autonomous vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed is an autonomous vehicle. During the period from the time the autonomous vehicle begins to pull over to the sidewalk until the vehicle has completely pulled over to the sidewalk, if an object that could be an obstacle is present in at least one of a central front area, a sidewalk front area, and a sidewalk side area, which are areas within a predetermined distance in front of the center, in front of the sidewalk, and to the sides of the sidewalk, respectively, of the vehicle, an operation control unit immediately stops the vehicle. During this period, if the object is not present in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk side area, the operation control unit does not stop the vehicle even if the object is present in areas surrounding the vehicle other than the central front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk side areas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses an autonomous vehicle equipped with sensors that detect objects present around the vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, autonomous vehicles capable of autonomous driving have been proposed. In some cases, the autonomous vehicles are provided with sensors for detecting objects around the vehicle.

[0003] For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-206327 discloses a method in which, when a sensor provided on an autonomous vehicle detects an obstacle, the autonomous vehicle is caused to travel along a trajectory that avoids the obstacle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] When sensors installed on an autonomous vehicle detect an object around the vehicle, it is conceivable to execute control to immediately stop the autonomous vehicle. However, when attempting to execute such control to pull the autonomous vehicle over to the sidewalk (for example, when the autonomous vehicle is a bus and is stopped at a bus stop), if the sensors detect an object in a direction other than the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle may be stopped unnecessarily.

[0005] The purpose of the autonomous driving vehicle disclosed in this specification is to suppress the autonomous driving vehicle from stopping unnecessarily when the autonomous driving vehicle pulls over to the side of a sidewalk.

[0006] An autonomous vehicle disclosed in this specification is an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous driving, comprising: a sensor for detecting objects present around the autonomous vehicle; and an operation control unit for stopping the autonomous vehicle when, from the time the autonomous vehicle starts to pull over to a sidewalk until the autonomous vehicle has completely pulled over to the sidewalk, the object detected by the sensor that may be an obstacle is present in at least one of a central front area, which is an area within a predetermined distance in front of the center of the autonomous vehicle; a sidewalk front area, which is an area within a predetermined distance in front of the sidewalk of the autonomous vehicle; and a sidewalk lateral area, which is an area within a predetermined distance to the side of the sidewalk of the autonomous vehicle. Furthermore, when the object that may be an obstacle is not present in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area, the operation control unit does not stop the autonomous vehicle even if the object that may be an obstacle is present in an area around the autonomous vehicle other than the central front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area.

[0007] According to such a configuration, during the time period from the time when the autonomous driving vehicle in autonomous driving starts to pull over to the sidewalk until the autonomous driving vehicle completely pulls over to the sidewalk, when there are no objects that may be obstacles in the area located in the direction of travel of the autonomous driving vehicle, the autonomous driving vehicle can be prevented from stopping even when objects that may be obstacles are present in an area that is not located in the direction of travel of the autonomous driving vehicle.

[0008] When the object that may be an obstacle does not exist in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area and the sidewalk side area, and when the object that may be an obstacle exists in any of the central rear area which is an area within a predetermined distance behind the center of the autonomous driving vehicle and the sidewalk rear area which is an area within a predetermined distance behind the sidewalk side of the autonomous driving vehicle, the operation control unit can cause the autonomous driving vehicle to slow down.

[0009] According to such a configuration, when an object that may be an obstacle existing in an area that is not located in the driving direction of the autonomous driving vehicle (specifically, either of the central rear area and the sidewalk side rear area) is likely to collide with the autonomous driving vehicle, the possibility of a collision between the object that may be an obstacle and the autonomous driving vehicle can be reduced without stopping the autonomous driving vehicle.

[0010] The operation control unit can detect the moving direction of the object that may be an obstacle around the autonomous driving vehicle based on the detection results of the sensor, and when the object that may be an obstacle does not exist in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area and the sidewalk side area, when the object that may be an obstacle exists in at least one of the central rear area and the sidewalk rear area, and when the moving direction of the object that may be an obstacle is away from the autonomous driving vehicle or the object that may be an obstacle is stopped, there is no need to slow down the autonomous driving vehicle.

