WO2022144976A1

WO2022144976A1 - Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2022144976A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/049143
Authority: WO
Inventors: 勝也八代; 宏史小黒; 圭輔畑; 真吾伊藤; 歩堀場; 忠彦加納
Original assignee: 本田技研工業株式会社
Priority date: 2020-12-28
Filing date: 2020-12-28
Publication date: 2022-07-07
Also published as: JPWO2022144976A1

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle control device comprising: a recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding condition of a vehicle; a driving control unit that controls one or both of steering and acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle without relying on an operation by the driver of the vehicle; and a mode-setting unit that sets the driving mode of the vehicle to any of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode. The recognition unit recognizes the existence of a vehicle speed limit area within a reference distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the mode-setting unit restricts execution of the second driving mode in response to recognition of the vehicle speed limit area by the recognition unit.

Description

Vehicle control devices, vehicle control methods, and programs

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program.

Conventionally, it is acquired by a storage determination processing unit that repeatedly determines the presence or absence of high-precision map information for the road on which the own vehicle has passed, a storage information acquisition processing unit that acquires information indicating the result of the repeated determination, and a storage information acquisition processing unit. The invention of an in-vehicle system including an automatic driving possibility notification unit for notifying the information is disclosed (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-189594

In the conventional technique, the information stored in the map is used to mechanically notify the possibility of automatic operation, but there are cases where flexible and stepwise control cannot be performed according to the existence of the speed limit area.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and provides a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program capable of performing flexible and stepwise control according to the existence of a speed limiting area. That is one of the purposes.

The vehicle control device according to the present invention has the following configuration.
(1): The vehicle control device according to one aspect of the present invention has a recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, and one or both of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle regardless of the operation of the driver of the vehicle. The operation control unit for controlling the vehicle and the operation mode of the vehicle are determined to be one of a plurality of operation modes including a first operation mode and a second operation mode, and the second operation mode is the operation. The task assigned to the person is a light operation mode as compared with the first operation mode, and at least a part of the plurality of operation modes including the second operation mode is controlled by the operation control unit. The recognition unit includes a mode determination unit that changes the operation mode of the vehicle to an operation mode in which the task is more severe when the task related to the determined operation mode is not executed by the driver. Recognizing that a speed limit area for the vehicle exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle, the mode determination unit recognizes the speed limit area due to the recognition unit recognizing the speed limit area. It limits the implementation of the second operation mode.

(2): In the aspect of (1) above, the recognition unit performs recognition based on the detection result of the external world sensor and recognition based on the map information, and the map information including the speed information of the vehicle and the vehicle. Based on the position information of the vehicle, it is recognized that the speed limiting area for the vehicle exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle.

(3): In the embodiment of (1) above, the recognition unit has either map information including vehicle speed information, position information of the vehicle, or output information of a recognition device that recognizes peripheral objects of the vehicle. However, when it is shown that the speed limiting area for the vehicle exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle, the existence of the speed limiting area is recognized.

(4): In the aspect of (1) above, the second operation mode is an operation mode in which the driver is not tasked with grasping an operator that accepts a steering operation, and the first operation mode is. This is an operation mode in which the driver needs to operate the vehicle for at least one of steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle.

(5): In the aspect of (1) above, the second operation mode is an operation mode in which the driver is not tasked with grasping an operator that accepts a steering operation.
The first operation mode is an operation mode in which the driver is tasked with at least a task of grasping the operator that accepts a steering operation by the driver.

(6): In the aspect of (1) above, the second driving mode is a driving mode for automatically or partially automatically changing lanes, and the first driving mode is automatically or partially. This is a driving mode that does not partially automatically change lanes.

(7): In the embodiment of (1) above, the mode determination unit recognizes that the vehicle has entered the speed limit area, or the vehicle enters the speed limit area. In the foreground, the implementation of the second operation mode is restricted.

(8): In the vehicle control method according to another aspect of the present invention, the computer mounted on the vehicle recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle and steers or adds the vehicle without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle. One or both of the decelerations are controlled, and the driving mode of the vehicle is determined to be one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, and the second driving mode is The task imposed on the driver is a light driving mode as compared with the first driving mode, and at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is of the driver of the vehicle. It is performed by controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle without depending on the operation, and when the task related to the determined driving mode is not executed by the driver, the vehicle is switched to a driving mode in which the task is more severe. The second driving mode is changed, the speed limit area for the vehicle is recognized within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle, and the speed limit area is recognized. It limits the implementation of the operation mode.

