Automatic driving assistance system and operation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides an automatic driving assistance system for a vehicle having redundancy without the problem of diversity. The automatic driving assistance system is an automatic driving system comprising a sensor (1) for acquiring peripheral information, a downstream device having an actuator for controlling a vehicle, and a driving assistance device (10) for calculating a control amount of the downstream device based on the peripheral information, wherein the downstream device has a diagnostic unit (23) for comparing at least two control amounts including a control amount calculated by the driving assistance device (10) and a control amount calculated by the downstream device based on the peripheral information, and determining that the control amounts are normal when the two control amounts are the same, and abnormal when the two control amounts are different.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to an automated driving assistance system. Background Art

[0002] In an automatic driving assistance system for automatic driving of a vehicle such as a car, in order to ensure safety during automatic driving, a plurality of backup automatic driving devices with the same functions are arranged in parallel, and even if an abnormality occurs in some of these devices, the automatic driving can be maintained by replacing other normal devices (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, the following function is used in the automatic driving assistance system: when it is determined that the automatic driving should be terminated, in order to safely switch to manual driving, notification to the driver, the driver's commitment, etc. are confirmed and manual driving is switched for the first time (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6212409

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-154542 Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0009] In these automatic driving assistance systems, the driving assistance device that performs automatic driving based on information from sensors has three independent computing devices, which calculate the control quantities of the steering device, drive device, and brake device through roughly the same calculations. It is necessary to judge whether they are normal or abnormal in the comparison judgment unit, and to judge which calculation result to use for automatic driving. The calculation of these control quantities has the problem of requiring very complex and huge calculations based on a variety of input information. In addition, when the same calculation is performed by the same CPU, there is also the possibility of repeating the same calculation error, which is also a problem from the perspective of diversity.

[0010] The present application is completed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to obtain a low-cost, redundant and non-diversified autonomous driving assistance system.

[0011] Technical means for solving technical problems

[0012] The automatic driving assistance system of the present application is an automatic driving system including a sensor for acquiring surrounding information, a downstream device having an actuator for controlling a vehicle, and a driving assistance device for calculating a control amount of the downstream device based on the surrounding information. The downstream device has a diagnostic unit that compares at least two control amounts, including a control amount calculated by the driving assistance device and a control amount calculated by the downstream device based on the surrounding information, and judges them to be normal when they are the same, and judges them to be abnormal when they are different.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] The automatic driving assistance system of the present application provides a low-cost automatic driving assistance system for vehicles with redundancy and without diversity problems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 1.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 1.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a hardware diagram of the driving assistance device in the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 2.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a partial flow chart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 2.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a partial flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 3.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a partial flow chart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 4.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a partial flow chart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 5.

[0023] Fig. 9 This is a partial flow chart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 6.

[0024] Fig.10 This is a partial flow chart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 7.

[0025] Fig.11 This is a partial flow chart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 8.

[0026] Fig.12This is a partial flow chart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 9.

[0027] Fig.13 This is a block diagram of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 10.

[0028] Fig.14 This is a flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 10.

[0029] Fig.15 This is a block diagram of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 11.

[0030] Fig.16 This is a flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 11.

[0031] Fig.17 This is a block diagram of the automatic driving assistance system in implementation mode 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In the description of the embodiments and the drawings, parts denoted by the same reference numerals represent the same or corresponding parts.

[0033] Implementation method 1.

[0034] use Figure 1 to Figure 3 Implementation method 1 of the present application will be described below. Figure 1 It is a block diagram of the automatic driving assistance system, showing the overall structure of the automatic driving assistance system in embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system, showing the operation and driving steps of the automatic driving assistance system in embodiment 1, Figure 3 This is a hardware diagram, and in the present embodiment, shows an example of hardware that performs instructions to actuators, that is, calculation of control amounts, in the driving support device and downstream devices.

[0035] <Structure of automated driving assistance system>

[0036] Figure 1 1 is an overall structural diagram of an automatic driving assistance system, which is mainly composed of a sensor 1, a driving assistance device 10, and actuators that actually control the vehicle, namely a steering device 20, a drive device 30, and a brake device 40. The steering device 20, the drive device 30, and the brake device 40 are sometimes referred to as downstream devices in the sense that they constitute the latter half of the automatic driving assistance system.

[0037] The sensor 1 includes cameras and radars that monitor the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle, and navigation based on road information data.

[0038] The driving support device 10 includes a driving route generation unit 11 that generates a driving route based on surrounding information acquired by the sensor 1 , and a driving control amount calculation unit 12 that calculates control amounts as instructions to each downstream device in order to implement the obtained driving route.

[0039] Following the driving assistance device 10, there are three types of downstream devices, namely, a steering device 20, a drive device 30, and a brake device 40. These devices have different functions for controlling the vehicle, but have the same basic structure, so the structure will be described based on the steering device 20.

[0040] The system includes a steering path generation unit 21 and a steering control amount calculation unit 22 for calculating a control amount based on peripheral information from the sensor 1, and a steering diagnosis unit 23 for comparing the control amount with the control amount calculated by the driving assistance device 10, and determines whether these control amounts are normal or abnormal. In the normal case, the control amount is output to the actuator constituting the steering part.