[0011] According to such a configuration, even if an object that may be an obstacle exists in either the central rear area or the sidewalk side rear area, when the possibility of the object that may be an obstacle colliding with the autonomous driving vehicle is low, the autonomous driving vehicle can be prevented from being caused to slow down unnecessarily.

[0012] During the time period from when the autonomous driving vehicle in autonomous driving completely pulls over to the side of the sidewalk until the autonomous driving vehicle stops, when the object that may be an obstacle exists in the central front area, the operation control unit can stop the autonomous driving vehicle, and when the object that may be an obstacle does not exist in the central front area, the operation control unit does not need to stop the autonomous driving vehicle even when the object that may be an obstacle exists in the area around the autonomous driving vehicle other than the central front area.

[0013] According to such a configuration, also during the time period from when the autonomous driving vehicle in autonomous driving completely pulls over to the side of the sidewalk until the autonomous driving vehicle stops, when no objects that may be obstacles exist in the area located in the driving direction of the autonomous driving vehicle, the autonomous driving vehicle can be prevented from stopping even when objects that may be obstacles exist in an area that is not located in the driving direction of the autonomous driving vehicle.

[0014] According to the autonomous driving vehicle disclosed in this specification, when the autonomous driving vehicle pulls over to the side of the sidewalk, it is possible to suppress the autonomous driving vehicle from stopping unnecessarily. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic plan view showing a plurality of sensors provided in an autonomous driving vehicle;

[0018] Figure 3 showing the name of the area surrounding the autonomous vehicle;

[0019] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the operation control device; and

[0020] Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing the movement of the autonomous vehicle as it pulls over to the side of a sidewalk until the autonomous vehicle stops. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, the configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in the drawings to be referred to below, "FR," "UP," and "LH" respectively represent the front side in the vehicle front-rear direction, the upper side in the vehicle height direction, and the left side in the vehicle width direction (the left side when the vehicle faces the front).

[0022] Figure 1 : is a perspective view of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 as viewed from the front three-quarters perspective. The autonomous driving vehicle 10 is a bus used to transport passengers while traveling along a predetermined route within a specific location. However, the use form of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 disclosed in this specification can be appropriately changed. For example, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 can be used in a mobile business space. For example, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 can be used in a store, such as a retail store that displays and sells various products or a restaurant that cooks and serves food and drinks. As another form, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 can be used in an office, which is used for clerical work, meeting with clients, etc. The autonomous driving vehicle 10 can also be used as a taxi or freight vehicle to transport customers or goods. In addition, the scenarios in which the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is used are not limited to commercial scenarios, and the autonomous driving vehicle 10 can be used as a personal mobility tool, for example. The driving mode and driving speed of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 can be appropriately changed.

[0023] The autonomous driving vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle including a traction motor as a prime mover, and a main battery (not shown) for supplying power to the traction motor is installed under the floor of the autonomous driving vehicle 10. Figure 1As shown, the autonomous vehicle 10 does not include a hood or trunk and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, with its front and rear ends standing in a generally vertical position. The box 12 includes, for example, pillars 14 extending in the vehicle's height direction, and beams 16 extending in the vehicle's longitudinal direction at the boundary between the side and top surfaces of the autonomous vehicle 10. A large window 18 is provided on the side of the autonomous vehicle 10. Furthermore, a pair of sliding doors 20, which open and close by sliding in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, are provided in the center of the left side of the autonomous vehicle 10.

[0024] A window portion 22 serving as a windshield and a lamp placement portion 24 arranged below the window portion 22 are provided on the front face of the autonomous vehicle 10. A signal lamp 26 for indicating the presence and behavior of the vehicle to people outside the vehicle by light is placed in the lamp placement portion 24. The rear face of the autonomous vehicle 10 is also constructed almost similarly to the front face of the vehicle, with the window portion 22 and the lamp placement portion 24 arranged one above the other.

[0025] A pair of wheels 28 is provided near each of the front and rear ends of the autonomous vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the lower ends of the pillars 14 located at the four corners in plan view are formed in protrusions 30 that protrude outward in the vehicle width direction, and each wheel 28 is provided below each protrusion 30. Therefore, the wheels 28 are arranged close to the vehicle's outer side in the vehicle width direction, allowing the autonomous vehicle 10 to secure a wider interior space.