(9): The program according to another aspect of the present invention causes a computer mounted on the vehicle to recognize the surrounding situation of the vehicle, and steers or accelerates / decelerates the vehicle without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle. One or both of them are controlled, and the operation mode of the vehicle is determined to be one of a plurality of operation modes including a first operation mode and a second operation mode, and the second operation mode is the operation. The task assigned to the person is a light operation mode as compared with the first operation mode, and at least a part of the plurality of operation modes including the second operation mode is controlled, and the determined operation mode is controlled. When the task according to the above is not executed by the driver, the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which the task is more severe, and the speed limit area for the vehicle exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle. This is to limit the implementation of the second operation mode due to the recognition of the speed limit area.

According to the above aspects (1) to (9), flexible and stepwise control can be performed according to the existence of the speed limiting area.

It is a block diagram of the vehicle system using the vehicle control device which concerns on embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the 1st control unit and the 2nd control unit. It is a figure which shows an example of the correspondence relation of a driving mode, a control state of own vehicle, and a task. It is a figure for demonstrating the control when passing through a speed limiting area. It is a figure for demonstrating the control when passing through a speed limiting area. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process executed by the recognition unit 130 and the mode determination unit 150 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the flow of the process executed by the recognition unit 130 and the mode determination unit 150 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process executed by the recognition unit 130 and the mode determination unit 150 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the flow of the process executed by the recognition unit 130 and the mode determination unit 150 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

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

<First Embodiment>
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or a four-wheeled vehicle, and the drive source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates by using the electric power generated by the generator connected to the internal combustion engine or the electric power generated by the secondary battery or the fuel cell.

The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ringing) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, and a vehicle sensor 40. , A navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driving controller 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a traveling driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and devices are connected to each other by multiple communication lines such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication lines, serial communication lines, wireless communication networks, and the like. The camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 are examples of "outside world sensors." The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or another configuration may be added.

The camera 10 is a digital camera that uses a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to an arbitrary position of the vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted (hereinafter referred to as the own vehicle M). When photographing the front, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the back surface of the rear-view mirror, and the like. The camera 10 periodically and repeatedly images the periphery of the own vehicle M, for example. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera. The camera 10 is an example of a "recognition device".

The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves around the own vehicle M, and also detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by the object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to an arbitrary position on the own vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and velocity of the object by the FM-CW (Frequency Modified Continuous Wave) method.

LIDAR14 irradiates the periphery of the own vehicle M with light (or an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength close to that of light) and measures scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. The emitted light is, for example, a pulsed laser beam. The LIDAR 14 is attached to any position on the own vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results of a part or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14, and recognizes the position, type, speed, and the like of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic operation control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to the automatic operation control device 100 as they are. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

The communication device 20 communicates with another vehicle existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle M by using, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or wirelessly. Communicates with various server devices via the base station.

The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the own vehicle M and accepts input operations by the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys and the like.

The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the own vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the angular velocity around the vertical axis, an orientation sensor that detects the direction of the own vehicle M, and the like.

The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds the first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the own vehicle M based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The position of the own vehicle M may be specified or complemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or wholly shared with the above-mentioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53, for example, has a route from the position of the own vehicle M (or an arbitrary position input) specified by the GNSS receiver 51 to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52 (hereinafter,). The route on the map) is determined with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which a road shape is expressed by a link indicating a road and a node connected by the link. The first map information 54 may include road curvature, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like. The route on the map is output to MPU60. The navigation device 50 may provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized by, for example, the function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by an occupant. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20 and acquire a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and holds the second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, divides the route into 100 [m] units with respect to the vehicle traveling direction), and refers to the second map information 62. Determine the recommended lane for each block. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines which lane to drive from the left. When a branch point exists on the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the own vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route to proceed to the branch destination.

The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of the lane, information on the boundary of the lane, and the like. Further, the second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information including a speed limit, address information (address / zip code), facility information, telephone number information, road sign information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by the communication device 20 communicating with another device.

The driver monitor camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera that uses a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS. The driver monitor camera 70 is a position and orientation in which the head of an occupant (hereinafter referred to as a driver) seated in the driver's seat of the own vehicle M can be imaged from the front (in the direction in which the face is imaged), and is arbitrary in the own vehicle M. It can be attached to a place. For example, the driver monitor camera 70 is attached to the upper part of the display device provided in the central portion of the instrument panel of the own vehicle M.