[0041] As described above, the automatic driving assistance system is constituted by the sensor 1 , the driving assistance device 10 , and three types of downstream devices, namely, the steering device 20 , the drive device 30 , and the brake device 40 .

[0042] <Automatic driving assistance system operation and driving procedures>

[0043] Next, use Figure 2 The flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system is used to illustrate the operation and driving steps of the automatic driving assistance system.

[0044] Figure 2 The process of automatic driving assistance is shown from top to bottom. The process from A to B recorded in the flowchart is a part of the automatic driving assistance process, showing the process of judgment made by the diagnosis unit and the control of the actuator based on this. In other embodiments, an example of replacing the process from A to B is described.

[0045] First, the sensor 1 acquires the surrounding information (step S101), outputs the surrounding information to the driving assistance device 10, and calculates the control amount for controlling the actuator (step S102). Figure 1 As described in , the driving assistance device 10 includes a driving path generation unit 11 and a driving control amount calculation unit 12. The driving path generation unit 11 selects information required for automatic driving from the vehicle distance to the vehicle ahead, lane and obstacle detection, road curvature, tunnel and congestion information, etc. sent from the sensor 1, and generates a driving path. In addition, vehicle travel information such as vehicle speed, steering, and brake operation is also sent to the driving path generation unit 11 via the sensor 1 for path generation.

[0046] The driving control amount calculation unit 12 calculates and outputs control amounts for actuators constituting each downstream device based on the driving route obtained by the driving route generation unit 11 .

[0047] Next, the downstream device also calculates the control amount based on the peripheral information (step S103). There are three types of downstream devices: the steering device 20, the drive device 30, and the brake device 40, so the control amount is calculated for each of them.

[0048] Specifically, the steering device 20 includes a steering path generation unit 21 that obtains peripheral information from the sensor 1, information unique to the steering device 20, such as a steering wheel torque signal and steering wheel angle information, and selects and processes the required information, and a steering control amount calculation unit 22 that calculates the control amount.

[0049] The information from the sensor 1 is sent to the drive device 30. In addition, information unique to the drive device 30, such as the engine or motor speed, temperature, drive offset position, etc., is obtained. The drive path generation unit 31 selects and processes the drive relationship information, and the control quantity is calculated in the drive control quantity calculation unit 32.

[0050] The information from the sensor 1 is also sent to the brake device 40 , and the brake path generation unit 41 selects and processes the information on the braking relationship, and the control amount is calculated in the brake control amount calculation unit 42 .

[0051] In the diagnosis unit 23 , 33 , 43 , the control amount calculated by the driving support device 10 is compared with the control amount obtained in the downstream device to determine whether they are different (step S104 ).

[0052] When these control amounts are different from each other, the operation is switched to manual operation (step S110 ), and the actuator is controlled by manual operation (step S111 ).

[0053] On the other hand, when the diagnosis unit determines that the control amounts are the same, the actuator is controlled using the control amounts (step S105) to achieve automatic driving.

[0054] In the control of the actuators by these automatic driving, a steering instruction is output to the steering device 20, an acceleration and deceleration instruction is output to the drive device 30, and a braking instruction is output to the brake device 40, and the steering gear, the engine or the motor, and the brake are respectively operated. As a more specific example, when the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front is long, an acceleration instruction is issued to the drive device 30 to control the engine unit 34, and a steering instruction is issued to the steering device 20 according to the inclination and curvature of the road to control the steering unit 24 so as to move the vehicle to one end of the road. In addition, when the speed is too fast, in order to avoid the danger of leaving the road, an instruction to apply braking to the wheels is issued to the brake device 40 to control the brake unit 44.

[0055] <Hardware structure of driving assistance system>

[0056] As in Figure 3 As an example is shown in FIG, the hardware of the computing unit included in the driving assistance device 10, downstream devices 20, 30, and 40 constituting the automatic driving assistance system is composed of a processor 13 and a storage device 14. Although not shown in the figure, the storage device has a volatile storage device such as a random access memory, and a non-volatile auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory. In addition, an auxiliary storage device of a hard disk may also be provided instead of the flash memory. The processor 13 executes a program input from the storage device 14. In this case, the program is input from the auxiliary storage device to the processor 13 via the volatile storage device. In addition, the processor 13 can output data such as the calculation result to the volatile storage device of the storage device 14, and can also save the data to the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device.

[0057] <Effects of automated driving assistance systems>

[0058] The driving assistance device 10 is a device that outputs instructions for changing the behavior of the vehicle based on various information. Although the driving assistance device 10 does not directly control the actuators that actually drive the vehicle, the content of the instructions is considered to be the most important in terms of safety.

[0059] If an abnormality occurs in the calculation of the path generation or control amount performed by the driving assistance device 10, there is a possibility of causing an accident. Therefore, in the automatic driving assistance system of this embodiment, in order to improve the safety of the driving assistance device 10 and ensure the high redundancy and diversity of the automatic driving assistance system, the downstream devices of the automatic driving assistance system, namely the steering device 20, the drive device 30 and the brake device 40 for operating the actuator, also share the driving assistance role related to their respective operation objects.

[0060] For example, in the steering device 20 that controls the steering unit 24, the information of the sensor 1 is transmitted not only to the driving assistance device 10 but also to the steering device 20 via the communication line 5. The steering angle generation unit 21 and the steering control amount calculation unit 22 that receive the information from the sensor 1 perform the generation path of the steering relationship and the calculation of the control amount to be sent to the steering unit 24. In other words, part of the control of the steering device 20 that the driving assistance device 10 is responsible for is shared with the steering device 20, and the calculation is performed in parallel.

