Road recognition device and driving assistance device

Abstract

To make it possible to give preferable driving assist in the event that a vehicle is traveling on a narrow road where there is a difficulty in passing an oncoming vehicle.SOLUTION: A road recognition device 50 includes a camera 21 that detects an outside world situation around an own vehicle, a map generation unit 25 that generates a map of the periphery of the own vehicle on the basis of information on the outside world situation, a passing-oncoming vehicle determination unit 27 that determines based on information on the outside world situation whether a road on which the own vehicle is traveling is a specific road devoid of a center line which differentiates an own lane from an oncoming lane, and that, when it is determined that the road is the specific road, determines whether the own vehicle can pass an oncoming vehicle, and an information appending unit 28 that appends passing-oncoming vehicle information, which depends on a result of the determination made by the passing-oncoming vehicle determination unit 27, to map information generated by the map generation unit 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a road recognition device and a driving assistance device that recognize road structures. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been known devices that assist driving when a vehicle passes an oncoming vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The device described in Patent Document 1 calculates the amount of deviation in the width direction of the vehicle when passing an oncoming vehicle based on the width of the vehicle, the width of the oncoming vehicle, the current position of the vehicle, the predicted position where the oncoming vehicle will pass, and the width of the road, and notifies the driver of the amount. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-106243 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The device described in Patent Document 1 above is based on the premise that it is possible to pass oncoming vehicles, and if the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road where it is difficult to pass oncoming vehicles, the device described in Patent Document 1 above cannot provide good driving assistance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A road recognition device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an external environment detection unit that detects the external environment surrounding the vehicle; a map generation unit that generates a map of the area around the vehicle based on information about the external environment detected by the external environment detection unit; and a determination unit that determines whether the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a specific road without a center line separating the vehicle's lane from an oncoming lane based on the information about the external environment detected by the external environment detection unit, and, when the road is determined to be a specific road, determines whether the vehicle can pass an oncoming vehicle. a travel information acquisition unit that acquires travel history information of the host vehicle, including information indicating the relationship between the vehicle speed and the distance from the host vehicle to an oncoming vehicle, while the host vehicle is traveling on a specific road; and a storage unit that stores the travel history information acquired by the travel information acquisition unit.The information adding unit adds passing information according to the determination result by the determining unit to the map information generated by the map generating unit. The determination unit calculates the width of the specific road on which the vehicle is traveling based on information about the external environment detected by the external environment detection unit, and determines whether the calculated width is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If it determines that the width is less than the predetermined value, it further determines whether the driving history information corresponding to the vehicle's current position stored in the memory unit includes driving history that allows passing. The information addition unit adds passing-possible information when the determination unit determines that the width is equal to or greater than the predetermined value or when it determines that the driving history information includes driving history that allows passing, and adds passing-impossible information when the determination unit determines that the width is less than the predetermined value and the driving history information does not include driving history that allows passing.

[0006] Furthermore, a driving assistance device according to another aspect of the present invention includes the above-described road recognition device and a driving assistance unit that provides driving assistance based on the passing information added by the information addition unit in the road recognition device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, since passing information is added to map information, good driving assistance can be provided even when the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road where it is difficult to pass an oncoming vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the overall configuration of a vehicle control system having a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a driving scene to which a road recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance from the front end of the host vehicle to the front end of the oncoming vehicle and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle when the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle pass each other. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a main part of a road recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5A] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual center line set by the road recognition device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a virtual center line set by the road recognition device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the controller of FIG. 4; [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a modification of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. A road recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to recognize road structures or road types. Furthermore, a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to provide driving assistance according to the road structure recognized by the road recognition device.

[0010] The driving assistance device can be applied to both vehicles with an automatic driving function, i.e., an automatic driving vehicle, and vehicles without an automatic driving function, i.e., a manually driven vehicle. Note that the vehicle to which the driving assistance device according to this embodiment is applied may be referred to as the host vehicle to distinguish it from other vehicles. In the following, the host vehicle will be described as an automatic driving vehicle. An automatic driving vehicle has not only an automatic driving function but also a manual driving function, and can also be configured as a manually driven vehicle. In other words, the host vehicle (automatically driven vehicle) can travel not only in an automatic driving mode in which no driving operation by the driver is required, but also in a manual driving mode in which the driver operates the vehicle.

[0011] First, the general configuration of the vehicle will be described. The vehicle may be an engine vehicle having an internal combustion engine (engine) as a driving source, an electric vehicle having a traction motor as a driving source, or a hybrid vehicle having an engine and a traction motor as driving sources. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a vehicle control system 100 having a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control system 100 mainly includes a controller 10, a group of external sensors 1 each communicatively connected to the controller 10 via a CAN communication line or the like, a group of internal sensors 2, an input / output device 3, a positioning unit 4, a map database 5, a navigation device 6, a communication unit 7, and a driving actuator AC.