The driving controller 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, and other controls in addition to the steering wheel 82. A sensor for detecting the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation is attached to the operation controller 80, and the detection result is the automatic operation control device 100, or the traveling driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device. It is output to a part or all of 220. The steering wheel 82 is an example of an “operator that accepts a steering operation by the driver”. The operator does not necessarily have to be annular, and may be in the form of a deformed steer, a joystick, a button, or the like. A steering grip sensor 84 is attached to the steering wheel 82. The steering grip sensor 84 is realized by a capacitance sensor or the like, and automatically outputs a signal capable of detecting whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel 82 (meaning that the steering wheel 82 is in contact with the steering wheel 82). It is output to the operation control device 100.

The automatic operation control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software), respectively. In addition, some or all of these components are hardware (circuits) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). It may be realized by the part; including circuitry), or it may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device including a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100, or may be detachable such as a DVD or a CD-ROM. It is stored in a storage medium, and may be installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100 by mounting the storage medium (non-transient storage medium) in the drive device. The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of the "vehicle control device", and a combination of the action plan generation unit 140 and the second control unit 160, which will be described later, is an example of the "operation control unit".

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130, an action plan generation unit 140, and a mode determination unit 150. The first control unit 120, for example, realizes a function by AI (Artificial Intelligence) and a function by a model given in advance in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing an intersection" is executed in parallel with the recognition of an intersection by deep learning or the like and the recognition based on predetermined conditions (there are signals that can be matched with patterns, road markings, etc.). It may be realized by scoring and comprehensively evaluating. This ensures the reliability of automated driving.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, speed, acceleration, and other states of objects around the own vehicle M based on the information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. do. The position of the object is recognized as, for example, a position on absolute coordinates with the representative point (center of gravity, center of drive axis, etc.) of the own vehicle M as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by a region. The "state" of an object may include the object's acceleration, jerk, or "behavioral state" (eg, whether it is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

Further, the recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, the lane (traveling lane) in which the own vehicle M is traveling. For example, the recognition unit 130 has a road lane marking pattern (for example, an arrangement of a solid line and a broken line) obtained from the second map information 62 and a road lane marking around the own vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. By comparing with the pattern of, the driving lane is recognized. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the traveling lane by recognizing not only the road marking line but also the running road boundary (road boundary) including the road marking line, the shoulder, the median strip, the guardrail, and the like. .. In this recognition, the position of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by the INS may be added. The recognition unit 130 also recognizes stop lines, obstacles, red lights, tollhouses, and other road events.

When recognizing the traveling lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. The recognition unit 130 determines, for example, the deviation of the reference point of the own vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle formed with respect to the line connecting the center of the lane in the traveling direction of the own vehicle M with respect to the relative position of the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. And may be recognized as a posture. Instead, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position of the reference point of the own vehicle M with respect to any side end portion (road division line or road boundary) of the traveling lane as the relative position of the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. You may.

In principle, the action plan generation unit 140 travels in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61, and the own vehicle M automatically (driver) so as to be able to respond to the surrounding conditions of the own vehicle M. Generate a target track to travel in the future (regardless of the operation of). The target trajectory contains, for example, a speed element. For example, the target track is expressed as an arrangement of points (track points) to be reached by the own vehicle M in order. The track point is a point to be reached by the own vehicle M for each predetermined mileage (for example, about several [m]) along the road, and separately, for a predetermined sampling time (for example, about 0 comma number [sec]). ) Target velocity and target acceleration are generated as part of the target trajectory. Further, the track point may be a position to be reached by the own vehicle M at the sampling time for each predetermined sampling time. In this case, the information of the target velocity and the target acceleration is expressed by the interval of the orbital points.

The action plan generation unit 140 may set an event for automatic driving when generating a target trajectory. Autonomous driving events include constant speed driving events, low speed following driving events, lane change events, branching events, merging events, takeover events, and the like. The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory according to the activated event.

The mode determination unit 150 determines the operation mode of the own vehicle M to be one of a plurality of operation modes in which the task imposed on the driver is different. The mode determination unit 150 includes, for example, a driver state determination unit 152 and a mode change processing unit 154. These individual functions will be described later.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence relationship between the driving mode, the control state of the own vehicle M, and the task. The operation mode of the own vehicle M includes, for example, five modes from mode A to mode E. The degree of automation of the control state, that is, the operation control of the own vehicle M, is highest in mode A, then in the order of mode B, mode C, and mode D, and is lowest in mode E. On the contrary, the task imposed on the driver is the mildest in mode A, followed by mode B, mode C, and mode D in that order, and mode E is the most severe. Since the modes D and E are in a control state that is not automatic driving, the automatic driving control device 100 is responsible for ending the control related to automatic driving and shifting to driving support or manual driving. Hereinafter, the contents of each operation mode will be illustrated. Note that mode A and / or mode B is an example of a "second operation mode", and a part or all of modes C, mode D, and mode E is an example of a "first operation mode".