[0026] The autonomous vehicle 10 is a vehicle capable of autonomous driving. Specifically, the autonomous vehicle 10 can be driven in multiple driving modes, including an autonomous driving mode, a semi-autonomous driving mode, and a manual driving mode. The autonomous driving mode and the semi-autonomous driving mode are modes in which the autonomous vehicle 10 drives itself, while the manual driving mode is a mode in which the autonomous vehicle 10 is manually driven by an operator.

[0027] The automatic driving mode is a driving mode in which most of the operation control is performed by a computer (operation control unit (to be described later)) installed in the automatic driving vehicle 10. In this specification, the operation control is a concept including shift control, vehicle speed control (including start control and stop control), or steering control. The automatic driving vehicle 10 can communicate with a management center that manages and controls a plurality of automatic driving vehicles 10, and in the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving vehicle 10 travels along a predetermined route based on the control from the management center. In the automatic driving mode, although the operation control is performed by the computer according to the operation instruction from the management center, only the control for starting from a stopped state is performed based on the operation performed by the operator. For example, by operating the touch panel ( Figure 1 (not shown) to perform control for starting from a stopped state.

[0028] Similar to the automatic driving mode, the semi-automatic driving mode is a driving mode in which most of the operational control of the automatic driving vehicle 10 is performed by the operation control unit. In the semi-automatic driving mode, the operation control unit performs operational control based on detection results of sensors (described in detail later) included in the automatic driving vehicle 10, not based on operational instructions from the management center. In the semi-automatic driving mode, only the control for starting from a stopped state is also performed based on an operation performed by the operator.

[0029] In the manual driving mode, the operator manually drives the autonomous driving vehicle 10 by operating a mechanical operating portion (not shown) or a touch panel provided in the autonomous driving vehicle 10 .

[0030] As described above, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 travels along a designated route within a specific location. In this embodiment, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 basically travels in the autonomous driving mode while traveling along the designated route. The semi-autonomous driving mode or manual driving mode is used during periods such as when the autonomous driving vehicle 10 moves from a waiting location to the designated route and enters the route, and when the autonomous driving vehicle 10 moves from the designated route to the waiting location.

[0031] The autonomous driving vehicle 10 is provided with sensors that detect objects existing around the autonomous driving vehicle 10 . Figure 2 1 is a schematic plan view showing the sensor 40 provided to the autonomous driving vehicle 10. Figure 2 As shown, a plurality of sensors 40 are provided on the sides of the autonomous vehicle 10. The autonomous vehicle 10 is configured to be able to detect objects existing in a plurality of directions as viewed from the autonomous vehicle 10 based on detection signals from the plurality of sensors 40. As described below, the sensors 40 are used by the operation control unit to perform operation control during the semi-autonomous driving mode, and are also used to control the autonomous vehicle 10 to stop or decelerate when the autonomous vehicle 10, in autonomous driving, pulls over to a sidewalk and stops.

[0032] Typical examples of the sensor 40 include cameras, laser radars, millimeter-wave radars, and clearance sonars. Laser radars are sensors that detect objects and measure the distance to target objects using remote sensing technology using light. Millimeter-wave radars are sensors that detect objects using millimeter waves, which are radio waves. Clearance sonars are sensors that detect objects using ultrasonic waves. Note that any device can be used for the sensor 40 as long as it can detect objects around the autonomous driving vehicle 10.

[0033] When the sensor 40 is a camera, the autonomous vehicle 10 can detect that an object present around the autonomous vehicle 10 is a person based on image data acquired by any of the sensors 40. For the process of detecting a person from image data, known techniques can be used. For example, a person can be detected from image data acquired by any of the sensors 40 by using a person detection process using a Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) feature. The Histogram of Oriented Gradients feature is a feature represented by a histogram of the gradient direction of pixel values (color values or brightness values) in each local area of the image data.

[0034] Furthermore, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 can detect the moving direction of an object based on the detection results of any sensor 40. For example, the moving direction of an object can be detected based on the position of the object detected by the sensor 40 immediately after a specific time point relative to the position of the object detected by the sensor 40 at the specific time point. When the sensor 40 is a camera, a person is detected from image data acquired by any sensor 40, and the moving direction of the person can be detected based on the direction of the person (e.g., the direction of the body or the direction of the face).