[0061] The steering path generation unit 21 further obtains other information specific to the steering device 20, such as a steering wheel torque signal, steering wheel angle information, etc., selects or processes the information on the steering relationship and outputs it to the steering control amount calculation unit 22 to perform control amount calculation.

[0062] After that, the steering diagnosis unit 23 compares the steering control amount calculated in the driving support device 10 with the steering control amount calculated in the steering device 20. If the two are the same, it is determined to be normal, and the steering unit 24 is driven based on the calculation result.

[0063] Similarly, a part of the functions of the driving assistance device 10 is also performed in parallel in the driving device 30 and the braking device 40 .

[0064] For example, for the drive device 30, the drive control amount calculated in the driving assistance device 10 and the drive control amount calculated in the drive device 30 are compared by the drive diagnosis unit 33. If the two are the same, it is determined to be normal and the engine unit 34 is controlled. This automatic driving assistance system is equivalent to a device called EMS (engine management system), which can control acceleration and deceleration even in the absence of the driver's accelerator operation, and can make the vehicle run.

[0065] In addition, for the brake device 40, the brake control amount calculated in the driving assistance device 10 and the brake control amount calculated in the brake device 40 are compared by the brake diagnosis unit 43. If the two are the same, it is determined to be normal, and the brake unit 44 is controlled. This automatic driving assistance system is equivalent to a device called ABS (anti-lock braking system), which not only brakes at a predetermined deceleration, but also can give a fine braking instruction corresponding to the vehicle driving condition, such as an instruction to brake only the outer side of the front wheel when turning at an excessive speed, without spinning the vehicle.

[0066] As described above, in parallel with the calculation of the control amount of the driving assistance device 10, part of the calculation of the control amount is also shared in the steering device 20, the drive device 30, and the brake device 40 that control each actuator. The control amount of the driving assistance device 10 and the control amount calculated in each downstream device are calculated using different CPUs, so an automatic driving assistance system with good redundancy can be obtained.

[0067] In addition, the steering, engine, and brakes can be comprehensively controlled, and the entire vehicle can be controlled as a whole by a system called VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control).

[0068] Furthermore, in order to obtain the automatic driving assistance system of the present embodiment, no new capability to perform calculations is given to each downstream device. Each downstream device has the capability to carry out calculations by a CPU etc. for actuator control from the beginning. Therefore, there is no increase in the cost for parallel calculations by each downstream device, and the automatic driving assistance system of the present embodiment can be obtained at a low price.

[0069] Implementation method 2.

[0070] use Figure 4 and Figure 5 Embodiment 2 will be described. Compared with Embodiment 1, in each downstream device, a part of the calculation of the control amount of the driving assistance device 100 is performed in parallel to improve redundancy, which is common, but in this embodiment, the calculation of the control amount is performed in parallel in a plurality of downstream devices to further improve redundancy.

[0071] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system of this embodiment, which only shows Figure 2 The flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is different from that of FIG. 1 in parts A to B. In addition, the hardware structure is basically the same as that of FIG. Figure 3 are the same, so omitted.

[0072] In this embodiment, the driving path generation unit 101, the steering path generation unit 201, the driving path generation unit 301, and the braking path generation unit 401 that perform path generation can select and process the same information with the same accuracy. In addition, the accuracy can be reduced for a part, or only a part can be used to calculate the basic control amount. Furthermore, in a set of path generation units and control amount calculation units, two types of paths and control amounts can also be calculated simultaneously through this simplified calculation.

[0073] The timing of acquiring each information of the sensor 1 may be different in each downstream device. If there is a difference in the acquired information, it is considered that errors will occur and the calculation results of multiple control quantities will not be the same value. As a result, in each diagnostic unit, it is effective to make the judgment standard have a width, regard the prescribed range as the same, and judge it as normal.

[0074] In this embodiment, each downstream device not only calculates the path and control amount of its own device, but also calculates the path and control amount of other downstream devices, thereby achieving an automatic driving assistance system with further improved redundancy.

[0075] use Figure 4 The structure of each downstream device is explained with reference to the structural diagram described in the present embodiment described in the text.

[0076] The peripheral information is transmitted from the sensor 1 to the steering device 200 via the communication line 5 , and the control amount of the steering unit 204 is calculated by the steering path generation unit 201 and the steering control amount calculation unit 202 , and transmitted to the steering diagnosis unit 203 .

[0077] At the same time, in the same steering device 200 , the control amount of the engine unit 304 is calculated by the drive path generation unit 311 and the drive control amount calculation unit 312 , and these are sent to the communication line 5 .

[0078] In the driving device 300, the control amount of the engine unit 304 is calculated by the driving path generation unit 301 and the driving control amount calculation unit 302, and is sent to the driving diagnosis unit 303. In parallel, the control amount of the brake unit 404 is calculated by the braking path generation unit 411 and the braking control amount calculation unit 412, and is sent to the communication line 5. In addition, in the braking device 400, the control amount of the brake unit 404 is calculated by the braking path generation unit 401 and the braking control amount calculation unit 402, and is sent to the braking diagnosis unit 403. In parallel, the control amount of the steering unit 204 is calculated by the steering path generation unit 211 and the steering control amount calculation unit 212, and is sent to the communication line 5.