In mode A, the vehicle is in an automatic driving state, and neither forward monitoring nor gripping of the steering wheel 82 (steering gripping in the figure) is imposed on the driver. However, even in mode A, the driver is required to be in a position to quickly shift to manual operation in response to a request from the system centered on the automatic operation control device 100. The term "automatic driving" as used herein means that both steering and acceleration / deceleration are controlled without depending on the driver's operation. The front means the space in the traveling direction of the own vehicle M that is visually recognized through the front windshield. Mode A is a condition that the own vehicle M is traveling at a predetermined speed (for example, about 50 [km / h]) or less on a motorway such as an expressway, and there is a vehicle in front to be followed. It is an operation mode that can be executed when is satisfied, and may be referred to as TJP (Traffic Jam Pilot). When this condition is no longer satisfied, the mode determination unit 150 changes the operation mode of the own vehicle M to the mode B.

In mode B, the driver is in a driving support state, and the driver is tasked with monitoring the front of the own vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as forward monitoring), but is not tasked with gripping the steering wheel 82. In mode C, the driving support state is set, and the driver is tasked with the task of forward monitoring and the task of gripping the steering wheel 82. Mode D is a driving mode that requires a certain degree of driving operation by the driver with respect to at least one of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle M. For example, in mode D, driving support such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) or LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) is provided. In mode E, both steering and acceleration / deceleration are in a state of manual operation that requires a driving operation by the driver. In both mode D and mode E, the driver is naturally tasked with monitoring the front of the vehicle M.

The automatic driving control device 100 (and the driving support device (not shown)) executes the lane change according to the driving mode. The lane change includes a lane change (1) according to a system request and a lane change (2) according to a driver request. The lane change (1) is to change the lane for overtaking and to proceed toward the destination, which is performed when the speed of the vehicle in front is smaller than the standard with respect to the speed of the own vehicle. There is a lane change (a lane change due to a change in the recommended lane). The lane change (2) changes the lane of the own vehicle M toward the operation direction when the direction indicator is operated by the driver when the conditions related to the speed and the positional relationship with the surrounding vehicles are satisfied. It is something that makes you.

The automatic driving control device 100 does not execute either the lane change (1) or (2) in the mode A. The driving support device (not shown) executes both the lane change (1) and (2) in mode B. The driving support device (not shown) does not execute the lane change (1) but executes the lane change (2) in the mode C. The driving support device (not shown) does not execute any of the lane changes (1) and (2) in modes D and E. The mode in which the lane change (1) is not executed and the lane change (2) is executed, or the lane change (2) is not executed and the lane change (1) is executed is "partially automatic. This is an example of "changing lanes". The driving support device (not shown) may be one that performs a partially automatic lane change in mode B.

The mode determination unit 150 changes the operation mode of the own vehicle M to an operation mode in which the task is more severe when the task related to the determined operation mode (hereinafter referred to as the current operation mode) is not executed by the driver.

For example, in mode A, when the driver is in a position where he / she cannot shift to manual driving in response to a request from the system (for example, when he / she continues to look outside the permissible area or when a sign that driving becomes difficult is detected. ), The mode determination unit 150 uses the HMI 30 to urge the driver to shift to manual driving, and if the driver does not respond, the own vehicle M is moved to the shoulder of the road and gradually stopped, and automatic driving is stopped. I do. After the automatic driving is stopped, the own vehicle is in the mode D or E, and the own vehicle M can be started by the manual operation of the driver. Hereinafter, the same applies to "stop automatic operation". When the driver is not monitoring the front in mode B, the mode determination unit 150 urges the driver to monitor the front using the HMI 30, and if the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought to the shoulder and gradually stopped. , Stop automatic operation, and so on. If the driver is not monitoring the front in mode C, or is not gripping the steering wheel 82, the mode determination unit 150 uses the HMI 30 to give the driver forward monitoring and / or grip the steering wheel 82. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought closer to the road shoulder and gradually stopped, and automatic driving is stopped.

The driver state determination unit 152 monitors the driver's state for the above mode change, and determines whether or not the driver's state is in a state corresponding to the task. For example, the driver state determination unit 152 analyzes the image captured by the driver monitor camera 70 and performs posture estimation processing, and whether or not the driver is in a position where he / she cannot shift to manual driving in response to a request from the system. To judge. Further, the driver state determination unit 152 analyzes the image captured by the driver monitor camera 70 and performs line-of-sight estimation processing to determine whether or not the driver is monitoring the front.