[0035] Before describing the operation control device of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 , the names of areas around the autonomous driving vehicle 10 in this specification will be clarified. Figure 3 The names of the areas around the autonomous driving vehicle 10 positioned along the sidewalk P are shown. In the vehicle front-rear direction, the area in front of the front end of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is referred to as the "front," the area behind the rear end of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is referred to as the "rear," and the area between the front and rear ends of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is referred to as the "side." In the vehicle width direction, the sidewalk P side of the side end of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 on the sidewalk P side is referred to as the "sidewalk side," the lane side of the side end of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 on the lane side (i.e., the side opposite to the sidewalk P side in the vehicle width direction) is referred to as the "lane side," and the area between the sidewalk P side end and the lane side end of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is referred to as the "center."

[0036] Therefore, if Figure 3 As shown, the front of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 and the lane side is called the "lane side front", the front of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 and the center is called the "center front", the front of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 and the sidewalk P side is called the "sidewalk side front", the side of the lane side of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is called the "lane side side", the side of the sidewalk P side of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is called the "sidewalk side side", the rear of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 and the lane side is called the "lane side rear", the rear and center of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is called the "center rear", and the rear of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 and the sidewalk P side is called the "sidewalk side rear".

[0037] Figure 4 FIG1 is a functional block diagram of an operation control device 50 installed in an autonomous vehicle 10. The operation control device 50 includes a touch panel 52, a communication unit 54, a driving mode selection unit 56, a braking device 58, and an operation control unit 60. The driving mode selection unit 56 and the operation control unit 60 are implemented through the cooperation between hardware such as a processor and software for operating the hardware.

[0038] The touch panel 52 is provided in the cabin of the autonomous vehicle 10. Various buttons are displayed on the touch panel 52, and the operator can input control instructions for the autonomous vehicle 10 by using the buttons displayed on the touch panel 52. For example, instructions for changing the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle 10 and operation control instructions can be input by using the touch panel 52. In the present embodiment, among the operation control instructions, a driving start instruction for starting the autonomous vehicle 10 from a stopped state can be input from the touch panel 52. Of course, the touch panel 52 can be configured to allow input of an operation control instruction for the driving start instruction. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in addition to such operation control instructions, device control instructions for devices included in the autonomous vehicle 10 (turn signals, horn, headlights, air conditioning, wipers, etc.) can also be input by using the touch panel 52.

[0039] The communication unit 54 is configured using, for example, a network adapter and implements a function for communicating with a management center 64 via a communication circuit 62, such as the Internet. The communication unit 54 transmits information related to the autonomous driving vehicle 10 to the management center 64. For example, the communication unit 54 intermittently (e.g., at one-second intervals) transmits information such as the current position and speed of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 and vehicle identification information used to identify the autonomous driving vehicle 10 to the management center 64. When the driving mode of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 changes, the communication unit 54 transmits information indicating the changed driving mode to the management center 64. Furthermore, the communication unit 54 receives operational control instructions and the like from the management center 64.

[0040] The driving mode selection unit 56 selects a driving mode for the autonomous driving vehicle 10 from the autonomous driving mode, the semi-autonomous driving mode, and the manual driving mode based on an instruction to change the driving mode input by the operator from the touch panel 52. As described above, when the driving mode selection unit 56 selects the autonomous driving mode or the semi-autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 performs autonomous driving.

[0041] The brake device 58 includes a brake actuator, a brake assembly attached to the wheel 28 (see Figure 1) and brakes the wheel cylinders, etc., of the wheels 28 (i.e., the autonomous vehicle 10). The brake actuators may be electric actuators, and adjust the hydraulic pressure of the wheel cylinders so that the wheel cylinders adjust the braking force applied to the wheels 28. The brake actuators can adjust the braking force of the wheel cylinders based on a braking command received from the operation control unit 60. Thus, the brake device 58 decelerates the autonomous vehicle 10 based on the braking command from the operation control unit 60.

[0042] The operation control unit 60 performs autonomous driving control for causing the autonomous vehicle 10 to perform autonomous driving based on an operation control command input from the touch panel 52 , an operation control command received from the management center 64 , detection results of the sensor 40 , and the like.

