 61, 62 lane 45 traveling direction of vehicle (traveling direction of lane)
221, 231, 241, 251, 222, 232, 242, 252

Gate position

411, 421, 431 End point of lane 611 Start point of lane X1, X2, X3, X4, Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, U1, U2, U3 , U4, V1, V2, V3, V4 distance

Claims

Before a vehicle travels on a toll plaza provided at the end of a road including a plurality of lanes and provided in front of a toll booth including a plurality of toll plaza gates, before entering any of the toll plaza gates, A vehicle travel judgment method of a vehicle travel judgment device for selecting a lane on which the vehicle should travel or a toll gate to which the vehicle should approach,
For each lane or each toll gate gate, a vehicle body angle which is an angle formed by a line connecting the end point of the lane and the toll gate gate and an extension extending in the traveling direction of the lane from the end point of the lane Ask for
The lane where the vehicle body angle is smaller than the lane where the vehicle body angle is large is selected as the lane on which the vehicle should travel, or the vehicle body from the toll gate gate where the vehicle body angle is large as the tollgate gate where the vehicle should enter A vehicle travel judging method characterized by selecting a toll gate with a small angle.
Set up one toll gate from among the toll gate gates,
Determining the vehicle body angle for the plurality of lanes and the one toll gate gate;
The method according to claim 1, wherein the lane to be traveled when entering the one toll gate is selected from the lane having a smaller vehicle body angle than the lane having a large vehicle body angle.
Determining the body angle for the lane where the vehicle is currently traveling and the plurality of toll gate gates;
The vehicle travel judging method according to claim 1, wherein the tollgate gate having the smaller vehicle body angle is selected as the tollgate gate to which the vehicle should enter than the tollgate gate having the large vehicle body angle.
Determine the body angle for one lane and a plurality of toll gate gates;
A second lane, which is a lane along which the vehicle travels after passing the toll gate, and a plurality of toll gate gates, from the line connecting the start point of the second lane to the toll gate and the toll gate Determine a second vehicle body angle which is an angle formed by a line extending in the traveling direction of the vehicle at the toll gate gate,
As the tollgate gate to which the vehicle should enter, the tollgate gate whose absolute value of the difference is smaller than the tollgate gate of which the absolute value of the difference between the absolute value of the body angle and the absolute value of the second body angle is large. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is selected.
Before a vehicle travels on a toll plaza provided at the end of a road including a plurality of lanes and provided in front of a toll booth including a plurality of toll plaza gates, before entering any of the toll plaza gates, A vehicle travel judging device for selecting a lane on which the vehicle should travel or a toll gate to which the vehicle should approach,
For each lane or each toll gate gate, a vehicle body angle which is an angle formed by a line connecting the end point of the lane and the toll gate gate and an extension extending in the traveling direction of the lane from the end point of the lane A required vehicle body angle calculation circuit,
The lane where the vehicle body angle is smaller than the lane where the vehicle body angle is large is selected as the lane on which the vehicle should travel, or the vehicle body from the toll gate gate where the vehicle body angle is large as the tollgate gate where the vehicle should enter And a target selection circuit for selecting a toll gate with a small angle.