The mode change processing unit 154 performs various processes for changing the mode. For example, the mode change processing unit 154 instructs the action plan generation unit 140 to generate a target trajectory for shoulder stop, gives an operation instruction to a driving support device (not shown), and gives an action to the driver. HMI30 is controlled to encourage.

The second control unit 160 sets the traveling driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the own vehicle M passes the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at the scheduled time. Control.

Returning to FIG. 2, the second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires the information of the target trajectory (orbit point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the traveling driving force output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on the speed element associated with the target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the degree of bending of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized by, for example, a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 executes a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road in front of the own vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target track.

The traveling driving force output device 200 outputs the traveling driving force (torque) for the vehicle to travel to the drive wheels. The traveling driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls them. The ECU controls the above configuration according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation controller 80.

The brake device 210 includes, for example, 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 brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation controller 80 so that the brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include a mechanism for transmitting the hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the operation operator 80 to the cylinder via the master cylinder as a backup. The brake device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above, and is an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to the information input from the second control unit 160 to transmit the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder. May be good.

The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, exerts a force on the rack and pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation controller 80, and changes the direction of the steering wheel.

[Control according to the speed limit area]
Hereinafter, the content of control regarding the end of modes A or B according to the speed limiting area will be described. The recognition unit 130 recognizes that there is a speed limit area in which the mode A or B should be terminated within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M. The recognition unit 130 is set to pass the speed limit area, for example, when the recommended lane determined by the MPU 60 passes through the speed limit area, and the speed limit is detected by the object recognition device 16 within a reference distance. Recognize that a restricted area exists. The mode determination unit 150 limits the mode A or B because the recognition unit 130 recognizes the speed limiting area. Note that "restricting" a mode means that in addition to changing the mode to mode C, D, or E, a part of the function of the mode is stopped or reduced without changing the current mode. do. For example, when mode B is restricted, steering grip is basically unnecessary, but when changing lanes or entering a branch road, steering grip is required to manually change lanes or enter a branch road. It is conceivable to execute with.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining control when passing through the speed limit area. In the scene of this figure, the own vehicle M is traveling on the main line ML, and the route on the map to enter the branch road SL in order to reach the destination is determined. The MPU 60 sets recommended lanes based on the route on the map. In the figure, the arrow RL indicates a guidance route in which the recommended lanes are connected. TS is a road sign indicating a speed limit, and indicates that the legal speed on the branch road SL is 40 km / h as an example.

The recognition unit 130 first recognizes that the own vehicle M should enter the speed limit area (that is, the branch road SL) based on the recommended route acquired from the MPU 60. At this time, the recognition unit 130 provides information including at least the start point SP, the boundary line BL, the road sign TS, and the image of the speed limit area (hereinafter referred to as “speed limit area information”) in the second map information 62. Get from. At the same time, the recognition unit 130 acquires the speed limiting area information acquired by the camera 10, the radar device 12, or the LIDAR 14 from the object recognition device 16. Next, the recognition unit 130 compares the speed limit area information acquired from the second map information 62 with the speed limit area information acquired from the object recognition device 16, and determines whether or not these information match. judge. The recognition unit 130 recognizes that these information match, and the distance between the own vehicle M and the start point SP is the reference distance D based on the position of the own vehicle M and the position of the start point SP in the speed limiting area. When it recognizes that the following has occurred, it notifies the mode determination unit 150 to that effect. The mode determination unit 150 limits the operation mode when the operation mode at that time is mode A or B in response to the notification from the recognition unit 130. "Restricting the operation mode" means limiting the implementation of the above-mentioned second operation mode and switching to the first operation mode at an appropriate timing. The same applies hereinafter. As a result, when the second map information 62 stores erroneous speed limiting area information, it is different from the speed limiting area information acquired from the object recognition device 16, so that it is possible to prevent the operation mode from being erroneously restricted. Can be done.

Note that the mode determination unit 150 may execute mode C in the middle until the operation mode is changed from mode A or B to mode D or E. In this case, if the driver does not grip the steering wheel 82 during the period of mode C, the action plan generation unit 140 temporarily stops the own vehicle on the shoulder or the like, and then sets the operation mode to mode D or E. You may change it. Further, the operation mode may be changed from mode A or B to mode C instead of changing the operation mode from mode A or B to mode D or E.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining control when passing through the speed limit area. In the scene of this figure, the own vehicle M has entered the branch road SL, and the route on the map that goes straight on the branch road SL is determined. Unlike FIG. 4, the road sign TS is not set in FIG. Therefore, the own vehicle M cannot acquire the speed limit area information regarding the road sign TS from the object recognition device 16, and as a result, the own vehicle M has the branch road SL in the speed limit area. It is assumed that the vehicle has entered the branch road SL in the mode A or B.