[0043] When the driving mode of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is the autonomous driving mode or the semi-autonomous driving mode and the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is stopped, the operation control unit 60 causes the autonomous driving vehicle 10 to start driving by autonomous driving when the operator inputs a driving start command from the touch panel 52. Thereafter, the operation control unit 60 implements autonomous driving based on the operation control command received from the management center 64 (in the case of the autonomous driving mode) or based on the detection signal from any sensor 40 (in the case of the semi-autonomous driving mode).

[0044] During autonomous driving, in other words, when the driving mode of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is the autonomous driving mode or the semi-autonomous driving mode and the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is traveling, the operation control unit 60 continuously monitors the detection results of the sensor 40. In this case, when an object that may be an obstacle among the objects detected by the sensor 40 exists in an area within a predetermined distance from the autonomous driving vehicle 10, the operation control unit 60, in principle, controls the brake device 58 and immediately stops the autonomous driving vehicle 10 to ensure safety.

[0045] The predetermined distance here may be predetermined by the operator of the autonomous vehicle 10. When the sensor 40 has a relatively short maximum detection distance (for example, when the sensor 40 is a clearance sonar), the maximum detection distance of the sensor 40 may be used for the predetermined distance.

[0046] Possible obstacles do not include all objects detected by sensor 40. Potential obstacles are objects that can move within the lane or objects that are unpredictable to approach autonomous vehicle 10 while autonomous vehicle 10 is traveling along the predetermined route. Potential obstacles include people, other vehicles (including motorcycles, bicycles, etc.), animals, or obstacles not detected by management center 64 (such as fallen rocks and vehicles in accidents). On the other hand, potential obstacles do not include objects that are immobile and known to approach autonomous vehicle 10 while autonomous vehicle 10 is traveling along the predetermined route, such as curbs, road signs, traffic lights, bus stops, or utility poles.

[0047] Object information related to objects not included in objects that may be obstacles can be acquired based on map information or the like, and such object information is stored in a memory in the operation control device 50. Therefore, the operation control portion 60 determines whether an object detected by any sensor 40 is an object that may be an obstacle based on the object information, and then when an object that may be an obstacle exists in an area within a predetermined distance from the autonomous driving vehicle 10, the operation control portion 60 controls the brake device 58 in principle and stops the autonomous driving vehicle 10.

[0048] Note that when the autonomous driving vehicle 10 can detect a sidewalk based on a detection signal from any sensor 40 , the autonomous driving vehicle 10 can exclude objects on the sidewalk (e.g., pedestrians) from objects that may be obstacles.

[0049] When the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is in autonomous driving, in other words, when the driving mode of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is the autonomous driving mode or the semi-autonomous driving mode and the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is traveling, there are cases where the operation control unit 60 performs a pull-over control to pull the autonomous driving vehicle 10 to the side of the pedestrian path. In this embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, it is assumed that the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is used for a bus, and the pull-over control is performed immediately before the autonomous driving vehicle 10 arrives at the bus stop S. Figure 5In the embodiment, the pull-over control is a control for moving the autonomous driving vehicle 10 from the position indicated by reference numeral 10a to the position indicated by reference numeral 10b. In the present embodiment, the pull-over stop control (the control for stopping the autonomous driving vehicle 10 at the position indicated by reference numeral 10b at the position indicated by reference numeral 10c) is performed. In the pull-over stop control, after the autonomous driving vehicle 10 has completely pulled over to the side of the sidewalk P (that is, after the pull-over control), the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is stopped along the sidewalk P. However, the situations in which the pull-over control is performed are not limited to the above-mentioned situations. For example, the pull-over control can be performed in the following situations: the autonomous driving vehicle 10 enters the sidewalk P, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 turns left, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is stopped in a parking space on the road along the sidewalk, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 allows passengers to get on and off as a taxi, etc.

[0050] During the execution of the pull-over control, in other words, during the period from when the autonomous driving vehicle 10 starts to pull over to the sidewalk P until the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is completely pulled over to the sidewalk P (the autonomous driving vehicle 10 starts to pull over to the sidewalk P). Figure 5 10b) in the process of moving from the position indicated by reference numeral 10a in the figure to the position indicated by reference numeral 10b, when an object that could be an obstacle exists in at least one of the center front area, which is an area within a predetermined distance in front of the center of the autonomous vehicle 10; the sidewalk front area, which is an area within a predetermined distance in front of the sidewalk on the side of the autonomous vehicle 10; and the sidewalk lateral area, which is an area within a predetermined distance to the side of the sidewalk on the side of the autonomous vehicle 10, the operation control unit 60 controls the brake device 58 according to the rule and immediately stops the autonomous vehicle 10. This is because, while the autonomous vehicle 10 is pulling over to the sidewalk P, the center front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area are located in the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle 10. Therefore, if an object that could be an obstacle exists in any of these areas, the object may collide with the autonomous vehicle 10.