[0013] The external sensor group 1 is a collective term for a plurality of sensors (external sensors) that detect the external situation, which is information about the surroundings of the vehicle. For example, the external sensor group 1 includes a lidar that detects the position (distance and direction from the vehicle) of objects around the vehicle by emitting laser light and detecting reflected light, a radar that detects the position of objects around the vehicle by emitting electromagnetic waves and detecting reflected waves, and a camera that has an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS and captures images of the surroundings (front, rear, and sides) of the vehicle.

[0014] The internal sensor group 2 is a collective term for a plurality of sensors (internal sensors) that detect the driving state of the host vehicle. For example, the internal sensor group 2 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration in the forward / backward and left / right directions of the host vehicle, a rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the driving source, etc. The internal sensor group 2 also includes sensors that detect the driving operations of the driver in manual driving mode, such as operation of the accelerator pedal, operation of the brake pedal, operation of the steering wheel, etc.

[0015] The input / output device 3 is a general term for devices that input commands from the driver and output information to the driver. For example, the input / output device 3 includes various switches through which the driver inputs various commands by operating operating members, a microphone through which the driver inputs commands by voice, a display that provides information to the driver via displayed images, and a speaker that provides information to the driver by voice.

[0016] The positioning unit (GNSS unit) 4 has a positioning sensor that receives positioning signals transmitted from positioning satellites. The positioning sensor can also be included in the internal sensor group 2. The positioning satellite is an artificial satellite such as a GPS satellite or a quasi-zenith satellite. The positioning unit 4 measures the current position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the vehicle using the positioning information received by the positioning sensor.

[0017] The map database 5 is a device that stores general map information used in the navigation device 6, and is configured with, for example, a hard disk or semiconductor elements. The map information includes road position information, road shape information (curvature, etc.), and position information of intersections and branch points. Note that the map information stored in the map database 5 is different from the highly accurate map information stored in the memory unit 12 of the controller 10.

[0018] The navigation device 6 is a device that searches for a target route on roads to a destination input by the driver and provides guidance along the target route. The input of the destination and guidance along the target route are performed via the input / output device 3. The target route is calculated based on the current position of the vehicle measured by the positioning unit 4 and map information stored in the map database 5. The current position of the vehicle can also be measured using detection values ​​from the external sensor group 1, and the target route can be calculated based on this current position and high-precision map information stored in the memory unit 12.

[0019] The communication unit 7 communicates with various servers (not shown) via networks including wireless communication networks such as the Internet and mobile phone networks, and acquires map information, driving history information, traffic information, and the like from the servers periodically or at any timing. Networks include not only public wireless communication networks but also closed communication networks established for each predetermined management area, such as wireless LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the like. The acquired map information is output to the map database 5 and the storage unit 12, where the map information is updated. Communication with other vehicles is also possible via the communication unit 7.

[0020] Actuators AC are driving actuators for controlling the driving of the host vehicle. When the driving source is an engine, actuators AC include a throttle actuator that adjusts the opening of the engine's throttle valve (throttle opening). When the driving source is a driving motor, actuators AC include the driving motor. Actuators AC also include a brake actuator that operates the host vehicle's braking device and a steering actuator that drives the steering device.

[0021] The controller 10 is composed of an electronic control unit (ECU). More specifically, the controller 10 includes a computer having an arithmetic unit 11 such as a CPU (microprocessor), a storage unit 12 such as a ROM and RAM, and other peripheral circuits (not shown) such as an I / O interface. Note that although multiple ECUs with different functions, such as an engine control ECU, a traction motor control ECU, and a braking device ECU, can be provided separately, for convenience, the controller 10 is shown in FIG. 1 as a collection of these ECUs.

[0022] High-precision road map information is stored in the memory unit 12. This road map information includes road position information, road shape information (such as curvature), road gradient information, intersection and branch point position information, number of lanes information, lane width and lane position information (information on lane center positions and lane boundary lines), position information of landmarks (traffic lights, signs, buildings, etc.) as map markers, and road surface profile information such as road surface irregularities. The map information stored in the memory unit 12 includes map information acquired from outside the vehicle via the communication unit 7 and map information created by the vehicle itself using detection values ​​from the external sensor group 1 or detection values ​​from the external sensor group 1 and the internal sensor group 2. The memory unit 12 also stores driving history information consisting of detection values ​​from the external sensor group 1 and the internal sensor group 2 in association with the map information.

[0023] The calculation unit 11 has, as functional components, a vehicle position recognition unit 13, an external environment recognition unit 14, a behavior plan generation unit 15, and a driving control unit 16.

[0024] The vehicle position recognition unit 13 recognizes the position of the vehicle on the map (own vehicle position) based on the vehicle position information obtained by the positioning unit 4 and the map information in the map database 5. The vehicle position may be recognized using the map information stored in the storage unit 12 and information about the surroundings of the vehicle detected by the external sensor group 1, thereby enabling the vehicle position to be recognized with high accuracy. Note that when the vehicle position can be measured by an external sensor installed on or beside the road, the vehicle position can also be recognized by communicating with the sensor via the communication unit 7.