[0079] In the steering diagnosis unit 203 of the steering device 200, in addition to the steering control amount calculated in the steering device 200, the steering control amount calculated in the braking device 400 is also sent via the communication line 5. In addition, the three calculation results are compared together with the calculation results of the driving control amount calculation unit 102.

[0080] Similarly, the two drive control quantities and the calculation results of the driving control quantity calculation unit 102 are sent to the driving diagnosis unit 303 and the three calculation results are compared, and the two brake control quantities and the calculation results of the driving control quantity calculation unit 102 are sent to the braking diagnosis unit 403 and the three calculation results are compared.

[0081] As described above, in this embodiment, each diagnosis unit makes a judgment based on a total of three calculation results, namely, the calculation result of the driving assistance device 100 and the calculation results obtained by two downstream devices. All of these are obtained by calculation by different CPUs, so more accurate judgment can be made and erroneous judgment can be suppressed.

[0082] In this embodiment, along Figure 5 The flowchart shown in the figure explains the judgment using the three calculation results. Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B to the contents of this embodiment, and the flowchart is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 1 except for the portion from A to B. Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0083] It is determined whether two or more of the three control quantities calculated are the same (step S204). If two or more control quantities are the same, the actuator is controlled using the control quantity (step S205). If two or more control quantities are not the same and all three control quantities are different, manual driving is switched (step S210), and the actuator is controlled by manual driving (step S211).

[0084] In the present embodiment, three control quantities are used, so redundancy is high and accurate judgment can be made.

[0085] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the steering device 200 calculates the steering control amount and the driving control amount, the driving device 300 calculates the driving control amount and the braking control amount, and the braking device 400 calculates the braking control amount and the steering control amount, but these combinations are examples, and the same effect can be obtained in different combinations of calculations. In addition, an example is shown in which two types of control amounts are calculated in each downstream device, but a good effect can also be obtained when three types of control amounts are calculated in each downstream device.

[0086] Furthermore, when two CPUs are provided in each of the three downstream devices, the validity of the calculation results can be diagnosed using two control quantities calculated by the two CPUs in the same downstream device. In order to improve redundancy, it is important to use the calculation results obtained in different CPUs, and the calculation results obtained by the two CPUs of the same downstream device can be used for diagnosis without using the calculation results in other downstream devices.

[0087] Implementation method 3.

[0088] In this embodiment, along Figure 6 The flowchart shown in exemplifies a countermeasure when the control amount calculated in the driving assistance device 10 in the diagnosis section is different from the control amount obtained in the downstream device such as the steering device 20, 200.

[0089] The flowchart is Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B to the flow in this embodiment, and the flowchart is the same as the flowchart in FIG. 1 except for the portion from A to B. Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0090] When the control amount calculated in the driving assistance device 10 is compared with the control amount calculated by the downstream device and coincides with each other (step S304 ), the actuator is controlled using the control amount (step S305 ).

[0091] On the other hand, when the control amounts are different, it is necessary to select the one that is safe for the behavior of the vehicle. Here, the one with a smaller control amount means that the control amount of the actuator is also smaller and is considered to have a smaller change, so the control amount X1 calculated by the driving assistance device 10 is compared with the control amount Y1 calculated by the downstream device, for example, when X1>Y1, Y1 is used as the control amount, and when X1<Y, X1 is used as the control amount (step S310) to implement the control of the actuator.

[0092] It is believed that by using a control amount that causes a smaller change in the actuator, the vehicle's behavior will change less, and the safe side can be selected, thereby obtaining a good automatic driving assistance system.

[0093] Implementation method 4.

[0094] In this embodiment, along Figure 7 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is used to explain the countermeasures when the control amount calculated in the driving assistance device 10 in the diagnosis unit and the control amount obtained in the downstream device such as the steering device 20, 200 are different.

[0095] The flowchart is Figure 2The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B to the flow in this embodiment, and the flowchart is the same as the flowchart in FIG. 1 except for the portion from A to B. Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0096] In the present embodiment, when the control amount X2 calculated in the driving assistance device 10 is compared with the control amount Y2 obtained in the downstream device (step S404), if X2 and Y2 are the same, the actuator is controlled using the control amount (step S405).

[0097] When the control amounts are different, the actuator is controlled using the previous control amount C2 (step S410) and the control amount X2 or Y2 of this time, whichever has a smaller difference from C2 (step S411).

[0098] It is considered that by using a value close to the control amount C2 until the last time, the change in the behavior of the vehicle can be reduced, and a good automatic driving assistance system can be obtained.

[0099] Implementation method 5.

[0100] In this embodiment, along Figure 8 The operation method of switching to manual driving when the control amount calculated by the driving assistance device 10 and the control amount calculated in the downstream device such as the steering device 20, 200 are different is explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0101] The flowchart is Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B to the content of this embodiment, and the other portions are the same as those in FIG. 1 . Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0102] In this embodiment, the following aspects are the same as the general flowchart: in the comparison of the control amounts of the driving assistance device 10 and the downstream device (step S504), when the respective control amounts are the same, the control amounts are used to control the actuator (step S505).