At this time, the recognition unit 130 has acquired the speed limit area information regarding the branch road SL from the second map information 62 in advance. On the other hand, the recognition unit 130 acquires image information from the object recognition device 16 when the own vehicle M crosses the boundary line BL and enters the branch road SL. This image information includes, for example, information indicating that the route of the three lanes in which the own vehicle M was traveling has changed to one lane, and image information crossing the boundary line BL. Therefore, the recognition unit 130 compares the speed limit area information acquired from the second map information 62 with the image information (= speed limit area information) acquired from the object recognition device 16, and the own vehicle M has the speed limit area. It is possible to identify that you have entered. When the recognition unit 130 identifies that the own vehicle M has entered the speed limit area, the recognition unit 130 notifies the mode determination unit 150 to that effect. The mode determination unit 150 limits the operation mode when the operation mode at that time is mode A or B in response to the notification from the recognition unit 130. As a result, even when the information regarding the road sign TS cannot be acquired from the object recognition device 16, the operation mode can be appropriately restricted by detecting that the own vehicle M has entered the branch road SL.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the recognition unit 130 and the mode determination unit 150 according to the first embodiment. The processing of this flowchart is started, for example, when the automatic operation is started.

First, the mode determination unit 150 determines whether or not the current driving mode of the own vehicle M is mode A or B (step S100). When the current driving mode of the own vehicle M is not the mode A or B, the mode determining unit 150 repeatedly determines the step S100.

When it is determined that the current driving mode of the own vehicle M is mode A or B, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the speed limit area is recognized based on the second map information 62 (step S101). ). Specifically, the recognition unit 130 can determine whether or not the speed limit area has been recognized depending on whether or not the speed limit area information has been acquired from the MPU 60. When it is determined that the speed limit area has been recognized based on the second map information 62, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the speed limit area has been recognized based on the camera information (step S102). Specifically, the recognition unit 130 can determine whether or not the speed limit area has been recognized depending on whether or not the information regarding the road sign TS indicating the speed limit has been acquired from the object recognition device 16. When it is determined that the speed limiting area is not recognized based on the second map information 62, the recognition unit 130 repeats the determination in step S101.

When it is determined that the speed limit area has been recognized based on the camera information, the recognition unit 130 has the speed limit area recognized based on the second map information 62 and the speed limit area recognized based on the camera information. It is determined whether or not they match (step S103). Specifically, the recognition unit 130 matches the recognized speed limit areas by comparing the information such as the start point SP, the boundary line BL, the road sign TS, and the image included in the speed limit area information with each other. It can be determined whether or not it is.

When it is determined that the speed limit area recognized based on the second map information 62 and the speed limit area recognized based on the camera information match, the recognition unit 130 is on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M. It is determined whether or not the speed limiting area exists within the reference distance (step S104). For example, the recognition unit 130 has a speed limit area within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M based on the second map information 62 and the position information of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50. It is possible to determine whether or not to do so. Further, for example, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the speed limit area exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M based on the output information of the camera 10 that recognizes the peripheral objects of the own vehicle M. It can be determined. These determination criteria may be used as an AND condition or an OR condition.

When it is determined that the speed limit area exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M, the mode determination unit 150 limits the driving mode (step S105). When it is determined that the speed limit area does not exist within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M, the recognition unit 130 repeats the determination in step S104. When the mode determination unit 150 limits the operation mode, the processing of this flowchart ends.

As described above, according to the process of this flowchart, as a result of comparing the speed limit area information acquired from the second map information 62 and the speed limit area information acquired from the object recognition device 16, these speed limit area information are one. However, the operation mode is restricted only when it is determined that the speed limiting area exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side. As a result, by limiting the operation mode after comparing the speed limit area information, it is possible to prevent the operation mode from being erroneously restricted.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the flow of processing executed by the recognition unit 130 and the mode determination unit 150 according to the first embodiment. Since the processes of steps S100 to S103 and the processes of step S105 in this flowchart are the same as the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the description thereof will be omitted again. When it is determined in step S103 that the recognized speed limit areas match, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the own vehicle M has entered the speed limit area (step S204). For example, the recognition unit 130 may determine whether or not the own vehicle M has entered the speed limit area based on the second map information 62 and the position information of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50. can. Further, for example, the recognition unit 130 can determine whether or not the own vehicle M has entered the speed limit area based on the output information of the camera 10 that recognizes the peripheral objects of the own vehicle M. These determination criteria may be used as an AND condition or an OR condition.