[0025] The external environment recognition unit 14 recognizes the external situation around the vehicle based on signals from the external sensor group 1, such as a lidar, radar, and camera. For example, it recognizes the positions, speeds, and accelerations of surrounding vehicles (vehicles ahead and vehicles behind) traveling around the vehicle, the positions of surrounding vehicles stopped or parked around the vehicle, and the positions and states of other objects. Examples of other objects include signs, traffic lights, markings such as road dividing lines and stop lines, buildings, guardrails, utility poles, signs, pedestrians, bicycles, etc. Examples of the states of other objects include the color of traffic lights (red, green, yellow), the moving speed and direction of pedestrians and bicycles, etc.

[0026] The behavior plan generation unit 15 generates a driving trajectory (target trajectory) of the host vehicle from the current time to a predetermined time ahead based on, for example, a target route calculated by the navigation device 6, map information stored in the memory unit 12, the host vehicle position recognized by the host vehicle position recognition unit 13, and external conditions recognized by the external environment recognition unit 14. When there are multiple trajectories that are candidates for the target trajectory on the target route, the behavior plan generation unit 15 selects an optimal trajectory from among them that satisfies criteria such as compliance with laws and regulations and efficient and safe driving, and sets the selected trajectory as the target trajectory. The behavior plan generation unit 15 then generates a behavior plan according to the generated target trajectory. The behavior plan generation unit 15 generates various behavior plans corresponding to overtaking driving to overtake a preceding vehicle, lane-changing driving to change lanes, following driving to follow a preceding vehicle, lane-keeping driving to maintain the vehicle in its lane without deviating from the lane, decelerating driving, accelerating driving, etc. When generating the target trajectory, the behavior plan generation unit 15 first determines a driving mode and generates the target trajectory based on the driving mode.

[0027] In the autonomous driving mode, the driving control unit 16 controls each actuator AC so that the host vehicle travels along the target trajectory generated by the behavior plan generation unit 15. More specifically, in the autonomous driving mode, the driving control unit 16 calculates a required driving force for achieving the target acceleration per unit time calculated by the behavior plan generation unit 15, taking into account the driving resistance determined by the road gradient, etc. Then, for example, the driving control unit 16 feedback-controls the actuators AC so that the actual acceleration detected by the internal sensor group 2 becomes the target acceleration. In other words, the driving control unit 16 controls the actuators AC so that the host vehicle travels at the target vehicle speed and target acceleration. Note that when the driving mode is the manual driving mode, the driving control unit 16 controls each actuator AC in accordance with a driving command (such as a steering operation) from the driver acquired by the internal sensor group 2.

[0028] The vehicle control system 100 configured as described above includes a road recognition device that recognizes road structure while the vehicle is traveling in manual driving mode. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a road 200 with a specific structure (referred to as a specific road) to which the road recognition device according to this embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 2, the specific road 200 is a narrow road that allows two-way traffic and does not have a center line that distinguishes between the current lane and the oncoming lane. In other words, the specific road 200 is a road that is neither one-way nor no-entry, and where the current lane and the oncoming lane are not clearly distinguished (a so-called residential road).

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a host vehicle 101 traveling in the direction of arrow A1 on a specific road 200 defined by a pair of left and right lane markings 201 and 202, and an oncoming vehicle 102 traveling opposite the host vehicle 101 in the direction of arrow A2. Note that some specific roads 200 do not have lane markings 201 and 202. In such cases, the positions of the lane markings 201 and 202 correspond to the end positions of the specific road 200. The width W of the specific road 200 is the distance between the lane markings 201 and 202 when they exist, as shown in FIG. 2 . Alternatively, it is the distance from one lateral end of the road to the other lateral end when no lane markings exist. The host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 pass each other at point A3. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the distance D from the front end of the host vehicle 101 to the front end of the oncoming vehicle 102 and the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 101 when the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 pass each other.

[0030] If the width (width) W of the road 200 at point A3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value W1, then the host vehicle 101 can pass the oncoming vehicle 102 at a constant vehicle speed (V=V1), as shown by the characteristic f1 in FIG. 3 . The predetermined value W1 is at least equal to or greater than the sum (minimum width Wa) of the vehicle width of the host vehicle 101 and the vehicle width of the oncoming vehicle 102. For example, W1 is 5.5 m. The minimum width Wa varies depending on the vehicle size (such as vehicle width) of the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102.

[0031] On the other hand, when the width W of the road 200 is less than a predetermined value W1 (for example, the minimum width Wa), as the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 approach each other, the vehicle speed V decreases, and becomes 0 at point A3, for example, as shown by the characteristic f2 in FIG. 3. Note that when the width W is less than the minimum width Wa, the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 cannot pass each other. In this case, one vehicle must back up until the width W is equal to or greater than the minimum width Wa, that is, until the vehicles can pass each other, or one vehicle must wait at a point where the vehicles can pass each other.