[0103] When it is determined that the driving assistance device 10 is inconsistent with the control device of the downstream device, thereby interrupting the automatic driving, there is a situation where it is dangerous to perform controls such as engine stopping, fuel cutting, braking, etc., and a decision is made to switch to manual driving (step S510). The driver is notified and after obtaining consent (step S511), the driving is switched to manual driving (step S512), thereby ensuring safety when switching to manual driving.

[0104] Implementation method 6.

[0105] In this embodiment, along Fig. 9 The flowchart shown in will explain the determination of whether or not there is a difference in the control amount between the driving assistance device 10 and the downstream device.

[0106] The flowchart is Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B to the content of this embodiment, and the other portions are the same as those in FIG. 1 . Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0107] In this embodiment, in the comparison of the control amount between the driving assistance device 10 and the downstream device, the control amount until the last time is used as a reference to set a specified allowable range, and the suitability of automatic driving is judged based on whether more than two control amounts are included in the range (step S604).

[0108] When two or more of the control amount of the driving assistance device 10 and the control amount of the downstream device are within the allowable range, actuator control is performed using these values ​​(step S605 ).

[0109] When there is one or less control amount within the predetermined range, the driver is notified, the driving is switched to manual driving (step S610), and the actuator control is performed by manual driving (step S611).

[0110] In the present embodiment, when three control variables are used, even when one control variable is outside the permissible range, the automatic driving is not interrupted and the driving can be continued, thereby ensuring convenience in addition to safety.

[0111] Implementation method 7.

[0112] In this embodiment, along Fig.10 The flowchart shown in will explain the countermeasures when a difference occurs in the control amount between the driving assistance device 10 and the downstream device.

[0113] The flowchart is Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B to the content of this embodiment, and the other portions are the same as those in FIG. 1 . Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0114] The upper limit C3 of the control amount is set based on the previous values ​​of the control amount of the driving assistance device 10 and the downstream device (step S704). The control amount X3 obtained in the driving assistance device 10 and the control amount Y3 obtained in the downstream device are compared with the upper limit C3 (step S704). If the control amount is smaller than the upper limit C3, the actuator is controlled using the control amount (step S705).

[0115] When both the control amounts X3 and Y3 are larger than the upper limit value C3, the control is switched to manual driving (step S710), the driver is notified, and the actuator is controlled by manual driving (step S711).

[0116] By setting the upper limit value, it is possible to prevent the control amount from changing suddenly, and to suppress sudden changes in the behavior of the vehicle.

[0117] Implementation method 8.

[0118] In this embodiment, along Fig.11 The flowchart shown in will explain the countermeasures when a difference occurs in the control amount between the driving assistance device 10 and the downstream device.

[0119] The flowchart is Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B to the content of this embodiment, and the other portions are the same as those in FIG. 1 . Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0120] In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the diagnosis unit compares the control amounts to determine the differences (step S804). If the control amounts are the same, the actuator is controlled using the value (step S805). If the control amounts are different, the control amount calculated by the peripheral information acquired by the sensor is selected based on the sequence of the importance of the sensor determined in advance (step S810). The actuator control is implemented using the selected control amount (step S811).

[0121] Since control quantities corresponding to a predetermined sequence are used, autonomous driving can be implemented without interrupting autonomous driving, thereby achieving autonomous driving with higher safety.

[0122] Implementation method 9.

[0123] In this embodiment, along Fig.12 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 illustrates a method for selecting the control amount of the diagnosis unit.

[0124] The flowchart is Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B to the content of this embodiment, and the other portions are the same as those in FIG. 1 . Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0125] In the present embodiment, the point that the difference and similarity judgment of the control amount is implemented in the diagnostic unit (step S904) is the same as other embodiments, but in the present embodiment, for example, even if the control amount is a control amount within a specified range that is determined to be divided into multiple stages, it can be used without calculating the numerical value of the control amount.

[0126] As an example, the control amount X4 for acceleration and deceleration can also be separated into five stages: large acceleration when X4>a, small acceleration when a≧X4>b, maintaining speed when b≧X4>c, small deceleration when c≧X4>d, and large deceleration when d≧X4 (step S905).

[0127] In the diagnosis unit, when it is determined that the Fig.12 The driving is switched to manual driving (step S910), and the actuator is controlled manually (step S911), but this is not particularly limited to this. For example, it can also be combined with implementation mode 3, etc., and a method of selecting a smaller control amount that is considered to be the safest.

[0128] As described above, by using the determination for determining the range separated into a plurality of stages instead of obtaining the control amount as a numerical value, the amount of information acquired from the sensor 1 can be reduced, and the calculation load can be suppressed.

[0129] Implementation method 10.

[0130] use Fig.13 and Fig.14 , Embodiment 10 is described. Compared with Embodiment 2, the point that the calculation of the control amount is performed in parallel in a plurality of downstream devices is common, but the present embodiment is different in that the automatic driving system is constructed without a driving assistance device.

[0131] Fig.14 The flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system of this embodiment is shown in FIG. Figure 3 are the same, so omitted.

[0132] In this embodiment, the steering path generation unit 201, the driving path generation unit 301, and the braking path generation unit 401 that generate paths can select and process the same information with the same accuracy. In addition, the accuracy can be reduced for a part, or only a part can be used to calculate the basic control amount, such as Fig.13 As shown, a set of a path generation unit and a control amount calculation unit may be used to simultaneously calculate a plurality of types of paths and control amounts through the simplified calculation.