When it is determined that the own vehicle M has entered the speed limit area, the mode determination unit 150 limits the operation mode (step S105). Instead, the mode determination unit 150 limits the operation mode before the own vehicle M enters the speed limit area (before a predetermined distance, or at a time when it is expected to enter after a predetermined time has passed). You may. On the other hand, when it is determined that the own vehicle M has not entered the speed limit area, the recognition unit 130 repeatedly performs the determination in step S204. As a result, even when the information regarding the road sign TS cannot be acquired from the object recognition device 16, the operation mode can be restricted by detecting that the own vehicle M has entered the branch road SL.

As described above, according to the process of this flowchart, as a result of comparing the speed limit area information acquired from the second map information 62 and the speed limit area information acquired from the object recognition device 16, these speed limit area information is one. However, when it is determined that the own vehicle M has entered the speed limit area, the operation mode is restricted. As a result, by limiting the operation mode after comparing the speed limit area information, it is possible to prevent the operation mode from being erroneously restricted.

According to the first embodiment described above, flexible and stepwise control can be performed according to the existence of the speed limiting area.

<Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment described above, the speed limit area information acquired from the second map information 62 is compared with the speed limit area information acquired from the object recognition device 16, and when these speed limit area information match. , The operation mode is changed. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, at least one of the acquisition of the speed limit area information based on the second map information 62 and the acquisition of the speed limit area information from the object recognition device 16 occurs. In addition, it is determined that the recognition unit 130 has recognized the speed limit area.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the recognition unit 130 and the mode determination unit 150 according to the second embodiment.

First, the mode determination unit 150 determines whether or not the current driving mode of the own vehicle M is mode A or B (step S300). When the current driving mode of the own vehicle M is not the mode A or B, the mode determining unit 150 repeatedly determines the step S300.

When it is determined that the current driving mode of the own vehicle M is mode A or B, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the speed limit area is recognized based on the second map information 62 (step S301). ). When it is determined that the speed limit area has been recognized based on the second map information 62, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the speed limit area exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M. (Step S304). On the other hand, when it is determined that the speed limiting area is not recognized based on the second map information 62, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the speed limiting area is recognized based on the camera information (step). S302). When it is determined that the speed limit area is recognized based on the camera information, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the speed limit area exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M (step). S304). On the other hand, if it is determined that the speed limiting area is not recognized based on the camera information, the recognition unit 130 returns the process to step S301.

When it is determined that the speed limit area exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M, the mode determination unit 150 limits the driving mode (step S305). When it is determined that the speed limit area does not exist within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle M, the recognition unit 130 repeats the determination in step S304. When the mode determination unit 150 limits the operation mode, the processing of this flowchart ends.

As described above, according to the process of this flowchart, at least one of the acquisition of the speed limit area information based on the second map information 62 and the acquisition of the speed limit area information from the object recognition device 16 occurs. If this is the case, it is determined that the recognition unit 130 has recognized the speed limiting area, and the mode determination unit 150 limits the operation mode. That is, by limiting the operation mode in a wider range than the determination in the first embodiment, it is possible to reliably cope with the existence of the speed limiting area.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of the flow of processing executed by the recognition unit 130 and the mode determination unit 150 according to the second embodiment. Since the processes of steps S300 to S302 and the processes of step S305 in this flowchart are the same as the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, the description thereof will be omitted again. When the speed limit area is recognized in step S301 or S302, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the own vehicle M has entered the speed limit area (step S404).

When it is determined that the own vehicle M has entered the speed limit area, the mode determination unit 150 limits the operation mode (step S305). On the other hand, when it is determined that the own vehicle M has not entered the speed limit area, the recognition unit 130 repeatedly performs the determination in step S404. As a result, even when the information regarding the road sign TS cannot be acquired from the object recognition device 16, the operation mode can be restricted by detecting that the own vehicle M has entered the branch road SL.

As described above, according to the process of this flowchart, at least one of the acquisition of the speed limit area information based on the second map information 62 and the acquisition of the speed limit area information from the object recognition device 16 occurs. In this case, the recognition unit 130 determines that the own vehicle M has entered the speed limiting area, and the mode determination unit 150 limits the driving mode. That is, by limiting the operation mode in a wider range than the determination in the first embodiment, it is possible to reliably cope with the existence of the speed limiting area.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, flexible and stepwise control can be performed according to the existence of the speed limiting area. Further, according to the second embodiment, by limiting the operation mode in a wider range than the determination in the first embodiment, it is possible to reliably cope with the existence of the speed limiting area.