[0032] As described above, on a specific road 200 with two-way traffic and no center line, it may be difficult for the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 to pass each other. Information regarding the possibility and ease of passing each other is called passing information. If the vehicle control system 100 knows the passing information in advance, the following advantages are obtained. That is, when the host vehicle 101 is traveling in an autonomous driving mode, for example, by setting a target route that avoids the specific road 200, the host vehicle 101 can travel smoothly, and good driving assistance can be provided to the host vehicle 101. Also, when traveling in a manual driving mode, for example, by notifying the driver that the host vehicle 101 is traveling on the specific road 200 before entering the specific road 200, the driver will avoid traveling on a road where passing is difficult, and the driver's driving can be well supported. Therefore, in this embodiment, the road recognition device is configured as follows so that the vehicle control system 100 can know the passing information in advance.

[0033] 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a road recognition device 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows the configuration when the host vehicle 101 is traveling mainly in manual driving mode. The road recognition device 50 is included in the vehicle control system 100 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the road recognition device 50 has a camera 21, a sensor 22, and a controller 10.

[0034] The camera 21 is a monocular camera having an imaging element (image sensor) such as a CCD or CMOS, and constitutes part of the external sensor group 1 in FIG. 1. The camera 21 may be a stereo camera. The camera 21 is attached, for example, to a predetermined position in front of the vehicle 101, and continuously captures images of the space ahead of the vehicle 101 to obtain images of objects (camera images). The objects include road markings (for example, markings 201 and 202 in FIG. 2) and an oncoming vehicle 102, and based on the camera images, it is possible to determine whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle 102, whether the road the vehicle is traveling on is a specific road 200 without a center line, etc.

[0035] The sensors 22 are sensors (for example, the internal sensor group 2 in FIG. 1) for detecting the traveling state of the host vehicle 101, and include a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed, an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration, etc. The sensors 22 also include a distance detector (external sensor group 1 in FIG. 1) such as a radar or lidar for detecting the distance from the host vehicle 101 to an oncoming vehicle 102 while the host vehicle 101 is traveling on the specific road 200.

[0036] The controller 10 in FIG. 4 has, as functional components, a map generating unit 25, a driving information acquiring unit 26, a passing determination unit 27, an information adding unit 28, and a storage unit 12.

[0037] Map information is stored in the storage unit 12. The stored map information includes map information acquired from outside the vehicle 101 via the communication unit 7 (referred to as external map information) and map information created by the vehicle itself (referred to as internal map information). The external map information is, for example, information on a map acquired via a cloud server (referred to as a cloud map), and the internal map information is information on a map (referred to as an environmental map) made up of point cloud data generated by mapping using a technology such as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). The external map information is shared between the vehicle 101 and other vehicles, whereas the internal map information is map information unique to the vehicle 101 (for example, map information that is solely owned by the vehicle).

[0038] The memory unit 12 also stores information on the vehicle class (vehicle width, etc.) of the host vehicle 101, various control programs, threshold values ​​used in the programs, etc. Furthermore, the memory unit 12 stores driving history information of the host vehicle 101 obtained by the sensor 22 in association with high-precision map information (e.g., environmental map information). The driving history information is information indicating how the host vehicle 101, while driving in manual driving mode, has driven on roads in the past. Specifically, information such as vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration, and steering is stored as driving history information in association with road position information. Furthermore, the memory unit 12 also stores distance information indicating the distance D from the host vehicle 101 to the oncoming vehicle 102 while driving on the specific road 200, and vehicle class information of the oncoming vehicle 102 in association with the road position information, as driving history information.

[0039] While driving in manual driving mode, the map generation unit 25 generates an environmental map consisting of three-dimensional point cloud data using detection values ​​detected by the camera 21. Specifically, edges that indicate the contours of objects are extracted from the camera image acquired by the camera 21 based on brightness and color information for each pixel, and feature points are extracted using the edge information. Feature points are, for example, intersections of edges, and correspond to corners of buildings, corners of road signs, edges of lane lines, etc. The map generation unit 25 sequentially plots the extracted feature points on the environmental map, thereby generating an environmental map of the area around the road on which the vehicle 101 has traveled. The environmental map includes position information of lane lines included in the camera image, particularly position information of lane lines 201 and 202 on the specific road 200. The generated environmental map is stored in the memory unit 12.

[0040] The travel information acquisition unit 26 identifies the current position of the vehicle 101 using a positioning sensor (positioning unit 4 in FIG. 1) or the like, and acquires information from the sensor 22 corresponding to the current position. The acquired travel information is stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the position information of the vehicle 101. Furthermore, the travel information acquisition unit 26 acquires travel history information corresponding to the current position from travel history information of the vehicle 101 previously stored in the storage unit 12. The travel history information includes vehicle speed information (information on vehicle speed V) and distance information (information on distance D) when the vehicle traveled on the specific road 200 in manual driving mode, thereby obtaining characteristics f1, f2, etc. in FIG. 3. The travel information acquisition unit 26 may also acquire travel history information obtained by other vehicles that traveled on the road via the communication unit 7 (FIG. 1).