[0133] The acquisition of each information of the sensor 1 is performed at different timings in each downstream device, and the acquired information may differ. In this case, it is considered that errors also occur in the calculation results of the multiple control quantities, and they are not the same value. As a result, in each diagnostic unit, it is effective to make the judgment criterion have a width, regard the prescribed range as the same, and judge it as normal.

[0134] In this embodiment, in each downstream device, not only the path and control amount of its own device are calculated, but also the paths and control amounts of other downstream devices are calculated. Therefore, a redundant automatic driving assistance system is achieved without the need for a driving assistance device.

[0135] use Fig.13 The structure of each downstream device is explained with reference to the structural diagram described in the present embodiment described in the text.

[0136] The peripheral information is transmitted from the sensor 1 to the steering device 200 via the communication line 5 , and the control amount of the steering unit 204 is calculated by the steering path generation unit 201 and the steering control amount calculation unit 202 , and transmitted to the steering diagnosis unit 203 .

[0137] At the same time, in the same steering device 200 , the control amount of the engine unit 304 is calculated by the drive path generation unit 311 and the drive control amount calculation unit 312 , and these are sent to the communication line 5 .

[0138] In the driving device 300, the control amount of the engine unit 304 is calculated by the driving path generation unit 301 and the driving control amount calculation unit 302, and is sent to the driving diagnosis unit 303. In parallel, the control amount of the brake unit 404 is calculated by the braking path generation unit 411 and the braking control amount calculation unit 412, and is sent to the communication line 5. In addition, in the braking device 400, the control amount of the brake unit 404 is calculated by the braking path generation unit 401 and the braking control amount calculation unit 402, and is sent to the braking diagnosis unit 403. In parallel, the control amount of the steering unit 204 is calculated by the steering path generation unit 211 and the steering control amount calculation unit 212, and is sent to the communication line 5.

[0139] In the steering diagnosis unit 203 of the steering device 200, in addition to the steering control amount obtained in the steering device 200, the steering control amount calculated by the brake device 400 is transmitted via the communication line 5, and the two calculation results are compared.

[0140] Similarly, the two driving control amounts are sent to the driving diagnosis unit 303 and the two calculation results are compared, and the calculation results of the two braking control amounts are sent to the braking diagnosis unit 403 and the two calculation results are compared.

[0141] As described above, in this embodiment, each diagnostic unit makes a judgment based on the calculation results obtained from two downstream devices. All of these are calculated by different CPUs, so more accurate judgments can be made and erroneous judgments can be suppressed.

[0142] Along Fig.14The flowchart shown in the figure illustrates the determination of the calculation results obtained by using the two downstream devices shown in this embodiment. The flowchart is basically the same as Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is the same as that in FIG. 1 , but is different in that there is no control amount calculation portion (step S102 ) obtained by the driving assistance device.

[0143] It is determined whether the two calculation results of the control quantities calculated by the downstream device are the same (step S104). If the two control quantities are the same, the actuator is controlled using the control quantity (step S105). If the two control quantities are not the same, and the two control quantities are all different, the manual driving is switched (step S110), and the actuator is controlled by manual driving (step S111).

[0144] In the present embodiment, accurate determination can be made by using a plurality of downstream devices without providing a driving assistance device.

[0145] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the steering device 200 calculates the steering control amount and the driving control amount, the driving device 300 calculates the driving control amount and the braking control amount, and the braking device 400 calculates the braking control amount and the steering control amount, but these combinations are examples, and the same effect can be obtained in different combinations of calculations. In addition, an example is shown in which two types of control amounts are calculated in each downstream device, but a good effect can also be obtained when three types of control amounts are calculated in each downstream device.

[0146] Furthermore, when two CPUs are provided in each of the three downstream devices, the validity of the calculation results can be diagnosed using two control quantities calculated by the two CPUs in the same downstream device. In order to improve redundancy, it is important to use calculation results obtained by different CPUs, and diagnosis can be performed using the calculation results obtained by the two CPUs of the same downstream device without using calculation results in other downstream devices.

[0147] Implementation method 11.

[0148] use Fig.15 and Fig.16 , to explain the embodiment 11. Compared with the embodiment 2, the point that the calculation of the control amount is performed in parallel in a plurality of downstream devices is common, but the present embodiment is different in that two or more driving assistance devices are provided and the calculation of each control amount is performed using a plurality of driving assistance devices and a plurality of downstream devices.

[0149] Fig.16 is a flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system of this embodiment, which only shows Figure 2The flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is different from that of FIG. 1 in the flowchart of the automatic driving assistance system of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 . In addition, the hardware structure is basically the same as that of FIG. Figure 3 are the same, so omitted.

[0150] In this embodiment, the two driving path generation units 101 and 111, the steering path generation unit 201, the driving path generation unit 301, and the braking path generation unit 401 that perform path generation can select and process the same information with the same accuracy. In addition, the accuracy can be reduced for a part, or only a part can be used to calculate the basic control amount, or a set of path generation units and control amount calculation units can be used to calculate multiple paths and control amounts at the same time through the simplified calculation.