[0051] During the period from the time the autonomous vehicle 10 begins to pull over to the sidewalk P until the autonomous vehicle 10 has completely pulled over to the sidewalk P, if no potential obstacle exists in any of the center front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area, the operation control unit 60 does not stop the autonomous vehicle 10, even if a potential obstacle exists in any other area around the autonomous vehicle 10 other than the center front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area (i.e., in the lane front, lane lateral, lane rear, center rear, and sidewalk lateral areas). This is because, while the autonomous vehicle 10 is pulling over to the sidewalk P, areas other than the center front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area are not located in the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle 10. Therefore, even if a potential obstacle exists in any other area, the probability of the object colliding with the autonomous vehicle 10 is low. Therefore, when the autonomous vehicle 10 pulls over to the sidewalk P, the autonomous vehicle 10 is prevented from stopping unnecessarily.

[0052] During the time period from the time the autonomous driving vehicle 10 starts to pull over to the side of the sidewalk P until the autonomous driving vehicle 10 completely pulls over to the sidewalk P, when there is no object that may be an obstacle in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk side area, and when an object that may be an obstacle is present in any of the central rear area, which is an area within a predetermined distance behind the center of the autonomous driving vehicle 10, and the sidewalk rear area, which is an area within a predetermined distance behind the sidewalk side of the autonomous driving vehicle 10, the operation control unit 60 can control the braking device 58 and cause the autonomous driving vehicle 10 to slow down (to a speed of approximately less than 10 kilometers per hour).

[0053] It is conceivable that while the autonomous vehicle 10 is executing pull-over control, an object that could be an obstacle in an area not in the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle 10 (specifically, either the center rear area or the sidewalk rear area) could collide with the autonomous vehicle 10. For example, there is a case where an object that could be an obstacle (e.g., a motorcycle or bicycle) in the sidewalk rear area continues to move forward without noticing the autonomous vehicle 10 pulling over. Another conceivable case is that when the autonomous vehicle 10 begins pull-over control, an object that could be an obstacle (e.g., a motorcycle) in the center rear area attempts to overtake the autonomous vehicle 10 from the sidewalk P. In these cases, there is a possibility that an object that could be an obstacle in the sidewalk rear area or the center rear area could collide with the autonomous vehicle 10 while it is pulling over. On the other hand, since the center rear area and the sidewalk rear area are not located in the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle 10 pulling over, it can be said that when a possible obstacle is present in any of the center front area, the sidewalk front area, or the sidewalk side area, the need to stop the autonomous vehicle 10 is less than when a possible obstacle is present in any of the center front area, the sidewalk front area, or the sidewalk side area. Therefore, when a possible obstacle is present in any of the center rear area and the sidewalk rear area, the operation control unit 60 decelerates the autonomous vehicle 10 to reduce the possibility of a collision with the possible obstacle in any of the center rear area and the sidewalk rear area, while minimizing unnecessary stops of the autonomous vehicle 10.

[0054] As described above, the operation control unit 60 can detect the movement direction of potential obstacle objects around the autonomous vehicle 10 based on the detection results of any of the sensors 40. Here, when there are no potential obstacle objects in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area, when there are potential obstacle objects in any of the central rear area and the sidewalk rear area, and when the potential obstacle objects are moving away from the autonomous vehicle 10 or when the potential obstacle objects are stationary, the operation control unit 60 may not decelerate the autonomous vehicle 10. This is because, even when there are potential obstacle objects in any of the central rear area and the sidewalk rear area, when the potential obstacle objects are moving away from the autonomous vehicle 10, or when the potential obstacle objects are stationary, as described above, the probability of a potential obstacle object colliding with the autonomous vehicle 10, due to the potential obstacle object in the sidewalk rear area continuing to move forward or the potential obstacle object in the central rear area attempting to overtake the autonomous vehicle 10 from the sidewalk P, is quite low. Therefore, unnecessary deceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is suppressed.