[0041] The passing determination unit 27 determines whether or not it is possible to pass an oncoming vehicle 102 while traveling on a specific road 200 in manual driving mode. Specifically, it first determines whether or not the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a specific road 200 without a center line, based on a camera image. If it is determined that the road is a specific road 200, it calculates the length from one demarcation line 201 to the other demarcation line 202, that is, the width W of the specific road 200, based on the camera image. It then determines whether or not the width W is equal to or greater than a predetermined value W1 (for example, 5.5 m). If it is determined that the width W is equal to or greater than the predetermined value W1, it determines that passing is possible.

[0042] On the one hand, when it is determined that the width W is less than a predetermined value W1, it is determined that passing is impossible. Even if it is determined that passing is impossible, depending on the vehicle widths of the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102, passing may actually be possible in some cases. Therefore, when W < W1, the passing determination unit 27 further determines whether passing is possible based on the driving history information corresponding to the current position acquired by the driving information acquisition unit 26. For example, when driving history information as shown in characteristic f1 of FIG. 3 is acquired, it is determined that passing is possible. On the other hand, when driving history information as shown in characteristic f2 is acquired, it is determined that passing is impossible. Note that regardless of whether W < W1, the passing determination unit 27 may determine whether passing is possible based on the driving history information stored in the storage unit 12 in advance.

[0043] The information addition unit 28 adds information on the determination result by the passing determination unit 27, that is, passing information, to the map information generated by the map generation unit 25. In other words, when it is determined that passing is possible because W ≧ W1, the information addition unit 28 adds passing possible information. At this time, the information addition unit 28 calculates the center position of the road 200 and sets a virtual center line passing through the center position. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams each showing an example of the virtual center line LN1. When W ≧ W1, as shown in FIG. 5A, the center line LN1 is set at a position shifted to the right by a predetermined length (0.5 × W) from the left partition line L1 of the road 200.

[0044] On the other hand, when W < W1 and it is determined that passing is impossible, the information addition unit 28 adds passing impossible information. At this time, the information addition unit 28 sets a virtual center line LN2 passing through a position shifted to the right by a predetermined length (for example, 0.5 × W1) from the left partition line L1 of the road 200. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5B, the center line LN2 is set at a position to the right of the center of the road 200. The information on the virtual center lines LN1 LN 2 is included in the passing information.

[0045] Furthermore, when driving history information such as that shown by the characteristic f1 in FIG. 3 is obtained, the information addition unit 28 adds passing-possible information, and when driving history information such as that shown by the characteristic f2 in FIG. 3 is obtained, the information addition unit 28 adds passing-impossible information. At this time, the information addition unit 28 sets imaginary center lines LN1, LN2 at the center of the road 200 or at a position shifted a predetermined length to the right from the left-side dividing line 201, as described above. Furthermore, when the information addition unit 28 adds passing-possible information or passing-impossible information based on the driving history information, the information addition unit 28 also adds information about the oncoming vehicle 102 included in the camera image (for example, information about the vehicle width and relative vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle 102) as passing information. The map information to which the passing information has been added is stored in the storage unit 12.

[0046] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving assistance device 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a configuration when driving assistance is performed based on a road structure recognized by a road recognition device 50. The driving assistance device 60 is included in the vehicle control system 100 of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 6, the driving assistance device 60 has a controller 10, an actuator AC, and a notification unit 23. Although not shown in the figure, signals from an external sensor group 1, an internal sensor group 2, etc. are input to the controller 10 (see Fig. 1).

[0047] The notification unit 23 is a part of the input / output device 3 in Fig. 1 and is configured with a display that notifies the driver of information by display, a speaker that notifies the driver of information by voice, etc. The controller 10 in Fig. 6 has, as its functional configuration, a driving assistance unit 61, a driving situation recognition unit 62, and a memory unit 12.

[0048] The driving assistance unit 61 provides driving assistance for the host vehicle 101 based on the passing information stored in the memory unit 12. Specifically, when the host vehicle 101 is traveling in an autonomous driving mode, a driving route from the current location to the destination is set, but the driving assistance unit 61 (action plan generation unit 15) sets the driving route based on the passing information. In other words, the driving assistance unit 61 sets the driving route so that the driving route does not include roads to which passing-impossible information has been added, and the driving assistance unit 61 (travel control unit 16) controls the actuators AC so that the host vehicle 101 travels along the driving route. Furthermore, when the host vehicle 101 travels on a specific road 200 to which passing-possible information has been added, the driving assistance unit 61 controls the actuators AC so that the host vehicle 101 travels along a lane defined by a virtual center line LN1 ( FIG. 5A ) stored in the memory unit 12.

[0049] On the other hand, when the host vehicle 101 is traveling in manual driving mode, the driving assistance unit 61 controls the notification unit 23 (display) so that the passing-impossible information is superimposed on the map screen of the display. Alternatively, when the host vehicle 101 attempts to enter a road to which passing-impossible information has been added, the driving assistance unit 61 controls the notification unit 23 (speaker) so that the notification unit 23 notifies the driver by voice that passing is impossible. Furthermore, when the host vehicle 101 travels on a specific road 200 to which passing-possible information has been added, the driving assistance unit 61 assists the driver's driving operation by performing lane keeping control to cause the host vehicle 101 to travel along a lane defined by a virtual center line LN1 ( FIG. 5A ) stored in the memory unit 12.