[0151] The timing of acquiring each information of the sensor 1 may be different in each downstream device, and the acquired information may be different. In this case, it is considered that the calculation results of the multiple control quantities also have errors and are not the same value. As a result, in each diagnostic unit, it is effective to make the judgment standard have a width, regard the prescribed range as the same, and judge it as normal.

[0152] In this embodiment, in the two driving assistance devices and each downstream device, not only the path and control amount of their own device are calculated, but also the path and control amount of other downstream devices are calculated. Therefore, even if an abnormality or failure occurs in one of the driving assistance devices, at least three calculation results can be compared, thereby achieving an automatic driving assistance system with the same high redundancy as Implementation Example 2.

[0153] use Fig.15 The structure of each downstream device is explained with reference to the structural diagram described in the present embodiment described in the text.

[0154] The peripheral information is transmitted from the sensor 1 to the steering device 200 via the communication line 5 , and the control amount of the steering unit 204 is calculated by the steering path generation unit 201 and the steering control amount calculation unit 202 , and transmitted to the steering diagnosis unit 203 .

[0155] At the same time, in the same steering device 200 , the control amount of the engine unit 304 is calculated by the drive path generation unit 311 and the drive control amount calculation unit 312 , and these are sent to the communication line 5 .

[0156] In the driving device 300, the control amount of the engine unit 304 is calculated by the driving path generation unit 301 and the driving control amount calculation unit 302, and is sent to the driving diagnosis unit 303. In parallel, the control amount of the brake unit 404 is calculated by the braking path generation unit 411 and the braking control amount calculation unit 412, and is sent to the communication line 5. In addition, in the braking device 400, the control amount of the brake unit 404 is calculated by the braking path generation unit 401 and the braking control amount calculation unit 402, and is sent to the braking diagnosis unit 403. In parallel, the control amount of the steering unit 204 is calculated by the steering path generation unit 211 and the steering control amount calculation unit 212, and is sent to the communication line 5.

[0157] In the steering diagnosis unit 203 of the steering device 200, in addition to the steering control amount calculated in the steering device 200, the steering control amount calculated in the braking device 400 is also sent via the communication line 5. In addition, the four calculation results are compared together with the calculation results of the two driving control amount calculation units 102 and 112.

[0158] Similarly, the two driving control amounts are sent to the driving diagnosis unit 303 and the four calculation results are compared, and the calculation results of the two braking control amounts are sent to the braking diagnosis unit 403 and the four calculation results are compared.

[0159] As described above, in the present embodiment, in each diagnosis unit, a judgment is made based on the calculation results of the two driving assistance devices 100 and 110 and the calculation results obtained by the two downstream devices, which is a total of four calculation results. All of these are obtained by calculation by different CPUs, so more accurate judgment can be made and erroneous judgment can be suppressed. In addition, even if one calculation result shows an abnormal value, judgment is made based on the other three calculation results, thereby continuing to make correct judgments even in the event of a failure.

[0160] In this embodiment, along Fig.16 The flowchart shown in the figure explains the judgment using the four calculation results. Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by changing the portion from A to B of the flowchart shown in FIG. 1 to the contents of the present embodiment, and is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 1 except for the portion from A to B. Figure 2 The flowchart is the same as

[0161] It is determined whether the calculation results of three or more of the four control quantities obtained by calculation are the same (step S1004). If the three or more control quantities are the same, the control quantities are used to control the actuator (step S1005). If the three or more control quantities are not the same and all four control quantities are different, or if two control quantities are the same and the other two control quantities are the same as the values ​​different from the above two control quantities, so that the correctness cannot be determined, the manual driving is switched (step S1010) and the actuator is controlled by manual driving (step S1011). In addition, if the three calculation results are the same and the calculation results of one driving assistance device are different (S1006), it is determined that there is an abnormality in the device that calculates the different control quantities (S1007).

[0162] In the present embodiment, even when an abnormality occurs in the calculation result of one driving support device, since three or more control variables are used, redundancy is high and correct judgment can be made even when an abnormality occurs.

[0163] In the present embodiment, compared with the case of simply comparing the calculation results of two driving assistance devices, by using two driving assistance devices and two downstream devices, the calculation results can be diversified and higher redundancy can be achieved without increasing the cost.

[0164] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the steering device 200 calculates the steering control amount and the driving control amount, the driving device 300 calculates the driving control amount and the braking control amount, and the braking device 400 calculates the braking control amount and the steering control amount, but these combinations are examples, and the same effect can be obtained in different combinations of calculations. In addition, an example is shown in which two types of control amounts are calculated in each downstream device, but a good effect can also be obtained when three types of control amounts are calculated in each downstream device.

[0165] In the embodiment, an example is shown in which two types of control variables are calculated in two driving assistance devices and respective downstream devices, but these combinations are only examples, and good effects can also be obtained when the driving assistance device is composed of two or more devices.

[0166] Furthermore, an example in which an abnormality exists in the calculation of the driving assistance device is shown, but a good result can also be obtained when an abnormality exists in the calculation of each downstream device.

[0167] Furthermore, when two CPUs are provided in each of the three downstream devices, the validity of the calculation results can be diagnosed using two control quantities calculated by the two CPUs in the same downstream device. In order to improve redundancy, it is important to use calculation results obtained by different CPUs, and diagnosis can be performed using the calculation results obtained by the two CPUs of the same downstream device without using calculation results in other downstream devices.