The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows.
A storage device that stores the program and
With a hardware processor,
When the hardware processor executes the program,
Recognize the surrounding situation of the vehicle,
Controlling one or both of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle without relying on the operation of the driver of the vehicle.
The driving mode of the vehicle is determined to be one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, and the second driving mode is the task assigned to the driver. It is a light driving mode as compared with the first driving mode, and at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is steering and steering of the vehicle without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle. It is performed by controlling acceleration / deceleration, and when the task related to the determined driving mode is not executed by the driver, the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which the task is more severe.
Recognizing that there is a speed limit area for the vehicle within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle,
The mode determination unit limits the implementation of the second operation mode due to the recognition unit recognizing the speed limiting area.
A vehicle control unit configured as such.

Although the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can be added.

10 Camera 12 Radar device 14 LIDAR
16 Object recognition device 70 Driver monitor camera 82 Steering wheel 84 Steering grip sensor 100 Automatic driving control device 130 Recognition unit 140 Action plan generation unit 150 Mode determination unit 152 Driver status determination unit 154 Mode change processing unit

Claims

A recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding conditions of the vehicle,
A driving control unit that controls one or both of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle.
The driving mode of the vehicle is determined to be one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, and the second driving mode is the task assigned to the driver. The operation mode is lighter than that of the first operation mode, and at least a part of the plurality of operation modes including the second operation mode is controlled by the operation control unit, and the determined operation is performed. A mode determination unit that changes the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which the task is more severe when the task related to the mode is not executed by the driver.
Equipped with
The recognition unit recognizes that a speed limit area for the vehicle exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle, and recognizes that the speed limit area exists for the vehicle.
The mode determination unit limits the implementation of the second operation mode due to the recognition unit recognizing the speed limiting area.
Vehicle control unit.
The recognition unit performs recognition based on the detection result of the external world sensor and recognition based on the map information.
Based on the map information including the speed information of the vehicle and the position information of the vehicle, it is recognized that the speed limit area for the vehicle exists within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
In the recognition unit, map information including vehicle speed information, position information of the vehicle, and output information of a recognition device that recognizes peripheral objects of the vehicle are all reference distances on the traveling direction side of the vehicle. Recognizing the existence of the speed limiting area when it indicates that there is a speed limiting area for the vehicle within.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
The second operation mode is an operation mode in which the driver is not tasked with grasping the operator that accepts the steering operation.
The first driving mode is a driving mode that requires a driving operation by the driver for at least one of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
The second operation mode is an operation mode in which the driver is not tasked with grasping the operator that accepts the steering operation.
The first operation mode is an operation mode in which the driver is tasked with at least a task of grasping the operator that accepts a steering operation by the driver.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
The second driving mode is a driving mode in which an automatic or partially automatic lane change is executed, and the first driving mode is a driving mode in which an automatic or partially automatic lane change is not executed. Is,
The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
The mode determination unit executes the second operation mode when the recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has entered the speed limit area, or before the vehicle enters the speed limit area. Restrict,
The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
The computer installed in the vehicle
Recognize the surrounding situation of the vehicle,
Controlling one or both of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle without relying on the operation of the driver of the vehicle.
The driving mode of the vehicle is determined to be one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, and the second driving mode is the task assigned to the driver. It is a light driving mode as compared with the first driving mode, and at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is steering and steering of the vehicle without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle. It is performed by controlling acceleration / deceleration, and when the task related to the determined driving mode is not executed by the driver, the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which the task is more severe.
Recognizing that there is a speed limit area for the vehicle within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle,
Due to the recognition of the speed limiting area, the implementation of the second operation mode is restricted.
Vehicle control method.
On the computer installed in the vehicle,
Recognize the surrounding situation of the vehicle
One or both of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle is controlled without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle.
The driving mode of the vehicle is determined to be one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, and the second driving mode is the task assigned to the driver. It is a light driving mode as compared with the first driving mode, and at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is steering and steering of the vehicle without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle. It is performed by controlling acceleration / deceleration, and when the task related to the determined driving mode is not executed by the driver, the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which the task is more severe.
Recognize that there is a speed limit area for the vehicle within the reference distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle.
Due to the recognition of the speed limiting area, the implementation of the second operation mode is restricted.
program.