[0050] There are cases where the host vehicle 101 travels in automatic driving mode or manual driving mode on a road to which passing-impossible information has been added. In this case, the driving assistance unit 61 controls the actuator AC so that the host vehicle 101 travels along a lane defined by the virtual center line LN2 (FIG. 5B) stored in the memory unit 12.

[0051] The driving situation recognition unit 62 recognizes the driving situation of the host vehicle 101 when passing another vehicle based on the driving history information stored in the memory unit 12. That is, when an oncoming vehicle 102 is recognized based on a camera image or the like while traveling on the specific road 200, the driving situation recognition unit 62 recognizes the vehicle class (size) of the oncoming vehicle 102 and reads driving history information of when the host vehicle 101 passed another vehicle corresponding to that vehicle class from the driving history information stored in the memory unit 12. In this way, the driving manner (driving situation) of the host vehicle 101 when passing another vehicle is recognized.

[0052] For example, when the oncoming vehicle 102 is a small vehicle with a narrow width, the distance D between the oncoming vehicle 102 and whether the host vehicle 101 has decelerated, pulled over, accelerated, etc. is recognized based on past driving history information when the host vehicle 101 has passed the small vehicle. When the oncoming vehicle 102 is a large vehicle with a wide width, the host vehicle 101 may stop temporarily when passing the small vehicle. In this case, the distance D between the oncoming vehicle 102 and whether the host vehicle 101 has decelerated, pulled over, stopped, started, etc. is recognized based on past driving history information when the host vehicle 101 has passed the large vehicle.

[0053] When the driving situation recognition unit 62 recognizes a past driving situation similar to the current situation while driving in the autonomous driving mode, the driving assistance unit 61 (action plan generation unit 15) generates an action plan based on the driving situation. That is, the driving assistance unit 61 determines the vehicle class (small vehicle or large vehicle) of the oncoming vehicle 102 based on the camera image, recognizes past driving situations corresponding to this vehicle class, and generates an action plan such as deceleration and pulling over to the side of the oncoming vehicle 102 according to the driving situation. When driving in the manual driving mode, the driving assistance unit 61 notifies the driver of driving assistance information so that the host vehicle 101 should decelerate, pull over to the side of the oncoming vehicle 102, etc., according to the vehicle class of the oncoming vehicle 102 based on the past driving situations recognized by the driving situation recognition unit 62.

[0054] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the controller 10 of Fig. 4 in accordance with a predetermined program. The processing shown in this flowchart is started, for example, when the host vehicle 101 is generating an environmental map while traveling in manual driving mode, and is repeated at predetermined intervals.

[0055] First, in step S1, signals are read from the camera 21 and the sensor 22. Next, in step S2, it is determined based on the camera image whether the road on which the vehicle 101 is traveling is a specific road 200 without a center line. If the result in step S2 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S3, and if the result is negative, the process ends. In step S3, the width W of the specific road 200 is calculated based on the camera image.

[0056] Next, in step S4, it is determined whether the calculated width W is equal to or greater than a predetermined value W1. If the result in step S4 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S5, where passing-possible information is added to the map information of the generated environmental map. On the other hand, if the result in step S4 is negative, the process proceeds to step S6, where it is determined whether driving history information for the point in question, i.e., driving history information including whether or not there was a passing with the oncoming vehicle 102, has been stored in advance in the storage unit 12, and it is determined whether or not passing is possible based on the stored driving history information. For example, if driving history information such as the characteristic f1 in FIG. 3 is stored, it is determined that passing is possible. If the result in step S6 is affirmative, that is, if driving history information indicating that there was a passing with the oncoming vehicle 102 has been stored, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0057] On the other hand, if the result in step S6 is negative, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, passing-impossible information is added to the map information of the generated environmental map. Next, in step S8, the map information to which the passing-possible information has been added in step S5 or the map information to which the passing-impossible information has been added in step S7 is stored in the storage unit 12, and the process ends.

[0058] The operation of this embodiment can be summarized as follows: When the vehicle 101 is generating an environmental map while traveling in manual driving mode, if the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a specific road 200 without a center line, passing information indicating whether or not it is possible to pass an oncoming vehicle 102 is added to the map information of the environmental map. In this case, first, the width W of the specific road 200 is calculated based on the camera image, and it is determined whether or not the width W is equal to or greater than a predetermined value W1 (step S4).

[0059] As shown in FIG. 5A, if the width W is equal to or greater than a predetermined value W1, the host vehicle 101 can smoothly pass the oncoming vehicle 102 without significantly decelerating (characteristic f1 in FIG. 3). At this time, a virtual center line LN1 is set to separate the host vehicle's lane from the oncoming vehicle's lane, and passing availability information is added to the environmental map of the road and stored in the memory unit 12 (steps S5 and S8). As a result, when traveling in autonomous driving mode based on the environmental map stored in the memory unit 12, a target trajectory is generated taking into account the position information of the center line LN1. This makes it easy to travel in autonomous driving mode on the specific road 200.