[0168] Implementation method 12.

[0169] In embodiment 10, if Fig.13 As shown, an example is shown in which each downstream device 200, 300, 400 performs not only calculations of the path and control amount of its own device but also calculations of another downstream device.

[0170] In this embodiment, if Fig.17 As shown, the structure of further expanding implementation mode 10 and performing operations on other two downstream devices is described.

[0171] In each downstream device 200, 300, 400, not only the path and control amount of its own device are calculated, but also the paths and control amounts of the other two downstream devices are calculated. The calculation results are sent to each downstream device through the communication line 5, and are used by the diagnosis unit of each downstream device to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the calculation.

[0172] By using its own calculation results and the calculation results obtained by the other two downstream devices, even if it is only composed of downstream devices, it is possible to compare the three calculation results, thereby forming a good automatic driving assistance system with higher redundancy.

[0173] In the case where two CPUs are provided in each of the three downstream devices, the two control quantities calculated by the two CPUs in the same downstream device can be used to diagnose the validity of the calculation results. In order to improve redundancy, it is important to use the calculation results obtained by different CPUs, and the diagnosis can be performed using the calculation results obtained by the two CPUs of the same downstream device without using the calculation results in other downstream devices.

[0174] Although the present application describes various exemplary embodiments and examples, various features, forms, and functions described in one or more embodiments are not limited to being applicable to specific embodiments, and may be applicable to the embodiments individually or in various combinations.

[0175] Therefore, it can be considered that numerous variations not shown are also included in the technical scope disclosed in the specification of this application. For example, it is assumed that at least one structural element is deformed, added, or omitted, and at least one structural element is extracted and combined with structural elements of other embodiments.

[0176] Description of symbols

[0177] 1 sensor, 5 communication lines, 10, 100, 110 driving assistance device, 11, 101, 111 driving path generation unit, 12, 102, 112 driving control amount calculation unit, 13 processor, 14 storage device, 20, 200 steering device, 21, 201, 211 steering path generation unit, 22, 202, 212 steering control amount calculation unit, 23, 203 steering diagnosis unit, 24, 204 steering unit, 30, 300 driving device, 31, 301, 311 driving path generation unit, 32, 302, 312 driving control amount calculation unit, 33, 303 driving diagnosis unit, 34, 304 engine unit, 40, 400 braking device, 41, 401, 411 braking path generation unit, 42, 402, 412 braking control amount calculation unit, 43, 403 braking diagnosis unit, 44, 404 braking unit.

Claims

1. An automatic driving assistance system, the automatic driving assistance system comprising: A sensor, which obtains surrounding information; a downstream device having an actuator for controlling the vehicle; as well as a driving assistance device that calculates a control amount of the downstream device based on the surrounding information, The automatic driving assistance system is characterized in that: The driving assistance device includes a driving route generating unit that generates a driving route for automatic driving based on the surrounding information obtained by the sensor, and a driving control amount calculating unit that calculates a control amount instructed to the downstream device in order to implement the generated driving route. During automatic driving, the downstream device has a diagnostic unit, which compares the control amount calculated by the driving control amount calculation unit with the control amount calculated by the downstream device based on the surrounding information obtained by the sensor, and judges it as abnormal when they are different. In addition, when it is judged as abnormal, the automatic driving is switched to manual driving.

2. The automatic driving assistance system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The downstream device includes a steering device, a driving device and a braking device.

3. The automatic driving assistance system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The calculation of the control amount in the downstream device is performed by a route generation unit that acquires peripheral information via the sensor and generates a travel direction, and a control amount calculation unit that calculates the control amount of the downstream device.

4. The automatic driving assistance system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The comparison by the diagnosis unit is performed on the control amount calculated by the driving assistance device and the control amount calculated by the downstream device, and also on the control amount calculated by a downstream device other than the downstream device.

5. The method for operating the automatic driving assistance system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: When a discrepancy occurs between the control amounts in the determination by the diagnosis unit, a control amount giving priority to vehicle safety is selected to control the actuator.

6. An automatic driving assistance system, the automatic driving assistance system comprising: A sensor, which obtains surrounding information; a plurality of downstream devices, the plurality of downstream devices having actuators for controlling the vehicle; as well as a driving assistance device that calculates a control amount of the downstream device based on the surrounding information, The automatic driving assistance system is characterized in that: The downstream device has a diagnostic unit, The diagnosis unit compares at least three control quantities, including a control quantity calculated by the driving assistance device, a control quantity calculated by the downstream device based on the peripheral information, and a control quantity calculated in a downstream device other than the downstream device, and determines the state of the automatic driving.

7. The automatic driving assistance system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The downstream device includes a steering device, a driving device and a braking device.

8. The automatic driving assistance system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The calculation of the control amount in the downstream device is performed by a route generation unit that acquires peripheral information via the sensor and generates a travel direction, and a control amount calculation unit that calculates the control amount of the downstream device.

9. The method for operating the automatic driving assistance system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: When a discrepancy occurs between the control amounts in the determination by the diagnosis unit, a control amount giving priority to vehicle safety is selected to control the actuator.

10. The method for operating the automatic driving assistance system according to claim 8, wherein: When a discrepancy occurs between the control amounts in the determination by the diagnosis unit, a control amount giving priority to vehicle safety is selected to control the actuator.

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