[0055] During execution of the pull-over stop control, in other words, during the period from when the autonomous driving vehicle 10 completely pulls over to the sidewalk P until the autonomous driving vehicle 10 stops (the autonomous driving vehicle 10 Figure 5 During the period from when the autonomous vehicle 10 completely pulls over to the sidewalk P until the autonomous vehicle 10 stops, if no possible obstacle exists in the center front area, the operation control unit 60 will not stop the autonomous vehicle 10 even if a possible obstacle exists in any other area around the autonomous vehicle 10 other than the center front area (i.e., in the areas ahead of the lane, to the side of the lane, behind the lane, behind the center, ahead of the sidewalk, to the side of the sidewalk, and behind the sidewalk). This is because the center front is the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle 10 during the period from when the autonomous vehicle 10 completely pulls over to the sidewalk P until the autonomous vehicle 10 stops. Therefore, during the period from when the autonomous driving vehicle 10 completely pulls over to the sidewalk P until the autonomous driving vehicle 10 stops, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 is suppressed from stopping unnecessarily.

[0056] As described above, between the pull-over control period and the pull-over stop control period, the operation control unit 60 changes the target stop area. The target stop area is the area where the autonomous vehicle 10 is immediately stopped when an object that could be an obstacle is present. Specifically, the target stop areas during pull-over control are the center front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area, while the target stop area during pull-over stop control is only the center front area. This is due to the fact that the driving direction of the autonomous vehicle 10 is different during pull-over control and the pull-over stop control period.

[0057] Although the embodiments of the autonomous driving vehicle according to the present disclosure have been described above, the autonomous driving vehicle according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes may be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An autonomous driving vehicle capable of autonomous driving, comprising: a sensor that detects objects present around the autonomous vehicle; a memory storing object information associated with an object that is not moving and is known in advance to be in proximity to the autonomous vehicle as the autonomous vehicle travels along a predetermined route; as well as an operation control unit that, during a period from the time the autonomous vehicle starts pulling over to the sidewalk until the autonomous vehicle has completely pulled over to the sidewalk, stops the autonomous vehicle when an object that is a potential obstacle among the objects detected by the sensor and is not included in the object information is present in at least one of a central front area, which is an area within a predetermined distance in front of the center of the autonomous vehicle; a sidewalk front area, which is an area within a predetermined distance in front of the sidewalk of the autonomous vehicle; and a sidewalk lateral area, which is an area within a predetermined distance to the side of the sidewalk of the autonomous vehicle. Furthermore, when the object that is a potential obstacle is not present in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area, the operation control unit does not stop the autonomous vehicle even when the object that is a potential obstacle is present in an area around the autonomous vehicle other than the central front area, the sidewalk front area, and the sidewalk lateral area.

2. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: When the object that may be an obstacle does not exist in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area and the sidewalk side area, and when the object that may be an obstacle exists in any of the central rear area which is an area within a predetermined distance behind the center of the autonomous driving vehicle and the sidewalk rear area which is an area within a predetermined distance behind the sidewalk side of the autonomous driving vehicle, the operation control unit causes the autonomous driving vehicle to slow down.

3. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: The operation control unit Based on the detection results of the sensor, the moving direction of the object that may be an obstacle existing around the autonomous driving vehicle is detected, and When the object that may be an obstacle does not exist in any of the central front area, the sidewalk front area and the sidewalk side area, when the object that may be an obstacle exists in at least one of the central rear area and the sidewalk rear area, and when the moving direction of the object that may be an obstacle is away from the autonomous driving vehicle or the object that may be an obstacle is stopped, the autonomous driving vehicle is not caused to slow down.

4. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: During the time period from when the autonomous driving vehicle in autonomous driving completely pulls over to the side of the sidewalk until the autonomous driving vehicle stops, when the object that may be an obstacle exists in the central front area, the operation control unit stops the autonomous driving vehicle, and when the object that may be an obstacle does not exist in the central front area, the operation control unit does not stop the autonomous driving vehicle even when the object that may be an obstacle exists in the area around the autonomous driving vehicle other than the central front area.

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