[0060] 5B, if the width W is less than a predetermined value W1, the driving history information stored in the memory unit 12 is referenced. At this time, if the driving history information includes passing information indicating that an oncoming vehicle 102 has passed another vehicle on the road in the past, passing possibility information is added to the environmental map of the road and stored in the memory unit 12 (steps S7 and S8). As a result, the number of specific roads 200 to which passing possibility information has been added increases, and therefore, when driving to a destination in autonomous driving mode, the number of target route options increases, making it possible to set a good route.

[0061] When the width W of the specific road 200 is less than a predetermined value W1, a virtual center line LN2 is set at a position shifted a predetermined distance to the right from the left-side dividing line L1 of the road 200, regardless of whether passing-permitted information has been added (FIG. 5B). This makes it possible to set an appropriate target route even on a narrow road whose width W is less than the predetermined value W1.

[0062] Note that the width (width W) of the road 200 is not necessarily constant along the longitudinal direction of the road, and there may be some areas where the width is larger. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of such a specific road 200. In FIG. 8, an evacuation space 200a is provided at point A5, which is closer to the host vehicle 101 than point A4, where the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 meet. At point A4, the width Wb is less than a predetermined value W1 (e.g., less than the minimum width Wa), but at point A5, the width Wc is equal to or greater than the predetermined value W1. On such a road, the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 cannot pass each other at point A4, but can pass each other at point A5.

[0063] 8 is obtained, the information adding unit 28 may add, to the information on the environmental map, not only information indicating whether passing is possible but also information on a position (point A5) where passing is possible. This allows the host vehicle 101 to know the position where the host vehicle 101 will wait when the presence of an oncoming vehicle 102 ahead of the host vehicle 101 is recognized, thereby enabling the host vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 to pass each other smoothly on a narrow road.

[0064] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. (1) The road recognition device 50 includes a camera 21 that detects the external environment surrounding the vehicle 101, a map generation unit 25 that generates an environmental map of the area around the vehicle 101 based on information about the external environment detected by the camera 21, a passing determination unit 27 that determines whether the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a specific road 200 without a center line separating the vehicle's lane from an oncoming lane based on the information about the external environment detected by the camera 21, and, when it is determined that the road is a specific road 200, determines whether it is possible for the vehicle to pass an oncoming vehicle 102, and an information addition unit 28 that adds passing information according to the determination result by the passing determination unit 27 to the map information generated by the map generation unit 25 (Figure 4).

[0065] By adding passing information to map information in this way, when the vehicle 101 is traveling on a narrow road without a center line, it is possible to determine whether or not it will be able to pass an oncoming vehicle 102. As a result, it is possible to set an optimal target route in, for example, an autonomous driving mode. It is also possible to provide a driving assistance technology that further improves traffic safety and convenience and contributes to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

[0066] (2) The road recognition device 50 further includes a driving information acquisition unit 26 that acquires driving history information of the vehicle 101 on the specific road 200 (FIG. 4). The passing determination unit 27 compares the information on the external environment detected by the camera 21 and the driving history information acquired by the driving information acquisition unit 26. history Based on this information, it is determined whether the vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 can pass each other (FIG. 4). This increases the accuracy of determining whether the vehicles can pass each other, since it determines whether the vehicles can pass each other based on actual driving history information.

[0067] (3) The passing determination unit 27 calculates the width W of the specific road 200 on which the vehicle is traveling based on information about the external environment detected by the camera 21, and determines whether or not the vehicle can pass an oncoming vehicle 102 based on the calculated width W (FIG. 7). The information addition unit 28 sets virtual center lines LN1, LN2 on the specific road 200 based on the width W calculated by the passing determination unit 27, and adds position information about the set virtual center lines LN1, LN2 (FIGS. 5A and 5B). This makes it possible to easily and optimally set a driving route when traveling in autonomous driving mode using map information to which the position information of the center lines LN1, LN2 has been added.

[0068] (4) The driving assistance device 60 includes the road recognition device 50 described above and a driving assistance unit 61 that provides driving assistance based on the passing information added by the information addition unit 28 of the road recognition device 50 (FIG. 6). This allows for good driving assistance to be provided to the vehicle 101 in both the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode, using the passing information added to the map information of the environmental map.

[0069] (5) The driving assistance device 60 further includes a driving situation recognition unit 62 that acquires driving history information of the host vehicle 101 and recognizes the driving situation of the host vehicle 101 when passing other vehicles based on the acquired driving history information (FIG. 6). The driving assistance unit 61 provides driving assistance based on the passing information added by the information addition unit 28 and the driving situation recognized by the driving situation recognition unit 62. As a result, although the driving situation (driving manner) differs when the host vehicle 101 passes a small vehicle and when the host vehicle 101 passes a large vehicle, it is possible to generate an appropriate action plan that reflects these driving situations.

[0070] The above-described embodiment can be modified in various ways. In the above-described embodiment, the external environment surrounding the vehicle 101 is detected by the external sensor group 1, such as the camera 21. However, the external environment may be detected using a lidar or the like, and the configuration of the external environment detection unit is not limited to the above. In the above-described embodiment, the map generation unit 25 generates an environmental map while traveling in a manual driving mode. However, the environmental map may be generated while traveling in an automatic driving mode. In the above-described embodiment, the environmental map is generated based on a camera image. However, instead of the camera 21, data acquired by a radar or lidar may be used to extract feature points of objects around the vehicle 101, and the environmental map may be generated. The configuration of the map generation unit is not limited to the above.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the passing determination unit 27 calculates the width W of the specific road 200 on which the vehicle is traveling based on the camera image and determines whether or not the vehicle can pass the oncoming vehicle 102 based on the calculated width W. However, the determination unit may have any configuration as long as it determines whether or not the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a specific road without a center line separating the vehicle's lane from the oncoming vehicle lane based on information about the external environment detected by the external environment detection unit and, when it is determined to be a specific road, determines whether or not the vehicle can pass the oncoming vehicle. In the above embodiment, the information addition unit 28 adds passing information to the map information generated by the map generation unit 25 based on the determination result by the passing determination unit 27, but the passing information is not limited to the above.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the driving information acquisition unit 26 acquires driving history information including information on the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle 101 on the specific road 200 and the distance D from the host vehicle 101 to the oncoming vehicle 102 based on a signal from the sensor 22, but the driving history information is not limited to the above. In the above embodiment, the driving assistance unit 61 controls the actuator AC and the notification unit 23 to provide driving assistance based on the passing information added by the information addition unit 28, but the content of driving assistance provided by the driving assistance unit is not limited to the above. In the above embodiment, the driving situation recognition unit 62 acquires driving history information of the host vehicle 101 and recognizes the driving situation of the host vehicle 101 based on the acquired driving history information, but the configuration of the driving situation recognition unit is not limited to the above.

[0073] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the host vehicle 101 having an autonomous driving function functions as the road recognition device 50 and the driving assistance device 60. However, the host vehicle 101 without an autonomous driving function may also function as the road recognition device 50. In this case, information obtained by the road recognition device 50 may be shared with other vehicles, and the driving of the other vehicles may be assisted using information from the road recognition device 50. In other words, the host vehicle 101 may only function as the road recognition device 50.

[0074] The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and modifications as long as the features of the present invention are not impaired. One or more of the above-described embodiment and modifications can be arbitrarily combined, and modifications can also be combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10 Controller, 12 Memory unit, 21 Camera, 22 Sensor, 23 Notification unit, 25 Map generation unit, 26 Driving information acquisition unit, 27 Passing judgment unit, 28 Information addition unit, 50 Road recognition device, 60 Driving assistance device, 61 Driving assistance unit, 62 Driving situation recognition unit, 101 Vehicle, 102 Oncoming vehicle

Claims

1. an external environment detection unit that detects an external environment around the vehicle; a map generation unit that generates a map of the surroundings of the vehicle based on information about the external environment detected by the external environment detection unit; a determination unit that determines whether the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a specific road without a center line separating the vehicle's lane from an oncoming vehicle lane based on information about the external environment detected by the external environment detection unit, and, when the road is determined to be the specific road, determines whether the vehicle can pass an oncoming vehicle; a travel information acquisition unit that acquires travel history information of the host vehicle, including information indicating a relationship between a vehicle speed and a distance from the host vehicle to an oncoming vehicle, while the host vehicle is traveling on the specific road; a storage unit that stores the driving history information acquired by the driving information acquisition unit; an information adding unit that adds passing information according to the determination result by the determining unit to the map information generated by the map generating unit, The determination unit calculates the width of the specific road on which the vehicle is traveling based on information about the external environment detected by the external environment detection unit, and determines whether the calculated width is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the determination unit determines that the width is less than the predetermined value, the determination unit further determines whether the traveling history information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle stored in the storage unit includes a traveling history that allows passing each other. The information addition unit adds passing-possible information when the determination unit determines that the road width is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, or when the driving history information determines that a driving history in which passing is possible is included, and adds passing-impossible information when the determination unit determines that the road width is less than the predetermined value and that the driving history information does not include a driving history in which passing is possible.

2. 2. The road recognition device according to claim 1, The road recognition device is characterized in that the information addition unit sets a virtual center line for the specific road based on the width calculated by the determination unit, and adds position information of the set virtual center line to the map information.

3. 3. The road recognition device according to claim 1, The road recognition device is characterized in that the driving history information stored in the storage unit further includes information on the vehicle class of an oncoming vehicle associated with the position information of the specific road.

4. The road recognition device according to claim 3; a driving assistance unit that provides driving assistance based on the passing information added by the information addition unit in the road recognition device.

5. The driving assistance device according to claim 4, the host vehicle is an autonomous vehicle, The vehicle control device further includes a driving situation recognition unit that acquires driving history information of the vehicle and recognizes the driving situation of the vehicle when passing other vehicles based on the acquired driving history information, The driving assistance unit provides driving assistance by generating an action plan for the vehicle based on the passing information added by the information addition unit in the road recognition device and the driving situation recognized by the driving situation recognition unit.

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